Chapter 866: Inn
Chapter 866: Inn
"Crash!" A strong wind blew, and a long-abandoned house collapsed.
Situ Liutun was stunned, then shook his head and sighed.
If no one lives in a house for a long time, even the best house will be damaged. There are too many houses like this in the counties around Luoyang. The earliest one can be traced back to the time of Zhao Wanglun, when someone decided to leave this troubled place and go to another place to avoid disaster.
The abandoned houses were not uninhabited. Many of them were occupied privately by soldiers, refugees and the like. Since they were just living there temporarily, they did not take good care of the houses. Many windows and door panels were even removed and used for firewood.
As time went by, Luoyang became a dilapidated city, and apart from a few manors, not many people could be seen outside the city.
"Uncle, is King Liang too harsh? He still refuses to let people occupy land in Luoyang. Many acres are barren and full of weeds." Liu Qun tightened his fur coat and asked.
Liu Qun was born into the Liu family of Donglai and was the nephew of Liu Ba, the former governor of Donglai. He first served as the gatekeeper of the county government and later as the county magistrate. He was now the Minister of Rites of the Luoyang court.
Liu Tun had an average relationship with Liu Ba, Liu Qun and others. It can only be said that they were all members of the Liu clan of Donglai.
After Liu Tun became the prime minister, Liu Ba and Liu Qun, uncle and nephew, began to attach themselves to him, and their relationship became much closer than before.
Almost all the Taichang officials went to Pingyang to announce the imperial edict, and Liu Qun, as the Taichang Cheng, naturally followed as well.
"The King of Liang wants to make Luoyang his capital. Can't you see that?" Liu Tun said as he sat in the carriage. "Luoyang is surrounded by mountains, but between the mountains and the waters are the best farmlands. Some may say there are too few, but these are all top-quality farmlands. Even if you don't plant the land, you can see that the grass here is not ordinary."
Liu Qun nodded.
There are still people grazing livestock in the wilderness. They are the spoils of King Liang's northern expedition against the State of Dai. They are first transferred to Hongnong, and after they are raised to be fat and strong, they will be driven to Luoyang.
Such fertile land has turned into a pasture!
"Since they are going to establish their capital in Luoyang, they will not give away the land easily. Wang Yan is able to obtain the Jingu Garden, which is really..." Liu Tun's face showed endless envy, and finally he said bitterly: "Yi Fu has a good daughter."
"Uncle, my Donglai Liu family has a long tradition of poetry and literature, and there are also beauties." Liu Qun immediately said, "Both men and women are beautiful."
Liu Tun laughed so hard that he was out of breath. Finally, he said, "Don't talk nonsense! The King of Liang doesn't like homosexuality."
"Maybe." Liu Qun smiled flatteringly, "I used to think I was not into homosexuality, but it was because I hadn't met a man who was more charming than a woman. After I tasted that, I couldn't give him up."
"Shut up." Liu Tun was too lazy to say anything more.
"Uncle——" Liu Qun said again.
"Can you please shut up?" Liu Tun glared at him.
"Uncle, I want to talk about serious business." Liu Qun said.
Liu Tun said nothing.
Liu Qun asked himself, "Will the King of Liang use the imperial guards that were sent over urgently this time?"
"Yes." Liu Tun said simply.
"Use it directly?"
"I have to submit a petition to decline before I can accept it reluctantly."
"So that's how it is." Liu Qun thought to himself that this was quite particular.
While the two were talking, a group of people rode past in the distance, heading straight towards Xin'an County.
"Who is that?" Liu Qun asked.
"Who else could it be? Someone coming to pay their respects." Liu Tun said, "They are probably from a county in Liang State, traveling together to Pingyang. This year's scene is really big."
Liu Tun and his party hurried on like this and finally arrived in Pingyang in the middle of the twelfth lunar month.
******
"Whoa——" A group of knights hurried over.
They were wearing leather armor, equipped with bows and swords, and looked very tough.
There were many people sitting or standing inside and outside the inn. Some had braided hair, some had shaved hair, some had their hair loose, and some were dressed like people from the Jin Dynasty.
The leading chief was stunned, wondering if he had come to the wrong place.
There was a carriage behind him. A child in the carriage lifted the curtain and looked at the inn curiously.
"General, please follow me." Someone got out of another carriage parked not far away and waved.
The chief nodded and led his men to follow.
"Did you have a smooth journey?" This person was none other than Yu Mie, the Minister of the Honglu Temple.
The chieftain knew his identity, and upon hearing this he prostrated himself on the ground, saying, “It was a good plan, but it went smoothly.”
"General, please stand up." Yu Mie helped him up, then looked at the carriage and asked, "Is that your nephew?"
The little boy never lowered the curtain of the carriage since arriving at the destination. Instead, he looked around the inn with a thoughtful look.
"It's my nephew Xiong." said the chief.
After saying this, he waved his hand, called his nephew over, and said, "This is a real noble from the Central Dynasty, come and pay your respects."
"Pu Pi greets the noble man." The little boy bowed respectfully.
"No need to be polite." Yu Mie helped him up and asked, "I heard that you are the legitimate son of Pu Hong, the Marquis of Shuyi?"
"Yes." "This is not the place to talk." Yu Mie called on everyone to get on the carriage and leave, heading west all the way to Shanyu Terrace west of Pingyang City.
The New Year is coming soon, and most of the people here have already taken leave to go home, leaving only a few poor people on duty.
Yu Mie picked an independent and secluded house and said, "This is where you will live."
"Thank you, sir." The chief said, bowing.
"But I don't know the general's name..." Yu Mie only knew that someone from the other side would escort Pu Hong's son to Pingyang as a hostage, but he didn't know who would do that.
"Lueyang Pu'an."
"So it's General Pu An." Yu Mie returned the greeting and said, "The expenses here are all ready. If you need anything, just ask Zeng Dubo."
After saying that, he called out.
Zeng Yi was on duty outside the courtyard. Upon hearing the noise, he immediately walked in and bowed to everyone.
His injury has healed.
In the Battle of Guangwu, they suffered heavy losses. Zeng Yi was considered a veteran who had survived several major wars and was also the team leader, so he was promoted to the position of Du Bo, specifically responsible for the training of sword and shield soldiers.
Years ago, he received an order to lead two teams of 100 soldiers to Shanyutai to protect foreign hostages, so he didn't come for years and just brought his equipment with him.
Yu Mie glanced at the gate and saw that only Zeng Yi had come in, and the other soldiers were far away. He was quite satisfied, so he said in a friendly manner: "The safety of the son of Marquis Shuaiyi is in your hands, and there must be no mistakes. If there is a shortage of funds, send someone to the Honglu Temple to inform them. If anyone from the Huyi Xiaowei Mansion or Longxiang General Mansion comes uninvited, they will be expelled immediately. Those who do not obey will be executed immediately. They have made meritorious deeds but are not guilty."
"Yes, sir." Zeng Yi replied in a deep voice.
It was only at this moment that he realized where Proton came from - the soldiers below didn't need to know who they were protecting, but Zeng Yi must know.
"Marquis of Rateyi?" He sounded so serious, he seemed to be from Shengle or Chang'an.
After realizing this, Zeng Yi felt tremendous pressure: this matter must not go wrong, otherwise it would be over.
******
Outside the posthouse, Liu Tun saw the Honglu Temple Minister Yu Mie quietly leading a group of people away, and he already had some guesses in his mind.
Considering that there was a child among the gang, the truth seemed even clearer - it was Proton.
As far as he knew, the only possible candidate for Proton of this age was Kansai.
He is so brave that he secretly sent a hostage to surrender, not afraid that his whole family would be in trouble if he was exposed.
But - haha, maybe they have falsely announced to the outside world that the boy died of illness, who knows.
The guesthouse commander of the Honglu Temple led them to a courtyard.
The place is not small, and the house has been renovated and looks nice. The only drawback is that someone moved in before them!
Never mind, never mind! Liu Tun sighed helplessly. He would only be here for a few days anyway.
"Who lives next door?" Liu Qun followed the innkeeper and asked quietly.
"Wang Chang, the governor of Yunzhong in Dai State, has come to pay tribute with gifts," the inn commander replied.
"I see." Liu Qun said in a low voice, and then asked: "Did Shengle send anyone?"
"No." The innkeeper shook his head.
Liu Qun understood.
It seems that the two Tuoba have completely opposite attitudes towards King Liang, and it is unknown whether they will fight again in the future.
But this was not something he should care about. After bidding farewell to the innkeeper, Liu Qun quietly came to Liu Tun's residence and whispered, "Uncle, there is someone from Pingcheng living next door."
"Pingcheng!" Liu Tun sighed and said, "Nowadays, many people get annoyed when they hear the name Pingcheng."
"Why?"
"In order to capture Pingcheng, I don't know how many men were sacrificed and how much food and silk were distributed. In the end, the prestige of King Liang was further enhanced, and in turn, the matter of honorary officials was promoted. You might as well ask around and see how many people were beating their chests and stamping their feet." Liu Tun took off his shoes, sat on the couch, stretched his waist, and sighed, "I'm old! King Liang had better not refuse this time, so as to avoid another trip."
Liu Qun was still thinking about the many people he had just seen outside the inn. After a moment, he said, "Uncle, this time not only are there people from the twenty counties of Liang, but also many Hu people from all over the country. The power of the King of Liang is getting stronger and stronger, and the abdication is only a matter of time."
"It's still a little short." Liu Tun said, "We can do this after we conquer the Xiongnu. Now it will only cause trouble for the scholars."
Liu Qun sneered and said, "The Xiongnu are not easy to fight."
"Not necessarily." Liu Tun glanced at his nephew and said, "With such a big situation, it may not be as difficult as you think for people to change their minds."
"Uncle is saying..." Liu Qun seemed to understand.
"Uncle didn't say anything." Liu Tun sighed and said, "I'll look for Wang Yifu after the New Year. Don't you want to be an official in Liang? Longxiang Supervisor Yang Hui has just resigned from the post of Yanmen Governor. If you are interested, you can go and give it a try."
"What is the most important matter for the Governor of Yanmen?" Liu Qun asked, somewhat excited.
"It's nothing more than these things to keep the people safe, manage the army, and cultivate the land." Liu Tun said, "Aren't there many people in the Liu family of Donglai who are lamenting that they are not successful? Let them take their followers and farmhands to Yanmen, and they will still be given official positions now."
"Uncle, Yanmen doesn't seem to be a county under the jurisdiction of Liang State, right?" Liu Qun thought of something and asked.
"Although it is not, it is more like a county under the Liang State than Shangdang, Hedong, Pingyang, and Chenliu. You will do well to listen to me." Liu waved his hand impatiently and said, "Don't think too much. If nothing unexpected happens, everything in this world is under the control of the King of Liang. If you really want to have an idea, you should not focus on the King of Liang. It is better to focus on the princes. Go, be an official honestly, and accumulate strength first."
"Okay." Liu Qun felt a little discouraged when he thought of the scene of people coming from all directions outside the inn, so he agreed.
(End of this chapter)