Songzhou City, the provincial capital of the southwest.
Two massive stone qilin statues stood tall at the entrance of the Gu Residence. Their spherical eyes gazed straight ahead, exuding an air of solemn majesty.
The clattering of hooves came to a sudden halt. A young soldier in an armored helmet hurriedly tied his horse's reins to a wooden post by the door, then turned and dashed into the manor.
In the spacious martial arts arena, the father and son of the Gu family were sparring with longblades.
Seeing them, the soldier offered up a red-painted bamboo tube with both hands and shouted loudly, My Lord, a letter from the capital!
The intense clash of blades abruptly ceased. Gu Zhongxun wiped the sweat from his chin with his sleeve, breathing heavily as he ordered, Bring the letter here.
Opening the lid of the bamboo tube, which was filled with rice husks, Gu Zhongxun pulled out a slightly damp piece of letter paper.
Tiny, densely packed characters covered the page; though only the size of a palm, it contained hundreds of words.
Song Qiming, a compiler at the Hanlin Academy... why has he been transferred here? Gu Zhongxun furrowed his brows in confusion.
Gu Zhongxun's eldest son, Gu Gaoyuan, who was also the Prefect of Songzhou, leaned over to read the letter.
This name looks a bit familiar. Where have I seen it before?
Gu Zhongxun rolled up the letter and held it in his hand. The third-place scholar in the civil examinations of the twenty-seventh year of Yongyuan. He is only seventeen this year.
Gu Gaoyuan thought for a moment, then his eyes widened abruptly, his eyebrows shooting up.
The biological younger brother of County Princess Linghui, Song Jinzhao?
Yes, Gu Zhongxun nodded. His furrowed brows relaxed slightly, but his heart remained full of doubt.
He muttered to himself, With his status, even if Ye Liangyu was demoted, County Princess Linghui shouldn't be willing to let her brother come to the southwest. Why would he be transferred here to be the Prefect of Suining?
Gu Gaoyuan clicked his tongue and said, That's simple. The imperial court just negotiated the salt field profit-sharing with Panzhou, so there definitely won't be a war in the short term. This Song Qiming is absolutely here to build his credentials. After serving his three-year term, he will return for a major promotion.
Gu Zhongxun shook his head slightly.
He could go anywhere to build credentials. Suining Prefecture is not a good place.
Gu Gaoyuan replied, This is what they call a newborn calf unafraid of tigers. The more dangerous and difficult the place is, the more they want to go.
Gu Zhongxun sighed helplessly, feeling mentally exhausted.
Youthful hot blood. He'll be done for after just three months.
And in the end, it will be me who has to clean up the mess.
What are you talking about? A gruff male voice came from behind. Gu Huaiyuan, the garrison commander of Songzhou City sporting a short beard, walked toward them. He was Gu Zhongxun's second son.
Gu Gaoyuan smiled and put his blade back in its place. We're talking about the new Prefect of Suining sent by the imperial court. He is the biological younger brother of County Princess Linghui, only seventeen this year.
Gu Huaiyuan's footsteps paused for a moment, and a bright gleam flashed in his eyes.
Is County Princess Linghui coming?
Song Jinzhao's formidable reputation had shaken the entire Dongzhao Nation ever since she defeated Gong Linjue.
Especially in the hearts of military generals, her existence had already surpassed that of the Duke of Qing, Chu Liuyun.
Gu Gaoyuan curled his lips into a smile.
Definitely not. Suining Prefecture is remote and treacherous, not a good place at all. Why would she go there to suffer?
Gu Huaiyuan glared unhappily; in his heart, Song Jinzhao's image was incredibly grand.
Just because others wouldn't be willing doesn't mean County Princess Linghui wouldn't. Otherwise, how could she allow her brother to be transferred to Suining as Prefect? They might even be moving the whole family.
Stop arguing. Gu Zhongxun, who knew his two sons well, interrupted them.
We'll know whether she's coming or not when the time comes. By my calculations, Song Qiming will arrive in Songzhou City in a month.
Before taking up his post as the Prefect of Suining, Song Qiming would first need to visit the provincial capital to pay his respects to Gu Zhongxun. Before he assumed office, he had to be given a few words of instruction according to protocol.
However, he shared the same thought as his eldest son; he did not believe Song Jinzhao would come along with Song Qiming.
Building credentials would likely only take three years, and then he would quickly return. There was no need to drag the whole family over—it would be too much trouble.
