After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

Chapter 231 Reunion of old friends

The next day.

With the Xie and Huo families dealt with, and the Marquis of Zhenbei having returned several days ago, the young military supervisor had no reason to keep the tiger tally in his possession.

After getting up, Zheng Hao covered the young man, who was still fast asleep, with blankets and then went out of the city to the military camp.

No one stopped him along the way. After the battle to defend the city, the soldiers in the camp felt more at ease with him. When they saw him, they all shouted, "Lord Zheng!"

The young military supervisor nodded slightly in response.

Upon arriving at the commander's tent, the Marquis of Zhenbei was sitting behind a desk handling military affairs, not inspecting the soldiers in the camp as usual.

Zheng Hao lifted his leg and walked closer to the other person: "Lord Marquis".

Before the other party even stepped into the tent, the Marquis of Zhenbei keenly sensed that someone was about to enter.

Looking up, he saw Zheng Hao and asked, "You went back so late last night, why weren't you working at the government office?"

Last night, in order to receive Su Sanbao, the Marquis of Zhenbei specially held a welcoming banquet in the army. The banquet lasted for a long time, but Zheng Hao did not stay until the end. Halfway through the banquet, he made an excuse to return to the city.

Understanding that the other party would be drunk and exhausted the next day, the Marquis of Zhenbei instructed him not to come to the military camp for duty the next day, but to stay in the city and rest.

Unexpectedly, the other party still came over early in the morning.

The young military supervisor remained expressionless, showing no signs of a hangover. This wasn't because he had a high alcohol tolerance, but because he hadn't drunk much the night before. After returning home, he drank a bowl of hangover soup and slept it off; none of the dizziness or nausea typical of hangovers manifested in him.

“Some official business has been left in the military camp. Because it involves secrets, it is not appropriate to send someone back and forth between the city and the military camp to deliver the documents. These documents need to be processed today, so I have come to the military camp to take my duty.”

After listening to the young military supervisor's explanation, the Marquis of Zhenbei did not ask any further questions, as if his questioning had been a casual remark.

Zheng Hao took something out of his sleeve, and following the other person's movement, the Marquis of Zhenbei looked down and his gaze fell on the bronze tiger with half its body and half its head.

This was the tiger tally that he had specially given to the young military supervisor before returning to the capital to quell the rebellion.

Zheng Hao approached the direction of the Marquis of Zhenbei, and then presented the tiger tally, which represented military power, with both hands: "Now that the Marquis has returned safely, this item should be returned to its rightful owner intact."

The tiger tally held great significance. The young military supervisor should have returned it to the Marquis of Zhenbei after he returned to Youzhou Prefecture. However, at that time, the two were entangled in many matters. The Marquis of Zhenbei had just recovered from the struggle for the throne and had to immediately turn his attention to Fucheng. Pingjin was leading hundreds of thousands of troops in a battle against the Northern Barbarians, and the outcome was still undecided. The young military supervisor took advantage of this opportunity and used his military power to begin purging the powerful families of Youzhou Prefecture.

Now that more than half a month has passed and most things have settled down, if Zheng Hao continues to hold onto the Tiger Tally and refuses to return it to the Marquis of Zhenbei, he will attract gossip.

Previously, it could be said that he was entrusted with a heavy responsibility in a time of crisis. However, if he does not hand over the Tiger Tally after the Marquis of Zhenbei returns, it is easy for someone to fabricate various charges against him.

The tiger tally is the size of a palm and is exquisitely crafted. It has been with the Marquis of Zhenbei for many years and has always been carried close to him day and night.

Looking down at the tiger tally in the young military supervisor's hand, the Marquis of Zhenbei's eyes flashed with complex emotions. After a moment, he said to Zheng Hao, "Keep the tiger tally with you for now. If I receive an emergency order in the future and don't have time to arrange military affairs, you can use the tiger tally to keep the army in check."

Zheng Hao paused, then a dark and unfathomable emotion flickered in his eyes.

He raised his hand in a gesture of respect and said, "Your Excellency's considerations are thorough."

As the two talked, in just a few words, the tiger tally, which could command hundreds of thousands of troops, was passed from one person to the other.

This move may seem like a childish joke, but it was actually a well-thought-out decision by the Marquis of Zhenbei.

Having served as the commander-in-chief of the Zhenbei Army for many years, the Marquis of Zhenbei must have known what the Tiger Tally represented. The Tiger Tally was no ordinary item; it was always bestowed by the emperor, with the emperor keeping half and the commander-in-chief keeping the other half. The generals who received the Tiger Tally would keep it close to their bodies, demonstrating their trust in the emperor and their loyalty.

The tiger tally was not an ordinary imperial gift and could not be dropped casually. If it were picked up by ordinary people, it would be fine, but if it were taken by someone with ulterior motives to cause trouble, it would truly harm the country and its people, and in the end, the person would lose their head.

Most importantly, as a subject, the Marquis of Zhenbei had no right to hand over the tiger tally to others, but the old man and the young man in the tent unconsciously ignored this point.

Zheng Hao lifted his leg and left the tent.

Watching the other person's departing figure, the Marquis of Zhenbei sighed softly.

He admitted that handing the tiger tally over to the young military supervisor for safekeeping was far from the glorious and noble thing he had just described.

The new emperor, having just ascended the throne, was unable to distinguish right from wrong and chose to listen to the slander of petty people to guard against him, lest he develop rebellious intentions. He completely forgot that he had rushed back to the capital to help him ascend the throne after receiving the secret letter from the other party.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't heartbroken. In the past, the Marquis of Zhenbei was all alone and didn't care about life or death. But now that he had just recognized his grandson, he was no longer as indifferent to life and death as before. Looking at the sensible, polite, decisive and resolute young man, the Marquis of Zhenbei would never let him take risks with this old man who was halfway to the ground.

In his view, his grandson's half-brother, though young, was shrewd and resourceful, capable of protecting Gu An in unpredictable circumstances.

What's most remarkable is that, despite his seemingly cold-hearted nature, he still cares deeply for the common people. If he were to encounter misfortune in the future, handing over the Zhenbei Army to the young military supervisor would be the best option.

After all, not everyone can hold a city with 50,000 soldiers against an attack by 150,000 strong enemies, and hold out for many days while waiting for reinforcements to return.

Could the Marquis of Zhenbei possibly do that?

He can certainly do it now.

Could he have done it when he was the same age as the young military supervisor?

Marquis Zhenbei remained silent. Although he had followed his father and brothers to the battlefield at the age of fourteen and gradually rose from a common soldier to a general, he was extremely brave and skilled in battle. Even so, he could not guarantee that he could lead 50,000 old, weak, sick, and disabled men to successfully resist the strong attack of the Northern Barbarian army when he was around twenty years old.

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Since Ning Fangshi invented gunpowder to repel the enemy, his abilities have become increasingly apparent to Gu Lin. So far, only Ning Fangshi has been able to quickly grasp Gu Lin's thoughts and replicate what Gu Lin wants.

It was through this incident that Gu Lin realized Ning Fangshi's abilities were more outstanding than he had imagined. Keeping him working in Liulichang and Baicichang was simply a waste of his talent.

Ning Fangshi should research and create advanced items such as ballistae and cannons, but these things cannot be rushed and must be done slowly.

Therefore, after discussing with the young military supervisor, Gu Lin established a research workshop, appointing Ning Fangshi as the deputy workshop director and himself as the workshop director.

Ning Fangshi was not very happy to hear that he had been promoted.

He said to Gu Lin, "I am not good at socializing. Master, please appoint someone else as the deputy head of the workshop."

Ning Fangshi was unwilling to bother with mundane matters and only wanted to focus on exploring and researching the new formulas and blueprints provided by the young man.

Gu Lin understood his personality and explained, "There is more than one deputy workshop director. As the deputy workshop director, you are responsible for leading the craftsmen in research. Another deputy workshop director is responsible for miscellaneous items in the workshop and interpersonal communication."

Ning Fangshi is a research-oriented technical talent, so how could Gu Lin possibly waste his precious time and distract him from handling miscellaneous tasks?

Upon hearing this, Ning Fangshi's expression softened, and he became less resistant.

Then, he turned to the craftsman beside him and gestured. Gu Lin watched the craftsman run away quickly and looked at Ning Fangshi with some confusion.

Ning Fangshi: "Master will know soon enough."

A moment later, a sound came from not far away. Gu Lin looked up and saw that the craftsman who had run away earlier was carrying a loom over with several other craftsmen.

Gu Lin himself had never woven cloth, but he had seen others weave cloth, so he could tell that the loom in front of him was different from the ones he had seen in other people's homes before.

After the craftsmen put down their looms, Ning Fangshi approached and explained: "This is a jacquard loom, unlike the looms we've seen before. A jacquard loom can be operated by two people working together. One person sits on the 'flower tower' and pulls the silk threads to control the pattern, while the other person below throws the shuttle to weave the weft. Together, they can independently weave complex patterns."

"The advantage of jacquard looms over ordinary looms is that the 'pattern book' woven from the yarn can be reused, which greatly improves the efficiency of pattern weaving. In addition, by controlling the layering of the warp yarns through multiple pedals, symmetrical or gradient patterns can be woven on the fabric."

After speaking, Ning Fangshi turned to look at the young man, his brows furrowed with pride. Clearly, he was proud of his ability to manufacture the jacquard loom.

After listening to his introduction, Gu Lin looked at the jacquard loom in front of him, his light brown eyes shining brightly.

What did the invention of the jacquard loom signify?

This means they are able to weave fabrics with more exquisite and complex patterns than those from the Suzhou and Hangzhou area, and at the same time, they take less time to weave.

In this world, transactions are not limited to copper coins; in most cases, barter is possible. However, most sellers and traders recognize cloth as the common currency.

The fabric woven by the jacquard loom not only brought them a continuous stream of wealth, but it was also a form of hard currency with monetary value.

However, the technology of the jacquard loom was hundreds of years ahead of the Great Qian Dynasty. Gu Lin remembered that he had never drawn up the blueprints for the jacquard loom, nor had he instructed Ning Fangshi to lead people to study it.

Withdrawing his gaze from the jacquard loom, Gu Lin turned to look at Ning Fangshi, his face and eyes full of questions.

Seeing this, Ning Fangshi did not try to hide anything. He said, "I heard my master mention it casually before, and I kept it in mind. Because I was busy researching other things, it took me several months to complete this jacquard loom."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin sighed, "Mr. Ning is no ordinary person."

He invented the jacquard loom with just a few casual words.

Ning Fangshi waved his hand: "This is my livelihood. How can I stay and work for my master if I don't have some skills?"

Gu Lin shook his head slightly, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. Ning Fangshi even said that he was not good at communicating with people, but look how skilled he is at flattering people, making them feel comfortable without feeling that he is being overly obsequious.

Gu Lin said to another deputy workshop director, "From today onwards, apart from the craftsmen who are working with Mr. Ning on research, everyone else will devote themselves to making jacquard looms."

The deputy head of the neighborhood replied, "Yes."

Overjoyed by the unexpected surprise Ning Fangshi had given him, Gu Lin hummed a little tune as he rode home in his carriage.

Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and due to inertia, Gu Lin leaned forward slightly. After a moment, he steadied himself and sat up straight, asking, "What's going on outside?"

The coachman said, "I see a dozen or so people gathered in front of our mansion. Husband, why don't we not enter through the main gate? I'll drive the carriage in through the back gate."

Although the gate of the Zheng residence was not unguarded, with several strong servants standing on both sides, and under normal circumstances no one would dare to cause trouble, the coachman did not dare to drive the carriage through the front gate. If this group of people accidentally bumped into his husband, the steward of Dayan would not let him off easily, and in serious cases, his job would be lost.

Gu Lin did not get out of the car. He raised his hand to lift the curtain and peeked slightly at the group of people gathered in front of the mansion gate. They were far away, with their backs to him, so he could not see their faces.

The carriage lingered there for too long, quickly attracting the attention of a group of people in front of the mansion gate and servants of the Zheng family. The former did not recognize the carriage, but the latter knew that the master of the mansion was sitting inside.

A burly servant stepped forward to the carriage and said, "This humble servant greets my husband."

Gu Lin pushed open the carriage door, glanced at the group of people standing in front of the mansion, and asked, "What happened? Why are they gathered outside the mansion gate?"

The servant replied, "After you and the master left the manor, this group of people came to the door. They said they came from Yueming Prefecture and were old acquaintances of you and the master. Since no one in the manor could confirm whether what they said was true or false, we dared not take it upon ourselves to bring them into the manor for entertainment. So we sent someone to invite Miss Xiaocui and the others first, so as not to disturb my husband and the master's work. Unexpectedly, my husband returned to the manor not long after the messenger left."

After the servant finished speaking, he watched as his husband in front of him showed no change in expression or any sign of excitement.

Could those people really be swindlers? The strong servant frowned.

Gu Lin pursed his lips and remained silent, trying to suppress his excitement. Who else could these dozen or so people be from Yueming Prefecture besides people they knew?

Chen Xiaoliu watched as the burly servant guarding the gate descended the steps and walked towards a simple, unadorned carriage. The servant stood there and bowed to the person inside the carriage. Chen Xiaoliu's heart stirred; the person sitting inside the carriage must be someone of high status in the Zheng family.

Moreover, this person is very likely an old acquaintance of theirs.

Following her husband's gaze, Chen Xiaoliu turned to look at the gate of the mansion. The burly servant shifted his body slightly, so Chen Xiaoliu, with his excellent eyesight, could also see the figure sitting in the carriage.

"Brother Lin!"

Hearing the unfamiliar yet familiar, excited shouts, Gu Lin looked over completely this time. He saw Chen Xiaoliu and his group walking over quickly. Before he could get off the carriage, Chen Xiaoliu looked at him and gave him a smile: "Finally found you."

Gu Lin was initially delighted to reunite with an old friend, but upon seeing the forced smile on Xiao Liu's face, he realized something was amiss.

He observed the group's expressions discreetly and discovered that while Chen Xiaoliu and Zhao Dagen's group showed surprise at their long-awaited reunion, their faces were also filled with struggle, pain, and relief.

What exactly did they experience along the way?

Gu Lin's heart sank. Before he could think any further, a loud voice rang out, filled with a mix of excitement, urgency, and disbelief.

"Dagen, you've finally arrived!"