Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 103 So bold

Feng Dan rode his horse, braving the wind and snow without caring, "Sir, take a rest in front."

Huo Xian did not object and said, "Okay! Send someone to the post station to tell them quickly and prepare wine, food and hot water!"

Liu Zhengnu flattered him, "Sir, just let me be the scout! I'll lead the way and make sure to arrange the itinerary for you!"

"You?" Huo Xian said in disgust, "You think you can control my schedule? Come on, you better restrain yourself, or I won't be able to explain to Uncle Liu when I go back!"

Most people really had no way of controlling Huo Xian's itinerary. After all, he was leading more than 500 cavalrymen. Even if they were elite cavalrymen, their daily marching speed could not be particularly fast, not to mention that it was winter.

Huo Xian planned to spend one and a half months to travel from Yumen Pass to Chang'an, which could be considered a forced march, and this was without considering saving horsepower.

As for some counties, post stations, etc. along the way, they were a little panicked at this moment.

On one hand, they were busy entertaining the victorious General Hussar, not daring to be negligent in the slightest. On the other hand, they were rushing to send a message to their superiors or directly to Chang'an, saying that the Marquis of Guanjun was back!

The daring Huo Xian actually brought his troops back to Chang'an. If someone seriously investigated this matter, it would be considered disobeying the imperial order, or in other words, there was no imperial order.

If you are really impeached or punished, don't complain about being wronged, as it is all your own fault.

Huo Xian naturally understood all this, but he didn't care. It wasn't because he was so domineering, but because doing so was in line with his status and better for his future.

He is only twenty years old now, which is the age of youth, recklessness and vigor. Others can be mature at this age, but he can't.

He was a champion who was raised by the emperor himself. He could only be a general who led troops to fight. He could have many advantages, but he also had many shortcomings.

After returning, Huo Xian was the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry, which meant that he would be the top military figure in the Han Dynasty, together with the Grand Marshal and General Wei Qing, and would be one of the Three Dukes!

Especially considering that Wei Qing basically no longer manages the specific affairs or daily life of the military, Huo Xian will become the de facto number one in the military.

If this twenty-year-old general behaves properly and is careful in what he says and does, the emperor or the crown prince will be worried.

After taking a nice hot bath, Huo Xian asked, "Go ask someone if there are any tigers, bears or leopards nearby."

Chen Ju immediately advised, "My Lord, the snow is too strong. Can you rest for a few days? When spring comes, I will go hunting with you!"

After entering the customs, everyone was inexplicably excited, including Huo Xian, who was a little too excited. After all, they had been away from home for more than a year, and they were all very excited and looking forward to it.

Moreover, there is no need to think about fighting now. Now we are returning victoriously and full of glory. Of course, we will be even more excited and thrilled at this time.

Huo Xian thought about it and it made sense, so he said, "Then let's take a day off and have someone take care of those celestial horses. Feed my Yuanbao and Daoli some good feed."

Daoli is the three-year-old black horse, almost an adult. He has a violent temper and is extremely difficult to tame, which is consistent with the description in the Classic of Mountains and Seas: horses outside the pass are called celestial horses.

Yuanbao was a mare and Daoli was a stallion, and Huo Xian had obtained these two horses, which were worth a fortune. Of course, they were nominally presented to the emperor, and he was just raising them on his behalf.

Huo Xian was enjoying a hot bath, but undercurrents were still surging in Chang'an City.

Princess Pingyang came to the bedroom and said to Wei Qing, "Your Majesty has ordered the execution of Gongsun Qing."

Liu Che was superstitious and trusted many alchemists. Li Shaojun, Shao Weng and Luan Da were representatives of them. Shao Weng and Luan Da were killed by Liu Che after their scams were exposed.

After Li Shaojun's death, Liu Che insisted that Li Shaojun was just a separation of body and soul.

And now, Gongsun Qing became favored by the emperor after Luan Da was killed, because he claimed to have been to Penglai Island and seen big footprints, which made the emperor trust him very much.

However, the big footprint scam could not continue for a time, and in order to save his life, Gongsun Qing even turned to Wei Qing for help. It was Wei Qing's constant dissuasion that allowed Gongsun Qing to save his life.

Wei Qing coughed and said, "I didn't expect that man to be so bold. Fortunately, Your Majesty is fine, otherwise I would be dead."

Princess Pingyang was also frightened and said, "Those alchemists are really bold. They just want to make the elixir, but how can it explode? It's also thanks to Xian'er's cleverness, otherwise we would have made a big mistake."

"I'm afraid it won't be easy for Shan'er after he comes back." Wei Qing sighed and said, "He's so young, and he's made such a great contribution. It would be fine if he won a narrow victory, but what about this big victory!"

Wei Qing was naturally happy that the army had won, but since they had won almost without a single drop of blood, it was inevitable that people would be worried.

Although many people now look down on Dayuan and Kangju, important officials like Wei Qing know some of the inside story and know how badly Li Guangli lost before.

Now that Huo Xian has led his troops to a great victory, in addition to proving his ability, it is inevitable that people will think that it is difficult to be rewarded for his great achievements.

Even though he was a close minister and confidant of the emperor, he was too young!
Princess Pingyang also said, "When I went to the palace to see the Queen earlier, she was both happy and worried. How about we force Shan'er to get married?" There was only one concubine in the mansion, and apart from the fact that this Marquis Guanjun behaved a little ostentatiously, there was almost no weakness to be found. This was the view of Princess Pingyang and other close people.

Wei Qing sighed and said, "I don't think this will work. With Shan'er's temper, no one can convince him."

Princess Pingyang asked, "How is Princess Yi'an?"

Princess Yi'an was the youngest daughter of Liu Che, and she married her cousin, Zhaoping Jun, whose mother was Princess Longli, Liu Che's half sister.

Princess Longlü was unlucky, however. Her husband Chen Jiao committed suicide because he did not observe the mourning rules for his mother, Princess Guantao. Her son, Zhaoping Jun, had a bad character and killed her mother's nanny after drinking, and was then killed by Liu Che.

So Princess Yian is now a widow.

Don't think that introducing a widow to Huo Shan is humiliating. Such situations are very common in the Han Dynasty, and it is normal for widows to remarry.

Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang were such cases. What's more, Princess Yi'an was the youngest daughter of Emperor Liu Che and was quite favored.

There is another reason why Princess Pingyang said this, that is, Huo Shan is also famous. It’s just that he is not in Chang’an now, otherwise he would definitely tear some people’s mouths apart.

Because the current rumor is not that Huo Xian likes women who are a few years older than him, but that he likes other people’s wives!
Wei Qing said, "Your Majesty will not agree! Think about it carefully. Whether it is Qubing or Xian'er, they said they would not marry, which was probably your Majesty's intention."

How could such a capable and young general marry into the royal family? Such an outsider relative would become a hidden danger.

"I hope that Xian'er won't change after he comes back. It would be fine if he is still the same as before." Wei Qing sighed and said, "How dare this kid be so bold that he secretly appointed a lieutenant and stationed troops in the Western Regions!"

Just thinking about it made Wei Qing tremble in his heart. He had heard that Huo Shan had stationed troops to garrison and cultivate land in several places in the Western Regions.

This seemed to be beneficial to the court's future control of the Western Regions, and Huo Xian's vision had to be praised. However, what this kid should never do was to send troops to garrison and cultivate the land without asking the emperor for permission.

Even the great general Wei Qing didn't dare to think so, but Huo Shan not only thought about it, he also did it!
Princess Pingyang also sighed and said, "It's all because of your majesty's indulgence. Shan'er is a little too bold. The queen couldn't sleep or eat after hearing this. Shan'er is a person of propriety. She was foolish to do this!"

Princess Pingyang was not sure what the purpose of stationing troops in the Western Regions was, but she knew that if she wanted to send troops to garrison, she had to have the emperor's order.

It was not just Wei Zifu and Liu Ju who were having trouble sleeping and eating, but also Wei Qing and his wife. Huo Guang was now even more cautious when walking in the palace, and his steps were more precise, not taking an extra step or taking too big a stride.

Liu Ju arrived at Jianzhang Palace and said cautiously, "Your Majesty, a messenger came to report that the General of the Cavalry had entered Yumen Pass about fifteen days ago."

Liu Che turned over and said, "Oh, so Wei Deng is not slow."

Suddenly, Liu Che also realized that it was not Wei Deng who had already arrived in the Western Regions to convey the imperial edict. According to the itinerary, it was Huo Xian who secretly abandoned the large army and fled in advance.

The messenger changed horses but not people, so he reported the news urgently over a distance of hundreds of miles, so the information was transmitted relatively quickly.

Liu Che was both angry and amused, and said, "Hurry up and convey the imperial edict, otherwise if Shan'er really arrives in Chang'an City, this matter will be troublesome!"

Liu Ju thought carefully for a moment before saying, "Father, the General of the Cavalry is still a bit reckless and should be punished."

"I understand." Liu Che waved his hand and said, "Go and convey the order quickly, and don't let anyone make things difficult for him."

Huo Xian had secretly left the army and fled, and this matter was already obvious. However, the emperor and the crown prince had to act quickly, so they could only announce to the public that they had issued an order before and that the Marquis of Guanjun was not absent from his post.

Liu Che asked again, "How is the matter with the alchemist?"

"Father, those people are really hateful!" Liu Ju didn't like alchemists in the first place, and he gritted his teeth. "I tortured them severely, and many people admitted that they had never seen an immortal, nor had they learned any strange arts."

"Well," Liu Che said, "Those who are swindling will be killed, but some people still have real skills and should not be killed lightly."

Although he was cautious about alchemy, Liu Che was still superstitious when it was necessary. He had been pursuing immortality since he was a child, so how could he easily give up his dream and pursuit because of alchemy?

I should continue to search for immortals and medicine, but I should be more cautious in the future and not be easily cheated.

Liu Che thought he was still very confident. He trusted many alchemists and could see through some of the frauds at a glance.

But in reality, when it comes to gods, immortals and so on, the emperor was confused. He was deceived once and twice. He kept being deceived, kept summarizing, and then jumped into a new pit again.

Superstition is hopeless!

(End of this chapter)