After a heavy downpour in the capital, a hidden chill rose up, revealing a bleak and bitterly cold atmosphere that was about to turn into frost.
Changgeng followed a group of strangers to send off the old emperor in a daze. On the day of the funeral, eight carriages pulled the nine-dragon coffin. Tens of thousands of steam horns were erected on both sides of the road, spontaneously playing mournful music. White smoke sprayed out like a lid, covering the entire capital. Heavy armor separated them from outsiders. Outside the armor array, there was a sea of spectators. There were Daliang people, Yi people, Bai Yue people, barbarians … and even countless Western foreigners.
Countless prying and speculating gazes fell on Changgeng — the mysterious fourth prince Li Min. Unfortunately, no one dared to approach him and talk to him under the eyes of the Marquis of Stability. Changgeng was brazenly hidden away by Marshal Gu. In the past few days, other than the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei who each circled around him twice, he didn't come into contact with anyone else.
When the dust settled, Changgeng was brought to the Marquis of Stability's fu.
From the outside, the marquis's fu was truly impressive. The doors were wide open, and two green-faced, fanged beast heads hung from them. White steam came out of their noses and mouths, and three Shi Liu gears turned at the same time. The heavy door latches creaked as they lifted up, revealing a tall and sturdy iron puppet inside.
On the screen wall hung two sets of Xuan Tie general armor. The gas lamps were dim, and the household generals stood guard at the side. A cold, austere air assaulted one's senses.
Of course, when one walked in, one would discover that the only imposing part of the Marquis of Stability's fu was the main door.
Although the marquis's fu's courtyard was deep, the vegetation was sparse, and the facade was frighteningly imposing. Inside, there were actually a few taciturn old servants. When they saw Gu Yun, they only stopped and bowed without saying much.
Most of the puppets and lighters among the people burned coal, and only a small part of them used Purple Gold. Usually, they were huge objects such as dams and Wasteland Reclamation Puppets, which were owned by the local government. As for those precious small parts, only high-ranking officials and nobles of a certain rank were qualified to use them.
Of course, rules were rules, but whether or not the people followed them was another matter altogether. For example, the rank of Yanhui Prefecture's Governor Guo was not high enough. He had more than one Violet Gold Ware in his house. Although Marshal Gu's rank was high enough, his mansion was unexpectedly poor and plain. Other than a few Iron Puppets, there were barely any Violet Gold Ware.
The most valuable thing in the entire marquis' estate was probably the few plaques written by the great scholar Mr. Lin Mosen. It was said that Mr. Lin Mosen was the first teacher of the Marquis of Stability, so these plaques must have been obtained for free.
Ge Pangxiao and Cao Niangzi had moved in together with Changgeng. The three country children, who had never seen much of the world, stuck their heads out and looked around. Ge Pangxiao said innocently, "Uncle Shi Liu …"
Cao Niangzi scolded in a low voice, "That's Marquis!"
"Hehe, Marquis," Ge Pangxiao said with a mischievous smile, "Your house doesn't seem to be as exquisite as Lord Guo's house."
Gu Yun smiled dismissively and said, "How can I compare to Lord Guo's house? They're far away from the emperor and are extremely rich. Unlike me, who has to go to the palace every New Year for free food just to save money. "
It sounded like a joke, but Changgeng, who was listening to the side, vaguely felt that there was a hidden meaning in his words.
Without waiting for him to think carefully, Cao Niangzi muttered to Ge Pangxiao, "Didn't the opera say that the young masters of aristocratic families have gardens, swings, and beautiful maids in their houses?"
Ge Pangxiao seemed to understand. He stuck out his belly and said, "The gardens are at the back. Regardless of whether they're masters or servants, the women of aristocratic families can't casually show their faces in public. Are they for you to casually see? Don't ask blindly if you don't understand. "
Gu Yun smiled and said, "My house doesn't have maids, just a bunch of old men and old women who do rough work. I won't hide it from you. The most beautiful person in the house is probably me. If you want to see, you can look at me."
As he spoke, he winked coquettishly and smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.
Cao Niangzi hurriedly looked away bashfully. Ge Pangxiao didn't expect that the dignified Marquis of Stability would be as shameless as "Shen Shiliu". He was also stunned.
Gu Yun put his hands behind his back and played with the old prayer beads left to him by the previous emperor. He leisurely passed by the desolate courtyard and said, "My mother died early, and I didn't marry a wife. I'm neither old nor young, so why do I need so many beautiful maids? It seems strange that I'm not serious. "
Hearing this, it sounded like he was a serious person.
Cao Niangzi didn't dare to look at Gu Yun directly. She didn't even dare to look at good-looking men. She timidly asked, "Marquis, people say that 'once you enter a noble house, you'll be as deep as the sea' …"
Gu Yun couldn't help but tease, "Why? Do you want to leave Xiao Langzi and marry me?"
Cao Niangzi's entire body was as red as a slender monkey's butt.
Changgeng's face darkened, "Godfather."
Only then did Gu Yun remember his status as an elder. He hurriedly became solemn with difficulty and said with a crappy benevolence, "I don't have any rules here. Tell the kitchen what you want to eat. There's a study, an armory, and a stable in the backyard. You can read, practice, or ride as you wish. Usually, Shen Yi will come over when he's free. If he's busy, I'll hire another teacher for you. You don't have to tell me when you want to go out to play. Just bring the guards and don't cause trouble for me outside … Hmm, let me think, what else is there?"
After muttering to himself for a moment, Gu Yun turned his head and said, "Oh, right, there are some old servants in the house. It's inevitable that their reactions will be slower. Be more tolerant and don't be anxious with them."
He only said a few words, but Changgeng's heart was inexplicably swept by the rare warmth in his words. Although the warmth wasn't directed at him.
Gu Yun patted his back, "My place is a little cold and cheerless. In the future, you can take this place as your home."
After that, for a long time, Changgeng didn't see Gu Yun. The new Emperor had to ascend the throne, Prince Wei had to punish him, the barbarian heir who was kidnapped from the Northern Borderline had to be dealt with, the barbarians who broke the contract and invaded without reason had to be asked for an explanation … There were also countless social engagements, countless probing, and so on.
Changgeng thought that he was diligent, but every morning when he woke up, Gu Yun had already left. At night, when he woke up with a start, Gu Yun still hadn't returned.
In the blink of an eye, the summer heat was over. After a hurried autumn, it was the season to light the stove.
Late at night, the stone pavement was covered with a thin layer of snow. There was a faint white fog in the air. The sound of horse hooves could be heard from the end of the path. Not long after, two pitch-black horses pulled a carriage out of the fog and stopped at the back door of the Lord Protector's Manor.
The carriage made a soft "puff" sound. The three warm pipes around the carriage released white steam. The door opened from the inside and Shen Yi came out.
Shen Yi exhaled a white breath. He turned around and said to the person in the carriage, "I think you shouldn't get out of the carriage. Just let someone open the door and drive the carriage in. It's too cold."
The person in the carriage responded. It was Gu Yun. His face was very tired, but his spirit seemed to be good. He ordered the coachman, "Open the door."
The coachman trotted away. Shen Yi stamped his feet and asked, "Has the drug's effect worn off?"
Gu Yun dragged his voice lazily, "It's over. It's not a problem to kill a few more Calais Yinghou."
Shen Yi, "What did the Emperor say when he asked you to enter the palace today? I heard that the Celestial Wolf Tribe sent an envoy? "
"The old cripple shamelessly presented a memorial to the throne. He even wiped his snot on it. He said that he wanted to give us an extra ten percent of the annual purple stream gold tribute and asked the Emperor to let him go because his son was young and ignorant. The old cripple was willing to take his place and become a prisoner himself." Gu Yun was not in a good mood. He did not say anything good, "Son of a bitch, he already has seven or eight cubs, yet he's still young and ignorant. Could it be that there's no good soil outside the borders, so the seedlings grow slowly?"
Shen Yi frowned, "You didn't lose your temper in court, right?"
"How could I have such a bad temper? But if I didn't lose my temper, that poor and crazy Minister of Revenue would have agreed. " Gu Yun said coldly. Then his tone changed and he sighed, "All the sages in the court don't know how to write the words' releasing the tiger back to the mountain '."
When the barbarians invaded Yanhui, they wore heavy armor with short cannons in front of their chests. That was the design of the westerners. The bones of the people in the Central Plains were naturally thinner. Even the soldiers in the army were generally not that strong. The design of heavy armor emphasized lightness and agility. Usually, they would not play "breaking rocks on the chest" on the battlefield.
There was no doubt that behind Calais Yinghou was the westerners who had always coveted Daliang.
Gu Yun lowered his eyes and looked at the thin snow on the ground that slightly reflected light. He whispered, "Outside the Four Territories, there are tigers and wolves."
He had the intention of riding a flood dragon into the sea, going straight down to the Western Ocean, and fighting all the way to the old nest of the foreign countries. But after years of campaigning, Daliang's national treasury was nearly emptied by him. Presently, because Gu Yun was supporting the new Emperor to the throne, like a timely rain, the Prince of Wei, who was ready to take advantage of the late Emperor's critical illness to suppress the restless Prince of Wei.
But face … could it last long?
Shen Yi shook his head, "Let's not talk about this. How is His Highness the Fourth Prince?"
"His Highness the Fourth Prince?" Gu Yun was stunned, "He's pretty good."
Shen Yi asked, "What does he do every day now?"
Gu Yun thought for a moment and answered uncertainly, "… Play? But I heard from Uncle Wang that he doesn't seem to go out much. "
Shen Yi knew that Marshal Gu had released His Highness the Fourth Prince like a sheep. He gave him grass to eat every day and didn't care about anything else. However, he couldn't be blamed because The Old Marquis and the Princess raised him like this.
Shen Yi sighed, "Have you forgotten how the previous Emperor treated you?"
An awkward look flashed across Gu Yun's face. He actually didn't know how to get along with Changgeng.
Changgeng was already past the age where he acted coquettishly and asked for candy from adults. His character was also precocious. When they were in Yanhui Town, that child even took care of his foster father more.
Gu Yun couldn't play with a group of children all day long, but it was also difficult for him to guide Changgeng as an elder.
Because he was forced to do things beyond his ability, he wasn't at the age and aptitude to be a good father.
Although Gu Yun said that he wanted to leave the Black Iron Battalion to Changgeng in the future, it was only a joke after all. He knew in his heart that it was impossible. Moreover, Gu Yun knew how much hardship one had to endure in order to make a name for himself in the army. As long as he was still alive and could still lead the country of Daliang, he didn't want Changgeng to experience the same hardship.
However, at the same time, he also hoped that the little prince who was handed over to him would have a promising future. At the very least, he would have the ability to protect himself in the future.
Then, how could a person not endure hardships and still have a promising future?
Since ancient times, parents had been begging for the answer to this question, not to mention his half-baked foster father. He could only simply let Changgeng grow up freely.
The coachman had already opened the door, lit the lights, and was waiting for Gu Yun to speak.
Shen Yi said to Gu Yun, "It's too demanding to expect you to be meticulous and meticulous. However, he has encountered a great change and you are the only family member left by his side. You should treat him more honestly. Even if you don't know what to do, it's good to appear in front of him from time to time and write a few copybooks for him."
This time, Gu Yun seemed to have heard it. He patiently replied, "Yes."
Shen Yi unloaded a horse from the carriage and took the reins.
He had already mounted the horse and was about to leave, but after taking a few steps, he couldn't help but turn back and nag, "Marshal, the ignorant young son and the sick father are the ones who taught you to be an adult. You are lucky to meet any one of them."
Gu Yun rubbed his eyebrows in pain, "Mother, you're such a chatterbox. I beg you, quickly get lost!"
Shen Yi laughed and scolded, then rode away.
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