The news that Lady Yang, the wife of the Marquis of Ping Lu, had given birth to a pair of twins for the Marquis of Ping Lu, Xiao Ruxun. This news spread like wildfire in the capital. These days, it was not easy for women to give birth. It was already a blessing to be able to give birth to one child naturally. Giving birth to two sons was news, but giving birth to a pair of twins was bound to make the headlines, and then be surrounded by a large group of people who were envious, jealous, and hateful.
Of course, it was indeed very important. Everyone believed that having more children meant good fortune. For example, Li Chengliang had nine sons and was known as the most fertile general. Before the appearance of Xiao Ruxun, he was also the number one Daming figure, so this kind of thing was traceable. Xiao Ruxun was even more amazing. He had only been in power for a few years when his wife made a big move. The whole family gave birth to a pair of twins, and both mother and son lived in peace. What kind of good fortune did he have?
After many civil officials learned of this, they were first envious, jealous, and hateful. Then, they secretly speculated, could it be that we did something wrong, and the heavens found out, and then the heavens personally compensated him? Otherwise, how could he have given birth to a pair of twins in one go? Why couldn't we have such a good thing? Was it really the cycle of karma?
A group of people with ulterior motives began to mutter. When the troubled Zhu Yijun learned of this, he was also deeply moved for a long time. Then, he ordered to select some gold, silver, and jewelry from the palace as a congratulatory gift from the emperor to the Xiao family, congratulating them on having a pair of twins.
One by one, Xiao Ruxun's good friends in the army came to congratulate him. His former subordinates also came to congratulate him. The civil officials who were on good terms with Xiao Ruxun and those who were on good terms with Yang Zhao also came to congratulate him. The military officials and nobles who were on good terms with Xiao Ruxun and wanted to curry favor with the Xiao family also came to congratulate him. They gave him generous gifts, showing their faces in front of Xiao Ruxun, and at the same time, showing their existence.
At this time, he could accept the congratulatory gifts. If he didn't, it would cause others to gossip and make others think that he was unwilling to share the good fortune with everyone. If he didn't take advantage of such a good thing, he wouldn't be Xiao Ruxun. As for what those people were thinking, Xiao Ruxun also knew very well. If they wanted to scheme, they could scheme. Xiao Ruxun didn't care. He had given them a chance before, but they didn't want it now.
Xiao Ruxun was currently the only military general in the capital who had the authority to dispatch troops. Her position was very special. Thinking back to the last expedition to Korea, no one knew Xiao Ruxun's capabilities. After suddenly learning of the ferocity of the Wokou pirates, no one was willing to hand over their sons and nephews to Xiao Ruxun, so they thickened their skin and asked for them back. In the end, the foreign military generals who went with her earned a lot of money, and a few were even conferred titles of nobility. This made those military families green with envy, their intestines turning green.
Now that they heard that Xiao Ruxun was going to the south to fight again to earn merits, they were like sharks smelling blood, all surrounding him. Once again, they showed Xiao Ruxun how shameless they were.
The one who sent the heaviest gift was the Minister of War, Shi Xing. The Minister of War, Shi Xing, sent a generous gift to Xiao Ruxun. There were gold and silver, antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and military books. He sent the Right Assistant Minister of War to give them to Xiao Ruxun. This was enough to show that the Ministry of War, which controlled the survival of a military general, valued and treated Xiao Ruxun well. This attracted the big sharks and small flies even more.
However, Xiao Ruxun didn't care much about all this. The only thing he cared about was how to name his son and daughter.
Naming was a very particular thing. Whether it was in ancient times or modern times, the Han people always gave names with profound meanings. Not to mention the name, which could only be obtained after the coronation ceremony, but the name would accompany the child for life and had a very important meaning.
The Xiao family was a military family. Although they were knowledgeable, they were not cultured enough. The names of the four brothers of the Xiao family were all given by Yang Zhao. Now that he had grandchildren, he naturally asked this most cultured relative to name his little grandson and little granddaughter.
However, Yang Zhao couldn't think of a good name in a short time, so he plunged into his room and looked through ancient books. He wanted to give good names to his little grandson and little granddaughter. The names of the four sons of the Xiao family were all fragrant and elegant. The names of the next generation couldn't be inferior to those of the previous generation.
As for naming, not only was Yang Zhao thinking about it, but other busybodies were also joining in the fun. For example, Ma Gui told Xiao Ruxun that according to the custom of his hometown, the more common the name of the child, the better. So, it was better not to be cultured and take back the name of a military person. How good would it be? As for the daughter, it was even easier. Wouldn't it be better to just give her a flower name?
Xiao Ruxun immediately drove Ma Gui back to the military camp and let him reflect.
In the end, Yang Zhao thought about it again and again. The previous generation had attached themselves to the art of poetry and painting. If the next generation wanted to be able to control it, they would have to use a majestic and imposing reputation. Therefore, Yang Zhao decided to name Xiao Ruxun's son Xiao Zhenbang, which was majestic and imposing and could control it. He named Xiao Ruxun's daughter Xiao Yingying, which was more scholarly and suitable for gentle and refined girls.
With such names, Xiao Ruxun felt that it was enough. He didn't feel that there was anything wrong with it. So, he decided to use such names for his son and daughter. Xiao Zhenbang, Xiao Yingying, it was really good.
From that day on, Xiao Ruxun spent all day with his wife and children. He held his son and daughter and laughed happily. It was a happy family scene. As the days passed, the full moon banquet of his son and daughter was getting closer and closer. The day when Xiao Ruxun would lead the troops to war was also getting closer and closer.
On the night before the full moon banquet, Xiao Ruxun told Yang Caiyun that he was going to send troops south to Dongwu Country. Yang Caiyun didn't do anything extreme. She just looked at Xiao Ruxun calmly.
"I also know that you are fighting for the country and won't have any free time. But how long will you be gone this time?"
Xiao Ruxun pinched Xiao Zhenbang's face and said, "I don't know how long, but I don't think I will return to the capital. These civil officials won't be willing to see me return to the capital. Coincidentally, I don't want to return to the capital either. As a general, if I stay in the capital, I will have to follow Li Chengliang's path. I don't want to become a bargaining chip for others to fight for power. So, I will find a way to stay in the south."
"Then …"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
