Guo Tong got up very early, put on a straight-seam wide shirt, tied a soap-colored silk ribbon around his waist, and slowly picked up the brocade jacket from the hem. The green satin surface of the brocade jacket was very soft. Guo Tong's slightly skinny hands rubbed it for a long time before slowly putting the brocade jacket on his body.
The brocade coat was a little too big for Guo Tong, but it could still cover up his sickly and thin figure. Guo Tong carefully smoothed out the wrinkles on his body and tightened the excess front part until the entire brocade coat fit smoothly on his body.
The movements of Guo Tong's hands were very gentle, as if he were treating something precious. In fact, this is indeed the case. This brocade robe has special meaning to him. He still remembered that it was a gloomy day. When he was having a banquet at General Zuowei's house, he kept coughing. Liu Chengxun actually took off the brocade jacket he was wearing and gave it to him.
'Guo Lang is a good talent for the country, so we must be more considerate.' Guo Tong even remembered Liu Chengxun's hearty tone when he spoke and the admiring look he gave him. And the cough that was always uncontrollable on rainy days actually never appeared again that day.
Guo Tong hated his sick body. Because of his frailty, even though he was the eldest son in the family, he was not valued by his father Guo Wei, and he was even less popular among the martial arts circles who interacted with the Guo family. He has heard the vicious whispers of servants in private countless times, and has been glared at by his peers countless times, but he cannot argue with this. Isn't it true that only those with big fists are justified in this world?
This is also the reason why Guo Tong doesn't like his brother Guo Xin. In his opinion, Guo Xin already has everything he wants: a strong body, his father's love, and the respect of the military. And judging from Guo Xin's current performance in the military, his rise to the top is just around the corner!
Thinking of this, Guo Tong sighed slightly. The second brother placed countless hopes on the whole family, and he only had the title of the eldest son in the family...
Therefore, Guo Tong was both surprised and very grateful for Liu Chengxun's kindness. But just when he was about to devote himself wholeheartedly to the General's Palace and serve His Highness and make great achievements, something even more unexpected happened - not long after the official's royal chariot went out for the expedition, Liu Chengxun, who had just been appointed as the guard in Tokyo, suddenly fell ill in the palace.
This is exactly why Guo Tong went out today. He walked out of the courtyard and was about to turn around the verandah of the back courtyard when he suddenly heard two female voices whispering in front of him.
Guo Tong quietly leaned over and found that the whispers came from two maids who were cleaning the courtyard. He slowed down and tried to get closer to the two maids. But he doesn't have to be so big. His steps are so light that it's hard to believe that a person who is not short can have such light steps. But this can't be said to be an advantage. It can only be useful in dirty things like eavesdropping.
Thinking of the dirty things, Guo Tong's face turned red inadvertently. He often boasted that he had read all the teachings of saints. If someone found out that he was eavesdropping, he would probably lose face. But soon he had no time to think about this. The two voices in his ears were getting closer and clearer, forcing him to listen carefully.
Two maidservants, one old and one young, talked together: "Did you hear that? The third envoy Wang Taifu, who is in charge of money and food in the imperial court, asked someone to come to discuss with Mrs. Lao Langjun. He heard that he wanted to marry off his only daughter. Come to our Guo Mansion."
The young maid hurriedly asked, "Teacher Wang? Are you talking about that fortune teller? I heard people say outside that the fortune teller king made farmers sell their sons and daughters, which is very unpopular."
The old maid continued to teach in a teaching tone: "What do you know! When Wang Suanzi was in Taiyuan Mansion, he was Kong Mu, and now he is still an official planner in Kaifeng Mansion. I don't know how much money the family has collected over the years! His reputation is false. How many kilograms of corn can I exchange for?"
The younger subordinate stopped his broom and said, "That's true. In that case, Dalang won't suffer at all."
"Hey! What kind of eldest man? Which lady likes our eldest man! Erlang is so brave and is gaining power in the army. If the Wang family's daughter doesn't choose Erlang, will she choose the eldest man?"
The young maid simply put down the broom and said sternly: "Who said no one likes Da Lang! I do!"
"You are the only one who wants to fly up a branch and become a phoenix?" The old maid laughed narrowly, "You are young and don't understand. Look at that old man's body. You will have your spare time to guard in the future. What a feeling, tsk tsk..."
Guo Tong, who was behind the pillar, was already blushing with shame and anger.
These servants can really spit out anything from their mouths! He really wanted to rush out and teach those two despicable slaves a lesson, but he looked down at his newly changed brocade robes and thought of going to the General's Mansion to meet His Highness later, so he suppressed the anger in his heart and secretly comforted: These bitches don't even know what they are doing. You don't deserve to talk too much.
Guo Tong left the Guo Mansion angrily, but the conversation between the two maids kept lingering in his mind.
Wang Jixiang! He was such a powerful minister in the court, and even compared to his father Guo Wei's position, he was not willing to give in too much. If we can marry into the Wang family, it will not only be of great benefit to the Guo family, but it will also make the second brother Guo Xin, who is already increasingly famous, even more powerful!
But for Guo Tong, this is not a good thing. If the marriage with the Wang family can be successful, wouldn't the three disciples of Guo Fengchao and himself be left alone in the huge Guo family? By then, the second brother's status in the house will naturally be unparalleled, and his so-called eldest son will only be despised by everyone even more...
With all the messy thoughts in his mind, Guo Tong arrived at General Zuowei's mansion in a blink of an eye.
The three sons of the official family, including the adopted son Liu Chengyun, have not yet been crowned kings, but they have all opened their own palaces and become left and right generals respectively. However, Liu Zhiyuan went on an expedition, and Liu Chengxun, the eldest son of the emperor, was left to guard the country with the right to know Tokyo. This undoubtedly showed that the eldest son of the emperor, Liu Chengxun, was the heir in the eyes of the officials.
Although he and His Highness are both eldest men in the family, they are treated completely differently. Guo Tong soon laughed at his own thoughts. The Liu family was a noble family, how could he compare to him?
Guo Tong took a deep breath and stepped forward to knock on the side door of the General's Mansion. Before he could hand the name card to the concierge, the concierge spoke first: "Your Highness is ill and you don't see anyone. Sir, please come back."
After saying that, the side door closed tightly.
Guo Tong frowned. This was what he heard last time, so he knocked on the door unwillingly.
Finally, the Zhumen finally opened again. Guo Tong hurriedly raised his hands and said, "I am Guo Tong, the envoy of the Xishang Pavilion. Your Highness knows me."
The porter's face already showed an impatient look: "Didn't you tell me? Not to mention the envoy, even if the privy envoy comes, he will not be able to see His Highness."
The concierge was about to close the door, but found that he couldn't pull it open. When he looked up, he found that the door panel was being held tightly by a skinny hand.
Guo Tong calmly took out his wallet and stuffed it into the porter's hand: "Then at least let me know if your highness' health has improved?"
The concierge was stunned for a moment, shook the money bag, quickly put it into his sleeve, stretched out his head and looked around, and then whispered to Guo Tong: "The rear palace is tightly guarded, and no words can be heard at all... But In recent nights, doctors, alchemists and the like have been coming in and out frequently, but both the royal doctor in the palace and the wandering monks have a straight face when they leave the house."
Guo Tong's face turned extremely dark: "What do you mean?"
The concierge's eyes widened: "I didn't say anything!"
After saying that, Zhu Hong's side door slammed shut in front of Guo Tong.
