Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1469 Marriage
When winter came, Youzhou became surprisingly peaceful.

Although the climate is still cold this year and many refugees have appeared on the northern grasslands, Yuan Xi had foreseen this and sent an engineering team of thousands of people to provide support in advance. In addition to using excavators to dig temporary underground shelters, they also transported a lot of relief supplies.

Although it cost a lot of money, after comprehensive calculations and evaluations by Yuan Xi's advisers, they believed that such an investment would bring higher returns than simply ignoring the issue.

If we ignore the victims outside the Great Wall, they will inevitably become a large-scale mob and bandits under the threat of death. Moreover, most of them have horses. If they are dispersed and enter the Great Wall, they will cause considerable harm to the people of Jin State in the villages and towns.

In order to prevent this situation, a large number of additional soldiers must be recruited to guard the border and the people must be relocated. The mobilization costs required in the cold winter are extremely huge. If this is done every year, I am afraid that the State of Jin will not be able to support it and will repeat the mistake of the financial deficit at the end of the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

So over the years, Yuan Xi guided his advisers to slowly explore the same increasingly perfect disaster relief system, which only requires relatively little cost and can allow disaster victims outside the Great Wall to survive the harsh winter and avoid becoming the source of disaster.

This move undoubtedly achieved multiple goals at one stroke. After this incident, many herdsmen outside the Great Wall began to express their willingness to migrate to the interior of the Great Wall to the State of Jin. This was also a good thing for the State of Jin, which had been short of labor after years of war.

Therefore, Yuan Xi established a special reception office to be responsible for the exchange and resettlement of herdsmen outside the Great Wall. Over the years, with the herdsmen outside the Great Wall yearning for the State of Jin and the bloody killings caused by the annexation of extreme tribes, more and more people from outside the Great Wall moved to the inland area, and the possibility of a powerful leader emerging on the grassland who could confront the Central Plains gradually decreased.

After reading the letter from Yan Rou outside the Great Wall, Yuan Xi thought that it seemed that this winter could be spent in peace again. It would be great if it could be like this every year in the future.

He spoke a few words to Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao, who were sewing clothes beside him, but a maid came in and said that the Kingdom of Hannan had sent an envoy, who would come by steamship and was expected to arrive in two days.

Yuan Xi glanced at the list of the envoys and found that Lady Xiahou was also on the list. He could not help but exclaimed in surprise: "It seems that Liu Chan has figured it out."

"I was still racking my brains over how to deal with my relationship with Hannan, but I didn't expect that Liu Chan would be the first to reach out. I'm afraid he doesn't want Hannan to fight to the end."

Xiao Qiao also leaned over and blurted out, "Liu Chan presented Lady Xiahou to the king?"

Yuan Xi was speechless, and Da Qiao almost couldn't help but burst out crying, "Sister, what are you talking about? This is the Crown Prince marrying a concubine! Madam Xiahou is here as a parent to perform the six rituals!"

"How come you can't control your mouth even though you gave birth to a child for your parents!"

"Besides, your children may be granted titles overseas in the future. If you don't set a good example for them, how can they become the ruler of a region in the future?"

What Da Qiao was talking about was Yuan Xi's development of the Wa Islands. The territory of the Mi Kingdom that Mi Fang was previously granted was only a small part of the Wa Islands. Now, with the construction of the seaport by the Jin State, its influence is gradually moving inland. In the future, it will also send a king to enfeoff the land and dispatch officials to govern, thus completely bringing the Wa Islands under the control of China.

Xiao Qiao chuckled and said, "Sister, you know I'm joking, don't get excited."

Da Qiao sighed, "Your Majesty doesn't care about this, but you can't say it in front of outsiders. If it gets out, your Majesty's reputation will be ruined."

Xiao Qiao pouted and nodded. Seeing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "Xiao Qiao must be thinking, I don't have any reputation to speak of, right?"

Xiao Qiao nodded subconsciously, but seeing Yuan Xi's triumphant look, she suddenly realized that she had been deceived and quickly said, "I didn't think so!"

Yuan Xi held her arm and said with a smile: "Your thoughts have been exposed, you should be punished, Da Qiao, come and help me hold her down."

Seeing this, Da Qiao quickly waved her hand and said, "You guys play, I won't participate."

After saying that, she quickly ran out. Seeing this, Yuan Xi said regretfully, "Why are you so alert? You run so fast."

Da Qiao turned to go out, but heard Xiao Qiao screaming behind her: "Sister, save me, save me!"

Yuan Xi closed the door and said with a smile: "Go ahead and scream, but no one will come to save you even if you scream your throat out."

When Da Qiao heard the door close, she couldn't help but slow down her pace. She listened to Xiao Qiao's voice gradually becoming weaker behind her. After hesitating for a while, she tiptoed back. She put her ear to the door, trying to listen to what was happening inside.

But she didn't expect the door to open, and Yuan Xi and Xiao Qiao each took one hand and pulled Da Qiao in. Only then did she realize that she had been tricked, and said angrily, "You two are so insidious!"

Xiao Qiao said proudly: "It was my sister who abandoned me first, so don't blame me for being heartless!"

After saying that, she and Yuan Xi dragged Da Qiao to the bed. Da Qiao struggled for a few times, but gave up reluctantly. The stove in the room emitted hot air, blocking the cold outside the window and bringing spring into the room.

Two days later, the envoys from Hannan arrived. In addition to the accompanying officials, they also brought two ships of gifts, all of which were specialties of Hannan. Although they could not be compared with the products of Jin, they were also of great value, and the standards and etiquette were extremely high.

The one who led the delegation was Mi Zhu. When he saw Yuan Xi and Zhen Mi coming to the dock in person, he realized that the other side was not giving him face, so he quickly invited Xiahou Shi out.

Xiahou Madam looked uneasy as she followed Mi Zhu down the dock. After the two sides exchanged greetings, Yuan Xi smiled at Xiahou Madam and said, "I didn't expect Madam to come here in person. I am quite surprised."

"But if things go well, the marriage between the two families will be equivalent to a marriage between two countries, or even a marriage between three countries. Perhaps peace in the world will come faster with this marriage."

Madam Xiahou said, "I am from a humble background. Thank you for your kindness. May I see your daughter first?" Mi Zhu's heart tightened, but Yuan Xi smiled and said, "If Madam Xiahou hadn't said this, I would have admired your courage. Now I hear that you are indeed a combination of the strengths of the Zhang and Xiahou families. You are both brave and resourceful."

"Queen, you go with the Madam first. I will go and entertain Mr. Zizhong."

After hearing this, Zhen Mi pulled Zhang into the carriage and went to the palace first, while Yuan Xi led Mi Zhu into another carriage.

Mi Zhu came to his senses when he saw that there was no horse in front of the carriage, and immediately got into the carriage with Yuan Xi. He saw the soldier in front of the carriage pulling the engine. With a roar, black smoke came out of the iron barrel behind the carriage, and it slowly started.

Mi Zhu saw that the car was moving steadily and quickly, and couldn't help but ask: "Is this the legendary steam engine?"

Yuan Xi nodded and said, "That's right. This thing can be burned with coal or firewood. It is convenient and clean to use it in the city."

"After all, the manure and other things produced by horses are not good for street hygiene. If something unexpected happens and they get frightened, it will be difficult to control them."

"So now in Jin State, steam carriages are gradually being used to replace horse-drawn carriages. However, due to fuel limitations, they cannot be promoted on a large scale. Moreover, steam carriages are only suitable for flat roads. As for wild mountainous areas, horses are more economical."

"The application of steam engines is still mostly on ships. Now I am gradually building a water network across the country. In the near future, the journey from south to north and from east to west can be shortened to within one month."

Mi Zhu sighed, "Seeing is believing. Under your Majesty's leadership, the state of Jin is truly unprecedented."

Yuan Xi said: "Your sister and even Zifang have actually helped a lot in this series of reforms in Jin."

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"The reason why Jin State was able to take the lead was, first, the reform of the steam engine, and second, the reform of currency."

"A good cook cannot cook without rice. Without the large amount of gold and silver ore provided by Zifang in the Wanu Islands, the prices of goods in Jin would not have been so stable. Your sister also personally traveled around to make this happen. It can be said that without the Mi family, there would be no Great Jin today."

Mi Zhu had learned that not only Mi Fang was granted the title of king by the Jin Dynasty in Wa Nu, but Mi Zhen's eldest son was also granted the title of king in Haixi. He could not help but sigh, "The Mi family was born in the Shang clan. For a long time, they could not hold their heads up among the nobles. It is because of His Majesty that they are here today. This is the luck of the Mi family."

Yuan Xi said solemnly: "My goal is that one day in the future, all walks of life in the world will be integrated, regardless of high or low, just like the parts on this steam car, each one is indispensable."

Over there, Xiahou followed Zhen Mi into the palace and found the residence of her daughter Zhang. Zhang heard the sound and came out. Her eyes immediately turned red when she saw Xiahou. The mother and son hugged each other and sighed. Seeing this, Zhen Mi withdrew first, leaving the two to talk.

Xiahou hugged Zhang and said, "Mother asked you to carry the coffin northward earlier. Her original intention was to avoid the imperial concubine selection, but she didn't expect this to happen. What happened?"

"Did the Emperor of Jin force you?"

Zhang whispered the whole story, and finally said, "When my daughter first arrived in Yecheng, it happened that the Emperor of Jin was returning to Jicheng with the Crown Prince, so they went the same way."

"The prince met my daughter several times along the way, and they were always open and aboveboard in front of others. At first, my daughter didn't know what he meant until one day the queen came to ask her, and then I understood."

Xiahou asked, "What do you think?"

"If you are unwilling, mother will speak directly to the Emperor of Jin, so there is no need to worry."

Zhang said softly, "My daughter thinks the prince is a good person."

"He is a man of great learning, talent and reason. He is gentle and polite in his speech. His appearance is second to none among the men of his age that my daughter has ever met. Even if he is not a crown prince, my daughter would still be willing to marry him."

After hearing this, Xiahou said, "Since you like it, as your mother, I will naturally be happy for you."

"My only concern is the rumor that the Crown Princess's choice is a girl from the Jiangdong Sun family, and it has been rumored for many years. Now that the marriage between the two sides has fallen through, is there any unknown secret?"

"If this causes the Sun family to vent their anger, your safety will be a huge problem. We are an orphan and a widow, and without the support of our family, it will be difficult for us to help you in the harem in the future."

Zhang said, "The queen once told my daughter about this. She told her not to worry. Sun's matter has another story and will not affect her."

After hearing this, Xiahou felt relieved a little, but she thought that Empress Zhen might just be comforting her daughter. If she really wanted her daughter to get married with peace of mind, she still had to ask the Emperor of Jin in person.

The next day, when Yuan Xi was in the study, he said that Madam Xiahou wanted to see him, so he asked him to bring her in and said, "Madam, you are here at the right time. Have you asked your daughter what she thinks?"

"If she has no objection, can we go through the six rituals and get married this month?"

Yuan Xi had no choice but to be anxious. Yuan Rui's marriage had run into complications, and he was eager to get things done quickly so that the prince could set up a government office and he could gradually hand over power.

(End of this chapter)