Hanhou

Chapter 104

Lying on the same bed with Wei Yue, Zhao Jia thought he would not sleep well.In fact, it was the opposite. Probably because he had read too many documents during the day, and spent energy drawing maps, he was too exhausted. Zhao Jia almost fell asleep as soon as he touched his pillow, and had no dreams until dawn.

When the sky was bright, Zhao Jia opened his eyes and found that he was alone on the couch with a brocade quilt on his body.

There was a soft sound from outside the screen, and then a servant girl walked up to him holding the toilet things and robes, and respectfully asked Zhao Jia to get up.

"Where is the third son?" Zhao Jia asked after changing into dark blue clothes and a silk belt.

"Back to Lord Lang, the third son got up early and is practicing archery."

Practice archery?

Zhao Jia couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat.

After the servants brought up the used hot water and cloth towels, bowed to salute, and exited the bedroom one after another, Zhao Jia picked up the wooden sign placed beside the couch, and walked to the door in a few steps, without the help of a healthy servant to lead the way, he knew the way to last night Once to the courtyard.

Sure enough, there were several wooden targets in the courtyard. Wei Yue stood in the snow, holding a strong bow, and with the sound of stringing, the arrows pierced the north wind and hit the targets one by one.

The quiver shot empty, Wei Yue walked to the target, and was about to take out the arrow, when she saw Zhao Jia standing on the porch, she couldn't help smiling.

"Hoduo got up, did you rest well last night?"

Zhao Jia nodded, walked out of the corridor, and glanced at the targets in the courtyard, feeling a little itch.

Seeing his thoughts, Wei Yue smiled and handed the bow and arrow.The healthy servant waiting at the side stepped forward quickly, took away the arrow as quickly as possible, and cleared the target area neatly.

The snow covered her ankles, and it was easy to confirm where Wei Yue was standing before.

Zhao Jia took a few steps back, stood still in the courtyard, grabbed an iron arrow stuck in the snow, drew the bowstring, and fixed his eyes on the front. The momentum of his body suddenly changed, as if a sharp knife was out of its sheath, and the edge was menacing.

A cold wind blew up on the ground, rolling up a large amount of residual snow.

The shards of snow and ice hit his face, Zhao Jia remained motionless, the bowstring was fully drawn, and the arrow pierced through the wind, whistling and thrown into the wooden target, the force was so great that the tip of the arrow pierced through the target.

"Good!" Wei Yue applauded Zhao Jia, "Aduo's archery has improved again."

Zhao Jia was also a little surprised.He knew that he was good at archery, but it was the first time he had penetrated a wooden target at this distance.

Turning his mind, Zhao Jia shot three more arrows in succession. The first two arrows also penetrated the bull's-eye, but when the third arrow weakened slightly, it only hit the target without passing through it.

Holding the bow flat in front of his eyes, and tried the bowstring with his bare hands, Zhao Jia was [-]% sure that the reason why he produced such astonishing strength was inseparable from the bow itself.

The ox horn bow that Zhao Gongcao left him was good, but compared with the one in front of him, it was still a bit worse.

"This bow was made by a master craftsman. It took five years from the selection of materials to the making of it. It was used by Ah Weng, and there are not many Huns barbarians buried under the string." Wei Yue walked up to Zhao Jia, and rubbed his fingers on the bow. The lines on the lips, the smile on the corner of the mouth gradually faded, and the expression became solemn.

"Wei Taishou used it?" Zhao Jia pulled the bowstring again.

"Yes." Wei Yue nodded.

While the two were talking, snowflakes began to fall from the sky.At first, there were sporadic points, but in the blink of an eye, they condensed into goose feathers and flew down from the top of their heads.When the two of them returned to the room and brushed off the broken snow from their shoulders, the outside of the house had become a curtain of snow, and the sky and the earth had become a vast expanse of whiteness.

Looking at the heavy snow outside, Zhao Jia couldn't help frowning.

He originally planned to leave before noon, return to the livestock farm as soon as possible, and discuss with his sister about going out with the caravan.The sudden heavy snow disrupted his plan.If the snow falls all day, he will have to delay returning home.

Zhao Jia was slightly annoyed, Wei Yue did not make a sound, and pulled him to the copper basin to warm up.

The servants passed through the corridor, and successively brought millet porridge and hot soup, as well as freshly steamed buns from the kitchen.

The buns are the size of a grown man's fist, and are filled with mutton and spring onion fillings.One bite, the wheat skin is soft, the filling is solid, the soup with oily flakes rolls into the mouth, it is a little hot, but the taste is very good, Zhao Jia can eat three in a row, paired with millet porridge and sunflower, Can add two more.

Since the method of making steamed stuffed buns and dough cakes came out of the livestock farm, caravans from the south were amazed to find that more and more border residents asked about the price of wheat.

Some caravans arrived for the first time, thinking that they found a good opportunity, and instead of satisfying the existing interests, they wanted to take the opportunity to raise food prices by relying on the power behind them.He even encouraged fellow grain merchants in an attempt to make a fortune.

From the leader's point of view, there is not much risk in doing so.One is that the law does not blame the public, and the other is that the border counties have suffered disasters year after year and are extremely short of food. No matter how powerful Wei Shang is, can he capture all the grain merchants in the city?

I don't want to contact for a few days, but it is rare for someone to move, most of them just shake their heads.A few big merchants who had been walking around the border all the year round looked at the team leader like a fool, and threw him out the door.

The planned miscarriage was not over, and soon a young official came to the door, arrested the team leader into the official temple, locked him in the prison for five full days, and was not released until the sixth day.Half of the goods carried were confiscated.

The leader was dissatisfied, and the young official who arrested him threw a wooden slip and read to his face the rules set by Wei Taishou himself at the beginning of the military market.

There are rules for grain price fluctuations in the county. Whoever dares to drive up grain prices in the city will be imprisoned for the lightest, and flogged for the severe ones.

"You should be glad that things didn't work out."

Looking at the wooden slips, the team leader turned pale, and finally understood why those colleagues rejected him.

D?

These four words did not exist in Wei Taishou's dictionary at all.

When the military market was first established, in order to establish rules, the businessmen who used it to kill chickens and monkeys couldn't count their two slaps.Wei Taishou is basically not arrested individually, but often in a group. Han merchants and Hu merchants are generalized, and no one can be an exception.

Trying to drive up the price of food, but also cowardly and secretly linked up, only being imprisoned for five days is already a blessing.If you dare to refuse to accept it, it is light to continue to be detained.

So what if there are clansmen in the court, with Wei Taishou's behavior, he really angered him, maybe the whole clan will be punished.

Don't mention anything beyond the reach of the whip, guarding the border county for more than ten years, although there were ups and downs in the middle, Wei Shang's prestige is solid, and he can't fake it at all.And with the help of the Prime Minister Liu She, whoever dares to make trouble in the cloud will definitely sharpen his head and seek death on his own.

Guan Fu, the prime minister of Dai Guo, has been in trouble recently, and Emperor Jing's perception of him has plummeted. Even though there is no evidence to point directly at Wei Shang, and Cheng Bushi and others are behind the scenes, which greatly confuses the line of sight, there are still many smart people in the court , I knew very well in my heart that Guan Fu's fall into today's situation is absolutely inseparable from Wei Taishou.

Even if the Prime Minister of Dai is like this, a merchant who is so greedy that he dares to challenge the rules set by Wei Taishou is really desperate.

Zhao Jia also heard about the grain merchant.

After being released from the prison, the team leader knew that he had caused a catastrophe, so he quickly sold the remaining grain, and left the border county in despair, not daring to stay for a day.What he did has become the laughing stock of many businessmen, and he will always mention it after dinner.Some businessmen used this matter to educate their nephews, and said that whoever dares to follow such a prodigal son does not need to use the official temple to do it, and take the stick first to clean it up.

With Wei Taishou's iron fist, the food price in Yunzhong County is basically stable.Even if the county suffers from disasters year after year, the fields fail to harvest, and the price of grain fluctuates slightly, it must be within the limit, and it will not be so high that the border residents cannot afford a grain of millet.

Regardless of whether there are people who are dissatisfied, Wei Taishou is not afraid of facing the consequences since he has done so.Anyone who dares to refuse to accept will be imprisoned for a few days, and those who refuse to accept will be whipped and made into a city guard.

The forces behind it want to catch people?

Think beautiful!

Raising food prices in Yunzhong County, greedy enough to suck the blood of border people, you should be ready to be punished!

However, an iron fist also invites counterattacks.

It is true that the status of the merchants is low, and some nobles who stand behind them and drive them to make profits for themselves are dissatisfied and attack Wei Shang in turn in the court.To their disappointment, whenever similar speeches appeared in the court, Emperor Jing would be temporarily deaf, as if he could not hear them at all.

It's still useless to ask Queen Mother Dou.

The Empress Dowager, who came from the period of Empress Lu, paid as much attention to Bianjun as Emperor Jing.She is very clear that the biggest enemy of the Han Dynasty is the Xiongnu in the north, and the stability of the border prefectures will lead to stability. Whoever dares to shake the border prefectures will definitely seek death!

Emperor Jing may also show kindness and power, and adopt some gentle methods.Empress Dowager Dou is not the case. If she is angered, the knife will not be put down.In the history of killing Zhidu, it can only be said that Liu Rong's death made Empress Dowager Dou so angry that she became irrational, and Zhidu was to a greater extent responsible for Emperor Jing.

Therefore, from the beginning of the establishment of the military market, the rules set by Wei Taishou were strictly enforced.Regardless of which noble person is standing behind, you must abide by the rules here when you arrive in Bianjun!

Following Yunzhong County, Dingxiang County, Yanmen County, and Shang County also opened military markets one after another, and issued strict orders in the cities, and those who violated them were severely punished.

Since Zhi Du became the prefect of Yanmen, he has joined hands with Wei Shang to stabilize food prices in border counties with tough measures.And open warehouses to release grain, so that after natural disasters and man-made disasters, the border residents can recuperate, the population will not decrease, and the fields can gradually be reclaimed and restored.

Due to the proper measures taken, the military market in Yunzhong County became more and more prosperous, Hu City began to rebuild, and the heavy snow could not stop Hu merchants from going south.

It will take some time for Yanmen County to restore the city, but there are all presiding over it. The Xiongnu are afraid of being killed, and they may not dare to go south in the short term. The time left in the county is sufficient, enough for the officials and temples to organize spring plowing and lay the foundation for the re-establishment of the commercial city.

After breakfast, Wei Yue continued to bury his head in government affairs, while Zhao Jia focused on sorting out information.

When the matter was almost settled, Wei Yue took out a few bamboo slips from the shelf and told Zhao Jia about everything in Chang'an.From the relatives of the clan to the nobles in the court, there is no omission.

In order to let Zhao Jia have a more intuitive impression, Wei Yue also drew a pen to form a complex network of relationships.

The five sheepskins are all painted, and what Zhao Jia has learned is still just the tip of the iceberg.

"The crown prince has been appointed, and the Tangyihou's mansion can no longer stay out of the matter." Wei Yue tapped the pen and wrote the three characters Tangyihou next to Dou's, "Tangyihou is ordered by the emperor to supervise the manufacture of horse gear. No matter what its original intention is, it will be involved.”

Looking at the name on the sheepskin, Zhao Jia fell into deep thought.

He thought he was prepared and capable of facing all the upcoming problems.But as the names in history appeared one by one, the boring records in the history books turned into vivid images, and an inexplicable urgency and anxiety suddenly rose up, wrapping his thoughts firmly, making his brows grow closer. Wrinkle tighter.

Stepping on the grassland and climbing upwards is easier said than done.

In history, there are countless unstoppable fierce men on the battlefield who finally fell under the political struggle.Just like the famous generals in the Warring States Period, they more or less ended up "death is not a crime".

After going through many things, Zhao Jia is very clear that the realization of ideals cannot be achieved only by passion.But if he gets involved in the quagmire one day, can he still keep his heart?

What's more, will he become someone he hates?

Zhao Jia's thoughts drifted farther and farther away, and he sat in front of him for a long time without speaking.

Wei Yue stopped writing, sighed softly, and suddenly reached out to cover Zhao Jia's eyes.

"Third son?"

"Aduo always thinks too much." Wei Yue leaned forward, warm breath brushing against Zhao Jia's ears, "There are thorns in front of you, you can cut them with a knife; when you meet a beast on the road, you should shoot it with an arrow. What is it if you can't help yourself?" , Standing on a high place, you can set the rules yourself."

"Set the rules?"

The eyes were blocked, and there was no light at all, and other senses were constantly amplified, and Zhao Jia could even hear his heart beating faster.

"Of course." Wei Yue's voice hit the ear drums, as if there was a kind of bewitchment, "Can Ah Duo do it?"

Zhao Jia opened his mouth, but suddenly closed it again.

Wei Yue withdrew her hand at this moment.

The four eyes met each other, the distance between the two was extremely close, but there was nothing charming about it, as if there was a blade in the air, it was inexplicably oppressive.

Zhao Jia suddenly realized that Wei Yue was not only teaching him, but also testing him.

After gathering his composure and suppressing the urge to look away, Zhao Jia's expression changed from confusion to firmness, his eyes were as bright as stars, and Wei Yue's face was clearly reflected in his pupils.

"I can."

"Good!" Wei Yue showed her face, as if the ice and snow had just melted.

The stagnant air began to flow, and the heavy atmosphere dissipated. Zhao Jia suddenly felt his shoulders loosen.

After lunch, the snow eased, and after sorting out the last few bamboo slips, Zhao Jia took a look at the sky and prepared to leave and go home.

Wei Yue didn't hold back, and sent Zhao Jia out of the house in person.

Leaping on the horseback, Zhao Jia looked back, and unexpectedly remembered the time when Zhao Gongcao died in battle and he returned home with his old servant.On that day, Wei Yue, who was still a teenager, also stood in front of the mansion, watching him go away.

After leaving the city, the bay red horse spread its four hooves and galloped in the heavy snow.

The cold wind hits head-on, like a knife scraping bone.

Zhao Jia had no intention of slowing down, instead he pulled the reins to make the mount speed up continuously.The bay red horse let out a long neigh, as fast as lightning, stepped across the vast snow field, and galloped towards the livestock farm.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like