In March, when the grass is growing and the orioles are flying, the weather is getting hotter and hotter.
As the birthday of the young official Liu Chengyou approaches, except for the Fengxiang Army Jiedushi Zhao Hui, Shannan East Road Jiedushi An Shenqi, who need to guard against Shu, Wu and other countries on the southern border, as well as the clan Hedong Jiedushi Liu Chong and Zhongwujun Except for Liu Xin, the Jiedushi envoy, many other Jiedushi envoys from other towns have arrived in Tokyo one after another and have been summoned to the palace one after another.
Wei Guogong and Fu Yanqing, the governor of Taining Army, have also brought their children to Beijing and live in the Fu family's own mansion in the northeast corner of the inner city.
Counting the days, it was estimated that Fu Yanqing and his party had settled down, so Guo Xin asked Guo Pu to go to his house to send a greeting note, and told him that he wanted to go to the house to meet his friend Fu Zhaoxu, and Fu Zhaoxu replied to invite him. Go and see it three days before the Jiaqing Festival.
On the appointed day, Guo Xin had changed into a thin black blouse. At first glance, it seemed to have no pattern, but if you look closely, you can see that there are scattered patterns on it. Yuniang had made the clothes for him last summer, but when he came back from Guanzhong, it was already winter, so he never had the chance to wear it. He didn't expect that the first time he wore it was to visit his future father-in-law.
Before going out, Yu Niang carefully smoothed Guo Xin's clothes, as if she was saying goodbye.
"It's useless for Yu Niang to take care of it now. It will wrinkle again after riding a horse."
Then Yu Niang let go of Guo Xin and looked him up and down: "Mr. Lang has grown stronger in winter, and his clothes don't fit him very well anymore."
"So clothes are always better when they are old, and they will fit after they have been worn for a long time." Guo Xin guessed that Yu Niang had some ups and downs in her heart about the Fu family, so she said this casually.
Yu Niang quickly noticed what he meant from his words, but she chuckled and asked him, "Did Mr. Lang say that women are like clothes? The weather has four seasons, and different clothes are needed to deal with it. Don't be suspicious, Mr. Lang. ... My life belongs to Guo Lang."
Guo Xin looked at Yu Niang's sincere eyes and didn't want to continue this topic for a while. Fortunately, Guo Pu arrived outside the door and claimed that he had prepared horses and gifts.
When we arrived at the Fu family's residence, when Guo Xin came last time, the plaque of Duke Qi's Mansion hanging on the door had been taken off, and it was replaced by the title of Duke of Wei newly conferred by Fu Yanqing last year. From Qi Guogong to Wei Guogong, if you continue to seal it, you can only be crowned king. The Fu family is a force that has been valued and attracted in all dynasties.
As soon as Guo Xin got off his horse, the servant at the door rushed to greet him, bowed deeply to Guo Xin, and said with a smile on his face: "General Guo, my second son has been waiting in the front hall for a long time."
Guo Xin handed him the reins and looked him over: "Do you know me?"
"General Guo came to visit two years ago, so I remember it."
"Oh," Guo Xin was slightly surprised. He took out some money from his sleeve and handed it to the servant. He asked by the way: "How is your elder brother doing lately? Is Wei Guogong at home today?"
"My husband is a good man, but he has been busy with official matters recently. Duke Wei is also at the house. On the first day he came to Tokyo City, Duke Wei read General Guo's name at the house and said he wanted to meet him as soon as possible."
The servant bowed deeply again, hurriedly ushered Guo Xin, Guo Pu and other entourage in, and then rushed ahead to guide Guo Xin.
Not long after, a man about the same age as Guo Xin came over from outside the front hall. He smiled and clasped his fists and said, "I've heard about Guo Erlang's name for a long time, and today I can meet him!"
Guo Xin took a closer look at the man's appearance, and it turned out that he looked familiar. He knew that the man was Fu Zhaoxin, the second son of the Fu family, and he immediately returned the gesture with fists clasped.
Fu Zhaoxin looked at Guo Xin curiously and led him into the front hall. Fu Zhaoxin said to the servant beside him: "Go and tell father and brother, General Guo is here."
After speaking, Fu Zhaoxin made a gesture forward and said enthusiastically: "Please, General Guo."
On the way, Guo Xin was also looking at the Fu family's inner house. Compared with the last time he came back, Fu Yanqing brought more maids this time. The vegetation is lush and green, and the faint sound of gurgling water from the creek can be heard in my ears.
Fu Zhaoxin said at this time: "General Guo is here by chance. Today, two famous jousting players are competing in the house. My father and brother are watching the jousting. General Guo will be very lucky today."
Guo Xin knew that wrestling was probably a type of wrestling, and the rules were also a circle. If you pushed your opponent out or fell down, you would win. At this time, martial arts were popular in the world, and jiaodui, polo, Cuju, field hunting, riding and shooting were all sports that the military and even the court and people were keen on and good at.
Not long after, Fu Zhaoxin took Guo Xin to a hall in the backyard. In front of the hall was a circle with a circumference of more than ten paces. In the circle were two men who were considered strong among the Forbidden Army. They were naked. They crossed their arms and stared at each other.
Chairs were arranged on the steps of the hall. Guo Xin saw Fu Zhaoxu sitting on the steps with another older man, pointing to the two men in the circle and talking.
Fu Zhaoxu soon saw Guo Xin and Fu Zhaoxin, and immediately said a few words to the old man, and ordered the two people in the circle to suspend the competition, and then walked down the steps to greet them.
"I had known that Guo Lang was not an ordinary person. After seeing each other for several years, I could still hear about Guo Lang's deeds in Guanzhong in Yanzhou."
"Relying on Shangfeng and his subordinates for their lives, I have only made a small contribution."
"We'll ask Guo Lang to explain it to us in detail later," Fu Zhaoxu said, "My father is on the stage, and I would like to ask Guo Lang to come with me to see him first."
"Of course."
The Fu brothers brought Guo Xin to the steps and introduced Guo Xin to Fu Yanqing. Guo Xin took this opportunity to also observe Fu Yanqing, the legendary Duke of Wei and his future father-in-law.
Fu Yanqing was wearing a plain robe and a simple scarf, but he didn't look like a warrior who had spent his entire life in the military. His face had regular features, except for three shallow wrinkles across his forehead, and his eyelids were slightly swollen, making his eyes a little cloudy. While listening to Fu Zhaoxu's introduction to Guo Xin, Fu Yanqing smiled again and nodded at Guo Xin from time to time. .
Guo Xin paid his respects as a junior, and Fu Yanqing ordered others to set up a seat for Guo Xin and prepare to watch the show together.
After Guo Xin sat down, Fu Yanqing asked again: "How is Mr. Guo doing lately? I heard that Mr. Guo lives in the Privy Council and handles various matters. He is able to manage everything day by day without getting tired."
"Thanks to Duke Wei, everything is fine for my father, and he is even more energetic after returning from Hebei."
But Fu Yanqing shook his head: "At the same age as Mr. Guo and I, the most important thing is to take care of ourselves!"
Guo Xin said yes, but he thought in his heart: After all, his family is not as deep-rooted as the Fu family. If he does not firmly hold the only power in the DPRK, he will be completely forgotten soon.
After Fu Yanqing finished speaking, he stood up from his chair and ordered the two people who had been waiting below to start competing again.
At this time, Guo Xin also noticed that Fu Yanqing was tall and had broad shoulders like the Fu brothers. Fu Yanqing must have been very strong in the past, but now his back has drooped.
Fu Zhaoxu introduced the two people on the field to Guo Xin: "The one with the red cloth on his head is a horn stick expert brought by my family. He is known as the "Two Whips". He has been here for several years. He has been in Xuzhou and There are almost no defeats in Yanzhou. The other dark one is the famous Shi Da Chong in the Tokyo Forbidden Army. It is not easy to win over him. The two have just competed for two rounds, each with a victory or defeat. This is the last round. .”
Guo Xin smiled and said: "Since we are both brothers in the Forbidden Army, it seems that I should support this big bug today."
Fu Zhaoxu smiled and said nothing, and Fu Zhaoxin next to him also laughed after hearing this: "General Guo has never seen the power of five whips."
Several people on the steps were chatting and laughing, but the atmosphere was very tense. Both of them took off their shirts, stretched out their arms, and looked at each other without making a move. But judging from his strong body, he still felt that Shi Da Chong had the advantage. This guy had two thick red and black arms. Large clumps of black hair are exposed under the armpits. On the strong body, the thickness of the chest and abdomen is exaggerated. The shape of the muscles under the skin cannot be completely concealed by the thick fat on the belly. It is like a hairless animal. bear.
Just when Guo Xin was sizing him up, the two whips moved violently, and his two arms pushed hard towards Shi Da Chong. Shi Da Chong did not shy away, and he grunted and resisted the opponent who was coming towards him, but after all, the opponent had a With momentum coming, Shi Da Chong was forced to take a step back.
The two people tested each other and kept reaching for each other's waist and shoulders, trying to make the other person miss something or lose their balance. At that moment, a flaw in Shi Da Chong's posture was revealed. Two whips grabbed his belt and tried to lift him up and throw him out of the circle.
Everyone saw that Shi Da Chong's legs were off the ground, and when he was about to fall outside the circle, Shi Da Chong's big hands suddenly grabbed the shoulders of the two whips, pulled hard, and pulled himself back into the circle, and then After taking two steps back, before everyone's surprise could even escape their lips, Shi Da Chong was already like a tiger descending a mountain, flying towards the two whips without stopping.
Now Guo Xin felt that Shi Da Chong was about to turn defeat into victory. Unexpectedly, he pounced with such force that the two whips were motionless at the edge of the circle, and his legs were nailed to the soil like iron whips. Guo Xin understood immediately. The origin of this title.
The two were in a stalemate again, as if they had gained strength. They used their arms to push against each other simply by relying on brute strength. After a while, Guo Xin could clearly see that there were many tendons on Shi Da Chong's two thick arms. Jump on it!
"Back!" With a deafening roar, Shi Da Chong's body seemed to suddenly grow in size, and he pressed his two whips to push his opponent out of the circle step by step.
The Fu family brothers next to him all exclaimed in surprise, and Fu Zhaoxin looked in disbelief: "Is there really anyone who can defeat two whips in terms of strength?"
However, the winner was already known, and the onlookers all applauded. Even Fu Yanqing was very moved, and he stroking his beard and asked his servant to lead Shi Da Chong to come near and reward him.
Shi Dachong had already put on his clothes and bowed his thanks at the foot of the steps: "I am humble Shi Yanchao, thank you Duke Wei for the generous reward."
Guo Xin was suddenly surprised when he heard that Da Chong was also a "stage name" and he had his own name.
"Okay, okay, okay." Fu Yanqing called out three good words in a row, then turned to Guo Xin and said, "This man is invincible and will become a powerful general in the future. Have you ever heard of Guo Erlang in the army?"
Guo Xin nodded to Shi Yanchao and praised him: "Although I have never heard of him, when I saw him today, I knew there was such a hero in the army."
When Shi Yanchao heard this, he actually asked: "May I ask if General Guo Xin is the Tiger Shooter?"
Before Guo Xin could answer, Fu Zhaoxu laughed loudly and said: "It's Guo Erlang who shot the tiger. You call him a big insect, but he happened to be defeated by Guo Lang, who shot the tiger. I don't know who can win between the two of you. .”
"How dare you!" Shi Yanchao immediately bowed down to Guo Xin. I don't know if it was because of the fight just now, but he was still blushing and praised: "I have admired General Guo for a long time, and I will never dare to meet General Guo." Compare."
Guo Xin looked at Shi Yanchao's appearance and thought that Shi Yanchao's flattering skills were far inferior to Zhao Kuangyin's, even though he had a black face.
