As soon as the next day, a team of Changyi Lang, under the leadership of Gong Sui, the general of Changyi Zhonglang, came to the general's back house.

After Gong Sui showed the edict of the Son of Heaven to the sword halberd warrior outside the door, he led people into the Huo Mansion quickly.

About a quarter of an hour later, Gong Sui returned to the deserted gate of Huo's house.

At this time, there was one more person by Gong Sui's side - Huo Guang.

Huo Guang is in good spirits today, and he looks naturally much more refreshing than last night: his beard and beard have been combed in advance, and he no longer looks like an old man who is about to die.

His seal of the Great General Sima had already been taken away, but the purple ribbon around his waist still occupied the most conspicuous position on his robe.

In front of the team, there was also a black and red car parked - the stamp flag on it indicated that it was the car of "General Huo Guang".

If it was a few months ago, then this car appeared at the door of this Huo mansion, which is normal, but now it is a little eye-catching.

Because whether it is this car or this stamp flag, it has been a long time since they have shown their faces on the streets of Chang'an City.

Huo Guang slept very early last night, just to face the saint today.

Looking at the white expanse outside, he felt a little faint.

"Gong Gong, what day is today?"

"The twenty-third of the lunar month, except for the small."

"It's been a fast year." Huo Guang sighed.

Gong Sui stood in the back position on Huo Guang's side, giving Huo Guang enough respect, he didn't answer, just stood silently on the side.

This Changyi Zhonglang General is already in his seventies, and this weather is not easy for him, but his waist is still very straight, even stronger than Huo Guang.

"Gong Gong, how many years have you been in Changyi Kingdom?"

"When the first king was still there, I stayed in Changyi Kingdom, adding up to almost thirty years." Gong Sui still said respectfully.

"Thirty years, I haven't been promoted and reused, and now I'm just a thousand stone Changyi Zhonglang general, it's really a pearl."

"The general's words are wrong, the Han Dynasty has the "Zuoguan Law", and the county officials are not allowed to be appointed as officials in Chang'an, this is the ancestral system." Gong Sui was neither humble nor arrogant.

"But the old man forgot." Huo Guang was silent for a moment before replying, but he still had no intention of moving forward, and Gong Sui was naturally not easy to urge.

"According to Gong Gong, didn't you watch the county officials grow up little by little?"

"Exactly."

"The old man wants to ask you, in your opinion, what kind of person is the county official?"

Huo Guang's words made Gong Sui a little flustered, and he felt that this question seemed a little familiar.

After a few moments, he finally remembered.

A few months ago, when Gong Sui, Wang Ji and others entered Weiyang Palace and went to meet Guangluxun Zhang Anshi for the first time, the other party also asked similar questions.

At that time, Gong Sui was as trembling and walking on thin ice as the county officials, and he didn't dare to show anything in front of Zhang Anshi.

So he can only say vaguely, "Whether the Son of Heaven is a Ming Jun or not, he must be a minister."

But today, Gong Sui can finally say what he thinks openly.

"The county official is the Son of Heaven, and he is the Son of Heaven who can become a Ming Jun."

"Has it always been like this?" Huo Guang looked at Gong Sui incredulously and asked.

"Three years ago, the county official got drunk once, and since then, the county official has the qualifications of a wise man."

"If the general has the opportunity to go to Changyi Kingdom, then you can ask the opinions of the people in Changyi City, and they will definitely say the same."

"Not only that, but the general can also ask the ordinary people of Chang'an City, and he will also say that the county official is Mingjun's."

It turns out that from that time on, the Son of Heaven has been such a person.

I was too careless and arrogant, and I was deceived by this little vertical.

A wry smile turned to self-deprecation.

Actually, the Son of Heaven did not lie to himself

From the first time he faced the saint, the Son of Heaven clearly said that he wanted to be a Ming monarch, and he also wanted to be a Ming monarch like Emperor Xiaowu.

What kind of Ming Jun was Emperor Xiaowu?

Huo Guang knows best.

The Son of Heaven does not deceive me, but I take it as a deception.

"A few months ago, if the old man could find Gong Gong to ask this question first, I'm afraid there would be no need for Chang Yilang to send the old man into the palace today." Huo Guang laughed at himself.

"If the general had asked me this question a few months ago, I would definitely not have told the truth that the county officials have the demeanor of a gentleman."

Gong Sui's somewhat-for-tat words made Huo Guang not know how to deal with it for a while, but after a while, he understood the deep meaning.

"The county officials are good city governments, and the country of Changyi is outstanding." Huo Guang is not only talking about the Son of Heaven, but also about Gong Sui.

"General, let's go, the county magistrate is still waiting for you to have lunch together."

"Okay, enter the palace."

Today is a small except, and the atmosphere of the New Year in Chang'an City is a little stronger: compared with previous years, it is more lively.

In the past few months, the "Chang'an Monthly" has published many memoirs about how to celebrate the New Year, and the Son of Heaven has used this to promote many new customs during the New Year.

Write couplets on rice paper instead of peach charms and paste them on the door, and paste the portrait of the great Han Meng on the door panel called New Year's paintings, encouraging the people to give children copper coins in the Chinese New Year's Eve to celebrate the New Year, and the New Year should be done good everywhere in the city......

These new customs may seem useless, but they can make the people's lives more energetic and festive, and they can be regarded as benevolent policies.

Stabilizing the people's minds is also the key to governing the country.

Along the way, Huo Guang looked at the people on the side of the road through the layers of Chang Yilang, and found that they didn't seem to look at themselves well-they couldn't see Huo Guang, but they knew this car.

In this unkind gaze, there is disdain and contempt.

In the past, the people may be afraid of Huo Guang and will be in awe of Huo Guang, but they will definitely not hate Huo Guang.

It seems that although the Son of Heaven has not yet convicted the Huo family, the people have already convicted the Huo family.

Huo Guang lowered the curtain of the car window and began to close his eyes to recuperate, and the resentment in his heart was a little more: I am afraid that all this is closely related to the plan of the Son of Heaven.

On the snow in the car shop, there is no horse in the air.

Soon, Anche stopped under the north gate of Weiyang Palace.

Huo Guang got out of the car and saw that Yicheng had been waiting in the snow for a long time.

After changing his steps, Huo Guang continued to walk towards the greenhouse hall in the core area of Weiyang Palace.

One Tun Chang Yi Lang stayed in place, and the other Tun Chang Yi Lang still did not leave an inch.

When Huo Guang passed between the north ques on a footstep, he couldn't help but raise his head to look at the top of the double que, and then remembered many things.

That year, Huo Guang was fifteen years old, and he lived a peaceful life in Pingyang County with his father, who was a small official in the county temple, day after day, without any hope.

Suddenly, one day, his brother in military uniform suddenly descended from the sky like a god, brought him to Chang'an City, and recommended him to Emperor Xiaowu as a lang official.

When he first entered the palace, Huo Guang had seen this pair of ques, and at that time he felt that these shuangques were extremely tall and straight, and even towering into the clouds.

In the next forty years, Huo Guang's height did not become taller, but he felt that these pairs of ques became shorter and shorter.

Until the past few months, these pairs of ques began to become tall and straight again in Huo Guang's eyes.

Today, they are almost as tall as they were forty years ago – if not higher.

They were like two huge Yu Lin Lang who couldn't speak, looking down at Huo Guang compassionately from top to bottom.

It seemed that he would raise his foot at any time and smash Huo Guang and this step together.

This made Huo Guang a little scared, and then he couldn't breathe.

But Huo Guang was reluctant to retract his gaze, because he didn't know if he would be able to pass through this pair of ques in the future.

After stepping past Shuangque, he entered the Weiyang Palace.

Every grass and tree, every brick and tile, Huo Guang remembers it clearly.

It's no wonder, after all, in the past few decades, he has probably stayed here longer than he has been in Huo Mansion.

After about a quarter of an hour, Huo Guang finally came to the outside of the greenhouse hall.

"General, the greenhouse hall has arrived." Gong Sui reminded.

"yes, I see."

After Huo Guang finished saying these words, he got down from the chariot with some difficulty

He moved his legs and feet, which were a little numb, and tidied up his robes and clothes again, and finally walked into the courtyard with his legs raised and walked towards the greenhouse hall.

At this time, in the greenhouse hall, the Son of Heaven has already been waiting for a long time.

……

Under the guidance of the confessor, Huo Guang walked outside the door of the greenhouse hall.

He still has the privilege of going up to the temple with his sword and worshipping the unknown, but now standing at the gate of the temple, he doesn't dare to lift his feet and go in for a while.

At this time, the young figure of the Son of Heaven could already be seen, and the other party seemed to see him.

The two stared at each other through the open door.

Although it is daytime, the palace lanterns are still lit in the greenhouse hall.

But the dim light of the palace lamp did not make the hall appear brighter, but dimmed.

Under the shroud of this hazy light, the Son of Heaven sitting on the couch could not see it accurately.

One moment like Emperor Xiaozhao, another like Emperor Xiaowu......

Just when Huo Guang hesitated, the ethereal voice of the Son of Heaven floated out of the hall, as if it came from a dry well.

"Father, come in."

Huo Guang couldn't hesitate any longer, he raised his feet and walked into this greenhouse hall that he didn't know how many times he had been here.

The charcoal fire baked the entire greenhouse hall as warm as spring, and Huo Guang, who had been walking in the ice and snow for a long time, was numb and a little dizzy.

He walked in front of the Son of Heaven with a foot away, and solemnly bowed: "The old minister Huo Guang asked the Son of Heaven to be safe." ”

"Father, I haven't seen you for a long time, but you haven't seen Qingjian, so let's be flat."

"No."

"Take a seat, Father, and I will dine with you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

As soon as Huo Guang took his seat, Fan Ke, who had been waiting outside the hall, led people to start passing the meal.

In addition to a meal and a porridge, there is only a piece of sliced venison, a small bowl of egg custard, a fried fish and a small bowl of zhichu.

And, of course, a pot of slightly bubbling Xuan wine.

Not only are the ingredients meager, but the recipe is also common.

Huo Guang watched the palace maid put the food on the table, and had to sigh that the thrift of today's son was simply better than that of Emperor Xiaowen.

No, more frugal than Emperor Xiaowen.

"Father, let's eat."

"No."

The two of them didn't say anything more, and they ate with their heads bored.

The sound of the two of them chewing different ingredients gradually sounded in the main hall, which was not unpleasant to say or pleasant.

Huo Guang was still observing the expression of the Son of Heaven, but when he found that the latter was indeed concentrating on eating, he calmed down.

Once the mind is calm, the appetite will improve.

Huo Guang, who only drank alcohol and didn't eat for several days, suddenly felt a great appetite.

Especially the small dish mixed with different vegetables and vegetables, spicy and sweet, so that Huo Guang couldn't stop sandwiching it.

For some reason, he felt that today's meal was a little more ironed than last night's.

About a quarter of an hour later, the two put down their chopsticks almost at the same time.

Huo Guang saw that the Son of Heaven twisted up a grain of rice that had fallen on the table, put it in his mouth and chewed it slowly, and his heart was even more slight.

"Father, why don't you drink today?" Liu He finally asked slowly.

"The food given by His Majesty is delicious, and the old minister forgot that there was still wine for a while." Huo Guang didn't lie, the pot of wine on the case was not as tempting as usual.

"Come, I salute my father."

Liu He said that, he immediately poured himself a glass of wine, raised his glass to Huo Guang and drank it all.

Huo Guang poured a glass of wine with some trepidation, and after saluting the Son of Heaven, he also drank it all.

This glass of wine seems to be exceptionally spicy, so spicy that Huo Guang's eyes are constantly rolling with tears.

"Father, the meal has been eaten and the wine has been drunk, if you have anything to say, just say it."

After hearing this, Huo Guang hurriedly put down the wine glass in his hand, stood in front of the Son of Heaven in a little panic, and bowed deeply again.

"Father, why did you make this great gift?" The Son of Heaven asked coldly.

"The old man wants to ask His Majesty for his guilt." Huo Guang said.

"The middle father is old, and the ground is too hard, so it is not suitable to kneel for a long time, so sit down and talk back."

Huo Guang straightened up, but instead of standing up and sitting on the couch, he still knelt straight like this.

"Then the middle father will tell me, what sins have he committed?"

Huo Guang's vicissitudes of life darkened for a while, his mouth opened and closed a few times, and finally spoke.

"One of the sins is the sin of disgrace in front of the temple, and the great court meeting should not be delayed that day."

"The second sin is a great disrespect, and you should not rely on the old to sell the old and collide with Your Majesty."

"The third crime is the crime of unauthorized killing, and Deng Poyu should not be killed without trial."

"The fourth crime is the crime of arbitrariness and abuse of power, and His Majesty should be allowed to govern as soon as possible."

"The fifth sin is to sit and conspire against the crime, and fail to recognize the ambitions of Huo Yu and Fan Mingyou."

"The sixth sin is the sin of forming a party for personal gain, and there should be no cronyism and disrespect for peers."

"The seventh sin is the sin of corruption, and the sinner Huo Xian should not be connived at to recklessly accumulate wealth."

Huo Guang kept talking, listing his seven major sins in one go.

Every time he said a crime, Huo Guang's back would become a little rickety, and he would be a little shorter in front of Liu He.

When Huo Guang said all the seven major sins, where did he still look like an important minister in the court, even worse than the most ordinary old man.

He has gray hair, a large belly, and an abnormally dark red color on his face and eyes due to excessive drinking.

A few months ago, Liu He saw such an old man in his last years, even if the other party was just an ordinary old farmer, he would have some pitiful emotions.

But at this moment, Liu He didn't have any pity, but still looked at Huo Guang with the emperor's cold eyes. (End of chapter)