Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Huo Xian saw Huo Wuyou again after not seeing him for half a year. The little guy was white and chubby, very cute, and indeed very active.

Huo Wuyou stared at his biological father with his big round eyes wide open, he really didn't recognize him. Fortunately, he was not shy, so he just accepted the hug without crying.

"These eyes look like mine!" Huo Xian smiled happily and said with some boasting, "Aunt, look how long Wuyou's eyelashes are, just like mine!"

Wei Zifu smiled and said, "You all have big, bright eyes, but Wuyou is a little better than you. His eyes are more beautiful, and your eyelashes are not that long."

Huo Xian weighed the child and was very happy. "If I say take the child back now, you will definitely not be happy."

"You know I don't want to, so don't say anything." Wei Zifu said bluntly, "Wuyou is less than a year old and can't walk, so don't even think about taking him back. You don't have any skilled people in your house, so you can't take care of him."

Huo Xian said unconvincedly, "Yunniang is very meticulous. Besides, I can also buy some reliable people."

"No matter how reliable they are, can they be as reliable as the people here?" Wei Zifu's words left people speechless. "Wait until the child grows up a little bit, Yunniang will also learn how to take care of the child, and she can help you again in the future."

Wei Zifu's meaning was actually very clear. She really didn't trust some people in Huo Shan's mansion.

When it comes to guarding the house, the people in the Marquis of Guanjun's Mansion are worth five each. But when it comes to taking care of people, not even five of them can necessarily take good care of a child.

She can help take care of Huo Wuyou now, but if Huo Shan has children in the future, Wei Zifu will no longer help take care of them.

Huo Xian smiled and said, "I understand. I don't believe that Chang'an can't find a reliable person to take care of the child. Aunt, there are some reliable people in my house. You know the cook in my house, she knows how to take care of children."

Wei Zifu smiled. She also knew Jiang Yu and Jiang Xiaoniang, mother and daughter. They were very famous among the powerful class in Chang'an and were the first cooks who mastered cooking.

Even now, Jiang Yu is often on "business trips", either in the palace, the general's mansion, or the prime minister's mansion. She only returns to the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion when Huo Xian returns to Chang'an.

Her status is very high, she can be regarded as the "head chef", and the chefs of powerful families have to improve their cooking skills under her guidance.

Han Yunniang smiled and said to Huo Xian, "The last time I went back to the mansion and saw Chen Wan, she became even more naughty. Sanlang and I didn't take good care of her, and she was also spoiled by Uncle Chen, so Chen Wan became even more naughty."

Huo Xian thought about it and felt that it made sense, "That child is brave, he will definitely be better than Sanlang. The most regrettable thing for Uncle Chen is that none of Sanlang and his friends are capable of fighting, so he is counting on Chen Wan to follow Wuyou when he grows up."

Han Yunniang was happy and said with emotion, "Last time Feng Dan was conferred the title, Uncle Feng even came to the palace to express his gratitude."

Wei Zifu also said with emotion, "Those soldiers in your house are reliable. They followed your grandfather to fight in the war. I felt sorry that Feng Xu lost his legs, but I didn't know that his son is the most promising now."

"Zhao Congxiao and the others are reliable, but they just lack some luck." Huo Xian said with a smile, "If I can't lead them out, I can still follow Wuyou in the future. My Wuyou will definitely become a great Sima in the future."

Wei Zifu said jokingly, "When Your Majesty returned to the capital, I vaguely saw Your Majesty wearing the Grand Marshal's Seal?"

Huo Xian was speechless and could only continue to tease his son. He felt insecure without the seal of the Grand Marshal.

Seeing Huo Wuyou was about to cry, Han Yunniang took the child and said that the Crown Prince would be here soon. Even though her status had been raised and she was quite loved by Wei Zifu, she still had to be sensible.

Seeing Han Yunniang leave, Huo Xian smiled and said, "My aunt is really good. She has taught me so many rules now."

"No matter how many rules there are, they are useless. When you are around for a while, the rules will be forgotten." Wei Zifu said jokingly, "It doesn't matter if you are nice to your subordinates. You should treat them well, but you must also remember to use both kindness and severity."

Huo Xian asked with a smile, "Aunt, before I went on tour, I hosted a banquet for Aong's old tribesmen. I was not in Chang'an during this period. What do these people think?"

Wei Zifu smiled and said, "Not bad. Now that you are in charge, their minds are simple."

Huo Xian was not surprised by this. When he was young, some of Huo Qubing's former subordinates seemed to be disloyal and wanted to find a new way out.

However, as Huo Xian continued to make great achievements, these people would naturally become enthusiastic. They would think about their past friendship and so on, and would feel that they still had a chance to make great achievements again.

These are all human nature. People go to higher places and water flows to lower places. There is nothing wrong with it. As long as you don't backstab your former benefactors, as long as you don't add insult to injury, there is nothing wrong with it.

Huo Xian asked again, "I was away on a tour, so the reward was left out. It must be an increase in my fiefdom, right?"

"You have made great contributions in the expedition to the Western Regions, and you have been granted several titles of marquis in one go. How can I not give you more food and land?" Wei Zifu said with a smile, "I was originally planning to give you the title of Wuyou Marquis, but after thinking about it, I decided not to."

There was nothing wrong with having more fiefs, they could just find a reason to reduce them, the emperor and others did not feel any pressure at all. After all, Huo Xian was not like Wei Qing, and this kid had a lot of faults.

Therefore, if he wanted to control Huo Xian's fief, it was a stress-free thing. He didn't need to think about self-defilement, he just needed to continue to maintain his nature. He was not an impeccable minister.

Huo Xian asked curiously, "Li Guangli and Li Ling, what are the arrangements now?"

Wei Zifu asked curiously, "Didn't you arrange this before you went on tour? Li Ling continues to garrison in the northwest, and Li Guangli returned to Chang'an to report on his work. He said that he would soon lead his troops north."

Huo Xian was immediately relieved. "It's true that I arranged it this way, but I haven't been in Chang'an for half a year. Who knows if there will be any changes?"

"The general doesn't know how to make arrangements?" Wei Zifu complained with a smile, "You are capable and talented, so others are not as good as you?"

Although Huo Xian was embarrassed, she quickly explained, "Aunt, everyone knows my uncle's abilities. How dare I compare myself with him? I never object to anything my uncle arranges. If there is anything I don't understand, I will just follow his instructions."

Hearing what Huo Xian said, Wei Zifu also smiled and nodded. She knew that Huo Xian was not exaggerating. Everyone knew the ability of General Wei Qing, and he must be safe in arranging military affairs.

Just like Huo Xian said, even if there are some confusions, just do as you are told and then ask immediately afterwards.

Wei Zifu also became serious and said, "Many people are under pressure in preparing for war this time. There is not enough food and money, and not enough soldiers. I am afraid it will be difficult for the court to fight another big war now."

Huo Xian was silent for a moment before saying, "Aunt, the court can afford it. If it really can't afford it, my uncle would have told me long ago. If that were the case, I wouldn't have spoken to His Majesty about it."

This was Huo Xian's true feelings. He really didn't think that the Han Dynasty was at the end of its rope. Compared with the same period in history, the 20,000 elite cavalry led by Zhao Po Nu were not completely annihilated.

Although the expedition to Dayuan was carried out twice, the gains were greater and the losses were smaller.

Li Ling did not suffer a defeat at Junji Mountain, and the Han Dynasty did not lose more than 5,000 infantrymen.

The Han Dynasty suffered relatively smaller losses, but the Xiongnu's losses were obviously greater.

When Zuo Xian Wang was captured, tens of thousands of troops were also killed. You Xian Wang's original sphere of influence was the Tianshan area, and even included the Xiongnu, but now the Western Regions are basically controlled by the Han Dynasty.

This is a case of one thing gaining while the other loses. If the Han Dynasty wanted to fight the Huns, Huo Xian really didn't think it would be difficult to organize a large-scale war of 100,000 troops. Even a miserable victory would be acceptable.

But the same cannot be said for the Huns. Even if they won a miserable victory, this regime, which was already in a turbulent period, would become even more precarious, and might even be the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The vitality that they had finally recovered had been shattered by Wei Qing and Huo Xian, and they were back to the days before liberation. The loss of their traditional sphere of influence in the Western Regions had further frustrated their power, and the Xiongnu were now very weak.

This is also the reason why Liu Che and Huo Shan wanted to rush to fight the Huns. They really couldn't give the Huns a chance to catch their breath again.

The Han Dynasty needs to bear the pressure, but it can withstand it. If the Xiongnu continue to bear such high-intensity pressure, they may even collapse from the inside without the need for the Han Dynasty to send troops.

Liu Ju arrived at the Jiaofang Palace and asked after seeing Huo Xian, "Have you seen Wuyou?"

"I just held him for a while and found him quite fun. Chubby babies are interesting." Huo Xian said with a smile, "I think he's better than when Jin'er was a child. Jin'er wasn't this chubby when he was a child."

Liu Ju looked like he had a headache and was speechless. He then said, "When you can remember, Jin'er was already a child, so naturally he couldn't be chubby. Just wait and see. When Wuyou grows up, he won't be as chubby as he is now."

Huo Xian knew the principle of milk fat, but it was because his "personality" was such that people thought he had no common sense. He was not the kind of person who could take care of a child.

To be honest, Huo Xian really didn't know how to take care of a child. She had no experience in this, let alone a baby.

Liu Ju wanted to explain to Huo Xian about taking care of the child, but Wei Zifu was too lazy to say anything. Talking to Huo Xian about this would be a waste of words, and it would be better not to say anything.

After a brief chat about family matters, it was natural for them to talk about some serious matters. After all, Huo Xian had been away from Beijing for half a year, and there were some things that everyone still needed to touch upon.

Liu Ju looked at Huo Xian and asked seriously, "Did everything go smoothly on this tour?"

"Uncle, don't worry. Everything has gone smoothly along the way." Huo Xian said with a smile, "I arranged everything. Your Majesty also thinks it's good. Everyone is happy."

This was said in a rather subtle way, but in fact everyone understood it very well. They were not only concerned about whether the tour went smoothly or not, but also about the emperor's situation, Huo Shan's status, and so on.

Huo Xian had been running between the emperor and the empress since he was a child. He was almost an open mouthpiece, and both the emperor and the empress tacitly acknowledged his identity.

As for what kind of words can be said and what kind of words cannot be said, Huo Xian has known it clearly since he was a child. This is why he, as a mouthpiece, is still valued in front of the emperor and the empress.

Huo Xian looked at Liu Ju and suddenly asked, "Uncle, I have been away from home for a long time in recent years, so I may not know some things. Have you ever offended anyone?"

Liu Ju was stunned for a moment, then quickly asked, "Xian'er, did you hear anything?"

Even Wei Zifu became nervous, because Huo Xian would never talk nonsense about important matters. He must have heard something or discovered something.

Huo Xian smiled and then asked, "How often does my cousin see His Majesty? Or is it difficult for my cousin to see His Majesty?"

This is a very important matter. The witchcraft disaster that happened in history was because the son did not know the father and the father did not know the son. It was difficult for Liu Ju to even see the emperor, so he was framed by a group of scoundrels.

Of course, the reason why Liu Ju was framed in history was because Wei Huo and Gongsun He had fallen from power and lost some support from the foreign relatives, which was why many villains dared to frame the prince unscrupulously.

Liu Ju thought about it carefully and said, "If Your Majesty is in Chang'an, I can see Your Majesty about once or twice a month. Every time I ask for an audience, I will generally be summoned."

Huo Xian breathed a sigh of relief and asked again, "Uncle, do you only go to see His Majesty when you have something important to do?"

Liu Ju understood what Huo Xian meant and explained helplessly, "If it were an ordinary matter, Your Majesty would not have summoned me, even if I asked for an audience."

Huo Xian was speechless. Liu Ju could not be blamed for these things. The prince certainly wanted to have a good relationship with the emperor, but the emperor did not seem to care that much about the father-son relationship.

Huo Xian scratched his face and said, "Your Majesty seems to be somewhat dissatisfied with your uncle, but I don't think it's a big problem. I just think that someone must have spread rumors behind your Majesty's back, and it was a close minister."

Liu Ju and Wei Zifu immediately showed solemn expressions. They believed in Huo Xian's judgment and understood that this was the biggest problem.

The son is not like the father, this has always been Liu Ju's "original sin", and this is also Liu Che's biggest dissatisfaction with the prince.

Wei Zifu asked with concern, "Xian'er, do you know who spread the slander?"

"If I knew, that person would have been killed long ago." Huo Xian said bluntly, "I think it's not the Minister of the Court, but most likely some eunuchs. Uncle, you have to pay attention to this matter."

Liu Ju gnashed his teeth and cursed in a low voice, "These eunuchs are really hateful!"

It was indeed very hateful, but these people were also around Liu Che, and even Huo Xian couldn't check them out carefully, and he didn't even dare to start an open investigation directly.

Wei Zifu thought about it carefully and said, "Prince, you should pay attention to these things. Those people are incapable of accomplishing anything, but it is easy for them to harm you. Don't provoke them."

Although he felt aggrieved, Liu Ju could only nod his head. It was really difficult to offend those eunuchs now.

Huo Xian immediately said, "Don't worry, aunt and cousin, I will pay attention. If anyone spreads slander, I will find a way to kill him directly!" (End of this chapter)