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In the next few days, the Zheng family used various methods to test the true subordination between Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin many times.

Then, according to the original agreement, Xu Qingyan would "secretly observe" Mo Xiaolin's reaction before expressing his position many times, and then Mo Xiaolin decided whether he should "nod slightly" or "shake his head slightly" according to whether Xu Qingyan frowned at that time, and finally Xu Qingyan would make his statement clear.

When the Zheng family saw this situation, they became more and more convinced of their judgments, and felt that Mo Xiaolin was Zhao Junchen's real confidant and the person in charge of this contact with the Zheng family, and Xu Qingyan was just a puppet pushed to the front of the stage.

In this way, although the people of the Zheng family were a little unhappy, they also felt that Zhao Junchen was very scheming, and they didn't dare to despise it.

Xu Qingyan's biggest shortcoming is that he is addicted to those small cleverness and small means that he cannot extricate himself, which is often counterproductive and loses big because of small things, but facts have proved that if these small means and small cleverness are used in the right place and time, the effect is still very good.

However, in order to show that they have seen through the "truth" and have not been deceived by such a tanuki for the prince, they occasionally deliberately treat Xu Qingyan coldly, but they have never neglected Mo Xiaolin, and often bypassed Xu Qingyan to directly consult Mo Xiaolin's opinion, wanting to express their dissatisfaction and protest in this way.

Regarding this situation, Xu Qingyan was completely unmoved, just endured it silently, thinking that as long as Zhao Junchen's plan could go smoothly, he didn't care about his momentary honor and disgrace at all.

In this way, after Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin carefully maneuvered with the Zheng family for a few days, they finally got the opportunity to meet Annanbo Zheng Zhilong.

After Zheng Zhilong is getting older, although he has retired behind the scenes, he is no longer involved in those trivial things, but things like the cooperation between the Zheng family and Zhao Junchen are not trivial, and they must be personally decided by Zheng Zhilong himself.

*

Under the leadership of Zheng Chenggong, Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin walked into the main hall of the back house of Annanbo Zheng's mansion.

As soon as he stepped in, before Xu Qingyan could look up and take the initiative to salute, he heard an old man laugh in a loud and heroic voice: "You two boys escorted the descendants of the Li family all the way to Taiwan?" ”

Hearing this voice, Xu Qingyan hurriedly looked up.

When Xu Qingyan saw Zheng Zhilong for the first time, he thought that this person was very difficult to deal with, and he must not be underestimated, and he had to be energetic when dealing with it.

Judging from his appearance, Zheng Zhilong is a very ordinary old man, he is more than eighty years old, his old face is full of wrinkles, and his figure is also rickety and thin, only a few silver-white hairs remain, and I heard that he also has serious problems with the back of his ears.

But Zheng Zhilong's mental state is not bad, his voice is unusually loud when he speaks, and a pair of old eyes that seem to be dim are still flashing with fine light, and the heroic and treacherous spirit of the year has not diminished between his hands and feet.

The reason why Xu Qingyan thinks that Zheng Zhilong is difficult to deal with is because he has noticed a very familiar temperament from Zheng Zhilong's body, which he has only felt in Zhou Shangjing's body before.

It stands to reason that Zhou Shangjing and Zheng Zhilong are completely different existences, one is the central cabinet elder who is in charge of the overall situation, and the other is a maritime warlord who divides the locality; One is a great Confucian who reads poetry and books, and the other is a pirate-born hero; One is calm and sophisticated, wise and introverted, and the other is heroic and treacherous...... But on the contrary, Xu Qingyan just feels that these two people are very similar in some places.

If Zhao Junchen was here, he would definitely tell Xu Qingyan that these two old men do have something similar, that is, they both have the wisdom and calmness that have been precipitated after going through strong winds and waves.

When he was secretly vigilant in his heart, Xu Qingyan's face was full of ingennial smiles, and he nodded again and again: "Old lord, it was the two of us who escorted the Li family to Taiwan!" Oh, the end of the world is far away, the south and the north are thousands of miles apart, the boat and the car are tired, you must have heard my jokes, when you are about to reach your old man's territory, I also fell into the sea, and I have a high fever for several days, so that I have no face to see people these days! ”

On the other side, Mo Xiaolin was still emotionally restrained, and nodded and said, "Exactly." ”

Before meeting Zheng Zhilong, Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin had been told in advance by the people of the Zheng family, saying that Zheng Zhilong's hearing was very bad, and he had to speak loudly to Zheng Zhilong, so the two of them also answered loudly.

However, seeing Xu Qingyan so shamelessly and shamelessly proclaiming his ugly thing in the loudest voice, not only was he not ashamed, but he seemed to want to publicize this ugly thing as his own merit and plan to ask for some benefits from Zheng Zhilong, and everyone in the Zheng family around him couldn't help but show disdain.

Look at Mo Xiaolin, the simple word "exactly" answered Zheng Zhilong's question, which is both direct and straightforward, calm and sophisticated, where is it like you Xu Qingyan is as long and shameless as you? No wonder someone else is the main one this time, and you Xu Qingyan can only be a puppet on the table.

didn't know that Xu Qingyan's performance was deliberate, and he knew very well the reason why Zhao Junchen arranged for him and Mo Xiaolin to meet Zheng Zhilong.

According to Li Xun, Zheng Zhilong is getting older and older, and he likes the younger generations of young people more and more, but he still hasn't changed the pirate style of the year, and the young people he likes are either the kind of warriors with a resolute and fearless personality, or the kind of fickle and optimistic smart people - in short, Zheng Zhilong himself was like when he was young - but the kind of young people who follow the rules and are old and respectful, and they are never taken seriously by Zheng Zhilong.

And Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin also belong to the two personalities that Zheng Zhilong likes, Zhao Junchen sent the two of them to see Zheng Zhilong, in the final analysis, they just did what they liked.

Therefore, after seeing Zheng Zhilong, Xu Qingyan deliberately germinated in a solid state, showing a shameless appearance.

Sure enough, seeing Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin's performance like this, Zheng Zhilong didn't think it was strange, but laughed again: "Haha, I heard your jokes, and I laughed for a long time at that time, when you went to sea for the first time, how did you know the horror of the storm at sea?" Even daring to blindly insist on saying that he wants to see is also self-reproach...... Tell me honestly, were you scared to pee your pants at the time? ”

Xu Qingyan's face did not change, he raised his head and said: "Old man, can you ask me, I was directly scared and fainted, how do you know if I urinated?" When I woke up, my pants were wet, but maybe they were wet from the rain. ”

Zheng Zhilong pointed at Xu Qingyan and laughed again, and said, "You faceless and skinless, old man, I was better than you back then...... Well, that's right! Anyone who goes to sea for the first time and encounters a storm has to make some jokes, and after a few years, it is all used to brag about it, there is nothing to be ashamed of, and it is really a shame to hide and dare not see talents! ”

Speaking of this, Zheng Zhilong turned his head to look at Mo Xiaolin again, and said: "And you little guy, when I was competing with others these days, I hid behind the old man and watched, and his martial arts were really hard scum!" Look at your guns, from the barracks, right? There is also a ruthlessness, has he ever been on the battlefield, and he often fights ruthlessly when he competes with others? ”

Mo Xiaolin nodded and said: "I have always been too delicate, it is easy to recruit people and bully people in the military camp, if there is no martial arts and ruthlessness, there will be no me in this world for a long time!" It is true that I went to the battlefield once and killed some people. ”

Zheng Zhilong's face showed appreciation, and nodded: "That's exactly how it should be!" You have to be tough, and if you are bullied, you must return it ten times on the spot! You're very good, you have the old man I looked like back then. ”

Then, Zheng Zhilong asked again: "I heard that before the two of you left Taiyuan, you also recognized Li Xun as your father-in-law?" ”

Xu Qingyan immediately nodded and said: "That's right, if you are from your father-in-law, Xiao Lin and I should call the old lord your uncle now!" ”

Hearing Xu Qingyan's words, everyone in the Zheng family changed color, and they only felt that Xu Qingyan really had to make inches.

Just because you, Xu Qingyan, are also worthy of having a relationship with Zheng Zhilongpan?

Zheng Zhilong's expression was also a little solemn, but his thoughts were a little different from those of his children and grandchildren, and he said slowly: "I have already heard about the experience of the Li family!" Li Xun is an unlucky guy, all the black cauldrons have been carried by him alone, and I can't save him if I'm too far away, but your Zhao Ge can help Li Xun keep his clansmen's family, and the two of you are fortunate to protect them all the way to Taiwan, after all, it is to help me keep the bloodline of my father-in-law's descendants, and I also want to inherit your affection, old man...... Let you call me uncle, but I can bear it! ”

Xu Qingyan immediately climbed up the pole and said with a well-behaved attitude: "Then you will be my uncle from now on!" Uncle, don't worry, don't look at me as a weapon, but with the face of my Zhao Ge Lao, it is also useful on weekdays, if you have anything to do with the court in the future, just explain me, so that I also have the opportunity to fulfill my filial piety. ”

Zheng Zhilong was immediately laughed angrily, but he also had a little more intimacy, nodded and said, "Okay, old man, I have something for you to help me with now...... Let's talk about it, what kind of thoughts did your family's Zhao Ge Lao have in mind when he arranged such a play, rescued the Li Xun clan, and sent you to contact my Zheng family privately? Zhao Gelao's business is very large, and although the shipping is lucrative, it is not worth his big fight and careful consideration, I am afraid that it has another purpose, right? Old man, I just want you to tell the truth, don't be embarrassed, right? ”

Xu Qingyan still deliberately turned his head to "peek" at Mo Xiaolin, Mo Xiaolin also kept paying attention to Xu Qingyan's movements, and nodded lightly after seeing that Xu Qingyan did not frown.

Then, Xu Qingyan said with a smile: "My family Zhao Ge Lao wants to cooperate with your uncle this time, but he is full of sincerity, he just wants to make some money together." ”

As he spoke, Xu Qingyan took out a secret letter from his arms and handed it to Zheng Zhilong.

This secret letter was written by Zhao Junchen himself, and it was also the key to the success or failure of Xu Qingyan's trip, so it was always wrapped in calfskin, and it was not wet because Xu Qingyan fell into the sea some time ago.

After Zheng Zhilong took the secret letter, he opened it casually and looked at it, his eyes didn't seem to be very useful, and when he read the letter, he held the letter paper far away with his hand, and a pair of old eyes narrowed into two slits.

After reading Zhao Junchen's secret letter, Zheng Zhilong's expression gradually became solemn, and he said slowly: "Zhao Ge's old name is well deserved, what a big hand!" It's not as simple as making some money...... If we really cooperate according to his proposal, more than half of my Zheng family's ships will revolve around his plan in the future...... I'm going to think about it, old man. ”

Xu Qingyan deliberately turned his head to glance at Mo Xiaolin again, and then nodded and said, "Okay, uncle, just think about it, Xiaolin and I are here to eat and drink, and we are waiting for your response at any time." ”

Zheng Zhilong laughed again and said: "There is nothing else in Taiwan, there is good food and drink!" Today, I recognized two godgrandchildren, and it was just time to set up a family banquet to celebrate! ”

With Zheng Zhilong's order, the people of the Zheng family did not dare to slack off, and quickly set up a few good banquets on the table.

Then, Xu Qingyan naturally tried his best to win Zheng Zhilong's favor, Zheng Zhilong really liked Xu Qingyan's clever and optimistic character, and was amused by Xu Qingyan many times.

In the next few days, Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin will often be by Zheng Zhilong's side, Zheng Zhilong is never annoyed, one time is to talk to Xu Qingyan about some meat jokes, and the other is to test Mo Xiaolin's martial arts, often say that these two people have a bit of their own youth, so that the children and grandchildren of the Zheng family are quite unhappy, they dare not easily offend the "main master" Mo Xiaolin, but Xu Qingyan is just a puppet on the table in their eyes, naturally he does not have too many scruples, so Xu Qingyan's treatment is getting worse and worse, It's just that Xu Qingyan doesn't care.

However, since the first meeting, Zheng Zhilong has never mentioned the cooperation between the Zheng family and Zhao Junchen, and Xu Qingyan has never urged, he knows that Zheng Zhilong is hesitating, and many details have to be discussed, but sooner or later he will give himself an answer.

*

On this day, Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin were summoned by Zheng Zhilong again.

After seeing Zheng Zhilong, he found that several core members of the Zheng family were standing on both sides with serious expressions, and Xu Qingyan knew that Zheng Zhilong had already made a decision.

Zheng Zhilong is not like the old and disrespectful appearance on weekdays, after seeing Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin, he nodded and said: "Your Zhao Ge Lao's cooperation plan is very interesting, old man, after thinking about it, I don't want to miss it after all, but I want to see how far your Zhao Ge Lao can go!" I have already arranged the boat, you can take the boat directly back to Tianjin Wei, and tell Zhao Ge Lao on my behalf...... From now on, the Zheng family will be his allies! ”

After speaking, Zheng Zhilong turned his head and glanced at Zheng Ming, and said: "The third child, you don't have to work on anything, you are still responsible for sending the two of them back, and by the way, go to see that Zhao Ge Lao, hand him the old man's letter, and talk to him about the details of cooperation." ”

Zheng Ming hurriedly agreed.

After finishing business, Zheng Zhilong returned to normalcy and joked at Xu Qingyan: "This time, don't fall into the sea again!" Look at how much effort and humiliation you have endured in order to redeem your initial mistakes during this time? Remember, it's okay for a man to brag, but what's there to brag? A man who brags means that he is ambitious, and a man who does not brag is a man! But the word "strong" has never been a virtue. ”

Hearing Zheng Zhilong's response, Xu Qingyan was originally happy in his heart, but after hearing Zheng Zhilong's joke, he couldn't help but be taken aback!

Obviously, Zheng Zhilong had already seen through Xu Qingyan and Mo Xiaolin's tricks.

"Uncle, you...... See? Xu Qingyan asked tentatively.

Zheng Zhilong laughed again and said, "How can you not see this little trick?" Every time you express your position, you will deliberately glance at Xiao Lin, trying to make others mistakenly think that you are just a puppet on the stage and that Xiao Lin is the main master behind the scenes, right? You did this because you felt that your performance at the beginning was too embarrassing, and you were worried that our Zheng family would despise Zhao Ge Lao because of you, so you pushed Xiao Lin out, right? But the two of you are too deliberate, especially Xiao Lin, he doesn't know how to disguise himself at all, his attention has always been on you, waiting for you to respond to you after peeking at him, obviously the two of you are still dominated by you, this kind of trick will deceive those who think they are smart, how can you deceive the old man and me! ”

Hearing Zheng Zhilong's words, the children and grandchildren of the Zheng family on both sides were full of embarrassment - they were obviously the "smart people" that Zheng Zhilong said, Zheng Zhilong did not expose the truth until this time, and obviously took the opportunity to beat them.

Xu Qingyan said with an embarrassed expression: "These little tricks really shouldn't be shown in front of my uncle." “

Zheng Zhilong said with a smile: "Your various practices are enough to prove your loyalty, and you can correct your mistakes in time, which is even more rare!"

Haha, Zhao Ge Lao arranged for you and Xiaolin to meet the old man, just to vote for the old man's favor and think that the personalities of the two of you are in line with the old man's appetite, right? It's also well-intentioned! But if you only have a clever temperament and a good mouth, and have no other merits, how can the old man take you seriously, or even take you as a godgrandson? You can be valued by the old man, and it is because of these little tricks! ”

Xu Qingyan was stunned for a long time, and then bowed to Zheng Zhilong and said, "Grandson is obedient!" ”

At this moment, Xu Qingyan also had some sincere respect for Zheng Zhilong in his heart.

*

Just when Xu Qingyan took a boat from Taiwan and planned to arrive directly in Tianjinwei, the center of the capital also received a response from the Jianzhou Jurchen.

Because of the gradual end of the Hetao War, the Jianzhou Jurchens saw that they were unprofitable, and finally agreed to the negotiation proposal of the imperial court.

Zhao Junchen had already made preparations, and after receiving the response from the Jianzhou Jurchen, he immediately set off and rushed out of Beijing in the direction of Xuanfu Military Town.

At this time, the army of Jianzhou Jurchen was arranged thirty miles north of Xuanfu Military Town, and the leader was also the Aixin Jueluo. Xuan Ye.

Zhao Junchen and the legendary figure will also be the two protagonists of this negotiation.

However, it was said that on the afternoon of the day when Zhao Junchen left the capital, Zhou Shangjing, the first assistant of the court, also ended his day's official duties and returned to the Zhou Mansion.

After Zhou Shangjing returned to the mansion, he saw the steward Zhou Zheng walking quickly to his side and reported in a low voice: "Master, there is a reply from Wang Baoren's side." ”

Zhou Shangjing asked without moving, "What did he say?" ”

Zhou Zheng replied: "He completely agrees with your proposal, master, and will delay the imperial court's rectification of the six departments in Nanjing, and wait until Zhao Junchen returns to the capital to promote the next plan!" ”

Zhou Shangjing asked again: "That's good, Wang Baoren still knows the general situation!" What about the Prince's side? ”

"I also find a way to delay, the prince will never achieve much in a short period of time!"

Zhou Shangjing's expression seemed to be smiling, and he said leisurely: "Zhao Junchen, this little fox, wants to take advantage of this opportunity to negotiate with the Jianzhou Jurchens to hide, but he doesn't want to pay attention to the rights and wrongs of the future period, and only waits for the overall situation to gradually settle before coming forward to take benefits...... If Shen Changmao is still the head of the cabinet now, and everything is up to him, the old man naturally doesn't care about his little cleverness, but now that the old man has returned to the position of the head of the cabinet, these things naturally can't be borne by the old man alone, this little fox must also do his part, it's useless to escape! ”

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