She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

The wind is cold and biting by the Shu River.

After the snow fell a few days ago, the frozen river surface has not completely thawed and some ice chips are floating on the surface.

so cold.

Ah'ao, wrapped in a cloak, stood shivering on the shore, her body shivering.

The people of Shu are really enthusiastic to choose such a cold day to go fishing in the river.

Hengzhi brought a small heater and stuffed it into A's hand without saying a word, to relieve her cold.

The cold in Shuzhong is not exactly the same as in Kezhou, and it is even more different from the capital. Kezhou is hit by wind and snow, but as long as the charcoal fire is burning well and the clothes are thick, it doesn't matter.

But the coldness in Shuzhong obviously does not depend on the clothes. Even if you wrap yourself up like a bear, the cold air can still find its way into every corner of your body.

It makes all the internal organs feel damp and cold.

Wang Xuan was obviously an old hand, and when he came, he looked very happy, and he didn't look hungover or decadent. He was extravagant and had people build a tent and light a charcoal fire.

Even fishing rods of different materials are fully prepared, and the baits are carefully selected. It is obvious that they are well prepared.

"You two, I am late. I apologize in advance." Wang Xuan bowed with a smile and sincerely apologized for it.

Ah-yi looked at him and he seemed not to be affected by the cold weather at all. He looked like he was on a spring outing - "bathing in the Yi River, enjoying the breeze in the Wu Yu Temple, and returning home chanting."

All that's left to do is to sing out these words to feel refreshed.

Three stools were placed in the shed, with a charcoal stove covered with a silver wire cover in front of each. After the utensils were ready, Wang Xuan sat between two of them and leisurely swung his fishing rod.

"Do you two know how to fish?" Wang Xuan looked around and said complacently, "I have been a fisherman here for more than ten years. Don't lose to me."

A'ao simply turned her head away and didn't bother to answer him at all.

Hengzhi skillfully cast the rod and put his hands in his pockets, "That's different. Fishing is for fun. Why do you have to catch fish? Those who are willing will take the bait."

What I mean is that I didn't come here to fish, and whether I can catch any fish or not is not worth competing with you.

Wang Xuan felt frustrated and stopped laughing in boredom.

The joy soon turned to the face of Ah's wife, who was listening. Although she was not as skilled as Hengqi, she also put on the bait step by step and cast the hook.

"My Lord, don't underestimate him. I have seen him for several years and found that his greatest talent is that he learns things very quickly. Before you arrived, he only found a few old men on the river bank to learn a few tricks, and he was already very skilled. Who will win and who will lose, isn't it as interesting as the battle for supremacy in the Central Plains?"

Her words were full of meaning, and it was hard for Wang Xuan not to think about it.

Shen Zhuo was brought into this situation by Ah-yi. She was able to have such a great influence, which must have a lot to do with the support of the people behind her. Not to mention the relatives and old friends such as Heng-chi, Li Chong-xuan and Gu Shou-chun, or the retainers of the Chen family, I am afraid that the civil officials hidden behind the scenes also helped her secretly.

Otherwise, considering that Princess Xuancheng and Yan Tongjun had no friendship in the past, why would the couple personally write the inscription and carve the stele, and also offer incense and tablets for him in Chongwen Pagoda?

The only things that matter to people who don't know each other are interests.

Wang Xuan relied on his age and the fact that he had walked in this world for decades longer. He compared the hearts of young people with his own, and when he thought about it, he could quickly figure out the logic.

Our appointment to go fishing here today shows our intention.

If it was because he had an obvious rebellious heart and was at odds with the imperial power in the capital, then it would be even more consistent with Wang Xuan's guess about these two people.

At a young age, I always want to save everything.

"Okay, the weather is quite cold. If you have anything to say, you might as well say it earlier." She was not focused on fishing. She didn't even notice the ripples on the water and the fish circling around the bait. She was very absent-minded.

Ah'ao was indeed speaking in a rambling way, but she was afraid that if she said something wrong she would anger Wang Xuan.

Friendship is one thing, but getting down to business is another.

"I was thinking that Yuanzhou, Kezhou and Shuzhong, which dominate Dachong and surround the capital in the middle, can be regarded as a tripartite alliance. But Yuanzhou and Kezhou both raised heavy troops to resist the covetous eyes of Youbei people, so why did Shuzhong do that?"

She didn't hide anything at all and went straight to the point.

Wang Xuan breathed a sigh of relief, looked at the gloomy sky, but didn't know how to start talking.

If we talk about the beginning, on the one hand, he was appointed to Shuzhong by imperial decree, which was also considered to be taking office in the fiefdom, so there was nothing much to say. But he was inevitably angry when he went there. It happened that Chen Zhaoying was given a marriage with the prince at that time, and he was angry and hurt. He didn't want to see the new couple, so he stayed away.

When I arrived in Shu, I found that the southern border was indeed not peaceful.

It was common for bandits to run rampant and wreak havoc on the people. Even the money and property distributed or handed over by the court would be robbed by bandits, who would kill civilians and officials without blinking an eye.

Therefore, in the first few years after taking office, Wang Xuan also wanted to make some achievements to improve the living conditions of the people in Shu. When he saved up some money and soldiers, he took drastic measures to suppress bandits, and his methods were also vicious, which made people at that time praise him and fear him.

Later, Shen Cong and Shen Zhuo succeeded to the throne. The emperors of these two people were even more despicable than bandits. The taxes were higher and higher every year, and even if there were good harvests every year, it could not save the people who depended on the weather for their livelihood.

Wang Xuan began to disobey the emperor's orders and seek supremacy because he felt that the imperial power was incompetent and unworthy of his submission.

"Your father and uncle are both bastards. They are not worthy of being emperors. They only care about their own well-being and don't care about the fate of the people." He said it lightly, as if it was a thing of the past. In fact, when he went to Beijing to report on his work one year, he saw that the farmers' rice was not enough, and they could not even have enough food, but they still had to pay grain taxes to the court. He was really angry.

Ah-yi listened to his curses, but instead of refutation or anger, she nodded in agreement, "If they weren't such bastards, I wouldn't have done such a bastard thing. I almost caused a war with Youbei. I'm afraid everyone in the world will call me the cause of trouble."

"Humph." Wang Xuan sneered, "Do you think that with the behavior of the deposed emperor, even if you really go to marry the Northern Barbarians, if they suddenly want to go to war next year, they can say that you didn't serve them well enough and made them angry? Do you believe it?"

Ah-yi: “…”

It seems really believable.

"I have many problems." Wang Xuan criticized himself from head to toe as if he didn't care. "I am stubborn and arrogant. It is because of the latter that I have been disobeying the imperial court for decades and want to unify the country on my own, but I am too lazy to raise an army to rebel and harm the people. In fact, I really don't have the ability to do so, which is the result now."

Ah'an glanced sideways at him, trying to see any hypocrisy in his expression, but there was none.

That's right, not everyone is like Shen, hypocritical and perfunctory. The more capable and focused a person is, the more comfortable they are in expressing their ambitions.

"So, I'll just guard my little piece of land and live the life of a local bully." Wang Xuan said calmly, "Don't other people say I'm a local bully?"

There was some movement over at Hengzhi and a fish had already been hooked.

The carp from Shu River has always been famous. In addition, the chef in the mansion has outstanding skills. Even if we don’t get the desired results today, it won’t be a wasted trip.

"I guess the Marquis has seen through my purpose of coming here." Ah'an laughed at herself, "But I was the one who caused the chaos in this world, so I have to solve it. Now there are orphans and widows in the court, and only my uncle is the regent who grew up in exile and was forced to take on the position. He is in a state of panic all day long. How can I just sit back and watch the fire burn?"

So she just came to ask for a word.

"It is completely possible for Shuzhong to maintain the current situation, not paying tribute, not paying taxes, and not having to report on work." Ah's condition was very generous, not caring about the rice. "What Da Chong needs now is stability. As long as Shuzhong continues like this, there is nothing wrong with it."

The words were somewhat cryptic, yet very clear.

Wang Xuan was silent for a moment, really not finding any benefit in her doing this. "You finally managed to kill the little prince's father, and now you have to worry about his kingdom. Aren't you afraid that he will hold a grudge against you?"

Ah'ao waited for a long time with a worried look in her eyes, and this is what she heard.

"Are you always so timid in doing things?" She didn't care about the propriety of her words and asked doubtfully, "I haven't even met the little prince's father, let alone..."

What's more, his biological father is now his uncle.

After swallowing the words, Ah Yi continued, "Besides, if the world is not peaceful now, the barbarians in the north and south are like wolves and tigers, while Da Chong is in ruins. Isn't it the same for the people to suffer?"

Wang Xuan nodded, not because he agreed with her compassion, but because he felt that what she said was very much like the daughter born to Chen Zhaoying.

Back then, she would rather consider the overall situation than put herself in a difficult position.

Always worrying too much.

"You might as well just tell me directly not to rebel." Wang Xuan said slowly.

"You'd better not rebel."

This sentence was said by Hengzhi.

While the two of them were arguing, he had already hooked two fish. Both were plump and good, and it was almost time to reel in the rod.

"If you rebel, Shuzhong is indeed easy to defend but difficult to attack, but Shuzhong produces little grain, and when we trade with other states, we have to buy grain from Pingzhou and Yingzhou. In comparison, our mineral resources are far inferior to those of Pingzhou and Kezhou. And behind us are the Nanman, who are good at crossing mountains and ridges, so the terrain of Shuzhong is no problem for them."

Hengzhi stood up. He was wearing a dark, thick robe with fur trimmings, which made him look as smooth as spring or summer. He looked down with his eyes lowered, which made him look even more stern.

"When the Kezhou Camp marches south, I'm afraid that Shuzhong will attack from both sides, and I won't know which side to focus on first."

While Wang Xuan was distracted looking at Hengzhi, A'ao quietly nodded at him.

"What does it have to do with you if I'm talking to her nicely?" Wang Xuan glared at him angrily.

Hengzhi didn't care at all. "What's the difference between her business and mine? And the matter of Zhu Qiu threatening the princess's name is not even worth mentioning. Kezhou is the most protective of his people. How can he sit still when the young marquis' wife is being bullied?"

The saying “Don’t say I didn’t warn you” is nothing more than this.

The wind on the river was cold, but Hengzhi's words made Ah'ao's heart surge. She felt that his image had inadvertently become taller and more majestic.

Wang Xuan turned his head left and right and looked at the two of them.

The love between the man and the woman is so tender and affectionate.

What else can we do? They have threatened us to this extent. If a real fight breaks out, we don’t have that many soldiers in Shu.

"Okay, for your mother's sake, I'll agree to it."

He was too lazy to even put away his fishing rod. Wang Xuan felt a chill in his heart and stood up and walked away with his hands behind his back.

(End of this chapter)