Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 136: Next time
Huo Xian returned to Chang'an, and it seemed as if he had just returned, as if nothing had happened.

He was still the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry. He did not attend court and did not take care of the specific affairs of the army. He would run around the Jianzhang Palace and Weiyang Palace when he had nothing to do. He was deeply loved by the emperor, empress and prince.

No one mentioned the reason why he ran away for most of the year last year, and no one questioned the fact that this champion had nothing to do and was idle all day long. People were used to it, so it was not worth making a fuss about.

Han Yunniang gently massaged Huo Xian's shoulders and said, "My Lord, the eldest son of the Zhao family has fallen in love with a woman."

Huo Xian was in the mood for gossip. "That kid Zhao Congxiao? This is incredible. Everyone is in a hurry to get married and start a family. Whose family is he from?"

Han Yunniang smiled and said, "He seems to be from a military family, from Shanggui, Longxi. It is said that he is an old friend of Shangguan Jie, the Minister of the Imperial Household."

Huo Xian frowned slightly. Shangguan Jie was a familiar figure. He had also been on the expedition to Dayuan before and was now the Minister of the Imperial Household. He was also from an aristocratic family and was obsessed with power. He had risen through the ranks from the position of Palace Attendant to the position of Imperial Coachman.

According to the current trend, there is a great chance for him to be granted a title of nobility or be appointed as a general.

In history, Shangguan Jie was also one of the important ministers entrusted with the care of the young emperor, and also the son-in-law of Huo Guang. However, they eventually turned against each other and ended up with his death and the extinction of his clan.

"Is that man attracted to Zhao Congxiao, or is he attracted to the prestige of our Guanjun Marquis's Mansion?" Huo Xian couldn't help but complain, "I have to see about this. Has he not arranged a marriage yet?"

Han Yunniang said quickly, "Your Majesty is not at home, Uncle Zhao is also away, so Zhao Dalang naturally dare not easily agree. Uncle Chen also said before that Chen Dalang's marriage can only be decided by Your Majesty."

In fact, Huo Xian didn't care much about the marriage affairs of some of the troops in Guanjun Village, but the situation of Zhao Congxiao and others was different. These were the descendants of the four great generals, and everyone knew that the four great generals had an extraordinary status in the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion.

Especially now that Zhao Congxiao has military merits and a military position, he is no longer a simple general. Naturally, he will be watched by some people with ulterior motives. He is definitely one of the most suitable candidates for marriage.

Huo Xian couldn't get the title of Marquis Guanjun, but the trusted followers of Marquis Guanjun were also very good, especially the side branches of some big families, who were even more enthusiastic about it.

Han Yunniang continued, "Uncle Feng also asked before that the eldest son of the Feng family has a son. I wonder if the Lord is willing to take him to the mansion."

Huo Xian wanted to complain even more, "Feng Dan? That's great, how can I come up with a good name for him? I haven't fought in a war this year, so it's a little hard to come up with a name."

Not every descendant of a unit would be named by Huo Shan, but the descendants of the four great generals were treated differently.

Huo Xian thought for a moment, looked at Han Yunniang and asked, "Since he asked, he must be asking you. How did you answer?"

Han Yunniang carefully observed Huo Xian's expression and said, "Uncle Feng is a family member after all. I dare to let Uncle Feng take care of his grandson first and bring him back to the Guanjun Marquis Mansion when he is two years old."

"Good!" Huo Xian laughed, "That's how it should be. Now that Uncle Feng is in charge of the farm, he should be allowed to enjoy his grandchildren. When his grandson grows up, bring him to the mansion and I will personally discipline him."

As for the name, I will think about it later, but what is certain is that Huo Xian must have named Feng Dan's son. Feng Xu and others would not think that this was overstepping their authority, but only that it was the grace of the Lord.

Han Yunniang kept talking about what had happened in the past six months, mostly trivial matters or major events in Chang'an City.

What she could understand was limited, but this was obviously enough for Huo Xian, and she didn't need to know too much.

It was enough to know some of the movements of close relatives, or a series of major events known to the world. Huo Xian naturally had other channels to learn about the truly sensitive political affairs.

Huo Xian continued to live in the palace, and he felt very safe and at ease. It seemed that there was no need to feel too much urgency, and he could just be more relaxed.

The general was still alive, although he was getting weaker and weaker. However, as long as General Wei Qing was there, the position of Crown Prince Liu Ju was very stable, and no one in the court dared to frame or impeach him.

What's more, there is a general with a bad temper, General Huqi. Even if he is not in Chang'an, no one would think of offending the crown prince. After all, if the crown prince is really offended, who knows what will happen when the champion marquis returns to Chang'an.

It seems that there are only eight years left before the historical witchcraft disaster, but judging by the current situation, there is no need to worry that some things are bound to happen.

There is no doubt that Huo Xian is the biggest variable, and his existence can indeed change the direction of many things.

Now he just needs to rest in peace. For the time being, there is no plan to send troops immediately. He can only wait until the time is right before asking for battle.

Having said that, he has not been scolded yet, but he will definitely be scolded. He has not yet gone to the general's mansion. Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang will not indulge him. They will scold him when it is time.

As for those small gifts given by oneself, they are at most to show one's filial piety and can make the scolding less severe when one is scolded.

Huo Xian was not in a hurry at all. He already had the official position and military merits he wanted, and he was still very young, so naturally he did not need to feel any sense of urgency.

Moreover, the emperor did not seem to be getting senile at the moment. Although he was still very superstitious, there was no need to worry too much. At present, there were no unstable factors. After living in the palace for seven days, Huo Xian was allowed to leave the palace. He was finally able to get some freedom. He still felt a little uncomfortable in the palace.

Chen Ju, Feng Xu and others were naturally very happy to see Huo Xian. Huo Xian hugged the fat baby and said, "Feng Xun, it was because I couldn't fight when this child was born."

Feng Xu said cheerfully, "This is also a blessing for the child. I was afraid that you would not want to give the child a name."

"It's hard to say about the other kids, but you guys don't have to worry." Looking at the stumbling Chen Wan, Huo Xian complained, "This kid is so naughty that he didn't even call me when he saw me."

The aggressive Chen Wan stared at Huo Xian. This kid was not only naughty, but also very courageous. However, Huo Xian would definitely not argue with the little guy. Moreover, this was also his junior, so he had to be more tolerant.

Huo Xian looked at Chen Ju, "Uncle Chen, how is the thing you asked the mansion to make going now?"

Chen Ju quickly replied, "Don't worry, my lord. Old Feng and I are keeping an eye on it. We have dug more than 30 cellars and buried a lot of fodder in them according to your instructions. They haven't been opened yet."

This is execution. Even if Chen Ju and others think it may be useless, it does not hinder their unwavering execution. They even have higher execution standards than some of the requirements proposed by Huo Xian.

Huo Xian was happy. "That's good. I'll go to the farm in a couple of days to check it out. If this is done, I can get back the fief that was cut off."

Chen Ju hesitated to speak, and only said after Huo Xian urged him, "Your Highness's fiefdom has been reduced to 15,000 households."

Huo Xian was stunned and asked quickly, "Didn't they say that only 2,000 households would be cut? How come there are only 13,000 households left?"

Although Huo Xian seemed to not care about money, he would still feel sad if he lost the money he had earned. Even though his fief as a marquis of ten thousand households was the best in the Han Dynasty, he would still feel sad.

Chen Ju said rather frustratedly, "We don't know either. Doctor Huo mentioned it last winter, saying that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince asked for permission, and His Majesty approved it."

This is revenge. This is revenge for not being able to send people to stop people on the road, so they started to retaliate!

"Thirteen thousand is thirteen thousand. There's nothing we can do about it." Huo Xian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry. "My fiefdom is too large. It would be outrageous if I don't find a reason to reduce it."

Huo Xian also had no offspring, and his fiefdom was close to 20,000 households. The emperor should also pay attention to the impact, otherwise there would really be no more fiefdoms, which would not be good.

Chen Ju continued, "The house in Shanglinyuan has been renovated. I went to see it before. It is indeed well built. It is bigger and better than the current house. It also has rockery, pavilions and towers."

"I will return the current house to Your Majesty." Huo Xian said with a smile, "We will move to the new house after the spring. I will be free from now on."

Living in a mansion is something you don't even have to think about. You can enjoy it when you need to, without having to worry about avoiding suspicion or anything like that.

Being low-key is not Huo Xian's style. He is used to being high-profile and attracting attention.

Wei Buyi rushed to the Guanjun Marquis's residence and said gloatingly, "Shan'er, mother has prepared the cane and whip, and is waiting for you to come there tomorrow."

Huo Xian complained, "Uncle, I'm about to be beaten and scolded, and it's fine if you don't speak up for me, but you're also standing here to watch me make a fool of myself. Isn't that not good?"

"Who can I blame?" Wei Buyi said proudly, "I am a dutiful person. I am not like you who dares to disobey His Majesty!"

Huo Xian didn't care and said to Wei Buyi, "You are just tarnishing my reputation. I am here to patrol the border on orders. This is not something I say casually. If your nonsense gets out, I will be impeached!"

Wei Buyi was speechless when he saw how shameless Huo Xian was. Everyone knew that Huo Xian had run away, but some people just didn't have that self-awareness.

As for the fact that Huo Xian would definitely go to the General's Mansion after returning to Chang'an and leaving the palace, there was no doubt about this. This had always been a habit and a tacit understanding between Wei and Huo.

Wei Buyi continued jokingly, "Ah Weng is also very unhappy now, and he has said in private that you are getting more and more irritable and don't know how to restrain yourself."

Huo Xian was not surprised. He felt more relaxed in front of the emperor because he knew that the emperor would spoil him.

But General Wei Qing was different. Although he was also favored, he was also very principled.

There is no way to avoid it, so you'd better be smart at this time. Admit your mistake when you should, and make jokes when you should. The emperor will not pursue it, and the general will at most scold you a few words.

Just let it go in one ear and out the other, or correct your attitude and get through the current difficulties first.

At worst, I’ll do it again next time!
(End of this chapter)