Chapter 8: Guo Residence
The chime of the Great Xiangguo Temple reached the Guo Residence. Guo Xin ran across the courtyard and shouted, “Second Brother, General Wang is here!”
A spear whizzed past the top of his head. Guo Tong stopped in time and asked, “Which General Wang?”
Guo Xin said, “It’s General Wang Yanchao, the Left Wing Formation Commander from Father’s military camp.”
Guo Tong asked in surprise, “He just returned to the capital to report victory, and he’s already at our residence?”
“General Wang brought many war trophies. Second Brother, hurry and pick out a weapon for me.”
“Who said it was for you?” Guo Tong lightly tapped his brother on the head and said, “These were sent now for all the esteemed officials in the Imperial Court.”
Guo Xin cupped his head and chuckled foolishly, begging, “Give me whatever the esteemed officials don’t want.”
Arriving at the front courtyard, Wang Yanchao was directing guards to move things inside. He was in his thirties, tall, with a gentle face, appearing steady and reliable.
“General Wang, you must be tired from your journey.” Guo Tong stepped forward to greet him and asked, “May I ask if Father and Eldest Brother are well? Were they injured?”
Wang Yanchao said, “Don’t worry, Second Young Master. Everything is well in Ye Du. We are more concerned about the situation in the capital.”
Guo Tong lowered his voice and said, “General Wang, have you heard? Lord Shi almost killed Su Fengji at the banquet.”
“It seems Su Fengji is very unhappy about the Marshal holding the command seal.”
“In the inner room, they say…”
On the other side, Guo Xin was looking at the war trophies with wide eyes, and suddenly his eyes widened further.
“Wow, what a magnificent horse!”
After a while, his gaze moved away from the magnificent horse. He saw a Khitan girl being pulled out of a cage. Guo Xin was stunned and stood there blankly.
The girl was very beautiful, with eyes as bright as gems, possessing a wildness not found in women from the Central Plains.
Wang Yanchao looked back and saw this scene. He reminded, “Third Young Master, you mustn’t take a liking to her. This is a gift from the Marshal to Lord Shi, and that spirited horse is as well.”
Guo Xin just stood there blankly, as if he hadn’t heard.
Wang Yanchao didn’t say much more, and he went to the main hall with Guo Tong, discussing the events of Wang Zhang’s banquet.
“That night, Su Fengji humbled himself and harassed a servant of the Shi Residence…”
While they were talking, the doorkeeper rushed over to report, “Second Young Master, a guest has arrived.”
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Xiao Yi tried to recall the process of Guo Wei establishing the state.
He remembered. It was in the sixth lesson of the first year of high school history, “From the Prosperous Ages of Sui and Tang to the Ten Kingdoms of the Five Dynasties.” He had gotten a good grade on that month’s exam, so he decided to study humanities… He didn’t remember any of the truly useful content.
He could only be sure that the textbook never mentioned Shi Hongzhao.
An unknown person.
Casting aside distracting thoughts, he refocused his mind. He waited outside the door with the son of an unknown person for a while before entering the Guo Residence.
The Guo Residence was simply furnished. Two rows of weapon racks stood in the front courtyard, with swords, spears, and halberds polished to a shine.
It was evident that the Guo family had been moving things not long ago. To entertain Shi Deyu, they had hastily moved everything to the side courtyard, and even had people sweep the residual snow from the front courtyard and personally descended the steps to welcome him, showing their importance.
In comparison, Shi Deyu arriving unannounced without presenting a calling card was somewhat impolite.
This was related to the status of the Shi and Guo families.
Xiao Yi observed carefully and had a good impression of Guo Tong. This Second Young Master Guo lacked the ostentatious demeanor of Shi Deyu; he was more down-to-earth and seemed more sincere in his interactions.
For instance, Guo Tong personally arranged for the stable master to remove the horses’ bits, let the Shi Residence’s horses rest in the stable, and had the retinue sit in the side rooms. He also instructed on charcoal fires and tea water, and there was no hint of doing them a favor.
Xiao Yi did not go to the side rooms but followed them to the main hall to stand by, and he was also given a cloth to wipe the snowflakes from his body.
“I heard Commander Guo achieved a great victory, so I hurried over. Forgive my intrusion,” Shi Deyu gradually got to the point and smiled, “I’ve been thinking lately that it would be a cause for great joy if the Shi and Guo families could form a marriage alliance.”
The moment Shi Deyu finished speaking and took a sip of tea, Xiao Yi noticed Guo Tong subtly furrow his brow, a gesture barely perceptible.
“My father and Lord Shi’s friendship is as clear as the sun and moon; why would we need a marriage alliance? Besides, there are no suitable candidates.”
“I heard that Guo Wuniang is approaching her coming-of-age ceremony. She would be a perfect match for my younger brother.”
“Second Young Master Shi?” Guo Tong asked with slight surprise, murmuring, “I have never met him.”
“My younger brother is dedicated to his studies and martial arts, and he doesn’t like socializing.”
Xiao Yi was secretly wondering why the Guo family was refusing when he suddenly saw Guo Tong look up and meet his gaze.
He then expressed goodwill with his eyes.
Guo Tong was slightly taken aback, lowered his eyes in thought, and slowly said, “However, my younger sister is far from reaching her coming-of-age year. I suspect there has been some rumor, causing Brother Shi to misunderstand.”
“Is that so?”
Shi Deyu seemed quite surprised, slapped his knee, and laughed, “No matter. Marriage is a matter of parental decree; neither you nor I can decide. By the way, Xiao Yi, tell Second Young Master Guo about last night’s events.”
Xiao Yi pondered for a moment, guessing that Shi Deyu intended to intimidate and threaten, advising the Guo family not to end up like Su Fengji, turning against them and drawing swords.
Of course, the “Yan family” could not be mentioned during the process.
“Last night, when attending the banquet, the Marshal had heard that Su Fengji was manipulating the imperial examinations and wanted to give him an opportunity to confess and repent.”
As Xiao Yi began to speak, he saw Shi Deyu nod slightly, realizing his guess was correct.
Guo Tong’s expression became grave. He picked up his tea cup and took a shallow sip, clearly feeling the threat from the Shi family.
Xiao Yi did not want to offend the Guo family, so he spoke slowly and as tactfully as possible.
“Unfortunately, Su Fengji disregarded the past favor of the Marshal…”
“Fire!”
Suddenly, a shout was heard from outside the hall.
Xiao Yi only froze for a moment before immediately seizing the opportunity and being the first to run out of the main hall.
“Hiyah!”
With a horse’s whinny, a fiery red steed suddenly galloped out through the gate, which had been opened due to the fire.
On the horse’s back, a young woman in a fox fur coat was hunched very low, her braids flying.
“Stop her! That’s a female captive presented to the Grand Tutor.”
An armored general chased from the side courtyard, shouting angrily.
Xiao Yi immediately pursued the young woman.
At the alley entrance, several guards stood blocking the way with their sabers, attempting to push a carriage to block the path.
“Giddy up!”
The Khitan girl directly spurred her horse, charging out and heading towards the bustling long street.
Xiao Yi bypassed the fallen guards and sprinted towards the carriage. He stepped on the carriage shaft, leaped, and climbed the high wall at the alley entrance, scaling the rooftop.
The movements that were effortless in his previous life were somewhat difficult today. He stabilized himself, surveyed the scene, and saw the Khitan girl galloping down the long street. He then stepped on the roof tiles and gave chase.
There were no vendors or pedestrians obstructing him on the rooftop, and Xiao Yi’s speed was not much slower than the spirited horse. Reaching the next alley entrance, he leaped without hesitation.
The familiar sensation of weightlessness lasted only for a moment.
The wind blew past. The girl on the horse suddenly looked up, and Xiao Yi could see the shock in her eyes.
He showed no mercy, directly tackling her to the ground, splashing mud.
“Wu Lehe!”
With the girl’s angry shout, a dagger slashed towards Xiao Yi’s throat.
Xiao Yi quickly leaned back.
In that instant, the girl rolled on the ground and darted into the thronging long street. Xiao Yi refused to give up and continued to chase.
This was Madai Street in front of the Great Xiangguo Temple, the busiest time of the morning.
The cries of vendors selling incense, cakes, and fresh fruits rose and fell. Acrobats beat gongs and drums. The air was filled with the misty scent of incense, the aroma of food, and the heavy body odor of people, all blending into Kaifeng’s unique prosperity.
Xiao Yi stared at the Khitan girl’s fox fur coat, watching her weave through the densely packed crowd like a fish, overturning stalls and drawing curses.
Finally, he seized an opportunity, pushed off with one hand, leaped over the steamed cake stall in front of him, and lunged at her in mid-air.
The two of them overturned an incense stall and began to struggle again.
Suddenly, panicked shouts came from behind.
It was the fiery red steed, which had broken free from the guards and was galloping wildly.
It was clearly startled. Its hooves clattered on the bluestone slabs, and the crowd scattered in panic, stalls overturned, fruits and goods rolling, leaving a mess everywhere.
Just in front of the startled horse, a group of women and children had just descended the steps of the Great Xiangguo Temple and were frozen in place by the sudden turn of events.
Xiao Yi had just grabbed the Khitan girl’s hands, intending to return her to the Guo family and befriend the future emperor… In that instant, he made a decision.
The moment the startled horse charged, he rushed forward, angled his shoulder, and with all his might, slammed into the side of the horse’s neck.
“Neigh—!”
With a horse’s whinny, the startled horse’s charge veered off, grazing the corner of a woman’s skirt and heavily crashing into the bamboo craft stall next to it.
The horse reared up.
Beneath its iron-hard hooves, as big as a bowl, a child stood there, so frightened that he had forgotten to cry, and was in danger of being trampled at any moment.
Xiao Yi, having just fallen to the ground, quickly acted, grabbing the swinging reins, pushing off with his feet, and using the horse’s upward kick to flip himself onto its back, precariously sitting on it.
He forcefully pulled the reins, forcibly turning the horse’s head in another direction.
“Thud!”
The horse’s hooves heavily struck the bluestone slabs, and the child’s terrified cries erupted.
Xiao Yi glanced back hastily and saw that the horse’s hoof was only an inch away from the child’s body, narrowly missing him.
The startled horse, enraged, bucked and twisted wildly, trying to throw him off. He lowered his body, his legs clamped tightly around the horse’s belly, remaining stuck to its back no matter how it bucked and raged.
Man and horse galloped a long distance down the street.
Whinnying and roaring, the spirited horse finally exhausted its strength, exhaling heavy white mist, and gradually slowed down.
Sweat dripped incessantly from Xiao Yi’s forehead. He felt the rise and fall of the horse’s back beneath him and recalled a question he often encountered in the past: why did he still want to be a martial double when it was so dangerous?
He always knew the answer in his heart: because he always had the urge to meet challenges and break through limits, the desire for adventure and to conquer fear.
He panted, his messy hair, damp with sweat, framing a pair of eyes as calm as still water. There was no fear in his gaze, only complete focus, and a burning passion fiercer than the spirited horse.
