My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 20 A Gathering of Wise Men: The Ancestral Origins of the Sui and Tang Dynasties

At the age when he is growing, Gao Yu's appetite is frighteningly large.

In an era where ordinary people at the bottom of society lack sufficient 'protein', Gao Yu has achieved freedom in determining his daily 'protein' intake!
He possessed an extraordinary physique coupled with innate superhuman strength that even Hou Jing found astounding.

he thinks……

When chaos comes, it shouldn't be too difficult to protect oneself, right?

After quickly finishing the remaining jerky in the bowl, Gao Yu got up and headed outside.

"Erlang, where are we going?"

"I went to the training ground to practice riding and archery."

"Remember to come back early, don't overexert yourself..."

"Don't worry, sister."

Gao Yu turned and left.

He hadn't gone far when he encountered servants and maids, who all stopped what they were doing and bowed to Gao Yu.

Originally, the Lou family only gifted the house to Wei Jing. Later, whether it was Lou Zhaojun's idea or not, they sent more than ten servants and maids to take care of his daily life, which greatly reduced Gao Loujin's burden.

They arrived at the training ground and ran into Hou Jing, and the two went inside together.

"Erlang, you are exceptionally talented, why do you need to work so hard? Even seasoned veterans are not as hardworking as you."

Hou Jing was truly terrified of Gao Yu's machinations.

Because Huai Shuo Border Town was frequently raided by the Rouran, it was normal for the people to be martial and fond of martial arts. Almost all the common people in Huai Shuo Town knew a little about boxing, horsemanship, and archery.

But there has to be a limit.

Why is it that Gao Yu, who hasn't enlisted, trains even harder than these regular soldiers who have enlisted?
can only say……

Hou Jing underestimated just how far modern corporate slaves, who enjoy the "blessing" of the '996' work schedule, can go.

In modern society, without connections or resources, even if you get stuck, you'll just be a high-level wage slave.

In ancient times, they would be considered to have a background and resources, and it was clearly foreseeable that a chaotic era was about to begin!
Chaos brings chaos, but chaos is a stepping stone; it is a crucial moment when the old order is broken, a new order is established, and the players on the power table change!

Of course, I have to give it my all, become a player at the card table, and become an order maker and rule setter!
"It is precisely because I am quite talented that I need to practice diligently every day, so as not to waste the talent that God has given me. If I waste my talent, I am afraid I will be punished by God."

Gao Yu's answer left Hou Jing speechless.

What can you say when you encounter such a naturally gifted player who still becomes the "King of the Roll"?
Gao Yu's horsemanship and archery skills improved very quickly. His ultimate goal was to be like Lü Bu. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms fabricated too many fictional stories about Lü Bu, but the one that sounds most like a fictional story, "Shooting the Halberd at the Gate," is actually a real event.

With his extraordinary talent and a sufficient amount of meat to supplement protein, Gao Yu's strength is astonishing!
In military camps, a game called "jiaodi" was popular, which was somewhat similar to modern sumo wrestling. It was a game in which soldiers competed with each other in terms of strength.

Of the fifty men in Gao Huan's team, not one could rival Gao Yu.

………………

I don't know if it was Lou Zhaojun who urged them so much.

In short, the Lou family made preparations for the wedding very quickly and informed the local powerful families and officials in Huai Shuo, as well as the powerful families and officials in the surrounding Woye and Wuchuan areas.

This is the prestige of the Lou family; when a Lou family daughter gets married, everyone has to come and offer their congratulations!
Huaishuo retains many grassland customs and does not strictly follow the steps of betrothal, name inquiry, auspicious date selection, gift presentation, date setting, and wedding ceremony as in the Central Plains.

As a powerful and influential family, the Lou family should have been more particular about etiquette.

However, because of Lou Zhaojun's overly generous behavior, she immediately gave Gao Huan her birth date and time, and even thoughtfully prepared the betrothal gifts for him.

That's a one-step solution.

Gao Huan had someone calculate an auspicious date based on his and Lou Zhaojun's birth dates and times, and also arranged the wedding date with the Lou family.

The Lou family gifted Gao Huan another five-courtyard house to enhance the family's prestige. The house was even more luxurious than the one they had previously gifted to Wei Jing. On the side of the fourth courtyard was a three-story pavilion, and a high pavilion was one of the important standards for a mansion.

August, which is the agreed-upon wedding day!

Gao Huan led a long wedding procession from Huai Shuo to the fortified village where the Lou family lived to marry Lou Zhaojun!

After bringing Lou Zhaojun back, a grand banquet was held to celebrate with distinguished guests.

There were servants at the entrance of the mansion who would loudly announce the identity of any guest who came to offer congratulations.

"General Duan has come to offer his congratulations..."

"Vice General Yang Jun has come to offer his congratulations..."

"Lord Ge Rong has come to offer his congratulations..."

"Sima Ziru..."

“Jia Xianzheng…”

“Liu Yi…”

Gao Yu couldn't help but sigh at the prestige of the Lou family. Which of these high-ranking officials and powerful families didn't come because of the Lou family's influence?
Otherwise, how could Gao Huan, a mere squad leader, be worthy of a town general personally coming to congratulate him?

Town General.

This can be understood as referring to a prefect!
After Emperor Xiaowen's reforms, the actual power of the governors of various prefectures was reduced, and they were only responsible for civil administration, with no right to interfere in military affairs. The governors, stripped of their power, were even less powerful than garrison commanders.

The commanders of the Six Garrisons were truly in charge of both military and political affairs, somewhat similar to the Jiedushi (military governors) of the Tang Dynasty. They were like local emperors in their respective territories, wielding immense power. However, since the Six Garrisons were located in harsh and cold regions, no matter how powerful the commanders were, they were not enough to arouse envy, and even deterred members of the imperial family from venturing there.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, the imperial court would send members of the royal family to various prefectures to assume important positions to restrain the governors and prevent them from having too much power and causing trouble.

Many of the names here sound quite familiar.

After the Six Garrisons Uprising in Northern Wei, Northern Wei split into Eastern Wei and Western Wei. In reality, it was a power struggle between Huai Shuo, led by Gao Huan, and Wu Chuan, led by Yuwen Tai. Now that it is Gao Huan's wedding, it is normal to find the names of the guests familiar, right?

Among the crowd of people who came to offer their congratulations, there were three men who looked alike, each with a broad back and a burly build, clearly brave and fierce generals.

The younger one glared at Gao Huan fiercely, his tone extremely unfriendly.

"The Lou family's daughter actually took a fancy to such a pretty boy who looks like a married woman? I heard he's the son of a down-on-his-luck military family member, a lowly penniless man? What do I lack compared to him?!"

"Adou, don't be impulsive! Father has repeatedly warned us not to cause trouble today!"

"Women as beautiful as the young lady from the Lou family are everywhere in Luoyang, aren't they? Why do you care so much about her, Adou?"

The three were none other than the renowned Heba brothers!

The eldest son was Heba Yun, the second son was Heba Sheng, and the third son was Heba Yue.

The Heba family had a very distinguished lineage. The head of the family, Heba Duba, inherited the title of Baron of Longcheng County from his ancestors. Heba Duba had been arranging marriages for his third son, Heba Yue, and had come several times... Heba Yue also took a great liking to the beautiful Lou Zhaojun.

Unreachable is always in turmoil.

Who knew Gao Huan would suddenly appear?
Especially after learning about Gao Huan's background, she regarded Gao Huan's "stealing her love" as an utter disgrace!

How could he lose to a pretty boy who looks like a middle-aged woman?
Or was he just a lowly son of a military household, a penny-pincher?

The three were not far away.

Two teenagers were talking together.

"Judging from He Liuhun's appearance, I know he must be of immeasurable nobility. No wonder he was able to marry the daughter of the Lou family despite being the son of a military household!"

Dugu Xin pointed to Gao Huan in the crowd and laughed.

This man can be considered a Mount Rushmore-level figure, the 'strongest father-in-law' in Chinese history.
"By observing his conduct, one can tell that this man is a hero!"

Li Hu also strongly agreed.

Ordinary military households, upon seeing so many high-ranking officials and powerful families, were mostly filled with unease and at a loss.

Gao Huan was completely unaffected, speaking eloquently and chatting with people as if he were an equal, showing no sign of restraint or unease.
Such a mindset is indeed rare.

Dugu Xin nodded, his gaze sweeping casually before settling on a young man!

The young man had fair skin and a beautiful face, resembling a woman, and bore a striking resemblance to Gao Huan. Dugu Xin was momentarily stunned. "Who is that? This person's appearance is incredibly noble! If I had a daughter, I would marry her to this man!"

Upon hearing the sound, Li Hu looked over and explained, "It seems to be Gao Erlang."

Then, realizing what he meant, he teased, "This man is about the same age as us. How could he be your son-in-law? You're not married yet, so how could you have a daughter?"

Dugu Xin smiled and immediately changed his tune, "If I were a woman, I would marry this man!"

Upon hearing this, Li Hu laughed heartily.

Similar discussions occurred throughout the banquet.

after all……

For these powerful families and high-ranking officials, it was not difficult to know about Gao Huan's past. The more they knew, the more they would wonder why the Lou family would marry their youngest daughter to Gao Huan.

Gao Huan must have some extraordinary abilities.

For them, who are used to being bound by mutual interests, it's hard to imagine that... Lou Zhaojun, who is obsessed with looks, was attracted to Gao Huan's good looks.

However, after careful observation, these astute individuals did indeed recognize Gao Huan's extraordinary qualities.

Especially those older, shrewd people, who have seen too many people in their lives, can understand a person quite well just by observing their words and actions.

After the banquet.

Gao Huan finally got to enter the bridal chamber.

As the saying goes, a moment of spring night is worth a thousand pieces of gold!
Feeling the warm, soft flesh in his arms, Gao Huan knew... he had made the right bet!
Gao Yu did not stay at Gao Huan's house.

Instead, they returned to the home of Wei Jing and Gao Loujin.

Gao Huan managed to get close to the Lou family and thus earned his first pot of gold.

I no longer need to live in fear, worrying that the timeline might change.

He stood by the window, looking up at the starry sky, and made up his mind!

Let's set a small goal first.

To cultivate a group of his own private retinue!

(End of this chapter)