As soon as the rebel army appeared, it caused an uproar in the capital.

The next day, the prince in charge of the country asked in court how to deal with it. If all the troops were sent to exterminate the rebels, it would inevitably arouse greater resistance from the common people. One rebel army would fall and thousands of rebel armies would form.

But if it is ignored, if it becomes a climate and shakes the imperial power, it will be a serious danger.

Officials from poor families advocate suppression but not killing and looting, but officials from aristocratic families generally believe that they must not be soft-hearted and must kill chickens to scare monkeys to avoid future troubles.

The prince who oversees the country summoned his cabinet ministers to discuss the matter.

The final result was still an iron-fisted suppression.

...

When Xiang Yi heard about it, the soles of his feet were a little wobbly.

I'm afraid that at this juncture, the end result of the iron fist is not to suppress, but to completely provoke a popular uprising.

A complete civil uprising will involve all the people of the Han family in the wave of rebellion. No one will be able to escape, and the court will have to severely punish the entire Han family. Is this what those people want?

Xiang Yi asked specifically, "Why was this matter decided so quickly?"

Tan Jian told her, "This was brought up by Chief Assistant Lin Ge himself."

Mr. Lin Ge... Xiang Yi didn't have any surprises .

How could Mr. Lin Ge remain behind the scenes at such a critical moment? Naturally, he had to work hard to make things happen.

Xiang Yi couldn't help but think of Tan Ting. She asked Tan Jian, but Tan Jian didn't know where his eldest brother was currently. He only heard from the tribesmen who came from Qingkan that he seemed to be returning to Beijing.

Are you coming back?

Xiang Yi felt a little relieved when he heard this.

...

The prince has never been found, and Mr. Lin Ge and others have completely taken control of the government.

The antagonism between the common people has become more and more serious, and even several mixed houses in the capital have reached the point where they have to draw clear boundaries.

There was a courtyard where aristocratic family lived in a room where poor families gathered. Someone set fire to it in the middle of the night. Fortunately, no one was in the courtyard. Only the poor neighbors who were staying there ran out in disgrace.

The neighbor went to the Yamen to report the case to investigate the arsonist, but he was surrounded by the common people in the community. Instead, they all accused this person. Because he lived in the family of that family, he devoted himself to the family and forgot his origin, like Cling to it like a bereaved dog.

While scolding the man, they tied him up and threw him out of the capital.

As soon as this incident came out, many people from the common people shouted, and the common people would not tolerate anyone who wanted to protect the family at such a time.

As a result, the noble families no longer dared to take in people from poor families. Many families even dismissed the teachers from poor families, and the scholars from poor families no longer recognized the noble family teachers as their teachers.

The line between the two races is getting clearer and clearer.

Shen Yan and Ning Ning both heard about this and wrote to ask Xiang Yi if he had encountered any difficulties, but for some reason, the Tan family was silent.

On this day, Xiang Yi met Li Chengyun's wife, the head of Qiuyang County, who came in person.

The corners of the Qiuyang County Lord's mouth were blistered. When Xiang Yi saw her like this, he subconsciously thought of her eldest sister-in-law, Miao.

"Did something happen to Sister Miao?"

Qiuyang County Lord stepped forward and shook her hand, and quickly asked her if she had met Miao and if she knew her whereabouts.

"My sister-in-law left without saying goodbye. My eldest brother is going crazy looking for her!"

Unfortunately, Xiang Yi met Miao several days ago. At that time, Miao only said that she was sick and was afraid that the illness would be passed on to her children. , so I went out of Beijing to take shelter temporarily.

The Lord of Qiuyang County also knew about this matter.

But Qiuyang County Lord sighed repeatedly, "My eldest brother was not at home those days, so I didn't think much about my sister-in-law leaving. I really didn't expect that my sister-in-law was afraid that her background would harm us..."

She said that this was all caused by the Huaichuan Li family.

The Miao family has always claimed to be from a small aristocratic family in the southwest. Li Chengyun is the eldest son of the Li family in Huaining. If she were not the Miao family, she would still be considered a daughter of the aristocratic family. Only because of the grace of saving her life, the family would not allow the eldest son to marry her.

But now, the people from the Li family in Huaichuan actually invited the Miao family members from the southwest who came to the Central Plains to do business, saying that they would come to Beijing to reunite with the Miao family.

Miao was timid to begin with, and what was worse was that she was indeed not a girl from any aristocratic family, she was simply an orphan with no roots. She didn't even know her own surname, let alone a member of the aristocratic family.

The people of the Li family in Huaichuan suddenly revealed the identity of the Miao family, which made all the Li people in Huaining angry and demanded that Li Chengxu divorce his wife immediately!

Xiang Yi was stunned and didn't know what to say.

The head of Qiuyang County told her, "The eldest brother is naturally unwilling to divorce his wife. In fact, the eldest brother has long known that the eldest sister-in-law is not from the Miao family, but the eldest sister-in-law is indeed his savior. The two have been in love for many years, and she has a similar family background. What's the relationship?"

She said that if Li Chengxu refused to divorce his wife, the Li clan would start a fight to change the eldest son.

The Huaichuan Li family, one of the four major families, has long wanted to merge the Huaining Li family into their own clan. As long as the Huaining Li family merges with them, the Huaichuan Li family can almost surpass the Lin Ge elders. , becoming the largest family today.

They stirred things up with sinister intentions.

When Mrs. Miao got the news, she knew that her concealed life experience had led to this situation. She left the hospital without saying goodbye, leaving only a message asking Li Chengxu to take care of herself and theirs. daughter.

"Everywhere is in chaos. Big brother is going crazy with anxiety. He even coughed up blood this morning..."

Xiang Yi remembered what Tan Ting told him about Li Chengxu having an accident in the southwest mountains and falling off a cliff. , it was not an accident, it was most likely done by the Huaichuan Li family.

The Li family of Huaichuan bullied the brothers Li Chengxu and Li Chengyun because they were young and senior. They had long wanted to merge their clan into their own, but Li Chengxu refused, and then something happened.

Miao Shiding also knew the plight of the Li brothers and didn't want to implicate his only daughter, so he left.

Xiang Yi thought of how scared and dazed Miao was when she saw her that day.

It was a good home, but due to the sinister intentions of those people, it could only be scattered in all directions.

The big families, headed by the four big families of Lin, Chen, Cheng, and Li, had nothing else in their eyes except their own interests...

Xiang Yi didn't know the whereabouts of the Miao family, so he could only think of the Miao family at that time. The situation was originally explained to Qiuyang County Lord in detail. Qiuyang County Lord had to continue looking for someone, but before leaving, he patted Xiang Yi's hand.

"Sister, take care of yourself."

How could Xiang Yi's situation be any better than Miao's?

But there was no movement in the Tan family.

The matter of suppressing the rebels with an iron fist was settled, and the Ministry of War recruited the troops from the two thousand households closest to the rebellion site.

Unfortunately, the soldiers in these two Qianhu Stations were all Yang Jiajun brought by Yang Zhen's natal family, Uncle Zhongqing's Mansion.

But Mr. Lin Ge was very careful and appointed the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion, who was good with Lin, to lead the troops. Instead, he kept out Zhongqing Bo's Mansion, who was familiar with the soldiers.

Uncle Zhongqing's Mansion has always been neutral, and this time he believed that the imperial court should not send out troops immediately, but should plan for it slowly. Naturally, Mr. Lin Ge would not let someone with such an attitude lead the troops.

But he is the chief minister of the cabinet, who can report him and accuse him of sinister intentions? On the contrary, the prince who temporarily supervises the country cannot make up his mind about everything and can only ask the cabinet to make the decision.

Members of the four major families, Lin Ge Lao, Lin Chencheng and Li, had secured their power in just half a month.

But neither the prince nor Tan Ting had any news.

Xiang Yi became anxious, but all she could do now was wait. But she couldn't wait for Tan Ting to come, but early that morning, she saw an unfamiliar face coming to the door.

When Xiang Yi saw the couple bringing someone to the door, his heart, which had been hanging for many days, suddenly felt like it was falling.

What is coming is inevitable.

...

This is the first time Xiang Yi meets Tan Chaokuan.

The man with the highest official position in the Tan clan actually invited all the Tan clan members from the capital and Gyeonggi Province to come over today. He also invited two clan elders from nowhere to take charge.

They only came here today for one thing, to replace the eldest son of the Tan family!

Tan Chaoxuan put forward this idea bluntly, and both Tan Jian and Yang Zhen were shocked and speechless.

Tan Jian stepped forward.

"The Tan family has lasted for hundreds of years, and the eldest son has never been replaced in the middle. I dare to ask what my brother did to make you think so?"

However, since Tan Chaoxuan dared to come, he did not come randomly.

He glanced at Tan Jian with disdain, and thought that he had competed with Tan Ting, who was the same age as Tan Jian, for the position of eldest son, but ultimately lost.

He sneered, his voice was very cold, and his face was very similar to Tan Ting and Tan Jian. Because of this coldness, he was no longer the same as them.

He spoke.

"If Tan Ting is firmly regarded as his eldest son, no one will come to replace him. But you still don't know what he has done, right?"

He said, his eyes passing over Tan Jian and Yang Zhen. It fell straight on Xiang Yi.

"He is now in the place of rebellion, interfering with the imperial court's dispatch of troops to suppress the rebels, and also trying to speak for the rebellious common people. Please think twice in the palace. He is going to put the Tan family to death!"

When the words fell, Xiang Yihe Neither the Tan family nor his wife expected this.

But after thinking about it again, Xiang Yi seemed not to be surprised.

Mr. Lin Ge hurriedly ordered the dispatch of troops to suppress the common people with an iron fist. If no one stepped forward to stop them, once public anger was aroused at this juncture, the consequences would be disastrous.

Someone was bound to step forward to stop him, but Xiang Yi didn't expect that this person was his uncle.

Xiang Yi felt an indescribable feeling for a moment.

But Tan Chaoxuan's eyes fell on her and he continued to finish his words.

"Tan Ting, the eldest son of the Tan family, has repeatedly advocated for the poor family of the common people, in vain for the interests of the family, and this time he stood up to stop the imperial court from suppressing the rebels. His body is not upright, and his actions are lacking. How can he continue to be the eldest son of the same clan?"

Tan Chaoxuan said. , his eyes swept across the group of Tan clan members who came, and finally he chuckled and looked at Xiang Yi.

"Privately, I think that Tan Ting is no longer suitable to be the eldest son since he married this commoner woman who came from a corrupt official family, let alone bringing this girl into the capital and keeping him by his side. With a commoner woman in his care How can he still lead his people wholeheartedly when his ambitions are disturbed? The Tan family has lost its former glory. If Tan Ting is allowed to take over as the eldest son, it will only fall apart and the whole family will suffer. "

Tan Chaoxuan spoke for a long time, and finally came down to that sentence.

"Today, the Tan family must replace his eldest son!"

After saying this, many clan members who came today frowned, showing some faint agreement.

After all, the first thing a clan should do is to consider the interests of the family.

Seeing this, Tan Jian's face turned pale. Yang Zhen couldn't help but glance at his sister-in-law, and saw Xiang Yi's eyes drooping, standing aside without saying anything.

Mrs. Xuan'er's mouth turned up high at Xiang Yi's reaction.

She raised her chin and looked down at the commoner woman in front of her.

A stigmatized commoner woman came to the door with a marriage certificate. When they met her carriage on the road to the capital, she actually showed off her power in front of her like a clan wife.

At that time, she thought, how long can this humble commoner girl be so arrogant?

I'm afraid she doesn't even know that her eldest son's husband will no longer be able to be his eldest son.

The Tan family is also a large family and cannot be scattered easily. This time they came to Beijing, they had already received the wishes of the four major families.

Mrs. Xuan Er looked at her husband beside her. Her husband was also from the Zong family, the highest official of the Tan family, and the eldest son of the Tan family who was favored by all four major families.

Her heart surged, and she finally felt proud and proud in front of this commoner girl.

Tan Chaoxuan, on the other hand, was completely certain, leaving it to the clansmen present to figure out who should be chosen as the eldest son next.

Once the capital is settled, and with the support of these officials in Beijing behind him, Qingkan's side will be out of the question.

Tan Chao Xuan Youyou drank tea.

The four major families want to completely suppress the poor family of the common people, and this has become the efforts of the noble families. His cousin Tan Ting doesn't understand anything, and he still follows the wishes of the East Palace and wants to make the decision for the poor family.

Unexpectedly, Donggong is also missing now.

After being missing for so many days, the only result is to establish a new East Palace.

At a time like this, who should Tan Ting rely on?

As long as the four major families of Lin, Chencheng, and Li gain a firm foothold after this battle, they will be the most noble existence in this land for thousands of years to come. Even if the emperor changes, they will still have noble surnames.

The surname is high or low, and a person's identity in this life is determined from birth.

If the Tan family doesn't keep up with the four major families, will they still oppose them and become a humble commoner?

However, Tan Chaoxuan would not be able to say this before the four major families came to fruition, and no one might believe him if he said it.

But this is already the general trend.

He reminded the people present again.

"Not to mention other things, let's just say that the aristocratic and common people are so contradictory. The Tan family can't tolerate the eldest son marrying a common person girl!"

The sons of the aristocratic family outside, including Mr. Xixi, who was born in a poor family, were kicked out.

And their eldest son also married a commoner girl as his official wife.

This makes it difficult for them to do well among the children of other aristocratic clans and among the officials of the aristocratic clans.

Everyone's eyes fell on Xiang Yi, and their eyes became more hostile.

Tan Jian stepped forward and blocked his sister-in-law behind him, while Yang Zhen held Xiang Yi's hand tightly.

But standing beside her, they couldn't stop others from questioning and disapproving eyes.

Xiang Yi gradually made a decision in his mind.

But she was speechless for a moment, and a guard came over to report the matter.

It was about Xiang Yu. Xiang Yi immediately motioned to the guards to go aside and talk.

As soon as she left, everyone started discussing in low voices without having to face her.

Everyone knows what is going on among the common people now.

Tan Chaoxuan and his wife became more and more calm and relaxed.

Changing the eldest son this time will bring all the benefits and no harm to the clan members. Tan Chaoxuan must take advantage of this opportunity and seize the position of eldest son in one fell swoop before Tan Ting comes back.

When Tan Ting came back, the tribesmen had already rushed towards him, so naturally it was impossible to look back.

Tan Chaoxuan had made full preparations and had no intention of delaying it any longer. Seeing that the clan members were gradually becoming suspicious, he secretly exchanged glances with the clan elder invited by Tite.

The couple both stood up, and Tan Chaoxuan walked forward into the hall.

His voice became gentler, trying to sound more like a gentle and approachable clan leader.

"Everyone, the Tan family is standing at the forefront of the storm this time. If you are not careful, it will be a disaster for the whole clan. Have you thought about it, but can you still allow Tan Ting, who has always been close to the common people, to continue to be the eldest son? "?"

As soon as he said this, he saw many people who were still hesitant and seemed to have made a decision.

Tan Chaoxuan's eyes almost overflowed with joy.

Mrs. Xuan Er turned her head and saw Xiang Yi returning to the hall.

Tan Jian and his wife were a little confused, and they kept asking the clansmen to think twice.

But no matter how much you think about it, it is true that the eldest son Tan Ting has always been close to the common people.

Mrs. Xuan'er was waiting to see what the Xiang family's expression would be when Tan Ting was removed from the position of eldest son.

She must be satisfied... As

soon as her thoughts flashed, Tan Chaoxuan asked someone to bring two boxes forward. One mahogany box was empty, and the other chicken wing wood box was full with Tan engraved words. A wooden sign with the word "Shi" written on it.

"Anyone who agrees to remove Tan Ting's eldest son from his position today, please put the wooden sign into the mahogany box with your own hands. If there are more than half of the wooden signs, Tan Ting's eldest son will sit at the head today."

Tan Chaoxuan stretched out his hand confidently, "Everyone, please "Okay."

After he finished speaking, he directly motioned to the two clan elders to come first, almost as a demonstration for everyone in the clan.

In this way, it is even more certain.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, someone suddenly said something.

"Wait a minute."

Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, and their eyes fell on Xiang Yi.

Tan Chao said goodbye and interrupted, narrowing his eyes.

"What? When our family is doing something, do you, a commoner, want to interfere? Or is this ignorant woman going to cry and interfere with family affairs?"

He had a look of contempt on his face.

Yang Zhen almost went up to argue with him, but Xiang Yi raised his hand to stop him.

Of course she didn't cry or make any noise, just a little depressed.

She laughed, looked past everyone, and spoke slowly.

"The eldest son, Tan Ting, is he worthy of being the eldest son? How much has he done for the Tan family over the years? What is the reputation of the Tan family among the various families over the years? What kind of progress have the children made? I think you should You know better than me?"

She mentioned this, and the hall was silent for a while.

The expressions of all the Tan clan members changed a bit when she said this.

Tan Ting has indeed done a lot, which at the moment seems to be detrimental to the family and only beneficial to the common people, but as the eldest son for so many years, he has done his best for the family, adheres to the ancestral precepts, and leads the family to avoid disasters time and time again. You are stable and upward, and everyone sees it.

As soon as Xiang Yi opened his mouth, everyone hesitated.

Tan Chaoxuan will not allow the little commoner girl to ruin his own affairs. His face turned cold and he said directly.

"But those are all things he should do as the eldest son, and they can't make up for the big mistake he made."

He said, calling everyone, "Tan Ting has always been close to the common people, which is a big crime nowadays. Do you want to Figure it out!"

He said this and called back a few of the hesitant people.

Tan Chaoxuan felt a little relieved and glanced at Xiang Yi.

He looked at this commoner girl. What else could he say?