Tang Dynasty: The seventh rank of official residence, and you will be given the Ten Thousand People

Just as the prime minister's palace was shrouded in the anger of Princess Taiping, Fan Xin walked in from the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Seeing his energetic appearance, Princess Taiping suddenly became furious and wanted to explode, but she endured it due to the presence of her servants.

At this time, the housekeeper Fan An trotted in and gasped.

"Master, the villagers have come to see the little princess with their things. Two old gentlemen among them are from the imperial city. They said they have something important to do and want to see you."

"Come from the Imperial City?"

Fan Xin frowned and said calmly: As in previous years, he invited the villagers to his home to eat butchered vegetables. Before leaving, each person was given five kilograms of pork and ten kilograms of rice.

"As for those two old gentlemen, let them go back. Just say that my father-in-law is too busy and has no time to see them."

After Fan An left, Fan Xin put the matter behind him, put on his gloves and went to the backyard to carve a tombstone for the Supreme Emperor.

Whether it's because she's getting older or because she senses the end is coming, Wu Zetian has been talking about the mausoleum all day long recently.

One moment he requested that he and Gaozong be buried in the Qianling Mausoleum, and the other moment he requested that no words be engraved on the tombstone. In short, he was thinking about this all day long.

In order to make her feel at ease, Fan Xin decided to carve a tombstone for her personally, and it would not be in vain for the two of them to be kings and ministers.

"The Duke of Yan is so leisurely and elegant that he still has time to carve tombstones here, but I don't know what those soldiers who died on the battlefield would think when they find out."

While he was busy working, an annoying voice came up behind him. Fan Xin knew it was that old guy Yao Chong without even looking.

I don’t know what this guy was thinking. The two of them could not agree on political opinions in the court, but they actually had the nerve to come to the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

"What Prime Minister Yao said is wrong. If he is not in his position and does not seek political power, what does the war in the world have to do with his country? That is a matter for your court ministers."

Speaking of this, Fan Xin touched the stone tablet a little sadly.

"I care more about this stone tablet than the court. I really hope that I will never need it, so that some people will always be around."

Looking at Fan Xin who showed his true feelings, Yao Chong had a very complicated expression. Before coming to the Prime Minister's Mansion, he thought the former was just a deviant and powerful official.

It wasn't until I learned the whole story from the people that I realized why the Supreme Emperor valued him so much.

Because no one values ​​love and justice more than Fan Xin!

For the sake of this friendship, this guy would rather give up his power, refuse the yellow robe of his subordinates, and take his whole family to spend his old age with Wu Zetian.

I wonder who in the world can do this? At least Yao Chong couldn't do it himself.

After the change of mind, Yao Chong looked at Fan Xin differently, with a hint of guilt in his admiration.

Maybe this guy is not very good at being an official, but in terms of friendship and conduct, throughout the 800 years of history, I am afraid that only Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Li Jing and others can compare with him.

"There is no such thing as a banquet that lasts forever. Birth, aging, sickness and death are all human beings. If the Supreme Emperor has a minister who values ​​friendship and loyalty like you, he can rest in peace even if he is under the Nine Springs."

Yao Chong's tone softened a lot.

"Maybe." Putting down the chisel, Fan Xin moved a small horse basket for Yao Chong, and the two sat in front of the stone tablet and sipped tea.

"Tell me, why did you come to see me at the Prime Minister's Mansion? Is there something wrong with Li Qingyuan's army?"

"The Duke of Yan is indeed very resourceful. That's right, Li Qingyuan fell into the trap of the feudal clan because of his greed for power. Only less than 60,000 of the army of more than 100,000 were left."

"Right now, I only have an isolated city in Shanzhou in my hands in Dazhou. If it continues to deteriorate, the consequences may be disastrous."

Hearing that less than 60,000 of the hundreds of thousands of troops had been killed in the battle, Fan Xinxin felt as if he was weighed down by a huge boulder. Every living life was gone, just like that.

Yao Chong had been observing Fan Xin's expression and noticed that his eyes looked sad, so he took the opportunity to speak.

"My lord, the current war situation has reached a point where it threatens the country. Once word spreads throughout the world, people will be panicked, which will in turn endanger the authority of the imperial court."

"The entire Zhou Dynasty will fall into pieces by then, so..."

"So you hope that my father-in-law will lead the expedition against Tufan?" Fan Xin sneered and said mercilessly.

"At the beginning, you were afraid that I would be proud of myself as a soldier, so you first took away my official position, and then removed my military power. Now you think of me?"

Faced with Fan Xin's ridicule, Yao Chong nodded calmly.

"That's right. Don't say it's you. Even if my son is sitting in your position, I will still advise your majesty to abolish him."

"Tsk tsk, you have hundreds of thousands of troops in your hands, all your disciples and old officials, and even the royal family are on your side."

"I would like to ask, do you dare to let such a former minister stay in the court?"

Fan Xin didn't expect the old guy to be so honest and even say such heart-wrenching words, and said with a half-smile.

"The Prime Minister's Mansion is my prince's territory. Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to get out?"

"Haha, if you, Fan Xin, don't even have this kind of mind, how could you get to where you are today? His Majesty said that as long as you can win this battle, you will be reinstated in an instant."

As he spoke, he took out a golden imperial edict from his arms, with a five-clawed golden dragon embroidered on it.

It's a pity that Fan Xin didn't even look at him. He was silent for a while and said: "Yao Xiang, you may not know that I have another child and I need to stay with them."

So you'd better hire someone else to lead the expedition.

Fan Xin didn't give Yao Chong a chance to speak anymore, and asked the butler to send him out with the latter's surprised eyes.

Returning to the bedroom, Princess Taiping walked in with rice and side dishes. Seeing Fan Xin looking out the window with a sad face, she quietly hugged his waist from behind.

"Husband, I saw you and Yao Xiang in the backyard. Does the imperial court want to invite you to fight on the front line?"

"Yes, that guy Li Qingyuan was so greedy for power that he lost tens of thousands of troops. It's heartbreaking."

Fan Xin sighed softly, hugged Princess Taiping in his arms, and the couple looked out the window together. Unexpectedly, it started to rain lightly outside.

"No one will die in a war. You don't have to be too sad. Just ask the court to send another general who is good at fighting."

"We have all been dismissed from office. It's better to stay at home and live our lives. We can't let you do all dangerous things."

Apparently Princess Taiping was still brooding over the previous events of the court.

Fan Xin touched her hair and said with a smile: "Don't worry, I am different from before. I have a big family and a big business, and I have to protect you mother and daughter. It is impossible for me to go to the front line to fight my best."

"Put the stewed fish soup in and I'll deliver it to His Majesty. If you haven't seen me for so long, you might go on a hunger strike again."

Taking the fish soup from Princess Taiping, Fan Xin held up the oil paper fan and walked into the rain curtain towards the direction of Luoshui.

Looking at his gradually blurring back, Princess Taiping sighed.

Luoshui Xingyuan.

"Mr. Yan, Your Majesty is waiting for you inside." The general guarding the gate of the palace clasped his fists respectfully when he saw Fan Xin coming.

"Thank you for your hard work, brothers. These wines and dishes were prepared by Her Highness the Princess. Let's try them later."

Under the grateful eyes of Qian Niuwei, Fan Xin pushed open the door with the food box, put the oil paper fan on the wall, and shook the food box at Wu Zetian.

"Your Majesty, what do you think we will eat today?"

Wu Zetian, who was furious, smelled the fragrance in the air and suddenly smiled.

"Okay, sit down quickly, I'm starving." After the two sat opposite each other, Manager Geng took out the fish soup from the food box. There was a layer of emerald green onion floating on the clear soup.

"Well, this fish soup is much better than the one you stew. It must have been made by that girl from Taiping." As a veteran eater, Wu Zetian tasted the uniqueness in it with one bite.

Fan Xin smiled and nodded.

"Your Majesty guessed right. It's the fish soup made by Taiping himself. I heard that you don't want to eat meat, so I asked Wei Chen to catch a fresh fish."

"This girl is thoughtful." Wu Zetian thought for a while and took off a jade bracelet engraved with dragon and phoenix patterns from her wrist.

"This is the Hundred Treasures Ruyi Bracelet that Emperor Gaozong gave me back then. Please leave it as a thought for Taiping."

"Your Majesty, you must not do this. How dare I ask for your things?"

Fan Xin was startled, and quickly stood up and declined, joking that he had already given the golden dragon sword as a gift before, and if he got another bracelet, wouldn't the whole court be shocked.

Wu Zetian laughed and motioned for Fan Xin to sit down.

"I'm almost going to be buried, so a few external possessions don't matter. Just accept them."

Manager Geng on the side also followed suit.

"Mr. Yan, just accept this as His Majesty's wish. Others can't get it if they want it."

After the two men's persuasion, Fan Xin bowed respectfully to Wu Zetian and took the jade bracelet into his arms.

After drinking fish soup, as usual, the monarch and his ministers began to play chess.

"I heard that Yao Chong came to see you."

Fan Xin did not hide it from Wu Zetian. He put the black stones on the chessboard and admitted: "It is said that Li Qingyuan was greedy for power and fell into the trap of the local feudal lords. He was captured and tens of thousands of soldiers were killed."

"He hopes that I can take command and go out to win this battle for the court. In return, I can reinstate my official position."

After hearing that the imperial court had lost the important town of Heyuan, Wu Zetian couldn't help closing her eyes and letting out a long sigh.

She had only abdicated a few months ago, and her son had suffered such a huge defeat. If word got out, how would he be able to sit on the throne with dignity?

"Based on what I know about you, you must have rejected Yao Chong, right?"

"Your Majesty, I have never put my mind on officialdom. If I were not afraid of embarrassing you, I would not even accept the title."

"It's fine now. I can stay at home and do what I want to do. I'll keep an eye on you and the children. I don't want to go out and work anymore."

Wu Zetian smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"You are a guy who values ​​love and righteousness. You have the talent to govern the world, but you are just lazy. I really don't know what to say."

"It's a pity that the people in the court are short-sighted and only see the side of you that threatens the imperial power, but they don't see the prosperity of the country behind it."

"That's all, individuals have their own destiny, let them go."

Fan Xin bowed and saluted Wu Zetian's back, opened the door and walked into the rain.

"Geng Zhong, open the box under my bed and mend the clothes inside." Looking back, Wu Zetian ordered.

Manager Geng was startled and a little puzzled: "Your Majesty, inside the box are the official uniforms worn by Duke Yan when he was an official. What do you mean?"

Wu Zetian smiled slightly and said confidently.

"No one knows Fan Xin better than me. He is a man who cares about the country and the people at his core. Haven't you seen the sadness in his eyes when he talks about the fallen soldiers?"

"Only a person who truly cares about the world can have such feelings. Go ahead and wipe his armor clean."

"Let the world see that the former General Longhu of Shangzhu Kingdom is back!"

It's raining at night and the wind is blowing coldly.

Fan Xin returned to Wolong Villa from his residence and went directly to Princess Yinzhu's room. Looking at his wife who was sleeping soundly, he quietly placed his head on her belly, tears silently falling from his eyes.

At this moment, his heart was filled with guilt for his wife and children.

Wu Zetian was right. When he heard that most of his former subordinates died in Dafeichuan, his heart ached.

There are nearly one hundred thousand Tang Dynasty heroes, most of whom are only eighteen or nineteen years old. They are just lying on the cold ground. How can their families survive?

So after much thought, he decided to go there, for no other reason than to bring home the bones of those who died in a foreign land.

"I'm sorry, kid. My father can't watch over you when you grow up. I hope you don't resent your father."

Wiping away the tears from his eyes, Fan Xin took one last look at his wife and their child, and walked out resolutely.

When the door closed, Princess Yinzhu, who had her eyes closed suddenly opened her eyes and said with tears streaming down her face.

"Husband, you must come back alive. My children and I are waiting for you."

Outside.

Hundreds of Qianniu Guards wearing armor stood upright in the rain, saying nothing.

"The general, sixty-six generals, three hundred forward generals and thousands of generals are all gathered outside the city, ready to lead the army at any time!"

Jiang Ji was wearing a cloak and holding his fists.

Fan Xin nodded, glanced at the soldiers in front of him, and suddenly pulled out the golden dragon sword and pointed it to the west.

"set off!"

The next moment, hundreds of Qianniu Guards pierced the night like sharp swords and rushed towards the outside of Luoyang City.

Along the way, the people of Luoyang who took to the streets knelt on the ground one after another, clasped their hands and prayed to God to bless their Yan Guoping for his safe return.

On the tower, Wu Zetian was wearing a black five-clawed golden dragon suit, with red eyes and trembling lips.

Her most trusted minister once again went to the most dangerous place for the sake of the Tang Dynasty.

"Fan Aiqing, you must come back alive, I'm waiting for you!"

Prime Minister's Mansion.

Princess Taiping hugged her daughter and chased her out of the house, but Fan Xin was nowhere to be seen in the vast night.

"Consort!"

A shrill cry resounded throughout the night sky.

Call!

After reining in the black wind horse, Fan Xin stopped and glanced at Luoyang behind him, silently waving goodbye to his family.

Finally, he shook the reins and headed towards Shanzhou.

"General, you should not agree to the imperial court's request. The Tufan and Turkic remnants have several times the strength of ours. This war is obviously a disaster."

As the horse galloped wildly, Jiang Ji spoke.

"Yes, General. This is clearly a strategy adopted by the imperial court to weaken you. I didn't expect you to be fooled."

Cao Wei scratched his head and said dissatisfied. (End of chapter)