Chinese New Year

Chapter 588 Cooking (Part )

Shao Xun was an outsider, and unless the emperor granted special permission, he did not need to—and could not—attend court meetings.

Besides, he doesn't want to enter the palace now.

If you have that much free time, you might as well lie at home and take care of the military operations on the front line.

After the court meeting ended, another large group of officials came to pay a visit.

In addition to discussing business, some people also invited Shao Xun to banquets or even to have casual conversations!
It’s fine if you just eat and drink, but what are you doing just chatting?

However, he also understood that this was one of the important ways for scholars to socialize.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, when many scholars actively or passively stayed away from politics, what else could they do if they didn't talk about it? Over time, it gradually became a tradition, and the content of the discussion was constantly changing - the imperial court mainly focused on metaphysics, and sometimes explored the meaning of life.

Shao Xun refused directly, saying he was too busy.

"Husband, it's time to redo the tile."

"The door and door frame should be painted vermilion."

"The mullioned window is broken. We need to make a new one."

"Let's transplant some better flowers and trees into the patio."

……

Yu Wenjun chattered as she walked back and forth.

Shao Xun lay on the recliner with his hands behind his head, swaying, looking contented.

Yu Wenjun rolled her eyes at him.

She didn't expect the man to listen to what she said seriously, she just subconsciously asked for his opinion.

"Wenjun, if you think something is good, make your own decision." Shao Xun said, "You are my wife, the Lady of Chen, and the mistress of the Shao Mansion. You should have your own opinion."

Yu Wenjun paused and hummed.

Shao Xun lay down for a while and then went back to his study to write a letter.

Xi Jian was still trying to capture Pi, but he had no way to deal with the terrain of the island.

After conquering Mount Yiyang, he once sent troops to go far behind the enemy and captured the small southwestern city built by Shi Chong, which had a circumference of 370 steps.

But Zu Ti reacted quickly and sent his navy to cut off the water.

With no reinforcements coming, hundreds of soldiers who had just entered the city were forced to retreat. Halfway through, they were pursued by Zu Yue's army and most of them surrendered.

So he gave up the siege of Xia Pi, leaving only some soldiers to retreat to the East China Sea for surveillance, and the main force returned to Pengcheng. After a rest, he went down along the Si River and attacked the counties south of Xia Pi, trying to force Zu Ti to abandon Xia Pi through strategic detours.

This idea is correct, and Shao Xun does not intend to interfere.

If they couldn't take it head-on, they had to think of other ways to seize the counties and towns behind Xia Pi. Even if Zu Ti could still send reinforcements and supplies through the Si River, it was not a good idea to be isolated in the front. Such a long river would always cause problems, and he would eventually be forced to abandon Xia Pi.

Shao Xun's letter was written to Mi Huang.

He had already submitted a memorial to the imperial court, recommending Mi Huang, the Internal History of Donghai, to be the Governor of Xuzhou.

Mi Zihui had been in Donghai for several years and had strong local connections and friends in all counties. It was very suitable for him to serve as the governor of Xuzhou.

He Sui, who came from the He family of Donghai, took over as the Internal History of Donghai.

As for the Wang family of Donghai, he still wants to fight for it.

Although this family is not as big as the Pei, Wang, Yang and other big families, it is definitely not a small aristocratic family, but one of the top wealthy families in the country.

Wang Lang, also known as Wang Situ, is very famous.

His son Wang Su was also a master of Confucianism. He served as the commander of the army and was posthumously awarded the title of General Wei.

His grandchildren were all high-ranking officials such as Shangshu, Zhonglingjun, and Houjiangjun, and his granddaughter Wang Yuanji was even the empress.

The Wang family was extremely wealthy, as can be seen from the fact that they once competed with Shi Chong in wealth.

Only this generation is not that good, and there is a trend of decline.

The reasons for the decline are complex.

It may be that the family did not operate well and chose the wrong side. There are too many examples of this.

It may be that they were involved in some conflicts too early and suffered heavy losses. The Pei family is a typical example. They entered the Eight Kings Rebellion early, but the opportunities were not good at that time, which eventually led to the deaths of many middle-aged people in the family. Later, when the real opportunity appeared, they were not willing to invest.

Or maybe the family style is too conservative, and they can't see where the situation is headed, so they simply retreat. The Yang family is a typical example in this regard.

The Donghai Wang family had various reasons for their failure, but the main one was the lack of talent in the family. In this turbulent period, there happened to be no outstanding figures, so they could only operate conservatively and wait for opportunities to gain profits.

Sima Yue was actually willing to give them a chance, but there was no one who could take their place. In the end, only one distant relative, Wang Bing, was barely useful, and he followed them to Luoyang, but was driven away by Shao Xun.

The retreat of the Wang family directly led to the rapid rise of the Mi family in the East China Sea. In addition to the Mi family, the Xu family also began to emerge and gradually encroached on the interests of the Wang family. This was also the main reason why they were a little anxious in the past two or three years.

Considering that a lean camel is bigger than a horse, Shao Xun was willing to give them a chance. If they could directly surrender to him and help him stabilize the situation in Xuzhou, they might be of some use.

It's up to them whether to accept the challenge or not.

After writing the letter to Mi Huang, Shao Xun took a short break and began to prepare the letter to Wang Xuan.

Xiao Wang has already set out, and his destination is Lanling, Langya, Dongguan, Dong'an and other counties.

Dong'an County is in trouble. We received news the day before yesterday that it was attacked by troops sent by Cao Qi!
The other three counties were fine, but they also needed the local tyrants to come forward to appease them and integrate local forces to resist Cao Yi's invasion. In addition, if there was a chance, the court planned to try to appease Cao Yi for the second time to see if they could pull him over.

"Mingsir." During the break, Jing brought tea.

Shao Xun nodded and said, "Your two brothers fought well. Jing Cheng beheaded two people in Hejian and is now the leader of the Yicong Army. Jing Hong followed Wang Que'er north and also made contributions when attacking Wen County. The Wang family's family generals have good skills, and your brothers are also good at leading them."

With her slender hands, Jing took out the snacks one by one and placed them on the table according to their categories.

After doing all this, she said softly, "If it weren't for you, my brother and I would have died without a burial place. They fought for you, not only to repay you, but also to gain wealth for themselves."

This is not false.

After Wang Guojiu died, Liu Yu and Wang almost fought over the beauty Jing. Even when Wang Guojiu's body was still in the house and had not yet been buried, they could not wait and wanted to marry Jing away.

As the core staff of Sima Yue, could Wang and Liu Yu be short of women? Of course not.

Liu Yu is one of the “Twenty-Four Friends of Jingu Garden” and the elder brother of Liu Kun. He comes from a prominent family. What kind of women has he not seen?

But Jing was special. She was very famous in music and was also very beautiful, so she was coveted by many people. Wang and Liu Yu were just the first two people to take action.

Some women at that time relied on their family background. After getting married, they had the support of their natal families, so they were very confident. As a result, since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, a large number of fierce and jealous women have appeared and are recorded in history.

At this time, the separation between men and women was also very weak. After all, "going beyond the teachings of the world and following nature", the status of women was quite high and they often showed up in public.

Shao Xun heard that a scholar had been married for many years without a child, and the husband wanted to take a concubine. The wife said that it might not be her problem that she couldn't have children, so why not they each find a child to see where the problem lies. The husband was scared and gave up the idea of ​​taking a concubine.

Women like Jing and Song Yi come from ordinary families. Their way of survival is to study talents and then serve men with their beauty and skills - both skills and looks are indispensable.

There are always some women in the world who look better without makeup than with it, the so-called natural beauty. When coupled with youth, it is even more amazing.

Song Yi is only twenty-five years old this year, and Jing is a little older, only twenty-seven years old, which is the prime age for women. They are talented and extremely attractive - well, it's bad luck for them to meet a very realistic man like Shao Xun.

In the turbulent times, if Shao Xun had not intervened, not only would the Jing family have been unable to take away Wang Guojiu's wealth, but his son might have been beaten to death or sold when he rushed to Luoyang from his hometown.

Shao Xun did save the lives of these three brothers and sisters.

"I have appointed Jing Hong as the magistrate of Wen. If he can hold on and make further contributions, he may consider the position of governor of Henei in the future." Shao Xun waved his hand and said.

Jing peeled a grape and gently put it into Shao Xun's mouth, saying, "My family is originally from the native tribe of Xingyang. Although we have some wealth, we have always been bullied. It is a great fortune for my brother to be the county magistrate. It is enough to comfort our ancestors."

"The poor and the Tu people are brave and aggressive, which is really impressive." Shao Xun said: "Does your family still have a manor in Xingyang?"

"No more." Jing took another grape and handed it over. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her slender fingers gently touched Shao Xun's lips.

These hands, which had played the zither and the flute, were perfectly shaped and extremely skillful, and the skills were so superb that they were admired by the scholars in the capital. Shao Xun was also very impressed, and felt very comfortable when Jing Shi caught him with a handle.

"It's a pity that there is no family property. But it's not bad either." Shao Xun said something ambiguous.

Although the words were vague, Jing was already guessing.

A woman like her, who is good at reading people's minds every day, is good at observing words and expressions, and is extremely sensitive to things that concern her life and property.

Combined with Shao Xun's previous words, she had already made some guesses.

Mr. Chen liked the drive of humble scholars and local tyrants, and was willing to give them opportunities and promote them vigorously.

This kind of opportunity doesn't come around often, so I'll have to tell my brother about it when I have time.

But she would not say anything in front of Shao Xun and always kept to her duty.

She has her own position.

In the Chen family, she and Song Yi were the best in appearance, figure, and talent, and no one could compare to them. But she had no family background and could not provide much help to Chen's cause, so she had to be careful not to leave a bad impression on other women.

If Mr. Chen doesn't take the initiative to look for her, she will try to keep a low profile.

Since he had taken the initiative to find her, he must seize the precious opportunity and leave a deep impression on Mr. Chen.

Mr. Chen is a great hero, an ambitious and aspiring man. If he stays with overly strong ladies for a long time, he will get bored and feel unhappy. At this time, he will think of her good points.

"After the battle in Hebei, I will let Jing Cheng come back. He has not yet become an official official, so he can be appointed as the gatekeeper of Ximing Gate at that time." Shao Xun said again.

Ximing Gate was the city gate he entered and exited most frequently. It was fine in the past, but now that he was in control of Luoyang, he had to clear out the old people and replace them with new people he could trust.

Luoyang has seven gates, each with more than a hundred soldiers in charge of the opening and closing of the gates and the entry and exit of people.

Because of the chaotic situation at that time, the imperial guards were the ones who guarded the gates most of the time, and the positions of gatekeepers and even gate captains were often vacant.

This time we need to complete them all at once.

He planned to send palace soldiers to guard the Luoyang city gates in shifts, and the city gate guards would be in charge during their shifts.

As for the City Gate Captain, this is a fourth-rank official and is quite prestigious, so he plans to pick a trustworthy county governor to fill the position.

Once the city gate captains and city gate guards were dealt with, all the gates of Luoyang were under control.

Rong was replaced by Pushe and took control of the warriors holding spears in the palace.

The troops guarding the palace city will also be replaced by palace soldiers or silver spear, black spear and other troops who will take turns on duty regularly.

In this way, he could enter and leave Luoyang and even the palace city safely - these were actually inconspicuous positions that would not particularly touch the sensitive nerves of the old forces, but were very critical to Shao Xun.

After waving goodbye to Jing, Shao Xun took out the military newspaper and carefully read the war situation in Hanoi.

At this time, Luoyang City was in chaos, and the cleanup was in full swing...

(End of this chapter)