Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 135 I’m back again

Long distance journeys and the like were nothing to Huo Xian. After running around outside so much, he naturally got used to these things.

Looking at Chang'an City, Huo Xian was filled with emotion. "When I enter the palace, you guys can go straight back home and don't have to wait for me. If I haven't returned by the evening, escort Yunniang to the outside of the palace to ask for an audience."

Liu Mo looked exhausted, but still said, "Don't worry, my lord. We know what to do."

It is not surprising that the prince must go to the palace to ask for an audience when he returns to Chang'an. It is very likely that the prince will be kept in the palace for two or three days at the shortest and ten days or half a month at the longest, so there is no need to make a fuss.

Ever since Han Yunniang followed Huo Xian in an unclear manner, she would follow him to the palace whenever Huo Xian stayed there for a short time.

She certainly had no status, and she could not even be considered a legal wife. She was not even a concubine, and there were certain procedures for taking a concubine. Han Yunniang was just a gift from the emperor to Huo Shan.

Don't feel wronged, at least Huo Xian didn't treat her harshly, and there was no example of some nobles who would reward people casually when the novelty wore off.

Many people were surprised by this group of knights. It was really new and rare that they could ride horses so fast in Chang'an City without being stopped.

Chuntuo heard the guards' report and hurriedly reported to the emperor, "The prince is outside the palace asking for an audience."

Liu Che, who was handling official business, was stunned for a moment, "Lord? Which Lord?"

Chuntuo's face showed both joy and panic, "Your Majesty, who else could it be? The Marquis of Guanjun is back!"

The joy on Liu Che's face was fleeting, and then he said angrily, "Let him in. How dare this bastard come back? Let him go and wash up, and let the queen and the prince come over as well."

Many people were caught off guard by Huo Xian's sudden return to Chang'an, and thought that he would not be back for at least another month. But who knew that this guy would return without making any noise, and no one heard anything at all.

This was quite normal. Huo Xian had been running very fast along the way. He stopped at some post stations for a short while to rest, and the servants at those stations did not dare to say anything much.

Even before the messenger could get to Chang'an, Huo Xian came back first. After all, it was not an express delivery of 800 miles, so the messengers might still be on the way.

Huo Xian was taken to the Yidang Palace, which had beautiful scenery. It seemed that this was the place the emperor had chosen to rest frequently recently.

Jin Midi hurried over and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has been unhappy these past few days, it's good that you understand."

Huo Xian looked at the former Xiongnu prince and asked with a smile, "What official position do you hold now?"

Jin Midi replied, "I have been promoted to the rank of Imperial Concubine's Commander by Your Majesty's grace."

The so-called Fu Ma Du Wei did not mean being the emperor's son-in-law. This was the official in charge of the emperor's secondary carriage when he traveled. The carriage that the emperor rode in was the main carriage, and the other accompanying carriages were secondary carriages.

Speaking of which, Liu Che invented many officials, and Jin Midi was the first imperial son-in-law commander in history.

Huo Xian immediately became happy, "So, you are my adjutant?"

There is nothing wrong with that. The emperor's main carriage is managed by the Fengche Duwei, and the secondary carriage is managed by the Fuma Duwei.

Although Huo Shan, the commander of the imperial carriage, had never taken care of anything, the position had always been there since he was appointed. According to this situation, as long as the emperor was still alive and Huo Shan was not dead, the position of the commander of the imperial carriage would not change.

There was no other way. The emperor's official carriage could not be touched by ordinary people, only the closest people could touch it. When Huo Xian was four or five years old, he was the commander of the imperial carriage, and he remained the same until now.

Jin Midi said quickly, "Your Majesty, you should wash up first. His Majesty has summoned the Queen and the Crown Prince, so you should think of a solution."

It is impossible to feel at ease if you have a naughty child at home. When the naughty child who has caused trouble comes back, he must be given a good lesson.

Huo Xian said to Jin Midi, "Send someone to my house and let my concubine pack up. Bring the best medicine so that they can heal my wounds when the time comes."

Jin Midi suddenly became nervous, "Your Excellency is injured?"

"In order to rush back to see His Majesty, I kept my armor on. I ran all the way back, and my buttocks are all bruised and the inner thighs are all worn out." Huo Xian said bitterly, "It hurts, it really hurts! If Your Majesty punishes me again, I'm afraid I won't be able to get off the bed!"

Jin Midi looked strange. It was the emperor's intention for him to come to see Huo Xian. And this champion marquis started to act pitiful and complain, obviously speaking for the emperor.

Being caught between the emperor and the Marquis of Guanjun, Jin Midi, the messenger, had the most difficult job. But he couldn't make any mistakes in his messages, and couldn't even interpret them in any way, otherwise the consequences could be serious.

Huo Xian limped towards the side hall, looking seriously injured.

Jin Midi immediately asked the guard beside him, "Is it like this when your Majesty enters the palace?"

The guard suppressed his laughter and said, "Your Excellency was walking briskly earlier, and he also inspected some guards, and several of them were punished by your Excellency."

Jin Midi had nothing to say, so he hurried to report to His Majesty. This Champion Marquis was not someone that could be controlled by ordinary people, so it was better to let His Majesty worry about it. Huo Xian did not hide his little tricks at all, and perhaps he was too lazy to put on a show, so it was no big deal if people saw through it.

This trick is enough as long as it works on the emperor. Even if other people have objections, it is not worth worrying about.

Huo Xian took a comfortable bath and felt refreshed. Although he could overcome some difficulties when he was outside, Huo Xian was definitely not the type to endure hardships.

After changing his clothes, Huo Xian once again became the handsome, confident champion marquis, looking more like a dandy boy rather than a general with great military achievements.

"Your Majesty, I am Huo Shan. I pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor!" Seeing Liu Che's stern face, Huo Shan immediately knelt down, "Long live the Emperor!"

Liu Che could no longer hold back and cursed, "You don't look like a Grand Marshal or a General of the Cavalry. People who don't know you would think you were promoted by luck!"

Huo Xian looked innocent and asked in confusion, "Your Majesty, this doesn't make sense! Your Majesty is the sovereign, and I must abide by the etiquette between the sovereign and his subjects. Besides, I also listened to the cheers of "Long live the emperor!"

Liu Che was very satisfied, and after a moment he said, "You should do the same in the court in the future."

'Long live', this is Liu Che's dream.

During the Fengshan ceremony, officials and soldiers heard the mountain shout "Long live" three times. Emperor Liu Che was delighted, so he named the peak he climbed as Wansui Peak, and "calling Song" became a court ritual.

But now some people still doubt the authenticity. In fact, when Huo Xian followed Liu Che, he did not hear the mountains shouting "Long live the emperor". But there were too many people who flattered the emperor and knew how to please him.

Huo Xian said to Liu Che in all seriousness, "Your Majesty, if I were to attend court, I would definitely shout long live the emperor three times! If anyone disobeys, I will draw my sword on the spot!"

Liu Ju, who was sitting next to him, could not bear to hear it any longer. "Shan'er, stop talking nonsense. How can you carry a sword in the court?"

When Huo Xian heard this, he thought it made sense. He did not have to be given the right to be praised or bowed, did not have to kneel when entering the court, and had to wear a sword and shoes when entering the palace. He did not have such treatment yet.

This was the standard for powerful ministers in later generations, but in the Han Dynasty today, only Xiao He had ever achieved the state of wearing a sword and shoes to the palace and not bowing when entering the court. This was the pinnacle of a minister.

However, Huo Xian did not agree with some of the comments and said with a smile, "Uncle, I often wear a sword. It's that sword. I always carried it for Your Majesty in the past."

Liu Che and Liu Ju rolled their eyes in anger. Nowadays, martial arts are prevalent and scholars often wear swords. Military officials like Huo Xian also often wear swords, although it is more of a ceremonial sword.

The sword that Huo Xian was able to carry for the emperor was naturally the "Snake-Slaying Sword", also known as the "Three-foot Sword", which was now hidden in the palace and often worshipped.

Wei Zifu couldn't listen any longer and said, "Don't talk nonsense. You are so old, how can you say such things so easily?"

Huo Xian thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, when I capture the Great Chanyu, Your Majesty will kill him with a three-foot sword. Your Majesty will surely be happy then!"

"The mind of a warrior!" Liu Che said with a smile, "If you can capture the Chanyu alive, I will definitely take good care of him. Killing him is not appropriate, let him go to the Gaozu Temple to offer sacrifices, that would be a happy event."

"Your Majesty, after this trip, I feel more and more that I can make achievements if I fight the Xiongnu now." Huo Xian said seriously, talking about his experience, "I have already selected the route and planned where to send troops."

Liu Che and others looked at each other. It was true that Huo Shan ran away in anger, but that did not change the fact that he ran away just to fight.

Inspecting troop routes, selecting good generals, reviewing soldiers stationed at border posts, etc., all of these are preparations for the subsequent wars.

But let's not mention those things now, because Liu Che felt that the time was not yet ripe and that we needed to wait until the right time to fight a war.

But we can't hit Huo Xian now. If we say something harsh to him, he will run away. This kid has a bad temper and is full of thoughts about fighting. How can we pour cold water on him at this time?

Liu Ju smiled and asked, "Xian'er, you have captured the Xiongnu before and asked them a lot about their situation. They all say that you shot and killed the Eagle Archer. Is this true, or are your subordinates speaking well of you?"

Huo Xian was instantly displeased, and stood up and said, "Uncle, please don't underestimate me! I shot and killed one eagle archer and injured another, but the other three were all killed by my arrows!"

Liu Ju still pretended to be unconvinced, "Really? They say that the Eagle Shooter is an excellent archer. You are good at riding and shooting, but you are not as good as them!"

"My bow is strong, and it can shoot farther than their arrows!" Huo Xian was even more anxious, as his military exploits were at stake. "If you don't believe me, capture those Xiongnu prisoners and ask them. They are definitely the three best archers!"

Seeing Huo Xian explaining anxiously, Liu Che was very pleased. His son was smart and easily changed the topic to Huo Xian explaining the shooting of the Eagle Shooter.

Let’s not talk about the war for now.

Now tell me about what you saw and heard during your trip, such as shooting a Condor Hero, or seeing something new.

I have been away for more than half a year. Now that I am back, I should talk about family matters and what I have seen and heard, but don’t mention things that might bother you!
(End of this chapter)