Chang Geng claimed that in order to avoid suspicion, even if he occasionally stayed overnight in the palace, he would never set foot in the harem. All matters in the harem were still under the control of the queen. Fortunately, Li Feng's harem was not prosperous, and the queen's sickly condition could barely be handled. An emperor who came to the palace to report all day and then resigned after leaving the court was unheard of in history. At the beginning, some people stood up and said that such unreasonable laws were scolded back. When the emperor ascended the throne, he claimed that he was just an "acting emperor". Now he is acting conscientiously and does not overstep the boundaries. Why are there always flatterers who are afraid that the world will not be in chaos and try to instigate him to steal the country?

The Censorate headed by Xu Ling became the imperial spray bottle, with "breaking the old and establishing the new" pinned on its forehead. Every day, it was responsible for finding various theoretical basis for the court's various policies, so that quarrels could be more justified.

The emperor who did not live in the palace would sometimes pretend to return to Prince Yan's Mansion, and then use it as a "living room" to occasionally receive court officials in private, and then turn around and go to the Marquis' Mansion - it was only a short distance away anyway.

The rain fell earlier this year than in previous years. It rained continuously on the eve of Qingming Festival.

Although Gu Yun, who had been away from home for many years, had not taken off his armor, he was finally able to live in the capital city peacefully. He rarely felt such a strong sense of belonging to his home, so he ordered people to tidy up the overgrown mansion. After several days of tidying up the Anding Marquis's mansion, which was almost full of ghost stories, it finally looked like someone was living there.

When repairing the garden and tidying up the house, many old things were found. So following Commander Huo to rummage through the old things every day became the new hobby of the unfocused emperor during his evening walk.

"Is this an old thing of the princess?" Chang Geng pointed at a square box and asked. For fear of being disrespectful, he did not touch it rashly.

The old woman who was cleaning the house took a look and said with a smile, "Yes, it was made especially for the young marquis."

As she spoke, she opened the box, and saw that inside the treasure box that looked like a pearl box was actually a "feather duster".

Chang Geng: “…”

The old woman said, "When the young marquis was young, he was very naughty. He would never forget it even if he was scolded. He would pick the lock and get out of Guan Siguo's room, and even go to the kitchen to steal food. It would be useless to beat him lightly. The old marquis has such a bad temper, so he would have to use the family rules. The emperor knows the rules of the family rules. The old marquis is ruthless, how could a child withstand it? The princess was afraid that beating would cause trouble, so one time when she was on the march, she saw a village woman scolding her son with a broom, so she thought of this trick to deal with him."

Chang Geng took out the feather duster that had beaten Marshal Gu with both hands. He saw that it was supported by a thin pole. If you use too much force, it will break, but it won't kill anyone. The thick "chicken feathers" on the outside are not real pheasant feathers, but thin bamboo threads and hard hair from some unknown animal. When you use it on your body, it feels...

He grew up in the Marquis's mansion and acted more like the master than the real owner. Although the old maid changed her words to "Your Majesty", she was not at all shy and said cheerfully, "When our Marquis was young, he was really out of his league, climbing up the roof and tearing down the tiles, doing all kinds of evil things. Later, he became afraid of this. No matter what he did, as long as he was mentioned, he would definitely behave himself for a while."

Gu Yun always acted like an elder who was at ease in front of Chang Geng. His childhood and youth were blank to Chang Geng, so he listened with great interest.

"It was fun when the princess wanted to beat him. He would run around the yard, crying as he ran, and howling as if it were real."

Chang Geng asked curiously, "Is it true? Could it be that he was faking it?"

"Of course he's pretending," the old maid sighed as she walked. "When our young marquis was young, you couldn't expect him to shed real tears without a few real beatings. You see him crying all over the yard, but it's just thunder without rain. He keeps saying all kinds of things, and he often says pitifully, 'Mother, don't you like me anymore? Don't you want me anymore? Am I not the flesh that fell from your body?' Or, 'Mother, do you want to change a brother who is better than me? I have changed, please don't change a brother, I only have one mother, and if you don't love me, I will become a wild child that no one wants'... It makes people tremble with fear, and the princess doesn't have the heart to punish him."

Chang Geng couldn't breathe from laughing when he thought of that scene. Gu Yun was indeed a master of military strategy. He knew since childhood that "the real and the fake coexist" and "attacking the heart is the best".

A smile flashed across the wrinkles at the corners of the old maid's eyes, and then she suddenly changed the subject: "Then I went to the border, and when I came back, everything changed."

The smile on Chang Geng's face gradually disappeared.

The old woman recalled to herself, "He locked himself in his room every day, ignored people, and didn't cry. He pushed food out the same way he brought it in. No one could coax him, and he never left the house. He used to be a little monkey, but after he came back, he became a little devil. He was completely different. It was two or three months before the old marquis settled things in the north and returned home... Alas, he might as well not have come back. I think the old marquis was really cruel to his own son. Maybe because of what happened, he was afraid that his son would be useless."

Chang Geng asked softly: "What's the matter?"

"The old marquis kicked open his door and dragged him out of the room. You can imagine, his eyes were so badly injured, how could he not feel pain when he saw the daylight? He staggered and shed tears, and this time they were real tears, but he didn't say a word." The old maid pointed, "It was the small pond. The old marquis made a circle with the horse whip and put it around the marquis' neck, pressed his head and forced him to look into the water, and shouted in his ear, 'Look at what you look like now, do you deserve the surname Gu?'"

Chang Geng looked in the direction of her finger. The pond, which had been abandoned for many years, had already dried up. It had only been refilled with water in the past two days and a few new fish were raised there, which were wagging their tails leisurely.

"The young marquis got his throat stuck in the whip and yelled back, 'I can't see.'"

Chang Geng seemed to go back to several years ago as she spoke, and the hand holding the "feather duster" twitched slightly.

"The old marquis pushed his head into the water and said, 'I can't see you lying in the water and watching carefully. Either you stand up yourself, or you hang yourself on a beam. The Gu family would rather die than leave behind a waste!'" The old maid shook her head when she said this. "It's been so many years, and I, an old woman, remember every word. It's really cruel."

There was a brief silence between the two of them. After an unknown amount of time, Chang Geng asked softly, "Old Marquis, are you willing to do this?"

"As parents, we are naturally distressed, but what else can we do if we are reluctant to let go? The old marquis said that the bones were broken and could only be fixed with steel nails. The more painful the desperate situation is, the more we cannot let him feel that he can rely on anything, otherwise he will lean against it and never stand up again in his life." The old maid said, "If the old marquis was reluctant to let go, who could legitimately take action to clean up the scattered Black Iron Camp more than ten years ago?"

Without the Black Iron Camp, Daliang might have been eaten up step by step as early as the first rebellion of the Western Regions, and the Westerners would not have come all the way to take a bite. How long can these old princes and nobles who have been living in the splendor continue to enjoy wealth and glory?

"In the cold winter, his family didn't allow him to wear a cotton-padded jacket, and the child's hands and feet were all blue from the cold. He couldn't even hold a bowl when he returned to the house. More than a dozen iron puppets surrounded him all day long, and the old marquis watched from the side, as if he would not blink an eye even if he died... After about two or three years, the couple passed away one after another, and Emperor Yuanhe brought the young marquis into the palace." The old maid paused, and then heard a sharp bird cry from the corner. The two looked up and saw Gu Yun strolling over with a birdcage. It turned out that the unfortunate bird named Shen was shaken by his malicious intentions and was so angry that he couldn't speak, so he could only scream at the top of his voice.

Ever since Gu Yun had some time to fix the bird, he had never been at a disadvantage in the battle between man and bird. Now he was strolling out with the fruits of victory, feeling very proud - so proud that when he saw clearly what Chang Geng was holding in his hand, he first narrowed his eyes, and then his face suddenly darkened.

Gu Yun walked over quickly and snatched the "feather duster" away: "What kind of rubbish do you want to play with? You're not going away!"

Even if an injury that has been with you for many years is cured, it is easy to have sequelae. For example, it is unlikely that Gu Yun will be completely able to hear and see clearly in his lifetime. For example, although Chang Geng has gotten rid of nightmares, he will still have many dreams at night if he is a little tired or worried.

That night, perhaps because he was still thinking about the "feather duster" that Gu Yun had snatched away, Chang Geng had a very strange dream. He dreamed that he walked into the Marquis' Mansion, but it was not the Anding Marquis' Mansion that he was familiar with. At least it was not as desolate as he remembered. There were people coming and going, and it seemed more popular.

Chang Geng heard a sound of metal from afar. He followed the sound and saw a group of murderous iron puppets besieging a little boy in the open space in the backyard. The little boy had a layer of black cloth covering his eyes, covering half of his face, and dodged left and right with difficulty.

Suddenly, an iron puppet approached him from behind. The long knife in its hand had been replaced by an iron rod, which swept towards him. As if sensing the ill intentions of the person coming, the little boy subconsciously wanted to dodge.

Wait, you can’t hide like this!

Chang Geng suddenly recalled what someone had told him many years ago: "If you panic, your feet will be unsteady. If you can't stand firmly, no matter how powerful your swordsmanship is, it will be like water without a source or a tree without roots... It is human nature to retreat, but it will be difficult for you to gather the strength to counterattack in a short period of time, and you will fall into the hands of the opponent in a panic."

Of course, the boy's speed could not be faster than the iron golem. After hesitating and shrinking for a moment, he was soon caught up by the iron golem. With a loud bang, the monster's iron rod smashed hard on his tender back. His clothes tore on the spot, revealing the breastplate underneath. The man was already flying out.

Chang Geng rushed forward and picked up the little boy who was half covered in dust. At the same time, he drew the sword from his waist and pinned down several iron puppets that were chasing him relentlessly.

He threw down the sword, and with trembling hands tried to untie the cloth on the boy's face, but heard footsteps behind him. Chang Geng turned around and saw a middle-aged man walking slowly towards him with his hands behind his back. The man was dressed in casual clothes, with a delicate face, like a well-educated and elegant man, but his eyes were full of hostility. When he looked directly at him, his eyes seemed to contain the swords and shadows of thousands of troops.

Chang Geng had never seen this person before. Although Gu Yun didn't look much like him as an adult, he still recognized him the moment he saw him - their facial features were not the same, but there was something similar between the father and son.

The man stopped and said to Chang Geng, "Even if you take him away from here, you won't be able to raise him. Even if you manage to raise him, he won't be able to withstand the slightest storm..."

Chang Geng carefully picked up the boy's thin body: "He can rely on me."

Old Marquis Anding shook his head. Chang Geng suddenly heard the roar of the burning golden box behind him. He quickly dodged with the boy in his arms. He saw a group of iron puppets that he had just pinned down gathered around him in an orderly manner. They split into two on the spot. In just a moment, they had become an iron-cast heavy armored army, staring at him hungrily. An unclear clapper sound came from the distance, and the iron puppets moved collectively and rushed forward.

Chang Geng had no choice but to pick up little Gu Yun and run away. He ran in a panic, and in his heart he wanted to yell at the old man who was watching indifferently - I can even take care of the old empire that was in turmoil, so why can't I protect a Gu Yun?

However, he couldn't make a sound in his dream. He missed a step while fleeing in panic. Chang Geng's heart skipped a beat. He reached out and grabbed a hand. He suddenly opened his eyes and saw that the gas lamp in the room was on. It was still dark outside, and he was holding Gu Yun's hand tightly.

Gu Yun touched his head and said, "Why can't I wake you up today? Are you feeling unwell?"

Chang Geng stared at him blankly for a moment: "It was just a dream."

Gu Yun was startled.

"It's not a nightmare, it's not Wuergu." Chang Geng turned over, holding one of his hands, and rolled up one of his arms into his arms. He gently rubbed his forehead against Gu Yun's elbow and whispered, "I dreamed that I snatched you away from the old marquis, and your father sent a battalion of iron puppets to hunt me down."

Gu Yun was stunned for a moment, then laughed heartlessly. He used a little force to pull the emperor out of the quilt and pulled out his arm: "You are very brave, Your Majesty. He has 100,000 ghost soldiers under his command. Okay, the prestige is over. Get up quickly. There is a big court meeting today. Well, it is Qingming Festival. Could it be that he is short of paper money over there and came to remind you?"

Chang Geng sat by the bed and looked at him, using the light to examine him from head to toe. He reluctantly withdrew his gaze until Gu Yun put on his clothes. "Your father needs paper money, why would he come to him instead of you?"

"See how easy it is to bully you." Gu Yun said with a smile, and then his smile gradually changed a little, "I don't owe him anything, I guess he is too embarrassed to come to see me."

On the Qingming Festival, Chang Geng specially set aside most of the day to accompany Gu Yun to pay homage to the ancestors' tombs.

Gu Yun seemed to be practicing silent meditation in front of the altar. He didn't say a word. He just burned the paper as if he had completed a task, and then stood aside indifferently.

He didn't need to tell them what he had done over the years, and those two should know about it in their afterlife.

Chang Geng, on the other hand, burned incense and offered wine seriously. He couldn't say anything in front of Gu Yun, so he said silently in his heart: "I will take good care of him in the future. Don't worry, don't drive steel nails into him anymore."

"Let's go." Gu Yun gently pulled him.

Chang Geng came to his senses and was about to go back with him when he saw Gu Yun turning to the princess's spirit tablet indifferently: "Keep an eye on your prince consort, tell him to stay down there quietly and stop harassing my people."

Chang Geng: “…”

Huo Dan, who was accompanying him, almost knelt down and kowtowed to death in front of the old marquis after hearing these treasonous words. Gu Yun snorted lightly, turned around and pulled Chang Geng away.

Needless to say, his words really worked. From then on, Chang Geng never dreamed of Lord Gu and his army of iron puppets again.