Huan Rong

Chapter 220 Decision

Seeing that Huan Rong had been thinking about it for a long time, Princess Nankang changed the subject, and instead of talking about the Jiankang gentry, she mentioned the letter sent by Sima Yao.

"The officials have decided to get married in June." Princess Nankang frowned slightly, and said in a deep voice, "I sent a letter before Yuanfu, inviting me to watch the ceremony. After the auspicious date is set, I will send another letter."

Sima Yao is still the emperor of the Jin Dynasty, and sent two letters to Xuyu in his own hand, just to invite Princess Nankang to Jiankang.

Whether to go or not is actually not a big problem.

However, if you insist on not going and easily sweep the face of the emperor, you will inevitably give people a reason to talk about it.

"Son, what do you think?"

"Mom, I've heard about this for a long time."

Huan Rong thought for a while, and simply explained Jia Bing's plan.Seeing Princess Nankang's surprised face, as if thinking of something, her expression suddenly changed, and she couldn't help but pause.

"Mother?"

"A few days ago, the Zhou family of Xingjun sent people to Xuyi to talk about the marriage." Princess Nankang sighed and said, "This happened suddenly. I was a little strange before, but now it seems that it is reasonable."

"Marriage?" Huan Rong was surprised.

"It's not you." Princess Nankang glanced at Huan Rong, knowing what he was worried about, "It's Hu'er."

"Brother?" Huan Rong pondered for a moment, his face suddenly revealed.

Thinking about it carefully, Huan Yi is older than him and has not yet married.It is really not surprising that the Zhou family wants to marry.

Because of the reputation of ignorance before and because he was not liked by Sima Huan, Huan Yi would naturally not be seen by everyone.Now, as the magistrate of Yandu County, his subordinates control several sea-going ships. In terms of strength, they are comparable to, or even surpassed by, the prefect of a county.

Huan Rong and Huan Yi had a deep friendship. Among the brothers with the same father, only Huan Yi held an official position in his jurisdiction and won his trust.

Such top families as Wang and Xie would not be tempted easily, but for a Wu surname like the Zhou family and a middle-grade overseas Chinese surname, Huan Yi is indeed a good marriage partner.

Huan Rong has not revealed his intention to marry a wife so far, but Huan Yi is not.

Princess Nankang revealed a little bit, and those who are interested will naturally come to the door.

Originally, Princess Nankang wanted to choose between the Qiao surname and the in-laws of the Huan family, but unexpectedly, the Zhou family of Xingjun took the initiative to send someone to show the intention of family marriage.

Don't look at the Zhou family being squeezed out by overseas Chinese surnames and constantly marginalized in the court. In the past 50 years, it was definitely one of the best tyrants in the south, and they often gave Sima Rui and Wang Dao a look at them.

Now it seems to be in decline, but in fact its foundation is solid.

Zhou Chu participated in Jia Bing's plan because he was optimistic about Huan Rong.But he did not propose to marry Huan Rong, but wanted to marry Huan Yi, which is also a prudent move.

Firstly, it will not attract too much attention, and it can temporarily avoid the suspicion of the world; secondly, Huan Rong will fail in the future, and it is only a side-in-law, so naturally it does not have much to do with it.

It cannot be said that the Zhou family has no sincerity, everything is calculated.

It can only be said that this is the rule of the world, and it is also the experience summed up after the Wu surname was suppressed.You can bet, but you can't be desperate.When necessary, be wise and protect yourself to prevent the whole family from falling into danger.

"Mom, did you tell brother about this?" Huan Rong asked.

"The news has been sent a few days ago." Princess Nankang nodded.

"Brother, what do you mean, do you want a girl from the Zhou family?"

"It's just a mention. I haven't met Zhou's girl in person. Why do you say anything else?" Princess Nankang gave Huan Rong a strange look. The key is character education. If you are like your concubines, do you think life is not enough to make troubles?"

Huan Rong blinked, according to his mother's words, brother can meet face to face?

Princess Nankang looked at him more and more strangely, which is common sense.

"I thought..." Huan Rong twitched the corners of his lips in embarrassment, but he didn't expect that the current customs are like this.

Princess Nankang glared at him, her son is smart, he is not bad at big things, why is he always confused about small things?

"Since it's good to have two surnames, everything must be weighed carefully. If you don't know what you look like before you get married, wouldn't it be a joke." Princess Nankang looked at Huan Rong and saw her son's ears turned red, which was a bit funny. .

"Of course, there are also those who get engaged without meeting, but there must be some arrangements before the marriage, at least for the two to meet once. It's really impossible, at least there will be a portrait."

The marriage agreement cannot be changed, but it must be well known.

Otherwise, the girl will be entrusted to someone else, and she will suffer a lifetime of misery; or if she marries a daughter-in-law like Jananfeng, who will bring down children and grandchildren, the two families will not be married, but will become enemies.

If it is really inappropriate, you can also try to divorce on the premise of not harming the family.

The so-called right match means that each other has equal strength.As long as the girl does not make a big mistake and the family power does not decline, it is completely impossible to divorce a wife for no reason.

Whoever dares to do this will definitely be criticized by thousands of people.

The children of the gentry enjoy the glory of the family and must bear considerable responsibilities.Whether it's a girl or a gentleman, it's all the same.

After listening to Princess Nankang's speech, Huan Rong gained a new understanding of the customs of the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

"Mom, brother, what do you think about it?"

"The official family will get married in June. I will go to Jiankang to watch the ceremony. I will meet you in person." Princess Nankang laughed.Seeing that Huan Rong opened his mouth to speak, he stopped him immediately, "I didn't know Azi's plan before, whether to go to Jiankang or not. Now that I know, naturally I have to go through it."

"Mum, I mean my son, my mother stays in Xuyi, and my son goes to Chang'an."

In any case, Huan Rong did not want Princess Nankang to be in danger.

He told the whole plan in order to let Princess Nankang stay in Youzhou with peace of mind, so he went to Jiankang himself to complete the whole plan.

"No." Princess Nankang shook her head and said sternly, "If I don't go, the officials may not really put all their eggs in one basket. Don't look at him showing signs of madness, but he is not really completely confused. They will all fail.”

"Aunt..."

"Since I said this, there is absolutely no reason to change it." Princess Nankang stopped Huan Rong again, "Besides, I thought about it, with Azi's method, I will definitely not let my mother fall into danger."

Huan Rong opened his mouth, wanting to speak out to persuade him again, when a gust of fragrant wind wafted in, Madam Li walked into the inner room with a smile, and said in her mouth: "The banquet is ready, please move, elder sister and Mr. Lang."

After the words fell, his eyes glanced at the mother and son, and he asked strangely: "Why is your husband acting like this?"

"I decided to go to Jiankang." Princess Nankang said, explaining the matter clearly in a few words.

Mrs. Li's expression did not change, her smile did not decrease at all, but became more and more charming, her long eyelashes were slightly lifted, her red lips were full, and the corners of her mouth curved into a perfect arc.The voice was the same as before, soft and intoxicating, but the words that came out made people feel cold from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet involuntarily.

"What's the matter with the concubine? Don't worry, my lord, I'm by my side. Anyone who dares to make up his mind will definitely make him regret coming to this world."

Knowing who he was referring to, Huan Rong still shivered in Lingling.

"Okay, anyway, there is still March, so we can arrange it carefully." Princess Nankang clapped her hands lightly, and said, "There is a lamb under the cook, sister, can the cook prepare it?"

"Sister, don't worry, I will remember what your husband likes to eat."

The beauty showed her face, delicate and charming, making all the flowers look pale.

Everything just now seemed to be an illusion.

Huan Rong got up with Princess Nankang, and when he walked to the corridor, he happened to meet Yuan Feng and the two four-headed bodies who had changed into a new suit.

"Your Highness, Brother."

Yuan Feng saluted, Huan Wei and Huan Xuan followed suit.However, no matter how hard the two tried, they couldn't reach Yuan Feng's level back then.Huan Wei staggered even more, and rolled directly into Huan Rong's arms.

Looking at the round ball in front of him, Huan Rong bent down and scooped it up without even thinking about it.

Facing the big round eyes and looking at the chubby face, his fingers couldn't help itching.

It looks so good to pinch...

"Brother."

Huan Xuan walked to Huan Rong's side and raised his head with a somewhat aggrieved expression.

Envoy Huan immediately understood that as an elder brother, it is not good to treat one more favorably than another, but it is really difficult for him to hold two of them.But seeing the aggrieved look of the four heads, he really couldn't bear it, he gritted his teeth, bent down and scooped up the ball... he didn't pick it up, and he almost slipped to his waist.

Huan Rong's face was full of embarrassment, Princess Nankang laughed on the spot, and said: "Quickly put it down, they have grown a lot this year, you can't hold them with your body."

Huan Rong: "..."

Fortunately, Huan Wei was sensible and took the initiative to ask Huan Rong to let go of himself.

"Brother hold brother."

The four-headed body is very brotherly, and gave up his brother's arms.Huan Xuan looked at Huan Rong longingly, and after being picked up, he immediately put his arms around Huan Rong's neck, and buried his face in the socket of his neck.

Huan Rong freed up one hand as much as he could, stroked Huan Wei's hair, and said, "Tomorrow, I'll take you and Abao to Fangshi. You haven't always wanted a new Trojan horse, so just go and choose."

"Thank you brother!"

Huan Xuan raised his head and whispered, "Brother, I want it too."

"Okay." Huan Rong nodded with a smile, put Huan Xuan on the ground, and said, "One person, one horse."

Huan Wei and Huan Xuan were full of excitement, and the two brothers got together to discuss in a low voice, and quickly decided that Huan Wei wanted to be able to run, while Huan Xuan wanted to be able to pull a wooden cart behind a horse.

"With the previous horse, it can be used as a chariot."

The two talked so forgetfully that they completely forgot their nostalgia for the "elder brother's arms".

Huan Rong looked at the sky speechlessly.

Should he be happy that the attention of the four heads can be transferred quickly enough, or should he feel sad that he is not as good as the two Trojan horses?

Looking at the excited little brothers again, they couldn't help but shook their heads with a smile.

Because it was a family banquet, there were no outsiders present, Mrs. Li and Mrs. Murong could attend, and there was no need to set up a screen in front of the bed.

Fresh seasonal vegetables and roasted meat with burnt fragrance are presented one after another.

Considering Huanrong's taste, there is no minced meat, but the mutton is chopped, added seasonings, kneaded into balls, deep-fried in a wok, and delivered to the banquet while it is hot.

The croquettes are made of soybean oil, which is produced in Yandu, no accident.

In the past, most people used meat oil and sesame oil, but the emergence of soybean oil has attracted a lot of attention.Similarly, it also opened up a new source of income for Huan Rong.

The cultivation of soybeans has a long history, and tofu has also appeared, but it can only be seen on the dining table of the gentry. Many common people do not know what the so-called tofu is.

The emergence of soybean oil has nothing to do with Huan Rong, but the joint efforts of cooks and craftsmen in the workshop.

At first, the amount of oil squeezed out was very small and unsatisfactory.With the continuous improvement of the technology, the amount of oil extracted continued to increase, and finally maintained at a certain level. Shi Shao set the price of oil in comparison with the price of grain, and tried to sell it for two days, but the supply soon became short of demand.

The meatballs are seasoned, crispy on the outside, and wrapped in gravy inside, which is a bit springy.

After eating the next one, Huan Rong couldn't help squinting his eyes in satisfaction.

Fried food is not healthy, but it depends on the situation.In this day and age, if you tell people that it is not good to eat too much fried food, they will probably be treated as crazy.

After the family banquet, Huan Rong sent Princess Nankang back to the East Courtyard first, and the mother and son chatted for a while before leaving and returning to the Main Courtyard.

When passing by the corridor, seeing the bright moon in the sky and the stars shining brightly, I couldn't help but stop.Looking up at the night sky for a long time, feeling the cool evening breeze, thinking about the army far away in the north, he murmured: "I don't know if brother has arrived in Longxi."

When thinking of Longxi, one cannot help but think of the trade routes of the Western Regions, and when thinking of the trade routes of the Western Regions, one naturally thinks of Chang'an.

Thinking about Chang'an, unexpectedly, a slender figure came into my mind.

Huan Rong closed his eyes, folded his arms in front of him, and an unspeakable complexity flashed across his expression.

Another gust of night wind blew, the hem of the clothes moved slightly, and the long sleeves bulged slightly.

The eyelids were raised, and the pitch-black eyes were already calm.Heartbroken, sad, confused, and can't find any clues.All that is left is perseverance, the determination to stand in troubled times and aspire to the Central Plains.

Three years in Ningkang, at the end of March

After several fierce battles, the Jin army finally captured Longxi County.

The Di soldiers entrenched in the city were extremely fierce, and they fought to the death even after the city was broken.The governor of Longxi would rather die than surrender. Seeing that the defeat was irretrievable, he ordered people to set fires everywhere in the city, massacring those who failed to escape.

When the Jin army entered the city, extinguished the fire, and saw the devastation, even a man of iron could not help but gasp.

There are charred corpses among the ruins.

The former prefect's mansion and the mansions of powerful families were all burned down, and all of them were turned into cold smoke.

The body of the prefect of Longxi was found, and Huan Shiqian ordered that he be thrown out of the city without setting up a grave.

"The city needs to be cleaned up as soon as possible." Xie Xuan suggested, "Seventy percent of the people in the city failed to escape. All the houses in the city were burned down. To stop the remnant soldiers from counterattacking, it is necessary to rebuild the city walls and watchtowers."

Huan Shiqian accepted Xie Xuan's proposal and allocated [-] troops to cut wood and transport rocks to fill up the gaps in the city wall. He also sent people to search the four villages and recruit the young men and women who stayed in the countryside.

"One meal a day, and another salary after the city wall is built."

"Since Longxi has descended, the next step is Wushi. According to the official letter of Huainan County, the army does not need to move forward, but can hang around in Longxi County for a few days, and wait for the Qin family to enter Yongzhou and chase away Shi Yiqiang before launching an attack."

"We can't wait any longer." Huan Shiqian shook his head and said, "The Qin family has an alliance with Youzhou, but the situation is changing rapidly, and there is no guarantee that other intentions will not arise. I will take Wushi as soon as possible, go west to Hezhou, and arrive at Guzhou as soon as possible. Zang."

"Although we talk about co-management, there is always a first-come-first-served approach." Xie Xuan agreed with Huan Shiqian's words, "If you want to gain an advantage in the Western Regions and not be suppressed by the Qin family, you must enter Guzang first!"

Wang Xianzhi thought for a moment, but did not object.

"Longxi wants to send people to stay behind." Huan Shiqian continued, "The Di bandits have dealt a ruthless hand, and all the powerful people in the city have been slaughtered. If you want to defend this place, I'm afraid you will have to send people from other counties."

"If the general agrees, we can transfer people from Liangzhou." Yang Guang said, "The prefect of Zitong, Zhou Yang, has an upright temperament, is known for his strategies, and is quite insightful in both building and defending the city."

"Zhou Yang?" Wang Xianzhi and Xie Xuan glanced at each other and Yang Guang at the same time, "Xingjun Zhou?"

"Indeed." Yang Guang didn't care.

He is not interested in the entanglement between the Qiao and Wu surnames.At present, he only cares about whether he can defend Longxi County, open up the road to the west, and complete Huan Rong's confession.

There are many shortcomings in Yang Guang, especially his grandiose achievements and reckless advancement, which once caused him a big loss.However, with his personality, once he is convinced by someone, he will definitely follow him with all his strength.

Now, Wushi County is close at hand, he doesn't want and doesn't want to be hindered by the Longxi incident, so as to delay the important event.

Zhou Yang is the best candidate, as for whether he has the surname of Qiao or Wu, it doesn't matter at this time.Facing foreign enemies, they are all Han Chinese!

After some deliberation, Huan Shiqian finally made a decision. The army rested in Longxi for a short period of time.

"You don't need to wait for Zhou Taishou to arrive, as long as Hanzhong sends a reply letter, I can leave the camp."

The Di thief was scattered, and for a moment he didn't have the guts to turn around.Huan Shiqian decided to leave a state soldier to guard the city to meet Zhou Yang who was going north.The rest went straight to Wushi, trying to capture the city before May.

At the same time, Qin Jing led [-] cavalry to march westward, with banners covering the sun and horseshoes rumbling all the way.

Before the battle, the thieves were already timid.

Starting from Chang'an, the army was invincible.Pass through Xinping, go down to Anding, sweep across Longdong, and kill the remnants of the enemy to the point of panic.

Later, when he heard the sound of Qin's horn, saw the black armor and the silver spear, Di Bing ran away instinctively, not daring to fight at all.Not to mention Shi Yiqian's team, they ran away on hearing the wind, and couldn't even catch a shadow.

When the Jin soldiers set out from Longxi and approached Wushi County, Qin Jing had captured the entire territory of Yongzhou, and gathered two Qiang teams during this period.

Nearly [-] cavalry continued westward, rushing to Hezhou like a torrent.During the break, when he was looking for water from the river, he happened to meet Shi Yiqian's army face to face.

When the two sides encountered each other, the cavalrymen of the Qin family were full of excitement, and they were gearing up for each other.This group of Tuoba Xianbei ran faster than rabbits, and this time they were finally caught, don't even think about running again!

Shi Yiqian's troops froze on the spot, from Daiwang to his subordinates, everyone was in a daze, and there was only one thought left in their minds: Going around a few times, and being caught up if they didn't want to, it was really bad luck. Don't even try to hide when you run to the sky.