"I just want to ask you if there is anything you can do. What you said is as if my mother wants to introduce me to a daughter-in-law..." Li Xuanying muttered.
"You just said that I look like a father." Guo Kang disagreed.
"Didn't you notice? When she thanked me, her words were very polite and formal. It sounded like a prepared thank you speech." Guo Kang reminded: "If that's all, it's not a problem. It is true that some people are very good at speeches and can speak in perfect sentences. They can just speak out the gorgeous speeches that others have piled up words and phrases to write. Considering that she is a playwright and actress, it is not surprising that she can pretend to be a man in this environment. What a surprise.”
"But after that conversation, when she and I discussed the plan, her style suddenly changed. She was no longer polite but distant, but talked directly like acquaintances, and even asked questions directly, with a bit of questioning." Guo Kang recalled After pausing, he said: "To her, I should be a stranger. Even if she is familiar with her, she wouldn't have entered this state so quickly."
"Didn't you tell her that we are all citizens with equal personality?" Li Xuanying asked doubtfully: "It's not surprising that she agreed with this statement and told you directly."
"I have said this to many people and have seen their various reactions, so I am a little confused." Guo Kang told him: "I have said this to all my guards, including Bu Lei. But I said To be honest, I’ve never seen anyone react like this.”
"So I suspect it's not just because you told her that I'm approachable and you can talk to her directly."
"Normally speaking, even if she knows that I am easy to talk to, and even if I have your support, as a girl who has a low status among the citizens and has been working hard at the bottom for many years, she will know that your relationship is still a secret and she does not even get the protection of the family. Under such circumstances, you shouldn’t behave like this." Guo Kang contrasted:
"Bu Lei, that idiot, felt very guilty at the time. It took nearly a month before he dared to talk to me normally. Normal people would not calm down so easily towards strangers, especially strangers with high status. She Can he be less heartless than Bu Lei?"
"Then what do you think is going on?" Li Xuanying frowned in confusion: "I really didn't notice this..."
"I think it is more likely that she has already begun to understand my situation from you, and long before you were ready to ask me for help, she thought that I could provide help and had relevant plans. So, when the time comes Only then will she appear confident and without any psychological pressure." Guo Kang judged: "Actually, this is a low-level mistake, but I don't know if she was too impatient and did not show the proper acting skills."
He talked a lot at once, and Li Xuanying was stunned for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he asked Guo Kang: "Does this mean that she is very smart, but she didn't control it well this time and her performance failed?"
"...You have to say that." Guo Kang had no choice but to nod.
"That's pretty good. I also think she's quite smart and thoughtful. Everyone likes the scripts she wrote. Pietro said at the time that her observation of life is very detailed and her plot design is also very creative." Li Xuanying said cheerfully.
"What are you so proud of?!" Guo Kang didn't even know what to say about him.
"Well……"
"Hey, forget it, I won't bother you with this anymore." Guo Kang sighed: "I now feel that she was the one who pushed you to find me this time from the beginning to the end."
"Do you still remember things about your ancestors?" he reminded.
Li Xuanying's great-grandfather Li Tiance was once the most skilled general in the Purple Horde Khanate, surpassing the Great Khan, Guo Gai and his own brother. However, after the Purple Horde Khanate took control of Dadu for the first time, Li Tiance relied on his strength and neglected to take precautions. He indulged in Greek dramas all day long and was finally raided, which led to a serious failure.
Shortly after that incident, Li Tiance left three arrows, asked future generations to fulfill his last wish, and passed away. From then on, while shouldering their mission, the Li family also developed a lasting aversion to drama.
Now Li Xuanying went to the theater and got involved with the actor. Not only did he dote on the actor, but he was also directly ordered to do things - if this matter spread, his father would have to break his legs.
Li Xuanying herself didn't know the importance of it as much as Guo Kang. Until now, I am still facing others, without considering that what I have done will make my ancestors and grandfather angry. Guo Kang really had no choice but to ask about the specific situation and reasons first.
"Tell me honestly, why did you want to come to me at this time?" Guo Kang asked directly: "Has she already had a child, and she can no longer hide the changes in her figure, so she is anxious to find someone to find a solution?"
"No, no, that's not the case." Li Xuanying waved her hands repeatedly: "It's definitely not this far."
"Oh, that's okay." Guo Kangke breathed a sigh of relief: "At least it's not the worst outcome."
"That's what you were thinking about when you came up." Li Xuanying was a little helpless.
"Of course I have to be prepared for the worst. Who knows what you might mess up." Guo Kang sat down, picked up the water glass, and started thinking while drinking.
"Odosia is not a bad woman." Li Xuanying defended Odosia: "We have known each other for a long time. I know everything about her situation, and she is very honest with me..."
"If she doesn't make you feel honest, I won't worry about you being fooled." Guo Kang shook his head again:
"That's not the case." Li Xuanying sat up straight and became obviously serious: "I know our relationship very well."
"The first time we met was when I was only eleven or twelve years old. Because I was beaten by my father, I was so angry that I ran away to play and happened to run into her." He recalled.
"At that time, when she saw my aggrieved face, she tried to comfort me and gave me the props she made to play with. After that, she and her mother treated me to some food and took me to play around. After that, When I’m in a bad mood, I often go to them.”
"I haven't heard you say that." Guo Kang leaned on his chair, looked at Li Xuanying, and teased: "You really hid this matter very well, and it even made me feel that you are the most suitable to be the intelligence chief. .”
"Why do you think my father beat me?" Li Xuanying rolled his eyes: "Huh?" This time it was Guo Kang's turn to be surprised.
"Because he felt that I didn't study hard and was much worse than you. I wasn't convinced, and in the end he got so angry that he started to whip me." Li Xuanying also glared at Guo Kang: "Why should I tell you this?"
Guo Kang didn't know what to say, so he could only laugh twice.
"Actually, I guess I know a little bit about Tuhuan." Li Xuanying thought for a moment and said, "He played with me and met Eudocia. I feel like he could probably tell a little bit, but he probably didn't take it seriously. As for You, you and Brother Shi Ke are both people who read and study every day, so it’s normal not to know.”
"Okay..." Guo Kang thought for a while. He seemed to have always felt that the entertainment activities here were too noisy and not interesting. He didn't go out crazy with them often. When they played together, they also played various "inventions" of his. s things. On the other hand, Tuohuan and all his peers almost always play and drink together, so it should be normal to know something about them.
"It seems that I will go out with people more in the future." Guo Kang shrugged: "So, who else knows about this?"
"Uncle Tie knows about her." Li Xuanying said the name of his guard: "But he has always regarded Odosia as my ordinary friend. He also thinks that my father is too strict and thinks that I have someone outside. It's good to have friends to relieve stress. I told my parents once that I was playing outside with other children and they ignored me. When I grow up, I don't need him to follow me every day, and he won't know the follow-up."
"No wonder." Guo Kang nodded.
"Hey, I don't know how to tell them now." Li Xuanying scratched her head: "You also know the situation in my family, but I really like her. I really don't know what to do now."
"The key is, what do you want to do now?" Guo Kang asked: "Are you willing to go to France?"
"What does it have to do with France..." Li Xuanying was confused: "I just want to live with her."
"I mean, you can take your time." Guo Kang could only comfort him first.
He stood up, looked around the door again, then returned to the chair and said, "Let me help you think about whether there is any way. Anyway, in the end, you can make your parents turn a blind eye to the meeting between you two." Just the eyes.”
"Hey, indeed, let's do it step by step." Li Xuanying sighed and rambled again: "I had no idea about these rules back then, and I still thought there was hope."
"At that time, we read a lot of love drama scripts. I got so emotional that I even imitated the person in the story and exchanged gifts with her, saying that we would be considered an unmarried couple from now on..."
"Pfft..." Guo Kang, who was drinking water, spat it out.
"What's wrong?" Li Xuanying stood up to see him.
"No, no -" Guo Kang couldn't care about anything else and asked quickly: "The engagement has been made?! Who else knows this? Are there any witnesses?"
"No one else knows this." Li Xuanying also said quickly.
"Has this girl ever learned martial arts?" Guo Kang asked.
"I haven't seen her practice before." Li Xuanying was a little surprised: "But does it matter?"
"You haven't had much contact with her, so you can't be sure." Guo Kang shook his head: "But if not, you'd better not admit it."
"Of course, there are some negative effects of canceling the engagement. It may lead to her calling on you and so on... So, it would be better if you haven't practiced before." He muttered.
Li Xuanying looked at him and wondered if Guo Kang was confused.
"I think it will be difficult for you two to maintain a relationship as lovers." Guo Kang said bluntly.
"But……"
"We are not France here." Guo Kang said: "And even in France, it is impossible for the top nobles to marry such a person."
"Of course, if in France, you two can really maintain a relationship as lovers. What I was thinking about just now is whether you can explain that you...well, you just learned some French customs. Although this does not sound very serious, but At least there is an excuse. Look, doesn't Uncle Cao also have a few illegitimate children?" He used Cao Jian's father as an example: "You can also do this first to appease both parties. Then, we will figure out how to get there. Respond specifically.”
"That's it...but how can you say this..." Li Xuanying hesitated.
"Hey, do you know what being an actress means?" Guo Kang shook his head and asked.
"Of course I know this - after all, I still know about theater." Li Xuanying pointed out: "But she is an actor."
This time, Guo Kang was stunned.
"I'm not worried about her character, but you're right. There are indeed many problems we need to face." Li Xuanying continued: "I came to you first because I was worried about not getting support. Everyone knows , you are usually very close to people in the lower class and get along well with all kinds of people, so we thought it would be easiest to get your sympathy and support."
"If conditions permit, I very much support your falling in love." Guo Kang did not hide it and said bluntly: "But you have to know that falling in love and getting married are two different things."
"I heard that there is a country of gentlemen overseas, which was governed by the ancient sage king himself. The sage king believed that if Tao and virtue have not been abandoned, there is no need for benevolence and righteousness; if people's true feelings have not been betrayed, there is no use for it. To gain access to etiquette and music. Therefore, the constraints of etiquette, justice and respectability are not a good way to manage society."
"People's minds should be free and free. As long as they don't interfere with others, they can choose the life they want. Marriage between a man and a woman will not affect others, so it should also fall into this category. The relationship of marriage should be decided and formed only by the two parties themselves. and disband as they please.”
"This sounds good." Li Xuanying said.
"Yes, but the Holy King later retired, so the situation changed. Because there were no restraints, people made and broke marriages as they pleased, no longer caring about heaven and virtue. Some people used marriage to realize their ambitions, and some simply took advantage of this opportunity to seek financial harm. The people of Junzi Kingdom are confused because of this and don’t know what to do.” Guo Kang said: “What do you think should be done in this situation?”
Li Xuanying thought for a while, but still couldn't answer, so she had to say: "I don't know either. Just tell me the result."
"There is no result. That's the end of the story I heard." Guo Kang spread his hands: "I don't know how it will develop. If you want to guess, maybe it will be the same as in Europe?"
"You see, whenever the church is corrupted and society is in chaos, people will demand religious reform, stricter disciplines, stronger restrictions, and a return to the past era. Perhaps the same train of thought will appear over there, giving birth to their new sect."
"If it's just in theory, of course I strongly support free love. Even if I'm a drama layman, I also like this type of story. The concept of the country of gentlemen is actually very attractive to me." Guo Kang said with some emotion: "But it is precisely because I know this concept and have heard the story of the Kingdom of Gentlemen that I am more cautious, and I hope that when you face love in reality, you must first face reality."
"So, do you understand?"
Li Xuanying couldn't answer for a while.
(End of chapter)
