General Ashina said: "Your Majesty should have sent a new Anxi Protector. When we return to Xizhou, the Anxi Protector should also arrive."
In fact, the new Anxi Protectorate is still in the capital at this time, he just received the order yesterday, bid farewell to relatives and friends today, and plans to leave tomorrow.
Because the war is urgent, and the distance between the two places is too far, the news lags behind. Now no one knows what is going on in Xizhou, so he can't stay for a long time. This time, he will not bring his family with him. .
As soon as he decided who to follow, a servant came to pass the order, "Master, His Majesty has held a family banquet in the palace, and asked you to go into the palace to have a light meal."
Qiao Guogong thought about it and took his wife into the palace.
It is said that it is a family banquet, it is really just a family banquet, except for the emperor and his wife, there are only the prince and princess and a few princesses.
Qiao Guogong took his wife to salute, the emperor smiled and waved: "The family does not need to be too polite, please sit down and let the imperial dining room serve the food."
The prince led a group of younger sisters and called "cousin" before sitting down separately.
Of course, the royal people didn't really say nothing when they ate, they just ate.
While eating, the emperor recommended the dishes he thought were good to Chai Wei. By the way, he talked about some things about the Western Regions, "This time you took office in a hurry, and the Anxi army is brave. I'm afraid you will be a little dissatisfied. You can ask Ashina for advice."
The emperor said: "Even Li Qing said that Ashina is the best among the vassals, and his strategy is often inferior to the generals of the Han Dynasty."
Chai Wei agreed.
The emperor thought of Guo Xiao, and snorted coldly: "Guo Xiao is far worse than General Ashina, I heard that even when he went out to war, he would bring gold and silver wares with him, even the tents were inlaid with gold and silver, He gave Ashina his army tent, but Ashina refused, the merits of the two generals can be seen from this, if you go to Xizhou, you should not learn from Guo Xiao."
Chai Wei complied more seriously, expressing that he would manage the Western Regions well and never fail to live up to His Majesty's expectations.
The emperor nodded in satisfaction, "The difference between the Western Regions and the Central Plains does not lie in the breadth of the land, let alone the luxuriant population, but in the commercial routes. Seventy percent of the communication between the Central Plains and the Western Regions, and even further places, depends on this Western Regions commercial route." , only 30% lies in the sea, so you have to guard the trade route, and don’t want those Turkic people to destroy the trade route.”
Chai Wei nodded repeatedly.
The emperor looked at the crown prince and said with a smile: "I have already told you everything I want to tell you. Is there anything else you need to tell your cousin?"
The prince thought to himself, what can he have to say to a cousin who wants to be released to control a heavy army
Can he just say it in front of the emperor? He said, can the emperor still sleep at night
While complaining in his heart, the prince raised his head and said to Chai Wei: "Cousin, why don't you help find Zhou Taiyi and the others when you arrive in the Western Regions."
He said: "The news from last time was not clear. It only said that they found some information about cowpox, but I don't have any specifics. The prevention and treatment of smallpox is a big deal. They have been out for almost a year, and there should be news Bar?"
Glancing at Ming Da who was sitting on the side, he said, "Also, the son-in-law is still in the team. Ming Da will be filial piety after the Chinese New Year. Has she also been married?"
The emperor had wanted to talk about this a long time ago, but when he heard the crown prince mentioning it, he immediately lifted his spirits, nodded and said: "Yes, you went to the Western Regions to look for Bai Cheng, if they find a way to inoculate cowpox, come back quickly If you can’t find it, you have to go back to Beijing to report on your work, and go out again later.”
At least come back and get married.
The emperor smiled and said: "He is your cousin-in-law, if he doesn't act well, you can just teach him a lesson."
Chai Wei just listened to these words, didn't you see that Princess Mingda who was sitting beside her was blushing
Obviously very satisfied with this future son-in-law. As the saying goes, a son-in-law is half a son-in-law, especially this one is not only the son-in-law of the first princess, but also seems to be liked by the first princess. him.
However, Chai Wei still agreed, and then praised Bai Cheng, "Mr. Bai is also a young talent. He passed the Jinshi examination at a young age. He is a man of etiquette. How can he not do things well?"
The emperor thought of the boy who stood in front of him and patted his chest and said that he would treat his young master well, so he nodded secretly.
———
Seeing that the emperor nodded in agreement, Chai Wei didn't want to "teach" Bai Cheng any more.
The meal was a feast for the monarch and his ministers. No, it was the relatives who were happy. Anyway, Chai Wei happily took his wife out of the palace in the end.
Mrs. Qiao Guogong is a little worried. It is a good thing that her husband has been promoted, but he has gone to such a far place in the Western Regions. I heard that there is yellow sand everywhere, and some people don't take a bath every six months.
Mrs. Qiao Guogong said to her husband, "When will we leave for Xizhou? Wait for you to settle down?"
Qiao Guogong glanced at his wife and said, "What are you going to do? The sky is full of yellow sand over there, the sun is still big, and the children are still young. It is the critical time for studying and practicing martial arts. It is not easy to go there and hire a gentleman." .”
He said: "You should stay in the capital. If you have nothing to do, you can go to the palace for a while. Your majesty and the empress have a very good relationship with the mother. You should go to the palace more often. When the children are older, maybe you can go to the empress for a while. to go to the Chongwen Museum.”
Mrs. Qiao Guogong was stunned, "The prince is so old, isn't there a lot of companions in the Chongwen Museum now, why do you want to come in?"
Qiao Guogong said: "As long as the prince is still a prince for a day, he has to study. The teachers in the Chongwen Museum are not the prince, but the lecturers. It doesn't matter how many students in the Chongwen Museum change. As long as the prince is still the prince, then the Chongwen Museum You must have an accompanying reader."
Mrs. Qiao Guogong: ...
After a pause, she whispered: "Didn't you tell us to have less contact with the prince?"
"Today is different from the past," Qiao Guogong said: "The crown prince has a little grandson, even if in the future...then we will obey the imperial edict, and His Majesty will not blame him."
Are the risks now comparable to those of the past
So we can still get closer.
Mrs. Qiao Guogong nodded, thinking that she would not have to go to the Western Regions, she was secretly happy. As soon as she was happy, she wanted Duke Qiao to be happy too, "At that time, I will send a few more servants to the Duke. It is bitterly cold there, and there must always be someone to take care of the Duke."
The Duke didn't refuse, but he still said: "Send less, your Majesty doesn't like extravagant people."
Qiao Guogong's wife should go down.
Chai Wei is the emperor's nephew, his father is the founding general, and his mother and the emperor are siblings of the same mother. Whether it is siblings, or between the monarch and his ministers, the relationship between the two sides is very good.
Especially his mother, Princess Pingyang, this princess is a true life and death sorrow, and she was also a wise and brave female general during her lifetime.
Chai Wei's ability is not bad, so the officials didn't have much opinion on the emperor's exception to promote Chai Wei several levels in a row to the position of Anxi Governor.
Everyone accepted it calmly, and Chai Wei went to his post calmly.