In Juchao County, in the midday sunshine, Li Hui was sitting in the shade under the back porch, drinking jujube tea. In the yard, Ah Zhu was shouting and washing the hair of the war horse presented by Xie Xuan.
Under the sun, Ah Zhu scooped up water and poured it on the horse's back, and then scrubbed it carefully with a brush. The golden water droplets jumped in the sunlight, the horse snorted and shook its head, and Ah Zhu rolled up his sleeves and raised his wrists.
It was dazzlingly white under the sun, and her hair was dancing in the sun.
Beautiful horses, sunshine and mist present a wonderful scene.
The horse was very naughty. From time to time it would turn its head and press its thick lips into Ah Zhu's face. Ah Zhu would yell and scream to avoid it and scold it.
These days, horses are treasured things, especially the horse in front of you. It is a well-trained war horse, and it is even more valuable.
Li Hui remembered that the Gu family in Wu County also had horses, but those horses were completely different species from the one in front of him. They were bloated, lazy, and lifeless. Like most horses kept in captivity in the south, they could only be used as playthings and
Symbolism, the pulling and riding can't even keep up with the green mule.
The horse Xie Xuan gave him was a war horse with slender limbs, well-proportioned muscles, and beautiful hair. At first glance, it was full of explosive power. A good horse that could gallop freely was definitely a rarity.
Speaking of which, there was actually no shortage of horses in Jin Dynasty, because there was no shortage of places to raise horses in Jin Dynasty. But since the southern crossing, there have been no good horses anymore. You must know that raising horses is not just about getting some fodder to feed them.
Yes, the quality of a horse is not a matter of forage, but a matter of space for the horse to gallop, as well as the climate and environment that can train the horse's tough character and other factors.
This is just like the wild flowers in the bitter cold places in the wild and the flowers in the greenhouse. It is self-evident which one can withstand cold, heat and wind and rain.
Without the pastures in the north and the space and climate suitable for raising horses, the scarcity of war horses in the Jin Dynasty has become a huge problem. The horses raised in the south of the Yangtze River are almost useless except as playthings. Because they can actually neither
You can't carry heavy loads when running long distances. In fact, they are worse than mules and donkeys.
Moreover, without natural pasture, it is unrealistic to just rely on growing grass to raise horses. When the people do not have enough to eat and there is insufficient farmland, it is putting the cart before the horse to use farmland to grow grass and enclose the land to raise horses.
So actually this is also an economic issue.
Ah Zhu liked this horse very much. Ever since he brought it back that day, Ah Zhu had brushed and bathed it every day.
Li Hui smiled as he watched Ah Zhu wash the horse, but his squinting eyes showed that he was distracted.
He has often fallen into deep thought these days. Since seeing Huan Xu return that day, Li Hui has many things to think about and understand.
On that day, Huan Xu wanted to follow him to Shouyang to meet Huan Da Sima and Xi Junjun. For ordinary people, it was naturally an excellent opportunity to cling to the powerful Huan family. If there was such an opportunity, then
It was a dream come true. However, Li Hui refused on the spot.
The reason is actually very simple. If Li Hui was not a time traveler, he would naturally be overjoyed to be supported and valued by the Huan family. No matter how you look at it, the Huan family's current status is one that everyone is eager to pursue.
Beings who are eager to cling to and make friends. Being able to cling to the Huan family and gain the appreciation of the Huan family is the best shortcut to rise to the top.
However, Li Hui knew Huan Wen and even knew his future. If there was no chaos in time and space, he would have known the fate of Huan Wen and even the Huan family. Therefore, this was actually not a difficult choice.
It's like, if you clearly know that this wall will fall down tomorrow, why would you take shelter from the wind and rain under this wall tonight? Isn't that asking for death? Li Hui has no reason not to stand on the right side of known history.
Li Hui actually considered this after learning that the Wujun family supported Huan Wen. At that time, what he was thinking about was to seize the opportunity to draw a clear line with the Gu family, at least not to get entangled too deeply. Because the Gu family
If you stand in the wrong team, you will be implicated. But now, Huan Xu actually wants to win over him and recommend him to Huan Da Sima. Of course Li Hui will refuse.
However, although Li Hui was not clear about the consequences of such a refusal, he could also realize that it would most likely be detrimental to him. Huan Wen had great power over the world, and the Huan family was at its peak. His small county
Ling didn't know how to commend him, which is obviously an act of ignorance of current affairs.
In fact, Li Hui originally just wanted to find a reason to politely refuse, but Huan Xu pressed too hard, and he had no words to say in a hurry. It seemed that Huan Xu was angry.
Under the current situation, Li Hui has no backing and no strength. He is still an ant that can be manipulated by others. An ant that does not know how to praise will be easily crushed to death. Unless others are magnanimous and do not follow his lead.
Don't worry about it, otherwise this matter will most likely never end.
However, it is a sad thing to place your own safety on the kindness and generosity of others.
In addition, Huan Xu accidentally revealed a secret that day, that is, he knew every move he made in Juchao County. He even knew that he had held a birthday party for A-Zhu. That was terrible. That meant that Juchao County
Someone in Chao County secretly informed Huan Xu.
Although Huan Xu later made some amends, saying that some common people went to Lujiang County to report the matter and he heard about it. But Li Hui did not believe his lies.
This incident also shows that Huan Xu has actually been paying attention to himself and secretly paying attention to himself. After taking such pains to explore his behavior, he must know that his words are perfunctory. This may increase Huan Xu's endless will
The possibility of entangling yourself.
In addition, Li Hui felt that Xie Xuan's behavior of gifting horses was also very strange, and he had been thinking about it for the past two days.
At first, Li Hui thought that Xie Xuan really cared about him and fell in love with him at first sight. In addition, the wealthy and famous people in the Jin Dynasty behaved somewhat casually and freely, so although their behavior was strange, there was no logic to it.
However, the more he thought about this matter when he looked back, the more Li Hui felt that something was wrong.
Xie Xuan and I have no relationship, and we have never met before that day. With the status of a wealthy nobleman like Xie Xuan, how could he fall in love with me at first sight? He is unknown and comes from a poor family, so it is not worth it at all.
He makes friends.
In an era like the Jin Dynasty, there was a clear distinction between wealthy families and poor families. How could someone like Xie Xuan take the initiative to make friends with him and even give him a horse?
Could it be that he did something in Juchao County that made him feel worthy of his friendship? Li Hui didn’t think so. The people were only grateful for the things he did in Juchao County, but officials may not think so. The standard of measurement these days is not
Political performance ability, but family background.
Even if there are considerations of ability, that is by no means a reason for someone like Xie Xuan to befriend him. If he thinks so, he is being pretentious.
Li Hui has seen the faces of wealthy people. He helped Gu Qian solve some problems in Wu County and solved Gu Qian's urgent needs. But after the Sipa incident, Gu Qian didn't immediately give him a stern warning or even intimidation.
Don't let your imagination run wild.
After he helped Gu Qian resolve the forced transfer of power from his master's family, which could be regarded as a great effort for him, didn't Gu Qian come forward to persuade the family master to let himself participate in the Zhongzheng review as a descendant of the Gu family?
The reason why I am where I am today is not the charity of the Gu family, but the result of my winning the bet with my life.
From Gu Qian, Li Hui has completely understood the attitude of aristocratic families towards the children of poor families. It is a kind of abandonment and estrangement rooted in the heart. The Wujun gentry are still like this, let alone the children of the Xie family. Could it be said that Xie Xuan is a different kind?
It doesn't seem to make sense either.
Unless there is a possibility that Xie Xuan did it intentionally. Or in other words, it was an act of wooing. But why did he do this? What is there in him that is worthy of his wooing? If there is no benefit, why would he do this?
What to do?
Li Hui carefully recalled Xie Xuan's words and deeds that day, and further dug out more details. When Xie Xuan caught up with him that day, there was actually an obvious warning in his words. He asked himself if he knew the consequences of offending Huan Xu.
I didn't notice this at the time, didn't pay attention to his wording, and thought he was just making fun of him. But now that I think about it, that sentence seems to have some kind of hint.
The same goes for gifting a horse. There was absolutely no need for him to add another horse to himself. Not to mention the question of whether the horse was valuable or not, but he did not give the horse at first. It was not until he was about to go back to break camp that he suddenly wanted to
He gave himself a horse as a gift and said, "This way I can leave here sooner." Is that also a hint? A hint that he needs to leave quickly.
Taking into account all the details, Li Hui came to a surprising conclusion. That is, Xie Xuan seemed to be here to protect himself. Could it be that he knew what Huan Xu was going to do to him and deliberately came with more than a dozen horses? And as a gift of horses?
It's not out of the idea of making friends with yourself, but just to get yourself out of danger quickly?
When I left Huanxu's tent that day, I really felt worried. When I left the tent, Huanxu's eyes were filled with murderous intent. At that time, I was still very worried. Later, I felt that my worries were unfounded, thinking that it would be clear in broad daylight.
It wouldn't be like this. Moreover, he just rejected Huanxu, and Huanxu wouldn't attack him.
But now that I thought about it, I discovered something else.
If his conjecture was true, then why did Xie Xuan help him? After witnessing his rejection of Huan Xu, he spoke to help him out of trouble and allowed him to leave. Then he chased after him to help him get out of trouble faster.
Protect yourself. You have only met him once, why would he do this?
This is the question that Li Hui has been puzzled by for the past two days.
After Li Hui thought about it, he could only come up with the only answer. That is, the reason why Xie Xuan was willing to save himself and destroy Huan Xu's possible actions against him in the name of friendship was because of the relationship between the Xie family and the Huan family.
The positions are different. Making friends and giving horses is just an appearance. The truth is that he just doesn't know what Huan Xu wants to do, so he deliberately brings people to chase him. In front of him, Huan Xu naturally doesn't dare to take action.
His origin is not important, nor is he related to him or not. What is important is his position. He refused Huanxu's invitation and rejected Huanxu with obvious lies. In Xie Xuan's eyes, this was an attempt to fight against the Huan family.
behavior.
So he thought it was time to save himself. Competitions between wealthy families are unfolding at various levels. When the families are at odds with each other, I insist on saving the person you want to kill. This is Xie Xuan's logic.