That night, Guo Peng came to Guo Dan's study, and Guo Shan handed Guo Peng a gift list.

"This is a gift list for the Cao family to ask for a marriage, you can see what is missing."

Guo Peng looked at the gift list and felt that it was very safe, and there was nothing bad.

"The major matters of marriage are all decided by the father, and the son has no opinion, and the father thinks it is good."

Guo Peng returned the gift list with both hands.

"Xiao Yi."

Guo Shan took the gift list and sighed: "You are precocious, your father does not regard you as an ordinary child, our family cannot allow you to grow up carefree like an ordinary child, you can't stand for your father, but there is nothing you can do for your father." ”

"My son understands."

Guo Peng was very respectful.

"So my father is discussing with you, my father believes that you are sensible enough, Xiao Yi, and Cao's marriage, you have to think about it, once you step out, you will already be an enemy of some people, and before you have enough fame and achievements, the Yingchuan family will be ashamed of you."

"Father, we have no choice."

Guo Peng's face was calm, not like a child at all: "Even if we don't marry the Cao family, will the Yingchuan family be proud of us?" Since it is no longer the same way, it has simply become a stranger, and if you can't learn "Little Dulu", you won't learn it, it's nothing rare.

Father, it is already a foregone conclusion that the emphasis on filial piety and honesty over grammar is a foregone conclusion, why did the Yingchuan family decline? Isn't it still a grammar background? Grandfather had a vision, although we broke away from the Yingchuan family, but to change the "Ram", one day, it may not be able to soar, at that time, they will be asked to bend their knees to beg. ”

Guo Shan hesitated for a while, remembering the humiliation he suffered when he was young for filial piety, gritted his teeth, and nodded.

"Okay, then I will officially propose to the Cao family tomorrow, Cao Song, the father of the Cao family's daughter, is serving as the great Honglu in the court, and Cao Song's cousin Cao Chi is the captain of Changshui, and the Cao family has a lot of power in the court.

They have power in the court and in the army, and they also maintain a relationship with the eunuchs, and after you make a marriage, you can be operated by the Cao family for you, and it will not be a problem to enter the Taixue and become a child. ”

Guo Peng should go down.

"In addition to being a boy boy, in addition to the nomination, there must be a strategy to check whether you are qualified and whether you can enter Taixue, this is not worried about the father, you have studied the scriptures for many years, and what the father can teach you has been taught to you, with the help of the Cao family, it is certain to enter the Taixue."

Guo Dan took a deep breath: "After entering Taixue, you can't be by your side all the time to remind you as a father, you and I father and son live separately, outside, you only have the Cao family to help, but the Cao family is not a father after all, at that time, you can only rely on yourself, Xiaoyi, are you worried?" ”

"Worried."

Guo Peng nodded: "But my son knows that it is useless to worry, and every step from now on, my son has no choice." ”

Guo Shan closed his eyes slightly, leaned and opened them again.

"May the fathers bless my son."

That's all he could pray.

While Guo Shan and Guo Peng, father and son, are planning for the future in the long run, the two cousins Cao Song and Cao Chi in Ruyang, Kyoto, are also making long-term discussions for the same thing.

Earlier, Cao Song and Guo Dan had discussed this matter, and now, it seems that it is time to decide.

This kind of thing should be done sooner rather than later, especially for Cao Song.

"Jugao, the Guo family in Qiaoxian County is just a broken household separated from the Yingchuan Guo family, the family does not have much property and land, and there are not many parts, even the Yingchuan Guo family is not as good as before.

They are born as grammar officials, and they can't even be officials with more than 2,000 stones, and the form is declining, and the Guo family in Qian County is even more of a county order, don't you feel wronged Lan'er by marrying Lan'er to his family's son? ”

Cao Chi sat in front of Cao Song and reached out to pour a glass of water for Cao Song.

Cao Song pinched his beard and smiled.

"Yuansheng, your Ren'er and Chun'er have a good relationship with Guo Peng, I'm afraid you didn't instigate it behind your back, right?"

Cao Chi's face was stunned, and he laughed wryly, Cao Song also laughed, and Cao Chi laughed and laughed.

"No matter how dilapidated the Guo family is, it is also surnamed Guo, and then it is a grammar official, no matter how big it is before, it is also a scholar family, a family heirloom for more than 100 years, a well-dressed family, on the family, on the origin, it is ugly to say, our Cao family is not even worthy of carrying shoes for others.

Guo Peng's grandfather was the Taishou of Wuyuan, and his father was also the county magistrate of Qiaoxian County, all of whom were born in filial piety, followed the formal way of scholars, and were justified in their reputation, and could marry Guo's son, this kind of thing, Yuan Sheng, if you have an unmarried daughter, are you willing? ”

Cao Song looked at Cao Chi with a narrow face, and Cao Chi's smile turned into a wry smile.

His daughter was promised to Hou Song Qi a few years ago, but now she has no share.

Song Qi's sister Song is now the queen, Cao Chi has become the brother-in-law of the queen's brother, and Cao Song has also become the cousin of the queen's brother-in-law.

But the Song family is a relative in the end, how can the relationship between this relative be compared to the well-dressed Guo family?

If Cao Song's daughter marries Guo Peng, the entire Cao family will envy Cao Song to death.

"Jugao, I hate myself for not having more daughters!"

Cao Song twisted his beard and laughed.

After laughing for a while, the faces of the two returned to calm.

Cao Song took a sip of water from the cup and slowly spoke.

"Although there are many officials in our family and the official position is high, just like the rootless duckweed, there are no protégés and old officials in the local area to do wings, and the court relies on eunuchs and relatives, how can this last?

It's okay now, if one day the eunuch's relatives fall, we will be uprooted, but it's just a matter of one sentence, don't talk about us, didn't Tang Heng, the regular servant, also give his daughter to Xun Yu, the son of the Xun family? ”

"That's just as well."

Cao Chiyu said with a mocking smile: "Some people in the capital say that it is Xun Qi who is greedy for Tang Heng's power. ”

"Hahaha, power?"

Cao Song shook his head: "The Xun family has eight dragons, what power do they covet?" In ordinary times, as long as they are willing, there is no official position that they can't get, but Xiaohuan deliberately suppresses the Shi clan, indulges Tang Heng and others to abuse power, even if they die in the future, how can the Xun family be willing to die a eunuch in exchange for a group of Xun children? ”

"Speaking of which, when Xun Qi agreed to this family business, he was also forced by the clan?"

"That's natural, he is known as Xun Erlong, enjoying such a reputation, shouldn't he make some sacrifices for the family? If you really want to make Tang Heng angry, Xiaohuan must fan the flames behind Tang Heng's back.

Sacrificing a Tang Heng to die with the Xun family, putting the blame on Tang Heng, and causing the Xun family's vitality to be greatly damaged, this kind of trick, why can't the Xun family understand? So I could only be forced to agree, and my plan to call Xiaohuan fell through.

turned out to be cheaper than Tang Heng, Tang Heng was originally going to use his power to whitewash his own family, and now he married his daughter to Xun's son, which can be regarded as a step to the sky! ”

Cao Song said this, and even Shang couldn't help but show a look of envy, leaning less, but sighing again.

"We turbidity, if you want to enter the house, you have to do it, just like that, how many people want to do it has no way, we have some power now, if we don't use this power in time, and when the power becomes a passing cloud, our Cao clan will be finished."

Cao Song's words can be regarded as saying Cao Chi's heart.

"Yes, those scholars treat us as human beings! Tang Heng can be regarded as a person who understands, but today, how many people understand like you and my brother?

How many people can't figure it out if they want to break their heads, power is just a passing cloud, and if it is said to dissipate, it will dissipate, and it is important for the family to take root in the place, which is a matter of thousands of years. ”

Cao Chi looked at Cao Song, Cao Song looked at Cao Chi, and the two of them smiled bitterly together.

The two drank some water and wine respectively, poured less, and opened the conversation again.

"Anyway, the Xun family Ziyu married the daughter of the eunuch, I'm afraid I won't be laughed at?"

Cao Chi asked curiously.

"That's not true, these scholars can see it clearly, you have made sacrifices for the family, the family will not treat you badly, and will always compensate you, your reputation has been damaged, and you have the stigma of 'subservience to eunuchs', that big guy can't let your son also give people jokes, otherwise who will be willing to sacrifice to the family in the future?

I heard that Xun Yu became a talented man for the Xun family at a young age, and then when he was young, he invited He Hao, a famous man from Nanyang, to evaluate him.

He Hao also understood the truth of this, and opened his mouth to say that Wang Zuozhicai made Xun Yu famous, and after that, no one mentioned that his wife was the daughter of a eunuch. ”

Cao Song was more well-informed, so he told Cao Chi about it.

"The Xun family is really flattering each other!"

Cao Chi's face was full of disdain.

"This is what they have always done, touting each other, inflating each other's value, waiting for the court to invite, alas, ......"

Cao Song shook his head, and said: "The world is like this, you just say that the Xun clan, in the past, the Xun clan was prosperous, and the scholar clan gave a 'Xun Eight Dragons' out, if the Xun clan committed public anger, I am afraid that the eight dragons will become eight insects in the blink of an eye, commenting on the characters, this can all depend on a mouth!" ”