In March, the earth returns to spring and the ice and snow melt.
At the west gate of Chang'an City, a group of several hundred people rode out of Chang'an City. They quickly got on the horse road. The horse team quickly picked up speed. After traveling more than 20 miles to the west, the cavalry arrived at the Han Chang'an City on the south bank of the Wei River.
Jingzhao Yin Yuanlang had already received the news and met the cavalry on the southeast side of Han Chang'an.
…………
When Chu Suiliang was far away, he turned over and dismounted, walked a few steps and bowed to the ground, "It is a crime to be a good person if I have to ask Yin Yuan to welcome you."
Yuen Long stepped forward to help him, "This is official business, no need to be polite."
Accompanying Chu Suiliang was Yulin General Gongsun An. Because of his military exploits in the East China Sea, he now had the title of county prince.
He and Yuen Long were also acquaintances. When Chu Suiliang returned to Beijing to report on his work, it was he who told Yuen Long that Chu Suiliang was able to take up a post in Menxia Province.
Gongsun An stepped forward to greet him, but unlike Chu Suiliang, Yuan Lang held his arm and looked him up and down, "It's been a few months since Da Lang returned to Beijing. Why don't you come to have a drink with me?"
Gongsun An smiled quietly and said: "Years ago, I sent a New Year's gift to my door. I met my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law said that my brother was busy with work and rarely came home. How could I dare to disturb my brother so easily?"
Yuen Long laughed, "Your sister-in-law definitely didn't say anything nice about me. You can't make fun of me."
Gongsun An chuckled and whispered: "Sister-in-law still doesn't allow my brother to take concubines?"
Yuen Long was not happy anymore, raised his hand and punched him, and said with a smile: "My younger brothers and sisters are also tough people in appearance, so you are allowed to mess around with others as you please?"
The two had no scruples in talking to each other. They had known each other very early in the palace of the Han Dynasty in Jin Dynasty. At that time, Gongsun An was the internal guard of the Han Dynasty. He learned swordsmanship from Yan Lu and others. He was regarded as Li Chun's junior brother, so he formed a close friendship with everyone in the royal family.
The edge of solution.
Chu Suiliang saw the two of them chatting and laughing, and there was almost no room for him to interrupt. This was the first time he saw how Yuen Long and Gongsun An got along, and he couldn't help but be extremely envious.
He thought to himself that if it had been him, how could he still be just General Yulin now? Shouldn't he look forward to the position of General of the Wei Mansion?
Gongsun Xiandi is just too indifferent...
…………
The two of them traveled this time to meet Queen Gaochang and her party. In addition to the escorting sergeant Yulin, there were also several officials from Honglu Temple.
It can be seen from this that the imperial court attaches great importance to Gaochang. However, Gaochang is a small and weak country, but it cannot be treated as a big occasion, so he, a regular attendant on horseback, came to welcome him.
In fact, the time was just right. If we had to wait another two months, the Tang army that had already gathered in the west would probably start their troops, so there was not much time for Gaochang's envoy.
After the negotiation is over, Gaochang is a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty. If you ask for too much, the Tang army will come to the city, capture Gaochang and then reason with you. If that is the case, the king of Gaochang will not be named Qu.
…………
After chatting and laughing for a while, people from Honglu Temple came forward to meet each other. Yuen Long waved his hand casually, "You have official duties, so you won't stay here any longer, right?"
Chu Suiliang said respectfully: "Reporting to your Majesty, we only received the edict yesterday, asking us to welcome Fufeng. We cannot stay here for a long time. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."
Yuen Long nodded, patted Gongsun An on the shoulder and said: "You went to Donghai without saying a word, and we were separated for a long time. Your sister-in-law and I miss you very much.
I am very happy to see you come back without any injuries today and have made great achievements...
You said that you are the same. You don't want to wait for a good job in the capital. You have only been married for a long time, and you want to go to fight with others in front of the battle? Your sister-in-law didn't blame you, right?
I’m going to put it bluntly, think more carefully about what you do in the future, and if you don’t leave some blood before you leave, how can you go into battle?”
Gongsun An laughed heartily, holding Yuen Long's arm and said, "I was afraid that my brother would be worried, so I didn't inform him in advance.
If I had been raised in the capital, wouldn’t I have let down the skills I learned?
A few days ago, I tried the sword test with Her Royal Highness the Princess, and she said that I have improved a lot, but the ability to kill still requires seeing blood. When I think about it thoroughly, can I come and ask my brother for advice?"
Yuen Long stiffened for a moment and said quickly: "Don't show off here, the eldest princess is enough to cause a headache, why are you here to cause trouble?"
Go, go, go and do your business quickly, and don’t come with a sword when you come to me for a drink.”
…………
Amid Gongsun An's laughter, everyone got on their horses, passed through the city, and galloped along the Weishui River to Fufeng.
Fufeng County is governed in Xingping.
In the afternoon of that day, Xu Jingzong, the governor of Fufeng County, led the county officials to greet him on the left side of the road outside the city.
Chu Suiliang and Gongsun An arrived with their people.
After entering the city, Xu Jingzong took care of them. Among the people who came, only Chu Suiliang and him were old acquaintances. No need to ask, they met at the residence of General Tiance.
Both of them were bachelors from the Prince of Qin's Palace, and their fathers were both famous in the literary world.
It's just that Xu Jingzong didn't do as well as Chu Suiliang, because Chu Suiliang's father was still there, but Xu Shanxin died early in the Jiangdu Rebellion.
Moreover, Xu Jingzong's reputation was not good, and others were not willing to associate with him.
Chu Suiliang and Xu Jingzong are about the same age, a few years younger than Xu Jingzong. However, in terms of official career, Chu Suiliang is undoubtedly ahead of Xu Jingzong. Now it seems that the gap between them will only become wider in the future.
In front of Chu Suiliang, Xu Jingzong was all smiles, calling himself a lower official, and never mentioned the story of that year.
Chu Sui felt quite emotional in his conscience, secretly thinking that the Xu Yan clan was still the same, very powerful, but they were much smoother than before.
You must know that the Xu Yan clan was also quite arrogant back then, and they would not look down upon Xue Ju's descendants like their father and son.
…………
In fact, as long as you are older than Xu Jingzong, he can take care of you comfortably. Of course, Xu Jingzong is not a fawning villain who has no merit and only knows how to please.
As long as he thinks about it, he can talk eloquently and behave like a great master. In terms of talent and learning, he is no worse than Chu Suiliang, or even better.
His foundation is indeed much stronger than that of Chu Suiliang.
He and Chu Suiliang knew each other well, and all they did was superficial. But when Xu Jingzong talked to Gongsun An, it was different.
Gongsun An was already serving as General Yulin at a young age, and he also carried the title of County Duke. Xu Jingzong understood as soon as he heard that there must be some explanation for this man's family background, and it would definitely not be as simple as what he introduced himself.
.
Even someone like Cheng Dabeard and Xu Jingzong had to fawn over him, let alone General Yulin who came to his door.
Chu Suiliang and Gongsun An stayed in Fufeng for more than ten days, and were taken good care of by Xu Jingzong. Xu Jingzong even took the time to accompany them to visit the emperor's ancestral hall and visit some places of interest around Fufeng.
Many traces of the legacy of Wei Wu can be found in Fufeng...
It has to be said that Xu Jingzong managed Fufeng very well during his years in Fufeng. The people lived and worked in peace and contentment, and the local tycoons kept a low profile.
Although it is not as good as not picking up lost things on the road and not closing the door at night, it is still a prosperous scene.
Gongsun An didn't think much of being an official in the emperor's hometown, but Chu Suiliang knew how difficult it was.
There is more than just the emperor's family in Fufeng. The Fufeng Dou family is one of the first-class wealthy families in Fufeng, as well as the Fufeng Ma family, who are the descendants of Han Zhongcheng Gong Ma Yuan.
Looking back even further, when Zhao Kuo was defeated in Changping, the descendants of the Zhao family fled to Fufeng and changed their surname to Ma. This may be the origin of the Ma family in Fufeng, but their reputation is not very good and they are unwilling to admit it.
.
Nowadays, among those with the surname Ma in the court, there are many Ma from Fufeng.
Fufeng is an indispensable piece of the puzzle on the 800-mile Qinchuan River. Fengyi on the left, Fufeng on the right, and Jingzhao have become what people often call the place of Sanfu, also known as Sanqin.
Most of the officers and soldiers of the Qin army who pacified the Six Kingdoms back then came from the land of the Three Qin Dynasties, and the so-called heroes of Guanxi today actually mainly refer to the heroes of the Three Qin Dynasties.
Being an official in such a place is impossible without talent, so after going around for a while, Chu Suiliang was quite impressed by Xu Jingzong's talent.
It's just that this man acted like a brother in front of Gongsun An, but he was very shameless. In fact, Chu Suiliang also knew that he and Xu Dengshan were actually the same kind of people. They were addicted to power and would bend their waists in order to climb up.
To serve the powerful.
…………
The people from Gaochang arrived a little late and did not come to Fufeng County until mid-March.
Princess Huarong Yuwen Yubo came all the way east and walked thousands of miles. When she got to Zhangye and Liangzhou, she rested for a while, but she was still exhausted.
Yuwen Yubo is in his thirties and has a standard Xianbei appearance. He is tall and strong, with fair skin, red eyes, a long and narrow face, a straight nose and thin lips, and yellow hair shawl.
When the Xianbei people came to the Central Plains, they had several very obvious national characteristics, namely fair skin and beautiful appearance. Some Xianbei people also had blue eyes and yellow hair.
They were not the so-called white people later, but the ice tribes in the north. They were widely distributed and the ethnic composition was very complex. However, they were later collectively called the Xianbei tribe.
The Xianbei people who entered the Central Plains were quickly assimilated by the Han people in the Central Plains, and their appearance was no longer so unique.
Yuwen Yubo is a pure descendant of the Xianbei royal family. His appearance is not similar to that of the Xianbei people in the Central Plains, but more like the Caucasian race that later generations often call him.
…………
A group of more than a hundred people came slowly. They were tired and the horses were exhausted. Yuwen Yubo was riding on the horse and could hardly stand up straight.
Most of the guards around her were soldiers of the Tang army stationed in Liangzhou. More than half of the people she took with her when setting off from Dunhuang were abandoned on the road.
Thinking of this, Yuwen Yubo rudely cursed Qiga (bastard in Xianbei language) in his heart, which was of course directed at Qu Wentai.
The timid, cowardly, but extremely greedy King of Gaochang did not dare to leave eastward in winter, but he was anxious to keep his throne, so he risked his life as his queen.
"Are we almost to Xingping?" Yuwen Yubo asked hoarsely.
Zhangsun Wuji, who was beside her, hummed half-deadly, "It should be here soon."