Hello Chang’an

Chapter 420 Prepare a generous gift

Shilang Zhan believed that not only him, but also the Grand Tutor was like this in the eyes of many people.

The Taifu's current reputation and his position as a leader in the hearts of scholars all over the world are not only due to his undoubted ability and knowledge, but also have a lot to do with his consistent behavior for ten years.

Taifu Chu was a man who could keep his true feelings very well. Ever since he first entered the officialdom when he was young, he had already shown his attitude of antagonizing the heaven and the earth. His ambition to antagonize others was not excessive due to his status or age. Milli transfer.

He disdains the idea of ​​making friends with powerful people, let alone forming parties to gain power. Therefore, when he first became a Beijing official, he encountered a lot of exclusion and suppression.

But the Taifu is very strong-headed, and even though he likes to go crazy, he is also supported by his extraordinary ability and wisdom.

There are many stories of Taifu being ostracized when he was young, and they are still circulated among literati today. There are too many such stories, such as being slandered by his colleagues, being imprisoned, and then walking out of the cell in less than ten days. , vacating the position to the person who makes the game.

There were many seemingly innocuous exclusions, and sometimes there was a treacherous minister, who was also very unpleasant to look at. One morning after the court, when two censors passed by, he deliberately whispered to him, which was not the case with the Taifu at that time. The Taifu said: "I wonder if the matter I entrusted Master Chu to do last time will have any results?" 】

This move is intended to serve as eye candy, create vague rumors, and draw people into trouble.

If the other party hurriedly denies it, this is playing into his own game.

The very young Tutor did not deny it. Instead, he looked astonished and said in a low and authentic voice: "What are you talking about..."

The man was stunned for a moment. He was a little confused for a moment, and at the same time he had a very bad premonition——

The young Taifu already had a troubled look on his face: "Although there are people in the lower official's family who are proficient in medicine, they are really not very good at curing hemorrhoids..."

The official's expression suddenly changed, and when he was about to interrupt, he heard the other party's sincere suggestion: "Since Mr. Jia's illness has affected many people, we can no longer hide the disease and avoid medical treatment. It is better to report it to the Holy One and publish public notices to seek good doctors..."

[This official is really helpless, and I hope Mr. Jia can forgive me. After finishing speaking, he sighed and bowed, and then left.

Realizing that the eyes of the two censors were on his buttocks, the official's words of defense came to his lips, and he didn't know where to start, so he could only leave in anger and shame - but with such a reaction, he seemed to be convinced again. The words of the Taifu.

Soon, rumors that he was suffering from hemorrhoids spread like wildfire in the court.

So this official soon discovered that more and more people in the court were staring at his **** intentionally or unintentionally, and many people even secretly recommended doctors who were good at treating hemorrhoids to him. No matter how he explained, it was all in vain.

There are many more such things.

After that, as the Taifu's official position rose higher and higher, his reputation was increasingly recognized by the literati, and he became a suitable check and balance candidate in the eyes of the late emperor. The situation gradually reversed. From the beginning, he was ostracized by his colleagues in the officialdom, and finally became his One person crowds out the entire officialdom.

In addition, the Taifu acted with integrity, had no attachment to power, and always maintained neutrality. He even had no intention of allowing his family's descendants to become officials. He had no desires and ambitions, and only had the proud character of a scholar. Those who were hostile to him gradually became unwilling to get into trouble again. , when facing the Taifu, his attitude changed from grinding his teeth at the beginning of "Who can get rid of him?" to "Who messed with him again?"

The Taifu does not allow his family's descendants to become officials, and his rhetoric is very Taifu - which of you can be an official better than me? Since you can't do that, just stay here as soon as possible to avoid ruining my reputation.

Although the descendants of the Chu family are not officials, they have their own achievements in the literary world, and their families are all pure and clean. Therefore, the Chu family is more and more respected and praised by literati.

Thinking of the teacher's many passionate deeds when he was young, and looking at the thin old man with white hair in front of him, Shilang Zhan suddenly felt filled with emotion.

But what bothered the teacher the most was people sighing pretentiously in front of him, so Shilang Zhan just tried to say: "Teacher, the charcoal fire in the study is particularly hot this year... I wonder if it is because the body is afraid of the cold?"

As people get older, they often get sick. Every winter, he always worries about his teacher's health.

Unexpectedly, I heard the old man say: "A little lamb gave me a sum of money for charcoal fire. I accidentally bought too much charcoal fire this year..."

Although the tone was light, there was a touch of joy and pride.

After dropping a piece, the old lady looked up at Qiao Yang and Minister Zhan beside him, and asked: "Why, you don't have one?"

Qiao Yang and the two people only regarded them as the "little lambs" in the mouth of the Taifu, and they must be descendants of the Chu family. Minister Zhan smiled and said: "How can those of my family have such filial piety!"

Qiao Yang said: "My two have not yet been released from the market. Don't say they are filial to me. They have to be raised by me."

That's not right. Mianmian is just a little lamb. After all, he works in the Imperial College Medical Hall and gets paid every month...

But that little monthly money is always more than he can make ends meet. The boy recently set up a medical tent outside the city to treat some homeless women and children who were not allowed to enter the city. As a father, he also received a lot of salary.

Hearing what Qiao Yang said, Master Chu showed a look of satisfaction - it seems that the New Year's Eve... Bah, that charcoal fire money is just for him?

But two hundred thousand taels is too much. How can he burn all the charcoal?

Just now I heard Qiao Yang mention that the girl in his family was setting up a medical shed outside the city to help the refugees—

Thinking of this, the Taifu said: "I still have a lot of charcoal fire money, so why don't I just take it to your daughter's medical shed."

Qiao Yang thought it was only a matter of a few hundred taels at most, and happily thanked him.

Hearing the word "medical shed", Shilang Zhan asked a few questions out of curiosity.

After hearing this, he couldn't help but marveled and said: "Qiao Jijiu teaches his daughter well... I have heard a lot about your master's talent and reputation. The children in your family will definitely achieve great things in time."

Qiao Yang smiled and waved her hands: "Where is it..."

Shilang Zhan also praised the student he taught - the governor of Jiangdu.

The wrinkles between Shilang Zhan's brows widened a lot when he mentioned the Chang Governor.

War consumes the most money, but people like to be governors, and this time they fought against the Japanese army, but they achieved "fighting to support war" -

The Japanese country's suing for peace will cost a lot of money, and tribute and compensation are unavoidable. The governor Chang went to get the peace letter in person, how could he give the Japanese country an advantage?

As for Dongluo, this change of ownership will also require the help of the Chang Governor, and the amount of tribute in the coming year will definitely be particularly impressive...

Several of their old people in the household department have already made their calculations in private, and roughly estimated that after the battle in Jiangdu, there will definitely be a lot of surplus after all the losses.

How can one dislike such a general?

At this time, facing the general's teacher Qiao Jijiu, Shilang Zhan was generous with his words of praise.

It was difficult for Qiao Jijiu to concentrate on enjoying the praise. The Taifu was suddenly killing more and more fiercely on the chessboard. He was in a hurry to respond, and the charcoal fire was too strong, and he was already sweating.

Until Shilang Zhan talked about other generals who were also outside.

It is inevitable to mention the Kangding Mountain Rebellion and other headaches, and then when the Korean Duke Li Xian is mentioned, the headache doubles again.

"It's been half a year since Mr. Han Han left here, right?" Seeing that he was about to lose, Qiao Yang, who had resigned himself to his fate, found time to talk to her. "Yes." Shilang Zhan sighed: "In the past half a year, I lost Dongting first and then Yuezhou... Now I just hope that Jingzhou will be defended. It should be fine before the year. It is now very cold and rainy and snowy in Jingzhou. Bian Chunliang's army is temporarily Don't dare to attack."

Qiao Yang asked politely: "Sage...doesn't he have any other instructions?"

Although victory or defeat is a common thing for military officers, it is common for generals to lead troops away and achieve nothing in half a year. However, Dongting and Yuezhou were lost in Li Xian's hands, and Jingzhou is so important, how can you rest assured that Li Xianzhi will still give them all? Where are the hands?

Although Li Xian is a junior member of the Saint's family, it would be natural for a Saint to use it with confidence, but when it comes to the safety of the country, a Saint shouldn't have such a reversal of priorities, right?

"The saint has made arrangements." Shilang Zhan said, "We are waiting for General Xiao Minxiao to return to the capital."

Xiao Min had earlier left the capital to quell the chaos. What he had brought to peace was a few chaos areas in Gyeongju, mostly caused by local powerful people gathering refugees. Now that they were all put down, Xiao Min was already on his way back to the court. On the road.

"After taking a short rest during the New Year, General Xiao should rush to Jingzhou according to the order at the beginning of next year." Shilang Zhan said.

Qiao Yang felt a little relieved. This General Xiao had fought against Xu Zhengye together with Sui Ning. It was said that he was calm and cautious and a trustworthy figure.

Qiao Yang said: "In this case, I just hope that there will be a turn for the better in the coming year... If the Bian Chunliang rebellion is not eliminated, the capital will be in trouble."

It was already night in Jingzhou, which was only 1,200 miles away from the capital.

The good news that Chang Suining defeated the Japanese army in Huangshuiyang had reached the Jingzhou military camp a few days ago. Li Xian used the excuse of "shaking the morale of the army" and strictly suppressed it, and the soldiers were not allowed to discuss it privately.

At this moment, there was deathly silence in the huge military camp, and the soldiers who were standing vigil in the snow looked numb and tense.

Even with the recent rainy and snowy weather, they have not stopped training. Li Xianyu took advantage of the bad weather and the inability of Bian Jun to attack to intensify the training of his soldiers.

In his opinion, the biggest reason why he lost to Bian Chunliang was that his soldiers were loose and incompetent. If his aunt had been willing to hand over the 30,000 Xuance troops in Beijing to him, he would have defeated Bian Chunliang long ago!

But he was not qualified to make demands at the moment. His aunt was already disappointed and dissatisfied with him, and it was impossible to hand over Xuance's army stationed in the capital to him.

Before leaving Beijing, his aunt had promised that as long as he defeated Bian Chunliang and established a reputation in the army, Xuance Army would be handed over to him in the future. But now...

Thinking of the words "prestige in the military", what flashed before Li Xian's eyes was the face of a girl whose childishness had just faded away.

The Battle of Huangshuiyang made Chang Kuo's daughter famous again. The stupid rumors of the general's reincarnation became more and more popular. No one knew about it...

In the face of adversity after a long battle, Li Xian's brows, which had always been devoid of emotion or anger, showed an unconcealable anger.

He returned to Beijing from the southern border, thinking that what was waiting for him was an opportunity to show off his talents, but everything in front of him was different from what he expected...

The merit and fame belong to Cui Jing and Chang Kuo and his daughter, but he can only lead this defeated army and still stick to this place during the New Year's Day.

Thinking of the harsh words of reprimand from the capital a few days ago, and the situation where the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty must have belittled him in every possible way...

Li Xian clenched the palms next to the sand table, suppressing his inner rage.

At this time, a soldier entered the tent and reported: "Commander, according to reports from scouts, Bian Chunliang's army is drinking, having fun and celebrating in Yuezhou City... The people in Yuezhou City are all panic-stricken."

The people in Yuezhou City have experienced several lootings and plunders by Bian Jun. The first time Bian Jun killed the noble officials in the city, the second time he swung the butcher knife at the common people.

The surviving people are now in the same situation as slaves. While they work according to Bian Jun's instructions, they also face the fear that Bian Jun will swing his sword if they disagree.

At this moment, the soldier concealed many details and only summed up the situation of the people of Yuezhou with the word "panic".

"Drinking and celebrating..." Li Xian's attention was only focused on Bian Jun's arrogance. His eyes darkened little by little, and then he turned to look at the woman in blue who was kneeling beside him to serve -

"When the weather gets warmer next year, I want to prepare a generous gift for Bian Chunliang..." He said slowly: "How to prepare this generous gift, Arlan, I need you to make a decision with me."

Arlan seemed to be aware of what he meant, his eyes moved slightly, and then he nodded.

There was a look in Li Xian's eyes that he was determined to win.

By April next year at the latest, he will definitely wipe out Bian Jun in one fell swoop!

…

On the other side, when Chang Sui Ning left Japan, he knew that Yuezhou had been settled and Takehiko Ishimoto had been killed, so he led his army on the return journey with peace of mind.

Xingzhou and Dongluo, Chang Suining's army must pass through on their way back to Jiangdu. Chang Suining's initial plan was to watch Jin Chengyuan's enthronement ceremony in Dongluo and then rush back to Jiangdu, so that he could just go back to the Governor's Mansion to celebrate the New Year.

But this year is a rare cold winter. It has just entered the twelfth lunar month, and sea ice has already formed on the surface of some sea areas in Huangshuiyang.

The time it took to reach Dongluo was nearly twice as long as expected.

After discussing with Wu Jue and his subordinates, Chang Sui Ning finally decided to wait until the New Year before rushing back to Jiangdu.

The ice floes on the sea surface and the ice reefs below are both a test for ships, not only slowing down the journey, but also very dangerous.

Now that the war is over, there is no need to risk sailing just to rush on the road before the end of the year. This is the consensus of the generals in the central army and Chang Suining.

As for Jiangdu, there are many times more troops guarding Jiangdu. Chu Xing and Vice General Jin have also returned. With their presence, Jiangdu can be kept safe and sound.

After deciding on the matter, Chang Suining asked people to tell the army that the soldiers were not disappointed because they could not return to Jiangdu for the New Year.

Most of them are not from Jiangdu. This war was a victory. As the victorious army, they were treated very politely by Dongluo. It was a very novel thing to stay in a foreign land to celebrate the New Year.

Jin Chengyuan was very happy to see this. He specially set aside two small islands for the army to station and rest. All supplies and medicinal materials were fully arranged.

After everything settled down, Chang Suining stood on the height of an island on the outer edge of Dongluohan Prefecture, looking at the Bohai Sea in the distance.

On the other side of the Bohai Sea is Youzhou.

Cui Jing must have led his army to Youzhou, right?

There was a thoughtful look in Chang Suining's eyes.

…

The news that Chang Sui Ning would not return during the Lunar New Year reached the governor's office in Jiangdu on the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Wang Changshi took the letter to Chang Kuo. The reason why he came in person was because he wanted to ask Chang Kuo for advice on something.

Good night! (There will be additional updates at the end of the month, and there will also be Xiao Cui)

(End of this chapter)