Chapter 981 Family Matters

Chapter 981 Family Matters

Chapter 981 Family Matters
The Nine Dragon Hall has now become the official residence of Shao Xun's parents.

Why did we choose this place? Actually, there is a reason.

In front of the Kowloon Hall there is an artificially dug canal, or a small river, which is used to discharge flood water from the palace. There is water flowing in it all year round.

This advantage was so great that the old lady fell in love with it at first sight.

There was a large flat land on the north bank of the canal, planted with flowers and plants, but now it is all flat.

The people who were doing the work were Shao Xun, the Emperor of Daliang, Shao Shen, the recently enfeoffed Prince of Julu, Shao Fan, the Prince of Lu, Yuan Neng, the son-in-law of the emperor, and Hou San, the eunuch, who also came over with a thick face.

Because of his mother's words, Shao Xun posthumously conferred the title of "King of Yue" on his elder brother, the title of "Lady Grand Madam of Yue" on his elder sister-in-law, the title of "Prince of Julu" on his eldest nephew, and the title of "Princess of Jiangling" on his niece.

The third brother Shao Fan was named King of Lu.

Fan resigned and was granted another title, and requested a reduction of 3,000 households in his fiefdom, which was granted.

In fact, the real situation is that Lu County does not have so many households, and most of them are in the hands of aristocratic families. It should be possible to let them gather 10,000 households, but everyone would be happy if they reduced 3,000 households.

Of course, although Shao Fan made contributions, they were not enough, which is also one of the reasons.

From the perspective of the division of fiefdoms, it is actually quite interesting.

For example, Yu Liang's Duke of Hedong County had not yet measured the land in this county, and in the end, powerful families such as the Pei, Wei, and Liu families had to pay for it.

For example, Yang Jiongzhi, the Duke of Fengyi County, also needed to eliminate the Di and Qiang people in this county.

Wang Yan's title of Duke of Pingyuan, Lu Chen's title of Duke of Qinghe, and Pei He's title of Duke of Bohai are all examples of this.

As for Pan Tao's Yuzhang County Duke, he would have to wait until Jiangdong was conquered before he could actually receive it. Before that, Shao Xun only rewarded him with money and goods from time to time, but it was definitely not enough compared to the income from the fiefdom - of course, for now, no one has started to enjoy the fiefdom, and they may not get the first income until at least the end of next year.

Yuan Neng's wife was Shao Xun's sister. She was named Princess Chengyang and was granted 3,000 households, equivalent to the rank of a duke.

Yuan Neng was originally the chief clerk of the general. Now that the shogunate was abolished, he was appointed as the imperial concubine's captain and later promoted.

After the four of them worked for a while with hoes and rakes, Shao Xun went to rest first, and the other three continued to work.

"Uncle San, have the princes received their titles?" Shao Shen was in good physical condition. He did not blush or breathe heavily when hoeing the ground, and he did it with ease.

Shao Fan was feeling a little tired. Upon hearing this, he glanced at his nephew, said nothing, and continued working.

Yuan Neng was even more out of breath than Shao Fan. Although it was winter, he was sweating profusely and his hands and feet were shaking.

"Are you out of breath?" Shao Shen noticed Yuan Neng's condition, glared at him and questioned.

"I haven't taken medicine for twenty years..." Yuan Neng said helplessly.

At the same time, he secretly complained in his heart, I am your uncle, why are you so arrogant?

Shao Shen's expression eased slightly.

Yes, if my second uncle knew that Yuan Nengfu had dispersed, he would not have married my aunt to him even if he wanted to win over the Chenjun gentry.

Shao Fan continued to hoe the ground silently.

Although it was hard work, he was meticulous and picked out all the roots of flowers and trees and pebbles.

Of course Yuan Neng knew whether he would be convinced or not, and the answer was definitely no.

After being married to my eldest sister for many years, they had one son and two daughters. Later, one of the daughters died young, leaving only one son and one daughter.

Yuan Neng once had a concubine, who gave birth to a son for him, but died of illness during the great epidemic.

He never took another concubine afterwards, which was simply unbelievable for a son from a wealthy family.

I heard that recently a member of the Xie family of Chen County sneaked back and tried to establish a relationship with the Yuan family. Yuan Neng was ready to take the Xie family's concubine as his concubine, but after thinking it over, he gave up.

You can say he is a coward, because many sons of noble families in the Wei and Jin dynasties still took concubines after becoming princes-in-law.

You can also say he is sober, because how can you bet that the emperor has no idea? Even if he doesn't, what about the emperor and empress dowager? Just a random word can make you waste years.

"You can build a trellis on this piece of land to grow cucumbers, and plant some beans under the cucumbers, so you can all have food to eat." Liu came over with the help of the palace servants, and said with a smile: "When the vegetables are harvested, I will ask the palace servants to take them to the front hall, and you can pick them up when you go to court, so you don't have to come here again to get them."

The three of them were speechless after hearing this.

The General of the Left Cavalry Guard, the Minister of Justice, the Commandant of the Imperial Concubine's Wife, all important officials of the imperial court, carried a bag of vegetables to court?

I heard that there is someone out there who specializes in writing about strange and anecdotes, and it's very humorous. You want all three of us to be included in it.

However, her grandmother Shao Shen didn't dare to talk back and just kept nodding in agreement.

When Liu saw this, she became even happier.

She has everything she needs now. She is extremely wealthy, has children and grandchildren by her side, and receives greetings and regards from people every day. She feels extremely comfortable.

When I have some free time, I chat with Xiao Chong’s wives and concubines about family matters.

This brat goes out every day to steal women and bring them home.

Although the new Jin sister was well-behaved, she felt a little uncomfortable after hearing about the "heroic deeds" of Jin Zhun, the Lieutenant General who protected the Xiongnu.

Moreover, she recently discovered something unusual: the Buddhist temple inside the Yunlong Gate was fully furnished, and it did not look like what a pure and ascetic monk should look like at all.

Check it out another day.

******
After Shao Xun left the Kowloon Palace, he went to Jiuhua Terrace.

A moment later, Lady Wang, the wife of the Dai Kingdom, came with her son Shao Zhen.

"Why didn't my daughter come?" Shao Xun asked with some regret.

Wang looked around.

Shao Xun said helplessly: "There are no historians here, and the palace servants and guards are very tight-lipped. What are you worried about?"

Because too many "state secrets" have been leaked in the past, Shao Xun now attaches great importance to confidentiality and must use people with clean backgrounds, who are taciturn and tight-lipped.

"My daughter is only eight or nine months old. It's not convenient for her to travel by boat." When Wang saw Shao Xun coming over, she subconsciously took a step back with a pleading look on her face.

Shao Xun chuckled and picked up Shao Zhen.

"You're really my good son." Shao Xun rested his chin on his son's face and said with a smile, "My dear son, do you miss your grandfather?" Shao Zhen felt a little itchy from his beard. He leaned back subconsciously, then stretched out his hand and asked Wang to hold him.

"Lizhen, didn't you want your grandpa to hold you when you were at home?" Wang stepped forward, gently touched her son's little head, and said softly.

Shao Zhen calmed down, then stared at his father carefully with his bright dark eyes.

Shao Xun felt a little guilty for not being able to accompany his son, so he held him tightly and walked around the hall, asking casually, "You brought Li Zhen here, have you made arrangements in Pingcheng?"

Wang hummed and said, "Last year, several disgruntled people were executed. With the Shanyu Mansion now in place, the imperial guards and personal troops have been replaced by reliable people, and the country is much more stable."

The reason why Dai State was able to maintain stability was actually because of the Liang State.

There must be many people who are dissatisfied with the Wang family, and the Wang family has even less prestige. The fact that they are not rebelling now does not mean that they are loyal. They may just be waiting for the opportunity.

But Shao Xun was a little surprised: "Murder?"

"Kill him." Wang said calmly.

On the grasslands, no matter whether they are men or women in power, who doesn't kill those who oppose them? Is there anything strange about that?

"You've changed so quickly." Shao Xun said with emotion: "Thinking back to when you first came to Pingyang..."

"You don't come to help me." Wang said.

Shao Xun was too lazy to talk nonsense with her and continued to focus on his son.

Li Zhen touched his face with his hand, extremely curious, as if wondering why it was different from what he saw during the day of the sacrifice.

"Li Zhen is also your son. When the country was founded, you bestowed great rewards on him. Why don't you show more favor to Li Zhen?" Wang stepped forward, took Shao Xun's arm, and asked.

"What more can be done? Previously, they gave us the wolf-head banner, and last year they allocated 200,000 hu of grain to Liangcheng State. What else can be done?" Shao Xun said, "But you do have a point. Why not let Li Zhen stay in Luoyang and study for a few years, and then go back to serve as a vassal when he is older."

"What about Liangcheng Kingdom?"

"The Duke's Office has its own civil and military officials." Shao Xun said, "Dai is not the Central Plains. It is an old system for the king to inspect the east and west. In winter and spring, he will be in Pingcheng, in summer, in Liangcheng, and in autumn, in Shengle. I think it's a good idea. When you inspect, you can stay in Liangcheng for a while to establish your prestige."

Wang nodded secretly at first, but became angry when she thought of this.

She became pregnant last year and gave birth to a daughter in early March this year. She then recuperated in Changchun Palace and Pingcheng for several months, and then went south to Luoyang to watch the ceremony.

How much time does she have to take care of government?
Now that the evil consequences have become apparent, Liu Lugu is ready to make moves and is secretly luring people together, and the threat is growing day by day.

"I want to kill Liu Lugu." Wang suddenly said, "Help me."

Shao Xun frowned and asked, "What crime was he executed for?"

"rebellion."

"What are the consequences?"

"There may be some people who respond from Dongmugen Mountain, and there may be some from Shengle as well."

"Wouldn't that be a big mess?" Shao Xun said speechlessly, "Besides, if you say it's a crime like treason, then it's fine. If there's no convincing reason, there will be more people who oppose it."

Shao Zhen raised his little hand and covered Shao Xun's mouth.

Wang smiled and said, "Li Zhen doesn't help you. He still sides with A Niang."

Shao Xun also smiled and said, "Don't act rashly. Next year, let Liu Lugu lead the troops out of Beiyi Mountain as a team to attack Xiliang. If he is unwilling to send troops, we can talk about it then."

Wang had nothing to say, so she stopped dwelling on the matter and asked, "You have so many sons, why did you only make six kings?"

"Not all princes can be crowned as kings." Shao Xun said, "It depends on their ability. These six princes are either already serving or about to serve. They have no major deficiencies in talent and virtue, so it is common for them to be crowned as kings."

There are currently six princes who have been crowned kings, namely:

The eldest son, Shao Zhang, was 20 years old and was named the King of Qi and appointed Chief of the Left Jinwu Guard;
The second son, Shao Gui, was eighteen years old and was named the King of Chu. He was appointed as the Left State Garden Commander and the Assistant Secretary of the Shanyu Guard Office.

The third son, Shao Xu, was sixteen years old and was named King of Zhao. He was appointed Magistrate of Sangzi Garden.

The fourth son, Shao Yu, was 13 years old and was named Prince of Yan;

The fifth son, Shao Yan, was twelve years old and was named King of Han;

The sixth son, Shao Jin, was eleven years old and was named King of Qin.

In fact, Shao Xun initially planned to confer titles on only three princes, that is, the three sons who were already in office, and then observe the rest slowly.

But in the end, due to various considerations, six titles were conferred at once, mainly to enthrone the eldest son as King of Qin. The fourth and fifth sons were just lucky enough to get a free ride.

After these six people, it’s hard to say.

Those with outstanding talents will be made kings, or even sent to govern a region. If they lack talents, that's fine too. Considering the influence of their mother's family, personal talents and other factors, they may become a prince or a duke - usually a prince.

The second daughter-in-law is basically in sight.

He originally planned to marry someone in Henan, but later the situation changed, so everyone suggested that he marry the daughter of Zu from Fanyang.

Shao Xun was quick to follow the advice and had already sent someone to take care of it. More importantly, he took the opportunity to win over Zu Yue and get him to join him.

For the sake of the world, the thief Shao is willing to sell even his own son; it's just a matter of whether the price is right or not.

As for the eldest son's wife, it's still early, but it's a bit troublesome, anyway.

Mi Huang came to me yesterday and said that he had never asked His Majesty for anything in his life. Does what he said before still count?
Shao Xun was speechless and asked him which of his sons he liked.

Mi Zihui had been an honest man all his life. This time he specifically mentioned that his eldest son Liang Nuke could marry his granddaughter.

Shao Xun did not agree directly, but just asked him to wait a few more years.

Mi Huang left disappointed.

After this incident, Shao Xun felt that after the founding of the country, the situation became increasingly complicated, and conflicts of interest began to surface.

Previously, we were in the start-up phase and we could still bridge our differences because we were all decent people.

Now that the dust has settled, there's no need to be so polite, just do it...

(End of this chapter)