Dad, don't be greedy! My brother climbed into the emperor's bed, and I became famous overn

After arranging the follow-up disaster relief and recovery matters in the north, Xiao Ye handed over the rest of the government affairs to his subordinates.

Two days later, we officially set off for Beijing.

Before this, Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli had a private matter to attend to on this trip.

The brother and sister wanted to visit the old house where their parents used to live.

Take a walk through that old alley and ask about your parents' lives when they were young.

Just as dawn broke, Gu Mingli asked the emperor for leave, saying he wanted to go out with his sister to stroll around the streets of Jizhou City and get some fresh air.

Behind the desk, Xiao Ye held a commemorative document sent urgently from the capital and glanced at Gu Mingli.

Without asking further questions, he instructed Geng Zhi, who was standing beside him:

"Arrange more people to protect them."

"Yes."

Geng Zhi cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.

After a while, a blue cloth carriage stopped outside the gate of the inn, with ten black-clad shadow guards following beside it.

When Gu Mingli and Gu Mingyue stepped out of the hall, they were both stunned by the scene before them.

"15, 10, 21, 22, 23, 24..."

Gu Mingli pinched the bridge of his nose, speechless.

"No way! With all this fuss, are you trying to make us the most eye-catching people in all of Ji Province?"

Yi Wu stepped forward and bowed.

"Young master, His Majesty fears you may die."

Gu Mingli: "..."

No need to be so direct, thank you for your concern.

Gu Mingyue didn't care. She turned around and called Taozhi to get into the carriage.

Gu Mingli then spoke kindly and persuasively to the shadow guards, telling them not to be too conspicuous.

The guards all nodded in agreement, and Gu Mingli was slightly relieved.

The brother and sister then took out the address given to them by Gu Debai and headed out of the city towards the north of Anyang.

The address on the note said Anyang, but the actual location was remote, already at the border.

This area is an old town. According to the regional divisions of more than ten years ago, when their parents got married, it was not under the jurisdiction of Anyang County.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of a narrow, quiet alley.

Gu Mingli opened the curtain and jumped out of the car, looking around.

Gu Mingyue and Taozhi followed closely behind.

This alley has been around for a long time.

It was very narrow, with low walls made of peeling mud bricks on both sides, and moss growing in the corners.

The two walked along the dirt road to the end of the alley, where a quiet little courtyard stood.

The two wooden doors were unlocked and slightly ajar.

Gu Mingli raised his hand, placed it on the wood, and pushed the door open.

"Squeak~"

A long, resounding sound as the wooden door turned.

The courtyard wasn't large; there were just three small houses made of blue bricks in front.

In the center of the courtyard stands an old pomegranate tree, which has been there for many years.

It's late summer now, and the branches are laden with bright red pomegranates.

A few blades of grass grew in the cracks between the bluestone slabs on the ground.

A string of small copper wind chimes hangs under the eaves of the main house on the right.

A gust of north wind blew past the wind chimes, making them tinkle a few times.

Gu Mingyue stood in the courtyard, looking around.

The yard is very clean.

Logically speaking, a house that has been empty for more than ten years should have been overgrown with weeds by now, but there were no fallen leaves on the bluestone slabs in front of me, and the window frames were not covered with much dust.

It seems that someone has been taking care of this place all along.

The two doors of the main house were ajar, allowing a direct view inside.

The interior was simply furnished, with only an eight-immortal table, a few wooden chairs, and a landscape painting hanging on the wall.

"Excuse me, is anyone home in the yard?" Gu Mingli called out into the house.

Footsteps came from a side room.

An elderly man with gray hair came out, holding a broom in his hand.

"Who are you...?"

Gu Mingyue stepped forward and said:

"Sir, we apologize for disturbing you. We are merchants from Pujitang who are passing through on business. We just happened to be here and thought this house looked peaceful and serene, so we came in to take a look."

Upon hearing the name Pujitang, the old man put down his broom and looked them over.

"Oh my! It's the kind people from Pujitang!"

"If it weren't for your Puji Hall providing livelihoods for the people during this year's natural disasters in the north, and selling grain and rice at low prices, countless families in the surrounding villages would have perished!"

The old man waved his hand.

"Good folks, if you're interested in this house, you've come to the wrong place."

"This house has an owner. It's just that he hasn't lived here for over ten years. It's very deserted and there's really nothing to see."

"Besides, this place is desolate. You two kind people should take a look and then hurry back to the city."

Gu Mingyue and Gu Mingli exchanged a glance.

Gu Mingli took half a step forward, very politely.

"Uncle, to tell you the truth, my brother and I have indeed taken a liking to this quiet and beautiful place."

"If you would be willing to help us make an introduction, we would like to buy this courtyard house no matter the price. We wonder where the original owner is now?"

"Oh dear, this house isn't for sale."

The old man shook his head.

"Young master, you don't know this, but the original owner of this courtyard is no longer here."

"But every year he would have someone bring me a large sum of hard-earned money, and he specifically instructed me to come and sweep this dust every day without fail."

Gu Mingli pressed further, "You mean, you've been living here for over ten years?"

"That's right! We used to be neighbors and fellow villagers, and so many years have passed in the blink of an eye!"

The old man pointed to the wax on the door frame: "On the first and fifteenth of each solar term, the owner of this house will send someone to buy the most expensive incense, candles and fruit, and come here to respectfully offer sacrifices."

The old man turned to look at the pomegranate tree and sighed.

"Sigh... the owner of this house is also a very sentimental person."

Gu Mingli stared at the pomegranate tree.

"Sir, are you saying the homeowner is sentimental? What kind of stories happened in this little courtyard back then?"

The old man's smile faded somewhat.

"Why are you two, who are both doing good deeds and aren't local residents... suddenly inquiring so intently about someone else's old house?"

Gu Mingyue pulled her brother behind her.

"Uncle, please don't take it to heart. Actually, my brother and I have come here today to trace our roots."

"I heard from my elders that they lived here more than ten years ago. So I wanted to learn about the old house and its history."

The old man walked to the center of the yard and looked up at the pomegranate tree.

"Hey, those two in this courtyard... they were such a perfect couple back in the day."

"More than ten years ago, a young couple lived in this house."

"That man was originally a poor scholar with little money in his pocket, but his young wife... tsk tsk, she was truly fair-skinned and had delicate features."

"Although he looked like he came from a wealthy family, he was not at all arrogant and treated people with kindness."

"That couple had an exceptionally good relationship back then. We've never seen such an affectionate couple in this alley!"

"Every evening when it gets dark, you can always see the two of them holding hands. Even if they're not going anywhere, they'll just take a short walk on the bluestone slabs in the small courtyard and chat."

"Later, I heard that the poor scholar was truly a reincarnation of the God of Literature! Not only did he pass the imperial examination, but he also became an official!"

"But even with an official position, that scholar had absolutely no wicked intentions. Every three days, he would ride a fast horse back to his residence."

"Just so that he could have a hot meal with his wife in front of the stove and spend the night together."

"They had been married for just over a year when they had a beautiful and well-behaved baby boy."

"During those years, the family of three lived a life in this little courtyard that was sweeter than honey. Every day, the courtyard was filled with laughter."

"A few years later, that young lady was blessed with good fortune and became pregnant with her second child."

"At that time, the scholar cherished his wife dearly. He even hired two servants to take care of her."

"My wife isn't allowed to do any heavy or trivial work at home or in the fields."

"I've never seen a man who loves his wife so much."

The old man pointed to the pomegranate tree behind him.

"Back then, his wife loved to sit in the wicker chair under the pomegranate tree, sewing clothes for the children stitch by stitch..."

"And then?"

Gu Mingli pressed for an answer.

The old man turned around and sighed.

"Alas! Then one day, their family encountered misfortune."