Chinese New Year

Chapter 1413 Farewell
Like Prince Shao Yu of Yan, Yuwen Xiba Xiong also purchased a large amount of supplies when he left the capital.

However, he didn't have much money. Apart from his own savings and the gifts from the Crown Prince, he borrowed money from various sources before he could purchase a hundred or so cartloads of goods.

On the eighth day of the second month, while purchasing saddles in the West Market of Luoyang, he encountered King Shao Gui of Chu, who was also there to buy goods.

Shao Gui recognized Yuwen Xiba Xiong, but he didn't speak to him and turned to leave.

Li Huai, the literary advisor to the King of Chu, stood beside him, whispering something.

The two exchanged questions and answers, and soon walked away.

Yuwen Xibaxiong remained silent and began selecting goods.

Although the King of Chu has been out of power for a long time, he is still a former official of the Eastern Palace, and it is not good to get too involved. Now that Yuwen is divided into three factions, his Zi Meng Chuan is backed by Daliang. If he offends the Crown Prince, and his base is raided during the future struggle, who can he complain to?

Yuwen Xibaxiong, familiar with the place, arrived at a mansion that sold saddles, quivers, and bran bags.

"Why are you here again?" the shopkeeper asked in surprise as he was taking advantage of the maid.

“Saddle—” Yuwen Xibaxiong said.

"No price reduction." The shopkeeper patted the maid's buttocks to send her away and said expressionlessly, "Buy it or don't, it's up to you. Master Wu hasn't delivered any goods for months."

Yuwen Xiba Xiong was secretly annoyed.

The shop owner knew his identity, and mentioning "Lord Wu" at this moment was a warning: don't try to intimidate me by using your status as a subordinate of the Crown Prince. All my goods come from Lord Wu. If you act arrogantly, the Crown Prince might not help you, but Lord Wu will definitely help me.

Seeing that Yuwen Xibaxiong remained silent, the shopkeeper pointed to the shelves inside and said, "There aren't many left. There are only four hundred left. If you don't buy them, they will definitely be sold out before April."

“How can we sell out now that there’s no war?” Yuwen Xiba Xiong didn’t want to lower himself to argue with someone like that, but what could he do if he had no money? He simply said, “Besides, why are there no new goods?”

The shopkeeper sneered and said, "What's wrong with telling you? It'll save you from thinking I'm making things difficult for you all the time."

After speaking, he cleared his throat and said, "The imperial court has not allocated land for many years, and the soldiers of the garrison and the imperial guards have many families. They have given up and can only migrate outwards. Many people have already left. With fewer people, there are fewer people to do the work, and some of them are experienced workers."

At this point, the shop owner sighed. In his opinion, it was a real pity that some skilled craftsmen who had been doing this for six or seven years left, as it was not good for anyone—they often only knew how to make one small item and could not independently complete an entire saddle like traditional craftsmen. Once they left Luoyang, their skills were wasted.

However, he has waited for so many years and still hasn't received land in Luoyang. Now that he's reached adulthood and has a wife, it's not right for him to continue living like this. If there's land to be allocated in Huainan, then he should go there. Whether it's thirty or fifty acres, it's better than continuing to live a life of idleness at home and suffering the scorn of his elder brother and sister-in-law.

Simply put, they couldn't hold on any longer and gave in.

Land in Luoyang is already precious, and the population is so dense that even waiting another ten years might not guarantee a land distribution. Give up hope.

Yuwen Xiba Xiong was not stupid. When the Crown Prince was discussing matters in the Eastern Palace, he mentioned the growing number of families in Bingzhou. By extension, the problem in Luoyang, which had a large number of imperial guards and local soldiers, would only be more serious, and it was normal for the population to move out.

"Fine!" he sighed, "I'll buy all the remaining saddlery."

The shop owner was overjoyed, but still added a word of caution: "Don't cause any trouble."

For various reasons, the private manufacture of weapons and armor by civilians was very common since the Han and Wei dynasties. After the rise of the gentry, training their own troops and making weapons became an open practice.

After entering the Great Liang Dynasty, because the soldiers of the garrison needed to provide their own weapons, it became commonplace for civilians to make saddles, swords, spears, bows, armor, shields, and the like.

In short, civilian armies have been virtually banned, and it's impossible to ban them anyway; this has been the way things have been for three hundred years.

This creates a problem: if someone wants to rebel, it is easy for them to obtain all kinds of weapons—as long as they have money, and they can ensure that the news does not leak out.

The shop owner is giving Yuwen Xibaxiong a heads-up.

Siba Xiong smiled and said, "I understand, so stop making a fuss."

The shop owner glanced at him again, but ultimately said nothing.

******
After the procurement was completed, on the thirteenth day, Yuwen Xibaxiong entered the palace to pay homage to the Crown Prince and formally resigned from his position as the Crown Prince's servant.

Coincidentally, the Crown Prince was also about to travel. The reason was that there were some difficulties in the "Kuodi Zhi" (Records of the Land), and after the report was submitted, the Emperor ordered the Crown Prince to go north to Bingzhou to inspect the area firsthand, while also comforting the local people and understanding their sentiments.

After learning the truth, Yuwen Xiba Xiong was conflicted again.

The emperor himself did not go on the inspection, but instead ordered the crown prince to do it in his place. This was to establish the crown prince's prestige in Bingzhou.

The position of crown prince seems secure, at least it appears so. The relationship between father and son hasn't broken down, so he should leave the mansion...

"Yuwen Qing." Crown Prince Shao Jin warmly took his hand and said, "After today's parting, I don't know when we will meet again."

"Your Highness, minister——"

Shao Jin waved his hand and said, "Manage Zi Meng Chuan well. With your talent, it's no problem. In that case, the northern frontier will be at peace."

“I will never forget serving the Crown Prince for even a day,” Yuwen Xibaxiong said.

"Good." Shao Jin patted his palm and smiled, "With that, I can rest assured."

According to the theory, the various tribes of the Yuwen Xianbei were under the jurisdiction of the Yanshan Grand Protectorate, which was Li Zhong.

Shao Jin and Li Chong had little contact and their relationship was so-so. Now that Yuwen Xibaxiong was in charge of the various tribes of Zimengchuan, it could be said that the power of the Eastern Palace had penetrated deep into Pingzhou.

Of course, Shao Jin himself wasn't too concerned. This outstretched tentacle was too thin and lacked strength. His most important task right now was to inspect Bingzhou, appease the soldiers and civilians, and build public support.

This is an opportunity given to him by his father; he must seize it.

According to the plan, the first stop was Shangdang, where the focus was on checking the progress of the "reduction of the power of the feudal lords".

The second stop was Taiyuan, the heart of Bingzhou.

The third stop is the area surrounding Pingcheng.

The entire inspection will last for several months, and it is likely that we will not be able to return until the golden autumn season in August.

In fact, Shao Jin really enjoyed this trip. Not only because it would build his reputation, but also because it would allow him to leave the dull Eastern Palace, see the local customs and culture, and get familiar with the local scenery.

The person who was repairing books all day long was going crazy.

After seeing Yuwen Xiba Xiong off, the Crown Prince returned to his study. A short while later, Crown Princess Lu arrived carrying the three-year-old heir, Junheng.

Seeing his wife's slender figure, Shao Jin felt a little thirsty.

Grandfather has been gone for a year and four or five months. For the grandchildren, there is no need to observe such a long period of mourning.

His father had given him a subtle hint, which Shao Jin understood, but he felt that it was a bit too hasty to indulge in women so soon after the mourning period ended.

However, romantic love between men and women is human nature...

Lady Lu chuckled and said, "My lord, Junheng spent the whole afternoon playing at Jiuhua Terrace today. He was in a great mood and bestowed many treasures upon him."

Shao Jin hummed in agreement.

The idea of ​​taking the child to visit his father more often was suggested by the Crown Princess, and it seems to be working very well now—although his father didn't say it to his face, his mother told him that His Majesty had privately praised Junheng as "intelligent" many times and liked him very much.

Relying on her son to solidify her position as crown prince may not sound very appealing, but it was indeed effective, and Lady Lu made a great contribution in this matter.

Thinking of this, he pulled Madam Lu into his arms, and while looking at his sleeping son, he said softly, "You've worked hard."

Lady Lu's beautiful eyes sparkled as she retorted playfully, "Isn't it all for you?"

Shao Jin was quite pleased and said softly, "The Northern Inspection Tour is about to begin..."

Lady Lu, understanding the implied meaning from the music, blushed and said, "My husband—"

Seeing her coy and eager demeanor, Shao Jin was even more pleased and said, "I will enter your room tonight."

Lady Lu gave a barely audible "hmm," and then said, "Will the Duke of Liangcheng be heading north together?"

Shao Jin nodded and said, "I also like Yuanzhen very much, so I won't be lonely on the way."

Lady Lu said, "The Duke of Liangcheng is the bulwark of the northern frontier. My husband should make a point of winning him over."

Shao Jin smiled and said, "Yuanzhen has loved to be by my side since he was a child, so our relationship is quite special. But you're right, we should catch up on our old friendship during the Northern Tour."

“Yuanzhen is sincere and genuine. Treating such a person with sincerity will surely yield remarkable results,” said Madam Lu. “Husband, you can bring up old stories more often. When Yuanzhen recalls them, she will love and respect you even more.”

Shao Jin nodded slightly.

By analogy, Dai Jing, as the Duke of Wuyuan, should also try to win him over.

This kind of wining over isn't about giving money or official positions, but about deepening the bond as brothers, commonly known as "affection."

To be honest, his relationship with Dai Jing is not as strong as that with Yuan Zhen, and he needs to strengthen it in the future. After all, Dai Jing is eleven years old and has a group of Wuyuan boys to study with. In two or three years, he will be able to get involved in the military and civilian affairs of Wuyuan Kingdom, just like Yuan Zhen.

As if she could read her husband's mind, Lady Lu added, "Your Highness could also send a private envoy to Liangcheng to see if there are any suitable goods for trade. Yuanzhen is fifteen years old and will be getting married in a few years, so we need to accumulate some wealth."

"Hmm." Shao Jin nodded again, then said, "Guo Mingrong seems to have some clansmen traveling between Liangcheng and Ma'anshan. I can't quite remember, but I vaguely heard someone mention it. What if we ask this person to step in?"

“Master Guo is a distinguished young man from a prominent family; he will surely succeed,” said Madam Lu happily.

Shao Jin was also very pleased and decided to send someone to ask Guo De tomorrow.

He seems to have joined forces with Xin Zuo, who lives in Jiangnan, to sell grassland horses to the south. Last year should have been the first time he sold horses, and he made a lot of money. He will most likely continue this year.

Thinking of this, Shao Jin was even happier.

It's good that his wife didn't reject Guo De, an old man from the royal family. Logically speaking, it would be more appropriate to leave this kind of thing to someone from Youzhou who is familiar with the northern frontier.

But she ultimately understood the bigger picture and knew to focus on the overall situation rather than clinging to narrow distinctions.

Compared to the Crown Princess, Consort Liangdi and Consort Ruzi were far inferior in every way except for their beauty.

He loved beautiful women, but compared to the throne, beauty meant nothing; it was completely unimportant…

After the court assembly on the fifteenth day of the second month, Crown Prince Shao Jin bid farewell to Shao Xun and Yu Wenjun, and then, with the two guards of the Eastern Palace, left Luoyang and headed north to meet the Black Spear Left Camp at Yewang in Henan.

(End of this chapter)