Chapter 1297 Qingzhou

Chapter 1297 Qingzhou

Chapter 1297 Qingzhou
By April, most of Shao Xun's older sons had returned, and in May most of them were staying at home in mourning.

There is no other way, mourning for grandma is necessary.

Shao Xun gathered them all in Xianju Palace, so that they could accompany their grandfather and save him some worries - to be honest, Shao Xun was really afraid that they would let their wives and concubines get pregnant during the mourning period, which would make everyone embarrassed.

In addition, gathering them all in the palace made it more convenient for him to summon them to his presence for questioning at any time.

On May 25th, he first went to visit his father, then drove out of the palace and came to the Julu Prince's Mansion in Quanshanfang.

The eldest sister-in-law Zhang was playing with her grandson in the yard. When she heard the emperor had arrived, she immediately handed her three-year-old great-grandson Shao You to her granddaughter-in-law Yang. Then she wiped her hands on her silk skirt and looked at the door with a little restraint.

"Sister-in-law." Shao Xun bowed as soon as he entered the door.

"Your Majesty." Zhang hurriedly returned the greeting.

"You can call me whatever you like, Auntie." Shao Xun said with a smile, "When I was little, I always cried out for hunger, so Auntie always made delicious food for me. There were many mosquitoes in the summer, so Auntie even fanned me to drive them away. I am just a little bug, the little bug that you, Auntie, have taken care of for more than ten years."

Zhang wiped her tears, then took Shao Xun's hand and sat down. She didn't know what to say for a moment, and finally said, "Xiao Chong, don't work too hard. You look much older than before."

When Yang heard this, she became very nervous. How could he say such a thing?
Shao Xun smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, time is not forgiving. I know that I have been going to bed early and getting up early recently, and I am in good health. When it comes to charging with a spear, many young men can't beat me."

Zhang also laughed and said, "It's good that you know. This family can't do without you. Today, you..."

"Nothing, just came to see you." Shao Xun said, "Is Chunhua here?"

"They are all in the backyard." Zhang said, "I will go and call her over now."

"No need." Shao Xun said, "I just came to visit my sister-in-law today."

"But what's going on with Baozhi?" Zhang said, "Chunhua wanted to go to Qingzhou a long time ago, but I stopped her. What an unfilial daughter."

Shao Xun burst out laughing.

Chunhua is his niece and Shao Shen's sister. She married martial arts student Tian Maotian Baozhi many years ago.

Tian Mao has served as magistrate of Chen (county), prefect of Xihe, prefect of Wuwei, and is now the governor of Qingzhou.

Shao Chunhua is already married, and according to etiquette, she should mourn for her grandparents, but in reality, this is not usually done, after all, a married woman should obey her husband. She has been living in Bianliang since she came back from Wuwei last year, so it is normal for her to be in a hurry to go to Qingzhou now.

"If Chunhua wants to leave, just let her go. Is there something going on in Qingzhou?" Shao Xun asked.

Zhang hesitated and stopped talking.

Hmm? Shao Xun felt that there was something he didn't know, but he didn't ask.

Sure enough, the sister-in-law couldn't hold it in any longer and sighed, "Tian Baozhi resented Chunhua for only giving birth to three daughters for him, so he took two concubines in Qingzhou and gave birth to a son..."

Holy shit! Shao Xun was speechless.

In fact, from a man's perspective, Tian Mao was not going too far. He was 43 years old this year, and he just took a concubine, and that was because he had no children. It was really acceptable.

"Sister-in-law, this matter..." Shao Xun said halfway, not knowing how to continue, and only said: "Don't worry, I'm here, Tian Mao will not dare to let his niece down."

Of course, it's not his turn to take the lead in this matter. Shao Shen will probably have his own opinions after knowing this, and if things go wrong...

No, we have to keep paying attention to this.

One is his niece and the other is his student. Tian Mao's behavior is excusable. He did not abandon his wife and daughter, and his actions are in line with the social values ​​at that time. At worst, he can adopt the son to Chunhua, making him the legitimate son, and the dilemma will be solved.

As for whether his concubine was harmed in the process, well, Shao Xun didn't care.

"Sister-in-law, I will take care of this matter. Please don't let Yunwen interfere." Shao Xun said, "Tian Baozhi has a heavy responsibility and cannot be distracted for a moment."

"Ah?" Zhang was a little surprised and asked, "Is Baozhi going to the battlefield? Although he is a martial arts student, he hasn't led troops in battle for many years, right?"

Shao Xun laughed and said, "He is only in charge of the rear area, recruiting men, repairing roads, building houses, and transporting food. He will not personally risk the arrows and stones. I only have these few students who are good at governing, but as for fighting, I have as many as I want."

"Not a small amount." Zhang said, "There was a Mao Yongtai back then, and I liked him very much. If Chunhua had married him, she would be enjoying a good life at home now."

"Sister-in-law, you can't just order it randomly." Shao Xun said with a smile: "Back then, Chunhua thought Tian Mao was eloquent and better than Mao Bang."

Mao Bang was the son of a farmer from Donghai, and Tian Mao was the son of a merchant from Chang'an. They were not from the same world.

Moreover, Tian Mao is handsome and elegant among the martial arts students of lower social classes. He also has beautiful handwriting and a relatively high level of education. Due to family reasons, he may be more precocious and eloquent. If my niece were asked to go back more than 20 years to choose again, she would still not choose Mao Bang.

It's just that Mao Bang was studious and ambitious by nature. In the long race between the tortoise and the hare, he demonstrated his abilities and slowly climbed to the position of Minister of Personnel.

Why talk about trivial things from 20 or 30 years ago? They are both good people and are loyal to Shao.

Zhang seemed to have figured this out, she just sighed and stopped talking about it, and asked, "Baozhi is so busy in Qingzhou, is he going to fight a war?"

"Well, it will be soon." Shao Xun replied vaguely.

Zhang knew that some things were not her place to ask, so she said, "Xiao Chong, please walk slowly. Sister-in-law will go and make some food for you."

Shao Xun was about to refuse, but he heard his sister-in-law say, "These are all the foods you loved to eat when you were a child."

Shao Xun was in no hurry to leave and said, "Okay."

"I'm old and can only cook a few times a year." My sister-in-law was wearing brocade clothes, but she kept chattering like a peasant woman.

Shao Xun felt very friendly.

Not long after, Princess Du of Julu County, Crown Prince Shao Du, and his brothers Shao De and Shao Chong, who had received the news, came one after another.

Shao Xun sat in the yard, chatting with them in a random manner.

While talking, he asked Shao Du to bring paper and pen, wrote a letter by hand, and then asked Tong Qianjin to find someone to send it to Qingzhou by express horse.

The messenger left in the afternoon and arrived in Penglai ten days later.

At this time, many officials of all ranks in Qingzhou gathered here.

******
The governor Tian Mao stood on the top of a newly built tall tower, standing in the wind with a majestic demeanor.

However, after reading the letter, I felt like I was struck by lightning.

It's not easy to be a royal relative, and there are no easy shortcuts.

The emperor comforted him in the letter, which made him feel more at ease. But he was still a little afraid of Julu County Prince Shao Shen. Shao Shen was now the General of Chariots and Cavalry and the Great Protector of the Shanyu. He had been holding the power of life and death for a long time, and he might do something in anger.

Forget it, if you can’t afford to offend, can’t you just hide away?
Tian Mao put the letter away and continued to look at the sea not far away. The bell rang crisply, and outside Zhongli Island, ships went out to sea one after another.

The general of Shamen Town, Zhong Li Ke, boarded a large ship and raised the red flag to represent the departure. Suddenly, hundreds of boats competed on the sea, and they sailed northward in a dense crowd.

"Isn't this boat a bit high?" Tian Mao asked, stroking his beard lightly.

Huang He, the deputy commander of the navy, was sitting by the window wiping his sword. Hearing this, he said, "The Wenma Shipyard hasn't sent a single ship yet. The ships they are using are old and don't work very well. But the wind and waves aren't strong today, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Tian Mao shook his head slightly.

He was a typical landlubber and once boarded a ship and was shaken so hard that his face turned pale.

At that time, Yang Bao laughed at him and said that the ship was still anchored in Pu Nei. If you really go to the sea in this state, you will probably vomit out the overnight meal.

Tian Mao didn't argue with him.

The deck that seemed to be shaking violently to him was just normal in the eyes of the naval officers and soldiers. They could even walk briskly while being tossed from side to side.

It was also at this time that Tian Mao realized that the land army and the navy were completely different things.

He had led troops in the Silver Spear Army for three years in his early years and was very familiar with land warfare. But he felt that once he was on the ship, with the severe bumps, the Silver Spear Army might not be a match for these naval forces.

"General Huang, where is Commander Yang now?" Tian Mao asked.

"A ship came back last night and is already at Shamen Island," Huang He replied.

Tian Mao nodded slowly and looked towards the north.

Even as they were talking, on the sea near Shamen Island, there were boats everywhere, looking like they were setting out to the north in large numbers.

The order was issued by Yang Bao, for the simple reason that this broken island had almost no stable source of fresh water, and it all relied on several pools built previously to collect and store rainwater.

But what does the water in the pool look like? A bunch of suspicious floating objects, dark in color, and scary to look at. Even when it is boiled, it has a strange smell.

Fortunately, the ship carried a lot of fresh water, but it was impossible for thousands of people to drink it for a long time. There was no choice but to head directly north.

After leaving Shamen Island, the fleet rose and fell under the influence of the southeast wind, cutting through the waves and heading straight for the unknown shore.

The weather today is actually pretty good, and the wind and waves are not too strong.

Yang Bao stood on the front deck of the ship, quietly looking at the dark sea.

Schools of fish appeared around the boat, but they were gone in a flash.

The two birds seemed tired from flying and actually rested on the top of the mast, leaving a pool of bird droppings.

Some sailors were holding a harpoon with a rope tied to the end, staring at the sea. They had only harpooned fish in the river before, but they didn't know if they could harpoon fish in the sea.

An old sailor who had sailed through the seas said that big fish in the sea eat small fish. If you make a small fish out of tin, put a big fish hook on it, hang it with a rope and let it float up and down in the sea, maybe a big fish will take the hook, and then you can use a harpoon to harpoon it.

Yang Bao didn't quite understand Wu dialect, but after being exposed to it for a long time, he vaguely knew what they were saying and couldn't help but laugh.

However, he really wanted to catch a big fish from the sea and present it to the emperor, and he had instructed his subordinates to do so, but he had bad luck and had not succeeded so far.

He looked for a while and then returned to the cabin.

The cabin was filled with pale-faced soldiers. The warriors of Zuo Feilong Guard, who had once fought against heaven and earth and were full of pride, looked at everyone who came in with nervous and pitiful eyes.

Everyone’s answer was “almost there”, “almost there”, and in fact the ship was still sailing on the sea until nightfall.

The cabin was filled with a pungent smell, and the vomit could not be cleaned up in time because there was too much of it.

The sailors walked in with their winnowing baskets, cursing. If they saw anyone blocking their way, they would kick his feet away.

The soldiers didn't have the heart to argue with him, so they quietly retracted their legs. Some of them were revengeful and secretly planned to trick this guy ashore and give him a good beating.

Of course, there are also people who are gifted and can walk around as if nothing happened when they go out to sea for the first time.

They were usually sent down to the hold to see if the baggage was wet.

There is no ship in the world that is not leaking, it's just more or less leaking, so someone has to guard the bottom cabin.

Yang Bao quickly returned to his cabin to rest, because after smelling the vomit, he also felt a little uncomfortable.

It seemed that there was wind and rain at night. After being awakened, he opened the window and saw lightning and thunder on the sea. He didn't know what was going on.

It was only after he went out to sea that he realized that one moment the sky could be cloudless, but the next moment it could be covered with dark clouds and heavy rain.

The ship rocked even more violently.

He was a little nervous. The weather at sea was so changeable, and this kind of unknown risk was the most exhausting.

Fortunately, the lightning disappeared in the second half of the night, and the wind and rain also subsided. When dawn came, he came to the deck again.

A towering mountain appeared ahead - yes, the dark clouds had not dispersed, they were very low and almost pierced through by the mountain peaks.

Below the mountain is a verdant forest, and a river separates the grassland, reflecting the sparkling water.

The shepherds on the hillside stared blankly at the densely packed ships on the sea.

Too many, too many!
The densely packed masts pierced through the dark clouds, almost propping up the sky.

Flags were raised one after another, and the sounds of bells and gongs spread far away on the sea.

The wind direction suddenly changed, and a smell of tung oil and rust blew towards us.

"Bang!" Several small boats were lowered from a large ship in the front, splashing a large pool of water.

On the vermilion side of the boat, the navy officers and soldiers dropped down with nets like dumplings and landed in the small boat.

"Bang! Bang!" Small boats were lowered one after another.

There were also ships with shallow draft that rushed straight to the beach along with the rising tide.

The whole sea is boiling!
"Mee..." The lead sheep turned and left, and the flock of sheep exploded and followed closely.

The shepherd came back to his senses and murmured, "Didn't the envoys from Liang just arrive? How come so many envoys are coming all of a sudden..."

(End of this chapter)