Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 377 Your Majesty
When Pei Yan and Yuan Ziyong heard that Prince Changle Yuan Jian was going to lead his troops to attack, they were both frightened.

No, my king, with your historical record, do you really dare to fight?

He couldn't even defeat Yuan Faseng back then, and now he is facing Ge Rong in his prime!
The two men looked at each other. The conflict between them was no longer important. They still had to let Yuan Jian give up the idea of ​​leading the troops alone.

Pei Yan and Yuan Ziyong took turns to praise Yuan Jian, and then Yuan Ziyong said:

"Grand Commander, let's first test the enemy's strength."

Yuan Jian thought about it and finally agreed with what the two said. He first sent the vanguard to fight Ge Rong to see what kind of person Ge Rong was.
-
"Madam, the general is back!"

"I'll go to the gate to greet you, you guys go and prepare some water for the bath."

In Hou Jing's mansion in Yongle City, the maid excitedly broke into Li's room. Li immediately stood up and stood at the door with the maid and servants, and finally saw a dusty monkey-faced man.

Seeing Li standing at the door, a reckless man like Hou Jing also had tears in his eyes. He took two steps forward and wanted to hug Li, but unexpectedly, Li hugged him first.

After several months in the army, Hou Jing felt that all the hard work of traveling these days was worth it when he saw his new wife being so proactive.

But Li quickly said:

"My dear, please come into the house quickly."

Hou Jing nodded, handed the horsewhip to his attendant, and then took Li into the mansion.

After entering the mansion, Hou Jing's emotions finally got out of control. He said to Li:

"My lady, I am sorry for you!"

What Hou Jing was saying sorry about was, of course, that he had been in Longxi County for several months but had not earned any military merit.

He knew that he came from a humble background, so many people laughed at him. He didn't care before, because Hou Jing was just a rogue after all.

But now that they are married, Hou Jing cares about other people's faces instead. He doesn't want his wife to be humiliated with him.

Lady Li said:

"Victory and defeat are common in the military. Besides, the general did not lose this time, he just did not win."

"Besides, I am just a woman. If the general wants to apologize, he should apologize to the county lord. Why are you saying these things to me?"

The Li girl blinked her eyes, and the sadness that Hou Jing had just been brewing disappeared.

He stammered:

"Before I left for the battle, I promised to find you a wife, but I didn't accomplish anything this time."

Lady Li smiled and said:

"My dear, please don't blame yourself. This imperial edict is not as important as your safe return."

Hearing this, Hou Jing felt his heart softened.

The Li girl thought of something else and asked, "My dear, are you going back to Yongle City to report your work to the county lord?"

Hou Jing nodded. After the battle, he was appointed as the governor of Qinzhou by Su Ze. This time he returned to Yongle City to report on his work and report the details of the battle of Qinzhou to the county lord.

Another thing is that as the governor of Qinzhou, he must receive face-to-face guidance from Su Ze before taking up his new post to determine the direction of his work in Qinzhou for the next period of time.

Ms. Li said:
"The Duke of the County has appointed you as the governor of Qinzhou, a high position that my father and grandfather have never held in their lifetimes. This shows that he still values ​​generals. You should go and pay your respects to the Duke of the County first."

Hou Jing finally felt relieved. Thousands of words from outside were not as good as a word of praise from his wife at home, and Li's daughter was the kind of person who was particularly good at praising her husband.

Yes, I am already the governor of Qinzhou at such a young age. What else should I be dissatisfied with?

There are so many people who have nobler births and more famous names than me, but have not yet been able to enter officialdom!
Hou Jing became even more determined to follow the Duke of the County!
Hou Jing carried Li's daughter into the inner room. Li's daughter blushed, slapped his hand away and said:
"After returning, you should go and pay your respects to the Duke first."

Hou Jing said:

"The Duke of the County is going to summon us tomorrow. Why are we going now without being summoned?"

Lady Li said seriously:

"The Duke of the County will summon you tomorrow for official business, but you are also a former subordinate of the General. Can't you ask for an audience today?"

Hou Jing suddenly realized, and he said quickly:

"My lady is right. I will go and ask to see the general right now!"

Hou Jing was impatient and was out the door and mounted his horse in the blink of an eye. Li's daughter wanted to stop him and ask him to take a bath and change clothes before going.

But thinking that Hou Jing's meeting with the Duke might be more effective, Lady Li said to the maid beside her:
"Keep the bath water warm until the general comes back."

"only."

In the Baizhang Tower, Su Ze was teasing his son in the inner hall when he suddenly heard someone come to report that Hou Jing wanted to see him.

Su Ze did not let his son go, but directly had Hou Jing brought into the inner hall.

After entering the inner hall, Hou Jing restrained his temper and bowed to Su Ze in a proper manner.

Hou Jing said:

"I am ugly and I am afraid I have disturbed the prince. Please forgive me, Lord!"

Su Ze laughed and scolded:
"You monkey, how come you are so distant after marriage! This is your young master, come and meet him!"

Hou Jing chuckled and stepped forward swiftly.

When the son in Su Ze's arms saw Hou Jing's monkey face, he started giggling.

Hou Jing immediately said:

"My Lord, my face in Qinzhou would make children cry, but the prince didn't cry when he saw me. He really has your demeanor!"

Su Ze rolled his eyes at Hou Jing. He also knew that Hou Jing had little culture, and these two complimenting words were something he had been holding back for a long time.

These days, whenever Su Ze meets guests in Baizhang Tower, he always brings his son with him. This is also to allow his subordinates to establish a connection with his eldest son.

But when Hou Jing said this, Su Xian burst into tears. Su Ze quickly handed his son to the maid. When the crying faded away, Su Ze said:
"Are you here today to discuss business or personal matters?"

Hou Jing was stunned for a moment and said:
"Official business, official business. I want to report to the Lord about the war in Huazhou."

Su Ze said lightly:
"If you want to discuss business, go back. You will have time to discuss tomorrow."

If it were any other subordinate, since Su Ze's majesty had already reached its peak at this time, they would probably retreat in fear and trepidation.

But Hou Jing was a scoundrel, and he immediately changed his expression and said:

"Private! Private!"

Su Ze also relaxed his expression and said to Hou Jing:

"If you have something to say, say it quickly, and if you have a fart, say it quickly."

Hou Jing immediately said:

"My Lord, please let me follow you to fight. I really don't know how to be a governor."

"Is this the private matter you are talking about?"

Hou Jing said:

"Of course, if the Duke of the County asks me to be the governor tomorrow, I would not dare to refuse as a matter of public affairs, but now we are talking about private matters, so I will tell you my true thoughts."

Su Ze finally smiled, and Hou Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Ze asked back:
"Do you know why I didn't allow those civil officials under the Government Affairs Hall to serve as the governor of Qinzhou?"

Hou Jing shook his head.

Su Ze said:

"Because I can't trust them."

Hearing this, Hou Jing was overjoyed. He felt that he indeed had weight in the Duke's heart!

But he still said:

"That's impossible, isn't it? Everyone in the Government Affairs Hall is an old man who has followed the Duke of the County."

Su Ze said:

"Of course they won't have any ulterior motives, but they may not be able to do a good job in Qinzhou."

"The reason why Qinzhou and Jingzhou rebelled is because of the government and the nobles. If a scholar is allowed to be the governor of Qinzhou, I'm afraid the same mistakes will happen again, causing unrest in Qinzhou."

"So this county lord needs you."

Hearing this, Hou Jing immediately understood what Su Ze meant.

Letting a reckless man from the Six Garrisons who had no connection with Qinzhou be the governor of Qinzhou is just to let him be reckless!
After hearing this, Hou Jing was certain that as the governor of Qinzhou, his assessment standards would definitely be different from those of others. It's not that he didn't encourage agriculture and mulberry planting, but these were not his main jobs.

Su Ze said:

"This time, Qinzhou and Jingzhou were recovered. Many local nobles and powerful families are going to move back. Do you know what to do with their land?"

Hou Jing immediately said:

"This subordinate knows! The land is allocated according to the number of people!"

Su Ze looked at Hou Jing in surprise. He didn't expect that this guy actually had some political talent!
Hou Jing knew he was right, and he immediately said:
"The imperial court already has an order to grant land, and the county lord has reiterated this order. No matter which family moves back, I only respect the county lord's order!"

Su Ze couldn't help but praise Hou Jing, but he was afraid that this guy would be impetuous, so he just said:
"You're right."

After setting the tone of suppressing the powerful, Hou Jing also talked about some measures, including liberating household slaves and relocating palace soldiers, which made Su Ze very satisfied.

After Hou Jing finished speaking, Su Ze said:

"Asking you to be the governor of Qinzhou does not mean you will not fight in the future. You must not fall behind in martial arts."

Hou Jing was even more ecstatic now, and he quickly thanked Su Ze.

Just as Hou Jing was about to leave, Su Ze said:
"By the way, your mistress also wants to see you."

"what?"

The mistress was naturally Princess Chenliu. Hou Jing followed the maid in confusion and came to a house with curtains.

The person behind the curtain must be Princess Chenliu. Hou Jing bowed quickly:
"I've met the mistress."

Princess Chenliu's voice came:
"General Hou, the Duke of the County will naturally talk to you about state affairs. I summoned you for family matters."

Hou Jing was stunned for a moment, only to hear Princess Chenliu continue to say:
"Ms. Li is dignified and elegant, and a good wife, but you still have no children after marriage, which is bound to make people talk about it."

Hou Jing was a little confused when he heard this. He went to fight in the war right after getting married, so naturally there was no way for him to make his wife pregnant.

Princess Chenliu continued:

"You will be going to Qinzhou to take up your post soon. According to reason, Li should stay in Yongle City, but considering your marriage, I asked the county lord for mercy and let Li accompany you to Qinzhou."

Hearing this, Hou Jing was naturally ecstatic.

Hou Jing was naturally unwilling to separate from his wife shortly after their marriage, but he had to endure it for the sake of his personal future.

The wives and children of important officials had to stay in Yongle City when they went on military campaigns or were on external assignments. This was also a common practice in the Northern Wei Dynasty.

It was naturally a great grace that Princess Chenliu made an exception for herself.

Hou Jing immediately said:

"Hou Jing will always remember the kindness of the Duke and the Mistress!"

(End of this chapter)