Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 172 The Struggle Under the Surface (Part 1)

The next morning, after spending some time together in bed, Shi Shouxin dressed, left his dog to guard the house, and went alone to the Prince of Jin's residence to ask Sima Zhao for leave.

After Shi Shouxin left, Wei Xiu also got up. She looked at herself in the bronze mirror, her hair disheveled, a faint, charming smile on her face, and her neck covered with red marks. She couldn't help but sigh.

In just one night, her life was completely different.

She received her uncle's letter yesterday afternoon, and then her father brought her over that evening. Then she was intimate with the man she had just met in bed... It all felt unreal to her.

Wei Xiu left the bedroom, ate a bowl of millet porridge, and then called Xi Gou over to ask him questions.

"How many wives does Ah Lang have in his family?"

Wei Xiu asked calmly.

The greyhound replied nonchalantly, "There is only one, Madam Li, daughter of Li Yin, the Imperial Censor."

Wei Xiu was shocked; she hadn't expected Shi Shouxin's father-in-law to be so formidable!

"What kind of person is Madam Li?"

Wei Xiu pressed on with her question.

"Madam Li is like a fairy, someone you can't compare to."

"The greyhound said with an arrogant look on its face."

Wei Xiu was secretly furious. Madam Li is also my husband's woman. You are just a servant. What are you so smug about?

"Does Ah Lang only have one female relative?"

Wei Xiu pressed on, thinking to herself that Shi Shouxin had far too few women; it was a problem to have children.

But the greyhound shook its head and said:

"No, that's not it. Besides Madam Li, there is also Liu Shan's daughter as a concubine. Madam Liu is already pregnant."

There are also four concubines: Chun, Xia, Qiu, and Dong. Among them, Qiu Niang, Li, is already pregnant; Chun Niang, Xi, has already consummated her marriage; Xia Niang, Yang, manages the household accounts and is still a virgin; and Dong Niang, Zhao, is only ten years old and still a child.

They were all members of Alang's tribe.

That's about it...

He answered as if reciting a familiar story: Xi Gou also knew about Yang Huiyu's affairs, but it was impossible for him to tell Wei Xiu.

"Isn't this...a bit too much?"

Wei Xiu asked somewhat flusteredly.

Little did anyone know that Xigou proudly said, "What kind of person is Ah Lang? Which woman wouldn't want to snuggle into his arms? If he didn't have a few concubines by his side, he'd either be in poor health or tyrannical and unpredictable. If that were the case, would you, Madam Wei, dare to get close to Ah Lang?"

The greyhound countered with a question.

Wei Xiu thought to himself: Let's not talk about the principal wife. Liu Shan's daughter is probably a spoil of war. The four concubines are to win over the troops under his command. It's alright.

It makes sense when you think about it. Everyone wants good things, and the more women a man has around him, the "good man" he is.

"Well done, here's your reward."

Wei Xiu took out a few gold coins from her sleeve pocket and offered them to Xi Gou, but Xi Gou refused them outright.
“My future will be secured by you, Master. It is not appropriate for me to take Lady Wei’s private money.”

When Ah Lang went to Shu, Madam Li went to Taishan County. She left behind a considerable amount of wealth. If I were to embezzle it, I could obtain far more than a hundred times what you gave me.
"I didn't take it then, how could I possibly take yours now?"

Upon hearing this explanation, Wei Xiu couldn't help but feel a deep respect for Xi Gou, and stopped looking at him with the same eyes one would use to look at a servant.

While Xigou was at home answering questions from his new wife Wei Xiu, Shi Shouxin was also being questioned by Sima Zhao and his wife at the Prince of Jin's residence.

There are some things that are difficult to ask for leave for; if you really need to ask for leave, you must give a good reason.

Sima Zhao did not say anything in response to Shi Shouxin's explanation, but readily accepted it and gave Shi Shouxin a ten-day leave so that he could spend time at home with his new wife, Lady Wei.

However, while Sima Zhao was easy to talk to, Wang Yuanji, the person directly involved, was not.

In front of Sima Zhao, she asked with a cold smile, "Sima Shi, do you think I'm getting in your way and preventing you from reuniting with your beloved wife?"

Wang Yuanji had met Li Wan, this young lady, years ago and liked her very much. She was the object of her eldest son's affections, but the man before her had taken her away.

While Sima Zhao, as the father, could laugh it off and not take it seriously, Wang Yuanji, as the mother, was not so magnanimous.

They're just using this as an excuse to make trouble!

"Your Highness, I had no such intention."

The princess's trip to Taishan County has absolutely nothing to do with me.

After Lady Wei recovered, Mr. Shi took her to Linzi in Qingzhou to recuperate.

He went directly to Qi to assume his official post, which was also to make it easier for the future King of Qi to take control of Qi.

Do you agree?

Shi Shouxin quickly explained that he had no idea where Wang Yuanji's anger came from.

"Alright, alright, let's leave it at that."

Your unit will escort the princess tomorrow. Today, go to the main camp outside the city and give your troops some instructions. That's all.

Sima Zhao raised his hand, stopping Wang Yuanji from continuing to cause trouble.

He was more than happy that Shi Shouxin wouldn't go along with it.

Wang Yuanji fell silent. She was indeed very unhappy, but ultimately it had nothing to do with her. For the Lady Zhong to enter the family was considered a minor marriage, even if it wasn't a grand wedding, especially since she was Wei Guan's niece.

We should still give them this much face.

Dejected, Shi Shouxin left the Prince of Jin's residence. Just as he stepped out of the residence, he was stopped again by the Imperial Guard officer who was Sima You's confidant. The two went to a small courtyard in Luoyang City, which was Sima You's private residence.

It's not big, but it's quiet enough.

In fact, whether it was Sima You or Sima Yan, they both had private residences in Luoyang. Who doesn't have a little privacy? Especially Sima Yan, who had more than one private residence.

During their meeting, Sima You was drinking alone in his study, looking quite unhappy. Shi Shouxin carefully sat down, waiting for him to speak first.

"This year has truly been a year of bad luck."

Sima You sighed and handed a piece of paper to Shi Shouxin.

The message on the paper was simple: Jia Bao, daughter of the Jia family, is not a suitable match; the marriage agreement is null and void, and should not be mentioned again.

Then it was gone.

"The marriage alliance with the Jia family has actually been called off?"

Shi Shouxin looked astonished. Had Jia Chong eaten his fill?

He remembered that in his previous life, Jia Chong's daughter had married Sima You. How could this marriage have fallen through?
"It seems that Shi Sima is also very surprised. After learning about this today, I was also so shocked that I couldn't speak."

But my father and mother are…

Sima You sighed deeply.

"I will not be leaving Luoyang for the time being. If Tao Fu has any questions, please send someone to my residence to inquire."

Shi suspected this matter was not simple.

Shi Shouxin said in a deep voice.

If we apply the history of the past life to the history of this life, something big is bound to happen. Even something as significant as the conquest of Shu is different from what has happened before.

Can the rest be the same?

Everything influences and is interconnected.

"Hmm, I'll go and find out more about this."

Sima You said in a deep voice.

In fact, who Sima You married or didn't marry was a minor matter. With his status, he could easily get any gentle and virtuous woman as his wife.

However, Jia Chong's decision not to marry Sima You is not to be underestimated!
Moreover, Wang Yuanji had gone to great lengths to secure the marriage certificate. The fact that she's now refusing to participate suggests there must be more to the story than meets the eye.

"It's very likely related to the matter of returning to one's ancestral home."

Shi Shouxin thought for a moment and then said.

Sima You was taken aback, then nodded slightly.

With Sima You about to return to his ancestral home, Jia Chong may have weighed the pros and cons and decided that marrying his daughter to Sima You was not a good choice, thus changing his mind. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that there were problems within the Jia family.

It is said that Sima You's fiancée was born to his ex-wife, Lady Li, while his stepmother, Guo Huai, came from a powerful family.

If Guo Huai was sabotaging things behind the scenes, then it would be perfectly normal for Sima You's marriage to fall apart!
Is Guo Huai behind this?
Shi Shouxin didn't know this, but he did know that Guo Huai's daughter, Jia Nanfeng, would marry Roumi Ge, who was Sima Yan's son.

So it's not entirely incomprehensible that Guo Huai stands on Sima Yan's side.

After comforting Sima You, the second son of the Prince of Jin handed Shi Shouxin a list. It listed the things to be done after arriving in Linzi.

The document on the paper stated that the fiefdom encompassed five counties, and all the land deeds and field deeds of the people in these areas belonged to Sima You.

The specific "land acquisition compensation" needs to be handled by Shi Shouxin.

Furthermore, the specifications for the palace were clearly stated, including the requirements for its location. Completion within two years was a fixed date.

In short, they are all miscellaneous tasks, but they must be done.

"If Shi Sima can handle these matters, he can. If he can't, I can come to Linzi to deal with them."

Sima You said very magnanimously.

"This is a small matter, nothing to worry about. I, Shi, will certainly take care of it."

Shi Shouxin assured him that it was just a demolition and resettlement, no big deal, he could handle it with one hand.

After chatting for a few minutes, Shi Shouxin got up to say goodbye and leave.

The carriage took him to the military camp, where Shi Shouxin summoned all his trusted men for a meeting.

In front of everyone, Shi Shouxin recounted all the matters concerning his trip to Qingzhou.

Everyone was overjoyed, the only bad thing being that Shi Shouxin himself would not be going with the main group.

Xi Zuo complained somewhat discontentedly, "She's just a young lady from the Wei family. If we serve her well on the road, she won't get sick. If Commander Shi doesn't come with us, I'm afraid no one will stand up for us if something happens."

He complained that, in fact, everyone present had the same thought, more or less.

Shi Shouxin reassured everyone, saying, "If I don't take care of the Wei family today, I won't be able to take care of you in the future. Don't worry, just pretend she doesn't exist while escorting the Princess. My personal servant, Xigou, will go with you and handle the arrangements; you don't need to get involved."

Hearing this, everyone felt somewhat relieved.

Shi Shouxin continued, "We will set off tomorrow. All provisions will be provided by Luoyang and distributed according to the standards of the Imperial Guards. The Prince of Jin was afraid that you would lose face, so he specially provided you with new uniforms, banners, armor, weapons, bows, crossbows, and arrows, all in accordance with the treatment of the Imperial Guards. Are you satisfied now?"

How could anyone not be satisfied? Everyone present was all smiles.

"The rewards will be distributed once we reach Qingzhou. I also have a lot of valuables here; you can take them with you when you join the army."

"There's no emperor to restrain us in Qingzhou, so I guarantee every soldier will have a good life. Get back to work, we're setting off tomorrow. I'll see you off!"

Shi Shouxin made the decision directly, sealing the deal with a single blow.

All the generals dispersed, leaving only Li Liang behind.

Shi Shouxin instructed him to take charge of all military affairs, as long as he did not disturb the Princess of Jin and did not disturb the local people when they arrived in the area, he could handle the rest as he saw fit.

After explaining everything, Shi Shouxin felt that he had made all the necessary arrangements and then returned home.

However, before he could even eat a bite of food after returning home, Shi Chong sent someone to fetch him to the Shi residence. The person who came to invite him was none other than Hui Niang!
The two exchanged unspoken messages with their eyes. Then, Shi Shouxin told Xigou and Weixiu that he would be going home later that day, and then got into the carriage at the Shi residence with Huiniang.

(End of this chapter)