Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the reorganization of General Cao Shuang comes at a time of life and death. Du Shu was appointed as the governor of Youzhou at the critical moment. He didn't even celebrate the New Year, so he went north to Youzhou in the wind and snow to take up his post.
After crossing the Yellow River from the north, Du Shu and his retinue entered Hanoi, passed through Wei County, passed through Guangping, and walked through Julu. After a long journey, it took more than two months before they finally arrived at Mo County under the jurisdiction of Hejian State on the northern border of Jizhou.
This place is the hometown of the famous generals of the dynasty - the former chariot and cavalry generals Zhang He and Zhang Junyi. When the Ming Emperor ascended the throne, Zhang He was granted the title of Marquis of Marquis. This place was the food fiefdom of the Zhang family. Later, General Zhang He followed Sima Yi to resist Zhuge Kongming. He was ambushed by the Shu army in the wooden gate road and died from a stray arrow. His eldest son Zhang Xiong became the new Marquis of Min County.
It was getting late and the snow was falling heavily. The group of people braved the wind and snow and found a restaurant on the streets of Muxian County. Each person ordered a bowl of steaming hot soup cakes and ate them with garlic cloves. After eating the soup cakes, the color returned to the cheeks of several people who were white from the cold.
Du Shu's subordinate Du Shu rubbed his ears, which were already starting to feel hot, and stared longingly at the wine rack in the store.
Although Du Shu was an upright person, he was quite friendly in front of these cronies. When he saw that everyone under his command wanted to drink to ward off the cold, he smiled and called the bartender before anyone could say anything:
"Shopkeeper, what is the most famous wine here?"
The bartender who was wiping the counter saw the guests greeting him, put the rag on the railing, and ran up with a smile on his face:
"Sir, we are General Zhang's restaurant, and the most famous wine is of course 'Jieting Wine'!"
Du Shu's subordinate was a rough man and did not know the past national military affairs. He was confused and couldn't help but ask:
"Why is it called 'Jieting Wine', but I've never heard of it?"
"Don't you know, guest, that when Zhuge Kongming invaded the north and the three counties of Longyou fell, Shu general Ma Su blocked the street pavilion in an attempt to cut off Guanyou. General Zhang Junyi and Zhang led his troops to march westward and recaptured the street pavilion in one fell swoop. The crisis in Longyou was immediately resolved. , General Zhang captured several winemakers of the Shu Army, and the wine they made was very sweet, and it was exactly the shop’s ‘Jieting Wine’.”
After hearing the origin of "Jieting Wine", everyone became more curious. Du Shu smiled and said:
"Shopkeeper, please bring us two jars of 'Jie Ting Wine' for each of the three tables, and cut a few kilograms of various cooked meats. Let's eat a few bottles to drive away the cold!"
"okay!"
Not long after, the bartender brought out several large plates of scallions mixed with pig ears, pork belly, and marinated chicken. They were all strong men. Although they had already eaten a bowl of soup cakes, their appetites were still strong at this moment and they were still drinking. It's not hot yet, half the plate of meat is already gone.
After a while, the wine and meat were ready, and the group of people drank and ate meat while chatting freely about the world. Du Shu couldn't live in harmony in the world. He didn't have many friends in the capital, so such a party was extremely rare for him. Du Shu, who had always been a taciturn man, At this moment, Shu unexpectedly had the rare chance of guessing and making fists with everyone. The small border town inn was filled with a lively and cheerful atmosphere.
Amidst the mess of cups and plates, everyone who was full of food and wine was also somewhat tipsy.
Du Shu, who was slightly drunk, looked at Ruixue outside the house, who looked like white jade broken by the strong wind. He couldn't help but think of his wife and children left behind at home. His eldest son Du Yu liked white jade the most. Du Shu suddenly remembered that little Du Yu was eight years old that year. He quietly poured snow into his collar and looked at himself laughing in embarrassment.
He thought to himself that after he had handled the government affairs in Youzhou in the past two years and completed the reform, he would be sure to spend time with his family.
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The imperial capital is Luoyang, and the Wuyang Marquis Mansion.
Brothers Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Sima Qian, as well as juniors such as Sima Yan, Yirong, and Mengrong, are currently surrounding the bed of the extremely weak old lady Zhang Chunhua.
Ever since Sima Yi said something harsh that made Zhang Chunhua sad, the strong-tempered Zhang Chunhua fell ill.
When she was young, her father Zhang Wang, who was the magistrate of Suyi County, loved her very much. When she married Sima Yi, the Sima family was not very noble. At that time, she had known her with wisdom within the clan. People are famous. Since she married into Sima Yi's family, she has worked hard and never complained. Not only was she willing to put aside her dignity as an official woman to cook soup for Sima Yi herself, but she also gave birth to three sons and one daughter for Sima Yi. Her contribution is not insignificant.
Back then, Emperor Wu sent people to spy on Sima Yi who was pretending to be ill and was not in office. When Sima Yi accidentally exposed his secret in front of his servants, she even decisively dealt with the only witnessing maid and saved Sima Yi who was deceiving Emperor Wu.
For many years, she had always thought that Sima Yi would at least feel a sense of gratitude and guilt towards her, but Sima Yi's cold and heartless words and attitude a few days ago shattered her last bit of spiritual support.
It turned out that in the eyes of this man who had vague ambitions to be an emperor, he was nothing more than an old, disgusting old woman!
Master Sima, who had always been calm and composed, looked at his dying mother and was in a panic. He had never experienced this kind of panic except when his wife Xia Houhui was poisoned fourteen years ago. Master Sima was panic-stricken in his heart, but his mind was still clear. At this moment, he quickly ran to the door and ordered his servants:
"Go to the Xun Mansion and invite my third sister, Mrs. Xun!"
[Note 1: In addition to his three sons, Sima Shi, Sima Zhao, and Sima Qian, Zhang Chunhua also had a daughter who married Xun Yu's grandson Xun Fei, who later became Princess Nanyang in the Jin Dynasty. 】
After hearing this, the servant knew that there was no need to delay, and he wished he had wings, so he flew away immediately.
Sima Zhao was filled with tears at this moment. He held his mother Zhang Chunhua's extremely withered hand and asked warmly again:
"Mother, the child will summon the father immediately..."
After Zhang Chunhua heard this, he immediately coughed violently:
"If any of you... dare to call him, I... I will..."
Seeing this, Sima Zhao didn't dare to persuade him anymore, so he could only apologize quickly:
"Mother, don't be angry, as long as the child doesn't go away."
The whole house was anxiously and helplessly taking care of Zhang Chunhua.
"Mother, are you okay?"
Two quarters of an hour later, a noble lady ran into Zhang Chunhua's bedroom in despair. This was Zhang Chunhua's third daughter, the biological sister of Sima Shi and Sima Zhao's first mother, and Xun Fei's wife.
Zhang Chunhua was refreshed when he saw his daughter whom he had not seen for a long time. With the help of his servants, she forcibly turned over:
"Remember... when you were little, I often... ahem, often watched you... brothers and sisters playing in the courtyard, I thought, go again Look at...that patch of camellias that you guys planted together..."
In this way, the old man Zhang Chunhua, supported by his children, came to the cluster of pure white camellias. Under the flower tree, the old man looked back at his four children again, and finally fell down!
In the study, Sima Yi, who was talking to Mrs. Bai, suddenly felt a throbbing in his heart. What he didn't know was that just now, Zhang Chunhua, the woman who had been with him for most of his life, finally left him completely.
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Changlinghou Mansion.
The news of Zhang Chunhua's death naturally quickly reached the ears of Cao Jue, the dowager's wife and the head of Deyang Township.
Although there were many grievances between the Sima and Xiahou families, Cao Jue still remembered the close interactions between the two families when they worked together to assist Emperor Wen in the East Palace, as if it were yesterday.
At this moment, Cao Jue naturally felt uncomfortable.
"Grandma, why are you crying?"
Nine-year-old Mingyue looked at Cao Jue who was crying. She took out the brocade handkerchief and was about to wipe her grandmother's tears.
Cao Jue looked at Xiao Mingyue, who was as heroic as her husband and son, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh:
"Mingyue, would you like to accompany your grandmother to Sima Mansion?"
Xiao Mingyue naturally nodded obediently.
The Sima family's house was much more luxurious than it was decades ago, but at the same time, it also made Cao Jue feel a lot stranger.
Cao Jue could no longer hold back his tears when he thought of his daughter Xia Houhui, who had happily married into this courtyard but passed away at a young age. Cao Jue, whose eyes were blurred by tears, couldn't even see Zhang Chunhua's tablet clearly.
When Cao Jue saw Yirong and Mengrong, his granddaughters growing up and becoming more and more like daughters, he felt an uncontrollable sadness in his heart.
Cao Jue, whose old friends were scattered, her husband and daughter died early, and her son was far away in Xizhou, felt a helpless relief at this moment.
After she returned home, she suddenly proposed to visit her son in Chang'an. Gu Ting, who had gray hair and a stooped figure, wanted to dissuade her, but for some reason, she finally agreed to the old lady's arrangement.
Gu Ting specially arranged for the tent supervisor Lu Zhongxiong to bring the remaining one hundred Xuanjia guards in the house to escort him personally.
Mingyue originally wanted to go together, but as a proton, he couldn't leave Luoyang at all, so he had no choice but to stay at the house.
Along the way, Cao Jue, who was facing the wind and snow, looked at the Xizhou Post Road that her brother Cao Zhen had told her countless times. Her brother Cao Zhen's stern words seemed to appear in her ears again at this moment.
In the counties of Sili and Yongzhou, due to the decentralization of talented people in the counties, many corrupt and petty officials were dismissed, and the officials who were decentralized wanted to get ahead again. Therefore, the administration of officials became a lot clearer. Along the way, Cao Jue naturally heard and saw Many people laughed and laughed.
When Cao Jue saw that the restructuring implemented by his nephew Cao Shuang and his son Xia Houxuan had indeed brought a lot of benefits to the people, the depression and sadness in his heart actually dissipated a lot.
Finally, in the cold spring of February, Cao Jue dragged his sick body to Chang'an where his son was guarding.
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In Zhengxi Mansion, Xia Houxuan had just received the messengers sent by Deng Ai and Xia Houba, and was immediately busy dealing with the provisions of the reform in each county of Yongzhou——Although Guo Huai was the governor of Yongzhou, Xiahou Xuan still relied on Taking advantage of their military power and status, Qianjia and Qianhong forcibly implemented many restructuring policies in Fengyi and Fufeng.
Just as Xia Houxuan and Qian Jia were discussing further restructuring matters, a Xuanjia guard excitedly broke into the main hall of Zhengxi Mansion:
"Report to the Governor, the Lord of Deyang is here!"
Xia Houxuan, who was so busy that he heard the title announced by Xuan Jiawei, did not react for a moment. He subconsciously asked:
"Who's coming?"
"It's the Madam. She came to Chang'an to visit you. The Madam has already arrived at your apartment now!"
After Xia Houxuan heard this, he didn't even bother to say hello to Qianjia, and just like an arrow from the string, he used the 'Cloud Walk and Rain Step' and rushed out of the main hall.
When Xia Houxuan came to the apartment, he heard the laughter of his mother, Huigu, and two-and-a-half-year-old Xiao Yun'er from afar.
Xia Houxuan calmed down at this moment. He enjoyed the happiness of mother, wife and children.
After Cao Jue got together with his son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter, his original sorrow was gone. Xia Houxuan, his sister Xia Houyu, his brother-in-law and his wife even invited a group of friends and family members to celebrate their mother's birthday in Chang'an.
Mother, son, grandparents, and grandson were finally reunited after several years of separation. However, not even a month after Cao Jue's arrival, she had a physical problem. After she got up one day, she fell to the ground and fell unconscious.
Although Huigu was proficient in medical skills, she still couldn't completely revive Cao Jue after acupuncture. Huigu felt that her senior brother Li Dangzhi might have a way, so Xia Houxuan immediately summoned Li Dangzhi with a flying pigeon.
On this day, Xia Houxuan, who was anxious, was testing the temperature of his mother's forehead while waiting eagerly for Li Dangzhi to arrive from Yi County.
"How long until Mr. Li arrives?!"
"Mr. Li has been running all the way since he received the news this morning. He is probably approaching Chang'an at this moment. A rough estimate is that he should be able to arrive tonight!"
Xia Houxuan knew that Qianjia was smart and capable, and the time he estimated was usually correct. He understood the principle of waiting for someone for a long time. Even though he was anxious at this moment, he had no choice but to continue waiting anxiously.
At this moment, Huigu was covering Cao Jue's palms and soles with a medicine bag, while using silver needles to prick Cao Jue's acupuncture points.
Everyone waited anxiously for two hours, until the last moment of Youshi, when finally Li Dangzhi, who was dusty and sweaty, arrived.
Li Dangzhi rushed into the back hall of the apartment without answering. He threw down the medicine box on his body and stepped forward to check Cao Jue's pulse.
