Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 878: Have you ever asked?
It wasn't until very late that Lu Lingqi came back with a burp from wine. She took the wet cloth handed over by Yuan Xi and wiped her face. She leaned on the couch and fell asleep. When Yuan Xi saw her, he had to help her take off her coat and cover her up. Quilt.

He was not going to ask what Lu Lingqi was doing alone with Yang Feng. Everyone had their own secrets. If Lu Lingqi didn't want to tell her, Yuan Xi wouldn't take the initiative to ask. Everyone has their own concerns, even Yuan Xi himself. Things that cannot be said openly and honestly to one's own female relatives.

The days passed day by day, and it entered late autumn in a blink of an eye. Yuan Xi calculated that he had been recovering from illness for several months. He had never rested for such a long time in the past few years.

At the moment, he was feeling idle and itchy all over. He was worried about the situation of Qingzhou and Bohai that he had just captured. He thought about leaving for the north in a few days and returning to Jicheng before the Chinese New Year according to his past habits.

However, after Hua Tuo came to visit several times, he opposed Yuan Xi's idea. He believed that Yuan Xi's soldiers were not ready to attack effectively and the root causes of the disease in his body had not been eliminated. If he went to the bitter cold places in the north, he would probably fall ill again, which would damage his body's vitality. If it is damaged, then it will not be so easy to cultivate again.

Yuan Xi was hesitant about Hua Tuo's words at first, but after catching a cold one night, he fell ill again and had no choice but to rest and recuperate.

Now he is sitting in front of the window of the small building writing. The windows are covered with new gauze, but it still cannot completely block the coolness of the late autumn sea breeze. The half-closed window brings in some cold wind. Mi Zhen, who is making tea next to him, sees Yuan Xi pulled her clothes, then stood up, picked up her robe and put it on Yuan Xi, and said softly: "Have you closed the window?"

Yuan Xi shook his head and said, "No, I'm watching the navy drill outside."

Outside the window, there is a routine drill by the Xuzhou Navy. After all, relying on the Youzhou Navy alone is not the answer. Each state has its own defense. With the recent construction of coastal defense lines, it can also do a better job of suppressing the Jiangdong Navy.

When the day comes when Yuan Xi's navy truly reaches a large scale and is suppressed by various inventions and technologies, the Yangtze River's natural moat will no longer be a threat.

Of the other major cities in the Central Plains, Yecheng was the most suitable, but it was occupied by Cao Cao. With Yuan Xi's current focus of territory, it was no longer convenient to place his base camp in Jicheng.

Mi Zhen's waist was very thin, and she felt weak and unbearable. Yuan Xi felt that among the women, only Da Qiao could compare with her, so he couldn't help but put his hands into Mi Zhen's waist, and began to feel dishonest. .

"To be honest, when I heard the rumor that the young master and his wife and daughter were riding in the same car, I was shocked and dumbfounded. However, thinking about it later, I realized that my husband had gone to great lengths."

"The main reason is that the weather has been getting colder in the past few years, and Jicheng has been hard to live in. You have all gone, and there is no place to live. The mansion must be expanded, and I don't want to do any large-scale construction for the time being, and the impact will not be good."

He put down his pen, pulled Mi Zhen into his arms, held her cattails and said, "Although the scenery in Haixi is beautiful, if you live there all year round, it is indeed easy to get rheumatism, and it is not good for your health."

To be fair, there are actually very few choices for large cities in the Central Plains that are suitable as capitals. They need to meet at least a few conditions. First, the surrounding water resources are developed, preferably with big rivers. Second, the geographical location is superior, and there are natural dangers to resist. Third, The agricultural and handicraft industries are developed and the population is easy to gather.

"The conditions in Jicheng are quite difficult. As the principal wife, Zhen Mi will sit in charge there on my behalf. This is her unavoidable responsibility as the principal wife, but there is no need for you to do this."

"The husband came to see his adoptive father in the name of returning Kong Beihai's wife and daughter, right?"

After hearing this, Mi Zhen said anxiously, "Is it time for me to see Mrs. Zhen according to etiquette?"

"Do you remember where we met back then?"

"In a few days, you can arrange for a capable person from Mi's family to take over for you. I'll ask the officials to take charge, and you can just take charge of the overall situation from the rear."

Mi Zhen's pretty face was slightly red, and she felt something strange underneath her body. She couldn't help twisting her waist and said in a voice like a mosquito: "I still remember the time in Tancheng."

The amount of manpower, material and financial resources wasted here can be said to be huge, just like the construction of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty in later generations. Yuan Xi felt that this kind of extravagance and luxury was completely unnecessary. After seeing too many twists and turns in history, it is difficult for him to still do it. Are they really like other feudal emperors who will live forever?

He put his arm around Mi Zhen's waist and said with a smile, "Where do you want to go?"

Jicheng can indeed defend against foreigners, but Yuan Xi's main attack directions in the future will be Sili Jizhou and Jiangdong. No matter which direction, Jicheng is too far to mobilize troops.

At that time, he wanted to use Jicheng as his base camp, but later he found that his thinking was too simple. If he wanted to build a place into a political, economic and cultural center like Yecheng, it could not be completed in a few years. It might take decades. It would take even several generations to make Jicheng like Yecheng.

In later generations, the State of Wu chose Jianye, and the State of Wei chose Luoyang. This was the case. In comparison, the terrain of Chang'an was too low. In ancient times when infrastructure was underdeveloped, it would sooner or later affect the quality of the groundwater. Later, when the Tang Dynasty established its capital in Chang'an, only a few hundred years later the groundwater was exhausted. Completely polluted and no longer suitable for large-scale population gatherings.

"Should I live in Jicheng from now on?"

"You can't stay here all your life when you're old, right?"

Yuan Xi thought about it and said with a headache: "I haven't thought about it yet."

Because they faced different enemies, Yuan Xi's main Jianghuai stronghold was in Shouchun, the front line against Cao Cao was in Langya Plain, and Jicheng was the bridgehead against Waihu and the Gongsun family, so Yuan Xi could only travel back and forth between several places for the time being.

Yuan Xi was confused, what's the trouble?
Mi Zhen spoke up: "Kong Beihai's wife and daughter were captured by the enemy, and rumors are rampant that his chastity has been compromised. In this case, Kong Wenju may be forced to divorce his wife, or even his wife and daughter may be forced to commit suicide."

"The husband sent her back and slandered his reputation to endorse this, so Kong Beihai would not be able to lose face and divorce his wife."

Yuan Xi was stunned when he heard this and couldn't help but touch his eyebrows, "How can you explain it this way?"

"Madam, you think too much. I couldn't think so carefully at that time."

"I just felt that Kong Wenju's abandonment of his wife and daughter was despised, so I wanted to embarrass him."

"Now that I think about it, I was a little too harsh. After all, with his ability, it was difficult for him to defend the city. At that time, I just wanted to embarrass Kong Wenju." Mi Zhen was a little stunned, but that's it?

Yuan Xi sighed: "At that time, my thoughts were simple. How could I not think about it step by step and be cautious like I do now? I was just a fool."

"However, I told Yuan Tan in advance about the matter of Kong Wen's wife and daughter. After he conquered Beihai, he did not do anything inappropriate and directly handed the people over to me."

Speaking of Yuan Tan, Yuan Xi was a little depressed, "At that time, the two of us were still hugging each other for warmth. Until he and I defeated Sun Ce in Xuzhou, we had a good relationship and he was happy to adopt my opinions."

"Yuan Tan really wanted to make a difference in Qingzhou. At first, Qingzhou implemented a policy of living well with the people, which was well received by the locals. However, the dispute between the family heads made him embark on an extreme path. But in fact, he wanted to To win the title of Yuan family head, I don’t have any other options. If it were me, I might have a good idea.”

"Under this kind of pressure, he had no choice but to go to the dark side and expropriate people in Qingzhou, which aroused public anger. That's why I would attack him so easily later."

"I have to say that sometimes a person's choice depends on what he can see. If his vision is limited to obsession, it is easy to lead to a dead end."

Mi Zhen was silent. She also thought about the plight of the Mi family at that time. As a woman, she could only contribute to the family. She was ready to accept her fate. But who would have thought that Yuan Xi invaded Xuzhou and drove away Sun Ce, and she did not have to marry Liu Bei. , but instead got into trouble with Yuan Xi.

Why does it look like he was rewarded by Yuan Xi for conquering Xuzhou?
Mi Zhen couldn't help but look strange, and then showed a look of relief. Anyway, this is the best ending now, isn't it?
Thinking of this, she leaned into Yuan Xi's arms again and heard Yuan Xi sigh: "Everyone has two sides. Yuan Tan was blinded by obsession and embarked on a path of no return, which exposed the weakness of his humanity."

"But what happened to Kong Beihai later made me see his uprightness. At least his backbone was better than that of his descendants in later generations."

He paused for a moment, "Just because of his integrity in sacrificing his life for righteousness in Huai City, he is worthy of being called a famous person in the world."

Mi Zhen felt the same way, "In the face of life and death, being able to take care of oneself without losing anything is indeed a rare thing."

"I met his wife and daughter a few times in Tancheng. I heard that he is in Jicheng, and I don't know how he is doing."

Yuan Xi said: "It's not far from my house. I originally planned to take you back to Jicheng before the Chinese New Year to meet you, but I don't know if I can make the trip."

Mi Zhen hesitated for a moment, "It's like Kong Beihai's girl versus her husband."

Yuan Xi sighed: "I don't know how many years her body can last."

"And even if I grant her wish now, I won't be able to see her for a year and a half or even several years, so why bother to harm her."

Mi Zhen said softly: "Have you ever asked her what she thinks?"

"If I were about to die, I would naturally want to fulfill my wish before I die. Do I have to go to the grave with regrets?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed dumbly and said, "What Madam said does make sense. I'm afraid I'm escaping."

"Maybe it's because I feel the courage is too heavy on my shoulders and I don't want her to share this weight."

Mi Zhen shook her head, "I know that my husband's female relatives can all stand alone. It is precisely because of this that I work hard to support the Mi family caravan, but it is impossible not to be tired. Sometimes I feel that I I can’t hold on any longer.”

"But the thought of meeting the envoy supported me to go on, and finally the clouds opened and the moon appeared."

"But have you ever thought about the girl from the Kong family?"

"With this treatment, does she still have hope of living?"

After hearing this, Yuan Xi was horrified and said: "I understand."

"Let's go back together years ago."

Mi Zhen laughed and stretched, "What I like most about my husband is that when I raise objections, my husband never gets angry because of his face. In terms of my husband's status, he has such a good-natured spirit and is unparalleled in the world." How many people can reach it?"

Yuan Xi felt Mi Zhen's seductive body twisting in his arms, and couldn't help but feel thirsty. He slightly opened the waistband of Mi Zhen's robe, and slid his hand in. Mi Zhen couldn't help but let out a soft cry.

She heard Yuan Xi smile and say: "It's a good saying to follow the good, like the flow. Madam is also a kind-hearted person."

"I saw Congshan, where is Ruliu?"

Mi Zhen couldn't help but feel her body getting hot and hummed softly, "Sometimes my husband acts like a gentleman, but sometimes he is very different."

Yuan Xi stretched out his hand to push up the window, and joined in with his other hand. Mi Zhen's body became weak, and the two gradually moved closer to each other. The warmth in the room blocked the cool breeze of late autumn, and the unconscious murmur from the woman's mouth made everything in the room All became hazy.

(End of this chapter)