Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 237 Absurd Past
"Is that what I taught you?" Liu Che was so disappointed that he waved his whip and scolded, "You claim to be skilled in archery and horse riding, but you can't even drive a carriage!"

Huo Xian tried hard to hold the reins with a serious expression. After a moment, he seized the opportunity to speak, "Riding a horse and driving a car are two different things. I didn't know that a carriage was so difficult to control!"

Liu Che once again found the right opportunity and drove the white horse next to him, "Did you see that? This horse is lazy, it should be whipped!"

In an instant, Huo Xian felt that the carriage had stabilized, and the six horses were pulling in one direction. "Your Majesty, please help by whipping them a few more times. It will definitely not go faster!"

Huo Xian knew how to drive, and he had trained intensively before. But he couldn't use the space in the palace, and the speed was relatively slow, so he thought there was no problem.

But now, except for Chang'an City, even if these so-called roads are relatively flat, they are still a little worse than those in the palace. If you run at the same speed, it is indeed easy to go off the track and a little bit off the straight line.

Liu Che, who is nearly 60 years old, is still as wild as a young man, waving his whip with a smile. He has always been a flamboyant and confident person, and does not like to follow the rules. He will not always seek stability, and enjoys excitement!

Huo Xian was driving loudly, and the emperor was whipping the car to make it go faster. The two of them were having a lot of fun.

But the attendants, guards, and others nearby were all terrified, fearing that something unexpected might have happened.

There are so many things to worry about, such as worrying about a wild beast suddenly jumping out from the road ahead and scaring the horse, worrying about the champion's poor driving skills causing the car to overturn, worrying about stones on the road hitting the wheels and causing bumps, etc.

After driving for about half an hour, Huo Xian was happy, "Your Majesty, I said I'm good at driving! I've been the commander of the imperial carriage for fifteen years, how can I not do these things well?"

Liu Che wiped his sweat and said with a smile, "Let's change our clothes and go into the city. We have been in Chang'an for so long that we may not remember what life is like in the countryside."

Liu Che was not unfamiliar with incognito visits, but he had not done so for a long time.

When Liu Che had just ascended the throne, power was still in the hands of Empress Dowager Dou Yifang. At that time, Liu Che often called himself "Marquis of Pingyang" and traveled incognito in Guanzhong, hunting, riding horses, beating county magistrates, etc., which caused a lot of trouble.

It is said that the Qimenlang who was accompanying him was once detained and he was almost killed as a group of bandits.

Who hasn't done some ridiculous things when they were young? Liu Che did quite a few ridiculous things when he was young, and incognito visits was just one of them.

This happened almost forty years ago. When he was seventeen or eighteen years old, Liu Che had done something ridiculous, but he hadn't done it for many years. However, he didn't go on incognito visits, not that he didn't go out.

Huo Xian immediately asked, "Your Majesty, are we just going to leave like this? I'm afraid that's not possible. If others find out, they will impeach me again!"

Liu Che said confidently, "Many people have already patrolled along the way, so there won't be many bad guys. You are a general, invincible on the battlefield, but you can't protect my safety?"

Huo Xian also thought it made sense. This time when the emperor went on tour, the vanguard troops must have inspected the surrounding towns, so there wouldn't be too many security risks. Of course, if they really went on a secret tour, they might get into danger.

"Then I have to bring some people." Huo Xian asked, "Your Majesty is a marquis, but now think about it, the age of Pingyang Marquis and Your Majesty does not match."

Liu Che was still very happy. Although Huo Qubing and Huo Shan might not have experienced some of his past events, he talked a lot about them.

Now the situation is that if the emperor has a little idea, Huo Xian can immediately understand it and think of some of the emperor's past experiences. For older people, they like to reminisce about the past.

Liu Che looked at Huo Xian and said, "Marquis Pingyang is not suitable for the age. Please think about which family is suitable for me now."

In the past, Liu Che pretended to be Marquis of Pingyang. He was actually pretending to be his brother-in-law, Princess Pingyang’s first husband, Marquis of Pingyang Cao Shou, who was also Cao Xiang’s father and Cao Zong’s grandfather.

But Huo Xian thought about it carefully and felt that it was still not appropriate. The main reason was that to pretend to be a marquis, one had to be related to the emperor. None of his brothers-in-law were suitable.

Princess Pingyang married Wei Qing on her third marriage. Cao Shou died early. Her second husband, Xiahou Po, the great-grandson of Xiahou Ying, committed suicide after committing adultery with his father's concubine.

The second sister, Princess Nangong, first married Zhang Zuo, Marquis of Xuanping, but he also died young. She then married Zhang Zuoshen, Marquis of Zhang, for the second time, but he was disrespectful and his title was stripped.

The third sister, Princess Longli, married Longli Marquis Chen Jiao. As a result, her husband was killed for committing adultery during the mourning period for his elders. Her son lawlessly killed his mother's nanny and was also killed.

After all this, the only brother-in-law of Liu Che who is still alive is Wei Qing, and he has not committed any crime. However, the reputation of Marquis Changping is too great to be suitable for impersonation.

Huo Xian thought about it carefully and said, "Your Majesty, just say it's Marquis Pingyang. How many people out there know how old Marquis Pingyang is now? I'll call Cao Zong later. If we really have to detain someone, just detain him."

Liu Che thought about it and it made sense. "Yes, how would ordinary people know who the marquis of Chang'an is now? Marquis of Changping is not suitable, and Marquis of Guanjun's age doesn't match, so it can only be Marquis of Pingyang."

Liu Che was too lazy to pretend to be someone he had no blood relationship with. But none of his relatives were easy to take care of, and he felt it was an insult to his status to pretend to be one of them.

Huo Xian continued, "Your Majesty, I will be equipped with a sword when the time comes. If I really encounter a ranger, I will have to show Your Majesty the killing skills I have learned on the battlefield. Those are somewhat different from ordinary fighting techniques."

How could Liu Che not understand these principles? The Han Dynasty now advocated martial arts, and the so-called literati were all equipped with swords. Their swordsmanship was more of a fighting technique, which was somewhat different from the technique of killing enemies on the battlefield.

Huo Guang and others were terrified when they heard this. When His Majesty was in Chang'an, he could not sit still and always wanted to go out for a walk.

Many times, enjoying life well was enough to calm the emperor's restless heart temporarily. But now that he had left Chang'an, His Majesty began to let himself go, and no one could restrain him.

What's even more terrible is that the person beside the emperor is the fearless Marquis Guanjun, who is also a man who is afraid of chaos in the world. If the emperor wants to be willful, the Marquis Guanjun will definitely be there to fan the flames and give advice.

"Then go and select a few people, don't give them to your followers." Liu Che said with a smile, "Your followers are not good enough, they look like they came from the battlefield, they are missing arms and legs, it's not good looking."

Chen Ju did not follow this time, and continued to recuperate in Chang'an. Feng Xu could not follow either, as he was in poor health and had no legs.

But Zhao Hexi and Liu Mo had to follow, bringing a group of young men from the village. As a soldier, they were to protect Huo Xian, and at the same time, they were to follow the army for some experience. In the future, these people would basically join the army. Huo Xian immediately said confidently, "Your Majesty, don't worry. The people I picked must look capable and powerful. People dare not underestimate them, but they will definitely not be people who have come from the battlefield."

After saying this, Huo Xian said to a young eunuch beside him, "What are you waiting for? Go find some clothes! Hey, go tell my concubine to send me some clothes to wear everyday."

Huo Guang and others wanted to persuade them, but Huo Xian continued to give orders, "Send someone to tell Guanglu Xun to slow down the rear army. Let Pingyang Hou come over in half an hour and set up camp outside the city tonight."

Liu Che was very happy. "Qu Bing was born a little late. It would have been great if I had met him when I was young. It's not too late now. I'll take you for a walk!"

The emperor had not made an incognito visit for nearly forty years, and thinking about it now, he still felt a little impatient.

Although I have decided to go on a secret visit, I can't leave immediately. I definitely need to make some preparations and make more thorough arrangements.

Even though Huo Xian was noisily supporting the emperor's incognito tour, he knew in his heart that the emperor's safety was of utmost importance, and no accidents could happen.

Therefore, this matter must be carefully planned, and no rash actions should be taken. There is no way to rush it, and Huo Xian and others are very clear about this.

When the emperor was on a tour, sometimes it seemed that he had to endure no hardship. After all, he would inevitably have to sleep in the wilderness, and his treatment was definitely much worse than that in the palace.

But the emperor and others didn't need to worry, even if they had to sleep in the wilderness, they would still be well protected. On the other hand, the treatment of ordinary soldiers and attendants was much worse.

Cao Zong looked at the bonfire in front of him, roasting mutton in silence, while Huo Xian lay on the mat next to him. Sometimes he wanted to roll up the mat and throw it away, because it was really annoying to compare yourself with others.

"Ah, you really don't want to eat?" Cao Zong said helplessly, "If you really become thin from hunger, His Majesty will scold me."

"No, it's not to my taste. I'll wait a little longer." Huo Xian turned over lazily and said, "You don't have to leave too early tomorrow. You can leave after His Majesty wakes up."

Cao Zong did not ask when the emperor would get up, as no one could predict it. He would just wait until the emperor got up and someone would report it. He would have enough time to wait until His Majesty had washed up and finished his meal.

"I heard that His Majesty wanted to visit incognito, and you are still fanning the flames?" Looking at the tent not far away, Cao Zong complained, "You should advise him. Guanzhong is not peaceful now."

Huo Xian was delighted. "When His Majesty goes out as the Marquis of Pingyang, you have to follow him. Bring your marquis seal with you. If anything really happens, you have to take charge!"

This time Cao Zong was even more speechless. Not only did he want to go along, it seemed he also had to be prepared to take the blame.

Not many people knew that the emperor was planning to go on a secret visit, so some information was naturally kept very confidential.

Cao Zong suddenly asked, "If your majesty really leaves as the Marquis of Pingyang, what are our identities?"

Cao Zong did not ask about the issue of his identity being exposed. After all, such identities still have some use and are not so easy to be exposed. After all, not everyone knows the power structure of Chang'an.

"Grandson, what can we two be?" Huo Xian said unhappily, "You are lucky, your grandson has become your biological grandson."

Cao Zong wanted to complain even more, "He is a grandson after all, and maybe he will come along as a grandson. But you, what kind of grandson are you? You are not even a grandson, you are really lucky to have this trip!"

Hearing what Cao Zong said, Huo Shan couldn't help but laugh. The actual situation was indeed like this. He was a relative by marriage, not a member of the royal family.

Liu Che changed into comfortable clothes and walked out of the tent with Madam Xing. "While I was changing clothes, I heard you talking. What were you talking about?"

Huo Xian, who was used to being the first to complain, immediately opened his mouth and started to slander, "He doesn't want to follow us, for fear that we will damage the reputation of his Pingyang Marquis. I said that the Pingyang Marquis was given by His Majesty, and he should be grateful!"

"The title of Marquis of Pingyang was given by Emperor Gao, and was earned by Prime Minister Cao through his great contributions!" Liu Che pointed at Huo Xian and said, "No wonder people outside say you are a sycophantic minister. Do you blush when you lie?"

"Those people are jealous of me, so they slandered me in front of your majesty." Huo Xian sat up and said to Liu Che, "Your Majesty, I will catch some birds and roast them for you later?"

Liu Che said with some regret, "It's still a little early now. Let's go hunting when it's really warm."

Seeing how easily and harmoniously Huo Shan and the emperor got along, Cao Zong must have been very envious. He couldn't do that and couldn't let go in front of His Majesty.

He was just a grandson. Although he was quite favored by the emperor, everyone knew that the emperor was not particularly close to his own grandsons, let alone his grandson.

The princes and grandchildren envied the Huo father and son, and even Huo Wuyou envied them, because that was what the emperor had always liked.

"You will definitely not be used to eating meat roasted like this." Liu Che said helplessly, "I was afraid that you would be picky in my early years, but I didn't know that it would be useless. You two are the only generals who are so picky."

Huo Xian lay down on the mat after hearing this. When they were together in private, they didn't have to worry about their image or the emperor's blame. When the emperor favored someone, he didn't care about etiquette at all.

After kicking Huo Xian, Liu Che said in disgust, "I came over here, and you didn't even know to move aside."

Huo Xian rolled around and then said, "Your Majesty, why don't you get up later tomorrow morning? I guess many soldiers are tired after the day, so it would be good to take a break."

Liu Che smiled and nodded. No matter how dissolute and troublesome Huo Shan was, he still knew how to cherish his soldiers most of the time.

"That's true. Although we didn't walk much today, we were tired from walking and stopping all the time." Liu Che smiled and nodded, "Okay, the army will set out half an hour later. You can make arrangements by then."

Huo Xian was immediately happy. In this way, the large army could indeed be much more relaxed.

(End of this chapter)