Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 553 You're Still the Same as Before

Laiguogong Mansion.

"lighter!"

Although Gao Cheng had already married and had children, Lou Zhaojun still looked worried when she saw her drunk eldest son. She was both resentful and heartbroken, just like when she treated him when he made a mistake as a child.

Gao Cheng's face was flushed, and he was drunk, muttering to himself.

"Yu Yi, have another drink with me."

Gao Cheng's wives and concubines stood around, helping Lou Zhaojun to take care of him after he got drunk. But upon hearing this, someone immediately began to complain.

"Yu Yi, Yu Yi, who knows where this wild woman came from? She must have been having a good time with you to be so drunk!"

Upon hearing these complaints, Lou Zhaojun advised:
"Alright, stop nagging. Cheng'er can't hear you anyway. Go fetch a basin of water and wipe him down."

Lou Zhaojun held considerable authority in the household. After she spoke, Gao Cheng's wives and concubines dared not complain further and went to fetch water.

After taking care of Gao Cheng, Lou Zhaojun saw him lying asleep on the bed. She then stormed back to her courtyard and dragged Gao Huan out of the quilt.

What are you doing!

Gao Huan, who was sleeping soundly, was disturbed by Lou Zhaojun and was quite grumpy upon waking.

"Why should I ask you what I'm doing? Why should I ask you what you're doing?!"

Gao Huan sensed something was amiss upon hearing this and asked:
"What's the matter?"

"What are you and Hou Jing doing? Why did he bring Cheng'er to his residence, and why is she drunk?"

Gao Huan listened but didn't care at all.

"Gao Cheng is all grown up now, and he's already taken several concubines. He can handle things on his own, so don't worry about him like this!"

After Gao Huan finished speaking, he wanted to lie down in bed, but Lou Zhaojun pulled him back.

"How can I not worry? Hou Jing is so wicked. There are few people in the entire city of Luoyang who can control him. Even if Cheng'er is sold off, she'll probably be happy."

Lou Zhaojun looked at the sleepy Gao Huan and became even angrier, so she pinched him.

"I'll let you sleep!"

"Then what do you want me to do?"

"Go find Hou Jing. You can resolve this yourselves. Don't involve my Cheng'er!"

"Isn't it exactly what he wants for me to go see him now?"

"What time is it? Why are you still worrying about these things!"

Gao Huan grew impatient with the noise and said:
"Fine, okay!"

Gao Huan got up and dressed, then suddenly remembered something and asked:

"Yang'er is to prepare for Qianniu's departure. Have you taken care of everything?"

"You don't need to tell me, I've already taken care of everything."

With that, Lou Zhaojun urged Gao Huan to set off immediately.

……

The Mansion of Duke of Liang.

Gao Huan looked at Hou Jing, who was smiling and wanted to hug him, and pushed him away.

"Say, what's the matter?"

Hou Jing was pushed aside, but he was not angry.

"He Liuhun, you don't know?"

Gao Huan looked at Hou Jing's sly smile and said irritably:
"What business do you have? How would I know?"

"What's wrong? How did you get sick?"

Gao Huan was so angry he laughed, and said:

"You're concerned with everything, including whether I'm sick or not?"

Seeing Gao Huan's increasingly unfriendly expression, Hou Jing immediately smiled even more ingratiatingly, apologized, and moved closer.

"It doesn't matter if you don't know what it is, I'll tell you right away."

Gao Huan interrupted Hou Jing, saying:

“I’m forty-six years old this year, unlike Yuwentai and you, who are so troublesome. As long as it’s not about Yujiulü in the north or the Xiao family in the south, I’ll agree to anything you ask.”

Hou Jing was furious when he heard this.

"You, He Liuhun, still say you don't know?"

Hou Jing grew angrier the more he thought about it, and couldn't help pacing back and forth in front of Gao Huan.

“I understand. Duan Shao is in Fancheng, which is only separated from Xiangyang by the Han River. You probably know about any developments there even before the Emperor does.”

Gao Huan was displeased upon hearing this. "You, Hou Jing, have even learned to frame people. If that's how you see it, then there's nothing more to say. Farewell!"

Gao Huan waved his sleeves, intending to leave, but Hou Jing stopped him.

"Don't go, don't go!"

Hou Jing held Gao Huan tightly; to the uninformed, it would seem as if he were chasing after a debtor.

Gao Huan was pulled back, somewhat helplessly.

Why are you pulling me?

“We are half-brothers, not from the same father but different mother. How can you, as the elder brother, ignore your brother in trouble?”

Gao Huan rolled his eyes and cursed:
"You never think of your brother when things go well, but you always think of dragging me into this mess?"

"How can this be called a bad thing? Changing the hereditary soldiers to the government soldiers benefits the country and the people!"

"Then go ahead!"

Gao Huan turned to leave, and Hou Jing almost choked up.

"Is it okay for a brother to be wrong?!"

"okay!"

Gao Huan pushed Hou Jing away, straightened his clothes, and sat back down.

"It's not that this matter can't be done, but if it's done well, we won't get much benefit, and if it's done badly, we'll be punished even more."

"What does He Liuhun mean?"

"Now that Wu and Chu have become vassals, it is advantageous to facilitate trade. The Lingnan region is connected to foreign countries. If we can directly sell the ivory, spices, and other goods of the foreign merchants to Luoyang, the profits will be more than tenfold."

Hou Jing's eyes lit up when he heard this, but he was then faced with a dilemma.

"But we are not familiar with Lingnan either."

"I believe that Chen Baxian, the governor of Guangzhou, is not one to remain subservient to others for long. I fear that Xiao Yi will rebel sooner or later. We should send someone to sound him out first."

Hou Jing slapped his thigh, but then suddenly remembered something and frowned.

"But Xiao Yi and Xiao Gang are blocking our way, what should we do?"

"Xiao Gang is easy to deal with, but Jiankang is like a sieve. As for Xiao Yi, we can use this opportunity to give Xiao Cha a warning."

Hou Jing nodded, but then realized something was wrong.

"You want me to be the bad guy?"

Seeing that Hou Jing was unwilling, Gao Huan said again:

"Isn't Yuwentai not here?"

Hou Jing immediately understood and said:
"You mean Yuwen Hu? But is he capable?"

"He's not much of a warrior, but he's probably quite capable in this matter. Besides, if something goes wrong, wouldn't Yuwentai take responsibility?"

Hou Jing immediately understood and laughed:

"He Liuhun, you're still the same as before."

"Each each other!"

……

"Yuwen Hu?"

Li Shuang smiled as he looked at the final plan and executor submitted by the Left Guard Administration, and ultimately approved it.

It started raining outside, the raindrops quickly wetting the square outside the palace.

Li Shuang stood up and went outside for some fresh air. She saw a familiar figure standing outside the corridor.

"Zijin, is it your turn to be on duty today?"

Gao Yang stood ramrod straight, with a thousand-ox knife at his waist, meticulous in every detail.

"Your Majesty, that is indeed it!"

The Qianniu Dao (Thousand Ox Knife), named after the "Nourishing Life" chapter of the Zhuangzi, was a defensive sword carried by emperors. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, high-ranking imperial guards who carried the "Qianniu Dao" and protected the emperor's safety were called Qianniu Beishen (Thousand Ox Guards).

After Li Shuang ascended the throne, he expanded the scale of the Qianniu Beishen (a type of guard) to serve as his personal bodyguards.

Li Shuang smiled, patted Gao Yang on the shoulder, straightened his helmet, and said:

"Work hard! Your talent is no less than that of your father and brothers. In the future, you will surely be famous throughout the world!"

Gao Yang felt a warmth in his heart as he listened to Li Shuang's words.

"I will serve the sage!"

……

(End of this chapter)