Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 201 The Necessity of Self-Defilement

Grand Marshal Huo Xian came to court, which was a rare scene. Although many people were not particularly surprised by this, after all, he had just returned from a triumphant victory and still had to return to the court to report.

After attending court and paying homage, the next thing to do is naturally serious business.

Huo Xian held the tablet in his hand and stepped forward to report, "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to attack the rebellious Cheshi in the Western Regions, and I am now returning to the capital to report back."

Liu Che smiled and said, "The victory report was sent back earlier, and everyone in the court has known about it. You did a good job, conquering the Cheshi tribe and driving the Xiongnu out of the Western Regions. This is great!"

This is the case for many officials. Good news is no longer a secret. Everyone already knows how much has been achieved.

Liu Che then looked at Liu Ju and Gongsun He, "I asked you to review the military merits and rewards earlier. Do you have any idea?"

Liu Ju took the initiative to speak, "Your Majesty, I have discussed with the Prime Minister and others and have drafted the reward matters. However, the Grand Marshal has not returned to the capital yet, and the meritorious soldiers have not returned yet, so we still need to discuss it."

There is nothing wrong with Liu Ju's approach. After all, it involves matters such as rewards and military merits, which require extreme carefulness and seriousness.

It was never the case that the imperial court would recognize the merits of a general who led troops abroad based on how many merits he reported back. It was also never the case that the imperial court would directly reward a general if he submitted a list of meritorious officials.

So this is sometimes the case. Several months after the battle, no rewards are delivered. Many times, after the army returns victorious, the three armies are rewarded first, and then the military merits are carefully checked.

Huo Xian was not in a hurry. Liu Ju continued, "Officials have gone to the Western Regions to investigate, and the Embroidered Uniform Envoy has also sent back military reports. It will take some time for us to sort it out."

Liu Che nodded slightly, but still emphasized, "Your Highness is very careful in his work, which is very gratifying to me. But this matter must be done quickly, so as not to disappoint the soldiers."

Liu Ju and others naturally understood this truth. This was not all about Huo Shan. When it came to Huo Shan, some things naturally had to be accelerated, but the court also had its own laws and so on. There was no point in being anxious.

Liu Che then looked at Huo Xian and asked, "Grand Marshal, do you have any objection to this?"

Huo Xian quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Your Highness is fair and thorough in his work, and I admire you!"

Not to mention that there was nothing wrong with Liu Ju's behavior itself. Even if there was a problem, no one would offend him in the court. At most, they would advise and argue in private.

Liu Che smiled and said, "Then let the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister take the lead in this matter. The Grand Marshal does not need to be involved in this matter."

Others couldn't help but look at the emperor, then at Huo Shan, and basically kicked Huo Shan away as to whether he would be awarded military merit or subsequent rewards. This matter had nothing to do with him anymore.

However, no one could see any dissatisfaction or anger in Huo Xian's expression, nor could anyone see any suspicion or alienation in the emperor's look.

So this is still a fair and impartial matter. The Grand Marshal just needs to lead the troops to fight, and the subsequent rewards and favors can only be done by the emperor, not the Grand Marshal.

This means that Huo Xian may have a very high prestige in the army, but those are basically based on his military achievements, just because he can win battles.

Rewarding and conferring titles have always been the power of the emperor. Even if Huo Xian was a trusted minister, he could not get involved in this power, otherwise he would inevitably be suspected. Sometimes, too much prestige is not a good thing.

As soon as the memorial was finished, Huo Xian retreated with the tablet in his hand, and knelt aside, looking very concerned. Other things had nothing to do with him anymore.

Liu Ju, Gongsun He and others were relieved when they saw Huo Xian behaving like this. They thought that as long as he didn't talk nonsense and went to the court, there was no need to think too much about other things.

As soon as the court was over, Huo Xian immediately got up in a hurry, as he was a little anxious to go to the bathroom.

Liu Che smiled and stood up and said, "It's rare for the Grand Marshal to come to the court. I am very pleased. It is a blessing for the Han Dynasty that he can achieve such great achievements at such a young age!"

Liu Che sighed as he walked away, "It's a pity that this is not the official court session, I can't personally escort the Grand Marshal. How about this, Grand Marshal, I'll escort you out of the palace!"

Huo Xian's face turned green. The emperor was deliberately roasting him over the fire. It was obvious that he was going to "cook oil in a raging fire".

Although the Grand Marshal was one of the three highest officials in the court, according to the etiquette between the emperor and his subjects, when the emperor was in court, he would personally escort the Prime Minister and the Grand Marshal out of the hall. That was also part of the etiquette and no one would say anything about it.

But this is not the official court session, and this was just Huo Xian's normal "return to the capital to report on his work." But the emperor is now putting on such a respectful attitude, this is really too much!

While thanking him, Huo Xian complained quietly, "Your Majesty, I wanted to leave the palace in two days. How can I leave now?"

Liu Che grabbed Huo Shan's arm with a smile on his face, and walked Huo Shan to the palace gate with a courteous look.

The emperor had played such a drama, and Huo Xian could only bow depressedly, thank the emperor in the helpless eyes of the civil and military officials, and then leave. However, the direction he left was to the side hall where the emperor lived.

This play cannot be said to be a failure, as long as the emperor respects the wise man. As for the wise man running away to other places, that is the wise man's business and has little to do with the emperor.

After walking around for a while, Huo Xian ran to the side hall and said, "Your Majesty, I am already the most dazzling champion marquis in Chang'an and everyone is paying attention to me. If I were to do something like this in the court today, I would be in trouble!"

Looking at Huo Xian who was so boastful, Liu Che said with emotion, "Your grandfather has always been confident, but not as confident as you. Speaking of boasting, there are probably few people in the world who can boast as much as you. Won't you blush?"

"That's the truth. How many people in Chang'an are younger and more promising than me?" Huo Xian said more confidently, "Your Majesty, please count them. I'll go and see if there is anyone who can compare to you!"

Liu Che smiled and put down the bamboo slips, saying, "I am protecting you. It is difficult to reward you for your great achievements. You should be aware of this."

Huo Xian complained, "Your Majesty, I am only in my early twenties, not in my prime. If Your Majesty is really worried, I will find a way to defile myself!"

Liu Che asked with a smile, "Self-defilement? That's a good idea. Tell me how you would defile yourself!"

Huo Xian suddenly perked up and said, "Back then, Liu Hou used the excuse of being ill and stayed indoors. He really knew when to act. I think I should learn from Liu Hou."

Liu Che joked, "You can't learn it. You love being lively and you are young. If I really ask you to stay indoors, can you bear the idleness? This won't work. You will become complacent. Let's change someone else!" Huo Xian thought about it and felt that it made sense. It was not only because he looked very healthy, but also because he loved being lively and could not stay in the mansion.

After thinking about it, Huo Xian said with more confidence, "Then I will learn from Prime Minister Xiao to accept money and property from big merchants, and then buy the people's land at a low price and sell it at a high price! I am rich and I love money, so this is also a good idea!"

Liu Che couldn't help laughing, looked at Jin Midi and asked, "Do you think it would be okay if Guanjun Hou did this?"

Jin Midi replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, everyone in Chang'an knows that the Marquis of Guanjun doesn't love money, he only loves the army, and the Marquis of Guanjun's fiefdom is all managed by Her Majesty the Queen and Her Majesty the Princess."

Huo Xian received many rewards and a lot of income from his fief, but he really didn't have any financial freedom. It wasn't that he was short of money, but if he wanted to spend money, sometimes he needed the consent of his "parents".

Liu Che smiled and looked at Huo Xian and asked, "Do you know how many copper coins you have in your house?"

Seeing Huo Xian shaking his head, Liu Che said with a smile, "I know everything, but you don't! If you amass wealth, it's not just tarnishing your reputation, it's bringing disaster upon yourself. This method won't work. You are a military marquis, and your love of money must be limited."

Huo Xian looked frightened, "Your Majesty, does that mean I should give away all my wealth? That won't do. Your Majesty, what I got last time was the inheritance left by my grandfather. How can I give it away?"

Liu Che said helplessly to Huo Xian's flattery, "Your love of money should be limited. Now no one cares about your fiefdom, but you should not amass wealth! How many people in the world don't know that you are greedy for pleasure?"

Huo Xian was a little unhappy. "Why am I greedy for pleasure? I am always in the army. Apart from enjoying magic weapons and BMWs, what else can I enjoy?"

Liu Che asked back, "You have loved wearing fancy clothes since you were a child. When you go out to fight, you ask people to bring you a lot of clothes. You also wash your face and take a bath frequently. How many people can change clothes two or three times in less than a month like you?"

This seems to make some sense. There is nothing wrong with being clean, but it seems to be a problem to carry a lot of things when going out to fight.

Liu Che continued, "The queen sent people to set up a restaurant. Everyone knows that it was you, the greedy Marquis of Guanjun, who cooked the dishes. That pot was a pain for many people! You complained that pork smelled mutton. How many pigs have you castrated and how many pigs have died?"

Huo Xian suddenly became excited and asked quickly, "Your Majesty, how are my pigs? We fought a whole year last year, I wonder how my pigs are doing!"

Castration of pigs, etc., is a big deal. We did it last year, but unfortunately it was done together with silage at that time, so many people ignored it.

Before the silage issue was completely settled, Huo Xian went out to fight, so he almost forgot about this matter and had no way to take care of it.

Liu Che said angrily, "Just wait to be scolded at the General's Mansion! You have used all your wealth to buy pigs! Your retainers are so stubborn that they will kill a batch of pigs and buy another batch!"

Huo Guang standing next to him was too embarrassed to see anyone, because for nearly half a year last year, Guanjun Hou's farm had only been buying pigs and distributing pork.

The reason was that castrated pigs kept dying, and the villagers couldn't finish eating them, so many of them were distributed to the common people. At one time, there was a shortage of piglets in Chang'an City, and everyone said that they were bought by the Guanjun Marquis' Mansion.

Huo Xian's main concern was not these. "Your Majesty, is it possible that my farm has raised big fat pigs now?"

Liu Che laughed and said, "That's true. After much effort, the pigs we raised turned out pretty good. Not only did they lose the mutton smell, but they also grew stronger."

There are some benefits to castrating pigs. It takes away their wildness and makes them milder. They have fewer pursuits and can only eat and grow meat, which is definitely better.

In fact, not only boars need to be castrated, but sows also need to have their uteruses removed. These are ways to make pigs grow meat relatively faster.

Huo Xian suddenly became happy. Although it may cost a lot of money, he figured out a way. In fact, raising pigs is not easy in this era. People are not well fed, so how can there be much food to feed pigs?

So don’t say that pork is looked down upon by some people. In most cases, ordinary people cannot afford mutton, and even pork is extremely difficult to eat.

Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian and said, "You never tire of fine food, and you never tire of delicate delicacies. Do you need anyone to tell you that you are greedy for pleasure? You just don't realize it. There are few dignitaries in Chang'an who are more difficult to serve than you!"

Huo Xian looked at Liu Che and asked depressedly, "Your Majesty, it seems that it is too difficult for me to defile myself. Your Majesty, please give me some advice, maybe it will be useful!"

Seeing Huo Xian asking seriously, and not pretending to be ignorant, Liu Che was puzzled. He really couldn't figure out why Xian'er was so boastful and narcissistic!

Leaving aside other things for now, just based on Huo Xian's reputation, there is really no need for him to tarnish himself. He has so many shortcomings that he is not the kind of minister that the emperor should be suspicious of.

Even though he has high prestige, he can't accomplish anything. He has shortcomings everywhere. He is not someone who can do big things, nor does he look ambitious.

Don't forget that Huo Shan had a bad reputation, and many aristocratic families, powerful people, etc. didn't like him. Those people just respected Huo Shan's power and were afraid of his character, not that they respected him from the bottom of their hearts.

Waving his hand, Liu Che said, "You don't need to defile yourself. In the future, you should be more restrained and less reckless. It's good to be full of vigor and vitality when you are young, but you can't be like this in the future!"

Huo Xian was puzzled and asked, "Your Majesty, why did you send me out of the palace today? How can I leave the palace to seek revenge when everyone in Chang'an is watching me?"

Liu Che kept trying to calm himself down. A person of this character wanted to defile himself. He really couldn't figure out what this kid was thinking!

"I just want you to stay in the palace for a few days. It's too much of a show to leave the palace now, and it will take some time to seek revenge!" Liu Che said unhappily, "The people of the Huo family are really something. They are so narrow-minded. How can they accomplish great things?"

Huo Guang, who was caught in the crossfire, was also worried. He couldn't say anything about his elder brother's affairs. But his nephew's vindictive character really needed to be changed. This was not a good thing.

Although Huo Xian was depressed, he also felt that all this seemed to be natural and there was really no need for him to defile himself.

Self-defilement is a science and it is not something you can do casually, otherwise it will backfire.

Huo Xian feels at ease now. Although a person without long-term planning will have immediate worries, there is no need to worry too much about some things at the moment.

Now I'm still living steadily in the palace. No matter what the reason is, it's better to stay out of the spotlight for the time being. There shouldn't be any harm in that!
(End of this chapter)