Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 5 Recruiting celebrities
  Before Xi Chao could figure out what was going on, Huan Xi stood up and asked:
  "Is the person here Gaoping Xi Jingxing?"

Jingxing is Xi Chao’s name. Although Xi Chao was confused, he still saluted appropriately:

"Exactly. May I ask your surname?"

Huan Xi introduced himself:
  "I'm Huanxi."

Saying that, Huan Xi was still worried that Xi Chao didn't know about him, so he specifically added:

"He is the eldest son of the Huan family who was ridiculed by others."

Xi Chao was shocked when he heard this. He looked Huan Xi up and down. The young man in front of him was smiling and looking at him. At least from the outside, he didn't look stupid at all.

Huan Xi smiled and said:

"Xi Lang, please sit down. Let me tell you the whole story slowly."

Xi Chao was sitting in the guest seat, listening to Huan Xi talk endlessly about how he worked for his father and why he pretended to be stupid in front of others. Xi Chao finally understood the cause and effect and couldn't help praising Huan Xi.

But he was still a little confused, so Xi Chao asked:
  "Huan Lang and I are strangers. Why is Huan Lang willing to be honest with us?"

Of course he knew that Huan Xi wanted to recruit him, but he didn't understand that Huan Xi was not afraid that he would leave Huan Mansion and announce today's events to outsiders.

Huan Xi smiled and said:

"I heard that Xi Lang is outstanding and has unparalleled talents. He wants to recruit a national scholar. He should be treated with the courtesy of a national scholar. He must be open and honest, how can he hide anything."

Xi Chao couldn't help but laugh and said:

"Huan Lang said that he wanted to treat me with the courtesy of a scholar of the country, but Duke Huan (Huan Wen) wanted to recruit me, but he did not show up in person. Instead, he asked Huan Lang to receive him on his behalf. Could it be that this is also the courtesy of a scholar of the country."

Huan Xi said seriously:
  "Inviting Xi Lang into the house was not my father's intention, but Huan's own decision."

Xi Chao was embarrassed and asked:

"Huan Lang is so frank, aren't you afraid that Xi will become angry and walk away?"

Huan Xi shook his head and said:
  "My father was a hero in the world, and now he has a new opportunity to make great achievements.

"And Xi Lang is talented. Staying in Jiankang is like a pearl casting a shadow. The only place where Xi Lang can show off what he has learned is in Jingzhou."

With that said, Huan Xi stood up and pointed to Jiang Shan:

"Two thieves are bearing the brunt of today's border troubles. One is the Jie thieves, who are occupying the Central Plains. However, the leader of the country, Shi Hu, is tyrannical, debauched and cruel, and it is bound to not last long.

"The second is the Shu bandit. It has been five generations since the Han Dynasty. The ancestor Li Shou was extravagant and the people were in poverty. His son Li Shi is even worse. Sooner or later there will be chaos.

"My father is guarding Jingzhou, reinforcing his troops, and preparing for war. When the world changes, he can go west to destroy Shu, go north to swallow Hu, recover China, and achieve unparalleled achievements. The time is right!"

Huan Xi made an impassioned speech that fascinated Xi Chao.

Huan Xi calmed down and said solemnly:
  "I dare to ask Xi Lang whether he wants to stay in Jiankang and live a quiet life, or follow me to Jingzhou and achieve fame!"

Xi Chao said excitedly:

"Young Master warmly invites me, how can I refuse? If Young Master does not give up, Xi is willing to follow the Huan family and participate in this grand event together."

Xi Chao said that he was following the Huan family, not himself. The implication was that he naturally wanted to serve under Huan Wen, but Huan Xi didn't care about this. As long as he tricked the person, there would be many ways for him to assist him in the future.

Before Huan Xi could be happy, he heard cheers from outside the door, and a majestic middle-aged man walked into the house, it was Huan Wen.

Huan Wen listened to the report from his confidant's servant and learned that Huan Xi had invited a young man to come over to meet him with his name. He was curious and rushed over, and happened to listen to the whole conversation between the two.

Huan Xi quickly saluted:

"The child pays homage to his father."

When Xi Chao saw this, he immediately bowed and said:
  "I, Gao Ping, Xi Chao, have met Duke Huan."

Xi Chao was young, but already famous. Previously, Sima Yu, the king of Kuaiji, was awarded the title of General of the Fu Army and specially sent people to recruit Xi Chao and appointed him as a governor, but Xi Chao has not yet responded.

Huan Wen knew about this, so he did not recruit him. However, Huan Xi unexpectedly invited this man into the palace and won his service.     “No need to be polite.”

Huan Wen looked at Xi Chao and said:
  "My son is smart. After he goes to Jingzhou, I will entrust him with important responsibilities. But after all, he is young and lacks experience. I hope Xi Lang will help him carefully and he will succeed in the future."

With Huan Wen's promise, Xi Chao no longer had any doubts. He was about to say goodbye and leave, but Huan Xi stayed behind and insisted on having a night talk with him.

Xi Chao was also very curious about him, so he wrote a letter asking Huan Xi to send someone to his home to report that he was safe.

The two talked all night long. Xi Chao was impressed by Huan Xi's knowledge, and Huan Xi also admired Xi Chao's talent. They talked until dawn, but they couldn't bear the exhaustion after all, so the two slept on the same bed. Since then, the relationship has become closer.

The days in Jiankang were destined to be short-lived, and things would change later. After recruiting many talents, Huan Wen and his wife Sima Xingnan went to Taicheng to resign to the Queen Mother and the Emperor, and then headed to the dock with his officials and family members.

The pier was crowded with people who came to see him off. Henry came to the pier with his father.

Among the subordinate officials who followed Huan Wen to Jingzhou, Xie Yi and his family were naturally included.

The Xie family and the Zhang family are in the same county and are neighbors. The two families often interact with each other on weekdays and have a good friendship. When Zhang Xuan came here, he followed his father to say goodbye to Xie Yi. In addition, he also wanted to find out whether the young man who pretended to be Huan Chong that day was there. in it.

Among the crowd, Henry Zhang easily found the young man. He was following Huan Wen, his expression dull and no longer as agile as before.

"What's that boy's name?"

Zhang Xuan pointed at Huan Xi and asked Xie Daoyun, Xie Yi's daughter.

Xie Daoyun looked in the direction that Henry Zhang pointed, sneered and said:
  "It's the eldest son Huan who was criticized by Mr. He."

Xie Daoyun has always been proud and arrogant, so how could he look down on Huan Xi, who was so stupid in front of others.

Henry Zhang had a strange look on his face, which aroused Xie Daoyun's curiosity. She asked why, but Henry Zhang just shook his head and remained silent.

Seeing that he refused to speak clearly, Xie Daoyun stopped asking.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Xie Yi took his family on board the ship. Among the Xie family, a three-year-old child was also waving goodbye to the crowd seeing him off. It was Xie Xuan, Xie Yi's son.

Huan Xi looked at the Xie brothers and could not help but sigh to himself. Xie An indulged in the mountains and rivers and did not go with his brother. Among the Xie brothers, only Xie Yi's family came.

"Sister, that person is looking at you."

Xie Xuan pulled Xie Daoyun's hand and said softly.

Xie Daoyun looked and met Huan Xi's eyes. Huan Xi smiled and nodded in greeting, but Xie Daoyun did not have a good impression of this young man who was similar to himself.

She just felt that he had a good skin, but was full of recklessness inside. She despised such a person the most.

Xie Daoyun hummed:
  "He's just a fool."

With that said, he took Xie Xuan to the cabin, leaving only Huan Xi with a proud back.

Huan Xi couldn't hear clearly what Xie Daoyun said, but if he thought about it carefully, with his current reputation, he might not be able to give a good impression to the other party.

Let’s talk about Henry Zhang. When he returned home, he went straight to his younger sister Zhang Tongyun. Zhang Tongyun was playing the piano in the garden. When she saw Henry Zhang coming in a hurry, she laughed softly:

"Could it be that brother found the young master who played chess that day?"

Zhang Tongyun naturally knew Henry Zhang’s intention of going to the dock to see him off.

Zhang Xuan nodded and said:
  "People have seen him and know his identity, but there are still some things they can't figure out."

Zhang Tongyun said curiously:

"Brother, why don't you understand? Who is that young master?"

Henry Zhang did not hide it from her:
  "That man is indeed not Huan Chong, but Huan Xi, the eldest son of Duke Huan."

This time it was Zhang Tongyun's turn to open his mouth slightly, feeling surprised. After a moment, Zhang Tongyun couldn't help laughing:
  "These days, everyone in Jiankang City laughs at him for being stupid, but he never thought that everyone was fooled by him."

After all, the cunning young man who pretended to be his uncle had nothing to do with stupidity.

(End of this chapter)