The atmosphere of the banquet was generally relaxed and casual, and with the presence of Princess Gaoyang, there was no shortage of jokes and fun. Originally, these local officials in Xiangzhou were a little scared and nervous about the arrival of the prince. But after a while, everyone relaxed. Even the most humble official present dared to laugh loudly and happily.
Because Li Chengqian is obviously not the kind of majestic and oppressive person.
But there were two people who kept their expressions very calm, and did not joke or laugh at all. They maintained their reserve and arrogance during the dinner.
They are Li Ke and Li Daozong.
In fact, the officials present were a little more afraid of Li Ke.
Although Li Ke is quite similar to Li Chengqian in his generous and easy-going attitude, he also has times when he is strict and iron-fisted. When he first came to Xiangzhou to vigorously rectify the state government yamen, all the gentry officials in Xiangzhou had suffered greatly from him. For example, in a formal occasion like this, Li Ke will never lose his reserve and majesty as a superior in front of many subordinates. Because in his view, this is not the scope of "having fun with the people", but a fall from dignity.
This subtle discrepancy and contrast allowed Qin Mubai to draw a conclusion: Li Chengqian was more than generous and kind but not powerful enough. Although he has not lost his intimacy, he lacks the "prestige" that a human king should have. As a king, you must be tolerant and harmonious like water and fire. This is the way to govern others.
We are not afraid of not knowing the goods, but we are afraid of comparing goods. Looking at Li Chengqian alone, at least on the surface, it may be difficult to find anything wrong with him. But put him and Li Ke together, make a little comparison, and judge the merits!
Qin Mubai shook his head secretly: Even I can see it, but can Li Shimin not see it? Can those discerning ministers in the court not see this? It is no wonder that rumors have been circulating in recent years that the emperor intends to abolish the throne. Li Chengqian seems to have such a "soft energy" in his bones. This is definitely not in the taste of Li Shimin, who built his country by force and was strong and majestic!
Qin Mubai slowly thought about these issues while eating food and drinking lightly. While he was lost in thought, Princess Gao Yang came to his couch and said with a smile: "Hey, General Qin, would you like to have a drink with me, Princess?"
Everyone was present, and Princess Gao Yang spoke so grandly. Qin Mubai glared at her angrily and funny, and had no choice but to stand up and raise a glass to greet her: "It is better to obey my order than to be respectful. Your Highness, please!"
"Please!" Princess Gao Yang smiled and covered her glass with her sleeve, and drank the full glass of wine in one gulp.
Qin Mubai was stunned for a moment - this was Qin Xian's imperial wine brought by the prince from Chang'an, it was strong wine!
"Cough, cough!" Princess Gaoyang coughed loudly, her face almost turned red, and she ran to the side and drank a bowl of tea.
Qin Mubai shook his head: What a stupid girl!
Unexpectedly, after a while, Princess Gao Yang came over again with a smile, still holding the cup: "General Qin, as the saying goes, good things come in pairs, let's have another drink together?"
"Uh, do you still want to drink?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but be startled, then looked at her cup suspiciously and rolled his eyes.
"What are you looking at, Qin Xian's imperial wine!" Princess Gao Yang said it loudly on purpose so that many people could hear her. She said seriously, "You are giving me a favor, and you won't drink it when I come to toast you?"
Qin Mubai's teeth were itching with hatred, and he wanted to laugh very much, so he could only shake his head: "Okay, my lord, drink. Your Highness, please!"
"Please!" Princess Gaoyang followed suit, drank another full glass, and jumped away again.
"Ah, Her Royal Highness the Princess is really huge, huge!" Many officials present immediately exclaimed in amazement, and of course there was no lack of flattery and flattery.
Qin Mubai drank half a glass of wine and sat down, his face flushed with alcohol. He knew very well that no matter who he was, it would be impossible for him to drink such two full glasses of Qin Xianjiu in a row. Among the people he has met, there are countless people like his father Qin Shubao, Li Shimin, and Cheng Zhijie. None of them can do it, and they dare not.
There is no doubt that the drink in Princess Gaoyang's glass was definitely not wine. Fortunately, she pretended to be choked and looked very similar.
"This guy is getting more and more naughty!" Qin Mubai couldn't help but glance to the side and saw Princess Gao Yang proudly gesturing to Wu Meiniang. The two girls looked at him together and snickered maliciously.
"If these two people work together to plan a prank, it will be really difficult for the gods to prevent them." Qin Mubai shook his head and smiled bitterly, "What a tragedy! How can we let them get together in Xiangzhou?"
The banquet broke up soon after. After all, the prince and others were a little tired after traveling a long distance, so they prepared to take a rest early. Qin Mubai, Li Ke and others then resigned.
Just a few steps out of the main hall, Li Chengqian followed him out again and called Qin Mubai: "General Qin, please wait a moment. I have something to say to you."
Qin Mubai was walking with Li Ke. The two looked at each other, and Qin Mubai promised: "Yes.
When he returned to Li Chengqian, he did not shy away from Li Ke, but said: "I drank two more drinks and almost forgot one thing. That is, my father asked me to pass on a message to you."
"What orders does your Majesty have?" Qin Mubai asked hurriedly.
"Actually, it's not an oral message from my father, but a message from a death row prisoner, entrusted to His Majesty." Li Chengqian smiled and said, "How about it, is it interesting?"
"Indeed..." Qin Mubai also thought that it must be Zhao Chong.
It is now the autumn of the Double Ninth Festival, and Zhao Chong must have been killed by the sword in Chang'an. But every year before the execution of the Queen of Autumn, the emperor Li Shimin would personally patrol the prisoners to see if any prisoners on death row complained of injustice. Zhao Chong was indeed very talented to be able to ask the emperor to send a message at that time...
"The death row prisoner is called Zhao Chong, and General Qin must be familiar with it." Li Chengqian said, "At that time, the emperor went to inspect the prisoners, but he did not cry out for injustice. He asked his father a ridiculous question, and then made a request. It was even more incredible. Fortunately, my father answered his question and agreed to his request."
"What question? What request?" Qin Mubai asked.
"That question is about Emperor Yang's Mausoleum. My father didn't tell me the details. Anyway, my father told Zhao Chong that you cracked the secret of the blueprint and recovered the jade seal that had been missing for decades. You also told him Li Chengqian said, "Later, Zhao Chong's request was that his grandfather's bones be dug out and made into a bone doll to be placed in the palace hall there. He also entrusted it to my father. , let the father convey Zhao Chong’s gratitude to you. He also said that if there is a future life, he will be your friend at all costs. "
Qin Mubai shook his head and smiled: "Since His Majesty has agreed, it seems that I have no choice but to comply."
Li Chengqian nodded and smiled, and said approvingly: "When a person is about to die, his words are also good. General Qin, the fact that you can get the respect and gratitude of a dying person proves that you are indeed extraordinary."
"Thank you for your compliments, Your Highness. Your Highness has been tired from traveling all the way, so please take a rest early! I won't disturb you and I'll take my leave." Qin Mubai excused himself.
"Okay, General Qin, let's go." Li Chengqian glanced at the backs of Li Daozong and Li Ke who were slowly moving forward not far away, and said softly, "If you have time, how about coming to Gu's place to play chess and have tea? ?”
"The prince has summoned me. Do you dare to come? Prince, please come back. I have to leave." Qin Mubai bowed and left.
Li Chengqian nodded with a smile and watched Qin Mubai walk a long way away with his hands clasped behind his back before returning to the concierge.
Qin Mubai quickly caught up with Li Daozong and Li Ke and said with a smile: "It's a strange thing, do you two want to hear it?"
"The prince whispered to you, don't rush to confess to us, right?" Li Daozong deliberately joked.
"Haha, how secret can it be if you say it while standing on the steps? Mu Bai, tell me!" Li Ke said with a smile.
Qin Mubai then repeated the emperor's meaning that the prince had just relayed.
Li Daozong and Li Ke couldn't help but find it interesting, and joked: "Your Majesty is really in love with the house. Just because of a jade seal, he fulfilled the prisoner's last wish and asked the prince to run errands to deliver the message."
Qin Mubai shook his head and sighed: "It's just a pity that we have to have the next life to be friends with Zhao Chong."
Li Daozong couldn't help but smile, turned his chin to Qin Mubai and said to Li Ke, "Just be content!"
Li Ke also laughed and said: "Yes, uncle Huang, I am very satisfied. Because Qin Mubai, this friend, is obviously much stronger than Zhao Chong!"
"I can't beat you, so you must join forces to ridicule me." Qin Mubai shook his head and smiled.
"Ha, we are already very benevolent and easy to deal with, right?" Li Daozong smiled slyly, pointing at the gate of the prince's residence, and said, "In a moment, the two ruthless characters over there will be the real big trouble. Obviously, they are still "united", let's see how you deal with it! - Haha, Ke'er, let's go! No matter how good a friend is, he can't help but let's see how this guy ends up!"
After that, Li Daozong and Li Ke laughed and walked away with ill intentions.
These two people were bluffing and really made Qin Mubai's scalp numb. Qin Mubai felt a little nervous when he thought of meeting Wu Meiniang and Princess Gaoyang, the "double evil spirit", when he walked out of this business.
Being alone with them one on one, there are always endless tender and affectionate whispers, how pleasant it is.
But women are born to be jealous. As long as there are more than two women together, it is impossible for them to avoid "same-sex repulsion". The result of this mutual repulsion is either a fierce PK between them, or an undercurrent of secret fighting. But there is another "special situation", that is, they have taken this "mutual repulsion" to a new level and reached an incredible "strategic alliance" in the name of sharing the same fate. Not only do they no longer hate each other, but He will turn his love into grief and anger, and in turn "deal with" that man with the same hatred and hatred.
In short, they are jealous and have reached the "transformation state", their ideological level is also different, and they have developed new tricks!
Qin Mubai, who once claimed to be a master in love, always thought that this kind of "transformation" would only appear in legends. Unexpectedly, I saw it alive now.
Wu Meiniang and Princess Gaoyang, one is extremely smart and the other is quirky. I'm afraid there is no one in the world who is more suitable to interpret such things as "legends" than them.
"What should I do? Originally, either of them was not easy to deal with. Now they are mixed together and have a chemical reaction, and their IQ and power have increased exponentially. How can an ordinary person like me be able to fight with them? To compete?" Qin Mubai thought to himself in distress, but he scratched his head in amusement.
"Qin Mubai, what are you doing there slowly and slowly, walking with your toes touching your heels? Are you measuring the size of the courtyard where the prince's residence is?"
At the door, Princess Gao Yang shouted.
Qin Mubai looked up and saw that the little girl had her arms crossed in front of her chest in a lively manner, staring at him provocatively! Next to her, Wu Meiniang stood with the same evil smile.
"Now I understand why the law in the 21st century allows men to join the army at the age of 18, but they must not get married until they are 22. It turns out that dealing with a wife is much more difficult than dealing with groups of enemies!" Qin Mubai shook his head and walked over with a sigh. , muttered, "What's more, there are still two wives!"
"Hey, what are you muttering about? This is too much!" Princess Gaoyang said angrily, "You know that the two of us are waiting for you outside, but you still linger for a long time without coming out. You are more shy than a big girl getting into a sedan chair!"
Wu Meiniang didn't say anything, and looked at Qin Mubai's smile with amusement.
Qin Mubai is not stupid. He knew that if he dared to sneer and quarrel with Princess Gaoyang at this time, he would be lighting a lantern in a manhole and seeking death. Now, they were eager for him to fight with them. As soon as he made a move, they would be greeted by the violent wind and rain that had been prepared for a long time.
"Don't get on this pirate ship, otherwise you will die miserably." Qin Mubai said to himself. Therefore, he was not angry at all, but said with a smile: "Your Highness the Princess condescends to wait here for me, what are you doing?"
Princess Gao Yang was waiting for Qin Mubai to fight back, and then started arguing with him happily. Unexpectedly, she punched the cotton, which made it hard for her to get angry, so she said angrily: "Waiting for you...here. Let’s arrange for fear and garrison!”
"Residence and garrison?" Qin Mubai blinked a few times and said, "Shouldn't Her Royal Highness live in Jiangxia Wangxingyuan?"
"I don't want to live with that little old man. It's boring. I want to live with Mei Niang." Princess Gaoyang said, "Stop blabbering and go make arrangements for us!"
"But..." Qin Mubai scratched his head in embarrassment, "The King of Jiangxia has warned you not to stay out at night. He said this is an imperial edict."
"I don't care, don't pressure me with imperial edicts. Even if the father is here, you have to obey me, hum!" Princess Gaoyang said arrogantly and coquettishly, "Hurry, hurry! Arrange a place for us A comfortable residence. It must have a large courtyard, flower gardens, rockeries, and running water. Oh, it must have a bamboo-wood building on the stream like the one in Jingxiang. It must be clean and secluded, so that the cooks, servants, maids, and maids do not need to be hired from outside. Well, no one from me and Mei Niang’s entourage can be left behind. All the escorts must be Bai Qi. Okay, this is just a small request, you can do it immediately!”
Wu Meiniang laughed out loud when she heard this.
"It's just...such a small request?" Qin Mubai grinned and blinked in distress, "Your Highness, I would like to ask, what will happen if I refuse to carry out this order?"
"Then!" Princess Gao Yang was indeed prepared. She pulled Wu Meiniang's elbow, and the two said in unison -
"Let's divorce you together!"