74 Official Appointment
Huo Yan: He was granted an official title of 600 dan (approximately 100 dan in salary), but his living standard plummeted.
Outside the hall, the clang of armored guards changing shifts could be heard, startling the sparrows perched on the Bronze Sparrow Tower. Bronze crane incense burners on either side of the hall steps puffed out ambergris smoke, condensing the autumn chill into wisps of mist.
Candles were gradually lit in the Xuanshi Hall. Liu Che was so excited that he could not sleep all night. He outlined the huge map, where the Western Regions were, where the Dayuezhi were, and where the Xiongnu were.
Huo Qubing's eyes burned brightly as he spoke his thoughts to the map. Huo Yan tilted his head to look at him, and in just one glance, he seemed to be galloping across the vast world. He sighed vaguely, and then his eyes softened.
There are hidden scales in the dark abyss, and cranes flying in the wilderness of Jiugao.
Huo Qubing wanted to go, and he couldn't stop him.
Huo Qubing was once again trying to get Wei Qing to go to the battlefield, but this time Huo Yan, who had been on the same side with Wei Qing, suddenly switched sides. In order to help Huo Qubing, Huo Yan even persuaded Emperor Wu of Han and even asked Wei Zifu to intercede for him. However, since Huo Qubing loved him dearly, how could Wei Qing not love him too?
Wei Qing loved Huo Qubing just as much as he did. Though seemingly gentle, he was in reality stubborn. Huo Qubing's repeated attempts, even with Emperor Wu of Han's approval, couldn't change Wei Qing's mind. Even eight hundred oxen couldn't change the Marquis of Changping's decision. Crucially, the Marquis had no weaknesses. Even after Huo Yan analyzed the situation eight hundred times, he couldn't find a way for Huo Qubing to escape.
Huo Qubing himself had no choice but to walk around the horse farm with a gloomy face every day.
"Ayan, who can keep an eagle and carry it in their arms?"
He lashed out with another polo ball, his face furious, landing squarely beside Cao Xiang's horse's leg. Cao Xiang stood tall and straight like a pine tree, his features radiating the Confucian demeanor of a general, a legacy inherited from the Marquis of Pingyang. Unfortunately, his image was shattered the moment he opened his mouth.
"Huo Qubing, if you're not happy, don't come to me!"
Huo Yan smiled grimly and swung the club.
Cao Xiang was so frightened that he hid behind his horse. He stared at the ball on the ground for a long time and cursed, "Our marriage was granted by His Majesty. We will be engaged soon. The princess is my wife!"
Cao Xiang was truly miserable. In the fourth year of Yuanshou, he followed Wei Qing on an expedition to Mobei and was nearly defeated by the Xiongnu!
[Xiaoyan, quickly check his pulse! Just looking at his face, I know he won't take the medicine you prescribed.]
[Cao Xiang wants to marry Wei Chang? This is the ceiling for political marriages!]
[The Pingyang Marquis family's ancestral tombs are filled with smoke, as he married the Han Wu Emperor's favorite princess!]
[It's a pity that Cao Xiang died young, three years after the Yuan Ding era, leaving Wei Chang a widow in misery...]
As Cao Xiang spoke, his face turned red and he smiled foolishly.
Princess Wei Chang was born in the fourth year of Jianyuan. Her birth broke people's doubts about Liu Che's abilities in certain aspects, so she was born to be favored, which was far beyond the reach of her two younger sisters, Princess Yangshi and Princess Zhuyi.
The Han dynasty had a long-standing rule that only marquises could marry. As the emperor's eldest daughter, Princess Wei Chang naturally couldn't marry into a common family. Many sons of marquises existed, and Princess Wei Chang was renowned for her reputation. Liu Che carefully selected Princess Pingyang's eldest son, Cao Xiang, Marquis of Pingyang. Cao Xiang's ancestor was Cao Shen, a founding hero of the Han dynasty, who inherited the title of Marquis of Wanhu. Cao Xiang and Princess Wei Chang were cousins, childhood sweethearts, so a marriage was a natural fit. Furthermore, Princess Wei Chang was in love with her, which only added to the joy.
But how old is Cao Xiang, how old is Wei Chang, and what kind of character is Cao Xiang? They grew up together, so who doesn't know it? Not only Huo Yan was dissatisfied, but even Huo Qubing looked at Cao Xiang with his eyes not eyes and his nose not nose.
Sure enough, Huo Qubing sneered, turned his horse around and left.
Huo Yan followed Huo Qubing and swung the club with all his strength.
Damn it, I’ll smash you to death.
Cao Xiang was so angry that he jumped up and down, "Your aim is not good, and you hit me too, how shameless!"
Huo Yan was carrying a polo club, smiling broadly.
"You're such a shameless old cow eating tender grass, I don't know what my sister likes about you."
After revealing the identities of the two men, Cao Xiang remained silent like a chicken with its throat pinched.
After a long pause, he said to his two difficult brothers-in-law, "Then my face is not bad."
Huo Yan sneered and retorted, "Yeah, the only thing left is his face that can only confuse little girls. I really want to scratch it up."
Cao Xiang was furious. He covered his face and said angrily, "Are you going to see my mother?"
Huo Yan curled his lips, "Ah Xiang, do you know what my sister likes?"
Cao Xiang walked to Huo Yan's side with a round face, and Huo Yan suddenly grabbed his wrist. Huo Yan pressed three fingers on Cun, Guan and Chi points, and his eyebrows slightly frowned.
Cao Xiang was startled by his pull, then he pulled his hand away and hit Huo Yan back, "I still want to marry the princess!"
Huo Yan was hit on the shoulder by him and grimaced.
"Do you really want to know what the guard likes?"
Cao Xiang leaned over to whisper, but Huo Yan turned his head away and ignored him. Cao Xiang presented him with a purse, and Huo Yan smiled and whispered in his ear.
"The glazed jade from the Western Regions is out of fashion. I recently acquired a set of glass headpieces called Moon Soul, which my sister couldn't let go of. Now, she's also got a Red Rain flower crown. I was thinking of keeping this and buying it for her, but after all, we've been friends for many years, so I'll give you this opportunity. If you can please my sister and we can live in harmony next year, I'll be lucky."
Cao Xiang's eyes were warm.
"Ayan, after all these years, I never thought you were actually a human being."
Huo Yan used his sleeve to push his face away, his disgust evident in his words, "You can't even speak."
Cao Xiang was not angry at being dumped. He got off his horse foolishly and went to buy jewelry as a betrothal gift for Wei Chang.
After the people left, he turned his head to Huo Qubing and complained, "I told you he was stupid."
Huo Qubing reined in his horse and turned around. He suddenly felt much better and nodded.
"stupid."
Since Huo Yan's glass came out, smuggled colored glass from the Western Regions has become worthless. Glass has replaced colored glass as the preferred choice for banquets among the upper class. Glass is expensive, fetching tens of thousands of coins on the black market, and Huo Yan profited handsomely from shipping it to Xiongnu territory. The price of glass jewelry is secondary; the key is the impossibility of obtaining it. Every woman in Chang'an keeps up with the latest fashion trends, and every woman wants to equip herself and her daughters with them. How could Cao Xiang possibly have snatched one?
Huo Yan had told Cao Xiang to go alone, purely to provoke him and tease him. He had already prepared additional dowry for the Chief of Guards, but Cao Xiang had actually managed to snatch it away by paying a huge price.
The moment Huo Yan heard the news, he suddenly laughed. He pointed at the boxes of money sent by the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion and said, "Change it into gold and give it to her when the guard comes next time."
The morning light pierced the sound of drums from the Twelve Streets of Chang'an. Huo Yan yawned, put the prepared pill into his mouth, and the vertical lines between his eyebrows became deeper and deeper.
"He's not sick. He's just as healthy as my brother."
The translucent bullet screen floating in front of my eyes passed by like flowing water.
[However, in the third year of Yuanding, Cao Xiang died of illness, and the chief of guards wept and watched over his body. This is a fact.]
[Is it an acute illness?]
…
Uncle Dan came up and whispered for a while. Huo Yan's eyes gradually darkened. After a long moment, he rubbed his brows and said, "He likes sweet things. Go ahead and do it. I'll find someone to coax him tomorrow."
Uncle Dan left, and Huo Yan's brows furrowed even tighter.
The pestle clicked into place on the edge of the couch. He abruptly stood up, his dark brocade robe overturning the medical books and bamboo slips on the table, which scatter to the floor. He didn't even pick them up, but simply gave Uncle Dan a few words of advice before quickly heading to the Pepper Room.
You have to coax your own brother even if you have to kneel down.
Pepper Room Palace
The Empress Dowager has recovered recently and can get out of bed and walk a few steps.
Liu Che was overjoyed, and Wei Zifu had time to arrange a marriage for Wei Chang. As this was his first marriage, the sheer size of Wei Chang's dowry was undeniable. Huo Yan glanced over the dowry list Wei Zifu handed him and told the empress about Cao Xiang's lavish spending to please Wei Chang. Wei Zifu couldn't help but smile; her worst worries now seemed unfounded.
Huo Yan smiled gently, as he always liked to pretend. He only said that he and Huo Qubing were cousins and that he had added a gift for the captain of the guard. Then he personally handed a small box to the captain of the guard.
"If you are in desperate situation, taking this medicine can temporarily replenish your qi and blood."
Hope it can hold on until I come.
He and the guard had been together for a long time, and the guard didn't know why he gave it to him, but he accepted it with great respect and bowed politely. Huo Yan accepted the gift, secretly cursing Cao Xiang in his heart. The guard gave him a subtle wink, his eyebrows playful.
Huo Yan wanted to touch her head like he did when she was a child, but she was a grown-up girl after all, so he just took out a smaller box from his arms like Doraemon and handed it to Wei Chang. All he could see from Wei Zifu was that he gave her a set of finely crafted pure gold headgear with delicate phoenix patterns on it.
Wei Zifu thought it was just a golden headdress and praised Huo Yan for his thoughtfulness.
The guard's hands were clasped over the small box, toying with the golden hairpin, longer than two palms. This hairpin was slightly thicker than the others, with a sharper edge, a faint snow-white gleam visible on the blade. She weighed it and almost burst out laughing.
Gold is soft and iron is hard. This hairpin is made of gold-plated iron, and Huo Yan used the new military iron produced by the workshop to quench it, so its hardness is close to that of steel. This is not a hairpin, but a small dagger with a sharp blade. Huo Yan also carefully designed the bloodletting grooves on both sides according to the daily habits of the guard.
"Thank you, brothers."
She is not a delicate little princess, she likes this gift.
Wei Zifu could hardly keep the smile on her face, so she asked her to go back first, as she had something to say to Huo Yan.
Huo Yan peeked at her expression and thought, No way, my aunt has found out! His waist bent slightly, his face a look of bereavement.
As expected, as soon as the guard left, Wei Zifu's face darkened. She scolded Huo Yan, "Ah Yan, I asked you to teach Ru'er swordsmanship, but what did you teach him? After a month of teaching, Ru'er already goes to Zhuyi to hunt birds every day, you kid!"
Huo Yan lowered his head and picked at his fingers.
"Well, didn't you say Ju'er was quiet? You wanted him to have some fun, so I took him to play." His voice gradually faded. "He just didn't know how to play, but I taught him and he learned. He can play by himself, or I can help him find friends. I even made custom mini-games for him. There's no such thing as just playing with birds. That gets boring after a few tries."
Wei Zifu was speechless and sneered.
People really do laugh when they are extremely speechless.
"But he can't just roll around in the mud. What if he catches a cold? He's the eldest prince!"
Huo Yan raised his eyes and looked directly at Wei Zifu.
He finally understood why Liu Ju was so quiet; his aunt was just being too cautious.
"Aunt, you want your son to be lively, but you also want him to be quiet. What do you want?"
Wei Zifu was stunned. Huo Yan took advantage of the situation and continued, "Actually, at his age, running more is more beneficial to his health."
Wei Zifu told him to get out and go see for himself, but Huo Yan didn't want to see it. Didn't he know how crazy Liu Ju was now?
Liu Ju used to be quiet because he hadn't discovered how much fun there was outside. But ever since Huo Yan started teaching him how to play, he'd completely unleashed his childlike nature. Every day, he'd leap out of bed before dawn, screaming and chasing Zhu Yi around the palace gardens, trying to catch birds perched on branches and pet the ducks in the pond. He wouldn't eat the snacks the imperial chef brought him, but would instead steal a piece of freshly baked pastry when the chef wasn't looking. He'd blow on the scalding heat, his forehead rubbed against the black ash from the bottom of the pot. He also loved rolling around in the grass, his back covered in grass leaves, and when he stood up, he looked like a rolling haystack.
Huo Yan thought about how after letting them have free time, Liu Ju and Zhu Yi were in a mess from head to toe. He put his hands behind his back and sighed in his heart, "I am such a cancer."
He tilted his head, his hair a mess, his face streaked with black and mud, his clothes stained. Liu Ju flew past him. The Han heir apparent was riding the scooter Huo Yan had given him, his brocade robe stained with pond mud. He saw Huo Yan turn the scooter around, then lunge at him with a wicked grin, the golden bells on his wrists jingling with his movements. Huo Yan took off running, but he was no match for the scooter and was forced to get covered in mud.
Huo Yan's knuckles were white from rubbing his hands together. Three days ago, he'd only mentioned there were lotus roots in the pond, and this kid had actually dared to go there. The eyes of the big red carp in Zhu Yi's hand shone strangely, having been knocked unconscious by Liu Ju and Zhu Yi.
Huo Yan's robe was covered in mud. He spread his hands, picked up the fish, handed it to the servant, and picked up the two dirty children.
"This can't be eaten. In a couple of days, I'll take you to catch something edible." He pretended to think for a moment, then, under the gaze of four increasingly bright eyes, he slowly said, "My brother said he wants to take you to fly kites with me."
The two little cubs are having fun.
"Brother Yan is the best!"
When Wei Zifu saw this, she was both angry and amused, and kept shaking her head and sighing.
Huo Yan was afraid that she would stop him again, so he waved his sleeves and saluted, "Captain Wei, come with us and try on the hairpins and rings that Cao Xiang bought."
"I'll go pick up Jingsheng tomorrow and ask the gambling house to let him go for a while."
Sixteen row of pottery kilns were puffing out blue smoke, and craftsmen were casting glass bottles filled with floating luster. Gongsun Jingsheng was among them. He was scared out of his wits in the gambling house, so Huo Yan had him transferred back to the factory. After several months of hard work, it would be nice for him to have a day off tomorrow.
Besides, his purpose was just to find some people to appease his brother.
Huo Yan knew exactly what Wei Zifu was thinking. Sure enough, Wei Zifu turned a blind eye and let him go, only giving Huo Yan a few instructions.
Huo Yan calculated the time and took his leave before Liu Che arrived.
"It's going to rain. Ah Yan, please stay with your aunt today."
Wei Zifu shouted from behind, but Huo Yan just shook his hand.
The sky was frighteningly gloomy, and a strong draft blew into the winding corridors of the Weiyang Palace.
The glow of the bronze crane palace lantern cast dim ripples in the twilight. Huo Yan, for some unknown reason, curled his fingers into pale cocoons within his wide sleeves, and subconsciously quickened his pace. Raindrops drifted slantingly outside the rosewood window, brushing against the silver ribbons of his hair crown and splashing tiny drops of water on the jade tiles.
"Minister Huo, please stay."
Liu Che's attendants came out from around the corner. Eight eunuchs in black robes, holding glazed palace lanterns, pinned Huo Yan's shadow to the damp palace wall. The iron horses on the eaves clanked in the sudden north wind. Huo Yan could smell the bitter fragrance of ginseng wafting from them, mixed with the chilling coldness of the palace bricks.
The Queen Mother is in trouble.
Huo Yan's heart sank.
The leading eunuch, holding a golden sword in his palm, said, "His Majesty summons you to the Xuanshi Palace." Before he could finish his words, the distant roar of a palanquin echoed like thunder, and thirty-six gilded bronze bells rang out in the rain, urging death. Huo Yan gazed at the rain-soaked fallen sycamore leaves on the steps and suddenly remembered the withered wrist he had felt when he had examined the Queen Mother's pulse two weeks ago.
The Queen Mother was aging naturally. He had tried his best to delay her death. The Queen Mother would die in the next few days. He could take care of the wounded, but he could do nothing about her aging.
His hair was stuck on the side of his face, but he got into the car in a moment.
The rain suddenly picked up speed, and the shadows of the eunuchs twisted like chains on the palace walls. From the direction of the Xuanshi Hall, amidst the cool vermilion lacquer columns, Huo Yanxing heard the sound of jade shattering, mixed with the rumble of thunder, rolling over the eaves of the Weiyang Palace.
"Ayan, save people!"
A roar split the rain curtain, and Huo Yan saw Liu Che's cloak sweeping across the palace steps, its gilded dragon pattern baring its fangs in the lightning. The pearls and jade pendants adorning the emperor, now nearly thirty years old, rustled, and in his hand clutched a half-stained handkerchief—the scarlet at the corner of his eye stung Huo Yan's eyes.
The crabapple blossoms are falling.
No matter how good a doctor is, he cannot defeat time.
He looked at Liu Che's sad eyes through the rain, and suddenly his heart became angry. He walked quickly up the stairs, his red clothes and black hair were wet by the rain, and he left the eunuch holding the umbrella behind.
The bean-sized raindrops hit people, causing an indescribable pain.
Liu Che ignored the rain that covered the steps and disregarded his dignity as an emperor. The eunuch beside him held an umbrella and said anxiously, "Your Majesty, be careful of the muddy water under your feet."
Liu Che didn't say anything. He came to Huo Yan and used his cloak to shield him from the wind and rain.
I will try my best.
A young man, soaked in water, entered the hall to give acupuncture. A flash of lightning streaked across the dark sky, and the Queen Mother, who had been unconscious, slowly woke up after spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Che'er," she said, as if she had just had a beautiful dream, her eyes so gentle they could drip with tears. "I dreamed of your father, and he said he missed me."
The corners of Liu Che's eyes suddenly turned red.
The Queen Mother gently touched his face, as if using up her last bit of strength to remember the most precious treasure in her life.
"Your father was right. Che'er was born to be an emperor. Mother really dreamed that the sun in the sky flew into my arms. Now, the sun is hanging high in my arms."
She slowly closed her eyes, with the corners of her lips raised.
Throughout her life, Wang Zhaojun had experienced hatred, love, and struggle. She had risen from humble beginnings to a position of honor and no regrets.
Liu Che lowered his head, as if rain had seeped into the inner room.
His mother was a born ambitious person and once wanted to seize power to support Tian Fen, but his mother was the best mother and loved him enough.
The love he received was enough to give away, so it was so difficult for him to accept the departure of those he once had.
On the Gengwu day of June in the third year of Yuanshuo reign of Emperor Wu of Han, Queen Dowager Wang passed away.
The whole country was in mourning, and the Queen Mother's mourning period had not yet ended, so the originally planned attack on the Huns was shelved.
Liu Che was in a low mood, but it had nothing to do with Huo Yan. His uncle was here, and Liu Zhuzhu didn't want his advice.
Wei Qing was free because of this. When Huo Yan and Cao Xiang agreed to meet at the Pingyang Marquis' Mansion, Huo Yan asked Wei Qing to come and pick him up, hoping to pair Wei Qing with Princess Pingyang. However, even if Huo Yan hid in the corner, he would be caught by Wei Qing.
He was very depressed and thought that his uncle was finished. The princess was right next to him. Why was the uncle looking for his nephew? He was looking for a wife.
Later, maybe because he made too much noise by bringing pigs to dig up cabbages, Cao Xiang was embarrassed to see him, but it didn't matter. He was thick-skinned, and since his uncle couldn't do it, he would do it.
He sent ointments to the emperor to refresh his face and money to the people to beautify their appearance. In just three months, everyone in Pingyang Marquis's mansion became Wei Qing's followers.
One day in the fourth year of Yuanshuo, he once again boasted about Wei Qing. This time, the princess blushed quietly, not out of shame, but out of embarrassment. Huo Yan smiled without saying anything, feeling that his mission was accomplished.
Hehe, my aunt has been bewitched by me, and uncle is just one step away from success.
The fifth year of the Yuanshuo era was a good year. Lady Wang and Concubine Li in the palace both became pregnant, which was undoubtedly great news for the emperor, who had few children. Princess Wei Chang was about to get married, which was also good news for the palace staff.
There hadn't been a happy event in the palace for a long time, but now one happy event after another came. Liu Che was naturally in a good mood and liked everyone.
With a flourish, he appointed Huo Yan the position of Chief of Staff, responsible for overseeing the country's affairs of equalization of transportation and price stabilization. By regulating the transportation of goods and prices, Huo Yan aimed to stabilize the market and increase fiscal revenue. Equalization of transportation referred to the unified collection and transportation of goods, avoiding the chaotic and costly transportation caused by local fragmentation. Price stabilization, on the other hand, involved selling or purchasing goods during price fluctuations to balance market prices and prevent merchants from hoarding and driving up prices.
It sounds high-ranking, but it is actually an official with a salary of 600 dan, which is a lower-middle-level salary. At that time, the official salary was mainly paid in the form of food and other physical goods. The salary of 600 dan could guarantee the basic living needs of the official and his family and maintain a certain standard of living.
His starting point was quite high, and even Sang Hongyang, who was still working under Zheng Dangshi, was crying with envy.
"Jane is in the emperor's heart, eldest son."
Huo Yan, with dark circles under his eyes from menstruation, rolled his eyes at the glares from all around him.
"You come, I'll go out."
[Ayan has been demoted. He used to be the emperor's confidant, but now he is the emperor's back hand.]
[I don’t know whether Sang Hongyang is real or fake.]
[He started out as the Minister of Agriculture, with a 1,000-stone rank, while my treasure was the Chief of the Ministry of Agriculture, with a 600-stone rank, hhh]
【Author’s words】
I've been so busy lately, I'm really exhausted. My crappy job pays 3,000 yuan, and I have to work overtime during my internship. When my boss treats me to lunch at noon, I don't even dare to eat too much meat. I'm really emo. I work from home.
I originally wanted to sort out this free extra chapter for the Lantern Festival, but I have to get up early tomorrow, so I can only sort it out when I get home tomorrow night.
Now you have some options, kids.
① In his previous life, Huo Yan, who was 27, met his 14-year-old brother.
②The last variety show.
③Others.
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will reply as soon as I see them.
I can't bear it any longer. If I'm late tomorrow, my attendance will be deducted.
Bitter.
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