The brocade bag that General Shen took out was also fitting with the occasion. The paper in the bag said: "Have you ever been disciplined in your life? What's the reason for the latest beating?"

Shen Yi pointed to Gu Yun and said, "I have; it was because of him."

Gu Yun propped up his head with his hands and laughed as if it was something to be proud of.

Chang Geng then asked, "Is it about putting laxatives into the teacher's drink?"

Shen Yi looked at Gu Yun in shock. His eyes were full of accusations, "Why did you reveal the bad things as well? Do you not feel ashamed?"

"It happened a very long time ago," said Gu Yun. "Shen Ji Ping's guts have been small since he was a child. If I hadn't taken him out to play, he would have been delirious from reading books."

Shen Yi sneered: "Following you, yet I have not been beaten silly by my old man, it could be said that he was merciful."

Everyone urged him to tell the story.

"It has been more than ten years since then," Shen Yi thought about it and said, "It was before the first rebellion of the Western Regions. I was about sixteen or seventeen years old."

Chang Geng, at sixteen or seventeen, had already traveled around with Lin Yuan Pavilion. Hearing that the matured General Shen was still getting beaten at this age, the group suddenly stretched their necks, eager to hear.

"Emperor Yuan He arranged a marriage for him, it was with the daughter of Grand Scholar Guo," Shen Yi said, with bad intentions towards Gu Yun. "She was very beautiful and intelligent. She and the Crown Princess that year, the current Empress Dowager, were referred to as a pair of…"

Gu Yun interrupted him warily: "Don't talk nonsense. You talk as if you had seen her, even I hadn't."

With that, he stole a glance at His Majesty by pouring tea. Chang Geng sitting under the light, his eyes and features were much softer than usual. Hearing this, he seemed to reveal a vague smile, bumping slightly against Gu Yun under the table then picking up another piece of cedar on the plate in front of him.

"It was said that Miss Guo has many admirers," said Shen Yi. "Some of them were very dissatisfied and envious when they heard about this marriage, calling him a player — of course, the people that called him a player were also players themselves, otherwise where did they find so much free time — the leading person of all this was the son of an opposition minister. This man claimed to be the most talented person in the capital. We didn't know where the 'talent' was, but everyone knew he loved to sleep around in his free time.