After midnight

The first thing Song Hongtian did after arriving in Xidu was to go to Xidu Hospital alone. When Song Hongtian pushed the door open, Song Yu was undoubtedly surprised and delighted. But he was immediately poured with a basin of cold water.

"Have you reflected on this?"

Song Yu suppressed his dissatisfaction and answered with a humble look, "Yes, father."

"That's good. After you recover, I'll entrust you with something. No, we two will do it together. Zhao Yunqi doesn't know about this yet."

Song Yu suddenly opened his eyes, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"Do you know about Lu Xian's assassination?"

"know."

Song Hongtian showed a smug and cunning smile, and interrupted Song Yu when he was about to ask him. "You only need to do two things now, one is to take good care of your injuries, and the other is to watch how the situation in Xidu changes under my control. I also have to prepare for the elders' meeting in a few days, so I'm leaving first."

Song Yu nodded obediently and watched Song Hongtian leave.

The ward was silent after Song Hongtian left. Song Yu, who was sitting on the bed, looked unhappy. Do you want to get a loyal dog in return for a candy? Father, I am no longer old enough to want candy.

After a while, there was a knock on the door. The person who delivered the information to Song Yu brought Yin's information again. Song Yu was furious after reading it. "I personally tracked down Yin after he assisted Lin Xuanfeng in saving An Yan. How could I not know? Why didn't you tell me that Yin almost killed me? Oh no, Yin showed mercy and didn't hurt my life!"

"I... I really can't find any information about Yin." The man replied tremblingly.

Song Yu took a deep breath and tried to control himself. His heart ached again.

"Forget it, you don't have to do this anymore. No one can know that I'm investigating Yin, including my father. Do you understand?"

"understood."

After the man left, Song Yu recalled Song Hongtian's words again. He now had more important things to do.

After Song Hongtian left Xidu Hospital, he walked alone to the Song family's mansion in Xidu. The old mansion was now uninhabited, but the annual elders' meeting was held here, and only the head of the Song family had the right to convene the elders' meeting. A few days later, other people in power in the Song family would enter the mansion for a meeting, and after the meeting, the mansion would be empty again.

This is very different from the way the Lu family is in power in Jiudu and the other in Xidu. In fact, the three major families of Lu, Lin, and Song all have their own ways of survival.

It goes without saying that the person in power in the Lu family in Xidu is Lu Xian, and in Jiudu is Lu Li's father Lu Lang. When it comes to major family matters, the two of them are equally matched and make decisions together. The power in their hands needs to be combined to play the greatest role. It is worth mentioning that Lu Xian and Lu Lang are not directly related by blood, because according to the family rules, except for the lineage of Jiudu Lu Lang, the most outstanding person in the same generation can become the person in power in the Lu family in Xidu. Therefore, in the Lu family, a family tradition of healthy competition and unity has been formed, which is also one of the reasons why the Lu family has become the strongest family at present.

The Song family is interesting. The Song family has always advocated the advantage of having more people, so there are many brothers and sisters, and it has only been restrained in recent years. But many years ago, especially when the center of power moved to the present Jiudu, the most powerful branch of the Song family was unwilling to give up Xidu, so Song Hongtian's ancestors were sent to Jiudu.

In the early days, the main power of the Song family was firmly controlled in the Western Capital, but with the rise of Jiudu and the decline of the Western Capital, Song Hongtian's lineage became the dominant force. Other Song family members compromised, while more often they fought openly and secretly. Therefore, the annual elders' meeting was always bloody, and the conflicts were particularly prominent every four years, not because of anything else, but because a series of large-scale government meetings were held every four years.

Compared with the other two branches, the Lin family is the unique one, and this has to start from the beginning of the establishment of Jiu Kingdom. The reason why Jiu Kingdom is called Jiu Kingdom is because at that time a man named Jiu led his subordinates Lu, Lin and Song to unify the country. After Jiu's death, Lu, Lin and Song gradually developed into three major families.

When the Nine Kingdoms were first established, before they became one of the three major families, the Lin family had always wanted to retire, but due to various reasons, it had never been realized. But the strangest thing is that this wish was passed down like an ancient totem until Lin Nan appeared. Lin Nan is the leader of the Lin family and the seventh "Son of God". After defeating the rebels, the Lin family was very popular, but instead of taking the opportunity to expand their power, the Lin family became a mediator. As the name suggests, a mediator mediates conflicts in the court. Therefore, the Lin family has always been neutral.

But in the past hundred years, the Lin family, due to their lack of manpower and the influence of the current situation, finally extended an olive branch to the Lu family. The friendly relationship between the Lu and Lin families began a hundred years ago, and after three generations, they are finally going to become in-laws in the fourth generation, that is, in the generation of Lu Li and Lin Nuan.

There have been signs of the marriage between the Lu and Lin families for hundreds of years, but until Lin Nuan's generation confirmed it as a fact, many people still refused to believe it. Even many people who were named Lu and Lin refused to believe that Lin Yaoyue would really do it, and that this day would really come true. People realized that this day would change history, but they did not expect how big a butterfly effect that day would cause. Especially when the conflict between Jiudu and Xindu was aroused and the war was about to start.

Lin Yaoyue was probably the only one who truly understood the significance of the marriage. In the new era, the marriage between the two families was inevitable to adapt to history, and apart from Lin Yaoyue, only Song Hongda understood it.

But Song Hongtian didn't think so. In his eyes, the marriage between the Lu and Lin families would not only change the political situation, but also mean that the Lin family would be included in the Lu family. In this way, the situation of the three-way balance of power that had existed for thousands of years would be broken, and the Lu family would become the only one in power. How could Song Hongtian tolerate this?

Song Hongtian couldn't tolerate this, so he was determined to destroy this marriage by any means necessary.

Song Hongtian was walking on the way to the old house. When he was one intersection away from the old house, he suddenly noticed something. He quickened his pace and wanted to go back quickly, but reality is never as smooth as imagined. His right hand was suddenly pulled over by a soft, cold and tough branch.

He struggled to break free, but failed to break it. The oncoming wind blade was fast and fierce. He took a step back and bent down, his back almost parallel to the ground. He saw the right moment and raised the hand that was tied by the branches high, allowing the wind blade to just cut it off. Behind him, the stones on the eaves that were shattered by the wind blade fell down with a rustle.

Song Hongtian escaped a disaster and looked at the two people who came with ill intentions with disdain. "I am an old man and I still want to play with you young people."

The two men cooperated with each other and continued to attack. The branches continued to flexibly capture Song Hongtian, trying to capture him again, but unfortunately, Song Hongtian not only dodged it but also nailed it into the wall next to it with a palm. The branches were deeply stuck in the mud and couldn't get out.

Song Hongtian's ability is mud.

The wind blades came fiercely and continuously. Song Hongtian stopped dodging and blocked the wind blades with a mud wall. The wind blades scraped against the mud wall and made noises, but when the sound became smaller and smaller, Song Hongtian knew that they could not break through the wall.

"You want to take my life like this? Aren't you overestimating yourself? How did Lu Xian let you go?"

The mud wall collapsed to the ground with a snap and gradually solidified. At this time, the wind blade had completely disappeared. But suddenly, a vortex of wind appeared around Song Hongtian again, spinning faster and faster, constantly sucking in the broken stones and cut vines, placing Song Hongtian in the center of the eye of the storm.

Song Hongtian felt something was not right when he saw all this. He forced cement into the wind in an attempt to stop the constantly rotating storm, but unexpectedly, the hard cement was sucked into it and torn into pieces.

The storm kept spinning and approaching Song Hongtian. In an instant, Song Hongtian's figure was swept into it.

The two stood there, expecting to see a wounded Song Hongtian. But what they saw again was still the Song Hongtian who was dressed meticulously and had no scars on his body.

How could this happen? It turned out that Song Hongtian's feet were covered with undulating mud, and the uneven ground changed the route of the storm. The originally precise attack immediately became disordered, not only weakened the power but also scattered the direction of the attack. As for the remaining ones, those that accidentally attacked Song Hongtian were easily dissolved by the mud wall that wrapped around him.

"Wind needs speed. Gathering power for a long time will only give the enemy an opportunity to take advantage. In this regard, you are far inferior to Lin Xuanfeng."

Song Hongtian's calm comments made the two feel ashamed. They were very annoyed, but they were not reckless after all. On the contrary, it was because of their caution that they were able to escape from Lu Xian. So this time, the two who did not take advantage of Song Hongtian also disappeared quickly.

Song Hongtian snorted coldly and walked away. He turned around and there was an obvious scar on his back, which was caused by the wind blade. Just now, he was not completely fine, but he pretended to be nonchalant and made provocative remarks to confuse the enemy. If it was true as he said just now, that the person standing opposite was Lin Xuanfeng, then it would not be so simple.

Soon, the news spread throughout the Western Capital. Everyone was in uproar, causing a great uproar. For a while, everyone was talking about it and making wild guesses.

"The people who attacked Lu Xian and Song Hongtian were actually the same group of people. Who is so bold?"

"It turns out that the Lu family's trouble was not caused by the Song family. No wonder the Lu family was investigating their own affairs when everything was calm?"

"You mean the Lu family was the one who caused the trouble? I don't think they have the guts to do that."

"Could it be Lin Xuanfeng from the Revolutionary Army who did it? He has the ability to do that."

"Impossible, if it was really him, would Lu Xian still look for him?"

"It's hard to say. The night when Lu Xian got into trouble was dark and windy. I guess they went to find him because they suspected him."

"But I heard that the Lu family has been inclined to establish good relations with the revolutionary army in recent years?"

"You don't understand this. Things between high-level officials are not that simple."

"Then do you think it's 'Dark Night'? That organization is quite powerful."

"It's possible. Didn't they say that Yin and Ye from that organization are here?"

"Yin? He is the one who founded Dark Night? He is really amazing."

People outside the crisis were making wild guesses, while people inside the crisis were all worried. Xidu was in a panic. At this time, everyone turned their attention away from the Lu family and focused on the elders' meeting of the Song family two days later.

It was under such circumstances that the elders' meeting was officially convened on time.

At the meeting, the four elders had all taken their seats. The term elder was originally just a satire on the people who sat in this position under the Soong family system. But it was unexpected that it was gradually recognized by the public and has now become a proper noun.

When Song Hongtian came in, the four elders were all concerned about the attack on him and Lu Xian, although some of them looked a little hypocritical. But Song Hongtian was very calm. In order to calm their emotions and dispel the evil intentions of some people, Song Hongtian sat in the main seat and said.

"Regarding the matter of being attacked, I have already had an idea, and I hope everyone will not worry. I will make an explanation on this matter on the last day of the meeting. Now the meeting officially begins."

People are always good at speaking and arguing in meetings, and they are unwilling to suffer any loss. This is also the case with elders' meetings. Although the meeting was held to the end, it was still the head of the Song family, Song Hongtian, who firmly controlled the situation.

On the afternoon of the last day, after the elders' meeting ended, Song Hongtian lived up to everyone's expectations and said something earth-shattering.

"I arranged the attack on Lu Xian, and I was the one who planned the attack on me. That's right, I planned the series of events that happened in Xidu recently. Apart from me, everyone here is the first to know about this."

"And this is just the first step in my plan."

Seeing the elders' expressions of astonishment, Song Hongtian smiled with a subtle expression.