Do you know: I have a different surname: Wang, uncle Minglan.

Chapter 270: Six major military commanders, surrounded by dangers, Chen Daniu meets love
In the mansion of Zhongyong Hou.

Wei Yuan personally led Zhuifeng to a slightly empty courtyard, and ordered people to put the "Qilin Armor" and the "Imperial Guandao" in the courtyard.

He even gave this courtyard a name, called Zhuifengyuan.

At this time, Minglan, Hai Chaoyun and Miss Zhao were all in Chunyi Pavilion accompanying Zhang Guifen.

Miss Zhao had almost taught them all the art of tea, but during the time she was teaching them, they began to interact with each other and their relationship became closer.

Therefore, if the tea shop was not busy on weekdays, Zhang Guifen would invite Miss Zhao to the Marquis' Mansion to make some tea and chat with them.

Today, when they were chatting, they suddenly heard Baozhu come to report.
"Madam, the Marquis has returned home and brought a horse with him. He seems very happy."

"The Marquis brought the horse to an empty yard and named it 'Chasing Wind Courtyard'."

Horse? Chasing Wind Courtyard?
Zhang Guifen slowly stood up and asked curiously, "My husband loves horses like his life. The horse that he personally brought back to the mansion must be of extraordinary quality. Ming girl, can you guys come with me to take a look?"

Minglan nodded and smiled, "I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well go and take a look."

As he said that, he pulled Hai Chaoyun up.

Zhang Guifen glanced at Miss Zhao and said, "Let's go together."

The latter cupped his hands and said, "Yes."

When the four women arrived at Zhuifeng's courtyard, they saw Wei Yuan carefully wiping Zhuifeng's body with a silk cloth.

When Zhang Guifen arrived, the guards standing around all bowed their heads and greeted her, "Greetings, Madam."

She nodded and walked up to Wei Yuan curiously, "I've never seen you take such good care of a horse before."

Although Wei Yuan loves horses, he has always left things like wiping the horses' bodies to others.

It's rare to see him do it himself.

While Wei Yuan was bathing Zhuifeng attentively, he looked at Zhang Guifen and the women behind her and said with a smile:
"You don't understand. Zhuifeng is a good horse of the time. You must treat him with care."

Minglan came forward and saw that the wooden barrel beside Wei Yuan was full of blood. She was shocked and asked, "What's going on?"

Wei Yuan explained: "It is the sweat from Zhuifeng's body. This is a sweat-blood horse, and the sweat it sheds is almost like blood."

Ferghana horse?
Minglan's eyes suddenly lit up, "Is this the legendary Ferghana horse? It is said that there are only a few of them left in the world."

As she said this, she wanted to reach out and touch Zhuifeng.

But before she could touch it, it seemed as if Zhuifeng saw through her thoughts and she sneezed, as if she was snorting.

Minglan was startled and took two steps back.

Wei Yuan patted Zhuifeng on the forehead and said, "That's one of us."

Zhuifeng seemed to understand and took two steps towards Minglan, indicating that she could touch him.

Seeing this scene, the women were all extremely surprised. Even Zhang Guifen, who had often been in the army and had been in contact with war horses since she was a child, was a little surprised.
"This horse is really spiritual. Where did you find it?"

Wei Yuan said bluntly: "It was given by Dong Jian."

Zhang Guifen was even more curious, "The future leader of Tubo? Why would he give the official a horse?"

Wei Yuan said: "After the New Year, the government will make Zuosiluo a king. Today, the officials in the court almost quarreled over the title of Zuosiluo."

"Finally, my suggestion was adopted to make Zuo Silu the King of Tibet. When Dong Jian knew about this, he gave me this horse as a gift to thank me."

Zhang Guifen felt relieved and reached out her hand to touch Zhuifeng.

The strange thing is that no matter whether Minglan or someone else stroked it, it always made a sour face and seemed to dislike it.

But only Wei Yuan and Zhang Guifen touched it, and it seemed to be enjoying it.

Although not only Zhang Guifen was present, but also Minglan and others, no matter what title was given to Zuo Silu or what horse was given as a gift by Dong Chen, it was not a secret and it was just said.

Wei Yuan had met Hai Chaoyun several times and was not unfamiliar with her. However, although he had met Miss Zhao several times, he had only heard about her. She came to the mansion to teach Zhang Guifen the art of tea.

But since he came to the Marquis' Mansion so often, Wei Yuan couldn't help but become curious.

"Miss Zhao is here too? Is your tea shop out of business or what?"

Zhang Guifen rolled her eyes at him, "How can you talk like that?"

Wei Yuan smiled.

Miss Zhao responded respectfully, "It is the off-season now, and the tea in the tea shop is all the tea left after the Spring Equinox and Qingming Festival. It is not top quality, so fewer people come to drink tea recently."

Wei Yuan nodded and asked, "I remember when I first met you in Hangzhou, the commander of the Imperial City Investigation Department, Gu Qianfan, was also present? Have you met him since you came to the capital?"

Miss Zhao said truthfully, "He has come to my tea shop a few times and talked to me a few times, but I haven't seen him recently."

Wei Yuan smiled and said, "I sent him to Daizhou."

"Daizhou?" Although Miss Zhao was curious, she did not dare to ask further.

In her impression, on weekdays, the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery and his wife seemed kind and amiable, but when they got really angry, it was like the wrath of gods, which was terrifying.

Therefore, she was always trembling with fear in front of Wei Yuan and Zhang Guifen, fearing that she might say something wrong.

She also knew that the reason why she and several close friends from Hangzhou were able to gain a foothold in the capital so quickly was inseparable from the help of Zhang Guifen.

That's the benefit of having a background.

She knew very well that her background was the sixth daughter of the Sheng family and Zhang Guifen.

"Sir, tomorrow Hualan, Rulan and the others will come to our house to appreciate the plum blossoms. There is also Qin Jianjia, the daughter of the Duke of Fuguo. Tomorrow, Sir, please ask Daniu to come to our house so that they can meet."

Zhang Guifen suddenly remembered this and just told it out.

Wei Yuan nodded and said "OK".

Minglan said, "I have met this young lady from the Qin family once. She is really cute and petite. General Chen is very big and strong. The two of them standing together are somewhat mismatched."

Wei Yuan laughed and said, "What do you know? This is called contrast."

If Daniu is a bear, then the Qin girl is a rabbit, even smaller than a rabbit.

"What is the contrast?" Minglan was puzzled.

Wei Yuan waved his hand and said, "I was just talking casually."

Zhang Guifen said, "There is another interesting story. Sir, do you know Rong Feiyan, the daughter of the Rong family? She is the younger sister of the current Earl of Fuchang. Their family wants to find a husband for Rong Feiyan, and it seems that they like my brother Rui."

Zhang Rui?

Wei Yuan frowned and asked, "What did your father say?"

Zhang Guifen said, "What else can I say? We know exactly what the Fuchang family is up to. Father is unwilling, but it's not easy to refuse directly. So, we decided to go to Daxiangguo Temple with mother to hide for a few days."

Wei Yuan said solemnly: "Hiding is not a solution. We should find a marriage for Zhang Rui as soon as possible and give up the plan of the Fuchang Marquis' Mansion."
-
The next day, Wei Yuan went to the Danglu Army and wanted to tell Chen Daniu in person about the Qin girl.

On the way, they suddenly met Lan'er who stopped the carriage of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

Lan Er passed a message to Wei Yuan, "Sister Wei said that there is a girl who wants to see you."

Girl? What girl?
Wei Yuan frowned and asked, "Who is that girl? Why does she want to see me?"

Lan Er said bluntly: "I heard from Sister Wei that the girl is quite famous. She is a village head."

Village chief?

Could she be the daughter of Prince Yong?
Since she was demoted by the emperor, she rarely moved around in the capital and usually stayed at home.

Why did he suddenly want to see me? Could it be that he didn't want to stay like that?

Wei Yuan said: "Let's talk about it when we have time."

He did not refuse directly, but more importantly, he wanted to see what other tricks the Village Master Zhao could come up with.

It's interesting that Earl Fuchang couldn't wait to marry his daughter off, and then Village Lord Zhao started to take action.

He even specifically looked for Wei Xingshou.

After arriving at the army, Wei Yuan asked Daniu to go to the Marquis' Mansion.

He then arranged matters such as the New Year celebrations.

In order to let the soldiers of the Danglu Army have a good New Year, they were given ten days of rest, so that they could go home to be with their families, or they could stay in the army. At this time last year, Wei Yuan gave the soldiers meat.

This year, they did not buy meat in large quantities. Instead, they paid their soldiers' salaries in advance and gave each of them some extra silver. Although it was not much, it was enough for them to have a good year.

After Wei Yuan arranged the New Year's affairs, Yang Huairen and others were really surprised.
"Usually, soldiers were sent back home in batches and returned to the camp within a specific time. This year, all soldiers were allowed to go home for the New Year. Isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

Wei Yuan said: "The Danglu Army is a new army, so some arrangements cannot be made according to the usual procedures, just like the soldiers in other military camps."

"Every three years from now on, the soldiers of the Danglu Army will be required to leave the camp and return home to celebrate the New Year. The soldiers have wives, children and elders, so a few days of rest is simply not enough."

He felt that ten days of rest was a little too little.

Yang Huairen said: "Since the commander has made the decision, let's start making arrangements right away."

Wei Yuan nodded.

Yang Huairen asked again: "What about the military reform in Yanbian?"

Wei Yuan sighed, shook his head and stopped talking about it.

In the past two days, he received news that the six military divisions of Western Xia had been established.

Zhuo Luo and the Southern Military Division echoed with Lanzhou, an important city in the Great Zhou Dynasty, as if they were controlling all the military and political affairs in the southwest of the Great Zhou Dynasty;
Xishou Baotai Army Division, defending against the Great Zhou Huaide Army;

The Jingsai Military Command protected several important towns in Xixia like an iron barrel;
The Jianing Army Commander was directly targeting all of Wei Yuan's deployments in Yanbian;
The Xiangyou Army, like a precious sword, fiercely penetrated the area where the military defense of the Great Zhou was the weakest;

The left-wing brave military commander is like a backup, and can continuously support the output of the other five military commanders.

The six major military divisions, with a total of 300,000 soldiers and horses, are almost all of Western Xia’s elite forces.

Li Yuanhao did this because he was worried that if he was gone one day, Western Xia would continue to have internal troubles, which might give the Great Zhou an opportunity to attack Xia.

He also hoped that he would have another chance to attack the Great Zhou during his lifetime.

In any case, the establishment of the six military divisions directly enabled Western Xia to have the ability to both attack and defend.

Things had come to this point, and many ministers in the court, including military generals, still believed that Western Xia was just bluffing or just wanted to protect itself and stay in a corner.

But they don't need to think about it. Li Yuanhao is not a king who maintains the status quo. He is the founding emperor. His status is almost as high as that of Songtsen Gampo of the previous dynasty. Would he think of just staying in a corner?

"If it really doesn't work, wait until the New Year is over, and see off Zao and his entourage, then put up the memorial."

Apart from this, Wei Yuan had no better solution.
-
At the Mansion of the Marquis of Loyalty and Bravery.

In the courtyard of Chunyi Pavilion.

Hualan, Rulan, Minglan, Hai Chaoyun, and even Molan came.

Today is also the day that Rong Feiyan invites us to appreciate the plum blossoms.

At first she was still hesitant about which of the two families to go to.

Later, when she told Lin Qinshuang her thoughts, Lin Qinshuang cursed at her.
"How come you have become more and more confused these years?"

"Whether it's Rong Feiyan or the Fuchang Marquis's family, how can they compare to the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion and the Lady of Yanmen County?"

"I heard that the Queen Mother once gave a banquet and invited Lady Yanmen County, but did not invite Rong Feiyan. If she had not had an elder sister who was favored in the palace, she would not even have been qualified to attend the banquet that day!"

"Moreover, it is said that Lady Yanmen County even 'contradicted' Her Majesty the Queen, but Her Majesty was not only not angry, but she even comforted Lady Yanmen County."

"Why are you still hesitating about whose house to go to? How foolish! Stupid!"

After being scolded by her mother, Molan suddenly understood what was going on.

So, I came to the Marquis' Mansion.

Zhang Guifen was not surprised or had any other emotions about her arrival, it was just an extra pair of chopsticks for lunch.

Her mind is now completely focused on Qin Jianjia.

As soon as the other party came, she pulled him to a pavilion to sit for a while, and then the two of them began to ask each other about their well-being.

During this time, she was waiting for news from Baozhu.

Soon, when she saw Baozhu nodding at her, she smiled knowingly and said to Qin Jianjia:

"Sister, I have a gift for you, please come with me."

Qin Jianjia was very curious, so she followed.

Today Zhang Guifen invited everyone to appreciate the plum blossoms, but it was actually just an excuse. The purpose was to allow her to meet Chen Daniu.

She brought Qin Jianjia to the main hall, and then asked Qin Jianjia to sit in the main hall for a while on the pretext of getting a gift.

In fact, Zhang Guifen had already prepared the gift.

It is an extremely exquisite hairpin.

She did not go anywhere else, but sat quietly behind the screen at the back of the main hall, asking Baozhu beside her in a low voice from time to time,
"Why hasn't Daniu arrived yet?"

Baozhu responded softly, "Someone in the mansion just told me that General Chen is almost here. If we calculate the time, he should have met Miss Qin by now."

The voice just fell.

Zhang Guifen heard the noise from the main hall.

"Chen Chen. General Chen."

When Chen Daniu saw Qin Jianjia, he started to smile foolishly.

"Ms. Qin, I know you like to eat delicious food, and you also like to eat chicken legs."

"I just bought this lotus leaf chicken. I'm sorry for the delay and for keeping you waiting."

Qin Jianjia was stunned. She looked left and right, but could not see any trace of Zhang Guifen. She knew in her heart that she was being "plotted".

"General Chen, I'm not waiting for you."

As he spoke, he smelled the fragrance of the lotus leaf chicken. He stared at the lotus leaf chicken in Chen Daniu's hand and swallowed involuntarily.

Chen Daniu noticed her expression and quickly placed the lotus leaf chicken in front of her. Then he stood back to where he was, scratched the back of his head, and said with a little embarrassment:

"I know"

"Well, last time I went to your house to look for you, I brought some local snacks that are only available in Yanbian, but your father is so..."

Before he could finish his words, he saw Qin Jianjia frowning and glaring at him.

He slapped his lips quickly and said, "I said the wrong thing, please don't blame me, Miss Qin."

"This lotus leaf chicken must be eaten while it's hot. Miss Qin, eat quickly."

Qin Jianjia still stared at him without saying anything, as if to say, how can I have the nerve to eat while you're watching me here?

Chen Daniu understood what she meant instantly and turned his back to her.
"I won't watch it. Miss Qin, just enjoy your meal. Let me know when you're done."

Hearing this, Qin Jianjia looked at his back and chuckled, then slowly opened the lotus leaf that wrapped the chicken, and the fragrance immediately filled her nose.

Qin Jianjia picked up a piece of cut chicken with her slender fingers and put it in her mouth and started chewing.

Not long after, she suddenly heard Chen Daniu swallow his saliva.

Qin Jianjia immediately covered her mouth and smiled, "How about we eat together?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Daniu quickly turned around and asked expectantly, "Can I eat with Miss Qin?"

After that, he turned around again and said, "Miss Qin, you should eat it. I'm not hungry."

Qin Jianjia pouted and said, "Idiot."

Chen Daniu didn't hear it clearly, "What?"

Qin Jianjia did not respond, but picked up some chicken pieces with bones and put them in her mouth, enjoying them to her heart's content.

The house rules of the Duke of Fuguo's mansion are very strict. In order to let her maintain a slim figure, her mother usually does not allow her to eat anything too greasy.

When Zhang Guifen got married, Chen Daniu noticed her and found that she liked to eat meat, especially chicken, so he kept this in mind.

(End of this chapter)