Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 66 Family Matters
Some of the aftermath of the court's great victory over the Xiongnu still existed, and the reputation of Champion Marquis Huo Xian was also rising sharply.

Huo Xian is the most dazzling noble in Chang'an City. In the past, he was only famous because of his family background, but now he has military merits, so no one dares to look down on him.

Those who wanted to join the army were like crucian carp crossing the river. The Han Dynasty was a martial dynasty that valued military achievements. Following Huo Shan would allow one to achieve great things, which naturally made many ambitious people want to join the army.

It’s a pity that it’s never easy to meet this champion marquis.

The Marquis of Guanjun was arrogant and flamboyant, but he did not support scholars. Other powerful people would treat scholars with respect and accept many guests for the sake of their reputation, but the gate of the Marquis of Guanjun’s mansion was inaccessible to ordinary people.

After leaving the court, Huo Guang hurried to the Guanjun Marquis's residence. Xian'er had been back for five days and had been living in the palace before. He only took a quick look and didn't have time to say anything. Huo Guang had to rush over since she had just been allowed to leave the palace.

As soon as he arrived at the gate of Marquis Guanjun's Mansion, he saw countless young men, teenagers, and even some people who looked like scholars trying to submit visiting cards.

"My Guanjun Marquis Mansion is so prestigious!" Chen Ju said in a loud and arrogant voice, "How can we accept such a naughty boy? No, no!"

A young man was very sad and angry. He was also proud of his bravery in the countryside, but now he couldn't even enter the door of the Marquis Guanjun's mansion.

Huo Guang frowned and squeezed into the crowd, "Chen Ju, I have something to tell you."

Although he didn't like Huo Guang, Chen Ju didn't want to be too rude.

After entering the mansion, Huo Guang said, "Chen Ju, you are my brother's confidant and Shan'er's confidant, so I shouldn't have said anything. But you are so domineering, do you want Shan'er to keep his reputation?"

"Doctor Huo!" Chen Ju also complained bitterly, "This is all the Lord's intention. We also want the Lord to accept a few retainers, but the Lord just doesn't support scholars!"

This is the truth. Chen Ju and others still hold the mainstream thinking of that era, which is to keep some retainers, which would also help Huo Shan's reputation.

But whether it was Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, or now Huo Shan, they were all the same, they just didn't like to keep retainers.

Even the prince had some retainers, and Huo Xian had been nagging and advising Liu Ju to keep fewer retainers.

"Then you should also be careful not to be too rude." Huo Guang could only say, "Even if you want to refuse, you can speak politely."

Chen Ju was even more speechless. "Those people are jealous of your great achievements. Who can leave without a proper discussion? If it weren't for your order, I would have driven them away long ago!"

Huo Guang was helpless, because there were too many people who wanted to join Huo Shan. It was really difficult to drive everyone away with kind words, and those who dared to join him also thought they were talented.

Chen Ju continued to drive away those who wanted to join him, while Huo Guang walked towards the main hall on his own. Even if no one received him, it would not be considered impolite.

As soon as he arrived at the main hall door, Huo Guang's face was full of smiles.

"Hey, that's right!" Huo Xian lazily lay on the couch and said with a smile, "I'm used to handling swords and guns and don't like writing. You can help me share my worries."

Han Yunniang pursed her lips and said softly, "Your Excellency is a man of both civil and military talents. I have heard a lot about you in the palace."

Huo Xian immediately became happy, pinching Han Yunniang's chin and saying, "No wonder you were willing to follow me out of the palace, it turns out you've already fallen in love with me!"

Han Yunniang's pretty face flushed. This champion marquis was sometimes very frivolous. But it was not difficult to get along with him. He would not lose his temper for no reason, and sometimes he did not care about the hierarchy.

Huo Guang couldn't bear it anymore and coughed a few times.

Huo Xian stood up immediately, and Han Yunniang also stood up quickly.

Seeing Huo Guang, Huo Xian hurriedly greeted him, "Uncle, when did you get here?"

Huo Guang looked at Huo Shan with great satisfaction and said, "Shan'er, you have been fighting outside and have worked hard. You should rest well."

"I didn't even go to the court meeting, so I'm naturally recuperating." Huo Xian said with a smile, "Your Majesty has allowed me to rest for ten days, and my uncle knows about it."

Looking at Han Yunniang standing aside and bowing obediently, Huo Guang asked, "Is this a gift from the Queen?"

Seeing Huo Xian nod, Huo Guang asked again, "I remember there were a few maids in your house, why don't you see them?"

"Many of my men are still unmarried, or some of the farmers have not yet married." Huo Xian said, "If they like each other, let them get married."

Huo Guang did not think this was a bad thing. Matching one's social status was very important. The maids in the Marquis of Guanjun's mansion were all from the imperial palace or the rich and powerful families. Ordinary girls from good families could not get in touch with them.

Not to mention ordinary maids, even giving concubines to subordinates is considered a good thing in today's era.

What's more, the rewards are given to the subordinates, which makes it even more wonderful.

"I've said it many times before. It's not good for you to have no women to look after your house." Huo Guang said, "Look at Chen Ju. It doesn't matter if you don't have retainers, but you can't disregard your reputation like this!"

Seeing that Huo Xian didn't say anything and was just smiling, Huo Guang was at a loss. It seemed that his nephew was not going to listen to any advice.

"Come to my place in a few days. Your aunt and sisters also want to meet you." Huo Guang smiled and said, "Your aunt has also found a few families who say they have good girls."

Huo Xian kept his distance from his aunt. Or rather, he resisted her from the bottom of his heart, but only maintained superficial respect for Huo Guang's sake.

"I won't marry, so uncle doesn't need to worry about this matter, and aunt shouldn't worry about it either." Huo Xian said with a little seriousness, "Aunt should just focus on educating my sister and giving uncle more children."

Huo Guang also thought it made sense. Ordinary people had no right to interfere in Huo Xian's marriage, not even his uncle. As for the idea of ​​not marrying, it was enough to just listen to it now. Huo Xian could marry at any time if he wanted.

Especially now that he has come to his senses, he has concubines even though he has not married, which is a kind of progress.

Now some powerful people are not thinking about letting Huo Xian get married, but hope that he will take a fancy to the maids they offer, which is also a way to get closer to him.

After thinking for a while, Huo Guang finally spoke up, "Xian'er, there are some rumors out there right now, so you should tone it down a bit."

Hearing what Huo Guang said, Huo Xian was extremely angry. He felt that his reputation had been completely ruined by some people.

If Sima Qian heard this, it would be even more outrageous!

It is very likely that there will be no so-called "legacy of the Wei and Jin Dynasties" in history books in the future, and those jokes about Prime Minister Cao might be attributed to him!

But Huo Guang was not angry. As long as the person was not too old and it was not against ethical standards, it was nothing.

Even if you are a widow, you can have children. In this day and age, second marriages are also very popular.

After talking to Huo Xian about some things, Huo Guang returned home.

Huo Guang was naturally delighted to see his nephew return safely and have made such a great contribution.

After Huo Guang left, Huo Xian continued to ask Han Yunniang to "reply to letters". There were too many visiting cards recently. Most of them were from people of status, otherwise they would not be able to send the visiting cards to Huo Xian's house.

Naturally, you can only refuse politely. It's fine not to attend the banquet, but you can't just ignore it completely either.

Zhao Hexi came back and said, "Sir, the farmhouse has been arranged."

Huo Xian became serious, "This is a good thing, but for those who died this time, in addition to the court's compensation, we should also comfort them. I don't care much about money, so don't save it here."

Zhao Hexi replied, "Don't worry, my Lord. The pension of our Guanjun Marquis Mansion has always been the highest, and no one dares to deduct it."

Huo Xian nodded slightly and asked, "Does your family have any requests?"

"If anyone has children or brothers and wants them to serve under you, you are the Lord." Zhao Hexi said proudly, "I also took the initiative to make the decision and agreed to it!"

Huo Xian was not unhappy about this. The Han people valued martial arts and military achievements, and this was not just a casual remark.

Even though Huo Xian's troops suffered several casualties during this battle, the court's compensation was enough for the families of the dead to live a good life. And those who survived and had military merits would also receive rewards and some titles.

Whether it is economic conditions or social status, both have improved, which naturally makes many people admire military achievements.

If you fight in the army, even if it is difficult to be promoted to a marquis or a general, you may still get a title, gold, silver and food, which is naturally desirable.

Jiang Xiaoniang came with the food, "My Lord, I cooked a few dishes."

Seeing Huo Xian nod, Jiang Xiaoniang stood aside, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Huo Xian asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Just say it if you have something to say."

Jiang Xiaoniang was a little shy, but she still mustered up the courage to say, "My Lord, I am also fifteen years old, it's time for me to get married."

Huo Xian frowned slightly, but then asked, "Why? Are you afraid that I won't let you out?"

After all, Jiang Xiaoniang is Huo Xian's servant, so if she is not released, she will not be free.

Jiang Xiaoniang knelt down and said, "My Lord, Sanlang and I have a secret affair."

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment, then he was both angry and amused, "Chen Sanlang? Okay, I'll arrange it for you later."

Zhao Hexi was also surprised. Chen Sanlang was Chen Ju's youngest son. This boy was originally a guard in the mansion, but he didn't expect that he would hook up with the cook.

"My Lord, we are still serving in the palace." Jiang Xiaoniang said hurriedly, "I don't want to leave yet."

"Stay here first, and move out when you have children." Huo Xian arranged, "Go back and ask the palace how many green vegetables I can get in a day. If it's not enough, I'll build a greenhouse myself!"

Off-season vegetables have low yields and high costs, so even the rich and powerful cannot eat them as much as they want. In the palace, they also have to set quotas.

Zhao Hexi agreed immediately and said, "Sir, we will get some more ice in a few days. The ice storage should be full and we can use it to cool down next summer."

Huo Xian said self-deprecatingly, "Next summer? We still won't be able to use it next summer, as we still have to go to war then!"

Zhao Hexi was both excited and worried, but would there be another war next summer?

That’s not right. The imperial court hasn’t used military force against the Huns in recent years. I thought it would take a few years!
But there is no need to ask anything, as long as you know more, it's fine. If we really go to war, we will follow you!

(End of this chapter)