The return of the son-in-law

Jiang Yannian also heard the news that Li Shaojin was crowned king, so he got angry for a while. He made up an excuse and came to Xuzhou to hide his identity. I don't know when I can come back.

He couldn't stay long, so he had to leave a letter to Guo Zhan'an, went to his own restaurant, and returned to the barracks with nothing.

As for Huo Yu, although Guo Zhan'an didn't tell him about the incident, Jiang Yannian's sudden visit this time, and Guo Zhan'an's excuse to be sick a few days ago and secretly went to the border town pretending to be a fellow accompanying a caravan. I know that most urgent things happened.

Huo Yu thought carefully about what had happened in Xuzhou over the past month, and there was nothing major that Guo and Jiang needed to discuss together, so it was probably something major that happened in the capital!

Thinking of this, Huo Yu couldn't help worrying about Guo Zhan'an's safety. He has been with Guo Zhan'an for more than a year, and he more or less knows who his brother is.The fourth prince who came some time ago was not at odds with his elder brother. Could it be that the fourth prince in the capital had gained power, and his elder brother and Jiang Yannian were so anxious?

But Huo Yu quickly denied this idea. Although he had never been to the border town, he also heard that the fourth prince had gone wrong. The Tadu sent troops to almost destroy the city, so how could he still be rewarded by the emperor and make things difficult for his brother?

Fortunately, within two days of Huo Yu guessing wildly at home, Guo Zhanan finally came back from the border town.Huo Yu didn't have time to express his heartfelt heart to Guo Zhanan, so he quickly sent someone to fetch hot water for Guo Zhanan to take a hot bath first, and told the kitchen to quickly prepare some Guo Zhanan's favorite food. Take out the letter and hand it to Guo Zhanan.

Guo Zhan'an knew that Huo Yu felt sorry for him, and knew that if he took out the letter from the beginning, he would read the letter first without taking a bath and eating, so he made this arrangement.

He pinched Huo Yu's earlobe affectionately, and said, "You still want to hide it from me just because you are so petty, huh? That's fine, you know that you like me."

Huo Yu's thoughts were punctured, and he was a little embarrassed: "Brother, don't dislike me for making my own decisions."

Guo Zhanan laughed loudly: "How can it be, but good Yu'er, you still have to save me some face in front of outsiders, lest others say that I'm a 'strict wife', and I won't have a reputation in the officialdom."

"Brother!" Huo Yu couldn't bear such teasing, and said, "Brother, stop talking nonsense, I, I won't be like this."

Guo Zhanan accepted it when he saw it, and praised: "This is my good Yu'er." He bowed his head and opened the letter.

Huo Yu hesitated, and asked, "Brother, do you want me to avoid it?"

Guo Zhan'an stretched out his hand to stop him: "You and I are like one, why do you avoid it? We will return to Beijing sooner or later. Knowing something now is better than going to Beijing without knowing anything."

Huo Yu was relieved now, sat down again, looked at Guo Zhanan, and didn't speak, so as not to disturb Guo Zhanan's reading the letter.

Guo Zhan'an glanced at ten lines, and after reading the letter, he said with a smile: "I still think it's something, Jiang Yannian is really more and more like an old lady."

Huo Yu asked: "I think Mr. Jiang came in a hurry, and he talked with his brother about important matters. Brother, is there really nothing important in this letter?"

Guo Zhan'an said relaxedly: "The fourth prince, Li Shaojin, conferred a second-rank prince protecting the country during the first month of the first month. The King of England is the first among all the princes in this generation."

Huo Yu was taken aback, and asked nervously: "Why the king? I heard from my brother that the emperor's direct son is obviously only the third prince. Why didn't he confer the title of the third prince first, instead of the fourth prince? Isn't the royal family the most prestigious?" Is the young lady a concubine?"

"That's because the fourth prince has made great contributions," Guo Zhan'an said with a faint smile, making it clear that he took the matter as a joke, "The fourth prince came to Xuzhou a few years ago to preside over the business with Tatar. There is no possibility of war with this dynasty anymore. With such a great achievement, the emperor's heart is very happy, and it is not surprising that he was crowned king."

Huo Yu was very serious, frowned and said: "The fourth prince obviously messed up this matter, Tatar's cavalry are wandering around the border town, how can he still be crowned king?"

Guo Zhanan stretched out a finger, tapped Huo Yu's brow, and said, "You are so young, why do you frown like me? You know he messed up things, but the emperor doesn't know, what can I do? "

"But he obviously messed up the matter and ran away halfway! He left a teacher to clean up the mess for him. In the end, he didn't ask his brother to come out. How could things settle down so easily? I don't accept it! This credit It’s clearly my brother’s, and it’s also my brother’s idea to start trading.”

Seeing that Huo Yu was filled with righteous indignation for him, Guo Zhan'an dissipated most of the fatigue of the past few days, and only when facing Huo Yu did he have such patience, explaining to Huo Yu: "I The action is too big, the emperor must not know about this matter, otherwise he will be suspicious of me. As for why the fourth prince messed up the matter and can still be crowned king? Don’t forget, there are people in this world who are willing to take the blame for him They are the ones who are wrong, and the king is right. And his so-called 'Mr.' is just an aide in the name of 'Mr.'. The fourth son has learned his lesson, and he dare not trust others, let others instigate him to form a party for personal gain."

Huo Yu understood, and couldn't help sighing: "Man died for money, and birds died for food. In order to be a high-ranking official, these people would rather commit the crime of deceiving the emperor."

Guo Zhan'an laughed a few times, and said in a low voice: "How can the crime of deceiving the emperor compare to the merit of being a dragon?"

Huo Yu was startled: "The fourth prince wants to be emperor?"

When the two were eating, there was no one to serve them, and there was Fuqing guarding outside, so Guo Zhanan was not worried that the partition wall had ears, and still whispered: "The current emperor doesn't like his son-in-law. The favorite in the harem for more than ten years is The biological mother of the Fourth Prince, the Concubine Hua in those days, and Concubine Liu now. As for the sons, Ai Wu and Wu are probably the ones who love us the most. Do you think he will not think so?"

Huo Yu put himself in his shoes and thought about it, even if he is such a country boy, if he really has the chance to win the Kyushu, it is impossible not to be tempted.

However, this thought just flashed through Huo Yu's mind, and was replaced by nervousness afterwards.

Huo Yu asked again: "What about the third prince? My elder brother was the servant of the third prince at the beginning. If the fourth prince becomes the emperor, he will definitely not let go of the third prince who is the emperor's son. What should I do?"

"There is nothing to do, Yu'er, this is a life-and-death situation. If you want to survive, you must let the third prince become the emperor, otherwise, I will definitely be decapitated."

When Guo Zhanan spoke, there was no emotion on his face, and his tone was also light, as if he was talking to Huo Yu about the bright moon tonight.

But Huo Yu was terrified when he heard this, and the scene of Guo Zhanan's tragic death after Li Shaojin ascended the throne appeared in front of his eyes.He couldn't help trembling, couldn't help leaning against Guo Zhan'an's arms, and tried to hug Guo Zhan'an with both hands: "Brother, you will be fine."

Guo Zhan'an heard the fear in his heart, smiled, and said, "Don't worry, it's still unknown who will die. Besides, how can I have the heart to let you stay in this world alone?"

Huo Yu looked up at Guo Zhan'an, and said earnestly: "If there is something wrong with my brother, I, Huo Yu, will never live alone in this world. Without my brother, what is left of me?"

Guo Zhan'an was greatly shocked, and hugged Huo Yu tightly with his backhand, saying: "Good Yuer, don't worry, I will be fine. I still plan to grow old with you, I'm afraid you will despise me as an old man when the time comes."

"No!" Huo Yu said, "Brother, you don't dislike me for being a bandit. How could I dislike you for growing old? We grow old together, and no one can dislike the other."

Guo Zhan'an almost wanted to tell him Huo Yu's real identity, but he swallowed the words, and just said: "Then I will depend on you. Come on, Yu'er, if you are me, you know What will you do after the fourth prince is crowned King of England?"

Huo Yu's attention was indeed diverted, he thought carefully, and said: "Since the fourth prince's title as king is based on the business with Tatar, then we must find a way to let the emperor know that he has not fulfilled the emperor's important entrustment. , and almost provoked a war between us and Tatar."

Guo Zhanan nodded in affirmation, and asked, "Then how do you let the emperor know about this?"

Huo Yu felt a little embarrassed: "I definitely can't say it, if I say it, I'm afraid the emperor will blame me for not reporting the knowledge before, and deceiving the emperor."

"Yes, so what should you do?"

Huo Yu thought about it for a long time, but none of the methods he mentioned would work, so he had to surrender in the end: "Brother, I really can't think of a way. Wait, does it mean that brother has a way?"

Then Guo Zhanan took out the letter that Ning Guhan handed over to him, and said: "What do you think I am going to the border town? Ning Guhan intends to submit to my court, and only asks that we can provide a steady stream of food and grass to support him and his family. The war between other Tatar tribes. There are still many details to be discussed in this matter, so he wrote a special letter, hoping that someone can deliver this letter to the emperor, and ask the emperor to send a special envoy."

Huo Yu pondered for a while: "The king of England was named king because he presided over the business with Tatar. Since the emperor's favorite is the fourth son, the king of England will definitely take such a big credit. When the time comes, Ninggu When Han sees that the King of England is the special envoy, he will definitely disagree. If Ning Guhan insists on changing the special envoy, he must tell the emperor the reason, then the king’s lies will be exposed, and all the so-called credit will be lost!”

"Smart." Guo Zhan'an kissed Huo Yu on the cheek as a reward, and said, "But Ning Guhan already guessed that the emperor would send the King of England, so he has already written it in the letter, asking for a prince of comparable status to come. .”

"Then there is only the third prince!" Huo Yu couldn't help clapping his hands and praised, "Brother is so smart!"

Guo Zhanan wanted to show off in front of Huo Yu for a while, and said: "Not only that, the person sent by the King of England is now in Xuzhou, and asked him to take the letter back and hand it over to the King of England, who will then hand it over to the Emperor. What do you think?"

Huo Yu couldn't help laughing out loud, "Brother is too shrewd. If I were the King of England, I would have stopped thinking about it early. It's enough to be a good son and brother obediently."

Even someone like Huo Yu who has never been immersed in the officialdom can understand, so what about the first king?The king was dismissed in less than three months, which is worth adding to the history books!

Guo Zhanan looked at the letter Ning Guhan handed him on the table, and drank the remaining half glass of wine with a smile.

The next day, Guo Zhanan went to the government office at Dianmao. Everyone in the government office thought that he had recovered from his illness, exchanged a few pleasantries, and went their separate ways.

Mr. Chai has been bored for the past few days. Originally, he heard that Guo Zhan'an was sick and was recuperating at home. He thought it was because Guo Zhan'an heard that the fourth prince was crowned king, so he fell in a hurry.He planned to go to Guo's mansion to laugh a few words, but he didn't expect Guo Zhan'an's foster brother to be very good-natured, so he was rejected several times.

Today, when he heard that Guo Zhanan had recovered from his illness, he came over to say a few more words to stimulate Guo Zhanan, and it would be best to make Guo Zhanan get seriously ill again.

Guo Zhan'an was talking to Mr. Chai, Mianli Zangzhen, while calculating the timing.Just when he was about to lose his patience, Hao Yun came in and said, "My lord, the housekeeper Jia Huan of your family is waiting outside the government office, saying that he has something important to report. I think he is sweating profusely, and he has already acted on his own. Advise to ask him to come in, just ahead."

Guo Zhan'an responded, stood up and said to Mr. Chai, "Mr. Chai, I have something to do, so I'm sorry."

Mr. Chai hurriedly said: "Don't, don't, I'll go with you, you'll be well. I'll see if there's anything I can do to help."

Guo Zhanan frowned slightly, but he didn't say much after all, and walked away first.

Mr. Chai followed behind. As soon as he entered the house, he heard someone inside say: "Young master, it's not good, Tatar sent someone to our house! This, this is to frame the young master!"

Guo Zhanan sternly said, "Shut up!" As he spoke, he glanced back vigilantly.

But Mr. Chai had heard it clearly long ago, and sneered from the side: "I never thought that Mr. Guo and Ta Da still have contact in private, which is really strange."

Of course, Guo Zhan'an had to explain for himself: "I did have contact with Tatar, but that was when I was in Shen County. There was a Tatar tribe wandering around Shen County, so I dealt with it. As for the others, I, Guo Zhanan, I haven't done anything, so I ask Mr. Chai to be careful."

"Then what happened to this letter?"

Guo Zhanan took a look, obviously heaved a sigh of relief, and said: "Mr. Chai, this letter is signed by Ning Guhan, the leader of the Tatar tribe in Shen County. As for why it was sent to my house, I think it may be It’s because he doesn’t know many people in Xuzhou, and my family is easier to find.”

Mr. Chai snorted, and said, "No matter what, if I give you this letter, you have a problem."

In order to be innocent, Guo Zhanan asked Jia Huan, "What else is there besides sending letters?"

Jia Huan hurriedly replied: "The person who sent the letter dropped a sentence, saying that he wanted to form an alliance with our country, so he wrote this letter, and hope that the Lord can forward it to the emperor."

When Young Master Chai heard this, he thought that the King of England had just appointed the second-rank Prince Protector, so he had an idea: "This letter is too important, and it must not be handed over to the post station. It is best to have someone keep it close to you and send it all the way to the capital. However, once How can the Zhoutong judge come to Beijing so easily? I think, let me send it."

Guo Zhan'an naturally refused: "How can I do that? I have to send this letter by name, and I can't pass it on to someone else."

Mr. Chai is in a hurry. If Guo Zhan'an sends him there, the third prince Li Shaojun will be the one who will benefit. He can't let King Ying's opponent take advantage of him!

"Master Guo, do you want me to remind you again? The Tatar people sent a letter to your house because others refused to deliver it for no reason. You are suspected of collaborating with the enemy and treason! If this letter is not delivered to me, I will report it to Your Majesty." Honestly, what do you think will happen then?"

Guo Zhan'an was caught, and was furious, but finally retreated, and handed the letter to Mr. Chai with both hands: "Then there will be Mr. Lao Chai."

Mr. Chai took the letter, looked at the wax paint and signature on it, and was so excited that he wished he could fly to the capital with his wings.

"Naturally." He dropped two words, put the letter close to his body, patted it again, and hurried to the backyard, planning to pack up and return to Beijing immediately.

Mr. Chai left in such a hurry, so he didn't see Guo Zhanan laughing silently behind him, with a chill in his eyes.