As soon as Gu Yun's voice fell, he felt that Chang Geng's pulse had sped up a bit, to the point where it could no longer be counted as a pulse. The wrist that was being held in his palm was boiling hot, as if there was a volcano hidden under the meridians. With a slight vibration, it would erupt hysterically, wanting to shake Chang Geng's meridians to pieces.
Gu Yun did not expect that Changgeng would have such a big reaction even though he was already so tactful. Worried that something was wrong with him, he reached out his hand and gently pressed against Changgeng's chest, "Focus, don't let your imagination run wild!"
Changgeng pulled his hand down and clenched it tightly in his palm. His knuckles cracked and Gu Yun's eyelids twitched.
Changgeng's face was as pale as gold paper. His eyes were as red as blood. Countless illusions flashed before his eyes. It was as if there were thousands of soldiers and horses ringing in his ears. Demons and ghosts flickered and ran amok. A Wu 'er bone drank his blood and swelled with a loud bang. The branches were covered with thorns. It was as if there was a fishbone stuck in his throat.
At the end of the Wu 'er bone, there was a Gu Yun.
… … who was thousands of miles away.
Gu Yun was frightened for a moment. His lips moved slightly but he did not know how to continue.
At this moment, Changgeng held Gu Yun's hand tightly with both hands and brought it to his chest. He seemed to let out a muffled whimper. He closed his eyes and trembled as he branded his lips on the back of Gu Yun's ice-cold and cracked hand.
Although Gu Yun had some uneasy guesses, he did not expect this scene. Changgeng's scorching hot breath entered his cuffs. His scalp exploded and he was about to blurt out, "Are you crazy?"
Changgeng suddenly pushed him away and retreated half a foot. He curled up and lowered his head to vomit a mouthful of purplish black blood.
Gu Yun, "… …"
All of this happened as fast as lightning. Before Gu Yun could get angry, he was already panicking. While he was dumbfounded, he was choked by the words that were stuck in his throat, and his eyes hurt. He was stunned on the spot.
Changgeng's face was almost ashen. After spitting out this mouthful of congested blood, his mind became much clearer and his consciousness gradually returned. He tilted his head to avoid Gu Yun's hand that was about to support him and said in a low voice, "I've offended adoptive father. If you want to beat me or scold me … cough, please do as you please."
Gu Yun sucked in a breath of cold air. The complicated feelings in his heart were put together into a long speech that was comparable to "General Shen Ji Pingzhi's Quotations". He was so stunned that he did not dare to spit out a single word. He was so depressed that he thought to himself, "I haven't even questioned him, but he vomited blood first. Motherf * cker, do I still dare to speak?"
He bent down and carried Changgeng up and placed him on the spacious carriage's small couch. He restrained the confusion in his heart and said in a low voice, "Shut up. First, regulate your internal injuries."
Changgeng obediently closed his eyes and did not utter a word.
Gu Yun stood guard by his side for a while. He rummaged through the entire carriage, but didn't find a single drop of wine. He could only take down the medicine on the small stove and drink it. The taste of the ginger in it gave him a headache.
He used to think that Changgeng might be a little confused. Maybe it was because of the shameless things he did after drinking that day that he had some inappropriate thoughts. He thought that this child was extremely intelligent and would be able to understand with just a little poke. Who knew that with just a light poke, Changgeng would actually leak it himself before he even started!
How could this be?
Gu Yun glanced gloomily at Changgeng, who was regulating his breathing with his eyes closed. His head was filled with confusion as he sat at the side and concentrated on worrying.
The ancients said, "Cultivate one's body, manage one's family, and bring peace to the world". Gu Yun did not know if he had not cultivated his body well or if his family and country were all in a mess. He was badly battered and extremely vexed.
It was only a few steps from the imperial palace to the Marquis of Stability's residence. Even if the carriage was pulled by a tortoise, it would only take a short while to arrive.
As soon as Gu Yun got off the carriage, a wooden bird flew towards him and landed on his shoulder. It tilted its head and stared at him, lifelike.
Suddenly, a hand reached out from behind Gu Yun. It was unknown when Changgeng had quietly gotten off the carriage and caught the bird.
His expression was still unsightly, but he had already recovered his usual tranquility.
Changgeng held the wooden bird in his hand and was not in a hurry to open it to see whose letter it was. He only took advantage of the time when the old steward was tidying up the carriage to walk to Gu Yun's side and whispered, "If Adoptive Father feels uncomfortable in your heart, I can move out. I won't be an eyesore in front of you and will never overstep my boundaries in the future."
The blood-red light in his eyes faded away. Changgeng's expression was slightly cold and his eyebrows drooped, showing a thoughtful heart that was as dead as ashes.
Gu Yun stood there blankly for a while. He was truly at his wit's end, so he turned around and left without saying a word.
Ge Chen and Cao Chunhua woke up early in the morning to find out that something had happened the night before. They were already waiting at the door and hurriedly went over to welcome Gu Yun. However, they saw that he did not even greet them and walked past them with a sullen expression.
Changgeng watched his back. The expression on his face was gloomy and unclear. He hid a bit of bitterness deep in his eyes. There seemed to be traces of blood at the corner of his mouth. His face was even more haggard than Gu Yun, who had knelt for the entire night.
Ge Chen asked, "Eldest Brother, what happened?"
Changgeng only shook his head. He waited until Gu Yun's back could no longer be seen before he retracted his gaze. He stretched out his hand to open the wooden bird's underbelly and took out a slip of paper from the middle.
The slip of paper read, "At the beginning of the first year of the Lunar New Year, Marshal Gu escorted Bei Man's heir out of seclusion and fell seriously ill. Second Brother of the clan specially rushed over from Taiyuan Prefecture and returned after a month."
It was signed with the word "Chen".
The wooden bird had flown for an unknown period of time. There were already slight traces of wear and tear on its wings.
Chen Qingxu's words came out of nowhere. If it was someone else, they might not understand. Changgeng was cautious and knocked on the back of the wooden bird's head.
The bird opened its iron beak and spat out a cluster of small sparks. In the blink of an eye, the slip of paper was burned to ashes.
Cao Chunhua asked cautiously, "Eldest Brother, I saw that the wooden bird frequently went in and out of the marquis's mansion recently. Are you investigating something?"
"I'm investigating an old case." Changgeng said, "I've always felt that although his temperament hasn't changed after he came to the northwest, his views on many things seem to have changed a lot. I originally thought that it was the result of the imperceptible influence on Loulan's ancient silk road, but it seems that's not the case."
Ge Chen and Cao Chunhua looked at each other in dismay.
Changgeng temporarily recovered from his disappointment and said in an almost inaudible whisper, "What happened on the way out of Beijiang?"
What made the Marquis of Ding An, who was wrapped up like a quilt when the sky fell down, almost fall ill on the way and even alarm the Chen family of Taiyuan Prefecture? Did he encounter something outside the borders … or did he know something?
Changgeng suddenly said, "Xiao Cao, Ah Chen, can the two of you run an errand for me?"
After Cao Chunhua left the mansion in a low-key manner, Changgeng lived a mysterious life.
Gu Yun tossed and turned for a long time. He wanted to find a day to have a good chat with Changgeng, but he was shocked to find that he couldn't find him at all! Changgeng simply avoided him.
He had nothing to do all day and was so idle that his imagination ran wild. He simply didn't take his medicine. He couldn't hear or see clearly, so he had some peace and quiet.
At the same time, the imperial court was restless again.
First, the Emperor Long An wanted to restart the Gold Melting Order. As soon as the announcement was made, it was immediately met with a joint petition from the Ministry of Workers and Households. Even the Ministry of War, which had been purged by the Emperor Long An, had different opinions.
Li Feng was like a tortoise eating a heavy weight. He steeled his heart and stubbornly clung to his own course. He quickly made a counterattack.
On the second of the second month, the Assistant Minister of Revenue was first accused by the Censorate of 'accepting bribes from other countries for personal gain'. Then, during the thorough investigation, a series of rotten matters involving officials from all over the country were uncovered. Very quickly, it evolved into the biggest corruption and cheating case in the Long An's history.
The Minister of Works was a bit similar to the Imperial Brother-in-law. Although he had a heart for the country and the people, he didn't have the courage to do so. When he saw smoke, he would roll it. Once he saw the Emperor's attitude, he immediately tactfully kept his mouth shut and went to build his house. He no longer dared to go against the true dragon's reverse scale and bring up the matter of the Gold Melting Order.
On the tenth of the second month, Gu Yun had been under house arrest in the marquis' fu for almost half a month. A Black Eagle quietly flew to the outskirts of the capital, Beidaying. He changed out of his Black Eagle armor and entered the capital that very night without anyone noticing.
Gu Yun finally had the chance to see Changgeng, who avoided him like a snake or scorpion.
Changgeng brought the medicinal soup in front of Gu Yun. The silence between the two reached the point of awkwardness. "A Black Eagle is here."
Gu Yun nodded and drank the medicine. Changgeng had already prepared the silver needles. Seeing him put down the bowl of medicine, he spread the needles in front of Gu Yun and signaled with his eyes. "Is this okay?"
His alienation and politeness made Gu Yun feel even more at a loss.
Changgeng didn't let Gu Yun lie on his lap anymore. He was like a strange doctor. Everything he did, he just made gestures or held Gu Yun up. He didn't even want to touch Gu Yun.
Gu Yun closed his eyes and rested. As the medicine began to take effect, his hearing gradually recovered. His surroundings became 'noisy' — the sounds of the servants outside whispering as they swept the snow, the sounds of the guards and guards of the marquis's household rubbing their armor against their weapons … even the rustling of Chang Geng's clothes as he moved. All of these noises pierced into Gu Yun's ears. He had been deaf for over ten days and was extremely uncomfortable.
Gu Yun held back her irritation and seized the opportunity to ask, "Changgeng, can you tell me why?"
Changgeng obviously knew what he was asking, but he didn't say anything.
Gu Yun: "Is it because … I drank too much that day and did something to you … uh …"
Changgeng's hand trembled. The needle that was about to fall paused in the air for a moment.
He kept silent. Gu Yun's heart was extremely uncomfortable. No matter how much anger he suffered from Li Feng, he had a clear conscience and could look up to heaven and earth to face his conscience. However, when it came to Changgeng, although Gu Yun couldn't make sense of it, he felt that it took two hands to clap.
If he didn't do anything inappropriate, why would Changgeng …
"No." Changgeng suddenly replied calmly, "Actually, I was disrespectful to Godfather first that day."
Gu Yun: "…"
"There's no reason." Changgeng gently pressed his head to prevent him from moving. His tone was unusually casual as he said, "What reason can there be for this kind of thing? Speaking of which, it's probably because my parents didn't dote on me since I was young. Other than Godfather, no one doted on me. After a long time, I developed some improper thoughts. You never paid attention to it, and I didn't want to mention it to anyone. But that day, I was angry and accidentally exposed myself. "
Gu Yun only felt that a rock the size of a head fell from the sky and hit his chest with a "bang". It hit him so hard that he couldn't breathe for a long time. He thought that his true energy had gone astray, but who knew that it was an old chronic disease!
"Godfather, you don't have to take it to heart. Just pretend that it didn't happen." Changgeng said indifferently.
The needle in his hand didn't move at all. If he hadn't admitted it himself, Gu Yun would probably have thought that he was an old man who didn't respect himself and was flattering himself.
But how could he pretend that it didn't happen?
Gu Yun was about to go crazy. A feeling of prematurely aging arose spontaneously. For the first time, he realized that the "Flower of the Northwest" was no longer young. He began to not understand what young people were thinking in their hearts!
"These two days, His Majesty called me to the court for a hearing." Changgeng suddenly changed the topic and asked, "I heard them quarreling all day long. They quarreled about a big case of corruption and fraud. I roughly understand His Majesty's thoughts. Godfather, what do you plan to do?"
Gu Yun looked at him with a paralyzed face. He wasn't in the mood to discuss court politics with him.
Changgeng sighed slightly. He reached out to take Gu Yun's glass mirror and put it aside. With this action, he blocked Gu Yun's line of sight. He had a resolute expression that said, "I won't tell you anything."
"I'm willing to do anything for you. If you're annoyed to see me, I won't let you see me. If you only want a filial and sensible adopted son, I promise I won't cross this line." Changgeng said, "Godfather, I'm already ashamed of this matter. Don't ask me what I'm thinking in my heart, okay?"
Gu Yun's entire person was saying "Not Good" in capital letters.
Changgeng began to remove the silver needles from his body. He calmly asked, "Then what do you want me to do?"
Without waiting for Gu Yun to speak, he continued, "Anything is fine."
If Changgeng really went against his superiors and pestered him, Gu Yun would probably have called the three hundred family generals of the Marquis's Estate to deal with him and send him to the already built Yanbei Of Gojoseon residence.
If he cut the Gordian knot and hardened his heart to ignore him for a year and a half, nothing would happen.
However, Changgeng gave him a countermeasure that said, "Even if you banish me to the ends of the earth, I'll gladly endure it."
Gu Yun had a terrible headache. He felt like a dog biting a tortoise's shell — there was nowhere to bite.
After holding it in for a long time, Gu Yun asked, "Have you recovered from your injuries?"
Changgeng nodded and replied with an "En".
Gu Yun asked, "How did it happen?"
Changgeng said calmly, "After years of wishful thinking, I went mad."
Gu Yun, "…"
He was even more vexed.
Changgeng kept the silver needles as he spoke. He turned to the corner of the room and took out a little calming powder. He asked with an indifferent expression, "Should I call that Black Eagle brother to come in?"
"Your Highness," Gu Yun suddenly called out to him solemnly, "You are a noble descendant of the heavens, with golden branches and jade leaves. In the future, you may be unspeakably noble. Others will treat you like pearls and jade. This subject also hopes that Your Highness can take care of yourself at any time and place. Don't belittle yourself, and don't belittle yourself."
Changgeng's face was mostly buried in the shadows. He calmly replied, "En, Marquis, don't worry."
Gu Yun, "…"
Changgeng stood for a while, as if waiting for Gu Yun's instructions. After waiting for a while, he saw that Gu Yun was speechless, so he quietly turned around and left.
Gu Yun leaned back hard and let out a long sigh.
He would rather have Changgeng quarrel with him for no reason like when he was a teenager. Because he realized that once this bastard had no desires, he was almost invincible.
Gu Yun, who was badly battered, walked around the room a few times. He decided that he would no longer fantasize about a soft fragrance or a beautiful woman. It was too unbearable.
At this moment, the Black Eagle, who had been waiting for a long time, knocked on the door and entered.
The Black Eagle had probably rushed all the way here. Although he had already groomed himself, he still looked haggard. He did not even have time to shave his stubble.
"Marshal." The Black Eagle knelt on the ground.
"Don't be so polite." Gu Yun forced himself to focus and said, "What happened? Did He Ronghui ask you to come?"
The Black Eagle, "Yes!"
Gu Yun, "Let me see the letter."
With a flick of his wrist, he opened the letter brought by the Black Eagle and quickly skimmed through it. The Black Eagle's Chief Commandant, He Ronghui's handwriting was terrible, but his words were concise and to the point.
At the end of the month, a small country in the Western Regions, Qimo, and Qiuci had disagreements over border trade. Because the affairs between the countries in the Western Regions had always been self-regulated, Daliang's army could not intervene. At first, they did not pay much attention to it.
The Loulan Kingdom and these two countries were in a three-way relationship. The Loulan Kingdom's monarch sent his own brother as an envoy to mediate between the two countries. Unexpectedly, the envoy was attacked at the border of Qiuci Kingdom and was completely annihilated.
At first, they thought it was sand bandits. However, after the Loulan Kingdom's monarch sent people to investigate, they found the sword insignia of the Qiuci Kingdom's imperial guards in the ruins. They immediately questioned the Qiuci Kingdom, but the Qiuci Kingdom refused to admit it. Instead, they claimed that the Loulan Kingdom was biased towards Qimo and humiliated the envoy. The Loulan Kingdom sent His Highness the Prince to Qiuci Kingdom with three thousand light cavalry to demand an explanation. At first, the Qiuci Kingdom closed their gates and refused to respond. Then, the city gates suddenly opened wide and there were hundreds of 'Sand Tigers' inside. "
The so-called 'Sand Tiger' was a kind of war chariot that traveled in the desert. It was extremely heavy and consumed a lot of purple gold. Its craftsmanship was extremely complicated.
Gu Yun had encountered one ten years ago when he was quelling a rebellion in the Western Regions. At that time, the other party only had three big Sand Tigers. They almost trapped half of his immature black cavalry. However, as far as he knew, those three taels of Sand Tigers were all that the various countries in the Western Regions pooled together.
Gu Yun suddenly stood up. His brows were tightly knitted and his fingers unconsciously pinched the string of beads in his hand. This matter was very similar to the rebellion in the Southwest. He lowered his voice and asked, "Are they real Sand Tigers and not empty shells?"
Black Eagle was unusually eloquent. He quickly replied, "Commander, they are real Sand Tigers. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the Loulan light cavalry was completely defeated. The Young Prince almost died in battle and was rescued by his subordinates at the risk of their lives. That day, the Loulan Kingdom sent people to our camp to ask for help. However, before the seal was opened, the thousands of countries on the Ancient Silk Road had already received the news and were all in a state of panic. The other countries in the Western Regions, India, and the foreigners, all gathered their troops in their respective camps. Commander Meng of the Northwest Protectorate personally came to the camp and ordered us to wait for the 'drumming order'. "
Gu Yun fiercely slammed the table. "Ridiculous."
Black Eagle thought he was referring to the drumming order, so he continued, "Our Black Eagle's General He also said the same thing. The Black Iron Battalion is not under the control of the drumming order. However, Commander Meng said that the Commander was grounded by the Emperor and ordered to reflect behind closed doors. He ordered us to wait for the imperial edict …"
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.
