Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 182: I didn’t know I was a guest in the dream

On the south bank of the Wei River, a large number of ships gathered at the port, bringing with them a large amount of supplies.

The ruins of Chang'an have now been cleared, and temporary warehouses, granaries, and simple houses for refugees have been built.

Liu Gui set foot on this land aboard his merchant ship.

As far as the eye could see, a temporary market had already been set up not far from where the crowd had gathered.

As a businessman, Liu Gui's first instinct upon arriving here was to browse the market, see what goods the vendors offered, and see if he could find any bargains.

To Liu Gui's surprise, although the market here was not large, it had a wide variety of goods, and even sold many high-priced items.

Liu Gui was strolling around when he ran into an acquaintance.

Hou Jing was sitting in the center of the market, holding an umbrella and drinking tea. He was leisurely, doing nothing, yet the market remained very orderly.

"Wan Jing, you seem so carefree!"

Liu Gui stepped forward and said with a smile. Hou Jing also smiled when he saw the newcomer.

"What are you doing here, kid?"

"The Duke of Tang has defeated Xiao Baoyin and taken control of Yongzhou. Now he's embarking on a massive construction project. With such a lively scene, how could I not come and see?"

"You little rascal, you really have a keen sense of smell."

Liu Gui smiled, somewhat puzzled, and asked:

"What are you doing here?"

"The market was built, but someone was causing trouble here, so the lord sent me over!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Gui understood.

With Chang'an newly pacified, order collapsed. Xiao Baoyin burned down the city, leaving a large number of refugees without food or clothing. At this time, the places where supplies were concentrated were bound to be the most chaotic.

When Liu Gui arrived, he had already heard about Li Shuang's three generals. Rumor had it that each of them had their own way of dealing with someone on the battlefield.

If you encounter Yang Kan, as long as you are polite and respectful, he will not make things difficult for you.

If you encounter someone demanding high-ranking officials, as long as you humble yourself and act modestly, they won't make things difficult for you.

If you encounter Hou Jing, no matter what he says, run away as fast as you can and never look back.

This shows just how infamous Hou Jing was!
Once he sits down here, no one dares to cause trouble.

"Let me tell you, the businesses here are all small-scale. If you want to do big business, go directly to the lord."

"Where is the Duke of Tang?"

"My lord is busy building a blast furnace lately. Anyway, I don't know anything about it. If you want to see my lord, wait until the market closes and I'll take you there directly."

Upon hearing this, Liu Gui suppressed his curiosity. As dusk fell, the market closed, the gates were locked, and Hou Jing led Liu Gui to meet Li Shuang.

He was having a meal in his tent when he saw Liu Gui arrive and waved to him.

"A big businessman has arrived!"

Liu Gui chuckled and sat down next to Li Shuang.

"To be honest, Duke, being a merchant isn't easy either."

The first thing Liu Gui said to Li Shuang was to complain about his experiences.

"After the Duke left, business became increasingly difficult. The Erzhu clan and their ilk have been making a mess of things, and everyone's business has been affected. I've also heard that the Erzhu clan is currently causing trouble for Yu Jin."

Yu Jin is the Prefect of Shuozhou, and he has been in this position for several years.

With the Six Garrisons gone and the Rouran fleeing to the far north, Shuozhou was virtually free of powerful enemies.

After several years of development following the war, Shuozhou has returned to stability and is now experiencing rapid, unregulated growth.

In recent years, the military households in the state have joined forces with the surrounding Hu tribes and expanded in all directions.

Today, Shuozhou covers a vast area, stretching from Shengle in the east to Woye Town in the west, encompassing the extensive Hetao region and even the spheres of influence of Wuchuan and Huaishuo Towns north of Yinshan Mountain.

However, the people of Shuozhou did not obey the orders of the Erzhu clan. The military households in the prefecture were all settled by Li Shuang, and the surrounding Hu tribes were also subdued by Li Shuang. Upon hearing that Li Shuang had already conquered Yongzhou and entered Chang'an, Yu Jin immediately sent an envoy to respond to the call of the Guanzhong Grand Councilor.

Hulijin and other Hu tribes also sent envoys to offer tribute.

It was to be expected that Erzhu would be dissatisfied with this.

Li Shuang listened and asked:
"Is this what Second Brother wants?"

Liu Gui waved his hand. As a Xiurong woman who could frequently enter the Liang County Duke's mansion in Jinyang, he was quite familiar with Erzhu Rong's current state.

"Since going to Hanoi last year, the General of Chariots and Cavalry has been preoccupied with Luoyang. There has been some unrest in Luoyang recently, and the General of Chariots and Cavalry has gone to Shangdang. His mind is not on the north. All of this is caused by Erzhu Zhongyuan and his men!"

Ever since Li Shuang went to Luoyang, all the ambitious people around him wanted to go there too. Compared to Shuozhou, Luoyang was definitely more appealing to Erzhu Rong.

"That'll be easy!"
-
Luoyang.

Empress Hu leaned against the railing and gazed at the distant scenery, her heart filled with bewilderment.

Behind me, hurried footsteps echoed.

Hu Xuanhui walked over and bowed.

"What is the Empress Dowager thinking?"

Hu Xuanhui knew her sister well; she was a person extremely obsessed with power. But recently, Empress Hu's behavior had been somewhat perplexing to her.

Empress Hu no longer sent people to keep an eye on the emperor all day long, nor did she attack those around him, and she no longer interfered in the affairs of the court.

"I wonder what Li Shenggui is doing?"

Li Shengui?
Hu Xuanhui knew a little about it; after he went to Henan, he lived a very carefree life.

I've heard that whether it's Liang's army in the south, Xing Gao's army that started an uprising in Shandong, or Ge Rong and Du Luozhou in the north, they all give him some face.

Hu Xuanhui did not believe that Empress Hu could not find out these things, and that she was saying this now, which clearly meant something else.

"Does your sister miss him?"

Empress Hu turned around, looked at her younger sister, and instead of answering, said:
"I want the emperor to rule in his own right."

She was still thinking about Li Shengui.

Hu Xuanhui felt a little uneasy upon hearing this and said:

"Sister, are you really sure that Li Shengui will still treat you the same way when you are no longer the Empress Dowager who controls the world? As the years go by and time wears you down, once you lose your status as Empress Dowager, you will just be an old woman."

It's unpleasant to say, but it's the truth. No matter how well she took care of herself, Empress Hu's age was still there.

In a few years, when Empress Hu gets old, will she still look the same as she does now?
Li Shenggui is never short of young and beautiful women.

"That's not important anymore!"

Empress Hu appeared very magnanimous. Looking at her younger sister, she said something that made her want to jump up and down.

"Even if I'm old, aren't you?"

Hu Xuanhui knew from the beginning that her sister was aware of her relationship with Li Shengui. However, hearing this now still made her somewhat unhappy.

Empress Hu said:
"We're getting old. If Li Shenggui doesn't want us, we'll become nuns and end our lives like this!"

Hu Xuanhui stubbornly retorted.

"If you want to become a monk, don't drag me into it."

Empress Hu didn't seem to mind. Hu Xuanhui looked at Empress Hu and asked:

"How did my sister become so insightful?"

"After Li Shuang led his troops into the palace that day and did those treasonous things in front of the emperor and all the officials, I finally understood!"

As the last rays of twilight shone upon them, the sisters exchanged a smile, and all past grievances seemed insignificant.
……

(End of this chapter)