Not long after Yuan Xi returned to Yuan Mansion, the guards told him that his cousin Gao Rou came to look for him. Gao Rou is Gao Yue's elder brother and his best playmate, just like Li Shimin and Changsun Wuji. After calming down, Yuan Xi slowly entered the house.
Yuan Xi walked straight to the study, and sure enough he saw an elegant young man in rich clothes, slowly flipping through books in his study.
"Brother Wen Hui." Yuan Xi took two steps forward, hugged him and hugged his shoulders. "You miss me so much. It's so cold. Why did you think of coming to see me?" He said and punched him on the shoulder.
The young man was solemn and solemn, exuding a faint aura. Seeing his behavior, he just shrank his head and chuckled, whispering: "Mom said you will go back soon, so she asked me to come over more often, why, Yuan Xianyi, you Don’t you welcome me as your big brother?”
"No way, no way, how could it be." Yuan Xi invited him to sit down. This future uncle would be a major help to him in conquering Gao Yue, how could he be left out in the cold.
If he hadn't been obsessed with the famous Diao Chan and ignored Gao Yue's feelings, and later had to choose between Diao Chan and Gao Yue, he would definitely choose Gao Yue. Diao Chan is a charming enchantress, while Gao Yue is a virtuous housekeeper with a maternal temperament, comparable to the Changsun Queen.
"Brother Wenhui, why don't you talk to your father and let Wu Gu and I go back to Hebei? How about this? Can you help me?" Yuan Xi thought that Emperor Nian Ling might die after that time. The court was in chaos, and old man Dong Zhuo was about to come, so he felt a little worried.
This memory of mine was inexplicable, even sudden, but many things were verified one by one when I went back. He was afraid that something would happen in advance. It was not within his expectation.
Gao Rou was obviously very familiar with him. Unexpectedly, when he heard this, he smiled and said: "Okay, Xianyi, if you go to my house to propose marriage, my father will agree to you taking my little sister back to Hebei."
Gao Rou's father had just had a party dispute with his father Yuan Shao. It was obviously inappropriate to propose marriage at this time, otherwise Yuan Xi would have already proposed marriage.
Meeting Gao Yue was a big coincidence, but the time of getting married was a big misfortune.
"It's not like you don't know about your father." Yuan Xi thought thoughtfully: "What I mean is that Wujiu and I will go back to Hebei. How about Wujiu and I come to see you again next year?"
Women at this time in the Han Dynasty had not yet been persecuted by Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but their minds were open, and there was a limit. For example, the bad idea Yuan Xi proposed now made Gao Rou speechless for a while, but he could help this best friend. I still want to help. Firstly, the Yuan family is worth making friends with. Secondly, I get along well with Yuan Xi. Thirdly, I feel that Yuan Xi can achieve great things in the future.
"Little sister, let me go with you now. How will you let Yue'er meet people in the future? How will others view my Gao family and Yue'er?" Gao Rou pretended to be harsh and taught him a lesson: "In two years, Brother Xianyi can be with me. Yue'er is together, can you wait a little longer?"
Yuan Xi wanted to wait, but time couldn't wait. He responded indiscriminately and thought of countermeasures in his mind. He originally wanted to take Gao Yue there, but then he would take advantage of the chaos next year and not bring him back. . Who knew that Old Man Gao and Gao Rou were the masters of the human spirit, so it would be difficult to deal with them.
Only in his own territory, far away from Luoyang, could he truly guarantee Gao Yue's safety. But how to find an excuse? How could he let Gao Yue, who was not yet married, follow him there with no name or status?
Thinking about Gao Yue, he remembered Dong Zhuo's visit to Beijing, and his skull almost cracked.
Beauty is hard to chase, and things are even harder to deal with. To be honest, Yuan Xi wants to kidnap Gao Yue and Gao Rou directly.
The hesitation is very annoying.
Gao Rou stroked his short wrinkled beard and said softly: "Did you suffer from Yue'er again a few days ago?"
"How did you know?" Yuan Xi looked up at him and asked.
"Haha, I guessed it. Yesterday I heard that Mr. Wei came to my house to propose marriage. All of Luoyang was waiting to see Xianyi and you were making fun of you. Why did you offend Yue'er again today? Do you not want my little girl anymore? Changed your mind?"
This was good in ancient times. Regarding Yuan Xi's pursuit of the talented girl Gao Yue from Luoyang, his brother Gao Rou was more active than Yuan Xi. In his words, a man who can pursue his sister must be capable and worthy of his friendship. .
Therefore, he supported Yuan Xi to pursue his sister Gao Yue, and often made suggestions. He was very happy. It would be unreasonable for Gao Rou to betray his sister, but this was considered Gao Rou's gift. Yuan Xi's test.
Yuan Xi told him that he felt uncomfortable for a while and said inappropriate words today.
"That's it. Who knows why I was so dizzy at that time, she ignored me and went home in the carriage."
"You are so confused." Gao Rou pointed at Yuan Xi's nose and said angrily: "It's not that my father was confusedly persuaded by me to betroth my little sister to you. Judging from your actions, you can't follow my family for a long time." I won’t be able to catch up with you in ten years.”
When getting along with Gao Rou, Yuan Xi intentionally or unintentionally cultivated Gao Rou's thinking beyond this era, so the two of them usually did not behave too restrained when they were together. Good buddies who sleep together when they go out, um, good buddies, aren't Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei the same?
"Haha, without my participation, with your IQ at this time, I can probably handle the matter with just a word of marriage proposal." Yuan Xi said cheerfully.
Gao Rou was fussing with him for a while, then looked serious and said, "After lunch, you go find Yue'er quickly. If you can really convince your father, do it as soon as possible. The Wei family is making a big splash this time. I It seems that the person is not kind, be careful that my little sister Yue'er really left with her."
Yuan Xi thought: "You mean?"
"It's really rotten wood that cannot be carved, Yuan Xianyi." Gao Rou sat forward and explained to him: "Think about it, if Yue'er didn't care about you and didn't really like you, all the boys in the Wei family would come to propose marriage. Come out to see you again?"
Seeing that Yuan Xi seemed to understand, Gao Rou said patiently: "Women are thin-skinned and more reserved. If you ask that, how do you want Yue'er to answer? She must be angry with you. I think my little sister Yue'er should Waiting for you to come to propose marriage at all costs, and then forcefully marry her away, but today it seems that she is very disappointed."
Gao Rou glanced at him and smiled.
"Uh-huh, okay." Yuan Xi punched Gao Rou on the shoulder again, let him go, turned around and walked out of the study, "It's too late, I'll go now, Brother Wenhui, wait for me. We'll do it tonight Let’s go have a drink together.”
"Brother Xianyi wishes you good luck!"
Gao Rou narrowed her eyes and watched Yuan Xi run out of the house. Her smiling face immediately turned cold, and she whispered: "Yuan Xi, Yuan Xianyi, I want to see if you can win over Yue'er. If you can't win Yue'er, If you can’t take it, there’s no way for me to work for you. Let’s wait until you pass this test!”
Although Gao Rou wants Yuan Xi to marry Gao Yue home, she doesn't want her sister to be a concubine. However, she was the daughter of a political enemy after all. Compared with Cai Yan, who was famous in Luoyang, she had many shortcomings. Therefore, he put a lot of thought into the matter of his sister Gao Yue.
Fortunately, Cai Yong offended the eunuch and was forced to flee, and his daughter Cai Yan also ran away with him. Otherwise, his sister would really have an evenly matched opponent.
Whether Yuan Xi can become a eldest child depends entirely on how much Yuan Xi loves Yue'er.
Due to his status, Gao Rou of the Yuan family was somewhat unsure of himself when facing the Fourth Generation and Three Young Masters. Currying favor with Yuan Xi like this can be regarded as leaving a way out for himself.
...
Yuan Xi took the carriage and drove slowly all the way. He arrived at Gaofu in a short time. Gao Yue's house was not very far from Yuan Xi's house. This was also his intention when he chose a house in Luoyang. After a few years, he picked it up. Quite a coincidence.
"Master Yuan is here." When the doorman saw that it was Yuan Xi, he rushed towards him with a smile on his face.
Yuan Xi put a handful of broken silver into his hand without any trace from his cuffs, and asked in a low voice: "How is it? Is Wei Zhongdao at home?"
The servant accepted it without changing his expression and said softly: "Mr. Wei, you came here shortly after you and the lady left this morning. You stayed at the house until the lady came back, but you haven't gone back yet."
After a pause, the servant looked around and muttered: "The master and the lady are having dinner in the living room now. If Mr. Yuan has any plans, he must make preparations as soon as possible. I think the master is very fond of this Mr. Wei."
"Thank you. If I marry your young lady in the future, your benefits will be indispensable." Yuan Xi patted his shoulder, greeted him and hurried inside.
The servant looked at Yuan Xi's back and murmured: "He is also a well-known young master. Look at the Yuan family, and then look at the person named Wei. I really hope that the master will not marry the young lady to the person named Wei... ..”
Because Yuan Xi was very thick-skinned, although he was not a person welcomed by Gao Jing, he was a frequent visitor to the house, so he did not need to report it most of the time.
Yuan Xi walked to the door of the living room very familiarly and saw Wei Zhongdao and Gao Jing's father and daughter chatting.
He suppressed the anger in his chest and coughed lightly.
Gao Yue had already seen him in the living room, but didn't make any sign. His cough immediately attracted the eyes of Gao Jing and Wei Zhongdao, who were sitting with their backs to the door.
"It's you!" Gao Jing's face suddenly turned ugly, his old face stretched, "What are you doing here at noon?"
Yuan Xi put a smile on his face, glanced at Wei Zhongdao, who frowned slightly and didn't know what he was thinking, and replied: "I heard that someone from the Gao Mansion came to propose marriage, so I came to have a look."
"My daughter's marriage has nothing to do with you," Gao Jing said bluntly, "Zhongdao came all the way from Hedong to propose marriage. I like him very much. What are you going to do with him?"
This damn old man couldn't say a polite word at this time. Yuan Xi cursed in his heart, but he had to be polite with his mouth.
"Of course I can't do anything. It's just that I've been with Xi Wugu for many years, and I heard that she might be getting married, so why not come and take a look?" Yuan Xi said with a playful smile, and looked at Gao Yue with a smile as he spoke.
Gao Yue's handsome brows frowned slightly, and she glanced at her father with her phoenix eyes. She stood up and said softly: "Father, Wu Gu is not feeling well. He will go back to the inner hall first."
Gao Jing glared at Yuan Xi, who was still smiling playfully, and nodded solemnly.
After Gao Yue left, the atmosphere in the room seemed to become quite tense.
Yuan Xi and Gao Jing are old acquaintances, and they are the kind of people who never get to know each other without fighting. He directly found a place to sit down and said to the maid on the side: "Lv Zhu, bring me a pot of hot tea. It's very cold in winter."
Lu Zhu covered her mouth and smiled softly, glanced at her master, and then went down to get tea.
"Brother Zhongdao, long time no see." Yuan Xi greeted Wei Zhongdao with a smile.
Wei Zhongdao felt a little embarrassed now. He and Yuan Xi were just acquaintances before. They all played together.
Who in Luoyang today doesn't know that the second son of the Yuan family is chasing Gao Yue, and now he comes to propose marriage without saying a word, with a somewhat disgraceful face.
If I had known, I would have gone to the Cai family to propose marriage, but who knew that the elders in the family would insist on marrying the Gao family. At this time, the Gao family acted as a buffer zone between the Yuan family and other families. Many middle-class families got on the Yuan family's train through the Gao family, and the Wei family was not sure about it, but unexpectedly Yuan Xi fell in love with Gao Yue, the second daughter of the Gao family. It will be difficult to handle.
"Brother Xianyi, long time no see. How are you lately?" Wei Zhongdao said helplessly.
"Haha, it's good, but it's a little bad now." Yuan Xi was too lazy to be polite to him. He wanted to break up and talk to Gao Jing to solve Gao Yue's matter.
"Yuan Xianyi!" Gao Jing knew him well and knew what he was going to say after just a few words. He immediately shouted with a straight face: "Zhongdao has come all the way here, so don't be rude!"
"I'm not being unreasonable, I'm just here to keep in touch with Brother Zhongdao." Yuan Xi stood up, pointed out the door, and asked with a smile: "Wei Zhongdao, let me ask you, what are your intentions in coming here this time? "
Wei Zhongdao was originally a refined man, but Ni Bodhisattva still had a certain amount of anger, not to mention that he was a son of a noble family. Seeing Yuan Xi approaching step by step, he immediately stood up, bowed with both hands, and then replied seriously: "This time I’m here for sister Wu Kuo’s marriage. I, Wei Zhongdao, want to marry Wu Kuo!”
"Well, Wei Zhongdao!" Yuan Xi slammed the coffee table next to him and said angrily: "Who in Luoyang doesn't know that I, Yuan Xianyixi, am the second lady of the Gao family, what do you mean by stabbing me across the board? Do you think that my Yuan family is easy to bully?"
Wei Zhongdao's expression changed slightly, the reputation of the fourth and third prince of the Yuan family was not just talk.
Taking a deep breath, Wei Zhongdao said neither humble nor arrogantly: "I dare to ask Brother Xianyi, you are not married, Wu Gu is not married, Youdao is a fair lady, and a gentleman likes to quarrel, so what is my fault in pursuing Wu Gu?"
"Haha." Yuan Xi laughed wildly, pointed at him and hummed: "Wei Zhongdao, are you really stupid or pretending to be stupid? If you refute my face, do you think I will kindly make it easier for you?"
Wei Zhongdao's face turned red. He never thought that the dignified young master of the Yuan family would act like a rogue. When he thought about it, even if he and Yuan Xi broke up, they would at least be polite to each other on the surface.
He didn't expect Yuan Xi to be so careless about his demeanor and threaten him directly.
"Uncle Gao, are you watching?"
Wei Zhongdao was deeply liked by Gao Jing, but the family did not quite agree with this marriage. The main reason was because they were afraid of offending the Yuan family, which had disciples and former officials all over the world.
Hedong and Hebei are not too far away. If the Yuan family takes control of the situation in the future, this is obviously not what they, a middle-class family, want to see.
Wei Zhongdao naturally knew the depth of it, so even though his heart was burning with anger, he still did not want to have a head-on conflict with Yuan Xi.
"Yuan Xianyi, what are you doing?" Gao Jing was also a little angry and shouted directly at Yuan Xi: "Who should I, Gao Jing's daughter, marry, and you let you dictate?"
"Uncle Gao, don't be angry," Yuan Xi immediately put on a smile and said with a smile: "I also think about Wu Gu's happiness. You must also know the physical condition of this boy from the Wei family. From what I saw on his face, this is all. It took a few years. Do you really want Wu Kuan to become a widow at a young age?"
"Yuan Xianyi," Wei Zhongdao could no longer suppress the anger in his chest. He trembled, pointed at him, and said in a trembling voice: "You are going too far to bully others. Do you think I am afraid of you?"
Yuan Xi clapped his hands and said disdainfully: "Compared to what? I, Yuan Xi, will lose to you. Get out of here immediately!"
"You, you, I..." Wei Zhongdao's lips turned blue and he squeaked a few words, unable to speak.
Although Yuan Xi has an extremely rogue temperament, he can be regarded as a man of literary and military skills. Needless to say, his talent is as good as that of Yang Xiu. Being able to pursue Gao Yue for so many years without being disliked by him already speaks for itself.
As for martial arts, it is rumored that Yuan Xi studied under the sword master Wang Yue. How dare he compare to a child from a noble family who has three-legged cat kung fu?
"Hey," Gao Jing looked at Yuan Xi and said, "Yuan Xi, please go back. It's impossible for you and me to be together. I won't count you as being unreasonable today. I hope you won't do it again."
This stubborn old man really won't give up until he reaches the Yellow River.
Yuan Xi sat back down, and at this time, the maid Luzhu came in carrying a pot of tea and a pair of teacups.
After pouring tea for him, Yuan Xi picked it up and took a sip. He smiled at Gao Jing and said, "Uncle Gao, let me ask you, why do you intend to marry Wu Gu to Wei Zhongdao?"
"Of course it's for my daughter's happiness!" Gao Jing ignored his tone and hummed: "What if I marry you just to gain popularity?"
Yuan Xi smiled slightly, put down the tea, stood up again, took two steps forward, and said softly: "How about taking a few steps to talk? After listening to my words, if you still insist on doing this, I will leave immediately!"
Gao Jing glanced at Wei Zhongdao and nodded.
After taking Yuan Xi to the study room next door, Gao Jing sat down and stared at him without saying hello: "Go on, I hope that after you finish speaking, you can walk out of my Gao residence peacefully."
Gao Jing had already learned about Yuan Xi's temperament, so naturally he would not be so angry with him as before.
Yuan Xi looked at the old man in front of him, sighed suddenly, and turned around to close the door.
"Uncle Gao, I'm a good observer of people. I think you've heard it a long time ago. This Wei Zhongdao is seriously ill and has already been terminally ill. Why did you push your daughter into a pit of fire? Do you think I just talked nonsense? I dare to conclude that He wouldn’t live more than two years.”
Gao Jing hesitated but said nothing, still looking at him intently.
Yuan Xi shook his head and continued: "If you marry Wu Kuan at this time, how will you let her live with herself after Wei Zhongdao dies? After the death of a son of a noble family, the wife will have to bear the infamy of Kefu, and she wants to use Wu Kuan's arrogant temperament , do you think she can live happily in Hedong?"
"Although I, Yuan Xi, am not talented, I still have a heart for Wu Gu. Of course you know what Wu Gu means to me. Just now you kept saying it was for the happiness of your children. Now you are the one who can really give her happiness. Now, why are you blocking me?"
"Yuan Xi, why do you say that you can bring happiness to Yue'er?" Gao Jing said lightly: "Your Majesty has already made an agreement with your Yuan family to betroth Princess Wannian to you. Do you want my daughter to be your concubine? Are you really like that? If you think about it, it's not impossible, go and cancel the marriage with Your Majesty, and I will marry Yue'er to you immediately."
The matter between Yuan Xi and Princess Wannian was Emperor Ling's means to win over the Yuan family, and for the Gao family, this was the biggest conflict between the two that had never been discussed. Yuan Xi naturally knew this.
Yuan Xi thought for a while and said, "How about both of us being wives?"
"Nonsense!" Gao Jing slammed the table and yelled: "I only have one wife, how can you change it just when you say it?"
Yuan Xi didn't take it seriously. Didn't Liu Cong have several queens in the late Western Jin Dynasty? He frowned and changed the topic: "Luoyang is about to change. Doesn't Uncle Gao not know?"
Gao Jing's expression suddenly changed and he said in a deep voice, "Do you know these are heart-breaking words!"
"I only told Uncle Gao about this." Yuan Xi smiled lightly and said, "Actually, when I came here this time, in addition to dissuading my uncle from marrying Wugu to Wei Zhongdao, the other thing I did was to persuade my uncle to resign and go into seclusion. , don’t go to Shu to be an official!”
Gao Jing held the corner of the wooden table tightly with his palms, the veins on his hands were exposed, and he stared at Yuan Xi. Yuan Xi was not afraid and faced him calmly.
"Hey, let's go. I'll just pretend that what happened today never happened." Gao Jing suddenly sighed deeply and waved to him.
Yuan Xi's expression also changed. He didn't expect that for this reason, Old Man Gao in front of him was still stubborn.
"Uncle Gao," Yuan Xi changed his title and said decisively: "You have your pursuits, I can ignore it, but I must take care of Wugou's affairs. I, Yuan Xianyi's wife, am determined to be her."
"Haha." Gao Jing suddenly laughed. Yuan Xi laughed angrily and said to him: "With your status, what kind of woman can't be chased by you? Why bother pestering my Yue'er so much? There are many beauties in Hebei." , just marry him and go home."
Yuan Xi shook his head and said: "What I want is a woman who can understand my heart. Gao Lang Zhongding should know the allusion of finding a soulmate in high mountains and flowing water, right? Although Wu Gu and I dare not say this, we are in love. Everyone says that I Yuan Xi is romantic, but apart from Yue'er, do you think there are any other women around me these years?"
"Wait a minute, Wu Gu is destined to be my wife, Yuan Xianyi." Yuan Xi said bitterly. He stood up without saluting, and then drove back. This trip to Gaofu did not go smoothly. Yuan Xi felt that he was too weak and not enough. powerful.
next day
Yuan Xi and Yang Xiu were wandering around on Zhuque Street again. Yang Xiu suddenly said angrily from behind Yuan Xi, "It's a pity that my mother won't let me touch her. I'm really not convinced."
Yuan Xi could only comfort him with a wry smile, "So what if you're not convinced? You can still bite her." Yang Xiu sneered and said to him | "I wouldn't dare bite her if I had the guts, but I It’s not okay to bite others.”
Yuan Xi cupped his hands and said, "My little brother is stupid, please tell me from Dezu." He kicked Yuan Xi on the leg and said, "You are making me sore, and I will beat you until you are no longer sore." until."
Yuan Xi straightened his back, patted his shoulder and said, "Boss, why don't you tell me what your plans are?" He looked at Yuan Xi with admiration and said, "I'm going to Hongyifang. Xianyi, you can go or not. "
Hongyifang is the largest and most popular brothel in Luoyang City. Yuan Xi understood as soon as he heard that this guy couldn't hold it in any longer. There is no way anyone can let him be his boss, just go with it. The relationship between Yuan Xi and Yang Xiu is like that between Yuan Shao and Xu You.
"Xianyi, do you have any money on you?"
"It's only thirty taels, I think that's about enough. How about asking mother." Yang Xiu's eyes widened and he said angrily to Yuan Xi, "If my aunt asks what you do with the money, what will you say? "
"I just told Dezu to take me to a brothel for prostitution."
"…………"
Yang Xiu smiled bitterly and said, "Forget it, just thirty taels."
Yuan Xi wondered, "But, Dezu, I have two questions for you to ask." Yang Xiu walked out and patted his chest and said, "You're welcome, just tell me if you have anything to say."
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Why don't you take out the money yourself." Yang Xiu glared at him and said, "It's not why, it's all because I'm your boss, and you have to listen to what I say. Do you understand?" Yuan Xi said with a wry smile. Xi sighed and said, "It wasn't Dezu who reminded me, but I really don't understand such a profound truth."
So, the unreliable Yang Xiu led the sinister Yuan Xi toward Hongyifang.
