Linzhi

After the effect of Mafeisan wore off, He Zhan woke up from the pain.

He moved his arm subconsciously, only to find that his entire hand seemed to be heavily wrapped, and he couldn't move even half of it.

"Your hand is immobilized, and the medical officer said it will take at least a month or two before it can be taken apart. Be honest." Someone said beside him.

Hearing this voice, He Zhan didn't open his eyes in a hurry, instead he stretched his body lazily, his limbs and bones were all sore. The battle yesterday, although it was only a short moment, seemed to have exhausted his entire life. They were all overdrawn, and now they were wrapped in soft bedding, and they almost didn't want to move.

"Third brother, I want to drink water." He said hoarsely.

Soon, a hand firmly supported the back of his neck, made him sit up a little, and passed lukewarm water to his lips.

After a few mouthfuls of water, He Zhan sighed contentedly, and said, "Actually, there is nothing wrong with being injured. You can sleep all day, have someone to feed you when you eat, and third brother to talk with me. Life is like this, what more can I ask for... …Ouch!"

He was hit on the head, and he was terribly wronged immediately: "I worked hard, but you still beat me!"

He Rong: "Beat you stupid, and you can live the life you want."

He Zhan said with a smile, "That's impossible. In this case, third brother won't take care of me for the rest of my life. How can I bear it?"

He Rong had a good time: "There are so many slaves here, which one do you like, just take it back and take care of you, why should I do it myself?"

Although it was a joke, when He Zhan thought of Ah Qing, he couldn't help feeling sorry for himself: "The Han slaves stranded in Turkic are, after all, Chinese citizens of Zhongyuan. They were taken captive because of the war. Third brother, can you tell the princess to send them all away?" sent back?"

He Rong nodded: "The princess is busy clearing up Jia Luo's remnant party and subduing those tribal leaders. Let's put this matter aside for now. I will tell the princess before we go back. It is mainly in the various tribes now. There are Han Chinese slaves, taking them all away rashly will only make the tribes feel dissatisfied, and it will not help the princess to win the hearts of the people and stabilize the overall situation, so we need to think long-term."

He Zhan hummed and sighed again.

"Want to go home?" He Rong put his hand on his forehead, and gently smoothed his hair back, smoothing his hair with neither light nor heavy force, which made He Zhan squint his eyes slightly in comfort.

He Zhan: "During the days before, I did sometimes think about my father, my eldest brother and my second brother. I don't know what's going on now. I think about my companions in the Imperial Army. Did Zhang Ze get into trouble again? I also think about Yang Jun..."

He Rongqi said: "Yang Jun, do you think so too? I don't usually see how friendly you are with him. A few years ago, I saw me hang out with him all the time, and you even lost your temper."

He Zhan was a little embarrassed by what he said: "At that time I wanted to play with you, who made Yang Hengyu always pull you to talk and make you ignore me, and I was still young at that time, can it be the same?"

He Rong deliberately said: "Then you are old now?"

He Zhan knew that he couldn't follow the third brother's topic, otherwise he would get involved in it endlessly, so he refused to take up this question: "But now that everything is settled, I think it would be nice to stay here for a few more days , I have seen too much Gobi yellow sand, green grass cattle and sheep, but it has a special flavor."

He Rong joked: "You have made great achievements this time, and you will definitely be rewarded after you go back. Maybe your majesty will point you to a noble daughter because of this."

He Zhan was quite optimistic: "There is my second brother ahead of me, you and fourth brother, it won't be my turn so soon!"

He Rong: "You can get engaged first like me. I think Li Suian is pretty good. He has a lively temper and is also pretty. Don't you like it?"

He Zhan couldn't believe it: "Brother, did you have any grudge against me in your previous life? Or did I owe you tens of thousands of pennies and didn't pay it back? No, you obviously took a lot of pocket money from me and haven't paid it back to me. Pay me back!"

He Rong got up: "The princess seems to have sent someone to look for me, I'll go out and have a look."

He Zhan: "Don't make excuses to run away!"

He stretched out his hand to grab it, but it was in vain. The third brother, who usually walks slowly, was as slippery as a loach at this moment, evading his movements with agility that he never had before, and walked out.

He Zhan was dumbfounded, and thought, third brother, are you pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger?

……

But when He Rong got out of the tent, he really ran into a geese who came to look for him, and Princess Dao invited him over.

After these days, the people around He Rong and Princess Zhending are also very familiar with each other, and they have a friendship of sharing weal and woe, and even their conversations are much more casual.

"Presumably the princess is almost busy?"

Hongyan smiled and said: "Yes, I have neglected Saburo these few days, the princess is very sorry, but after Jia Luo died, many people need the princess to come forward to comfort, and many things need to be handled by the princess herself. .”

He Rong expressed his understanding. After all, Prince Luji has a soft temperament. Although this means that he is easy to control, it also means that everything must be done by the princess.

The two entered the tent, Hongyan saluted and said, "Princess, Saburo is here."

Princess Zhending was holding up the bowl of mare's milk, her eyes were still looking at the parchment scroll on the desk, and she raised her head when she heard the movement: "Sanlang don't need to be polite, sit down."

He Rong: "Princess, you have worked hard. Please take care of your jade body. The whole Western Turks are still counting on you."

Princess Zhending sighed with a smile: "When Moli was still there, although I also assisted, but not like now, I have to do everything by myself!"

He Rong: "Those who are capable will work harder, and the nobles are busy. Congratulations should be made to the princess."

Princess Zhending smiled: "This time, we also have much help from you, so we don't have to flatter each other. What are your plans now, are you ready to go back?"

He Rong: "I should be the one who asked the princess. Now the Western Turks are in the hands of the princess, but when I came here, I made a promise to welcome the princess back to Chang'an and live in it. Now it should be fulfilled." It's time to promise, I don't know princess, should I go or stay?"

Princess Zhending joked a bit: "Even if I want to go back now, are you willing to let me go back? I'm not in charge here, Lu Ji can't hold back those wolves at all, and there will be a second Galo soon, you guys Everything that has been done before is tantamount to wasting all previous efforts.”

He Rong looked calm: "From the standpoint of the imperial court, I not only hope that the princess can stay in Turkic forever, but also live a long life. In this way, there will be long-term peace and stability in Western Turkic and Central Plains, but at the beginning I promised If the princess really wants to go back, I will help arrange it, and I will ask Your Majesty to stay and assist Prince Luji."

Princess Zhending was moody: "You really think so?"

He Rong: "A man cannot stand without faith."

Princess Zhending stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "It's a man who is trustworthy and trustworthy, and I did not misunderstand him. Thank you for your kindness, but I don't want to go back now, maybe ten years later, 20 years later, etc. When I'm too old to walk, I want to go back and see...the tombs of the previous emperors have not been destroyed, have they?"

He Rong: "Emperor Gaozu once ordered the soldiers and civilians not to disturb the mausoleum of the previous dynasty, and then sent people to guard the mausoleum there. Now it has become a rule."

Princess Zhending nodded, and then laughed at herself: "It is said that I am timid when I am close to the hometown. I am already timid before I am close to the hometown. When I want to go back but can't, I miss it so much that I even miss the mung bean cake I ate in the palace. I remember the taste, but I finally got to be the master, but I feel that everything is blurred. Chang'an is no longer the Chang'an in my memory, and the imperial palace is no longer my home. What can I do when I go back? It would be better to stay in this place where I have been for more than 20 years."

He Rong knew that Princess Zhending didn't need his answer. She felt melancholy in her heart, and ran back between Chang'an and the Western Regions, feeling restless day and night, and her homesickness was difficult to solve.

Princess Zhending who returned to Chang'an is honorable, but she has to rely on others for everything. On the contrary, in Western Turks, she can hold great power and make everyone bow their heads.

Anyone with a slightly less weak personality knows how to choose, let alone Princess Zhending.

He Rong: "Since the princess decides to stay, I should also help. The Turkic people live as nomads, unlike the Central Plains who settle down and farm. This determines their nature of plundering for survival. Now Jia Luo Fu Zhu, the group of dragons has no leader, maybe they hibernate for a while, but after a long time, when their nature recovers, they will still invade the border, kill people and rob food, and then all our efforts now will be in vain."

Princess Zhending smiled slightly, not surprised: "Yes, you can think of this, which shows that you are not only resourceful and eloquent, but also have a long-term vision. It's a pity that you are not a Turkic, otherwise I will fully support you as the Western Turkic Khan."

He Rong: "Thank you princess for your compliment."

Princess Zhending: "I hope you can ask your Majesty to bring a group of craftsmen, including weaver girls, potters, and old farmers who are familiar with farming, etc. It is best to send some drought-resistant grain seeds. Just as you said It is useless to send more gold and silver food to the Turkic people. One day they cannot rely on themselves to grow food, and one day they want to grab it. It’s useless, so we must let them settle down like the Central Plains people, and when they can wear the clothes they wove and eat the food they grow, they will naturally stop thinking about risking their lives to snatch and kill them.”

He Rong nodded: "Princess is wise, besides this, I will also ask Your Majesty to move a group of people outside the pass to settle and reclaim wasteland."

Princess Zhending was surprised: "I'm afraid that no one would be willing to come to the wild land outside the pass?"

He Rong: "Every year in the Central Plains, there are many people who are displaced by natural disasters due to drought and flood. They lost their homes and had nowhere to go. They either starved to death or relied on the local government for food. Instead of this, it is better to let them come outside the customs, just promise that after the land grows food, they will pay a fixed amount as taxes, and the rest can be kept by themselves. There should be many people who are willing to come, let alone after they come, You can also intermarry with the local Turkic people, and over time, there will be Han in Huzhong, and Hu in Hanzhong, and this is the strategy for long-term stability.”

Princess Zhending sighed: "This plan is very good, but it will take decades to see the results. I only hope that I can live until then!"

He Rong: "Princess will live a long life, and I will also ask Your Majesty to let the eminent monks in the Central Plains take their disciples to the Western Regions to give lectures, present Buddha statues and Buddhist scriptures, etc., with a view to slowly enlightening people's hearts and making Turkic people like the people of the Central Plains." Generally speaking, with the enlightenment of Buddha, you can live and work in peace and contentment.”

Such an outstanding statesman as Princess Zhending can immediately see the deep meaning of He Rong's words.

She had a half-smile and said, "It's even better if you take the bottom line from the bottom of the pot, so that those Turkic people who believe in Buddhism can eliminate their murderous arrogance from the root, and finally accept the rule of the Central Plains Dynasty."

He Rong calmly said, "If the leaders of the Western Turkic tribes believe in Buddhism and convert to Buddhism, there will be only a lot of benefits for the princess and no harm."

Princess Zhending waved her hand: "Forget it, you are well-intentioned. If I sit firmly in Western Turkic, the Central Plains Dynasty can rest assured. Likewise, the Central Plains court is stable and strong, and I will have a backer in Western Turkic. You and I will be prosperous together. It hurts everything, and I have no reason not to agree with your proposal."

He Rong: "The princess understands righteousness deeply, and it is exactly this principle."

"You all gave me the title of righteousness, how can I not be righteous?" Princess Zhending joked.

He Rong rarely smiled.

Princess Zhending couldn't help but said: "You really should smile more, and make sure that all the girls from the Western Turks are crying and wanting to go back to the Central Plains with you."

He Rong smiled wryly: "Princess, stop joking."

"Who is joking with you?" Princess Zhending said, "But I also have a suggestion. After you go back, you can report to the emperor and let him make a decision."

He Rong: "Princess, please tell me."

Princess Zhending: "I am nearly forty years old now. Even if I live to be sixty, I will only live another 20 years. For the world, 20 years are fleeting. If there is no one after me who can inherit me The unfinished business, then everything we have worked hard for today will be nullified, and everything will return to the original point. So I hope the emperor of the Central Plains can send another princess over, marry Lu Ji, marry Lu Ji Regardless of the successor, in my lifetime, I can still teach her, let her become the second me, and also become the real messenger connecting the Central Plains and Western Turks."

Seeing that He Rong didn't speak, she smiled: "I know that the dignity of you men is nothing more than saving face, refusing to admit that there are some things you can't do yourself, and you have to come forward to solve them."

He Rong sighed softly: "I didn't think so. In fact, there is another reason why I went to the Western Turks as an envoy. That is, I don't want to have a daughter of the Han family who needs to sacrifice herself for the country after you." life."

Princess Zhending: "But the current Central Plains Dynasty is not strong enough to convince the surrounding tribes, so you must consider my suggestion."

Rationally, He Rong knew that Princess Zhending was right.

He was silent for a long time before nodding his head: "I will bring the princess's words to you, and His Majesty will decide."

Princess Zhending laughed: "You are usually so calm and unreasonable, but now you can see a little stubbornness of a teenager."

It's not a bad thing to have persistence and stubbornness in her heart. Isn't it because of that bit of unwilling stubbornness that she can persist until now?

While talking, Hongyan came in with a young girl, who was still holding a bouquet of wild apricot flowers.

Hongyan smiled and said, "Princess, Honghu said he would come to present you flowers."

Princess Zhending waved at the girl: "Where did you pick this?"

The girl came over, her voice was soft and crisp, not as rough as ordinary Turkic girls: "There is a wild valley not far away, which is full of large apricot blossoms, if you like it, I will pick some more tomorrow!"

Princess Zhending asked Hongyan to arrange the flowers.

"I like it, it reminds me of the apricot forest on the outskirts of Chang'an City."

The girl looked at He Rong unabashedly, her eyes were straightforward, but not disgusting: "You are the envoy sent by the Celestial Dynasty? My name is Honghu, and my nickname is Gu Xin."

He Rong didn't know where this young girl came from, so he also nodded in greeting: "I'm next, He Rong."

The girl tilted her head: "I heard that you people in the Central Plains all have watch characters. What is your watch character?"

He Rong hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhen Guan."

The girl smiled embarrassedly: "I can only understand Chinese, but I can't write it. Does Zhenguan have any meaning?"

Seeing Princess Zhending sitting on the side and looking at them with a smile, He Rong didn't interrupt, so he could only say: "The way of heaven and earth is also for those who observe Zhenguan. This is a word in "Book of Changes". Deep down, Zhenguan contains the mysteries of the movement of heaven and earth, and the cycle of the sun and the moon.”

The girl seemed to understand but nodded.

Princess Zhending then said: "Okay, Gu Xin, you go down first, I still have something to talk to San Lang."

The girl took a deep look at He Rong, and then bowed and left.

"Gu Xin is Jia Luo's half-sister." Princess Zhending said, "But she was not close to Jia Luo since she was a child. Instead, I brought her up."

"???" He Rong was puzzled, wondering why Princess Zhending would suddenly mention this.

Seeing his blank face, Princess Zhending said: "Sanlang, if you are willing to stay, I will betroth Gu Xin to you. She is Jia Luo's younger sister, and she also has the blood of Ashina, the Turkic Khan of the past. With your ability, you will surely become the Western Turkic Khan in the future, and then unify the Eastern and Western Turks, isn't it much better than being squeezed out and left out in the capital?"

He Rong frowned slightly.

Princess Zhending: "You're wondering how I guessed it? If you ventured thousands of miles away to Turkic, you might get sick and get infected on the way, or you might lose your life in Turkic at any time. In the opinion of ordinary officials, , it is still a hard job, isn't it very strange that you are a dignified grandson, a nobleman of the Tian family, who volunteered to come here? There are many ways to make achievements, and you don't have to risk your life. You should be more That's right."

He Rong laughed at himself: "Princess knows everything, I can't hide anything from you."

Princess Zhending: "I heard that you are the son of the eldest son of the emperor, but the eldest son of the emperor was exiled for some reason in his early years."

He Rong: "That's right, just as the princess expected, my biological mother was charged with being involved in a rebellious case, and my father was punished by His Majesty. Even though he is the grandson of the emperor, he is just like the princess back then, involuntarily walking on thin ice."

Princess Zhending smiled and said: "Then don't you consider my proposal? I'm not joking. You just saw Gu Xin. Although her appearance is not as good as a fish and a wild goose, she is still a beauty. If you are willing to stay, I will I will do my best to help you ascend to the position of Khan."

He Rong's gaze shifted from Princess Zhending's face to the purple bamboo stick in his hand.

In comparison, the Western Turks are vast and sparsely populated. Although they are poorer, they are even more promising, while the Central Plains...

He couldn't predict what it would be like to welcome them when he returned to Chang'an.

……

"Then you promised her?!"

He Zhan was about to get up in a hurry, and suddenly bumped his injured hand against the bedside, and his face was distorted in pain.

He Rong was still in the mood to laugh at him: "Why are you getting more irritable?"

He Zhan: "This kind of thing is absurd to think about. My third brother was originally here on an envoy, but he suddenly changed and almost became the son-in-law of a Turkic man!"

He Rong had a good time: "How ridiculous, is it not good to be the son-in-law of a Turk? I have seen the woman the princess wants me to marry. She is Jia Luo's younger sister. She is not much inferior in appearance to the Li Suian we have seen. If I stay Come down, let alone a Western Turkic Khan, it’s better than going back, right?”

He Zhan became even more anxious: "Then what should I do? What should Chen Qian and the others do!"

He Rong: "Without me, you can take the credit for yourself when you go back. Besides, the assassination of Jia Luo was originally your first achievement. Even if His Majesty does not give you the title of king, a Marquis will be indispensable."

He Zhan didn't care about other things, so he quickly grabbed his hand and said, "Third Brother, don't play tricks on me. Since we came here together, we naturally have to go back together!"

He Rong's hand was painfully gripped by him, and he couldn't help hissing.

He Zhan let go a little, but still refused to let go, for fear that he would disappear out of thin air.

He Rong could only say: "I didn't agree."

He Zhan was dubious: "Really?"

He Rong had no choice but to say, "The princess' proposal is tempting, but it's not enough for me to leave you and stay here."

He Zhan glanced at him: "If that girl was more beautiful, would you agree?"

He Rong tapped him on the head: "She looks like a fairy, and I don't agree, it's okay!"

He Zhan couldn't help grinning: "It's not too bad."

He Rong was too lazy to talk to him, so he picked up a parchment and read it.

After Princess Zhending came to power, many trivial matters needed to be taken care of, and He Rong would occasionally help with them. Xue Tan took advantage of this to travel around the West Turks, personally surveyed and drawn some topographic maps of the West Turks, and sent them back to He Rong one after another.

Although there is only a small part of it, it is an extremely precious piece of information for the Central Plains Dynasty.

In fact, He Rong also knew that it was impossible to achieve long-term peace and stability only relying on Princess Zhending. Only when the Central Plains Dynasty was strong enough that the surrounding tribes did not dare to offend easily, then there could be real peace.

And all of this is likely to be achieved through one or two, or even more, large-scale wars. At that time, these topographic maps surveyed and drawn by Xue Tan will come in handy.

He Zhan leaned over and rested his chin on his shoulder: "Third Brother, I think the current Eastern Turks are a hundred times more dangerous than the Western Turks."

Before He Rong could answer him, the voice of swan geese hurriedly sounded outside: "Sanlang, the princess invites you to come over, there is something urgent."

"Why did you just come back and look for it again!" He Zhan muttered.

"I'll go and have a look." He Rong patted him, motioned him to move his chin, got up and left.

He Zhan curled his lips and lay down staring at the sheepskin in a daze.

At this time, he didn't know that the reason why Princess Zhending hurriedly sent someone to call He Rong over was because she received a shocking news.