Although there were some twists and turns, the visit was overall quite successful. The Queen Mother was quite satisfied with the final confrontation and said that the other party's martial arts theory was indeed interesting and worth pondering.
As for the strategic issues, she agreed wholeheartedly, saying that since what Guo Kang said was true and Wang Da Lama and others thought it was feasible, she could support it. She will tell her son and daughter-in-law later and ask them to consider it too.
The Queen Mother had to go to another nunnery in the afternoon to visit the orphans there. The schedule was very tight, so everyone received her promise, thanked her for a while, and then left.
Lama Wang and Old Sea Urchin were going to meet other scholars and priests and separated from everyone at the door. Tuohuan is also ready to go back.
"That's it for today. Brother Kang, I'll go to the workshop tomorrow to see what you and Zhu Dajiao are working on." Tuo Huan jumped on his horse and said to Guo Kang.
Guo Kang nodded, turned around and called Theodora: "Sister, get in the car, we'll be walking along the way."
However, Theodora shook his head and said, "You should go back by yourself first. I want to go to the Guo family's house with Brother Kang."
"Ah?" Tuo Huan didn't seem to know about her arrangement, but he didn't care too much and nodded: "Then I'll tell mother that I won't wait for you for lunch."
"There is no need to wait these days." Theodora told him: "You told your mother that I have something to do at the Guo family's house and don't have time to go back and forth. I should just stay there for the next few days and not go back to the palace." It’s in.”
Tuo Huan opened her mouth half-open and was stunned for a while.
"Why are you dazed?" Theodora urged in a low voice: "Go back!"
"No... you just delivered it to your door?" Tuohuan was a little surprised, and lowered his voice. He leaned over from his horse and said, "I'm not against it. I just see you spending the whole day with an ascetic nun." It seems like I thought you wouldn’t be able to do this..."
Theodora had just plucked up the courage, but was a little shy because of what he said, so she became angry and glared at him fiercely.
"Okay, okay, don't worry, I'll tell my mother when I get back!" Tuohuan quickly sat up straight and patted his chest as he promised.
After that, he kicked his horse and left quickly.
Two Serbian followers who were having fun were waiting at the entrance of the alley. When they saw him running out in a panic, they didn't know what was going on. Tuohuan didn't bother to explain and asked them to follow quickly. The two of them got on their horses with confused expressions, quickly followed him, and ran away quickly.
Guo Kang himself didn't actually react, but Tuohuan ran away so directly, and he didn't know how to deal with it. Of all the people present, only the Queen Mother and the nuns were still there.
"Just take her with you." The Queen Mother also said: "Are all young people today like this? In fact, you don't have to think too much. At that time, I..."
"Her Majesty, it's time for us to have lunch." The nun named Zoe reminded her in time, interrupting the Queen Mother's nagging.
"Okay, okay, then we'll go back. You two have fun!" The Queen Mother nodded repeatedly, waved to them, and left.
Guo Kang looked around and saw one of the young nuns making a "come on" gesture towards him.
Guo Kang was helpless and had no choice but to nod. He was about to turn around and get on the horse, but Theodora stopped him: "Get in my car. Just ask grandma to take your horse back."
After that, she pulled Guo Kang into the car.
The carriage started slowly, and the two faced each other in silence. Finally, Theodora couldn't help it and said first: "Do you think everyone thinks I'm a hindrance?"
"What do you mean?" Guo Kang was a little surprised.
"Every time I say something, my brother is often dissatisfied, but he doesn't care if you say the same thing." Theodora shook her head and said: "Apart from him, so does Li Xuanying. I said last time that I can help my parents When he was doing work, he looked like I was going to eat him."
"It's normal for him to be like this." Guo Kang explained: "His grandfather was fucked badly by Queen Mother Helena, and the whole family remembers it. If you say that, they will definitely suspect that you want to be involved in politics. Do you think they think you are in the way? In fact, they are afraid of you."
Theodora nodded.
"I can only tell you these words." She sighed: "I always feel that I am doing my best to do good things. I am not trying to snatch Tao Huan's inheritance rights, and you know that this is simply impossible. My wisdom is not blinded by this illusory power."
"But look at their reactions, each of them seems to have seen a thief. However, if I don't help, I will get rid of my careless temper, and I won't even know if I will be tricked in the future. Tell me, what should I do? ?”
"You don't have to underestimate him." Guo Kang comforted: "He seems to be indifferent, but he also understands the key things. After all, he also studied with us, so you have to have confidence in him."
"If you want to help, you must first respect others, so that everyone can feel your care. If you act like you are caring for a fool, of course people will be disgusted, because they are not really fools."
"Then they always don't believe me, what should I do?" Theodora complained and continued to ask: "Could it be that if I come into contact with power, I will definitely become one of those messy ladies in Roman history? What?"
Guo Kang thought for a moment.
"You may have heard what Old Sea Urchin said just now, that is, the geographical environment will determine the cultural characteristics of local residents." He said: "In fact, not only geography, but also the social environment will also determine."
"Once these ladies desire the highest power, their own personalities no longer matter. In the face of political interests, only very determined people can control their desires, and most people do not have this ability."
"They desire power, but their power is not stable. Didn't we say before why usurping regimes like the Sima family often have unstable foundations? It's the same for them."
"Because the power is not as stable as that of a male monarch, it can only be compensated for through other ways - such as extensive compromises with nobles, unprincipled compromises with foreigners, unnecessary slaughter of possible opponents... and so on. Only through these extreme Only in this way can we maintain power and maintain a sense of security."
"From this perspective, Wu Zetian, whom they often use as a metaphor, is actually more dangerous than Sima Yi. Because her way of rising is not regarded as the 'right path', her military achievements have less prestige, and she has fewer followers. Therefore, her The behavior must also be more extreme."
"If this rare opportunity was given to a more capable and moral woman, then maybe our world would be different. But unfortunately, there are too few opportunities to try, and everyone's luck is not good. As a result, As you can see, both Rome and Ceres suffered for this, and people naturally objected to this behavior."
"When Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty was here, 'Empress Wu' could help him very well and handle various matters. But after Gaozong's death, not long after, 'Empress Wu' lost control. When she finally became 'Emperor Zetian' , as if he has completely lost his previous skills and political wisdom. I think the main reason is this."
"Isn't this a paradox?" Theodora asked rhetorically: "If a noble woman is pursuing the highest power, then she will be forced by the situation to distort and degenerate. But if she does not want to obtain the highest power, then You will never pursue this status and title. In this case, is it impossible to have a female king?"
"It's okay if she has a stable position." Guo Kang corrected: "Didn't you notice? As long as everyone thinks that the way she obtains power is not a big problem, then in such an environment it is easy for qualified or even excellent female rulers to emerge."
"Although the empress of Seris is very speechless, the queen mother there is much more normal than the one in Rome. Although many people have bad personal ethics, they are indeed praiseworthy leaders for the country. When it comes to power, these The Queen Mother is now able to call the throne and preside over sacrifices. She is not much different from the Emperor in terms of power and legal principles, but her actual performance is much more normal. I think this is the effect of the Seris customary law."
"If you want to be a good leader, I suggest you focus on the habit itself first, and not the position first." Guo Kang said: "For this kind of thing, it's best to do it in a down-to-earth manner. You have plenty of time and ability, then Why bother?"
"Then will you support me?" Theodora asked.
"If you believe in me, I can support you." Guo Kang said without hesitation: "If I don't have this kind of trust, what can I do? I can find a thousand people on the streets of Dadu who are chasing power purely for the sake of power. What's so special about these people? My support is meaningless."
"So, how do you prove this to me?"
Theodora hesitated. After a moment, she rushed towards Guo Kang and kissed him.
Guo Kang was completely stunned.
After a while, she let go. He looked at Guo Kang and blushed, as if he was not mentally prepared.
Returning to her seat, she and Guo Kang looked at each other, then quickly looked away. After looking around, he simply stood up again and sat next to Guo Kang, leaning against him.
"That'll do." She whispered.
"Ah..." Guo Kang originally wanted to discuss the importance of political mutual trust and potential tacit understanding with her, but Theodora suddenly bumped into her and had an incestuous kiss, knocking all the lines he had planned out of the way.
"By the way, you are not allowed to have special relationships with those people on the streets of Metropolis. Those Greeks are very strange, do you understand?" Theodora did not forget to warn her.
Guo Kang didn't know how to answer, so he could only nod.
The two of them didn't speak again the whole way. When he arrived in front of the Guo family's house, the coachman shouted twice before he realized what was going on.
Yang Wenxian, who was standing guard at the door, came up to them, glanced at them curiously, and asked the guards to open the door and welcome them in.
When the two of them entered, he closed the door again. When there was still a crack, everyone poked their heads in and took a few more glances, and even looked specifically to see if there was anyone on the roof. Seeing that they had entered the lobby, they closed the door tightly again.
"What happened today?" Yang Wenxian asked strangely.
"Hey, young man, you have never found a wife." The coachman seemed familiar with this: "I have been driving carriages for nobles for more than ten years, and these two are the shyest couple I have ever had. Such a gentle person Young people are so rare..."
"What about those two?" Yang Wenxian suddenly realized and said to himself: "No wonder, I just said something is wrong. This is not the first time for the princess to come. I have never seen their expressions like this before..."
"What was it like before?" The coachman became more and more curious.
"Why are you asking?" Another guard stepped forward and threatened, "Don't ask too many questions about the War Commander."
"Hey, what are you telling me about keeping secrets?" The coachman was not afraid, but showed off: "These young people are also new here, right? Ask your brother Bu Lei, he knows me."
"You know, we coachmen are the quickest to know all the so-called 'secrets' inside and outside the palace. The nobles in the court often have to get their words from us."
"This is not a big deal." Yang Wenxian, the leader, stopped them and asked: "Old man, you have to know that although our young master is not a womanizer, he is still very popular. Every time the princess came before, she had to follow her The other girls are quarreling!”
"However, the young master manages the family well, and these girls are just bickering, but they are actually very united." He boasted: "Last time, for some reason, they swarmed up and beat up the visiting Mr. Li."
"Huh? I heard this from the driver of the Li family. So that's what happened." The old driver also seemed to suddenly realize: "It must be that Mr. Li broke their good deeds, and everyone was embarrassed for a moment. Take it out on him."
"Yes. You know, Mr. Li never goes through the main entrance, he always climbs over the wall."
"We didn't report it, and we don't know what's going on inside."
"Yes, yes. This is too abrupt..."
Everyone discussed it and came to a conclusion that everyone could accept.
Someone brought out tea and asked the old coachman to tell his story. The old coachman also did his part and told several secrets about the palace of Greek ladies, which amazed everyone. At the end, he said that he had to rush back to change his shift, so he hugged the guards and said we would talk next time, and he happened to bring some food along the way.
When he drove away, everyone went back satisfied.
Of course, Guo Kang and Theodora are not aware of the "little things" done by these "little people" for the time being.
At this moment, Guo Kangzheng hurriedly brought Theodora to the living room and asked her to sit down for a while.
Although he knew a lot of messy knowledge, and the "internal power" of this world seemed to have deepened his memory, Guo Kang really lacked experience in dealing with relationships with the opposite sex.
Until now, he actually couldn't guarantee what Theodora's plan was, or what step he was planning to take.
The known experience is that when a person doesn't know what to do, step by step and follow the rules is the safest way. In this way, even if there is a problem, it can be said to be a problem with the rules, not one's own problem, and generally will not be held accountable excessively.
Therefore, it is better to be mechanical when things happen than to make random decisions on your own - among the countless experiences brought about by Seris' long history, this can also be classified as the most practical category.
So, Guo Kang, whose mind was already a little empty, began to follow the custom of receiving guests and prepared to arrange a guest room for her first. Let’s wait until dad comes back and talk about the rest.
However, as soon as Guo Kang walked out of the living room, he saw his adoptive father walking from the back door holding a large pile of books.
The foster father looked around and saw no one was there, so he hurried back into the house. Halfway there, he suddenly saw Guo Kang appear, which surprised him.
"Kang'er? Are you back so early?" He said hello first.
"The Queen Mother has something to do in the afternoon, so we left separately." Guo Kang said, looking up and down: "This book is..."
"I just asked someone to borrow them." The adoptive father greeted: "Come, do me a favor and put all these books in my room and arrange them in categories."
Guo Kang was confused and had to help him move the books again. On the way, he said tentatively: "By the way, Dad, Theodora has come to our house and is in the living room..."
"Oh, that girl." The adoptive father nodded: "That's good. She's here to find you, right? Don't worry, you don't have to work too long, just help me get these books."
"What's going on?" Guo Kang was still confused.
"Your mother is coming back. She asked me to read more books before she left, but I didn't have the time." The adoptive father said with a sad face: "I originally wanted to take your book, but Lao Li said I was stupid. Your book, Does your mother know her? So he helped and asked other people to piece it together. He borrowed so many, so it would appear that I was at least reading. "
Guo Kang felt that these piles of books were not too many, and it did not take much effort. Although he doubted that he could deceive his adoptive mother, at this point, it seemed that he could only help deal with it.
With a few clicks, he put the books in order. Bringing up the topic of concern again: "Dad, Theodora said she wants to stay with us for a few days. Should I let her stay in the guest room?"
"You can live in a stable instead of a guest room!" the adoptive father said smoothly, but he realized after a moment: "No... you kid coaxed a girl into your home?"
"Well, I didn't coax her. She insisted on coming." Guo Kang found that he had been correcting other people's misunderstandings all day today.
"That's not the same." The adoptive father shook his head and warned: "She is a good girl, I know it. If you like her, tell her clearly, and if we can negotiate, I will find a matchmaker later. If it is true, If you don’t like it, you have to cut it off, otherwise, it’ll be...hey, I won’t mention it anymore.”
He shook his head helplessly: "Dad supports whoever you like, but you have to treat them well."
"Ah, I know..." He was not surprised to see his adoptive father. He had even directly considered the issue of marriage. Guo Kang had no choice.
"Then where should I let her live? Do you want Zhang Ma to come and clean the guest room? She is still waiting." Although he felt that his adoptive father was not very reliable, he could only ask him now.
"Is our family so open to outsiders? Of course she can live wherever she wants." The adoptive father said without hesitation: "Ask her, she can live wherever she wants as long as it suits her status. I’ll ask Yang Wenxian to call someone over and take care of it.”
"Huh? That's right. Dad, you are smarter." Guo Kang reacted immediately: "Okay, then I'll ask her herself."
When he got a chance to kick the ball back, Guo Kang happily stuffed the last few books and trotted back.
(End of chapter)
