Fu Xiaoguan entered the capital without any concealment.
He went to the palace and attended a grand court meeting, showing his face in front of the civil and military officials of the Yu Dynasty.
Then he went to the harem and had lunch at Queen Shang's Dieyi Palace.
He went to Dong's house again and met Minister Dong and Madam Dong, then went to Yan's house and met Yan Xiaolou's father Yan Haochu in Yan Beixi's study. Then he drank two pots of tea with Yan Beixi, Yan Shidao and Yan Haochu, chatted for an afternoon, and finally went to Dong's house for dinner.
The people of Shangjing and the students of Jixia Academy naturally learned the news that Fu Xiaoguan had returned. They were extremely happy. He was a great talent of the Yu Dynasty and a man blessed by the gods. How could he have died under the snow-capped mountains of the Wu Dynasty?
There are many people who are happy, and naturally there are also a few who are not happy.
So, after this news was confirmed, many letters were sent from Shangjing. Some went to the Western Wilderness, some went to Wu Dynasty, some went to Yi Country and Huang Country, and some went to the western border army camp, etc.
When Fu Xiaoguan returned to the mansion with the night and the snow, the fifth prince Yu Wendao and the commander of the imperial guards Huo Huaijin were already sitting in Taoranting waiting for him.
"We know you're very busy since you just came back, but we still wanted to come over and talk to you." Yu Wendao asked with a smile.
Huo Huaijin stood up and bowed to Fu Xiaoguan. "I won't say thank you. Tomorrow night, I'll welcome you at Sifang Building."
Fu Xiaoguan laughed heartily and sat down. "That's fine. I'm not sure if you'll believe me, but after leaving Jinling, the first thing I thought of was the delicious food at Sifanglou..."
He made some tea and said with a smile, "The scenery in Guanyun City is nice, but the food isn't as exquisite as in Jinling. I just got back last night, so the elders must go check it out first. I, your brothers, will have no choice but to neglect it."
Yu Wendao looked at Fu Xiaoguan carefully, "I'm just curious where you've been for the past six months. Did you participate in the battle at Pingling Mountain? Were you also involved in the investment and construction of Pingling and Quyi counties? Since you're alive and well, why are you hiding this news?"
Yu Wendao asked all the questions in his mind in one breath. Huo Huaijin also looked at Fu Xiaoguan very seriously, with the same questions in his mind.
As Fu Xiaoguan brewed tea, he said, "I was the luckiest person in that avalanche. Many people died, but I was the only one who survived... I was rescued by a woman named Yunniang. I was seriously injured and spent two or three months recovering."
"I left in July, traveled all the way, and arrived in the western mountains of Linxi on August 15th."
He poured tea for the two of them, raised his head and sighed, "I really don't want to be the emperor, so if I am exposed, won't I be captured by the Wu Dynasty?"
"Aren't you exposed now?"
"Things are different now. Ling'er has probably secured the throne over the past six months. Empress Dowager Xi and the court officials must have accepted this reality. The key is that I must get married."
Fu Xiaoguan's marriage had not been announced yet, so Yu Wendao and Huo Huaijin were both surprised, and then happy.
"You finally did something reliable, my boy. Father and Mother know about this, right? What are their plans? My sister's wedding will definitely be a big deal!"
Fu Xiaoguan shook his head, "His Majesty said... one should be low-key!"
Just this afternoon, in Dieyi Palace, Emperor Xuan and Empress Shang wanted to keep the wedding simple because Yu Wenyun's baby was already three months old!
If it were done according to royal etiquette, Yu Wenjun would not be able to handle it. If an accident happened, it would be a huge trouble.
Fu Xiaoguan naturally had no objection to this proposal, but he felt a little regretful. He had once promised them that he would hold a grand wedding for them, but now it seemed that he would have to break his promise.
However, after he briefly discussed it with Dong Shulan, Yan Xiaolou and their families, none of them objected.
Yu Wendao was unwilling to accept it, "Why? Father and Mother have no money?"
"What are you thinking? There's a reason for this... Let me ask you, Yu Wenshu went to Xirong. Does the Yuhuatai he had in his possession still exist in Shangjing?"
Fu Xiaoguan successfully changed the topic, which was also a question he was concerned about.
"The Light Breeze and Drizzle Tower went through a thorough investigation the day he left Shangjing. All the people who had been at Yuhuatai had vanished. I think he had already made these arrangements. Those people are probably in Xirong."
Fu Xiaoguan was silent for two breaths, then asked Huo Huaijin, "How far is the Western Wasteland from your home?"
"Western Rong is in the southwest, and my family lives in Yulan City, a major city in the west. The two places are about six hundred miles apart, but the road is quite difficult to travel, especially after entering the Min Mountains. The three hundred miles of mountain road are rugged and bumpy, and there are many places where there are no roads. They are plank roads built by the ancients, which are barely wide enough for one horse to pass. Therefore, that place is truly easy to defend but difficult to attack."
"However, Xirong Prefecture is a good place. I went there with my father when I was young. It's surrounded by mountains and sits on the vast Xirong Plain. The climate is pleasant and the resources are abundant, so I don't think it's a useless place. If the country fully controls and manages it properly, it can become another granary outside of Jiangnan."
Fu Xiaoguan listened carefully and thought that the place was similar to the Shu area in his previous life.
"Those chieftains live in Xirong Mansion?"
"No, the person living in Xirong Prefecture is the most powerful chieftain of the Peng clan, who was appointed by His Majesty to guard Xirong Prefecture. The other chieftains are mostly in the mountains and fields."
"Where is the Moon Worship Cult's headquarters?"
"It's said to be deep in the Min Mountains. I don't know... What do you want to do? The depths of the Min Mountains are not a good place. It's different from Pingling Mountain. I heard that there are clouds gathering there all year round, and it's full of miasma. Forget about fighting there. It's hard to come out alive if you go in."
Yu Wendao also looked at Fu Xiaoguan, "You are about to get married, so please don't do anything rash. I don't want my sister to be a widow just after marrying you!"
Fu Xiaoguan chuckled and said, "Just asking."
He paused, then asked Huo Huaijin another question: "Does our dynasty and the Fan Kingdom to the west... have much friction on a daily basis?"
"There's very little friction now. Traffic on the border between the two countries is relatively free now. People from Fan often come to Yulan City to do business, and their Buddhist beads and jade are very popular with the Yulan people. Similarly, merchants from Yulan City often go to Sunset City, a border town of Fan State, to do business. Our embroidery and brocade are also very popular with the Fan people."
This can be roughly regarded as a spontaneous trade behavior between the two countries. It seems that the international trade with Fan State is really as Fan Tianning said, and it will not be too difficult to implement.
"How is the combat effectiveness of the Western Frontier Army?"
"General Xue Dingshan is an expert at training troops. Although there has been no fighting in the west for over ten years, General Xue has never slacked off in his training."
"Very good at fighting?"
"...I'm afraid he's even more capable than many people imagine!"
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