The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 8 Guo Mansion
The sound of the bell from Daxiangguo Temple reached the Guo residence. Guo Xin ran across the courtyard and shouted, "Second Brother, General Wang is here!"

A long spear whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him. Guo Tong stopped in time and asked, "Which General Wang is this?"

Guo Xin said, "It is General Wang Yanchao, the Left Wing Commander of Father's Army Camp."

Guo Tong asked in surprise, "He just returned to the capital to report the victory, and he's already here at your residence?"

"General Wang brought a lot of spoils of war. Second brother, quickly go and pick out a suitable weapon for me."

“Who said it was for you?” Guo Tong tapped his younger brother on the head lightly and said, “The one being sent now is for the officials in the court.”

Guo Xin clutched his head and grinned foolishly, pleading, "Give me what the gentlemen have left over."

When they arrived at the front yard, Wang Yanchao was directing his men to move things inside. He was in his thirties, tall, with a gentle face, and looked calm and reliable.

"General Wang, you must have had a long journey." Guo Tong stepped forward to greet him and asked, "May I ask how Father and Elder Brother are? Are they injured?"

Wang Yanchao said, "Don't worry, Erlang, everything is fine in Yedu. We are more worried about the capital."

Guo Tong lowered his voice and said, "General Wang, have you heard? Shi Gong almost killed Su Fengji at the banquet."

"It seems that Su Fengji is very dissatisfied with the commander-in-chief holding the seal of office."

"They said from inside..."

On the other side, Guo Xin was looking at the spoils of war with great interest when his eyes suddenly widened.

Wow, what a magnificent horse!

With great difficulty, Guo Xin managed to shift his gaze from the horse and saw a Khitan girl being pulled out of a cage. He was stunned and stood there dumbfounded.

The girl was very beautiful, and her bright, jewel-like eyes held a wildness that women from the Central Plains lacked.

Wang Yanchao turned around and saw this scene, and reminded him, "Sanlang, you can't take a fancy to her. She was given to Master Shi by the General, and so was that spirited horse."

Guo Xin just stood there dumbfounded, as if he hadn't heard a thing.

Wang Yanchao, not wanting to say much, went to the main hall with Guo Tong and recounted the events of the banquet hosted by Wang Zhang.

That night, Su Fengji lowered himself to make things difficult for a servant girl from the Shi family...

During the conversation, the gatekeeper rushed over and reported, "Second Master, a guest has arrived."

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Xiao Yi tried to recall the process of Guo Wei establishing the country.

He remembered it; it was the sixth lesson of his first year of high school history, "From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms." He had done well on that monthly exam, so he decided to study humanities... He didn't remember any of the truly useful content.

All that can be confirmed is that Shi Hongzhao was never mentioned in the text.

An unknown person.

Clearing his mind of distractions, he waited outside the door for a while with the nameless man's son before entering the Guo residence.

The Guo residence was simply furnished, with two rows of weapon racks in the front yard, the swords, spears, and halberds polished to a shine.

It was clear that the Guo family had been moving things not long ago. In order to entertain Shi Dechong, they hurriedly moved all their belongings to the side courtyard, had the remaining snow in the front courtyard swept away, and personally descended the steps to welcome him, to show their respect.

In comparison, Shi Dechong's uninvited visit without presenting a formal invitation was somewhat impolite.

This is related to the status of the Shi and Guo families.

Xiao Yi carefully observed Guo Tong and had a good impression of him. This Guo Erlang did not have the deliberate air of Shi Dechong; he was more simple and honest and seemed more sincere in his dealings with people.

For example, Guo Tong personally arranged for the grooms to untie the horses' bridles, allowing the horses of the Shi family to rest in the stables, and for the attendants to sit temporarily in the side room. He also instructed them to provide charcoal and tea, without any intention of bestowing favors upon them.

Xiao Yi did not go to the side room, but followed to the main hall to stand in attendance, and was also given a towel to wipe the snowflakes off his body.

"I heard that General Guo won a great victory, so I came here in a hurry. My apologies." Shi Dechong got to the point and said with a smile, "I've been thinking lately that it would be wonderful if the Shi and Guo families could become related by marriage."

As Shi Dechong finished speaking and took a sip of tea, Xiao Yi noticed that Guo Tong had a slight, almost imperceptible frown.

“My father’s friendship with Shi Gong is as clear as day and night, why would we need a marriage alliance? Besides, there is no suitable candidate.”

“I heard that Miss Guo is about to come of age, which would be a perfect match for my younger brother.”

"Shi Erlang?" Guo Tong was slightly surprised and murmured, "I have never seen him before."

"My younger brother is devoted to studying literature and martial arts, and dislikes social interactions."

Xiao Yi was secretly wondering why the Guo family was refusing when he suddenly saw Guo Tong look up and meet his gaze.

He then expressed goodwill with his eyes.

Guo Tong paused for a moment, lowered his eyes and pondered, then slowly said, "However, my younger sister is far from reaching the age of marriage. There must be some misinformation that has caused Brother Shi to misunderstand."

"is it?"

Shi Dechong was quite surprised, and slapped his knee and laughed, "It's alright, marriage is a major event and it's up to our parents. You and I can't make that decision. By the way, Xiao Yi, tell Guo Erlang what happened last night."

After a moment's thought, Xiao Yi guessed that Shi Dechong meant to intimidate or threaten, reminding the Guo family not to follow in Su Fengji's footsteps and become enemies, even drawing their swords against each other.

Of course, the "Yan family" cannot be mentioned during the process.

"The reason I went to the banquet last night was because I heard that Su Fengji had manipulated the examination system and wanted to give him a chance to confess and repent."

As soon as Xiao Yi spoke, he saw Shi Dechong nod slightly and knew that he had guessed correctly.

Guo Tong's expression turned serious. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and clearly felt the threat posed by the Shi family.

Xiao Yi didn't want to offend the Guo family, so he spoke slowly and as tactfully as possible. "Unfortunately, Su Fengji disregarded the past relationship with the Commander-in-Chief..."

"The fire is coming!"

Suddenly, shouts rang out from outside the hall.

Xiao Yi was stunned for only a moment before seizing the opportunity and becoming the first to run out of the hall.

"Hey!"

With a neigh, a chestnut horse suddenly burst out of the gate that had been opened due to the fire.

On horseback, a girl dressed in a fox fur coat leaned low to the ground, her braids flying in the wind.

"Stop them! Those are female captives offered to the Grand Tutor."

An armored general chased after them from a side courtyard, shouting angrily.

Xiao Yi immediately chased after the girl.

At the alley entrance, several soldiers stood guard with knives and tried to pull a carriage across to block the way.

"drive!"

The Khitan girl charged straight at her horse, bursting forth and running towards the bustling long street.

Xiao Yi swept past the fallen soldiers, ran towards the carriage, stepped on the carriage shaft, leaped up, grabbed the high wall at the alley entrance, and climbed onto the roof ridge.

The movements he had executed flawlessly in his previous life were somewhat strained today. He steadied himself and looked around. The Khitan girl was riding a horse down the long street, so he stepped on the roof tiles and chased after her.

With no vendors or pedestrians obstructing the rooftop, Xiao Yi's speed was no slower than that of the spirited horse. Reaching the next alleyway, he didn't hesitate for a moment before leaping into the air.

The familiar feeling of weightlessness lasted only a moment.

As the wind swept by, the girl on horseback suddenly looked up, and Xiao Yi could see the shock in her eyes.

He showed no mercy, and tackled her to the ground, splashing mud everywhere.

"Ulrich!"

With the girl's angry shout, a dagger slashed towards Xiao Yi's throat.

Xiao Yi quickly leaned back.

In that instant, the girl rolled on the spot and darted into the bustling street. Xiao Yi refused to give up and continued to chase after her.

This is the horse street in front of the Daxiangguo Temple, and it's the busiest time of the morning.

The cries of vendors selling incense, candles, steamed buns, and seasonal fruits rose and fell, while acrobats beat drums and gongs. The air was filled with the aroma of incense, the fragrance of food, and the rich body odor of the people, all blending together to create Kaifeng's unique prosperity.

Xiao Yi stared at the Khitan girl in her fox fur coat, watching her weave through the throng of people like a fish, occasionally knocking over stalls and drawing curses.

Finally, he seized the opportunity, braced himself with one hand, leaped over the steamed cake stall in front of him, and pounced on her in mid-air.

The two knocked over an incense and candle stall and began fighting again.

Suddenly, a terrified scream came from behind.

It was that chestnut horse that broke free from the soldiers and galloped towards them.

It was clearly startled; the horse's hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs, and the crowd retreated in panic. Stalls and shelves collapsed, fruits and goods rolled down, and the ground was a mess.

Just ahead of the startled horse, a group of women and children had just come down the steps of the Daxiangguo Temple when they were so frightened by this sudden turn of events that they froze on the spot.

Just as Xiao Yi grasped the Khitan girl's hands, intending to return them to the Guo family and befriend the future emperor... in an instant, he made a decision.

As the startled horse galloped towards him, he rushed forward, turned sideways, lowered his shoulder, and used all his strength to slam into the side of the horse's neck.

"Whistle—!"

With a neigh, the startled horse veered off course, narrowly missing a woman's clothes before crashing heavily into a bamboo ware stall next to it.

The horses reared up.

Beneath the iron hooves as big as bowls, a child stood there, too terrified to even cry, and could be crushed at any moment.

Xiao Yi had just fallen to the ground when he quickly grabbed the swaying reins, pushed off with all his might, and used the force of the horse's rearing hooves to flip himself onto the horse's back, barely managing to sit on its back.

He pulled hard on the reins, forcefully turning the horse's head in another direction.

"Dah!"

The horse's hooves pounded heavily on the bluestone slabs, and the children's terrified cries rang out.

Xiao Yi hurriedly turned around and saw that the horse's hoof was only an inch away from the child's body, barely avoiding it.

The startled horse flew into a rage, kicking, twisting, and galloping wildly, trying to throw him off. He lowered his body, gripping the horse's belly tightly with his legs, and no matter how wildly it bounced, he remained stuck to its back.

A man and a horse galloped far along the street.

With neighing and roaring, the spirited horse finally exhausted its strength, puffing out thick white smoke, and gradually slowed down.

Sweat dripped down Xiao Yi's forehead as he felt the rise and fall of the horse beneath him. He recalled a question he often encountered in the past—why would someone be a stunt double when it was so dangerous?

He always knew the answer in his heart, because he always had the urge to meet challenges and break through limits, and the desire to take risks and overcome fear.

He was panting, and beneath his disheveled hair, damp with sweat, were a pair of calm, watery eyes. There was no fear in his eyes, only complete focus and a burning passion more intense than a wild horse.

(End of this chapter)