In the room, the dragon's mouth of the gilt-copper stove slowly exhaled the faintest scent.
In the Shiqian Hall, Emperor Cao Pi rubbed his aching temples, thinking a lot.
This time, my three-pronged attack on Wu was a major event that I had planned for a long time. I originally thought that if I could dominate the world with this battle, not only would I be able to enjoy peace from now on, but I would also be able to shine for the ages, comfort my emperor and father, and bring peace to all the people, and be on par with the emperors of Qin and Han.
But this time, my plans and goals were obviously not achieved.
However, despite this, although I was not able to obtain a complete victory this time, I still gained something.
First, although Sun Quan won, it was a tragic victory. This time, Wen Lie took advantage of the strong wind on the river on the eastern front to break one of Sun Quan's arms - Grand Sima Lu Fan, and also plundered the population of thousands of people in Wuhu, Jiangdong. .
Secondly, Zang Ba and other powerful people have long been known as Wei ministers, but as early as the time of Emperor Taizu, they had relied on their military power to separate Qingxu and resisted the king's orders many times. Therefore, even if they were called Zang in these years, It is not an exaggeration to be the king of Qingzhou. But this time, I asked Wen Lie to control Zang Ba and Commander Qing Xu's army in their southern expedition, and then garrisoned troops in Yangzhou and let Wen Lie rule over his tribe. He then unknowingly seized Zang Ba's military power and made the entire Qingzhou peaceful. After all, this result is exciting to think about.
When he thought of this, an imperceptible smile appeared on Cao Pi's lips. This smile is as cold as September snow, but it also contains a certain amount of warmth. It's like growing branches and leaves in a desperate situation.
————
Early spring, March.
News came from the school affairs office that Liu Bei, the Lord of Shu, was seriously ill at the palace in Baidi City, Yong'an. He asked Prince Liu Chan to accompany Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and ordered Shangshu Li Yan to be his deputy.
"If you are ten times as talented as Cao Pi, you will surely be able to secure the country and resolve major events. If my son Chan can assist him, I will assist him; if he is not talented, you can take care of yourself."
The emperor was naturally furious after reading the dazzling text in this secret report. He really wanted to see what kind of talent this Zhuge Kongming had, and Liu Xuande praised him so much, saying that his talent was ten times better than his own!
If he hadn't returned from the attack on Wu and the country's vitality had not recovered, he would have wanted to immediately lead his troops south to have a showdown with Zhuge Liang!
————
After this battle, the family owner Xia Houshang's food town was moved to Changling, so the plaque on the gate of the mansion was naturally changed from "Pingling Township Houfu" to "Chanling Township Houfu".
"I dare to exert all my strength and loyalty to my chastity, and then die!"
Xia Houxuan read the secret report and the words of Shu Han Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and he felt respect in his heart.
"A good sentence, don't do evil because it is a small thing, and don't do good because it is a small thing. Liu Bei's literary talent is not obvious, but this sentence is a great good."
Xia Houxuan thought to himself that Liu Bei had been fighting for half his life, competing with Emperor Wu, Taizu of this dynasty, and founded the country of Bashu. His posthumous name was Zhaolie, which was quite fitting.
I heard that the seventeen-year-old Prince Liu Chan of the Shu Han Dynasty had assumed the throne of emperor in Chengdu, granted amnesty to the whole world, and changed the Yuan Dynasty to Jianxing. After all, Liu Chan is only two years older than me, and now he has taken on the important responsibility of a country. I don't know if he can bear this honor and responsibility.
Liu Chan also granted the title of Marquis of Wuxiang to Prime Minister Zhuge Liang, and led Yizhou as pastor. Regardless of the size of the political affairs of Shu, he was determined by Liang.
Isn’t this political situation in danger?
"Axuan, I miss Master."
Cao Xi's words seemed to be thrown into the sea, and he received no reply from Xia Houxuan, who was deep in thought.
"Axuan, Master is gone, Yu Mansion, right, will be gone from now on."
Xia Houxuan, who originally wanted to distract his attention with military and national affairs and relieve his sadness, still did not answer. He frowned at the moment, as if he was thinking about an extremely important event.
"Brother Xi, I have a way to make Marquis Yishouting and Yu Mansion survive forever!"
"Axuan, what did you say?"
Cao Xi was a little unbelievable when he heard this.
"Three days later, the kings of the Western Regions such as Shanshan, Qiuci, and Khotan will come to Kyoto for pilgrimage. Maybe this time, we, the Wei Dynasty, will reopen the trade routes of the Western Regions. This is a great opportunity for the Wei Dynasty. It's a great joy." Xia Houxuan stood up slowly and threw a stone in his hand into the lake. He looked at the ripples slowly rising in the lake and said word by word: "Your Majesty will be in a good mood by then. I will Looking for an opportunity, please ask Your Majesty to find a son from the clan who can inherit the title of Marquis Yishouting and inherit the family lineage of my master."
My father has been guarding Xiangyang in Jingzhou and cannot help me, so I can only do this by myself.
"That's great. In this way, we can be considered worthy of Master, and our friendship with Master is worthy of our friendship!"
Xia Houxuan nodded and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
After death, there is no resurrection, and there is only so much you can do for the deceased.
————
Chang Hemen is the main gate to the south of Luoyang, the capital of Wei, and the main gate among the twenty-four city gates of Luoyang. On weekdays, this gate will not be opened, but today is a big day to receive the kings of the Western Regions. Therefore, The closed door was opened at this moment.
The long red carpet stretched from the main hall where the envoys were received to the royal road outside Changhemen, and then stretched all the way to the Luoshui River.
Since this time the three kings of the Western Regions came together for pilgrimage, it was of great significance, so the emperor specially brought many clans from feudal states to watch the ceremony.
The kings of Shanshan, Qiuci, and Khotan have not come to the Central Plains for decades since the war in the late Han Dynasty. And now that they have come to perform pilgrimage again, it is enough to show that the Wei Dynasty is no longer inferior to the powerful men of the past. So Cao Pi was naturally in a good mood.
Over the past few years, the Central Plains, which is far away from the war, is no longer the tragic situation of "no cockcrow for thousands of miles". Although the population of the Wei capital is far smaller than that of the Han Dynasty, in terms of prosperity and wealth, I am afraid that the Wei Kingdom in these years has been much better than the late Han Dynasty.
The three kings carefully walked on the red carpet under the guidance of the visitor, heading towards the inner city of Luoyang step by step.
On both sides of the road, the iron armor worn by the Huben guards shone in the sunlight, and the ring-headed knives and iron halberds in their hands also emitted a penetrating cold light under the scorching sun.
Looking towards the city from a distance, you can roughly see the majesty of the emperor's carriage, chariot and guard.
Under the shining sun, the halberd, the axe, the guard of a hundred horses, and the silk umbrella, the graceful and majestic Emperor of Wei was there waiting for the congratulations from his country.
"See His Majesty the Emperor of the Wei Dynasty. I wish the Kingdom of Wei Zuo ten thousand years, and I wish His Majesty a long life!"
Under the guidance of the visitors, several kings who had not come to the Central Plains for pilgrimage for decades finally succeeded in completing their gifts and congratulatory messages according to appropriate etiquette.
"Everyone, you have come a long way. It's hard work. I have ordered people to prepare a residence for you. Please rest less, and I will take care of you again!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Emperor of Wei. I will take my leave!"
Hearing that the kings of the Western Regions were calling themselves ministers, Cao Pi couldn't help but feel proud.
After completing the pilgrimage etiquette, Cao Pi taught the kings of the Western Regions to go back to the Silin Pavilion to rest.
"Marquis Pingyuan, I heard that there are very few horses for the guards in your palace."
Cao Pi glanced at his eldest son Cao Rui, who was standing by respectfully. Rui'er's attitude towards him had changed a lot since he had given the death to Empress Zhen. Although he was very respectful, it was obvious that there was always a trace of indifference in his expression. And my concern for my children can only be reflected in the way a king cares about his ministers.
"This time, King Shanshan has paid tribute to many fine horses, so I will give you a hundred fine horses from the Eastern Palace and the Western Regions."
When Cao Rui saw the emperor's reward, he immediately knelt on the ground, saluted and thanked him: "Your Majesty, thank you for the reward."
Cao Pi felt a little uncomfortable when he saw Cao Rui being so strict with etiquette. Is this because he was deliberately trying to make himself angry?
Cao Pi was so cold-hearted that he didn't even think about helping Cao Rui up, so that Cao Rui knelt down on the cold floor tiles for a long time.
"Your Majesty, the young master of the Hou Mansion in Changling Township, Xia Houxuan, requests an interview with Your Majesty."
Just when the father and son were embarrassed, Huang Menling came to convey the message.
"Xia Houxuan, what is this kid doing here again?" Cao Pi smiled slightly, turned around and said, "Tell him to come here to see me."
"Your Majesty, two of your servants, Sima Yi, Marquis of Xiangxiang, and Chen Qun, Marquis of Yingxiang, also request an interview with Your Majesty."
"Oh?" Cao Pi frowned and thought carefully for a moment, then continued: "Tell the two servants to go to Shiqian Hall to wait."
"No." Huangmen Ling received Cao Pi's edict, and after retreating, he immediately began to arrange his men to fetch Xia Houxuan, Sima Yi and Chen Qun respectively.
————
"Xuan'er, what did you just say?"
After hearing Xia Houxuan's advice, Cao Pi's face turned gloomy.
Cao Pi thought that Yu Jin's death was inseparable from him, but at this moment, Xia Houxuan actually asked him to restore the title of "Yishouting Marquis" of the Yu family.
"Your Majesty." Xia Houxuan raised his head, looked directly at the emperor's uncertain eyes with his clear eyes, and said righteously: "I request to restore the title of Yu family today for three reasons."
"Oh?" Cao Pi not only felt a little bit laughable, but this boy was only a teenager, but when he spoke, he talked in the same way as those civil servants. Unexpectedly, Boren's eldest son would still be a man of style in the future. Cao Pi smiled and said, "You might as well tell me about the Xian Guan's information."
"Your Majesty, one of the reasons why I request continuous sacrifices to the family is because of your majesty's consideration: since the time when the family was the king, the family has made great contributions. Although Yu Wen has humiliated the army, he is already ashamed because of his shame. But when he died in Emperor Wu's temple, his sins were atoned for, and his son Yu Gui served the country well and died in battle. Your Majesty must also remember him. Therefore, preserving your family title will not damage your Majesty's honorable name."
Xia Houxuan saw that Cao Pi was not angry but fell into deep thought, so he boldly continued:
"Second, it is for the country. The Yu family has produced many talented people. Wouldn't it be a pity if some of the outstanding descendants cannot be used by the country?"
Cao Pi still didn't speak, but looked at Xia Houxuan with interest, carefully pondering what Xia Houxuan said.
Seeing this, Xia Houxuan continued.
"Third, it is my personal relationship. I had a master-disciple relationship with Yu Gui, the late Yishouting Marquis, and was taught martial arts by him. Therefore, I cannot ignore my family. I hope your majesty will think twice and complete this matter."
After hearing what Xia Houxuan said, Cao Pi looked at Xia Houxuan with a smile. That smile seemed to be filled with approval and surprise.
Boren's children are indeed extraordinary. The one who will protect my Cao family in the future will definitely be this son.
"Sir, what you said is reasonable." Cao Pi said with a smile: "Juping County in Mount Tai is the Yu family's hometown. I will send people to select the Yu family's Zhilan Yushu to heir to the title of Marquis of Shouting and the Yu family's great clan. "
"My lord, on behalf of my family, thank you for your grace!" When Xiahou Xuan saw Cao Pi agreeing, his voice actually trembled with excitement.
In the past, Cao Pi only regarded Xiahou Xuan as an ordinary nephew, but now it is different. Cao Pi now valued this smart, intelligent, affectionate and righteous son of a close friend and important minister. He stood up and stepped forward, and even personally helped up Xia Houxuan, who was kneeling on the ground.
"His Majesty....."
Xia Houxuan felt a little flattered for a moment.
"Xuan'er, I see that the many heirs of the clan and the Xiahou family are not as smart as you and understand the righteousness of your children. I believe that one day in the future, the important task of assisting the Cao family and the Wei Dynasty will fall on you. It's on your shoulder." After Cao Pi helped Xia Houxuan up, he patted Xia Houxuan's shoulder gently and said solemnly: "Wang Qing, please don't betray my promise."
"My lord, I will live up to your Majesty's expectations."
Xia Houxuan carefully made this promise. Now, he may not understand what a heavy promise he made, a promise that could change the fate of his life.
Far away from the reception desk, the eldest prince Qi Gong Cao Rui's sister, Princess Cao Ling of Dongxiang, who was only more than ten years old, was looking at the stage blankly at the moment. He saw his father's face that he had never shown in front of children. A solemn expression.
And the person who bears the expectation hidden under this expression is actually just a teenager.
