Ever since the old man obtained the fire toad, it was as if he had obtained a great treasure. He hugged it every day without letting go.
Not long after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Gou Liang woke up one day and saw the old man staring at a black flame above his head. He rubbed his eyes and looked carefully. After confirming that his eyes were not playing tricks on him, he faintly said, "Grandfather, you should stay away from anything with fire for the next two days, especially this poisonous thing in your hand."
The old man agreed, but after drinking two mouthfuls of yellow soup, he did not remember much. He hugged the fire toad and looked at the stars, the moon, and talked about life.
The fire toad jumped out of the jar to escape. The old man chased it all the way, knocking over an oil lamp and a wine bottle. The weather was dry, and the fire ignited in an instant. Not only did it burn the house until only the blackened stone shelves were left, even the old man's beloved fire toad, which he had guarded for two years, was buried in the sea of fire.
This time, the old man sobered up without using any extreme measures. The fire toad, which was caught in Zhong Quan's hand and could not rush into the fire to save him, suddenly sat on the ground and wailed.
Gou Liang: "… …"
Perhaps the old man did not even cry like this when the original owner's mother died.
He sat on Zhong Quan's arm and silently calculated the whereabouts of the other fire toads. In the end, he asked Zhong Quan to catch two for him.
They originally planned to go to Jiangnan to treat Gou Liang's leg injury when it was almost winter, but now they had to bring it forward.
At this time, they were on the road to the south.
In the carriage, the old man hugged the fire toad and loved it too much to let go. He was worried about whether he should fry it raw or dry it and crush it into medicine. It was impossible to rely on him to take care of Gou Liang. Therefore, Zhong Quan specially summoned a dog shadow to drive the carriage while he stayed in the carriage to take care of it. Gou Liang saw him hunched over and unable to stretch his legs, and felt bad for him. Fortunately, they quickly changed from the land route to the water route.
The ship moved slowly on the sea. A flag with a black border and red lettering hung from the mast. The word "Lin" was written on it, and it fluttered in the wind.
Zhong Quan entered the room and reported, "Master, there is a message from the capital. Yan Zhongyue has concluded that there will be an earthquake in Xingtang County of the Yan Country in the near future. He and Li Yan want to take this opportunity to reverse the current situation."
He passed the letter to Gou Liang, who raised his hand and motioned for him to wait.
The tip of Gou Liang's brush moved swiftly. He only put down the brush after he finished writing the entire chapter of the Medicine Scripture from memory.
— — Because the old man courted death, his many years of medical practice and medical book collection were all burned down in the fire. Fortunately, during this period of time Gou Liang had read his great works, and now he was reciting them one by one from memory. Otherwise, they would not be walking on the sea, but on the old man's tears.
Gou Liang massaged his sore wrist and took the note. After reading it, he frowned slightly.
Ever since Zhang Tian died in Prince An's Imperial Residence on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival and Meng Fenghe's confession about Zhong Yue, Li Yan's reputation hit rock bottom.
Although there was no evidence to directly prove that he ordered Zhong Yue to kill Zhang Tian and frame Prince An, his relationship with Zhong Yue was confirmed. As the heir to the throne, it was not a good thing to have an affair with Nan Feng. Not to mention the Imperial Censor's reference books that filled the Emperor's desk, under Prince An's careful publicity, almost everyone in the capital knew about the Crown Prince's affairs.
The Emperor Wu even reprimanded Li Yan and grounded him in the Eastern Palace for self-reflection. Not only did he not give a deadline, but he also did not allow him to participate in court affairs.
The Emperor Wu might have known about Li Yan's affair with Nan Feng, but he could not tolerate it when it involved Zhong Yue.
Who was Zhong Yue?
Not only did he offer the secret medicine to prolong his life, but he also had a way to poison him. He was also a member of the Zhong Family of Tianji Mountain.
Whether it was Da Liang or other countries, they all had deep respect and fear for the Zhong Family of Tianji. There was a rumor among the people: The one who had Tianji Son would have the world.
— — Didn't the founding Emperor of Da Liang prove this rumor?
For such a person to have close relations with the Crown Prince was a provocation and disrespect to the Emperor. Moreover, unlike when he was young and strong, the Emperor Wu now kept the Zhong Family's mystic arts a secret. He respected them more than he feared them. It was not only because he was afraid of illness and death, but also because a year ago, it was the secret medicine left by Zhong Gu's great grandfather to the Li Family that saved his life from the gates of hell.
Therefore, he tolerated Li Yan's immorality, but did not want him to stand on the same side as Zhong Yue.
This time, Li Yan was grounded. On the surface, it was to let him reflect, but in reality, the Emperor intended to seize power.
During this period of time, Li Yan had already lost many of his subordinates. This time, he was in the wrong. If the Emperor wanted to make things difficult for him, there was nothing he could do. Every day, other than practicing calligraphy in the Eastern Palace, he could only curse the Emperor in his heart.
Zhong Yue was also tormented by the fact that he could not see him.
The Ministry of Justice invited him, but they did not dare to torture Zhong Yue, so naturally, they could not get anything out of him.
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, the angry Zhong Yue entered the palace and haggled with the Emperor. In the end, he used the Zhong Family's secret medicine to exchange for the Emperor's attitude of not making things difficult for him. However, when it came to Li Yan, no matter how Zhong Yue beat around the bush, the Emperor Wu did not relent. He was determined to suppress the Crown Prince.
Zhong Yue racked his brains until last night when he saw that there would be an earthquake in Yan. He knew that this would be the best opportunity for him and Li Yan to turn things around.
It was not entirely true that Zhong Yue did not regret his love for Li Yan. As a proud son of Heaven, Zhong Yue could not bear the fact that Li Yan did not love him enough. He wanted to conquer Li Yan completely. He was stubborn and stubborn. Not only did he put down his pride to please Li Yan, but this time, he even put in a lot of effort!
— — He took the blood from his heart and divined the specific time and place of the earthquake.
Even if Zhong Yue's aptitude was better than the rest of the Zhong Family, he was still too young. He naturally had to pay a great price to pry into such a heavenly secret.
Gou Liang saw him vomit blood until his face turned pale. He had sacrificed three years of his life in exchange for this heavenly secret. He could not help but sigh, "Love but not get it, it really makes people crazy."
Thinking of this, Gou Liang casually threw aside the heavenly secret that Zhong Yue had divined with all his heart and looked at Zhong Quan, "Push me out."
Zhong Quan did as he was told.
In order to let him pass unimpeded, the cabin had been specially remodeled. All the thresholds were removed. The wooden wheels rolled on the deck, making a rhythmic and gentle sound.
The sea breeze blew gently, and from time to time, the crisp cries of seabirds could be heard amidst the sound of the waves. Gou Liang gazed at the boundless sea, and only then did he untie the Heaven Seeking Jade Flute tied to his waist. Placing it to his lips, he began to play.
The melody came from the heart, and the melody was casual. It was a song that Zhong Quan had never heard before, but it carried a natural tranquility and warmth, making people yearn for it.
The people on the ship all put down what they were doing and looked for the source of the flute. Even the old man, who was indulging in love with the fire toad, poked his head out of the side room. Gradually, the sea seemed to not dare to disturb the guests and lowered its sound. The seabirds flapped their wings to welcome the guests, but they soon quieted down in the midst of the flute.
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Gou Liang put down the jade flute.
Seeing the worried look on his face, Zhong Quan squatted down and asked, "Master, is the result of the divination not satisfactory?"
Gou Liang handed the jade flute to him and massaged his swollen eyebrows. Zhong Quan carefully tied the jade flute back to his waist and listened to him say, "The Yan Country did have an earthquake disaster, but it was not limited to Xingtang County. This disaster affected a lot of people. The earth dragon rose in Xingtang County, and the surrounding thousand li were affected to varying degrees. I'm afraid even the Emperor, who is far away in the capital, will be able to feel the power of the earth. What's worse is that there will be no less than a hundred aftershocks in the next three days. If we don't take precautions in advance, the people of the Yan Country will die and be injured. "
His voice was calm, but his eyes were full of worry.
After pondering for a moment, Gou Liang said, "Send a messenger pigeon to the Imperial Astronomer, Supervisor Liu. Make sure he reports the situation to the Emperor. Even if the imperial court cannot send troops to rescue, they must prepare the materials and manpower needed for disaster relief. In addition, order the Yan Country's Dog Shadow to try to gain the trust of the officials and the people in these counties. They must move to a safe place before noon on the 24th. "
As he spoke, he reached out to Zhong Quan. Zhong Quan tacitly picked him up and walked quickly back to the study.
Gou Liang integrated the disaster relief knowledge he had learned in the last two worlds into a comprehensive study. He drafted several feasible disaster relief and self-rescue measures and gave them to Zhong Quan. "Send them to the Yan Country and the Imperial Astronomer. They must be fast!"
"Yes, Master!"
There were tens of millions of people in the Yan Country. The earthquake that Gou Liang had divined was less than five days away. In such a hurry, Zhong Quan did not dare to be negligent.
When he returned to the study, Gou Liang was grinding an ink stick. His movements were neither fast nor slow. He ground the ink stick in one direction. The boring and repetitive process was the most calming. This was the habit of the original owner of the body. He wanted to separate the country and the people from himself and live a carefree life. But when it came to it, he could not bear to do so.
Zhong Quan understood. He stepped forward and said softly, "Master, this subordinate has done it. Tomorrow, the messenger pigeon will arrive in the Yan Country. Master, do not worry. "
Gou Liang nodded. He dipped his finger in the ink and tasted it. Then, he diluted it with water and continued to grind the ink stick. He said, "That's good."
"The Zhong Family uses the Imperial Advisor to head the Taichang Temple. Unless there is a national ceremony or a national disaster, they will not come. Now that ten years have passed, the Taichang Temple is no longer as glorious as before. Even the Imperial Astronomer has been implicated. That Supervisor Liu was my grandfather's favorite student. They call each other brothers. If not for the Liu Family's deep roots, he would have been banished from the capital by the Emperor's anger. Although he has not been removed from his official position, he must have had a hard time these past few years. If you can seize this opportunity, what will you do? "
Zhong Quan suddenly reached out. Gou Liang was startled and dodged. He glared at him.
Zhong Quan did not retreat. Instead, he took two steps forward. His expression was normal as he said, "Master's face is stained with ink. This subordinate will help you wipe it clean."
This made Gou Liang look like he was making a fuss over nothing. He made an "oh" sound. He was not very willing, but he did not refuse.
Zhong Quan's hands, which had been practicing the sword for many years, were covered in thick calluses. His rough fingers gently wiped Gou Liang's ink-stained lips. Zhong Quan bent over and held Gou Liang's face, his expression focused. His sharp eyes revealed an unconscious cautiousness. The ink was easily wiped away, but his fingers lingered on Gou Liang's soft lips. No matter how light his touch was, his light pink lips were slowly plated with a layer of red.
Zhong Quan took a bit too long to wipe.
Gou Liang did not notice. He did not know when, but his body had relaxed and leaned against the back of the chair. He raised his head and stared at Zhong Quan's handsome face in a daze.
Zhong Quan's eyes were still as sharp as before. His eyes were light brown. They looked more severe and cold than normal people. But at this time, his eyes were overflowing with gentleness and nothing else. Gou Liang's heart raced. It was not until the ink stick accidentally slipped out of his hand and splashed a bit of thick ink that he suddenly came back to his senses. "Zhong Quan …"
"Master, what are your orders?"
Zhong Quan respectfully bowed even lower. He forgot to take his hand away from Gou Liang's face.
Gou Liang's gaze was somewhat evasive. For a moment, he forgot what he wanted to say. Just as he did not know what to do, he suddenly heard the sound of a fierce quarrel outside the room. The old man's angry voice was abnormally clear. He hurriedly said, "Go out and see what happened."
Zhong Quan did not leave immediately. Instead, he glanced at Gou Liang's ink-stained hand.
Gou Liang seemed to be scalded by that gaze. He took his hand back and said, "I will clean it up. You go. Don't let anyone offend Grandfather."
"This subordinate obeys."
After he left, Gou Liang quickly wiped his hands and touched his restless little heart.
【Gou Liang: He's so handsome. I'm about to suffocate! Oh, the taste of soul power is so strong and sweet. I want to eat it. But why did you choose such a fraudulent host for me!! Q w Q.】
【System: … Master, the main system has already replied to this problem. I can't do anything about it.】
【Gou Liang: Hmph. You sent me away with a sentence saying that the green channel left behind by the main god before he went into hibernation was disturbed by some unknown factor. You don't even have a solution. What use do I have for you!】
【System: m (_ _) m】
Zhong Quan quickly returned with the old man and the chubby chef on the ship. He explained the whole story to Gou Liang.
It turned out that when Gou Liang was playing the Heaven Seeking Jade Flute, a few rare sea fish had approached the ship and been caught by the boatmen. The chubby chef knew what was good and recognized that this was a great tonic. It was a treasure that even the emperor could not eat, so he specially raised it and planned to give it to Gou Liang to nourish his body.
He never thought that the old man's nose would be so powerful. He went to the kitchen and wanted to refine the fish into medicine to feed his fire toad. The chubby chef refused, so the two of them quarreled.
Compared to the angry old man, the chubby chef was more aggrieved. "This subordinate did not mean to offend you. Just now, I specifically asked Senior Jiang. The medicine and fire toad refined by him were not prepared for you. This subordinate naturally could not let him waste natural resources like this. "
The old man was unconvinced. "Your master is going to nourish the heavens. Apart from a few bowls of nosebleeds and a few blisters, what use is it? Besides, with your broken craftsmanship, it is truly a waste of good things! "
The chef's old profession was killing people and robbing their goods, so he was not good at cooking, but among the group of men on the ship, he was ranked among the best. Other than Gou Liang and Zhong Quan, his cooking skills were the best.
It was just that the old man was very picky and never gave the chef a good face.
Gou Liang stroked his hair and said, "Grandfather, why don't we do this? I will order people to take two thirds for you. The rest will be left for the brothers on the ship to taste, okay? "
The old man did not agree. "What's the point of keeping it? Leaving it to this damn fatty is better than feeding it to the dogs. "
The chubby chef was angry, but he did not dare say anything.
Gou Liang laughed and said, "Since I have nothing to do today, how about I make a fish feast to show filial respect to grandfather?"
The original owner had learned how to cook for Li Yan. Compared to Zhong Quan, who cooked everything and put all the seasonings in, this was many times better. Of course, compared to Chef Gou, this was still at the level of someone who had not graduated from kindergarten.
However, Gou Liang's legs were currently inconvenient, so he could only command from the side and let Zhong Quan do the cooking.
Fortunately, the two of them had a tacit understanding.
When the rich aroma of the fish soup overflowed from the kitchen, the people on the ship who had been eating from the chubby chef's big pot for the past few days were suddenly tongue-tied.
The old man who originally wanted to refuse but did not want to attack his grandson's filial piety, slurped his saliva and sneaked in to steal some food. Gou Liang saw that the old man was still not satisfied after drinking the fish soup, so he reached out to grab the half-finished fried fish and said with a smile, "Grandfather, there will be even more delicious food later. If you stuff your stomach now, what will you do later?"
The old man finally gave up. Before he left, he quickly stuffed a piece of fish into his mouth and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Gou Liang: I really want to throw this old man into the sea to feed the fish! (`cui) = convex
Today's staple food was fish dumplings, and the main dish was boiled live fish. There were also crispy fried fish, fish fillets in sour soup, braised fish, and steamed whole fish.
Under Gou Liang's guidance, this table of fish feast could be said to be full of color, aroma, and taste. The sweet, tender, and delicious meat of the sea fish added a bit of color, whetting everyone's appetite and making them eat happily.
However, Gou Liang was taking medicine to recuperate, so the old man used the excuse that he could not eat spicy and oily food to shamelessly seize the rations that should have belonged to him. Gou Liang, who was drinking the milky white fish soup, used all his strength to prevent his murderous aura from bursting out. He stiffly continued to smile and face it.
The big men on the ship had surprisingly big appetites. They wolfed down the food on the three big tables in a short while and happily began to scramble to lick the plates.
Under the moonlight, Gou Liang, who was dressed in white, calmly sat in his wheelchair while facing the sea breeze. His gaze was melancholic.
After returning to the study, he began to grind the ink again. His sharp gaze could not wait to treat the ink as the old man and swallow it in one gulp to vent his hatred.
He grinded faster and harder until the system reminded him that the target was about to enter the door. Then he suddenly straightened his back, switched to the otherworldly JPG, and slowly began to grind the ink.
As Zhong Quan pushed the door open and entered, a burst of rich fish fragrance entered Gou Liang's nose. He suddenly looked over and saw that Zhong Quan was holding a tray in his hand. The tip of his nose immediately smelled that there were three bowls of food. There was a bowl of fish porridge, a plate of salt and pepper fried fish, and a small bowl of spicy boiled fish!
His eyes suddenly lit up. He tried to suppress his joy and asked seriously, "What's the matter?"
With Zhong Quan's eyesight, how could he not notice the details just now? Or it could be said that his gaze had been following Gou Liang from the beginning to the end, and he had long seen through his gluttony.
Zhong Quan considerately did not expose him and only said, "Master, you only drank some fish soup and dumplings just now. This subordinate was afraid that you would be hungry at night. Old Jiang said that this fish has a calming effect. Master should eat more. It would be best if you can have a good night's sleep at night. "
Gou Liang's soul was hooked by the fragrance of the food. He did not pay attention to what Zhong Quan said. He nodded and took the chopsticks that Zhong Quan handed to him.
The fish porridge was freshly cooked. Although the amount of fried fish and boiled fish was very small, they were all the best and most tender parts of the sea fish. Obviously, Zhong Quan had deliberately saved them for himself before the pot was ready.
Gou Liang held back his laughter, but his eyes were sparkling. He ate with a happy expression on his face. It was obvious that he was trying to cover it up.
Zhong Quan looked at him. The tip of his heart seemed to be scratched. His heart would curl up and beat violently for a while. The sharpness in his eyes dissipated. He stared at Gou Liang with eyes softer than the moonlight on the sea.
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