EHW Ch4

The person who came to fetch Gu Fangzhi after court was a thin, small youth.
Using the same trick as before, Gu Fangzhi coaxed out of him that he was his personal servant, named Ah-Qi.

Ah-Qi seemed terrified of him.
As soon as Gu Fangzhi approached, the boy softly murmured, “Second Master.”
and immediately lowered his head, posture small and deferential.

While waiting for their masters to come out, the servants often chatted among themselves, exchanging bits of gossip.

Just earlier, someone had said that Gu Fangzhi had spoken out in court, and offended the new emperor.

Gu Fangzhi’s temper was bad even outside the house, and when at home, he took it out on Ah-Qi constantly.

Whenever something went wrong or irritated him, it was either a beating or a scolding.

Everyone knew the new emperor, Pei Xin, was notoriously short-tempered.

If Gu Fangzhi dared to remonstrate with him, he must have run into serious trouble.

So… there would be another outburst today, surely.

Just thinking of Gu Fangzhi’s sharp tongue made Ah-Qi’s stomach twist.

When Gu Fangzhi lifted his hand toward him, Ah-Qi flinched instinctively.

But then Gu Fangzhi said,

“Give me a hand, will you? The carriage step’s too high.”

“Ah? …Oh—”

Ah-Qi blinked blankly, then stretched out his arm to help hoist Gu Fangzhi up.

Gu Fangzhi climbed up clumsily, like someone who had never ridden a carriage before, tapping his shoe around to find where to step until he finally managed to get in.
As he ducked inside, though, he stumbled against the small table by the seat.

Through the carriage wall, Ah-Qi faintly heard him mutter, in a low mosquito-like voice full of exasperation,

“Damn, these long legs are a liability.”

Ah-Qi: “……?”

…He must have misheard. Definitely misheard.

The carriage wasn’t spacious, and the seats were stiff and hard.

But for the first time since he had crossed over, Gu Fangzhi was alone.

After being tense and on guard all morning, he could finally relax.

He slumped down for a moment, then lifted the curtain and peered out at the bustling ancient streets.

To wake up inside a game world was already too sudden, to become one of the tyrant Pei Xin’s officials was even worse.

Toying with the jade pendant at his waist, Gu Fangzhi thought long and hard about his situation and future plans, and finally reached an age-old conclusion—

The cart will find its way around the mountain.

Take one step at a time.

He just wasn’t sure whether there would ever be a chance to return to the modern world.

If there was, he still wanted to go back.

About half an hour later, the carriage began to slow.

Ah-Qi’s voice called from outside,

“Second Master, we’ve arrived.”

Gu Fangzhi responded with a faint hum.

The Gu residence looked grand from the outside, and the scenery within was like a painting.
Yet the piles of broken stones at the corners, the moss-covered water vats, and the slick stone paths gave it a faint sense of desolation.

Through a bit of probing, Gu Fangzhi learned that the Gu family was no noble house, their wealth came from merchants several generations ago.
But years of war had made business nearly impossible; most properties were left idle, and the family fortune only dwindled.

The original Gu Fangzhi, greedy as a miserly beast, hoarded wealth and never shared a coin to support the household.

He couldn’t help but wonder where all that gold and silver had been hidden.

This era was far from peaceful, chaos, rival warlords, and according to his game knowledge,
a year from now would bring war, followed by blizzards and famine.

Only money could buy survival.

As he pondered, a deep voice called from behind him:

“Gu Fangzhi.”

Gu Fangzhi turned.

Not far away, under the covered walkway, stood a tall man.

Gu Fangzhi saved a file before taking a few steps closer to see the man’s face clearly.

He looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight, and bore a striking resemblance to Gu Fangzhi himself, except those peach-blossom eyes, dazzling on Gu Fangzhi’s face,
looked stern and commanding on his.

A dark scar ran down his cheek to his jaw, and coupled with his expressionless face, it carried the faint scent of blood and iron from the battlefield.

Most striking of all was his right sleeve, which hung empty, fluttering lightly in the wind.

Even without asking Ah-Qi, Gu Fangzhi instantly knew who he was.

Gu Yunchuan.

Gu Fangzhi’s elder brother, and current head of the Gu household.

He was a military general, once stationed at the frontier.

Later, due to the late emperor’s suspicion, he had resigned and returned to the capital.

That missing right arm, however, wasn’t lost in battle, but on a hunting trip after returning home, when he had shielded the original Gu Fangzhi from a bear.

In the game, the protagonist could recruit Gu Yunchuan as a subordinate.

But his route was notoriously difficult—

Gu Yunchuan was utterly loyal once he chose a master, but on the path to recruitment, he could just as easily fly into a rage and kill you, or bite his own tongue to commit suicide.

Eventually, Gu Fangzhi had learned his pattern: Gu Yunchuan only responded to gentleness, not force.

You had to coax him.

The game never clearly described the relationship between Gu Fangzhi and Gu Yunchuan,
but given that the latter had lost an arm saving the former and that the original Gu Fangzhi hadn’t cared in the slightest, it couldn’t have been good.

Gu Fangzhi smiled and called out,

“Big Brother.”

They say you can’t hit someone who’s smiling and Gu Fangzhi’s smile was beautiful.

Gu Yunchuan faltered for an instant, then frowned.

“I heard you caused quite a stir at court today.”

“Ah, I wouldn’t say that, I wouldn’t dare,” Gu Fangzhi replied modestly.

On the way back, every official he’d met had congratulated him, praising his honesty and even joking that he’d soon be promoted as the emperor’s mentor.

So naturally, he assumed Gu Yunchuan had come to praise him too.

But instead, Gu Yunchuan’s face darkened.

“Wouldn’t dare? What nonsense! You boasted in front of everyone that you knew the enemy’s secrets—what do you know, huh? You idle your days away, doing nothing useful!
If His Majesty asks for details, what will you say then? Do you think he’s so easily fooled?”

Seeing Gu Yunchuan’s furious, disappointed expression, Gu Fangzhi realized he’d chosen the wrong dialogue option.

Not wanting to leave a bad impression, he quickly opened his game menu and loaded the save from just before meeting him.

Once again, the man under the eaves called his name—

“Gu Fangzhi.”

This time, Gu Fangzhi jogged over, the jade pendants at his waist clinking together.
Gu Yunchuan frowned faintly at the sound.

“Big Brother,” Gu Fangzhi said brightly, cutting in before he could speak.
“Did you hear that I caused quite a stir at court today?”

Gu Yunchuan paused, then nodded.

“And you’re thinking I’ve been idle all day, that I actually know nothing of the enemy’s affairs—
and you’re worried that if His Majesty questions me, I’ll have no answer? Since, after all, His Majesty isn’t easily fooled?”

Gu Yunchuan opened his mouth, speechless.

“……”

Why did it feel like every word he’d meant to say had already been stolen right out of his mouth?