Chapter 38: Final Light
Meeting the Emperor...
When they passed by the avenue in front of the Mingtang of the Self-Study Palace before, the people who looked at them only saw the two children fighting.
But when Qiao Yan returned to this road, the looks of the people, including the students, who looked at him had changed significantly.
When studying in the capital city of Luoyang, all one seeks is to become famous among the emperor and enter the court. In the process of accumulating fame, it would be better if one could get the support of a noble person. If not, one has to make a name for oneself.
In special situations like the Yellow Turban Rebellion, only a few people were able to establish meritorious service.
This is not a path that can be used as a reference for learning.
For most scholars, being able to stand out from the Imperial Academy with their talent and learning, accumulating a certain level of knowledge and then traveling to study in Ruyang and Yingzhou, and meeting one or two famous scholars for guidance, was already a great achievement.
The best thing is to get direct comments from top critics of the time such as Xu Jing, Xu Shao, He Yong and Guo Tai. If the comments are good, it will be enough to distinguish you from ordinary scholars.
And obviously, Qiao Yan has done it.
Not only did she receive the high evaluation of "the young phoenix has a clear voice" which showed great expectations for the future just by relying on a piece of policy paper, but she was also summoned by the emperor immediately.
Of course, everyone can see that Qiao Yan’s opportunity to be summoned was not entirely due to Xu Zijiang’s comment.
If it weren't for the title of Marquis of Leping that had been conferred earlier, Liu Hong would not have had nothing better to do than to summon a junior who was valued by Xu Shao, a commoner.
Considering the distance between Dingzhong Temple and the imperial city, it was obviously impossible that as soon as Xu Shao's evaluation came out, someone would deliver the news to the palace. Liu Hong happened to have nothing to do, so he asked Zhang Rang to come and read the emperor's oral order.
Zhang let him come too fast!
It was so fast that there was no doubt that Liu Hong had been paying attention to Qiao Yan's actions and situation.
But no one can deny that when that comment and this well-timed summons were put together, Xu Shao benefited from it, and Qiao Yan's reputation soared.
No one would say that she should have been at her grandfather's bedside.
After all, this was her first time going out after arriving in Luoyang, and her trip to Dingzhong Temple with Yang Xiu seemed more like a coincidence.
All she did was to grab the opportunity without hesitation when it came her way.
Put yourself in Qiao Xuan's shoes. If they were in Qiao Xuan's position and were seriously ill and dying, and had such an outstanding granddaughter whose words could reach the ears of God, they would probably die with a smile on their face.
Seeing that the success of one's offspring is in sight, is there anything that can better comfort the heart of an elder than this?
"After this, they will probably be as curious as I am about what you wrote."
When passing through Pingcheng Gate, Yang Xiu looked back and spoke.
Fortunately, not everyone can enter the capital of Luoyang, especially not far after passing the city gate, which is the imperial road connecting Guangyang Gate and Hao Gate, and is located in front of Nan Palace. On the wall of Nan Palace inside the city wall is the Suzaku Watchtower.
This indicates that from this point on, the imperial city is heavily guarded.
It also displays a solemn atmosphere because it represents the highest authority of the Han Dynasty.
Even Yang Xiu, the grandson of the Grand Marshal, could not pass through the Suzaku Gate without permission.
He followed all the way only because he wanted to take this road home.
Now Qiao Yan continued to enter the Nan Palace under the guidance of Zhang Rang, while Yang Xiu turned right and returned to the Taiwei Mansion.
He had an excellent memory. If we exaggerate a little, he could probably be praised for having a photographic memory. For example, at this moment, Qiao Yan's policy paper was still imprinted in his mind.
He thought that since he had lost to such an article, he should naturally write it out from memory and recite it every day to memorize it.
Because of this, he did not continue to hang out around the Imperial College with his friends, but planned to go home first to prevent missing any two words.
Seeing Qiao Yan's figure disappear behind the door, he sighed slightly.
"I don't know how future history books will record today's situation..."
Anyway, he got a not-too-bad evaluation. Hopefully, it won't be recorded as something like - Yang Xiu provoked Qiao Yan in the street and forced him to go to Dingzhong to watch. Qiao Yan had no choice but to present "On the Feudalism of Provincial Governors" to Xu Shao, and was summoned by the emperor again.
Wouldn't that make him a clown villain?
The still young Yang Xiu pondered how he could restore his reputation.
I don’t know... whether it is feasible for “Yang Xiu was impressed and followed Qiao Yan to Leping”.
He felt that it seemed feasible!
Taiwei Yang Ci never expected that his extremely intelligent grandson, who had gone there to help him get back his reputation, had now sold himself out so swiftly and was even planning to run away from home.
Qiao Yan, who had already entered through the Suzaku Gate, naturally wouldn't know.
What's more, she now had to focus all her attention on dealing with Liu Hong, so she had no time to consider what Yang Xiu was thinking.
A mediocre emperor is easy to deal with, but a smart emperor is difficult to figure out.
Theoretically speaking, Qiao Yan had done nothing wrong in his previous actions.
From helping to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion, to arguing that "natural disasters in the Han Dynasty have nothing to do with those in power", to calmly starting to farm after arriving in Luoyang, to this analogy refutation of the system of feudal governors, every single thing was done to maintain the rule of the Han Dynasty.
She also didn't give Liu Hong any clue as to which side she was leaning towards.
But when you really face him, these things may not be completely useful, it still depends on your performance on the spot.
But when she was digging the ground and planting vegetables in Qiao Xuan's mansion, she had already made some advance guesses in her mind about what Liu Hong might ask and how she should answer, so she was not caught off guard.
With this mentality, when entering the Suzaku Gate and passing the Hongde Gate, Qiao Yan even took the time to appreciate the appearance of the Minguang Hall opposite after the palace gate was opened.
In the future Northern and Southern Dynasties period, Erzhu Rong, a powerful official of the Northern Wei Dynasty, was killed here. Of course, this place is just an ordinary palace now.
The concept of the central axis was introduced when Luoyang was replanned during the reign of Emperor Wen of Wei. Subsequent dynasties have inherited this central axis design to demonstrate the majesty of the royal family. Today, the Nan Palace in Luoyang no longer has this feature.
For example, the Yutang Hall where Liu Hong lived was not in the middle row, but in the second row from left to right, that is, the row of Mingguang, Xuanshi, Chengfu, Jiade, and Yutang.
However, the place where Qiao Yan met Liu Hong was not in the Yutang Hall, but in the Jiade Hall.
At this time, the fire in Yutang Hall in the second year of Zhongping had not yet occurred. Jiade Hall was not used as Liu Hong's living place, but more like a reception room or study placed before the bedroom.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yan's eyes subconsciously swept towards the Lanting next to the Jiade Hall.
The Lanting, which is only a few steps away from the Jiade Hall, is surrounded by green bamboos. It is also where the Han royal family stored their books. In the past, Ban Gu once served as the Lanting Lingshi here.
Liu Hong set up his living and guest reception area next to this place, which really lived up to his role as a cultured man.
However, her thoughts only wandered for a moment. Once she stepped onto the high steps in front of the Jiade Hall, she was left with a calm and focused state, with her eyes watching her heart, her nose watching her mouth, and her whole mind focused on what was in front of her.
The doors of the Jiade Hall were wide open, letting in sunlight. However, as the palace was very deep, the place where Liu Hong was sitting was not illuminated by the sunlight, so a few bright lamps were lit on the side.
Not surprisingly to Qiao Yan, the emperor at the top of the table was not sitting upright, but was leaning his elbow on the table with his chin in his hand, while his other hand was flipping through a piece of silk in his hand.
That was exactly the "On the Feudalism of Provincial Governors" written by Qiao Yan.
When Zhang Rang came to invite Qiao Yan into the palace, this thing was taken away by Zhang Rang immediately, and he even sent it into the imperial city by express horse in advance and delivered it to Liu Hong.
Seeing Qiao Yan enter the hall and bow, Liu Hong raised his eyes and shifted his attention from the silk in his hand to Qiao Yan.
"Qiao Qing has only been in the capital for seven days, but he has already become famous for his talent and knowledge. This is beyond my expectation."
There was no expression of joy or anger in his words, and they sounded more like he was going to call a traitor. If a ten-year-old child were here, he would probably be scared.
However, Qiao Yan observed Liu Hong's expression and did not see any anger on his face. His fingers holding the silk cloth were in a relaxed position.
In addition, the fact that most emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty were short-lived was also reflected in Liu Hong.
Even though the light in the room was dim, it was not difficult for Qiao Yan, who was used to seeing people of this age in later generations, to notice that Liu Hong looked a little weak.
This kind of spirit that comes from within makes him less majestic no matter how profound he is.
She replied calmly, "I have not read many scriptures. The only thing I am good at is writing about what I have seen and heard. What I have seen since the war and what I saw on the way to Luoyang are all recorded in my writing. It was not expected that Mr. Zijiang would take a fancy to my work. It is a great honor for Qiao Yan to have Your Majesty read my humble work."
Although Qiao Yan did not hold any official position in Luoyang, she was the Marquis of Leping. Liu Hong addressed her as "Qing" and she responded by addressing herself as "Minister", so there was nothing wrong with it.
"Everything I have seen and heard is written down..." Liu Hong repeated what Qiao Yan said and smiled, "It's quite interesting. Mr. Qiao is a pragmatic person, please take a seat."
Qiao Yan stood up and sat on his knees below Liu Hong.
Liu Hong glanced at her and suddenly found it very interesting.
Although it had not been long since he moved from the North Palace to the South Palace, he had met with many ministers in the Jiade Hall. However, this was the first time he had met with someone so young.
But this child is steady and talented. She is more capable of doing things than those in Hongdumen School, and more resourceful than those children from noble families like Yuan Wei who just sit around doing nothing. The silk book presented to Liu Hong now has a beautiful handwriting that he admires. If it weren't for her being too young, or if it weren't for...
Liu Hong lowered his eyes and showed a hint of deep thought, but he felt that entrusting the important task of checking and balancing the aristocratic families and the foreign relatives to this child who had not yet grown up was somewhat like seeking help from a desperate measure.
He simply turned his gaze back to the policy paper in front of him and asked, "I just read Mr. Qiao's letter and found that it is all about the superiority of counties over feudal fiefdoms, and the provincial governor system is suspected of reappearing the feudal system, which is inappropriate. So I would like to test you."
"As you said, under the feudal system, if a vassal is unkind, the news will not reach the emperor, but Liu Taichang told me--"
"As the head of a state, a governor must treat the people of his state as his own children, adapt to their customs and improve their governance. However, officials in counties and prefectures may not be able to do so. If the county and prefecture officials had not been so careless, the Yellow Turbans would never have been allowed to become so arrogant, colluding for many years and then starting a rebellion in one day. It seems that the governor system is more appropriate. What do you think of this?"
Qiao Yan couldn't say that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was allowed to develop because it was ultimately due to Liu Hong's own lack of attention, nor was it the case that the county officials just muddled along.
If it is true as recorded in history books, long before Ma Yuanyi's activities in Luoyang City were exposed, around last year or the year before, Liu Tao and Liu Hong from Yingchuan reported that Zhang Jiao was misleading the people.
Even though Liu Tao said this, Liu Hong told him directly not to worry about it and to continue compiling the "Spring and Autumn Annals" regulations.
The situation today cannot be entirely blamed on the incompetence of county officials. It is simply because the emperor did not pay enough attention to the people below.
But if she really said that, she would probably be kicked out.
So she thought for a moment and replied, "When Yan was young, my father taught me to learn poetry. There was a line that I kept repeating, which was "All under heaven belongs to the king, and all the people in the world are his subjects." I guess—"
"People can only be the subjects of the emperor, not the subjects of the governors of the states or the princes. Otherwise, after a long time, the emperor's policies will not be implemented in the states, and it will be difficult for them to reach the princes."
"If it is just a spring ploughing and autumn harvest policy, it is fine, but if the tax collection is first passed through the hands of the princes and governors, and then reaches the capital, and the amnesty and conscription orders are withheld by the superiors and then passed on to the people, then there will definitely be frequent chaos."
Liu Hong nodded when he heard this, and then he heard her continue, "Most of the princes are sons of royal families, and they also have ambitions to replace the emperor. This is why the early Han Dynasty gradually reduced the power of the princes in order to achieve long-term peace and stability."
"And what about the county system? If the emperor does not follow the right path, he can be dismissed in the evening. If the emperor violates the law and order in the evening, he can be executed in the morning. This is the guarantee that the governance strategies of the wise men such as Meng Shu and Wei Shang can be implemented."
"As Your Majesty said before, Liu Taichang mentioned that the governor is virtuous, able to treat the people as his own children, educate them, and can discover the troubles in the state when they are small, but -"
"If the state's military control and governance power is divided among many people, can't this be achieved? Our great Han country is full of talented people, how can we lack these people?"
"Those who are good at governing may not know how to command troops, and those who are good at deploying troops may not be good at general affairs. Combining the two into one may be of some benefit in suppressing the rebellion, but it can only be said to be a stopgap measure."
Qiao Yan stopped talking here, as if realizing that he shouldn't say so much in one breath, which seemed a bit aggressive. He quickly closed his mouth and pretended to sit upright and listen carefully to what Liu Hong said.
Liu Hong saw her entire performance and found the scene more and more ridiculous.
But now he was not surprised at all that the child in front of him could write the policy paper in his hand.
Her views on the county and provincial governor systems were indeed very clear and lucid, especially the sentences "All the people under heaven are subjects of the king" and "The people can only be subjects of the emperor", which really made Liu Hong feel relieved.
However, she was still a little young, and had the black-and-white perception of a young genius.
It's not so clearly defined.
This is the reason why Emperor Gaozu still used the method of parallel management of counties and kingdoms.
Of course, although the Yellow Turban Rebellion was massive, most of the rebel forces were suppressed in just five months, which actually gave Liu Hong considerable confidence.
Even with the assistance of the provincial governors, the central government was unable to govern downwards, which had made Liu Hong come up with the idea of divide and rule. However, after the rebellion was quelled, the prestige of the Han Dynasty remained, so it was obviously better to follow the old rules.
Just as Qiao Yan said, why would the Han Dynasty be short of people?
Those with military talent, like Huangfu Song, command troops, and those with talent in handling miscellaneous affairs become administrative heads of prefectures and counties. The most important government orders are issued by the central government. This is clearly a complete operating whole.
Liu Hong understood this principle.
He also knew that what Qiao Yan said in his essay was right.
In her "On the Feudal System of Provincial Governors", she mentioned that the feudal system was maintained when there were wise men in the Shang and Zhou dynasties. The reason was that they received too much support from other tribes when they achieved the change of dynasties, so they could not easily reduce their fiefdoms.
This does not prove that the Qin Dynasty’s demise after the second generation due to the implementation of the county system was related to this system.
But the news that had been piling up on his desk recently made him realize again——
His faith is not enough to be called faith.
Within half a year at the latest, he still has to make a decision to activate the state governor system to deal with the current complex situation.
For example, the Jianghuai and Yangzhou areas are too far away from the capital. Even if Qiao Yan has shattered the myth of Zhang Jiao, from what he has seen, it probably won't be possible to calm these people down quickly.
Because they only feel that they can do whatever they want as they are far beyond the central government's jurisdiction.
It is not enough to simply confer the title of Marquis of Qiantang on Lu Zhi.
For example, the rebels in various places were not limited to the Yellow Turban bandits. The bandits in Liangzhou were especially rampant and were the most troublesome among them.
He needed to balance the situation in Luoyang and he didn't have an extra hand to deal with the chaos happening in various places.
Then, the introduction of the provincial governor system can be said to be the lesser of two evils.
Did Liu Yan, who proposed the provincial governor system, have selfish motives?
In Liu Hong's opinion, there definitely is.
However, Liu Yan is a member of the royal family after all, and is more in line with him than the aristocratic families. This alone is enough for Liu Hong to tilt the balance in his heart towards him.
This is the balance in his mind.
What he wanted was to temporarily select ministers and royal family members who were loyal to the Han Dynasty and implement the system of provincial governors.
Once the local situation stabilized, he would remove the governor and target the governor of any other state as an excuse for provocation.
As long as these people have not been operating in the local area for long enough to achieve the same situation as the vassal states, Liu Hong is confident that he will not be affected by the negative effects of this system.
To be honest, what Qiao Yan writes now is not completely useless to him.
At that time he would say that these were the words of enlightenment that made him realize it after observing it again.
Qiao Yan saw Liu Hong lower his eyes again, as if he was reading the silk in his hand word by word.
But she didn't think that Liu Hong would completely give up the idea of establishing a provincial governor because of this policy essay.
She also speculated that Liu Hong most likely thought that he could live a few more years, at least until the state governor system was abolished after taking this drastic measure.
Sure enough, after a moment of silence in the hall, Qiao Yan heard Liu Hong ask, "In your opinion, if this governor system is a must, what should we do?"
When Liu Hong asked this question, he looked at Qiao Yan's face and saw that she did not show any helplessness when she heard this decision which was almost equivalent to rejecting her point of view. He could not help but admire her even more.
He then saw Qiao Yan hesitate for a moment before replying, "If drastic measures must be taken, then I suggest that we take the governor's son as a hostage in Luoyang."
"Your Majesty, why not temporarily suppress the governor system and not implement it immediately? Within one or two months, let people investigate the family situation of the governor candidates. If the eldest son is favored, then detain the eldest son; if the youngest son is favored, then detain the youngest son."
In fact, Qiao Yan also wanted to say that at times like this, a supervisor who is not in the limelight should be set up.
But since it's not on the surface, it would be inappropriate for her to bring it up at this time.
It would be better to put forward a suggestion at this time that is both feasible and extremely childish.
The reason why this suggestion is childish is that not everyone is like Yuan Shao, who would delay the march and deployment of troops because of the serious illness of his beloved youngest son. This so-called love for his son to create a check and balance was somewhat playful in Liu Hong's view.
However, Qiao Yan's suggestion can be extended a little...
The first is to delay the announcement.
This is a good opportunity for those who have the ability to compete for the position of governor to express their determination to him. After all, the Yellow Turban Rebellion was defeated, and he had a chance to catch his breath.
The second is the issue of hostages.
This kind of symbolic detention still needs to be done, but it will be implemented by retaining officials in Beijing.
From this perspective, Qiao Yan's suggestion is not just the talk of a child.
Liu Hong's gaze towards her became slightly gentler.
Thinking about Qiao Xuan's serious illness, Qiao Yan went to the Dingzhong Temple because he could not refuse Yang Xiu's provocation, and then went to the palace for questions and answers. It was really difficult for this child, and he should be rewarded.
But there was nothing left for her to be given, and it was even more inappropriate for her to be given an official title like he had given Ma Lun, so right? All he could do was reward her, right?
But Liu Hong was used to being stingy and never liked to take things out of his hands.
An idea suddenly occurred to him.
When Qiao Yan walked out of the Jiade Hall, he couldn't help feeling a little dazed.
The reward given by Liu Hong was really... calling it a reward would be an injustice to those hundreds of kilograms of bounty recorded in history books!
He gave two rewards.
A more easily understood way of saying it is, I think your grandfather's condition was probably not good, so because of your outstanding performance, I will give your grandfather an additional layer of posthumous honor, and the inscription on his tombstone after his death will still read "Grand Marshal Qiao Xuan" instead of the idle position he currently holds.
In addition, he would ask two people to write an epitaph for Qiao Xuan.
One of them is Qiao Xuan’s neighbor, Liang Hu, who is good at Bafenshu.
One of them was Cai Yong, who had been thrown out of the capital by him and fled far away to avoid disaster.
It was actually recommended by Qiao Xuan when Cai Yong first started his official career. He first served as a subordinate of Qiao Xuan, who was then the Minister of Civil Affairs, and was later summoned to be a Langzhong.
This favor of support was indeed great, and Cai Yong happened to be an excellent writer and poet, making him very suitable for this task.
The other reward was related to the "tribute fees" paid by the fiefdoms of the marquises to the central government.
The preferential treatment Liu Hong gave her was that within five years, she established a country in Leping County and did not need to pay tribute to the court.
This is actually a good thing, but first... first she has to get the taxes.
Qiao Yan tried to comfort himself that according to the standard of donation of sixty-three coins per person per year in the early Han Dynasty, this donation could actually be considered a large sum.
And five years!
Within five years, everything in the fiefdom belonged to her. Five years later, Liu Hong died of illness, and the court was in chaos. Who would remember her Leping?
Overall, it’s not a loss!
Furthermore,
When she passed through Lanting and came out of Baihu Gate, she heard someone reporting that Prince Bian and Prince Xie were visiting Jiade Hall. At the same time, she heard her own counselor muttering "enough, enough".
It seems that there is no other possibility that can make it say enough.
It was those last 10 points of counselor that she had been trying to plan for before coming to Luoyang.
Qiao Yan unconsciously showed a smile on his lips.
She was not wrong.
Although Liu Hong's decision to start the provincial governor system could not be changed just because of Qiao Yan's paper at a time when the situation was overwhelming, the calculation of counselor points obviously could not be done in this way.
Given her existing Han stance on this panel, her statement on the shortcomings of the provincial governor system can be said to have fulfilled her responsibilities as a counselor.
Her strategy undoubtedly achieved the effect of warning the "lord" and making him take corresponding checks and balances without affecting Liu Hong's ability to maintain the situation.
So overall it should be considered positive advice.
[The 3D map can now be opened. It’s really not easy…]
Of course, Qiao Yan felt the difficulty of the system.
Given her age and gender, if she didn't have such a comfortable political intelligence, she would most likely not be able to reach Luoyang City by now, and even if she did, she would have to tread on thin ice here.
How could she be like she is now, not only able to win an evaluation from Xu Shao and those scholars with extremely broad vision that would benefit her for ten years, but also gain a wave of impression points in front of Liu Hong.
The evaluation of "the young phoenix has a clear voice" can be completely compared to the saying "If you have one of the two, the world can be pacified."
This is truly a necessary step towards the development of a top strategist!
The above is the idea of the counselor system.
"Yeah, it's really not easy." Qiao Yan replied in his heart.
When she entered the palace through Pingcheng Gate earlier, she left Dian Wei outside.
Now that she had left Luoyang City from Yongmen and returned to Wangzifang, she had to trouble a eunuch to give Dian Wei a message, while she herself walked back to Qiao Xuan's residence.
It was not until he returned to this overly simple courtyard that Qiao Yan felt that he could temporarily relax a little.
She lay in the small rest hut and brought up the system panel.
The three-dimensional map that was originally obscured by fog and required 100 strategist points to unlock was finally loaded in front of her eyes.
It was somewhat similar to the modern three-dimensional city map. When she clicked on the map, what appeared before her eyes was a picture seen from the sky above Luoyang.
Within the central Luoyang city wall, there are two palace cities that are staggered in the shape of a "Lu" character. The one in the south is the Nan Palace that she visited today. The Mingtang Lingtai in the south of the city stands on a high platform, and streams flow around the city on the other three sides. The residential areas that appear more densely populated from the air have become the lifeblood of this city.
In this three-dimensional map, the most eye-catching is undoubtedly Mangshan Mountain north of Luoyang.
This mountain range, which is said to be the Feng Shui site of the Phoenix's Nest and the Dragon's Lair, is the resting place of countless souls of Luoyang among its majestic mountains.
But what Qiao Yan was thinking about at the moment was not "a handful of Mang soil is as valuable as gold", but——
This 3D map did not disappoint her expectations. If the map could present this effect after being switched over when she was in Leping, it would undoubtedly be of great help in helping her get familiar with the place as quickly as possible.
Who made there so many mountains?
With this thing in hand, even if the reward Liu Hong gave was not what she could actually get, she wouldn't feel so depressed.
Qiao Yan turned the 3D map around and put it away with satisfaction.
In the short term, she doesn't need to expect to reach the level of 300 counselor points. It is better not to be so ambitious.
So what the system saw was that Qiao Yan calmly added the points this time to his physical fitness.
The system has learned its lesson and feels that not adding to its intelligence is not a big problem.
According to the system's evaluation standards, Yang Xiu's intelligence should be higher than the host's, but -
Does anyone think that a child with "quick answering talent" is smarter than a "young phoenix"?
Probably no one would think so.
The strong cultural atmosphere in and outside Luoyang, coupled with the fact that Xu Shao's long-renowned Yuedan Review had always attracted much attention, made Qiao Yan's evaluation of "the counselor of the Danchi, the young phoenix with a clear voice" spread almost overnight.
The focus is on her.
Being made a marquis at the age of ten and being highly praised by Xu Zijiang undoubtedly made people curious about Qiao Yan.
In addition, she was summoned by the emperor immediately afterwards, but what she said and what result she got was not known because Liu Hong did not pass it on to others, so it only became the most mysterious part of the topic of conversation.
It would be fine if the gossipy Luoyang scholars could see the protagonist of this matter.
It just so happened that Xu Shao heard that the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Yuzhou had ended, so he packed his bags and prepared to return to Runan. Those "judges" who were frequent visitors to the general's mansion naturally would not come out casually.
Not to mention Yang Xiu.
After he finished copying Qiao Yan's policy paper, he realized that since he was planning to run away from home, he had to make thorough preparations. Because he stayed in his room listing the things he wanted to take with him, his grandfather thought he had suffered a great blow in this incident.
How could he be hit!
Yang Xiu, who was extremely intelligent, was still thinking about whether he should increase his own value a little by stealing a few books from his grandfather's study.
And what about Qiao Yan?
Cheng Li couldn't help but sigh that she was really born to do great things.
After establishing her position as a loyal Han official with an essay and demonstrating sufficient political acumen and literary skills, she returned to her previous livelihood of growing vegetables with such an evaluation that she could even enter and leave the residences of the three ministers.
Five days later, the mustard greens in her vegetable patch finally sprouted.
The warm weather in Luoyang in recent days and her care for this vegetable patch undoubtedly provided guarantees for the growth of new seedlings in the field.
The tender new seedlings are waving in the loose and moist soil, revealing new green vitality.
Qiao Yan reached out and fiddled with the mustard seedlings while running to find her. Fu Shou, who was squatting beside her, said, "This variety of mustard is also known as snow red. Doesn't it sound more beautiful? In autumn and winter, part of the leaves will turn red."
"So this is the purpose of your planting this thing? Autumn... is still a while away." Fu Shou said.
"Not entirely. I heard that in some places, the locals gave mustard greens another name, called longevity greens. Maybe this is also a kind of wish."
This “some places” actually refers to Taiwan.
Of course, Taiwan today should be called Yizhou. After Sun Quan became emperor, he sent Wei Wen and Zhuge Zhi to sea to search for the fairy mountain. They brought back thousands of people from Yizhou. It is impossible for the news of longevity vegetable to spread to the Central Plains now.
However, Qiao Yan relied on the vastness of the Central Plains and the different opinions in different places. Now that she explained it this way to Fu Shou, no one would come to expose her.
Hearing this, Fu Shou nodded as if he understood, "So this is to pray for the longevity of Mr. Qiao in the house."
She wanted to reach out and poke the young seedlings, but then she thought that she had been leaning on the wall and watching Qiao Yan busy for more than ten days, so she couldn't do such a destruction, so she put her hands behind her back.
Qiao Yan thought her reaction was quite interesting. Just as she was about to say something, she suddenly heard a voice behind her.
"Longevity... Do I still need to pray for longevity after living for more than seventy years?"
When Qiao Yan turned around, he saw Qiao Xuan walking out of the house with the help of servants.
These words came from Qiao Xuan's mouth.
Qiao Yan's expression changed.
It is not necessarily a good thing for someone who has been seriously ill for a long time to suddenly wake up.
Just like Qiao Xuan, the condition he is showing at this moment is definitely not a sign of improvement, but clearly a last gasp!
According to modern medicine, this is an emergency supply of energy as a stress response to a near-death state.
This was indeed enough to wake Qiao Xuan up from his original chaotic state, and even his limbs temporarily regained strength.
It also gave his already pale and haggard face a bit more colour.
But this state does not last long, and more than half of them only live for one day.
Qiao Yan quickly asked Lu Yuan to send Fu Shou back.
Under such circumstances, it is obviously not appropriate for Fu Shou to stay here any longer.
Just as she made this arrangement, she saw Qiao Xuan nonchalantly push away the person who was supporting him and sit down next to the vegetable patch in a very willful manner.
Sat on the stone in the flower bed.
Since he had served in the military before, he must be aware of his current situation.
But from what Qiao Yan saw, the old man did not show any worry or fear about death, but was rather open-minded.
While he still had some energy left, he turned to Qiao Yan and said jokingly, "Your cooking skills really need to improve."
Seeing him patting the ground beside him, Qiao Yan didn't hesitate and simply sat down next to Qiao Xuan, muttering: "You can't say that. It's the first time I do it myself, and it's good to be able to grow it like this."
Qiao Xuan glared at her and said, "You can shirk your responsibilities like this when you're just growing vegetables, but how can you be a county marquis like this?"
Seeing that Qiao Yan seemed to be about to turn his head to look at the old servant, Qiao Xuan said again: "Alright, stop looking. It's not him who said that. I heard your chattering in my half-awake state these past few days."
“…I heard it.”
He had managed to wake up by taking a deep breath, and now his voice had gradually faded away.
Even if he didn't ask others to step back, perhaps only he and Qiao Yan beside him could hear the second half of the sentence.
"Marquis Leping, Marquis Leping...you are better than my stupid son."
“…”
Qiao Yan's fingertips subconsciously curled up a little as Qiao Xuan said this.
She has always been accustomed to analyzing other people's words, and this time was no exception.
So it was not difficult for her to hear the subtext in Qiao Xuan's words.
If he was really talking to his granddaughter, he shouldn't have said "my stupid son", but rather -
"You're better than your father."
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