For Xia Houmao, a poisonous woman and a cheap maid might kill him at some point.
But the big man's trading channels can not only save his life, but also ensure that he has enough food and clothing.
Which one is more important, which one is less important, and which one should be given up? Anyone with normal intelligence knows how to choose.
Seeing that Xia Houmao had made up his mind, Xia Houxuan couldn't help but let out a long sigh when he thought of the current situation in the Wei Dynasty.
Everyone has their own ambitions, and what my uncle said is not unreasonable.
He himself can be "fluctuated by all things and not be tired of himself", detached from things, and indifferent to life and death, but he cannot ask others to be as unafraid of life and death as he is.
After figuring this out, Xia Houxuan quickly regained his energy:
"That's fine. All three of our Xiahou clan's veins will be retained, and each one will be transferred to one place."
"If any of them regains momentum in the future, the disciples of the remaining two groups may be able to take advantage of it."
"Opposite to pole!"
Xia Houmao on the side quickly swallowed the tea in his mouth and nodded repeatedly:
"I went to Zhongquan this time. In fact, it can be regarded as abandoning my family and career and going there to start over. Isn't it just to give our Xiahou family one more choice?"
Xia Houwei resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
My second brother is in Han. Doesn’t it count as a choice anymore?
Xia Houxuan's reaction was rather dull.
He just glanced at his uncle.
Alas, while the Han Dynasty was becoming more and more powerful, the Wei Dynasty was busy with party disputes and divisions.
Regardless of the position, choosing Han at this time may not be a wise choice.
But with his uncle's abilities... I don't know if he can gain a foothold in the Han Kingdom?
But I remembered that there was another person over there in Han.
Xia Houxuan looked at Xia Houwei again, opened his mouth, but ultimately did not mention it.
Time was tight and things were urgent. Since the three of them had made their own decisions, they didn't say anything else. After discussing some key details and agreeing on a time, they went back to their homes to prepare.
Xia Houxuan returned to the back hall, summoned his wife Li Huigu, and told her what had happened.
An ordinary woman would probably be frightened and uneasy.
Most of those who are stronger and more independent-minded can only follow Alang's arrangements, pack their things, and prepare silently.
Li Huigu was different. As the wife of a leader of metaphysics, she had a similar temperament to Xia Houxuan, so she was naturally outstanding.
She is a monastic.
That's right, Li Huigu practiced Taoism.
Cultivating Taoism during the Three Kingdoms period did not mean that you had to abandon your family and children.
It is precisely because Li Huigu practices Taoism that her temperament has always been indifferent, which is quite compatible with Xia Houxuan, who is devoted to aloofness.
After listening to Xia Houxuan's arrangement, she nodded calmly and then asked:
"The caravan sent by my uncle is crowded, and no matter how hard we try to cover it up, there will inevitably be omissions when there are women and children in the caravan, so what should we do?"
Xia Houxuan smiled and said:
"In the past few months, how many families have left Luoyang and fled to other places? Rich families can organize their own guards, but ordinary families can only travel in groups."
"It's a rare opportunity to be able to follow the caravan now. Isn't it normal to have women and children among them?"
"Besides, the caravan is flying the flag of the Tutor's Mansion. Unless there is an order, who will search it?"
Not to mention the times of war, even in times of peace, travelers must travel together.
Otherwise, if you walk alone to a place with no one or few people, you will disappear inexplicably.
Looking at her Alang's relaxed and happy face, Li Huigu looked calm:
"What about Alang? Has Alang ever thought about the consequences of staying in Luoyang?"
Xia Houxuan was startled and looked into Li Huigu's clear eyes:
"Why did Mr. Xi say this?"
Li Huigu sighed softly:
"The matter of my sister-in-law has made Alang and Master Sima very close to each other. However, Alang is too famous. Master Sima has no excuse, so he doesn't dare to do anything to Alang easily."
The sister-in-law Li Huigu mentioned was Xia Houxuan's biological sister.
At the same time, she also gave birth to five daughters to Master Sima, but they were poisoned by Master Sima himself and claimed to be Xia Houhui who died violently.
Li Huigu is not an ordinary woman, she has a lot of experience.
When a plague broke out in Luoyang in the early years, she even went to the outside of the city to collect herbs to treat the people.
If we say that Xia Houxuan has a great reputation among the literati in Wei State.
Then his wife Li Huigu was benevolent in giving orders to the people.
In addition, Xia Houxuan and his wife have been together for many years, and they have a similar mind. At this time, Xia Houxuan's thoughts are probably not hidden from her:
"Now our mansion is surrounded by the eyes and ears sent by the Sima clan. If Alang wants to send us out of the city, he will definitely do something to attract the attention of the Sima clan, right?"
Xiahou's escape from Luoyang could not be concealed for long.
When the time comes, Master Sima will surely discover Alang's purpose. How can he be lenient?
Xia Houxuan looked at Li Huigu, his eyes showing warmth that had never been shown to outsiders. He stretched out his hand and gently stroked Li Huigu's hair:
"If you and your children can leave Luoyang safely at the cost of my own life, why should you be afraid of my death?"
Li Huigu raised her head, her face was still as elegant as a chrysanthemum, her eyes were clear and solid.
Xia Houxuan also stared at her, as if he wanted to carve everything about her into his heart:
"If, I mean if, something happens to me..."
At the same time, his hand slid down to Li Huigu's face, and his thumb slid gently, as if he wanted to integrate the touch of the two of them into his own flesh and blood.
His voice seemed to be floating in his ears:
"Just find a good family to marry. I've already told my uncle that they can take care of the child."
Li Huigu blinked and suddenly smiled. The smile on her face was like a gentle ripple on the surface of a calm lake:
"At the age of fourteen, she is a gentleman's wife. She still has a shameful face. She lowers her head to the dark wall and never calls her back a thousand times. At the age of fifteen, she raises her eyebrows and is willing to be with the dust and ashes. I always keep the letter holding the pillar, how can I go to the husband's platform?"
Although Feng Mingwen was the sworn enemy of the Wei Dynasty, he had to admit that he was indeed the most outstanding literary talent after King Chen Si (aka Cao Zhi).
The original name is "Changganxing", and the world often calls it "Poems of Childhood Sweethearts", which describes a woman's thoughts.
Li Huigu read a few lines from the poem. The words were not clearly stated, but her thoughts were revealed.
When Xia Houxuan heard these lines of poetry, his eyes became hot and tears almost fell.
Li Huigu raised her hand and pressed it on the back of Xia Houxuan's hand, her eyebrows became gentle:
"If something unexpected happens to Alang, I will try to raise the child, go to the mountains to practice Taoism, or treat the sick and suffering people. I still feel that there is not enough time in my life, so why waste time on remarrying?"
Although Li Huigu spoke softly, Xia Houxuan, who knew her well, knew that once she made up her mind, she would never change it.
He couldn't help but hug her into his arms.
The two hugged each other quietly for a while, and then separated.
"I'm going to clean up."
"good."
Li Huigu left with three turns, and Xia Houxuan watched her figure disappear around the corner.
——
At dusk, Xia Houxuan appeared at the door of Taifu's Mansion and handed a greeting note to the concierge:
"Please inform me that Xia Houxuan is here to visit the Central Supervisory Army."
If it had been anyone else, the concierge would have simply refused.
But Xia Houxuan's reputation made the concierge dare not neglect him.
After a while, Sima Zhao appeared in Xia Houxuan's field of vision.
"Taichu! Taichu, why are you here?"
Sima Zhao's face was filled with surprise, joy, and even some disbelief.
Seeing Sima Zhao's appearance, a trace of guilt flashed in Xia Houxuan's eyes.
Unlike Master Sima, although Xia Houxuan and Sima Zhao were not close friends, they were not estranged either.
Sima Zhao, on the other hand, had some respect and affection for Xia Houxuan, a famous "Four Cong" scholar.
"I heard that the Central Guards Army (i.e. Sima Shi) was ill, so I came to visit him."
"Taichu is determined, he is determined! Zhao thanks my brother!"
There was some emotion in Sima Zhao's tone.
Sima Zhao naturally knew about the grudges between Master Sima and Xia Houxuan.
But no matter what, the relationship between the two people was that of brother-in-law and uncle.
In Sima Zhao's view, Taichu's ability to put aside his past grudges and come to visit was truly rare.
If others come, it may be suspected of flattery.
But with Taichu's reputation and status, why should he cater to the Sima family?
"I wonder how the Central Guards Army's condition is?"
Sima Zhao hesitated for a moment, then his face quickly returned to its natural state:
"Wuyouer, I just need to rest. Taichu, please come with me to talk."
When he said this, Sima Zhao concealed it very well. He turned sideways and held his hands, avoiding Xia Houxuan's eyes.
Xia Houxuan nodded and followed Sima Zhao into the palace hall.
"My wife is proficient in medical skills, so I have collected some rare medicinal materials in my house. I just don't know if they will be useful for the Central Guards' condition."
Before the host and guest took their seats, Xia Houxuan took out a small wooden box and handed it to Sima Zhao.
Sima Zhao took it over unexpectedly and then thanked him:
"Taichu is interested, please sit down."
Xiahou Xuan sat down as he was told, then shook his head:
"It's not that it's intentional or not, but now that the Western thieves are approaching and the people of Luoyang are unstable, it's the time when the Central Guards need to step forward."
When Sima Zhao heard this, his face felt a little hot.
He naturally knows what has happened in Luoyang these days.
But his prestige is far inferior to that of Master Sima.
In addition, the means and skills are even more incomparable.
Not to mention the sharpness of the Western bandits' troops, let alone Sima Shi, even Sima Yi would not dare to plunder his tassel.
How could Sima Zhao, who started in hell mode, give Luoyang officials enough confidence?
Therefore, chaos and panic in Luoyang are almost inevitable.
But no matter how many reasons there are, they can't hide the fact that these situations only occurred after Sima Zhao took charge of Luoyang.
If it were anyone else, Sima Zhao would probably suspect that the other party was mocking him.
But he knew that Xia Houxuan would not do this. If he really meant this, he would probably say it directly.
Guo heard Xia Houxuan continue to say:
"Although I am not on good terms with Ziyuan, I came here to deliver medicine to him this time, not for any other purpose, but for the sake of Wei."
Speaking of this, Xia Houxuan sighed:
"Luoyang is the capital of the Wei Dynasty after all. If it is taken away by the Western thieves, the morale of the Wei army and people will be severely damaged."
After glancing at Sima Zhao, he continued:
"The Grand Tutor must also know this, but why has he not returned to Beijing for so long?"
"What Taichu said is really rude!" Sima Zhao had a wry smile on his face.
Others don't know, and he doesn't believe that Xiahou Taichu doesn't know that he is in charge of Luoyang at this time.
Xia Houxuan naturally understood the meaning of Sima Zhao's words and said bluntly:
"Your Majesty is loyal, tolerant, and wise. He is a philanthropist. Given time, he will definitely be able to appoint talents and make great achievements. It's a pity..."
Xiahou Xuan paused for a moment.
Sima Zhao quickly asked: "What's the pity?"
Even the most famous people in the world may not be able to catch Xiahou Taichu's eyes.
I never thought that I would receive such high praise from the other party today. If word spreads in the future, my reputation will definitely reach a higher level.
"It's a pity that my experience is a little bit shallow. If I can have a few more years of experience, Zhongda can add another helping hand!"
After hearing this, Sima Zhao couldn't help but grin, but he realized that Xia Houxuan was talking about "a few more years of experience", not about his current self.
He looked at Xia Houxuan, his eyes burning, and he almost said, "With Taichu's great talent, why don't you come into the house to help?"
Just remembering that even his own master failed to convince the other party, Sima Zhao couldn't help but feel guilty.
When the words came to my lips, they turned into:
"Tai Chu has received the award, and I am ashamed that I don't deserve it."
As he spoke, his face changed to a slightly sad look:
"My lord is currently far away in Yecheng, and my brother is ill and needs to rest. Everything in Luoyang is extremely chaotic. As Taichu said, although Zhao has good intentions, he often makes mistakes while busy, alas!"
Looking at Xia Houxuan with some hope, "Based on what I saw at the beginning, what should I do?"
Xia Houxuan was silent for a moment, then shook his head:
"To be honest, I have been thinking about how to resolve the current crisis in Luoyang these days."
"Of course," Xia Houxuan sighed, "I've thought about it, but I don't have any clue, unless..."
Xia Houxuan looked at Sima Zhao, "Unless the Taifu leads the army back and takes advantage of the bandits' unpreparedness to recapture Hangu Pass, otherwise, we can only fight to the death with the bandits under Luoyang City."
"This is impossible. The imperial court has issued an edict to supervise the military affairs of Jizhou." Sima Zhao shook his head, "Besides, there is a road leading to Jizhou from Bingzhou. Your Excellency also has to guard against the Western bandits from Bingzhou. How can we lead the army back?"
As for a decisive battle with the Western bandits under Luoyang City, that is even more impossible.
Who doesn't know that the Western thieves are extremely sharp and difficult to resist?
In the past, my lord was under Chang'an City, and with the support of the entire Wei Dynasty, no one thought of a decisive battle with the Western bandits.
Now that Xuchang is constantly constrained, how could it be possible for the master to lead the army back to Luoyang under the city of Luoyang to make a final stand against the Western thieves?
The last shot indeed.
Winning is just maintaining the status quo.
If they lose, the Sima family may never recover.
If it were Sima Zhao himself, it would be impossible for him to make this choice.
Xia Houxuan naturally knew that this method would not work at all.
However, he did not come here this time to discuss with Sima Zhao how to defend Luoyang.
He just wanted to delay time and attract attention at the same time.
Xiahou Xuan knew that he was the one who worried the Sima family the most among the three Xiahou clans.
As long as he appeared openly and walked on the street, even if he did nothing, it would be enough to distract the spies.
"What Zishang said is correct." Xia Houxuan sighed, "What about Yi Zishang's intention?"
(End of chapter)
