The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 277
"Privy Privy Guo, stay! Privy Guo, stay!"

Guo Wei left the Zichen Palace and wanted to leave the imperial city via the palace corridor. When he reached the gate of Yongxiang Palace, he heard shouts from behind. When he looked back, he saw an eunuch from the inner palace running towards him out of breath, waving as he ran. shout.

The visitor was about 30 years old. He was wearing a scarlet eunuch uniform and was of high rank. Guo Wei recognized him as Zhang Gui, the trusted eunuch serving beside the Queen Mother.

"It turns out to be Zhang Neiguan." Guo Wei stopped and clasped his fists politely.

Zhang Gui didn't dare to accept the courtesy, so he hurriedly turned aside and gasped: "Privilege Guo is walking like a dragon and a tiger. As soon as he left the palace gate, our family came after him, but he couldn't catch up."

Guo Wei said with a smile: "The military man is very fast and busy going to various government offices to hand over official duties, which really makes Zhang Naiguan tired."

Zhang Gui smiled and said: "The Queen Mother knows that the officials have entrusted Privy Secretary Guo with important responsibilities. Privy Secretary Guo is about to rush to Yedu. She specially asked our family to invite Privy Guo to meet at Kunning Hall to fulfill Privy Secretary Guo's duties."

Guo Wei's heart moved, and the Queen Mother summoned him. Thinking of what he had to ask, he hurriedly clasped his fists and said, "I'd like to help Zhang Naiguan to lead the way."

"Mr. Guo, please!"

Zhang Gui took Guo Wei along the palace wall and alleyway to the harem.

Along the way, Guo Wei and Zhang Gui talked and laughed.

Zhang Gui was originally just a minor eunuch in the court of the Later Jin Dynasty. When Liu Zhiyuan was promoted to Taiyuan Liugong, Jin Emperor Shi Chonggui rewarded a group of gold and silver slaves, and Zhang Gui was one of them.

Later, there was a war in Hedong, and Zhang Gui was lucky enough to be rescued by Li Sanniang, and he followed and served Li Sanniang from then on.

Li Sanniang saw that he was well-behaved and smart, and she liked to trust him. Zhang Gui was grateful and loyal to her.

Guo Wei and Zhang Gui were also old acquaintances. Guo Wei had a strong personality and only treated people according to their taste. Regardless of their status, Zhang Gui was loyal to the late emperor and the empress dowager, so he naturally gained Guo Wei's respect.

Zhang Gui was also grateful to Guo Wei and did not look down upon him because of his status as an eunuch.

At this point, Li Ye and others were not so polite to Zhang Gui, and only treated him as a lowly slave.

In the Kunning Hall, Empress Dowager Li, who was dressed in plain clothes, sat on an embroidered couch. Her plain face without makeup looked a little pale and haggard.

She was in a daze and seemed to be preoccupied.

"Chen Guo Wei pays homage to the Queen Mother!"

It wasn't until Zhang Gui led Guo Wei into the palace and Guo Wei bowed and paid homage that Queen Mother Li woke up and forced herself to smile and said: "Privilege Guo is exempt from the ceremony."

Zhang Gui moved the embroidered pier, served him some fragrant tea, and waited for Guo Wei'an to sit in the hall. Then he bowed and left the hall, gently closing the hall door. There were only two people left in the hall.

"There are no outsiders in this hall, brother, there is no need to restrain yourself." Empress Dowager Li said with a smile.

Guo Wei also smiled and said: "I haven't seen you for a month, why does my third sister look a little thinner, but you must take care of yourself!"

Empress Dowager Li smiled bitterly. Ever since Liu Chengyou, Li Ye and others came to pay their respects that day, she had not thought about food or food. She often woke up at night and was mentally weak. How could she not feel haggard.

"Brother is out on an expedition and the march is difficult, so he should take more care of himself!" Empress Dowager Li said softly, "My little sister is in this deep palace, protected from the wind and wet by the rain. She is pampered and pampered every day. It is much more comfortable than my brother's life. ."

"Haha, don't worry, Third Sister. As a brother, even if I am in the military camp, I can still eat one liter of rice, three kilograms of meat, draw a three-stone bow, and wield a sixty-kilogram sword. My body is strong! I can kill hundreds of people on the battlefield. The Khitans are no big deal!"

Guo Wei patted his chest and boasted, his triumphant expression was quite youthful.

Empress Dowager Li burst into laughter, "Brother is also a man of great importance, why is he still so childlike?"

Guo Wei laughed and said: "Nowadays, there are fewer and fewer old friends around us. When I see my third sister, it reminds me of the days when we raced horses together in Hedong. At that time, we were all young, but now we are all old!"

"Yes, we are all old. Even the late emperor has been gone for three years." Empress Dowager Li smiled with sad eyes.

Guo Wei said with relief: "Fortunately, the children have grown up. If we old bones work hard for a few more years, we can go back to take care of our old age, entertain our grandchildren, and leave the world to these young people."

Queen Mother Li opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but she didn't say it.

"Third Sister seems to have something on her mind? Why don't you just tell me?" Guo Wei looked at her, "Can you be polite to me?"

Empress Dowager Li sighed in her heart and smiled reluctantly: "I always feel uneasy when I think that my brother is about to leave for another year and a half. Without my brother in charge of Kaifeng, I always feel uneasy."

Guo Wei didn't take it seriously and said with a smile: "The Khitans are causing trouble in Hebei. I went to Yedu to prepare troops and horses. The big battle should not be fought. It will take up to a year. When the Khitans retreat, I will come back. Kaifeng is more useful here. Don't worry, Shi Hongzhao is in charge of the imperial army, Su Fengji, Yang Bin, Wang Zhang and others are in charge of internal affairs, as long as Hebei is stable, Kaifeng will not be in chaos."

Empress Dowager Li clenched her hands tightly in her wide sleeves and nodded with a smile. She was too confused to hear what Guo Wei was saying.

"When I get back, I will ask Madam Zhang to come to the palace to visit Third Sister frequently when she has nothing to do, and to have a good talk with you." Guo Wei said with a smile.

"That's very good." Queen Mother Li smiled, "Brother, don't worry, I have a sister at home to help take care of you."

"Thank you, Third Sister!"

After chatting about the family affairs, Guo Wei said goodbye and left. Zhang Gui saw him out of Kunning Palace.

After a while, Zhang Gui returned to the palace and saw Queen Mother Li still sitting in a daze.

Zhang Gui changed to a new cup of tea, and said in a low voice, "Did the Empress Dowager not tell Shumi Guo the truth?"

Empress Dowager Li let out a long sigh feebly: "The official is my son after all, how can you let me say it?"

Zhang Gui worriedly said: "If Li Ye and others are allowed to surround the officials and make slanderous lies and deceive the officials, I'm afraid it will cause a big disaster!"

Empress Dowager Li wrung her hands together, her face full of confusion: "It's better to let me persuade the officials first. When Privy Guo comes back from Yedu, I will discuss it with him."

Zhang Gui smiled bitterly, hoping that it would be too late by then.
If the officials really take action against Shi Hongzhao, Yang Bing and others, Kaifeng City will probably fall into chaos in an instant.
It was already evening when Guo Wei finished handling the handover matters and left the Xuande Gate of the palace city. Chai Rong led his horse and waited outside the palace gate with his guards.

Just as the father and son were about to straddle their horses home, another person ran out of the Xuande Gate and shouted loudly, "Wait a minute, Mr. Guo!"

Guo Wei turned around and saw that it was Wang Jun, the envoy of Xuanhui North Academy.

"Baby, wait at the entrance of Yujie Street." Chai Rong whispered, glanced at Wang Jun with disgust, and led his bodyguard to take a step forward.

Guo Wei turned over and dismounted, cupped his fists and said, "This is the envoy of the Royal Court."

Wang Jun took a breath. This guy was white-faced, beardless, and had a feminine appearance. If he wasn't wearing a purple robe, he would have been thought to be an eunuch who had escaped from the inner palace.

Wang Jun bowed and saluted, and said with a bit of a flattering smile: "Wang Jun, the warden of the army and horses of the Hebei camp, came here to report to Commander Guo!"

Guo Wei was stunned and surprised: "Is it possible that the officials appointed Wang Yuan Envoy as the supervisor of our army? It seems that the previous supervisory officer was not Wang Yuan Envoy?"

Wang Jun said embarrassingly, "Guo Shuai didn't know something. It was a subordinate who recommended himself to the officials and went to Yedu with Guo Shuai."

Seeing Guo Wei looking at him with a strange look, Wang Jun hurriedly said: "Shuai Guo, please don't misunderstand me! Last time Guo Shuai went to patrol the border in Hebei, I was fortunate enough to serve as a military supervisor and partnered with Guo Shuai. I was deeply impressed by Guo Shuai's magnanimity. I am impressed and have admired Guo Shuai for a long time!

This time Guo Shuai went north to Yedu, and the lower official wanted to stay with Guo Shuai so that he could have the opportunity to ask Guo Shuai for advice."

Guo Wei said calmly: "Envoy Wang Yuan, you should tell the truth, otherwise I will not agree to your going north with me."

Guo Wei's meaning is very obvious. You, Wang Jun, were previously a member of Li Ye's gang and considered a big boss of the "Emperor Party". This time you recommended yourself to go north with the army. How do I know if you are a spy sent by Li Ye and others?
Wang Jun gritted his teeth, stamped his feet and said bitterly: "Today, Wang told Mr. Guo! Last time I came back with Mr. Guo from patrolling the border, originally the official promised to give me the post of deputy commander of the Longwu Army, but I didn't expect Hou Zana to do so. This guy suddenly ran back. Mr. Guo should know that Houzan and I have always had a grudge. This guy just came back and took the position that originally belonged to me. The officials favored one and the other, which is really chilling!

Compared with me, Li Ye and others must have more trust in Houzan, so they teamed up to exclude me. I couldn't survive in Kaifeng, so I had no choice but to join Guo Gong! "

Wang Jun was about to kneel down as he spoke, but Guo Wei held him up.

The grievances between Hou Zan and Wang Jun are well known in the government and the public. Because of the distribution of salt benefits, the two had a heated fight, and they have been feuding ever since.

Houzan's relationship with Li Ye, Nie Wenjin, and Guo Yunming was also deeper than that of Wang Jun. When Houzan came back, Wang Jun felt uncomfortable and was suppressed everywhere.

He felt that he couldn't stay in Li Ye's powerful group, and the officials were lukewarm towards him. Wang Jun was a little disappointed and decided to change his employer.

Naturally, there are only a few auxiliary ministers who can compete with the "imperialist party". Guo Wei usually remains anonymous, but from Wang Jun's point of view, the most promising option is to rely on Guo Wei.

Guo Wei understood Wang Jun's thoughts and looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. Wang Jun accepted it calmly and said sternly: "If Mr. Guo finds out that I have done anything wrong in the future, you can have me executed. Wang will never say anything!"

Guo Wei smiled and slapped him on the shoulder with a thick slap: "What did Wangdu Supervisor say? You are a minister of the imperial court and a supervisor appointed by the government. From now on, you and I must cooperate with each other to stabilize Hebei's defense line."

Wang Jun felt as if his shoulder had been hit by a bear's paw. The pain was so painful that his bones were about to fall apart, but he couldn't help but his eyes were full of joy. After hearing this, Guo Wei agreed to accept him.

"The next official only obeys Guo Shuai's order!" Wang Jun bowed to the ground.

"Go back and settle down with your family first, and come to my tent in three days to order." Guo Wei warned.

Wang Jun respectfully accepted the order, said goodbye and left.

At the entrance of Yujie Street, Chai Rong handed the reins to Guo Wei, looked at Wang Jun's figure riding away, and frowned: "Father, do you really believe this person?"

Guo Wei mounted his horse and said with a smile: "It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not. Anyway, there is always someone sent by the Supervisory Army, and Wang Jun is better than others who are not familiar with him. As for the future, let's see how he performs~"

Chai Rong nodded. If Wang Jun truly surrendered, it would be a great help to them.

"Drive~" There was a shout, and the father and son led their guards and rushed to Situ's Mansion.

The next day, Guo Wei left the house early and went to the Privy Council to gather the generals. Chai Rong packed his bags at home.

Naturally, he didn't need to do it himself, as his wife, maids, and a group of personal guards were there to help.

Chai Rong held his youngest son Chu Geer in his arms and watched his wife Liu Ehui packing some daily changes of clothes for him in the room.

"I just came back from Chang'an, and I followed Mr. Weng to Hebei to patrol the border. It's only been more than a month, and I have to go to Yedu again. I don't know how long it will take before I can get home."

Even though Liu Ehui was a virtuous man who managed the family, her husband was always traveling with Mr. Weng on the march, and she still felt sad and wronged in her heart. She couldn't help but complain a few words, and her eyes became red as she spoke.

Chai Rong had no choice but to look at his beloved wife with distress, pinched Brother Chu's fleshy butt, and said with a smile: "My dear, your mother is wiping her tears. Give her a smile quickly so that she doesn't get angry."

The little baby was babbling, waving its little arms, and giggling at Liu Ehui.

Liu Ehui wiped the corners of her eyes, rolled her eyes at her husband, and whispered: "When you come back next time, Brother Chu won't even recognize you as a father."

Chai Rong held the youngest son close and said with a soft laugh: "The brat doesn't recognize his father, so let's have another good daughter! I want a daughter!"

Liu Ehui's face turned red and she glared at him angrily.

Chai Rong smiled and said: "If you follow us to Yedu, and next time you return to Kaifeng, maybe you can bring our daughter back with you."

Liu Ehui was stunned and said in surprise: "Master Weng is here, can you take your family with you?"

"It's not a march, it's just to prepare troops and horses in Yedu to guard against harassment by the Khitans. If my father reports it to the Ming officials, he should be able to get permission."

Chai Rong smiled casually and said: "You clean up first and don't make any noise. I will ask my father when he comes back."

Liu Ehui nodded lightly, continued to pack her clothes, and whispered: "It would be great if the whole family could go to Yedu."

"Big brother! Big brother!"

"Daddy! Daddy!"

A roaring noise sounded in the courtyard. Chai Rong turned to look out the window and saw a group of childish and energetic teenagers and children rushing into the courtyard.

Chai Rong hurriedly handed Brother Chu to Liu Ehui, walked out of the house, and reprimanded with a fierce face: "What are you shouting about? Keep your voice down! Brother Chu is a coward. If you scare me so much that you can't sleep, I won't take care of you!"

The teenagers laughed and surrounded Chai Rong, appearing extremely intimate.

The two leading men look somewhat similar to Guo Wei. They are the two sons of Guo Wei and his second wife Yang, Guo Tong and Guo Xin, both fourteen or fifteen years old.

There are also three nephews who have just come to Kaifeng from their hometown in Yaoshan. The elders Guo Shoujun and Guo Fengchao are fifteen or sixteen years old, and the youngest Ding Geer is about the same age as Chai Rong's eight-year-old eldest son Yi Geer.

Four-year-old Brother Cheng was blocked by his uncles and couldn't squeeze in. He was so anxious that he shouted "Daddy, Daddy" over and over again, and was about to cry.

Chai Rong laughed loudly and picked up his son.

"Brother, when will we be allowed to go on an expedition with our father?" Guo Tong asked with wide eyes.

Chai Rong smiled and said: "When you grow up, you will naturally be able to follow your father to the military for training."

"My eldest brother says this every time, but I don't know when he will be tall enough?" Guo Xin shook his head angrily.

"We want to join the army! We are going to Hebei to fight the Khitans!" Guo Tong took the lead and shouted loudly with his fist raised.

Guo Xin, Guo Shoujun, Guo Fengchao, Ding Ge'er, and Yi Ge'er all raised their hands and shouted along, and even the youngest Brother Cheng followed suit.

Chai Rongden felt a headache and said hurriedly: "Don't argue, don't argue! In this way, I promise you that when you turn 17, I will tell your father that you will be allowed to join the army!"

"Oh~that's great!"

A group of young people finally got the accurate information and cheered.

"Brother, come with us to the martial arts field and see if our martial arts have improved!"

Guo Tong grabbed Chai Rong's arm and shouted: "Guo Laosan said that his marksmanship is better than mine. I don't believe it. Please let me judge!"

Not to be outdone, Guo Xin said loudly, "Do you dare to compete again in front of the eldest brother? Whoever loses will treat the guests to Guanghe Tang!"

"It's a competition! How can I, Guo Lao Er, be afraid of you, Guo Lao San!" Guo Tong clapped his chest and choked back.

"Brother, let's go!"

The teenagers swarmed up, grabbed Chai Rong and ran towards the back house martial arts field.

"Okay! Slow down! Don't break my belt." Chai Rong had no choice but to go with them.
Liu Ehui held her young son in her arms, walked out of the house to take a look, and smiled helplessly.

(End of this chapter)