"The Wei Family brat gave you his Lovesick Jade?" As Marquis Shuyang spoke, he shot a glance at Gou Liang. Seeing that Gou Liang was still looking at Han Zhan with reddened ears, Marquis Shuyang felt even more stifled in his heart. Clenching his teeth, his tone became even colder, "You, even accepted it?"
This was the first time that General Xiahou had heard of this matter. He couldn't help but open his eyes wide in astonishment. He looked at his treasured disciple and then at the junior he admired very much. His heart was filled with joy. Good brat, not bad!
Han Zhan nodded and said with a serious expression, "I hope father can understand. Son and Chang Ning have been together day and night in the army for five years. Son admires his strategy and praises his character. As time passes, feelings develop. I even dragged him into this for no reason. I hope father won't make things difficult for him."
"Bullshit!" Marquis Of Shuyang angrily shouted, "Do you really think that I'm easy to fool because I'm old?!"
He coldly snorted. The original owner of this body was very high-profile in the Shuyang army and had never concealed his desire for Han Zhan. Although he had stayed in the capital for many years, he wasn't deaf and blind to the point that he didn't know anything about this matter. He was also very clear about Han Zhan's attitude. He had never responded to the original owner of this body and even avoided it. How could he suddenly... privately accept it and even privately pledge his life to him?
Could it be that … it was really as the rumors said, that Gou Liang had done such and such things to his son during the month he was away, forcing his son to submit?
They were both men. He also knew that if they were involved in a physical relationship, a man wouldn't be able to stand firm. Moreover, his son that he had carefully raised had a good character. If he had experienced it, no matter what the reason was, it was impossible for him to not take responsibility.
Thinking of this, the Marquis Of Shuyang looked at Gou Liang with a slightly different expression. He thought that one really couldn't judge a book by its cover. But he couldn't understand how his son had fallen into this brat's trap. It shouldn't be...
"Father?"
Han Zhan's call brought him back to his senses, and he immediately regained his serious expression. He glared at Han Zhan and said coldly, "I'm not going to listen to your excuses. Wei Family boy, tell me, what's going on here?"
Gou Liang hastily told the truth, "I do not dare to conceal it from Uncle. When Nephew first joined the Shuyang Army, I had a crush on Han Zhan. It's hard to find fated people in this world. I've always believed that marriage is destined by the heavens. The moment I saw Han Zhan, I knew that all of this was the guidance of the heavens. He is the person I've spent my entire life searching for and protecting. There won't be a second person who can make me so obsessed, and there won't be anyone else who can make me — "
Marquis Shuyang coughed. In the past, when he heard that his son was pursued by a bearded soldier who loved to recite and gossip, he had rejoiced in his son's misfortune. After all, his son had always been too calm since he was young. As his father, he had never seen him reveal his childish nature. Suddenly hearing that his son was forced to fight with someone because of an admirer, he only felt that it was incomparably fresh. But now that he heard Gou Liang express his feelings — even if he had changed into a fair and handsome face — Marquis Of Shuyang felt goosebumps crawl all over his body.
He really didn't know how his son had endured these five years without being driven crazy or beating Gou Liang to death.
He secretly sympathized with his son, but his mouth remained unyielding. "No need to say more."
As he spoke, Marquis Of Shuyang looked towards General Xiahou and said, "You should say something as well. Are you just going to watch these two fool around like this?"
General Xiahou hurriedly pretended to be deeply worried and sick at heart. He opened his mouth to lecture him, but in the end, he only sighed and said, "Perhaps this is the fate between Shuyang Marquessate Mansion and the Wei Family. Back then, didn't you want the two families to become married? After going around in circles like this, even though … cough, cough, there was a bit of a mistake, in the end, this wish was fulfilled. "
"You!"
"Sigh, speaking of this matter, this old man has a responsibility that cannot be shirked. If it wasn't for that ill-fated child of mine stirring up trouble, this inferior disciple of mine wouldn't have met your family's Dalang. "
General Xiahou looked towards Gou Liang and lamented, "Master has wronged you. You've always been Master's proudest disciple. Whether it's in terms of talent or wisdom, you far surpass Master's in the past. Originally, even if you didn't enter the bureaucracy, you would still be a famous general. Now, you've become the topic of gossip in other people's mouths. You've become a lowly, uncultured person. It's all Master's fault. If back then, I had discovered that it was that unfilial son who left this evil debt, it wouldn't have … Now, Master doesn't know whether to advise you or stop you. "
He was full of sighs, but his words were all reminding Marquis Of Shuyang that he couldn't escape responsibility as the instigator of all this.
His treasured disciple was a famous scholar in the capital. He originally had a promising future, but in the end, a girl from the Han Family mistook him for her lover and forced him to marry her. He couldn't return home and had to hide in Shuyang Marquessate Mansion as a lowly soldier with no background or backing. He obviously had unparalleled wisdom and countless achievements. He was barefoot and became a fifth-ranked lieutenant. But when he returned to the capital, he didn't have anything left. He even became the subject of gossip.
All of this, Shuyang Marquessate Mansion couldn't deny that it had nothing to do with them.
Now, Han Zhan had accepted the Gou Liang. You old fool, you're still blindly showing off. You should quickly let your son pay your debt and redeem your mistake.
Marquis Of Shuyang deeply realized that keeping Xiahou as his assistant was a huge mistake. This master and disciple pair were simply old foxes raised by old foxes. How could an upright person like him be a match for them? And his only sly son still wanted to oppose him. He was simply in a position where he would definitely lose.
Marquis Of Shuyang said angrily, "Don't talk nonsense!"
"Not to mention that both of you are men, I definitely wouldn't agree to such a ridiculous thing. Moreover, both of you aren't children anymore. You should know that in Tianyang Kingdom, as a father, I'm not the one who is most unwilling to see Han Zhan and the grandson of the Wei Family have such a relationship. I don't need to waste my breath on the current situation in the capital. Both of you should know. Under such circumstances, if the two of you are too close to each other, what … what would you think? Where would you place your family? "
"Father, you don't need to worry about this."
Han Zhan explained, "In the month that I went missing, I was ordered by the emperor to go to Tianyang Mountain to restore the sacred stone."
"What?!"
Marquis Of Shuyang and General Xiahou exclaimed in shock. Although the Xiahou Family didn't know where the sacred mountain was and how to enter it, as a general who had guarded the imperial family for generations, he also knew of the sacred stone's existence.
If the sacred stone wasn't restored, the world would fall into chaos.
And to restore the sacred stone, the youngest son of the Wei Family or Han Family, who was under the age of thirty, would have to sacrifice his life in order to save the world.
Although Han Zhan was sitting here safe and sound, they still couldn't help but tremble with fear when they heard this.
"Then, then why did you …" Marquis Of Shuyang asked, then suddenly looked at Gou Liang and said, "Could it be because of this child?"
Han Zhan nodded, "Father, you and Xia Marquis both know that the sacred stone is unstable. Without a blood sacrifice, it can't be restored and the world can be restored. However, if the descendants of the Wei Family and Han Family who inherited the sacred stone's yin and yang powers work together to restore the sacred stone, then their lives can be saved. But … when I returned to the capital to meet the emperor, I told him the truth about my relationship with Chang Ning. The emperor blamed himself and has already decreed a marriage between Chang Ning and me. The marriage certificate is in my hands. If there comes a day when someone has doubts about this, I will convince that person. "
If the descendants of the Han Family and Wei Family were to restore the sacred stone at the same time, then the two descendants would lose the power of the sacred stone and be unable to give birth to a child to pass on the power of yin and yang.
Marquis Of Shuyang and General Xiahou looked at each other, their eyes heavy.
It was no wonder that the emperor had decreed a marriage for the two children.
Marquis Of Shuyang couldn't say anything against it.
He sighed and said in a low voice, "Although the two of you have the emperor's edict, the sacred stone is a top secret in Tianyang. The eldest son of the Han Family only knows about it, the eldest son of the Wei Family will know about it on his wedding night, and the imperial family will only know about it through the power of the bloodline when the new emperor inherits the throne. Now that the emperor is dying, no one knows who will take the throne. The two of you need to be careful. When … it becomes a posthumous edict, then you will be safe. "
"Your son understands."
"Your nephew will remember Uncle's teachings."
Han Zhan and Gou Liang said at the same time.
Marquis Of Shuyang waved his hand tiredly and let them leave. He asked General Xiahou to stay behind to play chess. The two of them had known each other for most of their lives, but they didn't know until they were old that they had almost become in-laws. Both of them were filled with emotion. One moment they recalled the past, the other moment they were happy and the other moment they were sad. Both of them drank until they were dead drunk.
At that time, Gou Liang was on the roof and was being fed by Han Zhan.
The stars in the night sky were wreaking havoc. Han Zhan's finger moved along the path of the laws, and the brilliant and colorful power of the stars fell from the sky.
Han Zhan asked him, "What do you want to eat today?"
Gou Liang looked at the power of the stars that was exuding the fragrance of durian that was circulating between his fingers and swallowed his saliva. "Chicken leg."
After staying in the Heavenly Sun Mountain for a month, Gou Liang opened the door to a new world in the world of food. Based on what Han Zhan had said, his strength had yet to fully recover. Right now, his ability to digest food was like that of an infant's. He was unable to directly use the Sovereign's Might in his body, but he could directly consume the portion of Sovereign's Might which was restricted by the Laws of the stars.
A long, long time ago, for the first ten thousand years he was by the Sovereign's side, he ate the power of the stars.
It couldn't be better.
Gou Liang was eating happily with both hands holding the chicken leg that was a little forced. From time to time, he would urge him to eat as well.
However, he didn't dare to casually feed Han Zhan with his mouth, because the Sovereign's Might that passed through his mouth would unconsciously be tainted with the power of darkness. Han Zhan's current host was also a mortal body. After eating it, even diarrhea would be a light consequence. On the night when they first left the Heavenly Sun Mountain, it was he who sweetly fed Han Zhan that almost poisoned him to death, but he wasn't scared out of his wits.
Just as Gou Liang was eating, he said to Han Zhan, "No wonder you raised me for so long, but your culinary skills are still trash. You don't even need the [Cooking] skill …" A servant's respectful voice came from below.
It turned out that General Xiahou was drunk and wanted to go home. He didn't allow anyone to touch him, so Madam Zhang came to ask Gou Liang to help.
Gou Liang looked sadly at the remaining half of the chicken leg. Han Zhan flicked his finger and the power of the stars entered his mouth.
"Delicious … Han Zhan, it seems that I'll have to talk about life with my master tonight."
Han Zhan carried him and flew over the roof with qinggong. He kissed his forehead and said, "I'll find you tomorrow morning. Don't drink with your master tonight, okay?"
"Okay, okay."
He had an obedient look on his face.
After Han Zhan helped Gou Liang send General Xiahou, who was so drunk that he pulled him and scolded his youngest son who died young, to the carriage, he returned to his courtyard. Sure enough, he saw Princess Shuyang sitting on the stairs with her arms around her legs, waiting for him.
"Get up. It's cold, don't sit on the ground."
Han Zhan said and pushed the door to enter the room. He didn't say anything to comfort her.
"Brother, I saw it." The princess stood up, looked down at her shoes, and said in a low voice.
"What?" Han Zhan turned to look at her.
The princess said, "I saw you kiss him on the roof … Do you really like him?"
Han Zhan nodded, "Of course I love him, so I made a lifelong vow."
"Is that so … That's great." The princess murmured and then followed Han Zhan into the room. "Big brother, Wei Xuanming must hate me very much. He was implicated by me and suffered such an unexpected disaster. If it was anyone else, they would be angry. However, if it wasn't because of this, he wouldn't have met you … Does this count as me making up for my mistakes? If he becomes my sister-in-law, he won't make things difficult for me, right? "
Han Zhan poured her a cup of hot tea and sat down, "Why are you saying this?"
The princess held the tea and said in a low voice, "I'm thinking that if I don't get married and stay at home, I have to please my future sister-in-law."
Han Zhan frowned, "You will be a married woman in March next year. Now, are you going to break your promise to the Zhuge Family and Zhuge Shuang? Little sister, you should know that the past is over. If you can't let it go, then don't let it go. However, you shouldn't transfer those disasters to someone who truly cares for you. "
The princess was stunned for a moment and said, "… I'm not targeting him. I just don't know how to face him."
As she said this, she smiled, "Big brother, you're still so strict. I don't know how you got sister-in-law to like you. Is it because you're especially handsome?"
Han Zhan touched the edge of the teacup with his finger and looked up, "You're too curious about him."
"Big brother, are you jealous?" The princess showed a sincere smile this time and said, "I just suddenly remembered that five years ago, when he became the top scholar, I followed him to a restaurant. At that time, someone tried to steal his yearning jade. He was so angry that he beat the person up and said that it was a token of love for his wife. He also said that his wife must be very beautiful. Her martial arts might not be better than his, but she must be taller than him. When she beat people up, she must be fierce. He likes spicy and strong women. "
The princess couldn't help but laugh, "Now that I think about it, he wasn't joking. He really found someone like that."
She looked at Han Zhan and felt that the world was unpredictable. Back then, she only understood half of what he said. She didn't expect him to be so persistent.
Han Zhan said, "He's always been like that."
The princess looked at him. She never knew that her brother could be so gentle. Even if he didn't smile, even if he only mentioned that person.
She drank the tea that was gradually losing its temperature and said jokingly, "I've always told you that I don't care about that person anymore. If you like him, you don't have to worry about me. But it seems that I've done something unnecessary. Sure enough, you don't want your sister when you have sister-in-law. I even offended sister-in-law so badly. I'm afraid that sister-in-law's life will be difficult in the future. "
"He's a man. If you're worried about this problem, you should remind your fifth brother."
Han Zhan said.
Gou Liang was a man. He wouldn't argue with women. At the same time, even if he was with her, Han Zhan wouldn't let him do the wife diplomacy and deal with women.
The princess saw that her brother was so protective of Gou Liang that he didn't even allow her to make a joke. She felt sad and had to get up, "Brother, tomorrow you'll accompany me to the Xiahou family to pay respects. I don't want mother to go. She'll cry. "
Han Zhan said, "Yes. Is there anything else?"
The princess sighed, "… Sigh, a brother with a sister-in-law is indeed different. Other than his wife, everyone else is an outsider."
After paying respects to Xiahou Changling, it was the 50th birthday of the Marquis Of Shui Yang.
On the day of the birthday banquet, Old Prime Minister Wei and the Marquis Of Shui Yang had a secret conversation for two hours. This made the Third Prince and the Fifth Prince, who had come to attend the banquet, very suspicious for a period of time. It was inevitable that they would say something in front of the emperor. They said that Old Prime Minister Wei didn't go to court and had the time to catch up with his old friends. The emperor laughed it off.
Unless one sat in this position, they would never know that the Wei Family and the Shuyang Marquessate Mansion could be touched by anyone in the Xuanyuan Family. There was also no need to worry that they would be too close to each other.
However, his two sons probably wouldn't have the chance to know such a mysterious thing.
The old emperor sneered inwardly.
The Third Prince and the Fifth Prince, who had countless supporters in the imperial court, didn't know that they were no longer fated to be in that position. Thus, on the third day of the Marquis Of Shui Yang's birthday banquet, the Fifth Prince's third son, Xuanyuan Ming, who was the first to strike, bumped into Gou Liang and Han Zhan at the Drunken Immortal Tavern.
"Aiya, it's really a small world. How did the two of you find the time to drink at the Drunken Immortal Tavern today?" Xuanyuan Ming came uninvited and said with a familiar smile, "Jiuxiao, I remember that you used to hate coming to places like this to join in on the fun. I haven't seen you for a few years, but you've become more approachable. Next time I invite you, you can't refuse."
Although he wasn't a Commandery Prince and didn't have a rank, he was still an imperial grandson. Thus, Gou Liang and Han Zhan both stood up and bowed to him.
After getting up, Han Zhan said, "Imperial grandson, you must be joking."
Xuanyuan Ming, who was returning the greeting, was speechless. How was he supposed to respond to this?
The day was destined to end on a sour note. After Xuanyuan Ming asked if they could sit down and have a drink together, Gou Liang regretfully said, "We're just about to leave." This was the truth, but it also didn't give Xuanyuan Ming any face. He didn't even want to sit with him for a while.
Xuanyuan Ming had always been a tactful person, so he didn't stop him. He never thought that when he turned around, he would hear that Han Zhan had accepted the Third Prince's second son's invitation and was bringing Gou Liang to the banquet. He was so angry that he smashed his cup.
"If you can't be used by me, then there's no need to keep you."
Xuanyuan Ming said viciously.
Gou Liang leaned on Han Zhan's shoulder and looked at his portrait. He smiled and said, "Did you hear? Xuanyuan Ming is hiring assassins to kill me. I heard that when I was an outlaw, I tried to kill him for money. Now he's come to seek revenge. "
"Is that so?"
"He even found Zan-Bu's spies in Tianyang. Don't you think his luck is too good?"
"It's very good. Xiao Kener, should I draw dimples, or should I draw your current appearance? "
Clearly, Han Zhan didn't care at all about the assassination attempt. Gou Liang glanced at him and asked, "Which one do you like?"
"I like both." He was very honest.
Gou Liang said, "You're not picky. I've long since grown tired of looking at this face. Why don't you draw me from the past? The me you just met shouldn't be a secret, right? "
Han Zhan thought for a moment, then put down his brush and used his fingers to draw carefully on the blank paper.
However, an image drawn with Sovereign's Might appeared in front of Gou Liang's eyes.
Gou Liang was stunned.
… What the hell was this ugly thing????