The brother and sister left Yuheng Garden and headed west to the nearest small garden.
Gu Yanfei followed Gu Yuan's instructions and prepared to fire the flintlock rifle step by step, muttering to himself, "What should I shoot at?"
"How about that one?" Gu Yuan pointed forward to a strong and vigorous weeping willow across the lake, and reminded, "Be careful of the recoil when firing a flintlock."
"Okay." Gu Yanfei smiled slightly, and calmly aimed the muzzle of the flintlock rifle at the weeping willow across the lake. He held the gun with his left hand and the butt with his right hand, then pulled the trigger steadily with his right hand.
The flint clip was pulled by the spring and hit the edge of the fire door heavily, emitting sparks.
"Bang!"
There was a deafening roar, and a dragon of fire spurted out rapidly from the muzzle of the flintlock. The bullet passed through the lake as fast as lightning and hit a weeping willow on the opposite side of the lake.
The shot pierced the tree trunk cleanly, leaving a hole the size of a longan.
“Rustle…”
The trunk of the willow tree began to shake violently, like a young animal shivering in the wind and rain. Willow leaves fell like rain, floating on the sparkling lake, swaying and floating with the ripples of the lake...
There were still wisps of smoke spewing out of the muzzle of the gun, and the air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.
The loud noise here almost echoed throughout the small garden.
The servants in the garden came in twos and threes upon hearing the noise and looked at the scene in amazement.
"Sister, you shoot so accurately!" Gu Yuan applauded Gu Yanfei enthusiastically for this shot.
Gu Yanfei felt his left arm was painful and numb from the recoil of the flintlock rifle, and he shook his left arm.
This thing is far inferior to low-level spiritual weapons.
but……
Gu Yanfei looked at the flintlock rifle thoughtfully several times. If he added a sharp edge array to it...
She lightly drew a line with the index finger of her left hand and quickly drew a simple one-time formation with her spiritual power.
Well, it’s a very nice painting.
She smiled with satisfaction, then repeated the previous steps, moving nearly twice as fast as before, and pointed the gun at another weeping willow across the lake.
"Bang!"
A second gunshot rang out suddenly, louder than the first, and even the clouds in the sky above seemed to be shaken away.
Another burst of smoke gushed out from the muzzle of the gun. The bullet was shot out at a faster speed than before, carrying a red flame and hitting the second weeping willow tree at lightning speed.
With a "creak", the tree trunk broke in half.
There was another loud noise, and the crown of the willow tree fell from the broken place and landed on the lake, splashing a large amount of water.
The servants watching nearby were all dumbfounded. Some covered their ears, some screamed, and some whispered to each other. No one even thought of reporting the matter to the Dowager and the Marquis.
More people came over after hearing the noise. The second gunshot not only spread throughout the small garden, but was heard throughout most of the mansion.
At this moment, Madam Gu who was in Cihe Hall also heard it.
She was frightened by the inexplicable loud noise and her heart was beating wildly. She had a bad feeling in her heart and frowned as she ordered, "Bai Lu, go and see what's going on..."
Bai Lu Fushen accepted the order and left in a hurry.
As soon as she left, a woman from the gatehouse came running in breathlessly and told the young maid in green clothes who was guarding under the eaves: "The son of the Earl of Yan'an is here to congratulate you."
The news brought by the old woman allowed her to enter the east room smoothly and meet Madam Gu.
"Why would the Prince of Yan'an suddenly come to congratulate us?" Madam Gu asked in confusion.
My family has been extremely unlucky lately, and has been plagued by bad luck. I really can't understand what happy event could be worthy of the other party's congratulations.
The old woman replied joyfully, "Madam, they said they came to congratulate the young master on being transferred to the Imperial Guard as a fourth-rank pacification envoy."
“…” Madam Gu opened her eyes slightly in surprise, then clenched the five fingers of her left hand into a fist.
She didn't say anything, and the old woman didn't know what to do, so she could only bow her head.
The house fell into dead silence.
After a moment of silence, the door curtain was raised again, and the little maid in blue hurried in again, kneeling and reporting, "Madam, people from the Pingjin Marquis' Mansion, the Changxing Earl's Mansion, and the Longhu General's Mansion have all come to congratulate the eldest young master on his promotion."
Madam Gu felt as if her heart was whipped hard by someone. It was painful, numb and stuffy.
Madam Gu lowered her eyes, hunched over and covered her left chest with her hands. She gripped it with a little force and felt her heart throbbing more painfully under her palm.
"Madam, are you okay?" Nanny Li asked with concern, raising her hand to pat her back, but Madam Gu seemed to be oblivious.
Sometimes she thought of Gu Yuan, sometimes she thought of Gu Ce who died young, and sometimes she overlapped these two figures with another elegant figure.
First it was Gu Ce, then Gu Yuan.
She originally thought that even if Gu Yuan insisted on giving up literature and taking up military service and joining the army, he would probably only be able to become a small soldier. How could the king tolerate the son of a surrendered general who represented humiliation!
Unexpectedly, first it was the Shenji Camp, and now Gu Yuan was actually going to be transferred to the Luanyi Guard. In just a few days, he was promoted three levels from a sixth-rank captain.
And he is the imperial guard close to the emperor!
"Brother Yuan has made great progress. This is a happy event." Madam Gu said softly, "If my elder sister is still alive, she would be happy too."
As she spoke, Madam Gu clenched her left fist even tighter, her neatly trimmed nails digging deeply into the soft palm, and her heart felt like it was being pierced by an invisible thorn again and again.
"That person" was like a thorn in her heart...
A thick haze quickly surged in Madam Gu's eyes, but was quickly suppressed.
She took two deep breaths and said to herself in her heart that if Gu Yuan could get better, it was also the old marquis's hope. If one prospers, all prosper. If Gu Yuan could rise rapidly from now on, it would also be good for the marquis's mansion. After all, you cannot write two "Gu" characters with one stroke.
After a while, Madam Gu calmed down a lot. She raised her eyelids and said calmly, "Go and call the eldest young master... and the second young master to the outer courtyard hall."
"Yes, Madam." The little maid in blue knelt down, bowed, and walked out quickly.
At the same time, the concierge who came to report also retreated.
The room was silent again, with only a faint sigh echoing in it.
Soon, Madam Gu also left Cihetang with Nanny Li.
A distinguished guest is visiting today, and the second son, Gu Jian, is injured again, so Madam Gu has no choice but to decide to go and receive the guest in person to show her seriousness.
The doors of the hall have all been opened, making it look spacious, bright and airy.
Gu Yuan arrived very quickly. Madam Gu had just sat down on the armchair at the top of the table when she saw Gu Yuan, dressed in a crimson official robe, walking towards her outside the hall.
A strange light flashed across Madam Gu's eyes and then disappeared.
"Grandmother." Gu Yuan bowed to Madam Gu, and his etiquette was impeccable.
"Brother Yuan," Madam Gu frowned and sighed, saying helplessly, "Your transfer to the Imperial Guard is a great joyous event. Why didn't you tell your family about such a big thing?"
"Are you estranged from your family?"
As she spoke, Madam Gu pulled Gu Yuan to her side and patted the back of his hand lovingly, as if yesterday's disagreement had never existed.
Gu Yuan neither nodded nor shook his head, and said nothing.
Madam Gu had long been accustomed to Gu Yuan's sullen temper, who could not hold back a single word for a long time. She sighed again and said, "Forget it. Time will tell. You will know that grandma is doing this for your own good."
"When you arrive at the Imperial Guard, you must do your job with all your heart and continue to work hard. Don't let your grandmother and your father down."
"Today, many distinguished guests have come to congratulate you. Your second cousin will also be here soon. You two brothers should treat the guests well."
Madam Gu's lips curled up, and even the wrinkles at the corners of her mouth were tinged with joy.
Gu Yuan's eyes turned and he clenched his fists, still saying nothing.
In the eyes of Madam Gu, Gu Yuan's silence was a silent approval.
Madam Gu felt a little better and with a smile on her face she ordered the maid to serve several plates of Gu Yuan's favorite snacks and fruits.
At first glance, the grandparents and grandchildren seem to be getting along harmoniously and having a lot of fun.
When the son of the Earl of Yan'an, the Marquis of Pingjin, the Earl of Changxing and others came to the hall, they saw this scene, so they congratulated Madam Gu on her good fortune, saying that her children and grandchildren were better than them, and praised Gu Yuan for his young talent.
Gu Yuan entertained these old friends of the Gu family with great generosity, exchanging pleasantries and reminiscing about the past.
Madam Gu also praised Gu Yuan from time to time, and asked these uncles to take good care of Gu Yuan in the future. She glanced outside the hall from time to time.
The hall was very lively.
Gu Yuan was smiling, but the smile did not reach his eyes, and the look in his eyes when he looked at the people around him was distant.
He was like a lonely traveler, out of tune with the joy in the room.
For a moment, he felt as if he had returned to eight years ago. Before he was nine years old, his grandmother and uncles treated him just as they do now, kind, enthusiastic, friendly and tolerant.
But after my father's accident, all those uncles distanced themselves from the eldest branch of the family...
After the sweet tea goes down your throat, only a strong bitter taste remains in your mouth.
"Xiao brother, you are here." Madam Gu's slightly excited voice woke Gu Yuan from his dazed thoughts.
When Gu Yuan raised his eyes, he saw a young man about thirteen years old, wearing a royal blue robe, walking into the hall. It was Gu Xiao, the legitimate son of Gu Jian and Wang.
Gu Xiao first bowed to Madam Gu at the top of the table, then reluctantly called out to Gu Yuan, "Big Brother."
Gu Xiao also heard about what happened yesterday, and he somewhat suspected that it was Gu Yuan who hurt his father Gu Jian, so he looked at Gu Yuan with hostility in his eyes.
Boys aged thirteen or fourteen are at an age where they are covered with thorns.
Madam Gu's smile deepened, and she was about to ask Gu Xiao to greet the guests.
Although Gu Xiao is not the prince yet, this marquisate will be his sooner or later, which is a good opportunity for him to accumulate some connections.
Unexpectedly, Gu Yuan suddenly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and left without saying a word.
The whole room was silent.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
