Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 73 Departure (Part )

Once the crops are harvested, autumn is basically over.
Winter came in the blink of an eye.

The Marquis of Wei sent another envoy to inspect Ximen Bao's achievements in governing Ye County.

Although during this period, some of the attendants inevitably spoke ill of Ximen Bao to the Marquis of Wei,
But Ye County is a critical place.

The Duke of Wei also didn't want anything to go wrong.

This time, Ximen Bao showed an extremely enthusiastic attitude towards the arriving envoy.

He personally went out of the city to welcome the envoy's arrival, and held a banquet and invited the envoy to a feast.

Afterwards, he took the envoy to see the grain that had been harvested this autumn and stored in the warehouse.

The messenger opened a bag and found it was full of new grain, which still retained the flavor of autumn because it was carefully stored.

He nodded to Ximen Bao with satisfaction, "You have lived up to the king's trust."

Ximen Bao clasped his hands and said, "The king has entrusted Ye County to me, how dare I not be attentive?"

"The wealthy families in Ye County heard that the king's confidant had arrived, and they also wanted to host a banquet for the envoy and give him some gifts to show their loyalty to Wei. I wonder if this is feasible?"

When the messenger heard this, his eyebrows flew with joy. He only looked at one bag of grain and did not check other packages afterwards. He just held his temper and said proudly, "My tongue is a bit picky. I wonder if there are any delicacies in Ye County that can please me?"

Ximen Bao said, "We have been preparing for a long time to welcome the envoy, and I am sure you will be satisfied!"

then,

The envoy nodded reluctantly, and then he and Ximen Bao took a carriage to Liu's residence.

At the banquet, the envoy ate food he had never seen before and tasted flavors he had never tasted before.

"what is this?"

The messenger deliberately pointed at the food in front of him with his index finger.

Ximen Bao explained, "It's tofu."

The messenger sighed, "It tastes like meat."

"I've had a sore in my mouth lately and can't eat anything hard, but this is just right!"

"This is of course specially prepared for you!" Liu Ping also held up the wine glass and smiled at the messenger.

Then he asked his servant to bring up a box of money, and led the wealthy families in the city to respectfully say to the messenger, "This is our gift."

"The county magistrate is honest and treats the villagers of Ye County with the same kindness as a parent treats his children."

"We have been taught by wise men, so we should respect the county magistrate just like we respect our parents!"

That is,

The county magistrate could not afford the money.
Presented by the rich!
The messenger smiled and said repeatedly, "Great! Great! I feel your filial piety!"

Turning his head, he winked at Ximen Bao and said, "When I was in Anyi, I often heard people say that Ximen Bao was an honest and upright gentleman."

"So you are so honest!"

He stood up and walked down, grabbing a handful of money from the box, laughing.

Ximen Bao remained calm and said to the messenger, "Please say a few good words for me in front of the king."

"This is natural!"

The messenger closed the box, his hands lingering on it, "I am a reasonable man."

"Since you have given me the reason, don't worry about what happens next!"

So Ximen Bao walked over, took the messenger's hand, and returned to the main seat at the banquet.

Both sides happily celebrated the prosperity of Ye County.

When Ximen Bao, drunk, returned home, he didn't say anything, and neither did his wife.

The two looked at each other for a while, then Ximen Bao threw himself into his wife's arms and began to cry.

The wife stroked his hair and back, still silently, but she did not forget to hug her lover tightly.

……

The messenger left happily, taking a box of money and the tofu-making method presented by Ximen Bao.

Ximen Bao still pretended to be respectful and went out of the city to see off his carriage.

He Bo appeared beside him and couldn't help but sigh when he saw Ximen Bao, who had inexplicably aged and become depressed.

"Why don't you just jump into the river now!"

Ximen Bao refused, "My ambitions have not yet been achieved, how can I escape to the arms of ghosts and gods because of the sufferings of the world?"

"I once mentioned to you that it is difficult for a person to achieve success without experiencing suffering."

“Today, I still think the same way.”

"Since you once said that I want to be a famous minister of Wei and be listed among the great doctors, then these are the hardships I will go through."

“As long as the morality in my heart does not change, what harm will some superficial appearances do to me?” Pearls and jade are hidden in inconspicuous stones. They have to be constantly hammered and polished before they can be taken out and the world can know their beauty.

How can we not carve them, and put pearls and jade together with stones, and let them be polluted just because we are afraid of pain and breakage?
So He Bo nodded, "I understand!"

"So this year, you are going back to Anyi?"

The envoy stayed in Ye County for more than half a month, which was just after the Chinese New Year.

"Yes!"

Ye County has had two good harvests, the surrounding Rongdi have been cleared out, and the foundation has become solid.

Next,
A general who is good at military affairs should be dispatched to strengthen the military force of Ye County and prepare for friction with Zhao State.

Last year, the three states failed in their joint attack on Chu. Han was busy dealing with Zheng State, which stole the throne. The king died out of worry.

Wei and Zhao blamed each other, and the superficial harmony was almost destroyed by the quarrel.

"The good relationship between the three families is getting worse and worse."

"Once Zhao and Wei go to war, Ye County will be the first to bear the brunt. I..."

Ximen Bao paused for a moment, then continued, "…The king is old, I'm not sure how long he can live, but when I returned to Anyi last year, I visited Prince Ji."

“He’s a very ambitious man.”

As the successor of a great ruler, and with his old father still alive, the fact that Prince Ji has been able to make it this far without any problems has proven his ability.

but,

Prince Ji is already forty years old this year.

If the Marquis of Wei dies in the next few years, and Prince Ji becomes the new Marquis of Wei, he will not have much time left.

He will be eager to use his hard-earned authority as a monarch to show his majesty to the world.

The Qin State has huddled in the west and is too weak to be a concern.

Then, the targets that Wei State wanted to attack were its neighboring Zhao and Han.

"Oh."

Ximen Bao told the ghosts and gods about his worries, but He Bo just listened quietly without expressing much opinion.

The princes are fighting each other, what does this have to do with him?

As for Ye County?

He Bo looked at the tall and solid city wall in front of him after being repaired, and thought of the people living inside and the laughter and joy during the New Year holidays.

"I will not interfere with the outcome of the war."

"You also said that success and failure are predetermined, and people will eventually die when they reach a certain age."

Therefore, the decline of Wei State was simply the luck of the country, and had nothing to do with others or ghosts and gods.

"But if someone wants to kill people in Ye County, that would be bad."

During the war, there were also cases of massacres and killings of civilians.

With the arrival of the Warring States period, there will be more and more bloodshed.

And leisurely moments like the one we have now will become less and less.

He Bo and Ximen Bao got on the car together. Yu could not see any ghosts or gods, he only knew that he was going to take the county magistrate back to the city.

So he let out a "whoosh" and flicked the whip.

He Bo leaned on the carriage, watching the people coming and going on the street, and said to Ximen Bao, "I watched this place prosper. If it becomes quiet because of the war, I will be reluctant to leave."

"What's more, the blood will flow and the Zhang River will become turbid. How can I tolerate this?"

Ximen Bao smiled softly and said, "Yes, the Zhang River is clear, there is no need to make it muddy because of human affairs!"

……

"When will the transfer order come down?"

After getting off the car, He Bo asked Ximen Bao.

"It should be around July."

"The king usually conducts an assessment of officials at this time."

He Bo added, "Will that person definitely do the job if he receives the money?"

Ximen Bao said calmly, "He received not only money, he was more happy with the other thing I gave him."

After saying that, he raised his hand and patted his old face.

He Bo then laughed and said, "It doesn't look good in the first place, so don't throw it around and scare people!"

This reminded Ximen Bao of the incident in which his image was stolen by ghosts and gods, and he snorted in displeasure.

　Thanks to my book friends Shanshuimoke, Muddy Waters Fish, Urban Management Team Taunt, Floating Bamboo Rain, Colonial Garba, 20201218015425124, ayaa1900, Historical Scroll, Little Taoist Priest in the Mountains, Liuyan God, Fat Dragon Has Horns, Uncle B's Reason, Watermelon Eating Crowd, 20210805202233919, 20170701161713030, Thanatos, and Tree Pillow Tailed Bear for their monthly tickets! (*^@^*)
　　
　
(End of this chapter)