Chapter Fifty-Three (Revised, Please Read Again with Patience)

  "So the two of them started their happy life," I concluded, and Xiao Ya exaggeratedly patted her chest, let out a sigh, and coquettishly tilted up her little nose, boasting to Yu Er, whose eyes were shining brightly with admiration. "Still, Ah Xiao is great, tell Ge Ge and the others about it, but they all have to pay for it." She nodded vigorously, completely gone was the look of being on the verge of tears from just now.

  Everything seems to have changed, only I've turned from an amateur nanny to a professional one. As we approach the land, it's full of lush greenery, with a gentle breeze and a refreshing wind that occasionally startles birds into flight or monkeys into jumping, and I feel like I'm in a scene from "Light Chariot and Fat Horse Spring Outing". If it weren't for the little girl sitting in front of me on my horse, squeezing herself tightly into my arms, occasionally turning around to point and gesture excitedly, chattering away happily.

  Unfortunately, she's just a little girl who lacks the curves of a woman, and under everyone's gaze, it's really hard to have any wild thoughts about her. Looking at her enthusiastic appearance, she seems more like my cousin who comes over during Chinese New Year, clutching that giant Teddy bear that's bigger than she is. It makes me wonder why I don't have even a bit of charm, why I can't just strike a pose and see the beauty in her eyes shining brightly, making me think about it day and night. Just one glance from me could make those flirtatious women, young ladies, and noblewomen drool all over me like moths to a flame. But ever since the Xie Yuan incident, those officials with eligible daughters suddenly became distant and respectful towards me, only changing their attitude after I got engaged. Now they're even more polite, but behind that fa?ade, they keep a safe distance, making it impossible for me to get angry. What did I do wrong?

  Although I'm really helpless, I don't want to change anything. From reading many historical books, I know that for a monarch, capable and perfect subordinates are not more reassuring than those who are easy to control and may be criticized by others. So what I need is some flaws that won't make others feel difficult to grasp, such as highlighting some of my "hobbies" that people criticize. After seeing many things around the emperor, I also understand that if you want to stay in this complex and ruthless officialdom, you must have a weakness that makes your superiors think they can control you, such as greed or lust.

  Anyway, I have a plan to find a group of beauties to mix and eat until death, so I don't hide my interest in beauties, which is also a lucky coincidence. I'm not afraid of the emperor's thoughts about this "bad habit" either. After all, those who pursue fame, wealth, power, money, and beauties are everywhere, and I don't mind being one of them. Compared to that emperor, the latter two are probably easier to grasp, right?

  I was actually overthinking, and later I found out some things from the mouths of Gao Lishi's close attendants. Along the way, there were only more rumors about me that didn't need to be deliberately spread - all sorts of hearsay had already been circulating in the palace. The claims that I'm greedy for wealth and lustful are quite convincing, not just baseless rumors. According to someone who spoke closer to the truth, this official is even more treacherous than a mountain bandit or a swindling merchant. Just think about it - he's so bold as to extort money from the future crown prince, and dares to bully the emperor's most beloved little princess. He's also reckless enough to be rude to the chief lady-in-waiting of the emperor's favorite concubine, and gets away with it scot-free. What can't this guy do?

  Of course, there are those who are motivated by a sense of justice and want to help the masses, even save them from the suffering that is to come. However, that person is too cunning and evil, especially good at deceiving people's hearts and confusing their superiors, causing knowledgeable scholars to hit a wall everywhere.

  After the private storage of women's goods incident, some people made a big deal out of it and secretly signed a joint petition to the emperor saying that I was morally corrupt and not worthy of being entrusted with important tasks. Because the old emperor had no clear attitude towards this matter, it was left unsettled. Later, some people repeatedly used my words against me, such as the so-called "Three Wives Theory", which they claimed would harm the social norms and mislead the younger generation, asking the emperor to punish me for this. However, the emperor's attitude, along with that of the crown prince, was even more intriguing. After hearing many opinions, he simply threw out a ambiguous sentence, "This child is indeed a person of natural disposition", which put an end to all further gossip.

  Until the Emperor bestowed marriage, some people still thought that this gentleman was in a good position and was good at deceiving the Emperor's ears. He himself was afraid of being insufficient, so he thought of going to Wei Xiang, who had always been good at understanding the Emperor's intentions, to persuade him to use his influence to help his son ascend to power. However, he didn't expect to encounter a soft nail, and Wei Xiang was also a person who understood the situation, so he wouldn't be moved by such small gains. After being persuaded repeatedly, Wei Xiang finally said with a lukewarm tone, "It's their family affair, what does it have to do with you?" and sent him away.

  Of course, there were things that Wei Xiang didn't say out loud, but later explained to his eldest son, Wei E. "The power of the Wei family is already high enough, we don't need others to add to our glory. The downfall of the Yang family is still fresh in our minds. What do these people mean by advising me to take another step? What great righteousness and justice are they talking about? Most likely, it's just an excuse for those old men who are jealous of our sudden rise to power and want to regain their footing.

  What nonsense about deceiving the Emperor's ears and bringing disaster to the country! Are these people really that foolish? Does the Crown Prince really think he can be deceived so easily? These people must have been rebuffed by the Emperor and then turned to me. As a new official, I am indeed vulnerable to envy. For the sake of their own interests, they want to undermine the relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, which is solid as a rock. These self-proclaimed guardians of national righteousness are truly despicable.

  But these are things that I couldn't have known at the time.

  If it were just that, then so be it. But there was still no end to the desire to do something, and on the second day, the person who had been leading the way, the most capable adult, accidentally ate poisonous mushrooms and vomited nonstop. The whole journey was spent fleeing for their lives, with no medicine to cure them. They were on the verge of death, convulsing and struggling, until a kind-hearted general came up with an unorthodox remedy - a strong emetic that induced vomiting. It was only by using this unconventional method that they managed to save their life, although they didn't die, half of their vitality was gone. The illness left behind a lingering root, and the spiritual blow from being force-fed that yellowish-white substance made them lose all spirit. They were left with a condition where they would drool uncontrollably and be unable to speak. For most of the time, they could only lie in the cart, humming weakly.

  His meals were all taken from the communal large pot, and the vegetables for the soup were also collected by many people. The problem is that somehow he ended up eating poisonous mushrooms. In the chaos of war, there was no way to investigate, and as time passed, the matter was naturally forgotten. However, some people couldn't help but feel a sense of sympathy for the poor man, like mourning the death of a rabbit or a fox.

  Xie Yuan has been nowhere to be found, and even asking Xiao Yatou yielded no results, making me feel quite bored. However, these days spent with my sister Yu'er have been enjoyable. I heard that the newly arrived maid, Chu Qing, is said to have a good appearance, according to Xiao Yatou's words, she is not inferior to those sisters who danced at the grand banquet in the morning. It's just that due to her unclear origins, she seems to be somewhat cold-shouldered and excluded by those women, which makes me feel slightly comforted.

  Just as I was feeling proud, a horseman came galloping from afar with two flags inserted in his back, and rushed to me on horseback, dismounting halfway and kneeling before me. "The vanguard's letter team reports to the Commander-in-Chief," he said, "there is an army in the southwest." "What does the vanguard say?" I asked, collecting my thoughts and speaking seriously.

  As far as the eye can see, it's all infantry, with neat formations, but unclear unit numbers and somewhat mixed colors. Their attitude is calm and not very fast, and they are very clean, not looking like they've been marching for days. There are also a large number of logistics personnel and supplies following behind them. These factors quickly formed an outline in my mind: this army is clearly not a rebel force. The light cavalry wouldn't have had the time or conditions to take a detour around Longxi to attack us from behind. It's obvious that they're not heading north to reinforce, so it must be that they've received news and are coming to welcome the old emperor - the Shu army of Jianmen.

  I am very satisfied, obviously this candidate is carefully observing and grasping important information from seemingly minor details. He also gave me a lesson on the tactical level. He is indeed a talented individual. I immediately appointed him as a clerk in the army office, promoted him to the rank of captain, and retained his original position as a marquis waiting for further use. This isn't because I don't want to use him, but after losing more than half of our troops at Luoyang Pass and then dividing them twice during the formation of the mobile army and the Crown Prince's northern expedition, we now have too few soldiers on hand, with only about three thousand wounded included.

  Looking back at this team, to be honest, it's too long, the gap between the front and rear troops is not reasonable, and the vigilance is also too lax. If a surprise attack occurs, it would be easy to cut them into two segments. My subordinates couldn't help but sigh and discuss among themselves, saying that with just one well-trained cavalry unit, this kind of performance would be enough to kill them three times over. I suddenly had an idea, completely unaware that I myself was also a rookie who hadn't experienced battle just a month ago.

  So when they found out, in an instant the surrounding mountains and forests rose up, and from among the trees, countless hidden soldiers emerged like a rolling tide, with smoke and dust billowing behind them, and who knows how many more people rushed out. They were already surrounded, front and back, and their camp was blown to pieces as they mutually clashed in confusion. It took half a work's effort to regroup, forming an array of three inner circles and three outer circles of musketeers, swordsmen, archers, and baggage carriers. But when they formed up to face the enemy, they discovered that the other side had no intention of launching a fierce attack. This only made them even more fearful.

  I saw the army below, holding their weapons and trembling slightly, with tension and panic on everyone's face, I was very satisfied with this show of force. Then, when the flag was raised again, the enemy, who had been holding their bows and arrows, finally relaxed, and before they could be ordered to do so, they hastily dropped their weapons and sent out several riders, waving a white flag and shouting "Friendly forces" as they came over to make contact, causing General Goto and other veteran generals to frown and shake their heads in dismay.

  Those several men were both literary and martial, they self-reported as the administrators of Hanzhong and other officials, their weapons were confiscated, after checking their identities and seals, which seemed genuine, they were brought to see the old emperor, thirty steps away, they dismounted their horses, bowed their heads and shouted "Long live the Emperor" "We have been ordered by the Governor of Hanzhong Prefecture, hearing that Your Majesty has arrived in Shu, we led our three thousand troops to come and greet you".

  It's indeed the vanguard of Shu army. I said that these days have been chaotic, and the old emperor has escaped for some time. However, there is no movement on the Jian Nan side. But the leader of this army is a prince, not the expected deputy envoy of Jian Nan, which makes people wonder if something unexpected happened in Shu.

  Until the arrival of the Hanzhong King's troops, accompanied by civil and military officials who came to pay their respects, they immediately knelt down and begged for punishment, saying "Please punish us to death". The crowd was silent, and it wasn't until later that they explained the situation. For a month, there had been continuous bad news: Chang'an had fallen, the northern border was in chaos, the Emperor had fled, and the situation of the officials in Shu was unclear. Most of them took a wait-and-see attitude, not daring to take action lightly. Later, it was only after Yang Guozhong's three sons, including Yang Xiao, who had escaped from the Mawei mutiny by having loyal servants die in their place, arrived at Hanzhong that they learned of the Emperor's plan to head south. It was then that arrangements were made for the defense and troops were sent out to meet them. Therefore, this army not only consisted of the king's personal soldiers, the city guards of the Hanzhong prefecture, but also a portion of the Jianmen military, resulting in confusion in their flags, colors, and numbering.

  This Shu Road is very bumpy, from Hanzhong to here there is still a considerable distance, it's hard for him to organize a large number of civilians and horses to transport grain along the way, and also bring a lot of ceremonial objects, cattle, horses, carriages, and equipment are all complete, the old emperor naturally feels greatly relieved, and says "In times of crisis, one can see people's hearts", he personally helps him up on the spot, and pardons the crime of Han Zhong Wang's self-requested unauthorized handling, puts his hand into the account, and grants him the title of Grand Governor of Sword South on the spot, and also rewards others.

  He then greeted the civil and military officials who had accompanied him, and only then did I take a closer look at this Han Zhong Wang Li Yu, who was over 40 years old. Apart from the noble air and fair complexion that came with being a member of the imperial family and living a life of luxury, he looked no different from any ordinary elderly neighbor one might meet on the street, but judging from what he had just said in his apology, it was a very serious matter indeed.

  It was this unassuming old man who, on the main street of Hanzhong, led the imperial guards to kill Yang Xiaoguang's third son, Yang Xiao, like a dog, after he had fled to Shu to seek help. Although he didn't say much, I could still analyze that Yang Xiao and his entourage were first treated with good food and drink by the attendants, who then tricked them into revealing what they needed before driving them away and killing them while they were trying to escape. If that was all, it wouldn't be a big deal, as the Yang family wasn't very likable anyway. For example, Xue Jingxian, the former magistrate of Chen Cang County who is now a useless, guilty official under my command, temporarily in charge of the military records office, had also done something similar.

  At the same time, a few days ago, it was still Wang Zhongsi, who had escaped from Yang Guozhong's mouth and deceived the emperor to go south. After learning about the major changes in the Yang family, he issued a fake imperial edict to eliminate the rebels. With the king's household affairs and military union with the Hanzhong Sima city soldiers, under the pretext of discussing welcoming the emperor, they lured several Sword Gate army generals, seized their official seals, and used Yang Guozhong's name to lure his trusted party members, including Lu Ye, Lian Qiong, and Zhuo Han Zhang, nineteen people in total, to Sword Gate for discussion. They were captured on the spot and taken into custody, waiting for imperial instructions to deal with them.

  From all of the above, at least he is a person who is firm and decisive in his thoughts, yet very patient.

  They lured and imprisoned the officials appointed by the imperial court, and each of them was not low in rank. This is a very serious matter. On the other hand, the emperor had also issued an oral decree "Sin Yang Cong Ni", in this situation, the old emperor did not say anything, but instead comforted him with kind words, who was extremely frightened and kept saying that he deserved to die.

  I've also heard about the recent struggles between the imperial consorts, outer relatives and royal family members. I didn't expect it to be so intense. Although he seemed surprised and genuinely delighted by the news that Yang Taizhen was able to escape unscathed and the Crown Prince's trip north to take charge of state affairs, I caught a glimpse of something else in his changing expression.

  It's been a long time, and I'm really sorry. Before and after the New Year is our unit's busiest time. Cat has a problem, seeing too many "three representatives" and "two musts" makes my head spin, really sorry about that.

  To be honest, writing this book is more troublesome than those official documents at work. Although the official documents are troublesome, it's still manageable to write a thousand words. The depth of thought and subject matter are all familiar to people from before, just following the eight-legged essay format system. Now there are so many model essays online, basically everyone copying each other's work, especially for guiding ideological works, just rehashing those eight-legged essays, reorganizing them with a new title and calling it something new for the new era, and even if people know you're copying, they can't say anything, otherwise, it would be considered as being left behind by the times.

  It's not like that, don't imagine things out of thin air, you need to accumulate and ferment a lot of materials before they become your own, even if it's something completed, you still need to repeatedly polish the words, grammar, and often still be restricted by environmental factors. And even if you have everything ready and calm down, you may not necessarily be able to squeeze out anything, after all, inspiration is highly uncertain, and killing brain cells is tens of times more than writing documents.

  So for reflecting some roughness in my article, I can only say sorry, and it must be modified. But the story still has to go on.