Thief Emperor

Chapter 903: The Roots of Luoyang

After this drinking session, Zhao Cheng was about 60% to 70% drunk before he staggered back home. After arriving home, he went to check on his son who was already fast asleep, and then found his wife who was still waiting for him at home. The couple looked at each other in silence.

If it were Zhao Cheng himself, he would not have such messy thoughts, but at this time he was already married and his children were five or six years old.

He also has a sister, two nieces, a nephew...

When you have concerns, you have more worries.

Zhao Cheng's concern was not about the emperor, or even about Concubine Liu, or the second prince.

He was worried about the big mistake he had made in the southwest. Unfortunately, he also had a not-so-small grudge from his time in Qiantang County.

Old grudges are an excuse to bring up old issues at any time.

Zhao Cheng's wife, Cao, came forward to support Zhao Cheng, and helped him to the bedside, and asked, "Why did my husband drink so much?"

Zhao Cheng smiled at her and said, "General Su is about to leave Beijing for another post, and I am going to see him off."

Cao nodded, and without asking any more questions, she just helped Zhao Cheng take off his coat and said, "My husband, you should stay in Luoyang in the future, right?"

Zhao Cheng shook his head: "I don't know either."

Mrs. Zhao looked at Zhao Cheng and said softly, "I noticed that my husband has been unhappy since he came back from the southwest. Is it because of something in the southwest..."

"If it really doesn't work out, we can go back to Jinling or Yuezhou and give up this position."

Zhao Cheng looked at her and said seriously, "This is the beginning of our country, and it is the time to gain a firm foothold. As long as our family can stand firm in this position, we will have a bright future of one hundred or two hundred years in the future."

"At this moment, I don't know how many people are trying their best to get into Luoyang City. It's for the sake of our children and grandchildren. At this moment, there is no reason to leave Luoyang."

Zhao Cheng said solemnly: "If we leave Luoyang now, in ten years at most, all the positions in the capital will be fully occupied, and every household in Luoyang will have their own relatives, and the relationship will be intertwined and crisscrossed. By that time, it will be easy to leave, but it will be difficult to come back."

"Don't think too much, ma'am."

Zhao Cheng looked at Cao and said with a smile: "Just be a good wife to the Duke of Guo. Your husband will take care of the rest."

Mrs. Zhao thought for a moment, then whispered to Zhao Cheng, "It's a pity that our child is still too young."

Zhao Cheng touched her hair and chuckled, "Isn't there another one?"

"Madam, when you communicate with other ladies, you can find a marriage for Chengqi."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhao nodded slightly and said "OK".

The couple talked for a while, and Zhao Cheng blew out the light. The room fell into darkness, with only the couple's whispers on the bed remaining.

The sound is too soft and can no longer be heard clearly.

And if you expand your vision and overlook the entire Luoyang city, most of the new officials living in this new capital city now have similar thoughts to Zhao Cheng.

In the future, they will naturally become relatives of equal status, and gradually become intertwined and intertwined.

In a dozen or twenty years, a new "rope group" bound by marriage and the court will take shape.

And this "rope group" is the new ruling group of the Xin Dynasty.

…………

Just as the whole of Luoyang was rapidly evolving towards the capital with the establishment of the new dynasty, a family of more than a dozen people moved into a large but inconspicuous house in the city of Luoyang.

This mansion doesn’t even have a conspicuous sign, it just has the words “Meng’s House” on it.

On this day, the Meng family moved to a new house and prepared a large table of food and wine. Finally, almost all the more than a dozen people in the family were there.

Sitting in the main seat was Meng Chong, the head of the Meng family, and the father of Meng Hai, the director of the Jingzhao Division of the Nine Departments.

The rest were some members of the Meng family and the three Meng brothers.

Meng Hai, Meng Yan, and...Meng Qing.

At this time, Meng Hai and Meng Yan had already arrived, but Meng Qing had not arrived yet. So Meng Hai went to the door to greet him. After waiting at the door for a while, Meng Qing, who was in grey clothes, hurried over. After seeing Meng Hai, he bowed his head somewhat embarrassedly and called him "Fifth Brother".

Meng Hai patted his shoulder and said with a smile: "The whole family is waiting for you, come in quickly."

"Okay." Meng Qing followed Meng Hai into the mansion. After looking around, he asked, "Fifth brother, what is this house?"

"It was given to me by the superior."

Meng Hai grinned and said, "Although I didn't get the title, I did get some benefits. Now my father has moved here. From now on, this will be our Meng family's house in Luoyang."

Meng Qing nodded and followed Meng Hai. Soon, they arrived at the backyard.

After seeing Meng Chong, Lord Meng straightened his robe, knelt down respectfully, touched his forehead to the ground, and called him "Uncle".

Even when meeting Li Yun, he had never been so polite.

Seeing him like this, Meng Chong sighed, took a step forward, helped Meng Qing up, patted his shoulder, and said in his hometown dialect: "In the blink of an eye, we haven't seen each other for several years."

Meng Qing lowered his head: "Yes, my child is unfilial, my child..."

"OK OK."

Meng Chong pulled Meng Qing to sit down, and then he also pulled a chair and sat opposite Meng Qing, and said: "I heard from Xiao Hai that His Majesty has granted you a marriage, and you will be married soon. Our Meng family is not without people, and we have moved to Luoyang now. This matter..."

Meng Chong frowned and asked, "Why didn't you even say hello?"

Meng Qing lowered his head and kept accompanying him.

Meng Chong looked at him and said, "Now that you are a marquis, do you no longer recognize us as your family members?"

Meng Qing raised his head quickly and glanced at Meng Chong, then he lowered his head again, his face full of tears, choking with sobs: "Uncle, back then the village, the village..."

Seeing him like this, Meng Chong was silent for a moment, patted his back gently, and sighed: "It's been ten years, the evil Great Zhou of the old days has turned to dust, why are you still holding it in your heart?"

Meng Qing shed tears and said: "If it weren't for my family, there are so many people in the village, it wouldn't be that..."

Meng Hai squatted down and said sternly, "Seventh Brother, what happened back then was the fault of the old court. It has nothing to do with your family, let alone you."

"If my family couldn't pay the taxes and my sisters were taken away by the government, would your family just sit there and do nothing?"

It took a long time for Lord Meng to calm down. He was helped to sit in his seat with tears still on his face.

"That incident, that fire, is like a nightmare. Ten years have passed. Whenever I have time and close my eyes, the fire comes back to me."

Lord Meng looked up at Meng Chong and said in a hoarse voice, "During these years of marching and fighting, I have been thinking that I might as well die on the battlefield. If I can die on the battlefield, I can repay the great kindness of my superiors and I won't have to suffer such torture."

Meng Chong was already over fifty years old, with half of his hair grey. He was silent for a long time, holding Meng Qing's hand, and sighed, "What happened back then..."

Thinking of the past, he shook his head and could no longer speak. He just looked at Meng Hai and said, "Xiao Hai has married and had children. You will also start a family. Lao Jiu will also be married soon. When the next generation of the Meng family is born, the disaster of that year will be over."

"You have been made a marquis now. You are so young, and His Majesty will use you in the future."

"You are the future hope of the Meng family."

Meng Chong looked at Meng Qing and whispered, "Your Majesty has shown grace. From now on, minting coins will be the work of the Meng family."

"There is Minting, there are you and Xiao Hai, and in the future there will be Meng Yan."

Meng Chong patted Meng Qing's younger generation and sighed softly: "In the future, the Meng family will take root in Luoyang, and it will get better and better."

Meng Qing nodded silently and said, "Uncle is right."

Meng Chong pulled him to the table and reminded him, "Since you have already arranged a marriage with Minister Fei's family, you must not neglect the various etiquettes. You probably don't understand these things, so our family will help you with them."

"When we get married later, we won't be so flustered."

At this point, Meng Chong looked up at the sky and sighed: "Let the past be the past. Our Meng family has been deeply blessed by the country."

"From now on, you must concentrate on doing your job well for His Majesty."

All members of the Meng family, including the three Meng brothers, bowed their heads deeply and responded with a “yes”.

At this point...the Meng family in Hexi, Shidai County, which was almost burned down by a fire, also took root in the land of Luoyang.

There are famous people in Jingzhao City.

(End of this chapter)