Obtaining the method for making refined iron was extremely important to Gu Yuzhi. He didn't even wait for the head chef of Baoyuezhai, and he took Xie Changshi, Zhang Shiwei, and other people of his own rank and crew to Yunzhou overnight.
With Xueye and many other wild beasts escorting them all the way, Gu Yuzhi lay half-reclined on Xueye's back, feeling incredibly comfortable all over. He pinched Xueye's ear and whispered, "When we return to Mobei, I'll ride on your back again, okay?"
Xueye had no choice but to agree, nodding as he ran, wishing he could take the young prince back to the northern desert right now.
The group didn't linger on the road and finally arrived in Yunzhou City at noon on the fifth day.
Standing on the mountain forest and looking down, Gu Yuzhi saw that Yunzhou was much poorer than Jiangzhou, the two wealthy prefectures.
The city was not as tall and imposing, and its overall size was much smaller than that of Jiangzhou.
Gu Yuzhi puffed out his cheeks and said, "The city of Jiangzhou is so vast that I can't see the end of it even if I stand on the mountain."
The distance from one city gate to another is quite far.
Gu Yufan's Chu Prince's Mansion alone covers several hundred acres.
He rolled off Xueye and gently patted her head: "I need to go inside and talk to you about something. If all goes well, I'll be out tonight. If not..."
He scratched his head: "If things don't go smoothly, it might take several days. During these few days, you and your brothers should play in the mountains and forests. You're not allowed to go down and scare people."
Snowy Night let out a soft howl, watching Gu Yuzhi and the others descend the mountain before reverting to its previous aloof demeanor, raising its head and leading the beasts away.
With Jiangnan now pacified, Gu Yuzhi naturally made no attempt to conceal his whereabouts. Upon arriving at the city gate, Chief Secretary Xie presented the prince's token to the guards.
The city guard froze for a moment, then knelt down, his body limp: "This humble servant greets Your Highness Prince Wen! Long live Your Highness Prince Wen! Long live the King of Wen!"
Gu Yuzhi sat down on his horse, looking down at the city guards, only able to see the top of their heads: "Get up."
The city guard hurriedly stood up, turned around and pulled the guard beside him: "Go and inform the prefect..."
Before he could finish speaking, Gu Yuzhi interrupted him: "There's no need to inform your prefect. I'm not here to see him."
He glanced at Guard Zhang, who stepped forward with a stern face and said, "Send a guide to take us to Tianquan Manor."
Upon hearing that the guard was going to Tianquan Manor, a smile immediately appeared on his face: "Your Highness has come to the right person. My village used to be near Tianquan Manor."
After he finished speaking, he looked up at the young prince, then quickly lowered his head. Seeing that the young prince remained silent, he mustered his courage and continued, "Tianquan Manor is not in Yunzhou City. You need to go out from the south gate and travel several dozen miles further to Tianquan Mountain."
Guard Zhang glanced at him: "Are we going to keep going along the main road?"
The guard shook his head: "No, after we get to our village, we still have to walk a distance into the mountains."
He glanced at the position of the sun: "If Your Highness intends to go today, you should depart now."
Gu Yuzhi glanced at Chief Secretary Xie, who nodded slightly. Gu Yuzhi then raised his chin slightly.
Chief Secretary Xie took out a tael of silver from his pocket and handed it over: "Lead the way, we are going to Tianquan Manor today."
The guard's eyes gleamed at the sight of the silver, but he gritted his teeth and refused: "It is my honor to guide Your Highness, and I dare not profit from it."
These low-level officials actually felt it very deeply.
Although the prefect of Yunzhou was not a particularly wicked person, he had indeed embezzled a considerable amount of the monthly wages of these minor officials in the past. However, this month, the prefect did not embezzle a single penny.
Someone leaked information that the young prince knew all the bad things the prefect had done, but the matter of the Prince of Chu's rebellion was more important now. After these matters were settled, the young prince would definitely turn his attention to dealing with the prefect.
The guards didn't want to do something as good as imprisoning the prefect; they were just hoping that the prefect would behave better in the future and not withhold their money.
The guards hurriedly went to fetch the horses, leading Gu Yuzhi and his entourage at breakneck speed toward Tianquan Manor.
After they left through the South Gate, the Prefect of Yunzhou finally received the news and ran all the way to chase after them in the direction of the South Gate. He chased so fast that his hat was askew, but he didn't see a single person.
The prefect of Yunzhou stomped his foot hard, and his already askew hat fell to the ground with a thud, covering the ground in dust.
He stared at the official hat, his face turning deathly pale, muttering to himself, "It's over, it's over, my official hat is definitely gone!"
Gu Yuzhi and the others were unaware of this little incident and just kept running forward, finally arriving at the foot of Tianquan Mountain before dark.
He looked up at Tianquan Mountain. Stone pillars stood on both sides of the steps, and two lanterns hung on each pillar. The dim light dispelled the darkness of this place, so that people returning home at night would not have to climb the mountain in the dark.
Gu Yuzhi whispered, "I wonder how long these stone steps are!"
These stone steps were all carved by hand, and with the addition of the carved stone pillars, it must have cost a lot of money.
He couldn't understand why the owner of the manor would build it on the mountaintop.
The guard scratched his head and said, "Your Highness, I'll go up and knock on the door..."
Guard Zhang waved his hand and said, "Your home is not far away. You go back first, and I will go up and knock on the door."
With such high steps, it would probably be midnight by the time the guard climbed them. Since he's fast, he'll naturally go.
As soon as Guard Zhang finished speaking, a series of hurried footsteps were heard, and a figure slowly emerged from the steps in front of him.
The man was wearing a coarse linen training uniform. Although he did not recognize Gu Yuzhi, he immediately noticed the silk clothes on the boy's body and naturally understood that the boy must be from a wealthy and noble family.
He bowed repeatedly and asked, "I am an outer disciple of Tianquan Manor. May I ask what brings you to my manor?"
Guard Zhang could tell at a glance that this person's martial arts skills were not high. Although he was said to be an outer disciple, he was actually just like a gatekeeper in His Highness's residence.
He produced the prince's token: "Inform your lord that His Highness Prince Wen is here."
The outer disciple stared at the token with trembling eyes. He immediately knelt down and said, "This humble one greets Your Highness Prince Wen. Please come up the mountain with me, Your Highness."
Even if Tianquan Manor holds a prestigious position in the martial arts world, it is absolutely not a reason for them to make a prince wait outside the door!
The outer disciple turned around and fired a purplish-red signal flare to remind everyone in the manor that a very distinguished guest had arrived and that the manor lord needed to come down the mountain to greet him. Only then did he lead Gu Yuzhi and the others up the mountain.
He glanced at Gu Yuzhi's satin boots out of the corner of his eye, then quickly looked away and explained in a low voice why he had fired the signal flare earlier.
Chief Secretary Xie stroked his beard and nodded to himself.
The gatekeepers at Tianquan Manor are all so capable; no wonder Tianquan Manor holds such a prestigious position in the martial arts world!
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