Chapter 189: Giving Birth to a Child is Important (Update 1)
Minzhou, Ningju County, early morning at the hour of Yin.
A soldier woke up because he had to urinate urgently. He put on his coat and went out in his slippers.
It had been drizzling for a few days at the beginning of the year, and the ground was extremely muddy. He walked to the back of the straw hut, untied his belt facing a tree, but suddenly stopped mid-pee.
He stared into the distance, rubbed his eyes and looked carefully for a while.
He saw a dark shadow approaching from afar on the rain-shrouded sea. Suddenly he remembered something and lost all sleepiness. He didn't care about getting wet in the rain and immediately ran to the observation tower.
After standing on the high platform and looking out for a while, they realized that the black shadow coming from the sea was none other than the Japanese pirates with whom they had been fighting for nearly half a year.
"Oh no! The Japanese pirates are coming again!" he shouted.
He ran to beat the drum while shouting, but unexpectedly, after only two beats, an arrow shot from the side and pierced his body.
Silently, the soldier's young body lay in the cold rain.
The Japanese pirates attacked in the early morning. When everyone was asleep, they sneaked into the village like ghosts, burning, killing, looting and causing great suffering to the people.
Zhu Zaimao, the deputy general guarding Ningju County, was forced to fight. However, Zhu Zaimao led a team of a thousand people and fought bloody battles until the afternoon before reinforcements arrived late.
General Zhu's navy of a thousand men was tragically annihilated.
The leader in charge of the anti-Japanese war this time was Shen Mingchang, a naval general stationed in the southeast for many years. Looking at the corpses scattered on the beach and the rain washing the beach almost into a sea of red, he knelt down in regret.
"My sin will last forever! My sin will last forever!" He burst into tears.
.
On the twelfth day of the Lunar New Year, the weather in the capital was clear, and Zhuang Wan went out with Pei Xingju early in the morning.
"Where are you taking me?" Zhuang Wan asked in the carriage.
Pei Xingju was holding a book and flipping through it casually. There was a teapot on the small table to his left, with steam rising from it.
"Perhaps you have also heard of Mr. Gu Jing, a founding hero of Da Zhao," he said.
"General Gu?" Zhuang Wan was surprised.
"Do you know him?"
"I don't recognize him." Zhuang Wan shook her head. "I've only heard of him."
However, that wasn't the case. In my previous life, I'd read a book about General Gu. His name was Gu Jing, and he had fought alongside Emperor Taizu in establishing the empire, a hero who had contributed to the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty. However, for unknown reasons, after the previous emperor ascended the throne, Gu Jing surrendered his military power and retired from office. None of his descendants had served in the imperial court.
The late emperor personally visited him three times to invite him back to the court, but each time he was rejected. For the next ten years, he lived in seclusion in the countryside, ignoring worldly affairs.
Although Gu Jing had retired, he held considerable influence within the imperial court. The only time he used his connections was when Pei Xingju first entered the imperial court, and upon arriving in the capital, he became Gu Jing's apprentice. Gu Jing recommended Pei Xingju to his friend, then the Prime Minister, and Pei Xingju successfully became the Emperor's Grand Tutor during his reign.
"Are we going to visit him today?" Zhuang Wan asked with wide eyes.
To be honest, she was a little nervous.
The book describes Gu Jing as a stubborn old man over sixty, yet he treats Pei Xingju with great kindness, treating him like his own grandson—no, even more so than his own grandson. Pei Xingju, having lost his parents and brother at a young age, also feels a deep affection for Gu Taiwei. The two of them interact as both mentor and friend, like a grandparents-grandchild relationship.
Pei Xingju took her to visit General Gu today, and she felt like she was being taken by her boyfriend to meet his parents.
She asked in a low voice: "What's Mr. Gu's temper like?"
Seeing her nervousness, Pei Xingju smiled.
He put down the book and took her hand. "Don't be nervous. He's very easy to get along with. He's a gentle and interesting old man."
"Really?" Zhuang Wan frowned in doubt. That was a general who had commanded thousands of troops and had once hung up and beaten his son for being disobedient. Could he really... be easy to get along with?
Thinking of this, she glared at Pei Xingju in complaint: "Why didn't you tell me earlier that you were going to visit him? I could have prepared some gifts, or even made some cakes. It would be so embarrassing to go empty-handed."
Pei Xingju smiled and pinched her cheek: "How can you be empty-handed?"
"Did you bring a gift?"
"Yes." Pei Xingju said slowly, "For him, the best gift is you."
Zhuang Wan blinked, not understanding what he meant.
Pei Xingju's ears flushed slightly as he explained, "He's been hoping for me to get married, and he's been urging me for years, but his wish hasn't come true. To be honest, last year he threatened that if I didn't get married this year, I wouldn't have to visit him anymore. So, taking you with me would make him happier than anything else."
After he said that, Zhuang Wan felt a little embarrassed.
She whispered, "But we haven't gotten married yet. Aren't you afraid that he'll misunderstand you and just find a random woman to fool him?"
"Won't."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Because..." Pei Xingju's eyes fell on the book, and his tone was light but powerful: "I am not a casual person."
"Oh." Zhuang Wan's heart sweetened, and she asked, "Then how do I behave?"
"No need, just be yourself."
"But I'm clumsy and don't know how to get along with the elderly. I wonder if he will be unhappy."
"Don't worry, he's not harsh."
“Not being harsh means being tolerant.”
"Probably..." Pei Xingju raised his eyes, a smile spreading out from his eyes: "As long as she is a woman."
“.........”
Zhuang Wan rolled her eyes coquettishly.
.
It turned out that General Gu wasn't harsh at all. The moment he saw Zhuang Wan, his eyes widened. He looked her over, then whispered to Pei Xingju, "Yuzhi, where did you find such a pretty girl? You're not lying to me, are you?"
He was hard of hearing and thought he spoke very quietly, but in fact Zhuang Wan, who was standing a few steps away, could hear him clearly.
Mr. Gu's granddaughter-in-law shook her head helplessly, took Zhuang Wan's arm and said, "Don't mind, Miss Zhuang. Grandfather is just like that. Sometimes he can be as naughty as a child."
Zhuang Wan laughed. "I've always heard that General Gu was a formidable figure on the battlefield. I never thought he was actually such a lovely person."
"Hey!" General Gu heard what she said and turned around immediately: "The little girl is so sweet and knows how to praise people!"
This is Gujia Village, and it is also the old house of the Gu family. Later, after General Gu resigned from his post, he ordered people to rebuild the old house, and the family lived in seclusion here.
Gujia Village is quite large, and the Gu family lives at the foot of a mountain at the end of the village. Their three-story house faces south. To the south, they lean against a mountain, where they have chicken and cattle pens and several lush vegetable plots. In winter, vast fields of cabbage grow beautifully.
Zhuang Wan visited for a while and stood in the backyard looking at the fireworks scene, feeling a little envious.
Pei Xingju said that General Gu had two sons, but the eldest died in battle. The second son also served as an official in the imperial court. After resigning from his post, he followed General Gu and went into business. Over the years, the second master of the Gu family has been away from home for many years, leaving only the grandchildren at home.
The granddaughter-in-law who had just taken Zhuang Wan on a tour of the entire mansion was Yingniang, the wife of General Gu's eldest grandson. Yingniang was a forthright person, quick-witted, warm and generous.
"My husband is teaching in town. I have sent someone to inform him that he will be back at noon to have lunch together." Yingniang said.
On the other side, Pei Xingju and Mr. Gu were sitting in the house playing chess and talking.
Of course, playing chess was secondary; the main thing was chatting. They didn't talk about anything else but Zhuang Wan.
General Gu chuckled at Pei Xingju, his face wrinkled in all directions: "Yuzhi has made it big, he even has a wife."
Pei Xingju was helpless and emphasized again: "Master, we are not married yet."
General Gu asked, "Why haven't you gotten married yet? Oh, is it because the girl thinks you're too old and is still considering it?"
"........no."
"Don't try to fool me. I think that girl is pretty and charming. She probably dislikes your age and boredom and doesn't want to marry you."
"Let me tell you..." General Gu came over and offered advice: "If you want the girl to marry you, it's very easy."
Pei Xingju's forehead throbbed. Sure enough, General Gu continued, "Don't bother with all that useless gossip. Just make it a done deal. Once she's pregnant, she'll be content to live with you."
Oh, I forgot to mention that when General Gu was fighting for the throne with Emperor Taizu, he was an uneducated rogue, and that was how he "kidnapped" Madam Gu.
"Teacher...I actually..."
Pei Xingju opened his mouth, but was silenced by General Gu: "I'm not trying to scare you. A pretty girl like her, young as she is, could easily be seduced by those scoundrels in the capital. They're good-looking and sweet-talkers, and they're the best at coaxing young girls."
"And you?" General Gu glared at him with disdain. "I'm not saying anything bad about you, but you can't get anything out of you even with a stick. You're the type who, by some lucky chance, managed to snatch up such a pretty girl. If you don't hold on tight, she'll run off with some sweet-talking young man, and you'll be the one crying."
“.........”
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