At dusk, the Duke of Qin's mansion.
On the flat stone road, a carriage drove slowly, and the sound it made was extremely clear in this quiet inner house. The guards and retinue, whose standard of ceremony was obviously very high, stopped in front of the gate of the mansion. When the guards in front of the gate saw this, they quickly prepared to greet him.
The owner of the chariot is naturally the Duke of Qin, Liu Xu, who is returning home. I got out of the car on a low stool and paused after landing. The sun had not completely set yet, hanging in the west, emitting bursts of brilliant light. The bright sunset filled the sky, beautiful and colorful. It was indeed a good weather today.
After taking a few breaths of fresh air, my mind seemed to be clearer. Liu Xu is almost twenty-four years old, still a young man, but there is no trace of youthful spirit in his body, and his face is calm and impeccable.
When the master returns to the mansion, it affects almost the entire palace. After all, everything in the mansion revolves around him. Both the front yard and the backyard have entered a state of "high alert". Liu Xu actually doesn't like this ostentatious feeling, even in the immediate residence. However, as a prince and a duke, there are special circumstances when traveling back to the residence. There are etiquette and rules, and the people in the house follow the etiquette rules, so he can't blame him for anything.
"Your Highness is welcome back home!" In the hall, Madam Bai Ying personally served Liu Xu and helped him take off his court uniform and hat.
"Madam, there is no need to be polite!" Liu Xu took a seat, took the hot tea from the maid, and took a brief sip before turning his attention to his wife.
Bai was the wife chosen by the empress for him. She came from a well-known family and was a good lady. She had been married for many years. She could not be said to have any kind of Qin, Se or Ming, but she already had two children. Her feelings were After all, there are some. For Liu Xu, Bai Ying is his "hero" and respects him very much.
"I didn't know that my husband came home early today, and the food has not been prepared yet. We still have to wait for a while!" Bai Ying was a gentle wife. She put away her robe and handed it to the maid on the side, and then said to Liu Xu.
"It's okay!" Liu Xu's body relaxed a little, but there was a hint of fatigue clearly visible in his brows, and he smiled and said: "The affairs in the government office have been heavy recently, and now I finally have a break. I can also be grateful for my free time!"
The Lifanyuan of the Han Dynasty was established not long ago. Its function is to manage the affairs of foreign ethnic groups in the country and coordinate the relations between ethnic groups. In the past, it was almost a small and transparent department, but as the territory of the Han Dynasty expanded and more and more ethnic groups were annexed and appeased, the role of the Lifan Yuan gradually became apparent, and its power also increased. Now it is also the central authority among the various departments of the imperial court. Real power department.
As the leader of the Lifan Academy, Liu Xu shoulders heavy responsibilities and is naturally busy. Especially some time ago, the imperial court was systematically sorting out and reconciling the many ethnic groups within the Han Dynasty, and Liu Xu was even more busy.
Although Liuxi was young, thanks to Emperor Liu's training and practical political experience, and with Zhao Kuangzan's assistance, he became more and more comfortable in handling these complicated national affairs.
The last foreign-Tibetan conference ended successfully, which involved a lot of his hard work. It was a worthy political achievement of his and was recognized and praised by Emperor Liu.
"You have indeed worked hard during this period, and it's time to rest for a while!" Bai said caringly, noticing the fatigue in her husband's expression.
"Thank you for your concern, madam!" Liu Xu's smile remained unchanged, but he shook his head and replied stubbornly: "Working for the imperial court, a little hard work is nothing. The most important thing is to live up to the trust of the emperor and not delay national affairs. !”
After hearing what he said, Mrs. Bai sighed and gave no further advice. They had been husband and wife for almost seven years, and there was no crisis of "seven-year itch". However, her understanding of Liu Xu was also profound.
My husband is smart, tolerant and generous, and is as gentle as jade. He is a handsome gentleman, but at his core, he is stubborn and proud that outsiders don't know. There are many things that even her pillow partner can't dissuade.
"Where are those two boys?" After asking Bai to sit down, Liu Xu changed the subject and asked.
"Wenyuan has been called into the palace. Someone from the palace has just arrived. He will stay at Chuigong Hall to accompany His Majesty tonight!" Bai replied.
Hearing this, Liu Xu's lips subconsciously opened into a smile, and then he looked at Bai and said, "In the future, take them into the palace more often, go to Chui Gong Hall and Kunning Hall more often to say hello, and let your parents see Sun Yat-sen more often." Son, they will also be happy!"
"Yes!" Bai Shi was not interested in guessing Liu Xu's intentions, nor did she dare to guess, she just responded obediently.
Liu Xu now has two sons and one daughter. The eldest son Liu Wenyuan and the second son Liu Wenyuan are both born to the Bai family. Liu Wenyuan is only three years old now. From time to time, Emperor Liu will call him into the palace.
"On the contrary, Wenyuan..." Bai stopped talking.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Liu Xu's expression remained unchanged and his tone was low.
Gu Jin "I went out to visit the city today and encountered an evil dog running away on the street. I was a little frightened..." Bai's tone also contained a little anger: "I cried for a long time when I returned home, and then I comforted him. Come down!"
"There is such a thing!" In that moment, Liu Xu's eyes flashed a little coldly, and he stopped drinking tea and stood up: "Let me go and see him!"
Liu Wenyuan was the grandson of the emperor, and he also enjoyed the treatment of his father in the past. He was very favored by Emperor Liu, and they always became closer to each other across generations, and Emperor Liu was not exempt from this custom.
When Liu Xu went to visit, he had already woken up. Fortunately, the guard was able to protect him well. He was indeed frightened, and there were still a few tears on his face. But when he saw his father, he was alive and kicking again, and he described the vicious dog to Liu Xu with great interest. of evil.
He was also comforted. When he returned to the study, Liu Xu's expression was terrifyingly gloomy. Liu Xu's study is not luxuriously decorated, but it is very atmospheric. The air is filled with the fragrance of books. It is very quiet, giving people a sense of peace and tranquility.
But as a steward of the palace, standing there humbly, seeing Liu Xu with a gloomy expression behind the desk, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. Liu Xu didn't put on airs for long. He thought for a while and asked directly: "What is the situation regarding Wenyuan? Have you ever investigated clearly?"
After hearing the question, the steward immediately said: "Back to Your Highness, I have already investigated clearly. He is just the son of a wealthy businessman in Nancheng. He was passing through the market with his dog and wanted to fight. The vicious dog escaped from its leash and surprised the eldest son!"
"Is there anything strange in it?" Liu Xu asked with a blank expression and doubt in his eyes.
The steward replied: "You have inquired carefully, it should be just an accident!"
Hearing this, Liu Xu was silent for a while and said coldly: "At the feet of the emperor, in the most virtuous area, are there people like this who are swaying through the city with evil dogs? Is what happened to Zhang Congde happening again?"
Zhang Congde is the second son of the late Dingguo Duke Zhang Yanwei (the one who was scared to death by Emperor Liu). In his early years, he also had a dog run into the hands of Dang Jin after passing through the market. He was given a lesson. Later, Zhang Yanwei ordered the dog to be killed. Cooking meat has just come to an end.
Of course, Liu Xu didn't care about such an arrogant and domineering person. What he cared about was that he shocked his son and almost caused harm, which forced him to think more.
"Where are the people?" Liu Xu asked.
"Luoyang Mansion has taken him into custody, and I have also urged Zhao Fuyin to carefully judge and question the charges!" The steward immediately said flatteringly, hoping to alleviate Liu Xu's anger.
Unexpectedly, Liu Xu became even more angry and stared at the steward: "What kind of status do you have, do you dare to supervise Zhao Kuangyi? What kind of yamen is Luoyang Mansion? Can I, the Duke of Qin, boss me around? You are very brave. You're not young, do you rely on the government like this on weekdays to show off your power?"
Hearing this, a trace of panic appeared on the steward's face. He knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Highness, forgive me! I really didn't dare! I was just worried about the young master. In my eagerness, I acted rashly. I still hope that Your Highness will do it." Forgive me, I will never dare to be so arrogant again..."
Seeing his begging for mercy, Liu Xu calmed down, his anger suppressed to the bottom of his heart again. After thinking for a while, he waved his hand: "Get up!"
Not much else to say, but for managers, it is great news. The Duke of Qin's government was still very strict in running the family, and Liu Xu believed that his servants would not dare to act so arbitrarily.
"The guards have served well and will be rewarded! From now on, Wen Yuan is not allowed to leave the house at will, and must strengthen protection!" After thinking for a while, Liu Xu raised his hand and ordered: "As for this matter, continue the investigation. If it is really just an accident, let Luoyang Mansion judge. That’s it, no need to bother anymore!”
"Yes!" the steward responded quickly.
"Is there anything else going on in the house?" Liu Xu asked again.
"My uncle came over today and brought some gifts. He said they were sea goods sent by Geng Zhizhou from Mizhou!" said the steward.
The uncle mentioned by the steward was naturally Liu Xu's uncle, Geng Chongen, who was the palace supervisor at the time, and the county magistrate Geng was his cousin Geng Jixun. Speaking of which, he was recommended by Liu Xu to serve in a local area. After seven or eight years, he was already the governor of a state.
