On the ninth day of the first lunar month, Liu Zhiyuan changed his name to Liu Hao. At the same time, he no longer went to court in person. On important matters, he only ordered Yang Bin, Su Fengji and others to enter the palace to inquire and make decisions in front of the emperor. At the same time, he appointed his second son Zuowei General Liu Chengyou as the king of Zhou, and made the inner capital of Zhou Dynasty. Check and add Tongping regulations.
All signs seem to indicate that Liu Zhiyuan is making advance preparations for his death. Guo Xin has also heard some rumors in the army recently. It is rumored that Liu Zhiyuan has been extremely sad and sick since Liu Chengxun's death. However, Liu Zhiyuan is already quite old, not to mention the hidden diseases left in his early years. Guo Xin knows that Liu Zhiyuan will die sooner or later. It just depends on how long it will be delayed.
Guo Xin speculated that Guo Wei and Wang Zhang were so eager to get married because of Liu Zhiyuan's side. Liu Zhiyuan was seriously ill and ignored foreign affairs. At this time, he had neither the intention nor the ability to care about the marriage of two important ministers. Guo Tong and Wang got married as soon as possible, and the two families could avoid the worry of having a secret feud when the young master succeeded to the throne, which would arouse the suspicion of the new king.
But this is naturally an idea that other people have. Only Guo Xin knows that no matter what he does, Liu Chengyou will not trust him in the future...
Shortly after the Lantern Festival of the first lunar month, Guo Mansion was busy again. Guo Xin walked around the front yard and saw many servants and maids coming in and out, putting up paper-cut peach charms and leading people to unload things from the carriages outside the house and move them into the house.
At this time, he saw Guo Pu standing by the door, directing a group of men to carry many boxes in.
The men carrying the box looked very strenuous. One look showed that the box was not light, and it was probably filled with real good things.
Guo Xin stepped forward and asked Guo Pu: "Where did so many objects come from?"
Guo Pu replied: "They are all shipped from the Wang family, and these people are also sent by the Wang family. Taifu Wang said that there are few people in our house and there are not enough people to serve the wife and the Wang family's wife, so he sent some slaves over." Guo Pu pointed to the door again: "There are many more outside."
"Oh..." Guo Xin nodded. The relationship between the Guo and Wang families has heated up rapidly after the New Year. Guo Tong and Wang have already set a wedding date, and they are probably making arrangements for the wedding at the end of the month.
Guo Xin looked at it for a long time. There were many utensils and other things brought from the Wang family, which were already piled up in the corner of the front yard. People were still busy moving in and out to carry things. Upon seeing this, Guo Xin secretly said: The Wang family is indeed very rich. Even if they marry their daughters, they move them back and forth one by one. But whether the money can be used cleanly is another matter.
Guo Xin continued to walk around the house, feeling that everyone around him seemed very busy, and he was the only one who was relatively free.
Guo Xin felt restless and restless these days, not only because of the upcoming changes in the court situation, but also because Guo Tong's approaching wedding reminded him of his own marriage. He had long known that at this time, he had to obey his parents' orders for marriage, and no one could be exempted from it. However, although Guo Xin does not intend to challenge the existing rules, he still wants to have some choice in this matter.
Guo Xin guessed that it was almost noon, so he went to the stable to pick up his horse and prepare to go out to the dinner he had arranged with Zheng Zhun and Shi Dejun.
He was going to Hele Restaurant, which was the same restaurant where he invited Zhang Chenghua and Wang Yuanmao to have a drink. The food at Helelou was quite to his liking. The key was that it was close to the Bianhe River and the scenery was better. He feels that he is still a person who is easily satisfied. Once he has a more suitable choice, he is too lazy to spend time exploring new choices.
When he arrived at Hele Building, Zheng Chen was already waiting inside. Guo Xin still sat down by the window, but at this time, both sides of the Bianhe River were not as prosperous as they were before the freeze, and the scenery outside the window was much bleaker than last time.
After Guo Xin sat down, he saw that there seemed to be sadness in Zheng Chen's eyebrows, so he asked, "What has Mr. Zheng been worried about recently?"
Zheng Chen sighed slightly: "I'm not going to hide it, brother, but there is something that makes me unhappy. Last year, the official system was closed, and the new Jinshi should have been selected by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, but now the prime minister is openly giving and accepting bribes. The old ministers of the previous dynasty were dismissed, and the scholars of the new dynasty were promoted. It was all done by Ersu as he wished. Now that the new dynasty has begun to recruit scholars, those who have talents in their arms are depressed and unable to reach their goals. Doesn't it chill the hearts of the world? "
Guo Xin pondered slightly. He had known for a long time that the order of the officialdom had long been broken. From the three envoys who kept the treasury in their own pockets, to the prime minister who sabotaged the country to obtain scholars, he had a better understanding of the style of the meat-eaters above. Deep experience.
Guo Xin said casually: "If the soil is already polluted, no matter how many saplings are replaced, the tree will grow crooked. Pruning will not help. Only by changing the soil can we cultivate a healthy foundation."
Zheng Chen was not stupid. He heard what Guo Xin said was referring to, and quickly reminded him: "I already know, don't mention Guo Lang's words again."
Guo Xin smiled, picked up the tea bowl and took a sip.
At this moment, there was a rapid sound of kicking from the wooden ladder connecting the downstairs, and Guo Xin knew without thinking that it was Shi Dejun who was coming.
Shi Dejun took a gust of wind with him as he walked. After Fengfenghuo went upstairs, he sat down directly next to Guo Xin: "Shi is late, don't blame the two of you!"
After saying that, he picked up the tea bowl that Guo Xingang had placed on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Shi Dejun took a breath and said, "I heard that Yi Geer's brother is going to marry the prince's daughter?"
"The marriage between my brother and the Wang family's wife has been decided, and it will be at the end of this month." Guo Xin nodded. Many people already knew about this.
"So, the Guo family doesn't want to be rich soon? Come on, let me come and invite you today."
Guo Xin's mouth twitched and he said unmoved: "My brother's marriage has nothing to do with me."
Zheng Chen laughed and interjected: "Did Shi Lang lose gambling recently and have no money to do anything?"
Shi Dejun said angrily: "These birdies in Tokyo started gambling with thousands of dollars... When I catch them cheating next time, I will smash them to pieces on the spot." But he turned around and smiled at the two of them: "But for now I really don’t lack this copper smell.”
After speaking, Shi Dejun took out a bulging money bag from his sleeve pocket and hit it on the table with a heavy thud. It was obvious that there was a lot of money in it.
Guo Xin looked at Shi Dejuan suspiciously. He knew that Shi Dejuan was as poor as himself when he was in Taiyuan Mansion. He pretended to be a joke and said, "Shilang is also a military attache of the imperial court. When did he start stealing?"
Shi Dejun immediately took back the money bag and glared: "What's the matter of sneaking around? This was brought to your doorstep by a serious person."
Zheng Zhen was stunned: "Shi Lang, please don't lie to me. Where in the world is there such a good thing as visiting someone's door to give out money?"
Shi Dejun: "Why not? As long as your father is also the chief of the bodyguard department, no matter whether it is money or a concubine, someone will naturally come to your door personally."
Hearing this, Guo Xin asked curiously: "Then who sent money to Shi Lang's family recently?"
"You two may not believe it," Shi Dejun said with a mysterious face, "It is Hou Yi, the governor of Fengxiang who almost surrendered to Shu earlier. Hou Yi is planning to enter the court on the Holy Shou Festival on February 4th to celebrate the longevity of his officials. , so we sent people to Tokyo in advance to find a way out."
Hearing this, Guo Xin and Zheng Zhen looked at each other and smiled bitterly. Just now, the two of them had talked about the dirty officialdom, but in the end, their surroundings were not clean.
