Chapter 241

"Mr. Linzhi, I have a younger sister named Wu Mi. Her beauty is exceptional, unrivaled throughout the Shu lands."

"She has long held Mr. Linzhi in high esteem."

"She wishes to marry Mr. Linzhi as a concubine."

"I hope Mr. Linzhi will not decline."

Hearing this,

Gu Yi blinked slightly.

He certainly knew who this Wu Mi was.

She was none other than the sister of Wu Yi, who would historically marry Liu Bei.

However,

by the time Wu Mi married Liu Bei, she had already been a widow for many years.

In her youth, Wu Mi had been married to Liu Zhang's third elder brother, Liu Mao.

But Liu Mao lacked the fortune to enjoy it; he passed away early, leaving Wu Mi to keep an empty room alone.

Now,

Liu Mao had also passed away.

It was perfectly understandable that Wu Mi would want to remarry Gu Yi.

Gu Yi smiled faintly and said:

"Since she is General Ziyuan's sister, I naturally will not refuse this marriage proposal."

Hearing Gu Yi's agreement, Wu Yi felt a sudden weight lift from his heart.

With Wu Mi's beauty, he believed she would surely be able to win Gu Yi's favor.

Besides,

when Wu Mi married Liu Mao, Liu Mao had died before they could even consummate the marriage.

In other words, Wu Mi was still a virgin.

Gu Yi would certainly not refuse a woman who was both untouched and yet carried the reputation of being a married woman.

After all, everyone curses Cao Cao, but who doesn't want to be Cao Cao?

After resolving the interests of Wu Yi, Pang Xi, and Yan Yan,

Gu Yi turned his gaze toward Zhang Song.

Compared to the three of them, Zhang Song was undoubtedly the most rational and calm.

However,

sometimes, the more rational and calm a person is, the easier they are to persuade.

"Yongnian, the Shu lands are too small; they are insufficient to showcase your full talent."

"Your stage should be the entire world."

"His Excellency the Chancellor is currently in a time of needing personnel; he needs a talent like you to join!"

"I do not intend to act on His Excellency's behalf to confer official titles or ranks upon you privately."

"Because I believe that with your ability, you will soon earn these things through your own merits."

There was no change in Zhang Song's expression.

But in his heart, at this moment, waves were crashing, and he could not calm down for a long time.

Historically, Zhang Song betrayed Liu Zhang and presented the topographical map of Western Shu to Liu Bei.

Beyond family interests, more importantly, he wanted a higher stage and greater responsibility!

Even though he served as the Yizhou Assistant under Liu Zhang,

in reality, the historical Liu Zhang was deeply wary of him.

Being the Yizhou Assistant was the end of the road for Zhang Song in this life.

Advancing any further was completely impossible.

But Liu Bei gave Zhang Song the hope of advancing further.

Moreover, Zhang Song received great respect and trust by Liu Bei's side.

This gave him the urge to die for one who truly understood him.

Although Zhang Song's character had slight flaws,

his ability was truly excellent.

As one of the only two people in the late Han and Three Kingdoms era with the ability to "never forget what he has seen once," Zhang Song's administrative ability was top-tier.

Besides this,

Zhang Song's eloquence was also quite good.

Whether handling internal affairs or diplomacy, Zhang Song was a master.

Of course, the prerequisite was gaining Zhang Song's true allegiance.

If that allegiance could not be gained, then Liu Zhang's fate would be a cautionary tale.

Gu Yi intended to make heavy use of Zhang Song.

Such a talent was truly a waste in the Shu lands.

And in Zhang Song's heart, after hearing what Gu Yi said, he had gradually made his decision.

He took a deep breath and smiled:

"Linzhi, everything shall be as you arrange."

Hearing this, Gu Yi knew that Zhang Song's issue had also been settled.

Yan Yan, Pang Xi, Wu Yi, and Zhang Song—

these four could be called the representative figures of the Yizhou surrender faction.

Gu Yi gave each of them different benefits.

Yan Yan valued the young descendants of his family the most.

So Gu Yi had one of his sons and two of his nephews conferred as Marquis within the Pass, and they became personal guards beside Emperor Liu Xie.

As for their future development, that was a matter for later.

At least at this stage, Yan Yan saw enough sincerity!

Pang Xi was a man obsessed with officialdom.

Transferring him from the position of Administrator of Ba Commandery to the Capital Governor,

could both reduce the Pang family's influence in the Shu lands and, at the same time, form a certain degree of checks and balances against the bureaucrats in Chang'an.

After all,

people of this era were particular about forming cliques.

Pang Xi, an outsider from the Shu lands, could never mingle with the locals of Chang'an.

Between the two sides, there was only a competitive relationship, not collusion.

As for Wu Yi,

setting aside the "often not here" actor factor, Wu Yi was a capable general.

Promoting him to General of the Household was a concession to the various generals of the Shu lands.

At the same time, it could make Wu Yi and Wu Ban actively become Gu Yi's lackeys.

If Gu Yi told Wu Yi to go east in the future, Wu Yi would absolutely never go west.

As for Zhang Song,

he wanted a bigger stage and recognition!

Others couldn't give him this, but Gu Yi happened to be able to.

In a state of absolute loyalty, Zhang Song, with his dual mastery of administrative and diplomatic skills, could definitely be called a rare, top-tier talent!

To put it bluntly,

through these means,

Gu Yi gave the four men what they wanted most in their hearts, while simultaneously achieving the goal of weakening the influence of their four families in the Shu lands!

And after resolving the issues of these four men,

Gu Yi had lunch with them.

By evening, Gu Yi headed to a residence in the east of the city.

That was where Liu Zhang, Huang Quan, Wang Lei, and others captured by Huang Zhong were being held.