Jinting Han people

Chapter 179 An Unexpected Friend Comes (4k)

In the new year, Liu Xian guarded against arrogance and impatience, and continued to work in Xiayang step by step.

He now had a clear understanding. He was still young. If Sima Yi, at seventy, could wait, why shouldn't he? He didn't believe the Sima family could survive him until he was seventy. What he really needed to do now was to keep fit and ensure he lived to seventy without illness or disaster.

So starting this year, he no longer practiced sword alone as usual, but mingled with the county soldiers.

In the morning, he led them out of camp and into the mountains, wearing heavy armor for a training exercise. He had finally managed to snatch five hundred sets of fine armor from Sun Xiu, so he had to put them to some use, right?
In the afternoons, Liu Xian would lead his men for a swim in the Yellow River. This was something he had heard from Li Mi years earlier: swimming was the best exercise for the body. Liu Xian's goal was to get his men to swim a full stroke across the ferry.

During the rest of his time, Liu Xian returned to his normal routine: he cultivated his own land, ensured the smooth flow of trade routes, urged the children in the villages to go to school, maintained the morale of the officialdom, and developed the workshops of the county government...

Just as Lu Zhu had said before, although the effect was not quick, as time passed, people's confidence in Xiayang was rebuilt. Slowly, more common people continued to migrate to Xiayang, and the caravans gradually recovered.

Of course, the most important thing is another one:
One night in early February, Luzhu suddenly felt a greasy sensation in her throat, followed by a wave of nausea. Then, sweat covered her forehead, tears welled up in her eyes, and she bent over to vomit. This initially frightened Liu Xian, who thought she had eaten something bad and hurried to seek medical attention.

The doctor then said to Liu Xian, "My Lord, this is a sign that your wife is pregnant. This is truly a cause for celebration!"

This made Liu Xian stunned. It turned out that there was a life sprouting in Luzhu's belly, and he was about to become a father.

Liu Xian was initially filled with uncontrollable ecstasy. He felt like he was in a dream and his steps were unsteady for a long time after hearing the news, until Zhang Gu congratulated him and said, "Great! Bi Ji is going to be a father! The bloodline of Emperor Zhaolie is now passed on again!" Only then did his emotions calm down, and then a trace of worry arose.

If you think about it carefully, this child came at the wrong time.

First, although things appeared to be peaceful with Sun Xiu, both Liu Xian and Sun Xiu knew that this was not the end. With Sun Xiu's methods, he was capable of anything.

Secondly, in Guanzhong, Liu Xian always felt that there would be chaos in the future. Liu Xian was not sure that it would provide him with a safe and peaceful environment to grow up in.

Finally, Liu Xian questioned himself: Is he really ready to be a father? Liu Xun had never been a qualified father to him, so he himself didn't know what a good father should be like. He didn't even have enough time to give this child enough care.

Lu Zhu was quite open-minded. She stroked her belly, which had not yet bulged, and made a wish to Liu Xian: "I hope that the child I give birth to will have your intelligence and decisiveness, as well as my great-grandfather's patience and tenacity."

Regardless, Liu Xian had finally taken root in Xiayang, and the county residents were delighted to hear this. Some even went to the Dayu Temple by the Yellow River to pray for the unborn child. They believed his safe arrival would allow Liu Xian to stay here longer.

At this time, Liu Xian unexpectedly met a guest, a guest he had never expected to see.

The guest arrived, dusty and dusty. It was noon when he arrived at the county government office, and the county officials had all gone to lunch. Only two gatekeepers remained, waiting for their colleagues to finish their meal so they could take their turn. Just as he was groggy, someone suddenly spoke loudly at the door. The voice was so loud it startled the guards:
"I'm an old friend of Liu Huai Chong. I'm here to visit him today. Please help me pass the message and ask him to come pick me up."

"Are you an old friend of the county lord?"

The guard looked at the young man with suspicion because his attire was ridiculous. It was still spring, but he was already wearing summer clothes. He looked tattered and disheveled, and he smelled like someone who hadn't showered for days. Besides the large bag he was carrying, he looked like a beggar.

Although everyone knew that Liu Xian was a humble person, the guard still found it hard to believe that the county lady had such a beggar friend.

But this person said confidently: "I know your eyesight is not good, but Liu Huai Chong's eyes are very sharp. When I was in Luoyang, I was dressed even more shabby than I am now, but he still treated me to a meal. But please don't delay my important matter!"

Seeing the guard still looking puzzled, the man lifted his hair, revealing a deep and striking Jie face. He then stretched out his hands and gestured, "You know Liu Huai Chong has a horse named Fanyu! It has a triangular patch of white hair on its forehead. I raised it since it was a child. Once you tell him, you'll know who I am!"

Seeing this man speak so seriously, the guard finally became skeptical and ran to the study to inform Liu Xian.

Liu Xian was drinking soup at the time. When he heard the guard's description, he choked. Fortunately, he did not spit out the soup, thus maintaining the dignity of the county lord.

He confirmed again and again: "You said that a Jie man came, dressed in rags, and said that he had given me a horse?"

Seeing this, the guard immediately became angry and said, "I told you he was a liar! My Lord, I will drive him away immediately!"

"No, no, no, everything he said is true." Liu Xian put down his bowl and chopsticks, found a wet towel to wipe his mouth, and replied with a smile, "Wait for me to clean up, I'll go see him right away."

After saying this, Liu Xian hurriedly set off, trotting all the way to the county gate. In front of everyone's incredulous gazes, he first gave the guest a warm hug, then laughed at him and said,
"Haha, Afule, long time no see!"

The man who came was none other than Afule, the Jie who had robbed the Jingu Garden with Liu Xian. Upon seeing Liu Xian, he too showed a nostalgic expression, looking him up and down, and said,

"Hey, who said it wasn't? Liu Huai Chong, it's been more than six years since we last met!"

He looked at Liu Xian, and Liu Xian also looked at him. This dejected look was exactly like the way they first met at Jianchun Gate. Liu Xian joked:

"I still remember you told me last time that you would be very successful next time we meet. Why are you still like this now?"

Afule was still the same as before, clearly dressed like a beggar, but standing in the middle of the crowd, he looked as glorious as if he were wearing an imperial robe. He said nonchalantly:
"A true man walks the world, how can he not encounter hidden dragons in the abyss, tigers in the plains? It's a small matter, a small matter!"

Liu Xian couldn't help but smile and said, "Okay, then what do you think is a big deal?"

Afule said as a matter of course: "Now the sun is high overhead, it's time to eat a good meal. Eating is a big deal!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Xian's smile turned into laughter again: "Haha, kid, no matter what, you have to blackmail me into giving you a meal when we meet?"

A Fule's eyes widened as he asked, "You're already a husband, and you still don't care about the meals?"

"Of course I will! According to the old rules! I'll give you two more sets of clothes. How did you manage to end up like this..."

"That's a long story. I hid from others and came here secretly..." Just like that, amid the surprised looks of the county officials, the two of them talked and laughed and walked directly into the county government.

Liu Xian didn't take A Fule to his study, but instead took him to his courtyard, intending to let A Fule wait for a while while he boiled some water for a bath. Unexpectedly, A Fule saw the well in front of the courtyard and said, "Why bother? I'll just take a shower here."

After saying that, he urged Liu Xian to get clothes, while he himself fetched two buckets of water from the well, stripped naked in broad daylight, lifted the buckets over his head, and poured them over himself.

It was mid-spring, and the well water was especially cool and refreshing. But Afule was like a fish. As the bucket of water came down, he actually screamed and perked up: "Wow, wow, wow..." and then rubbed the soap powder on his body.

Meanwhile, Liu Xian tidied himself up briefly and went to the county government's kitchen to get some pancakes. Turning back to look at Afule, his eyes lit up. After a bath, the Jiehu boy had revealed a rather handsome appearance. With his fair skin, muscular physique, deep features, and bright eyes, he exuded boundless vitality, undoubtedly a charming man.

He wiped it roughly with a wet towel, took the clothes from Liu Xian's hand without hesitation, put them on, and then tied his messy hair into a ponytail, and that was it.

Liu Xian watched him transform from a slovenly man into a respectable man, and couldn't help but mock him, "With your looks, you should be able to get along well everywhere. Why do you always look like a mess every time I see you?"

"Oh, don't mention it." Afule shook off the water droplets on his hair and smiled brightly. He said, "This is all God's test for me."

"Has life been rough these past few years? Did you get too little gold back then?"

"Gold is never enough. This time I came to see you because of gold. Oh, I'm starving. Let's eat first."

The two of them laughed and sat down in the side room. Liu Xian placed steamed buns and pancakes on the table for Afule and brought him a bowl of egg soup.

After not seeing him for a few years, Afule's eating habits were still as bad as before, and had even improved.

At fourteen, he looked like a voracious eater, and now at twenty, he was practically a reincarnated hungry ghost. Now, as he ate, his mouth chewed, his hands held the food, his eyes watched the plate, and his throat moved up and down. Liu Xian had clearly watched him eat, but he felt like his memory was distorted. He wondered if he had taken too big a plate; how could it be half empty in a short time?

Did the firemen put something new in the pancakes that made this little Hu eat them as ravenously as if they were drinking water?

This made Liu Xian, who had just finished his meal, hungry. He took a piece, chewed it, and was immediately full.

It seems to be a people problem.

After Afule finished six steamed buns in a row, he gulped down his egg soup in one gulp and complained to Liu Xian, "You're getting worse every year. The meal you treated me to when we first met in Luoyang was much better than this!"

Liu Xian laughed and scolded, "Even if it's worse, it's still better than you!"

"Yeah, so isn't that why I came to you for help?"

After all this fuss, Afule finally rubbed his stomach, lay down on the couch, and slowly told Liu Xian about his experiences in the past few years.

After he returned to Shangdang with 500 gold, he lived a good life for three years.

This wasn't just because he'd made some money, but also because of his connections with Liu Cong. Although Liu Cong himself had no intention of helping Afule, Afule liked to use his influence to gain recognition. Furthermore, he was eloquent and adept at acting, even making a lie seem real. Therefore, from that point on, the various tribes in Shangdang looked up to him.

His father, Zhou Hezhu, was also happy to train him, so he simply handed over the Jie tribe to his son. So, for the past few years, Afule traveled back and forth between Shangdang and Yecheng to do business. His horse business was very prosperous. Afule was also very good at scheming, and he got to know many local merchants and scholars. He even had the good fortune to meet Liu Yuan, the commander-in-chief of the five Xiongnu tribes.

By the first year of the Yuankang reign, Afule had grown his tribe to over 2,000 people, owning two large horse farms and raising over 3,000 fine horses. Although still insignificant among the Xiongnu tribes, it was a significant improvement compared to the past.

Liu Xian was confused again when he heard this and asked, "Then how did you end up like this? Were you robbed?"

"That's right!" Afule rubbed his stomach and replied unhappily, "The court sent us a prince who can cut meat. His hand holding the knife is really fast!"

It turned out that at the end of the first year of Yuankang, the prefect of Shangdang was replaced by a man named Sun Yuan, who was said to be a eunuch close to Empress Jia and the elder brother of Sun Lu.

Upon taking office, he, like Sun Xiu, immediately raised the taxes levied on the Shangdang Hu people to the same level as Han Chinese. This would have been fine, and well within the Hu people's tolerance. However, this governor, Sun, took a different approach and established three checkpoints at Fukou Xinglian, requiring a toll at each checkpoint. This effectively tripled the commercial tax levied on Shangdang.

That wasn't all. He also monopolized the water supply within Huguan Pass and sold it at a price of 20 coins per pot. You know, between Bingzhou and Yecheng, Fukouxing was the fastest and flattest trade route. Almost half of Bingzhou's merchants had to pass through here, and they had to buy.

In just two years, Sun Yuan reaped enormous profits, collecting tens of thousands of gold in taxes. However, countless Bingzhou merchants lost their fortunes, and those who survived almost all switched trade routes, avoiding Shangdang and instead going through Pingyang and Hedong to do business in Guanzhong.

Afule had wanted to do the same, but his tribe was under Sun Yuan's rule, leaving them with no way out. As soon as Sun Yuan made a little money, he used coercive tactics to acquire assets within Shangdang. He would show some respect to the Han Chinese in Shangdang, but he offered no refusal to a Hu tribe like Afule.

Around the middle of last year, he forcibly bought the two horse farms run by Afule for around fifty gold coins. The other Shangdang Hu people who suffered from the disaster were also countless.

By the fourth year of the Yuankang reign, the Hu people of Shangdang had practically reached a point of despair. They feared that, as they had done in the past, selling their children and daughters to beg for food in places like Yecheng and Luoyang was now impossible.

Hearing this, Liu Xian sighed deeply. He had originally thought that Sun Xiu was the most unscrupulous person under Empress Jia's command. He had never expected that there would be talented people in every generation, and that there was such a genius in Shangdang. This left him speechless for a long time, and he felt deep sympathy for Afule's situation. "So you came to me because you need some help?"

Liu Xian thought that since they were friends and he had just made some money from Sun Xiu, it would be a good idea for him to help Afule.

"No!" A Fule's words were unexpected. He shook his head and said mysteriously, "Liu Xian, I never ask for anything for free. This time, I came to do business with you!"

“A fantastic business!”

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(End of this chapter)