The dream of a lonely hero

The King of Jin was very dissatisfied with the court's personnel arrangements. Sending Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan, his heaven-given think tanks, to remote places as minor officials was no different from sending them into exile. Although Xun Yi was a ninth-rank Imperial College student in the capital, he always felt that he was not in harmony with him. The court's rewards to him were generous. The halo of the first-rank minister and the fourteen halberds in front of the door could only scare minor officials and fools. With the end of the Tianlang Mountain war, he would soon be relieved of his military post as the Dingzhou Recruiting Envoy and return to the capital to report. How could he have any substantial power? The court made such arrangements, which can be inferred that the King of Fu Zhao Guangmei spent a lot of effort to manipulate the whereabouts of the civil and military officials of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.

The King of Jin refused to summon the local officials who came to celebrate from all directions. He was upset and became sick with worry and anger. The chief historian of the palace, Jia Su, asked the doctor of Dingzhou to treat the King of Jin, but to no avail. Ma Shouzhi, the "good doctor", volunteered to treat the King of Jin, and the treatment was very effective after just five days. The King of Jin naturally rewarded him with some money and goods.

On this day, the King of Jin had just recovered and was pacing back and forth in the back hall of the Dingzhou government office. Chai Yuxi stood on one side and guessed that the King of Jin was not satisfied with the reward from the court, so he consoled him: "Your Highness! The Golden Spear Society has hundreds of thousands of fierce bandits entrenched in Tianlang Mountain for decades and has been a great threat to all dynasties. Your Highness wiped them out in just four or five months. This is truly an unprecedented achievement."

The King of Jin sneered: "Haha! Unparalleled achievement! I was wearing armor and holding a weapon, fighting in the rain of spears and arrows, and I was almost dead, but in the end I was not as good as Zhao Guangmei who lived a life of luxury and schemes!"

Chai Yuxi said: "Your Highness and the King of Fu are both brothers of the emperor. The emperor will not treat your Highness badly. The emperor's reward of the halberds in front of your Highness's door is not just for show! In the previous dynasties, the emperor gave important ministers "halberds to replace axes and swords" and granted them power. The emperor will definitely use your Highness when he returns to Beijing."

The King of Jin said helplessly: "I hope so."

The attendant Wang Yan was informed that Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan came to say goodbye. The King of Jin summoned him immediately.

Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan were suspicious of the court's reward system. Cheng Xu was promoted from the eighth-rank official to the county magistrate of Fangzhou and Luling County, and Jia Xuan was promoted from the ninth-rank official to the deputy governor of Lingzhou. They were promoted from commoners to the eighth-rank and ninth-rank official positions, but Lingzhou was located in the northwest border and was often harassed by the Tanguts. Not to mention Fangzhou and Luling, which were places where officials were demoted and exiled in all dynasties. Jia Xuan couldn't understand why the King of Jin arranged him and Cheng Xu to such a dangerous place. He wanted to meet the King of Jin several times to ask the reason, but was persuaded by Cheng Xu.

Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan paid their respects to the King of Jin, and the King of Jin gave them seats. The King of Jin was reluctant to let them go, but it was difficult to disobey the imperial edict, so he still had to comfort them before they left. He said, "I was able to eliminate hundreds of thousands of bandits in Tianlang Mountain, all thanks to the two of you!" He then ordered the steward to bring 1,000 taels of silver to give to the two of them.

Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan thanked him. Jia Xuan said, "Your Highness, have you heard the rumors about Cheng Xu, 'stealing his aunt and committing incest'? This is pure fabrication. Cheng Xu has no uncle at all." He thought that the King of Jin had arranged them to a remote place because he had heard the rumors.

The King of Jin was stunned for a moment.After understanding, he said, "Cheng Xu is a wise man from Dingzhou. How could I believe those rumors? This time, the court sent you two to Lingzhou and Fangzhou. You two are my right-hand men. How could I bear to let you go? The court arranged this way to train you two. You will be of great use in the future." He burst into tears. "Once you two leave, who will I ask for advice if I have any questions in the future?"

Cheng Xu said, "There is a scholar named 'Shan Ming' in Bailu Village outside Dingzhou. Why don't you invite him!"

King Jin said, "How does Mr. Shan Ming compare to Mr. Cheng?"

Cheng Xu said, "Mr. Shan Ming is ten times more talented than me."

Soldiers follow their generals and grass follows the wind. This is also true for court officials. King Jin said goodbye to Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan in tears.

After Cheng Xu and Jia Xuan left, King Jin ordered Jia Su to take a generous gift to Bailu Village to ask Mr. Shan Ming to come out of retirement. Jia Su went to Bailu Village several times to visit Shan Ming and explained to King Jin that he wanted him to come out of retirement to assist him. Shan Ming refused to come out of retirement, so Jia Su had to report to King Jin in dismay. King Jin said: "Even if you have a good horse but cannot control it, even if you are a wise man in the world but cannot be used by the master, how can you be called a wise and wise minister? Isn't this the same as an uncontrollable horse?" He ordered Jia Su to withdraw and summon Gao Qiong and Wang Zhao to see him. King Jin ordered Gao Qiong and Wang Zhao to dress up as strong men and kill Shan Ming from Bailu Village in the dark and windy night.

After the great victory at Tianlang Mountain, King Jin's subordinates were rewarded and given titles. They were all very happy and went to the tavern and brothel to have fun. On this day, Yan Yun was not supposed to be on duty. Yuanda invited Yanyun and Ma Yan to have a drink. On the street, Yanyun accidentally saw a nun who was practicing with her hair untied. The nun was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, with black hair, a melon-seed face like a lotus, bright eyes and eyebrows, a slim figure, and a brisk pace. She held a censer board. The censer board was shaped like a sword and was used to maintain the rules and order of the Buddhist monastic community. The censer board was a hollow hibiscus flower pattern. Behind her followed four young nuns, who seemed to be her apprentices. Yuanda inadvertently discovered that Yanyun was staring at the nun who passed by, and said with a grin, "Haha! Seventh brother has a special affection for nuns. It's strange, seventh brother is tired of looking at the beautiful concubine of Prince Fu, it would be pleasing to change it up!" Looking at the nun, he teased Yanyun, "She is a little older, but not bad in charm. How about eighth brother go up and help you call her and have a chat? How old is the fairy lady, where is the fairy mountain where she practices--" After a while, Yanyun figured it out. What annoyed him the most was that when mentioning the beautiful concubine of Prince Fu, Yuanda also said that he was interested in the nun. He was furious, glared at Yuanda, and said, "You-you are dirty and chaotic! If you talk nonsense again, I-I will break up with you!" He had never treated Yuanda so harshly. Yuan Da was stunned for a long time, then apologized: "Seventh brother, don't be upset! Eighth brother was just joking - joking!" As he was speaking, Prince Jin, Jia Su, Li Bin, and Wang Yande came over, all dressed in plain clothes.

Prince Jin has been feeling depressed these days, and the imperial edict to summon him back to the capital will arrive soon. He wants to go back to the capital, but he doesn't want to go back to the capital. He has been away from the capital for a long time, and Prince Fu Zhao Guangmei and Labang have formed a party to occupy important positions. If this continues, he will have no place to stand in the capital. What can he do if he goes back? How can he fight him again without power and influence! He is still the Recruiting Envoy of Dingzhou. Although he is a naturalAlthough Langshan was destroyed, he was still the inspector of the Southern Tour of Yan, and he still had some power. What was he like when he returned to the capital? The King of Jin, the Minister of the Court, and what was the difference between being unemployed? The King of Jin was dejected and extremely frustrated. Jia Su took him out to relax, and Li Bin and Wang Yan had to follow.

Yuan Da, Yan Yun, and Ma Yan were about to salute, but they quickly gestured with their hands not to salute. The King of Jin said, "What are you guys fighting for on the street?"

Yuan Da hesitated, "That--that nun is beautiful--"

Yan Yun took over and said, "I think I've seen that nun somewhere."

The King of Jin said, "In the Prime Minister's Mansion, right?"

Yan Yun said, "Oh! Yes. I and Mi Chao escorted the two princesses of the Prime Minister's Mansion from Zhangzhou to the Prime Minister's Mansion in the capital, and I saw her in the Prime Minister's Mansion."

The King of Jin and his entourage just passed by the nun and her entourage, but she walked fast and he didn't dare to confirm it. Yan Yun said, "How can there be a nun in the prime minister's residence?"

King Jin said, "If we are not mistaken, she is the chef of the prime minister's residence, 'Hibiscus Fairy Chef' Fan Zheng, the cousin of Ze Ping (Prime Minister Zhao Pu), and her cooking skills are well-known in the capital." Then he said to himself, "What is she doing in Dingzhou?"

Jia Su said, "Although Fan Zheng is a famous chef in the prime minister's residence, she is still a nun. She may ask the prime minister for leave to travel around the capital. If Your Highness is not incognito, she may be recognized by her. This will save some trouble."

King Jin nodded slightly. Then Yan Yun, Yuan Da, Ma Yan and King Jin parted ways. Yan Yun had no intention of drinking and wanted to go back to his hometown, Yanjiazhuang, Tuzheng County. This was his wish that he had never realized since he came to Dingzhou. However, when King Jin was fighting with Tianlang Mountain, he had no time to spare. After the battle, he was busy with his duties and it was difficult to get away. Today he finally had some free time. Yuanda and Ma Yin heard Yan Yun's words and wanted to accompany Yan Yun, and Yan Yun was happy. The three returned to the posthouse and rode their horses straight to Yanjiazhuang. Passing by the willow forest of Liulinpo, Yan Yun dismounted and wandered, and Yuanda and Ma Yin also dismounted. Liulinpo was the place where Yan Yun's father Yan Bozheng was beheaded by Jin Huarong, and Yan Bozheng's body was trampled into mud by Liao invaders' horses. Walking and walking, I found a new tomb deep in the forest. When I got closer, I saw that the tomb was very grand. The tombstone read: The spirit of the late father Yan Bozheng. The signature reads: The filial son Yan Yun stood and cried with a dragon in his arms. The first day of the second month of the sixth year of Kaibao.

Yan Yun was shocked and wondered who had erected the tombstone for his father. Could it be his mother? No, if it was his mother, the signature on the tombstone would be completely wrong. At this time, five or six people dressed like yamen runners came to the tomb with offerings. Yan Yun asked a yamen runner, "Excuse me, sir, who is the owner of this tomb?"

The yamen runner said, "No one?"

Yan Yun said, "Then why are you here to pay tribute?"

The yamen runner said, "Oh! A few days ago, Yan Yun, the lieutenant in front of King Jin, sent a servant to the county yamen of Tuzheng County to find the county magistrate Hong, saying that he wanted to build a tomb for the father of Yan, and gave the county magistrate Hong a large sum of money. How could Hong dare to accept it? He hurriedly ordered the county yamen runners to come to Liulinpo to build a tomb for the father of Yan. After the tomb was built, the servant worshiped on behalf of Yan, and the worship ceremony was very grand. The county magistrate Hong and the yamen runners also followed, which shocked the entire Tuzheng County. HeBefore leaving, please ask Master Hong to order the yamen servants to sweep the grave for Captain Yan's father on the first and fifteenth day of every month. We came here to sweep the grave under Master Hong's order."

Yan Yun was even more confused. He had never sent anyone to do this before, so he hurriedly asked, "How old and what did the servant sent by Captain Yan look like?"

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