Chang Geng came in an orderly manner, as if the whole world was in the palm of his hand. When he left, he had already turned into a pile of human-shaped paste. He did not know which leg he took to leave first.
In the warm yet cold night, the breath in and out of his chest was like a living ball of fire.
Chang Geng fled back to his courtyard in a panic. He let out a long sigh and leaned his forehead against the sword puppet at the entrance of his courtyard.
Many years had passed. This iron puppet had already died of old age and could no longer be controlled by humans. However, Chang Geng could not bear to throw it away, so he had someone place it incongruously in his courtyard as a decorative lamp.
The cold iron quickly calmed down Chang Geng's burning flesh. He looked up at this big fellow and recalled some old memories from his youth. He remembered that every day before dawn, he would let it carry a basket filled with snacks. Then, he and the puppet would run to Gu Yun's courtyard and listen to his nonsense.
There was also the time when they celebrated Gu Yun's birthday. They wrapped it in ridiculous silk and satin and made it carry a bowl of ugly noodles as a birthday present …
As he thought about it, Chang Geng could not help but smile. All of his fun and warm memories were actually related to Gu Yun.
Chang Geng hung the lamp in his hand on the iron puppet's outstretched arm and affectionately patted the exposed gears at the back of the iron puppet's neck. He recalled the two sentences that Gu Yun said just now and sighed. His gaze dimmed.
He thought that Gu Yun would either be furious or repeatedly persuade him. He did not expect Gu Yun to have such an attitude.
Gu Yun made his position clear. I am still your adoptive father. I still love you the most. No matter what you think, I will still do as before. I will forgive your offense. I will not take your nonsense to heart. I will not accommodate your unreasonable delusions, but I also believe that one day you will return to the right path.
Changgeng pasted a "Selfless Firmness" on himself, and Gu Yun gave him a "Motionless".
"That little bit of care is all used on me," Changgeng thought, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Why didn't you leave some selfishness in front of that person in the palace?"
Changgeng knew why Gu Yun suddenly stopped talking to him. It wasn't because she saw that he was annoyed and wanted him to leave earlier. She probably guessed what he was going to say later and tactfully hinted to him not to mention it. Avoiding the sharp edge for a while was a bad idea. Currently, to Gu Yun, the best plan was to use military power to coerce and replace the political power. From then on, the military and government would be one.
If there was such an army that could send troops overseas at any time, the rules of sea transportation and the Silk Road could be changed at will. At that time, Daliang would be able to advance and retreat as they wished. Perhaps they would be able to tolerate the lifting of the ban on the Violet Gold.
Unfortunately, under Gu Yun's ruffian skin and blood, there was a gentleman's bone that stood upright and upright. He couldn't do things like scheming against the monarch and stealing the country.
Changgeng slowly walked into the room. At this time, the familiar sound of bird wings sounded in the air. Changgeng reached out and caught the tattered wooden bird. When he opened it, he saw that it was a letter from Chen Qingxu.
It was rare for her to write in such a messy and messy way. Changgeng had a hard time recognizing what was written on it. "I found the source of the poison in the marshal's body. If I can find the secret recipe, I might be able to make an antidote."
Changgeng suddenly stopped in his tracks.
However, before the ecstasy in his heart could rise, he saw Chen Qingxu's following sentence. "But his eyes and ears have been damaged for many years. He has been fighting poison with poison. Over time, the poison can be cured, but the underlying illness is difficult to treat. Your Highness should be prepared."
There was an even more messy line of small handwriting below. Chen Qingxu wrote, "I suspect that this item is a secret of the barbarian goddess. Because the last goddess and her close relatives entered the palace, it is difficult to find traces of it outside the pass. If it is convenient, you can also search for it in the forbidden palace."
Changgeng finished reading from beginning to end. He burned the scroll clean, but his heart sank.
The Marquis of Stability had been in the military for generations. The Marquis's residence was also specially bestowed. When Changgeng raised his head from the small courtyard he lived in, he could see the dazzling cornice of the palace under the moonlight. Changgeng intentionally or unintentionally glanced in the direction of the palace. There seemed to be wind and thunder surging in his eyes.
It was only a soul-stirring flash, and he withdrew it without leaving a trace behind.
Early the next morning, as expected, Gu Yun had someone deliver his memorial to the palace.
He first wrote down the results of his self-reflection and sincerely admitted his wrongs to the emperor. He then claimed that his old injury had relapsed and he was afraid that it would be difficult for him to take on important tasks. He asked the emperor to take back the commander-in-chief's seal.
Claiming illness had always been a common excuse, but the Marquis of Stability's memorial unexpectedly didn't seem like an excuse. Because at the end, he used his well-known small regular script to list out all the details of the handover of military affairs. Finally, he even used a hammer to ask the emperor to allow him to move the location of his closed-door self-reflection to the suburbs of the capital.
No matter how elegant the wording, it couldn't hide the meaning between the lines. "I've already finished reflecting. Let me go out to play."
This memorial was written in the style of the Marquis of Stability, with a bit of unbridled honesty. With one look, it was clear that it wasn't written by an advisor.
The Emperor Long An kept this memorial for a day. The next day, he bestowed many precious medicinal ingredients to show his favor and lifted Gu Yun's confinement order. It could be said that he tacitly approved of Gu Yun's resignation. However, for the sake of saving face, he didn't find someone to replace him. He just left the commander-in-chief's seal empty and comforted him with warm words. He declared that when the Marquis of Stability recovered and returned to the court, he would return the commander-in-chief's seal to him.
That afternoon, when they were taking a nap, Li Feng somehow flipped through a book he had read in his youth. A piece of calligraphy fell out of the book. Compared to the memorial on his desk, the handwriting was slightly crude and the wrist strength seemed to be lacking. However, one could already see the strength of the style in the future.
Li Feng took it out and scrutinized it for a long time. Suddenly, he sighed and asked Zhu Xiaojiao, "Do you know who wrote this?"
Zhu Xiaojiao pretended to be confused and said, "This … this old servant can't tell if it's good or bad. However, since it was kept by Your Majesty, it should be the authentic work of a famous writer, right?"
"You're quite clever. However, it can be considered a famous writer. This was written by Imperial Uncle Shi Liu." Li Feng gently placed the piece of calligraphy on the table and flattened it with a paperweight. He seemed to have thought of something and his gaze became distant. He said to Zhu Xiaojiao, "When we were young, we were impatient to practice calligraphy and were scolded by Imperial Father. When Imperial Uncle found out, he went back and stayed up all night. The next day, he wrote a dozen pieces of calligraphy for us …"
At that time, Gu Yun's eyesight wasn't good during the day, and she couldn't see clearly at night. She could only wear a glass mirror. After staying up all night, her eyes were red. The next day, she had a pair of rabbit eyes and insisted on pretending to be serious in front of them.
As Li Feng spoke, he reminisced about the past and murmured with a little nostalgia, "You said that Imperial Uncle was so introverted when he was young. He didn't like to get close to people at all. Compared to now, it's like heaven and earth. Oh, by the way, where is he?"
Zhu Xiaojiao replied politely, "I heard that he went to the hot spring villa in the north to recuperate."
Li Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "He really went to play? Forget it … Jiangnan's spring tea has just been delivered. Get someone to bring some for him to try. Later, tell him to inscribe a plaque for my palace in the north. "
Zhu Xiaojiao quickly agreed and didn't say anything else. He felt that the time was right.
That afternoon, an urgent message came from the Protectorate of the Northwest. It said that there were strange movements outside the borders. The Black Iron Battalion refused to listen to the drumming order and brazenly detained Protector General Meng.
The Emperor Long An was still reminiscing about the past, so he raised this matter up high and gently put it down. He only sent someone to reprimand He Ronghui for his disregard for the national law and fined him a little of his salary. He also ordered the Black Iron Battalion to be more vigilant against the changes at the border.
When Changgeng finally managed to spare some time to go to the hot spring villa in the northern suburbs to tell Gu Yun about the follow-up, he saw Gu Yun wrapped in a bathrobe with his feet soaked in the hot spring. His hand never left the cup. Beside him, there were two beautiful female attendants massaging his shoulders and back. He was so happy that he almost became immortals.
When Gu Yun said that he was going to "recuperate", he actually seriously went to recuperate!
The half-deaf man couldn't hear anyone coming. He tilted his head and said something to the young lady beside him. The female attendant didn't say anything and just smiled. Her face was red.
Changgeng: "…"
When Gu Yun saw that the female attendant's face was red and cute, he almost wanted to raise his hand to touch it. Just as he raised his hand halfway, he saw the two ladies hurriedly bow to someone and then automatically retreat.
Gu Yun turned around and couldn't see who it was. He could only touch the glass mirror and put it on the bridge of his nose.
When he saw Changgeng, this old man didn't feel embarrassed at all. He even happily called him over and lazily got up. "I haven't rested like this in a long time. My bones are all soft from lying down."
Changgeng: "… I'm afraid it's not because you're feeling soft from lying down, right?"
As soon as he said this, he regretted it.
"Huh?" Gu Yun acted as if he didn't hear clearly and asked with a puzzled expression, "What?"
For some reason, Changgeng remembered that when this person and Shen Yi pretended to be down and out hermits and lived in Yanhui Town, he couldn't hear anything that he didn't like to hear.
He was originally an expert in pretending to be deaf. Once he became deaf, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
He heard the number one Marquis of Daliang ask excitedly, "Oh right, did you bring me medicine? I'll take you to the Snow Plum House at the back tonight. There are a few new singers there. It's said that they're all competing for the first song of Yuanlou at the end of the year. Let's go and identify them in advance. "
Changgeng thought that Gu Yun asked him to bring medicine for something important. After a long fuss, it turned out that Gu Yun was complaining that he was deaf and didn't have enough fun drinking wine. He immediately put on a fake smile and said, "All medicine has some side effects. Since there's nothing important, it's better to drink less medicine."
Deaf Gu answered inappropriately, "Yes, yes. It's good that you brought it. The water here is very good. Soak in it for a while and relax."
Changgeng: "…"
He didn't want to reason with Gu Yun anymore. He sat upright by the hot spring and gestured without lifting his eyelids, "The Emperor has received the news from the northwest. Everything is fine. Don't worry."
Gu Yun nodded slowly, "Yes. Since you're here, aren't you going to soak in the hot spring with me?"
"… No," Changgeng said expressionlessly, "Godfather, enjoy yourself."
Gu Yun made a "tsk" sound. Then, he didn't avoid Changgeng at all, as if he didn't feel that there was anything to avoid. He calmly went into the water.
Changgeng was caught off guard and hurriedly looked away. There was no place for him to look. He grabbed a wine cup in a mess and took a sip as if to hide something. When he touched his lips, he remembered that this was Gu Yun's cup.
He suddenly stood up and almost knocked over Gu Yun's small table. He said in a dry voice, "I'm just here to tell Godfather. It's good that you know. I … I still have something to do when I go back. I'll take my leave first."
"Little Changgeng." Gu Yun called out to him and put aside the glass mirror that was stained by the steam. Only his long line of sight couldn't focus. He lay on the shore like a flood dragon king. He said casually, "We're both men. What I have, you have. What you don't have, I don't have either. What's so new about it?"
Changgeng held his breath and finally raised his gaze. Gu Yun's figure was a little blurry. The scars all over his body were shocking and glaring. There was a scar that ran from his neck to his chest, making his upper body look like it was split in half and sewn back together.
Gu Yun understood people's hearts very well. He knew that the more he avoided certain things, the more taboo it seemed. It was like he was poisoned and couldn't bear to part with it. He might as well let him see it openly — there was really nothing to see anyway.
"Everyone has deep feelings for their parents. It's not just you, I'm the same," Gu Yun said, "My biological father was a living animal. He only knew how to gather a group of iron puppets to chase after me and chop me. The first person who held my hand to write was the late Emperor. The first person who coaxed me to take medicine and gave me candied fruits after eating was also the late Emperor. When I was young, I also felt that he was the only person who had ever doted on me. Sometimes, this kind of feeling is too deep and may cause you to have a little illusion. It'll be fine after a period of time. The more you take it to heart, the more you can't bear the burden, and the more it will pester you. "
Changgeng opened his mouth, but Gu Yun took advantage of the fact that he couldn't hear clearly. He didn't care if Changgeng replied or not and continued, "Godfather knows that you're a good child. It's just that you're too easy to carry burdens for yourself. Let it go. Stay here with me for two days. Why are you acting like an old monk all day long? There's so much scenery and so many interesting things. Don't be complacent. "
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