Long An eighth summer, the countries of the Western Region couldn't hold on any longer. They gathered their remaining soldiers, opened their gates, and jointly submitted a letter of surrender to their sovereign state.
At the entrance of the Ancient Silk Road, the countries of the Western Region sat together with the representatives of Daliang for the second time and were forced to negotiate peace.
Gu Yun was too lazy to show his face to his defeated opponents. He only sent Shen Yi to represent him.
Shen Yi came with Daliang's harsh demands. First, he wanted to extort a large sum of gold and silver. Second, he wanted to build Daliang garrisons in the countries of the Western Region to monitor the vassal countries. From then on, other than Loulan, the other vassal countries were not allowed to have a single piece of flamethrower steel armor. All of them, including the light fur coat, were to be destroyed. Finally, Daliang demanded that the vassal countries pay tribute to Daliang of more than 70% of the purple gold they mined every year.
Shen Yi felt his teeth hurt when he read this clause. It was simply scraping his bones. The representatives of the various countries immediately cried for their parents.
The first negotiation failed. The next day, Gu Yun brought 300 heavy armor to attack the remaining soldiers of the Western Region who had already surrendered. He blew up the Heavenly Earth and completed the main content of the second clause for them. He publicly announced that it didn't matter if they didn't agree to the other two clauses. He would immediately bring people to massacre the city.
Massacring the city was against the natural order. Usually, only Bei Man would do this. Daliang's army rarely had this kind of atmosphere. However, the people of the Western Region were worried that Gu Yun would be jealous of the bombing. They suspected that he would do anything. At first, they were stubborn. When Gu Yun ordered people to blast open the city gates, the representatives of the allied forces at the negotiating table finally gave in.
After several rounds of bargaining, the "Loulan New Treaty" was signed three days later. Under the deterrence of Gu Yun's heavy military force, the various countries first cleared out their internal war preparations at the fastest speed. Then, they bitterly pieced together the purple gold that they had dug out a year ago and didn't have time to use it.
At the end of May, Gu Yun and Shen Yi secretly escorted the purple gold back to the capital from the Western Region.
A heavy rain washed the streets and alleys of the capital. Fragmented locust trees covered the streets.
There was a lot of talk about the government reform, but there was little rain. Miraculously, the chaos that everyone imagined did not happen.
First of all, the aristocratic families were not stupid. Even if they were dissatisfied with Yan Wang's method of taking money from their pockets, they also understood that compared to them, those poor scholars who had taken the imperial examinations and could not find a few taels of silver all over their bodies hated this policy the most. It was not worthwhile for them to stand out for others. Therefore, at the beginning, this group of people all hid and prepared to watch a joke.
Unexpectedly, this matter was really strange. Other than a few stubborn old scholars who stood out and said a few nonsense words like "propriety" and "propriety", there was not even a splash in the imperial court.
Changgeng first submitted a memorial to the emperor and presented his long-term vision for the fire beacon ticket to Li Feng. He wrote down the ins and outs of the matter clearly, skillfully concealing and skillfully exaggerating. Finally, he painted a big pie for the emperor — in time, the fire beacon ticket would be implemented from top to bottom and all the gold and silver in the world would be collected into the national treasury. The people could buy and sell the tickets, and the amount of tickets would be determined at the discretion of the imperial court. There would no longer be a situation where the people's gold and silver would be filled with dust and the national treasury would have no money to use when the country was in danger.
Li Feng previously felt that some of Yan Wang's ideas were too unorthodox and improper. Only now did he realize that this person was not improper. He simply wanted to trample the word "propriety" under his feet.
In the past, there was the first emperor who collected all the weapons in the world to cast gold men. Today, there was a Prince Yan who collected all the wealth in the world.
However, this idea was too tempting. After Li Feng slightly understood the concept of "using a few pieces of paper to replace gold and silver", on one hand, there was a faint uneasiness in his heart. On the other hand, he really could not resist this temptation. He kept the memorial for three days and thought it over and over again. In the end, he still ate this pie without hesitation and ordered Changgeng to get to work. However, he repeatedly warned that the methods could not be too extreme, especially toward the rising talents in the imperial court who came from poor families. They had to "plan slowly."
What Emperor Li Feng did not know was that as early as when Yan Wang submitted a petition to change the governance of officials, the richest man in Jiangnan brought 13 people from all over the country to the capital and invited them to the small restaurant where the Linyuan wooden tablet had chosen its owner.
The small restaurant was originally run-down and unknown. In the past few years, it had been covered by the light of Qiyuan Lou like a firefly under the moon. Those with poor eyesight could not find it at all. This time, it was very lucky to have survived the devastation of the capital. At the beginning of the year, it was reorganized and officially opened its doors to welcome guests. The original two-story building was built with two more stories. The broken bricks and tiles were very clean and tidy. It was renamed "Wangnan Lou." When people saw it, they felt a sense of sadness out of nowhere. It was very appropriate for the occasion. Very few people knew that this originally half-dead restaurant was Du Wanquan's property.
When the two sides first negotiated, it was not very smooth. Scholars considered themselves to be noble and had been in the bureaucracy for many years. They really did not want to deal with these people who reeked of money. Most of them came to entertain him perfunctorily.
Who knew that after interacting with him, they would realize that Du Wanquan was not a simple person.
Du Wanquan had personally sailed to the Western Ocean and had seen the real world. His manner of speaking and the gully in his heart were like heaven and earth compared to ordinary merchants. His silver tongue could make a dead person come back to life. In addition, Jiang Chong quietly mediated between them. Very soon, many people's thoughts were wavering.
Just as the decree of the government reform silently infiltrated everywhere, Du Wanquan and the others opened the largest private room in Wangnan Lou. For the second time, they invited Jiang Chong to a banquet for eight important officials of the court.
They all had no one to rely on in the court. They became officials through the imperial examinations and started from scratch.
This time, the secret meeting lasted for a full eight hours. When the moon was high in the branches, the head of the table, Jiang Chong, finally raised his cup to end the meeting.
Jiang Chong stood up solemnly and looked around. Many people had drunk too much during the toast.
"Today's wine and food are full, and everyone is tired. I won't spoil the mood. Let's raise a cup. Everyone has drunk some wine and can disperse." Jiang Chong said, "As long as we continue to fight this war, the implementation of the fire beacon ticket is imperative. Everyone is of one mind for the country …"
At this point, Jiang Chong paused in the middle of nowhere. With a smile, he drank the wine in his cup without a word.
If you are of one mind for the country, please consider your own way out.
For many years, the tycoon, who had no say in the current situation of the court and was eager to have his own spokesperson, met with a group of civil officials who had no power or influence and were not involved in politics, and formally formed an alliance.
After Du Wanquan sent off the civil officials and merchants in the room one by one, he returned to Wangnan Lou alone and went to the room next to the private room. There was not a single servant in the room, and the lights were not lit. There was only a dim yellow gas lamp hanging above his head. On the table were two taels of yellow wine, a bowl of porridge, and a plate of side dishes. The porridge was half eaten, the wine was left over, and the side dishes were only slightly eaten. The person at the table had already put down his chopsticks.
Du Wanquan did not have his smooth and slick appearance. He respectfully went forward and bowed, "Master Yan Wang."
Changgeng politely nodded, "Master Du."
Du Wanquan's eyes swept over the porridge and side dishes on the table. He hurriedly said, "Wang Ye's frugality is admirable. But this Wangnan Lou is our family's property. Why didn't you order something more natural? It's going to be summer soon. I had them prepare something that clears the heart and nourishes the body … "
"Don't be busy. I like eating this," Changgeng waved his hand and said, "Today's matter is all thanks to Master Du. Thank you for your trouble."
Du Wanquan hurriedly said he did not dare. Seeing him get up to leave, he politely raised the umbrella at the side and said, "The carriage has been prepared in the back courtyard. Wang Ye, this way please."
At the beginning, when Liao Ran gathered the Linyuan Wooden Tablet, the person who was the most unwilling was undoubtedly Du Wanquan. In his early years, he had relied heavily on the power of Linyuan Pavilion. However, Du Wanquan could not admit that Linyuan Pavilion had helped him to earn this family business. At this time, he was not willing to devote his life's efforts to a person he had never met before.
But after interacting with Yan Wang for half a year, the person who was most willing to be at Yan Wang's beck and call was Du Wanquan.
God of Wealth Du had traveled extensively for many years. His knowledge was greater than the average person. He faintly felt that Changgeng was saving the country from danger, but more importantly, he was paving the way for something. Du Wanquan had an indescribable feeling of excitement — Daliang's stormy road had risen because of Emperor Wu, Emperor Yuanhe had declined from the peak of prosperity, and Long An Emperor had reached the end of the road. Now, the country was about to enter a new era of transition.
Yet, he was able to board this ship with just a wooden token.
Changgeng had just walked to the door when he unintentionally touched his waist. His footsteps paused.
Du Wanquan's sharp eyes saw and hurriedly asked, "Wang Ye, what are you looking for?"
"Nothing," Changgeng paused and said absent-mindedly, "I've run out of incense."
These days, he had been taking care of everything. The Anshensan had been consumed too quickly, so he hadn't had time to concoct it. Changgeng sighed and said to Du Wanquan with a smile, "It's fine. Master Du, please don't see me out. Tell Master Feng Han that the thing he's been thinking about will come true one day."
Chang Geng's tolerance for alcohol wasn't very good. With his status as a prince, no one would dare to force him to drink under any circumstances. Although Chang Geng had never been completely drunk due to his self-restraint, judging from his ability to get headaches after two or three cups, his tolerance for alcohol might indeed be poor.
Changgeng usually didn't touch a drop of alcohol. But today, he had been listening to the corner for more than eight hours. He was really tired, so he ordered a tael of yellow wine to stimulate him a little. But this tipsy feeling didn't help him sleep. When he went back at night, it made it difficult for him to fall asleep.
Changgeng tossed and turned on the bed for a long time. It was almost four o 'clock in the morning before he fell into a daze. While he was half-asleep, he seemed to hear someone enter the room. He turned over and woke up with a start. He raised his hand and turned on the small gas lamp hanging at the head of the bed. In the end, the gas lamp only flashed for a moment before it went out. He didn't know if it was because of the damp rain in the capital or because the room had been empty for several days.
The person who came sat on the small couch next to him and said with a smile, "What are you doing on my bed?"
Changgeng was startled. His eyes were already used to the darkness. With a little bit of light, he saw that Gu Yun had returned. He hurriedly asked, "Didn't you say that you would arrive in the capital in two days? Why are you so fast?"
Gu Yun casually stretched and leaned to the side, "I missed you, so I rushed back in advance by myself."
The last time they parted was at the end of the year. In the blink of an eye, winter had passed and spring had arrived. Now, it was summer. He hadn't seen him for half a year. Although Gu Yun's battle reports often contained "personal information" and he would send a letter every once in a while, how could it compare to seeing him in person?
Changgeng missed him so much that he immediately wanted to pounce on him and hug him.
However, Gu Yun leaned back and dodged his hand lightly. His body was like a piece of paper as he landed in front of the window. The rain outside had stopped. The moonlight quietly meandered into the room from the puddle. Gu Yun stood with his back to the light. Changgeng saw the light leather armor on his body that hadn't been removed for thousands of years.
"Why are you touching me as soon as you see me?" Gu Yun said, "I just came to see you."
Changgeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard the first half of the sentence. He thought to himself that Gu Yun was the one who complained first. He didn't know who liked to touch more. However, when he heard the second half of the sentence, his smile suddenly disappeared. He vaguely felt that something was wrong. "Zi Xi, what's wrong with you?"
Gu Yun didn't say a word and just looked at him.
The two of them, one sitting and one standing, looked at each other silently for a long time. It was as if they were bidding farewell.
Changgeng's heart beat wildly for no reason. It was so shocking that his chest could barely contain anything else and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't bear it anymore. He got up and walked towards Gu Yun. It was only four or five steps from the bedside to the small window, but he couldn't seem to reach the end.
The more he moved forward, the more Gu Yun had to move back.
Changgeng didn't care. He turned around and grabbed the gas lamp at the head of the bed. He crazily twisted the mechanism on it. The gas lamp made a few popping sounds and suddenly lit up. The room was blazing. Changgeng ignored the glare of the light and hurriedly turned to Gu Yun. However, he saw the person standing by the window with a face as white as a sheet. He didn't look like a living person. Two lines of blood flowed down the corners of his mouth and the cinnabar mole at the corner of his eyes.
The gas lamp went out with a bang.
Gu Yun sighed softly, "I can't see the light. Why did you light it … Changgeng, I'm leaving now."
What did "can't see the light" mean? Changgeng almost went crazy on the spot. He rushed forward recklessly and reached out with all his might. However, he only grabbed a cold and bone-piercing Profound Armor.
Changgeng hissed, "Stop right there. Where are you going! Gu Zi Xi! "
"I'm going to where I should go." Gu Yun's voice was cold, "You're now fully fledged. You took over the Linyuan Pavilion and seized the Li family's power. You have all the opportunities in the world in your hands. What kind of methods are you using? Didn't Li Feng die in your hands? It's useless for me to stay any longer. I'm here to bid farewell. "
Changgeng said anxiously, "No, wait. I didn't …"
He instinctively wanted to refute that he didn't. However, he couldn't say it out loud. He was confused and felt that what Gu Yun said was indeed his doing.
Gu Yun said coldly, "I was entrusted by the late Emperor to bring you back from Yanhui Town and take care of you until you became an adult. I hoped that even if you weren't a pillar of the country, you would at least be a good person with good character. What did you do?"
In the early summer night, Changgeng suddenly felt an unprecedented cold.
"I followed the late Emperor's orders and took care of you until you grew up. However, I didn't expect that the one I raised was a wolf from the mountains." Gu Yun sighed softly, "It's been two hundred years since the founding of Daliang. I thought it would last forever. Who knew that the Imperial Jade Seal would be destroyed in the hands of my generation …"
Changgeng wanted to grab him fiercely or cry out loud. However, his entire body seemed to be fixed in place. He could only stare blankly as Gu Yun turned around and said, "I'm going to the underworld to ask for forgiveness. There's no need to see you again."
Then, he went through the wall and disappeared into thin air. The open window was empty. Changgeng's internal organs were burning. He woke up with a scream. His heartbeat was like thunder. After three breaths, he finally regained his senses. He slowly exhaled the pent-up air in his chest. Belatedly, he realized that it was just a realistic nightmare.
He didn't know if it was because of the alcohol or something else. His head was throbbing and his limbs were sore. Sleeping for a night was more tiring than not sleeping at all.
After calming down for a moment, Changgeng planned to get up to drink some water and close his eyes to rest for a while. However, just as he propped himself up, he suddenly saw a black shadow on the wooden chair by the window. The person's breathing was very slow and long. It was obvious that he was an expert. Changgeng was so shocked by the sound of his heartbeat that he didn't realize it.
He instinctively shouted, "Who is it?"
That person laughed softly and said, "What are you doing on my bed?"
There was no bigger shock than this. Changgeng hadn't woken up from the nightmare. At that time, his elbow went soft and he fell back onto the bed. Gu Yun's broken bed, from the bed board to the pillow, was hard. This collision was no small matter. The meticulous and calm Prince Yan was almost knocked unconscious by the pillow.
Gu Yun was shocked and hurriedly rushed to the bedside to help him up.
He left Shen Yi and the group of bodyguards behind him and rushed back two days in advance. He planned to rest for the night and give Changgeng a scare tomorrow morning. Who knew that when he entered the room, he would find that the bed was occupied by a certain someone. He knew from Miss Chen that Changgeng didn't sleep well. It was already difficult for him to fall asleep. When he fell asleep, he would be easily disturbed. Thus, he didn't bear to wake him up.
"Where did you bump into? Ai, let me see. "Gu Yun was baffled and said," Although your behavior of occupying a magpie's nest is very bad, I didn't say anything. Why do you look like you saw a ghost … Tell me, what good things did you do behind my back? "
Changgeng trembled and grabbed his wrist. This time, he grabbed onto the person's warm body temperature. This warmth allowed him to catch his breath.
Gu Yun found that Changgeng's mood was a little unstable. He wanted to say a few words to ease it, so he said, "Why didn't you ask me why I rushed back two days in advance?"
Changgeng's expression changed immediately.
Gu Yun jinxed it and said, "I missed you, so I rushed back by myself …"
Changgeng shouted sternly, "Don't say it!"
His shout was too tragic. Gu Yun paused and then asked carefully, "Changgeng, what's wrong?"
As he spoke, he reached for the gas lamp at the bedside.
But with just a gentle twist, the gas lamp jumped messily twice. Then, with a "pop" sound, it stopped moving. It was broken.
For a moment, reality and nightmare overlapped in an incredible coincidence. Chang Geng let out a low, hoarse scream. The vague soreness in his limbs surged into his heart like a tide, turning into a hundred and eight thousand terrifying illusions. The illusions opened their bloody mouths and swallowed him whole.
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