Being able to marry into the royal family is a great increase in prestige. If they can hold the emperor hostage again, the Yuan family's political capital will undoubtedly be richer than anyone else.
Liu Xie obviously didn't know that Yuan Xi was already engaged, so the marriage mentioned in the edict must have made Princess Wannian the main wife. If this matter is not handled well, not only Yuan Xi, but also the Yuan family will be stigmatized by their opponents as being treacherous and clinging to others.
After the persuasion of Mrs. Liu and several counselors, Yuan Shao was a little moved by the idea of coercing the emperor to order the princes, so he asked: "Xianyi, as a father, I want to hear what you want."
"I..." Yuan Xi frowned. He had just received a large amount of money from the Zhen family, and it was shameless to immediately regret the marriage.
Isn't it Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of this dynasty, who is faced with such an embarrassing situation, with Yin Lihua on one side and Liu Yang's niece on the other.
Xu You is a smart man. He rolled his eyes and suddenly had an idea, saying: "I have a way. Not only can you not break off the engagement, but you can also marry the princess."
"Ziyuan, tell me quickly!" Yuan Shao asked urgently.
Xu You laughed and said, "What's the difficulty? The young master leads Qingzhou and can enjoy the blessings of the whole family. Princess Wannian might as well marry her and marry Miss Gao and Miss Zhen at once. Although Princess Wannian is noble, Miss Gao and Miss Zhen have the upper hand, so that they can both be the main wife."
"How does this comply with the etiquette and law!" Guo Tu jumped out and retorted, "If the name is incorrect, the words will not be correct. There is no such rule in the ancestral etiquette. Besides, how will the second son's descendants be divided into legitimate concubines in the future? Isn't this a violation of ethics!"
"Isn't Ehuang Nv Ying a precedent?" Xu You said disapprovingly, "The children of Her Royal Highness the Princess, Miss Gao and Miss Zhen are not divided into legitimate concubines, only elders and younger ones. How can this be incompatible with the moral order?"
"Haha! Ziyuan, you still have a lot of clever ideas!" Yuan Shao said with a smile, "Princess Wannian is the flesh and blood of the late emperor. She is justifiably noble. It is a great event for my family, the Yuan family, to be able to marry Her Highness the Princess. It is settled as it is. Well, let’s quickly prepare the betrothal gifts and send people to Chang’an in ten days!”
Yuan Xi felt bitter in his heart. In this era, children from aristocratic families like him can't help but get married. Just like now, his marriage to Princess Wannian has become a bargaining chip for Yuan Shao to gain political capital. Will the children of aristocratic families be happier than ordinary people?
The Gao family is the family of his father's nephew. Although the Zhen family is very wealthy, in the eyes of Yuan Shao, who attaches great importance to family background, Princess Wannian is obviously more important. This is why Li Que also wants to marry Princess Wannian. Yes, this is a political resource.
"Lord, it's time to make preparations to welcome the Holy Emperor." Jushou reminded.
Yuan Shao hesitated again. So he excused himself and said, "Jizhou is far away from Guanzhong, and the place it passes is not under our jurisdiction. It is not enough to accomplish the task if we have too few troops, and we cannot provide enough food and fodder if we have too many troops. This matter needs to be discussed in the long term."
Essentially, the Yuan brothers had the same idea. They both wanted to push the Han Dynasty and establish a new dynasty, but the real environment did not allow it. Hundreds of years later, Er Zhurong in the late Northern Wei Dynasty did the same.
"Lord, doesn't the secret letter say that Your Majesty will try his best to return to Luoyang?" Jushou reminded, "In this case, our army only needs to send troops to Hanoi to welcome the Holy Emperor. To say the least, Zhang Yang in Hanoi is an old friend of the Lord. He also It’s someone who cares about the Han Dynasty and the country, so send the grain and fodder to him. Or ask him to finance a batch of grain and fodder, I think he will agree."
In fact, Wei County is not very far from Hanoi or Luoyang. As long as it is planned properly, it can still provide the logistics for an elite army.
Yuan Xi did not think that seizing Emperor Xian would be an easy task. The various forces in Guanzhong were intertwined. He guessed that Liu Xie escaped back to Luoyang with the help of Yang Feng and others.
But Guo Si and Li Que are not willing to give up. They will definitely chase after them, and a tough battle will be inevitable.
Also, Wei County is not far from Luoyang, but Yanzhou is closer to Luoyang. It is hard to say whether Cao Cao will get involved.
"Father, the most important thing in using troops this time is speed. Please allow me to take my cavalry to greet the Holy Emperor." Yuan Xi said.
Yuan Shao asked everyone with his eyes whether Guo Tu and Xin Ping wanted others to make meritorious deeds. They strongly recommended two generals, Yan Liang and Wen Chou. Xun Chen still had an ambiguous attitude, and if he said it, he didn't say it. Shen Pei and Feng Ji supported Yuan Xi, and even Xu You expressed his support for Yuan Xi.
Finally, Jushou said: "The Second Young Master's unit has experienced battles for a long time and is the elite of our army. Together with the Wuhuan cavalry, it is enough to stand alone. Qingzhou is very peaceful now and there will be no war in the short term. And I govern Jizhou. We have to send troops to defend Youzhou and Bingzhou respectively, but we really can’t mobilize any spare troops. Therefore, the Second Young Master’s unit is the best choice, and the lord has made a clear decision.”
Seeing that most of the opinions were in favor, Yuan Shao ordered: "Xianyi, you immediately mobilize all your cavalry troops to assemble in Wei County, and then rush to Guanzhong after a short rest. Wen Chou, you lead two thousand Wuhuan cavalry and three thousand infantry to garrison the court." Song to support."
"No!" Yuan Xi and Wen Chou said in unison.
Zhen Mansion.
Yuan Xi came specially to visit Zhen Yao and Zhen Mi, but the attendants left in a sensible manner. When Zhen Mi was talking to Yuan Xi, her face was flushed, and she was as charming as she could be. If it weren't for her in front of her uncle, Yuan Xi couldn't help but want to kiss her pretty face. Take a bite.
Seeing that it was already dinner time, Zhen Yao asked Yuan Xi to eat at home and ordered his servants to prepare the dinner. What did Yuan Xi come here for? Just to see the "goddess" a few more times, so of course he agreed.
When she heard that Yuan Xi was going to have dinner at home, Zhen Mi couldn't help but be happy. She was as happy as a little bird. She led Lu Zhu to cook and prepare dinner in person.
"I didn't expect Mi'er to be able to go to the hall and go to the kitchen. It's really unexpected!"
Yuan Xi looked at Zhen Mi's busy back and admired with some affection. It would be a waste of natural resources for such a talented and beautiful woman to let her cook by herself.
Zhen Yao laughed after hearing this: "Haha...I can't eat a few meals cooked by Mi'er all year round, and now I'm a little jealous of you."
Yuan Xi laughed a few times and said nothing, feeling very happy. When the night got dark, Zhen Mi took Lv Zhu and the kitchen servants to prepare a table of sumptuous meals.
Seeing the sweat on Zhen Mi's busy forehead, Yuan Xi was filled with gratitude. He really wanted to take her away at all costs and live with him in the Yuan Mansion. It would be unpleasant to be surrounded by beautiful women every day.
But Yuan Xi knew that if he really brought it up, he would embarrass Zhen Mi. It was also his own debauchery.
If I selfishly asked Zhen Mi to live with me in the Yuan Mansion as an unmarried woman, with her loving lover on one side and the relatives and reputation of my family on the other, how would she choose? The final result was just to put her in a dilemma!
A real man should not let his woman face such a problem, so Yuan Xi has no intention of asking Zhen Mi to leave with him. That is what a selfish and cowardly man would do!
A real man should make a name for himself in the world through his own efforts, and then marry Zhen Mi into his family openly. But I believe it will be soon.
Dongjun, Puyang.
The governor's house was as lively as a festival. The servants were busy preparing the banquet, and the Cao family members were also busy greeting the guests.
Cao Cao was wearing a bright red robe, and he was sitting in the lobby with a happy face. Today is the day when he takes in a concubine, and the woman is Yin, the widow of the famous general He Jin.
After He Jin's defeat, Cao Cao had been taking care of the Yin family and her posthumous son. Originally, Cao Cao was out of gratitude to his old boss, but Yin's outstanding charm gradually made Cao Cao unable to control himself. With the help of several ministers, Cao Cao accepted the Yin family justifiably.
This Cao Cao was as lustful as Yuan Xi. Cao Cao took care of He Jin's concubine in bed, while Yuan Xi took care of Cai Yan, whom Cai Yong entrusted to him, in his harem.
Although taking a concubine is not a big deal, the Cao family rarely holds happy events since Cao Song's death, so everyone from the Cao family to the Xiahou family, as well as Cao Cao's subordinates, came to congratulate Cao Cao.
Cao Hong smiled and handed over a gift box, recorded it in Shu Zuo's account book, and said to Cao Cao: "Runan is not at peace yet, and Zixiao and Zihe will not be able to come back in time, so I have been asked to bring this gift."
Xun, who was serving as a temporary assistant, raised his head and asked: "This is a congratulatory gift from General Zixiao and Zihe. Where is yours, Zilian?"
Cao Hong scratched his head and laughed, "Aren't they all the same? A gift for us three brothers."
Cao Cao smiled and shook his head. This younger brother's stingy nature just couldn't be changed. It just fulfilled the saying that the richer you are, the stingier you are.
Xun You, Chen Gong, Mao Jie, Xi Zhong, the Xiahou brothers, Yu Jin, Li Dian and other subordinates also gathered around. They all laughed and cursed that Cao Hong had saved another gift.
"My lord is very happy!" Cheng Yu ran into the lobby and reported, "His Majesty the Emperor sent envoys to confer the title of lord on my lord."
For a moment, all the guests in the hall became silent. Cao Cao stood up and straightened his robes. He led everyone to the courtyard in front of the hall to greet the envoys from Xiandi. After a while of busy work, the envoy finally finished reading the edict, and Cao Cao was awarded the title of General Conquering the East and Marquis of Puyang.
Cao Cao asked his son Cao Ang to entertain the guests on his behalf. He led a group of subordinates to invite the envoys into the study. It is said that Cao Cao, the envoy sent by Emperor Xian, also recognized him. He was the official in the court together, and he was the chief minister of Dushui Changcheng Zhongji.
Zhong Ji took off his robe and took out a secret letter from the mezzanine and said, "General Cao, this is another edict from His Majesty. The situation in Guanzhong is dangerous. Your Majesty and the courtiers are looking forward to your rescue!"
Cao Cao received the secret letter respectfully. After reading it, he nodded and saluted Xibian, and said, "It's rare that your Majesty still remembers Cao Cao. I will do my best to protect the king and support our great Han Dynasty."
Then Zhong Ji told Cao Cao about the situation in Chang'an, and also talked about the conferment of various generals in Guandong. Cao Cao, Xun and others tried their best to get the information they wanted from Zhong Ji. Then a banquet was held in honor of Zhongji and his entourage. And let people take them down to rest.
The rest were all confidants, so Cao Cao took out the edict. Asked: "Tell me, should we send troops to protect the king?"
Mao Jie was the first to stand up and said, "My lord, the year before last I advised you to follow the emperor's orders and disobey the ministers, cultivate farming, livestock and military resources. In this way, you can achieve great things. At that time, it was because the time was not ripe, but now it is a gift from God. What a great opportunity!”
Xun Yu also advised: "In the past Jin Dynasty accepted King Xiang of Zhou Dynasty and the princes followed suit. The emperor Gaozu went eastward to become the righteous emperor, and the world returned to his heart. Since the emperor Bo Yue, the lord sang the first song of righteous soldiers, and his heart was always in the royal family. It is the lord who brought peace to the world. It is also the original intention. Today, the emperor is in trouble, the righteous people have the thought of preserving their roots, and the people are feeling the past and are more sad. At this time, to serve your majesty to obey the people's popularity is a great deal; to be loyal to the public and to obey the heroes, it is a rough idea; to support the great righteousness. Handsome and virtuous. If you don't make a decision early, chaos will arise in all directions and things will happen!"
"The purpose of waiting for the uprising is to help the Han Dynasty and the country. This is the time we have been waiting for." Chen Gong also agreed. The other counselors nodded in agreement.
"It seems that everyone has the same idea." Cao Cao said happily. "But the current situation in Guanzhong is complicated. How to send troops to welcome the Holy Emperor is a problem."
"What's the difficulty? Once Dong Zhuo dies, the Xiliang army will be in disarray. Please let me lead thousands of troops to Guanzhong to fetch His Majesty." Xiahou Dun immediately asked for orders.
"General Yuan Rang, don't be anxious. The dispatch of troops needs to be carefully deployed to ensure nothing goes wrong." Xun You said.
"Yes, deploying troops is still a problem." Xun Yu pointed out the difficulty and said, "Our army is expanding too fast, and most of its direct elite soldiers and generals are scattered throughout Yanzhou and Yuzhou. The soldiers recruited locally have not been trained. It can’t be used for a big purpose. Puyang in East County can only mobilize a mere two thousand troops."
Yu Jin went out to plead guilty and said: "I am all incompetent. I am afraid that the 40,000 Yuzhou soldiers will not be ready until next year. This will delay the lord's important affairs."
"Alas! I can't blame you for the rush." Cao Cao reassured, "Wen Ze, you know how to train soldiers. The soldiers recruited from Yuzhou all depended on you for training."
"The situation in Guanzhong is complicated and changeable, and all the forces are intertwined, but it does not require too many troops." Xi Zhong explained, "The speed of sending troops this time is important. Your Majesty will withdraw to Yanzhou immediately after receiving it, without having to deal with the Xiliang army much." Do the pestering.”
"Zhicai is right. If His Majesty can return east to Luoyang, then Yanzhou is to the east and Yuzhou is to the south. These two places are my backup and can be withdrawn quickly. Our army really occupies a very great geographical advantage. "Xun Yu said.
"Dongjun is still too close to Hebei. There is not much room for detours." Cao Cao said abruptly.
"It's time to move to another place. After my investigation, I have chosen the right place to govern Xu County in Yingchuan County, Chenliu in Chenliu County, and Changyi in Shanyang County. However, moving the governance is a matter of great importance and we should not be impatient. It is better to welcome His Majesty first. Come on, it won’t be too late to fix the situation." Xi Zhong said.
Cao Cao agreed and asked Cheng Yu to draft an order, saying, "Cao Ren will stay in Runan to guard against Yuan Shu. Cao Chun led his 2,000 elite cavalry and 2,000 Xiongnu barbarian cavalry, and immediately went north to Yingchuan to assemble. With Le Jin and Li The four generals Tong, Lu Qian, and Man Chong dispatched five hundred elite soldiers to Chenliu to assemble."
Cao Cao looked at Xun Yu again and said, "Wen Ruo, I leave this matter of grain and fodder transportation to you. Do you guys think there is anything else to deal with?"
"The one in the south has been pushed into Jiujiang by us, but the one in the north must be guarded against. Didn't he also receive your Majesty's edict?" Cheng Yu reminded.
"Yuan Benchu!" Cao Cao murmured, "I know him well. He was the one who led Dong Zhuo to the capital and caused trouble to His Majesty the Young Emperor. With his shameless character, I am afraid he is still hesitating whether to recognize the current emperor. "
"The older one may be hesitant, but the younger one has been granted a marriage by His Majesty. Can he not do something?" Cheng Yu said.
"Yuan Xianyi!" Cao Cao narrowed his long eyes. He had always been worried about the losses he suffered at the hands of the Qingzhou Army twice before. "It seems that he has many enemies, including the Black Mountain bandits who are entrenched in Bingzhou, Lu Bu who is stationing troops in Shangdang, and the numerous Xiliang troops in Guanzhong. As long as he dares to snatch the holy chariot. As elders, can we say hello to this Yuan family member? Second Young Master?"
After Yuan Shao agreed to marry Princess Wannian, Yuan Xi went to see Zhen Mi and Zhen Yao again. , the Zhen family did not have a strong reaction, and the wedding will be held as scheduled next autumn.
Zhen Mansion.
"I just remembered something. Since Xianyi gave my Ah Mi a jade pendant before, our Zhen family has to return the gift. Come with me, and I will give Xianyi a sword for the use of King Qin of Luoyang."
Before Yuan Xi could react, he was dragged into the main room by Zhen Yao, followed by Zhen Mi and Lu Zhu.
Zhen Yao took off an exquisite sword case from the wall, pulled it out with force, and the sword came out of its shell. The cold light penetrated the bones. The sword body glowed blue and faint under the moonlight. It held a peerless sword.
"The name of this sword is 'Chongxiao', which means Qi Chongxiao Han. It was given to me by the emperor when my ancestor Zhen Han was the prime minister in the imperial court. It cuts iron like clay and is not as sharp as the 'green vat' or 'Yitian' in the world." . I give it to you today as a return gift from our Zhen family. I hope you can live up to Mi in the future."
As Zhen Yao spoke, he turned the hilt of the "Chongxiao" sword in his hand and handed it to Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi was a little hesitant. It seemed that this was an ancestral treasure of the Zhen family. Should he take it? "Third brother, this is expensive, how can Xi be so embarrassed to accept such a precious gift?"
Zhen Yao laughed and patted Yuan Xi on the shoulder: "You are wrong. The most precious thing in my family is Ah Mi. She has given you all her heart. How can I, as a brother, not express my feelings? It's just that, if Xianyi really achieves hegemony in the future, just don't forget the uncle who promised me, haha..."
"Third brother, this is your favorite thing. Now I want to give it to the second young master. Have you really thought about it?"
Seeing the disinterested expression of the third brother, Zhen Mi felt very conflicted. She knew that the third brother regarded this sword as life and cherished it the most, so she subconsciously asked.
Zhen Yao smiled, waved his hand, and signaled Yuan Xi to put away the sword, and said to Zhen Mi: "Think about it, as long as Xian Yi treats you well, why should I be reluctant to part with my third brother? For the sake of my sister's future. , Third Brother, I will work harder in the future."
"Thank you, Third Brother, you are so kind to Mi'er."
Zhen Mi was so grateful to her brother that her eyes almost fell down again. She smiled sweetly at Yuan Xi: "Since the third brother is so generous, please accept it. With a status like yours, you should be accompanied by a sword."
Yuan Xi sheathed the "Chongxiao" sword and bowed to the Zhen brothers and sisters: "Okay, since the third brother is so generous, Xi will accept it. If he can achieve something in the future, he will definitely repay it a thousand times. "
