Procuratorate Lieutenant Bian Hu briefly reported on the information collected from the people during the march of the emperor's royal carriage during the eastern tour.
Bian Hu presented more than a dozen volumes of slips: "Your Majesty, these are the secret visit materials collected by the Tsing Yi Envoy from various counties in the old Guandong area. Please give your Majesty a preview."
This investigation report is actually what the Qingyi envoys collected from the people about the people, the local gentry's views on the imperial court, and the impact of the imperial government's policies on local counties. It is to take a look at the real situation at the grassroots level.
An hour later, Mu Sheng read all the bamboo slips and felt a little heavy. It seemed that the foundation of the imperial court's rule in the Guandong region was not as solid as it seemed on the surface. There were still many problems. The country's territory was too large and there were big difficulties. .
Mu Sheng summoned the prosecutor again and asked: "Bian Hu, you are talking about this civil matter, why do the memorials submitted by officials from all over the country not mention even a word? In their eyes, only completing the political achievements assigned by the imperial court is the most important thing." What’s most important?”
When Bian Hu heard this, he said helplessly: "Your Majesty, I know why they didn't mention a word. As long as some things can be dealt with without causing any big trouble, it will be fine."
Mu Sheng said: "Well, that's what I said. Please step back and we can discuss this matter after we return to Beijing."
"promise."
Mu Sheng felt the slight shaking of the car body. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest. He casually asked the chief minister of the inner court who was waiting beside him: "Yang Jin, where are you?"
Yang Jin stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, we have just arrived at the boundary of Xiang County, Xiang County."
Mu Sheng opened his eyes and said, "Xiang County? I remember if Young Master Xiu was living here?"
Yang Jin said: "Yes, Your Majesty, Young Master Xiu was granted the title of Marquis of Dongxiang, and it is here that he lived."
Mu Sheng's heart moved and he ordered: "Pass the edict and call the Marquis of Dongxiang to come and have an audience."
"No." Yang Jin took the order and left.
An hour later, Dongxiang Hou Gongzixiu arrived in front of the Emperor's ceremonial guard after a long journey. He saw the Eastern Patrol Team like a black dragon lying on the ground, with no head visible at a glance. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, flags fluttering, swords and guns like a forest, guarding The Holy Driver is on your left and right, what a power this is.
An imperceptible look of envy flashed in Young Master Xiu's eyes.
Yang Jin, the general manager of the inner court, saw the arrival of Dongxiang Hou and welcomed him into the imperial chariot. Gongzi Xiu glanced at the emperor who was sitting on the throne, and quickly stepped forward to pay homage and said: "Long live the guilty minister Mu Xiu, long live my emperor. Long live the emperor." "
"No gift."
After that, when Mu Sheng saw clearly the current appearance of Young Master Xiu, he was stunned for a moment. However, they had not seen him for more than a year, and Young Master Xiu was so big and round that he looked chubby, just like the Third Prince back then. Kang Youdu tried his best, and at first glance he seemed a bit honest.
Mu Sheng stepped forward to help him up, with a look of surprise on his face, and asked: "Brother Ninth, I haven't seen you for more than a year, what's wrong with you? I didn't recognize you for a while..."
Young Master Xiu moved his fat body, smiled honestly, and said: "Your Majesty, I have neglected to practice martial arts in recent years, and I am not fond of eating and drinking. This is why I have become like this, which makes your Majesty laugh. "
Mu Sheng patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Ninth, please sit down. I haven't seen you for a long time. I just happened to be here on patrol and stopped by to take a look at you."
Young Master Xiu's heart moved, and he cupped his hands and replied: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I have missed Your Majesty very much these years."
After saying that, he moved his fat body to sit down, still looking innocent. It seems that no matter who becomes a fat man, he will look extremely honest and honest.
Mu Sheng couldn't help but sigh in his heart when he saw that Gongzi Xiu had become such a famous figure in the past, and now he had become like this. He also knew why Gongzi Xiu would treat him so lowly, but he had fought for that position before, so he could not act like this. It's just to reassure the superiors and gain peace for the rest of their lives.
Mu Sheng sighed with emotion: "Time flies so fast. Back then, I remember that Ninth Brother always invited me to go hunting together."
"Is Ninth Brother still interested in accompanying me to go hunting around here?"
Young Master Xiu smiled honestly and said: "Since Your Majesty wants to invite me, I will definitely accompany you to the end. I live here, I know a hunting ground, and I often go hunting in my spare time."
Hearing this, Mu Sheng said happily: "Okay, in that case, it's better to choose a day than to hit the sun, let's do it now."
Young Master Xiu cupped his hands and said, "I dare not accept my order."
Not long after, Mu Sheng had already changed into hunting clothes and rode a horse with a group of guards. Young Master Xiu also changed into hunting clothes and stood in front of a war horse. Because of his fat body, he had to ask two waiters to help him mount the horse normally. This was simply the replica of Gongzi Kang back then. Looking at Gongzi Xiu's chubby figure, Mu Sheng felt a little pity for the horse he was sitting on.
After everything was ready, thousands of knights escorted the two to the wild hunting ground.
In the hunting ground, hundreds of light cavalry were seen galloping and roaring, chasing small prey into the hunting ground. Mu Sheng and Young Master Xiu looked at each other, clamped their horses' bellies, and both galloped out. A dozen personal guards followed the emperor closely. Guard behind.
Mu Sheng raised his bow, aimed at the prey in the field, and shot an arrow through the heart, knocking him down on the spot. Every time he reached an ambush site, he shot down another prey with an arrow in his hand. The guards behind the emperor saw that the emperor was such a master of shooting. , all cheered in unison.
Mu Sheng and Young Master Xiu rode their horses and whips in the hunting ground for half a day and shot dozens of prey.
At this moment, Gongzi Xiu and the other guards were chasing a hare on horseback. The horses' hooves were flying, and the hooves were rumbling. Suddenly, a huge black shadow rushed out of the grass and rushed towards Gongzi Xiu's mount. Gongzi Xiu was startled and had no time to stop him. In response, the black shadow directly knocked down his horse.
Young Master Xiu was caught off guard and fell off his horse with a shout. It turned out that a wild boar was frightened and rushed out of the grass. The guards were frightened and hurried forward to protect Dongxiang Hou Young Master Xiu. All of a sudden, swords, guns, swords and halberds were directed at the wild boar.
The wild boar was attacked, and it rushed left and right even more crazily. With its rough skin and thick flesh, it could not be harmed by ordinary swords, and it even knocked down several fully armed guards.
At this moment, the wild boar suddenly went crazy and rushed towards the guards. Its charging direction was just towards Young Master Xiu who was trying to get up from the ground. Its huge fangs and crazy charge made the guards and Young Master Xiu look shocked. Big changes, wild boars are the most taboo in the wild. Once they are targeted, they will either die or be injured.
It was too late, but it was soon. Suddenly, a strong wind blew in front of everyone, and a spear flew forward. The spear penetrated the wild boar's body with thunderous force, causing the crazy wild boar to finally stop in front of the guards.
The wild boar howled a few times and then fell silent. The tail of the spear nailed to the wild boar was still trembling, which showed that the person throwing the spear was carrying a huge force.
Everyone looked at each other in shock for a moment, who could actually have such courage and nailed an adult wild boar to death just by throwing a spear from a distance.
At this time, shouts, cheers, and shouts of long live erupted in the distance. At this time, Mu Sheng led the guards and rode up to Young Master Xiu. With a solemn look on his face, he stepped forward and asked: "Brother Ninth, what are you doing?" So, are you injured?"
Only then did Young Master Xiu regain his composure. He immediately stood up, patted the dust on his body with a smile, bowed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Thanks to my fat body, it's no problem, no problem, hahaha."
Mu Sheng was relieved when he saw that his complexion was as usual.
Young Master Xiu looked back at the spears and huge wild boar carcasses on the ground, and then at the awed eyes of the guards behind Mu Sheng. He hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, this...isn't this your work? "
Mu Sheng smiled faintly, waved his hand and said, "I was just eager to save someone, so I threw my spear to kill this beast. Today our brothers will be blessed."
Young Master Xiu sincerely admired him and said, "I didn't expect that Your Majesty would be so powerful. If Your Majesty leads the army in battle, you must be a great general."
When Mu Sheng heard this, he laughed and said: "It's just the bravery of an ordinary man, it doesn't count. A true god general can not change his expression when Mount Tai collapses in front of him. If he commands the three armies, he can defeat millions of enemies in one night. To be honest, I My dream is to be a general. If I can leave my name in history, it will comfort me for the rest of my life. Now that the world has been peaceful for a long time, we and other warriors have long since run out of use."
Young Master Xiu also changed his horse and agreed with a smile: "Your Majesty is right. Sometimes I really want to go back to the era of various countries. There are frequent conflicts between the countries. It is a good time for me to wait for the warriors to leave their names in history. It’s a pity that I was born many years late.”
Mu Sheng said with emotion: "Isn't it just for today that we and other warriors fought with blood for the sake of today? Isn't it just for today that our descendants will no longer bleed? The former emperor unified the world, but also for today. In fact, now is the best era. , but we are always insatiable, and the peaceful days have been too long, and we can never be idle."
Young Master Xiu also agreed: "Your Majesty, what you are talking about is, how many people have returned from the battles since ancient times? People often only remember those princes and generals for these thousand years of achievements."
After returning from the hunt, the two of them roasted wild animals in the camp, drank and ate meat, and talked about the past.
Young Master Xiu said with emotion: "Your Majesty, unknowingly, I seem to have remembered our past in Qingyang."
"I heard that the old thief Huo Xiang has gone, and I have to admire your majesty's methods. It took less than a year to regain the power."
Mu Sheng wrote lightly: "It's just a coincidence."
Although it was just a few understatement words from the emperor, Gongzi Xiu was very aware of the dangers in this power struggle. If he were not careful, he would lose everything.
The two of them ate meat and drank wine while chatting about the past. They sighed and sighed. Seeing that the emperor was in high spirits, Young Master Xiu hesitated for a long time and finally said: "Your Majesty, I dare to ask you a favor."
"You tell me."
The young master said: "Your Majesty, if that old thief Huo Zheng is still the one who specializes in government affairs, I really don't dare to make this request. I beg your Majesty, please let me go back to Qingyang to see my mother, and I also want to pay homage to the imperial mausoleum. The late Emperor, the old man, when I went to Xiang County to live in Tibet, I didn't even see my father the last time."
When Gongzi Xiu spoke at the end, his tone was a little choked. As expected, the emperor was greeted with a long silence. He also knew that this was a delusion, but he still wanted to give it a try.
After a long silence, Mu Sheng agreed: "That's fine. Considering that your mother, Mrs. Yang, took care of my sister, Princess Qinghe, I allow you to return to Qingyang to visit your relatives."
Hearing this, Young Master Xiu was overjoyed. He knelt on the ground and kowtowed as if pounding garlic: "Thank you for your kindness... Thank you for your kindness. Your Majesty is as kind as heaven. I will always remember it in my heart."
Looking at Young Master Xiu who was kowtowing desperately in Tangxia, Mu Sheng secretly sighed. If he had not fought for this supreme position back then, maybe he would be the one kneeling down and kowtowing desperately to plead for mercy.
Mu Sheng said: "Get up. I understand. This is human nature. Ninth Brother will follow me back to Qingyang this time."
Young Master Xiu burst into tears and said, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
