Gu Yun was unable to restrain a laugh, he teased: "Why, you have to part with your young Xiao to be wedded to me?*"

*Both Cao Niangzi and Gu Yun are referencing the poem 'To The Maiden Who Has Been Sold' by Cui Zhao from the Tang Dynasty. The original lines could be translated as "Once inside the mansion, into the deep forever/ her young Xiao, now only a stranger"

Cao Niangzi's small face blushed as red as a monkey's bottom.

Chang Geng's expression immediately darkened: "Yifu!"

Only now did Gu Yun remember his status of an elder. He quickly recovered his dignified image with difficulty, "There are not many rules here. Whatever you want to eat, you can instruct the kitchen to make it for you. There is also a library and an arsenal in the backyard, as well as horses, reading or practicing martial arts or horse riding are all up to you.

"Usually Shen Yi will come over in his free time, if he is busy, I will request another teacher for you — there is no need to notify me when you go out to play, as long as you go with a guard, and don't get into trouble outside... Hm, let me think about, what else..."

After pondering for a moment, Gu Yun turned back and said: "Ah yes, there are some servants that are already of old age, their reactions are inevitably slow, please pardon them for this and don't get angry at them."

He was simply giving them a general instruction, yet Chang Geng's heart was inexplicably swept away by the rare warmth in his words — although the warmth was not meant for him.

Gu Yun patted Chang Geng's back: "It is quite lonesome here but do think of it as your own home from now on."

For a very long time afterward, Chang Geng didn't have a chance to see Gu Yun.

The new Emperor had to ascend, Wei Wang had to be intimidated, the captured barbarian prince had to be dealt with, and the situation of the barbarians invading without any reason had to be clarified. There was also countless amounts of socializing to do, countless probing, so on and so forth.

Chang Geng thought of himself as diligent, but every morning before he woke up, Gu Yun had already left. And when he jolted awake in the middle of the night, Gu Yun still had not returned.

In the blink of an eye, the season of stuffy heat had passed. After autumn hurriedly went by, the season for heating stoves finally arrived.

In the middle of the night, the stone road was covered with a thin layer of ice. The air was engulfed in white fog, the horses’ hooves sounded from the end of the path. After a while, two black horses pierced through the mist and stopped at the back door of the Marquis' Manor.