On May 19th, Sima Hong led a small team of people to escort several family members of Northwest Army Commander Lu Sheng back to the capital. After sending them to Lu's family in the capital, Sima Hong went directly to the palace to meet the emperor.
After entering May, the war in the northwest was not as intense as before and eased a lot. After the New Year, the Northwestern Army had fought back to Xi'an Prefecture which had fallen several years ago and reoccupied this important capital in the northwest region. The Tatars also showed their intention to negotiate peace.
The emperor was very troubled by this problem. When the previous emperor was in power, the country was in a mess and the treasury was empty, leaving him a mess. He couldn't just pull out the previous emperor who was already buried in the royal mausoleum to settle accounts. In the years before and after he ascended the throne, he was either fighting a civil war or fighting against the Tartars, both of which were a waste of money and food. The treasury was already very tight. In addition, this year, several important grain-producing areas of Da Chu suffered from drought. Although a lot of taxes had been reduced, a decrease in grain production was certain. It would be very difficult to fight another war.
Every day when the emperor went to court, he had to face the deadpan face of the Minister of Revenue. No matter what the court officials proposed, he would always say, "No money!" It was so annoying, but there was nothing he could do, because the Minister was telling the truth, the treasury really couldn't take out the money. Who knew how frustrated he was as an emperor
The public opinion in the court was divided into two groups. One group advocated peace, arguing that the treasury was empty after years of war and the people needed to rest and recuperate. The other group advocated war, arguing that the war was now in the favor of Da Chu and morale was high. They should make a concerted effort to recover Da Chu's territory. The small difficulties at hand could be overcome.
The two factions quarreled in the court all day long, and the emperor was overwhelmed by it.
However, no matter how much the emperor was worried about whether to fight or make peace, he was still very happy to see Sima Hong. Whether it was war or peace, the initiative was in his hands, and he had the final say. How proud and proud this made him feel! For so many years, he didn't have to cede land or marry a palace maid to his family. But this was the first time he encountered a Tartar who cried and begged him to stop fighting. The emperor was very proud. Compared with the past, he had been passively defensive against the Tartar. He had offered goods, money, and women to seek peace. Now, worrying about the issue of war and peace was simply a sweet burden. He looked at Sima Hong with a naturally friendly and pleasing look.
The emperor also wanted to ask Sima Hong for his opinion on whether to fight or make peace. As a pioneer on the front line, he naturally had a say.
Regarding this thorny issue, Sima Hong tactfully stated that as a descendant of the Sima family, he had an irreconcilable hatred with the Tartars, and was naturally willing to continue fighting to recover the mountains and rivers of the Chu Kingdom. However, he finally emphasized that family feuds were a small matter compared to the Chu Kingdom, and as a subordinate of the emperor, he would follow the arrangements of the emperor in everything.
What a great improvement! The emperor looked at Sima Hong's handsome young face kneeling below him, and was very moved. He remembered the young man's appearance when he first met him. He was still a hot-blooded and impulsive boy, but now it has only been a few years. In the blink of an eye, the young man in front of him has grown into a steady and reliable man. This growth rate is absolutely rapid. Sima Chang and Sima Qing would also be pleased if they were still alive.
He couldn't help but think of a young man he could trust. The two people's answers to this question were very different in the first half, but they came to the same conclusion in the second half. The emperor couldn't help but curl his lips, it was really interesting.
It was already noon when they returned to the mansion. Baihao had already gone back to the mansion to report the news. Miao originally thought that if everything went well, she would have to wait until the end of the year to see her son. She did not expect her son to come back at this time. Naturally, she was surprised and happy. She had already ordered the kitchen to add Sima Hong's favorite dishes, and the mother and son sat down to have a peaceful meal.
After dinner, the servants brought tea for rinsing mouths, and Sima Hong couldn't sit still and wanted to go out. Miao's face darkened. How could she not know what her son, who she raised, was thinking? He just wanted to see Xu Mingyu, which was something she didn't want to see at all. Xu Mingyu had already divorced him, and the matter was done. How could the broken mirror really be reunited? Why did he still miss that heartless woman? Her son was excellent in every way, and it would be a joke for him to be so stubborn and hang himself on a crooked tree!
"You've only been back for a short while this time and you're leaving again soon. Can't you sit down and talk to me?" Miao put the teacup down heavily, not very happy.
Sima Hong saw that Miao was angry, and smiled apologetically, "No, I'm just going out for a walk and will be back in a while."
Miao sighed. Her son had a resolute and mature face. He came back with a scar behind his ear. Although the scar had faded, the white mark was still there. If the knife had hit him harder, half of his head would have been gone… Miao was terrified when she thought about it. However, even her mature and steady son had a flattering smile on his face, just like when he was a child, naughty and mischievous, and tried to please her to get away with it. How could she bear to refuse
"Go and come back quickly, don't stay outside too long." Miao said, "When you come back later, I will tell you something."
Sima Hong was about to get up and leave when he heard Miao say that she had something to tell him. He sat back down and said with a smile, "Let's talk about the important things now."
Miao looked at him and said vaguely, "It's not a big deal. Let your uncle take you to Lord Deng's house tomorrow to sit and walk around."
Sima Hong was puzzled. Normally, every time he came back, he would go to his grandfather's house to visit the old man the next day. He didn't know why he had to go to Duke Deng's house this time. Could it be that the two families had some past relationship? Sima Hong was anxious to get out, so he readily agreed.
Miao looked at her son's broad back as he rushed out excitedly, and couldn't help but sigh again.
Baihao had already set up the carriage and was waiting at the gate of the mansion. Sima Hong jumped on the carriage swiftly and drove straight to Xu's house. When they arrived at the alley entrance where the main entrance of Xu's house was located, a boy with a baby face about fourteen or fifteen years old saw the carriage coming and hurried to greet it.
Sima Hong lifted the curtain of the carriage and asked, "Is anyone still home? Has anyone come out?"
The baby-faced boy quickly pointed in a direction and said in a low voice, "She came out an hour ago, wearing a white skirt, followed by what seemed to be a maid. She went over there. I followed her all the way, and she went in when she got to Xuji Cloth Shop. I didn't see her come out!"
Sima Hong patted the boy on the shoulder and praised him, "Not bad, Dali! You have a smart mind. I'll let you be a scout when we get back!"
The boy's face turned red with excitement, and he stammered, "Thank you, thank you, General!"
Sima Hong smiled, took out a few pieces of silver from his bosom, threw them to the boy, and said with a smile: "Use it to buy some delicious food!" Then he retreated back into the carriage, whipped the horse, and the carriage ran in the direction the boy pointed.
The carriage stopped about 20 feet away from Xuji Cloth Shop. Sima Hong got off the carriage and entered the shop. He smiled kindly at the clerk who came to greet him and said, "I'm looking for your boss's daughter. She should be here."
When Sima Hong came to the door, Mingyu was counting the inventory in the warehouse in the backyard of the cloth shop. When she heard the clerk say that someone was looking for her outside, she couldn't help feeling puzzled, so she put on her veil and went out.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she went out, she saw a tall and strong idiot standing there grinning at her.
Mingyu was slightly startled, thinking she had seen it wrongly. How could Sima Hong be in the capital at this time? Mingyu quickly took off her veil and could see clearly that it was Sima Hong standing in front of her. There was a thin layer of sweat on his wheat-colored forehead, and the front of his blue silk robe was already wet with sweat, a dark color. He smiled, revealing a row of white and neat teeth.
When Mingyu first saw that it was Sima Hong, he was still a little surprised. However, when he thought about the wedding between him and the Duke's daughter that was about to happen, a northwest wind as cold as the coldest days of winter immediately blew in his heart, blowing all that little bit of surprise away into outer space.
It was afternoon at this time. The weather in late May was already quite hot. The willow branches on the street hung motionless in the air. Under the direct sunlight, the bluestone road also glowed with dazzling white light. The street was quiet, with only the chirping of cicadas in the trees on the roadside. There were very few pedestrians, and occasionally one or two, they hurried past with sweat on their foreheads.
Seeing Mingyu standing in front of him, with a fair face and delicate eyes, Sima Hong couldn't help swallowing. "That..." Sima Hong started, "What are you busy with?"
"Settlement of accounts." Mingyu spoke, "What's the matter?" His tone was a little cold.
Sima Hong was frustrated, but he continued to work hard and said with a smile: "I was promoted in April, and now I am a fourth-rank general of Xuanwei."
Mingyu narrowed her eyes. Well, Erlangzi is not bad, much better than her father. Father Xu worked diligently and conscientiously all his life, but he only managed to become a fifth-rank official. Maybe the fifth-rank official was given by the emperor out of respect for her. But thinking about the swords and knives on the battlefield, Sima Hong was doing a life-threatening job. If he was not careful, he would not see the sun tomorrow. He should be promoted.
"Congratulations!" Mingyu said this in a very hypocritical and insincere way.
Sima Hong originally expected the little girl to look at him with admiration and admiration. He wanted to vomit blood and jump up and down. This wife's temper was getting harder and harder to please! At first, the little girl was just irritable, and she pretended to be well-behaved in front of others. Now, she has directly developed in the direction of yin and yang!
Sima Hong smiled. He was a grown man and would not argue with a woman. He then asked, "Is the mynah bird I gave you fun? It's very smart. Do you like it?" This mynah bird was his masterpiece. It took him a lot of effort to teach it to talk.
"Dead." Mingyu said expressionlessly.