Chapter 85 Do you want to gamble?
Zhao Mansion
Since Zhao Wenkuan was impeached by Lü Desheng and demoted to a lower rank, he has not been favored by Emperor Kang Cheng for some time. Therefore, when Emperor Kang Cheng brought his valued ministers to visit Hongsheng Restaurant incognito, he naturally had no chance. On the contrary, the Xie family, because they lost a Dali Temple official, Emperor Kang Cheng looked at them more favorably, and then brought Xie Mingtang with him.
It's not that he couldn't go by himself, but he thought about it and decided not to, fearing that he would be charged with spying on the emperor.
Not being able to be there in person made him feel regretful. So he waited quietly at home.
The news that Fan Quan was devalued by Lü Desheng and then rejected by the emperor and refused to be employed, and that even Zhang Yong's personal recommendation failed to change the emperor's mind, was immediately reported back to Zhao Mansion. Zhao Wenkuan immediately changed his clothes and planned to go to Xie Mansion.
At this time, the nanny beside Luo came to ask him to go to the courtyard of the fourth son Zhao Bin, saying that Zhao Bin was hysterical and making a scene after receiving the news from Hongsheng Restaurant, and asked him to go over and take a look.
Zhao Wenkuan was impatient. These days, his son had been making a scene almost every day. He went from being nervous and concerned at the beginning to being impatient now.
I have to go out for a while. I will go to see him when I come back. Let the lady persuade him more.
Zhao Wenkuan arrived at the Xie family and found that it was his son-in-law Xie Zhan who met him.
The two moved to the meeting room to talk.
After the servants served tea and left, Zhao Wenkuan silently looked at his son-in-law opposite him.
Zhao Wenkuan could feel that the Xie family was subtly changing power recently.
Because the last joint recommendation of Lu Desheng failed, causing the Xie family to lose the position of Dali Temple, his future son-in-law became strong and now gradually took over the power of the Xie family, while Xie Mingtang quietly retreated behind the scenes. Actually, it's good. Xie Zhan is his son-in-law after all, and the relationship between the father-in-law and son-in-law is relatively close.
After Xie Zhan signaled him to explain his intention, Zhao Wenkuan couldn't wait to say, "Ah Zhan, I know the result of Hongsheng Restaurant, but can we really do nothing about the Lu family?" The two families joined forces, but were slapped in the face by a fifth-rank official one after another. Zhao Wenkuan really couldn't accept it. Not to mention how many resources the Zhao family exchanged in order to get the Xie family to take action. This result was too disappointing for him.
"This result is expected, Uncle Zhao knows it."
"You have a good brain, think of other ways. Ah Bin is your brother-in-law. He was beaten by Lu Songli and Qin Sheng and had one leg broken. He was also insulted by them in that way, but we can't do anything about them! I know this is my incompetence as a father, but it's also a slap in your face, isn't it?"
Xie Zhan rubbed his forehead, "First of all, we have already competed with the Lu and Qin families about Zhao Bin, and lost." At least at this stage, they lost. The Xie family even paid a Dali Temple Minister for this. As for the follow-up, he didn't want to start a war lightly for the time being.
Zhao Wenkuan immediately responded, "After losing once, we must win a big one!" Everything is back!
Xie Zhan coldly rejected his suggestion, "I have decided to make a truce with the Lu family and will no longer take the initiative to be enemies with the Qin family and the Lu family. The Lu family also agreed."
He is mature and rational enough. Just as his grandfather praised him, he is a natural politician.
People in politics should have a big picture. They can't just focus on the loss of a city or a place. They need to look at the overall situation. If a battle situation has been lost, they can't be entangled in it, especially to avoid continuing to invest resources in it. Otherwise, it will become a quagmire, an abyss that will completely drag their own family into.
As the head of the family, timely stop loss, abandon the car to save the general, and make choices, which are the decision-making abilities that every qualified head of the family should have.
"What?" Zhao Wenkuan couldn't believe that Xie Zhan reached such a consensus with the Lu family so quickly.
"In addition, we need to face up to the fact that the enemy's strength is not weaker than ours."
Xie Zhan's words were very cold and realistic, like a basin of cold water poured on Zhao Wenkuan's head, waking up his feverish mind.
"It is very dangerous for us to continue to fight with them. Don't forget that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits." The lesson from the past is still there. In addition to the Lu family, the Zhao and Xie families have other political enemies.
Zhao Wenkuan did not speak. Intellectually, he could accept Xie Zhan's decision, but emotionally, it was very difficult to accept.
"Uncle Zhao, don't forget that you have other sons. Do you really want to exhaust the resources of the Zhao family for the useless Zhao Bin?"
Zhao Wenkuan was silent.
If you lose this time, you will have another chance to compete next time.
However, it is too irrational and crazy to consume resources in this way for the sake of face. It is not easy for the family to develop to this point.
For a big family like them, face is important and unimportant. If you choose between strength and face, the core is always strength.
It is unwise to blindly consume one's strength for the sake of so-called face. Face can be won back with strength, but if you lose strength, you will never be able to regain it.
"When we both lose and suffer losses in the fight with the Lu family, it is also the most dangerous time for our two families. Are you sure you want to gamble?" After analyzing the pros and cons, Xie Zhan gave the choice to Zhao Wenkuan.
Zhao Wenkuan was silent for a long time in the meeting room, and finally did not insist on causing trouble for the Lu family.
Before he left, Xie Zhan handed him his investigation of the backyard of the Zhao Mansion.
After Zhao Wenkuan took it, he looked down and saw that his face was red and white.
Xie Zhan finally said, "If the Zhao family had sent Zhao Bin to Zhuangzi or elsewhere for recuperation earlier, maybe his condition would be better than now." Zhao Bin is basically useless now. The Zhao family can only support him and hope that he can do something for the family, except for giving birth to children.
But his words may not come true. With Lu Songli's ruthlessness, even if Zhao Bin is sent to a distant place, she can let people mess with Zhao Bin until he collapses.
Getting into trouble with such a person would really be a great disadvantage to both of them.
Hearing this, Zhao Wenkuan paused in his departure, and then left without looking back.
Xie Zhan knew that what he said was a bit of an afterthought and meant to pour cold water on the Zhao family, but the Zhao family's handling of this matter really made him very dissatisfied.
Zhao Wenkuan returned to Zhao's house angrily, ignoring the servants' greetings, and went straight to the main courtyard, found Luo Shi, and scolded her.
Bang, he banged the table loudly and said angrily, "How do you manage this backyard? Look, look, anyone can reach out to our back house, are you a pig? Not at all aware?"
When his future son-in-law handed him the investigation results, he saw the sieve-like backyard of the Zhao family and was pointed out by his own son-in-law that anyone could have had a hand in his backyard. Zhao Wenkuan felt humiliated. He really wished he could There is a crack in the ground for him to crawl through!