Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 26: Take heart
Wei Qing did not think there was anything wrong with Huo Shan not planning to train some followers for the crown prince in the Southern Army, and Wei Zifu could also fully understand it.

They also understood that Huo Xian was a close minister to the emperor, and even the emperor's number one confidant in the eyes of many people.

But they would not worry too much. Whether it was Huo Qubing or Huo Shan, their existence was a support for the prince in the court.

In the past few years, General Wei Qing and Grand Marshal Huo Qubing were one of the biggest trump cards of Crown Prince Liu Ju, and no one dared to have any ideas about the position of crown prince.

Wei Qing was not young anymore and had some health problems. So even though Huo Xian was less than fourteen years old, he was still considered by many to be one of the future arms of the crown prince.

"The Southern Army shouldn't go." Wei Qing thought about it carefully and said, "But if we go to the Northern Army, some people will definitely follow us."

Huo Xian was puzzled. "Uncle, although you have never coveted power and have not led troops out in recent years, is it possible that you have lost all your prestige in the Northern Army?"

The last time Wei Qing went on an expedition was the Battle of Mobei, and even after returning victorious, he was not rewarded with an additional fief. However, that was because Wei Qing's contribution was so great that Liu Che could only reward Wei Qing's sons with the title of Marquis.

But even so, Wei Qing's fiefdom had reached 20,000 households, which even the Marquis of Guanjun could not compare with.

Wei Qing naturally understood what Huo Xian meant, and was not angry. "Alright, let's discuss this matter later. The Crown Prince needs to make it clear, and His Majesty needs to make it clearer."

Wei Zifu was beaming with joy. In the past, Huo Qubing had been the first to take the lead and directly petitioned the emperor to enfeoff the adult princes. Although General Wei Qing did not appear to have made a direct appearance, he also made a lot of efforts and cheered for the emperor.

And now Huo Xian is thinking of ways to come up with ideas in order to continuously consolidate the prince's position and influence.

"I'll talk to my cousin, and my aunt too." Huo Xian said, "I'll talk to His Majesty, it's definitely okay. If I don't have any idea, I wouldn't dare to mention these things in front of my aunt."

Wei Qing looked at Huo Xian and was very pleased. "It would be great if Qubing could see you now! You still need to learn more about leading troops in battle. I don't worry about the affairs of the court."

"Uncle, please write a military strategy for me." Huo Xian took advantage of the situation, and being thick-skinned has its advantages. "Look at the people in the court now. I am the only one who will be a great general in the future! If you don't give me the military strategy, who will you give it to?"

Wei Qing and Wei Zifu were speechless for a moment. They really didn't know how to refute Huo Xian's shameless words.

Gongsun He, Gongsun Jingsheng, Zhao Po Nu, Lu Bode and others either lacked the ability or were not considered the emperor's confidants. It was no problem to be a general, but it was very difficult to be a general.

So now at a glance, we really hope that Huo Shan will become a great general when he grows up.

Wei Zifu said at this time, "There is a man called Li Yu over there who is quite brave."

Huo Xian immediately looked very unhappy, because Li Yu was the grandson of Li Guang, and his father was Li Gan, the Marquis of Guannei who had injured Wei Qing and was shot dead by Huo Qubing.

Some people think that Li Gan was avenging his father, and that it was General Wei Qing who caused his father to die with hatred, so it was only natural for him to directly injure Wei Qing.

Huo Qubing felt that he was right. It was reasonable for his officers to shoot them directly since they dared to injure the general of the imperial court because of rumors.

This is a confusing matter, and it is difficult to explain it clearly in a few words.

The Li family also hated Huo Qubing very much, and Li Guang never became a marquis in his entire life.

Li Gan was awarded the title of Guannei Hou for his meritorious service in fighting with Huo Qubing, which meant he was only one step away from becoming a marquis. However, he was shot to death, and the emperor even announced to the public that Li Gan was killed by a deer while hunting!

Seeing that Huo Xian was unhappy, Wei Qing quickly advised, "Li Yu's sisters are also members of the crown prince's family, so it's only natural."

The middle-class concubines were the concubines of the emperor and the crown prince without official status. Li Gan had a daughter who was Liu Ju's favorite concubine.

Huo Xian said in a muffled voice, "My cousin is the crown prince, so this is natural. It can't be just our Wei and Huo families. I also know that Li Yu, he is brave but greedy for money."

Wei Zifu said quickly, "Xian'er, your uncle is also sensible. Li Yu is just a close official, and you have seen that your uncle has not cultivated this man over the years. Besides, he is a man from Longxi after all."

Huo Shan did not hide his thoughts, "Of course I know all this. I never said much about my cousin employing this man. But if Li Yu dares to show his teeth to my Wei and Huo family, I will punish him even if I don't kill him!" Wei Qing and Wei Zifu looked at each other. They didn't think Huo Shan was saying harsh words. They knew that Huo Shan was definitely capable of doing such a thing.

There is definitely some concern, because Huo Xian and Huo Qubing are exactly the same in some things, and it is no exaggeration to say that they are vindictive.

However, they were also relieved that Huo Xian was sensible and had a clear understanding of some things, worthy of being someone who grew up by the emperor's side.

Huo Xian certainly understood some things. The emperor relied on Wei Huo in some matters, but he definitely did not want to see Wei Huo dominate the court. So Liu Che consciously suppressed Wei Qing a few years ago.

There is nothing wrong with Liu Ju doing this. His biggest support in the court is Wei Huo, but it definitely does not mean that he is Wei Huo's crown prince. He is the crown prince of the Liu family, so there must be checks and balances.

Wei Zifu didn't intend to say more about some things, so she suggested, "I'll have someone go and check. If the prince is okay, ask him to come over."

Wei Qing stood up and said, "Your Highness, I will take my leave."

Wei Zifu wanted to keep him, but then she understood. Wei Qing was a general after all, and it was not appropriate for him to have too much contact with the prince, so he had to avoid suspicion.

Huo Xian was still careless. He was sitting cross-legged, which was different from kneeling according to etiquette. He would be defined as ignorant of etiquette in formal occasions.

When Crown Prince Liu Ju arrived, Huo Xian was already lying on the floor, eating raisins with relish.

"Xian'er, you said you hunted two deer, but you didn't say you gave me a piece of venison." Liu Ju pretended to be angry and said jokingly, "You gave it to the emperor and the general, but I had to send people there. There was no benefit at all?"

Huo Xian stood up and bowed, "Don't blame me for this. Two deer are not enough to eat. How many people do I need to go out with? There are already a dozen young men with big appetites, and there are five or six strong men in my house. My uncle sent a dozen people, and my cousin also sent more than ten people. No matter how many people there are, there is not enough meat to eat!"

Liu Ju continued to complain, "That's not right. You should at least give me a piece of meat."

Although Wei Zifu was happy to see Liu Ju and Huo Shan joking, she wanted to get down to business now. "Shan'er wants to promote your disciple Tan Jie to the Northern Army. What do you think?"

Liu Ju thought about it carefully and said, "Isn't it possible that my father wouldn't allow it?"

Liu Ju had no soldiers and horses, and historically he only had retainers when he started his army. The source of weapons was Wei Zifu's order to open the armory, mobilize the guards of Changle Palace, and release the prisoners in prison and forcibly arm tens of thousands of people in Chang'an.

As for the transfer of orders to soldiers, no general would obey even if it was a false imperial decree.

Military power was Liu Ju's weakness, and he himself was aware of it.

Huo Xian said, "Then you have to make it clear to Tan Jie that you can join the Northern Army for training. But you cannot be a lieutenant, you cannot form a clique, and you are not allowed to contact other military schools. You can only walk in the army and train with your superiors."

Liu Ju immediately said, "I understand. If this is really accomplished, I will treat Shan'er to a drink!"

"Also, if they have old ties with the Wei and Huo families, they shouldn't get close to them." Huo Xian continued, "Your Majesty or the general will naturally decide which camp they will join. Just serve with peace of mind. If there is a war in a few years, they will have to join the army."

Wei Zifu was very happy and said to Liu Chuan earnestly, "When your cousin was here, he was not afraid of offending other clan members or angering His Majesty, because he wanted to protect you. Now Shan'er is so young, and he always thinks of you. If you have any conscience, you must not let Shan'er down."

Huo Xian spoke first, "My cousin has always protected me, so how can he not be disappointed? If my aunt really wants to protect me, she can go and plead for me. I have my eyes on Shanglinyuan and plan to build a house there."

Wei Zifu and Liu Ju were shocked. They were reluctant to see Huo Xian move out of Weiyang Palace. But this guy thought Chang'an was too close and wanted to build a house in Shanglinyuan.

Shanglinyuan is a royal garden. The emperor planned to build a palace complex there, so the scenery goes without saying.

The emperor was not unwilling to let Huo Xian build a house, but this kid clearly wanted to hunt in Shanglin Garden, which was a bit too much for fun!
This little spy has to be caught in the hand and kept in front of you, otherwise once he runs out, he will become wild and just want to play.

Wei Zifu and Liu Ju looked at each other and decided to find a way to make Huo Shan calm down!
(End of this chapter)