The sun rose from the eastern horizon, shining through the clouds and mist with irresistible light, casting a dazzling golden light on the uneven roofs of Nandu, and shining through the open windows, illuminating the originally dim room.
Luo Xian's hair was combed into a solemn bun by the maid behind her, with a few elegant jade hairpins inserted. She glanced at the morning light coming in from the window and knew that the time had come. So she put the gorgeous jewelry on the table into the jewelry box, turned around and handed it to the maid Xiaoyun behind her, saying: "This is for you, and everything in this room will be yours from now on."
Xiaoyun held the heavy jewelry box in her hands blankly, her face full of confusion.
Luo Xian stood up, straightened her dark blue clothes, washed her hands in a copper basin, took out incense from the cabinet, and lit it in front of the tablet in the room. The smoke curled and spread over her beautiful eyebrows. Those were a pair of eyes that were always gentle and smiling, and were regarded by countless dignitaries as the eyes of a woman in the world who could speak eloquently and tolerate all troubles.
But now, those eyes no longer have the usual gentleness, smile and affection, like distant mountains shrouded in mist.
She held the incense in her hands, slowly knelt on the ground, and bowed deeply to the tablet. She whispered, "Dad, your daughter is leaving."
Xiaoyun stared at Luo Xian in a daze and asked in a low voice: "Miss Luo Xian, where are you going?"
Luo Xian did not answer. She walked to the incense burner and inserted the incense sticks neatly into the burner. There was a commotion downstairs, and the door was opened with a bang. The servant was sweating and said breathlessly: "Miss Luo Xian... is coming downstairs. The carriage is here to pick you up... It's... it's from the palace."
Xiaoyun was greatly surprised, but Luo Xian just nodded calmly. She picked up her package and walked out of the room. She paused for a moment at the door, turned around and said to Xiaoyun, "Go home, back to Luozhou."
In the Hezheng Hall, all the ministers were present for the morning court session.
Luo Xian was waiting outside the tall palace gate, and heard the sounds of discussion and debate coming from the most solemn and serious place in the world. The vermilion clothes were intertwined, with various colors and grades of patterns. Among those vermilion clothes, someone looked back inconspicuously? He glanced outside the door, met her eyes, and then smiled and looked away for a moment.
The third son of the Duan family, Duan Xu, General Duan.
Luo Xian remembered that at the end of the second year of knowing Duan Xu, he came to Yuzao Tower as usual to get information from her under the pretext of drinking. He shook the wine glass and suddenly asked her - Miss Luo, do you want to go back to Luozhou
—Luozhou has long fallen into the hands of the enemy, and it is impossible for me to return even if I want to.
—What if Luozhou is recovered
—If Luozhou is recovered during my lifetime, I will definitely return to Luozhou to pay homage to my ancestors, refine Tianluo, and drive out the Tartars.
Duan Xu started laughing. This young man always loved to laugh. He would smile after just a few words. She suspected that he was mocking her for not knowing her own limitations. She was already very familiar with such contempt and did not want to defend herself.
But Duan Xu said, "I don't doubt Miss Luo. How can a girl who is so young and can be entrusted with an important task by my father and who has mastered the intelligence of the rivers and lakes and the capital be an ordinary person?" I listened to Miss Luo's words and felt both approval and admiration. I wondered whether I should turn this wish into reality.
She was very surprised, and said calmly - now Lord Duan, Prime Minister Du, and the emperor have no intention of heading north.
—They don’t? No, I and a friend do. Luo Xian, do you want to join us in taking back Luozhou
"When the Huqi people captured Luozhou, they slaughtered 70% to 80% of the people. Almost no Tianluo craftsmen survived. Many years ago, Minister of Rites Duan Chengzhang searched everywhere and finally found the descendants of Tianluo craftsmen and the handwritten letter of ore refining. Now that Luozhou has been recovered, please present the descendants of the craftsmen and the letter to the emperor to reopen the Luozhou mine."
The voice of someone speaking came from the main hall. He sounded older, and his speech was slow, measured, and dignified.
Luo Xian thought, this is Prime Minister Du.
An old eunuch holding a whisk came out from the door and said to her in a shrill voice, "Miss Luo, please."
Luo Xian nodded, she lifted her skirt and turned to step into the door, feeling countless eyes focused on her. This magnificent hall had reddish brown pillars as thick as a man's embrace, intricately carved caissons, high steps, many powerful people in the audience, and the most honorable middle-aged emperor in yellow clothes with dragon patterns on the stage. As a beauty famous in the southern capital, many people in the court were familiar faces to her, but she walked slowly to the center of the hall without looking around, neither humble nor arrogant, knelt on the ground, held a yellowed book in her hand, and raised it high above her head.
"I am a daughter of the Luo family in Luozhou. Five generations from my father onwards were craftsmen at the Tianluo Mine. My great-grandfather was Luo Fenghe, the owner of the Luozhou Shixi Mine, who was killed by the butcher Hu Qi. Before he died, he set fire to the mine and wrote down the secret method of refining Tianluo in a book. He asked my grandfather to flee to the south of Guanhe with the book, and it has been passed down from generation to generation until now. I present it to His Majesty to congratulate the recovery of Luozhou and to comfort the thousands of innocent souls in Luozhou."
Her voice was sonorous, her chest sank, and she held the book high with both hands. Luo Xian's fingers were slender and beautiful, with calluses left by years of playing musical instruments. These hands had killed many people and played many songs, and in the future they would refine the best Tianluo from the raw stone, just like her ancestors had done.
The eunuch took the letter from her hand and handed it to the emperor. She fell to the ground and heard the emperor speak slowly: "The Luo family is loyal and has made great contributions to the country, but now you are the only one left. Do you have any wishes?"
"I only wish to go to Luozhou and do my bit for the mine."
"Okay, I will make you a princess?, give you the title of Hua Luo, and send you to Luozhou to teach at the official school."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Luo Xian knelt on the ground, then stood up and left the hall under the guidance of the eunuch. Everyone's eyes followed this legendary girl. Duan Xu and Fang Xianye were no exception. When they looked away, they looked at each other across the ministers. Duan Xu nodded and smiled.
Just a few days ago, when he and Fang Xianye told Luo Xian that the time had come and Prime Minister Du was going to report her and the Tianluo Mine to His Majesty, Fang Xianye told Luo Xian that he would also try to go to Yunluo Prefecture. He bowed to her and said, "Miss Luo, are you willing to help me build another Wensheng Pavilion in Yunluo Prefecture?"
The Art of War states that the strange and the normal should be used together. If you want to recover the remaining fourteen states, you must not only fight openly, but also assassinate and gather intelligence in secret. Luo Xian was stunned for a moment, then smiled and saluted, saying: It is a matter of national importance to drive out the enemy, even if it means death.
The emperor in the palace looked at Fang Xianye and said with a faint smile: "Minister Fang's writing is extremely exquisite. I heard that you are the best in the literary world of Nandu. Even the Queen Mother likes your poems very much and praises them highly. The Qingci used in the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven a few days ago was written by Minister Fang. Yesterday, a good omen came from heaven. I think your poems pleased the heaven. You should be rewarded generously. I will give you a thousand taels of gold, three boxes of pearls from the South China Sea, two jade screens, and five pieces of cloud brocade."
Fang Xianye came out to express his gratitude and said in a loud voice: "It is a great honor for my humble article to be appreciated by the emperor. How dare I ask for more rewards. I have something to ask for your approval."
"speak."
"I heard that the emperor is considering the selection of Yunluo Border Patrol Officer. I dare to recommend myself to help the emperor."
Most of the people in the court, including the emperor, had expressions of surprise. Prime Minister Du was able to hide his emotions, but Zheng An could not hide his astonishment. Everyone knew that the position would be his without any surprise.
The emperor pinched his fingers and looked at Duke Pei who was standing aside without saying a word, then looked at Prime Minister Du and said nonchalantly: "Minister Fang has a unique vision and is thoughtful. I believe he can bring forth something new, but he is still young after all. Zheng Qing, what do you think?"
Zheng An's expression had returned to normal. He stepped out of the line and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, Minister Fang is indeed a young talent, but unfortunately he has never been to Yunluo Prefecture and does not know much about construction and horse management. I am afraid that Minister Fang is not up to the task."
"Mr. Zheng is wrong." Fang Xianye stood up, turned to look at Zheng An, and said, "Each of the six ministries in the court has its own responsibilities. When it comes to the Ministry of Revenue's money and grain, the Prime Minister dare not say that he knows more than the Minister of Revenue, Wang. Managing a region is nothing more than knowing people and assigning them to the right positions. Since it is a professional matter, it must be done by a dedicated person. Could it be that Mr. Zheng understands horse politics like the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and understands construction like the Minister of Works?"
Zheng An smiled coldly and said, "Master Fang's words are sharp, but the premise of knowing people and assigning them to the right positions is the people. Master Fang, do you know who are the talents who can help Yunluo and Luozhou in military and political affairs?"
Fang Xianye also smiled lightly, and said, "It seems that Lord Zheng has already made a plan and has already decided who will be placed in various positions in Yunluo Prefecture. Doesn't that mean you have to cover up everything in Yunluo Prefecture? The two lords who were previously involved in the horse administration corruption case are naturally well versed in horse administration, but once they have selfish motives and lose supervision, they will protect each other and allow the powerful to encroach on pastures and falsely report the number of horses. Lord Zheng, don't make the same mistake again."
Zheng An never thought that Fang Xianye would dare to bring up Ma Zheng's corruption case, and he could not help but angrily said: "Fang Xianye! Stop slandering me!"
Fang Xianye ignored him, turned to look at the emperor, prostrated himself and said: "Your Majesty is wise. I am willing to go to Yunzhou and Luozhou. I don't need to make friends with old friends. I will select and employ local talents. Even if Huqi wants to submit, he can be employed. In Danzhi, you are known for your kindness. The Han people look forward to your army. Huqi is also willing to surrender. We can defeat the enemy without fighting. In addition, the grassland of Yunzhou occupies a large area that is not owned by the inner territory. The situation is special. Please appoint Yunzhou Mujian, whose status is equivalent to that of the Minister of the Imperial Household Department. He can directly report to Your Majesty without going through the border patrol envoy. The Luozhou mine will also be set up. I hope the border will be stable and Daliang Chang'an will be safe."
Duan Xu smiled at Fang Xianye who was kneeling on the ground behind the crowd. A few days ago, they discussed today's speech. Luo Xian was right. The emperor actually had no intention of heading north. If he had not been attacked by the Huqi people under his nose, he would not have fought back to the north of Guanhe.
Even if they were to attack Yunluo states, it was because the Ma Zheng corruption case had become a big deal. The emperor was afraid that Danzhi would know that the Daliang cavalry was weak and come to attack, so he was in a hurry to take Yunluo states to show his strength.
The current emperor is a middle-aged ruler who is in charge of maintaining the status quo. After all, building a horse farm and a mine is to show the country's strength rather than to really attack Danzhi. We should persuade him not to make grand speeches about making achievements. It is best not to fight a war and get land without using troops.
On the other hand, the factional struggles in the court are getting more and more intense. The factional struggles have reached the current level because the emperor has allowed them to do so. He is happy to see officials fighting among themselves and protecting and checking each other so as not to endanger his position. However, when it comes to appointing a crown prince, the factional struggles will eventually evolve into a struggle for succession. He wants them to fight, but he cannot let them fight too much and cause chaos.
Duke Pei had just suffered a serious blow due to Ma Zheng's corruption case, and Prime Minister Du was taking advantage of the situation to pursue his victory. Naturally, the emperor could not watch Prime Minister Du become more powerful.
As expected, the emperor laughed and said to Fang Xianye, "My dear Fang, what you said is absolutely right."
Zheng An said anxiously: "Your Majesty!"
The emperor waved his hand to stop him and said, "In that case, let Zheng An be the border patrol envoy, Fang Xianye be the deputy envoy, and go to Yunzhou and Luozhou with Princess Hualuo. What Fang Qing said about employing local talents and appointing Yunzhou Mushi and Luozhou Mining Supervisor should be implemented accordingly."
Fang Xianye smiled and bowed, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
—You may still not win the case.
During the discussion, Duan Xu said that Zheng An was older and had rich experience, and the emperor had already "talked about it with Prime Minister Du" before, so he would not regret it on the spot.
-The goal is to settle for the second best, be appointed as the deputy envoy, and stop Zheng An from placing his people in Yunluo. As long as he is not too powerful, you go with him, and with Luo Xian's help, you can always find a chance to slowly sideline him.
Fang Xianye returned to his seat and smiled slightly.
Several things happened during the next morning court session. It was reported that bandits were causing chaos in Huzhou, so Duan Xu volunteered to raise troops and go to Huzhou to suppress the bandits. The emperor readily agreed.
—As for me, I now want to build an army of my own, and train it from scratch according to my ideas.
Duan Xu said this on that day.
It was already late at night after everything was rehearsed that day, the sky was dark and without stars or moon. Duan Xu leaned against the window and let out a long sigh. He turned around and asked Fang Xianye: "Do you think this world can really become what we want it to be?"
Fang Xianye was a little surprised. After all, it was Duan Xu who persuaded him in the first place. He was silent for a moment, blew out the candle on the table, and spoke in the darkness.
—No matter whether you are willing to do it or not, just try to do it. When the night is deep, there will be daybreak.
After the morning court session ended, ministers walked out of the door one after another. Duan Xu and Fang Xianye met on a narrow road, and they walked into the hot summer sun without looking at each other.
They looked like strangers, but their shadows on the ground overlapped and followed them all the way.