Gu Yun slept until almost noon.

He was in a very unhappy mood the night before and was drinking to drown his sorrows. He got too drunk and when he got up his bones and flesh were stiff and he felt more tired than if he had not slept all night.

Someone placed a bowl of hangover soup on the small table next to him. Gu Yun pinched his nose and took it over to drink it all. Only then did he open his dry eyes. He sat blankly by the bed for a while, reflecting quickly, and in a half-asleep state, he realized that he had been inexplicably anxious recently.

"Is it that serious?" Gu Yun yawned and asked himself.

If you think about it carefully, of course that’s not the case.

The national treasury has been in a bit of a difficult situation in recent years, and military spending has of course been tight as well, but it is not so tight that the country cannot make ends meet.

The weather was relatively good. Several floods, earthquakes, and a drought two or three years ago were not particularly serious. The Central Plains is so vast that if the Dragon King in any cloud had a fit, the court would have to worry about disaster relief. The past few years since the first year of Long'an were rare years of peace and tranquility.

There were two cases in Jiangnan and Southwest. Although they were quite loud and made the emperor panic, in Gu Yun's eyes, they were just minor incidents. In the East China Sea, the King of Wei was obviously not ready, and Zi Liujin leaked his whereabouts. In the South Xinjiang incident, many forces collided, and Fu Zhicheng probably didn't even have the intention of rebelling at the beginning. In short, it was not as dangerous as chasing sand bandits in the desert.

Compared with the time when the country had no strong army and he had to take the lead in fighting against the six rebellious Western Regions, what is it?

At that time, he didn't know every day whether he could see the sun tomorrow, and his mind was free of distractions. Now, he is in a high position and has great power. He is leisurely watching the iron golem dancing in his own yard, and even drowning his sorrows in alcohol. What a loser!

After watering, he seemed to do something unnecessary...

What were you doing?

"Oh, right," Gu Yun rubbed his temple in a daze, thinking, "It seems that I flirted with a girl and scared her."

"This is too outrageous." Gu Yun muttered to himself while washing and changing clothes.

Halfway through the change, he suddenly paused - no, the Marquis's Mansion doesn't even have a mare, so where did this maid come from!

Gu Yun finally woke up completely. He pondered for a while with a pale face. He turned around and lifted the quilt - he saw a small object rolling down from the corner of the bed. It was the leather purse on Chang Geng's body.

Gu Yun: “…”

Shen Yi couldn't drink much and got even drunker than Gu Yun. Gu Yun broke into the guest room and dragged him out of bed early in the morning before he woke up.

"Let me tell you something." Gu Yun's expression was as stern as if he had seen a ghost.

Shen Yi did not dare to neglect it. A bunch of thoughts were running through his mind: Did Fu Zhicheng escape from prison? Was Feng Hangong convicted by the emperor? Did the northern barbarians invade? Or did the Dizhu Central Plains garrison rebel?

He suppressed his discomfort, tried to calm himself down, and waited to hear what Gu Yun said.

As a result, the man surnamed Gu hesitated for a long time, his eyes wandering from the roof beams to the tips of his shoes, without even farting.

Shen Yi asked anxiously, "What happened?"

Gu Yun: "...Forget it, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

Shen Yi went crazy on the spot, his hair standing up three feet high. How come this guy who was only speaking half a sentence hadn't been chopped to death yet?

"Wait," Shen Yi rushed over and grabbed Gu Yun, saying angrily, "What's going on?"

Gu Yun was now following the "evidence" on his bed and slowly recalling his drunken memories. Everything he said and did came back to him vividly - it was so embarrassing, so vulgar, and so despicable.

Gu Yun covered his face: What is this all about?

He felt his stomach reflux with acid, and asked Shen Yi in pain, "Am I drunk and going crazy?"

"You haven't drunk too much, have you?" Shen Yi hugged the quilt and huddled at the head of the bed - they were at the border all year round, and although they drank, they didn't dare to get drunk, otherwise it would be bad if they accidentally made mistakes in military affairs.

"Why?" Shen Yi looked at Gu Yun's face and asked with interest, "What embarrassing thing did you do yesterday?"

Gu Yun reached out and pushed Shen Yi, who was watching the fun and not minding any trouble, face down into the quilt. He floated away in a daze, thinking that he should find a belt to hang himself.

At first, Gu Yun was still somewhat hopeful and thought: "Little Chang Geng wouldn't argue with a drunkard, would he? If it were me, I wouldn't take it to heart."

...At most we can make fun of this for a year or two.

However, this bit of luck soon disappeared, because Gu Yun remembered that Chang Geng, who was pressed on the bed by him yesterday, had been trembling the whole time. It seemed that Chang Geng might not only take it to heart, but was also extremely angry.

Gu Yun held Chang Geng's purse with a sad face, as if he was holding a bag of gunpowder that was about to explode at any time.

The faint soothing fragrance permeated the air, and Gu Yun sniffed it while secretly thinking: "Should I pretend to be confused? Or pretend that I don't know? Or pretend that nothing happened?"

Before he could make up his mind, the old housekeeper came over, and Gu Yun asked like a gentleman: "Uncle Wang, where is the Fourth Prince?"

The old butler replied, "I was just about to tell the Marquis that His Highness left for the Huguo Temple early in the morning."

Gu Yun: “…”

Ran away from home directly!

The old housekeeper didn't notice his expression of swallowing a mouthful of coptis root, and continued, "By the way, yesterday Lord Jiang from the Dali Temple sent a painting to the Marquis to celebrate his birthday, and there was also a letter inside. Would the Marquis like to take a look?"

Gu Yun was stunned: "Show it to me."

Although Shen Yi somehow became a general by following Gu Yun, he was indeed a scholar in the imperial examination. Jiang Chong, the Minister of the Dali Temple, was his fellow student. He became acquainted with Gu Yun through this relationship. Later, they found that they had a similar temperament and gradually became friends. However, in order to avoid suspicion, the two did not interact very often.

Gu Yun quickly scanned the letter and immediately stopped paying attention to Chang Geng who was angry with him.

In addition to greeting him, Jiang Chong briefly told him a piece of news - the emperor planned to burn his boats and completely eliminate the purple gold black market.

This sentence alone contains so much information.

That evening, Qiyuan Tower was still bustling with people. In the Tianzihao private room, Shen Yi, the trusted governor of the southwest, hosted his old schoolmates in the capital and his peers from Lingshu Academy. Shen Yi was about to take up a post in the southwest. Although the location was remote, it was a glorious promotion after all, and his old friends had been clamoring for him to treat them.

After three rounds of drinks, Marquis Anding also showed up in person, but he only stayed for a while and left early, saying that he had something to do at home. Not long after he left, Jiang Chong, who was then the Chief Justice of the Dali Temple, also said goodbye and left.

Jiang Chong did not take a car when he left Qiyuan Tower. He sent his family away and said he wanted to take a walk to sober up. He then took a servant with him and took a shortcut along the cold river and snowy willows downstairs.

As the path turned, there was already an unremarkable old carriage waiting there. The curtain was opened, revealing half of Gu Yun's face: "It's too cold. I'll give Brother Hanshi a ride."

Jiang Chong said "thank you" and got into his car tacitly.

Lord Jiang is already in his forties, but you can't tell from his face. Apart from his calm demeanor, it's not an exaggeration to say that he is a young gentleman.

After getting in the car and warming his hands with Gu Yun's small stove, Jiang Chong didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "After the Marquis left the palace that day, the emperor secretly summoned the three officials. From what I heard from him, he might not only want to restart the 'Gold Melting Order', but also plan to take a two-pronged approach and make some moves along the aftermath of the rebellion in Southern Xinjiang, starting from the southwest and thoroughly investigating the purple gold black market in the country."

The so-called "Gold-Ronging Order" happened during the reign of Gu Yun's maternal grandfather, Emperor Wu of Liang. At that time, sea transportation had just begun, and the private use of purple gold by the people was once difficult to curb. In order to strengthen the control over purple gold, Emperor Wu issued four strict orders, which were later called the "Gold-Ronging Order".

However, as more and more civilian lighters and steel armors became available, the Rongjin Order gradually became less applicable and was abolished during the reign of Emperor Yuanhe.

Jiang Chong: "Your Majesty will probably go back to the northwest in the spring. Logically speaking, even if the capital changes, it won't affect Your Majesty. But if the emperor wants to crack down on the black market of purple gold, I'm afraid Your Majesty will stay in the border for a long time. Then you may be in trouble. Please be careful..."

It is impossible for Jiang Chong to point directly at Gu Yun's nose and say "I know you have bad hands, and we have been investigating strictly recently. I will clear all the black market lines in your hands and let you be quiet for two days". When he said this, the hint was already quite clear.

Gu Yun knew it in his heart and said gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Hanshi, for your advice."

Seeing that the topic had been touched upon, Jiang Chong stopped talking and changed the subject with a wry smile, "Once Zi Liu Jin is involved, we will inevitably have to face a group of extremely vicious criminals. It's okay that they are extremely vicious in the martial arts world, but they are probably secretly connected with many important officials in the court. Who should we investigate and who should we not investigate? How should we investigate? Alas, to be honest with you, Lord, I have no idea now."

If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I don’t know whether Emperor Long An wants to bring peace to the country or stir up chaos.”

Gu Yun knew his difficulty and comforted him, "Brother Hanshi, don't worry. Once the news comes out, anyone who is not too blind will know to keep a low profile. Who among us is not more nervous than you? If there is really any difficulty at that time, send someone to send me a message. Now that I don't have the Black Iron Tiger Talisman, the garrisons in various places are not under my control, but I still have to give them some face."

Jiang Chong smiled bitterly, "Thank you very much, Lord. First it was the Zhangling Law, then the Rongjin Order... I seldom leave the capital, so I don't know many things. I just heard people say that in the early years, 'white fog dyed the long streets, and no one was seen during the night watch'. The grand scene that everyone said they would travel by 'flying horse' in the future is long gone."

Gu Yun fiddled with the old wooden beads in his hand from time to time, and did not respond. He changed the subject and asked, "How is Lord Feng Han?"

"He's still in custody," Jiang Chong said. "Don't worry, I've taken care of him. Does the Marquis intend to write a petition on behalf of Lord Fenghan?"

Gu Yun smiled bitterly and said, "Me? My letter can only hasten his death. In fact, there is no need to explain it clearly. Many of the artifacts in the palace are made by Lingshuyuan. The emperor will naturally remember his good points when he sees them. Lord Fenghan is obsessed with lighters and does not understand human nature. Even his bad temper, the emperor knows it. It will be fine after two days."

It was said lightly, but how to cleverly bring up Lord Fenghan, who raised a dog as a son, after the emperor had calmed down, so that the emperor would be both angry and amused and unable to lose his temper, required a lot of deliberate planning.

Jiang Chong glanced at Gu Yun and knew that he had probably already made arrangements in secret. Marquis Anding grew up in the palace, so it was not surprising that he had a few useful people, but...

Jiang Chong whispered, "My Lord has returned from the northwest this time and seems to have become more tactful in his dealings with others."

Gu Yun replied meaningfully: "When there are tigers and wolves outside, we dare not not use all our strength. When the country is not stable, we dare not despise ourselves. There is no point in fighting for useless loyalty and temper."

The two exchanged information in a few words, and Jiang Chong said goodbye and left. Before leaving, he suddenly stopped and said to Gu Yun, "To be disrespectful, in the past two years, the local areas have reported how good the harvest is, and there are steam lighters that can weave cloth and make clothes, but our country's treasury is not full. All kinds of laws are like shackles. I really have an illusion that after so many years, Daliang has returned to the reign of Emperor Wu."

Gu Yun smiled and said, "To be honest with you, Brother Hanshi, I have also been feeling anxious for no apparent reason in the past year or two. But when I think about it, I feel that it doesn't make sense. Maybe people are like this, always wanting to get better day by day. Once there is a temporary stagnation, even if you are already in a high position, you will feel frustrated, right?"

Jiang Chong's expression changed, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Gu Yun asked: "What?"

The Dali Temple official whispered, "We investigators sometimes have a hunch that comes out of nowhere, but it's very likely to come true. The more experienced a person is, the more accurate their hunch is. Your Majesty has been on the battlefield and experienced life and death. Your hunch may really be a sign of something... Please take care."

Gu Yun was stunned for a moment, and said nothing more. The two of them said goodbye and left with heavy hearts.

When Gu Yun returned to the Marquis' Mansion, it was already dark. He asked the guards and was told that Chang Geng had not returned yet. He only brought a message saying that Master Ran had returned to the Huguo Temple and planned to stay there for a few more days.

Gu Yun could only helplessly think: "Just stay here, it's better to come back after you calm down."

Who knew that Chang Geng, whether because he had an "extraordinary temper" or something, stayed for four or five days, as if he wanted to settle down there. Gu Yun could not stay in the capital for many days in total, and if he left, he might not see him for several years. Finally, he could not hold back any longer and went to the Huguo Temple with a pinched nose.

Monk Liaoran was still the same. Throughout the year, he only met distinguished guests during the few days he returned to Huguo Temple. He could wash himself as clear as a lotus in water, and acted like a ghost every day. That afternoon, he finally got some free time and played chess with Changgeng in the meditation room. The two of them talked using gestures. It was quiet and silent, but they said a lot.

Chang Geng: "I want to ask the master something - what happened to my adoptive father's eyes and hearing?"

Liao Ran gestured quickly and replied: "Those who talk about others behind their backs will have a bad ending."

"I must know about this matter." Chang Geng said solemnly, "and I will definitely get to the bottom of it. If the master doesn't tell me, I will find someone else."

Monk Liangran stared at him for a moment.

After a long time, Liaoran carefully replied in sign language: "The monk only heard a rough idea. When the Marquis was a child, he was taken to the northern border by the old Marquis and the princess. At that time, the war between Daliang and the northern barbarians had already subsided, and there should have been no danger. Unexpectedly, a group of northern barbarians fought desperately and broke into our garrison. The Marquis was injured by a stray arrow, which happened to be a barbarian's poisonous arrow."

This statement coincided with Gu Yun's excuse.

Chang Geng asked, "What kind of poison?"

Le Ran shook his head and said, "Your Highness is Miss Chen's apprentice. You should know that the barbarian's poison is something that even the Chen family is helpless against. The poison is very powerful. Those who are hit by the poison arrows will become paralyzed and die within a few days. However, the effect on children is much slower. Back then, Mr. Chen rushed from Shanxi to the Northern Frontier garrison overnight, staying up for two days and nights, and used the Chen family's golden needle skills to save the young marquis' life, but his eyesight and hearing were severely damaged afterwards."

Chang Geng frowned slightly: "Northern Frontier..."

If this was done by the Northern Barbarians, how do you explain Shen Yi's words "They destroyed you like that"?

Could it be that he was just talking nonsense because he was drunk?

At this time, a young monk suddenly came in and reported: "Your Majesty, Uncle Liaoran, Marquis Anding is here."