Chang Geng's face turned red from his scalp to his heels. He was so cooked that he was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and his seven orifices were filled with fragrance. He was so angry that he couldn't even scream.

Madam Cao was very envious of this treatment. She drooled and looked at Marshal Gu's back in a daze. She bit Fatty Ge's ear and said, "If I can let the Marquis carry me once in my lifetime, it will be worth dying for!"

Fatty Ge was very loyal. Upon hearing this, he wiped his nose immediately, took a firm horse stance, sank his qi into his dantian, puffed out his chest and held his breath, patted his shoulders as if he was about to carry a heavy bag, and said with a fearless attitude: "Come on!"

Madam Cao looked at him for a moment, spat, and ran away angrily with small steps turning their feet inward.

On New Year's Eve, the Imperial Guards could not stop it.

When they got outside, Gu Yun finally remembered to save some face for his godson and let him go.

Chang Geng's face was as gloomy as water. He walked in front with big strides, his back straight enough to serve as a flagpole, his cloak billowing and fluttering behind him, and he already had the model of a tall and dignified person in the future.

Gu Yun rubbed his nose, chased after him and said with a shameless smile: "Are you angry?"

Chang Geng shook off the hand on his shoulder and said stiffly, "How dare I."

Gu Yun: "Don't you get tired of not leaving the house every day? Kid..."

Chang Geng gave him a sinister look. Gu Yun rarely looked at him and quickly corrected him, "Young man - young people should be more lively. You've only lived for a few years and you're tired of the world?"

Chang Geng had nothing to say to such a lively adoptive father. He had a wooden face and said nothing. He tried to wave away Gu Yun's hand again, but he just happened to touch Gu Yun's fingertips and shivered from the cold.

Chang Geng frowned and grabbed Gu Yun's hand. He saw that the claws were blue with cold, as cold as a dead body just dug out from the ground. It's not like you have a burning heart, but running around in the streets in a single layer of clothes in the cold winter, how can you not feel cold?

He is simply bored!

Chang Geng felt distressed, and his anger grew. While he was sulking, he quickly took off his cloak and put it on Gu Yun without saying anything. Gu Yun had to lower his head, but he did not dodge. He indulged him to button his collar. He smiled and enjoyed the filial respect. He thought, "It's great to have a son. When little Chang Geng grows up, I will find someone to have another child myself. It would be even better if I could have a girl."

On New Year's Eve in the capital, starting from the third quarter of the evening, a long trumpet is sounded every quarter to remind people that the coming year is approaching.

The whole city was filled with the blast of gongs, drums and firecrackers, red paper fluttering in all directions like colorful butterflies, by the river, on top of buildings, in the middle of the road... everywhere were people with two legs. Chang Geng felt his scalp tingling at the mere sight of them - it was as if all the people in the world were crowded into the small city of Beijing. Compared to this bustle, the annual market in Yanhui City that squeezed people into the river was simply desolate and lonely.

Whether it was Gu Yun who forced him to go out, or the enthusiastic Fatty Ge and Madam Cao, they were all so unreasonable in Chang Geng's eyes at this moment. He grabbed Gu Yun's cold hand, trying his best to warm him up, while also making sure the two country kids who were looking around didn't get lost. Even though there were a few mysterious guards from the Black Iron Camp around, he was still busy and exhausted.

Maybe some people are born to worry.

At this time, a long sound like an eagle's cry or a crane's cry came from the air, and the crowd cheered.

"Red-headed Kite!"

"Look, the first red-headed kite of the year has taken flight!"

The capital is an important place, under the feet of the emperor, and there is usually an air ban. Countless white rainbow arrows are installed on the nine gates. Even if it is a black eagle, if it dares to approach the capital from the sky, it will only end up being shot down.

The only exception is New Year's Eve.

A broad road leads directly out of the imperial city, where stands the symbol of the entire Central Plains - the "Qiyuan Tower".

It is said that when the Westerners who sailed across the ocean on large ships first arrived in the Central Plains, the only two places of interest they knew were the Imperial Palace and the Qiyuan Tower.

Qiyuan Tower is not a tower, but was built by the late emperor in the 21st year of Yuanhe period with the cut military budget. It was used to welcome guests from all directions and is very magnificent. It is divided into two areas, north and south. The north area has a row of dome towers and is named "Yunmeng Grand View", while the south area is a high platform. Some people joked behind its back that it is the "Star Picking Platform". Of course, no one dared to call it that in person, so people generally called it the "Tingyuan Platform".

It faces north and south, symbolizing the roundness of the sky and the squareness of the earth, and is in sight of the imperial palace.

Every New Year's Eve, Tingyuantai becomes the center of the entire capital city. Famous prostitutes and actors from all over the country would try their best to go up and sing a song. There would be huge crowds of onlookers below the stage, and there would also be no shortage of dignitaries on the observation deck of Yunmeng Grand View.

At three quarters past the hour of You, twenty red-headed kites will rise around the Kite Platform.

The Red Headed Kite and the Border Giant Kite have similar principles, but the Giant Kite terrifies countless barbarians, while the Red Headed Kite is purely for fun. It is in the shape of a boat, with red koi carved on both ends, and it rises to the sky with 81 flaming wings. The boat is tied to the kite platform with a special translucent rope that looks like spider silk.

As the flaming wings spread, more than twenty red-headed kites like red koi fish hung steadily in the air, swaying slightly and dancing gracefully. The night sky of the imperial capital was like water.

The view from upstairs is excellent. There is a private room and a circle of terraces. Wine and food can be sent up along the spider-web-like ropes. When you are up there, you can see the lights of thousands of homes and the red walls of the palace.

Gu Yun led the three teenagers up the stairs along the path next to the Tingyuan Terrace with ease. The night guard recognized him and was surprised. He was about to bow his head and greet him, but Gu Yun waved his hand lightly to stop him: "You are here to play with the children, don't be polite - have you seen General Shen?"

A fire waiter ran over from afar and said, "My Lord, please come this way. General Shen is waiting for you on the Red Head Kite."

Gu Yun nodded calmly, but in his heart he couldn't help but admire her - he actually just brought Chang Geng and the others to join in the fun, and he had never expected that Shen Yi was so omnipotent that he actually ordered a ship.

Fatty Ge stared at the red-headed eagle with his eyes wide open, and then asked Gu Yun, "My Lord, are we going to ascend to heaven?"

Gu Yun: "Don't worry, it will rise in a few decades. Let's go up and check it out today."

Chang Geng listened to the two people's auspicious words on New Year's Eve, and really wanted to shut their mouths tightly.

The private room on the Red Head Kite was as warm as spring. As soon as Gu Yun entered the room, he took off his cloak and put it on the back of the chair.

Shen Yi had already ordered a table of food and wine. There were also several beautiful young men and women standing by in the private room. Some of them were so bold that they kept stealing glances at Lord Gu.

Gu Yun took a quick look and was stunned at first - Shen Yi was a scholar who aged prematurely. He even thought that Western paintings were dirty and made his eyes dirty. He had been pretending to be serious for twenty years, so how could he have left behind such a group of young tender flesh?

Immediately, he cast a questioning look at him, and Shen Yi whispered in his ear, "This is what the King of Wei insisted on giving to you after hearing about it."

Gu Yun was speechless for a while, his face showing no signs of joy or anger.

The fire attendant was very observant and immediately stepped forward and asked, "My Lord, would you like to light the fire?"

Gu Yun paused for a moment and nodded: "Let's order - by the way, call the brothers guarding the terrace to come in for the New Year's Eve dinner. There are no outsiders today, so there is no need to be formal."

Upon receiving the order, the fire attendant immediately and respectfully withdrew from the red-headed kite, jumped off the terrace deck, and sang a long song in response.

Several soldiers from the Black Iron Camp came in and saluted in unison in a well-trained manner: "Marshal!"

For a moment, the coldness of the black iron instantly invaded the ten-foot soft red dust, and the ambiguous atmosphere in the private room was immediately dispelled.

Gu Yun glanced at the waiters who were tactfully leaving. One of them was particularly pleasing to the eye and even glanced at him lovingly before leaving. Gu Yun smiled at her, but at the same time thought regretfully in his heart that with three half-grown children by his side, his entertainment in the middle of the night might only be limited to flirting.

Shen Yi coughed sanctimoniously, and Gu Yun looked away as if nothing had happened. He complained in a group, "The King of Wei is already quite old, but he is really out of tune."

Shen Yi smiled wryly and said, "Haha."

Fortunately, the three young men were attracted by the groups of flaming wings that were lighting up around the red-headed kites. They all leaned over the windows to look out and did not notice the dirty adults in the house who were doing things in secret.

The sound of the fire wings exploding was buzzing, and a warm breeze swept in with a "whoosh", making the window frames rustle. Chang Geng felt his feet go empty and he couldn't help but grab the edge of the wooden window. Madam Cao was shouting beside him, and the whole red-headed kite was shaking slightly and rising into the sky.

At this moment, at the hour of Xu, a ball of fireworks suddenly rose from the kite platform and exploded among the twenty or so red-headed kites, dyeing the spider silks connecting them orange-red.

The kite-stopping platform slowly rose up, with iron gears interlocking with each other below. A dancer in red appeared holding a pipa and began to sing.

There is nothing more prosperous than this in heaven and on earth.

Shen Yi opened a bottle of wine and poured a glass for Gu Yun: "This is the tribute they paid the first year after the rebellion in the Western Regions was quelled. Fine grape wine in a luminous cup. Fine wine should be paired with heroes. Have a taste."

Gu Yun stared at the luminous cup for a moment, his expression dimmed. He took it, took a sip and put it down again - it wasn't that the wine was bad, but it just felt a little off.

Gu Yun: "Forget it, I'm not used to this, let's switch to Huadiao. It seems that I'm not a hero but a bear - Hey, everyone, sit down, don't worry about the three of them, they have already eaten at home, let them have fun"

As he spoke, he began to feel his vision blurry, so he lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, knowing that the effect of the medicine he had taken a few days ago might be wearing off.

It takes about half an hour for the effect of the drug to wear off, and he will usually become blind first and then deaf.

As soon as Shen Yi saw his little movement, he knew what was going on: "My Lord?"

"It's alright," Gu Yun shook his head, changed the wine, raised his glass to the table and said, "You are all warriors picked from thousands of miles away in Daliang. You followed me, but you have neither wealth nor power. The frontier is poor, and even the salary is so little. You have all been wronged. Let me toast to you brothers first."

Gu Yun finished speaking, drank it in one gulp, and then without further ado, he filled another cup for himself: "The second cup is for the brothers who stayed in the Western Regions. Back then, I was ignorant and took them out, and failed to bring them back..."

Shen Yi: "Marshal, it's New Year's Day, stop talking."

Gu Yun smiled, then really stopped talking, raised his glass and drank it all, then filled it up again.

"The third cup," Gu Yun said softly, "I toast to the Heaven and Earth. May the gods and demons treat my comrades' souls well."

Chang Geng stood by the window. He didn't know when the magnificent scenery outside could no longer attract him. He turned sideways and stared at Gu Yun without blinking.

He had never seen Gu Yun raise his cup dejectedly and drink it all in one gulp. Such a foster father was almost a stranger to him.

Come to think of it, Gu Yun never lost his temper in front of him, and rarely showed signs of tiredness or unhappiness. It seemed as if he was always teasing him, and he was both amiable and hateful - it seemed that apart from this side, many other expressions were inconvenient to show him.

Because he was just a helpless child.

Chang Geng suddenly felt a desire to become powerful immediately.

At this time, Fatty Ge suddenly turned around and shouted, "My Lord! General Shen, the foreigners brought a bunch of wild beasts to dance! Come and see!"