My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 70: The Duke and Marquis Are Unknown (Second update, thanks to the 500-point reward from whoever grabbed it from me in The Return of the Overlord.)
"What Zhang Xun said makes sense. After all, he is a descendant of a noble, so it is normal for him to have such a background."

"It has helped us solve a big problem. If Zhen hadn't bought my horse, many of my plans would have come to a standstill without the money."

Lu Yi didn't feel much envy in his heart and his face was calm.

After saying this, he saw that Lu Bu and the others were still feeling jealous, so he smiled and encouraged them.

"Don't underestimate yourselves, don't you know that wealth does not last for more than three generations?"

"And we may not be the new dukes and marquises!"

Lu Yi's words were like a shot of adrenaline, and everyone looked at him in shock.

In the Western Han Dynasty, only military merit could confer the title of nobility.

Although later on, because of the opening of the door to external relatives, the queen's brothers would also be granted the title of nobility, there was only one queen after all, and no matter how many brothers she had, there were only a few of them, so it was still extremely difficult to grant her the title of nobility.

The Zhang family is just a descendant of merchants, and they changed their surnames to avoid disaster and remain anonymous. Now, thanks to Lu Yi, they are able to restore some of their ancestors' style, which is extremely difficult. The Zhang family is now quite excited, but compared to being granted a title of nobility, it can only be regarded as a drop in the ocean.

Although Lu Bu, Gao Shun and others considered themselves brave, they never dared to dream that they would one day be granted a title of nobility.

Li Guang, the most powerful man during Emperor Wu's reign and the genuine Flying General, was never given a title of nobility until his death. Naturally, these poor people with no power, no influence, and no connections had even less hope.

Therefore, when they saw Lu Yi calmly and confidently say "We may not be the new dukes and marquises", they all looked surprised.

"What? You don't believe me?" Lu Yi said with a smile.

In history, who doesn’t know the name of Lu Bu Wenhou?
Zhang Liao's title of Marquis of Jinyang could even stop children in Jiangdong from crying at night.

They had no way of knowing the general trend of history, but were able to become generals and be granted titles of nobility through their own efforts. Now that they are led by Lu Yi, who is familiar with the direction of history, how can they be worse than history?
"Haha, brother, what you said is very ambitious!" Lu Bu's eyes showed excitement when he heard it.

"That's exactly what I want!" Gao Shun and Cheng Lian also looked longing.

"Is it really so?" Only Zhang Xun had a slight doubt.

He did not doubt Lu Yi's words, but doubted his own abilities.

"Just wait and see!" Lu Yi patted his shoulder with a double meaning and said nothing more.

If Lu Yi's ambitions can be accomplished in the future, it is inevitable that Zhang Xun, as Zhang Wan'er's elder brother, will be granted the title of nobility.

If Lu Yi's great cause fails and his ambitions for hegemony become shattered, then everything will be over and there will be no point in saying more.

"Hehe, I hope that day comes!" Zhang Xun looked at Lu Yi and nodded heavily.

A trace of longing arose in his heart, and for the first time he felt inferior to Lu Yi.

"If he can be granted a title of nobility someday, it would not be a bad idea to bow down to his brother-in-law."

Not to mention anything else, this kind of ambition of his is something I would never dare to have.

"Brother-in-law, the total payment for the goods is 19.8 million, and it is now in the hall. I have to rush back to Mayi to report to my father. Is there anything else you want me to convey?"

Zhang Xun packed up with his men and prepared to return. "Well... please tell Uncle Zhang Jia that the site for our Luwu has been selected. Please send someone to check the terrain and design the construction." Lu Yi thought for a while and said.

"Got it!" Upon hearing this, Zhang Xun clasped his fists and bowed to Lu Yi, then turned around and was about to leave.

“Besides…” A beautiful figure flashed through Lu Yi’s mind, and she suddenly stopped him: “Please tell Wan’er that I miss her very much.”

"I will." Zhang Xun felt Lu Yi's sincere feelings for his sister and couldn't help but smile.

Although his sister was destined to sacrifice herself for the family and become a bridge for marriage, Zhang Xun was sincerely happy for his sister that she could find someone like Lu Yi who loved her.

"Brother, now that we have received all the payment for the goods, should we go to Jiuyuan County immediately to find Huang Huan to redeem the land deed?" After Zhang Xun left, Lu Bu quietly came to Lu Yi and asked.

"Not busy!" Lu Yi shook his head slightly when he heard that, and suddenly turned to look at Zhang Xin, who was in shock for a long time in front of a whole room of money and couldn't extricate himself, and smiled.

"Yesterday, thanks to your father and son for acting as a bridge and introducing Huang Huan and others to me, you should be rewarded handsomely!" Lu Yi casually opened a box and took out three or four strings of large coins (one thousand copper coins, one hundred coins will be called a string of small coins from now on) from the full box and handed it to Zhang Xin.

"Boss, a gentleman loves money but earns it in a proper way. Although I am not a gentleman, I know this truth. Now I have become your subordinate. I have food and drink, clothes and shoes, and I also get rewards every month. How can I accept rewards from you, boss?"

Zhang Xin looked at the golden copper coins in Lu Yi's hand, hesitated for a moment, took a step back with difficulty, and shook his head.

"Oh?" Zhang Xin's move made Lu Bu and others look at him sideways.

"Merit should be rewarded, faults should be punished, this is my rule, you have to take it whether you want it or not!" Lu Yi took a step forward in a domineering manner, stretched out his right hand and spread the copper coins in front of Zhang Xin, saying without any doubt.

"In that case, I would like to thank the manager for his reward!" Lu Yi had always been courteous to him before, and it was the first time that Zhang Xin felt such a strong sense of coercion from Lu Yi. Forced by Lu Yi's dominance, he swallowed his saliva in fear and obediently took the copper coins from Lu Yi's hand.

"Very good!" Lu Yi nodded and a smile returned to his face.

If you are too lenient to an old fox like Zhang Xin, he will only become more arrogant. Therefore, the best way is to use both kindness and severity.

"There is one more thing you need to do now. If you do it well, you will be rewarded in the future!" Lu Yi ordered.

"I am willing to serve you!" A series of shocks made Zhang Xin completely convinced by the young man who was almost 20 years younger than him. He believed that as long as he followed this young man who was both familiar and unfamiliar to him, his half-buried life might have a different fate. Therefore, he put away his slickness and agreed respectfully without waiting for Lu Yi to give specific instructions.

Lu Bu, Gao Shun and others looked at this famous gangster in their hometown, who was now so submissive to Lu Yi. They all stood up straight subconsciously, and their conviction in Lu Yi deepened.

……

The next day, noon.

The Han people of Jiuheli, who have lived near the Jiuyuan River for generations, gathered outside the Jiuheli ancestral hall under the leadership of Wang He, the head of Jiuheli, and waited anxiously for someone to arrive.

"Yesterday, the old scoundrel Zhang Xin from Jiuyuan Village suddenly told us that a wealthy businessman wanted to buy our land. He also asked us to meet in front of the ancestral hall today to discuss this matter. Do you think this is true or false?"

"I saw that Zhang Xin had always been a thief and lived in poverty, but yesterday he came here in fine clothes. It seems that he has really climbed up a big tree."

"We have been cultivating the land along the Jiuyuan River for generations, but the farmland has long been declining. Not only are most of our fields mediocre, but some of the land that has been improperly managed has even fallen to inferior land. There are many good wastelands near the Jiuyuan River. Do you think this rich businessman has a problem with his brain to buy the mediocre and inferior land that we have cultivated for many years?"

……

(End of this chapter)