Love Affairs in Chang’an

Chapter 197: The tiger does not show off its power

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When a charming guest comes to Dongtang, it is naturally very precious. When Qin Mubai arrived at Wu's house, everyone in the house was overjoyed to welcome him.

The Chinese New Year will be here in a few days. Now the No. 1 Liquor in the World is undergoing renovations and its business is temporarily suspended. The people of the Wu family have taken a break after a busy year. It is quite comfortable to have a feast at home with a roaring fire, good wine and good food.

After a year of hard work, the Wu brothers finally saw the power of Qin Mubai and Wu Meiniang, and finally accepted their fate. Now in this Wu family, Wu Meiniang is already the head of the family, and Qin Mubai, the "unexperienced" son-in-law, is also the most important. Although his surname is Qin, he seems to be the head of the Wu family.

Qin Mubai took the initiative to visit, which naturally made Wu Meiniang happy. Her mother Yang was also very happy. As soon as he sat down, Ms. Yang ran to cook herself and said she would make him some of her specialty snacks to try.

Now Qin Mubai feels that the Wu family is really rich. Even if it is an ordinary servant girl, the new clothes she wears during the Chinese New Year are made of valuable high-quality fabrics. There is no shortage of New Year's goods at home, including delicacies from the mountains and seas. The piles in half a house are enough to load several carts. Just for the laisi to be distributed during the New Year, there were thousands of cash in cash, packed in several large boxes, each wrapped in red cloth bags.

It can be imagined that it is not easy for Wu Meiniang to take over this family. This little woman is really capable.

"Hehe, Mu Bai, why did you think of coming to my house today?" Wu Meiniang smiled at him.

"The Chinese New Year is almost here, I should come and visit, right?" Qin Mubai also smiled, "It's also appropriate to visit my future mother-in-law and brother-in-law."

"Ha, as soon as you talk sweetly, I know you must have something to ask me for help." Wu Meiniang said, "Tell me quickly, what is it?"

"Isn't it Xue Rengui's business?" Qin Mubai smiled and told her the truth.

Wu Meiniang thought for a moment and said: "After the No. 1 Liquor in the World closed down a few days ago, Mrs. Liu had nothing to do for the time being, and the couple had no place to live. I thought they were pitiful, so I invited them to live with me. I came home, but they refused, and they refused to give me money or goods. I had no choice but to let them live. I heard that they rented an old house in Quchifang in the south of the city and settled there temporarily. Ms. Liu’s belly is already very big and she will probably give birth in a month or two. I don’t know what the situation is now. Let’s go and take a look.”

"That's fine."

Soon after, Qin Mubai enjoyed the snacks made by Yang, chatted with the Wu family for a while, and then took a car to the south of the city with Wu Meiniang.

No matter how prosperous the place is, there are also corners of darkness; there will always be poor and rich people in the world. Quchifang in the south of the city is synonymous with Chang'an slums. At first, Yao'er rented there with a group of little girls. Because renting a house there is relatively cheaper.

This reminded Qin Mubai of today's "ant tribe". In a place as small as Chang'an, not everyone can wander comfortably. Maybe renting an inn here for half a month is enough to live a comfortable life of being a little rich for a year in an ordinary state or county.

The carriage moved slowly under the snow, heading south of the city.

Wu Meiniang put her hands under Qin Mubai's cloak and put them in his armpits to keep warm, and said: "Why did Li Ke suddenly think of making such a commotion? Didn't he always claim that he was indifferent to the world and only wanted to live a peaceful life? ? It seems that he is ambitious after all!"

Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Everyone has desires, and they have different ideas at different times. Previously, Li Ke was criticized and impeached and it was difficult to protect himself. Of course, he just wanted to be a prince of peace; now he has turned over and is counting on someone. It is reasonable to be able to achieve great success in one day. This trip to Jiangzhou made him feel the distress of lacking a major general at hand. If Quan Wanji and I hadn't helped him, he would have capsized. Taking advantage of the opportunity of external transfer to recruit talents, the emperor will not say anything. In fact, his main purpose of doing so is to target Xue Rengui. "

"Yes, I can see it." Wu Meiniang nodded, "Li Ke is a polite and virtuous person with no airs. The more such a person is, the greater his ambition must be. Otherwise, why would he be like this? He is alone. Wouldn't it be more worry-free to live a leisurely life? I guess it's because he missed you before and doesn't want to make the same mistake again, so he is determined to get Xue Rengui. Mu Bai, you try your best to help Li Ke... Is it because you like him?"

"What do you like about him?" Qin Mubai smiled and asked.

"You're asking questions knowingly!" Wu Meiniang said, "Now the competition for the heir apparent in the imperial court is fierce. Everyone in Chang'an is talking about it, pointing the finger at the prince and the king of Wei. The king of Wu has been out of sight for a long time and is almost forgotten. He Could it be that he has been hiding his capabilities and biding his time, waiting to reap the benefits? "

Qin Mubai paused for a moment and said with a smile: "Mei Niang, are you very aware of these things? You seem to be very interested in them?"

"Haha, there is always a lot of talkative people in places like wine shops. From national affairs to trivial matters, you can know whatever you want to know." Wu Meiniang said, "I am also influenced by what I hear and see, and I care about it unconsciously. No matter what you say, My Mu Bai is the one in the game, can I not care more? "

"Your Mubai?" Qin Mubai smiled.

"If it's not mine, who else can it be?" Wu Meiniang glared at him and pinched his elbow gently, "No matter how many women you have, if I say you are mine, then you are mine!"

"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, "Okay, it's yours. Having said that, Li Ke is definitely not a person who is content with being lonely. Now he is very tight-lipped, and at most he can only say yes to me, for his own benefit. Bao wanted to increase his power, but he just wanted to cover up obstacles. I clearly felt his ambition, or ambition."

"I know that you and Li Ke have a close personal relationship, but everyone in the world knows that Li Ke is just a concubine prince, and it is not his part to compete for the heir apparent!" Wu Meiniang said.

"Ha!" Qin Mubai smiled, "Aren't you and I also concubines? What is our status among the Qin and Wu families now?"

"That's different!" Wu Meiniang said, "They are the royal family, and there is a powerful person like the emperor on top!"

Qin Mubai paused for a moment and said, "Let's talk about it later. I am not determined to help Li Ke fight for the throne. The emperor also asked me to help Li Ke and give him more guidance. It can be seen that in the In the emperor's mind, I still stand with him, it's just that he sent me there. No matter how those princes fight, I just try to maintain the emperor's trust in me. "

"Yes! You will never deviate from your sect. No matter which prince you follow, it is no better than following the emperor! As for the future, we will talk about it later!" Wu Meiniang said, "Now the emperor trusts you and treats you as half a son. oh!"

Qin Mubai smiled: "Are you jealous?"

"No!" Wu Meiniang said angrily, "I am learning from Princess Gaoyang, and everything is for your own good, so that's fine. In fact, seeing you and Princess Gaoyang together, I really can't get over this hurdle. But then I thought about it, She is the emperor's favorite princess. If you can marry her, it will be of great benefit to you. What's more, she is indeed devoted to you. Sigh... I have no choice but to adapt to it and accept it! "

Qin Mubai smiled meaningfully: "It seems that Princess Gaoyang told you a lot that day! How can you, a smart person like you, be persuaded by that silly girl of hers?"

"What, no!" Wu Meiniang glared at Qin Mubai angrily, "Don't try to get anything out of me! If I tell you, I won't tell you!"

"General, my boss is here." The carriage stopped and the driver outside said.

The two got out of the car and saw a small farmhouse in the thick snow.

"Xue Rengui and his wife live over there." The driver, who knew the way, pointed to the road ahead.

"Okay, let's go over there." Qin Mubai and Wu Meiniang walked forward hand in hand. Their temperament and luxurious clothes seemed a bit out of place with the surrounding scene.

Most of the people living here are traders and lackeys who pull carts and horses in Chang'an, or farmers who work as sharecroppers for the wealthy households in Chang'an, living on a meager income. People in ragged clothes can often be seen walking past the low and dilapidated houses. Black smoke from old firewood rises from the roof of the house, and from time to time someone makes a violent coughing sound.

There was a layer of heavy snow in Xue Rengui's yard that had not been swept away. There was a row of clear footprints, as if he had gone out. The house was quiet and there were no fireworks.

The two opened the fence and walked in. The snow crunched under their feet, and they heard a woman's voice coming from inside: "Rengui, are you back? I'm so hungry. Have you brought anything to eat?"

"It's Sister-in-law Liu!" Wu Meiniang frowned and walked quickly into the house, "It's me."

"Ah, boss!" There was a lot of surprise in Liu's voice.

Qin Mubai did not enter the house to avoid suspicion and waited outside.

"Sister-in-law, what's wrong with you? You look so bad? Where is Brother Xue?" Wu Meiniang asked anxiously.

"I...I'm fine." Ms. Liu lowered her head in shame and murmured.

"I just heard you say you're hungry?" Wu Meiniang glanced around. There were two empty bowls on the table in the room. Only a few uneaten vegetable soups were frozen into ice cubes. She couldn't help but feel a little bit. Annoyed, "Where's Brother Xue? Why aren't you at home to take care of you! Really!"

"No... Don't blame him, boss." Ms. Liu lowered her head and started crying.

"Sister-in-law, what's going on? Tell me quickly!" Wu Meiniang sat next to her and asked patiently and softly.

Ms. Liu sobbed a few times and finally spoke slowly -

"We moved out of the No. 1 Liquor in the World a few days ago and rented here. Although we were a little poorer, we were still living well and living well. But three days ago, I accidentally developed fetal force and had to go to the doctor. The diagnosis and treatment finally saved the unborn child, but... the little money he had was all spent, and he couldn't even pay the rent. Originally, Rengui planned to go hunting in Zhongnan Mountain to make ends meet. , but a heavy snowfall has blocked the mountain road, where can I catch prey? Today, the family is completely without food, so... "

"So what?" Wu Meiniang asked anxiously.

"So... Rengui took his Fangtian Painted Halberd and went out to pawn it to sell it." After Mrs. Liu said this, she wiped away her tears sadly, "This Fangtian Painted Halberd is like Rengui's gun. He No matter how poor or miserable I am, I still don’t want to give it up. I didn’t expect that now…”

"Hey!" Wu Meiniang sighed anxiously and angrily, "If you have any difficulties, you should tell me! Brother Xue really wants to save face and suffer! Didn't I invite you to stay in my house temporarily not long ago? He Afraid of death, he refuses to give me any money or food. It’s better now... Forget it! Let’s go back to the house now, Mrs. Liu. I’ve hired my maid, Po Wen, to take care of you. It's time to give birth. Even if you don't think about yourself, you have to think about the child! As for Brother Xue, it's not up to him this time! He will suffer by himself, and he deserves to die of hunger!"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Mrs. Liu started to cry, hugging her big belly and was about to get out of bed and kowtow to Wu Meiniang, "My boss is really a great benefactor to our mother and son!"

Qin Mubai was annoyed when he heard this outside the door. He walked into the room and said: "Sister-in-law, stop doing this and go back to the house with Mei Niang! No matter how hard it is, the child can't suffer. As for Brother Xue, he is like this If he dares to be aggressive again, I will send a hundred and eighty soldiers to tie him up and see what he has to say!"

Mrs. Liu burst into tears and said with a smile: "General Qin is here too... I'm really sorry for making the general laugh. Rengui has such a temper. As his boss said, he wants to save face and suffer. I can't persuade him to come. The general wants to tie him up." Then go and tie him up, he has such a bad temper, you can't be polite to him."

"Okay, stop talking. Sister-in-law, please clean up and come with me." Wu Meiniang said.

"Hmm!" Mrs. Liu said, "Rengui put up a sign selling halberds in the Western Market. It should be easy for the general to find them."

Soon, Wu Meiniang carefully helped Ms. Liu go out and get into the car, then headed to Wu's house first. Qin Mubai walked to the West Market alone and rented a carriage halfway. The more he thought about it, the more annoyed he became.

"Xue Rengui, this pedantic guy wants to save face and suffer! You can't be too polite to him!" Thinking of this, Qin Mubai said to the coachman outside, "Go to the Xuanwu Gate of the palace!"

"This gentleman, how can the palace be a place where a villain like a chariot and horse can go?"

"Go wherever you are told, stop talking nonsense!"

Not long after, a dilapidated civilian carriage opened the gate of the Xuanwu Gate of the Imperial City and drove into the Baiqi Camp.

It was the annual holiday of the imperial court, and most of the government offices were on holiday, leaving only some officials on duty. Qin Mubai, the Baiqi envoy who had not yet resigned, went into the government office and called Pang Fei directly, asking him to order twenty Baiqi sergeants to go out with him on business.

Pang Fei was shocked, thinking that Qin Mubai was going out to fight in a group, but he didn't dare to ask more questions, so he immediately called twenty of the most powerful and trustworthy Baiqi, all of whom were fully armed with Eredivisie sabers and mounted their horses. Wait for punishment.

Qin Mubai didn't talk nonsense, and asked Pang to fly to the West Market to find a man named Xue Rengui who was selling halberds at the auction. Don't talk nonsense to him, just tie him up with some crime, throw him to Wu Mei's mother's house, and then It's none of their business. By the way, if the halberd is sold, it will cost ten times the money to buy it back. In addition, you are not allowed to reveal your identity as a Baiqi.

Pang Fei was confused and didn't know why, but since it was Qin Mubai's order, he went out with a group of sturdy Baiqi cavalry without saying a word.

Qin Mubai was still sitting in the broken carriage, swaying slowly and unhurriedly to Wu Mei's mother's house. He thought with hatred in his heart: Xue Rengui, your martial arts are great, but you, a commoner, dare to openly fight against the officers and soldiers in Chang'an. Do you want to do something? The more polite you are, the more naughty you will be. If the tiger doesn't show off its power, you think I'm Hello Keity!

Half an hour later, a group of fierce soldiers broke into the Wu Mansion, frightening everyone in the Wu family to death. The Wu brothers hurried out to greet him and said in a panic: "What's the matter, General? What's the matter, General?"

Pang Fei strode in, glanced at the Wu brothers with authority, waved his hand, and several sergeants behind him pushed a tied-up man in, then turned around and left.

"Hey, general... what do you mean?" Wu Yuanshuang said in surprise, looking at Xue Rengui up and down, but he didn't recognize him.

"You ask me, who am I asking?" Pang Fei cursed unhappily, "I was ordered to do something, and I don't care about the rest after I have finished it. Anyway, you have to keep an eye on this person. If he goes missing, you will be responsible for it!"

"Ah..." The Wu brothers and the servants and maids were all dumbfounded - this was too confusing!

At this time Wu Meiniang came out and said from a distance: "Pang Fei, you are so majestic!"

"Ah? Master's Wife..." Pang Fei was slightly startled and thought to himself, his tense face instantly changed to a smile as he stepped forward and bowed his hands: "I have met Wu Dong's family!"

Wu Meiniang glanced at Xue Rengui, who hurriedly lowered his head and turned away, his face flushed with embarrassment.

Now that she understood, Wu Meiniang held back her laughter and said: "The matter is done, then you can go back!"

"Yes." Pang Fei smiled, looked around, and whispered: "Master Wife, can I ask you to do something?"

"Stop yelling, who is your master's wife!" Wu Meiniang scolded lightly, "What's the matter? Tell me?"

"I heard that my mentor is going to be transferred out of the capital to serve in distant prefectures and counties. Many of us old brothers who have followed him all the way can't bear to leave him and want to go with him!" Pang Fei said pitifully, "Especially It’s me, I’ll just follow him. If he’s no longer in Baiqi, why would I still be hanging around here? Please say a few words for me, Master, and let me take him away.”

Wu Meiniang couldn't help but smile: "You are not an unweaned child, and you still want to follow suit?"

Pang Fei's face turned red with embarrassment, and he giggled: "Whatever the teacher's wife wants to say, that's it. Anyway, I just want to follow my teacher all the way. Wherever he goes, I will go."

"Okay, I'll give it a try." Wu Meiniang nodded and smiled, "But he probably can't make the decision on this kind of thing. Don't put too much hope in it. You can go back first and leave this person to me."

"Thank you, Master, I'll go then!"

Pang Fei led a group of powerful and powerful armored cavalry and left in a majestic manner.

The Wu brothers secretly wiped away cold sweat and let out a long breath, wondering in their hearts: Which song is this from

Seeing Wu Meiniang at this time, Xue Rengui roughly understood what was going on, so he could only turn his head in shame, and was too embarrassed to look at Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang dismissed everyone, walked up to him and said, "Brother Xue, don't blame us. You are really too unkind and go too far, you know?"

Xue Rengui didn't speak, just sighed.

Wu Meiniang glanced at the rope tied to his body, then looked at Fang Tian's painted halberd thrown aside in the snow, and said: "I once heard Mu Bai say that a man who cultivates himself, manages his family, and governs the country in peace, has civil and military talents. , first of all, you need to be able to clean up the family. He also said, "How can you sweep the world without sweeping one house?" Although you are talented in martial arts, you can't even take care of your own wife and children, and you still want to save face. It's a shame to reject your friend's kindness. No wonder Mu Bai is really angry and uses force on you! After all, Mu Bai is really a bloody and courageous man with a good nature. You are just pretentious! Sister Liu will be in trouble for eight lifetimes if she follows you!"