Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 200 Focus
After returning to Chang'an, Huo Shan still lived in the palace, and no one thought there was anything wrong with it.

In the final analysis, it was just a habit. He grew up in the palace and spent much more time in the palace than outside. The emperor and the empress thought it was natural, and the prince didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Even the ministers did not think there was anything wrong with this, not to mention Huo Xian's age. It was normal to be young and underage before, and now even if he had children, it was actually not a big problem.

Because some ministers occasionally need to stay in the palace when they are on duty, so Huo Xian's situation is naturally nothing. It's just that he spends more time in the palace and is more valued and trusted than other ministers.

There is still a big difference between the monarchs and ministers in the Han Dynasty and those in the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

Although Liu Che was now in power, the prime minister had become the emperor's puppet. However, there was still some superficial respect, and when the prime minister was in the court, the emperor and the prime minister would greet each other as monarch and subject.

Even during important court meetings, the emperor would see the prime minister off to the palace gate when he left. If the prime minister fell ill, the emperor would either go to inquire about his condition in person or send a minister to inquire about his condition.

Nowadays, when ministers attend court, they have seats instead of standing. Unless it is a major event, ministers will not kneel.

He chatted with Wei Zifu about some things, such as his time fighting in the wars outside, or his views on the affairs of the court.

Huo Xian still hadn't seen Han Yunniang and Huo Wuyou. Not to mention that he was on high alert, he simply thought that he was not very stable. Moreover, the medical level in this era was limited, and the infant mortality rate was still relatively high.

Even the powerful and wealthy cannot guarantee absolute safety at these times. It’s just that the material conditions on their side are better, which can relatively reduce certain risks.

Huo Xian returned to the bedroom and saw Lin Mei putting on makeup. She immediately said, "Less white makeup."

The makeup of women in the Western Han Dynasty was somewhat plain and elegant, even dull. In fact, they just put powder on their faces, which made them look very white, so white that it was a bit scary.

And without blush, etc., it gives people a bloodless and sickly feeling. To be even more exaggerated, it is as pale as a dead person.

Lin Mei immediately said softly, "I know, I will never put on any makeup."

"Just don't put on too much scare." Huo Xian said with a smile, "It's okay to dress up a little prettier. I haven't been in Chang'an for most of the year. Is everything going well in the mansion?"

Lin Mei immediately said, "At the beginning of last winter, Uncle Feng fell seriously ill. Uncle came to the palace to ask for permission, and His Majesty sent someone to treat him, and only then did he save Uncle Feng."

Huo Xian couldn't help but sigh. None of his four generals were in good health. Except for Chen Ju, they were all disabled. Especially Feng Xu, who was the most seriously injured.

Lin Mei continued, "At the beginning of autumn, the farm was busy harvesting hay when a conflict broke out. At that time, the general's young cousin personally led people over, and Uncle Liu also led people over to smash the mansion of that family."

Huo Xian's face turned ugly and he asked, "Whose family is he from?"

Lin Mei immediately said, "It's from the Taohou family."

Huo Xian nodded slightly. He didn't know who the current Tao Hou was. The last famous Tao Hou was Liu She. During the reign of Emperor Jing of Han, Zhou Yafu was dismissed and Liu She was promoted to Prime Minister.

Liu She's father, Liu Xiang, was originally named Xiang Xiang, a general of the Xiang clan. This relative of the King of Western Chu was pardoned by Liu Bang and given the surname Liu.

Huo Xian sneered and said, "I remember that this Tao Hou had already resigned from his position, and he still dared to clash with my Guanjun Hou Mansion!"

Tao Hou was one of the unlucky guys who tried to seize the title by drinking gold. Now Tao Hou is no longer in his glory, but this can be regarded as a bit like a skinny camel being bigger than a horse.

Lin Mei smiled and soothed him, "At that time, the people from the Tao Marquis's residence came to apologize and presented a valuable gift. They said that the servants in the residence were overbearing and had offended them unintentionally, but Uncle Liu refused to see them."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "It would be strange if Uncle Liu accepted the gift. He is waiting for me to come back and deal with it personally. After I come back, there are indeed quite a lot of things to do."

There was nothing wrong with Huo Xian's words. After something like this happened, it would be inappropriate if he didn't show any reaction.

Especially since Huo Xian was away on a military campaign, no matter whether it was an unintentional collision or intentional cause of trouble, it was simply bullying.

It was nothing more than that if there was really an unintentional conflict, then he might have to hold back a little. If there was really an intentional trouble, Huo Xian would definitely not be polite or hold back.

"I think no one would dare to cause trouble to my Guanjun Marquis Mansion now." Huo Xian smiled, "I will go and ask after I leave the palace. I have to find out the truth about this matter."

Lin Mei naturally just laughed along. Not to mention her, in fact most people also thought so. There was really no one in the Han Dynasty who could cause trouble for the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion.

Not to mention former nobles like Tao Hou who have lost their titles, even some of the current marquises, including some members of the royal family, would not dare to touch Huo Shan.

In the past, people might have thought that Huo Xian was just a close minister of the emperor. It was only because of his great reputation as a marquis and the emperor's favor that it naturally meant that he was "borrowing the power of the tiger to bully others."

But the situation now is very different. Huo Xian is not only a marquis, but also the de facto powerful figure in the Han Dynasty. Basically, he is the second-in-command of the military.

Only someone must be crazy to think of causing trouble for him at this time, especially when he is away on a military campaign. This is simply a slap in the face. He is waiting for Huo Xian to return triumphantly to take revenge on him.

Huo Xian was in a good mood overall. After all, although there were some minor unexpected events, there was actually no problem at all overall.

Chatting with Lin Mei and having a good rest. I just returned to Chang'an, so naturally I can have some free time now.

After a short rest, Huo Xian also knew his mission and understood his identity. Fortunately, the morning court in the Han Dynasty was not very early, so he did not need to get up in the middle of the night.

Seeing Huo Xian arrive late, Liu Che said unhappily, "If you were any later, I would have whipped you!"

Huo Xian said as he arranged his clothes, "Your Majesty, I am on time and cannot be late. Your Majesty, how about I carry your sword for you as usual?"

It's not that Huo Xian doesn't know how to advance or retreat. Not to mention that he is now a heroic young man, even when he was less than ten years old, he was the one who helped the emperor carry the sword whenever he went out.

Not to mention the ceremonial sword used in daily travels, even in important occasions when the legendary Snake-Slaying Sword needed to be taken out, Huo Xian would always hold it by his side.

Liu Che laughed and scolded, "Remember to take off your shoes when you enter the palace. You are not decent enough now!" He did not need to name his name when he was praised, did not need to kneel when entering the court, and only wore a sword and shoes when entering the palace.

Of the three legendary powerful ministers, only the first two are entitled to special treatment in the Han Dynasty. That means Zhang Liang and Xiao He enjoy such treatment, and others certainly do not.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am not a child anymore. I understand all these things. I will wait outside the palace in a while and go to court with other ministers!"

Liu Che smiled and nodded, praising him, "Finally you have made some progress!"

This made Huo Xian a little embarrassed, sometimes he felt that acting cute was shameful. But some things about him were just that simple.

What others take for granted, or what they should abide by, is natural and right. And if he makes even the slightest progress, it is a great growth in the eyes of the emperor, empress and others.

This may not be as simple as caring for the younger generation, it is also very likely that Huo Xian's "starting point" is too low, so that everyone's expectations of him are also particularly low.

As Liu Che walked, he said, "When the court is in session, you stand on the right. You are the Grand Marshal, the General of the Cavalry, and the Prime Minister. Now that the general is not in session, you must remember to stand in front!"

"Your Majesty, I know that!" Huo Xian said confidently, "If anyone else dares to stand in front of me, I will definitely beat them down with one punch! I will talk to the Prime Minister later and find out where my position is!"

"Nonsense!" Liu Che laughed and scolded Huo Xian for occupying the toilet without taking a shit, "How can you be so overbearing? You stand at the head of the class during court, and I keep your seat for you when I don't attend court?"

Huo Xian thought about it and felt that it made sense. "It is indeed not right to do this. Then I will see who is eyeing my position! I think it is Cao Zong. I have to keep an eye on him. That guy has too many thoughts!"

Liu Che asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Are you two brothers having a conflict now?"

Huo Xian started to complain, "Your Majesty, I'm not saying anything bad about him, Cao Zong. He just relied on his status as your Majesty's grandson. He was originally my subordinate, but he didn't even come to greet me when I came back!"

Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian, not knowing what to say. But he was too lazy to care. One was his disciple's grandson and the other was his grandson, both of whom had some abilities, so he would not care about them now.

Huo Xian continued to complain, "Your Majesty, I will leave the palace tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. That Tao Hou actually took advantage of my absence to make things difficult for the people in my house. I will not be able to calm down unless I give him a good beating!"

"Don't let anyone get killed!" Liu Che warned, "You believe everything you hear. Who dares to make things difficult for the people in your house?"

Huo Xian still insisted, "I will definitely not cause any deaths. They are not worth my paying copper coins to atone for my sins, let alone losing my title for this!"

Huo Shan was going to leave the palace to retaliate, which was completely within Liu Che's expectations. Whether it was Huo Qubing or Huo Shan, the people he taught were hot-blooded and high-spirited, to put it nicely, or willful and domineering, to put it bluntly.

Of course he had heard about the conflict in the Marquis Guanjun's Mansion. This little thing was naturally not worth paying attention to. After all, there was a slight element of misunderstanding involved.

But if Huo Xian really wanted to go out and cause trouble, Liu Che would definitely turn a blind eye. Not only because of doting, but also because the officers were fighting outside, and the people in the mansion were bullied, which was unacceptable!

When Liu Che turned around and went to Jianzhang Palace, Huo Shan strolled over and prepared to line up with the civil and military officials to enter the palace.

When Huo Xian appeared, many civil and military officials looked over. Looking at the direction he was coming from, he was indeed coming from the direction of the emperor's bedroom. The Marquis of Guanjun was still loved by His Majesty as always!
Huo Xian narrowed his eyes and looked around carefully, "Prime Minister!"

Gongsun He laughed and joked, "The general is your great uncle, but I am not. What's the reason? You'd better not go to my house, or someone will say something about you!"

Gongsun He's wife Wei Ru is the elder sister of Wei Zifu, Wei Qing and Wei Shaoer. She is a real "aunt" and a big Buddha that you cannot mess with.

Huo Xian quickly begged for mercy, "We have to go to court! I'll go drink with my uncle and apologize. But speaking of which, I heard that my young uncle from the Wei family has taken people to break down the door, so why didn't my uncle go?"

Gongsun He suddenly had a headache. He could occasionally put on airs of an elder in front of Huo Shan, but that was very limited. Huo Shan respected Wei Ru, not him, Gongsun He.

Even though he was the prime minister, Gongsun He knew his own importance. "Your cousin is now the imperial servant. How can a minister go and smash someone's door? Does the Taohou family still have horses? Go and ask. It's your cousin who did it!"

Huo Xian was immediately happy when he heard this. It was really easy for the powerful to bully people.

Wei Deng and Wei Buyi brought people to support the cause, and Gongsun Jingsheng used his position to take away all the horses of Tao Hou's family. It seemed that the matter was almost done without Huo Shan taking any action.

However, no matter how proud you are, even though some things have been done by others and seem to have achieved very good results, it definitely does not mean that the matter is completely over.

Some things are better not to be delegated to others, and it is more effective to do them yourself. This is also what Huo Xian should do.

Seeing Huo Xian and Gongsun He chatting, some civil and military officials were anxious, and naturally some people were disdainful, but more people still wanted to come forward to chat and get closer to them.

After all, everyone is very clear about the style of this Marquis Guanjun. Apart from being close to Wei Huo, he is unwilling to pay any attention to other ministers or dignitaries.

Even if some people cannot stand Huo Shan's flamboyant style, etc., his real military achievements are right in front of them, and it is impossible not to accept it.

Considering the emperor and the crown prince's preference for this Marquis Guanjun, as well as his age, if nothing unexpected happens, he will most likely be the one holding military power for the emperor for the next ten or even dozens of years.

Serving in the same dynasty, they are the most capable elites in the country. Sometimes, no matter what they think in their hearts, they still have to be polite on the surface.

It would obviously not be a bad thing to have a better relationship with this champion marquis, but how to get closer to him was not so easy to do.

Especially now that they heard that the Marquis of Guanjun had a child, some of the dignitaries who had previously wanted to win over the emperor with the beauty trap were heartbroken. Some of the dancers and others who were specifically trained in the palace might no longer be useful.

However, Huo Xian may not be aware of this, or he may have long been accustomed to such things.

As long as he appears, he will definitely be the focus of the crowd!

(End of this chapter)