Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 14 Visiting Relatives

Planning to find a few blacksmiths is not because Huo Xian wants to forge any magical weapons or something like that, it simply wants to improve his life.

The main foods nowadays are millet, wheat, rice, broomcorn millet, buckwheat, highland barley, soybeans, etc., which can be considered staple foods.

The cooking methods can also be seen from the cooking tools.

The cauldron and the steamer are common cooking tools, and the kui is used to make soup. The current cooking methods are actually boiling, steaming, stewing, roasting, and eating raw, etc., which makes Huo Xian very anxious.

It’s okay to eat it once or twice, but it’s not good to eat it every time.

The kitchen was remodeled and the diet was upgraded, not only to satisfy one's appetite, but also to achieve a more balanced nutrition. Fortunately, he was a noble, even though some of the vegetable oils and animal oils were scarce, or the seasonings were seriously insufficient.

But if Huo Xian overcomes the difficulties a little, he can still get good food.

After the new day began, Huo Xian got up early and headed directly to the Marquis of Changping's Mansion with his four generals.

Wei Kang, the eldest son of Wei Qing, was already waiting at the gate of the mansion. He was very happy to see Huo Shan, "Shan'er, you are finally here."

Huo Xian immediately jumped off the horse and said, "Why are you letting my cousin wait outside? This is too polite!"

"That being said, you rarely come here once a year." Wei Kang smiled and led the way. "It would be very rude if you didn't wait at the door."

Although Wei Kang, Wei Deng and Wei Buyi were all somewhat mediocre, they still had basic etiquette, which was also related to Wei Qing's family education.

"Uncle, I'm a soldier now." Huo Xian said jokingly, "I'm almost the same as you guys now. We both have positions."

Wei Buyi and Wei Deng were about the same age as Huo Xian, just two or three years older. Wei Kang was only seventeen this year, making him the oldest.

The year before last, Liu Che used the money of the treasury to deprive 106 marquises of their titles, including Wei Buyi and Wei Deng, generals Gongsun He, Han Shuo, Zhao Po Nu, etc. Many people also believe that Wei Deng and Wei Buyi were deprived of their titles in order to silence the marquises and intimidate the ministers. Wei Kang's title of Marquis of Yichun was revoked seven years ago because of "falsifying the rules and not harming others".

Wei Kang said with a smile, "We are different from you. We don't have any titles. Besides, His Majesty takes you with him wherever he goes, and it's hard for us to even go to the palace. I won't go to the palace now. If I go, I will lose my title, which is really not worth it."

Huo Xian asked curiously, "Uncle, what kind of imperial decree did you forge to have me removed from my title?"

Correction without harm means that it did not cause any negative impact, so the punishment was not severe. Otherwise, according to the Han system, the punishment for correction of the imperial edict depended on the consequences of the crime, and was convicted of "correction of serious harm", "correction of harm" and "correction of no harm". "Correction of serious harm" was sentenced to beheading, and "correction of harm" was sentenced to public execution.

Wei Kang whispered, "The four marquises in the family are not very good, so I just said a few nonsense. It's just the same as what happened last year, starting with the close relatives."

When they arrived at the main hall, the thin Wei Qing and the graceful Princess Pingyang sat in the main seats, and Huo Xian bowed politely.

Wei Qing said with a serious expression, "Xian'er, I didn't want to say anything to you. It's just that you really acted recklessly when you left the palace this time."

Princess Pingyang said dissatisfiedly, "How old is Shan'er? We can't always ask him to be cautious in everything he says and does. If he really loses his youthful vigor, is he still Shan'er?"

Wei Qing argued, "How can you joke about many things in the court? He is the Marquis of Guanjun and the Minister of the Court, so he should be careful with his words and actions. He was joking, but what should others think when they heard him?"

"You have always been modest and polite. That is your business as the Marquis of Changping!" Princess Pingyang was not afraid of Wei Qing and directly said, "How high-spirited was Qubing in his youth? Who doesn't say that Qubing was dressed in fine clothes and rode a horse, full of vigor and youth? How old is Shan'er? He is ten years old. Do you want him to be like you, a fifty-year-old man?"

Wei Qing was unhappy and said, "How can there be fifty!"

"Even if you're not fifty, you usually look like a fifty or sixty-year-old man!" Princess Pingyang said jokingly, "When I saw you before, you were silent and mature, and you're still the same now. When will you show the demeanor of a great general and go teach Shan'er again!"

When Wei Qing was young, he was a riding slave in Princess Pingyang's mansion, so sometimes he would lack confidence in front of Princess Pingyang. However, Huo Xian also found it funny while eating melons silently. This might be the way Wei Qing and Princess Pingyang get along. This is more like Princess Pingyang teasing Wei Qing. Even though it seems that she is a little disrespectful to Wei Qing sometimes, she can't hide her admiration for Wei Qing.

And Wei Qing's helpless look makes people feel interesting.

Huo Xian was actually a little worried because according to historical data, Wei Qing might only have five or six years left to live.

Considering the average life expectancy of that era, and the fact that Wei Qing must have overdrawn his health from fighting on the battlefield for many years, there seems to be no need to feel particularly regretful, after all, this can be considered a natural death.

But the reality is that after Wei Qing's death, Li Guangli and others began to emerge. By then, the Han Dynasty was somewhat lacking in generals, and now the continuous victories over the Xiongnu were also turning into continuous losses.

Wei Qing did not argue with Princess Pingyang and continued to remind Huo Xian, "I saw you wandering around when you were on duty several times. This is not how you should be on duty. Also, don't let the eunuchs follow you when you are on duty in the future."

Huo Xian was a soldier, and theoretically he was supposed to protect the safety of the palace. But when he was on duty, at least one or two eunuchs would follow him, while the other guards stood straight, the difference was too great.

"I would like to, but His Majesty won't allow it." Huo Xian complained, "Uncle, those people now tell His Majesty everything I say and do. When I'm on duty, I look at other people's weapons, and they tell His Majesty. When I frown while reading military books, they write it down, and His Majesty will test me and teach me when the time comes."

Wei Kang and others felt jealous when they heard this. The treatment Huo Xian received was beyond their imagination.

Wei Qing said, "It's a good thing that you are learning the art of war. Although Qu Bing didn't like to read military books before, he knew how to lead and use troops. You should read military books. Not only should you read them, but you should also learn how to use them!"

Huo Xian nodded repeatedly. It is not enough to just talk about military strategy on paper. One must learn to integrate it, otherwise he will become like Zhao Kuo.

"Uncle, when will you teach me the art of war?" Huo Xian said with regret, "It's a pity that my grandfather didn't stay to lead the troops."

It is indeed a pity that Huo Qubing did not leave behind any military books.

However, Huo Qubing did leave behind some music that he played and sang when he was appointed Grand Marshal and General of the Cavalry. He was considered to be multi-talented.

Wei Qing smiled and said, "That's not necessary. The methods of curing diseases and using troops were all taught by His Majesty. As long as you study hard, you will definitely be good."

Huo Qubing did not leave any military strategies, and Wei Qing actually had no military works handed down.

Huo Xian said anxiously, "Uncle, when it comes to leading cavalry and making large detours, I naturally learned from your majesty. But when my grandfather led troops, most of them were cavalry. Uncle can use infantry and chariots, who else can I learn from if not you?"

When Wei Qing led troops to fight, he mainly used cavalry, but he was able to organize the coordination of multiple arms based on the cavalry, which also reflected his ability.

Moreover, when Wei and Huo were fighting, the cavalry under Huo Qubing were all carefully selected elites, while Wei Qing's troops were relatively inferior.

Wei Qing thought about it carefully and said, "I will discuss this with His Majesty later. You don't need to learn my military tactics now."

This is a euphemism, which actually means that Huo Xian's foundation is too poor, so don't consider too advanced military tactics for the time being. Lay a solid foundation first, and Huo Xian is the emperor's student. Even if others want to teach him, it depends on whether the emperor is willing.

Huo Xian also understood that some things could not be rushed and could only develop slowly. He still had a lot to learn and improve.

Being a guest at the Marquis of Changping's mansion was one of the main things Huo Xian did since leaving the palace.

After all, he lived in the palace for a long time, and it was rare for him to leave the palace once a year to visit his elders. Some family relationships were like this, if they didn't visit each other, the relationship might fade.

So when it’s time to visit relatives, you still have to visit them, and there are still several families of relatives to visit.

(End of this chapter)