Eastern Jin Dynasty: My powerful father

Chapter 393 Impression of Chang'an
Huan Xi diverted Sima Xingnan's attention, and he was able to finish his breakfast in peace.

Huan Xi took the handkerchief from the maid's hand, wiped his mouth, and stood up to say goodbye.

Sima Xingnan stopped him:

"Xi'er! Stay here."

Huan Xi looked at his mother suspiciously, wondering if she had anything else to explain.

I saw Sima Xingnan stand up and walk straight towards Huan Xi. It was not because he had other things to do, but he was reaching out to straighten his clothes.

Sima Xingnan looked up and down and saw that Huan Xi's clothes were neatly dressed, then he smiled and said:

"Go!"

"Ugh!"

Huan Xi agreed and went out with a smile on his face, leaving only Sima Xingnan still watching his leaving figure reluctantly.

This is a rule that even Huan Xi never violates. He wants to set a good example in front of his children, lest his children be unfilial in the future and regret it too late.

Only Xie Daoyun was expecting a child, but Sima Xingnan did not allow her to come to pay her respects every day. Instead, she would go to Jiaofang Hall when she had something to do. After all, Huan De, Huan Lu, Luo Niang and others were studying in Jiaofang Hall.

Tuoba Yan was sitting in the carriage. Even though it was a four-wheeled carriage known for its smoothness, the bumps everywhere still jolted her quite hard.

Of course, although Tuoba Yan did arrive in Chang'an today, Huan Xi did still have official duties, and Sima Xingnan was satisfied if he could spare time to enjoy breakfast with Sima Xingnan.

In the afternoon, the dark clouds floating over Chang'an have not dispersed, and the drizzle still refuses to stop.

With Huan Xi's dignity, it was of course impossible for him to come to greet Tuoba Yan in person. Unless he was a general who had made a triumphant return from the front, or a special envoy from the imperial court or a close relative of Huan Xi, there was no need for him to surrender his status.

Shen Chiqian stepped forward quickly and saluted through the door curtain.

Therefore, even though Shen Chiqian is just a small Zuo Lang general, not many people in Kansai dare to offend him.

But today, God was really unfavorable. It took Tuoba Yan more than half an hour before Shen Chiqian, who was looking forward to it, finally waited.

Even just looking at these grandchildren and granddaughters quietly, Sima Xingnan felt happy.

After Huan Xi left, Huan Ji and Huan Yi came to pay their respects.

Shen Chiqian stood outside the Zhicheng Gate in the west of Chang'an, holding an umbrella in his hand and looking towards the official road to the west.

Small puddles can be seen everywhere on the official road. When the wheels of a carriage run over them, the people around the carriage will always be splashed with mud and water.

"Touchi! Shen Chiqian, the lower official, is here to greet you on the orders of Duke Liang."

He had plenty of opportunities to give Huan Xi eye drops when he was in a bad mood.

For a mother who spends little time with her beloved son and spends much time away from her, she would not feel bored even if Huan Xi hangs out in front of Sima Xingnan all day long.

In fact, the official road connecting the post road to the Zhicheng Gate of Chang'an is not long. If the weather is good, Tuoba Yan and his party can arrive at the Zhicheng Gate in less than half an hour.

The drizzle in the past few days has made the official road muddy. After all, the official road is not a post road, and corvees are not required to smooth the road every year, so the road condition is really worrying.

Whenever he was away from home, Huan Xi's food, clothing, housing and transportation were almost all taken care of by Shen Chiqian.

Of course Tuoba Yan knew Shen Chiqian.

Tuoba Yan clearly knew that Shen Chiqian should not be underestimated. She stretched out her hand to lift a corner of the door curtain and said apologetically:
"The road is difficult today and I am late. Please don't take offense."

Tuoba Yan still wore mourning clothes for her late husband.

As the saying goes, if a man wants to be pretty, he should be dressed in soap; if a woman wants to be pretty, she should be dressed in filial piety. Tuoba Yan was born beautiful, otherwise Huan Xi and Liu Xiwuqi would not covet her.

Now wearing plain white mourning clothes, she is even more pitiful.

But Shen Chiqian didn't look sideways, as if what he saw in front of him was nothing more than a red and pink skull, just a mere bastard.

He cupped his hands and said:

"Why did the concubine say this? It is the duty of the lower official. Even if you can see through the autumn water, you have to look forward to the concubine."

As he spoke, Shen Chiqian straightened up:

"However, the concubine has indeed made Mr. Liang wait too long. It is better for the lower official to guide the concubine so that the concubine can apologize to Mr. Liang in person."

Tuoba Yan didn't expect that her first meeting with Huan Xi in Chang'an would be for such a reason.

She hummed softly and said:
"In that case, I'll trouble General Shen."

After saying that, Tuoba Yan put down the curtain and sat up again, but her pretty face was already flushed, and her mind was filled with what might happen after meeting Huan Xi.

Although Tuoba Yan is no longer a virgin, there are some things that still make her feel embarrassed when she thinks about them, especially since she is still wearing mourning clothes.

The carriage started again. After entering the city, it drove on the bluestone road. The road condition was much better than the official road outside the city.

However, due to continuous rains, the groundwater level has risen, and polluted groundwater under Chang'an City has also surged up.

Even though Tuoba Yan was sitting in the carriage, she could still smell the peculiar smell floating in the air through the curtain.

This was her first time coming to Chang'an, but she didn't like the capital of Liang Duchy.

Of course, Huan Xi also didn't like Chang'an. It's not that he didn't organize people to clear the ditches, but the groundwater in Chang'an was seriously polluted, which couldn't be solved by clearing the ditches.

Therefore, Huan Xi desperately wanted to seize Hedong and move away from Chang'an.

The carriage stopped at the General's Mansion of Zhuguo, where Huan Xi handled military affairs.

Tuoba Yan got off the carriage and saw that Shen Chiqian's face was as usual, so she couldn't help but ask:

"Is it possible that General Shen can't smell this smell?"

Shen Chiqian smiled and said:
"Xiaguan has lived in Chang'an for many years and has long been accustomed to it."

In fact, Huan Xi complained to Shen Chiqian about the environment in Chang'an many times. Shen Chiqian laughed because he felt that Tuoba Yan had found a common topic with Huan Xi.

Thinking about it, she knew that Tuoba Yan grew up in the grassland, where the air was fresh. Even after the rain, she could only smell the fragrance of earth. How could she endure the smell of Chang'an City.

In fact, the Xianbei concubines in Huanxi's backyard, including Murong Ying, He Muluo and others, were also looking forward to Huanxi moving the capital or building a new capital.

However, in these troubled times, every penny has to be spent wisely. Huan Xi himself is fighting abroad all year round and does not have much time to stay in Chang'an. How can he waste money and food to build a new capital.

As for moving the capital, there is no place in Guanzhong that is more suitable as the center of governance than Chang'an.

Moving to Yongxian and Longyou was really inconvenient for Huanxi to send troops to Guandong.

Shen Chiqian's smile was fleeting. He had served Huan Xi for many years, and he always remained unsmiling in front of outsiders in order to prevent others from knowing his likes and dislikes.

As the saying goes, accompanying a king is like accompanying a tiger. Following Huan Xi is not only a shortcut for Shen Chiqian to move to the center of power in the future and become an important minister of the country, but it is also a kind of pressure for him.

Shen Chiqian would only laugh in agreement when Huan Xi joked with him, even if the joke wasn't funny.

(End of this chapter)