My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 17: A Historically Significant Amount of Subsidized Payment
What happened these days.

Gao Yu and the others saw it all, but none of them said anything.

Everyone knows it.

Gao Huan is a very opinionated person with a clear mind. It would be best to let Gao Huan decide how to handle this matter.

Say.

This was Gao Huan's private matter.

At first, Gao Yu thought that as a modern person, he had the ability to out-compete the ancients on a cognitive level. However, after one thing after another happened, he was completely convinced by Gao Huan.

To be able to leave a mark in history and eventually rise from a lowly military household to a powerful king, he was no saint. His so-called 'knowledge' and 'insight' were no match for others when it came to real matters.

All he can do now is wait and see what happens!
Although historical records about this period of the Northern Dynasties contain many contradictions in the biographies of various figures, they all unanimously record that Lou Zhaojun fell in love with Gao Huan at first sight and eventually became his wife.

Just trust the history books!

at night.

Gao Huan held a piece of paper with Lou Zhaojun's birth date and time written on it. His brows sometimes relaxed and sometimes furrowed, and his expression was extremely conflicted.

He knew he was about to make one of the most important decisions of his life!
Taking a step back, he could continue to eke out a living as a military household member of Huai Shuo.

Gao Shusheng has died in battle.

Therefore, someone from the Gao family would need to go out to guard the area and fight against the Rouran. He himself might die in a battle against the Rouran at any time, just like the calculus student, and might not even leave behind a complete corpse.

Going further, that means gambling with your life, betting, and trying to curry favor with the Lou family!
After thinking for a long time, Gao Huan's face hardened, and his eyes were no longer confused or conflicted, but extremely firm!

He was all alone anyway, so why should he hesitate or worry about anything? Why should he be afraid to risk his life?
Since it's gambling, you need capital to gamble, and his only capital is his life!

Become!

From that moment on, he soared to great heights!
Squeak.

Just as Gao Huan made up his mind, the door was pushed open and Gao Yu appeared in the doorway. "Brother, you really haven't fallen asleep yet."

"Erlang? Is something the matter?"

"That's it."

Gao Yu walked directly into the room and sat down next to Gao Huan. He pondered for a long time, recalling what Gao Huan had said these past few days.

They always held Lou Zhaojun in high esteem, partly because they felt their status as a military household member was too lowly.

Is this the crux of Gao Huan's hesitation?
He came today to help Gao Huan resolve this problem.

After sitting down, Gao Yu said, "Brother, are you still hesitating about the matter of the Lou family's daughter? Or do you feel that you, a mere military household, are not good enough for her?"

Gao Huan remained silent and waited for Gao Yu to finish speaking.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry about this. Emperor Zhaolie of Han was just a humble weaver of mats and a seller of shoes in the market, but he would tell everyone he met that he was a descendant of the Han imperial family. Your Highness can learn from him.”

"Although my Gao family is now a down-on-his-luck military household, we have been passed down through generations and our ancestors must have been prominent. My brother can certainly claim to be a descendant of the Bohai Gao family. Can the Lou family really go to the Gao family to verify this?"

Gao Yu embodies the thinking of modern people.

Throughout history, society has always weeded out those who cannot survive.

If we trace our lineage back a few generations, who among us wasn't a descendant of a high-ranking official or a nobleman?
This was especially true in ancient times!

With this level of productivity, and with ancestors who were not wealthy and had no accumulated family fortune, how could they possibly continue to pass on their family line?
The ability of ancient people to withstand natural disasters was almost negligible.

Moreover.

The Bohai Gao family was not considered a "high-ranking family" in this era; at best, they were on par with the Lou family. If they really wanted to curry favor with them, they wouldn't be as calculating as the Lu, Li, Zheng, and Cui families.

Whether Lou Jiaxin believes it or not is not important. First, he should raise his own "value" first, just like Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, who had no money but still had the audacity and courage to ask for "ten thousand coins"!
Gao Huan looked at Gao Yu with considerable surprise, his first thought being, "Who taught Gao Yu to speak like that?"
but……

It seems that, given the brothers' social circles, no one could have taught Gao Yu to say such things.

His second younger brother was still young, but his courage was already remarkable. He seemed to have underestimated his second younger brother.

Gao Yu only touched on the topic briefly, without going into too much detail.

To his surprise, Gao Huan merely glanced at him and said, "Why bother with self-proclaimed lineage? My ancestors were from the Gao clan of Bohai. How can you, Erlang, forget your roots?"

Gao Yu was taken aback, then thought about it and smiled.

"Damn it, damn it, I must have forgotten something so important because I haven't fully recovered from falling off my horse last time."

Gao Huan smiled as well.

………………

The next day.

Gao Huan left early, riding the black steed given to him by Lou Zhaojun, heading straight out of the city towards Loujiawu Fortress.

She directly identified herself to the gatekeeper, and the head of the Lou family must have known about Lou Zhaojun's lavish gifts these past few days.

really.

Gao Huan was allowed to pass and went inside the fortified village to meet Lou Zhaojun's father, Lou Neigan. Without much pleasantry, he directly explained his purpose, returned the land deed, and stated that all the cloth, money, and goods given as gifts were kept in his residence in Huai Shuo City, and he had not touched a single one, returning them intact.

"Thank you for your kindness, Miss Lou. I, He Liuhun, am but a military household member, and I would never dare to have any improper thoughts."

After saying this, Gao Huan left the place, even handing the black horse over to the Lou family servants, and rode back home on a horse he had borrowed from a friend.

Lou Neigan watched Gao Huan leave, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"He doesn't seek immediate gains and is well aware of the risks involved. He does have some skill and character, but unfortunately, he's just a lowly military household."

on the way back.

Gao Huan did not spur his horse into a gallop; he was waiting…

This was actually a gamble on his part!
If he went directly to Lou Zhaojun's door to identify himself and return the gifts, Lou Zhaojun would definitely find out.

If she truly loves him as the letter suggests, she will surely contact him again soon, and he can still plot against her. If Lou Zhaojun stops contacting him after learning about this, it proves that it was just a passing fancy and not worth risking his life, or even Gao Loujin's and Gao Yu's.

When you're gambling with your life, you naturally have to be careful!
Just as Gao Huan was entering the city through the city gate, a maidservant blocked his way. The maidservant bowed and said, "My mistress invites you, please do me the honor of meeting me, young master Gao."

Gao Huan knew this maidservant very well.

The two of them interacted every day.

He was overjoyed; Lou Zhaojun had indeed come looking for him!
However, he showed no outward expression. After dismounting, he followed the maid to the gate of the mansion that Lou Zhaojun had given him a few days earlier. The maid opened the gate and saw a woman waiting in the hall.

Gao Huan handed the horse to a maid and went inside.

Before even approaching the hall, one could hear a faint, complaining voice.

"Could it be that you already have a beloved woman? Why are you treating me like this?"

Looking up, he saw Lou Zhaojun staring at him with a resentful expression.

Gao Huan simply bowed in greeting.

"Does my eldest son not even want to talk to me? Does he dislike me that much?"

"How dare you."

Gao Huan shook his head and said, "I know my wife's feelings, but I have no choice. Please understand."

"What helplessness is there?"

Lou Zhaojun grasped the key point and pressed on, "Your family is poor, so I will prepare the betrothal gifts for you. If Father does not allow it, I will persuade him. What is the reason for this?"

“My lady is the master’s beloved daughter, so he will not do anything to you. But my Gao family is just a military household. If the master asks me about it, how can I answer? I cannot let my sister and second son lose their lives because of myself, so I can only do this to save my own life.”

Lou Zhaojun suddenly realized!
She now understood the crux of the problem and carefully considered what Gao Huan had said.

I was overjoyed!

What a kind and loyal young man!

Willing to stand up for his brothers and always thinking of his family, such a loyal and righteous man is the perfect husband chosen for her by heaven!
"Tell me your difficulties! I only ask you this: if the thing you're worried about doesn't happen, will you marry me?!"

Although the Northern Wei Dynasty promoted Sinicization, especially after Emperor Xiaowen, it went to great lengths to promote Sinicization, even changing the surname of the royal family from 'Tuoba' to 'Yuan'.

As a powerful clan, the Lou family naturally wanted to emulate them, but living in the northern grasslands where Han and Yi peoples were mixed, it was difficult for them to truly assimilate into the habits and appearance of the Han people of the Central Plains.

If it were a Han Chinese woman, even if she truly liked someone, she would never dare to be as direct as Lou Zhaojun.

She stared intently at Gao Huan, her heart fluttering.

Gao Huan did not answer immediately. Every second of his silence was a huge torment and blow to Lou Zhaojun!

She's already gone to such lengths, and Gao Huan still still doesn't agree??

Gao Huan took out a piece of paper from his waist. Instead of answering the question directly, he presented the paper to Lou Zhaojun.

"If I had no intention of giving anything, why would I return all the gifts, but secretly keep this one?"

This is the note with Lou Zhaojun's birth date and time written on it!

Lou Zhaojun's mood instantly shifted from disappointment to joy. The dramatic change in her emotions left her momentarily stunned. When she came to her senses, she immediately threw herself into Gao Huan's arms.

She buried her head in Gao Huan's chest and whispered, "Don't worry, Da Lang, I have a way to persuade Father. My future husband can only be you!!"

Gao Huan was unaware...

Lou Zhaojun's actions directly elevated her to the Mount Rushmore level as a 'soft rice' opportunist in ancient China.

…………

After parting

Gao Huan never saw Lou Zhaojun and her maid again, and continued to go to the city gate to stand guard every day as usual.

Gao Yu has been visiting Hou Jing every day for the past few days.

Several days passed.

Suddenly, a group of people arrived and blocked the door of Gao Huan's house. The leader pushed the door open and entered!

"He Liuhun! He Liuhun!"

Gao Huan hurriedly walked out of the house and immediately realized what was happening.

"He Liuhun is here."

"Please come with us, my master requests your presence!"

Gao Huan immediately left with the group.

Upon seeing this, Gao Loujin panicked and became extremely anxious, asking, "What should we do?"

Gao Yu comforted her, "Sister, don't worry, your brother will handle it properly! Nothing will happen."

It wasn't until sunset that the door was pushed open. Gao Huan's steps were unsteady, and he barely managed to stand up straight. You could smell the alcohol from a distance.

Gao Yu and the others quickly stepped forward to help him up.

"Sister, Erlang, brother-in-law, don't worry, I'm fine, I just drank a little too much."

Gao Loujin was relieved and had Gao Yu and Wei Jing help Gao Huan into the house to lie down and rest.

Gao Yu did not ask for more details.

But when the Lou family came and took Gao Huan away, he returned drunk, which was definitely not a bad thing.

Doesn't that mean the matter is settled?

Gao Wang is about to make his first fortune, and I will also profit from it, at least I won't go hungry anymore!
(End of this chapter)