Chapter 145 Chapter 145 is the only genuine version...

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Wang Xing glanced at the direction where Gu Yan left with interest, tapping his palm lightly with his folding fan.

"Talking about money is not good." Xie Yingchen smiled. "It's vulgar."

Gu Zhizhuo:?

I always feel that the young master is planning to cheat people.

She asked, "Has Prince Li won over the Ji family?"

As they walked, Xie Yingchen said to her, "Mr. Ji first sought an audience with Prince Li, suggesting that Gu Yan be brought back to Jiangnan to be raised, with the surname Ji changed and adopted into the name of Ji's deceased brother. Prince Li refused."

"Finally, it's settled. Gu Yan will be handed over to Prince Li, and he will no longer have any relationship with the Ji family."

While the two were talking, Prince Li specifically called Xie Yingchen over to be a witness.

In fact, according to Patriarch Ji, it would be the best thing for Gu Yan to stay away from the capital, change his surname to Ji, and no one would know his past.

"The Emperor is 'seriously ill' and thinks of his youngest son every day. He insists that Prince Li must bring Gu Yan back no matter what."

"Prince Li really has no other choice."

Xie Yingchen laughed, "Prince Li had previously kept silent about Gu Yan, hoping that the Ji family would take him away and never show him up in the capital again. The royal family would then pretend he didn't exist."

So, after the emperor became "seriously ill", he had been deliberately avoiding him for so many days, but unexpectedly he still couldn't avoid it.

"I understand."

Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands.

She smiled cheerfully at Xie Yingchen. No wonder people said gold and silver were vulgar. In order to redeem this "beloved" little son, the emperor was willing to spend more than just gold and silver.

Gu Zhizhuo no longer dared to think about what the emperor's reaction would be when the marriage talisman lost its effect and he recalled all this. It would surely be quite exciting.

"etc."

Wang Xing became increasingly confused. When their conversation came to an end, he asked, "The Emperor's youngest son?"

If he remembered correctly, Gu Yan seemed to be the son of his uncle's second wife.

Almost everyone in the capital knew about this, so there was nothing to hide. Gu Zhizhuo briefly explained it, leaving Wang Xing stunned. It was easy to imagine how much of a shock this incident had on his little cousin, yet now, she looked calm and even smiled, as if she were discussing someone else's family.

He touched her head and sighed, "Thank you for your hard work."

My grandfather always said that Yaoyao should be brought back to Langya after my aunt passed away. Alas, if my grandfather knew about these terrible things, he would be heartbroken.

Gu Zhizhuo nodded, it was indeed quite hard.

"Big sister, you're back."

Gu Yiqun waited for them in front of the ceremonial gate for a long time.

The mansion knew that Gu Zhizhuo would return to Beijing today, and Gu Yiqun came out proudly to wait for her.

He walked over briskly and called out happily, "Brother-in-law, cousin Wang."

Gu Yiqun was lively and sweet-spoken. After he called her affectionately, he took a half step back and greeted her politely.

"This is Yinyin, Gu Yiyin."

Gu Zhizhuo introduced him to Wang Xing: "When you came to Beijing last time, he had just learned to walk."

Oh oh oh.

After hearing this, Wang Xing understood.

Wang Xing made a gesture and walked forward, following his attendant at a close distance.

The attendant was holding a few gift boxes in his hands, and Wang Xing gave one to him.

"Yinyin, a greeting gift."

Gu Yiqun thanked him and took it. Inside was a telescope.

Wow!

Gu Yiqun's eyes lit up. He happily picked up the telescope, looked left and right, touched it again and again lovingly, and even kissed it hard.

Gu Zhizhuo laughed at him: "Third uncle also has a telescope, it's not like you haven't used it before."

"That's different!" Gu Yiqun said confidently, "Third uncle's telescope is black and not as good-looking as this."

It really looks good.

The telescope was golden, with a huge ruby ​​inlaid on it. There were two circles of sparkling diamonds around the ruby, which sparkled in the sunlight. Gu Zhizhuo was also moved when he saw it.

"your."

Wang Xing saw what she was thinking and took out a telescope.

Originally, apart from the newborn Xi Ge'er, there were only three cousins ​​in the mansion. When preparing the gifts, the Wang family prepared three telescopes. Now there are two cousins, so one more telescope is needed.

Gu Zhizhuo was not polite and took it happily, looking at it with Xie Yingchen.

Gu Yiqun held the telescope in his hand with care. While leading the way, he looked at Wang Xing with burning eyes. He liked the way his cousin Wang Xing dressed, it was so bright!

He made a purple riding coat, but his mother thought it was ugly. Look at how nice Cousin Wang Xing's purple robe is. He felt that he and Cousin Wang Xing would definitely have something to talk about.

The old lady's views were quite consistent with theirs. When she saw Wang Xing, she smiled brightly and happily took his hand and said, "Good! Boys should wear bright clothes."

"Hmm." Gu Yichen nodded frantically.

The old lady was old and she loved to see young people dressed up. The more she looked at Wang Xing's outfit, the more satisfied she was and the happier she became.

"Xing'er, I have a piece of pink floating brocade that will definitely suit you. I'll have someone find it for you later and you can take it back."

None of the granddaughters like this pink horse, but Yinyin likes it, but he is too childish and not suitable.

Wang Xing is good-looking and has a good temperament, so he can control the situation.

"Thank you, Grandmother." Wang Xing bowed deeply, gracefully and elegantly. "When the dress is finished, I'll wear it and show it to you."

"Good!" The lady was happy.

He saluted Gu Baibai again: "Third Uncle."

The only elders were Madam Tai and Gu Baibai. Lu's birth had been difficult and had injured her health, so Gu Zhizhuo had told her to stay in bed for the full 100 days before leaving the house. As a widow, Xu had always lived a secluded life.

All the younger generations came and called out "cousin" happily.

Wang Xing brought gifts for everyone. The one for the lady was an indigo headband with a South China pearl as big as a pigeon egg and a circle of small pearls inlaid on it. The ones for his cousins ​​were each given a box of gems.

"They were brought back from the West by a ship, and my cousins ​​took them to play with."

A set of headgear was given to Lu and Xu.

Lian Xu'er also has a gold-locked necklace.

"Cousin, where is the young master?" Gu Zhizhuo asked him skillfully to ask for the gift.

Wang Xing:?

"Sir, you've already called me 'cousin', but you still don't have any gifts?"

That’s right!

Wang Xing had already prepared this and wanted to see how Yaoyao's marriage went before deciding whether to give her the marriage or not.

He took the two heaviest wooden boxes and gave one to Gu Baibai and the other to Xie Yingchen.

"Sir, open it and take a look."

Gu Zhizhuo was extremely curious.

When they were in Yihe County, Wang Xing said that he had brought some good things and insisted on showing them to her after he came back.

Xie Yingchen held it in both hands and asked her to open it.

Inside the wooden box was a pitch-black musket and a small box of gunpowder.

"This is……"

Wang Xing: "Foreigners call it a musket."

Daqi also had muskets, but they were completely different from this one. The Daqi musket was six or seven feet long and weighed nearly ten pounds. When using it, it needed to be held by both hands.

But this one is only as long as a forearm and is completely black, so it can be held in one hand.

Gu Zhizhuo had seen the musket before, picked it up and played with it for a while before asking, "Where is the matchlock?"

"It doesn't have a matchlock. It's used differently from the Daqi one," Wang Xing pointed out. "The steward who brought it back said the foreigners call it a flintlock. You pull the trigger, and the flint strikes, igniting the gunpowder. It's much simpler to use than the Daqi matchlock."

Oh, oh, oh. Gu Zhizhuo was half puzzled: "Sir, have you ever seen this?"

"I've seen it." Xie Yingchen said with a hint of nostalgia, "My father also had one. He brought it on a ship, but later lost it."

These two muskets alone are enough to show the depth of the Wang family's background.

Firearms were controlled by the imperial court in Daqi, and no one was allowed to own them privately. Presumably, this was also the case with foreigners. With so many ships sailing back and forth from Daqi each year, very few could bring one back.

The Wang family could take out two at once... Xie Yingchen glanced at the box held in the hands of the attendant. Maybe there were three, and one for Cancan.

Gu Zhizhuo handed him the musket.

Xie Yingchen compared them repeatedly in his hands and said with a smile, "It's lighter than my father's. As for its power, I'll have to try it to know."

"Sir," Gu Zhizhuo pointed impatiently at the locust tree outside the window, "Do you see that untrimmed horizontal branch at the top? Hit there."

As he spoke, he turned around and said, "Grandma, cover your ears."

"What nonsense!" The old lady couldn't help but look out of curiosity, but several children gathered around the window and she was too far away to see anything clearly.

"Grandma." Gu Zhijiao came over and said, "I'll help you see."

Jiaojiao is still the best. The lady smiled and gave her her hand, then moved to the window.

Xie Yingchen had played with this kind of tunnel-fire gun before. He skillfully filled the gunpowder, raised the gun, pressed the flint clip, and pulled the trigger.

Gu Zhijiao covered the lady's ears tightly.

"Bang!"

With a loud bang, a branch fell down in the direction Gu Zhizhuo pointed.

The lady leaned forward to see with great interest: "Did you get it?"

"It's down."

"Huh?" Her ears were buzzing and she couldn't hear clearly.

"I'll pick it up."

Qingmei was too lazy to take a detour, so she simply climbed out of the window, picked up the branch and presented it to Gu Zhizhuo.

The broken section of the branch was pitch black, and still emitted wisps of white smoke.

Xie Yingchen's expression was unclear: "It's much better than Daqi's firearm."

Whether it is accuracy, rate of fire, or convenience, they are incomparable.

"This isn't the latest one yet," Wang Xing said with a smile. "The latest one is said to be able to fire combos. Foreigners treasure it very much, so I can't get my hands on it right now."

These swords were stolen by foreign merchants after the manager bribed them.

Wang Xing: "Yinyan, you are young. I will find another one for you when you grow up."

Gu Yiqun nodded repeatedly, and was so happy that he wanted to raise his hands and cheer.

Xie Yingchen touched the rifle, the muzzle of which was still slightly hot.

My father once said that Daqi couldn't stand still. He suggested to my grandfather that he could send some students from the Imperial College to go overseas on a ship to see what the situation was like outside Daqi.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen later.

Today, Daqi still calls itself a great country, but it is plagued by internal strife and fighting, while its weapons have been updated countless times.

Xie Yingchen was slightly thoughtful.

Gu Baibai saw through his thoughts: "Chen'er, if you want to take this away from me, I'm staying at home and never go out, so there's no need for that."

He handed over the musket in his hand.

My nephew-in-law can't draw a bow or wield a sword, so this musket is just right for him to use for self-defense.

Gu Baibai was meticulous. Xie Yingchen really planned to disassemble the musket and let the craftsmen see if they could learn how to improve Daqi's musket.

Xie Yingchen didn't refuse and took it: "Thank you, Third Uncle."

"Keep yours." Gu Baibai reminded him, fearing that he would not have enough to take apart one.

His hands are so weak that he can barely even tie a chicken. If he gets bumped into anything, Yaoyao will definitely be worried.

Gu Baibai was very worried. Xie Yingchen had a weak foundation. If he dared to ask him to practice horse stance with Qunqun, Yaoyao would definitely drag him out to practice horse stance as well.

Let him carry the musket.

The old lady was surprised by what she saw, but lost interest after that. She pulled Wang Xing aside and asked him all sorts of questions. Wang Xing was good at pleasing his elders, and with just a few words he made the old lady smile so happily that she wished he could live in her house longer.

Unfortunately, the Wang family has a house in the capital, so Wang Xing cannot live in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion.

He coaxed and accompanied the lady through the meal, and it was almost dark.

No one in the mansion, from the lady-in-waiting to Gu Zhinan, was willing to let him go.

Several children called him "cousin" and surrounded him until Wang Xing promised them that they would go out for an outing after he settled down in two days, and then they reluctantly let him go.

Gu Zhizhuo saw him out, and Xie Yingchen also said goodbye at the same time.

"If we're going for an outing, I'll ask Cousin Danling to come along too. We'll go to Qiuxia Mountain, where the scenery is beautiful."

Wang Xing responded with a smile, his gestures graceful and elegant: "I should also go and pay my respects to my aunt."

"It's a bit troublesome to see my aunt. The Emperor is ill."

When the emperor was seriously ill, it was taboo for men to enter and leave the harem, even for relatives.

Xie Yingchen interjected, "Cousin, you can go visit the emperor."

"That's right." Gu Zhizhuo's eyes lit up, "That's good."

My cousin can "accidentally" meet my aunt in Hanzhang Palace.

"I'll arrange it."

Before Xie Yingchen finished speaking, a cat's meow suddenly sounded.

"Me?"

Gu Zhizhuo raised her eyebrows and immediately found the kitten standing on the wall. She asked happily, "Are you here to play with me?"

Shen Mao jumped off the wall, rubbed Gu Zhizhuo's skirt perfunctorily, and then acted coquettishly around Xie Yingchen, with her unicorn tail wrapped around his legs.

Huh?

That's not right!

Gu Zhizhuo's hand that was touching the cat stopped in mid-air.

"Chen Mao has been coming to see me every day these days." Xie Yingchen took out the small jade pendant hanging around his neck and showed it to her, saying tactfully, "I've got it on."

Regarding the matter involving Xie Yingchen, Gu Zhizhuo's divinations were never very effective. However, Chen Mao's unusual attitude clearly indicated one thing.

The young master is in trouble.

"Yo, kitty?"

Wang Xing used the fan pendant to tease the cat, but Shen Mao slapped him mercilessly, and the soft pad of flesh made a crisp "slap" sound.

The beating doesn't count. He keeps yelling and yelling. I can't understand what he's saying, but the yelling must be pretty harsh.

It was the first time that Gu Zhizhuo saw Chen Mao hate someone so much.

Wang Xing was stunned by the scolding. When he turned around, he found that the smile on Gu Zhizhuo's lips had also faded.

He patted Xie Yingchen with his folding fan and raised his eyebrows, as if asking: What's wrong?

Xie Yingchen made a gesture to silence him, and soon, Gu Zhizhuo's gaze shifted from the cat to Wang Xing. There was scrutiny and inquiry in her beautiful phoenix eyes, and Wang Xing felt uneasy under her stare.

Gu Zhizhuo calculated with his fingers and decided: "Young Master, you should stay with your cousin for a few days."

Xie Yingchen agreed obediently: "Okay."

Huh? Wang Xing was confused: "Why?"

"Because you are going to be unlucky recently."

"so?"

"Cousin, you are very lucky. Please help the young master avoid disaster." Gu Zhizhuo said confidently.

Wang Xing:?

Does his little cousin really not care about her cousin's life or death?

Gu Zhizhuo smiled sweetly at him, "Don't worry. Cousin, you can live happily and peacefully until you are ninety-nine. If you lose a year, just come find me."

"If I don't live to be ninety-nine, will I still have the energy to come to you?"

The brother and sister argued with each other, and Wang Xing finally lost. He was so angry that he even forgot the etiquette of a noble family that he always had to maintain, and glared at her.

Gu Zhizhuo picked up the cat and stuffed it into Xie Yingchen's arms, saying to the cat seriously, "It's bad luck."

Cat: “Meow?”

Wang Xing touched his chin, snapped open his folding fan, and urged, "Yaoyao, I always feel that this isn't safe enough."

Gu Zhizhuo looked up at him.

Wang Xing said seriously, "You have to ask him to hang a few more amulets."

"Do you remember? When I first came to the capital, I borrowed someone's longevity charm. Later, my mother took me to all the Taoist temples near the capital and asked for over a hundred amulets to wear on my body. And now, I'm still alive and well. I can even live to be ninety-nine."

Xie Yingchen: "It doesn't have to be so troublesome..."

"Cousin, you're right!" Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands and said, "There are too few amulets, so the effect is definitely not enough."

Xie Yingchen: “…”

Wang Xing covered his face with the fan and laughed secretly.

"Sir, take your cousin to the pavilion in front and wait for me."

After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking, he ran away.

She has a lot of amulets, all given to her by Senior Brother Qingping last time.

When she got back she found them all in one go.

When they returned to the pavilion, the two were having a pleasant conversation. Gu Zhizhuo vaguely heard the young master asking if he could bribe the foreign merchants to bring something to Daqi.

Gu Zhizhuo opened the box and showed it to them. The box was full of amulets, which made Wang Xing stunned.

"Printed?"

Gu Zhizhuo glanced at him: "Drawing!"

Wang Xing: "I don't have as many Taoist temples as you do."

Shen Mao snapped his paw and pulled out a few talismans. He sniffed the cinnabar on them curiously, then rolled over and rubbed his back against them.

"hang!"

Wang Xing excitedly encouraged, "Let him take care of it all."

"And put on a green robe."