A few days later.
Li Ke looked at his clothes carefully in front of the bronze mirror. After confirming that there was nothing wrong, he smiled slightly and said to the concubine beside him: "Is Qin Mubai here?"
"In reply to Your Highness, General Qin has arrived in the main hall and has been waiting for His Highness for a long time."
"Asshole, why don't you report in the morning?"
After scolding, Li Ke strode out of the bedroom and went straight to the main hall. When he saw Qin Mubai sitting there drinking tea, he laughed loudly: "Mubai, you are here!"
"It's true that people are in high spirits during happy events. Your Highness, your face is really glowing today." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Really?" Li Ke smiled happily and sat down, saying, "When I go to the capital, all important military and political affairs in Xiangzhou will be entrusted to you. Before I come back, you will have to work hard for a while. Here you go!”
"It's okay. I called that boy Pang Fei back to take care of the military government. As for me, I can temporarily take over your position as governor and enjoy the pleasure of sitting in court and managing politics." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Haha!" Li Ke laughed, very heartily.
But before today, Li Ke was very troubled, depressed and unhappy.
After coming out of the underground palace, Qin Mubai never asked him what he saw in the jade chamber, nor did he go up to take a look. But judging from Li Ke's expression and demeanor, he should have been a little shocked, so his mood became a little unstable.
No wonder no one thought that such a huge secret was hidden in the Xihe Cao, and this secret was somehow related to Li Ke. Could he not be excited
Finally, Li Ke was also very hesitant about how to deal with the jade seal. Firstly, he may have some selfish motives, and secondly, he always feels that he has got a hot piece of Shanyu, and he doesn't hide it or offer it. Before Yang Guang's body was found, he thought more clearly that he should present the jade seal to the emperor.
But after seeing Yang Guang's body, he seemed a little hesitant. Qin Mubai knew what concerns he had without asking - taking the things he found from his grandfather's tomb to flatter his father seemed a little embarrassing both emotionally and rationally. Furthermore, the person who obtains the jade seal is the true emperor who is "ordained by heaven". He, Li Ke, came from Chang'an, and by accident, he got the jade seal "left" by his grandfather in a place like Xihe Cao, but he could only give it away eagerly, and he was somewhat unwilling to do so.
After all, Qin Mubai knew clearly that it was Li Ke's inner demons and ambitions that were causing trouble!
The appearance of this jade seal unprecedentedly fueled Li Ke's desire and expanded his ambition. Seeing this, Qin Mubai must of course find a way to persuade him to give up his desire and ambition. So he gave an example from the Three Kingdoms period - Sun Jian got the jade seal and hid it secretly, but was killed by arrows before he could establish his hegemony; Yuan Shu got the jade seal and became emperor due to his ambition, but was executed by the whole world, and his end was even more miserable. Incomparable.
It is true that the jade seal is a symbol of imperial power and destiny, but if it is owned privately by a person without strength and reputation, it is a recipe for disaster.
Hearing this, Li Ke suddenly understood - the jade seal is just a symbol, a symbol. It does not bring the magic power of imperial power and hegemony. It can only be an assistance and recognition after gaining imperial power and hegemony. Obtaining a jade stone and risking your life is really a waste of money. It is better to present it to the current emperor to show your loyalty and get a reward. This should be obtained in a real way!
Therefore, Li Ke decided to go to Beijing in person to present the jade seal, and reported the matter of the palace and Yang Guangzhen's body to his father Li Shimin, leaving everything to him.
"Your Highness, are everything ready?" Qin Mubai asked.
"Almost, there is nothing to prepare for." Li Ke said, "I'm just a little worried about the princess and my daughter. Please take more care of me. Especially the princess, who is more seriously ill."
"Yes, I understand." Qin Mubai nodded, "Yuwen Hongtai has taken the palace soldiers to guard the mausoleum. I will transfer Xue Rengui to the palace to take charge, so that you can feel more at ease."
"That's fine. Anyway, I leave everything to you. With you here, I can rest assured." Li Ke nodded and smiled happily.
"Then don't delay, let's go quickly!" Qin Mubai said, "Go into battle lightly and gallop quickly. The sooner you reach Chang'an and the sooner you present the jade seal, the better, so as to avoid long nights and dreams. I have selected the fifteen most capable people. Baiqi will escort you all the way to ensure that the journey is safe."
"Okay, then I'll set off immediately. I'll travel three hundred miles a day at full speed and arrive at Chang'an within five days!" Li Ke stood up and walked forward, patting Qin Mubai's arm hard with one hand, "Thank you, Mu Bai Bai. Everything here is entrusted to you.”
"Go!" Qin Mubai nodded and smiled.
Li Ke nodded heavily and strode out of the main hall. In the yard, fifteen fully armed soldiers with hundreds of horses, each holding three horses, escorted a car and were ready for action.
Qin Mubai came out and said loudly: "Baiqi, listen to the order!"
"promise!"
"We are escorting His Highness to the capital. If anything goes wrong, please come to see us all!"
"promise!-"
Li Ke nodded with satisfaction: "What a mighty master. With Baiqi accompanying me, I feel completely at ease. Let's go, Mu Bai, see you later!"
"Go and come back quickly. It's really not suitable for me to sit in court and govern. I have no choice but to do it. Don't think I really like it." Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Come on, I don't know about you yet." Li Ke smiled and got into the car. Hundreds of horsemen mounted their horses and drove away in order, and soon the dust flew away.
Qin Mubai finally breathed a sigh of relief, shook his head, and said to himself: Fortunately, he persuaded Li Ke and didn't hide the jade seal secretly. Otherwise... the consequences would be really unimaginable! In the feudal era, things like jade seals really had the power to disturb people's will. Fortunately, I am from the 21st century. In my opinion, this kind of thing is just an antique. At most, it is a seal or official seal. It's really not worth sacrificing your life for an "official seal".
While thinking about it, he walked into Li Ke's study, which is also the office. Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile when he saw a set of official uniforms that Li Ke had left here specially. He picked up the governor's robe and made some gestures on his body. He smiled to himself and said, "Okay, let's be the mayor for a while. It will be fun."
"Come here, change your clothes!"
"yes."
Several maids hurriedly came in and helped Qin Mubai change into the crimson governor's official robe, which fit him well. Then, he walked to the governor's office in a swaggering manner, where the assistant officers and various officials were already attending to official business. Li Ke had already finished his confession, so it was not surprising that they saw Qin Mubai today. Instead, they came to see Qin Mubai with the courtesy of the governor, and reported various work requests for instructions and decisions.
Qin Mubai was not polite. Even though he was an acting governor, he still had to act in earnest. Those who should make decisions would make decisions, and those who should approve government orders would approve them. He regarded himself as the real governor. Anyway, Li Ke also had his word first and entrusted Qin Mubai with full power. From then on, he was the king of Wu and the governor of Xiangzhou.
It's just that these officials in the governor's office are a little worried: it's too childish for a military attache to be sent to act as an agent for the governor to take care of government affairs and people's livelihood! Friendship is friendship, King Wu is really a bit nepotistic this time. There are so many assistant officers in the governor's office. Picking one at random is better than having a military attaché who doesn't understand civil affairs to take charge, right
But at the end of the day, all the government officials were stunned and convinced of Qin Mubai.
They did not expect that Qin Mubai was so good at handling people's livelihood and government affairs. Although he is relatively new to people's livelihood and government affairs, he can always understand it quickly after listening to his subordinates' explanations, draw inferences from one instance and put forward his own ideas and make decisions. In contrast, Qin Mubai was able to listen to the opinions of his subordinates later than Li Ke, and these subordinate officials were more willing to put forward their own opinions for Qin Mubai to learn from and make decisions.
Keen, open-minded, attentive, good at planning, and decisive - this is the impression and feeling of Qin Mubai by the government officials.
As for going to court to ask questions, that's Qin Mubai's specialty. No matter whether it was a big case or a small case, Qin Mubai tried everything in a logical and logical manner, and he knew the legal provisions very well, which shocked Chen Tang's pen book and the code secretary. . As for the criticism of the case, it was reasonable and reasonable. Both the plaintiff and the defendant were convinced and couldn't say anything. The common people and gentry who were listening often burst into cheers and applause, and raised their thumbs and praised each other.
"It turns out that sitting on the board of directors is quite fun. If you continue to mess around like this, won't you have to get a plaque with 'Qin Qingtian' on it?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
In the past few days, Li Ke was trapped by Yuxi, and the already accumulated government affairs were somewhat neglected. Therefore, it would take some time to deal with these backlogged cases. After a busy day, Qin Mubai really felt a little tired. He ate in the case room. At night, his biggest thought was to throw himself on the bed and have a good sleep.
When he was about to leave the Governor's Mansion and go to the inn to rest, Su Lianqing found him and said that Princess Wu invited her.
"What did the princess call me for?" Qin Mubai asked her.
"How can I, a maid, know about the affairs of my master's family?" Su Lianqing rolled her eyes and said with a high air, "You want to get information from me? There is no way!"
"Looking at your attitude, are you trying to get some benefits?" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Let me tell you, there is no way to do that."
"Iron Rooster!" Su Lianqing laughed and scolded angrily, "Hey, my sister is gone, aren't you lonely again?"
"Is it possible that you want to seduce me again?"
"No!" Su Lianqing curled her lips and said with a smile, "I just want to know whether a man as majestic as you can be just as fierce when he gets on the bed!"
"Go to hell, that doesn't mean anything!" Qin Mubai shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly, "I'm too lazy to pay attention to you, I'm going to see the princess."
"Haha!" Su Lianqing laughed evilly and said, "Go quickly, the princess is waiting for you in the main hall of the back palace."
When they arrived at the main hall in the backyard, Qin Mubai saw from a distance that Princess Wu Yang was sitting in the side seat. When Qin Mubai came, she asked the maid to help her get up to greet her.
Qin Mubai hurriedly stepped up to meet her and cupped her hands: "The princess should be sitting in her rightful place, how can she stand up to greet her ministers? It's a capital crime, a capital crime!"
Yang was originally very beautiful, but because of her heavy illness, she appeared to be deficient in energy and blood, and her face was pale, just like a delicate flower that had withered a bit and lost a lot of its luster. But the inherent nobility in her body lingers, making people involuntarily feel a sense of awe.
"General Qin's words are serious. The general and His Highness are sworn friends. They are brothers and do not treat each other with respect. In this way, the general is my uncle. It is legitimate and reasonable for me to greet you respectfully." Yang said. With a pale smile, he said weakly.
"Okay, Princess, you don't have to be like this. You are very sick, but it's better to sit still. If you have any instructions, just say so."
Qin Mubai finally let the maids help her sit down. Yang coughed a few times, indeed looking extremely weak. After she regained her breath, she smiled sadly and said: "I am ill, so I will keep my story short. All of you, please step aside!"
"Yes..." All the maids and maids retreated and closed the door.
"Your Highness, what do you want to say?" Qin Mubai asked, feeling equally curious.
Princess Wu Yang's family also bears the noble blood of the former Sui royal family, and is still related to Li Ke. This marriage was arranged by Li Ke's mother, the former Sui princess, and it was considered a match made in heaven. Qin Mubai also heard a lot about this respected princess. He only knew that she had always been gentle, elegant, knowledgeable and sensible. She was a typical lady from a famous family and was extremely respected. But I have never been in contact with him, or even met him officially.
"General Qin, please sit down too!" Ms. Yang waited for him to sit down and then said, "General Qin is no longer an outsider. If I have anything to say, I will speak directly. I know that I am seriously ill and will not have long life. I have a last wish. I want to I want to entrust it to General Qin. I wonder if General Qin is willing to help me with this?"
"What?" Qin Mubai couldn't help being surprised, "Your Highness, please don't say that. You are in the prime of your youth. Now you just have an illness. You can recover in a few days with some decoction. Isn't that right?" Can you say such unlucky words casually?"
"No. I know my condition well. Although the King of Wu and the doctors refused to tell me about my condition, and may not have disclosed it to the outside world, I know it in my heart." Yang smiled, her voice was thin, but she spoke more seriously. Youran said, "General Qin, don't you want to hear what my concubine's last wish is?"
Qin Mubai frowned and nodded, and said, "Of course I can help, but I don't think this is a last wish. If Your Highness the Princess has any objections, please tell me!"