Xia Houwei didn't know what the "herd effect" was, but he knew what "a embankment of a thousand feet collapsed with the holes of ants; a room with a hundred feet of feet burned with the bursts of gaps."
What's more, the Hedong Pei family is not just an ant, but a rare aristocratic family in Hedong and even the Central Plains.
As the Minister of the Wei Dynasty, Pei Qian voluntarily surrendered to Shu, and it was not as simple as the appearance of an ant's nest.
This is simply a part of the levee that has cracked - it cannot be blocked.
With such an extremely bad example, one can imagine how much shock it will have to the Guandong family.
So from this perspective, it can be easily understood why the Yang family has an ambiguous attitude and why the Xin family sent people westward.
Xiahou Wei returned to his house in a daze. His wife, Xiahou Cai, was shocked when she saw his lost look.
He only thought that he had encountered something evil outside, so he quickly had someone help him into the inner room, and called out in a trembling voice with fear:
"Alang, Alang, are you okay? Don't scare me!"
Fortunately, Xia Houwei quickly came to his senses after being called out by her.
He glanced at the wives, concubines, and children surrounding him, all of them were frightened, and suddenly felt something in his heart, remembering what Xia Houmao said:
There are more than a hundred people in the house, and they all point to me to help them find a way to survive...
If something really happened to me, would it happen to the wives, concubines, and children in my house?
Xia Houwei didn't dare to think about it anymore. He forced a smile and said, "I'm fine."
Seeing the worry on his family's faces, he knew they were still worried.
So he explained:
"I went to my second brother's house today and saw that the house was declining day by day, which made me feel sad."
"Think of me, the Xiahou family, how glorious it was for Emperor Zuowu to establish the foundation back then? Who would have thought that in just a few years, we would be in such decline?"
"I remember that when Emperor Wen was appointed Wu Guan Zhonglang General, he hosted a banquet for more than thirty guests. Zhu Jianping, a good physiognomist at that time, was present. He once made a prophecy for me, saying that I would be able to reach the state of Mu at the age of 49."
"But now..."
Xia Houwei pointed at himself, then around, and sighed:
"Given the situation our family is in right now, how dare we seek peace and wealth and high status? Looking back on the past and sighing at the present, I lose my mind."
Cai comforted him and said:
"Don't be confused before Alang arrives. It will still be eleven years until he reaches forty-nine. It's still a long time, so why bother?"
Xia Houwei smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"A man should make contributions early in his career. Some men have already led the army to battle and achieved great success at a young age. In their twenties, they have become a famous general and become famous all over the world."
"Standing with dignity, he is already the pillar of a country. Those who are enemies of him will be afraid of him."
"I am already thirty-eight years old and have not made any achievements yet, but I still hope for the position of state pastor in ten years. Isn't it ridiculous?"
Xia Houjun, the son of Xia Houwei, was very dissatisfied when he heard this:
"Your Majesty, this is an exaggeration. Is there such a person in the world? He is the Champion. It can be said that he died young and stood before the end of his life."
Xia Houwei was in a bad mood and didn't even look at his son. He just spit out a name: "Feng Yong, Feng Mingwen, Feng Thief."
Xia Houjun felt as if he had eaten shit and was choked to the point of being speechless.
Can a traitor from Shu be called the pillar of a country?
However, no matter how reluctant he was to admit it, after Ge Zei's death, Feng Zei had become the most cunning among the Shu captives.
At the same time, he was also the most talked about traitor among the princes of the Great Wei Dynasty, and his reputation was quite great.
But for young people of three or four generations like Xia Houjun, this person has been the opponent of his father's generation and even his grandfather's generation for so many years.
In many cases, it is easy for people to subconsciously feel that this thief is a contemporary of his father's generation, making people ignore his age.
Xia Houwei sighed again and murmured to himself in a low voice:
"More than ten years ago, Ge Thief called him a young hero. The great Wei Dynasty only thought that he was a Shu captive and had no one. Who could have imagined that he would be here today?"
Xia Houwei worries about the country through thieves, and Feng Junhou, who he called a "young hero" in the past and is now gradually becoming an "uncle hero", is dealing with official affairs with an irritable look on his face.
The emperor and empress officially moved into Weiyang Palace, and their marriage to Zhang Siniang was also put on the agenda.
This was something that had been expected for a long time.
But this involves a very critical issue.
Zhang Xingyi was taken to the palace because her marriage was approaching - the two were not allowed to see each other casually without getting married.
This one is also normal.
The key is that Mrs. Zhang is the secretary of General Zhendong's Mansion.
She is in charge of running the entire secretariat on weekdays.
Without the chief secretary, what is the secretariat called?
Now all the official affairs sorted out by the secretariat have been transferred to Feng Junhou.
Feng Junhou, who had been overwhelmed by official duties for many days in a row, was so angry that he cursed:
"When I was guarding Guanzhong alone, there were not so many troubles. Why did the emperor bring the chancellor to Chang'an, but there were so many more official duties?"
Immediately, he threw away the paperwork, stood up and walked outside:
"Come here, prepare your horses!"
"Where do you want to go?"
"In the palace, meet the emperor!"
The little fat man who was digging out ice cheese with a spoon in Weiyang Palace was so happy when he heard that his brother-in-law had come to the palace to see him, that he didn't even wipe the cheese stains from the corners of his mouth and said repeatedly:
"Quick, get Mingwen over here."
"Chen Yong..."
"It's clear, get up quickly. No need to be polite. Come on, sit down. Sit here."
Adou patted his side and greeted Feng Junhou.
Feng Junhou came to the palace aggressively. Faced with the emperor's enthusiasm, his momentum suddenly faltered and he hesitated:
"This isn't very good, Your Majesty? It's a bit too polite."
Adou didn't care. If the Queen saw it, who knew what she would think?
Guan Xiaojunhou is not around, and he is in the Queen's territory, so it is better to be cautious.
"It doesn't matter, there are no outsiders."
Feng Junhou looked around. Although he didn't find the queen, he was still unwilling to obey.
Adou had no choice but to have someone add a chair next to him, and Feng Junhou sat on it.
"What are you doing here? Why don't you give Mingwen a bowl of ice cream? You can't see that Mingwen is sweating? It's hot today!"
The palace man quickly brought a bowl of ice cream.
Adou raised his chin again and told the palace fan not far away:
"And that cool breeze, fan yourself towards Mingwen!"
Put ice cubes in the copper ice pan, which can not only refrigerate food, but also dispel the heat through the cool air it emits.
If there is someone nearby to fan the air, it is really an artificial air conditioner in the hot summer.
Feng Junhou was so hot that he thanked his brother-in-law and couldn't wait to take a big spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth.
Coupled with the cool breeze fanned by the palace attendants, he couldn't help but close his eyes and sigh in comfort.
The little fat guy really knows how to enjoy his mother's sex.
A Dou looked at Feng Zhendong's appearance, a smile appeared on his face, and he asked with a smile:
"Why is Mingwen free to enter the palace today?"
It was not good for Adou not to mention this, but when he mentioned it, Feng Zhendong's injustice was suddenly aroused again.
In this world, my surname is Liu, so why am I the one who works so hard, but Fatty Liu can be so relaxed?
No justice!
Feng Zhendong took another spoonful of ice cream and put it in his mouth. Before he could swallow it completely, he said:
"Your Majesty, I came here today to ask for your help."
Hearing Feng Zhendong's words, Adou couldn't help being surprised:
"There is actually a request for rescue in Chang'an City?"
After speaking, he waved his hands again and again, "With Mingwen's talent, if you find it difficult, then I'm afraid I won't be able to give Mingwen much help."
When Feng Junhou heard this, he almost choked on the ice cheese in his throat, and his eyes bulged out.
What the hell...
Can you face your identity?
Do you know what it means to look at someone who is not like a human being?
Adou, however, looked as usual and looked sincere, as if he was speaking the truth.
This is Chang'an, not Jincheng, let alone Hanzhong.
He really couldn't think of anyone who could force his brother-in-law to run to the palace and ask for help.
Except for a very few people.
Coincidentally, even the emperor would not dare to mess with these very few people.
However, as a brother-in-law, Adou is still very loyal:
"I am self-aware. Self-knowledge may not be able to help Mingwen much, but Mingwen might as well speak up and listen to it, and see if we can come up with an idea?"
Feng Junhou swallowed the ice cheese completely, then gave a thumbs up and praised:
"The most valuable thing about a person is self-knowledge. Your Majesty's words of 'self-knowledge' are already better than most kings in the past and present."
"The reason why a king is wise is that he listens at the same time; the reason why he is secretive is that he is partial to trust. A king who is able to listen to discussions and bend down to discuss with his ministers can be said to be a wise king."
After hearing this, Adou was so happy that his eyes almost closed with his chubby face. He pointed at Feng Junhou, shook his head and said with a smile:
"Mingwen's words really make me feel ashamed. If I can't do anything about this matter today, I'm afraid I won't be able to regret it! Okay, let's talk about it."
Feng Junhou coughed, tried hard to straighten his face, sighed again, and then said:
"Your Majesty, these days, I have been busy preparing for my marriage to my fourth mother, and at the same time I have to deal with various official duties. I really can't have a moment of leisure."
Having said this, he sat up straight again and beat his waist to show that he was tired:
"In the past, Siniang was always with me, helping me with official affairs, and I could still handle it. Now that Siniang is gone, I have accumulated a lot of official documents in my house."
"I finally know why the Prime Minister fell ill due to overwork..."
It's okay that Mr. Feng didn't mention his father-in-law. When he mentioned his father-in-law, Adou quickly sat up straight, nodded repeatedly and said:
"It's very true, since my father-in-law died of illness, if Jiang Gongyan hadn't come in time to help me stabilize the court, I would have been in a lot of trouble."
News of the prime minister's death spread to Shu. Although Feng Yong was guarding Guanzhong, many people in the court believed that Feng Yong was young and lacked qualifications.
And although he had leadership experience, the Hanzhong army plus the Liangzhou army numbered more than 100,000, and most of the Han's troops were under his control.
It is even more suitable for the three places of Bingzhou, Hedong and Guanzhong that were initially designated. The area is huge, but they all border on the bandits.
If Feng Yong's precautions were neglected and thieves took advantage of him, and the prime minister passed away, the morale of the troops at the front might be unstable. If there was a defeat, the country would be in danger of collapse.
In this situation, many people are suspicious and anxious.
Some people even suggested that they should voluntarily abandon the east of the river and let Feng Junhou concentrate on guarding Guanzhong to preserve the core results of this expedition against the bandits.
Only Jiang Wan stood out. He was on the right side of the group of officials. He had neither a sad look nor a happy expression. He behaved as if he were ordinary. He said:
"Feng Junhou became famous at a young age. He was well-equipped in civil and military affairs. He led an army to fight against thieves and never failed. In the past, he could defeat a hundred thousand thieves with 20,000 elite soldiers."
"Now we have led an army of more than 100,000 tigers and wolves to guard the pass. The thieves are too scared to avoid the danger. How dare they attack? Please be safe, gentlemen."
At the same time, he also personally supervised the transportation of grain and grass to ensure that there was no shortage of grain and grass for the army ahead.
In the next few months, the thieves did not dare to commit crimes, and everyone felt at ease.
When the news that Junhou Feng sent Wei Yan to capture Shangdang reached Hanzhong, all the princes in the court admired Jiang Wan's foresight, and everyone gradually became convinced.
It can be said that the Secretariat led by Jiang Wan is to Adou, what the Secretariat led by Zhang Xiaosi is to Feng Junhou.
Therefore, Adou can especially understand Feng Junhou's difficulties at this time.
"Your Majesty, it would be best if you could understand my difficulty. Do you think you can let Siniang go back to my house for two days to help me handle my official duties and then come back?"
As soon as Adou heard this request, a look of embarrassment suddenly appeared on his face:
"This, Mingwen, you know that this matter must be decided by the queen, and I can't interfere..."
Let me just say this, I don’t want to mess with anyone who can force Feng Mingwen into the palace to ask for help.
However, facing his brother-in-law's eyes that were filled with disappointment and implicit contempt, Adou probably felt that he was not very interesting:
"Let's see. I'll send someone to tell Siniang that you are coming to the palace. See if she can avoid the Queen coming to see you?"
Am I going to see Si Niang?
I want to take my mother-in-law home, do you understand?
Feng Junhou was very dissatisfied in his heart, but he bowed sincerely and thanked you: "I thank you, Your Majesty."
Adou started waving his hands again:
"What's the point of thanking my family for coming and going?"
After he finished speaking, he turned his head and gestured.
An eunuch appears quietly like a ghost.
It was none other than Huang Hu, the chief internal officer, who was an old acquaintance.
When the emperor and the empress left the palace and went to the imperial village, they ordered Feng Junhou to meet the emperor, and they basically sent Huang Hu to contact them.
After Huang Hu listened to Adou's instructions, he smiled slightly at Feng Junhou and retreated like a civet cat again.
After chatting with Adou for a while, when Huang Hu came back to report, Adou burst out laughing:
"It's clear, it's done!"
Feng Junhou quickly stood up: "I will always thank your Majesty."
"I see you're in a hurry." Adou shook his head, "You two haven't seen each other for a long time, so go quickly."
"Your Majesty, please follow me here."
The Han emperor was not very luxurious, and he had just arrived in Chang'an not long ago, so there were many uninhabited houses in Weiyang Palace.
Huang Hu led Feng Junhou to the door of a side hall, stopped, and then bowed to signal Feng Junhou to go in by himself.
Feng Junhou stepped into the palace. After the palace door behind him slowly closed, he saw a figure rushing out from the darkness.
"You're so heartless, I thought you really wouldn't come to the palace to see me!"
The figure jumped straight into Feng Junhou's arms, and with one last jump, his legs were directly wrapped around Feng Junhou's waist, and his whole body was hung on Feng Junhou's body.
Holding the person in his arms and smelling the familiar smell, Feng Junhou easily picked up Zhang Xingyi:
"How is that possible? Now that you're gone, I can't eat or sleep well. I miss you so much!"
As the saying goes, a little separation is better than a new marriage.
The two of them had been apart for so long, and now they suddenly hugged each other closely in this dim side hall, their hearts aflame and their breathing became heavy.
The sound of rustling sounds sounded like a man and a woman having an affair.
I don’t know how long it took, but on the couch in the side hall, Zhang Xingyi seemed to have melted into Feng Junhou, and there was no trace of strength in his body.
Even the voice is greasy:
"How are you these days, A Mo?"
After finishing the business, I thought of my son.
"Fortunately, I just cry for my mother sometimes."
Zhang Xiaosi was taken to the palace by the queen, but Feng Amo could only stay in the Feng family.
In General Guan's words, Feng Amo is a bloodline of the Feng family. As long as she, the aunt, is here, no one can take him away.
"Then you have to marry me quickly, otherwise, I'm afraid my child will disown me."
Feng Junhou sighed:
"You tell me I don't want to? I'm more anxious than you! As soon as you left, I realized that we can't live without you at all."
"It's just this matter. What's the use of being anxious? I still have to follow the process. After all, I can't make the decision. Otherwise, why would I come to see you secretly now?"
Zhang Xingyi smiled softly and seemed very satisfied with Feng Junhou's answer.
But the tone was humming:
"Have you just remembered how good I am now? Huh! Tell me, did you encounter some difficulty again? Your Mrs. Zuo, who only knows how to kill people with a knife, can't help, so she came to find me?"
There is a priority when entering the door, and there is no dignity when standing side by side, only left and right.
That's what I say, but the big man respects the left.
General Guan walked in first and settled on the left lady. Secretary Zhang, who came in later, could only be the right lady no matter how unwilling she was.
"What are you talking about? I just miss you so much, so I came to the palace to see you."
"Of course, if there is something wrong, there is indeed something wrong. Madam Right, you have always been my best friend, but I can't trust anyone else except you."
The right lady chuckled and said in a soft voice:
"Alang, come and listen?"
