My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 232 A Letter from an Old Friend
The second day of the fifth month in the first year of Jianyi (527 AD).

In the past month alone, Luoyang has undergone tremendous changes.

Erzhu Rong raised an army and marched south, where he enthroned Yuan Ziyou as the new emperor in Heyang. He then massacred the entire court of officials on the banks of the Yellow River, but soon appointed his trusted confidants to fill all the positions in the court.

This is a month that deserves a prominent place in history.

Amidst the cheers of the Erzhu clan's descendants, the supreme King of Taiyuan finally set off to return to his loyal Jinyang, where the people of Bing and Si prefectures would welcome back their 'sun'.

Yuan Ziyou also showed great respect by personally seeing him off outside the city.

"Your Majesty! I swear I will not return to the capital until I have defeated the rebels in Hebei and Shandong!"

"Prime Minister! Take care!"

The emperor and his minister supported each other's arms, their eyes brimming with tears.

Those who don't know might think it's a timeless tale of a wise ruler and his minister, like the story of Duke Anle and Zhuge Liang.

When Erzhu Rong turned around, mounted his horse, and left with his guards, Yuan Ziyou continued to play his part until he returned to his own carriage, at which point he finally composed himself.

He lifted a corner of the curtain on the carriage, coldly watching Erzhu Rong's departing figure, and snorted inwardly.

"Now that the thief is gone, I can finally unleash my full power."

"Apart from Erzhu Rong, the other members of the Erzhu clan are not to be feared. We should be patient for a few days and let them lower their guard before we act..."

He then looked intently at another figure.

This man was handsome, dignified, and had an upright posture. He stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens.

"Second son of the Gao family...you must not disappoint me."

Even knowing that Gao Yu would no longer be loyal to her, Yuan Ziyou had no other choice.

Throughout Luoyang, there were either other members of the Erzhu clan or only Gao Yu left. People like Heba and his brothers had all been taken away by Erzhu Rong.

He had no choice.

Moreover, Gao Yu has already demonstrated such strong abilities.

can only say……

The army marched for two and a half days and a half, covering a total distance of over 400 li. After defeating the bandits, they even managed to send back news, which was extremely alarming.

This greatly shocked Yuan Ziyou's young mind. He had never seen such a brave person, or even heard of one.

He had come to see Gao Yu as his lifeline.

After everyone had left, the two brothers, Gao Yu and Gao Huan, remained in the pavilion outside the city gate.

"Brother, Wan Jing and the others have all been taken away by Tianbao. Should I send Mulan or Zixing with you?"

Gao Huan shook his head. "From now on, you and I, brothers, should avoid suspicion. If anything happens, I will send someone to deliver a message to you."

Just as Gao Huan turned over, mounted his horse, and prepared to set off.

But then they heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats and heard dust rising in the distance. They then realized that it was Erzhu Zhao leading a few people.

"Is Dalang leaving today? Why didn't you tell me? Is this how you treat me as a brother?"

???

Polite to you?

That sounds kind of weird.

So from now on, he and Gao Huan will each have their own opinions?

They're brothers and uncle and nephew, right?

Gao Huan was not so wary of Erzhu Zhao. He knew Erzhu Zhao's temperament and character very well, and explained, "To avoid suspicion, Wanren, things are different now, the situation has changed."

"I don't care."

Erzhu Zhao muttered and waved his hand, "I also regard you two brothers as brothers, why should I care about other people's opinions? If Fashou and Shilong want to gossip, let them gossip to Tianbao. I have nothing to hide, why should I be afraid of these things?"

"Wan Ren... is such a kind person."

Gao Huan exclaimed, "That's refreshing!"

"Enough of that. Come on! I won't see you off this time. Who knows when we'll meet again? Let's drink together as a farewell to our eldest son!"

Erzhu Zhao took several leather bags from his attendants, the bags filled with wine.

"Come! Let's drink together!"

The three men exchanged a smile and drank their wine in one gulp.

Gao Huan then laughed heartily, mounted his horse, and set off for Baima City with his personal guards and attendants.

I watched Gao Huan depart into the distance.

Erzhu Zhao looked at Gao Yu and murmured, "Tianbao has indeed changed since entering Luoyang this time."

Gao Yu remained silent.

People change, not to mention Erzhu Rong, who rose to power overnight and was now, on the surface, a powerful minister second only to the emperor.

Actually...

Yuan Ziyou couldn't control him at all.

Yuan Ziyou only held the title of emperor, but the real power of the emperor was in the hands of Erzhu Rong.

"Once he reached Tianbao's position, many things were no longer up to him..."

"I know that, but I'm too lazy to think about it."

Erzhu Zhao sighed and immediately changed the subject, saying, "Second Brother, Yuechan has already sent someone to deliver a message, insisting on coming to Luoyang."

“Then let her come.” “You two will be engaged in a few months, why rush it? I will go back to Xiurong with you then. I am already married, and I can understand how uncomfortable you would feel if Yuechan came to Luoyang.”

I wouldn't say I was jealous.

Erzhu Yuechan was to be formally married to Gao Yu, and she would be his lawfully wedded wife.

Their social status and position speak for themselves.

There's no need to be jealous of Yuan Miao and Zheng Dache, let alone the concubines in the mansion.

But women...

I'll always feel uncomfortable.

Wanren is indeed a kind person, thinking so much about himself.

The two returned to Luoyang together, and then each went back to their respective residences.

Gao Yu sat at his desk in the room, also making plans for the future.

As it stands, all that's needed is for Erzhu Rong to quell Ge Rong's rebellion, and the entire situation will stabilize.

But it's by no means that easy.

According to the information obtained, Ge Rong sent people to contact Anagui, the king of the Rouran, Xing Gao, who declared himself emperor in Qingzhou, Xiao Pusa of the Southern Liang Dynasty, and Xiao Baoyin of Longxi.

In fact, the overall situation is more like Erzhu Rong being besieged by multiple forces in Shanxi and Henan.

Breaking this deadlock is easier said than done.

"There's no need to worry about Longxi for now, as Xiao Baoyin doesn't have the resources to attack it. But as for the Southern Dynasty, we don't know what Xiao Pusa is thinking."

Gao Yu murmured.

"Erlang, you believe in Buddhism too? What Xiao Bodhisattva? I've never heard of any Bodhisattva with the surname Xiao."

Gao Yu looked up.

Yuan Miao was wearing a very common short-sleeved shirt and a waist-length ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). The style of women's clothing at this time emphasized "simple on top and full on the bottom," meaning that the top was short and close-fitting, while the skirt was wide. Yuan Miao did not have the extraordinary talent of Zheng Dache, but she was still quite well-endowed.

"come over."

Gao Yu waved to her.

Yuan Miao raised her chin slightly, "How dare you! I am a princess, how dare you speak to me like that."

Gao Yu chuckled inwardly. After spending some time together, he had already figured out Yuan Miao's character.

Perhaps because he lost his biological mother at a young age, Empress Dowager Hu raised him.

But Empress Gao and Gao Zhao had tried to kill Empress Dowager Hu several times before. How could Empress Dowager Hu have a good attitude towards the daughter of her enemy?

Later in life, they were used as political tools.

She deliberately says the opposite of what she means, just to get more attention; she's just a woman who craves love.

Gao Yu deliberately kept a cold face, "Yes, yes, you are a noble princess, and I am not worthy of you. Then please leave my residence and return to the palace immediately!"

"You think you can just leave like that? Wouldn't that make me lose face?"

As she spoke, Yuan Miao walked to his side and leaned against him obediently. Seeing that Gao Yu still had a cold face, she timidly asked, "Is Erlang angry?"

Seeing that her eyes were red and she was about to cry, Gao Yu stopped teasing her and instead put his arm around her, his hand naturally slipping inside her clothes to feel her delicate skin.

"Why would I be angry? It's you who's acting all coy."

Yuan Miao then stopped crying and smiled, burying her face in Gao Yu's chest with adoration. "The princess is right. Erlang is indeed different from ordinary men."

Her cheeks flushed and her eyes glazed over as Yuan Miao hooked her arms around Gao Yu's neck.

But the sound of footsteps outside the door stopped the two of them in their tracks. A maidservant spoke respectfully from outside the door.

"My lord, someone outside the manor requests an audience."

"Who is it?"

"This person only said that he was delivering a letter on behalf of the young master's old friend."

An old friend?

Delivering a letter?

Could it be Cui Xian? Jia Sixie?

Or is it Yang Kan?

Among Gao Yu's old acquaintances, these were the only ones who were temporarily not in Luoyang and needed to contact him by letter.

After tidying up his clothes, Gao Yu immediately stood up.

Leave the backyard.

The servants brought the man in as well.

Seeing that he looked travel-worn, Gao Yu realized that he had come from out of town. He felt that the man was very familiar, but he couldn't quite place him.

"Greetings, General of the Right Guard. My family head is from the Taishan clan."

Mount Tai?

Yang?

Upon hearing that familiar surname, Gao Yu felt a moment of disorientation. A clear, melodious girl's voice faintly echoed in his mind, but the girl's appearance was somewhat blurry.

"My home is in Mount Tai, so don't go to the wrong place."

(End of this chapter)