Chapter 11: Shocking Secret

The two people talked back and forth, and Xiao Wen listened anxiously. Worried that Huan Yu would really leave, he quickly took Huan Yu's arm and said eagerly: "If Mr. Yu goes far away, Nan Xiao will have no poems anymore!"

Huan Yu smiled indifferently and said slowly: "My hometown is indeed unforgettable, but Huan wants to study and preach after all. If we talk about the current environment, Nanxiao is not enough to make me feel at ease."

Xiao Wen was overjoyed when he heard this. Zhou Shengchen was a little disappointed, but he could still talk and laugh calmly.

"Speaking of asking Mr. to go north, it would be better to say that Mr. Zhou came boldly to pay a visit to Mr.. Even with the danger of swords and axes, he can't stop my desire."

After saying that, he bowed to Huan Yu again.

Holding his arm, Huan Yu said passionately: "Mr. Zhou is so righteous and kind, how can Huan repay this!"

"Mr. Huan, there is no need to worry. Based on my consideration, maybe in less than ten or eight years, I will be able to travel around the world calmly." Zhou Shengchen replied.

Huan Yu sighed with emotion, then raised his hands and said, "I'm ashamed to say that I claim to be a historian, but I can't even see clearly what's going on in the world."

As the two people went back and forth, Xiao Wen listened anxiously, but did not dare to ask questions.

Huan Yu didn't ask any questions. He raised his wine glass again and invited the two of them to drink.

Seeing that the night was getting dark, Xiao Wen saw them talking and laughing, but he seemed very embarrassed. Feeling uneasy, he drank perfunctorily while thinking about how to speak.

The chatter and laughter of the singers and musicians downstairs were gone, and Xiao Wen knew that they had quietly dispersed.

Although the surroundings were quiet, he always felt that it was inappropriate to mention his personal affairs in such an occasion. He had no choice but to drink glass after glass of wine without saying anything more.

"Master Xiao seems to have something on his mind, or does he want to talk to Mr. Huan alone?" Zhou Shengchen seemed to see the clues and couldn't help asking.

"Uh, I, um, there's nothing special, but just like Mr. Zhou, I came here to ask for advice because I admire Mr. Huan." He replied casually.

Huan Yu couldn't help but laugh and said: "Young master Xiao is really burdened by official duties. He not only says he admires him, but also asks for advice?"

Zhou Shengchen laughed when he heard this, so he had to drink wine to solve the problem.

Xiao Wen's face turned red and he replied hesitantly: "It does sound a little uneasy when I say it, but these two words really speak to my heart."

"In that case, I might as well resign first." Zhou Shengchen said with his hands in hand.

Xiao Wen's heart suddenly became more complicated. He didn't know whether it was appropriate to call someone to restrain him immediately, or to just watch him come and leave easily.

Huan Yu stretched out his hand and pulled Zhou Shengchen's sleeve, made him sit down again, and said with a smile: "It's not easy to get the chance to meet. Mr. Zhou must not leave just like this."

Zhou Shengchen sat firmly, and Xiao Wen felt at ease, and continued to think about how to ask.

Huan Yu looked at him and said to himself: "I don't have much talent and knowledge, but I have an empty reputation. It is actually too difficult for your Majesty to order someone to compile history. Otherwise, Mr. Xiao would not be in such a difficult situation."

When Xiao Wen heard that he took the initiative to mention the history compilation, he said seriously: "I was just going to ask sir, how is the progress of the "Southern Xiao History" compilation?"

After sighing, Huan Yu continued: "Some of them went smoothly, but some of them were difficult to write."

Xiao Wen felt nervous and did not dare to express his anger.

"Several generations of emperors have worked hard to conquer thousands of miles of land. Although the current emperor has not been able to go further, he has made the royal family not bothered by trivial matters and made all the people under his rule live and work in peace and contentment. It is not easy to say that your majesty's achievements are not weaker than those of previous generations. The late emperor."

Huan Yu sighed and said to himself, Xiao Wen's face had turned pale - although such words sounded like approval, they clearly had hints!

Has that terrible rumor really been confirmed?

Xiao Wen thought about Xiao Xu's kindness in raising him, and then thought about the fact that Xiao Xu killed his father, insulted his mother, and then seized the country. His mood was as complicated as a knife.

"It is said that governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. But I think the saying 'cultivate one's moral integrity, harmonize one's family, govern the country and bring peace to the world' is enough to sum it up." Huan Yu continued, "People live and work in peace and contentment, and their families are stable; the emperor governs a big country in the same way. "

Xiao Wen lowered his head, not knowing what was going on, and tears fell heavily on his chest.

Huan Yu and Zhou Shengchen remained silent and sat quietly with him.

After a long time, Zhou Shengchen spoke: "What Mr. Huan said made the young master feel moved, and it also made me feel moved. I remember that at the beginning, my father and brother were very strict with me, and they often punished me. At that time, I was immature, and I felt this in my heart. I hate them endlessly. But when they really passed away one after another, I can only feel extremely sad, and I can't help but beg for punishment."

Huan Yu sighed after hearing this, raised his glass and said, "That's what it means when family love is inseparable."

The two continued to drink, but Xiao Wen seemed still relieved and secretly wiped away his tears.

He no longer mentioned the matter, a tragic smile appeared on his face, and he seemed to be happily drinking with the two people.

Because they had nothing to worry about, the three of them chatted, laughed and drank happily.

Like running water, Xiao Wen just wanted to drown his sorrows with wine, but he really became more sorrowful.

No matter how much wine he drank, it seemed that it was not enough for him to drink freely at this time; but no matter how much he drank, he could not withstand the double oppression of wine and sadness.

Finally lying next to him drunk, he then fell asleep soundly, no longer needing to think about any troubles in the world.

Huafang is huge and runs extremely smoothly, even when docked.

When Xiao Wen opened his eyes again, he couldn't help but squint immediately.

The morning sun had risen, and the dazzling sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, making him unable to open his eyes for a while, and his mind was still confused.

Suddenly remembering the drinking party last night, he gritted his teeth bitterly and then opened his eyes to look for it.

Huan Yu sat next to him calmly with a smile, but Zhou Shengchen's figure was gone.

"Uh, Zhou, where is Mr. Zhou?" Xiao Wen quickly sat up and looked around.

"He is really like a dragon that has seen its head but not its tail, but Mr. Xiao still wants to be entangled with him?" Huan Yu asked with a smile.

Xiao Wen secretly sighed, his face flushed with shame because he wanted to capture Zhou Shengchen.

"Mr. Zhou's words and deeds are frank and free, which is beyond the reach of someone like me. Don't say that I want to harm him, just say that he wants to harm me. Isn't it a trivial matter!" He had to sigh.

"I don't understand the meaning of your mutual conquest. I just want to study and study in peace." Huan Yu smiled, stood up and left.

Xiao Wen stood by the window and watched him walk to the side of the boat.

Taking the curtain hat from the boy, Huan Yu put it on his head, lowered the curtain, and left on shore.

This was his standard equipment. Immediately, someone he knew well was chasing him and shouting: "This must be Mr. Huan from Longkang Academy!"

The people on the shore gathered around, and Huan Yu continued on his own. With his cover, Xiao Wen quietly disembarked and landed, returning to his station.

All the people in this house had been waiting anxiously for a long time, and were almost going to report to the official to look for him. Several wives, concubines, and children gathered around and asked questions.

He couldn't directly tell what happened last night, and Xiao Wen didn't even dare to say that he had confirmed his life experience. He covered it up by casually saying that he went to a bar to drink and accidentally got drunk.

No longer staying here for a long time, he took the family papers of his wife and concubines and returned to the military camp by boat.

The family members could not live in the camp, so he still placed them in a nearby county townhouse. The place had been cleaned up and no one came or went. Xiao Wen felt hesitant again when he saw his wife, concubines and several children in beautiful flowers.

The hatred between his parents is irreconcilable, but he knows that he currently does not have enough strength to compete with Xiao Xu, the current Emperor of Southern Xiao.

How should we deal with this problem? He was lost in thought.

His state caused his wives and concubines to become distressed. They all asked him whether he was unwell or if he had encountered any troubles related to military and official duties.

He didn't dare to say it directly, but since he wanted revenge, he naturally couldn't bear to involve his wife, concubines, and children.

After hesitating again and again, he tried to ask the concubine: "If you don't have wealth and honor, I really don't know how to support you."

If a head wife can marry a prince of the royal family, she is naturally a lady from a famous family. Hearing what he said was strange, she couldn't help but laugh: "I and the king both grew up in a wealthy family, how can we hear this? We are so powerful that we will never lose our wealth."

Xiao Wen smiled indifferently and asked the same questions to the concubines.

Naturally, the concubine was not an ordinary Xiaojiabiyu. To his funny-sounding question, she even replied with a smile: "If the king is not wealthy, how could we be included in the palace?"

Xiao Wen just nodded and smiled, but he already understood in his heart: these women are here to enjoy wealth after all, not to suffer, let alone to be worried.

As for his children, he cannot be implicated.

After much hesitation, he made up his mind and said that he had suddenly had an enlightenment recently and wanted to follow the example of Sakyamuni and practice Buddhism diligently.

The concubines were immediately shocked and cried and begged him to give up the idea.

Xiao Wen immediately looked impatient and ordered people to send them and their children back to Jiankang.

Emperor Xiao Xu learned of this and quickly sent someone to inquire. Xiao Wen told the same answer and begged for consideration.

Xiao Xu only thought that he had been frightened when he rashly crossed the river to raid the Beichen camp and was captured not long ago.

After discussing with his ministers for a long time, Xiao Xu still believed that it was most appropriate for Xiao Wen to confront Zhou Shengchen. So he issued an imperial edict, ordering Xiao Wen not to neglect military affairs while participating in military training, but also to be wary of the enemy on the north bank.

Xiao Wen fully accepted this - after all, he thought that Nan Xiao and even the world would eventually be his, so of course he had to guard against Zhou Shengchen's possible attack.

However, his main focus at the moment was not on fighting across the river, but really on practicing penance.

He lived in a house paved with gravel every day and walked barefoot on it; he only slept on a straw couch; he ate only one or two rough meals a day.

He wants to adapt himself to the hard life so that he can calmly embark on the road to escape in the future.

Escape to where?

When an uprising broke out in the peaceful and peaceful Nanxiao, not to mention that the people were unwilling to fight. The officials and nobles were unwilling to follow because they were enjoying the glory and wealth. They said that they were afraid that the emperor Xiao Xu would find out about it before they raised their troops and suppressed it. .

Xiao Wen had already made a plan in his mind: go to Beichen, where the rebellion and fighting continued! Only when we get there can we recruit volunteers!

As the saying goes, heroes emerge from troubled times!

He made up his mind that in addition to handling military affairs every day, he would also give instructions on the prices of trade goods to the envoys traveling between the north and the south.

The rest of the time, he kept the instructions of Emperor Nan Xiao and strictly guarded the water stronghold on the south bank, and no longer attacked the Beichen troops on the north bank.

Xiao Wen's stability brought great convenience and space to Zhou Shengchen in Bei'an. This allowed him to calmly focus his troops and attention on the generals of several feudal towns to suppress the rebellion.

As winter came, military reports came back from several places. Yiyang County was captured first, and then Ruyin County was surrounded by the king's army.

The defenders in the city were also tenacious, relying on the tall city walls to resist the royal army.

Sitting in the big tent, Zhou Shengchen nervously discussed the military situation with Military Xie Chong and other generals.

"There are three urgent tasks now." Xie Chong analyzed it carefully. "First, the weather is cold and we don't have enough heating materials; second, Ruyin County does not seem to have many soldiers, but it has the advantage of a city; third, Our food and grass are also in short supply due to long-distance transportation.”

After what he said, everyone was dissatisfied with the enemy, but they had no choice but to admit this fact.

"If it is as the military advisor said, shouldn't we withdraw our troops?" Zhou Shengchen said with a smile.

Xie Chong quickly handed over his hands and said: "I dare not shake the morale of the army, or we can wait until the spring comes and the flowers bloom, and it will not be too late for us to launch a large-scale attack."

Zhou Shengchen's eyes turned from his face to the sand table.

After being silent for a long time, he said slowly: "If that's the case, we might not even be able to keep the Yiyang County we just occupied. Now that the south bank is peaceful, it's time for us to use our troops cheaply."

Xie Chong sighed softly, and after some hesitation, the other generals all asked for orders: "Your Highness, we will assist in the attack!"

Zhou Shengchen nodded, and then ordered: "Take my letter and ask the envoy to go to the south bank to ask Xiao Wen for help!"

Everyone was immediately shocked after hearing this. They couldn't believe that Xiao Wen, who was still his opponent, could provide food and help?

Zhou Shengchen didn't say much. He wrote a letter in his own hand and ordered it to be sent to Nan'an.

Xiao Wen couldn't help but smile after receiving Zhou Shengchen's letter.

In the letter, Zhou Shengchen only said that the weather was cold and he needed some food and charcoal, and he would provide double the amount in the coming year. Alternatively, livestock can be used instead. If they don't borrow it, the soldiers in Beichen will be so cold that they cross the river to get it themselves.

After much hesitation, Xiao Wen readily agreed to his request.

The staff immediately asked in surprise: "Isn't this just stealing food from bandits? King Xiao Nanchen is so rude, are we really afraid of him?!"

"Your Majesty has an order and is unwilling to launch a large-scale military campaign. Xiao Nanchen, Wang Rende, will definitely abide by his promise." Xiao Wen replied indifferently.

Zhou Shengchen's "request" was immediately reported by Xiao Wen to Jiankang's father, Xiao Xu.

After hesitating for a moment, Xiao Xu agreed to this condition out of unwillingness to start a large-scale war and to thank Zhou Shengchen for excusing Xiao Wen.

When the news came back to the military camp, all the staff fell in front of Xiao Wen, saying, "We are extremely stupid."

The reason why Xiao Wen did this was indeed to repay Zhou Shengchen. Zhou Shengchen also gave an appropriate reason, saying "maybe he will get it himself."