Three Kingdoms: I am not Liu Bian

Chapter 91: My younger sister, Guo, courtesy name "Queen"

Li Ru acted quickly, and that night more than 1,300 sets of armor were delivered to the office of the Embroidered Uniform Censor in Xindu City.

Cars drove in one after another, and the wheels rolled on the cobblestone road, making a dull sound.

Guo Tu stood in front of the government office, his eyes slightly narrowed, his gaze fixed on the carriages, a little solemn.

He still thought things were too simple. The transportation of more than 1,300 sets of armor would cause too much noise.

Even though Li Ru had taken remedies by using closed carriages for transport, the noise of more than twenty carriages was still considerable. The swaying of each carriage and the clattering of horses' hooves created a particularly abrupt noise in the still night.

Although there was a curfew at night, the sudden appearance of more than twenty vehicles and horses on the street was still a bit of a commotion, and it was hard not to attract attention.

Moreover, among the county and state soldiers responsible for night patrols, there may be spies planted by wealthy families. If the wealthy families find out about this, something unexpected may happen.

Thinking of this, Guo Tu's face became increasingly gloomy, and his heart was surging like a tide.

Guo Tu was not a man without wisdom, nor was he unable to think of a more covert means of transportation, but perhaps it was because he was too young and lacked experience that led to the current situation.

When he thought that this might cause the entire plan to fail and that if someone caught him, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would be implicated, Guo Tu could not help but grit his teeth and dig his nails deep into his palms.

He had never eaten from the Five Cauldrons before, so naturally he didn't want to experience cooking from the Five Cauldrons first.

Guo Cheng, who was standing by, saw that Guo Tu had a gloomy face and shrank his neck. He would secretly glance at him from time to time, feeling quite cautious, as if he was afraid of angering Guo Tu who was in a bad mood at the moment.

Just when Guo Cheng couldn't help but glance at Guo Tu again, Guo Tu suddenly turned his head and glared at Guo Cheng. The heavy breathing sound coming from his nose made people clearly feel Guo Tu's impatience.

"Talk about something!"

"Uh, Shu... uh, Guo Shu... no, Prince Guo's bastard."

Guo Cheng was glared at by Guo Tu, and the sharp eyes like an eagle made him tremble slightly. He was about to call him "bastard", but he was worried that "bastard" and "boy" were homophones. If Guo Tu became more angry and took his anger out on him, wouldn't it be an unnecessary disaster?

But "Guo Shuzi" sounds like "Guo Shuzi", and it even feels like calling Guo Tu by name. After thinking about it, Guo Cheng still stumbled and called him "Guo Taizi Shuzi", calling Guo Tu by his surname and official title. He thought that Guo Tu should not be angry with him for no reason.

However, although Guo Cheng was smooth and smart, he overlooked one thing.

When your boss is in a bad mood, whether he will get angry with you depends on whether he wants to, not whether you provide him with an excuse to get angry.

As long as he wants to lose his temper, even your breathing and heartbeat can become an excuse for him to lose his temper, even if you just advise him to drink more hot water.

Guo Tu glared at Guo Cheng with an annoyed look on his face, scolding him, "How can you be a Censor-in-Chief if you can't even speak clearly?"

"Guo... uh... Crown Prince Guo's bastard son." Guo Cheng gave an awkward chuckle, seemingly unperturbed by Guo Tu's scolding. Instead, he inched closer to Guo Tu, leaning forward slightly. After a moment's thought, he decided to continue addressing him as "Crown Prince Guo's bastard son" for safety's sake. He said, "I have already requested permission from Lu Jizhou to send an embroidered uniform envoy to investigate the Yellow Turban spies in the city. They will patrol all areas east of Xindu City tonight. After handing over to Li Changshi, they will also have to travel through humble alleys and civilian homes to get here."

As he spoke, Guo Cheng's eyes kept observing Guo Tu's expression, and he clasped and unclenched his hands in front of him awkwardly.

Hearing this, Guo Tu's frown slowly relaxed, a hint of barely perceptible surprise flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't help but look up to Guo Chenggao.

He really didn't expect that this Xindu City Embroidered Uniform Censor would have such a subtle mind.

"There's no rule. 'Crown Prince's Bastard' is 'Crown Prince's Bastard', 'Guo Bastard' is 'Guo Bastard'. 'Crown Prince Guo's Bastard' is nothing but a title. From now on, call me 'Guo Bastard'."

Although Guo Tu's tone was still somewhat cold, Guo Cheng was still able to keenly sense the change in Guo Tu's attitude towards him from his words. He immediately leaned over and said with a smile, "Yes."

In fact, he also understood that Guo Tu was a lone minister of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and was just used to not making friends with others. He was not really a villain who would bite anyone he saw, nor did he dislike him that much.

However, Guo Tu looked at Guo Cheng with a little doubt. He looked Guo Cheng up and down and asked, "Your father is the prefect of Nanjun, and your brother is the magistrate of Gaotang. Why are you the Embroidered Uniform Censor of Xindu City?" It's not that he looked down on the position of Embroidered Uniform Censor, but since ancient times, those who served as the eyes and ears of the emperor would inevitably attract criticism from the upright. During the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, the Embroidered Uniform Censors were widely criticized by literati and scholars, who believed that the Embroidered Uniform Censors were just a group of sinister villains who operated in the dark and could not see the light.

Therefore, the Embroidered Uniform Censor became a "dirty" position, which is also the reason why there were almost no children of the gentry among the Embroidered Uniform Envoys.

Guo Cheng came from the Guangzong Guo family. Although he was only a third-rate aristocratic family, he was a genuine aristocratic family and had long transcended the class of powerful people.

Not to mention that his father was a county magistrate with a rank of 2,000 stones. It should not be difficult for the county to give Guo Cheng the title of "filial and honest" as a favor. However, after Guo Tu checked Guo Cheng's resume, he found that this person was neither a "filial and honest" nor a "talented person".

This is very un-aristocratic!
"My father is a man of integrity and integrity, unlike me who is so willful and frivolous, so..."

Guo Cheng smiled awkwardly, and before he could finish his words, Guo Tu understood what he meant. However, Guo Tu was still a little puzzled. He looked at Guo Cheng and said, "Guo Nanjun is honest and resolute, so he has a smooth career?"

Guo Tu was not as sarcastic as Guo Yong. Considering Guo Yong's age and qualifications, it was not unusual for him to serve as the prefect of a superior county like Nanjun in his early forties. But he was so stubborn that even the county was unwilling to recommend his son as a filial and honest official. How could he become the prefect of Nanjun?
When Guo Cheng was asked about this, his expression became extremely unnatural, his eyes began to flicker, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally stammered out the reason: "Well, my mother, Dong, is from Hejian."

"Hejian Dong family?"

Guo Tu murmured the name while slowly walking a few steps to the side and stroked his short beard with his hand.

He always felt that the name was familiar, but he couldn't remember which company it was.

Suddenly, a name flashed through Guo Tu's mind. Coincidentally, a cool breeze blew, and he, who was a little sleepy in the middle of the night, woke up instantly. His eyes widened, and he looked at Guo Cheng with wide eyes.

"Could it be..." Guo Tu raised his left sleeve and pointed at the night sky. He lowered his voice, but there was a slight tremor in his voice as he asked, "That Dong from Hejian?"

Guo Cheng nodded with a wry smile, a hint of helplessness on his face.

The Dong family of Hejian was not a prominent family, but fifteen years ago it suddenly transformed itself into one of the most powerful families in the Han Dynasty.

That year, the current emperor ascended the throne, and the emperor's mother was the legitimate daughter of Hejian Dong, the current Queen Mother Dong!

Guo Tu was slightly surprised and took a deep breath.

He really didn't expect that a small Xindu City Embroidered Uniform Censor would have such a background and be a relative of the current empress dowager?

But soon, Guo Tu's eyes suddenly became sharp, and there was a hint of inexplicable meaning in his eyes when he looked at Guo Cheng.

Guo Cheng, who has such an identity, is not someone he can recruit. Moreover, such an identity may not be a talisman to protect Guo Cheng in his career, it may even be a death warrant!

"You will go and tell the prince about your origins tomorrow." Guo Tu said seriously, staring at Guo Cheng, with a tone that did not allow for refusal.

He was not forcing Guo Cheng to reveal his origins to the prince, but was saving him.

"The Crown Prince welcomes talented individuals regardless of family background or origin, but he dislikes those who deceive their superiors and subordinates."

Guo Cheng was stunned and opened his mouth to say something, but he noticed the solemnity in Guo Tu's eyes. The solemn look was like a bottomless cold pond. He couldn't help but hesitate, and a look of embarrassment appeared on his face.

Seeing Guo Cheng behaving like this, the muscles on Guo Tu's face twitched slightly, and he cursed in his heart, this guy is just a small censor of Xindu City, he can't have any shady identity, right?
Seeing Guo Tu's fearful expression, Guo Cheng quickly waved his hand and explained, "It's not a big deal. It's just a matter concerning my younger sister."

"Several years ago, my mother gave birth to my younger sister in Nanjun. I was summoned to bring her to the palace for an audience. My younger sister was pure and intelligent, different from others. The Queen Mother loved her and said, 'My niece, the queen among women,' and later bestowed upon her the name 'Queen.'"

"Everyone calls her 'Queen Guo'!"

(2607 words)
(End of this chapter)