"Did Yelü Xianyong betray his master?"
"No, I don't think so."
"Otherwise, why would the Marquis of Dingbei drink with him?"
Their whispers were quickly interrupted by the guard's stern shouts.
"Behave yourselves! Don't whisper or murmur. Otherwise, you'll get a beating!"
The two quickly separated and communicated with a low whistle when the guards were not paying attention.
...
Inside the Wutong Garden, Lord Gu and Qin Yuan lay on the bed chatting.
Qin Yuan asked, "Was this move taught to you by Mr. Songshan today?"
Lord Gu laughed and said, "Not entirely. Mr. Songshan said that those who love fame should be belittled, and those who love wealth should be tempted and their minds shaken, so that the desired result can be obtained. Scholars are really full of tricks and good at winning hearts and minds."
"You persuaded Yelü Xianyong with just a few words today, which is quite impressive."
In the darkness, Qin Yuan's eyes shone brightly as she looked at Lord Gu, clearly reflecting her genuine belief.
Lord Gu was very pleased.
“I genuinely admire Yelü Xianyong and want to recruit him, but unfortunately, he has already sworn not to betray Yelü Guzha. What I said to him today was truly from the heart and not entirely insincere.”
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "So, are you going to invite him to dinner again tomorrow?"
Lord Gu smiled and said, "Of course."
Qin Yuan asked, "Did Mr. Songshan teach you this move too?"
“No, just do it casually. Since he is unwilling to betray Yelü Guzha, let Yelü Guzha abandon him.”
Lord Gu's expression turned cold and terrifying: "I want to see how Yelü Guzha can stir up trouble now that he has lost his gold and silver and his right and left arms."
He even tried to cheat on his young wife and make him a cuckold.
They're really asking for trouble.
Old grudges haven't been settled, and new ones have been added.
Qin Yuan gently patted his back and said, "Having cut off his supplies and lost his capable generals, all he can do is resort to dirty tricks. We will all be careful. If he runs into us, we will return the favor and teach him a lesson."
These words were very much to Lord Gu's liking.
He said, "I've asked General Jin to arrange for some maids skilled in martial arts to protect you closely. You'll be fine in the Marquis's residence, but it's best to be careful outside."
Qin Yuan asked in surprise, "General Jin would arrange these kinds of things?"
Lord Gu smiled and said, "It was mainly Madam Jin who made the arrangements."
"Mrs. Jin?"
Qin Yuan was even more puzzled.
Lord Gu said, "When Lady Jin was young, she learned swordsmanship from the disciple of Lady Gongsun. Later, she met General Jin, who also knew some martial arts, and the two became husband and wife. Later, General Jin joined the army to pursue his career, and Lady Jin followed him to the northern frontier. General Jin also learned martial arts from Lady Jin. Along the way, Lady Jin suffered a lot and contributed a lot to her dowry. Otherwise, why would General Jin be so afraid of her? Lady Jin has traveled all over the country and is very knowledgeable and skilled at training people."
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "No wonder Madam Jin seems to have a knack for making decisions for the Jin family."
Lord Gu also laughed: "Apart from the matter of taking a concubine, General Jin listens to Madam Jin in everything else. The concubines of the Jin family may not be afraid of General Jin, but they cannot be afraid of Madam Jin. So I let Baozhu practice martial arts well. Firstly, the Gu family's martial arts will have another successor. Secondly, Baozhu has a lively personality. If she makes progress in martial arts... she will not suffer too much in the future."
Qin Yuan remained silent for a long time.
She had been raised to be cautious and prudent since childhood, and her words and actions had to be in accordance with the rules. She always hid her sharpness and protected herself. She never thought that raising a daughter in the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion was like this.
When it comes to Gu Baozhu's future marriage, the Marquis's family will naturally have different ideas from hers, so it's really not appropriate for her to say too much.
Lord Gu thought she was asleep, so he gently kissed her forehead, hugged her tighter, and then fell into a deep sleep.
For several days in a row, Lord Gu invited Yelü Xianyong to drink and eat meat, and to chat about everything under the sun.
Yelü Xianyong was a straightforward man. He was grateful for the way the Marquis of Dingbei treated him and admired him greatly. However, he did not notice that his clansmen in the same prison were becoming increasingly indifferent to him, and their gazes toward him were filled with inquiry and fear.
On this day, Yelü Xianyong was once again enjoying drinks with Lord Gu.
Lord Gu was not in a very high mood.
Yelü Xianyong then asked, "What troubles you, Lord Marquis, today?"
Lord Gu sighed, "It's all just family stuff. I'm afraid my brother won't have the patience to listen to these trivial matters."
How could this be?
Although he didn't address Lord Gu as "brother," he felt even closer to him.
Lord Gu poured him a bowl of wine and said, "It's a long story. Back when I was in the northern frontier, I was saved by one of my soldiers, but he was injured while taking a knife for me."
Yelü Xianyong said, "This is common on the battlefield. Your Excellency will thank him in the future. I think if Your Excellency were in a critical situation, he would do his best to help you."
Lord Gu picked up his wine bowl, clinked it against his, and said, "You understand me best. Cheers!"
The two drank it all in one gulp.
Lord Gu said, "But he died in the end. Although we used the best medicine in the army and the army doctors tried all sorts of methods, we still couldn't save his life. I feel guilty and promised to take good care of his wife and children in the future."
Upon hearing this, Yelü Xianyong's eyes twitched. He didn't reply, but instead poured himself another bowl of wine.
Lord Gu continued, "I then adopted his two children as my godson and goddaughter, and after returning to the capital, I settled them in my residence. Unexpectedly, because of my marriage, a rift developed between the two sides."
Yelü Xianyong's eyes flickered as he asked, "But can't your sister-in-law tolerate them?"
"Hey, I'm not afraid to tell you this. It's that widowed sister-in-law who had other ideas and started causing trouble with the children. I wanted to find her husband's family to come to the capital to help take care of them. With the protection of the Marquis's mansion, the future of the two children will naturally be secure."
Lord Gu recounted his predicament, how Zhao Shi was so angry that she left the manor overnight, and the whole affair of the smallpox outbreak in the manor. He picked out the parts he could tell and went on to explain.
Yelü Xianyong said, "Now that these two children are being fostered by other families, what is there for the Marquis to worry about?"
“I watched these two children grow up with my own eyes. My cousin has no children of his own, so he treats them like his own. He adopted them so that they would have someone to take care of them in their old age. It would be even better if they could bring a child with them to be reborn. However, because of the Zhao family’s matter, we haven’t opened an ancestral hall yet. We plan to wait until the children are older. If the Zhao family still doesn’t come to claim them, we will register them under their names. They will definitely get a share of the property in the future.”
"I never expected that these two children would hear some gossip and start making a fuss, saying that my cousin's family only adopted them to curry favor with the Marquis's mansion, and that they didn't treat them sincerely. Now, my cousin's mansion is in turmoil, and I am truly distressed."
Yelü Xianyong swallowed his words before he could finish.
After a long pause, he said, "Why should Your Excellency worry about this? As the saying goes, there's always a way out, and things will work themselves out."
Just then, a flurry of whistles and the clanging of swords and spears rang out from outside.
"Don't let them get away."
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