Chapter 59 [VIP]

"Big sister, are you alright?"

Gu Yique tugged at her sleeve, his face full of worry.

He was terrified when he saw his older sister's face turn deathly pale.

"Have you been standing for too long? Do you want to take a break?"

Seeing that the city gate guards were still chatting with the Taoist priest, Gu Yique said angrily, "We have all the necessary travel permits, can you please let us through quickly?"

"What are you yelling about?" the city gate guard with a thick beard shouted. "If you can't wait, don't come in."

He glanced at them, then pointed at Chongjiu and said, "This is a strategically important border area. Weapons are strictly prohibited. You are not allowed to enter."

"you!"

Gu Yique's cheeks puffed up with anger; he was clearly just looking for trouble! The bodyguards who went in ahead of him were all carrying waist knives.

"Hmph, where did this young master come from? He's barely grown any hair yet, yet he's spouting nonsense. Go away, get out of here."

"Officer."

Old Dan secretly slipped a two-ounce silver ingot into his hand.

“My young lady is not feeling well, and the young master is worried about her.”

The gatekeeper glanced at the only girl in the group; she was indeed pale and sweating profusely. He wondered if she was suffering from acclimatization issues. He weighed the silver ingots in his hand and thought they were quite sensible, so he said, "Go in. There's a clinic up ahead."

Thank you.

Old Dan cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

Gu Zhizhuo suddenly asked, "Sir, which temple did that Taoist priest belong to?"

"It's Master Baisong from Shangxu Temple, not far ahead."

"I heard you talking about warding off evil spirits and such. Is Shangxu Temple an expert in the Eight Trigrams and Yin-Yang, capable of exorcising evil and warding off misfortune?"

“Then you are right,” the gatekeeper said in a loud voice. “Master Changfeng of Shangxu Temple has opened his third eye and can communicate with ghosts and gods. Did you see the Bagua mirror on the city gate? Master Changfeng personally performed the ritual and hung it up.”

An elderly man nearby sighed, "The massacre three years ago left countless innocent souls scattered across the land."

Someone interjected, "The one who used Changfeng Zhenren's magic to suppress it, could it be a general from the Liang Kingdom?"

"If that's true, that would be wonderful! I'll risk my life to grind those barbarians to dust!"

The people of the thirteen cities in the western frontier all hated the Liang Kingdom, wishing they could skin them alive and gnaw on their bones.

"I think that, besides the cold-blooded man, who else could be so full of malevolent energy that they need to be suppressed by a ritual?"

Gu Zhizhu listened for a while, then entered the city without further delay.

She was preoccupied with what Master Baisong had said, feeling uneasy, until Gu Yique called out, "Elder sister. There's a clinic up ahead!"

"I'm not going anymore, I'm all better now."

The palpitation only lasted for a brief moment, without any reason, and it passed quickly.

She composed herself and said, "Let's go get something to eat first, then buy some supplies. We'll reach Aur City tomorrow, so let's not cause any more trouble."

We'll know tomorrow whether it is or not.

Gu Zhizhuo took out the compass from his sleeve and glanced at the magnetic needle of Tianchi.

"Big sister," Gu Yique said regretfully, "I was wrong."

Gu Zhizhuo raised an eyebrow at him.

Gu Yique said awkwardly, "I shouldn't have interrupted."

"It's alright, you'll learn from your mistakes. That's what the ancients meant when they said, 'A fall into a pit, a gain in your wit.'"

No matter what the guard said afterward, he held back and didn't say anything more, which shows that he realized he had acted impulsively.

Ultimately, he was worried about her. Gu Zhizhuo glanced at the shops on either side: "Would you like some mutton?"

Gu Yique immediately perked up again: "Yes! Yes!"

They found a nearby tavern, fed the horses, ordered some lamb chops and other filling foods, and also packed a few hundred naan breads to go.

After sitting down, Gu Zhizhuo gave the waiter some silver and asked him to buy some sheep—twenty or fifty, as many as he wanted. The rest was to be considered a tip.

This is quite a generous tip! The waiter happily accepted and hurried out to take care of it.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the waiter brought back five slaughtered and cleaned sheep, and also got a cart to put the sheep on.

Old Dan tied the cart to the back of the horse, and Xiao Er wiped his sweat with a cloth, speaking in a local accent, "Butcher Wang, who sells mutton, said that Liang people have been looting again these past few days. His wife's village was just slaughtered the day before yesterday. He used to go there to buy live sheep, but now he dares not go. He only has these five live sheep left. If that's not enough, I'll go ask around elsewhere for you."

"Back then, the Duke was so valiant, driving the Xiliang people to flee in terror. Now, in just a few years, he's become arrogant again. Our garrison commander has said several times that we should send troops out to wipe them out, but that damned supervising officer won't agree. Bah!"

“He hides in the city all day and doesn’t go out, so we can’t kill him.”

Old Dan felt a chill run down his spine.

He quickly asked which direction the massacred village was in, and then went to find Butcher Wang to inquire. After leaving the city and meeting up with Qi Fu, he explained the situation and said, "Captain Qi, we need to send scouts to investigate."

Qi Fu frowned deeply.

After discussing it with Gu Zhizhuo, he sent fifty men out, while the rest set up camp on the spot.

"I didn't bring you any wine, just some mutton. I'll treat you all to a good meal when we get back to Beijing."

mutton!

After galloping for about ten days, the mutton we had was incredibly delicious.

Cheers erupted all around, and bonfires were lit.

Five sheep, four hundred people, each person only gets a bite, and they are still not satisfied, cursing the Liang people for being blind.

The scout returned in the middle of the night. Gu Zhizhuo was a light sleeper, so he got up when he heard the noise and woke up Gu Yique as well.

"Young lady."

"When you're traveling, there's no need for so many formalities."

Not only Qi Fu, but Lao Dan and Chong Jiu also came over.

Gu Zhizhuo sat down on the ground next to Qi Fu: "Speak."

"yes."

The scout reported, "About a hundred Liang people entered Daqi territory six days ago, slaughtered three villages, and abducted about ten girls."

"No trace of Liang Ren has been found yet."

Gu Zhizhuo nodded. The territory was vast, and these Liang people could simply stay anywhere without being discovered for a while.

"I have ordered men to search along the last village they visited."

After the scout finished speaking, Gu Yique suppressed his anger and said, "Big sister, I think that little brother is right. If we could send troops to wipe them out from time to time, the Liang people wouldn't dare to be so bold as to come and slaughter more than a hundred people in our Daqi territory."

“Elder sister, Father once said that the imperial court has allocated between 10,000 and 30,000 troops to each city on the border. Even if each city is only responsible for its own nearby territory, the Liang people shouldn’t be this arrogant.”

“You’re right. Each city in the western frontier has a military supervisor, and the garrison commander cannot send troops without the supervisor’s permission.”

Gu Zhizhuo told him about the matter of supervising the army, and Gu Yique was dumbfounded.

Gu Zhizhuo couldn't help but laugh, in a sarcastic way.

Even a twelve-year-old child understands this principle; does the person on the dragon throne really not understand it? Not necessarily.

This way, he can better control the Western Frontier.

As for the Liang people, the Liang Kingdom signed a surrender document three years ago. They were severely weakened by the Duke of Zhenguo and have no strength to invade again for ten years. At most, they can only do what they are doing now, with a hundred or so people looting for a few days and then leaving.

With the emperor far away and the country in peril, what does it matter to him as long as it doesn't threaten the nation?

“Young lady,” Qi Fu pondered, “I believe that we should send a hundred men ahead to scout the way before we set off tomorrow.”

Gu Zhizhuo nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Commander Qi."

Unable to tell the time while out in the wilderness, with a crescent moon in the sky and the horizon still pitch black, Gu Zhizhuo went to sleep for a while to avoid being in poor spirits and affecting morale.

They set off just as dawn was breaking.

The journey was uneventful until we passed through one of the massacred villages, where we caught a faint smell of blood in the air.

Gu Yique tightened the reins, spurred his horse forward a few steps, and walked to Gu Zhizhuo's side.

His small face was tense, yet he tried to appear calm, holding the reins in one hand and touching his waist knife in the other, cautiously looking around.

They didn't enter the village, but instead circled around it from a distance. Once the smell of blood had faded, Gu Yique slumped onto the horse's back, a sour taste rising from his stomach, making him nauseous.

"Third Young Master," Old Dan said with a reassuring smile, "Do you feel like throwing up? You'll get used to it after seeing it more often. All new recruits are like this."

"yes……"

"then."

Gu Zhizhu threw a sachet to him. He caught it and smelled it several times. He felt like he had come back to life, but he was a little down: "Big sister, they shouldn't have died."

"No wonder there are always endless battles in the northern border region."

Gu Zhizhu smiled.

Yes. The peace in the northern frontier today was built on the lives of four generations of the Gu family and countless soldiers.

"Young lady, the city of Aur is just ahead."

"Let's go."

Gu Zhizhuo patted the jade lion's head, shouted "Giddy up!", and then galloped for more than an hour until an ancient city finally appeared on the horizon.

At this time, it was just past the middle of the Shen hour.

Gu Zhizhuo's group consisted of several hundred people, and they were stopped before they even entered the city.

She took out the imperial edict from her bosom and displayed it to the people.

"Please go and report to Commander Jiang."

“We come from the capital; I am from the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion.”

Soon, Commander Men came down from the city wall. After confirming the identity of the person, he immediately sent someone to report back and ordered his men to keep all the people who wanted to enter or leave the city at a distance.

Before long, the sound of galloping horses came from inside the city. A middle-aged man in armor rode in, surrounded by a crowd, with a black carriage following behind.

"Commander Jiang."

Gu Zhizhu greeted him and guessed that he must be Jiang Youzheng, the garrison commander of Aur City, whom the young master had mentioned.

Jiang Youzheng dismounted and gazed thoughtfully at Gu Zhizhuo.

Jiang Youzheng knew half a month ago that someone from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion would be coming, but when the city guards came to report just now, they didn't mention that it was a young lady who was coming.

Gu Zhizhuo was dressed in bright red riding attire, her face covered with a thin veil, a black riding whip and a short sword tied around her waist, and her long black hair tied in a high ponytail at the back of her head. She did not wear any jewelry for the sake of riding convenience.

She wasn't dressed as a man; she was a genuine young woman.

He said, "May I ask who you are, young lady...?"

cough!

A soft cough came from the direction of the carriage, interrupting Jiang Youzheng's voice. A portly man in his forties, dressed in a scarlet official's robe, stepped down from the carriage on a footstool.

He walked up to Jiang Youzheng with his head held high and a haughty expression.

Gu Zhizhuo called out "Lord Liu" and then said to Jiang Youzheng, "My surname is Gu, and I am the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo. I have come here by imperial decree."

After she finished speaking, she handed over the imperial edict in her hand.

Jiang Youzheng quickly took it with both hands, and after reading it, handed it to Liu Nuo, the military supervisor standing to the side.

Liu Nuo did not accept it. He knelt down on the ground and solemnly kowtowed three times in the direction of the capital.

"Your subject Liu Nuo respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health."

Gu Zhizhuo: ?

Jiang Youzheng's eyes twitched.

If they didn't kneel down after he did, wouldn't it seem like they were being disrespectful to the imperial edict?

And just like that, a whole bunch of them knelt down in an instant.

After bowing, Liu Nuo wiped away tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, expressing his gratitude for the emperor's boundless grace and stating that he should handle the task assigned by the emperor with the utmost reverence.

"Young lady."

Qi Fu was dumbfounded and asked blankly, "Do we have to kneel?"

Gu Zhizhuo curled the corners of his lips: "Since we've come from afar, there's no need for us to follow local customs."

Qingmei lowered her head and chuckled softly.

Gu Zhizhuo leaned against the jade lion with his arms crossed and fed it a piece of candy. Liu Nuo finally got up from the ground, took the imperial edict with both hands, and after reading it, looked Gu Zhizhuo up and down.

“You are an unmarried young lady, living a life of hardship and debauchery with a group of men. It is truly unchaste.” He looked at her as if she were something dirty and said with disdain, “Is there no one else in the Duke of Zhenguo’s mansion to let you out? I don’t want to talk to a woman.”

He waved his hand with an air of official authority: "Go back to the capital quickly."

"What nonsense!" Gu Zhizhuo sneered. "I am here on imperial orders. If Lord Liu has any dissatisfaction with the imperial will, I will inform His Majesty upon my return to the capital."

"His Majesty sent me here, but Lord Liu sent me back. Perhaps you, Lord Liu, are more wise than His Majesty, yet His Majesty makes decisions unilaterally."

"You!" Liu Nuo pointed at her and scolded, "Sharp-tongued! Women and petty people are the hardest to deal with."

Gu Zhizhuo's smile was devoid of any warmth: "I am a woman, then who is the villain?"

"Captain Qi, make a note of this: Liu Nuo, the military supervisor of Aur City, disrespected the Emperor and insulted him, calling him a villain."

Qi Fu cupped his hands and said, "This humble general has remembered it."

"I...this official..." Liu Nuo hadn't expected that a captain would accompany him.

His face was pale and flushed, and his beard bristled with anger, as if he had suffered a great injustice. He exclaimed, "You're slandering me! I will certainly report this to His Majesty..."

"Alright, Lord Liu."

Jiang Youzheng softened the tone by saying, "Miss Gu has come on the Emperor's orders, and we should obey them."

Liu Nuo accepted the offer of a way out, snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and returned to his carriage.

Jiang Youzheng smiled and said, "Miss Gu, please."

Gu Zhizhu mounted his horse and followed him through the city gate, heading directly towards the garrison commander's residence.

Along the way, many people watched them and whispered among themselves.

Compared to Balhei, Aur was noticeably poorer. There were few shops on the streets, and the houses on both sides showed obvious signs of damage, covered with patches of plaster. There were also far fewer people; it was almost impossible to see any able-bodied men.

"Big sister, what is he doing?" Gu Yique asked, somewhat confused.

They came by imperial decree; there's an imperial edict. Has Liu Nuo lost his mind? Why is he deliberately making things difficult for them?

Gu Zhizhuo chuckled: "I just want money."

Jiang Youzheng was nearby and heard everything clearly. His eye twitched again, but he pretended not to hear it.

"Give him a ten thousand tael silver note, and he'll be all smiles at you."

Jiang Youzheng thought to himself: That's right, but it doesn't need to be ten thousand taels. This person comes from a poor family and is very short-sighted. One thousand taels will be enough.

He had been thinking about whether he should give Miss Gu some pointers, but who would have thought that Miss Gu was actually a very perceptive person.

She understood but didn't indulge him at all; she also had a big temper, no wonder she was the daughter of the Duke.

When they arrived at the garrison headquarters and Jiang Youzheng led them inside, his attitude became more sincere.

Liu Nuo sat down at the head of the table, his expression gloomy and his face full of displeasure.

Gu Zhizhuo didn't even glance at him. She was too lazy to socialize or drink tea, and simply asked, "Commander Jiang, where are my father's remains?"

Jiang Youzheng paused for a moment, somewhat embarrassed to speak: "Miss Gu, please accept my condolences."

Gu Zhizhuo's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged: "Commander Jiang, please speak frankly."

“It’s like this…” Jiang Youzheng stood up and said, “Miss Gu, please.”

Seeing that Gu Zhizhuo completely ignored him, Liu Nuo simply stopped following them and sat in the main hall, holding her breath, waiting for them to return.

Gu Zhizhuo followed Jiang Youzheng to the back hall.

The back room was set up like a mourning hall, with a square wooden box placed on a black lacquered wooden altar.

The wooden box was only big enough to hold a head.

Gu Zhizhuo felt as if a large hand had ripped his heart out, causing him unbearable pain.

She could barely control her steps and stumbled over.

Her hands were trembling, even her fingertips were shaking violently.

"Young lady..."

Lao Dan wanted to suggest that he come instead.

Gu Zhizhu shook her head silently, biting her lower lip tightly, a faint taste of blood lingering between her lips and teeth.

Gu Zhizhuo slowly opened the wooden box.

Inside the wooden box was a dried-out head.

Without the support of flesh and blood, the dried skin clung tightly to the skull, leaving only deep indentations where the eyes should have been. At first glance, who could recognize this as the graceful and imposing Gu Taotao?

The pain of being connected by blood burned in Gu Zhizhuo's heart, and tears streamed down her face.

She knelt down on the ground and placed her hands on her forehead.

Everyone else knelt behind her, bowing deeply.

Even Jiang Youzheng knelt down.

Gu Zhizhuo let her tears fall continuously, dripping onto the ground. After a while, she straightened up and then bowed her head and kowtowed again.

By the time she bowed her head for the third time, she had already stopped crying and forcefully suppressed all the surging grief.

My father said that a general must never let himself be burdened by emotions, and must always remain calm and clear-headed.

Although she was not a general, she had four hundred men with her.

She brought them out, and she will bring them back.

Gu Zhizhuo smoothed her skirt, stood up, walked over, and hugged the wooden box to her chest.

"Jiang Shou..."

Just as Gu Zhizhuo was about to turn around and speak, she suddenly frowned and put the wooden box back on the table.

She took a deep breath, cupped the head in her hands, and said to Qingmei, "Turn this wooden box over."

Her voice was icy cold, as if she were holding a mouthful of ice.

"yes."

Qingmei did as she was told and turned the wooden box over.

"Smash it open."

!

Everyone was startled. Lao Dan rushed over, but Qing Mei was faster. After Gu Zhizhuo finished speaking those two words, she had already drawn her waist knife and slashed down.

"Young lady, please think it over!"

Although this is not a coffin, it still contains the remains of the Duke, and cannot be destroyed casually!

"Young lady!"

They thought she was overwhelmed with grief, and then, in the next moment, everyone fell silent.

There was a thin interlayer at the bottom of the wooden box. Qingmei smashed the interlayer open with a knife, and there was a talisman stuck inside.

The talisman was very old and stained with blood.

The blood had turned blackish-red due to the passage of time, mixed with the characters on the talisman, a shocking sight.

A note from the author: