Chapter 329 Night changes in the palace

When Guo Mo brought Yang Guo and Guo Xiang to the Juyongguan Tower, Li Mochou, Wu Nantian and Zhang Ting were already waiting there.

Guo Mo chased the two children to the top of Mopan Mountain and fought with the mysterious Taoist for three hundred rounds. This back and forth took more than three hours.

At this time, the sky was getting dark, and the sky was full of wind and snow, but there was no sign of letting up.

"Master, I heard that you are here. I just took people to catch some hares in the mountains. I was lucky today. I even got several pheasants. They are all ready and waiting for you to come back -"

Haji brought Guo Mo and the others in with a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with tears. He was a warm-hearted child. He had been away from his master for so long, and now that he suddenly saw him, he couldn't help but feel the instinctive excitement in his heart.

.

Everyone had a lively meal, but Guo Mo always thought about what happened during the day. One was the crazy monk back then, and the other was the mysterious Taoist today.

Guo Mo didn't understand why they came to him one after another, but he vaguely felt that the reason behind the matter might not be that simple.

Although Guo Mo has never fought against the crazy monk, judging from the skills of this mysterious Taoist today, these two people may have reached the innate Dzogchen realm.

So, what are the intentions of these two people?

Listening to what that Taoist said, are they waiting for themselves to reach innate Dzogchen?

Huashan?

Will there be anything different there?

Everyone saw that Guo Mo was a little uninterested, and the voices of chatting and laughing were invisibly lowered a lot.

It wasn't until Li Mochou quietly tugged at the corner of Guo Mo's clothes that he woke up from his thoughts.

"Master, I heard from the second senior brother that you want to go and inquire outside Juyong Pass. According to my disciple, there is no need for you to go."

"With such heavy snow now, it is estimated that it will not stop for three to five days. We are pretty good inside Juyong Pass. But after leaving Juyong Pass, I am afraid the road will be even more difficult."

Haji has grown up in the Mongolian desert since he was a child, and naturally knows that the further north you go, the longer the snow and ice periods will be.

In such weather, it is not easy for even a martial artist to walk here, let alone marching or fighting.

Seeing Guo Mo's frown, Haji thought the master was having trouble with the expedition to Mongolia, so he explained from the side.

When Guo Mo arrived here, Haji naturally gave up the tower and let the master and his wife live in it, while he accompanied his second senior brother to live in the military tent.

Zhang Ting and Guo Xiang also lived on the tower. They had burned the charcoal basin early and the room was very well sealed.

"Brother Mo, did something special happen today?"

Li Mochou has been with Guo Mo for many years, so she has a relatively good understanding of Guo Mo's character.

She would not think that Guo Mo was upset because of the heavy snow and road closures.

"Mochou, come and take a look. Do you recognize such a person?"

Guo Mo did not answer Li Mochou's question. Instead, he picked out a piece of charcoal that did not burn much in the brazier. After it gradually cooled down, Guo Mo sharpened one end of the charcoal into a sharp shape.

Taking out a piece of rice paper from the table, Guo Mo used the charcoal in his hand to draw lightly on the rice paper.

Guo Mo has an excellent memory, let alone someone he just met during the day?

He used the sketching technique of later generations. Although it does not look so solemn, the portrait he sketched is more realistic and close to reality.

Not long after, the appearance of a middle-aged Taoist priest appeared on the rice paper. It was the Taoist priest he had seen during the day, but Guo Mo had hidden the huge wine gourd.

Because Guo Mo understood that if Li Mochou had really seen such a portrait, then it must not have a wine gourd.

"This Taoist looks so familiar. I think I've seen him somewhere before?"

Li Mochou was first surprised by Guo Mo's painting ability. After knowing him for so many years, she knew that Guo Mo could write poems. Every time he wrote a poem, she wished it would be a famous poem that could be passed down through the ages.

I also know that Guo Mo’s literary talent is good, and a masterpiece like "The Romance of the Gods" can be written right away.

However, Guo Mo's painting movements this time still surprised Li Mochou.

Although she had never seen anyone painting like this before, she knew from the portraits alone that this novel painting method would definitely shock the current painting world if it spread.

"If you think about it carefully, does he look like a Taoist from Mount Zhongnan?"

Guo Mo had some guesses in his mind, but he couldn't make a hasty conclusion. He just hoped to find a breakthrough from Li Mochou.

"Taoist from Zhongnan Mountain?"

Li Mochou went through all the famous Taoists in the Quanzhen Sect of Zhongnan Mountain in her mind, but found that there was no one whose appearance was similar to the person in this painting.

"Did I remember it wrong?"

Li Mochou couldn't help but doubt herself.

"But, I just think this Taoist looks very familiar. What's going on with Brother Mo?"

After thinking for a while, Li Mochou didn't remember who the Taoist was. Instead, Li Mochou confused herself.

"Mo Chou, is it possible that the Taoist's portrait you are familiar with is not this Taoist? If you think about it carefully, have you seen similar portraits somewhere?"

Of course Guo Mo knew that there was a portrait of a Taoist hanging in the ancient tomb at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain. If the mysterious Taoist he saw today was the Taoist he guessed, Li Mochou would definitely know it.

However, Guo Mo had never been to the ancient tomb, so he had to pretend to make random guesses to remind and inspire Li Mochou.

"Oh, brother Mo, if you didn't tell me, I really wouldn't have thought of it. The Taoist portrait you drew is at least 80% similar to the Taoist portrait hanging in my ancient tomb."

"It's just that that person should have been dead for decades. How could Brother Mo draw a portrait of that person? Have you seen his portrait elsewhere?"

Hearing what Li Mochou said, Guo Mo was disappointed in his heart. The mysterious Taoist he saw today was the person he had guessed in his mind.

After confirming this, Guo Mo's heart did not feel the slightest joy. Instead, he became even heavier. However, he could not let others share this burden for him.

Guo Mo still didn't reveal the truth and simply told Li Mochou what happened during the day. He just said that the Taoist must have taken a fancy to Guo'er and Xiang'er's talents and deliberately led them to Mopan Mountain.

As for the Taoist's appearance, Guo Mo didn't describe it too much, and he didn't even say that what he just drew was the Taoist's appearance.

Since the road was blocked by heavy snow, it was impossible to find the fighter planes attacking Mongolia from the north. Guo Mo stayed at Juyongguan for a total of three days and then returned to Changping.

The New Year is approaching, and the road is blocked by heavy snow. Guo Mo and others are unable to attack Mongolia from the north, and it is even more impossible for the Mongols to attack Juyong Pass.

At Guo Mo's insistence, on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, before the Northern New Year's Eve, brothers Guo Mo and Guo Jing took everyone back to Zhongdu City.

The new palace was still under construction, but the snow was so heavy that many projects were forced to stop.

On such a large construction site, only a few skilled craftsmen are still working, mainly on palaces that have already been built, and the interior of the palace needs final touches.

Of course, outdoor work cannot continue. In the spacious hall, a group of carpenters are already making the furniture needed for each palace in advance.

When Guo Mo came to Zhongdu City, he naturally lived in the original palace first, and even took his mother Li Ping and his eldest brother Guo Jing's family over.

Although Guo Jing felt something was wrong in his heart, he could not defeat Guo Mo. He also knew what his second brother was thinking and wanted to spend a lively New Year with his mother, so he simply refused.

"Haha, Your Majesty, I can come to your place to have a meal again——"

While Guo Mo and his family were having dinner in the main hall, a long-lost voice sounded in Guo Mo's ears, and then two old men walked in from outside one after another.

The man walking in front, with gray beard and hair, but a strong figure and a rosy face, is none other than Cheng Ju, the Minister of Rites, who has been away for three years.

Among all the civil and military officials in the dynasty, I am afraid that only this old Cheng Ju could be so unscrupulous in front of Guo Mo.

As for the person following him, Guo Mo also had some impressions. He had only seen him at the court meeting. If it weren't for the purpose of building a new palace, this person would really not have attracted Guo Mo's attention.

Zhao Jianda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, was also in his fifties, with dark skin and a face full of bitterness and hatred, but Guo Mo knew that this man was considered a master of arithmetic today.

"Haha, Mr. Cheng, Minister Zhao, I mentioned you just now. I thought we would get together more this year and have a lively New Year. I didn't expect you to come over on New Year's Eve."

"Nantian, go ask the kitchen to bring another banquet. It doesn't need to be too much, just eight exquisite dishes. Brother, how many drinks can we have with the two ministers?"

It was originally a family dinner, so Guo Mo naturally sat at the table with his mother, Li Ping, Guo Jing, Li Mochou, Hua Zheng, Zhang Ting, Yang Guo, Guo Xiang and other family members.

There was another table next to them, but they were the two apprentices Wu Nantian and Haji, accompanied by the third master "Horse King God" Han Baoju, the commander of "Jinyi" Lu Pingsheng, and several captains of the "Jingnan Army".

Cheng Jue and Zhao Jianda arrived, and Guo Mo naturally wanted to come over to accompany them, so he pulled his eldest brother Guo Jing over, and the four of them opened another table on the other side of the hall.

"Mr. Cheng, you and Zhao Shangshu have worked hard over the past three years. I would like to propose a toast to you first -"

As soon as the food and drinks were served, Guo Mo took a glass first and toasted to Cheng Jue and Zhao Jianda.

"Haha, Your Majesty, what's so hard about this? When you captured Luoyang, Lao Cheng went to Luoyang and worked for you as a Sima of Prince Yan's Palace."

"You captured Bianliang, and Lao Cheng went to Bianliang to repair the Bianliang Palace for you. Now that Zhongdu City has returned to the embrace of the Han people, Lao Cheng is here to supervise the construction of the new palace for you. It is naturally his duty to do so."

"However, Lao Cheng is getting older. If you try to conquer a place further north in the future, I'm afraid Lao Cheng won't be able to go. His body is almost falling apart from the cold as it stays in Zhongdu City, hahaha——"

In front of Zhao Jianda, Minister of the Ministry of Industry, Cheng Jue showed off his past "glorious history" like a treasure trove.

Even the honest Zhao Jianda was amused by him. He had already heard old Cheng Ju repeat this rhetoric more than once.

It's a pity that he is an old man and what he said is true. It is not easy for Zhao Jianda to argue with him.

"Haha, Mr. Cheng, please rest assured on this matter. Even if we conquer territory further west or north, we will not find a place more suitable for our capital than Zhongdu."

"How can I keep asking you to supervise the construction of the palace? In that case, wouldn't I become a fool like Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty? And you, old, want to steal the limelight of Zhao Shangshu?"

Among the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty, there were many important ministers whom Guo Mo respected, and there were also many people who regarded Guo Mo as his arms. However, the one who had the most harmonious atmosphere with each other in private was the Minister of Rites in front of him.

Guo Mo's joke made the somewhat restrained Zhao Jianda feel a lot more relaxed.

"Your Majesty, don't tell me. I have benefited a lot from working with Cheng Shangshu to build the palace. I have also been in the Ministry of Industry for many years, and I have some experience in the construction process."

"This time I partnered with Cheng Shangshu, and I discovered that in the past, I was simply building houses, but with Cheng Shangshu's advice, I turned each house into a work of art."
To be continued...