Chapter 331 That’s it

Chapter 331 That’s it

Chapter 331 That’s it
It was the seventh day of December, and it was another bad day with wind and snow.

After leaving Hulao Pass, we passed through Chenggao, Gongxian, and Yanshi to Luoyang. The entire journey was more than 100 miles and arrived in a few days.

At this time, Luoyang had just recovered from the shock of war.

This year the Huns gave us some face by not coming until October or November, allowing some of the grains that had been planted early to be harvested.

But they did not give them any face. Many grains that were not harvested until mid-to-late October, and even turnips dug in winter, were taken away by the Huns and became their military rations and horse feed.

Naturally, winter wheat was not planted in Luoyang and its surrounding areas this year as there was not enough time.

As for how many people will plant millet next spring, it is hard to say.

South of Luoyang City, a large number of scholars and civilians did not want to stay in Luoyang for years, so they rushed south, passed through Yique and Huanyuan Pass, and headed south.

Neither Yuzhou nor Jingzhou were their destinations, but Jiangzhou and Yangzhou were.

These people were not traveling alone, but were accompanied by a large group of people, large and small carriages, and a large number of servants.

Once they leave, they will never come back to Luoyang.

Perhaps he would also call up his clansmen who were still in his hometown in the north, and take their troops, food, and all the gold, silver, books, and livestock they could take away, and head to Wu to start a new life.

The so-called migration of the elite to the south did not start after the fall of Luoyang. In fact, every time Luoyang was besieged, every time there was a war in the surrounding area, and every time there was a natural disaster or man-made disaster, a group of people crossed the river and headed south.

This is a long-term process.

After the army arrived in Luoyang, most of the auxiliary troops were disbanded, leaving only about 3,000 people.

The Yicong Army and the government soldiers also left.

Winter is the off-season for farming, but the common people don't necessarily have time to relax. There are a lot of things to do at home, so it's better to let them go back so that they won't have too much resistance when they are called up next year.

Shao Xun moved into Jingu Garden.

After many rounds of looting, nothing is left of this once luxurious manor.

The crabapple grove is even covered with horse manure and sheep dung.

The house was completely empty, without even a bed. There were some remaining furniture, but they were often missing parts, and it seemed that they had been chopped up and used as firewood.

Well, there seems to be some "graffiti" on the wall.

Shao Xun took a look and found that most of the comments were cursing him.

Which bastard is so uncultured? You can write, which means you have some culture, so why are you using foul language to insult me?

Logically speaking, after so many years of fighting, we haven't killed many Huns, right?
The Battle of Yemagang, the Battle of Dayang, and the Battle of Weishui were all annihilating battles, and most of the people killed were traitorous troops, right?

I only killed one or two thousand Xiongnu in an ambush at Qili Pass. How could there be such a strong hatred? Fuck! Next time I go to Pingyang, I will sleep with your princess and queen.

"Your Excellency, are you not going to Luoyang?" Wang Bing became anxious before anyone else spoke.

"No hurry, let's get some information first." Shao Xun said, "Besides, if I enter Luoyang, I will definitely bring a large army with me. The whole city will be in turmoil, which is not good. If the emperor doesn't know the truth and thinks I am rebelling, and flees in a hurry, wouldn't that be counterproductive?"

Wang Bing was dumbfounded.

Is the Lord of Chen no longer even pretending? Is it really appropriate to make up stories about the emperor in front of him?

However, there seems to be a strange kind of pleasure.

Wang Bing felt that something was wrong with him, but he also felt that it was really fun to arrange things for the emperor.

"Tell me about your business first." With the help of Tang Jian, Shao Xun took off his armor, unstrung his bow, sheathed his sword, and hung it on the wall, then asked casually.

"What's the matter?" Wang Bing asked subconsciously.

"I didn't ask you before because I was afraid you would be suspicious." Shao Xun said, "Now that we are in Luoyang, I have to ask. You said you volunteered to come and invite the princess and the prince, but I don't think it's that simple. Tell me, what's your real intention?"

Wang Bing was silent for a while, and when Shao Xun was getting impatient, he said, "The shogunate is full of mixed people, not all of them are of the same mind. When the Minister of Justice is here, it can still be suppressed. Without the Minister of Justice, it is only a matter of time before it falls apart. If we can invite the Crown Prince back, we may be able to stabilize the situation."

"Ridiculous!" Shao Xun said bluntly, "The prince is only fifteen years old. How capable is he? If he goes to Fan County, won't there be a lot of people fighting over him? In the end, there will still be a quarrel, and it may be even more tragic."

Wang Bing did not refute.

He knew that what Shao Xun said was most likely true. If they were to separate now, they might be able to be friendly, but when the fight really got intense, they might not be so polite, and it would be impossible to avoid bloodshed.

But Wang Bing always wanted to give it a try and make one last effort.

Shao Xun called Tang Jian over and whispered to him.

Tang Jian nodded and immediately arranged for people to go to Luoyang.

"Your Majesty, just tell me whether you agree with the Crown Prince's journey to the east." Wang Bing said, gritting his teeth.

When Shao Xun heard this, he sneered and said, "Wang Bing, what qualifications do you have to talk to me like this?"

Yuan Xi took a look outside and his hand was already on the hilt of the knife.

Wang Bing shook his head and sighed to the sky.

"Don't pretend to be loyal to your master." Shao Xun continued, "You may think of Situ's kindness and will not harm the prince, but you are still very selfish. Let me ask you one question, after Situ's death, will the Yanzhou nobles be willing to obey? Will they still pay tribute to the emperor with money, food, and troops?"

Yanzhou is also a place where aristocratic families gather in large numbers, with a density comparable to that of Yuzhou - to be honest, there are quite a lot of aristocratic families in the entire south of the Yellow River and north of the Huai River.

It is hard to say whether the Yanzhou gentry will support the 15-year-old crown prince, but it is highly likely that they will not.

After hearing what Shao Xun said, Wang Bing argued, "If you can't stay in Yanzhou, you can return to Xuzhou. When Situ was alive, he had already proposed marriage to the Wang family of Donghai for the prince. With the support of the Wang family, the prince can definitely gain a foothold in Xuzhou."

Shao Xun finally understood.

Wang Bing was born into the Donghai Wang family. Although he was a distant branch, as Sima Yue became the victor of the Eight Kings Rebellion, Wang Bing's status rose and his voice increased greatly. Moreover, the Wang family's investment in Sima Yue also increased.

Previously, there was Wang Shiwen, the governor of Yuzhou, and now there is Wang Long, the governor of Xuzhou. If the prince can return to Xuzhou and the Wang family fully supports him, you can bet that he can really hold his ground, although the power of the shogunate will most likely be seized by the Wang family - the Wang family of Donghai is of high status and once married into the royal family, although it has been declining in recent years.

Wang Bing's idea was actually very clear. The idea of ​​taking the prince back to Yanzhou was just a trick. His real purpose was to get the prince to Xuzhou, so that the Wang family of Donghai could reap the benefits and actually control Xuzhou.

At the very least, it can control the East China Sea Kingdom.

When Sima Yue returned to the capital before, he was granted the three counties of Lanling, Xia Pi and Linhuai as his fiefdom because of his "outstanding contributions".

There was no Linhuai originally, but Jiyang County was added. This county was specially divided from Chenliu State by Sima Jiong when he was in power, and was given to his son Sima Ying, King of Jiyang.

After the defeat of King Jiong of Qi, his body was left exposed for three days without anyone collecting it. King Jiyang also died, his kingdom was abolished, and the three counties were merged into Chenliu. Since this prefecture was very far away from Lanling, Xiapi, and Donghai, it was unprecedented to grant it to Sima Yue, and it was obviously unreasonable, so it was eventually replaced by Linhuai Prefecture.

In other words, the Donghai Kingdom at that time had four counties. On paper, it could only enjoy a fief of 10,000 households, but in reality, all military and political affairs were managed by the officials of the Donghai Palace.

After Sima Yue's death, among the three shogunate teams under his name (Yanzhou Mu, Situ, and Donghai Wang), the importance of Donghai Wang Palace increased day by day, and it was also the goal of Wang Bing and even the Donghai Wang family.

It turns out he wanted to be a local emperor!

Shao Xun thought about it and felt that when troubled times come, all kinds of monsters and demons come out.

"What good can I do for you?" He asked directly without beating around the bush.

Wang Bing hesitated to speak.

"Don't rush to answer, think about it first." Shao Xun patted his shoulder and said with a smile.

After saying that, he left.

After handling official business in Qichun Pavilion for a while, Tang Jian walked in with an unnatural look on his face and reported in a low voice.

Shao Xun glared at him, waved him to go away, then rubbed his hands, his expression somewhat nervous and somewhat fond.

Footsteps were heard outside the door, and soon three people walked in one after another.

"Hua...paying respects to the princess." Shao Xun bowed.

Concubine Pei looked at him with complicated eyes and bowed gently in return.

"This... I'm... meeting the Princess of Nanyang." Shao Xun bowed to Liu who was standing behind Concubine Pei. Liu's breathing was a little rapid, and she stared at Shao Xun for a long time.

Behind her was a personal maid, holding a child in her arms, wrapped tightly, and sleeping soundly.

Shao Xun couldn't help but take a few steps forward, looked at the child, and a smile appeared on his face unconsciously.

It would have been fine if he didn't smile, but once he did, the two women next to him were upset. Liu, in particular, had her chest heaving violently, tears welling up in her eyes, and her hands raised, as if she wanted to hit him but didn't dare.

Shao Xun smiled awkwardly and said, "I did something wrong. Princess, you can scold me if you want, and you can beat me if you want. I will never frown."

After saying that, he moved his face closer in a nasty manner.

"Snap!" A crisp sound was heard.

Shao Xun covered his face and looked at Liu in disbelief. Are you really going to hit me?

Liu felt a little regretful after the fight.

It’s not that she didn’t want to beat Shao Xun, but she was a little scared.

I heard from my husband when we were in Chang'an that this man was a butcher who killed people without blinking an eye, and he was the same type of person as Zhang Fang.

In today's world, anyone who is not a fool knows how terrifying some rising warriors are.

Zhang Fang likes to eat human flesh.

Gou Xi was arrogant, extravagant and licentious. He selected thousands of maids and did not care about state affairs.

The one in front of me likes...likes to collect princesses.

None of it is normal!
If he got angry and detained her in Luoyang, she would have no place to cry.

However, the fight has already happened and there is no point in regretting it.

With tears in her eyes and her neck stiffened, Liu looked at Shao Xun with a fearless look.

Shao Xun reached out his hand and gently wiped away Liu's tears before she could react, saying, "It's come to this - let's eat first."

After saying that, he called out to Tang Jian.

Uh, no response.

In the past, as long as he shouted, Tang Jian would appear within five seconds. But today it was strange. Where was he hiding?
After raising his voice and shouting twice, Tang Jian finally appeared.

Shao Xun glared at him and said, "Bring the lunch."

"Yes." Tang Jian left quickly.

Shao Xun glanced at Liu again.

Liu looked at him with cold eyes.

Shao Xun smiled awkwardly and looked at Concubine Pei again.

Concubine Pei ignored him and sat in the inner room.

Shao Xun followed with a smile and sat opposite.

Liu glanced at the two of them and hesitated.

The maid behind her lowered her head even more, wishing she could become deaf or blind.

"Is there anyone coming from Fan County?" Concubine Pei asked after a moment.

"Yes." Shao Xun said, "According to Wang Bing, many people have left the shogunate, and some people want to send Situ's coffin back to Donghai immediately."

When Concubine Pei heard the word "coffin", she was stunned for a long time, with a look of sadness on her face.

When Liu saw the expression on Concubine Pei's face, her suspicions were somewhat dispelled.

"Wow..." A childish cry suddenly sounded.

Shao Xun subconsciously stood up, ran towards the maid, and took the child in his arms.

Liu also came to the maid, but was a step too late and silently withdrew her hand.

Shao Xun rocked the swaddling clothes gently and said with a smile: "What a tiger girl, crying so loudly."

When Liu heard this, her expression softened a little.

Concubine Pei sat there, her face looking even worse.

Shao Xun held the baby for a long time before returning the swaddling clothes to the maid and sitting back opposite Concubine Pei.

This time the silence lasted a bit longer. Concubine Pei didn't say anything until Tang Jian came over with two large food boxes.

Liu knelt far away on the other side, also with her head down and not saying a word.

"What is Wang Bing doing here?" Concubine Pei suddenly asked when Shao Xun was hesitantly inviting the two to eat.

"He wants to bring you and the prince back to Xuzhou." Shao Xun replied.

Liu raised her head, then quickly lowered it again.

"What do you think?" Concubine Pei's voice was a little vague.

"If the princess and the prince return to Xuzhou, they may be able to stabilize the overall situation in the East Sea Kingdom." Shao Xun said.

Concubine Pei hummed lightly.

"But I don't want to." Shao Xun continued.

"Why?" Concubine Pei asked softly, "The prince has a good impression of you. If he were in Xuzhou, he might be able to help you and support the country together."

"Xuzhou is far less important than the prince's safety." Shao Xun said firmly: "It's not Xuzhou I want. In my heart, Xuzhou is far from worth my promise to Situ."

The sunlight shines through the window lattice and falls on Concubine Pei.

Shao Xun could clearly see that a layer of light goose bumps appeared on Concubine Pei's white and slender neck.

Everything seemed to happen again as if that day.

"You are too willful." Concubine Pei said softly.

"Haven't I come to this point today just to have the qualifications to be willful?" Shao Xun said, "Small people have no choice and cannot be willful. Now I can be a little willful once or twice, I only know what is most important to me. The ten counties of Xuzhou are not worth mentioning."

"Then...what are you going to do?" Concubine Pei finally raised her head and looked at Shao Xun.

"Your Highness is still young and has not yet completed his studies. You should stay with me for a few years to learn military strategies and then return to the country when you are older." Shao Xun said.

"What about Yanzhou?" asked Concubine Pei.

"I will go there myself and see if I can gather some troops for the prince."

"I'll go." Concubine Pei said.

"you……"

"I'll take the prince with me." Concubine Pei looked at Shao Xun, her tone much gentler than before, and she said, "It won't be good if the prince doesn't show up. This trip is inevitable."

"Okay." Shao Xun nodded, then looked at Concubine Pei with expectant eyes and asked, "The roads are not safe and there are many remnants of bandits. I will lead the Silver Spear Army to escort the princess and the prince to Fan County."

Concubine Pei hummed softly, glanced at Princess Liu of Nanyang secretly, and said softly to Shao Xun: "From now on, when you have free time, you should concentrate on teaching the prince, and don't hang around outside anymore."

"Uh... okay." Shao Xun replied.

When he said this, he thought of Yang Xianrong, but Concubine Pei might not know it yet.

This thing happened!
(End of this chapter)