Chapter 35: Farming in Luoyang
Who is Fu Shou?
His father, Fu Shizhong, was Fu Wan, the seventh-generation grandson of Fu Zhan, the Grand Tutor during the reign of Emperor Guangwu. He also inherited Fu Zhan's title of Nabuqi Hou.
In the first year of Yan Xi, Emperor Xiaohuan married Liu Hua to Fu Wan as Princess Yang'an.
You should know that the practice of marrying princesses in the Han Dynasty was somewhat different from that in later generations. The prince consort could still hold important positions in the court and could have other concubines. Fu Shou was the illegitimate daughter of Fu Wan.
But Fu Shou's specialness did not lie in the identities of her father and stepmother, but in the fact that she entered the palace at the age of eleven and became a noble lady to Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, who was only ten years old at the time. At the age of fifteen, she became the Empress of the Han Dynasty.
Then, after Cao Cao ordered the disobedient people to surrender on behalf of the emperor, first General Dong Cheng was executed because of the secret letter from the emperor's belt, and then Fu Shou wrote a letter to Fu Wan, trying to plot a political coup again.
Although it was quite strange that Fu Shou's letter was not revealed until several years after Fu Wan's death, and did not immediately lead to a series of thundering strikes like the secret edict, the result was similar.
Fu Shou died in imprisonment, and the two princes she gave birth to and the entire Fu family were purged. Cao Cao was able to naturally make Cao Jie the queen of Liu Xie.
Speaking of which, it seems that it is not so easy to connect the victim of the struggle at the end of the Han Dynasty with the little girl who was climbing on the wall just now.
She clearly looked carefree at the moment.
As for why she was climbing on the wall...
Maybe he heard the noise over here and came to see what was going on.
Qiao Yan figured out her identity, so he didn't blame her for snooping into other people's courtyards.
She, along with another servant in the mansion, passed through the middle door and entered the backyard.
Compared to the desolate scene in the front yard, the backyard seemed a little more organized. However, when Qiao Yan turned his gaze towards the courtyard, he saw that a vegetable patch had been opened up next to the corridor. However, it seemed that no seeds had been planted this year, and the patch looked a little clumpy and dry because the soil had not been turned over and watered.
"When the master was still in good health two years ago, he enjoyed farming in the garden," the servant leading the way said when he saw Qiao Yan looking at the land. "But this year, before the spring, the master is already too ill to get up. We dare not touch this land and can only leave it alone for now."
"It's rare that Mr. Qiao has the spirit to be self-sufficient by cultivating the land." Before Qiao Yan could speak, Bi Lan had already heard his words and praised him.
Qiao Yan couldn't help but sigh in his heart. It was a pity that there were very few people in the world like Qiao Xuan who held a high position but had no extra wealth. Fortunately, such people did not have to witness the decline of the Han Dynasty with their own eyes, and they lived to be over seventy years old. Perhaps this could be considered a blessing.
The near-summer sunlight shines on the tiles under the roof of the main hall, and outside the half shadow, it reveals the four characters "永受嘉福" (Eternal Blessings) outlined on the tile. On the adjacent tile surface is a pattern of a mother and child deer. Even under the slightly worn surface, the special charm of Han culture can still be seen.
It’s a pity that the energy and freedom of the mother and son running like a deer were not brought into the house along with the sunlight passing over them.
Compared to the last time Liu Hong came to visit him, Qiao Xuan's condition had obviously worsened.
Even if someone from the Imperial Medical Bureau wrote a prescription for him, and Liu Hong, in order to show his kindness, transferred all the medicines from the royal storehouse, it could not prevent the situation when his life span was almost over and his body was in poor condition. The result would only prolong his death.
When Liu Hong came, Qiao Xuan was still able to stand up and express his final hope, but when Qiao Yan arrived——
When she leaned over to look at Qiao Xuan, she saw that the old man, whose breathing was so weak that he seemed to be in a dream, yet also seemed to be still awake.
Although he raised his eyelids slightly when he realized Qiao Yan was approaching, Qiao Yan's gentle call of "Grandfather" did not cause any fluctuation in his cloudy eyes.
Such a reaction made Qiao Yan feel quite complicated.
Apparently, the reason she stayed in Jizhou before was not just because she wanted to gain some more results in the decisive battle to defeat Zhang Jiao and his brothers.
Moreover, she knew that her previous actions and achievements were more or less dependent on the influence of Qiao Xuan, but she didn't know what attitude she should adopt towards this elder who was "known for his firmness and decisiveness, and humility and frugality".
The Jishui sacrifice made Qiao Yan feel that she had done her best for the deity and her parents, but Qiao Xuan was a little different.
In fact, Qiao Yan's existence can be said to have prevented his offspring from dying out, but the criteria for judging some things cannot be decided solely by her.
Fortunately, he was already in a critical condition and in a state of ignorance where he could not recognize people. So he only knew that someone came to visit him at his bedside, but he did not know who the visitor was. Perhaps -
Maybe it's a blessing for him.
Qiao Yan's gaze fell on a sword hanging at the end of the bed, and then fell back to Qiao Xuan's face.
In the scene that Bi Lan saw, the youngest Marquis Qiao, who was awarded the title of marquis based on his real ability, was kneeling in front of the couch and holding the hand of the former Grand Marshal.
The bewilderment and unfamiliarity in her eyes towards her grandfather whom she had not seen for many years finally turned into deep sorrow.
Only the two hands, one tall and one short, overlapped together, convey a sense of inheritance and elegance from a family of three highest officials.
It's the appearance of one about to die and the other about to be reborn.
But before Bi Lan could say a word of comfort to Qiao Yan, he heard Qiao Yan calmly say, "You guys go out first. I want to be alone with my grandfather for a while."
Bi Lan came back to his senses and replied, "I will not stay here for long. I went to Jizhou to announce the imperial decree and I was supposed to report back to the palace as soon as possible. Marquis Qiao has arrived at Mr. Qiao's residence, so my mission is completed."
Qiao Yan turned his head and nodded to him, "Thank you, Attendant."
Bi Lan was sent out the door by Cheng Li.
In this way, only “our own people” are left in the Qiao’s mansion for the time being.
The old servant who led the way didn't know why the master's son Qiao Yu did not come, but the one who arrived first was Qiao Yan, who was called "Marquis Qiao" by Bi Lan.
But as a competent servant, he had no intention of asking too many questions. Instead, he settled Cheng Li, Dian Wei, Lu Yuan and others in the side rooms of the mansion.
In this mansion, including the gatekeeper and the old servant who led the way, there was only a boy servant in charge of cooking and decocting medicine. With the sudden increase of several people, it was really a bit flustered for a moment.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan used to be the mistress of the house and had managed the household affairs. The population here was not complicated. After asking Qiao Yan for his opinion through the door, she directly took over the authority here. After roughly counting the savings and items in the mansion, she immediately sent someone to the East Market to purchase some things.
With a strong laborer like Dian Wei, it is easy to carry more things.
Before Cheng Li arrived in Leping to display his talents, he had already used his eloquence in chatting with the doorman and inquired about the residents of Yanxili.
Although they may not live in Luoyang City for a long time, they always need to know who their neighbors are.
According to the gatekeeper, among the nine households in Yanxili, the residences of Princess Yangan and Fu Wan were indeed the largest. However, the others were obviously not simple people as they could live in the same li with the princess, her husband, and the former Grand Marshal.
For example, the owner of the mansion on the other side of Qiao Xuan was the Minister of Selection, Liang Hu.
The Xuanbu was the Ministry of Personnel during the Eastern Han Dynasty, which was in charge of selecting literary figures and awarding honors.
The reason why Liang Hu became this official was that he came from Hongdumen School, which was planned and built by Liu Hong in the first year of Guanghe period, so he could be considered as half a disciple of the emperor.
The person who lived opposite Qiao Xuan's residence was an official of the Taiwei Mansion, Yang Xu from the Yang clan of Taishan, and the future "Xuanyu Taishou".
From this we can see that it is not difficult to define the identity of the people living here.
Fu Wan's Shizhong, Liang Hu's Xuanbu Shangshu, Qiao Xuan's Taizhong Daifu, and Yang Xu's Taiwei Fuyuan were almost all civil servants, and they were not in the first tier of civil servants.
This was not an environment that Qiao Yan needed to be wary of or make friends with. But there are also places where it can be used.
When she walked out of Qiao Xuan's bedroom and into the yard, she heard Cheng Li's report.
"Thank you, Mr. Zhongde." Qiao Yan replied.
Knowing who her neighbors are will undoubtedly help her formulate her subsequent course of action.
But when Lu Yuan mentioned that there was not much money left in the mansion and that they would probably have to use the Yellow Turbans that Tian Tao gave as a thank-you gift, Qiao Yan couldn't help but feel a headache again.
It is said that it is not easy to live in a big city in the capital. This was true in the Tang Dynasty and it is naturally true in Luoyang as well.
The prices in the East Market are indeed lower than those in the West Market, but after all, it is still under the rule of the emperor, and the cost of living can’t be much lower. When she thought that this was originally her 300 tons of rice, and that she had to spend part of it before it arrived in Leping, she came up with some ideas to increase revenue.
But the Han Dynasty was not as developed as the Song Dynasty in commerce, and she, as a county marquis, could not afford to lower her status in such a way. She would probably have to open up new sources of income in——
On the emperor in the imperial city.
As for what she should do...
Earlier, when Lu Yuan and Cheng Li were taking their own actions, Qiao Yan held Qiao Xuan's hand and talked for a long time. However, she did not mention Qiao Yu's death. She only talked about the results of several battles in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, trying to comfort this loyal Han man and also to bring some solace to the old man.
Although Qiao Yan has the original owner's memories, neither she nor the original owner has almost any experience with this grandfather, so it is hard to say that there is any relationship between grandfather and grandson.
However, when she finished saying those words, she saw Qiao Xuan's hand, which she was holding, slowly return her hand as if it was suddenly injected with vitality. This touched Qiao Yan even more than the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren.
Of course, after making such a move that seemed like a last burst of energy, Qiao Xuan was not completely awake. His cloudy eyes fixed briefly on Qiao Yan's face as his eyelids opened, and he soon fell into a deep sleep again.
Qiao Yan did not have much ability to judge whether a person would live or die, and could only roughly estimate that with the medical care conditions of the Han Dynasty, he could only live for another half a month at most.
Half a month...
Just as she thought of this, she suddenly heard Cheng Li ask, "What are the plans of Lord Qiao now?"
Qiao Yan thought for a moment and then replied, "It's not really a plan, let's just farm first."
Even though Cheng Li knew that Qiao Yan had always been a bit unconventional, he was still surprised by her decision.
But then he heard Qiao Yan say, "I hope my grandfather can see new buds before he passes away," and he vaguely grasped some of Qiao Yan's intentions.
He cupped his hands and replied, "Mr. Qiao is wise."
Whether it is smart or not is another matter.
Although the vegetable patch that Qiao Xuan had opened up under the corridor in the backyard was only a small area, it was still a physical job to loosen up the land that had not been touched for half a year and then plant new seeds.
If she was still in the same physical condition as when she first arrived here, Qiao Yan would definitely not do something so difficult for herself.
Fortunately, her current physical condition is still sufficient to support her to do these things.
Dian Wei didn't quite understand why Qiao Yan left him, who was capable of doing physical work, alone and wanted to do this job himself. However, before he could even open his mouth to ask the question, Lu Yuan had already thrown him out to run errands between Dongguo and Xiguo.
A voice came from the top of the wall and asked quietly, "Is farming fun?"
Qiao Yan straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and looked in the direction where the voice came from. She saw Fu Shou lying on the wall again, looking at her with curious eyes.
The curious look from the children did not make people feel bored, and it also somewhat lightened Qiao Yan's depressed mood after seeing the chaos at the end of the Han Dynasty. She smiled back at Fu Shou and asked, "Is it fun for you to climb up the wall? Aren't you afraid of falling down by accident?"
"No way," Fu Shou replied with a serious face, "I asked someone to hold the ladder. I was just curious. The yard was very quiet before, as if no one lived here, but now there are people here all of a sudden. Speaking of which, you haven't answered my question yet?"
"It's not about whether it's fun or not," Qiao Yan replied, "If you want to prepare a gift for your parents, would you not do it because you think it's hard work?"
Fu Shou tilted her head, not quite understanding why Qiao Yan linked gift-giving and farming together, but Qiao Yan was older than her and probably knew more, so she just followed her question and replied, "Of course I don't feel it's hard."
Qiao Yan replied: "Then this is my current situation."
Fu Shou looked at the land that had been turned over by Qiao Yan, and then looked at her sister who was still holding the farm tools. She felt that her father's words "difficult to understand" might make sense.
But before she could ask any more questions, when she turned her gaze towards her own yard, she saw her mother walking towards her. She quickly said goodbye to Qiao Yan and climbed down in a hurry.
Qiao Yan shook his head and laughed, then took the mustard seeds that he had bought a few days ago from Lu Yuan and planted them.
There were not many varieties of vegetables in the Han Dynasty. Mustard greens could germinate in 12 days and could survive at the current ground temperature. The name was also better-sounding than garlic and onion.
This was her first choice.
Compared to Qiao Yan who was farming in the western suburbs of the capital, Liu Hong, who had already received news that the Yellow Turban Rebellion was gradually being quelled, was undoubtedly much more relaxed.
Although he did not create a nude swimming hall or a perfumed hot spring pool as people speculated about his life in the palace, it is generally true that he rode in a donkey cart and enjoyed the splendor of gold and jade. Perhaps it also provided some support for the saying "The wind rises in the east of Luoyang, and the fragrance spreads to the west of Luoyang".
At the end of May, the city of Luoyang had completely escaped from the previous late spring cold snap as summer was getting stronger, and the atmosphere of summer heat and restlessness was gradually increasing.
The residents of Luoyang in the city area had to endure not only the heat but also the environment where there was no special planning for the drainage of the city and the remains of livestock excrement on the roads. However, Liu Hong did not have to worry about this.
At this moment, he was leaning on a soft couch under a tree. In addition to the shade from above his head, there was an ice basin beside him. A eunuch was holding a fan and blowing the cool breeze from the ice basin towards him.
In such a pleasant atmosphere, he held a feather arrow in his hand and casually threw it into the pot in front of him. When he saw that the arrow missed, he did not show any displeasure.
Just as the arrow hit the mouth of the pot, he suddenly called out, "Attendant Zhang."
Zhang Rang hurried over to Liu Hong's side.
Liu Hong raised his eyes and saw that Zhang Rang was looking at him with eyes full of awe.
This was not really a pretense on Zhang Rang's part. He had only been away from the capital for a short period of time to deliver an imperial edict to Liu Hong, yet Liu Hong had already made many earth-shaking moves.
Whether it was conferring the title of County Marquis, the first rank among marquises, on Qiao Yan, who had made important contributions in suppressing the Yellow Turban Rebellion, or promoting his wife Ma to the position of Grand Historian after reprimanding Si Tu Yuan Wei in court, or announcing several decrees of favor to the Three Dukes three days before Zhang Rang and Bi Lan and others arrived in Luoyang, all of these, in Zhang Rang's view, were the full revelation of Liu Hong's political means.
He had previously moved from the North Palace to the South Palace on the grounds that he needed to discuss matters more with the Three Dukes due to the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Now this behavior clearly showed that he was suppressing and winning over the three officials in the positions of Sikong, Situ and Taiwei, and at the same time smoothing out the previous disturbances.
But perhaps only Zhang Rang and others knew that Liu Hong's reliance on him was obviously not sincere, otherwise he would not have sought out Jian Shuo for secret discussions recently. It was only because neither the financial resources nor the timing allowed him to continue those extraordinary actions at this time that he temporarily suppressed the idea of establishing the Eight Schools of Xiyuan.
Zhang Rang asked carefully, "What instructions does Your Majesty have?"
"My Marquis of Leping was brought to the capital by you. What has she been doing these days?" Liu Hong took the feather arrow handed to him by a servant and asked while throwing it out.
Zhang Rang had been waiting for Liu Hong to ask this question.
Considering that it took hundreds of years for a Han like Qiao Yan to produce a female marquis, it was a very strange thing that Liu Hong only asked about it seven days after she arrived in the capital.
But thinking about it again, I feel that Liu Hong's awarding of this county marquis might be a way of going against the officials of the time. Now thinking about it, it doesn't seem surprising.
He bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, I heard Emperor Liang Meng say the other day when he sent me the calligraphy that she was farming in Lord Qiao's mansion."
Liang Menghuang is Liang Hu.
Liu Hong valued him not only because he graduated from the Hongdu School, but also because Liu Hong was fond of calligraphy, and Liang Hu studied under Shi Yi Guan and was a master of Bafen script.
In the future, his calligraphy works would be hung in Cao Cao's tent for him to look at every day. Now that he was highly respected by Liu Hong, he would naturally send his works to the palace for appreciation from time to time, and also report his neighbor's recent situation to Zhang Rang.
"Farming?" Liu Hong was stunned for a moment after hearing this reply, then he smiled and said, "Why would my Leping Marquis do the work of a country bumpkin?"
Zhang Rang replied, "I heard that it was because when Mr. Qiao was still able to get up, he opened up a vegetable garden in the courtyard. Mr. Qiao did not want my grandfather to see the weeds and trees in the courtyard grow barren and the vegetable patch abandoned before he died, so he dug the ground and sowed seeds himself, hoping that Mr. Qiao would see new sprouts in the courtyard and that the Han Dynasty would have hope."
"So that's how it is..." Liu Hong pondered for a moment and said, "Mr. Qiao is pure and filial. It's not easy to have such a heart."
Zhang Rang heard Liu Hong throw the third arrow and asked, "According to what Chang Shi Zhang thinks, should I summon the Marquis of Leping to see her and see if she has anything to say to me besides refuting Zhang Jue's words?"
This question is not easy to answer.
Zhang Rang guessed Liu Hong's intention. Perhaps he had regretted a little when he awarded the title of county marquis to him. That was why he ignored Qiao Yan for the time being.
But when he heard that she was farming at home, he obviously regained some favorability and wanted to meet her.
But how to say this properly...
But before Zhang Rang could speak, Bi Lan at the side said, "If Your Majesty really wants to see her, I'm afraid you won't be able to see her today."
After hearing what Bi Lan said, Liu Hong became interested. He asked, "Why is that?"
Bi Lan replied, "I just heard from someone that Marquis Qiao had rarely gone out for a few days. He went out today because he wanted to see the Lingtai, Mingtang and Biyong up close. But before he got there, he was stopped at the gate of the Imperial College."
"Who dares to stop a county marquis in the street?" Liu Hong raised his eyebrows.
"It was Yang Xiu, the grandson of the Grand Commandant. Young Master Yang was very talented and had heard about Marquis Leping's affairs. He wanted to compete with her. It happened to be the first day of June when the monthly evaluation was approaching, so Yang Xiu made an appointment with Marquis Qiao to compete. Who could get the evaluation from General Xu this time?"
"So what's going on now?" Liu Hong sat up straight with interest and asked again.
Bi Lan replied: "At this moment, the two have gone to General Xu's place, but I really don't know what the result is."
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