After Xuanyuan Hao left the court, he changed into casual clothes and went to the home of his minister Zhang Guanghe with four followers, two visible and two invisible.
Wang Suwen and Zhang Guanghe worked together to resolve the crisis in Yangzhou. Zhang Guanghe rose to prominence in the imperial court from a minor official, and his knowledge and insights were highly appreciated by Xuanyuan Hao.
Xuanyuan Hao entered Zhang Guanghe's home, and they both felt a little awkward. He had been to many ministers' homes, but none of them was as viewable as Zhang Guanghe's.
It was Zhang Guanghe who came to open the door. Inside was a palm-sized courtyard. There was no courtyard with three entrances and three exits. There were three rooms in this small courtyard, which was clear at a glance.
Xuanyuan Hao had seen countless houses like this in ordinary people's homes during his military campaigns. He probably knew that the dining room in the middle of the three rooms was connected to the kitchen, where the whole family ate.
Some people's homes would separate the dining room into a niche where they would place the ancestral tablets, thus combining the ancestral hall and the dining room into one.
There are two rooms on the left and right. The east wing should belong to Zhang Guanghe and his wife, and the west wing is probably for the children. A little further back there should be a toilet and a water room. That’s all.
So Xuanyuan Hao didn't go in anymore, and Zhang Guanghe didn't lead the way in either. The two of them stood there, probably knowing that it was not suitable inside.
It was Zhang Guanghe's wife who brought out two chairs and a small wooden table, and the two of them sat down in the courtyard. The small wooden table was a little wobbly, so Zhang Guanghe's wife found a piece of wood to pad under one of the table legs.
When the lady heard Zhang Guanghe say that this was His Majesty, she bowed hurriedly and said with a guilty conscience, "Your Majesty, please don't blame our Guanghe. The money you gave me for settling in was enough to buy a big house.
But there were few people in the family, so they couldn't use it. So I divided the money into two and bought two rooms. The other one had a bigger yard, so I rented it out and collected the rent.
"I can't bear to throw this table away. It's not that I can't afford a new one, but this one is still usable. If I had known Your Majesty was coming, I would have bought a new one no matter what."
Xuanyuan Hao smiled and said, "No problem."
The woman continued, "Your Majesty, I don't have much to offer you for your visit, but I make some delicious pancakes. Please try some later."
Xuanyuan Hao nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your help."
Zhang Guanghe also remained calm and did not think that his wife was in any embarrassing situation that was not presentable.
Zhang Guanghe said, "I recommend a man to go to southern Yunnan. He can complement the Duke of Xiangguo and help alleviate the epidemic."
Xuanyuan Hao asked, "Helan City, the high official of Western Xinjiang?"
Zhang Guanghe said, "That's right."
Western Xinjiang is adjacent to the foreign tribe Western Qiang. The Western Qiang was originally called Northern Qiang. They had lived in the northern frontier for generations, but they were enemies of the Northern Xiongnu. When the Northern Xiongnu was powerful, they almost wiped out the Northern Qiang and drove them to the west, becoming the Western Qiang.
Later, the Northern Huns invaded, but Xuanyuan Hao's surprise attack defeated them, severely damaging their vitality and forcing them to retreat. The Western Qiang, seeking revenge, seized this opportunity to launch frequent attacks, creating new grudges before the old ones were resolved.
The Northern Huns and the Western Qiang were now equally powerful and both submitted to the Xuanyuan Dynasty. The Western Qiang repeatedly petitioned Xuanyuan Hao to send troops to completely wipe out the Northern Huns, but Xuanyuan Hao was unwilling to send his own troops to the battlefield again. Moreover, since the Northern Huns had already surrendered, there was no reason to fight again, so he did not accept the proposal.
The Western Qiang harbored hatred and dissatisfaction towards the Northern Xiongnu and the Xuanyuan Dynasty, and they frequently made small moves.
Helan Cheng, an official exiled from the capital, served in several places, achieving remarkable success. Later, he was transferred to the Western Xinjiang region, where he served as a high-ranking official. He used both kindness and force against the Western Qiang, striking them with death and also going through great difficulties to help them, ultimately keeping them firmly suppressed. The Western Qiang were both afraid of him and grateful to him.
When Ye Zhou returned to Beijing after fading from the Western Route Army, he said that one person in Helan City could defeat 100,000 soldiers. Later, he said that even though he was a civil servant, his talent could also lead 100,000 soldiers. Xuanyuan Hao looked at him, and Ye Zhou stopped praising him.
Now Xuanyuan Hao asked Zhang Guanghe: "Once Helan City is gone, are you planning to hand over Western Xinjiang to Shang Huaitang?"
Zhang Guanghe saw that they were of the same opinion again, and nodded quickly: "This person's ability to break the chaos and determine the general trend is not as good as Helan Cheng, but if he takes on a stable situation, he can win in a stable situation and reach a higher level.
However, such an arrangement should not be known to the Western Qiang and the Northern Xiongnu. Although they have surrendered on the surface, the two sides have been making small moves and plotting little tricks. Over the years of the three-way competition, Helan City has never been lost. Both sides are in awe of it, and it has become the mainstay of the Western Frontier.
Helancheng quietly left, Shanghuaitang quietly received. The court did not issue an order to transfer, so please ask Your Majesty to issue two secret decrees and a secret letter to Ye Zhou.
Xuanyuan Hao said to Zhang Guanghe: "I don't want to touch Shang Huaitang."
Zhang Guanghe nodded: "Because of Prince Guanghuai? Your Majesty, don't worry, Prince Guanghuai will definitely not take advantage of this opportunity to cause trouble."
Xuanyuan Hao asked: "How to ensure it?"
Zhang Guanghe said, "Your Majesty, please look." He drew a river on the small table with his tea. Xuanyuan Hao understood instantly.
Zhang Guanghe's wife brought over some cakes. Xuanyuan Hao thanked her, picked up one and ate it. "Not bad," he said. Then he thought of something: "If Madam Zhang has time, she could teach the wife of the young Marquis Ningyuan, so that he won't come to me and cause trouble."
The lady was delighted when she heard this and said, "Your Majesty, are you talking about Lord Wang Suwen's sister? Since I came to the capital, I have only been friends with Lord Wang's wife and sister. I didn't know she wanted to learn how to make pancakes. I will take care of it."
Wang Lingyi, who was unaware that she had been ordered to learn how to make pancakes, received news from Xuan Fei that Chunliu had returned and was quietly placed on the farm by the young marquis.
After receiving the secret order, Helan Cheng handed it over to Shang Huaitang, and then headed straight for southern Yunnan with a small entourage. Before he arrived, he heard about the riot in southern Yunnan.
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