On the second day after returning to Changjun from the Wanjun camp, Huo Wufa went to see his sister Princess Yinlian, and after comforting him in many ways, he hurried to Zhengjiaofang.

Stepping back to the left and right, the mother and son sat opposite each other, Huo Wu found that Li Tian's eye circles were red, and there was a faint amount of gray hair on his sideburns. He knew that in the days when he left Changjun, the queen mother must not have had an easy time. He thought that finding his sister who was in the countryside would relieve his mother's pain of missing her relatives for many years, but now he saw his mother worrying about him, and his heart was very painful.

"Let the queen mother worry, the child is not filial!"

"You have found the silver lotus and relieved the pain of missing your relatives, what is there to be unfilial? It's just that the mourning family hopes that the society will be stable and live up to the trust of the emperor. The mourning family knew that the emperor's strong advocacy of the new policy was to glorify Wu's foundation. But in this Changle Palace, the mourning family is not the only one who cares about the emperor. Emperor Gang's grand cause was unfinished, the middle way collapsed, and the mourning family was widowed, assisting the emperor, and he felt like a negative Taidai and exhausted. The emperor has not reached the weak crown, and it is not an eventful autumn, and every time the mourning family thinks about it, they sigh all night......"

The conversation between mother and son, the information carried by the eyes and voices, contains much richer and deeper meanings than the words themselves, often silently looking at each other, leisurely and attentively. Through Li Tian's expression, Huo Wu had already strongly felt the pressure from the Empress Dowager. He knew in his heart that in this court, once anything was entangled with Dawu's power, it was no longer something that could be covered by simple grievances. Between him and his mother, there are often many disagreements due to the interests of the Jing, Huo, and Li clans, but these are insignificant compared to the turmoil caused by the empress dowager around the country's founding policy.

Huo Wu stood up and refilled Li Tian's tea, then raised it high above his head, and all his gratitude turned into a few simple words: "Obey the instructions of the queen mother, and the child will go to the queen mother to say goodbye." ”

When he returned from the Empress Dowager, he felt that the difficulties and obstacles faced by the New Deal were far more serious than what the Empress Dowager had said. The Empress Dowager did not leave any affection for her imperial grandson, but complained in a loud voice that he should not abandon the ancestral system, abandon the doctrine of rule by inaction, and clamored for "Confucianism...... What the? ”

When talking about the establishment of the Daming Hall in Changjun, the Empress Dowager's words showed anger and disdain. Since the Eastern Chu Kingdom, Confucianism has been like a lost dog, relying on lobbying among princes to survive.

If you don't know how to advance or retreat, and insist on going your own way, don't blame the mourning family for being unpredictable!

This stern warning kept ringing in Huo Wu's ears. Of course, he couldn't say this in front of the ministers, and he repeatedly weighed the weight of the Empress Dowager's words in his heart, and he couldn't help but respond to this pressure.

After the morning of this day, he specially summoned Huo Xin, Li Wei and Wang Juan to the Xuanzheng Hall to discuss matters. Although Huo Wu was very cautious in his wording when relaying the meaning of the Empress Dowager, the ministers still guessed that the emperor was having difficulty in implementing the new system.

For the temperament of the Empress Dowager, there is no one who knows better than Huo Xin. When she was elected to the harem of the Empress Taizu in her early years, she was jealous of Empress Chen because of her beauty and almost fell into a desperate situation. Later, during the period when she was exiled to Yongzhou as a palace person, she won the love of Emperor Wu, who was still the crown prince at the time, and she not only trampled her rivals under her feet one by one, but also finally ascended to the throne of the queen.

She assisted Emperor Wu in "rejuvenating agriculture and mulberry in the interior, and harmonizing the Great Hun outside", and finally when Emperor Wu was in power, Dawu ushered in a prosperity comparable to the Zhongxing era of the Eastern Chu State. This rich and tortuous, bumpy and unique experience not only established her authority in the Wu Dynasty. It has also developed her withdrawn, suspicious, fierce and resolute character.

Huo Xin knew that as long as the interests of this aunt were touched, she would do anything, and her wanton power was not inferior to that of Empress Xuan.

As for the Empress Dowager's current state of mind, he is very clear. On the surface, she is defending the imperial court, but in fact she is worried about the consolidation of her power. Huo Xin felt this from the moment he was recalled to Changjun.

If she praised and cared for Huo Wu's burning of the prison back then, it was because this move saved her beloved youngest son and avoided a cannibalism in the court. In fact, at that time, she also felt his independence and uninhibited from the prince. Since then, she has been worried that if Huo Wu takes control of the country, he will still be submissive to her like Emperor Gang. All this made her very sensitive to Huo Wu's every move.

Huo Xin had to admit that the Empress Dowager had deeply affected her character. It's just that the Empress Dowager didn't expect that she gave Huo Xin a decisive and resolute character, but she couldn't make him obey her, but when she tried to force Emperor Gang to promise Huo Yong, the king of Liang, as the prince, she was strongly opposed by Huo Xin.

Huo Xin did not intend to retreat, he did not want to let the fledgling New Deal die halfway because of personal feelings, so that he would really not be able to face Emperor Wu.

He said in a non-receptive manner: "There is nothing to learn from the past, and there has never been a smooth sailing for change. This was the case with the Qian Yi reform of the Eastern Chu State back then, and the same is true for the emperor's implementation of the new policy today. Although the old minister is dull, he will disturb the emperor and will not give up. Great Wu has gone through four generations of monarchs, and the doctrine of rule by inaction was forced by the situation at that time. If you still stick to the rules now, you will inevitably be a sword, and I will be a fish. ”

"Since ancient times, there have been countless martyrs for the New Deal, how can Huo Xin spare his life and fear death?"

Huo Xin said these words in one breath, a little out of breath, he paused slightly, and then continued: "The country discussed in Luyuan before, the emperor should only do it quickly, and not delay and hesitate. ”

"What does Master Li Wei mean?" Huo Wu turned his gaze to Li Wei.

Li Wei's eyes rolled a few times, and the movement of twisting his beard slowed down, although he was not used to Huo Xin's calmness and reserve, but he and Huo Xin did not disagree on establishing the dominant position of Confucianism. He quickly figured out what the emperor meant, and said slowly: "If Weichen didn't guess wrong, the empress dowager must be resentful of the emperor's current measures." ”

"Why is the Empress Dowager afraid?" As soon as Li Wei's words fell, Wang Juan stood up, lifted the sleeves of his robe, and his face turned red from emotion.

"The Empress Dowager has experienced three dynasties, and her credit is in the community...... Wang Juan tried her best to slow down the pace of her speech, so as to relieve the stuttering caused by nervousness, "Then...... However, the minister thought that the emperor ...... Too...... After all, the queen mother is already high in spring and autumn, and she is ...... Caring for the ...... Tiannian, besides, there is too ...... What about the aftermath? Emperor...... The Emperor ......"

When Wang Juan said this, Huo Xin already understood the following meaning, and he took over the conversation and said: "What Lord Wang Juan means, is it that the emperor doesn't have to play the empress dowager in everything?" ”

"Yes! Yes, too! Wang Juan let out a sigh of relief and expressed his gratitude to Huo Xin with sincere eyes.

At this time, Huo Xin's eyes gradually became hot, and Wang Juan in front of him reminded him of himself back then. At that time, he was as young and enthusiastic as Wang Juan is now.

Huo Xin felt that as the prime minister, he should make his attitude clear in front of the major rights and wrongs, and he said loudly: "The minister thinks that what the imperial doctor said is even. With the emperor's sage, he will definitely be able to handle state affairs independently. Besides, the lack of work is also for the sake of the Empress Dowager's body! ”

"Well said the Prime Minister!" Li Wei took over at once. In fact, not only Huo Xin, but also Li Wei, how could he not be moved by Wang Juan's courage and courage? Today's emperor is his own nephew, "there is a nest and eggs, and the phoenix does not fly, the fetus is forbidden, and the unicorn does not come", once the emperor has something, he must be the first to suffer.

Regardless of the interests of the society or the family, Li Wei felt that he could not be ambiguous in this matter, he suddenly gave birth to the courage and decisiveness that he should have as a captain, and stood up from his seat and said: "The minister thinks that the emperor should be in charge of national affairs alone, and there is no need to ......" At this point, he suddenly stopped and shouted: "The emperor...... There is a ...... behind the palace."

At the same time, Wang Juan also saw a figure disappear after a flash outside the window of the Xuanzheng Palace, could anyone really dare to risk killing his head and eavesdropping?

This incident immediately angered Huo Wu, and he pulled out his sword with a "whoosh" and shouted outside: "Bold! Who's out there......"

The emperor's roar woke Hun Sen, who was napping outside the palace, and he hurried in and looked blankly at the emperor and the ministers.

"I'm here to discuss things, who's walking around?" Huo Wu glared at Hun Sen angrily and said sharply.

"No one!"

"What were you doing?"

"The minion just ......"

"Say! Otherwise, I will go down with this sword and take your life. ”

Hun Sen "pounced" and fell to his knees, trembling: "The emperor ...... Emperor...... The minions were waiting outside...... After a long time, it ......"

"Say!"

So he took a nap. Suddenly, I heard the emperor's call, and I ...... Hurriedly entered the temple and waited. The slave deserves death, please atone for the emperor's sins. ”

"Is there really no one?"

"Nope!"

"You go down first! If there is any negligence, be careful with your life! ”

"Emperor Xie, the minions don't dare anymore."

Watching Hun Sen walk out of the main hall, the ministers sat down again. Everyone asked the emperor to take charge of the state alone, which greatly encouraged Huo Wu. His broad forehead was glowing with bright color, and his piercing eyes were shining with splendor, passion, and perseverance. His sonorous voice reverberated in the hearts of Huo Xin, Li Wei, and Wang Xuan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, when I first came back from the Empress Dowager, my mood was indeed heavy, but now I am much better. Spread my will to speed up the construction of the Daming Hall, and in October next year, I will preside over the Hajj ceremony of the princes there. ”

"Yes!"

Huo Rui walked among the three ministers and stood in front of Huo Xin: "I have heard that Yin Guoqiang is a great Confucian in Jiaozhou, and on this occasion of employing people, the prime minister can quickly send a messenger to welcome Yin Guoqiang to Changjun, and I want to personally ask him about the government." ”

Huo Xin said with a smile: "The minister has already sent someone to greet him, but I'm afraid that he is already on the road at this moment!" ”

"The old man is seven years old, the road is far away, and there are many bumps, can the prime minister think of it?"

"The minister ordered the White Horse Temple to send an car, and in order to alleviate the bumps, the wheels were wrapped in soft cattails."

"Yin Guoqiang is a great Confucian today, has the prime minister ever thought of the choice of horses?"

"The ministers personally inspected it before the trip, and the horses were all tame."

"Mr. is long-lived, and you can't be negligent in eating and living."

"Well, this minister also thought of it. Mr. is the Jiao people of Beihe River, and he will arrange to live in Jiaozhou Mansion at that time. ”

"Good! The prime minister is doing a good job! Wang Juan! ”

"The minister is here!"

"You are a disciple of Yin Guoqiang, and the reception will be arranged by you. I want to start from myself and promote the style of respecting the virtuous and cherishing talents. ”

Huo Wu suddenly felt that Huo Xin, the slaughterer, did a good job compared to Jing Fan, he was neither submissive, nor reserved and arrogant, and he was very self-conscious. His thoughts started from seeking talents, and he quickly thought of opening up other neighboring countries, so he turned his eyes to Huo Xin and said, "I want the prime minister to select a talent to envoy to neighboring countries, but can you find it?" ”

Huo Xin hurriedly replied: "There is already a candidate, this person is named Pu Rong, a rider of the White Horse Temple, a native of Yongzhou. Since childhood, he has studied martial arts, is well versed in etiquette, is elegant and respectful, and is careful in handling things. The minister has 'examined' him many times, and he has answered them fluently. When the ministers gave him a general statement of the emperor's will, he not only gladly agreed, but also put forward a number of useful proposals. ”

"This can't be delayed for too long, and it will take place in the spring of next year at the latest. After I met Yin Guoqiang, I wanted to summon Pu Rong in the Xuanzheng Palace and personally inquire about the trip. ”

Li Wei answered at this time: "The minister has selected an entourage of 500 people, and he has been stepping up preparations these days, waiting for the emperor's summons!" ”

……

Huo Xin was the last to leave the Xuanzheng Palace. Going out of the palace gate, the cold wind is blowing in the face, the winter clouds are long, and the sky is a little gloomy. In the distance, among the clouds, there was a black dot hovering, and when it was over Changjun, it was discovered that it was a goshawk. Its huge wings streak through the sky calmly and gracefully. Huo Xin hadn't seen an eagle in Anling, Changjun for a long time, and its majestic posture of fighting the wind and clouds made Huo Xin feel a sense of renewed passion.

Yes, since ancient times, battles have not been limited to the formation of troops on the battlefield, and the spiritual fight is much more difficult than galloping horses!

Half a month later, Yin Guoqiang came to Anling, Changjun. As soon as he stayed, Huo Wu, accompanied by Wang Juan, went to Jiaozhou Mansion to ask him about politics.

In addition to the royal decree that greeted the emperor in Jiaozhou Mansion, there were also two disciples who came with Yin Guoqiang.

Wang Juan said first: "The emperor has arrived, please ask the teacher to come out to greet the holy driver." ”

The two disciples were a little embarrassed: "The teacher has had lunch and just went to sleep. ”

Wang Juan said impatiently: "Please be sure to wake up the teacher, just say that the emperor has arrived." ”

The two disciples had a difficult face, and Wang Juan's face showed displeasure, although he knew that Yin Guoqiang had the habit of not disturbing when he was sleeping, but what he was in front of was the current emperor. He can snub anyone, but he can't snub the emperor!

However, Huo Wu listened to Wang Xuan's question, and smiled generously: "Mr. Spring and Autumn is old, and he is tired, so I will wait in the living room!" ”

The two younger brothers were relieved, and hurriedly welcomed the emperor to the living room of Jiaozhou Mansion, and waited cautiously on the side. The monarch sat for about half an hour, Huo Wu couldn't sit still, and he said to Wang Juan: "Sir is sleeping well, it seems that he won't wake up for a while, so you can accompany me to all parts of the mansion to have a look." ”

"No!"

So everyone accompanied Huo Wu along the corridor outside the hall, and first looked at the meeting room of the king of Jiaozhou, although the display was neat and luxurious, and the cleaning was still clean, but obviously no one was here for a long time.

After looking at the meeting room, they visited the study again. Although it can't be compared with the royal collection, it also has a lot of collections, looking at the dust covered by the rolls of bamboo slips, Huo Wu couldn't help but sigh at the floating clouds and dogs of the times.

Since the death of his father, he has not seen this imperial brother for a long time, and the scene of playing together as a child is still vivid. He vaguely remembered that at that time, the king of Jiaozhou showed a rare reticent and muna among royal disciples.

Although this imperial brother has lived a luxurious and indulgent life, he is not as absurd as other imperial brothers, which has made the people resentful. After the imperial court issued an edict prohibiting the cultivation of garden horses, he took the lead in returning the forest garden to the people. The reason why Yin Guoqiang was arranged in Jiaozhou Mansion this time was also because he had also studied the "Six Rites and Five Classics" from Yin Guoqiang.

In any case, as long as they did not covet the throne, Huo Wu could treat them with tolerance and generosity. Thinking of this, he could not help but criticize the dereliction of duty of the government order, saying that he did not take these books out to dry and clean in time.

Coming out of the study, there is a bamboo forest in front of it, and next to the forest is a cobblestone path. It seems that in the past, after passing through a door, it is the backyard of the palace. Huo Wu was about to go when he saw the two disciples just now hurriedly running over. They said that the teacher had woken up and was in the living room to greet him! Wang Juan estimated in his heart that the emperor had been waiting in Jiaozhou Mansion for at least an hour.

Huo Wu came to the living room, Yin Guoqiang leaned down tremblingly, and said inarticulately: "Greetings to the emperor." Huo Wu hurriedly stepped forward to help, but Yin Gong couldn't stand up after panting a few times. Seeing this, Wang Juan hurriedly worked hard with the emperor to help Yin Gong to the seat. Huo Wu asked the old man about his life along the way with great concern, and Yin Gong was deaf and often answered what he asked.

Huo Wu asked, "How is the journey, sir?" ”

Yin Gong hesitated for a moment before replying: "Your Majesty, the minister didn't get up early, let the emperor wait for a long time, and the minister deserves death." ”

Huo Wu said again: "Mr. has worked hard. ”

Yin Gong hesitated for a moment and replied, "Don't go!" Don't go! The minister is favored by the emperor with his old body, and when he serves the emperor, where else can he go? ”

Huo Wu looked at Wang Juan, smiled, and asked, "If I want to find a way to control chaos, please ask Mr. to give me advice." ”

The words were too long, Yin Gong couldn't guess what the emperor meant for a while, and he didn't dare to ask more, so he simply closed his eyes and kept silent, which made Wang Juan very embarrassed. He hurriedly moved to the teacher's side and loudly conveyed the emperor's meaning to Yin Gong's ear.

Yin Gong looked at Wang Juan and wondered, "What did you say?" ”

"The emperor asked you how to control the chaos?" Wang Juan was a little impatient.

Huo Wu waved his hand and said, "People can't be without teachers. You can't be rude to the teacher and let the old people think about it. ”

The two waited for a while, and Yin Gong finally guessed the emperor's general meaning, turned his face and asked Wang Juan: "Are you saying that the emperor is asking about the way to control chaos?" ”

"Yes!"

Yin Gong nodded, closed his eyes and thought for a while before replying: "The ruler is not talking much, how can he do it!" ”

Wang Juan was worried that the teacher was slurring his speech, but the emperor didn't understand, so he relayed it again and said: "Your Majesty! What the teacher means is that you don't have to say much for the sake of governance, but you can do it! ”

Huo Wu was a little disappointed and said, "I have already understood what the gentleman meant. That's a good word, it's just too simple. On questions like this, Sima talked about a thousand words, but he couldn't finish it; Zhao Yun analyzed it in detail, such as Ding Ding solving the cow, why did Mr. send it away with one sentence? ”

Indeed, for Huo Wu, who was accustomed to listening to the prime minister's talk and had long been in harmony with virtuous people, Yin Gong's answer was not only simple, but also very boring.

Huo Wu and Wang Juan were talking, but there was a snoring sound of "whirring" in their ears, and they looked up and saw that Yin Gong had fallen asleep soundly.