Linzhi

Hearing this, everyone present was shocked.

He Tai was speechless in shock, and asked after a long while: "...how could this be?"

Ma Hong: "Xiao Yu, the governor of Liangzhou, cooperated with the Turkic people inside and outside, directly led troops into the pass, established himself as king, and the country's name is Liang."

He Tai gasped: "Then in Liangzhou City, everyone surrendered to the enemy? Didn't half rise up to oppose Xiao Yu?"

Ma Hong: "Of course. Liangzhou Sima and Changshi were both killed by Xiao Yu's butcher knife. Before the court had time to react, Xiao Yu quickly took control of the whole Liangzhou."

Erlang Hexiu said bitterly: "I heard that Xiao Yu has the blood of Hu people, he really is not of my race, his heart must be different!"

He Rong: "When Emperor Gaozu of this dynasty ruled the country, the Yi people from the south came to vote. Their leaders understood the righteousness and their heart was for the heavenly dynasty. It can be seen that blood is only one of them, and the most important thing is that the interests are at stake. Turkic people must Xu gave Xiao Yutian great benefits, and persuaded him to add chaos to the court."

The whole family of the He family was exiled here, with no news, no food and clothing, especially the children of He Tai, who were supposed to be studying at a precious age, but they wasted years here.

11 years is enough to support a person, even the princes and grandchildren, without good education and nurturing, will only become a vulgar countryman—Ma Hong’s idea was overturned after he came here. Speaking of the eldest son He Mu, even Saburo He Rong impressed him.

Ma Hong: "The third son has a good opinion."

He Rong: "We also heard that the Eastern and Western Turks joined forces and went south in three ways. I don't know what the situation is in Ganzhou and Huaiyuan County?"

"There are [-] Chen soldiers in Ganzhou, and there is Mr. Chen who is well versed in military affairs. As for Huaiyuan County," Ma Hong sighed slightly, with a very worried face on his face. "When we traveled to Junzhou, we heard that Huaiyuan County It has already fallen, the county magistrate Sun Jingzhong died in the city, and the Turkic people are approaching Lingzhou, I don't know what is going on now."

Once Liangzhou was reversed, a large barrier to the north of the Central Plains would be lost.If Lingzhou is not protected, the Turks can drive straight in, from Weizhou to Gyeonggi-do, and attack the capital.

Frightened by this idea, He Tai panicked for a moment.

He didn't expect that after staying here for more than ten years, one day, besides worrying about whether he would be forgotten by his father and whether he would be given a sudden death, he would also worry about whether he would face the danger of ruining the country and family.

He Tai: "There are so many talented people in the imperial court, so there must be a plan already?"

Ma Hong: "When the villain came, I heard that His Majesty had sent Qin Guogong to lead troops to suppress the rebellion, but the news of the fall of Huaiyuan County had not yet reached the capital."

He Taisong breathed a sigh of relief: "Pei Wuyang, the Duke of Qin, has always been a good soldier, and he also made great military exploits with Emperor Gaozu, so he must be able to handle it with ease."

He Tai tried his best to gossip with Ma Hong and get closer, but He Rong noticed something unusual.

Not only does the He family not have any titles now, but it has long been abandoned by the emperor. Even if Ma Hong came here to see a doctor and administer medicine under the emperor's order, there is no need to talk about the border war with He Tai, and he also talked about so many court arrangements.

His thoughts turned, and many thoughts had already passed through his mind, even the sweet-scented osmanthus tea that He Zhan handed over to him was not in the mood to drink it, so he took it casually.

Unexpectedly, in a daze, his hand slipped, and the cup fell heavily on the food table, making a muffled sound, which attracted everyone's attention.

He Rong just raised his head and met Ma Hong's eyes.

Looking at each other, he suddenly had a terrible guess.

He Rong: "I have a question to ask, and I would like to ask Ma Nei to give me some advice."

Ma Hong: "Sir, please tell me."

"The theory says that we are humble and shouldn't be involved in important affairs of the court, but this matter is related to my family, so I have to ask."

The more important things were on his mind, the slower and more steady He Rong's tone: "Did I ask Ma Nei before his departure, did His Majesty mention marriage to you?"

Clang!

It was He Jia who accidentally dropped the bowl to the ground. Fortunately, it was made of rough pottery and the food table was not high, otherwise the He family would lose another food bowl.

Ma Hong didn't bother to look at He Jia, he stared at He Rong closely, his eyes couldn't hide his surprise: "Why did the third son say such a thing?"

He Rong said lightly: "Guess, I hope the horse attendant can reprimand me for talking nonsense."

He Mu was shocked: "Servant Ma Nei, what my third brother said is true?"

Ma Hong felt other people's burning eyes on him, and he couldn't say the word "no".

The Turks are powerful, especially the new Khan Fu Nian of the East Turks, who is as ambitious as the rising sun. Under his rule, the East Turks expanded day by day and annexed the surrounding ministries. Fu Nian Khan was not satisfied with Therefore, he focused on the fertile soil in Guannei again.

Long before the outbreak of this large-scale war, the border between Lingzhou and Ganzhou had been invaded by Turks many times. I thought that Xiao Yu's presence in Liangzhou should be the most worry-free for the imperial court. It's the other way around.

When the Turks were so tyrannical and the imperial court was not ready for a big war, some people proposed a peace policy.

Moli Khan of the Western Turks already had a concubine wife who was married to him, but she was a princess of the previous dynasty and did not have a good impression of this dynasty, so it would be meaningless to make peace with the Western Turks.

Not long after Fu Nian Khan of the Eastern Turks ascended the Khan throne, some officials in the court believed that the imperial court could stabilize the situation by marrying the Eastern Turks, and by the way, separate the Eastern and Western Turks so that they would not unite to fight against the Central Plains.

Nowadays, there are not many real princesses in the imperial court, but there are many women in the clan. It is not difficult to find a marriage partner, but who is willing to leave home thousands of miles to live in a windy and sandy place for the rest of their lives?If the identity and bloodlines are not valuable enough, even with the title of princess, the Turkic side will feel slighted.

After thinking about it, someone set their sights on the He Tai family far away in Fangzhou.

In terms of age, He Jia is just right, and in terms of blood, she is the daughter of the eldest son of the emperor, the emperor's direct granddaughter, and the best part is that their family is now a commoner, so it is easier to lift her up.

The emperor didn't make a clear statement, but privately he also expressed his intention to ask Ma Hong to come and have a look. Ma Hong wanted to find an opportunity to hint to He Tai, but he was picked out by He Rong all of a sudden.

He Tai looked at his daughter, then at Ma Hong, his lips trembling slightly: "Servant Ma Nei, there is only this one girl by my side..."

He Jia's face was pale, and he was in shock for a while, unable to speak.

Ma Hong comforted: "The court has not yet made a final decision on this matter, so you don't have to worry about it. If there is a decree, His Majesty will send a special envoy to give the order, and it is not a villain who will convey it verbally."

Having said that, when the crowd dispersed, he went to He Tai privately and persuaded him, "Is Mr. Lang willing to spend his whole life in this place? If you can give up a daughter and keep your family, why not?"

He Tai's face was ugly: "Am I the kind of person who sells girls for glory?"

Ma Hong smiled, and then restrained his smile: "Your Majesty is serious. If Your Majesty invents the decree, it doesn't matter if Your Majesty is willing or not? What the villain means is that if Your Majesty proposes it, His Majesty will definitely take your credit into consideration. Returning to Beijing is also easier. Of course, this is just a villain's idea, whether to do it or not is up to you."

Looking forward to the arrival of the imperial envoy, He Tai, instead of being overjoyed, had a lot of worries on his mind. After Ma Hong left, he sat in a daze for a long time, and didn't even notice that He Mu and his brothers came together, until He Mu made a sound. .

"Father."

He Tai came back to his senses, and said ah: "Haven't you rested yet? Sit down. How are the two envoys?"

He Mu: "It's settled down, they will leave tomorrow."

He Tai: "So fast, don't you stay for a few more days?"

He Mu: "Servant Ma said that since his father is fine, he has to go back to report, otherwise he will easily attract attention if he stays for a long time."

He Tai sighed: "How is Ajia?"

He Mu followed with a sigh: "Liu Shen Wu Zhu, I cried for a while, and was persuaded by Mrs. Song to rest."

The Song family is He Mu's wife, and among their brothers, only Dalang and He Mu are married. Given the situation of the He family in Fangzhou, everyone avoids them for fear that they can't even marry He Tai himself. room, not to mention a few sons.

There is a strange fate in this marriage. The whole family is exiled here, and the family is completely destitute, but the younger brothers must read and read, so they can't be blind, so He Mu and He Xiu tried their best, including borrowing books from other people's homes. .It just so happened that He Mu went to borrow books from a family. At that time, the owner’s family was out, and his daughter lent the book to He Mu. No choice but to fulfill her.

Now the two have been married for several years, and their son He Xin is four years old.

Mrs. Song returned to her mother's house today and did not come back until evening, otherwise she would have been the one to entertain Ma Hong and Imperial Physician Qi, not Mrs. Yuan.

Hearing Mrs. Song's return, He Tai nodded and said nothing.

The second child, He Xiu, was impatient and couldn't help asking: "Is father really planning to send my sister to marry?"

"Why are you talking to father!" He Mu glared at his younger brother.

He Tai had a headache: "Of course I don't want to give up my daughter, but if His Majesty orders, what can I do? What should you do about this matter?"

He was upset and couldn't help angering He Rong: "If you hadn't suggested writing to His Majesty for your father, how could His Majesty have noticed us and caused today's trouble?"

He Rong sat there with his usual expression and did not refute.

On the contrary, Wulang He Zhan reminded: "Father, if His Majesty hadn't replied back then, we would still live in the original small courtyard, and the county magistrate in the past continued to make things difficult for us. We would never change to a county as easy to get along with as now." make."

He Mu also felt that his father's anger was unreasonable: "Father, Ma Hong will go back tomorrow, the top priority is, we should think about how to talk back!"

He Tai had a sudden thought: "Why don't I just call myself sick tomorrow, and you can go and practice it for Ma Hong and the others on your father's behalf!"

He Mu was helpless: "With Imperial Physician Qi here, can't he see that you are not sick?"

He Tai: "..."

The sons are not stupid, they can see what is on He Tai's mind.

In fact, Ma Hong's words still moved He Tai. He was both reluctant to part with his daughter and yearned to return to Beijing, so the battle between heaven and man swayed from side to side.

And it is estimated that the idea of ​​returning to Beijing has the upper hand.

Shiro He Xi, who has been acting as the background, whispered: "How about we make a plan? Let God decide."

"Go, go, what's causing the trouble!" He Erlang pushed him away impatiently, "Father, anyway, I don't agree! There are so many princesses in Beijing, why should it be my sister's turn? Why don't you look at us?" Bully!"

He Mu thought: "Why don't you give some gifts, and ask Ma Hong to give us some good words in front of His Majesty. Your Majesty will be so kind, maybe we won't mention my sister's name."

In fact, He Jia’s marriage to Turkic may not necessarily mean suffering, because Turkic people have always had rules, and the wives of Turkic Khans can participate in political affairs, and if they are a bit stronger, they can be dun and have military power.But he couldn't explain these words to his sons, instead, he said it as if he couldn't wait to sell his daughter.

He Tai was restless, and he didn't know where to start with a thousand thoughts. After listening to the words of his sons, his thoughts were not clarified, but even more confused.

He looked at He Rong who was silent from the beginning to the end: "Sanlang, what do you think?"

Although he didn't like this son very much, He Tai had to admit that the opinions given by He Rong were quite useful sometimes, at least in the matter of writing to the emperor, it proved that he did have foresight.

He Rong didn't make a fool of himself: "Father not only wants to refuse, but also refuses righteously, and can't leave any room for ambiguity to Ma Hong."

He Tai: "Why?"

He Rong: "Because of your majesty's character. If you offered to send your sister to marry, maybe your majesty will let us go back to Beijing, but from now on, in his mind, you will be a mean and ungrateful person, and you can even take out your own daughter The one who sells the price."