strictlysupreme Chapter 235 Uncle Gu, It's My Fault
Chapter 235 Uncle Gu, It's My Fault
She pushed Gu Lin's money away, saying that she had money on her.
Fearing that Zhao Dagen and his wife would be too heartbroken, Gu Lin said to Zhao's wife, "Sister-in-law, do you think you can find something to distract Dagen and his wife? If they keep dwelling on the pain of losing their child, it will easily damage their mental health."
Gu Lin had something else to say but didn't. In fact, he was more worried about the Zhao Dagen couple suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and post-traumatic depression. They had already fled from war and lost their child. If there were any further disturbances in their current environment, they might feel threatened and have a violent reaction.
Gu Lin was also worried that if Zhao Dagen and his wife stayed in bed for too long, they might start to overthink and blame Mu'er's death on him.
Fearing that Zhao's wife would worry, Gu Lin didn't say it outright, but only advised her to let Zhao Dagen and Mu Qinglian go out more. The Baicichang and Liulichang restaurants were all in the city, and they could go wherever they wanted. He told them not to make themselves sick by staying cooped up.
The thought of such a young child dying caused Gu Lin a pang of heartache. It would be hard for outsiders to accept, let alone parents. The pain in their hearts was incurable.
After hearing Gu Lin's words, Zhao's wife, though still grieving for her deceased grandson, seriously considered the feasibility of this method.
She knew that after her grandson passed away, her son and daughter-in-law would be devastated, but they were too young to go with him.
.
In the front yard, a figure entered with steady and quick steps. After receiving permission, he went into the study.
Upon seeing the desk behind him, with one person sitting and reading a book, and another standing and writing, Da Zhuo bowed to the two without stopping.
"My lord, husband."
Gu Lin looked up, and Zheng Hao put down his pen and looked at him: "Speak."
Da Zhuo lowered his eyes and reported, "Yesterday, I led a team specializing in iron ore exploration to the place mentioned by Scholar Zhao. After the investigation, it was confirmed that there is indeed an iron ore deposit there."
"What is the scale?"
Undeterred by Da Zhuo's words, Zheng Hao went straight to the point.
He was level-headed. Discovering an iron ore mine wasn't enough; he had to consider the scale of the mine. If the iron ore Zhao Xing had discovered had a low iron content, it wasn't worth the risk.
Thinking of the report from the people who explored the iron mine, Da Zhu suppressed his excitement: "Reporting to my lord, that iron mine is enough to be mined for fifty years! The reason it has not been discovered is because there are many barren mountains around the iron mine, so no one has explored it."
Da Zhuo was excited because the iron mine was so large that it could be mined for decades to a century. He originally thought that the iron mine Zhao Xing had discovered would be good if it could be mined for ten years or so, but he was surprised by the unexpected joy.
Zheng Hao remained calm and composed, and ordered: "Send men to guard the perimeter of the iron mine to avoid arousing suspicion. When building factories and workshops, have your men pretend to be craftsmen. Once the mine has been thoroughly investigated, then we can begin mining."
Da Zhuo should step down.
Zheng Hao turned to look at the young man beside him. The man looked up at him, his light brown eyes filled with doubt and curiosity, but he did not ask directly.
He took Gu Lin's wrist and led him to sit down at the table, telling him about Zhao Xing's discovery of the iron ore. After listening, Gu Lin thought of Zheng Hao's instructions to Da Zhuo earlier: "You want to forge weapons yourself?"
Gu Lin wasn't stupid. Zheng Hao's concealment of the iron mine discovery must have been for some ulterior motive. Connecting this to the other party's ambition to seize the world, he frowned: "Does Zhao Xing know what you're thinking?"
Although Zhao Xing was his friend, rebellion was a heinous act, and the more people knew about it, the more dangerous it would be. Gu Lin did not want Zhao Xing to know.
Zheng Hao patted Gu Lin's hand to comfort him: "Uncle Gu, don't worry."
"Zhao Xing fled here and his family was destroyed. He had no one to rely on. If he wanted to get ahead, he could only rely on others to realize his ambitions."
After a year, he had completely wiped out the powerful families of Youzhou Prefecture. The officials who had previously colluded with the families also became obedient and dared not have any ambitions. Now that the entire Youzhou Prefecture was under Zheng Hao's control, Zhao Xing had no choice but to go through him if he wanted to realize his ambitions.
Perhaps the Marquis of Zhenbei has them, but the military camp is a sensitive place, and the Marquis of Zhenbei would not accept people of unknown origin indiscriminately, lest the northern barbarians infiltrate the Zhenbei Army.
Seeing that Zheng Hao understood, Gu Lin trusted him and didn't say anything more.
He warned, "The Zhenbei Army is stationed in the suburbs, which is quite far from the iron mine. Be careful not to let the Zhenbei Marquis discover that you are mining iron mines in secret."
Zheng Hao understood the gravity of the situation and nodded slightly.
Thinking that the other party wanted to mine iron ore to forge weapons, Gu Lin recalled the weapons used by the soldiers during the city defense battle, as well as the swords that Zheng Hao had always used. These weapons were different from the ones he remembered, which must be due to differences in forging techniques.
He looked up at Zheng Hao, his light brown eyes filled with warmth: "Call me when you're forging weapons. I have some weapon blueprints here."
Zheng Hao twitched his fingers slightly, rubbing his wrist, which had a delicate texture, against his palm: "I told Uncle Gu when we were mining iron ore."
The Northern Barbarian army was unable to capture Fucheng after a long campaign, and their logistics could not provide them with food and supplies. In the end, the Northern Barbarians had no choice but to retreat.
After staying in Fucheng for two days, Pingjin saw that the Northern Barbarians had truly retreated and left before leading his army back to Jingcheng.
Upon seeing the army return, the soldiers who were patrolling outside quickly rode back to camp to deliver the message. When Pingjin returned to the camp and entered the commander's tent, the Marquis of Zhenbei and the other generals already knew that the other party had returned.
Pingjin walked forward and saw the Marquis of Zhenbei sitting at the head of the table, and the young military supervisor who was second only to him.
He stepped forward to the Marquis of Zhenbei, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "This humble general greets Your Excellency!"
Marquis Zhenbei waved for him to dispense with formalities: "You led the army to resist the northern barbarians for many days, and after defending Fucheng, you rushed back to Jingcheng day and night. You must be exhausted. Go back and rest first."
Ping Jin's face showed no signs of fatigue, but it was visibly his hair and beard were disheveled, his robes were covered in dust and blood, and his armor, which should have shone brightly under the light, was dull and gray.
He did not refuse the Marquis of Zhenbei's offer, saying, "Thank you, Your Excellency. This humble general will take his leave."
Ping Jin turned and left the tent. He didn't go straight back to his own tent to rest, but instead took a few steps forward and stopped, as if waiting for someone.
A moment later, a steady footstep came from behind.
Ping Jin turned around and looked at the newcomer with sharp eyes: "Lord Zheng."
Seeing that the other party was waiting for him there, Zheng Hao replied without surprise, "General Ping."
After that, neither of them said a word.
Logically speaking, Ping Jin, being a military man, was not good with words, while Zheng Hao, being a civil official, should have taken the initiative to ease the tension between the two, since they would continue to work together in the future.
But unusually, Zheng Hao seemed oblivious, and did not resolve the subtle atmosphere between them as calmly as he usually did.
After a moment of silence, Ping Jin broke the deadlock.
He clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zheng Hao, his face serious and his attitude solemn: "The fact that Jingcheng was spared from being conquered by the Northern Barbarians is thanks to Lord Zheng's timely response, which turned the tide."
Zheng Hao's reply was as humble as ever, leaving no room for criticism: "General, you are too kind. Defending Jingcheng is also my duty."
Putting his hands down, Ping Jin looked at the young man in front of him. Although the other party was polite in his words and actions and did not blame him for the wrong decision he made, Ping Jin could not let the matter go with a clear conscience.
If it weren't for the fact that the other side was knowledgeable in military affairs and led the soldiers and civilians to resist the northern barbarians, Jingcheng would have fallen long ago.
Ping Jin didn't say much. He said to Zheng Hao, "If you need anything in the future, Lord Zheng, please come to me. I will do my best to help."
Zheng Hao did not refuse, and said goodbye to the other party before leaving.
In the evening, Gu An, who had been out of sight for a long time, returned home. Before Da Yan could come to report, Gu An went to Gu Lin's courtyard.
Having not seen each other for almost half a month, Gu Lin pretended to be angry: "You've become even busier than before since you stopped going to the academy. I've asked Mingzhang several times, and he always says that you're neither in the government office nor in the military camp. It's harder than climbing to heaven to see you."
Gu An, who was about to perform the ceremony, was interrupted by his uncle's words. He looked somewhat guilty, as he had indeed neglected his family for the past two weeks.
Gu An lifted his leg and walked closer to Gu Lin, picked up the teapot to pour tea for him. Seeing how sensible the young man was, Gu An could no longer maintain the fake anger on his face.
As Gu An poured tea, he explained, "Recently, I have been studying under Mr. Ye and have neglected my family. I hope Uncle Gu will not blame me."
Gu Lin had heard of Mr. Ye from Zheng Hao and had also met him in the study. He knew that Mr. Ye was a world-renowned Confucian scholar. It would be beneficial for Gu An to study under him, and he would definitely learn more than he would at the prefectural school.
Thinking this, Gu Lin still couldn't help but ask Gu An, "Mr. Ye is a renowned scholar and is quite strict with his students. Don't you find it tiring?"
Gu An shook his head slightly: "Mr. Ye is very knowledgeable. I have learned a lot from him and I don't feel tired at all."
While Gu An was speaking, Gu Lin looked up to observe him. He saw that although the young man was a bit thinner, he was full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue. He knew that what the other man said was true.
Wanting to continue caring, the door was pushed open. Gu Lin thought it was a servant coming to serve the dishes, but he heard the person walk towards him and then sit down next to him.
Gu An, who had been pulled to sit down by Gu Lin, stood up and bowed to the person next to him.
Zheng Hao looked up at Gu An with a faint gaze. Gu An paused for a moment, then said, "I'll go out and see when the kitchen will serve the dishes."
Gu Lin watched Gu An walk out of the house, still in a daze, when he heard the young military supervisor ask, "What were Uncle Gu and Gu An talking about just now?"
Gu Lin turned to look at him and saw that the other party's expression was normal, as if he had asked casually. He said, "I asked Xiao An what he has been busy with lately. I don't want him to study with Mr. Ye anymore."
Speaking of this, Gu Lin felt a pang of heartache as he thought of Gu An's increasingly thin body. "With studies, martial arts training, and running around with Mr. Ye and officials, Xiao An has become quite thin compared to when you were young."
Uncle Gu's heartache was genuine, without a trace of pretense. Zheng Hao lowered his eyes and said in a slightly calm tone, "Gu An is not a child. As the grandson of the Marquis of Zhenbei and our heir, he is destined not to be as unrestrained and free as other young people."
"He has just begun to learn martial arts. He is being taught by an old general personally selected by the Marquis of Zhenbei, so it is not too difficult for him. After some time, once he has honed his skills, the Marquis of Zhenbei and I will assign him to handle some important matters."
Previously, Zheng Hao had sent Gu An to handle some matters, but those were minor ones. After Gu An had gained experience, Zheng Hao would have him assist him in handling important matters.
The premise is that the other party can pass his test. If Gu An fails the test, Zheng Hao's eyes darkened, and he would train someone else later.
Thinking of this, Zheng Hao carefully chose his words and looked at Gu Lin, saying in a low voice, "Uncle Gu, don't spoil Gu An too much. He is no longer a child with his hair in a bun. Indulging him all the time is not a good thing."
Gu Lin's eyes widened slightly upon hearing this.
He looked at Zheng Hao and pointed to himself, saying, "You mean I spoiled him?"
His tone was tinged with disbelief.
Seeing Uncle Gu's expression change suddenly, and his light brown eyes glaring at him angrily, Zheng Hao realized that his words had been inappropriate and had caused Uncle Gu to misunderstand him: "That's not what I meant, Uncle Gu."
Gu Lin raised his hand, and Zheng Hao shut up.
Gu Lin lowered his raised hand, looked at him and said, "I raised you this way, and I raised Xiao An this way too. You say I spoil him, but why don't you say I spoil you?"
At this point, Gu Lin gave examples one by one: "When you were studying at the prefectural school, most students lived in the dormitories. You said you wanted to stay at home, and I was worried that you would miss your studies. You said it was fine, and I nodded and said okay. All along, you have been making friends with all sorts of people behind my back, recruiting people and building a security escort agency. I have never asked you a question. I think I did not spoil Xiao An, but I spoiled you."
The young man was furious, and in his anger he felt a little wronged. It wasn't a big deal, and Zheng Hao didn't say anything harsh or intend to teach him a lesson. But Gu Lin couldn't stand it. Although he loved his child, he never spoiled him.
Seeing the young man remain silent, Gu Lin also turned away without looking at him.
The room fell silent as the two remained so.
A moment later, Gu Lin heard a deep voice behind him: "Uncle Gu is right."
Feeling that the other person was just giving him the runaround, Gu Lin didn't turn around.
Zheng Hao spoke again, his voice hoarse: "I've been spoiled by Uncle Gu."
Gu Lin moved.
Zheng Hao stared at his slender back and continued, "I can't stand seeing other people in Uncle Gu's eyes. I feel that Gu An has grown up and shouldn't be taking up Uncle Gu's attention anymore. It was my fault, and I will change in the future. I won't make Uncle Gu angry again."
The young man's voice was deep and seemed particularly somber in the night, and his tone was full of apology as he spoke to the younger man.
With his back to him, listening to his remorseful words, Gu Lin's heart trembled.
Zheng Hao: "I know I'm too jealous and have made the same mistake over and over again. Uncle Gu can punish me however he wants."
After saying this, the young man remained silent, leaving the decision entirely to Gu Lin.
He wondered how Uncle Gu would treat him. He had done similar things many times before, and Uncle Gu would probably make him leave the courtyard and not see him for ten days, half a month, or even a month afterward, to teach him a lesson.
Thinking of this, Zheng Hao felt a surge of violence and suddenly closed his eyes.
His hands clenched tightly under his sleeves. He had to control his emotions and not upset Uncle Gu any further. If he didn't change and accept Uncle Gu's concern and Gu An's concern, he would inevitably have conflicts with Uncle Gu and drift further apart in the future.
He and Uncle Gu finally got together, how could they possibly have a falling out over this?
As he kept convincing himself, Zheng Hao's surging emotions gradually calmed down. He opened his eyes and saw a figure with his back to him flash by. Gu Lin got up, turned around, and walked towards him, standing in front of him.
Gu Lin lowered his eyes, while Zheng Hao raised his, the two of them switching perspectives for the first time.
Uncle Gu approached him without speaking, but Zheng Hao broke the silence first: "Uncle Gu, I..."
Gu Lin raised his hand and swung it at the young man. Zheng Hao neither dodged nor flinched, facing the arm that was coming at him head-on, letting the other man curse and hit him as he pleased.
[Xiao Zheng's nature is what it is; he's too possessive. It's impossible for him to change immediately. He won't make changes or compromises for Gu Lin!]