Changes in the sky
Volume 2: The Edge of Heaven
Chapter 149 The Eve of Lantern Festival
I am not the right person to come here. I think I am lazy by nature. When I was young, I had no worries about food and clothing. Everything was done by the adults above me. When I grew up, I was lucky and climbed up quickly. I became lazier and lazier. This kind of thing needs a more diligent person to do. If it weren't for Yinling helping me everywhere and preparing everything for me, I would have no idea what to do here, what I can do, and what I should do. Moreover, my memory is the kind that even if everyone in the world knows me, I still forget everyone in the world. It is inevitable that there will be gaps in our interactions and life, which will cause unnecessary troubles in the future.
But if there is one reason I must come, it must be that my parents are here, and there are two pairs of them, which is a rare thing. Fortunately, one of them is my biological parents, which is ten points necessary; including the second pair, coming here is twelve points necessary, if their positions are not so high, maybe it can be increased to fifteen points. But if you count the friends and old acquaintances here, it is twenty points necessary.
So, finally, Luoyang, here I come.
The situation when entering Luoyang this time was different from the previous times, and the appearance of Luoyang was also different from the previous times.
Recalling the first time I entered Luoyang, the Yellow Turban Rebellion had just been settled. When I came here, except for Brother Chen, I and my other classmates were just a few bumpkins from the countryside of Jingzhou. I originally thought that Xiangyang was the largest city in the world. After entering Luoyang, I soon found that I could no longer see the surrounding city walls. I was also deeply immersed in the endless pavilions and towers. I looked at the tall houses and lattices around me, and also looked at the distant and vague palace city, and looked around at the bustling and bustling people around. Everything was so fresh and exciting. Thinking about the past of many wise ministers and good ministers, I imagined that I could also do something big here in the future, until I was awarded a title and became a prime minister and became famous throughout the world. The second time was funny. I had already been awarded a title and had established a career, but I was wandering north. I remember that I originally planned to pass by Luoyang to visit my two brothers from Jingzhou, as a farewell and to explain my affairs. As a result, I just ran all the way for several days, thinking about various things. I was just about to settle my grudges and leave everything behind, so I walked past the road in a frenzy and entered Luoyang from the north gate. At that time, Luoyang was in chaos and everything was recovering. Perhaps I did not see this vitality directly, but the appearance of Brother Meng De made me believe it. I believe that the person who can clean up the world in the future, if not me, must be him. Even if not me, it must be him. Thinking about the third time, I really did something big here, but it was me who led the troops into Luoyang. Wherever I looked, there were corpses everywhere, and everyone I saw was in a panic. That time, I was outside the city with ulterior motives to sell the queen, and I led my men to trample the imperial city and the Golden Palace unscrupulously. I also dozed off in front of the emperor and even lost my temper with the emperor and the queen. The next time, I did not enter Luoyang, but it was me who dispatched hundreds of people to do something big again, almost turning Luoyang upside down, and even robbed the prison of the Huangmen Temple.
The more I thought about it, the colder my back felt. Finally, I broke out in a cold sweat. If it weren't for the various circumstances and the situation in the world at that time, I really wouldn't have had enough lives to waste. Although I shouldn't have been called Xie Zhi, the surname Xie is really good. I immediately worshipped my ancestors in my heart, although according to history books, these two people should not be found: one is Xie Tian, and the other is Xie Di.
I feel thirsty just thinking about it. Although it feels a bit strange, I have indeed been feeling thirsty in the past one or two days. It may be due to the cold sweats.
Perhaps my men have also thought a lot about this. They also drink water frequently, and when they come across a river on the way, they often have to stop to fetch water.
Of course, it seems that the actual situation is that the weather has been unusually warm recently, and even ** often wants to go to the river to bathe, but Song and I have dissuaded him. However, we often need to loosen our lapels and open our outer clothes, and often feel a little sweaty. However, Lord Xu Zheng's clothes and crowns are always neat and tidy, without any mistakes. Every time I want to talk to him, I have to put on my crown and clothes.
After a few sips of cold water, I felt much more at ease. I settled my thoughts and looked up at the city of Luoyang. Everything around me was different from what I had seen before. There was something new outside the Pingcheng Gate, which was connected by the southern approach road. There was a large platform between the two arrow towers outside the South Gate. The decoration was quite exquisite and grand, as if it had a special purpose. The surrounding ceremonial guards were also very majestic and neat, with a royal style, but there was a rather rogue man standing on it, and I knew that this man was such a rogue just for me.
"That big guy must be the leader, right? Come on, come on, register. What's your name and where are you from?" This person stood on the stage in a serious manner, with one hand behind his back and the other pointing at me: "Get off the horse quickly. Behave yourself in the imperial city."
I also gave him face. When my horse reached the stage, I stopped, dismounted swiftly, and bowed: "This official has worked hard."
"I can't be as hard-working as you. At most, I'm as hard-working as you." He seemed to understand what I was going to do immediately and quickly rejected my concern.
"At this time of year, the chickens have already gone to bed, and you are still shouting and greeting people. Aren't you working harder than the chickens?"
"Oh, no, no, the dogs have all gone home, but you are still on your way. Oh, you are naturally more tired than the dogs."
"No, no, you haven't gone home yet, and you haven't had anything to eat yet. You're worse than a pig, really worse than a pig or a dog. Thank you for your hard work!"
"Luoyang is my home. Besides, you haven't eaten anything either. You are worse than pigs and dogs."
"How can a traveler not bring dry food? I have a big appetite and I have been eating all the way."
"What's the difference between you and a pig?"
"Just like the separation between you and me."
All the soldiers on the stage were laughing, but the couple on and off the stage were having a great time, just like idlers. This only made Song Yudong behind them mutter: "The chickens and dogs are restless."
After a quarrel, as usual, there was no winner or loser. Even if there was a winner or loser, I would not be happy if I won, nor would I be discouraged if I lost. I was very happy. Finally, I started to compile the list. This required counting the number of people under my command, and I had to sign and seal a set of documents before the formalities were complete. It was also a hard job to pay tribute to the emperor.
Suddenly, this person recklessly and without restraint, as if ignoring everyone, shouted at me: "You, bastard, actually made me wait for so many days!"
I laughed, shrugged my shoulders, and yawned. There was really nothing to explain, because I knew he didn't need me to explain. I moved closer to the stage and put my arms on it, but I didn't expect this guy to kick me. I jumped up and slapped him on the butt in return. This made this guy grab the halberd from the guard next to him and almost hit me, so I pretended to stay away from the "place of trouble", and then he laughed and calmed down.
Unexpectedly, he suddenly whispered beside me: "Sister-in-law is said to be pregnant?"
Naturally I was surprised: How did you know so soon
He was also surprised: "Of course Sister Yinling would rush to write a letter to inform your father, and your father would be very happy, so he naturally invited us all to come over for a good meal. And you are still a monkey, and you don't even know about this trivial matter."
I am very dissatisfied: Who did you learn these words from
He thought for a long time and answered very deeply: I learned from Yunshu, and Yunshu learned from Po Liu Han Lieya.
I said angrily: I will definitely give this bastard a good beating when I get back.
He also smiled and helped his "master" out of the predicament, saying: Go and see your father quickly, the old man is very happy and hopes that you can give him a grandson.
I said slowly: Is it not okay to have a granddaughter
He also said slowly: Yes, judging from your achievements, I'm afraid you really are my granddaughter.
It's not that I forgot, I know he also gave birth to a daughter. Although I am known as the best talent, I didn't know why I missed such a good opportunity to ridicule him, and I just felt a little pain in my heart.
The man suddenly seemed to sense something and stopped talking. He just asked, "Did you have a smooth journey here?"
"Didn't you go back to Jingzhou?" I didn't answer his question, or didn't pay attention to his question.
"Aren't you busy? The teacher sent me here to be treated by you." He arrogantly placed the silk book on my head and looked through it: "I think the whole Luoyang is waiting for you."
I felt the silk on my head fluttering, and was about to speak when he said affirmatively, "Well, the only one missing is you, Yue Hou."
"You can come to my place tonight, or I can go to your place, let's get together as brothers." Although I was really helpless about this person, I was still very happy.
"I'm afraid that you and I, brothers, don't have the time these days, but if you come together, I'll remember something. Your father is busy with court affairs, and your teacher is looking after the preparations for the Lantern Festival. But Master Meng De has a letter for you. He went to Luoyang to inspect the Lantern Festival garrison posts. They can't come to pick you up in person, but they have a letter for you... a letter... um... oh, here... "He was looking for the letter on his body as he spoke. He had a lot of things in his hands and kept mumbling incomplete words. Finally, he put the silk book on my shoulder, put a pen on his shoulder, and finally found a brocade bag in his arms: "No one else has a letter. These people are all very lazy. You have to come eventually, so come first. However, a captain under Ziyu who is quite efficient has come to inquire about you several times and greeted me many times. Naoko Yu is serving the emperor and empress in the palace like a good son-in-law and can't get away." He saw me looking at him, "Of course, this is mine. And these are mine too." He took the things on my shoulder with a righteous look and walked in front of me: "You can go now. Of course, you can also leave after reading the letter; of course, you can also wait for me to pack up and leave with me."
Unexpectedly, Song later found that Xu Zheng was behind us at the time. When we were joking, he listened to us. He frowned at first, but when we got to this point, he started to laugh and even said to Song Yudong, "The one who can talk to my lord like this should be the virtuous son-in-law of the current Situ Wang, Lord Jiang Zishe of Jingzhou, right?"
I didn't know it at the time. If I had known, I would have turned around and looked at my Master Situ for a long while before adding, "I finally understand why you have been the governor of Tiannan for more than 20 years."
However, if I really watched it for a long time, I might not know anything.
At that time, I was just happy, touched and anxious. I was about to open the letter and told the scoundrel on the stage: "Pack your things quickly, you bastard." Then I heard the sound of hurried horse hooves approaching, and a loud shout came: "It's my brother Zirui who is coming!"
I waved my guards to make way, walked quickly back to the way I came, and bowed to the horsemen who were rushing towards me in the dim light. All my men who were still on horses quickly dismounted, lined up on both sides behind me, and saluted with me.
A moment later, Brother Meng De was in front of me. I immediately finished my greetings and went forward to help Brother Meng De steady his horse. Brother Meng De then turned over and dismounted. This brotherly reunion and hugging was really emotional, but his first words really surprised me.
"I miss you so much, congratulations, brother!"
Then he bowed to the stage and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Lord Zishe!"
I pondered for at least a moment. Congratulations, what for? The last one to arrive, the last one to be honored to meet the emperor? So I changed my expression to be puzzled.
Brother Meng De noticed it immediately, and immediately put away his smile, and replaced it with a puzzled expression: "Isn't your wife An Guo pregnant?"
"Ah, so Brother Meng De also knew about it!" I was surprised. I wondered if my father was about to post a notice to announce this to the world.
Unexpectedly, Brother Meng De was even more surprised: "Your Madam Pingguo will of course report this to your father, Lord Zhao, immediately. Your father has been so happy to hear the news these days that he can't sit still. He is waiting for you to arrive and is even going to hold a banquet for you!"
"Hey, this, isn't it too early?" I felt really embarrassed. My dad was really something, he didn't even ask the person involved's opinion.
He quickly thought of a way to cover it up. He just introduced several accompanying officials behind him and asked them to greet Brother Meng De. Although he was worried when introducing **, the worry was unnecessary. Meng De just replied ** politely, but showed admiration for Song Yudong, and even chatted with him as if he was very familiar with Xu Zheng.
Without further ado, Brother Meng De dragged me to my father's place. He just bowed to Zi She at the city gate and thanked her loudly. Zi She was very polite and "virtuous" in return. This was the first time I saw this. When I was pretending to be honest in my house and trying to show off in front of Yin Ling, I was not so well-behaved now. But as soon as Brother Meng De appeared, he fulfilled his responsibilities very seriously and looked at me like an official. But I still had to greet him and said that I couldn't wait for him to leave together. He immediately made a secret gesture, which roughly meant that he wanted me to give compensation.
There was no time to reply to him, so I could only clench my fists and turn around to shake at him.
The road to my father's mansion is full of official families. At this time of year, the streets are decorated with lanterns and the house is cleaned up. There are often high-ranking officials coming in and out. When they see our cavalry, they can't help but smile and bow respectfully. I wonder how the ordinary people in the west of the city are, and how lively it is? But no matter what, I'm afraid that the people here will never be like the people over there, who don't have to worry about the various things in the court and among officials. The people over there will never be like the people over here, who never have to worry about their daily food and clothing. A hundred feet away, it's like two worlds. If there are smiles on both sides, one is born from the heart, and the other is moved by the heart; if both places are bustling, one side goes with excitement and returns with satisfaction; the other side is driven by the trend and cannot help itself.
When he was at the gate of his father's house, Brother Meng De suddenly said goodbye: "I was so happy to see you that I forgot that I had to go to the palace to report to the emperor. I'm leaving now. I will come to visit you later and have a good chat with you."
After riding his horse for only two steps, Meng De turned back and said, "My dear brother, if I see the emperor, can you tell him that you have arrived in Luoyang? These days, the emperor and the queen have been talking about the arrival of Zirui."
I felt warm again when I heard this, but it was indeed late at this time. Brother Meng De had military affairs, and I didn't have any important things to do. It would be better for my father and mother to rest early, as they would be busy tomorrow. But I still said, "I have arrived and learned that the emperor and empress are worried about me. I am very worried. It is late today. Please ask the emperor and empress to rest early. I will go to the court to see the emperor tomorrow."
After watching Meng De go away, he dismounted, and was not in a hurry to go in. He even looked at the various decorations at the door with some pride for some reason. Later, some people described him as "unusual success" and gestured to the back, shouting: "Get off the horse, please come to my house as a guest!"
I didn't need to go in to look for them, as there were already people at the doorway who had gone in to communicate. So I saw my mother rushing over at the door. She noticed a large group of people behind me and immediately took me aside, but the people behind me were so panicked that they bowed and had to follow us. I had no choice but to let them finish their greetings and let my mother ask someone to help arrange accommodation.
Mother dismissed me hastily after a few words, and then looked me over carefully with a smile on her face. Just as I turned around and shook my sleeves to make a few appearances, and I thought that my mother and I had not been apart for a long time and it was not a problem, my mother suddenly brought up a strange topic: "Pei'er had a child first. Although I like Yinling's child better, I'm afraid Pei'er should be made the principal wife."
I didn't know what to say for a long time. This question was very unexpected and difficult to answer. My quick wit didn't seem to work. I was surprised that my mother was concerned about such strange questions. I could only stammer and say that I would talk about this later.
My father hadn't come back yet; my mother was busy everywhere; my sister and sister Qi were nowhere to be found, and I didn't ask; I settled the people who were with him, especially telling my son not to run away, asking Song to keep an eye on him for me, and also specifically asking my Xu Situ. Soon I didn't know what to do.
But it is indeed difficult for me to do nothing, so I sat down casually on the couch in the living room and started to daydream again.
When I arrived in Luoyang, I couldn't help but think of Yi Yue's affairs. I didn't know what happened to Yi Yue. Who was her father? Why did they have to frame me? Why couldn't they change to some other princes with the surname Liu? In fact, I was just a cover, and I was not a young hero of the time. Although the Battle of Hanzhong has been linked to my name until now, in fact, except for the grand strategy proposed by me, the others had nothing to do with me. Brother Chen was the commander of the battlefield, and the other brothers were the coordinators of all parties. I just went up in the middle to participate in the battle, just like an ordinary soldier. Dong Zhuo was desperate and wanted to sweep Jingzhou. Half a year ago, this battle would not have to be fought, and Jingzhou would have belonged to him. Suddenly, I understood the role of my cover. Before, when facing his envoys, I behaved very "impulsively". If they saw that I was in command, instead of an obviously middle-aged general, they would definitely relax their vigilance. Secondly, if the war situation is deadlocked, Dong Zhong has some power in the capital, and I am afraid that it will be disadvantageous to us. Then, I suddenly broke out in a sweat. If this is true, I am afraid that I will be the first sinner who provoked the war. Maybe I am still young and have the title of Wanhu Hou, so I may not be severely punished, but I will most likely die. This is what happened later. The teacher may have promoted the emperor's intention to make my father and I adoptive father and son, and I am afraid that I will quickly get close to him and become a relative of the emperor. Later, I became the emperor's adopted son and found out that my father and I were real father and son. That's another story.
Yinling and Pei'er are really hard-working, one is busy inside and the other outside, and I am a mediocre person who can't help at all. Look at my two wives, who are several times better than me, but why do women have a low status in the world and men have a high status? Moreover, the soldiers shed blood and the farmers and workers toil, for whom? How can the court suppress the people and the military and civilians of the whole world and use them for its own use
I suddenly felt like a fool, unable to understand anything and unclear about anything.
"Hey, idiot, who's here?" My mother suddenly appeared at the door and called me out, interrupting my thoughts. I raised my eyes in confusion and saw a handsome man in military uniform in the light. I immediately perked up, "Stupid! It's you."
"Three, okay?" He also looked at me with a smile.
"What's your accent?" She quickly pulled him to sit down and was quite interested in the way he pronounced "San".
"That's how the common people in our area call us." However, I suddenly became interested in the other person standing outside the door. "That general is quite extraordinary. Second brother, you are handsome, but why are your subordinates so heroic?"
"Where did you come from?"
"Four."
"Oh, as expected, it seems that any bad words can be related to the four." He laughed with me and immediately said to the outside: "I almost forgot, Captain, come in, why are you still outside? Shen Gong's mansion does not need your guards anymore."
This general was indeed very impressive, and people wanted to make friends with him as soon as they saw him. He took two steps forward, performed military etiquette, and said, "I am wearing armor, so it is inconvenient to perform the etiquette. Please forgive me, Marquis Qin and Marquis Yue."
"Captain, don't be polite. This is my sworn brother. We are all brothers. Sit down here. Don't be restrained. If you are restrained, you are not giving me face."
"The last part of your speech sounds familiar."
"Yeah, all the horse thieves in the northwest are like this. Last time we got drunk at Da's place, and we talked about wiping out the horse thieves. Da had led his people to fight their way out of a mountain full of horse thieves before, so he was naturally familiar with the place and learned some of their jargon. Da has to look after the house this time. I have to go out, so of course my big brother has to stay at home to look after the house. But Da is too happy to come, he is living a leisurely and happy life in Qin State."
"Well, I left Sibei at home to look after the house. You, Marquis Qin, really get close to the people... But since you are so familiar with this general, why do you still call him Captain? Can't you just call him by his given name? Why do you still use his official title?"
"His surname is Qin, his name is Xiaowei, and he has no courtesy name."
I paused for at least a few moments: "Well, I understand. What a coincidence, there is a Xiemu County where I live, and the county lieutenant is also called Xie Mu. Your father is very far-sighted. Knowing that you want to be a captain of the Qin State, this name is really a good one." The latter sentence of mine was directed to this captain.
"Well, that's natural." Er also agreed with me and looked at him with a smile.
He was not unfamiliar, but rather generous and magnanimous. He bowed slightly and then answered, "When I was young, my family was poor, and my parents did not give me a name. I only had a rǔ name, which is a cheap word and sounds bad, so I won't use it to embarrass you two. I was herding sheep for my family when I was six years old. When I was seven, one day, horse bandits came and robbed my sheep. They wanted to catch me, so I ran to the mountain for my life. There were rocks on the mountain, so the horse bandits could not run fast, so they dismounted and chased me. When I saw the mountain, I was scared to death, afraid that I would die this time. Suddenly, I felt that there was no one chasing me, so I turned around and saw a group of people on horseback coming and surrounding the horse bandits."
I immediately thought that the leader should be a captain, and I thought of the origin of his name.
"The man who was leading the group, others called him Hu Qiang Xiaowei, but I heard it as Hu Qiang Xiaowei at first, and I thought the first two words were unpleasant, but the last two words, Xiaowei, were not bad. He was very kind, and he picked me up from a rock, put me in front of his saddle, and took me down the mountain together. And, kid, are you okay?" He stood up, as if it happened yesterday, and said, still smiling.
"I didn't understand anything at the time, and I didn't know how to thank others. I just counted the sheep and found that four of them were trampled to death by horses' hooves. I thought I would not be able to explain to my parents when I got home, and I didn't dare to ask anyone for compensation, so I cried. What a loser." He laughed again.
"You're pretty good. Our Er had never left the house until he was eight years old." I laughed at Er mercilessly.
Of course, there will be counterattacks: "You are sixteen years old and your sister is still holding your hand."
"That's my wife. I can hold her as long as I want." I shook my head and responded very proudly.
Suddenly he stopped me righteously and motioned for the captain to continue. I felt embarrassed, and the captain was even more embarrassed, so we all asked him to finish, especially the second one. It was strange that he seemed to have heard it before, but he was still interested in listening, which made me think about it. Suddenly I thought of the name of a Qiang Guard Captain, and thought of a person who really held this position at about the same time.
"That captain was a very good man. He settled everything down, cleaned up the battlefield, rode horses, and helped drive the sheep home. Then I was still crying outside, and he spoke for me inside." He paused, "Later, my parents never blamed me. Instead, they often mentioned that the officer was a good man, and that such officers are hard to find nowadays. My child, you must be like this person when you grow up. Later, I named him. At that time, I thought Huqiang Captain was his name. My parents, Captain was the official title, and Huqiang was probably his name. My child has no name, and I cannot use the name of my benefactor, so I will use the name of his official title. I will remember his kindness, and you can call me Captain from now on. You can call me Wei'er or Wei'er at other times."
"Did you go to look for this benefactor afterwards?"
"No, I didn't know so much at that time. But my benefactor did come to me."
"Oh?" I was very interested in this story.
"That day, he came alone. He gave me rice and meat, put them on the back of my lead sheep, and asked me to take them to my parents. He was leaving. I suddenly felt a little anxious and asked him why. He was silent for a long time. I kept asking him why he really followed me and why he made a mistake. Now that I think about it, he must have a lot of things he couldn't say. He was so upset that he actually found a child to vent. He, because of his fault, a good man was killed. He studied martial arts, and he now feels that martial arts can't change these things. He wants to study literature to see if he can change these things. West. When I asked him where he was going, he pointed to the south. There was a place called Jingzhou in the south, far to the south. There were many famous scholars there, and my elder brother wanted to go there to study. He paused again and said, "After that, he never came again. Later, I went back to tell my parents. They seemed to have known about it for a long time, and later sent me to a teacher far away to study. I asked the teacher where Jingzhou was. The teacher was also in the south. When I was older, I found that the teacher seemed to yearn for Jingzhou. Later, he told us that if we wanted to study in the future, we didn’t have to go to Luoyang, but to Jingzhou."
I had already determined who this person was. Even the second brother knew it long ago. His eyes seemed to be saying, "Do you know who it is?" So I nodded to him and made the shape of the word "Chen" with my mouth.
Apparently he hadn't told Captain Qin about this yet, maybe he was going to give him a surprise in the future. I wonder if Brother Chen will come this time, but since the teacher is here, the possibility of Brother Chen coming is not very high. There has to be someone watching over Jingzhou. After thinking about it, if I don't consider the master and the third uncle, it has to be Brother Chen. I don't know if the master is here this time, but there is someone here who can ask. After the chat with Captain Qin came to an end, I immediately turned to the second.
"Second brother, is the master here?" I know Ziyu also went there to ask for advice on spearmanship, so he should know who I'm referring to after asking this.
"He didn't come. He and Brother Chen are looking after the house." He mentioned Brother Chen deliberately, obviously with other implications.
Then we talked about our respective vassal states: "San, I heard that you...didn't prepare your military, but you fought one or two battles."
"I didn't hit him. Nanhai asked Yinling to do it. Did the report say that I did it?"
"I'm not referring to my sister-in-law or you specifically. I just want to mention that you have suppressed the rebellion in the South China Sea... Why haven't you reorganized your military? Yue State has many places where it needs to deploy troops." He just said that, and it seemed that he suddenly realized: "Oh, you are different from me. You have no external troubles, only internal worries. Oh, why did I only figure it out now? I guess you have been thinking about dealing with the Xianbei in the north and the Qiang in the west. Fortunately, Si didn't come, otherwise I wouldn't be able to say this."
But I don't mind if he understands or not: "You have to respectfully address me as Sister Yinling."
He ignored my objection and continued, "You still have a lot of holes there, right? What are you going to do?"
"You are becoming more and more like a person from the northwest." I was silent for a while, then slowly expressed my thoughts: "The events in Jiaozhou are mostly civil unrest, and there are many barbarians in it, mostly in the mountains and rivers, so it is neither easy nor appropriate to attack. Before I came here, I just managed to subdue a branch of Yulin. When spring comes next year, the spring will send some aid, and the north may be pacified. The events in Hepu are mostly fishermen or hunters, so we must use courtesy before force, and not hurt the people. Jiuzhen and Rinan both have the intention of being a foreign land, so maybe I have to rely on Shi Xie of Jiaozhi, or I have to hand Hepu over to him. Anyway, it is better not to fight, and I went there in winter, and now my mind is full of next year's farming. Although the weather there is warm and two seasons can be planted a year, it cannot be delayed. I don't have the spare money to recruit soldiers and horses and organize military affairs. The common people don't have the time either."
"You are becoming more and more like an old Confucian scholar." Er curled his lips and said, "It was the Battle of Hanzhong that ruined you."
He suddenly smiled: "But it's good, the people who follow you are blessed."
"Don't praise me. If I were you, I would probably have to practice every day and squeeze money out of my teeth to recruit soldiers. Every day I would have to think about how to deal with the Xianbei, how to keep an eye on Dong Zhuo, and how to guard against Han Sui and Ma Teng. I would be sleepless nights." I sighed.
Er suddenly shuddered: "It's becoming more and more alike."
But he didn't let me explain anything, and he soon became a sour Confucian: "You fought in Hanzhong and ran away after the battle. Do you know that in this battle, Jingzhou's decades of wealth was wiped out by you, and many troops were forced to disband. Some settled in the countryside, and some returned home. After you left, the teacher seemed to have used a lot of money raised from somewhere to resettle the people and rectify people's livelihood. My current Qin army has also recruited many troops that were disbanded in previous years, and now they are also cultivating farms on the border. If there is any natural disaster next year, my army will have no food after the autumn of next year. It's all your fault, everything is given by you, and everything is harmed by you."
I smiled at him, but nothing happened. He smiled and continued, but not at me: "I guess it's time."
Following the direction he was looking, I looked outside the house and saw the servants and several officials coming in. "Father is not here, what are they doing here?"
"San, you are stupid."
Naturally, he should have come across me "in passing" in the name of looking for his father, and definitely not come "specially" to see me. The officials who came in along the way should have basically known that I had arrived. I talked with Er for such a long time, which was enough time for them to prepare.
"Oh, why not, father is not back, don't let them in."
"San, you are stupid again."
During Chinese New Year, my mother would definitely not stop others. At least she would let them sit down and present some delicious food to entertain them.
"Who are they?" I felt like I had seen them all before, but I didn't recognize any of them.
"San, you are stupid... But I don't know them either. I just know their official positions, but don't worry about who they are, just listen to what they want from you. Captain, let's move aside and let my three greet the guests."
They really seemed to be people I knew, and I felt like I had heard of their names before, just as I seemed to know them when I looked at them. I was still very clear about their official positions, at least I knew that the court had this title.
They really wanted to get a message from me, to know what the court or the regents would do in the future. But they must be disappointed, I just arrived, I haven't met my father, nor the emperor, I just walked with Brother Meng De for a while, and I don't know anything else.
They seemed not to believe it and dragged on for quite a while. This period of time was not a big deal. Four or five groups of officials came one after another. Some of the first few wanted to avoid me; some said my father had not returned yet and would visit me tomorrow so as not to disturb my rest, so they left first; some stayed and waited to continue to beat around the bush with the people who came later to sound me out.
They seemed to think that I must have known everything that was going to happen.
I tried so hard to make them understand that I really didn't know.
Of course, the more I did this, the more they seemed to think I must know.
But, I really don't know.
The second one was happy to watch the fun, hiding outside the curtain at the back of the hall, eating and drinking non-stop. After waiting for more than an hour, the room was brightly lit, and when I finally got out, the heart on the table was almost eaten by these two people. The two of them were still laughing and talking about the anecdotes of our academy in the past, of course, most of them were mine, and they were not good things.
"You two have nothing to do." I sat down as I walked over, casually searching for edible remains on the lacquered plate on the table, and then I had to yell, "How come you ate it all!"
However, Er immediately changed the subject: "San'er, it seems that you have not been a marquis in vain. You are now acting like a marquis. Your response this time is very befitting of a marquis."
"Pay attention, you are also a waiter, don't wait and wait."
But I didn't care about that. I immediately stopped a passing lady and asked her to serve more food. I served the food originally on the plate. The lady looked at the lacquer plate for a long time. I was confused at first. When I observed it myself, I was helpless: "You eat too cleanly! I didn't know, I would have thought you had been hungry for three days. What was originally placed here?"
Then the two officers, Erhe and Xiaowei, gestured and said, for example, black, square, half the size of a palm; white, soft, crisp. Finally, the lady knew, agreed, covered her face and left with a smile.
"In fact, the captain and I have been hungry for a long time, and we don't have enough to eat every day." These words didn't sound like those of a marquis, but rather like those of a starving refugee.
"What's wrong? The emperor's son-in-law doesn't have enough to eat?"
But his explanation was reasonable. He could not eat voraciously at the emperor's banquet. He had to be polite. When the emperor asked him something, or when the officials at the table raised their glasses or asked him something, he had to put down his food and answer respectfully or return the gift. When the emperor finished eating, they could not eat anything. Otherwise, my adoptive father was the biggest difference from me in this aspect. He had a big appetite, which made it difficult for Er and Er's personal lieutenant. What's more unfortunate is that he has been living in the palace recently, so it is not easy to ask the palace chef to help him cook. He has to eat the heart in the house every day to fill his stomach. He is embarrassed to eat more, so as not to make fun of the Zhanshi and others. This has caused harm to my princess sister. Although Er has just promoted her to the position of my sister, she helps to get food everywhere all day long, but she misses the Queen who can't eat so many inner palace cakes in the northwest. Therefore, Er took time out to come out, which is a good job for me, at least in terms of stomach.
It was miserable for me. I had been on the road for the past few days and had eaten quickly before getting back on the road. I was already hungry. The lacquer trays in front of me were once full of things, but now there was not even a slag left, which made me feel confused.
I went straight to my mother, and after a long pause I said the first sentence: "Mom, when will Dad come back? When can we have dinner..."
Mother smiled and patted my head: "Are you hungry? I'll ask them to give you something to eat first. I'm afraid your father will be gone for a while."
I wanted to refuse and wait for my father, but in the end, I agreed. However, I asked my mother to include everyone living in our house, which made it more reasonable. Of course, I also included those two poor people from the northwest.
But not long after dinner, my father sent someone back and asked me to get up and go to the palace immediately. I was reluctant to leave the table full of dishes, so I quickly took a few more bites, rinsed my mouth, wiped it, changed into a slightly more decent dress, and asked my Si Tu to go to the palace with me. I also had to secretly tell Song to keep an eye on the **. This person saw one or two pretty ladies in my family, and kept discussing with the people around him, laughing non-stop. If I let them out on the street, the consequences would be disastrous.
The imperial guards were very polite. When they saw me coming, they just stepped aside without any intention of checking me. This made me feel embarrassed, although I had led people on horseback and rode in a few times without paying attention to these people. The imperial guards who didn't check me at all really made me feel a little uncomfortable, and I always felt that it was a little inappropriate.
Xu Zheng looked obviously changed. He kept looking at me out of the corner of his eye, and then looked behind him. I didn't want to explain why this happened, although I could vaguely understand what was going on, at least I didn't know how to explain it. So, I just pretended not to notice it.
It seemed like spring had arrived these few days. The sky had already darkened, but the wind was a little warm, and I was sweating without realizing it. At least it was much warmer and more comfortable here than in the pond. During those days, I sat in the snow, and after a short while, my legs got cold. I had to move around to avoid being frozen and stiff.
The main hall was still brightly lit at this time, but the surroundings had already fallen into darkness, with only the signpost lights under the eaves flickering like fireflies.
This introduction still requires some complicated procedures. It is far less convenient than summoning someone. Although His Majesty the foster father sent a message to let me enter with my sword and shoes on, I felt embarrassed when I saw Xu Zheng taking off his sword and shoes. Of course, I had some other ideas, so I followed his instructions and entered with my Situ Xiang.
Your Majesty, this kowtow etiquette must not be sloppy, but it does not mean that other places need to be regular. For example, I stole a glance and saw that the facial expressions of the elders were mostly happy, so I knew that nothing bad had happened this time, and I suddenly felt a lot more relaxed. I glanced a little more and saw that the regent was there, the emperor and the empress, and a few palace maids and eunuchs, but there were also a few people I didn't know. Judging from their clothes, they should be relatives of the Liu family.
"Jiaozhou seems to be a really poor place. Even its king doesn't have a decent piece of clothing." The emperor actually opened the speech with this sentence. There were even some laughter coming from above. "Get up, my son. You've worked hard coming from afar."
My heart warmed again, seeing that the emperor still called me "son" in front of everyone, showing that he really had a lot of affection for me and was not afraid of the past. I was about to stand up, but found that the person behind me did not move. I turned around and looked at him. When I was about to turn around and mention that this was my Minister Xu Zheng, I didn't expect that the emperor remembered it clearly: "Lord Xu, you should stand up too. When I first ascended the throne, you were... Let me think, you were the governor of Guangxin... Now you have been promoted to Minister of Yue?"
The emperor knew all this. I immediately showed a surprised expression, but then I suddenly realized what was going on.
Xu Zheng also nodded quickly, "Your Majesty, I appreciate your grace. I remember your humble servant. Your Majesty's words are absolutely correct."
"Did my son Zirui go to worship during the Chinese New Year this year?" This sentence was directed to me, but I felt that the words changed too quickly, and I felt that I was a little unfair to my Situ.
"No, I was in the mountains suppressing rebellion at that time, but Lord Xu had arranged everything for me, and I am really grateful to Situ Xu." I am embarrassed to mention Yin Ling here. In front of the teacher, at most I would be scolded, and that would be fine. In front of the master, at most I would be kicked, and that would be fine. In front of Brother Meng De, at most I would be ridiculed, and that would be fine. But I can't afford to lose face in front of those sanctimonious royal relatives above.
At this time, I knew that the people I brought with me would be helpful to me. I looked at Xu Situ again. Xu Situ was a wise man. Although he had just stood up behind me for a moment, he knelt down again at this moment. This opening speech, wearing a green hat, and the mistress led the officials and other officials to offer sacrifices in the eastern suburbs were sufficient etiquette. At least in the future, no matter who asked me, I would understand what was going on, so I could make up a story.
However, I still couldn't avoid being scolded. Why was I running around alone at that time of year, delaying the sacrifice, neglecting the heaven, worrying about the natural disaster in Jiaozhou the following year, and finally even involving - I also expected - Pei'er's pregnancy, and I was still fooling around outside.
I was really embarrassed to explain in front of so many people, especially so many strangers. I just let them talk nonsense. I nodded in agreement with them but kept muttering in my heart, even begging for mercy. My two godly parents, can you please be serious
However, I still feel warm inside.
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. I didn't do anything in the temple. I just listened to the lectures and made the elders laugh. In fact, it was not a bad thing.
Luoyang was not very cold that day, it was even warm, but it was the first month of the year and there was a fire burning in the palace, which made me feel a bit of disturbing heat.
Maybe I should realize something.
But I didn't find anything from my memory.
Maybe even if I find it out, it won't help me make up for it later.
But I really hope I can start all over again from this day forward.
This day, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, was the last Lantern Festival eve before I came of age.
Note 1: In the Han Dynasty, the beginning of the year was marked by the beginning of the Spring Festival, which was the beginning of the 69th day, 45 days after the winter solstice. It was not until 191 that the Republic of China changed the first day of the first lunar month to the beginning of the new year. During the Han Dynasty, the entire royal family would offer sacrifices during the New Year. The Book of the Later Han Dynasty, Rites, contains the following passage: On the day of the Spring Festival, before the fifth hour of the night, all officials in the capital wear blue clothes, and officials in the prefectures, counties, and roads, down to the Dou Shi Lingshi, all wear blue caps, set up blue flags, and offer clay oxen and farmers outside the gates to show good luck to the people.