Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1409 Heart
Da Qiao was very smart and understood what he meant immediately. She thought to herself, His Majesty wants her to replace Madam Wu?

But without a family behind him, can he really control the situation?
But she knew that this was Yuan Xi's style of doing things. In several extremely important secondary capitals, Yuan Xi needed to use his family members to represent himself.

The person in charge of Yecheng was Empress Zhen, the person in charge of Shouchun was Madam Wu, and the person in charge of Jicheng was Cai Zhaoji.

Although, apart from Zhen Mi, the other two ladies hardly interfered in state affairs, they could represent Yuan Xi in presiding over some internal and external affairs in times of emergency. People including Cao Xian, Bu Lianshi, etc. also had the official duties of clerical clerks.

When the ladies talked about it in private, they all joked that rather than being Yuan Xi's wives, it would be more appropriate to call them his subordinates.

Now that Mrs. Wu is seriously ill, Yuan Xi has been considering future matters. He cannot stay in Shouchun forever, so the next candidate is naturally Da Qiao, who has been accompanying Yuan Xi in handling government affairs in recent years and is familiar with the situation in Jianghuai.

Da Qiao had just given birth to a son two years ago. During this time, she had been helping Zhen Mi deal with paperwork and government affairs in Yecheng. In addition, when she followed Yuan Xi before, she was the one who accompanied him the most and was most familiar with all state affairs. Therefore, she was indeed the most suitable candidate to replace Madam Wu. The only difference was that she had no family behind her.

A thought flashed through her mind. Maybe this was what His Majesty wanted to see?
Zhen Mi listened at the side and a complex light flashed in her eyes. It was not jealousy, but sadness, because Da Qiao would be gone for at least several years and might never return to Yecheng again.

Moreover, taking over Yuan Xi's position is not an easy task. Not only does he have to endure years of loneliness, but he is also likely to encounter danger. If there is a rebellion in Jianghuai, his life may be in danger.

Zhen Mi couldn't help but think in her heart, although her husband seemed affectionate, when the critical moment came, he was actually a very ruthless and decisive person, right?
At noon the next day, Yuan Xi hurriedly boarded the ship with his entourage. He left in such a hurry that many officials did not get the news. However, this did not have much impact on the operation of the State of Jin, because Yuan Xi had already established an administrative system, which enabled the government affairs to run smoothly even in his absence.

When Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao said goodbye at the dock, Xiao Qiao said with tears in her eyes: "Sister, we are separated now and we don't know when we will meet again. Why didn't His Majesty let me go with you?"

Da Qiao comforted him, "Although you and I are sisters, you are you and I am me. There is no reason why we must not be separated."

"My little sister's child is still young and can't stand the hustle and bustle. Besides, she can't always follow me. Sooner or later, she will have to be independent."

"It's also good to stay in Yecheng. Following the Queen to do good things is also the long-term solution."

Xiao Qiao had no choice but to send Da Qiao onto the ship with tears in her eyes. The ship hoisted its sails and sailed away from the port. Then it started the steam engine and accelerated suddenly, heading rapidly south along the river.

Da Qiao stood at the stern and saw Xiao Qiao waving at her, but after a moment, she could no longer see her. Her lips trembled a few times, and finally she turned around resolutely and walked into the cabin.

Yuan Xi was already sitting in front of the window, writing letters to officials and generals from all sides on bamboo slips. Da Qiao walked over and sat at the table, picked up the pine ink, and began to grind it gently.

Yuan Xi kept writing with his pen, and said, "Over the years, I have experienced too many separations and deaths, and I find that my heart is getting harder and harder."

"Sometimes I worry that in a few years, I will become like Emperor Wu of Han in his later years."

Da Qiao paused, then began to draw circles gracefully, "Your Majesty is not that kind of person."

"Why else would Your Majesty be in such a hurry to leave?"

Yuan Xi suddenly made two mistakes in writing. He stopped, picked up a damp cloth, and wiped the mistakes off the bamboo slips. He raised his hand, stared at the ink stains on the cloth, and said, "People change, but no one knows what they will become."

"Maybe I'm really old. I worry about the gains and losses and have many concerns. I don't want to leave any regrets. I'm not as carefree as I was when I was young."

Da Qiao said, "Your Majesty is not afraid, but because the burden on your shoulders is too heavy."

"Your Majesty is now responsible for the entire world, so naturally there are many things to consider."

"This shows that Your Majesty is a benevolent monarch. If you don't consider the people and are ruthless and unrighteous, then wouldn't that be Cao Cao?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xi put down the pen he had just picked up and said absentmindedly, "Cao Cao."

"To be honest, I only met him twice, once in Xuzhou and the other time in Yecheng. At that time, he already had one foot in the gate of hell."

"It's rare to find someone as consistent as him. If I had the same experience as him, maybe I would become a person like him."

Da Qiao said softly, "I don't think so."

"Only Your Majesty has the heart to care for the people. Cao Cao massacred countless people. What he did is not worthy of carrying Your Majesty's shoes."

Yuan Xi laughed and said, "That's not that exaggerated."

"When the world was at war, violence was fought with violence, and massacres were the norm. Only Lord Xuande was an outlier."

"I also massacred people in Ji County. Although I didn't regret it afterwards, after all, I intimidated the Xiliang Army and saved the lives of countless people in Jizhou, but it was undoubtedly a bad start. So after that, I became more vigilant and didn't let myself go down this path again."

"In this era, there are too many things that are beyond one's control. The atmosphere shapes people, and people in turn influence the atmosphere. In the end, everyone together shapes this era."

"Some time ago, Zilong sent a letter from Liangzhou saying that he saw Yang Feng on Mount Tianshan when he was chasing Ma Chao." Da Qiao heard it and asked, "Sister Yang?"

"Among all the women I have ever met, she is the most special one."

"Your Majesty is actually very similar to her in many ways, but in the end, you were not able to walk together with her. I find it incredible."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "That's good too."

"She is like a wild horse on the grassland and an eagle on the mountain. She cannot be tied down."

"It's not easy for her to walk her own path. If I restrict her, I will be denying the meaning of her existence."

"But I was also surprised that Ma Chao died like this."

"I thought he could play for at least another ten years."

Yuan Xi was speaking from the heart. Ma Chao was the Wei general who had caused him the most trouble in recent years. In order to deal with Ma Chao, Yuan Xi even bribed him with a lot of rare treasures just to paralyze him.

Of course, Yuan Xi achieved his goal in the end. Ma Chao thought Yuan Xi wanted to recruit him, so he kept hoping for the best. He only realized it when he was surrounded by enemies, but it was too late.

From the beginning to the end, Yuan Xi's goal was to eliminate the cancer of chaos in Liang Province. Ma Chao was not as important to the Jin State, which was full of generals, as he imagined, but without a warlord like Ma Chao, he would be very important for the future of Liang Province.

After the Battle of Tianshui, Han Sui, Ma Chao and the eight major clans were almost completely wiped out, and Liangzhou returned to a state of not being controlled by the powerful. From then on, Yuan Xi could send officials and generals to garrison in the Hexi Corridor and keep the security of Liangzhou's border firmly in his own hands.

In a dynasty, the frontier is not like the hinterland. The emperor is far away and it is easy to breed powerful people, which leads to the loss of imperial power and becomes the source of unrest. The powerful people in Xiliang have been a problem that has plagued the Han court for hundreds of years, and were eventually one of the important factors in the demise of the Han court. Therefore, when Yuan Xi dealt with the Xiliang issue, he took the most decisive measures.

Although new powerful people will emerge sooner or later as long as the system does not undergo fundamental changes, at least in the next few decades, the people in the border areas can live a more relaxed life.

In addition to the border areas, the big families in Jianghuai also have similar problems, especially the Wu and Sun families behind Madam Wu. In fact, in some aspects, the hidden dangers are no less than those in Xiliang.

Yuan Xi fell into deep thought. Was it because of this concern that Mrs. Wu didn't want to see him?
The steamship was very fast. The fleet entered the Huai River from the Yellow River and arrived in Shouchun after seven or eight days. When the fleet docked, Lu Xun had already been waiting at the dock with a carriage. Yuan Xi hurriedly jumped into the carriage. He did not ask Lu Xun about Mrs. Wu's condition, but asked first: "How is the city? Has the situation in Jianghuai changed?"

Lu Xun said quickly, "The situation in Jianghuai is very stable. Although many people know that Madam Wu is ill, I have strictly ordered that other officials, except for Wu's closest relatives, are not allowed to visit her. All government affairs have not been affected."

After hearing this, Yuan Xi said, "Okay, I'll go over now."

"What disease does Mrs. Wu have?"

Lu Xun hesitated for a moment and said, "My wife has been bedridden for half a month. She has consulted a doctor, but he said it was an emergency and could not be treated."

"It is said that he has not eaten or drunk anything in the past few days. I am afraid..."

Yuan Xi's heart tightened, and he said, "Hua Tuo's disciple can't see it either?"

Lu Xun said helplessly: "Yes, I am worried about the spread of the disease, Your Majesty."

Yuan Xi thought about it and said, "It shouldn't be, otherwise he would have been critically ill a long time ago."

"You don't have to go in later. I can go in alone."

Lu Xun opened his mouth but swallowed his words of advice.

When the carriage arrived at Madam Wu's residence, the guard had already opened the gate to let the carriage go directly in. Yuan Xi jumped off the carriage and hurried to the back hall. He was very familiar with the mansion, and even with the maid leading the way behind him, he could not catch up with her, so he could only jog along.

When Yuan Xi arrived in front of the house, he saw Madam Xie carrying a basin of water and walking in. When she saw Yuan Xi coming, she was stunned for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty?"

No wonder it was beyond her expectations. She had secretly written a letter half a month ago, and she was not sure whether it could be delivered to Yuan Xi. But even if it was delivered, it would take two months for him to arrive. Who knew that Yuan Xi would come so quickly?

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she whispered, "My lord, my lady is dying."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi did not hesitate. He pushed open the door and strode in. The two maids who were guarding the house were startled and they quickly knelt down.

Yuan Xi strode to the bedside. Mrs. Wu, who was dying with sunken cheeks, heard the footsteps and forced herself to open her eyes. Yuan Xi gently took her hand and said, "I'm back."

(End of this chapter)