A few days later, several decorated official ships arrived at Xiangzhou port. From this moment on, Xiangzhou became very lively and became the focus of attention in the Tang Dynasty.
The people on the official ship were not ordinary people. They were the prime minister of the dynasty and a real big shot—Xiao Yu!
When Qin Mubai first got the news that the emperor had sent Xiao Yu to Xiangzhou, he roughly guessed why he came.
Speaking of this, Xiao Yu has a close relationship with Yang Guang, who is lying in the mausoleum. Yang Guang's queen, Queen Xiao, is Xiao Yu's biological sister. In the former Sui Dynasty, Xiao Yu was already a doctor of Yinqing Guanglu at a young age and became the youngest member of Yang Guang's think tank.
Xiao Yu's grandfather was Xiao Qi, Emperor Xuan of the Later Liang Dynasty, and his great-grandfather was Xiao Tong, Prince Zhaoming. The Xiao family has always been a prominent family in Jiangzuo. In the early Tang Dynasty, Xiao Mian, who ruled Jiangdong in his own country, was still Xiao Yu's son and nephew in terms of seniority.
Xiao Yu has always been quite controversial.
Since childhood, he has been famous for his filial piety and is good at learning and calligraphy. He is upright and has a deep understanding of Buddhism. He is not greedy for money or lustful, and dares to go against the dragon scale. Whether he served Yang Guang in the former Sui Dynasty, or was later relied upon as a confidant by Tang Gaozu Li Yuan, and whether he looked up to or followed Li Shimin as prime minister, he never changed a bit.
Furthermore, perhaps because he came from a famous family, he also had some common problems among old officials - arrogance and looking down on people with lower status than him. Wu De was good at that time, and the great ancestor Li Yuan relied on him as a confidant, granting him authority and entrusting him with important tasks. After Li Shimin ascended the throne, he had his own team, such as Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Wei Zheng and others. Xiao Yu was jealous of their favor and important position, and he looked down on their family background. Moreover, he is a "perfectionist" who can't tolerate any sand in his eyes, but if he doesn't like it at all, he will reprimand him mercilessly on the spot, no matter when, where or who the other person is.
For this reason, Li Shimin once praised him, "This person cannot be lured with generous benefits, and cannot be feared by punishment. He is a true minister of the country." But precisely because of his aloof character and stubborn temper, Xiao Yu was demoted several times in his official career, but was promoted several times, like a "roly-poly".
Now, although Xiao Yu is officially worshiped as the prime minister of the "Prince Taibao" and "Tong Zhongshu's Third Rank", it is difficult for him to truly join the team of prime ministers with Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others as the core to participate in major decisions. But no matter what, the influence of the famous Xiao family in Jiangzuo is still there, and Xiao Yu's net worth has not dropped much. From this point of view, Li Shimin sent him to Xiangzhou for the purpose of Yang Guang's mausoleum, and he seemed to attach great importance to it.
Qin Mubai led the officials and generals of Xiangzhou to the dock to greet him. Several huge warships were loaded with cargo, and they were covered tightly with curtains. It was unknown what they were. Along with them, there were more than a thousand Jinwu guardsmen, and their momentum was not small.
The middle ship docked and the planks were put up. The guards on both sides lined up in formation. Xiao Yu raised his hands on the bow deck to straighten his clothes and walked out of the ship with his head held high.
"The Xiangzhou Military Mansion rushed to the captain Qin Mubai and led all the officials and generals in the state to greet Mr. Xiaoge." Qin Mubai stood at the head of the officials and said with cupped hands.
All the officials agreed together: "Welcome Mr. Xiao Ge!"
Xiao Yu raised his chin and looked around at everyone. He nodded to Qin Mubai expressionlessly and said, "Why does General Qin bother so many people? I am here to do an errand, not to do anything." Have fun. If you can avoid it, please do it!”
"Old Suwen Pavilion is honest and upright. It's true." Qin Mubai didn't care. It's normal for an "old revolutionary" like Xiao Yu to be a little arrogant and aloof. What's more, he has always had such a temper, and he is lukewarm when talking to the emperor. Don't expect him to be polite and submissive to anyone.
Xiao Yu neither talked nonsense nor was polite, and pointed forward: "Please help General Qin lead the way, let's go to the Governor's Mansion to talk!"
"That's fine." Qin Mubai nodded in agreement, and sent Xue Rengui to lead the palace's soldiers to clear the way. Pang Fei led the army's elite cavalry team to guard the Chinese army, and a group of more than a thousand people headed for the governor's mansion.
Xiao Yu did not sit in the sedan, but rode a horse himself, remaining silent all the way.
Pang Fei came close to Qin Mubai and cursed in a low voice: "This old man is so arrogant! He is just a has-been prime minister. He has been demoted several times and has not lost his pride. I don't know what he is here for. of."
Qin Mubai smiled and said: "Everyone has his or her own nature. What can he do if he is born with such a character? It's not like this when he is with us. He is still like this when he faces the three princes and ministers in the court. . His arrogance is deep in his bones. The Xiao family in Jiangzuo has been a prominent family for hundreds of years. Perhaps he actually looks down on the Li family’s royal family who came from the Guanlong Bazhu Kingdom!"
"Haha, this old guy is quite interesting." Pang Fei said with a smile, "If I love him, I will only stick to the word 'family status' for the rest of my life."
"No." Qin Mubai raised his eyebrows and smiled, "But having said that, he is actually a good person, strong, upright, filial, incorruptible, and highly knowledgeable. Although his mouth and temper are bad. A little bit, but he is still better than those villains who talk sweetly and have ulterior motives. "
"That's true!"
The large group passed through Xiangyang County and stopped at the governor's mansion. Xiao Yu was not polite and sat down to drink tea. After resting for a long time, he seemed to remember that Qin Mubai and a large number of officials and generals were sitting next to him, waiting for him to speak.
"Oh, I'm tired of traveling and traveling, and I'm a little dizzy and unwell. I'll skip the customary rituals like catching the wind and washing the dust if possible. Colleagues, please leave and go back to rest on your own!" Xiao Yu waved his hand and said.
"Yes..." Naturally, everyone couldn't say more and had to disperse.
Qin Mubai naturally stayed. Xiao Yu's move was just to get rid of everyone and talk to him alone.
After everyone dispersed, Xiao Yu slowly sipped a cup of tea, without looking at Qin Mubai, and hummed politely: "General Qin, you have made great achievements this time!"
"I wonder what Mr. Xiao Ge means by this?" Qin Mubai asked.
Xiao Yu gently put the tea cup on the table, stroked his long gray beard a few times, raised his chin slightly with a half-smile, and said with some pride: "Returning the seal to the emperor, such a contribution is natural Not small."
Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said casually: "So, the jade seal is real?"
"If it has been authenticated by this pavilion with my own eyes, it cannot be fake." Xiao Yu chuckled and said, "Previously, the jade seal in your majesty's hand looked extremely fake. When it returned from Mobei, I had doubts. It was fake. I also told His Majesty the Emperor, but he didn't believe it. He took the fake jade seal as a real treasure and kept it on the royal table for several years. Fortunately, he now has the real jade seal. It finally appeared, and His Majesty the Emperor finally believed in the old minister’s vision.”
Qin Mubai held back his laughter and said seriously: "Old Xiao Ge has served three emperors for two dynasties, and his eyesight and knowledge are certainly incomparable."
"That's natural." Xiao Yu smiled quite contentedly, and then said, "In the early years, Yang Guang kept the jade seal for me many times. No one is more familiar with that thing than me. A few days ago, His Majesty the Emperor asked his eldest grandson Wu to Ji, Fang Xuanling, Yu Shinan and many others couldn't tell whether it was genuine or not. I didn't know who made the fake jade seal until I was familiar with it. It’s so familiar that I’m afraid I can’t tell the truth from the lie.”
"So, Mr. Xiao Ge is really one of His Majesty's blessed generals!" Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"When it comes to blessed generals, King Wu and General Qin are the truly blessed generals." Xiao Yu looked sideways at Qin Mubai, with a bit of jealousy in his eyes, and said sourly, "By accident, unexpectedly, You have found the real mausoleum of Emperor Yang, and also recovered the jade seal that has been missing for decades!
"Yeah, luck is really hard to say." Qin Mubai was about to be amused by this "sour old man", so he reluctantly held back and said, "Old Xiao Ge, I would like to ask you a question because of your humble position. Come on, what's going on?"
"Oh?" Xiao Yu was stunned for a moment, "Didn't His Majesty send someone to deliver the message before and explain the reason for my trip?"
Qin Mubai shook his head blankly.
"Ahem!" Xiao Yu coughed awkwardly, "Then why did you go to the dock to greet me?"
"In my humble position, I only knew that Mr. Xiao Ge was coming according to the order, so he went to greet him. But he didn't know what happened." Qin Mubai simply told the truth.
Xiao Yu's face suddenly turned red, and he coughed again and said: "Then you... go and call back those officials and generals just now. I will announce the purpose of this trip in public."
"Mr. Xiao Ge, everyone has dispersed... Why don't you call me back again?" Qin Mubai whispered, "Why don't you tell me directly and let me convey it to my subordinates? This will save trouble and effort?"
"No! I am here on an errand under orders, and can I hide my head and tail?" Xiao Yu said seriously, "Go quickly and call those people!"
"Okay..." Qin Mubai smiled bitterly and thought to himself, this sour old man relied on himself and thought that the emperor had announced the decree to greet him in advance, but he didn't expect that he was being sentimental. The people in Manxiangzhou only knew that he was coming, but they didn’t know what he was here for!
Qin Mubai had no choice but to immediately send someone to call back the officials and generals who had dispersed. Everyone couldn't laugh or cry, but they couldn't help Xiao Yu's face, so they had to rush back and stood in two rows in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion, holding their hands together as if listening.
Only then did Xiao Yu feel that he had regained a little face, and he announced his intention of coming seriously.
As Qin Mubai expected, Xiao Yu was ordered by the emperor to bring a number of skilled craftsmen and civil engineering materials and made a special trip to Xiangzhou in advance to prepare for the future "Grand Sacrifice Ceremony of Emperor Yang's Mausoleum". Xiao Yu also read out a handwritten edict from Li Shimin in public, saying that His Majesty had ordered all officials in Xiangzhou to obey Xiao Yu's instructions and assist him in organizing the ceremony.
The time for the ceremony is chosen three months later during the Double Ninth Festival. Time is still somewhat pressing.
"The situation is roughly like this. If there are any specific arrangements, I will inform General Qin and then he will assign them. At that time, I will bother you all, and you must be careful to handle the errands without making any mistakes." Xiao Yu said seriously. road.
"In this humble position, I must obey your orders!" Everyone agreed loudly.
"Okay, let's leave now!"
Xiao Yu waved his hand again, and everyone dispersed again.
After everyone left, Qin Mubai asked carefully: "Mr. Xiao Ge, have you finished all your instructions? But are there any other confidential matters that you should give instructions to those in this humble position?"
Xiao Yunlun thought carefully with his eyes. After thinking for a long time, he shook his head: "It seems to be gone. Before leaving, His Majesty once said that if you have anything you don't understand when you arrive in Xiangzhou, just ask Qin Mubai. If there is anything, I will leave the undecided matters to Qin Mubai. It shows that Your Majesty has great respect and trust in you. From now on, if I have any matters or requests, I will leave them to you."
"Yeah, okay." Qin Mubai nodded, laughing in his heart, and said to himself: Who doesn't know that you are just here for a formality, just a "representative", who really expects you to do anything
"By the way, there is one more thing." Xiao Yu said, "You must build two palaces before the ceremony."
"Xingyuan Mansion? Two more?" Qin Mubai couldn't help frowning, "Does His Majesty the Emperor want to come in person?"
"How can your majesty come to worship the last emperor of the previous dynasty? You are so unscrupulous!" Xiao Yu scolded him in front of the audience.
"Okay, I was wrong. Don't be angry, Mr. Xiao Ge." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "So, then we need to build a palace for the prince to leave the palace, right?"
"You are smart." Xiao Yu snorted coldly and said, "His Majesty attaches great importance to the sacrifices in Emperor Yang's Mausoleum, so he sent three members of the royal family to preside over it. One of them is the prince; the second, of course, is Wu, the governor of Xiangzhou. Wang Li Ke; the third one is Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia. The king of Wu has a palace to live here. I have never been particular about staying in the palace. However, is it possible that you want the prince and the king of Jiangxia to live under the same roof with me? ? So, start building the palace as soon as possible!"
"Okay, I understand." Qin Mubai scratched his head, smiled helplessly, and said, "I just don't know when King Wu will come back? After all, it is his responsibility to oversee the affairs of the state."
"That pavilion is unknown. If you want to know, write a letter on Pegasus to Chang'an to ask His Majesty and the King of Wu." After Xiao Yu said this, he stood up, cut his sleeves behind his back, and said, "I am I'm tired. Let's go to the hotel to rest. I won't bother General Qin to see you off. You can go and deal with these matters quickly!"
Qin Mubai looked at Xiao Yu's back, shook his head in confusion, and said to himself: What a proud old stone. No wonder the three emperors Yang Guang, Li Yuan, and Li Shimin all loved and hated him, used him and despised him.
Having said that, the emperor wanted to go to war to sacrifice Yang Guang in Xiangzhou. Firstly, of course, he wanted to show his imperial ambition and win over people's hearts. Secondly, the main purpose was to announce to the world and let everyone know that "the real jade seal has returned." ", Li Shimin is the real dragon emperor who is truly ordered by heaven.
All in all, Li Ke and I have really made meritorious deeds!