I do research in ancient times

"You're talking about... but Lu Shiji, the number one in the Lu family?"

Xue Yan frowned.

"Isn't he studying in Yunfu Academy? Why did he suddenly appear in Ding'an City?"

Xue Yixiao shook his head triumphantly, and looked at his father with an unpredictable expression.

"Of course it's not the rightful owner of the Lu family, but another one who is eighty-nine points similar to Lu Shiji."

Having said that, he paused, deliberately moved closer to Xue Yan, and said in a low voice.

"Father, do you still remember what I just said? Those one hundred people died in Nanjiang, but because..."

He didn't say the last half of the sentence, but Xue Yan reacted almost instantly, and his eyes began to become dark.

"You mean the curse of the twins?"

"Exactly."

Xue Yixiao nodded.

"It was the disaster of the twins in the Lu family more than ten years ago. At that time, the seventh house of the Lu family sued the clan, saying that the eldest grandson of the family's direct branch was a twin, and demanded a thorough investigation of the fault of the patriarch for deceiving the clansmen."

"Twins destroy the whole family. This is a saying that the family has followed for a hundred years. If the eldest branch of the family gives birth to twins, it will bring disaster to the family. According to the rules, Lu Tao will hand over the position of head of the family, and the direct branch of the Lu family will also become a side branch. .”

Hearing what his son said, Xue Yan nodded slightly.

Indeed it is.

The big family surnamed Gao has always valued inheritance. In order to unite the power of the family, there can only be one leader in a generation.But if the family has twins, one of them will be reincarnated by the misfortune star, who will transform into the same appearance and compete with the brothers for power in the family, and sooner or later it will lead to a catastrophe that will destroy the family!

The aristocratic family has been passed down for thousands of years, and many families that were once prominent have now disappeared. In addition to the family's self-willed depravity, there are even some twins who are fighting for each other!

Two people who are exactly the same, have been fighting each other for nourishment since they were born in the womb, and continue to fight for family resources and power status in the world. This is a natural opponent!

That's why the evil star had to transform into the exact same appearance, in order to confuse the world and make it easier for Li Daitao to become stiff.

It is said that there was a second-class family in a certain year in the previous dynasty, and the direct branch gave birth to twin sons and secretly raised them. When he grew up, the younger brother of the lucky star killed the generous elder brother, and tried to replace him because of his identity.

However, although they have the same appearance, how can the invisible shadow man compare with the heir carefully cultivated by the family?The younger brother of the twins is mediocre, but imitates the elder brother every day.He has been the elder brother's shadow all year round, but he has a thorough understanding of the other's habits, and he learns every move perfectly.

It’s just that it’s hard to paint the skin and the guts. The two brothers grew up in completely different paths. The younger brother was short-sighted and greedy by nature. He was coaxed by his subordinates to withhold the water control money allocated by the imperial court, which caused the Dongshui River to burst. , Hungry and killed everywhere, the government and the public were furious.

At this point, the people of the tribe discovered that this was a stiff Xibei from Li Daitao, and the long house actually kept the fact that he was born as a twin in order to preserve the identity of the patriarch, and secretly raised another son. The Patriarch himself is almost unknown.

This matter was kept secret, the Lord's death was also silent, even the eldest brother's first wife didn't notice anything unusual about the person next to him, and she fell in love with him every day and became pregnant with a child.

After the incident happened, the eldest brother sent his wife to feel ashamed and indignant, so he hanged himself with a rope, killing two people.

Under such a scandal, the family's prestige plummeted, from the second rate to the lowest rate, the family collapsed, and even became the laughing stock of the humble people.

This lesson is too painful, even hundreds of years later, it is still widely spread among the aristocratic families, and they are taken as a warning.

"If Lu Tao really had twins back then, then..."

Xue Yan touched his chin.

"The head of the family and the direct branch will have to be replaced, but no matter what, it won't be the turn of Qifang. This is an early rafter, and he lost his life in vain."

"How could they think of so many..."

Xue Yixiao sneered.

"Before the Nanjiang water case, didn't everyone in the world think that the brothers of the Lu family were indifferent to fame and fortune, obsessed with painting and calligraphy? Who would have thought that Lu Tao would be so ruthless and merciless."

"But Dad," Xue Yixiao paused, then lowered his voice again, as if he was afraid that the wall would have ears.

"Lu Tao is cruel to outsiders. If it were his own son, he would be reluctant to part with it."

"So that kid who looks like Lu Shiji probably has something to do with the Lu family. Maybe he came to Ding'an City, and that was also Lu Tao's instruction!"

"Oh?"

Xue Yan's eyes widened, and her voice raised slightly by half a degree.

"How do you say this, is there any basis?"

"Hey, Dad, the faces all look the same, what evidence do you need?"

Xue Yixiao looked determined.

"I have sent people to inquire about it. They said that it is a big businessman from Xihai country. The gentleman soap and flower box soap that are popular in the market recently are all rare goods shipped from Xihai country. There is a price but no market."

"But dad, think about it, this Junzizao, Huahezao, how did he get fired? Did the Lu family brothers take the lead in the first place?"

When Xue Yan thought about it, that was really the case.

The Lu family has a very good reputation in the court, and it is a noble family that has studied for several generations. Every move of the Lu family is praised by people.Some time ago, it was also reported that Mr. Lu's family loves gentleman's soap boxes very much, which aroused the followers of Mr. and Mrs. Wang, and these things brought in from overseas became in short supply.

Xue Yan pondered for a while.

"Then you mean to say..."

"Yes, the merchants in Xihai Kingdom belong to the Lu family, that's why Lu Tao and Lu Bei are working so hard. The Lu family has already reached out to the Western Region trade routes!"

"Father doesn't know yet. In Ding'an City, there are rumors that the merchants of the Xihai Kingdom and the eldest son of the Feng family have a close friendship. If the Xihai Kingdom is the work of the Lu family, then the Feng family and the Lu family..."

He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but Xue Yan immediately understood what his son meant.

The Feng family has already voted for the Lu family, so they are lukewarm towards their little lady and Dao Jian, all because they have climbed a higher branch!

Although I don't want to admit it, the Lu family does have a higher status than my own.

Shi, Tian, ​​He Yue, Xie, Yu, and Liu are first-class families that have been passed down from the previous dynasty, and the two surnames of Lu Cui who are in the field are also counted. The Qi family is even longer, and its status is even more detached.

Their Cui family only rose up in this dynasty. With the help of Longquan Jianfang and the Xue family's soldiers, and coincidentally, their father Xue Bi contributed a lot in suppressing the rebellious party of Empress Dowager Li. Pedigree, ranked in the first-class volume.

Speaking of which, the seven families in the court all look down on the Xue family, but Lu Cui Erjia is the only one who looks up to him, and his eyes are on the top of his head.

Therefore, when his son said that the Feng family had hooked up with Lu Tao, Xue Yan not only did not doubt it at all, but also felt a little jealous in his heart.

When his father Xue Bi was still alive, he tried several times to marry his granddaughter Xue Yiwei into the Lu family, but was rejected.

If her daughter is lucky enough to return to the Lu family, Xue Yan will definitely not care about her becoming a queen in name only, it would be more beneficial to marry with the Lu family!

"Then you're saying that this business with the Feng family can't be done?"

Hearing his father's question, Xue Yixiao chuckled twice, with a hint of cunning on his chubby face.

"It's not that it didn't work out at all. My son still sold a batch of swords to them."

"Doing business with the Feng family is not important. What is the Feng family now? But it's still a knife in the hands of the Lu family, a pawn, not worthy of our family's condescending dealings!"

"The Lu family behind the Feng family is the big fish. As long as we can get on the big boat of the Lu family and become blood relatives with the Lu family, won't military households like Feng Bosheng be at our mercy?"

Hearing this, Xue Yan's pupils constricted for a moment, and he stared fixedly at his son.

"Sanlang, are you serious?!"

"Seriously, seriously, of course it is serious!"

Xue Yixiao was very satisfied with his father's reaction.He also stopped being a secret, and simply confessed his thoughts.

"Father, you think so. The matter of the Lu family's twins is a big taboo. Lu Tao put so much thought into suppressing it, it must be related to the status of their lineage in the Lu family. If it were me, it would be natural. We must cut the weeds and get rid of the roots, and deal with this child as soon as it is born, so that there will be no troubles left behind."

"But Lu Tao didn't. He just sent the kid to the Western Regions and gave him some errands. Father, you have also seen those gentleman soap and flower soap. It is definitely a secret recipe handed down by the Lu family. All the families in the world I have never seen it before, except for the craftsmen of the Lu family who carve it carefully, who else can do it?"

"It's just a hairy kid. Even if he is as talented as his brother, he can't understand such a delicate thing. Father, I heard that many families bought it back for craftsmen to develop, but none of them could make it. It can be seen that this A small box of flower soap is not a simple thing!"

"So, Lu Tao still has affection for that child in his heart. Lu Tao entrusted him with the affairs of the Feng family, because he didn't want to let the family get ahead directly, but that kid has the same face as Lu Shiji, so he can With the help of one side, I have to say that this old boy Lu Tao really makes the best use of everything he has!"

Speaking of this, Xue Yixiao smacked his lips, thinking that he who can see through the Lu family's schemes at a glance is also a first-class smart person in the world.

He reached out and grabbed a piece of snack from his father's table, chewed it a few times and swallowed it into his stomach. Seeing that his father was anxious to listen to the next sentence, he spoke slowly.

"But no matter how cunning a fox is, it can't beat a hunter. The more Lu Tao conceals it like this, the more it shows that he has feelings for that kid. In this case, let's pinch this kid completely and take this matter to talk to the Lu family. , Whether it's the West Sea Trade Road or the Gemini, this is Lu Tao's weakness, if he wants to keep his position as Patriarch, he has to show some sincerity to block our family's mouth!"

"Look at the Cui family, they have been married to the Lu family for so many years. Isn't this also a super-class family?! What's wrong with their family? It's not as grand as when my grandfather became an official. It all depends on the support of the Lu family. Woolen cloth!"

"Father, Ayue of our family, although her status is not good enough, she is also a noble girl from a noble family, worthy of the Lu family's family status. If we become in-laws with the Lu family, it is equivalent to relying on her. A big tree less than [-] years old is more comfortable than voting for any vassal king!"

"It's almost the Chinese New Year. When things are done properly, let's find an opportunity to pay a visit to Mr. Lu after the year. Spring is a good time for weddings. Ah Yue is not young, so Lu Shiji should be too. The age of marriage, how long can the daughter's family have a flowering period? We should settle the marriage early, and our family can be regarded as worthy of Uncle Qitang's family."