Yang Fan's "illness" had been cured, and the emperor's edict had arrived. There was no reason for him to stay in Chang 'an any longer, so he had to return to Luoyang immediately.
As it was getting late, Yang Fan and Eunuch Gao agreed to leave early the next morning. After asking Mr. Gongsun to settle Eunuch Gao's residence, Yang Fan returned to his residence to inform Xiao Man and A 'Nu.
Xiao Man was quite reluctant to part with him, but after this disaster, she knew that she could no longer be emotional. Hence, she only hugged the child tightly and said faintly, "Be careful this time, Langjun! Let A 'Nu accompany you back. It's always safer to have someone by your side. Young Master Jiang has already escaped, so it's very safe for me to stay in Chang 'an! "
Yang Fan said, "Aren't you coming back to Luoyang with me?"
"Hmm?"
Xiao Man suddenly looked up in surprise and disbelief. She timidly confirmed, "Can … can I?"
Yang Fan gently pulled her into his arms and said tenderly, "Don't worry! I sent you to Chang 'an because I was worried that you would not be safe in Luoyang. Our family can't stop those experts who can leap onto roofs and vault over walls! And I can't always be by your side. However, things are different now … "
At this point, Yang Fan's face revealed a hint of pride.
A 'Nu suddenly took down the pin on the wall and said in a deep voice, "There are people outside, and their movements are erratic!"
Xiao Man was shocked, but Yang Fan was calm and said with a smile, "If they came stealthily, even with A 'Nu's hearing, it would not be easy to hear them."
Yang Fan raised his voice and called out, "Come in!"
A few people dressed like family members suddenly appeared in the hall. They were tall, short, fat, and thin, all different, but they were all dressed like servants.
There were four people who appeared. Yang Fan said, "Leave one behind, the rest are dismissed!"
Three of them cupped their hands and retreated. This time, they walked out step by step without using any martial arts, leaving only a middle-aged man with a naturally bitter face.
Yang Fan said, "How many people are in this garden now?"
The man bowed and replied, "There are only four of us in the courtyard and sixteen people outside! Don't worry, Sect Master. The current Gongsun Manor is like a tiger's den. Unless it's an army, no one will be able to barge in! "
Yang Fan nodded and said, "Will these people follow me back to Luoyang tomorrow?"
That person said, "Sect Master, we will naturally follow you when you return to Luoyang!"
"How many people?"
"Thirty-two people followed the sect master back to Luoyang!"
That person paused for a moment before continuing, "The Gu family's young lady was heavily injured and is currently recuperating. Once she recovers, she will also head to Luoyang to serve. We still have people in Luoyang. Sect Master, don't worry. With us around, we'll definitely ensure your safety! "
Yang Fan explained to the dumbfounded Xiao Man, "That Miss Gu was the one who delivered your child. I heard that you had a difficult labor at that time, but fortunately, she was there. When she arrives in Luoyang, we must thank her properly! "
Xiao Man nodded, but her expression was still somewhat dazed. For a moment, she didn't understand where Langjun found so many experts to protect him. She also didn't understand why these people, who were Young Master Jiang's subordinates, would listen to Langjun now. Her body was still weak these few days, so Yang Fan naturally wouldn't disturb her with these matters. There were some things that he hadn't told her in time.
Yang Fan nodded and said to that person, "Thank you for your trouble. You may leave!"
That person cupped his fists and quietly left.
Yang Fan smiled and said to Ah Nu, "How was it?"
Ah Nu composed herself and took a deep breath. She said, "I recognize this person. His name is Jiang Ming, and his martial arts are above mine. Among the three people just now, two of them are weaker than me, but not by much. If the experts surrounding this manor all have such martial arts, it will indeed be extremely safe. "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "So, Xiao Man will follow me back to Luoyang, and you will follow me back to Luoyang as well. In the past, I was most worried about you two, but … with our current strength, we are no longer pushovers that Young Master Jiang can pinch at will! "
Xiao Man said in surprise, "Langjun, what's going on?"
Yang Fan told her what had happened, and Xiao Man suddenly understood. At first, she was overjoyed, but on second thought, she said worriedly, "They used to be Young Master Jiang's subordinates. Are they reliable?"
Before Yang Fan could answer, Ah Nu already said, "Don't worry, the 'Succession Hall' is a colossus, not a small Jianghu gang. Because its power is too great, as a headmaster, it is impossible for him to do everything himself. He must go through layers of leaders to control it, so …"
She thought for a moment and said, "Let's put it this way, the 'Succession Hall' is like a small imperial court. There are various yamen and armies under the command of various generals. They receive the country's salary and are ordered by the imperial court. Now that the old emperor has been deposed by Empress Dowager and replaced by a new emperor, they are still their high-ranking officials and generals, loyal to the new emperor! "
Saying such a nondescript analogy, Ah Nu couldn't help but laugh. Yang Fan put his arm around her shoulders and held back his laughter, "My beloved concubine's words are reasonable!"
Ah Nu used her elbow to nudge him, rolled her eyes at him, and said to Xiao Man, "Don't worry! Of course, the old emperor had some people who were absolutely loyal to him, but this is not a secret. He continued to escape, and these people followed him. The people left behind are reliable! "
Only then did Yang Fan say, "Yes! Of course, they are not my confidants now, but they will listen to my orders. Loyalty is not a problem. As for the distance between them, there are some doubts. Wait until I take over the 'Succession Hall' and understand the internal operation and the people around me, then I will adjust accordingly. "
Xiao Man nodded repeatedly. She was very happy to be able to stay with her Langjun, but these things did not need her to worry about. Since Ah Nu said these people were reliable, she naturally believed her.
Tin Aino suddenly moved his ears, and said vigilantly, "There are footsteps again!"
Yang Fan smiled, "Since the secret guards did not stop them, then it is either the master of this mansion or the servant girls."
Xiao Man's face suddenly showed a playful and proud smile, "These footsteps … Can't you tell who it is?"
Yang Fan and Ah Nu looked at each other and shook their heads.
Yang Fan hesitated, "Uncle Gongsun?"
Xiao Man smiled and shook her head.
Ah Nu said, "Miss Lanzhi?"
Xiao Man still shook her head. Yang Fan suddenly frowned and said, "Something is wrong, he came back and is pacing back and forth outside the door …"
Xiao Man was startled and called out, "Yuanyi, what's the matter?"
Yang Fan and Ah Nu suddenly realized that it was Feng Yuanyi.
After a while, Feng Yuanyi poked his head in at the door and said timidly, "Brother … Brother Yang, I … I have something to discuss with you."
Xiao Man and Ah Nu could not help but laugh. Ah Nu walked over and held his hand, saying with a smile, "Child, if you have something to say, just come in and say it openly."
Feng Yuanyi refused, his face was red, but he only looked at Yang Fan.
Yang Fan smiled, "Alright, I will accompany Yuanyi outside to talk!"
Yang Fan put his arm around Feng Yuanyi's shoulder and accompanied him to the courtyard. They sat down in the gazebo and asked with a smile, "What do you want, why are you so secretive?"
Feng Yuanyi stared at his toes, and after a while, he gathered his courage and said, "Brother Yang, I want to beg you … to help me enter the palace."
Yang Fan was startled, and asked seriously and vigilantly, "What do you want to do in the palace?"
Tears quickly welled up in Feng Yuanyi's eyes, and he smiled sadly at Yang Fan, saying, "The world is so big, besides entering the palace, where else … can I go?"
He knelt on the ground with a thud, and kowtowed heavily, "Brother Yang, please help me!"
…
An old woman with a face full of wrinkles walked into the room with a steaming clay pot, and a strong smell of medicine immediately spread out. The old woman took a big bowl and covered the clay pot with a piece of cloth to filter out the medicine. Then, she walked to the bed and gently held Gu Zhuting's head.
Gu Zhuting's chest was seriously injured, and two of her ribs were broken. She could not move easily, so the old woman could only lift her head slightly. Gu Zhuting panted lightly for a moment, then raised her eyes and said to the old woman, "Granny, have our people all left?"
Since she was recovering, people always came to see her. But today, suddenly, no one came, so Gu Zhuting naturally felt it. The granny she called was not an ordinary elder, but a relative of Gu Zhuting. She was Gu Zhuting's great-aunt, and her name was Gu Yixue. The Gu Family was proficient in the art of escaping, disguise, and assassination. It was an ancient family that had mastered a special skill, and was recruited by the Qinghe Cui Family many years ago.
The ancestor of the Gu Family was a Jianghu man who was proficient in martial arts but illiterate. After joining the Cui Family, he saw that the Cui Family was prosperous and had an ancestral temple and genealogy, so he was very envious. Unfortunately, he was illiterate, so he couldn't arrange the genealogy.
Once he accompanied his master to a banquet, and the master and a famous great scholar surnamed Xie recited a poem. The great scholar recited a poem, and the ancestor of the Gu Family thought that the poem recited by the great scholar must be good, so he reluctantly wrote down a sentence, "A cluster of bamboos in front of the window, green and unique!" and used it as the family genealogy.
The number of characters used to arrange the genealogy could be dozens of words, and the number of characters used to arrange the genealogy could be eight or nine words, but it was normal to have a dozen words. No elders in a family could live so long, and ten words were enough to arrange the genealogy. "A cluster of bamboos in front of the window, green and unique", Gu Yixue was of the generation of one word, so she was naturally Gu Zhuting's great-aunt.
Gu Yixue nodded and said, "Well, they went to protect the Lord!"
Gu Zhuting was shocked. Protect the Lord? The Lord came back? She didn't tell anyone the truth about her injury. After she woke up, the Chief and the Chang 'an family asked about the cause of her injury, but Gu Zhuting only said that she was ambushed, and the other party covered their faces to keep quiet. She didn't know the identity of the other party, so she didn't dare to tell the truth.
Until now, she still didn't understand why the Lord ordered people to kill her, but when she was ambushed, the Lord had already escaped, so she didn't panic when she woke up. She just wanted to heal her injury first, so that she could deal with anything later. But she didn't expect the Lord to come back. Since the Lord came back, once he knew that she didn't die …
Gu Zhuting was shocked and wanted to sit up, but when she moved a little, she felt a great pain in her chest, and couldn't help but groan and fall down again. Her great-aunt scolded her, "Child, why are you moving around with such a serious injury?"
Gu Zhuyun said with a trembling voice, "The Lord … is back?"
Her great-aunt sighed and said, "Which Lord are you talking about? Young Master Jiang? He is no longer the Lord of the 'Succession Hall'. "
Hearing this, Gu Zhuyun felt like a big stone was lifted from her heart. She said with some realization, "No wonder all the young masters of the aristocratic families gathered at the Lu Mansion, and the Lord only took his confidants and left … Something big happened. Granny, who is the current Lord? "
The old lady smacked her lips and shook her head, "I have retired, so I don't want to ask. They didn't tell me either. They only told you to recuperate and return to Luoyang to serve them, at the same old place! "
The old lady was too old, and had already retired, so she didn't have much contact with these things.
Gu Zhuyun was relieved. No matter who the new master was, as long as it wasn't Young Master Jiang, her life was safe.
Gu Zhuyun relaxed, and she let out a long sigh of relief. She felt tired again.
The old lady sighed and took the bowl of medicine, saying, "It's about time. Take the medicine first, then go to sleep! Alas! Our Gu family has been working for others for generations, and I don't know when it will end … "
…
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