Chinese New Year

Chapter 557 Zao Song
In a blink of an eye, it was New Year, and a room in the Ye Palace was urgently cleaned and renovated to be used as a venue for celebrations.

Yes, Shao Xun did not go home for the New Year this year. He stayed in Yecheng, along with the three armies of Silver Spear, Black Shadow and Righteous Men that he relied on as the basis of his power.

However, after Liu Yao withdrew his troops, the Silver Spear Left Camp withdrew to Xiangcheng and reunited with his family.

At all times, we must have enough reserves, especially those that can fight.

The Northern Expedition against Shi Le was a big deal, so Shao Xun brought all the elite troops with him. Now that Liu Yao had withdrawn his troops, he withdrew the Silver Spear Left Camp to give them time to rest, as they might be needed again after the New Year.

The New Year of the ninth year of Yongjia (315) arrived quietly under such circumstances.

Zaosong got up early in the morning and set off firecrackers with Chu Huo.

You know what, the two old men were having a lot of fun. They couldn't help laughing when they heard the bamboo popping in the fire.

After setting off the firecrackers, the servants brought the ox cart.

Chu Huo went back and changed into a robe, put on a fur coat outside, and said, "Please wait for a moment, I will go to Ye Palace to pay my respects to Mr. Chen and will be back in the afternoon."

"Mouyuan, go quickly. I'll wait for you." Zao Song said with a smile.

Chu Huo nodded, got in the car and left.

Zaosong had breakfast with the Chu family.

The Chu family was a noble family in Yangdi County, Henan Prefecture, while the Zao family was a noble family in Changsha County, Yingchuan Prefecture, which was very close.

Chu Huo and Zao Song knew each other in their early years, had a good relationship, and often played together.

At that time, the Zao family should be much better than the Chu family. Chu Huo's friendship with Zao Song had a bit of the meaning of climbing up the social ladder. But times have changed, and things are different now.

Because of his low family background, Chu Huo joined Shao Xun early on and helped him build the base of Marquis of Luyang County, Duke of Luyang County and now Duke of Chen County, and he rose through the ranks step by step.

Before coming to Yecheng, he had been promoted to the sixth-rank official position of Da Nong of the State of Chen, which was equivalent to the Zhonglang of the shogunate.

Because Chen State Prime Minister Cui Gong is old and is about to retire, he is very likely to be promoted to Prime Minister or even Prime Minister, a very respected position.

This trip to Yecheng is exactly the last performance report before promotion. After getting the approval of Mr. Chen, I can take office immediately.

Zao Song's friendship with him now seems a bit like a way of currying favor with him.

Nothing is more bizarre than the changes in the world.

Before breakfast, the Chu family gave each person an egg to eat raw, which is a New Year's Day custom.

There’s no way around it. In this era of discussing metaphysics and philosophy, people just like this tune - eating raw eggs on New Year’s Day can “refine the body”.

This custom has been passed down since the time of Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty. Many people believe in it and it is popular in both the north and the south.

Ge Hong, a contemporary of the time, even went a step further in his book "Refining and Transforming" and began to make pills for consumption.

This custom really disappeared towards the end of the Southern and Northern Dynasties, a little later in the north and stopped in the south during the Xiaoliang period because eating meat was not allowed.

After eating the eggs, Zao Song looked at Chu Pei who ran out secretly, covered his mouth and retched, and joked: "Ji Ye, if you spit it out, you won't be able to practice the body."

Chu Fei, whose courtesy name was Jiye, was Chu Huo's cousin. He was only thirteen years old after the Chinese New Year.

He came to Yecheng purely with his cousin to see the world and attend some social occasions to expand his network.

After all, he was thirteen years old (nominal age, maybe only eleven years old in actual age...), not a child anymore, the burden of the family would soon fall on his shoulders, after all, when Mr. Chen was fifteen years old, he was favored by Concubine Pei...

"What does it matter whether it is successful or not?" Chu Fei wiped his mouth and said.

“Body training can help you observe your internal organs and achieve unity of body and spirit. When you practice to a high level, you can become independent from the world and ascend to heaven,” Zao Song said.

"Ascending to heaven will only benefit one person, but not the people of the world." Chu Fei said.

Zao Song was amazed when he heard this and said, "In this messy world, wouldn't it be good to become an immortal?"

"Isn't your uncle also busy with worldly affairs?" Chu Fei asked in return.

"I don't have the talent for practicing Taoism, so I can only mingle in the world of mortals." Zao Song sighed.

As a scholar, one of his great ideals is to ignore worldly affairs, hide away in his own manor, have no worries about food and clothing, and have everything he wants. Then he can practice Taoism and achieve immortality, and truly escape from the sea of ​​suffering in this world.

This is also the reason why metaphysics and Taoism are sought after by many people, and many celebrities have become famous all over the world because of this.

"I think cultivation is fake." Chu Fei said without disguising, "All the rumors of ascension are unverifiable, and no one has ever really seen it. Instead of wasting time like that, it is better to work harder for the people of the world."

"Oh? Why do you say it's fake?" Zao Song didn't quite believe it and asked with a smile.

"Have you seen it?" Chu Fei asked.

"I haven't seen it, but you have." Zao Song said.

Chu Fei was stunned, not understanding what he meant.

"Isn't it Mr. Chen?" Zao Song said, "Mr. Chen wandered around the East China Sea when he was young, but he didn't learn any literary or martial arts. On the contrary, he was jealous of others for the favor of village girls and got into fights. But after coming to Luoyang, he suddenly became wise. The rumor that he met a divine man in golden armor at night is true." Chu Fei was speechless.

Zaosong laughed heartily, feeling extremely happy.

Chu Fei was a little embarrassed and said, "Mr. Chen must have worked hard in places that you and I can't see. He is naturally smart and has a photographic memory. He can learn things quickly and master them in a short time, which is why he is where he is today."

"How do you know?" Zao Song asked with a smile.

"A few days ago, I followed my brother to the Ice Well Terrace to see Mr. Chen. Although he was in front of a beautiful woman, he did not look away and was reading the Spring and Autumn Annals. Isn't this hard work?"

"Maybe Mr. Chen has just enjoyed the beauty?" Zao Song said casually, crossing his legs.

"You!" Chu Fei was teased to death and said unhappily, "My uncle is too frivolous and not someone who can accomplish great things. Lord Chen has pacified the bandits at home and defended against the Xiongnu abroad. He is a great hero and a true hero of the time. How can you and I guess that?"

Zao Song felt a little embarrassed to be lectured by a half-grown boy, and said, "Mr. Chen is not the only hero."

"Anyway, Wang Pengzu (Wang Jun) is not a hero." Chu Pei muttered.

"Why do you say that?" Zao Song became even more embarrassed, because Wang Jun was his father-in-law.

"When Youzhou was hit by a flood, Wang Pengzu watched the people struggle without providing any food relief. What kind of hero is he?" Chu Fei said, "You also saw that many Youzhou refugees came to Yecheng. Chen Gong distributed military food relief, collected them, sent them to Puyang, and distributed fields and houses. He is a true hero."

This time it was Zao Song's turn to be speechless.

After the war in Hebei ended, there were indeed many more refugees in Yecheng, including those from various counties and states in Jizhou, as well as many people from Youzhou.

Mr. Chen took out part of the military rations to provide relief to the refugees. After feeding them for a while, he reorganized them in the twelfth lunar month, crossed the ice of the Yellow River, and arrived in Puyang.

Although Puyang only has five counties, its area is really not small, larger than a general prefecture with ten counties. Moreover, it has been through many wars and is extremely desolate, with almost no people in the countryside.

Previously, Shao Xun stationed 3,000 soldiers in Puyang, which added some popularity to the two counties of Baima and Dongyan in the west.

This time, a large number of refugees from Hebei were accepted and resettled in the five counties of Puyang, organized into camps and teams. Each household was given a house and garden and 30 acres of land, and was ordered to cultivate the land well, thus enriching the local population.

It can be seen that as the situation in Hebei Province suddenly became clearer, areas like Puyang, which were once the focus of a tug-of-war on the front line, gradually stabilized and slowly became the rear. This is the dividend of war.

In the five counties of Puyang, which had been turned into a wasteland, there were only a few aristocratic manors and local tyrants' forts, in addition to the government soldiers and their troops, and there were large tracts of abandoned land available for distribution. After they were filled up, they would all be households that the shogunate could directly manage in the future.

In times of chaos, some people held on to money and grain and refused to distribute them to the people, but spent them lavishly for their own enjoyment, selecting hundreds or even thousands of beauties for their own sexual pleasure - such as Gou Xi and Wang Jun.

Some people tried every possible means to resettle refugees, survey land, and compile household registers, in the hope that they would not have to bargain with the gentry in the future. They endured being looked down upon and asked for money and food again and again, and were determined to stand up straight and speak louder in front of rich women.

Everyone has their own way of doing things, and the results will gradually show up.

"Uncle, I think you don't need to lobby for Wang Jun anymore." Seeing Zao Song standing there in a daze, Chu Pei said, "He will be defeated sooner or later. It's better to surrender the land to Lord Chen to keep the family rich and prosperous."

"Nonsense." Zao Song said unhappily, "Mr. Chen and Mr. Boling (Wang Jun) are ministers in the same palace, why should they surrender?"

Chu Pei knew he had said the wrong thing, but he was unwilling to admit defeat and said, "The world's virtuous people will occupy it."

"Does Lord Chen have virtue?" Zao Song sneered, "The King of Donghai is his benefactor..."

Chu Pei opened his mouth and was stunned, but he quickly reacted and said, "Mr. Chen's small virtues are flawed, but his great virtues are selfless."

"Okay, I won't argue with you anymore." Zao Song waved his hand, not in a good mood.

Chu Fei bowed his hands and apologized. It was wrong to argue with elders.

"Are there really many people from Youzhou moving south?" Zao Song asked.

"Yes. There are actually more refugees in Jizhou." Chu Fei said, "The Duan tribe Xianbei plundered the six counties of Fanyang, Yan, Zhangwu, Hejian, Gaoyang, and Boling. The Wuhuan and Tuoba Xianbei also plundered Shanggu, Zhongshan and other counties. In addition to the flood, there are actually many refugees heading south."

Zaosong let out a long sigh.

I didn't know until I came out. After such a trip, I found that Duke Bo Ling was really a bit outrageous. He seemed to have his eyes covered, and he was paranoid and could not see the changes outside. He was arrogant and even wanted to pacify the counties in Hebei and expand his territory.

What's the difference between him and others?

Before leaving Youzhou, he was actually quite confident, thinking that since Shi Le was defeated, the counties and states of Jizhou would turn to the well-known Duke of Boling. But he did not expect that Duke Chen was much more famous than Duke of Boling, and the people of Hebei were not mentally ill, so why would they turn to Duke of Boling? He could not even stop the Xianbei and Wuhuan from looting.

As for negotiating with Shao Xun to demarcate the "border" of Hebei, it was even more ridiculous.

It's good enough that they don't come to cause trouble for you, but you still want to snatch food from the tiger's mouth...

"After meeting Mr. Chen, I have to go back to Youzhou." Zao Song said with a melancholy look.

After several months, the bad news was that nothing was accomplished, but the good news was that several other people who had been recruited also returned empty-handed, and some were even captured and killed by Shi Le.

Perhaps, before meeting Mr. Chen, he should meet Lu Zhi first? But he and Lu Zhi had a bad relationship, so he was a little hesitant.

While he was struggling, a servant came to report: Lord Chen invited Chief Clerk Zao to a banquet in Wenchang Palace.

(End of this chapter)