After bidding farewell to the emperor and leaving Penglai Hall, Qin Mubai led his horse and walked slowly in the imperial city, thinking carefully and shaking his head secretly.
I remember that when he first entered the official career and became the Baiqi Envoy, Qin Mubai heard his father remind him. Never ignore the emperor, he is the one who dominates and decides everything; the emperor's side is always the most complicated, and nothing can be regarded as simple.
Looking back now, Qin Mubai really felt that his father's words were the most truthful words. In just one year, Qin Mubai worked beside the emperor, and his whole body seemed to have shed a layer of immature skin, and he also learned to be worldly and diplomatic. When something happens, I will think over and over again and ask a few more questions about why, and I will always think about the emperor involuntarily.
Several things that happened this year, on the surface, seemed to have nothing to do with the emperor, but in fact they all had their roots in the emperor. It is a metaphor for the conflict between him and Changsun Huan at the beginning. The ending was that the emperor fired Changsun Huan and maintained his prestige as a hundred knights. Later, Princess Gaoyang's approach and ambiguity led to the situation evolving to this point. The indirect driving force behind the scenes was also Emperor; and the later Jiangzhou case and apprenticeship with Li Jing, which one has nothing to do with the emperor
Qin Mubai clicked his tongue and sighed to himself. Living in a complex and dangerous place like the Emperor, and being associated with a group of senior politicians like Li Shimin, life was really hard and scary.
One word, tired!
I need to decompress, relax, and change my environment to recharge.
In Qin Mubai's heart, the idea of changing jobs became more and more determined.
Taking the horse and walking in the familiar imperial city, Qin Mubai couldn't help but sigh secretly when he saw Baiqi's military camp in the distance: Maybe I will never enter this military camp again. This camp and the army I built with my own hands will soon be handed over to others.
No matter what, everything has gains and losses, and every loss has to have gains. How can you have the best of both worlds? Even if I really leave Baiqi, I am afraid that I, Qin, will always be imprinted on this capable army. After all, I am their founder and first commander! Maybe one day the mountains and rivers will stop and I will come back
After leaving the imperial city, Qin Mubai galloped all the way. The cold winter wind blew against his face, sending a bone-chilling chill. At the same time, a trace of parting melancholy and inseparable feelings arose in his heart.
"It turns out that I actually have feelings for this imperial city..."
When he got home, the family was still waiting for him to eat. Yao'er also came back early today, saying that the No. 1 Liquor in the World would be closed for a few days to expand and renovate. It turned out that the No. 1 Liquor in the World bought up all the neighboring businesses. Wu Meiniang demolished the three houses and rebuilt them all, vowing to build the best "entertainment venue" in the world. And the wine shop was renamed - Qinxian Pavilion.
Wu Meiniang's move was very intentional, as she directly named her new wine shop after the imperial wine "Qin Xianjiu". First of all, she was probably announcing to fellow merchants that she was the only merchant who used genuine Qinxian wine and dared to openly name her wine shop after imperial wine. This privilege was not available to other merchants; Second, she also intended to announce to the public that her marriage to Qin Mubai was finalized. She was running a wine shop in the name of the Qin family's daughter-in-law.
Yao'er said that Wu Dong's family spent all their money to build this new wine shop. It is said that because she didn't have enough money, she even sold the five hectares of Yongye field left by her father.
Qin Mubai guessed that there must be a special reason why Wu Meiniang suddenly expanded and renovated in such a drastic way—could it be that the imperial court had awarded her the title of "Yi Shang of the Tang Dynasty"? Otherwise, how could she dare to use words like "Qin Xian" as the name of her store
Probably!
Looking back carefully, Wu Meiniang never bothered her once in all the things she did, and she never even mentioned it. She was doing everything silently and alone. While sighing at her ability, Qin Mubai also felt somewhat ashamed. As a grown man, he didn't even take the initiative to help her in the slightest.
After dinner, Qin Mubai and his family took a walk in the courtyard, then hid in his room and burned the midnight oil to start copying the "Jade Account Sutra". Qin Shubao knew that he had this urgent matter to deal with, so he didn't even ask him to come to practice martial arts with him.
A small room, the lights are as yellow as beans. Qin Mubai sat down at the desk and started writing quickly.
It was almost midnight, and the fire in the room was almost extinguished. It was freezing cold, and he couldn't help but feel that some of his hands and feet were stiff from the cold. When I was about to get some charcoal to add to the fire, my little sister Shuang'er came over with a smile holding a pot of fire.
"Third brother, am I considerate of you? It's cold and I know you're busy, so I'm here to give you some extra charcoal!"
"It's really my good Shuang'er, come on, put it down."
Qin Mubai invited Shuang'er into the room, and the brother and sister warmed their hands and feet over the charcoal fire. At this time, they heard the hoot of an owl outside.
"Hey, it's so annoying! I hate hearing this sound so late at night!" Shuang'er complained.
Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel something in his heart, and said with a smile: "Wait a minute, I'll clean it up!"
Without any explanation, Qin Mubai picked up the bow and arrow hanging on the wall and went out. After searching the yard for a while, I found a large adult owl. With one arrow shot down, he can be captured at hand.
After carrying the owl into the room, Shuang'er was shocked: "Brother, you can kill me if you want, why do you bring it back?"
"You don't know, the feathers of this bird have wonderful uses." Qin Mubai pulled out a few long-wing feathers, whittled them with a knife for a while, and said with a smile, "Haha, good pen, good pen ! This is much faster to write than that wolf hair hose!”
"Hey, can this also be used as a pen?"
"Of course!" Qin Mubai smiled and walked to the desk, and immediately dipped the feather in ink to write. Although it has not been degreased or hardened, it is still usable. When writing, the fonts are smaller and more flexible, the writing speed is several times faster and it saves more paper.
"Hehe, third brother, you are so smart!"
"I'll process it again tomorrow and this one will be more useful." Qin Mubai covered Shuang'er's face which was red from the cold and said with a smile, "Good sister, you came to me in the middle of the night, something must have happened? "
"No, obviously not, hehe!" Shuang'er smiled, her face getting even redder.
Qin Mubai didn't know what she was thinking. He smiled and said, "I will be busy copying books at home these two days and have no time to go out. Can you please go and do two things for me?"
"Well, Third Brother, just explain."
"First, go to Mei Niang's place for me and ask if there is anything you need help with. If you have some free time, you can help and take care of her there. By the way, tell her that I will be very busy these two days, maybe I don't have time to accompany her, please forgive me," Qin Mubai said.
"Hehe, third brother, you care about Mei Niang very much!" Shuang'er said with a smile, "Don't worry! I also like this sister-in-law very much. I will go to her more often when I have time in the past two days, even if I can't help her. If you are busy, you should say more nice things to her for Third Brother."
"So good." Qin Mubai pinched her cheek lightly and continued, "The other thing is, after breakfast tomorrow, you go to Prince Wu's Mansion."
"Uh..." Shuang'er was stunned for a moment and her face turned redder, "Go there... What are you doing?"
"Isn't it because of Princess Gaoyang?" Qin Mubai smiled bitterly, "This girl will make a fuss if she doesn't see me for a while. You also saw it today. I didn't go to Prince Wu's Mansion to see her, but she took the initiative to come to our house. You go to the palace to stabilize her, but don’t let her disturb me from doing business in the past two days. "
"Well, I understand..." Shuang'er nodded with a blushing face.
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Okay, don't look so shy. Go back and rest early! If your father asks you when you go out in the morning, just say that you made an appointment yesterday to go and play with Princess Gaoyang. Father will definitely Won't stop it."
"Hehe, I know! My father seems to like Princess Gaoyang very much." Qin Shuang'er smiled happily, but was a little shy and said, "I'm leaving then. Third brother, you go to bed early before it's too late."
"Well, remember to tell your family not to call me tomorrow morning." Qin Mubai sent his sister away and sat down again to continue copying books.
Working at night, Qin Mubai didn't realize it was already dawn. Qin Mubai copied a thick stack, but there was still a long way to go before he could copy the complete book. While copying the book, he was memorizing it, and he couldn't help but admire Li Jing in his heart.
Many things seem easy but difficult to do. Qin Mubai was originally a student at the National University of Defense Technology. He thought he had learned a lot of modern military theories and did not pay much attention to the military ideas of the ancients. But after copying the book that night, Qin Mubai really felt that he was just a "theorist" in this regard, and if he put it into practice, he would definitely be in trouble.
War in the cold weapon age and modern war are completely different things. From this art of war, Qin Mubai learned more details. For example, the established sacrifices and etiquette during the expedition, the appointment and allocation of generals and sergeants of the seven armies of the front and rear left and right central armies plus the left and right Yu Houjun, the appointment and management of food and grass for the people, and even how to distribute horses and weapons and dispatch scouts to set up camp. The key points are completely unfamiliar to Qin Mubai. This is just preparation before the war. If there is a real war, the weather, hydrology, geography, yin and yang, enemy situation reconnaissance and troop deployment, the convenience of water and fire for attacking the city, the prevention and control of the epidemic of people and horses, and the key points of the timing of the deployment of troops...
What a profound knowledge!
This first volume of the "Jade Account Sutra" is all about the "basic skills" of marching and fighting. It can be said that it is a required course for any general of the Tang Dynasty. Qin Mubai feels that he is like a preschool student now and needs some extra help!
…
At dawn, Qin Mubai called his servant to bring him hot water, washed himself, ate some porridge and soup, and then lay down to rest.
At this time, in Prince Wu's Mansion.
Princess Gaoyang got up early in the morning, dressed up in front of the bronze mirror for a long time, and then walked out of the room after Li Ke's repeated calls.
Li Ke couldn't help but his eyes lit up: "Hey, I didn't expect that my little girl would dress up so beautifully!"
"Humph, then you mean that I didn't look good before!" Princess Gao Yang curled her lips and wrinkled her nose, saying dissatisfiedly.
"Haha! You are so beautifully dressed, where are you going?" Li Ke asked jokingly, knowing what was going on.
"Hey, Mu Bai promised me yesterday that he would take me out to play today!" Princess Gao Yang said happily.
Li Ke smiled mischievously and said, "What if... he does what he did yesterday again?"
"Then I have to strangle him to death!" Princess Gaoyang shouted hatefully.
"Are you willing to give up?" Li Ke laughed, "I think you are going crazy now. You do everything for him. Do you only dream about him in the middle of the night?"
"I want you to take care of it!" Princess Gaoyang made a face and touched her belly, "Hurry up and eat! I'm hungry. After I'm full, I can go out with Mu Bai to play! But you have to hurry up and don't get caught by others. Take the lead."
"Who took the lead? Wu Meiniang?" Li Ke laughed.
"Ah!..." Princess Gao Yang was startled, and then she realized that she had accidentally let something slip. She rolled her eyes and muttered again, "Third brother, tell me... How can Wu Meiniang be so beautiful?"
"Isn't it wrong for people to look more beautiful?" Li Ke said funny.
"It's just not right!" Princess Gao Yang sat down. She was still in a high mood just now, but now she became a little sluggish. She grumbled, "Not only is she beautiful, she is also so capable, and she was with Mu Bai earlier than me. Together. Besides, she is more mature and sensible than me. She is really unworthy to run such a big family business at such a young age. Compared with her... I am nothing!"
"Why, do you feel a crisis?" Li Ke smiled, patted Princess Gaoyang's jade shoulder, and said, "My silly sister, feelings are not about comparison. If you are better than her, you are more sure to catch her. Live in Mu Bai’s heart.”
"What do you rely on?" Princess Gao Yang curled her lips and said, "I thought about it for half the night after I came back yesterday. Except for my name as a princess, I don't seem to have anything worth mentioning... In the past, Mu Bai really hated me! I also know that I used to be domineering and domineering. I only know how to mess around and do nothing. Compared with Wu Meiniang, this is a world away! Third brother, I am really afraid that Mu Bai will only pamper Meiniang and leave me... "
"Don't be afraid! If he dares to start chaos and give up, third brother will destroy him for you!" Li Ke said with a serious face.
"You dare! No!" Princess Gao Yang suddenly became anxious and shouted loudly.
"Haha! It's true that a female college student doesn't stay in the right place. She eats the inside and outside!" Li Ke shook his head helplessly and smiled, and said, "I'm just teasing you. Mu Bai and I are like brothers, how could we turn against each other? We're just little sisters. You You really don’t have to think about it so much. Emotional matters depend on fate and management. People are different. You don’t need to compare with Wu Meiniang. They are two completely different types of people.”
"Really?" Princess Gao Yang blinked her big, watery eyes and said, "Then what do you think Mu Bai likes about me?"
"I'm not him, how do I know? There is no reason for feelings. If you like it, you like it, and if you don't like it, you don't like it." Li Ke smiled and said, "If there are so many conditions for a relationship, then it is not a real relationship. Yes, that’s trading and buying and selling.”
"Eh... what Third Brother said makes sense." Princess Gao Yang felt a little enlightened and said, "Just like I liked Qin Mubai at the beginning, without any reason, I fell in love without knowing it and was willing to do everything for him. Do anything and give everything for him. When I think about it carefully, I don’t know what I like about him. In fact, he is bad. He treats me well and treats me like a treasure. There are so many people, but I don’t like any of them.”
"So, so..." Li Ke paced back and forth with his hands cut behind his back, and said in a serious tone, "Everyone will have an evil star in their life. If they encounter it, they will become stupid and will do anything for him, even if it is... It’s obvious that Qin Mubai is the magic star in your life!”
Just as he was talking, a government official came to report that there was someone in front of the door asking to see him. The person who came was a woman who claimed to be Qin.
"Giggle, it must be Qin Shuang'er! Third brother, the magic star in your life is here too!" Princess Gao Yang jumped up excitedly and asked the official, "Did the two of us come together?"
Li Ke's face twitched slightly, and he thought to himself: Gao Yang is going to be disappointed... If Qin Mubai and Qin Shuang'er came together, would there be any need to give Shuang'er's name? Shuang'er... But she hasn't come to my house for a few years!
On the other side, Princess Gaoyang raised her face in displeasure after hearing the official's report: "How could it be like this? Shuang'er is here but Mubai is not? Huh! What tricks is this guy trying to do again? What excuse did you use to avoid me? I’m so angry!”
"Ahem... please come in." Li Ke waved the officials away first.
Princess Gaoyang bit her lip depressedly for a while, and suddenly she became energetic again. She came to Li Ke's side in a weird way and asked: "Third brother, I'm very curious. Why are you so passionate about Shuang'er? Are you around me?" There are so many beautiful women out there, even more talented and talented than Shuang'er. Why do you have a special crush on her?"
"It's none of your business, stop asking!" Li Ke held her face angrily and tried to push her away.
"No, no, I won't do it!" Princess Gao Yang's face was squeezed, but she still stubbornly held up her neck and grabbed Li Ke's wrist with both hands, giggling, "If you don't tell me, I will do it in a moment Talking nonsense in front of Qin Shuang'er! "
"Okay, I'm afraid of you!" Li Ke had no choice but to let go and glanced outside nervously. He saw Qin Shuang'er coming around the corner of the flower garden from a distance, and said quickly, "Because Shuang'er is my... first love, now I know Right?"
"First... love?" Princess Gao Yang blinked and murmured, "Mubai is also the first man I like! But I am not the first woman she likes. What should I do?"
"Langzao! Stop talking nonsense, she's here!"
Princess Gao Yang sat aside with a grimace, supported her chin with both hands, and murmured to herself: "No need to guess, Mu Bai will definitely not be able to come today, let Shuang'er come to deliver the message. Hey... what do I want? How can you capture Mu Bai's heart? Wu Meiniang, such an outstanding woman..."
"I told you to stop nagging!" Li Ke waved his hand impatiently and hurriedly said, "A woman has only two ways to capture a man's heart!"
"Which two methods?"
Li Ke pointed his fingers and said seriously as if preaching: "First, love him; second, love him desperately without reservation!"
"..." Princess Gao Yang was speechless for a while, then said sarcastically, "Do you think I still have reservations now?"
"Idiot! You have captured his heart, but you just don't have the confidence!" Li Ke said, "Although Wu Meiniang has the first idea, I can guarantee that you love Mu Bai more deeply than she does... You are more attractive than her. Win Mu Bai’s heart!”
Princess Gao Yang was suddenly startled, and suddenly smiled happily: "Then I will love harder in the future!"