On the seventh day of December, it was another bad weather day filled with wind and snow.
After leaving Hulao Pass, we passed through Chenggao, Gongxian, and Yanshi to Luoyang. The whole journey was more than 100 miles and we would arrive in a few days.
At this time, Luoyang had just recovered from the shock of the war.
This year, the Xiongnu gave them some face. They only came in October and November, so that some of the cereals that had been planted early could be harvested.
However, they were not given any face-saving measures. Many grains harvested in mid-to-late October, and even turnips dug in winter, were taken away by the Huns and became their army rations and horse feed.
Naturally, no winter wheat has been planted in Luoyang and its surrounding areas this year, so there is not enough time.
As for how many people will plant millet next spring, it’s hard to say——
In the south of Luoyang City, a large number of scholars and people did not want to spend time in Luoyang for years. They rushed southward, leaving Yique and Sheyuan Pass, heading south.
Yuzhou and Jingzhou are not their destinations, Jiangzhou and Yangzhou are.
These people are not alone on the road, but are surrounded by people with big and small cars, and groups of servants and maids.
If they leave, they will never return to Luoyang.
Perhaps they would also call the tribesmen who were still in their hometown in the north, take their tribes, food, and all the gold, silver, soft goods, books, and livestock they could take away, and head to Wudi to start a new life.
The so-called southward crossing of clothes did not start after the fall of Luoyang. In fact, every time Luoyang was besieged, every war in the surrounding areas, and every natural and man-made disaster prompted a group of people to cross the river south.
This is a long-term process.
After the army arrived in Luoyang, most of the auxiliary troops were disbanded, leaving only about 3,000 people.
Yi joined the army, and the government soldiers also left.
Winter is the off-season for farming, but ordinary people don't necessarily have time to spare. They have a lot of things to do at home, so it's better to let them go back and there won't be too much resistance when they are recruited next year.
Shao Xun moved into Jinguyuan.
After many rounds of looting, nothing remains of this once luxurious manor.
The crabapple forest is even covered with horse dung and sheep dung.
The house was empty, not even a bed. There were some remaining pieces of furniture, often missing arms and legs, and it was suspected that they had been chopped up and used as firewood.
Well, there seems to be some "graffiti" on the wall.
Shao Xun looked at them and found that most of them were scolding him.
What kind of idiot is so unqualified? If you can write, it means you have some culture. Why are you scolding me with all the dirty words?
Ordinarily, after so many years of fighting, we haven't killed many Huns?
The Battle of Yemagang, the Battle of Dayang, and the Battle of Mishui were annihilating battles. Most of the people killed were traitor troops, okay?
I only ambushed and killed one or two thousand Xiongnu at Qili Pass. How could there be so much hatred? Damn it! Next time I go to Pingyang to sleep with your princess and queen.
"The prince will not enter Luoyang?" The others had not yet spoken, but Wang Bing was a little anxious.
"Don't worry, let's find out the news first." Shao Xun said: "Furthermore, if I enter Luoyang, I will definitely bring a large army with me, and the city will be full of commotion, which is quite unsightly. If the emperor doesn't know what's going on, he will think that I have committed a rebellion and is in a hurry.
Wouldn't it be self-defeating to run away?"
Wang Bing was stunned.
Chen Hou doesn't even pretend to be pretentious now? Is it really appropriate to arrange the emperor's work in front of him?
However, there seems to be a strange pleasure.
Wang Bing felt that something was wrong with him, but he felt that it was really satisfying to arrange the emperor.
"Tell me about you first." Shao Xun asked casually after untying his armor with the help of Tang Jian, unstringing his bow, unsheathing his sword and hanging it on the wall.
"What's the matter?" Wang Bing asked subconsciously.
"I haven't asked you before because I was afraid that you would be too worried." Shao Xun said, "Now that Luoyang has arrived, I have to ask. You said that you volunteered to move the princess. I don't think it's that simple, Prince. Let me tell you.
What’s the real meaning?”
Wang Bing was silent for a while, and when Shao Xun was getting impatient, he said: "The shogunate is a mixed bag of people, not all of them. When Situ is here, they can still suppress it. If Situ is not there, it will be a matter of time before they fall apart. If we can
Please return to the Crown Prince, maybe we can barely stabilize the situation."
"Absurd!" Shao Xun said unceremoniously: "Your Majesty is only fifteen years old, how much talent do you have? If he goes to Fan County, won't there be a lot of people fighting over him? There will still be a falling out in the end, maybe even more.
Tragic.”
Wang Bing did not refute.
He knew that what Shao Xun said was most likely true. Now that the families are separated, they might still be able to be harmonious, but when they really get into a fight, they might not be so polite. It's impossible without bloodshed.
But Wang Bing always wanted to give it a try and gave it a final try.
Shao Xun called Tang Jian and whispered something in a low voice.
Tang Jian nodded and immediately arranged for people to go to Luoyang.
"Your Majesty, you may agree or disagree with your son's journey eastward." Wang Bing gritted his teeth and said.
Upon hearing this, Shao Xun sneered twice and said, "Wang Bing, what qualifications do you have to talk to me like this?"
Yuan Xi glanced outside, his hand already caressing the handle of the knife.
Wang Bing shook his head and looked up to the sky with a sigh.
"Don't pretend to be loyal." Shao Xun continued: "You may be thinking of Situ's good and will not harm the prince, but your selfishness is still very serious. Let me ask you, after Situ's death, Yanzhou
Are the nobles willing to be obedient? Will they still receive money, food, and gifts?"
Yanzhou is also a place where gentry gather together, and the density is comparable to that of Yuzhou - to be honest, there are quite a lot of gentry in the entire south of the Yellow River and north of the Huaihe River.
It's hard to say whether the Yanzhou gentry will support the fifteen-year-old heir apparent, and there's a high probability they won't.
Wang Bing heard what Shao Xun said and argued forcefully: "If you can't stay in Yanzhou, you can go back to Xuzhou. When Situ was still alive, he had already hired the Wang family of Donghai for the crown prince. With the support of the Wang family, the crown prince can definitely stand firm in Xuzhou.
heel."
Only then did Shao Xun understand.
Wang Bing was born in the Wang family of Donghai. Although he was a distant branch, as Sima Yue became the winner of the Eight Kings Rebellion, Wang Bing's status increased and his voice increased greatly. Moreover, the Wang family's investment in Sima Yue also increased.
The bigger.
There was Wang Shiwen, the governor of Yuzhou, and Wang Long, the current governor of Xuzhou. If the prince can return to Xuzhou and the Wang family gives full support, let alone say, it is really possible to stabilize the position, although the power of the shogunate will most likely be seized by the Wang family - King of Donghai
The clan's family status is very high, and it was once married to the Tian family, although it has been on the decline in recent years.
Wang Bing's thinking was actually very clear. Any attempt to take the crown prince back to Yanzhou was all a cover-up. His real purpose was to bring the crown prince to Xuzhou so that the Wang family of Donghai could reap benefits and actually control Xuzhou.
Even in the worst case, he can control the East China Sea Kingdom.
When Sima Yue returned to Beijing before, because of his "outstanding merits", he added the three counties of Lanling, Xiapi and Linhuai as fiefs.
Originally there was no Linhuai, but Jiyang County was added. When Sima Jiong was in power, three counties were specially separated from Chenliu Kingdom and granted to his son Sima Ying, King of Jiyang.
After the defeat of King Qi, his body was left exposed for three days without anyone collecting it. King Jiyang also died, the country was eliminated, and the three counties were merged into Chenliu. Since this county was far away from Lanling, Xiapi, and the East China Sea, there was no grant to Sima Yue.
The precedent was obviously unreasonable, so it was finally changed to Linhuai County.
In other words, at this time, the Donghai State had four counties. On the surface, they could only enjoy food for 10,000 households. In fact, all major military and political affairs were managed by the officials of the Donghai Palace.
After Sima Yue's death, among the three shogunate teams under his name (Yanzhou Mu, Situ, and Donghai King), the importance of the Donghai Palace increased day by day, and it was also the goal of Wang Bing and even the Donghai Wang family.
It turned out that he wanted to be a local emperor!
Shao Xun thought about it and lamented that when troubled times come, all kinds of monsters and monsters will come out.
"What good can I do?" He stopped beating around the bush and asked directly.
Wang Bing wanted to speak but stopped.
"Don't answer in a hurry, think about it before you speak." Shao Xun patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile.
After saying that, he left.
After handling official business in Qichun Pavilion for a while, Tang Jian walked in with an unnatural expression on his face and reported in a low voice.
Shao Xun glared at him, waved him away, and then rubbed his hands with a look that was a little nervous and a little loving.
Footsteps sounded outside the door, and after a while, three people walked in, one behind the other.
"Flower...see the princess." Shao Xun bowed.
Concubine Pei looked at him with complicated eyes and gave him a gentle salute.
"This... gin... has met Princess Nanyang." Shao Xun saluted Mr. Liu who was behind Concubine Pei again.
Mrs. Liu's breathing was slightly rapid and she looked at Shao Xun for a long time.
Behind her was a personal maid, holding a child in her arms, wrapped tightly, and sleeping soundly at the moment.
Shao Xun couldn't help but take a few steps forward, looked at the child, and smiled unconsciously on his face.
It's okay that he didn't smile, but his smile made the two women next to him very unhappy. Especially Ms. Liu, her chest was heaving violently, her eyes were filled with tears, and her hands were raised, as if she wanted to hit but didn't dare to.
Shao Xun smiled awkwardly and said: "I have done something wrong. The princess can scold her whenever she wants and hit her whenever she wants. I will never frown."
After saying that, he moved his face to me in a humble manner.
"Bah!" A crisp voice sounded.
Shao Xun covered his face and looked at Liu in disbelief, "Are you really going to hit me?"
Liu felt a little regretful after the fight.
It wasn't that she didn't want to hit Shao Xun, but she was a little scared.
When I was in Chang'an, I heard from my husband that he was a murderous butcher, the same type of person as Zhang Fang.
In today's world, anyone who is not a fool knows how terrifying some rising warriors are.
Zhang Fang likes to eat human flesh.
Gou Xi was arrogant and extravagant, choosing thousands of maids and not caring about political affairs.
The person in front of me likes...likes to collect princesses.
Not normal!
If he got angry and detained her in Luoyang, there would really be no place to cry.
However, after all the beatings, regrets are useless.
Mrs. Liu shed tears, scratched her neck, and looked at Shao Xun with a look of death.
Shao Xun stretched out his hand, gently wiped away Liu's tears before she could react, and said: "That's it for now - let's eat first."
After saying that, he called Tang Jian.
Uh, there was no response.
In the past, as long as you yelled, Tang Jian would definitely appear within five seconds. Today, it's weird. Where are you hiding?
After shouting twice more loudly, Tang Jian finally appeared.
Shao Xun glared at him and said, "Send lunch."
"No." Tang Jian left quickly.
Shao Xun glanced at Mrs. Liu again.
Mrs. Liu looked at him with cold eyes.
Shao Xun smiled and looked at Concubine Pei again.
Feifei Pei ignored him and sat alone in the inner room.
Shao Xun followed him with a smile and sat across from him.
Ms. Liu glanced at the two of them and hesitated in her steps.
The maid behind her even lowered her head, wishing she could become deaf or blind.
"Is there anyone from Fan County?" Concubine Pei asked after a moment.
"Yes." Shao Xun said: "According to what Wang Bing said, many people from the shogunate left, and some people want to send Situ's coffin back to the East China Sea immediately."
Upon hearing the word "coffin", Concubine Pei was stunned for a long time, and her expression also looked a little sad.
Seeing the expression on Concubine Pei's face, Mrs. Liu's suspicion disappeared.
"Wow..." A childish cry suddenly sounded.
Shao Xun subconsciously got up, ran to the maid, and held the child in his arms first.
Mrs. Liu also arrived in front of her maid, but she was a step too late and silently took her hand back.
Shao Xun gently shook the baby and said with a smile: "She is a real tiger girl, she cries so loudly."
Upon hearing this, Mr. Liu's expression softened slightly.
Concubine Pei sat there, her face even worse.
Shao Xun hugged the baby for a while, then handed the baby back to the maid, and then sat back down opposite Concubine Pei.
The silence was a bit long this time, and Concubine Pei didn't say anything until Tang Jian came over with two large food boxes.
Mr. Liu knelt down and sat on the other side from a distance, also bowing his head and saying nothing.
"What is Wang Bing doing here?" Concubine Pei suddenly asked while Shao Xun was greeting the two of them for dinner.
"He wants to take you and the crown prince back to Xuzhou." Shao Xun replied.
Mrs. Liu raised her head and quickly lowered it again.
"What do you think?" Concubine Pei's voice was a little uncertain.
"If the princess and the prince return to Xuzhou, they may be able to stabilize the overall situation of Donghai Kingdom." Shao Xun said.
Concubine Pei snorted lightly.
"But I don't want to." Shao Xun said immediately.
"Why?" Concubine Pei asked softly: "The prince has a good impression of you. If he is in Xuzhou, he may be able to help you and support the country together."
"Xuzhou is far less important than the safety of the prince." Shao Xun said categorically: "What I want is not Xuzhou. In my heart, Xuzhou is far not worth the promise I made to Situ."
The sun shines through the window lattice and onto Concubine Pei.
Shao Xun could clearly see that there was another layer of faint goosebumps on Concubine Pei's white and slender neck.
Everything seems to be reappearing on that day.
"You are too willful." Concubine Pei said softly.
"Have I not come this far just to have the qualification to be willful?" Shao Xun said: "Little people have no choice and cannot be willful. Now I can be a little willful once or twice. I only know what is most important to me. .The ten counties of Xuzhou are not worth mentioning."
"Then...what are you going to do?" Concubine Pei finally raised her head and looked at Shao Xun.
"The prince is still young and has not yet completed his studies. Please stay with me for a few years to learn the art of war and strategy, and then return to the country when you are older." Shao Xun said.
"Where is Yanzhou?" Concubine Pei asked.
"I'll go there myself and see if I can gather some people for the prince."
"I'll go." Concubine Pei said.
"you……"
"I'll take the prince there." Concubine Pei looked at Shao Xun, her tone was much gentler than before, and she just heard her say: "If the prince doesn't show up, it won't be beautiful after all. This trip is inevitable."
"That's fine." Shao Xun nodded, then looked at Concubine Pei expectantly, and asked: "The road is not peaceful and there are many bandits. I will lead the Silver Spear Army to protect the concubine while the prince heads to Fan County."
Concubine Pei hummed softly, glanced at Princess Liu of Nanyang, and said softly to Shao Xun: "From now on, whenever you have free time, concentrate on teaching the prince and stop wandering outside."
"Uh...ok." Shao Xun replied.
When he said this, he thought of Yang Xianrong, and Concubine Pei might not know about it yet.
This happened!
Chapter completed!