Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 247 Be cautious
Shangguan An was carefully reporting on his work progress, etc. Huo Xian listened carefully and occasionally gave some suggestions.

Although Shangguan Anye is mature beyond his years, he has a good family background and certain knowledge, and can be considered a young talent.

But no matter what, he has experienced relatively little, and even his father can only be considered an important official now, so it is natural that he is unfamiliar with many things.

Even this time he was able to accompany the emperor, not because his father was Shangguan Jie, but because he was a guard. This was under the direct leadership of Huo Xian, and the tour was also arranged by Huo Xian.

I have to say that Huo Xian, the brother-in-law, is very supportive. If there is an opportunity, he will definitely be happy to promote his own people.

As for his habit, many people are well aware of it, and he has done this more than once or twice.

Some people say that he is "nepotistic", but most people probably say that the grapes are sour because they can't eat them.

There are not many people who can be promoted by Huo Xian. First of all, there are few people who can get his recognition, let alone being given some opportunities later.

Shangguan An did a good job. It was his first experience and his first time dealing with something, so he was relatively steady. His style was similar to that of Huo Guang, Shangguan Jie and others, that is, he was relatively steady and conservative.

This has one advantage, which is that it is unlikely to make mistakes. There is no need to pursue extraordinary achievements, etc. As long as there is Huo Xian as a backer, you can rise to a good position step by step.

The sensible Shangguan An reported his work carefully, received Huo Xian's affirmation and left happily. He became more and more energetic.

Although his brother-in-law is not very old, and Shangguan An does not expect to be as dazzling as Huo Shan, he is now at least considered a young talent and one of the increasingly prominent young people in Chang'an.

A stone tablet had been erected on the top of Mount Tai, and to the east of the foot of Mount Tai, there was an altar nine feet high and twelve feet in circumference. Everything seemed to be ready.

Huo Xian stood beside the target with a serious expression, "Your Majesty, if your hands tremble, I will be dead!"

"Asshole!" Liu Che was immediately furious. "If you really trust me, you should stand in front of the target. You hid ten feet away, and my archery skills are so bad?"

"Your Majesty, change the bow." Huo Xian said, "The bow is too hard and it's hard to pull it. If it doesn't work, I'll go shoot the cow."

These were extremely bold words, and Huo Guang, Jin Midi and others' hearts began to beat wildly after hearing them.

When the emperor or the princes offered sacrifices to heaven and earth or the ancestral temple, they had to personally shoot cattle, slaughter sheep, and kill pigs.

When the ceremony was more elaborate, the empress or the wife of a duke would have to pound the rice personally, which was also a way to express the importance and sincerity of the sacrifice.

Although sometimes there are people who do it for you, under normal circumstances, the emperor does it himself. After all, for such a grand sacrifice, unless the emperor is too young or too old, it is impossible for him to have someone do it for him.

Cattle, sheep, and pigs, this is Tailao, this is the sacrificial standard for the emperor and the princes.

In those sophisticated times, it was not enough to just prepare these three kinds of livestock. Where to raise them and how to sacrifice them were also very particular. What was important was a full sense of ritual.

Liu Che ignored the talkative Huo Shan, drew his bow, aimed carefully, and then released the string.

Shaking his head with some dissatisfaction, Liu Che said, "I am old after all. I can't even draw the bow. I am not as brave as I was in the past."

If it were anyone else, they would have flattered him at this time, but Huo Xian followed suit and said, "Your Majesty is indeed old. I still remember when I was a child learning archery, Your Majesty always laughed at me for using a soft and small bow."

"Why, is it your turn to laugh at me now?" Liu Che looked at the target that Huo Xian brought and said, "This is quite accurate, better than yours. What else can you do besides brute force?"

"How can I be said to be just brute force?" Huo Xian argued dissatisfiedly, "Your Majesty, I shot and killed the Xiongnu's eagle archer. My arrows can not only shoot far, but also shoot accurately!"

Liu Che smiled. Huo Shan's archery skills were only relatively good, far from being a sharpshooter. Liu Che knew this. But when it came to riding skills, there were few generals in the court who were better than Huo Shan.

Coupled with his great strength, he was able to wield his weapon with great power, which gave him more confidence when he was on the battlefield.

This is something you can't envy, because things like strength can only be acquired through practice, but are mostly innate.

Everyone was preparing for the upcoming Fengshan ceremony, including the emperor.

Of course, I am quite busy, and there are indeed many tedious things to do, but no matter what, I still need to prepare for what needs to be prepared. The most important affairs of a country are sacrifices and wars, and this is not just a casual remark.

After Liu Che finished practicing archery, he naturally went back to rest and needed to recover his physical strength. He was not particularly tired during this period, but he was a bit old after all, not to mention he was on a tour.

Not to mention that the emperor has been enjoying himself all these years, and his physical fitness has declined significantly.

We must be in the best condition to welcome the upcoming Fengshan ceremony. This was Liu Che's idea, and almost everyone else thought the same.

No one dared to take it lightly. If there was any impoliteness at such a grand moment as Fengshan, it would be a great sin. The requirements for officials in ordinary court ceremonies were high, let alone Fengshan.

Huo Xian was still a little worried, so he asked someone to go to Mount Tai to take a look again. There was no problem in doing more work, as long as no mistakes were made. This was the most fundamental thing.

Huo Guang found Huo Xian and said, "Xian'er, His Majesty's crown and robes are ready. How about you, how are your formal clothes prepared?"

"I don't have much else, but I have a lot of weapons and clothes." Huo Xian said with a smile, "There are several boxes of clothes in the back, I took them all with me when I went out."

Huo Guang felt relieved after hearing what Huo Xian said. "Then I'll go and show you. Is the matching jade ready?"

This is when artificial intelligence comes online. Huo Guang is really too meticulous and does things very carefully. His grasp of details is really beyond the reach of others.

"Uncle, just go and take a look, and help me choose when the time comes." Huo Xian simply said, "Uncle Liu and the others don't understand these things. Although my concubine is from the prince's mansion, she is a little petty."

Huo Guang took the responsibility. If he was in Chang'an, although he would also be concerned about Huo Shan's etiquette, details and other issues, there was no need to worry too much.

In slightly more formal occasions, the Queen or the General's Mansion would constantly send people to help with inspections, and even the Crown Prince would send people to help from time to time.

But now when he was out, although there were people around the emperor or some officials to help him, Huo Guang was worried. Whether it was the people around the emperor or some officials in the court, they might want to make Huo Xian laugh or lose his manners. If Huo Xian lost the emperor's trust, others would get a lot of resources at once.

After all, anyone with a discerning eye can see clearly that as long as the Marquis Huo Xian is around, His Majesty will only have eyes for him and will only think of him when it comes to good things. This is simply a channel for countless people to rise.

Huo Guang thought carefully before saying, "Your family's affairs should not be told, but your concubine should be careful. Don't get too close to Madam Xing. This is ridiculous!"

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment and asked in a low voice, "Did she go to talk to Madam Xing?"

"I often see them talking, most of the time it's Madam Xing who goes to look for her." Huo Xian said, "People from the Prince's Mansion should know the rules, but they forget themselves when they become rich and powerful, and they are less cautious."

Huo Xian looked at his uncle silently. His uncle could see other people very clearly, but he was completely clueless when it came to his own family.

In history, Huo Xian dared to poison the queen, and only the cautious Huo Guang knew about it after the incident. He didn't even know that his own children were arrogant and domineering. This is simply nonsense!

But there is no need to complain about Huo Guang now. Some things have not happened, and there is a high probability that they will never happen.

For example, my aunt doesn't dare to expect too much now. She just hopes that Huo Yu grows up healthy, so that her position will be more secure. By then, Huo Yu will have his cousin's care, and the position of Jiuqing should be no problem.

If you really give me a chance, you might have a chance to become a marquis.

Huo Xian had no hope of Huo Guang being granted a title of nobility, but he was still very confident in his nephew. Such a young Grand Marshal was rare. Among the three Grand Marshals of the Han Dynasty, two of them were in their early twenties and both had the surname Huo.

After Huo Guang left, Huo Xian said with a straight face, "Guard the door for a while and don't let anyone get close."

Liu Mo and Zhao Hexi immediately obeyed the order. Although one of them had lost his left hand and the other had lost his right arm, they still stood guarding the door with the sword in hand. The soldiers from other villages also scattered.

This is also the advantage of being at the foot of Mount Tai. In the past, the Mingtang was built for Fengshan. Although it is not as good as Jianzhang Palace, there is no need to cook tents.

Lin Mei accompanied him and asked carefully, "My Lord, am I going out?"

"You are my concubine, why are you so close to His Majesty's concubines?" Huo Xian asked directly, "What is my identity? Don't you know?"

Lin Mei immediately knelt down and apologized, "My Lord, please calm down! I know your identity and my own origins, but my wife often sends people to look for me, so I dare not be disrespectful!"

This was also what Lin Mei thought in her heart. Everyone knew the identity of the Champion Marquis, he was the nephew of the Queen. And Lin Mei herself was from the Prince's Mansion, so naturally she was instinctively oriented towards the Prince's Mansion.

But she had no choice now. Madam Xing was extremely favored and was the emperor's concubine. Lin Mei had no right to act pretentiously.

"What does she want to talk to you about?" Huo Xian continued to ask, "You two are also different in age, what can you say?"

This is unfair to Madam Xing. She is only about twenty-five or twenty-six. The current emperor of the Han Dynasty is still the same as before, only affectionate towards young and beautiful women.

Once his appearance has faded, he will decisively transfer his affection to another young and beautiful woman.

So if you really want to talk about it, Lin Mei and Mrs. Xing are of similar age.

Lin Mei told him everything, "They were all women's talk. They also occasionally mentioned that the prince had made great achievements over the years and was worried that his brothers at home would not be able to make progress despite their official positions."

Huo Xian suddenly had a headache. Anyone with a little status and resources was now trying to get people around him.

All of them believed that they could achieve great things by following the Marquis of Guanjun, and all of them also wanted their brothers, nephews, and nephews to follow them and be granted titles of nobility and appointed as generals.

Just look at some of the current marquises in the Han Dynasty and you will know. After Huo Xian went on three expeditions, the number of newly-appointed marquises exceeded ten!

This number is already very high, not to mention that the Nine Ministers and County Magistrates total more than thirty.

If you are young and have some ability, then follow the Marquis of Guanjun and get a chance to be promoted to a marquis or a general. Even if you are mediocre, it doesn't matter. If you follow the Marquis of Guanjun, you will definitely win the battle and get promoted.

Huo Xian then continued, "Her status is noble and special, so you should be more careful. I will stop you next time. Don't have any contact with anyone in the palace, whether it's the Queen's side or the Crown Prince's side, you are not allowed to have any contact!"

Lin Mei didn't dare to say anything more about this, and quickly replied, "I understand. I will be careful with my words and actions and will not associate with you."

Huo Xian didn't think that what he was doing was unnecessary. It was a very necessary thing to do. Some of the struggles or relationships among the upper echelons were too complicated.

I am having a headache now, and I am confused. Naturally, I don't want Lin Mei to get involved. If the Queen hadn't insisted on keeping Han Yunniang and Huo Wuyou in the Pepper Room, Huo Xian would have run away with his wife and children long ago.

It is true that Wei Zifu is Huo Shan’s great-aunt, but she is also the empress of the Han Dynasty. The identity of the empress comes first, and it is also the most special identity.

At this time, he should take care of the people around him. Forget about things like the lady's diplomacy. These factors are one of the reasons why Huo Xian doesn't want to get married.

Marrying a virtuous wife may help solve many problems, but if the wife is not virtuous, the huge family business may disappear in an instant.

In today's Han Dynasty, women have a huge influence on the political situation. Whether they are women from royal families or wives of relatives by marriage, many of them are not easy to deal with. It can even be said that they are ambitious and influence the direction of the Han Dynasty.

It’s better to be cautious. This is how Huo Xian handles things now. Especially since he feels that there may be great changes in the next few years, he needs to be more cautious.

After reminding Lin Mei and instructing Liu Mo and others, Huo Xian now needs to further reduce some risks. Reducing social interactions will only benefit him and not harm him.

A Marquis of Guanjun whose friends are all over the court, or a General of Cavalry whose students and former officials are all over the court, is not the Marquis of Guanjun that the emperor truly likes and trusts.

Even though Huo Xian seemed to have brought out some marquises and so on, everyone knew that those marquises had little relationship with him. If he got into trouble, people like Li Guangli would swarm in and add insult to injury.

A lone minister, whether it was Liu Che or Liu Ju, they all hoped that Huo Shan would be a lone minister.

(End of this chapter)