bookrandom Chapter 196 Thank you for your hard work, husband
Chapter 196 Thank you for your hard work, husband
Chapter 196 My Husband Has Worked Hard
Glancing at the leftover food on the table, Gu Lin said, "I'll have someone bring some more."
After sitting down next to Gu Lin, Zheng Hao said, "The food is still warm, no need to trouble yourself. I have to go back to the Ministry of Revenue later."
As he entered from outside, a servant presented a clean set of bowls and chopsticks to the young official and then immediately withdrew.
Zheng Hao picked up his chopsticks and began to eat, taking in the lunch that the young man had already eaten.
Although he was full, Gu Lin did not leave the table. He sat beside the young man and ate with him. He hadn't had a chance to ask earlier, but a question arose in his mind: "It's not time to get off work yet. Why are you back so early today?"
Gu Lin considered many possibilities, but he never expected the other party to say, "This morning at court, His Majesty appointed me as the Prefect of Youzhou Prefecture and the Military Supervisor of Zhenbei Army. I will depart in three days."
This news caught Gu Lin completely off guard. He frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Zheng Hao had just returned to Beijing after helping the Zhenhong Army quell the Red Army and was promoted to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue. No matter what, the court should not have transferred him to Youzhou Prefecture.
Seeing the worry on Uncle Gu's face, Zheng Hao put down his chopsticks and recounted the events of the grand court assembly.
"This morning, when the civil and military officials entered the palace for court, they saw the soldiers of the Zhenbei Army standing in the center of the hall, reporting to His Majesty that not long ago, the Northern Barbarians had invaded the south and massacred three thousand civilians on the border, and that they were planning to continue their attack on Daqian. Last night, the palace guards summoned important ministers to the palace, because His Majesty wanted to discuss with them how to deal with this matter."
Gu Lin asked instinctively, "So, Your Majesty and the officials, have you decided to fight back, or...?"
As soon as he asked the question, Gu Lin remembered the atmosphere in the Great Qian court and felt that he had wasted his breath.
At this moment, the young official said, "A military officer has petitioned Your Majesty to go to war with the Northern Barbarians, but most ministers believe that the Northern Barbarians have not invaded the cities of Daqian. Even though they have killed three thousand people, it is not advisable to go to war with the Northern Barbarians for the sake of these people, which would cause a great loss of life."
Even without attending the grand court assembly in person, Gu Lin was already furious upon hearing such remarks.
He spoke with a sarcastic tone: "They'll only know what pain is when the Northern barbarians come to our doorstep."
Perhaps it was because of his experience in Jibei Prefecture with the Zhenbei Army fighting against the Red-Clad Army that he gained a deeper understanding of the weakness of the Daqian court officials. Gu Lin was not so angry. After saying his angry words, he calmly asked Zheng Hao, "This matter is of great importance. There are many civil officials in the court who are more qualified than you. Why were you chosen to serve in Youzhou Prefecture?"
He also appointed the other party as the prefect of Youzhou Prefecture and the military supervisor of Zhenbei Army at the same time. Both of these positions are positions with real power, which is completely unlike the checks and balances that Emperor Jian'an usually used.
Even if Emperor Jian'an was willing, strangely enough, all the civil and military officials also agreed.
Seeing that the young man was eating without tea, Gu Lin felt a bit choked up and reached out to scoop a bowl of soup and hand it to him.
With their roles reversed, Zheng Hao, who had been ladling soup for the young man, paused slightly before taking the soup and enjoying this hard-won treatment.
The soup wasn't hot. After drinking half a bowl, Zheng Hao explained, "It's only because His Majesty has no one else to rely on that he gave me this opportunity."
Without speaking, Gu Lin raised his eyes to signal the other person to continue.
Setting down his soup bowl, Zheng Hao said, “In the court, truly loyal officials are few and far between. Those who are loyal only to His Majesty are extremely rare. The Crown Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fifth Prince all come from noble families. The Fifth Prince was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court by His Majesty for treasonous crimes such as selling smuggled salt and privately forging weapons. After the Fifth Prince fell from power, his followers scattered like monkeys falling from a tree. The stubborn ones were imprisoned, and the rest turned to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.”
"Currently, most court officials support the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. Although His Majesty values the Crown Prince, as an emperor, he is not the father of an ordinary family. He will not allow the Crown Prince to challenge his authority, nor will he allow the Third Prince's subordinates to take charge of a prefecture and wield military power."
Seeing that Zheng Hao was not averse to being sent to a local post by Emperor Jian'an, Gu Lin said thoughtfully, "So, you could say that you got lucky this time."
Zheng Hao nodded slightly.
He paused abruptly, then looked at the young man and asked, "Uncle Gu, would you like to stay in the capital, or come with me to Youzhou Prefecture?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zheng Hao regretted them.
He said, "Youzhou Prefecture is bitterly cold and unbearable. Uncle Gu is not in good health, so it's better for him to stay in the capital. I'll go there first to settle things, and then I'll bring Uncle Gu over."
Raising an eyebrow slightly, Gu Lin asked, "Are you so sure I'll go to Youzhou Prefecture with you?"
Zheng Hao said solemnly, "Although my reason for advising Gu Shutong to go to Youzhou Prefecture is personal, it is also because the capital will soon be in chaos."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lin suppressed his smile and stared at the young man as he continued to explain: "Since returning from Jibei Prefecture, His Majesty's complexion has become increasingly grim. I often read medical books and have also learned some rudimentary medical skills from doctors. His Majesty is not a long-lived person and takes pills every day. These pills contain highly toxic substances such as cinnabar. It will be at the latest within the next two years."
"Both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are in the capital. If His Majesty were to pass away, the capital would surely be thrown into turmoil."
Zheng Hao looked at Gu Lin and said, "Originally, I planned to spend a year in the capital first, and then look for an opportunity to take up a post outside the capital. However, the Northern Barbarians launched a surprise attack. His Majesty gave me this opportunity to prevent the Crown Prince and the Third Prince from becoming too powerful."
Listening to Zheng Hao's analysis, Gu Lin gradually sensed the turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface of the capital.
Zheng Hao never imagined that after Emperor Jian'an's death, he would switch allegiance to the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to gain merit for his own rise to power. One of them was indecisive and incapable of achieving great things, while the other was hypocritical and treacherous. If he helped the other succeed, he would be the first to be purged.
Neither of them had the ability to suppress the powerful families. Seeing that the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty was nearing its end, Zheng Hao, who was not a loyal minister or general, harbored wolfish ambitions and had long wanted to take over the throne.
Gu Lin said decisively, "Let's leave the capital and take my sister-in-law and Brother Yu with us."
but……
Gu Lin looked at Zheng Hao and asked, "Won't it arouse suspicion from His Majesty and the court officials if you take us with you to your new post?"
Based on his limited knowledge and experience, emperors are very sensitive to people and things related to the military. Zheng Hao took all his family members to Youzhou Prefecture to take up his post. Would Emperor Jian'an doubt his loyalty?
The young man was unaware of the ambitions of the young man before him.
Understanding the meaning behind Uncle Gu's words, Zheng Hao said, "As a military supervisor, I am a civil official with no military power and pose no threat to His Majesty. Even if I take all my family members with me, His Majesty and his court officials will only sigh about their love for their children."
After hearing Zheng Hao's explanation, Gu Lin understood. After lunch, Zheng Hao returned to the Ministry of Revenue to hand over his duties. After he was sent to a local area, Emperor Jian'an promoted a new official in the Ministry of Revenue.
Because he was going to Youzhou Prefecture in three days, Gu Lin did not go out. He sent someone to the academy to ask Gu An to come home after class, and then had someone notify Sister Zhao, Brother Yu, and others to close up shop early and come back.
As the sky began to turn yellow, Gu An was the first to return to the mansion.
When his servant came to the academy to deliver a message, saying that Uncle Gu wanted him to come home to discuss important matters, Gu An immediately asked the teacher for leave for the next two days as soon as school was over.
As he entered the lobby, he looked at Gu Lin, who was sitting at the head of the table, and asked, "Uncle Gu, did you call me back because of something important?"
Seeing the young man in a hurry, Gu Lin invited him to sit down: "It's nothing serious, we'll talk about it when your sister-in-law and the others come back. Sit down and have some pear soup first."
Seeing that Uncle Gu's expression was calm and composed, not like he was lying to him, Gu An sat down with a calm mind.
Sister-in-law Zhao and the others have returned.
Gu Lin kept it brief: "His Majesty has appointed Mingzhang as the Prefect of Youzhou and the Military Supervisor of Zhenbei Army. He will set off for Youzhou in three days. I will accompany him to his post. If His Majesty does not summon me, I will not return for three years."
Upon hearing this, Sister Zhao became anxious, and Brother Yu and Xiao Cui also looked slightly tense.
Gu Lin said, "Mingzhang and I mean that we should all go in and out together, so that we can look out for each other in Youzhou Prefecture."
Sister-in-law Zhao said decisively, "I've said it before, wherever you go, Brother Lin, your Brother Zhao and I will go too."
Yu Ge'er looked troubled, not only because his child was too young to travel a long distance, but also because his husband, Chen Xiaoliu, had not yet arrived in the capital to meet him.
Xiao Cui was also struggling with her decision. Seeing Zhenyulou getting better and better, she really couldn't let go of it.
Unexpectedly, Yu Ercheng, like Zhao's wife, said decisively, "Master, on behalf of myself and Ning Fangshi, wherever you and the master go, we will go."
Yu Ercheng showed no reluctance whatsoever regarding the porcelain factory and the glass kiln. He knew where his employer was, and that's where he would send his gold and silver.
Just as everyone was deep in thought, a young official in a scarlet robe walked into the hall. Upon seeing this, Gu Lin said to everyone, "Go back and think it over carefully, and give me your answer tomorrow."
After Zhao's wife and the others left, only Gu Lin, Zheng Hao, and Gu An remained in the hall.
Gu An did not leave. Gu Lin knew that the other party was wondering why he had gone to his post with Zheng Hao but wanted to take everyone with him. He wanted to ask the other party to come back to the courtyard with him so that he could explain it to him.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Hao turned to Gu An and said, "Come with me."
Before leaving the main hall, Zheng Hao said to Gu Lin, "I'll have dinner with Uncle Gu in his courtyard later."
Seeing that the young man had accepted the task of explaining to Gu An, Gu Lin got up and returned to the courtyard. Half an hour later, Zheng Hao brought Gu An over for a meal. Gu An did not show any doubt about what Zheng Hao said to the other party.
The next day, Gu An quickly went to the academy to withdraw from his studies. At the same time, Zhao Saozi, Yu Ge'er, and others decided to follow Gu Lin to Youzhou Prefecture.
Yu Ercheng was determined to leave with Gu Lin. Yu Ge'er and Xiao Cui quickly realized that Gu Lin and Zheng Hao never did anything unnecessary. If they were just going to take up their posts in other places, they would not want to take them all with them unless the capital was no longer a suitable place for them to stay. Forcing them to stay might endanger their lives.
Many things cannot be said explicitly, so they pretend not to know and tacitly handle their own affairs.
Three days later, the group set off together with Gu Lin and Zheng Hao.
After leaving the capital and entering other prefectures, Zheng Hao got off the carriage and rode a horse. Gu Lin also didn't want to ride in the carriage, so he got off and rode a horse with him.
However, riding a horse for half an hour or an hour was fine, but after a while, the skin on Gu Lin's inner thighs was chafed. After the young man discovered this, he could only alternate between riding a horse and a carriage.
Unlike his treatment of Gu Lin, Zheng Hao was extremely strict with Gu An.
From the moment they set off, Zheng Hao made Gu An ride a horse. Whenever they passed through forests and mountains, he would have Gu An accompany the guards to shoot prey. Over the course of many days, Gu An hardly spent any time in the carriage. Due to the constant exposure to wind and sun, his originally fair skin had become much darker.
Lowering the carriage curtain and watching the young man step in, Gu Lin gritted his teeth slightly: "Why are you being so harsh on Gu An?"
Not only did he require the other party to ride horses and shoot arrows, but he also did not allow the other party to slack off in their studies. As a result, Gu Lin watched Gu An ride horses to hunt during the day and study by lamplight at night.
Uncle Gu spoils Gu An too much, Zheng Hao thought to himself.
He turned to Gu Lin and said, "Uncle Gu, let me explain."
Gu Lin slightly raised his chin to signal him to explain, and Zheng Hao sat down next to him.
With his dark eyes fixed on Gu Lin, Zheng Hao said, "It is truly not easy for Uncle Gu and me to understand each other and come together. I have no other requests. Uncle Gu is frail, and I do not wish for him to suffer the pain of childbirth for me. Gu An is of a suitable age and is somewhat intelligent. Moreover, he is extremely filial to Uncle Gu. I intend to cultivate him so that he can inherit my network of connections after my death, so that we can handle our affairs after our passing and ensure that our family line continues."
After learning that Uncle Gu came from another world and was not a person of this world, Zheng Hao's certain ideas were no longer so firm. Although he would not seek immortality or ask questions, he began to believe in reincarnation.
He was truly greedy, not only asking Uncle Gu to grow old with him in this life, but also asking that they be inseparable in the next life, the life after that, and for all eternity.
After he and Uncle Gu die, Zheng Hao has decades to plan carefully. He will definitely find an auspicious burial site for them to be buried together. But Zheng Hao wants to make sure that after he is gone, there is someone who can fully carry out his idea so that there will be no changes to the matter of him and Uncle Gu being buried together.
This person should have been his and Uncle Gu's biological offspring, but the imperial physician diagnosed Uncle Gu and confirmed that Uncle Gu was weak and almost infertile. Therefore, Zheng Hao assumed that the two of them were destined to have no children.
Gu An was one of Zheng Hao's carefully selected successors. If Gu An failed to meet his requirements in the future, Zheng Hao would choose someone else to train personally.
The so-called heir is someone who asks another to inherit one's wishes and aspirations. What Zheng Hao wanted was an heir who would ensure that he and Uncle Gu were buried together after his death, so that no villains could disturb their peace.
A pang of sadness welled up in Gu Lin's heart; he hadn't expected the young man to think so far ahead.
After a long silence, he said to Zheng Hao, "Let's live our lives well while we're alive, and after we're gone..."
Looking into the young man's dark eyes and his obsessive gaze, Gu Lin was speechless for a moment.
Zheng Hao's meticulous planning and step-by-step arrangements were all for the sake of the two of them.
The young man reached out and leaned back to hug the man in front of him. The warm breath sprayed onto the skin of Zheng Hao's neck, making him feel numb. Zheng Hao's body stiffened slightly and he did not move.
Gu Lin lowered his voice and said softly, "Thank you for putting in so much effort to plan for our future."
"Thank you for your hard work, my husband," Gu Lin said gently.
His Adam's apple bobbed, a sweet sensation seemed to flow through his chest, and Zheng Hao spoke, his voice deep and hoarse: "What did you call me?"
The young official was confirming that the title he had longed for and dared not hope for had appeared in Gu Lin's mouth.
Leaning forward, Gu Lin tilted his head slightly, leaned close to the young man's ear, and said patiently, "I said you've worked hard, my husband."
[Note: Gu Lin's use of "husband" to address Zheng Hao is not intended to portray herself as weak; it's like a modern-day husband. Don't overthink it, ladies! I absolutely mean nothing more!]