Chapter 288: Handsome
Chapter 288: Handsome (Added for leader wangzechao8)
After February 2nd, the weather suddenly became warmer.
The water is gurgling, the grass is growing, the birds are singing, the breeze is blowing, and the flowers are blooming.
In the countryside of Yingyin, a group of people were enjoying a spring outing.
They were in high spirits, talking and laughing loudly, and instead of taking the good post road, they headed for a place where there was no road.
He waded through the grass, crossed the stream, and passed through the woods until he saw that he could no longer walk. He then laughed heartily and ordered his servants to set up the venue.
Well, this is indeed the style of a scholar.
Some people think that they are spontaneous and unrestrained.
Some people think they are crazy...
The servants skillfully spread the felt carpet on the ground and placed futons, food utensils, wine utensils, musical instruments, pens, ink, paper and inkstones and other items on it.
The guards went to chop firewood, which was used to make tea, warm wine and even cook meals.
Yu Min and Xun Jun walked side by side, occasionally exchanging a few words.
Not far away is a large tract of farmland with green wheat seedlings growing well.
In the woods beside the farmland, there are chirping insects and birds, green leaves on the trees, and gurgling springs.
Among the red flowers and green trees, there were many people in tall hats and wide belts, the sound of laughter was heard constantly, and occasionally one could see white jade wine jars hidden in the green leaves and red-dressed musicians flashing by.
"There are many talented people in Ruying." Yu Min said with emotion.
Xun Jun put his hands behind his back, smiled and said nothing.
He and Yu Min were not familiar with each other and had only met two or three times in decades. This was because he was the contemporary Marquis of Jibei County and most of the time he was either in Yanzhou Jibei State or traveling around. He rarely returned to his hometown in Yingchuan.
In addition to his personality, although Yu Min was a minister, he still did not try to curry favor with Xun Jun, but maintained a slight sense of alienation.
However, in his hometown of Yingyin, his identity is indeed the most suitable for socializing.
His grandfather Xun Xu was a founding hero and had ten sons, seven of whom were not well-known. Only Ji, Fan and Zu became prominent officials.
Xun Ji was the second son of Xun Xu. Because his elder brother died early, he inherited the title of Marquis of the County.
After Xun Ji's death, Xun Jun inherited the title of Marquis of Jibei County, so his status was noble and could even be compared with his two elders, Xun Fan and Xun Zu.
He certainly has reason to be proud.
"Your Excellency, do you know that after Wang Mi's rebellion the year before last, the Marquis of Chen vigorously promoted the planting of winter wheat? This alone saved countless lives." Yu Min stretched out his hand, pointed at the green wheat fields, and said, "Last year there was a severe drought, and most of the millet planted by the people of Yingchuan in the spring was destroyed, and the harvest was greatly reduced and the crop was severely poor. After the autumn rain, wheat was planted in the hope of a good harvest next year. Wait another three months, and the wheat can be harvested. By then, even if there are locusts and drought, it will be as stable as a mountain."
Xun Jun nodded slightly.
Some things are right and wrong. He even disdains to say black is white and white is black, because that would be meaningless.
"Ji Sang and Shi Le rebelled in Hebei. Two major battles took place at Feixiang and Yemagang. The Marquis of Chen wiped out tens of thousands of the bandits, preventing them from invading the south," Yu Min continued.
"The Xiongnu invaded our borders for years and were advancing towards Luoyang. At that time, it was the Marquis of Chen who raised an army to drive out the bandits and protect Luoyang."
"This kind of brave man is exactly what the scholars of Yuzhou need."
"The Lord of Chen is indeed good at commanding troops. Wang Kan, Wang Shiwen, Pei Xian, and Liu Qia are all inferior to him." Xun Jun commented.
"Now Wang Mi and Shi Le are wreaking havoc in Puyang, and Yuan Yanzhou is unable to control them. The bandits may move south to Chenliu, Jiyin and even Yingchuan at any time. Your Excellency might as well think about whether the King of Xincai can resist?" After saying this, Yu Min shook his head and sighed.
Xun Jun didn't say anything, just walked silently and soon arrived at the gathering place.
"Duke Yu, Duke Xun." Everyone stopped laughing and came forward to greet them.
Yu Min smiled in return.
Xun Jun returned the greeting with a stern face.
"You are a talented person, please sit down." Yu Min put his hands down and said with a smile.
After saying this, he sat cross-legged like a Hu person.
Everyone took their seats.
Yu Min took a quick look and found that most of the descendants of the Yingchuan clans had arrived. He knew many of them and had even commented on them by him.
The relationships among the various families in Yingchuan were also very complicated, and this had been the case since the Later Han Dynasty.
For example, Li Gu and Li Ying once took Xun Shu as their teacher, and Xun Shu and Li Ying treated Chen Shi as their teacher.
Zhong Jiao married Li Ying's aunt, Xun Yu married his daughter to Chen Qun, Zhong Yao was Xun Xu's grandfather, and so on.
Well, it seems that the Yu family had nothing to do with it. At that time, the Chen family and the Xun family were indeed more powerful, and the relationship between the two families was also very close.
In addition to these two families, there were more than 20 aristocratic families of all sizes in Yingchuan County. Some counties even had several of them, which was very densely populated. You can imagine the living conditions of the local people. It was not easy to be a self-employed farmer.
Yu Liang looked at Yu Min inquiringly in the crowd, and Yu Min nodded slightly.
Yu Liang clapped his hands and the musicians started playing music.
For a moment, the atmosphere became lively with the sound of stringed instruments.
Yu Liang had a smile on his face. This is the real life of a scholar.
What the hell is Guangchengze "prison"? Every day I face a group of unkempt soldiers. All I see is beautiful mountains and rivers, but it's boring.
Yingchuan is still the best, with plenty of enjoyment!
After a round of drinking, someone got into a good mood and sang a long song, which won applause from the whole room.
"Shuzhi has always been upright. I didn't expect that he is also good at this." Yu Liang seemed to have returned to the monkeys in the Flower-Fruit Mountain and laughed heartily.
Zhou Mo smiled shyly and raised his cup to show respect.
He was the magistrate of Yangdi, and was born in the Zhou family of Runan. Since the Han Dynasty, the scholars of Ru and Ying have always been referred to as one, and "Ru" refers to Runan. Because Yangdi was next to Yingchuan, when Yu Min passed by, he called him over to join the party and help play the side drums.
"Xiao" was a form of entertainment that the scholars at that time were very keen on.
"Shuowen Jiezi" says: "Xiao means the sound of blowing, from the mouth, solemn sound."
Zheng Xuan said that "xiao" is the sound made with pursed lips.
It's actually just whistling.
During the Western Han Dynasty, whistling was the sound of summoning ghosts, and there were sayings such as "whistling at the Yin" and "calling at the Yang".
By the Later Han Dynasty, its meaning became richer.
When Zhuge Liang lived in seclusion in Longzhong, he was calm every morning and night, often hugging his knees and whistling - everyone can imagine the scene of Zhuge Liang hugging his knees and whistling alone in the morning and at night...
This is a peaceful and tranquil howl.
Zhou Mo just roared with joy in his heart.
"After Xie Youyu (Xie Kun) broke his teeth, he hasn't heard such a beautiful song for a long time. He should drink this cup to the full." Yu Min raised the cup high and drank it all in one gulp.
Everyone also raised their glasses and drank.
After chatting and laughing for a while, Yu Min suddenly looked sad.
Everyone was puzzled, but not surprised.
Scholars value their true nature, so it is normal for them to suddenly cry while laughing.
"It is indeed pleasant when the house is filled with friends, listening to stringed instruments, singing and appreciating graceful dances. But I don't know how many days like this will last." After Yu Min finished sighing, he whistled a tune and shed a few tears.
Everyone felt sad.
"Uncle, why do you have to do this?" Yu Liang advised, "I heard that Lord Chen will lead his troops eastward. Even if there are bandits heading south, they will not be able to withstand the attack of the silver spear soldiers. Yingchuan will be safe."
"Although Lord Chen is brave, his Silver Spear Army has only a few thousand men. How can we stop them when Shi Le and Wang Mi have more than 100,000 soldiers together?" Yu Min sighed.
"Yingchuan is a large county with abundant money and grain and a large population." Yu Liang said, "If we support the Marquis of Chen, it will not be difficult to defeat the enemy."
This makes sense.
Yingchuan is not the Yingchuan of the imperial court, but the Yingchuan of the aristocratic families. It has been densely populated since the Han Dynasty. As long as we contribute some money, food and people to help Chen Hou defeat the enemy, it should not be difficult.
The uncle and nephew of the Yu family sang in unison, and who among the others did not understand? Even the purpose of today's gathering was vaguely known to everyone.
Life is like a play, it all depends on acting skills, and everyone present is an actor.
Don’t feel that your acting is awkward; it’s not important. As long as the emotions and meanings are expressed well, it’s OK if the artistic techniques are a bit exaggerated.
Everyone present turned their eyes to Xun Jun.
Xun Jun silently put down his wine cup and said, "The world has indeed changed."
Everyone waited patiently for his next words.
"Lu Zidao has been in Xiang for several months, and all he does is collect money and food and conscript men. Is this what the Marquis of Chen taught him?" Xun Jun asked.
"Maintaining troops requires money and food, and defending against the enemy requires manpower." Yu Min replied.
"If it stops here, it's not unacceptable. The world is like this, and we need to get through this difficult time together." Xun Jun sighed and said, "What does Lord Chen think of the scholars of Yingchuan?"
"Why are you worried, my Lord?" Yu Min said with a smile, "My niece has been engaged to Lord Chen, and the talented people in Yingchuan are all his own people."
Xun Jun felt a little relieved, but still felt a little worried.
The other children from the families felt much more relieved.
A military leader who married into the Yingchuan noble family was indeed more trustworthy than an unknown outsider. Moreover, some of them had visited Chen Hou last year and had a good impression of him.
Moreover, a batch of money and grain had already been offered last year...
If there is one, there will be another. Who doesn't want money and food these days? It is a great kindness to be able to spend money to avoid disasters. The most terrible thing is that the money is gone and the people are gone too.
"I heard that Lu Yuzhou recommended Chen Liangfu to be the governor of Yingchuan. Is this true?" Xun Jun asked again.
"This is true." Yu Min said.
Xun Jun nodded, stroking the wine glass, not knowing what he was thinking about.
Chen Liangfu is Chen Kuang, the younger brother of Chen Jing. During the time of the previous emperor, he was the tutor of Crown Prince Sima Yi.
If this is true, it means that the Chen family of Xuchang has completely sided with Lord Chen.
The Chen family of Xuchang and the Yu family of Yanling joined hands. With the support of the governor Lu Zhi from above and the Shao family's military group that was rampant in Luonan from below, other families were in trouble - the most feared thing was internal problems. Once someone betrayed them and a gap was opened, and they were no longer united, it would be easy for the enemy to take advantage of them.
Shao Xun gave such an important position of wife to the Yu family, which showed that he was determined to gain Yingchuan and even Yuzhou.
The situation is over! Xun Jun sighed secretly.
"Minister Yu will return to Luoyang tomorrow, right? It would be a good opportunity for us to go together." Xun Jun said.
"That's exactly what I meant." Yu Min nodded with a smile.
He knew that Xun Jun came to the capital to discuss matters with Shangshu Ling Xun Fan and Zhongshu Jian Xun Zu.
The Xun family of Yingyin was facing threats from two major forces, the Xiongnu and Shao Xun. They were in great danger and would face a miserable end if they were not careful. It was inevitable and reasonable for several people in charge of the family to sit down and discuss the matter.
I hope they can hurry up and not wait until Chen Hou's army arrives before they have come to an agreement. That would be bad.
Once the Xun family surrendered, other families lost the courage to unite and resist, and they became much easier to deal with.
Yingchuan has been settled! This is the work of the Yu family, how wonderful!
(End of this chapter)