Qin Mubai returned to the military camp and began to take care of some military affairs. The king's tent left by Li Ke before became the handsome tent where he works. The former Jiangzhou Prefecture Captain's subordinates, the two Guoyi Captains, Chang Shi, Sima, the Brigade Commander and various Cao Shen soldiers were all waiting for him to approve some details before the day's affairs were over.
It has always been said that a strong dragon cannot suppress a local coward, but if you have the power in your hands, it is easy to get things done. Qin Mubai, a big shot sent by the emperor, "taken care of" Ma Kun before he even took action, which naturally made the people under him a little scared and afraid to make mistakes. Not to mention treating Qin Mubai, even any one of the hundred ordinary Hundred Cavalry officers and soldiers, these officers and generals of Jiangzhou Prefecture also served him like an uncle, not daring to show any slightness.
Disaster relief and the construction of embankments and dams are still in progress. There are a lot of money, food and grass that go in and out of the army every day, worth tens of thousands of dollars. A swipe of the pen in Qin Mubai's hand may be related to the income and expenditure of tens of thousands of dollars. Those who serve as soldiers in the government are ordinary farmers without salary. After working so hard to fight floods and provide disaster relief, who doesn’t want to reap some benefits? It is also common for the officers and generals in these places to occasionally misappropriate some military supplies, and to harm the public and enrich their own private lives. Qin Mubai understood what these people were thinking, so he didn't take things seriously in many unimportant matters, leaving some convenience for them, which naturally made them convinced and happy.
As a result, these officers and generals were both fearful, respectful and somewhat grateful to Qin Mubai, so they got along quite harmoniously.
It took more than half an hour to deal with military affairs. After that, all the officers and generals left and went back to their tents to rest. Qin Mubai figured that the people who went to the county town to buy wine and food for Li Ke and Gao Yang should be back, and he should go and have a drink with them.
"In any case, Princess Gaoyang is here because of me, and I shouldn't avoid her out of basic courtesy. Furthermore, I do have some responsibility for her current troubles, let alone when she is in the most critical and most critical situation. When you need me, leave her alone..."
Thinking of this, Qin Mubai's heart was filled with confusion: Could it be that I still have to be "responsible" to her? It seems that nothing has developed between us. She is just a mischievous child at best... Forget it, don't think about it now. Solving the immediate trouble is the top priority.
Due to his special status, Qin Mubai could enter and exit the military camp freely without being restricted by any local military regulations. After tidying up a little, and just about to leave the military camp, a soldier from Baiqi came to report that a visitor was coming. The visitor claimed to be an official in the palace of the King of Jiangxia.
"Invitation." Qin Mubai thought to himself: What did the King of Jiangxia send people to do? After a few days, he probably went to Chang'an and came back again. I don’t know what happened if he went to the emperor...
A middle-aged man entered the handsome tent, bowed his hands politely, holding an apricot-yellow invitation specially reserved for the royal family, and said: "General Qin, this is an invitation issued by my prince. On the tenth day of this month The sixth day is the birthday of the prince, and the general is specially invited to have a banquet. Please take time out of your busy schedule to come, and don’t hesitate to refuse.”
Qin Mubai stepped forward, took the invitation, took a look at it, and said, "I wonder, who else did the prince invite?"
The man replied: "Returning to General Qin, the prince has sent invitations to all the officers and generals above the sixth rank in the four states of Jin, Bing, Jiang and Pu. The prince said that this time is called birthday, but in fact it is to celebrate the birthday with all the colleagues. If you don't accept gifts and don't hold a banquet, it's like a family dinner for poets. The prince has repeatedly asked General Qin to come, please don't refuse!"
"Okay, I understand." Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, "Your Majesty is very magnanimous, and Qin has always respected your Majesty. Fortunately, Qin is still in Jiangzhou at the moment, so he has this rare opportunity to pay a visit. How can he refuse it?" ? Don’t worry, Qin will be on time for the banquet!”
"Thank you so much, General!" The man bowed gratefully, "General, the army is busy and I don't dare to disturb you because of my humble position, so please take your leave."
"see a visitor out."
After pondering for a moment while holding the well-made invitation, Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile softly and said to himself: Li Daozong is a bit interesting. He took advantage of his birthday to banquet the officials from four states, but emphatically stated that he would not accept gifts. Does this mean that he has to "change his mind and start a new life"? It seems that he was also frightened by this corruption case, and began to curb his old habit of being greedy for money, and took the opportunity to declare that he no longer accepted gifts or bribes. Seeing him treat guests with such a big fanfare, it is probably because the emperor did not give him any serious punishment. Otherwise, how could he dare to act in such a high-profile manner
It seemed that the outcome of the matter was not too bad, at least the emperor did not break up with Li Daozong. This is undoubtedly good news.
After thinking about this, Qin Mubai felt a lot more relaxed, so he set off for the wooden house in the woods. If he told Li Ke the news, he would definitely be happy too.
Qin Mubai left the military camp with three to five confidants and a hundred cavalry. Naturally, no one dared to ask more questions. When we walked to the edge of the woods, unexpectedly, a figure jumped out of the tree nearby.
Chen Yan.
"I knew you would come." Chen Yan looked at Qin Mubai with a half-smile, as if she had something to say. The few pawns kept their distance and did not dare to eavesdrop on her "whispers" with Qin Mubai.
"Didn't you go to pay homage to Zhu Chengwen and not leave?" Qin Mubai said, "It seems that you have something to do with me."
"It's nothing serious." Chen Yan's expression was calm, but there was a hint of joking in her eyes, "I'm just a little curious. You and that unruly little princess... seem to have an unusual relationship?"
"Just friends." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "You are waiting for me here just to inquire about this? Then I will be a little strange. This is not your usual style."
"It's not surprising, that's because you don't understand me." Chen Yan said, "I care about my relatives and friends more than anyone else, even more than myself. I don't know how you think of me, but at this moment I have considered you my friend. I just want to remind you that the little princess is not suitable for you. I can see that she is a troublemaker. If you get too close to her, you will get angry sooner or later. It’s up to you to decide.”
"Thank you." Qin Mubai didn't want to say anything more. Chen Yan is indeed a person who does what she says and is clear about love and hate. She never directly reveals her feelings, her emotions are relatively deep, and she always gives people a sense of being rational to cold. But if she is sentimental once in a while, she is really charming.
Just like now. Qin Mubai felt great when he heard her say, "I have regarded you as my friend." He was thinking that if this frosty woman were gentle, she would be more deadly than her sword.
"There's one more thing." Chen Yan said, "In a few days it will be King Jiangxia's birthday. I will go to his house to celebrate his birthday. I want to ask you if you want to go with me? I have no other intention. , I can see that King Jiang Xia is very interested in you and thinks highly of you. You two seem to be the same kind of people. It is not a bad thing to have many friends. "
"What a coincidence. I just received the prince's invitation. I will go." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "How about we go together then?"
"See you in the palace." Chen Yan did not refuse and just smiled slightly. After saying that, she clenched her fists with her sword and said, "I'll take my leave now."
"It's getting late, why rush to leave?" Qin Mubai said, "There are wine and food in the cabin, why don't you come and have a drink? I will send a carriage and horse to see you off later."
"No need, I'm not that dignified." Chen Yan smiled slightly, "Li Ke, little princess, I'm not the same person as them. I won't spoil your fun if I don't talk about anything. You go ahead. , see you at the palace."
"Okay, see you later."
Chen Yan left, free and easy and heroic, striding forward without looking back, and quickly disappeared into the night-filled mountain forest.
"A woman who is strong on the outside and soft on the inside..." Qin Mubai shook his head and smiled, "What a unique heroine, interesting!"
In the small wooden house, the servants who went to the county town to buy food and wine had already returned and had tidied up the wooden house so that it was barely habitable.
Princess Gaoyang was restlessly walking around inside and outside the house. From time to time she stood on tiptoes and looked towards the woods. She muttered: "The food is really cold and it's still not coming... Hey, go and hurry up your general." !”
"Forget it, little sister!" Li Ke said with a smile, "You are so anxious now that you haven't seen anyone for a while. Qin Mubai is a person who knows priorities and does what he says. The reason why he hasn't come yet is definitely Because there is something important. Since he said he would come, he will definitely come. "
"I know!" Princess Gao Yang curled her lips and glared at Li Ke, muttering in a low voice: "I just... look at the food is getting cold, and eating it will make you feel bad!"
"Haha! What an excuse, what an excuse!" Li Ke laughed.
"Third brother, you are a bad guy!"
The brother and sister were bickering when Qin Mubai's voice suddenly sounded outside the door: "What, it seems like someone is saying bad things about me behind my back?"
"Look, it's here!" Li Ke said with a smile, "No one said bad things, only people got tired of waiting and scolded you a few times."
"Sorry, there are many military affairs and I can't be absent. It's because I'm late." Qin Mubai smiled apologetically and said, "Your Highness, you don't mind the poor food in this remote place, do you?"
Princess Gao Yang chuckled: "I'm hungry! Anything you eat tastes good when you're hungry! Besides, if Third Brother can eat it, you can eat it too, why can't I eat it?"
"Then don't compare with us." Li Ke said with a smile, "For the two or three months that Mubai and I have been here, our food and accommodation have been the same as those of ordinary soldiers. We have long been accustomed to this kind of life. Don't Don’t underestimate the plain-cut chicken, steamed fish and stewed lamb tripe on the table today, it’s already a feast for us!”
"Ah, are you so miserable?" Princess Gaoyang, who had been pampered since she was a child, looked at Li Ke and Qin Mubai from side to side in surprise, and finally fixed her eyes on Qin Mubai's face, saying distressedly, "I've really lost weight. It’s dark! Come on, sit down and eat more! When you return to Chang’an, I will ask the chef to cook the best and most filling meals for you every day!”
"Uh... OK." Qin Mubai looked at Li Ke, smiled awkwardly and sat down.
Li Ke sighed and said: "It's sad! I've been someone's brother for more than ten years, and I haven't cared about her like this! This brother is worthless!"
"Third brother, you are a bad guy!!" Princess Gao Yang cursed shyly, then took a large piece of fish and put it in Li Ke's bowl, "Is this done? Eat it quickly! Third brother is really thin. Then you should eat more, and your complexion will become more handsome!"
Qin Mubai and Li Ke laughed loudly together. Princess Gaoyang waved her hands in embarrassment and shouted: "Don't laugh! Don't laugh! It's time to eat, why are you laughing! Why are you two grown men acting like children? - It's time to eat!"
"Okay, okay, let's eat!"
At this moment, Qin Mubai and Li Ke were laughing so hard that they were about to burst into tears.