"Strike the beams with iron and sharpen the embroidery needle, and the result will come naturally." [The Biography of Heroes of Sons and Daughters]
Chang'an, Xuanpingmen.
In late May of the first year of Jian'an, the drought lasted for nearly two months throughout Guanzhong. The weather was hot and rainless, and the heat was unstoppable. There were not even a decent cloud in the sky, and the scorching sun made the sky and the earth look like a steamer.
It's not even noon yet, but already some people are so hot that they can't breathe. Under the big trees and in the doorways, people are lying everywhere to enjoy the cool air.
They say they are enjoying the cool air, but in fact, everyone is sweating endlessly. Only the banks of the Wei River in the north of the city, Ding Lake in the south of the city, and Shanglin Garden in the west of the city are considered cool and refreshing places.
Outside the Diaoyutai, from far to near, stood the Lang Guards and the Military Guards in order. Under the door stood Yu Lin in front of the palace and Hu Ben Lang. Behind the door were a dozen Huangmen attendants. At this time, the emperor was still in the middle of the Diaotai.
These low-level officials, who are responsible for responding to orders at any time and guarding the imperial court, are still guarding the gates conscientiously.
The two Zhonghuangmen stood in the corridor, their mouths were dry due to the heat, and they looked inside the door. Sure enough, not long after, Mu Shun led a group of eunuchs, and Tang Guan came over and greeted Zhang.
They embroidered the Yulin, Huben and other Langwei soldiers in front of the palace. It is said that the emperor saw the hot weather and rewarded everyone with eating melons and drinking sour plum soup to relieve the heat. This was a trivial act, but it completely captured everyone's hearts.
, while they were saying their gratitude to the emperor for his kindness, they walked over to finish the cold drinks.
Zhang Xiu and other officials in front of the palace, such as Yu Linlang and Hu Benlang, kept their mission in mind and did not dare to come forward. However, Mu Shun personally brought it over.
"Hey! Why is this soup still hot?" A middle-aged man took a sip first. The sour plum soup in his mouth seemed to be warm and did not feel cold at all.
The Tang official who distributed the soup and fruit said while ladling soup to people: "Where is the ice now? If you don't believe it, you can jump into the well at this time and keep the water hot!"
After hearing this, Zhonghuangmen muttered something dissatisfied. Fortunately, the melon had just been taken out from the warehouse. It was juicy and thin-skinned. Cheng Guo gave him a few more pieces, which made him shut up.
.
"Is the well water hot?" Zhang Xiu took a sip of the sour plum soup, raised his head and said, "It's cold!"
"Isn't he talking nonsense?" Mu Shun stood aside with a smile, looked at Zhang Xiu and said, "Zhang Lang, don't pay attention to them. He just wants to ask for a few more sips of cold water and complains that it's hot today.
It's so powerful that everyone's heart feels like it's on fire."
As he said that, Mu turned around with a stern look on his face and said: "After you finish drinking, go to the side and keep watch! Don't let me see you hiding in the shade again, or I'll look at your skin carefully!"
Mu Shun was young, but he was very skillful in managing the yellow sects. He had gained authority early on. After hearing this, the yellow sects no longer dared to complain. They raised their necks and drank in one breath.
After grabbing the cold drink, he jumped to where he should be standing like a mouse.
In the Yulin in front of the palace, the tiger warriors are all middle and low-level military attachés carefully selected from the army. They are also the guards that the emperor takes with him every day. Their low positions are extraordinary. Therefore, they can slowly drink cold drinks while watching the scenes.
Whispering chats on the porch.
Zhang Xiu stood on the edge of the corridor with half a bowl of sour plum soup, leaning against the pillars, quietly listening to his colleagues:
"I heard that Meng Zijing and Taishi Ziyi have made great achievements in Hanzhong this time." The speaker was a tall and sturdy man. The eyebrows on his face were like stone carvings, and his gestures were as steady as rocks.
This sturdy man was none other than Xu Chu, the tiger warrior in front of the palace. He once led his troops to follow the prefect Liu Ai to participate in the battle for Runan. After the battle in Runan, the imperial court rewarded the generals, and his brother Xu Ding was granted the title of
The Captain of Ruyin, along with Xu's family troops, guarded Runan together with Li Tong, who was worshiped as the Captain of Yang'an. Xu Chu was specially ordered by the emperor to go to Chang'an because of his bravery, and was worshiped as the Tiger Ben Lang in front of the palace.
Along the way, because he was busy with handing over military affairs and other matters in Runan, he entered the court later than Zhou Yu and also missed the expedition to Shu.
"Yes." The dark and skinny figure sitting next to Xu Chu, who looks like a monkey, is Zhang Heng, a native of Duling, Jingzhao, who was selected by chance to become the Yulin Lang in front of the palace.
Compared with Xu Chu's plain tone, which seemed to be describing something, his tone was a bit more sour than sour plum soup: "One is Captain Shangyong, and the other is Hu Ben Pu She. If we follow Duke Pei and continue south, attack the city and seize the territory.
, now at least he has become a marquis!"
Zhang Xiu remained silent behind the two of them, looking down at the half bowl of sour plum soup in his hand, wondering what he was thinking.
To sum it up, in addition to Meng Da and Tai Shici's meritorious service, Zhou Yu, who was sent to Liangzhou nearly two months ago, should also have news of great achievements at this time, right? Although Zhang Xiu and Zhou Yu don't have much relationship
We have a close friendship with each other, and usually thought that the other party was just a man named Habayashi who was worshiped for returning the "National Seal", and had no real ability. But after hearing that Zhou Yuxi went to Liangzhou, he felt latent and even determined in his heart.
I believe that Zhou Yu will definitely shine.
He didn't know where his confidence in Zhou Yu came from. Perhaps it was the impression of Zhou Yu's gracefulness and wisdom that he would never forget when they first met.
When I was in my hometown in Liangzhou, I had never seen such a charming person.
Zhang Xiu recalled unconsciously in his heart, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Meng Da, Taishi Ci, and even Zhou Yu, who he had become Yulin Lang these days, would all make great achievements outside one by one. But what about himself? It seems that from the beginning,
He was just a Yulinlang, and he still remembered how much the emperor admired his youthful righteousness in avenging his sponsor when he first met him. He always thought that the emperor appreciated him.
But over the past two years, Zhang Xiu was shaken by this concept for the first time.
Isn't that so?
"You are exaggerating. How can it be so easy to be granted the title of marquis? Regardless of this southern expedition, the only ones who have been granted the title of marquis are Duke Pei and Mr.
Isn't it too worthless?" Xu Chu said expressionlessly. He actually didn't have any emotions, but he looked very scary. Even if he said something plainly, it would make people think
Xu Chu was making sarcastic remarks.
Zhang Heng frowned and obviously misunderstood Xu Chu's attitude. He couldn't help but retorted: "I am the official in front of the palace, a close confidant of the country. I am destined to become a big deal. Look at that secretary Lang Fazheng."
, he is also a close follower and confidant of the country. He just fell ill a few months ago, so the country rushed to send an imperial doctor to go south. He also received a lot of rewards in the past two days. Not everyone can have this kind of attention, so
I said, if they continue southward, it will not be difficult to become a marquis."
Xu Chu responded and said: "Rewards are based on merit. You only see that Fazheng has to worship Huangmen Shilang, but another secretary-general, Ju County Magistrate Fu Qian, is still only transferred to the lower Benchang. It can be seen that although we are
Personal followers may occasionally receive preferential treatment, but when it comes to important matters such as titles, titles, and rewards, the state still upholds fairness. Otherwise, wouldn't it just make others resentful?"
"Yes, I feel strange when you mention this." Zhang Heng bit into a large piece of melon meat, and the fragrant juice immediately dripped down his hand and fell to the ground, splashing a few wisps of dust. He chewed
, while saying with confusion: "Since Fu Qian is the son of Zhuangjiehou, he has received many favors from the country on weekdays. This time, he helped the Wudu prefect to arrange military rations, which can be regarded as a meritorious service. Why... in the end...
What if you only became Shimobencho?"
Seeing that Zhang Heng was still obsessed with the fact that the emperor would inevitably favor his cronies, and even ignored the most basic concept of "clear rewards and punishments", Xu Chu couldn't stand it any longer, and finally saw clearly the characteristics of this person who were not to be trusted with. He shook his head and lowered his head.
After finishing the sour plum soup in one gulp, he let out a "tsk" sound and then stood up.
With Zhang Xiu's stature, it was impossible to hide in the smooth verandah. Zhang Xiu had no intention of hiding and eavesdropping. He just stood aside seemingly casually and did not participate in the chat.