Chapter 281

Mu San followed Fang Xie with a tray in his hands. He was even happier than Xie Xiao. The tray was full of new Viscount's crown clothes and the token of the five grade Ranger general. This is a reward from the emperor. It came suddenly, which can be regarded as a surprise to Fang Xie.

I thought I would get nothing, but I came back with a full load.

From high to low, the real barons of the great Sui Dynasty were prince, prefect, Duke, Duke, marquis, marquis, marquis, uncle, uncle, son, son and man. Since the county has its own food cities, the people do not need to pay taxes to the court. The king has his own fief and can have his own private soldiers, but the number must not exceed the limit of the imperial court, otherwise it will be regarded as a great crime of treason.

In addition to princes and princes, each title is divided into three grades.

For example, the highest is the first-class Duke, and the lowest is the third-class Duke. Fang Xie was made a Viscount by the emperor, not a county son, but a first-class township. Originally, at the beginning of the founding of the great Sui Dynasty, the sixth class real barons had their own food city people, but in the reign of Taizong, this decree was abolished. For no other reason, many meritorious officials will be honored as real Knights every year, that is to say, some people will no longer pay taxes to the imperial court every year.

At the beginning, no matter how many founding heroes of the great Sui Dynasty, they were also those who came over. But later, the descendants of these meritorious officials also had titles. Just twenty years later, there were more than ten times as many people with Shijue as at the beginning of the founding of the country. Soon after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, he abolished the rule established by Taizu and redefined it as a county marquis. Only those above the county Marquis have their own fiefdoms and food cities. In the reign of Zhenzong, it was changed to a county, and only those above the Marquis could fief the land and eat the city.

Although Fang Xie's first-class village is not a very high title, as long as it is a real title, it means that he has been out of poverty.

"I congratulate Lord Fang."

While walking, Mu San smiled and said, "Oh, look at your broken mouth. I'll call you Lord Fang in the future."

Fang Xie smiled and shook his head. "There's no red envelope for you today. No matter how sweet your mouth is."

All he thought about was what the emperor had just said. If he was surprised by the emperor's reward, he wouldn't be surprised after hearing the emperor's job. For this job, the emperor must give Fang Xie a decent status.

It's just the first place in the entrance examination of a martial arts academy, but it's not very good.

He didn't talk much with Mu San all the way. He saw that Fang Xie was worried. Mu San simply stopped talking, but he was glad to be proud of his good vision. If Fang Xie had stayed away when he was in prison, I'm afraid it would be difficult to have a relationship with this hot little adult Fang now.

Icing on the cake is never as good as giving charcoal in the snow.

When Fang Xie returned to the shop, it was dark and he couldn't see his fingers. When he got down from the carriage, Fang Xie still stuffed Mu San with a silver note of no small denomination. Mu San didn't refuse this time and accepted it neatly. Fang Xie gave Mu San a silver note every once in a while, but he didn't want to be emotionally involved with him. The relationship between the two of them is better only on the level of interests. It's bullshit to talk about feelings with eunuchs.

Shen qingfan and others stood up when Fang Xie came back. Fang Xie rubbed his frown and smiled at the crowd: "guess what gift the Emperor gave me?"

Mu Xiaoyao looked at his expression and couldn't help sighing: "no matter what gift the Emperor gave you, it's not as heavy as what he asked you to give him."

Fang Xie smiled bitterly: "you're smart."

Shen qingfan smiled and said, "it's all written on your face. Tell me, what did the emperor ask you to do?"

Fang Xie leaned back on the chair and stretched himself hard. Mu Xiaoyao walked behind him and raised his hand to knead his shoulder. Fang Xie smiled gently at her: "it's not a bad thing to do. At least it's easier to say than playing hide and seek with Prince Yi. And it happens to be where I'm interested. I wanted to go. This time, the emperor asked me to go and eat, drink and have fun with public funds. It seems that there's nothing uncomfortable."

"Then you frown?"

Asked the sinking fan.

Fang Xie said, "the key is that I really want to go there, but it's not the time. It's at least several years earlier than I expected."

"Where?"

"Southwest of the Sui Dynasty... Yongzhou."

Hearing this, Mu Xiaoyao's face changed. She subconsciously looked at the big dog, but found that Fang Xie and Shen Qing fan were looking at her. Mu Xiaoyao's hand was stiff, and a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. Fang Xie kept staring at her. This fleeting fear did not escape Fang Xie's eyes.

"What's the matter?"

Fang Xie asked.

Mu Xiaoyao shook his head: "I'm just surprised that we escaped all the way from the southwest. Although we haven't been to Yongzhou, we feel a little uncomfortable when we think about the places we have passed. Why do we go to Yongzhou? The emperor asked you to see Luo Yao?"

Fang Xie said: "I don't know if Luo Yao took the wrong medicine and dared to write to his majesty to ask him to marry him. He wants his majesty to marry the grown princess to his son Luo Wen... What has Luo Wen done in Chang'an City? Doesn't he, a father, know? At this time, he sent someone to marry his majesty... Luo Yao doesn't know what calculations to make."

"Then what are you doing?"

The big dog couldn't help asking.

Solution: "Your Majesty said that because the eldest princess is his favorite daughter, even if you want to go to the southwest, you should send someone to see the environment, climate, customs and so on in the southwest. After reporting the truth, you can discuss with the eldest princess. If the eldest princess doesn't want to, there's nothing to say. Now the important officials in the imperial court are busy, the emperor thinks of me as an idle man. So he sealed me The title of a first-class village, and the virtual position of a top five riding general. "

Shen qingfan was silent for a moment and asked, "the emperor doesn't want to marry the eldest princess to Luo Yao's son?"

Fang Xie nodded: "naturally, I don't want to... If I want to, why do I arrange it like this?"

……

……

Fang Xie took a sip of tea and moistened his voice: "although he doesn't know what medicine Luo Yao sells in his gourd, it's inevitable that he has no good intentions. At this moment, when the northwest army was defeated and Chang'an was planning chaos, Luo Yao sent someone to Chang'an to ask his majesty for a marriage. Superficially, he felt that his status was not high enough, so he wanted to be a royal relative. To put it more deeply, he didn't see what he was testing."

Shen qingfan said, "the emperor asked you to go, just to see the local conditions and customs?"

Fang Xie nodded: "What he said was nothing more than procrastination. The Emperor gave me half a year. He said he didn't hang around in Yongzhou for half a year and came back. He immediately put me in the prison of the imperial guards. Half a year... For half a year, the emperor would be enough to mobilize people from all over the Sui Dynasty. At that time, the emperor would drive himself to pacify the northwest. Naturally, the marriage of the long princess would be delayed until the West Peiping will... Will the emperor be afraid of Luo Yao? "

The big dog said, "I see. Luo Yao just wants to take advantage of the fire."

Mu Xiaoyao shook his head: "It's well known that the most elite troops in the Sui Dynasty were the 16 guards, and the most elite of the 16 guards, except for the emperor, the Sixth Army was the left avant-garde stationed in the southwest. Because the left avant-garde had never stopped fighting and used troops against barbarians every year. Although the scale was small, the left avant-garde people and horses took turns to fight, and the soldiers always carried them Gas. "

"But when the emperor used his troops in the northwest, he didn't mobilize people from the southwest. This time, the northwest was defeated and 700000 troops were buried in the hands of rebels. Isn't it a moment and a half for the emperor to think about dispatching troops again. Luo Yao must have known about the defeat in the northwest, so he came up with such a way to test the emperor."

Fang Xie rubbed his nose and said with a smile, "in short, the emperor doesn't trust Luo Yao as much as he looks, and Luo Yao is not as loyal as he looks. Therefore, it's not easy to say this trip. If Luo Yao really has any intention of rebellion, we'll have good luck this trip."

"Go or not?"

Asked the big dog.

Fang Xie said: "go, of course... I just said that even if there is no such thing, I will go to Yongzhou in Southwest China sooner or later. I planned to go again in a few years when I have the strength of self-protection. But now that I have this opportunity, I just go in advance."

"In case..."

The big dog murmured, "what if Luo Yao really has a heart of disobedience?"

Fang Xie looked at the big dog and said seriously, "then our lives will be given to you. At that time, your nose will be more sensitive."

The big dog smiled bitterly: "I thought Prince Yi could have a good rest after the rebellion, and I had to go all the way to the southwest."

"Not in a hurry."

Fang Xie smiled: "It's a drag. It's not too urgent or too delayed. It takes two months to get to Yongzhou. It takes four months to go back and forth. We only need to stay in Yongzhou for two months. Didn't the emperor say that he wanted us to see the local conditions, customs, climate and environment in the southwest, so he would walk around and play with mountains and rivers for two months. Even if Luo Yaozhen had any dirty thoughts, We were able to escape in those days, but now our strength is much stronger than before. Can't we escape? Besides... We still have people from the emperor's sect to follow us this time. "

Mu Xiaoyao's expression was still strange. Although she could control it, it still seemed a little unnatural. Fortunately, Fang Xie and Shen qingfan didn't stare at her anymore, which made her feel relieved.

"Since you have to go, you have to prepare."

"There's nothing to prepare."

Fang Xie said, "this time the Emperor gave two super bodyguards. If they are used well, they are unparalleled in the world. If they are not used well, they are like raising two poisonous snakes. Maybe they will bite back."

"Chen hum, Chen ha?"

Shen qingfan asked after being stunned.

Fang Xie nodded: "those are the two living treasures..."

……

……

Post station

The light was still on in the innermost room. Outside the room, like nails, stood four strong men. At a glance, the four men could see that they were born in the army and had a cold murderous spirit. At the gate of the post station, there were also four strong men standing there by the handle of the knife. The cold smell from their bodies made the people in the post station afraid to approach.

In the room, a middle-aged man of medium stature, slightly thin but looking with a bit of vigorous momentum picked the lamp wick with a needle, and the room suddenly became brighter.

He glanced back at the man sitting on the side, remained silent for a while and said, "what does your majesty mean? It still takes a lot of trouble to send someone to the southwest and come back?"

"I'm not sure."

Sitting on the chair was a man of about twenty-five or six years old. He was about one meter tall, with wide shoulders and thin waist. At a glance, he knew he was a fierce general. Although the body is wearing regular clothes rather than armor, the military temperament that only has been fought on the battlefield is particularly clear.

This man has a beautiful face.

The middle-aged man who looks about 40 is much uglier. And there was a long scar on his face. Looking at the length of the scar, we can imagine how heavy the wound would be at that time. If the knife wound deviates another point, his right eye will be destroyed.

The young man said, "it's true that the emperor loves the eldest princess. Maybe he's just really worried that the eldest princess doesn't adapt to our life in Yongzhou. Originally... As a son-in-law, he has to stay in Chang'an, but the senior general has only a son like a young general. He must want to stay with him. Even if his majesty doesn't reject the request of the senior general, it's good to send someone to look in the southwest."

"I hope so."

The middle-aged man was silent for a moment and said, "Lu ou, I heard that your majesty seems to have handed over the matter of going to the southwest to a new talent named Fang Xie."

The young man called Lu Ou said, "I've heard of him. He's said to be a talented guy. But since he was born in the military, he shouldn't be as pedantic and sour as those literati."

"I'm going to see this little adult Fang tomorrow."

The middle-aged man smiled: "the marriage between the eldest princess and our young general, although his status is not high, he can't play a decisive role and can't be underestimated."

"You go."

Lu Ou looked at the package on the table and said with a smile, "don't say that money can make the ghost push the mill. If there is enough money, it's not a problem for the mill to push the ghost. Since he is only appreciated, he doesn't want money. As long as he is willing to accept money, what's difficult to do?"