Huan Rong

Chapter 148

After the Shangsi Festival, Sima Yu issued two decrees in succession. One was to exempt Youzhou from grain tax for three years, and the Xuzhou government retained its own business tax to pay half-year-old military pay;

After the edict was issued, the whole court was in an uproar.

Sima Daofu already has [-] food towns, and now he has added [-], which is not only more than his sisters, but even higher than the two princes.

Xin'an County is governed in Yangzhou, and it is none other than Huan Da Sima who leads the state pastoral.

For Sima Huan, the grain tax for eight hundred households was just a drop in the bucket.But without even saying hello, I increased the princess's food to eight hundred, is it a little bit fatter?

Regarding the issue of face, everyone is expected to compare it.

Surprisingly, Sima Huan didn't say a word, and let the edict be issued.

Everyone looked at each other in blank dismay.

Can't help but speculate that Sima Daofu married Huan Ji, and Huan Ji is Huan Wen's parent and son. There are going around and around here, maybe the left hand goes out and the right hand goes in, it may not be as simple as it seems on the surface.

Maybe, the emperor and Da Sima reached an agreement secretly?

As everyone knows, choosing Sheyang as the princess' food city in the front foot, the grain tax in Youzhou will be exempted for three years in the back foot, and you will be allowed to keep the business tax for yourself.Calculating the account carefully, Huan Rong didn't suffer at all.

However, everyone is also worried.

Huan Huo ruled Jingzhou, Huan Chong ruled Jiangzhou, Huan Da Sima led Yuzhou, and Huan Rong controlled Youzhou.

Spread out the map, the states and counties controlled by the Huan family are connected in a line, and they are all important places.Regardless of the rift between father and son and brothers, the Huan family has become a country within a country and should not be underestimated.

If Yizhou and Ningzhou were brought over again, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.

Just be afraid of something.

After the edict was read out, Huan Da Sima played in the hall, "Nearly Sui Liang and Yiduo bandits have disrupted the local government and harmed the people a lot. The local government cannot send troops to destroy it. It is really incompetent and dereliction of duty. It should be taken according to the law and handed over to the three provinces. A strict question."

"The governor of Ningzhou, Zhou Zhongsun, is well versed in the art of war. He is an invincible minister. He accompanied the Heavenly Army twice in the Northern Expedition. When he broke into the Han Dynasty, he made great achievements."

"The people have suffered from bandits and bandits for a long time. Your Majesty, please issue an order to use Ningzhou to assassinate the military forces of Jianliang and Yizhou, and to lead Yizhou to suppress bandits and thieves, and to appease the people, so as to show your majesty's love for the people." Germany."

The end sound fell, and the hall was silent.

Xi Yin remained silent, and Xie An and Wang Tanzhi also did not move.Others knew something was wrong, but they didn't have the courage to speak out to fight.

Sima Yu sat in the hall, his eyes swept over the officials, his disappointment was hard to hide.

"Your Majesty." Xi Min finally spoke, contrary to everyone's expectations, instead of arguing with Huan Wen, he agreed with him, "Ningzhou's emissary is indeed capable, and I am attached to Da Sima's proposal."

In an instant, the hall became even quieter, and a needle could be heard falling.

As agreed, Xi Chao and others went out one after another to join Huan Wen's request.

Sima Yu was alone and helpless.

Once Huan Wen gets tough, he has no chance of winning.Xi Yin changed his position inexplicably, and he had no room for opposition.

Helpless, I can only act as a decree from His Highness, to ask Sima Huan to play the request, and the assassin of Ningzhou is required to lead Yizhou and supervise the military of the three prefectures.

In this way, from west to east, along the Yangtze River, except for Xu, Yan and other places controlled by Xi Yin, they were all controlled by the Huan family and their allies.

The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty knew the harm, but they had no military power, and those who had military power were unwilling to stand up. They could only watch helplessly as the emperor issued an order and Sima Huan fulfilled his wish.

Only then did everyone suddenly realize that the officials and Da Sima had not reached a tacit understanding at all.It was clear that Sima Huan had set up a trick to lure Sima Yu into it.

Presumably Sima Yu did not keep his promise and refused to grant Jiuxi, but instead tried every means to delay, and even designed to weaken the popularity of Da Sima, making the latter dissatisfied.Wuxin used Huairou again to take down the three states with the momentum of thunder, and told the emperor clearly that he could be a marionette with peace of mind, and if he dared to think about it again, he would be at his own risk!

After the court meeting, Sima Huan didn't go back to the camp outside the city, but changed his way to Qingxili and went to Huan Rong's house.

Ever since Princess Nankang moved into Qingxili, she has been reluctant to return to the Huan Mansion, and the discord between the husband and wife has been put on the table.Frightened by Huan Da Sima's prestige, no one dared to spread rumors wantonly, only a few servants who spoke in secret, were sent to the farm the next day, and the whole family disappeared from the city.

Since then, Huan Mansion has become stricter.

The carriage is parked in front of the mansion, and there are already healthy servants waiting beside it.

Sima Huan pushed open the car door, looked at the courtyard wall that was more than ten feet high, and then at the turrets and wooden platforms protruding from the wall, his eyes could not help but focus slightly.

Is this an ordinary house?

It is clearly built according to the defense against foreign enemies!

He had been to this house before, and there was still a plaque of the Yu family hanging in front of the door at that time.Leaving aside what is inside the wall, as far as the exterior is concerned, it has definitely been rebuilt many times, and it has been handled by skilled craftsmen who are proficient in institutions.

How did they do it in such a short time, and how did they conceal the news?

Thinking about it, Princess Nankang has come from the courtyard, with a silk jacket and a long skirt, the hem of the skirt spreads out like flowing clouds, the bun is covered with golden hairpins, and the tassels are gently swaying, bringing a dazzling halo.

"My husband's lord is here, and Nankang has never greeted him from afar."

Seeing his first wife, Huanda Sima Lang smiled and said: "You and I have been husband and wife for more than [-] years, why should we have such a relationship. I heard that Xijun was unwell before, but now he is better?"

"Master Lao is concerned, my concubine is very kind."

The two exchanged a few words of pleasantries to make a scene.Immediately, he walked into the mansion, and the gate was closed to block the sight of prying eyes.

Huanda Sima observed carefully, and was even more surprised by the layout of the mansion.Even Gushu City, which he personally supervised, failed to achieve such a level.

No matter how slowly you walk, the corridor always ends.

The two walked to the main room, and Mrs. Li stood five steps apart and saluted.

"Master, please take your seat."

The three of them sat down, and the servants brought tea soup and cakes, and removed the standing screen.

There are several Sijigui plants planted in the courtyard, and the light yellow petals are piled up on the branches.When the breeze blows by, the petals sway gently, and the air is filled with sweet floral fragrance.

Sima Huan took a sip of the teacup, and then picked up a piece of pastry with bamboo chopsticks. It was golden in color and seemed to be made of glutinous rice. When biting it, it smelled like sweet-scented osmanthus.

It doesn't seem like it has been mixed with honey, but still has a hint of sweetness.

Princess Nankang waved her servants away, and Mrs. Li mixed the tea with her own hands.

The room fell into silence, except for the gurgling sound of boiling water, there was no other sound.

After drinking a cup of tea soup, Sima Huan took a cloth towel to wipe his hands, and wiped off the water stains on his beard along the way.

In three years, the short mustache has grown into a long beard.His jet-black hair became grizzled, his eyes became wrinkled, and his former handsomeness was replaced by aging.If Huan Rong met him face to face, he would definitely be shocked.

This doesn't look like it's three years older, it's clearly 30 years old!

"Xijun sent a letter to the camp earlier, saying that he has something important to discuss?"

"Indeed." Princess Nankang nodded, and said, "Gua'er wrote from Youzhou, there is a business that requires the husband's help. If the husband is interested, we might as well do it together."

"what business?"

"My husband, what do you think of this cake?" Princess Nankang didn't answer directly, but changed the subject and pointed to the cake on the plate.

Mrs. Li tilted her upper body slightly, picked up a piece of pastry, put it in a small plate and cut it open, revealing the flowing filling.

Green chopsticks are held in plain hands, jade bracelets hang down from the wrists, and the sleeves are flicked gently, every move can be painted.

"Very good." Sima Huan said honestly.

"This is what Guaer said about business."

"Cakes?" Sima Huan frowned.

"Sweet taste." Princess Nankang shook her head with a smile, moved the small dish, and said, "This cake is not sweetened, except for sweet-scented osmanthus, sugar is added to make it so sweet."

"Sugar?" Sima Huan was surprised, "What is this?"

Princess Nankang gestured with her head sideways. Madam Li took out a clay pot and opened the lid. Inside were sugar grains of different sizes, gray in color, somewhat resembling coarse salt.

"Master, try it?"

Mrs. Li took out a silver spoon, scooped up a grain and handed it to Sima Huan.

The sugar granules, which are less than the size of the fingertips, creak in the mouth, and the sweet taste slowly spreads, which is completely different from the taste of honey water.

"Is this sugar?"

"Yes." Princess Nankang nodded and said, "Gua'er accidentally got this thing to make a method, and if he wants to sell it to the north and south, he expects it to be very promising. What do you think?"

Huan Rong had been thinking about making sugar for a long time, but he was entangled in many things and couldn't get out of his hands.

Huan Yi didn't want to surprise him.

One time when he went to sea, Huan Yi ran a little far, and met a foreign merchant ship, accidentally found sugar cane, and brought back two black-skinned Indians.

At this time, India was divided into several states. The names of many states had long been lost in history, and Huan Rong had never heard of them.However, they have mastered the sugar technology.

Even if the materials are extremely expensive, and the sugar produced is mixed with impurities and has a gray color, which is completely different from the white sugar of later generations, it is still enough for Huan Rong to jump high with excitement.

It doesn't matter if there are impurities, and it doesn't matter if the technology is simple.As long as you master the core technology and have enough raw materials, with the help of skilled craftsmen, you will be able to improve the craftsmanship sooner or later!

The first batch of sugar produced was not as expected.

The color is not white enough, and the taste is not sweet enough.

The two pineapple heads worshiped in various ways, thinking they saw a miracle, and said in jerky Chinese, "They have never seen such white sugar, it must be a miracle."

The second batch improved slightly, and the third stagnated.

Huan Rong was not too impatient.

The road has to be walked step by step, the meal has to be eaten bite by bite, and hot tofu cannot be eaten in a hurry.

He is not a professional talent, and he always needs the people below to find out, which is of no use, but will cause counterproductive results.It can remove most of the impurities and make the sweet taste pure. If it is gray, it should be gray. Anyway, the salt most people eat is gray, so why worry about getting angry.

After the sugar workshop expanded, Shi Shao reminded him that with Youzhou's current strength, it is impossible to monopolize this wealth, and he must find someone to cooperate.

The Wang clan of Langya is interested in the salt market, but it is difficult for their power to come out of Jiankang, so they will not consider it for the time being.

After receiving Xie Xuan's letter, Huan Rong once considered Chen Jun's Xie family, but quickly dismissed the idea.With Chenjun Xie's standpoint and Jiangzuo Fengliu Chancellor's attitude towards the Jin family, unless the other party changes its course, otherwise, this covenant cannot be concluded, and it will not be secure.

You can't choose between the petty gentry and the surname Wu. If you choose, you will cause trouble for yourself.

After much deliberation, Huan Rong got a little angry.

In the end, it was Jia Bing who suggested that why not Huan Da Sima do this business.

Huan Rong froze on the spot, thinking that Jia Sheren was joking.

Jia Bing's attitude was serious, and he didn't mean to be joking at all.Seeing that Huan Rong didn't understand, he simply analyzed it from various aspects and listed the reasons.It is even more suggested that it is best to include envoy Xi Ting in the list.

"The world is a chessboard, and everyone in the world can be a chess piece. Ming Gong is not what he used to be. He should be the one who plays chess."

"Friends still need a bottom line, but enemies can take advantage of it."

"The world is so big that there is no place in the north and south. Money is touching, such huge profits, even gods will be tempted."

"Multi-party forces are united, and one hair can move the whole body. The thread is in the hands of Minggong, and there will be quarrels in the future, and others will be hurt. Minggong can be safe. You can also reap the benefits of the fisherman."

"Furthermore, Yizhou's emissary is at odds with Da Sima, and has a rift with Xi's emissary. Sooner or later, he will be pulled from his official position. Minggong doesn't need to worry too much, but Ningzhou's emissary is resourceful and very good at life. May wish to win over."

"Minggong, let's see, within a few days, there will be changes in the court. At that time, Minggong can secretly win over all parties, with a source of wealth as a shield, and in a short period of time, Youzhou will be able to escape the torrent safely."

long?

At that time, the wings were full, and no one was afraid of anyone!

Huan Rong was persuaded by Jia Bing.

In fact, after hearing the analysis of the Jiashe people, he was both excited and terrified.

Play chess in the world?

Although he has the heart to compete, is it really good to play so big at the beginning?

Jia Sheren said "yes", and you should play big.

With Huan Rong's ambition and identity, he should have wrestled such fierce men as Huan Da Sima and Xi Ji.The other Xiaoxiao are like ants, so he doesn't need to bother at all.

"The praying mantis is ferocious, but it is a worm after all. Sooner or later it will fall into the bird's mouth. The matter of shooting the sun is nothing more than skin and scabies. The servants will take care of it. Minggong should put the important affairs of the court first."

What else can Huan Rong say?

I can only grit my teeth, bite the bullet and write a letter, asking my mother to come forward to deal with my father.At the same time, he sent someone to contact Xi Yin and sent a small jar of white sugar. He didn't mention the past, but just negotiated the business.

Xi Yin replied quickly.

He is very interested in this business. According to the cooperation method Huan Rong said, he wants [-]% of the profit.

Huan Rong didn't agree, and killed [-]% of them, not even a little more.And it is required that Liu Laozhi must be the one who transports goods to Youzhou every time, and he does not recognize the others.

Seeing that there was nothing to discuss, the envoy Xi Ting simply signed the contract and handed it to Liu Laozhi to send to Xuyi, and brought back the first batch of white sugar that was scheduled.

Sima Huan knew that Xi Yin and Huan Rong had resumed contact, but he didn't know that they were doing business.

Now, sitting in the courtyard in Qingxili, seeing the white sugar produced in Youzhou, listening to what Princess Nankang said, and contacting recent events, I finally understand somewhat.

Still the same sentence, in the face of huge profits, even gods will be tempted.

"Gua'er is very smart." Sima Huan was in a very complicated mood.

The thing that shouldn't be the most successful is the most successful.On the contrary, those who have high hopes are not supported by the wall.It should be said that the world is tricking people, and fate should be like this?

"My husband's honor is too high."

"No." Huan Wen shook his head, scooped up another grain of sugar, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully.Then he drank half a cup of tea and said, "This can be done. When I return to the camp, I will write to Gua'er."

Princess Nankang nodded, knowing that the matter was initially decided, and the details still needed to be discussed.But she believed that with Huan Rong's current ability, she would definitely not suffer.

"There is another matter. Gua'er has been in office for three years and is now the governor of Yizhou. I want him to perform the crowning ceremony in advance. What's the husband's idea?"

Crowning ceremony means becoming an adult and having a greater right to speak in the clan.

Huanrong is an official of Qianshi, a county duke, and controls a state. Although he is under twenty, considering many reasons, it is understandable to hold the crown ceremony in advance.

The key is whether Huan Wen will nod.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Sima Huan's expression paused, he did not speak immediately, but fell into deep thought.

Princess Nankang picked up the teacup and lowered her eyes to hide the flashing emotions.Not considering this matter, she may not be willing to have Huan Rong involved with this old slave again.

Every fool should know how profitable the sugar market can be.The old slave should also nod when the gold and silver are sent.

"This matter needs to be reported to the family."

"nature."

Seeing that Sima Huan showed signs of letting go, Princess Nankang smiled a little.

"Gua'er traveled to the Academy and once worshiped under the great Confucianism of the Zhou family. If you perform the crowning ceremony in advance, you should ask the Confucian to take the characters."

Huan Wen wanted to say, I am his father, and I should choose the characters.

Princess Nankang pretended to be confused, pretending to understand, and insisted on not giving him a chance to speak.

Just kidding, what is the reputation of this old slave?It is absolutely impossible for him to take the words.

dear father?

Neither can my own father!

Princess Nankang didn't let go, and Sima Huan didn't force her.Anyway, the coronation ceremony is still early, so there is no rush.

Mrs. Li pushed away the teacup, closed the clay pot, and swept away a few petals that fell on the sleeves. There was a slight smile on her lips, too subtle to catch.

Youzhou, Xuyi

A pigeon flew into the assassin's mansion, bringing news of Jiankang.

Huan Rong couldn't help frowning after reading the text message.

Crown ceremony in advance?

Doesn't he want to go back to Jiankang?

Yuan Feng sat at the table with a volume of poetry in front of him.After reading the chapter of Qi Ao, he raised his head to look at Huan Rong, and said, "Brother."

"kindness?"

"In brother's eyes, what is a gentleman?"

"This question is too profound for me to answer."

Yuan Feng was surprised.

This question is difficult?

Huan Rong picked up a piece of pastry, put it in Yuan Feng's hand, and said: "Tomorrow, you can ask Mr. Han for advice when you go to the academy. When you come back, ask a few fellows, and you will understand."

"promise."

Yuan Feng nodded, scooped up the pastry with a wooden spoon, and bit into it bit by bit.After eating, he drank half a cup of warm water and said, "Actually, I think brother should be called a gentleman."

As he spoke, he pointed to the bamboo slips and said, "When I read this sentence, the only thing I think of is brother."

Seeing the verses on the bamboo slips, Huan Rong couldn't help remembering a certain rainy night, and subconsciously squeezed his earlobe.

Fortunately, not hot.

At the same time, the drums of war in the North finally sounded.

The Qin clan's armored soldiers in Luozhou took the lead in attacking and caught the Di people by surprise.

General Di, the leader of the army, was unwilling to be defeated, and intended to organize a counterattack, but the hearts of the people were not in harmony. As soon as the battle started, two masters led their troops to retreat, running faster than rabbits.

Qin Jing and Qin Jiu each led a cavalry to outflank them from the side.

When the Di people saw that the situation was not good, most of them turned around and ran without fighting.

In less than two hours, the huge camp ran away completely, leaving countless leather armor weapons along the way, and a large amount of luggage was piled up in the camp, but there were not many corpses.

Qin Yu led the army to arrive, and Qin Jiu and Qin Jing were cleaning the battlefield.

The three brothers looked at each other, all looking at the sky speechlessly, quite inexplicably.

Call it a trick, but it's really not like it.

But Qin's armored soldiers are formidable, and the Di people are also not weak, so it makes no sense to run away as soon as the battle is fought.

"what happened?"

Twenty thousand people disappeared in the blink of an eye?

How about some resistance?

"Not sure." Qin Jiu shook his head, thrusting the spear into the ground, even more inexplicable than Qin Jue.

噍——

The eagle's cry suddenly sounded, and a black eagle flew from the clouds, circled in mid-air for two weeks, swooped down, and landed on Qin Jing's shoulder.

Qin Jiu withdrew his hand, looking a little embarrassed.

This one was obviously raised by him, the white hair on the back of the neck is the proof!

Qin Jun patted his elder brother on the shoulder: "Just get used to it."

Qin Jing untied the silk cloth from the eagle's legs, glanced at it, and his expression suddenly changed.

"how?"

"Is there a change in Shangjun?"

Qin Jing didn't answer, but handed the silk cloth to Qin Jiu and said, "It's Chang'an."

"Chang'an?"

Qin Jiu showed surprise, and unfolded the silk cloth for a closer look.

It was impressively written on it that the Five Parts rebelled, pointing to Fu Jian usurping the throne and wanting to embrace his nephew as the main one.Wang Meng was assassinated and his life was in danger.

The three brothers looked at each other, and it turned out that Hu Feng was really strong, he would rebel if he disagreed with him, and he couldn't accept it.