On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Shimin had just gotten up and was washing and changing clothes in the palace, when Princess Gaoyang came early.
"Your Majesty wishes your father a happy New Year! I wish your father... all the best, hehe!" Princess Gaoyang said happily.
"Haha, you girl, you're here so early!" Li Shimin laughed, came up and patted her on the back and said with a smile, "In addition to New Year greetings, there must be other things, right?"
Princess Gao Yang chuckled: "The emperor's thoughts can't be hidden from my father's eyes. Father, I do have something to ask of you."
"Well, if you ask me for help on the first day of the Lunar New Year, I must answer your request. But as a father, I have to agree with you first. It must be a decent thing, otherwise you won't have to say anything!" Li Shimin said with a smile.
"Don't worry, the emperor is so inconvenient. How dare he come to embarrass the emperor on the first day of the new year?" Princess Gaoyang smiled and took Li Shimin's elbow. She smiled coquettishly and asked for a guard. I told Li Shimin about the matter. He also said that he would give this guard to her as a New Year's gift.
After hearing this, Li Shimin nodded with a smile and said, "Ling'er, are you asking for the guards for Mu Bai?"
"Hehe, let me tell you, the emperor's little thoughts will never be hidden from the emperor." Princess Gaoyang hummed coquettishly, "Father, you want to send Mu Bai to serve in Yuanren Prefecture and County, the emperor I agreed without crying or fussing. But I was worried about his safety when he went so far away alone! The military camp was full of rough men, especially the local military officials, who were mostly illiterate and rough. What if they work together to bully and exclude Mu Bai? I don’t care, I will send some people to follow him!”
"Haha!" Li Shimin smiled, "It seems that the relationship between you is indeed very deep, and I am very happy as a father. But these Baiqi are the royal private guards, how can they be assigned to a Zhechong Captain?" "
"Oh, father... why don't I do it!" Princess Gaoyang coquettishly said, "I don't care, I don't care! Anyway, Mu Bai is our royal family's unqualified consort, so it's okay to send a royal guard to him. It’s okay!”
"The prince-in-law who has never passed the test? Thank you for your ability to speak out without being ashamed, haha!" Li Shimin clapped his legs and laughed, "Okay, that's all, I will obey you. It's the first day of the Lunar New Year, how dare I disobey you?" Doesn't it make you unhappy? Let Mu Bai go to Baiqi to select thirty people as personal guards before leaving. The military personnel of this group of guards will also be transferred to Xiangzhou. In the Zhechong Prefecture of Zhouzhou, he is temporarily appointed to the rank of sixth-rank minister or seventh-rank lieutenant in Yifu of the Chinese Army, and he will be at Qin Mubai's disposal. I can make Pang Fei the captain of Guoyi of Xiangzhou Prefecture and serve as Qin Mubai's. "I will inform Li Junxian and the officials of the Ministry of War later to take care of the matter as soon as possible."
"Thank you, Father!" Princess Gaoyang was overjoyed. She hugged Li Shimin's neck and kissed him wildly on the face, which made Li Shimin laugh out loud.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the government and the people celebrate together.
Emperor Li Shimin and his royal family members visited the Zhuque Gate in person, where they accepted congratulations from officials and civilians, and distributed some rewards or promulgated two national policies to benefit the people. At this time of year, Chang'an City is the busiest. Every household, men, women, old and young, went out and gathered on Zhuque Street to watch this grand event.
All the civil and military officials with high rank in the capital gathered together today, and the Imperial City Forest Guard sent more than 5,000 people out to maintain law and order in front of the Suzaku Gate.
Early in the morning, Qin Mubai and his father and brother put on their official robes and went out. When they came to the Zhuque Gate, there was already a sea of people. If it weren't for the imperial guards here to maintain order, I'm afraid it would have been blocked.
The four father and son dismounted their horses and went to the official train to congratulate each other on the New Year. Everyone was a little surprised to see Qin Shubao, who had been out of court for a long time due to illness. After all, not many people know that Qin Shubao has recovered, and very little is known about his return to the mountain.
There are four fathers and sons in the Qin family. Qin Shubao is the third-rank general and official, the second-rank Shangzhu is the only one in the dynasty, and the first-rank Yi Guogong is even more gracious and honorable. The eldest son Qin Tong joined the martial arts in his early years, and is now a fifth-grade prison guard, Zhonglang General, and an important general in the Royal Forest Army; the second son Qin Bin joined the literary profession, studied at Hongwen Hall and participated in politics, and was a member of the emperor's think tank. Originally, if Qin Shubao had not been in poor health, the Qin family would have been a prominent family in Zhenguan. Nowadays, the sudden rise of Qin Mubai, a concubine of the Qin family, is inextricably linked to the royal family, which has given the Qin family a second spring and attracted the unanimous attention of the Chang'an official clan.
Today's public appearance of Qin Shubao and his three sons in the Zhengshuo Dynasty has pushed everyone's attention to the top - the Qin family is bound to rise again!
The auspicious time has come, and the emperor led a group of concubines, princes and princesses to the Zhuque Gate in person, and the whole city of Chang'an resounded with shouts of long live the sea and the mountains. Two years ago, the imperial court conducted household registration statistics and found that there were more than 300,000 permanent households in Chang'an, with over a million people. This does not include business travelers, foreign envoys and scholars. Adding in a rough estimate of these floating populations, Chang'an now accommodates nearly two million people!
At least 100,000 people gathered on Zhuque Street today!
The Suzaku Avenue, which is more than 100 meters wide, is bustling with people and is a great feat!
Li Shimin stood on the tower of Zhuque Gate and looked up. He saw a dense crowd of people near Mingde Gate in the distance. He couldn't help but smile and said: "When I ascended the throne in the ninth year of Wude, there were only tens of thousands of households in Chang'an. The population is only two to three hundred thousand. Twelve years have passed, and the population in Chang'an has increased by almost ten times!"
"This is the result of His Majesty's benevolence in the world. The Guanhe River is peaceful and the world is at peace, and the people live and work in peace and contentment. It is really the scene of a prosperous age!" The left and right people praised together.
"Haha! Every year during the Zhengshuo Dynasty, I can see new developments, very good, very good!" Li Shimin took a long breath and exhaled happily, waved his hand, "Improve the new policy!"
The imperial edict was immediately promulgated, which was all about the new policy of resting the people to rest, lax corvee, and encouraging industry and commerce. The city of Chang'an was filled with cheers, which shook the world until nine o'clock, and lasted for a long time.
It was the first time Qin Mubai participated in such a Zhengshuo ceremony, and he was really shocked.
The large gathering of 100,000 people was so shocking. This is the scene of a peaceful and prosperous age!
Qin Shubao smiled and said: "Dalang, Erlang and Sanlang, the great Tang Dynasty has unparalleled achievements, and it is not easy to get! We, the officials and warriors, should serve the country with all our hearts! Whoever dares to offend my power of the Tang Dynasty, we should fight hard to destroy him!"
"Yes, father!"
"Haha!" Qin Shubao laughed heartily several times, bursting with pride!
From the troubled times more than ten years ago to today's peaceful and prosperous times, Qin Shubao has been filled with many feelings along the way.
At this moment, he seemed to be back in the era when the warriors with strong arms and iron horses could conquer thousands of miles like tigers. He rode his horse and carried his gun, charging back and forth among the enemy formations to kill everyone!
Seeing such a peaceful and prosperous age, Qin Shubao felt a great sense of accomplishment, and his blood boiled again.
The old man is full of energy and aims for thousands of miles - after fighting all the way through the mountains and rivers of blood, the hard work and dedication have finally been in vain! Today's peaceful and prosperous age, I don't know how many people have paid for it with their blood and lives, and it is even more worthy of cherishing!
…
Qin Mubai looked at Qin Shubao, reading his unrestrained heroism and heartfelt relief from his smiling expression and resolute eyes.
Perhaps, I will never be able to understand the thoughts of this generation. But at this moment, Qin Mubai clearly felt the heroic spirit in his father.
A man is a great man, standing upright with the sky and the earth; with war horses, spears, and rivers of blood and fire, there is no need to fear death!
At this moment, Qin Shubao's image became taller again in Qin Mubai's eyes. Just because of the prosperous times in front of us, Qin Shubao has a share of the credit; his tiger head chisel golden spear has become a symbol of the mighty power of the Tang Dynasty!
Perhaps, only a man like Qin Shubao is the most qualified to shout that sentence - Anyone who offends the might of the strong man will be punished no matter how far away he is!
Qin Mubai suddenly felt very lucky. It was a great honor to be born as the son of Qin Shubao. It was a great luck to be reborn in such an era. It was a great pride and honor to be born as a warrior and an ordinary citizen of the Tang Dynasty. !
"Datang, I really like you more and more!"
…
The ceremony lasted until noon, and everyone was full of enthusiasm that could not dissipate for a long time. The emperor had returned to the palace and walked down the Zhuque Gate Tower. The people on Zhuque Street were still cheering and cheering, which lasted for nearly an hour. Until the evening, many people still stayed on Zhuque Street and held various celebrations spontaneously. Scholars and officials recited poems and composed poems praising the peaceful and prosperous times, jugglers showed off their skills to win applause, men, women and children walked through the city to watch the excitement. The city of Chang'an was buzzing all day long, and then it gradually settled down at nightfall.
In the evening, the Qin Mansion, which had always been deserted, suddenly became lively. The civil servants and generals who came to pay New Year greetings almost crossed the threshold of the Qin Mansion; the carriages and horses lined up in the courtyard were so full that they had to temporarily move to the backyard.
In the hall of the Qin Mansion, the guests were feasting and drinking, and the number of people who came to pay New Year greetings was far beyond the expectations of Qin Mubai and others.
Among the people who came and went, there were many generals like the Twelve Guards, as well as the prime ministers of the dynasty. There is no need to mention people such as Li Ji, Cheng Zhijie, etc. They have always had close friendship with Qin Shubao. In addition, Jiangxia King Li Daozong and Wu King Li Ke also deigned to take the initiative to pay New Year greetings. Even some of Qin Shubao's fellow generals and ministers and old friends, who had broken off contact with him for many years, also came to congratulate him.
This is really a moment of success and prosperity.
Even Yuchi Jingde, who had never been on good terms with Qin Shubao, also came, and brought his three sons with him, including Yuchi Baoyun.
Qin Shubao greeted each other with a smile and drank wine, and casually talked about some of the quarrels between his third son Yuchi Baoyun and Qin Mubai. Yuchi Jingde laughed loudly: "The dog is not up to par, and his ability is not as good as Qin Sanlang, so he was beaten and eaten." Turtle deserved it! Uncle Bao, Mu Bai, this guy didn't dare to tell me about it after he got home. If he hadn't heard it from others, I wouldn't have known about it, because he knew it, even if I knew it, I will definitely not help him. If you are not good enough, you can't blame others for being too strong. If you want to regain your face, you have to work hard to become better than Qin Sanlang!"
"Haha! Lao Hei still has the same temper as before!" Qin Shubao laughed, "That's absolutely true. We old guys will one day go before them. Is it possible that we still rely on us to help with everything?"
"Hey, Qin Laoer, we have been fighting for a lifetime. I can't beat you and you can't beat me. Now you win, your son is better than me! Okay, I'm convinced!" Yuchi Jingde roared like thunder. He said, "Come on, I will fight with you until I get drunk today! - Sanlang, you also go and toast Qin Mubai! If someone is better than you and more capable than you, you have to be convinced and learn from them!"
"Yes, father!" Yuchi Baoyun did not dare to say another word. He raised his wine to greet Qin Mubai and said, "General Qin, I have repeatedly offended you in my humble position, but I still hope that Haihan will do it! Today, as my father said, I am convinced by your humble position! But from now on, I will work hard and one day I can beat you again!”
"Okay! Brother Baoyun, let's have a drink based on your straightforwardness and joy!" Qin Mubai laughed heartily and raised glasses with him.
On the other side, Yuchi Jingde and Qin Shubao finished drinking a glass, and they groaned and cursed: "You are so stupid, what's the use of hanging out with that eldest grandson Huansi? That white-faced scholar is full of bad ideas, and you won't be able to grow up with him." Jin, you are so crazy! If you want to learn, you should learn from Mu Bai! Look, he is a hundred times more talented and talented than you. He is so famous that even the princess is crying and wanting to marry him!"
Yuchi Baoyun said with a bitter face: "Dad, you made me look like this, I look so black... Which princess will talk to me?"
"Scared, then you think I and your mother have made you ugly?" Yuchi Jingde was furious, "Let's see if I don't beat you up!"
The whole hall laughed, and Qin Shubao quickly persuaded him to stop and continue drinking.
Late at night, the guests in the Qin Mansion gradually dispersed and settled down.
With so many guests arriving at once, the four father and son were really exhausted to cope with it. They were all a little sleepy, so they took a rest early. Before leaving, Qin Shubao told him that when he got up early tomorrow, he had to go to the palace to pay homage to the emperor, and there were several other people who had to go back to pay homage. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, he and Qin Mubai were leaving Beijing to take up their posts, so they had to hurry up and finish these things.
The next day, the father and his son went into the palace to pay New Year greetings. Many court officials also came. It is almost an unwritten rule to pay New Year greetings to the emperor on the second day of the first lunar month. The four of them had just walked to the Wude Hall when they met Princess Gaoyang. Apparently she had been waiting here for a long time.
"Mr. Yi Guo, why are you here? Hehe, I wish you a happy new year. Is it any good?" Princess Gao Yang said with a smile.
Qin Shubao was amused and laughed: "The princess came to pay New Year's greetings to an old minister. This is not the right etiquette!"
Princess Gao Yang smiled shyly and said: "I am a junior, so, so..."
Qin Tong and Qin Bin then laughed and said: "Father, Her Royal Highness the Princess is paying you New Year greetings as your daughter-in-law, so you must give us a gift!"
"Haha, okay, okay." Uncle Qin Baole happily took off the jade pendant and gave it to Princess Gaoyang, saying, "I am poor and have nothing to offer. This jade pendant was given to me by the late emperor many years ago. I will give it to the princess today to use it as a good fortune in the New Year. "
"Hey, thank you Duke Yi! Then I won someone's love, right?" Princess Gao Yang said with a smile.
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Okay, don't make my father happy anymore. No matter how valuable it is, it's okay to give it to you. We are a family inside and outside. Isn't it just that I put this jade pendant in my left hand and put it in my right hand?"
"I know, you have to tell me!" Princess Gaoyang said with a smile, "By the way, I am waiting for you here specifically to tell you that my father has agreed to give you a guard. You can go to the Hundred Cavalry on your own. Select thirty people to go to Xiangzhou Prefecture with you to take office, and let these people serve as your generals in the Qinyi Mansion of the Chinese Army. In addition, the father also agreed to promote Pang Fei to the position of Captain Guoyi of Xiangzhou Prefecture and serve as your deputy. "
"Really? That's great!" Qin Mubai said happily, "Thank you so much, Ling'er."
"Hehe!" Princess Gao Yang smiled triumphantly, "How about it, I'm somewhat useful, right?"
"Who said you are useless? You have been bothering yourself." Qin Mubai joked, "How can you say that the majestic Princess of the Tang Dynasty is useless?"
"Okay, you're making fun of me!"
…
When ministers meet to pay New Year's greetings to the emperor, it is just a formality, and it is not complicated. Later, the four father and son entered the palace to pay their respects for the New Year, and were given a table in the Linde Hall. Many court officials are already waiting here, and the emperor will come to have lunch with all his ministers later.
Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Li Ji, these people are also examples.
Qin's father, son and others also exchanged greetings with them one by one and sat down each.
Qin Shubao whispered to Qin Mubai next to him: "Sanlang, you have many rifts with the Fang family and the eldest grandson family, which is a big hidden danger. Our Qin family is upright and never afraid of anyone or flattering anyone, but It’s easy for a gentleman to fall in love with a villain, so you have to be more careful from now on.”
Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, and said, "Does father think that between the eldest grandson and his wife, who is the gentleman and who is the villain?"
Qin Shubao smiled and said: "There are no absolute gentlemen and no absolute villains in the court. Otherwise, they would not be politicians."
"Father's words make sense!" Qin Mubai nodded in agreement, thinking to himself: How many good people can play politics? How many of them always keep their ugly and black faces in front of the world? People's hearts are inherently complex, not to mention politicians who have been immersed in conspiracy and power all year round.
Soon it was noon. Li Shimin held a banquet with all the ministers in Qide Hall and drank until noon. When the banquet was over, the emperor specially sent a young eunuch to invite Qin Mubai to the Penglai Hall of the harem to meet him privately.
"Mu Bai, you are going to Xiangzhou to take office in a few days. How are you preparing for it?" Li Shimin asked.
Qin Mubai replied that everything was ready and just waiting to set off.
Li Shimin said with a sweet smile: "You think you are ready, but Gao Yang doesn't think so. She just feels uncomfortable letting you go so far away, and is worried about your safety. Little girls are not as thoughtful as men, and they are quite worried. ! Therefore, I decided to send you a pro-honored guard. You can choose thirty people from among the hundreds of cavalry to go to Xiangzhou to serve as your pro-Yifu military academy. In addition, I promoted Pang Fei to serve as the Xiangzhou Prefecture. Captain Guo Yi, I will serve as your deputy. It will be much easier to serve as a local official with the help of a group of familiar and capable people."
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty!" Qin Mubai bowed gratefully.
"No need to thank me, Ling'er got this for you. Early in the morning on the first day of the new year, she came to ask for my help. Can I agree?" Li Shimin said with a smile, "When we get to the place, everything will be done. No better than the capital city. You need to spend more time and effort to familiarize yourself with the local military affairs, and I will wait to see your political achievements in Chang'an."
"Wei Chen obeys the order!"
Li Shimin got up from the throne and walked to Qin Mubai. He clasped his hands behind his back and held his slightly fat belly. He looked at him with a smile and said, "With a son-in-law like this, what can I ask for? Mubai, don't let me down." I have high hopes for you!”
"Yes..." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, Wei Chen knows his identity and knows what he should and shouldn't do."
"Very good. I feel relieved now." Li Shimin patted his shoulder, "Go ahead. Visiting relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year will definitely be busy, and your time is very urgent."
"I bid farewell." Qin Mubai bowed his hands and stepped back.
With a slight smile, Qin Mubai shook his head and thought to himself: Li Shimin is also an interesting person. He just reminded me deliberately that he treated me as his son-in-law and promised to give me a guard to accompany me to Xiangzhou. The implication is actually very obvious - although you are working hand in hand with Li Ke as officials and assistants, don't forget that you are always mine!
In fact, Qin Mubai had already realized Li Shimin's intention. When Li Ke took the initiative to ask for orders from Li Shimin, Li Shimin agreed. But when it came time to appoint an official, Li Shimin specially appointed Qin Mubai as a Wusan official from the third rank of General Yunhui, and deliberately raised his rank, which was only half a rank behind Li Ke, the third rank of Xiangzhou governor. Its far-reaching intention hinted to the two of them: Li Ke, you want to win over Qin Mubai into your own camp, which is no good; when it comes to the local level, Qin Mubai and you are on an equal footing, because he is the person I sent to supervise and assist. , rather than your vassal subordinate Li Ke.