By November of the first year of Long'an, the situation of the war in Hebei was completely clear. The new emperor went on a personal expedition and captured and killed the puppet generals Xia Houyuan and Zhang He. He also beheaded the traitorous general Gao Lan in public and punished them with the canon. The Puppet Dynasty was frightened, and Cao Zhen, the captive general, led his army to retreat hastily. He actually retreated from Yanshan to Liaodong. Along the way, he was transporting heavy supplies and food was cut off. If it were not for the help of Kuhanguan and Murong Xianbei, there would be starvation all over the country. After Wang Shi recovered all the lost territory, he returned to the court with his troops.
However, after the news spread back to Luoyang, it caused a lot of criticism. Many officials discussed in public that the country had mobilized 200,000 warriors and warriors to attack the thieves in a corner of Liaodong. Unexpectedly, they could not annihilate the bandits, and the gains were no more than protecting the country. The gains were considerable, which was really disappointing.
After hearing the rumors, Zhuge Liang, the captain of Sili School, knew that the matter was sensitive and immediately called a court meeting. He discussed it with all the officials and said that now that the new emperor has conquered the Czech Republic and driven out the bandits, it is a great joy for the country. How can he spread such wavering words? With Han Bai's ability, he still cannot win every battle. If you are talking about entering the Liao Dynasty, are you trying to imitate Di Shan's old wisdom?
Di Shannai was a doctor at the time of King Sejong. Because he was not happy with King Sejong's war with the Xiongnu, he advocated peace and marriage in the court. Because of his outstanding eloquence, no ministers resisted for a while, so Shizong asked in person: "I ask you to govern one county, can you prevent the Huns from invading it?" Dishan replied: "No." Shizong asked again: "Govern one county. How about the county?" Dishan replied: "No." Shizong asked again: "How about managing a village?" Dishan replied: "Yes." One month later, Dishan beheaded and died for the Huns. From then on, Shizong All officials dare not show off.
Nowadays, there is quite a trend of Shizong. When all the officials heard about it, they were all stunned and silent. For a while, the government and the public were under purge, and there was no objection. But privately, it still cannot be suppressed. There are rumors that if Prime Minister Chen Chong leads the army to conquer, I am afraid that Liaodong will be able to become a vassal in less than a month. This statement is widely spread, but who exactly said it is not known to everyone.
However, Chen Chong was not in Beijing at this time, but took his wife and daughter to his hometown in Yingchuan to worship his ancestors. After the Lu Bu Rebellion, although most of his clan members were buried in Chang'an, he still sent the bones of his father Chen Kui and uncle Chen Chen back to their hometown in Yingchuan for burial. So many years have passed in a flash. In the past few years, due to various matters such as conquests and serious illness, he was never allowed to visit his hometown. Now that he is back in Guandong, he plans to worship his ancestors in his hometown and stay until next year when he returns to Luoyang.
After not returning to his old house for a long time, Chen Chong's memory was a little blurry. When the carriage and horses first set foot on the streets of his hometown, many children gathered curiously to have a look. The guards looked at them with stern eyes, and then they dispersed in a hurry. . Only some local elders were left to greet them at the door. Chen Chong looked over and saw that there was no memorable old man, which made him feel a little sad. But then he thought about it and realized that he himself was fifty-four years old. It is also quite common.
Due to their high position and authority, although most of the tribesmen live in Xijing, there are always people taking care of their old houses. When Chen rushed in, the courtyard of the ancestral hall was still clean, except for a few weeds in the corners. The plum blossoms in front of the house were still alive, looking like they were in bud, and already exuding a bit of fragrance. Chen Chong and Dong Bai cleaned up the ancestral hall again and placed the memorial tablets of their grandfather Chen Shi, uncle Chen Ji, biological father Chen Kui, uncle Chen Chen and others one by one. After worshiping, praying and offering incense, they took the whole family to pay homage. The graveyard of these people.
It had not yet snowed in Yingchuan at this time, but the air was already dry and cold, and the ground was almost a decadent and flat gray-yellow color. Walking about two miles back from the old house, there was a raised hill and a lush bamboo forest. , still showing a green color in the midst of the chill. When you get closer, you can see a stream gurgling through it, but it has not frozen yet, which makes people feel refreshed. Chen's cemetery is deep in the bamboo forest.
This cemetery is still very tidy because it is often cleaned. Although it was not the Qingming Festival, Chen Chong still brought a lot of sacrifices. After placing them, he respectfully kowtowed to his father three times. It was the first time in his life that he kowtowed so willingly. Then he stood up and asked Dong Bai to come forward with his eldest daughter A Suo and second daughter A Yun to salute. Finally, he asked Chen Xiu to come forward.
Chen Xiu was three years old at this time. He was very smart and talked a lot. He jumped twice in front of the tomb, curiously touched the words on the tombstone, and struggled to identify them, but he was not very literate. He couldn't recognize it, so he turned around, stared at a pair of dark eyes, and asked Chen Chong: "Father, why do I have to kowtow to the stone?"
"It's not about giving stones, it's about kowtowing to the grandfather and great-grandfather buried under the stone."
"Then why don't they come up to me?"
"Because they are dead and no longer in this world."
"So where are they? Can I go?"
Chen Chong was stunned. He knew that the topic of death was too profound for children. Then he touched Chen Xiu's head, shook his head and said, "I don't know either, but I know that if you go there, you can't come back."
"Why can't you come back?"
"Just like today can't go back to yesterday, fallen leaves can't go back to the trees."
Chen Xiu didn't seem to understand, but he still followed Chen Chong's example and saluted several elders, then stood up, showing a troubled and innocent expression, and said: "Father, I can often go back to yesterday in my dreams, yes Aren’t they in my dream, grandpa?”
When Chen Chong heard this, he was in a daze for a moment, but a smile gradually appeared on his face. He said slowly: "Yes, they went to your dream, but you don't know them. I don't know them either." I often see them in my dreams, and I often see you..." At this point, he caught a glimpse of Dong Bai from the corner of his eye, and then he stopped as if he was waking up from a dream.
With this episode, Chen Chong stood in front of the tomb for a while. He crossed his arms and tried to recall the appearance of his father, grandfather and two wives, but what lingered was their pale faces before they died. He also remembered the various confessions his relatives had made to him during his lifetime. His grandfather wanted to learn to be wise and protect himself, his father wanted to wait for the right time, and his wife said that no one would fall in love with a saint. These words popped up one after another like bubbles in the deep sea. Coming out made Chen Chong extremely sad. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Have all the people living around him foresee the ending of his life?
He couldn't help but think about his son Chen Zhang. If he had been away from him for so long, would he resent him for not looking for him? He has been in the army for several years, and I don't know if he has grown up. If the father under the grave is alive, he will blame himself for not taking care of his children. At this time, Chen Chong turned to look at his two daughters. A Suo, dressed in white, was taking care of the dead grass in front of the tomb with Dong Bai, while A Yun was picking up a branch and flicking the ants on the ground. Both are short, much like their mother.
Chen Chong looked around with his hands behind his back. The bamboo forest was clean and there was no other sound except the wind shaking the leaves. He sighed in his heart for a moment, no matter how hard he worked for a lifetime, he would eventually have to die in the earth. When the time comes, listen to the wind and rain and the chirping of birds, and there will be no more disputes with the world. Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard Dong Bai calling him.
Dong Bai said: "Asuo is already sixteen."
Chen Chong smiled and said: "Not yet, she is only fifteen!" In fact, it was only a month or two, and it passed quickly. He understood what Dong Bai meant. Now was the age to get married. He originally wanted to talk about this matter after Asu was eighteen years old, but if he thought about it carefully, the world probably wouldn't understand. It would be better to get married earlier, but in the end he still had to Ask your daughter for her own advice.
So he took Ah Suo's hand and asked: "You are almost sixteen, which is the age to get married, but you won't be free after getting married. I'm afraid you won't get used to it. If you don't have any plans, just stay with me." In two years, if you find a man you like, my father will be your matchmaker."
Ah Suo has always been quiet, but her father asked so straightforwardly. For a moment, Xiafei raised her cheeks and lowered her head and said, "Last time Mr. He came to visit my father, I thought he was quite charming!"
Chen Chong was stunned again. He realized that his daughter was talking about He Yan. But in his opinion, He Yan is just a show-off and has no ability to do anything. Not to mention that he is a idiot, Chen Chong is already very well-educated, so why did he catch his daughter's eyes? His expression immediately darkened. Seeing that her father didn't reply, Ah Suo raised her eyes and peeked. She was startled by Chen Chong's frown. She quickly pulled her hand back and said cautiously: "But it's up to the adults to handle it."
Chen Chong couldn't help but smile bitterly when he saw his daughter's appearance. He rubbed his brow scar and thought again. Although He Yan has no talent, he is indeed a good person and can speak well. If his daughter marries him, at least she will not be offended. I don’t need a son-in-law to increase my power, so what do I need talents for? Even if your son doesn’t live up to expectations, if your daughter gets married, let’s just get married!
He turned to Dong Bai and asked, "Do you have any objections?"
Dong Bai said: "As long as my son-in-law does not go to war, and lives a peaceful life without making others afraid, I have nothing to ask for."
Chen Chong knew that his wife was complaining about him, so he smiled and consoled her: "The country is already in a state of chaos and there are not many wars left. In a few years, no one will have to go to the battlefield again."
The matter was settled just like that. When the second daughter Ah Yun saw that her eldest sister got what she wanted, she congratulated her. Chen Chong smiled and teased her: "Which good boy have you fallen in love with?"
Ah Yun was only thirteen years old. She raised her head and said softly: "I don't want to marry a scribe! I want to find a good husband who can bend a bow and shoot vultures!"
"Okay! Okay!" Chen Chong just stroked his beard and smiled, but Dong Bai glared back. He put down his hand sarcastically, put Chen Xiu on his neck, and slowly walked back to the old house. When leaving, he turned back and cast a last glance at the grave, thinking that if this life was going to last like this until the end, he actually had nothing to regret. Life is just a moment in the movement of heaven and earth, and it will eventually disappear in the years.
