Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 214 Great merit is hard to reward

Regarding the origin of the history of tea, there are different opinions including Pre-Qin, Western Han, Three Kingdoms, etc.

But what is certain is that as early as the Jin Dynasty, drinking tea had become a preference of the aristocracy and literati.

Of course, compared with later generations, the etiquette and culture related to drinking tea have not yet been fully formed. At least, there is no custom of drinking tea from the wives, but Huan Xi always has them serve tea to Xie Daoyun every time he enters the side room. Over time, in Huan Xi's home, , and it became a rule.

Obviously, Sima Xingnan was not very adaptable to this rule. Looking at Murong Ying, Liu Meiren and Guo Jiang who came to serve tea, he complained to Huan Xi and said:

"Well, why did we set such a rule? Today there are only three cups of tea. Later, when Xi'er becomes the emperor, and the three palaces and six courtyards are enthroned together, so many cups of tea will cost my life."

They were all members of his own family, and Sima Xingnan didn't have many taboos about speaking.

Huan Xi joked:

"Mom, don't talk nonsense. My son is a loyal minister of the Jin Dynasty. He only wants to serve the Queen Mother. How dare you have such delusions."

Sima Xingnan shook his head. She could see now that her son loved orphans and widowed mothers. The more noble the widows were, the more he was attracted to them.

In terms of dignity, no widow in the world can compare with the Queen Mother Chu in Jiankang City.

It's just that it's not easy for Sima Xingnan to talk about seniority. The marriage between her cousin Sima Daofu and Huan Ji was personally brokered by Sima Xingnan.

After drinking three cups of tea, Sima Xingnan asked the three women to go out and wait, leaving only Huan Xi in the room. Sima Xingnan sighed:

"Xi'er, you have always had your own opinions. My mother can't persuade you, nor can I stop you. But the late emperor is your uncle after all. In the future, you must leave your bloodline for him, so as not to become an orphan with no one to sacrifice. You ghost, you can’t even eat a piece of cold pork during the holidays.”

Huan Xi knew what his mother meant and said seriously:

"The one who created the figurines will have no descendants. If the children are pleased with themselves and can be killed, the mother need not worry about it."

Sima Xingnan was greatly relieved after hearing this. She did not care about the future of Queen Mother Chu, but only cared about the life and death of her nephew.

Emperor Cheng of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yan, and Emperor Kangdi of the Jin Dynasty, Sima Yue, were both younger brothers of Sima Xingnan's mother. They had their own flesh and blood. Of course, Sima Xingnan could protect them when he was alive, but a hundred years later, he could be protected by the gods.

Now that I have Huan Xi's guarantee, I am naturally relieved.

Sima Xingnan said again:

"Before the Northern Expedition, I was thinking about my grandchildren. It's really pitiful to see them all alone. Why don't I let the children go to Luoyang with me, and let me enjoy the happiness of a family."

Huan Xi smiled and said:

"Why does mother need to discuss this kind of thing with me? She can just make up her own mind.

"Brothers Xianghai'er, Ruyi, and Aju have not seen their grandfather since they were born. It's time for them to recognize him."

Ah Ju was Huan Ji's concubine and was deeply loved by Sima Xingnan, so he would naturally be taken to Luoyang.

Seeing that Huan Xi did not object, Sima Xingnan couldn't help but smile.

Huan Xi left immediately and took Murong Ying, Liu Meiren and Guo Jiang to serve tea to Xie Daoyun.

Just when the Weiyang Palace was filled with joy, Murong Ke finally led one hundred thousand cavalry back to Jixian. As for Murong Chui, he still stayed in Yecheng.

Ji County, Miyagi.

Murong Ke looked ashamed and apologized to Murong Jun:

"The humble minister is incompetent. He made a precise statement in front of the palace that day. Now he has gone on an expedition and gained nothing. I have failed your majesty. Please punish me."

Murong Jun stood up, stepped forward to help Murong Ke up, and said with a smile:

"The words of the King of Taiyuan were wrong. Lu Hu occupied Hanoi and surrendered, but this man was capricious and could not be trusted. The King of Taiyuan led his troops south to expel Lu Hu and capture Hanoi. How can it be said that it was in vain.

"Besides, it was not King Taiyuan's fault that he evacuated Luoyang, but Fu Jian was so ambitious that he abandoned Guanzhong and attacked Dai State instead.

"The King of Taiyuan fought against the elites of Liang and Chu with his own strength. It is a blessing to be able to escape unscathed. How can it be said to be a sin?"

Murong Ke knew that his second brother was trying to excuse himself, but he still insisted on pleading guilty:

"Your Majesty loves and cares for me, I am very grateful, but I don't follow the rules and can't keep a square circle. I led the army south, which cost a lot. Now I have returned without success. If your Majesty doesn't punish me, how can you convince the people!"

Murong Jun had no choice but to remove Murong Ke from the title of Grand Sima, and only retained the post of Minister of Records.

Of course, when the limelight passes, Murong Jun will still return the military power to Murong Ke and let him resume his duties.

After Murong Ke thanked him, Murong Jun turned to another matter:

"News came from the Yu Kingdom. It is said that A Ying's mother and son were captured by Huan Xi and are imprisoned in Chang'an."

Murong Ke frowned when he heard this. He didn't care about Murong Ying's life or death, but he was worried that Huan Xi would make a fuss about their mother and son, causing the situation in Dai country to become unstable again.

"Your Majesty, I have the courage to suggest that since the prince is not yet married, it would be better to send an envoy to Jinyang to mediate for the prince and marry Fu Jian's daughter as a sign of goodwill between the two families."

Murong Jun was thirty-six years old at the time, and Queen Kezuhun had two sons with him, namely Prince Murong Ye and King Murong Wei of Zhongshan. As for the Phoenix Emperor Murong Chong, who had the appearance of Longyang, he was not yet born.

Prince Murong Ye was twelve years old and was almost at the age when he should choose a princess.

Murong Ke revealed his plan:

"Your Majesty appoints Fu Jian's daughter as the crown prince. Fu Jian will definitely happily agree. If the two families become a good match between Qin and Jin, they can reduce the number of troops stationed on their respective borders.

"In this way, Fu Jian can also concentrate his troops to resist Huan Xi.

"After the spring plowing next year, Your Majesty can dispatch a large army to go south to attack Qingzhou and destroy Duanbu Xianbei, and then wait for an opportunity to annex Yao Xiang, and join Fu Jian to the north and east to threaten Luoyang.

"If there is a change in the state of Jin, we will cross the Huai River to the south, drink from the Yangtze River, and eventually divide the world with the Huan family, one to the east and one to the west!"

What Murong Ke said was very much in line with Murong Jun's wishes.

In this troubled time, the Murong family and the Fu family must join hands to fight against the Huan family.

Marriage is undoubtedly the only way to close the relationship between the two parties.

The vision of a divided world described by Murong Ke also made Murong Jun yearn for it.

Murong Jun knew that the two divisions of the world mentioned by Murong Ke were not impossible to achieve. As long as Fu Jian could prevent Huan Xi from leaving the east, no matter Duan Bu Xianbei, Yao Xiang, or Huan Wen, they would have little chance of winning against the Yan State alone.

These people have their own agendas. Even if they unite, they cannot fight as closely as Liang and Chu.

Murong Jun stroked his palms and smiled:

"The King of Taiyuan is the prince's uncle, so the emperor's younger brother has to worry about selecting candidates for the marriage mission."

Murong Ke immediately agreed. As the official secretary of the imperial court, he was in charge of the general government, and it was Murong Ke's responsibility to conduct diplomacy with other countries.

Murong Jun said angrily:

"Duan Kong doesn't know the destiny. I ascended the throne and proclaimed myself emperor in response to the prophecy of auspicious signs, but he actually dared to write a letter of condemnation.

"I have long wanted to capture Qingzhou. After the spring plowing next year, I will hand over the troops to the emperor's younger brother. I must capture Duan Gong to Jidu for me.

"I have to gouge out the eyes of those who have eyes but no eyes, otherwise, how can I be relieved!"

In the early years, Duanbu Xianbei was destroyed by the two-sided attack of Hou Zhao and Murong Xianbei, and Duanbu Xianbei was also divided between them. Later, as Murong Xianbei became more and more powerful, Shi Hu had no choice but to let Duan Lan, the leader of Duanbu Xianbei, retake command of the tribes under Zhao's control, support Duanbu Xianbei and resist Murong Xianbei.

After Duan Lan's death, his son Duan Gong succeeded to the throne. Taking advantage of the civil strife in Zhao, he led his troops to move south to avoid the threat of Murong Xianbei, occupied Qingzhou, and called himself King of Qi.

When Murong Jun proclaimed himself emperor, Duan Kwan once wrote a letter to condemn him, which made Murong Jun always worried.

Now Murong Ke suggested that he take Qingzhou first and then Yanzhou, which was exactly what Murong Jun wanted. How could he refuse?

Murong Ke accepted the order happily.

Having experienced powerful conversations with Huan Wen and Wang Meng before, facing these two men who were as steady as old dogs, Murong Ke had all his talents, but had nowhere to put them to use.

Now it's time for him to squeeze out his soft persimmon and vent his anger.

Although Murong Ke had never fought against Duan Gong, if he thought about it carefully, he would not be a smart person if he could write a letter condemning Murong Jun and arouse Murong Jun's anger while facing the Yan State directly.

Could it be that writing a letter of condemnation could make Murong Jun give up the throne?

Murong Ke felt that his hands and feet were restrained during the battle with Huan Wen and Wang Meng, but Huan Wen and Wang Meng also felt uncomfortable fighting.

A well-planned war eventually turned into a war of attrition. If Fu Jian had not taken the opportunity to attack Dai, but instead stormed the pass and forced Wang Meng to return, the outcome might have been unpredictable.

At the same time, Huan Wen's good news was quickly delivered to Jiankang.

On the same day, Empress Dowager Chu and the young emperor, surrounded by civil and military officials, went to the Ancestral Temple to worship their ancestors and report the good news to their ancestors.

After worshiping the ancestors, they had to face the problem of Huan Wen taking over Luoyang.

In addition to asking for merit for his soldiers, Huan Wen proposed that the imperial court return to the old capital.

Fortunately, the ministers had already prepared countermeasures. They refused on the pretext that Luoyang was under the threat of Yan and Yu and was easy to attack and difficult to defend. They were afraid of repeating the mistakes of the Yongjia Rebellion.

During the Yongjia Rebellion, Han and Zhao, who occupied Bingzhou, crossed the Yellow River and attacked Luoyang, forcing Yiguan to cross south.

In fact, Huan Wen didn't really expect to force the Jin Dynasty to move the capital now.

No matter what, the Luoyang defense line must be maintained firmly, and even the two counties of Hanoi and Hedong can be captured to the north to eliminate the threat from the north before the trip can be completed.

The reason why Huan Wen petitioned to move the capital was just to ask for a high price and pay back the money.

Since the imperial court rejected Huan Wen's proposal, it had to agree to all the rewards Huan Wen requested for his soldiers.

Even Wang Meng and Deng Qiang were canonized as Marquis of Qingyang County and Linjing County Marquis due to their contribution to the rescue.

Of course, what really caused controversy was how to reward Huan Wen for his achievements.

Huan Wen's battle to capture Luoyang did not cause much damage, but the political impact cannot be ignored. After all, this was the restoration of the old capital, which is enough to write a special note about.

Especially after repelling Yan's 100,000 cavalry, no matter how many people were killed, it is an indisputable fact that Murong Ke was forced to evacuate Luoyang.

What's more, Huan Wen successively collected the tribes of Lehong, Zhou Cheng, and Lu Hu, and restored the four counties of Xiangcheng, Yingchuan, Henan, and Hongnong. If he did not reward them heavily, it would be difficult to appease the Chu army and people.

After several days of discussion, Sima Yu, the king of Kuaiji, accepted Wang Tanzhi's suggestion. While retaining Huan Wen's position as Grand Sima, he also granted Huan Wen the title of Lu Shangshu Shi, a false yellow ax, and gave him Yu Bao to advocate a piece of work.

At the same time, on the grounds that Jiaozhou and Guangzhou were remote, Huan Wen was removed from the military power of the two prefectures of Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, and was instead given the military power of Si, Bing, and Jizhou. He also served as the governor of Sizhou, giving Huan Wen the power to rule Luoyang and other places in a legitimate manner.

But this appointment was destined not to satisfy Huan Wen.

It seems that Huan Wen was given great military and political power, but it was impossible for Huan Wen to give up his local power and take the initiative to come to Jiankang and become the prime minister of the court.

As for handing over military power to Guangzhou in exchange for military power in Si, Bing, and Jizhou.

Not to mention Sizhou, that is, Luoyang and other places, are now occupied by Huan Wen, while Bingzhou and Jizhou are in the hands of Yu and Yan.

Could it be that Huan Wen could still control the two states of Yu and Yan by relying on the military power granted by the Eastern Jin Dynasty to merge and merge the two states of Hebei?

Therefore, the imperial court had to take away Huan Wen's military power in Guangzhou and Jiaozhou without paying anything.

Wang Tanzhi's abacus had already been set in Huan Wen's face, so how could Huan Wen be fooled by him?

It is conceivable that when the imperial envoy went to Luoyang to announce the decree, Huan Wen would definitely refuse.

After all, Huan Wen could not choose between accepting favors that were beneficial to him and rejecting favors that were disadvantageous to him.

Of course, this was Wang Tanzhi's original purpose, which was to retain the chief minister, grant him the title of minister, and entrust him with military and political power.

The reward for regaining the old capital was rejected by Huan Wen himself, not by the stingy imperial court who withheld the reward.

Not long after the discussion about Huan Wen's reward, Huan Xi's memorial was also sent to Jiankang.

Huan Xi rushed from Longyou to Jiangling at an accelerated speed of 600 miles. Then the envoy took a boat and went down the river, which naturally did not take long.

Like Huan Wen, Huan Xi also made a suggestion that was bound to be rejected by the court: he hoped that all the people who had fled to the south of the Yangtze River after the Yongjia Rebellion would be moved back to the north to enrich Luoyang and surrounding counties.

This suggestion caused an uproar among the people. Under the fierce opposition of the ministers, Empress Dowager Chu refused without any room for negotiation.

Therefore, the imperial court did not set any obstacles to Huan Xi's request for rewards for his soldiers.

What the ministers were obstructing were the rewards given to Huan Wen and Huan Xi, father and son. Every step they took was a step closer to plotting to usurp the throne.

Although Huan Xi captured Xianbei in Hexi, in terms of actual results, they were far more abundant than Huan Wen.

But one only quelled the rebellion, while the other restored the old capital and captured Sizhou. There is no comparability between the two's achievements.

Huan Wen's meritorious deeds are extremely difficult to reward, so he needs to be cunning.

But Huan Xi's little credit does not require a heavy reward.

Therefore, the Empress Dowager Chu discussed with the officials and decided to grant Huan Xi the title of Envoy Chijie and Shizhong. For Huan Xi, it was just a false title.

As for the position of Protector of the Western Regions requested by the Liang State soldiers and civilians for Huan Xi, he was rejected as expected.

However, Empress Dowager Chu still followed the trend and agreed to Huan Xi's request, naming her stepson Huan Xi as acting king.

　There are only seven thousand today, good night everyone.

　　

　

(End of this chapter)