Chang Geng couldn't shout out. On the way here, everyone he met looked at him secretly. The waves of gazes almost drowned him, but he still couldn't see that he was even a hair's worth of resemblance to the person on the dragon bed.

He heard Gu Yun whisper in his ear: "Whether it's true or false, just call out."

Chang Geng turned his head and saw the eyes of his little adoptive father. Those eyes were clear and cold, without a trace of tears - there was no pretense at all, and they looked both beautiful and ruthless.

This seemingly heartless man sighed and whispered, "Please."

No matter how much resistance or confusion Chang Geng had in his heart, he compromised after hearing this. He thought to himself, "Just treat me as a fake and give him comfort."

He lowered his eyes and said halfheartedly, "Father."

Emperor Yuanhe's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had gathered his last bit of life into a ball of light, which exploded like fireworks. He looked at Chang Geng for a long time, as if he couldn't get enough, and said in a weak voice: "Give...Give you the name Min, hoping that my son will be bright and carefree. May he live a peaceful life and a long life...Do you have a nickname?"

Chang Geng: "Yes, his name is Chang Geng."

Emperor Yuanhe's lips moved slightly, and there was a hoarse sound in his throat, and he was unable to speak for a while.

Gu Yun had no choice but to step forward, help the old emperor up, pat his back gently, and let him spit out a mouthful of old phlegm. Emperor Yuanhe rolled his eyes and trembled with gasps. He lay back with a sigh and grabbed Gu Yun's hand with a chicken claw.

Gu Yun: "I am here."

Emperor Yuanhe said in a bellows-like voice: "His brothers are all grown up, only my eldest son, Chang Geng, is left. I cannot watch him grow up..."

Gu Yun seemed to sense something and met the old emperor's gaze. The old and the young, the one with tears still on his face and the one who remained expressionless, they only exchanged glances and seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding quickly.

Gu Yun: "I know."

"I entrust this child to you, Zixi. I have no one else but you. You have to take care of him for me..." Emperor Yuanhe's voice became softer and softer, mumbling a long paragraph of nonsense. Gu Yun struggled to make out what he meant, "I want to give him a prince title... Where did you find him?"

Gu Yun: "The geese are returning from the northern border."

"Yan Hui..." Emperor Yuanhe repeated in a low voice, "I have never been there. It is so far away. Then... issue an edict to confer the title of King of Yanbei to the fourth son Li Min, but... ahem... not now. We have to wait until he is crowned..."

Gu Yun listened quietly. In the Daliang Dynasty, single-character titles generally referred to princes. For example, the second prince was given the title of "Prince of Wei". Double-character titles referred to princes of different ranks, which were of a slightly lower rank and were usually given to members of the royal family who were at a higher level.

Emperor Yuanhe: "I am not wronging him, I just can't protect him anymore, and I can't let his brothers feel dissatisfied in the future... Zixi, do you know why I insist that he be crowned before he can inherit the title of king?"

Gu Yun paused and nodded.

Chang Geng had no idea what they were talking about. His heart started beating wildly for unknown reasons, as if he had a premonition of something.

Emperor Yuanhe said, "Because I am going to issue an edict to adopt my son Chang Geng to you. He will stay with you for a few years without any rank or title. Zixi, you must treat him well. Even if you have your own children in the future, don't dislike him. He is more than ten years old and will not bother you for a few years. When he is crowned, you can let him go out and build a mansion. At that time, he will be treated as a prince... I have already chosen the place..."

When Emperor Yuanhe said this, his breath got stuck in his throat and he started coughing violently. Gu Yun wanted to lend a hand to help him, but the old emperor waved him away.

The old emperor felt sadder and sadder as he looked at Chang Geng, whose face turned strangely pale.

He thought to himself, why couldn't such a good child be with him?

Why did he look at it less and less after finally finding it?

Emperor Yuanhe hastily shifted his gaze from Chang Geng, and like a cowardly old boy, he said to Gu Yun: "You must be exhausted after traveling all the way. Let the child go down and rest. I will talk to you for a few more words."

Gu Yun led Chang Geng outside the door and handed him to the eunuch waiting there. He whispered in his ear, "Go and rest first. I'll come find you later."

Chang Geng said nothing, and silently followed the eunuch who led the way away, feeling indescribable.

This time he legitimately became Gu Yun's adopted son, which should have been a good thing, but he inexplicably couldn't feel happy in his heart.

But the words were already spoken, and he could not refuse, resist, or even say a word.

He could only follow the eunuchs who were walking slowly and with their heads down, and walked away from the palace filled with the smell of medicine and death. After walking a few steps, Chang Geng couldn't help but look back at Gu Yun. Just as he saw Gu Yun turning sideways, Marquis Anding had a face that could be painted in a picture. The wide and heavy court robes wrapped around him gave him an indescribable sense of restraint, which made people feel bitter.

"What are you thinking about?" Chang Geng smiled bitterly, thinking to himself, "A few days ago, you were the son of a border centurion, with a mother who would abuse you and poison you, but today you have become the adopted son of Marquis Anding. Can you even dream of such a good thing?"

He was just making fun of himself while feeling helpless about everything around him as the thirteen-year-old boy walked through the dimly lit palace corridor, a total of ninety-nine and eighty-one steps, a walk he would never forget.

The door closed gently, and light smoke rose faintly from the incense burner at the head of the bed.

Emperor Yuanhe said to Gu Yun who was kneeling at the head of the bed: "I remember that when you were young, you and A Yan were the best friends. When you were the same age, standing together, you looked like a pair of jade dolls."

Speaking of the young Third Prince, Gu Yun's expression finally changed: "I am very naughty, and I can't compare to the Third Prince who has been well-educated since childhood."

"You are not naughty," Emperor Yuanhe paused and repeated in a low voice, "Not naughty... If Ayan missed you a little, how could he die so early? A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, and what kind of seed you give birth to will determine what kind of tree you will grow into. Zixi, you have the iron blood of the late emperor flowing in your veins..."

Gu Yun: "I am terrified."

Emperor Yuanhe waved his hands and said, "There are no outsiders here today, so I will tell you a few sincere words. Zixi, you are born to expand the territory, and even wolves will tremble and bow their heads when they see you. But I am always worried that you are too violent and will lose your blessings in the future."

There are rumors that Gu Yun’s grandfather, Emperor Wu, committed too many sins of killing, which led to his miserable old age and he could not keep any of his children.

"Although the King of Wei has a big heart, with you guarding him, the prince's future will be safe. I am just a little worried about you... You must listen to me. Everything is better in excess than in excess. You must cherish your blessings and know when to advance and retreat... The old abbot of the Huguo Temple has watched you grow up since you were a child. The Dharma is boundless. If you have time, go to him more often."

The old bald monk in the Huguo Temple had a bad mouth and once said that Gu Yun was born with bad luck and would bring bad luck to his relatives. Because of this, Gu Yun never set foot in the Huguo Temple.

When the emperor mentioned this, Gu Yun thought to himself, "Oh, I forgot about that old bald donkey. I will definitely settle accounts with him when I have a chance and burn down his rotten Buddhist temple that deceives the world and steals its reputation."

When the old marquis died, the emperor also used this ominous argument to weaken the Black Iron Camp. But in recent years, foreigners have been sailing on the sea, frequently traveling between Daliang, the northern border, the western regions, and even the East China Sea. Where are there no covetous eyes looking greedily at the land of China?

Killing is too sinful and ominous. If the country is in ruins, the territory is filled with smoke of war, the people are displaced, and corpses float for thousands of miles, can we say that peace is the most important thing and everything will be fine?

If Marshal Gu is as sentimental as his distant cousin, then who can the ignorant masses in this great country rely on to defend the territory?

Send the Hanlin scholars in the court to "conquer people with virtue"?

Gu Yun not only wanted to fight, but also wanted to fight once and for all. It would be best if he could directly razed the Western Regions and brought the Western foreigners who coveted the Central Plains to the doorsteps of their homes, so that they would be terrified and would never dare to covet other people's beautiful land again.

When suppressing the rebellion in the Western Regions, Gu Yun had written a letter to make such a request. The emperor might have thought he was crazy and rejected it outright. Not only that, he also sent him to exile in the northern border with such a strange mission as "finding the fourth prince".

Of course, the emperor did not expect that when he pinned Gu Yun down in the northern border, Gu Yun would bring back a barbarian prince for him.

Some people have a murderous nature. If they don't become good generals to expand the territory, they will definitely return to the court and bring disaster to the country and the people.

The dying amorous emperor and the ruthless general in the prime of his life, one lying down and the other kneeling, spoke their hearts out for the last time on the narrow bed, but neither could convince the other.

Emperor Yuanhe looked into his cold eyes and suddenly felt sad.

The old emperor thought, if he had not been greedy for imperial power back then, would he be just an idle prince who was a lackey and a cockfighter now?

If he hadn't met the woman destined for him, he might have given his love to someone else and wouldn't have had to be separated from his wife and children for so many years.

Perhaps only people like Marquis Anding, who are decisive, ruthless and cold-hearted, are qualified to sit on this imperial throne that is piled with thorns and dead bones, right?

Emperor Yuanhe murmured, "Zi Xi...Zi Xi..."

Gu Yun's iron-like expression fluctuated, his eyelashes drooped slightly, and his straight shoulders softened slightly, no longer so inhumanly straight.

Emperor Yuanhe asked: "Will you resent me?"

Gu Yun: "I dare not."

Emperor Yuanhe asked again: "Will you miss me in the future?"

Gu Yun shut up.

The old emperor stared at him relentlessly: "Why don't you speak?"

Gu Yun was silent for a while, not showing much sadness, and just said calmly: "If the emperor dies, Zixi will no longer have any relatives."

Emperor Yuanhe's chest seemed to be grabbed by a hand for an instant. He had never heard this little bastard utter a soft word in his life, but now, just this one sentence seemed to wipe out the unspoken grievances, love and hate between two generations, leaving only a faint attachment that faded away with loneliness under the passing of time.

At this time, a eunuch cautiously reminded at the door: "Your Majesty, it's time to take the medicine."

Gu Yun came back to his senses, raised his head, and turned into the arrogant human weapon again: "Your Majesty, take care of yourself. I will take my leave now."

Emperor Yuanhe suddenly called him by his nickname: "Little Sixteen!"

Gu Yun paused slightly.

Emperor Yuanhe struggled to reach under the pillow and pulled out a string of old wooden Buddhist beads: "Come here, stretch out your hand."

Gu Yun felt a little complicated as he watched the breathless old man put the worthless Buddhist beads on his wrist.

"Cousin... I'm watching you." Emperor Yuanhe patted the back of his hand and said in an almost inaudible voice.

Gu Yun was deeply saddened and could hardly maintain his outward calm, so he had to leave in a hurry.

Three days later, the emperor died.

Civil and military officials, together with millions of common people, once again bid farewell to an era.