The reason why it was so slow was that although Gu Yun had hurriedly traveled back and forth between the capital and Jiangbei, there were still many things to be done on the front line, so Chang Geng could recover during this period. The two of them went back only when Chang Geng was able to move around normally.

On the way back, we happened to encounter a busy time along the canal.

A factory under construction never looks very good, with dust flying everywhere. No matter if they are craftsmen, coolies, or demoted civil servants and imperial merchants, everyone coming in and out is covered in dust, but there is still some order.

Workers were provided with two meals a day. After noon, a group of young and strong refugees who had just laid down their butcher knives gathered together and fished out nests of grains from the large iron carts.

Gu Yun once went there incognito and took a look. He saw that after the nest was opened, it was very solid, with millet being millet and noodles being noodles. It felt very heavy in the hand. It was incomparable to the feast of delicacies served on jade plates at the Qiyuan Tower in the capital back then, and it could not even be considered a simple meal. However, when a group of men who had just finished work gathered together, each holding a piece of dry food and dipping it in a piece of sauce brought by the foreman from home, they ate together, which made people feel at ease.

Near the outskirts of Beijing, Gu Yun rode a horse to follow Chang Geng's carriage, chatting about this along the way, and Chang Geng laughed and said, "The craftsmen may be hired from outside to be foremen and lead everyone to work. Most of the remaining laborers are directly recruited by Du Gong from the refugees who were recruited. In the future, they will stay in the place where they moved bricks and keep this job. For this, I heard that Du Gong asked the Grand Canal Office for an imperial edict to guarantee it in the name of the court. Unless you want to leave, the factory will not drive you away and you will be a here for life."

No one is more eager to settle down and take root than the displaced people. Let these refugees build their own new homes. They can do their work steadily and happily, and there are very few who cheat. Du Wanquan only needs to provide meals, and even saves a lot of wages. Old ladies often call him "Mr. Du" behind his back, and always include his share when worshiping the Buddha. This man is really shrewd.

"That's a good thing," Gu Yun thought for a moment and asked, "In this way, except that my family members don't have their rent reduced, it's a bit like a military household - but civilians are not like the military, what if there are people who don't do their job well or commit crimes?"

"The Military Affairs Council has issued a regulation," Chang Geng said. "I told Jiang Hanshi before I left. It has been sent out along with the imperial edict. There are thirteen articles in total, with some detailed rules. When they finish work every night, someone will explain this to them. If there is irrefutable evidence of a violation, the local branch of the Canal Office can decide to expel them... Well, what's the matter? Are you still worried about collusion between officials and businessmen in the future to bully the workers?"

Gu Yun was stunned for a moment, then laughed and said: "Why, is there any way?"

"Yes," Chang Geng said, "For those who have worked in the factory for more than ten years, as long as more than half of the employees are willing to guarantee him, he can stay and can appeal to the next higher level Canal Office. In fact, even if this is the case, there may not be no problem after a long time. We can slowly make changes when the time comes. There is no reason to achieve it all at once."

Gu Yun: "How long have you been planning this?"

"That's not what I thought," Chang Geng said with a smile, "I just had this vague idea when I first came into contact with Mr. Du. I have been paving the way for so long while constantly discussing and working with them. It has been more than a year before I finally came up with something like this. Mr. Du and his gang have traveled all over the country and have been to the West many times in their lives. They are knowledgeable and quick to react, but they lack a step. I will build the step for him, and then he can take on the responsibility."

Scholars have their pedantry and sentiments, businessmen have their cunning and tactics. Essentially, there is no good or bad in them. It just depends on where those in higher positions are willing to take advantage of the situation.

"By the way, Zixi, I've also heard from Mr. Du that Westerners have a very large and long car," Chang Geng said excitedly as he stuck his head out of the carriage window. "It's on rails and runs very fast, but unlike eagles and giant kites, it can pull many sections behind it. Doesn't that mean you can transport as much stuff as you want? It's much better than the canal, but it takes up a lot of space, so it's hard to coordinate on a long line. I can just take advantage of this opportunity to requisition land for factory construction to reserve space for that thing. To be honest, I really have to thank Yang Lu and his party for their diligence in buying houses and land, which saved me a lot of trouble. Mr. Du plans to start along the canal and ask someone to build one to try - now that the front line in Jiangnan is in a stalemate, it's troublesome to transport food, purple gold and lighters from the capital. If one day it can be built..."

Gu Yun may not have any insights into matters concerning the national economy and people's livelihood, but he is extremely perceptive about defense and military affairs. He understood the meaning of the words after just one listen and hurriedly said, "Speak more carefully."

Chang Geng did not continue, but waved at him, as if he was going to whisper something. Gu Yun urged his horse to catch up a little, bent down slightly and asked, "Why, is there something you cannot reveal now?"

"It's not that I can't tell you, but..." Chang Geng hesitated for a moment.

Gu Yun was confused for a moment, and didn't realize the principle of keeping this matter secret. At this moment, Chang Geng suddenly poked his head out of the car and quickly took advantage of his lips.

Gu Yun: “…”

Chang Geng turned his eyes and saw that no one was paying attention to the carriage, so he whispered: "Let me go again when we get home tonight, and I will show you the blueprint."

Gu Yun held the reins and leaned back gently: "How many times have I let you do this? You either act like a spoiled child by relying on your injuries or you act like a spoiled child by cheating on me - no way."

Chang Geng was good in every way, except for one thing: he was too controlling, especially towards Gu Yun. He wanted to do everything from dressing to feeding. On weekdays, he would intentionally restrain himself and try not to make Gu Yun uncomfortable... But when it came to bed, he couldn't care less.

Chang Geng whispered softly, "Foster father, if I can't serve you well, I can learn from you."

Gu Yun: "...Son, you don't have to work so hard."

Having passed the Beidaying camp, Gu Yun was no longer wearing armor, but only a casual robe with cuffs wider than his waist.

Chang Geng reached out and grabbed his sleeve, shaking it left and right without saying a word.

When they passed a village on the way, they happened to see a three or four-year-old child crying and pulling the sleeves of an adult, asking for candy. From then on, Chang Geng didn't know what was wrong with him, he learned the trick exactly and was determined to carry it forward.

When he was a child, there was no sleeve in the world for him to pull. Even though he has grown up now, he still seems to have regrets and wants to get them all back from Gu Yun.

Gu Yun laughed and got goose bumps: "If you say no, then no, let go - Your Highness, do you want to be ashamed?"

Chang Geng refused to let go, and was determined to turn him into a "homosexual" in public.

When Shen Yi and Jiang Chong were leading their men out of the city, they saw King Yan sitting in the carriage from afar, leaning his head out to talk to Gu Yun. Gu Yun let his majestic horse stroll lazily, with a smile on his eyes but a tight mouth, ignoring his words.

The first time King Yan said something, Gu Yun tapped the back of his hand, forcing him to involuntarily let go of his hand.

King Yan didn't seem to give up and said something again. Gu Yun pulled down the curtain of his carriage, as if he wanted to avoid seeing it and forget about it.

When King Yan pulled open the carriage curtain for the third time and showed his head, Gu Yun finally couldn't hold back his laughter, and waved his hands as if he was afraid of him, as if he had compromised.

Jiang Chong was stunned.

Shen Yi sighed, "It's a good thing the Marshal doesn't have any children, otherwise he would have spoiled a child who is even better than his father. I think he can't say 'no' to His Royal Highness Prince Yan three times. What's wrong with asking twice? If you ask again the third time, he will definitely agree."

Jiang Chong hadn't come back to his senses yet: "I thought the Marquis had been away from the capital for a long time, and the relationship between him and the Prince of Yan was only in name only. It seems that their relationship is really deep."

Shen Yi's thoughts went astray when he heard the word "affection". His feeling of lamenting that Gu Yun couldn't be a strict father suddenly changed. He cursed in his heart, "Gu Zixi is a lustful person who has never been serious in his life. What kind of morality is he showing in broad daylight?"

Gu Yun, who was "blinded by lust", felt an itchy nose and turned his head to sneeze. When he turned around, he saw Lord Jiang with a look of "I am very relieved to see the reconciliation between the generals and the ministers" and Admiral Shen with a look of "Pay attention to the impact, it's embarrassing" on his forehead.

Prince Yan, who had become dignified again, was invited into the palace before he had time to get off the car.

Shen Yi glared at Gu Yun with condemnation. Gu Yun, who had just agreed to something that was extremely humiliating to the country, was now regretting it and asked unhappily, "What are you looking at?"

Admiral Shen, the old scholar, righteously accused: "I'm not saying that you are too unreasonable sometimes."

Gu Yun: "What's wrong with me?"

Shen Yi: "Like a pervert who has been seduced by a vixen."

Gu Yun: “…”

It's really an injustice like "thunder in winter" and "snow in summer", and there's no way to defend myself... I really want to break off all ties with Mr. Shen.

Fortunately, before he could kill Admiral Shen, Shen Yi stopped him with business: "I calculated that you should arrive in the next few days, so I didn't send anyone to send you a letter. I have two important things to tell you - first, Calais Yinghuo of the Northern Barbarians has sent someone."

Gu Yun's expression changed.

Ever since the Black Iron Camp caught its breath and quelled the rebellion in the west, it has been stationed in the north with a covetous eye, which has greatly alleviated the pressure on the defense of the northern border - the Black Iron Camp is Calais Yinghuo's lifelong nightmare, and with them around, the eighteen wolf kings dare not act rashly.

But the northern border has always been poor, and raising cattle and sheep depends on the will of God. In this battle, Daliang still lost all his wealth, not to mention Calais Yinghuo, who was obsessed with revenge and neglected production.

If this continues, it is natural that they can't afford to waste time.

Gu Yun: "Come to negotiate?"

"Well," Shen Yi nodded, "This matter didn't have time to be reported to the court. The emperor summoned a few of us to the palace to discuss the other party's conditions - do you know how I feel?"

Gu Yun's eyebrows jumped.

Shen Yi said, "Just like when the old wolf king offered to pay the purple flowing gold and offered himself as a hostage. The wording and tone are familiar, humble and sincere, and the conditions are very straightforward. Zixi, do you believe them?"

Gu Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly said: "I don't really believe it. Barbarians are different from Westerners. Westerners are just greedy, but barbarians are sworn enemies - especially Calais Yinghuo."

Shen Yi asked hurriedly: "What do you mean?"

"Since Jialai took over the Eighteen Tribes, he has done nothing but revenge on the Central Plains," Gu Yun said, "They are now coming to negotiate. There are only two possibilities. Either Jialai has been usurped by someone from the Eighteen Tribes, or he is planning something bad."

Shen Yi: "We can't rule out the possibility that the eighteen tribes really can't hold on..."

"No, it's not winter yet. I don't believe they are at the end of their rope," Gu Yun said. "Listen to me, Calais is a mad dog. Mad dogs don't care whether they eat meat or grass. They just bite people. By the way, what does the emperor say?"

"Your Majesty..." Shen Yi paused for a moment and lowered his voice, "This is the second thing I want to tell you. Your Majesty may not be doing well recently."

Gu Yun was stunned.

"Now the grand court meeting has been changed to once every fifteen days, on the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month. Other important matters that need to be discussed are brought to the small court meeting, which is hosted by the Military Affairs Office and sent to the Western Warm Pavilion for the emperor's approval. I feel that the emperor has become more and more unable to stand the noise and shouting of a bunch of people in the grand court meeting recently," Shen Yi whispered, "Just like this, at the first day of this month, during the grand court meeting, as soon as the eunuch said to adjourn the court, the emperor stood up and stepped on his dragon robe, and almost rolled off the throne hall. The guards in front of the hall caught him with all their might, but here..."

Shen Yi pointed at his calf and said, "I broke it right away and I haven't been able to get out of bed since. I think this might be the reason why he hurriedly summoned Prince Yan to the palace."

Gu Yun was shocked: "Can a fall break bones? This is too much."

"The doctors were afraid to speak and could not come up with an answer. Later, Miss Chen was asked to take a look. She said that it was due to years of overwork and an unhealthy diet, which had caused the bones to become loose and break when he fell. Some people say that the late emperor was like that..."

No wonder the imperial doctors all kept their mouths shut. Only Chen Qingxu, who often went outside the Great Wall, dared to speak the truth.

This country is too exhausting.

Shen Yi glanced around and saw that the troops who came out to welcome Prince Yan had all left with Jiang Chong. Gu Yun left his personal guards in the North Camp, with only a few family generals around him. He lowered his voice and said to Gu Yun in an almost inaudible voice: "Because of the Lu family incident, the imperial concubine was also implicated and was directly stripped of her position as a concubine. Although nothing happened on the surface, in fact, she was basically banished to the cold palace. The prince is so young and his mother's family has no help. If the emperor really... what do you think he meant by rushing to call Prince Yan into the palace? Is he entrusting the orphan to someone else or..."

Gu Yun glanced at him, and Shen Yi automatically shut up.

When the imperial city was about to fall, Li Feng mentioned the matter of passing the throne - not to the crown prince, but to Prince Yan.

Considering the situation back then where a single word could lead to the destruction of a country and the fall of a family, the little prince is indeed not capable of supporting a country with the surname Li. Although the country has not been recovered now, the northern barbarians have already sent people to ask for peace. After a few years of recuperation, they will surely be able to fight. Will the emperor pass the throne to his younger brother instead of his son?

Gu Yun suddenly remembered the time when the Imperial Guards rebelled, and Li Feng suddenly mentioned to him something completely unrelated - "Prince Yan was abused by a barbarian woman when he was a child" -

Li Feng doesn't seem like the kind of person who would ask questions proactively, so it's very likely that Chang Geng took the initiative to tell him. What kind of occasion could it be?

Although Chang Geng and Li Feng are brothers, they are not close. Gu Yun knows that Chang Geng is a little wolf cub. He will not even touch the hair of someone he is not close to. It is impossible for him to take the initiative to confess his childhood wounds to gain sympathy, unless... Gu Yun suddenly thought of a possibility with a flash of inspiration: By the way, Prince Yan has been an adult for several years, why does no one care about his lifelong affairs? Even if others are not convenient to mention it, has Li Feng forgotten it?

Therefore, the nonsensical words that Emperor Longan said that day might have a second half - "He has a grudge and is unwilling to marry and have children"!

If Prince Yan has no offspring, it means that no one will be able to shake the young prince's position in the future, so he may be able to hand over the important task of taking care of the young prince to Chang Geng.

Li Feng always wanted the little prince to contact him, on the one hand to ease the relationship, and on the other hand to pave the way for his son!

What these people are thinking...

Shen Yi: "Do you think there is a possibility that the emperor will pass the throne to Prince Yan?"

"Hush - don't mention it again," Gu Yun said, "Don't get involved. Remember what we do."

Shen Yi quickly responded: "Actually, I have one more thing... well, it's a private matter."

Gu Yun looked at Shen Yi in surprise: "What?"

Shen Yi scratched his head for a moment: "Are you familiar with Miss Chen?"