Two days later.
Princess Gao Yang fell into a deep sleep on the couch, breathing deeply, stretching out one hand from the quilt, holding Qin Mubai's hand and refusing to relax. As soon as Qin Mubai moved a little, she held on tighter, and she was soon pleasantly surprised.
Looking at her gloomy face and thin outline, Qin Mubai felt a faint pain in his heart.
This girl hasn't slept for two days and two nights. After crying all her tears and her voice became hoarse, Qin Mubai was really worried that she would go crazy.
Li You's body has been packed up and the coffin is ready to be transported to Chang'an. Yin Hongzhi has been cremated and his ashes were put into a small jar.
At this time Qin Mubai had a feeling. No matter whether a person was a great traitor or a great benefactor during his lifetime, everything will turn into smoke after his death.
Previously, Qin Mubai had been extremely determined to kill Yin Hongzhi, fantasizing about various ways to kill him and how to calm Princess Gaoyang's psychological trauma afterwards. But now, when Yin Hongzhi died, Qin Mubai realized that he no longer hated him.
Yin Hongzhi has lived in hatred and shadow all his life, and as a result, his heart is twisted and perverted. What he has done is indeed intolerable to ordinary people.
But now Qin Mubai thinks about it... What if he were to witness his parents, wife and children being killed, and his sister being kidnapped by the enemy
Could he have done more than Yin Hongzhi? …
Just because of different positions and interests, there are conflicts and disputes between people. From Yin Hongzhi's point of view, he was burdened with a blood feud, how could he be allowed to write it off? From the perspective of others, he was mad and crazy. For his own personal vendetta, he deliberately took advantage of his own nephew, causing thousands of deaths.
Perhaps at the last moment, Yin Hongzhi discovered that his hatred had been avenged - because Li You had openly rebelled against his father and brought an earthquake-like disaster to the Tang Dynasty. Or maybe, his hatred lost to Princess Gaoyang's persistent and sincere family love, and his conscience repented, especially after witnessing Li You's death, he had no intention of loving the world, so he fell into the city and committed suicide...
Perhaps, everyone has a different answer to Yin Hongzhi's suicide. But what Qin Mubai wants to believe most is that at the last moment of his life, like Li You, he still retained his last dignity and conscience.
He didn't want to imagine and understand human nature as ugly, especially when he was with the angelic Ling'er.
Yes, Linger is an angel, Qin Mubai believes so firmly.
Yin Hongzhi's paranoia and madness, such hatred and sin, could not completely wipe out the holy place of kindness in Ling'er's heart. Even when the thought of killing Yin Hongzhi came to her mind to end everything, she still thought about Yin Hongzhi's kindness and love for her in the past.
Qin Mubai also understood why Ling'er completely fell out with Yin Hongzhi and had the idea of killing him and then being happy.
This decision that made her extremely painful and heart-wrenching was perhaps driven by herself.
Because Linger understands him and knows that since he is here, he has made up his mind and wants to take the initiative to take on everything.
The way to bear this responsibility is to kill Yin Hongzhi with your own hands and solve everything!
As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, Li You can shift most of the responsibility to him, and perhaps find a way out;
As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, especially at the hands of Qin Mubai, Qin Mubai and Li Ke can be cleared of suspicion;
As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, the Xiangcheng rebels will be defeated and the people of the city will be saved from military disaster...
All in all, Yin Hongzhi is the source of all evil. Solving him means solving everything!
But... if Qin Mubai really killed him, it would definitely leave a shadow in Princess Gaoyang's heart. After all, it was one of her closest relatives.
Obviously, Princess Gaoyang thought of this level.
That's why she made the decision that instead of letting Yin Hongzhi die in Qin Mubai's hands, she would rather do it herself!
She would rather hate herself and torture herself than leave a shadow between her and Qin Mubai!
…
An angel falls in love with a mortal, but she belongs in heaven. Unable to refuse the longing for home, and unwilling to leave and hurt mortals, the angel broke his wings and let himself bear the sorrow of missing and the physical pain...
Qin Mubai thought of this beautiful and sad fairy tale. At this moment, Ling'er is an angel, and he is that vulgar and snobbish mortal...
After sitting in the room for more than an hour, Princess Gaoyang finally fell into a deep sleep. She turned over and let go of her hand involuntarily.
Qin Mubai walked out quietly and found that Yin Yang had been standing outside waiting for him for a long time.
"What's the matter?"
"Li Ji sent someone to invite him, and the envoy has been waiting outside the hall for more than an hour. The general did not dare to let him come in and disturb him."
"knew."
When he came to the front hall to meet the envoy, Qin Mubai tidied up a little and then went to see Li Ji in the military camp outside the city.
Li You presented the city, Yin Hongzhi committed suicide, and the city was destroyed without attacking. Thousands of remaining rebels supported Princess Gaoyang as their leader and asked to surrender together.
Neither Qin Mubai nor Li Ji expected such an ending.
Victory without fighting is a battle of superiority in terms of the art of war.
But the "biggest" accident happened, that is, Li You committed suicide by taking poison!
This is probably what the emperor least wants to see.
Seeing Li Ji, the two of them had a tacit understanding and were thinking about this matter.
"The remaining bandits are being collected in the city to pacify the people and appease the officials. We will rest for three days before returning to the capital." A glint flashed in Li Ji's eyes and he said briefly, "You come with me."
"Yeah." Qin Mubai nodded.
Li Ji came forward, looked at him with calm eyes, and patted his shoulder: "Something unexpected happened. Your Majesty, you must think carefully about how to deal with it."
"I know." Qin Mubai nodded again.
"I also have a responsibility, and I will not shirk it. When the time comes, I will face the Holy Spirit with you." Li Ji said.
"No need." Qin Mubai said, "Everyone is responsible for the work. If I hadn't appeared rashly, King Qi might not have been so extreme. I will bear this responsibility."
Li Ji frowned: "I am the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. If I don't let you in, how can you show up at the gate of Xiangcheng? No need to say more. I, Li Ji, have never been in the habit of shirking responsibilities, let alone evading important matters and using light words. . Whatever the facts are, we will tell the Holy Face directly and leave it to His Majesty the Emperor to decide."
"Okay... Uncle Shi, thank you." Qin Mubai smiled.
"There's nothing to thank you for." Li Ji smiled slightly and said, "Actually, when I let you in, I should have expected such an ending. Now that things have happened, just face and accept them calmly. ! —Her Royal Highness Princess Gaoyang, how is the situation?"
"It's okay." Qin Mubai said, "I finally fell asleep just now."
"Hey... Fortunately, she is fine." Li Ji sighed leisurely, "Actually, Li You and Yin Hongzhi died like this, which is a complete end. The remaining people who are alive are really pitiable."
Qin Mubai fell silent for a moment. For the first time, he felt his own incompetence. Once upon a time, he had sworn in his heart that he would never let people like Ling'er and Mei Niang be hurt or traumatized. In Xiangzhou at that time, after it was revealed that Li You kidnapped him and intended to assassinate the prince, Qin Mubai tried his best, hoping to detain Li You and save him from death. After all, aren't you doing all this for Ling'er
But in the end... it's really not as good as God!
"You don't have to blame yourself. Everyone has his destiny, and this may be what King Qi is destined for." Li Ji seemed to have seen through Qin Mubai's thoughts and said, "A man stands between heaven and earth, but he wants to have a clear conscience in everything; Success or failure is not something you can control. Suffering some setbacks is not a bad thing.”
"Thank you, Uncle Shi, for your advice." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, feeling much brighter.
Li Ji nodded and smiled: "Mu Bai, be calm and let everything take its course. Don't worry too much. The current Holy Lord is a wise and understanding saint, and he will make clear decisions on everything."
"Yeah, I know." Qin Mubai nodded.
"Now, I will go back to Xiangyang to make arrangements first." Li Ji said, "Take your troops and horses back, organize them well, hand over the affairs, and prepare to go to Beijing with me in a few days to face the Holy Spirit. By the way, that Xue Rengui, Who is he?"
Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile: "Why, Uncle Shi is interested in him?"
"Haha!" Li Ji said with a smile, "I am afraid there are not many people in this world who can make Xue Wanche surrender in one fight. This Xue Rengui is one of the best generals in the world today. Now that I have met him, how can I Could you please ask a few more questions?”
Qin Mubai smiled and briefly told Li Ji about Xue Rengui's origin and identity.
"Oh, so you have such an ability to recognize people? It's a good thing to be a talent-based person. You must have added another strong general to our Tang Dynasty!" Li Ji patted Qin Mubai on the shoulder and laughed heartily. .
Qin Mubai also laughed, but his smile was a little treacherous: "I thought Uncle Shi was thinking of poaching!"
"Ahem!" Li Ji coughed dryly, "If he were yours, I wouldn't be polite. He belongs to King Wu..."
"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, "Aren't they all from the Tang Dynasty?"
"That's right." Li Ji said with a relieved smile, "Yesterday, King Wu and Chu Suiliang came to my camp together. Today, they went to Chang'an first. That Xue Rengui also went with him."
"Oh, King Wu has left?"
"Yes." Li Ji nodded and said meaningfully, "Mubai, no matter how deeply favored we are as ministers, we are still separated by a layer of separation. No matter how alienated the royal family is, they are still separated by one layer after all. Family, blood is thicker than water. Do you understand what I mean?”
"Yes, I understand." Qin Mubai nodded. He knew that Li Ji was just trying to persuade him that it would be better not to get too close to Li Ke. At this time, getting too close to any prince is a dangerous sign. For example, right now, even if Li You raised the flag to rebel, Li Shimin also sent troops to suppress the rebellion with great fanfare, but the first thing he thought of was to "capture" Li You alive. As for Yin Hongzhi and other people who "instigate and rebel", they will undoubtedly die.
To put it more clearly, even if the prince makes a mistake, he still has the royal bloodline as an immunity from death; on the contrary, the people around him are certain to die.
This is also the reason why the competition for heirs and heirlooms in the past dynasties has been so dangerous. If you stand in the wrong team at this time, it means your head will fall to the ground.
The current court hall is obviously the stage for Prince Li Chengqian and Wei King Li Tai to play. Although Li Chengqian was unworthy and immoral, he had the natural advantage of being the eldest son and was backed by the traditional "rules" of establishing a prince. As for Li Tai, he is outstanding in martial arts and far-reaching, and is more in line with Li Shimin's various standards and requirements for his successor. The current calls for him are getting louder and louder.
No matter who of the two wins in the end, it can be expected that they are unlikely to let Li Ke, whose "Yingguo" is similar to Li Shimin, be let go in the end.
From this point of view, it is indeed dangerous to stand in Li Ke's "squad".
Li Ji was a well-known "centrist" in the court. He did not favor any prince, but only obeyed the emperor's orders. As early as when Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng were competing for power, he did not favor anyone. Even when Li Shimin asked him to join the team, he refused. Similar to him, there is Li Jing.
Not only did this not affect their future, Li Shimin trusted their "integrity" and "loyalty" even more.
Qin Mubai seemed to smell some meaning in Li Ji's words, and it was appropriate to advise him to "remain neutral."
"Mu Bai, you are a smart man, so I won't say much more." Li Ji said with a smile, "It's rare for Duke Wei to accept you as his disciple and teach you the art of war. You should cherish the opportunity and use your intelligence and talents. It’s the right way to use it.”
These words are more straightforward.
Qin Mubai nodded understandingly: "Thank you, Uncle Shi, for your earnest teachings. After I return to Beijing, I will go to Duke Wei's house to ask for advice. I will concentrate on studying the art of war and not worry about trivial matters."
"Well, you can teach me." Li Ji nodded with a smile, "Also, the Guanlong area seems to be very lively recently. Your father may be a little busy in Lanzhou. Be careful when you go to Chang'an to see if you can find someone. If you get a chance, go and help your father."
"Oh, there's a war in Guanlong?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"Ha, military and state affairs are not allowed to be discussed unreasonably, but I didn't say anything." Li Ji said with a smile, "In short, you will understand everything after going to Chang'an."
"Hmm... Okay." Qin Mubai thought about it in his mind. Listening to what Li Ji said, it seemed that he wanted me to "self-invite" to be transferred out of Xiangzhou and go to the border to march and fight!
Could this be the intention that the emperor asked him to convey
After careful consideration, Qin Mubai thought it was very likely. After coming to Xiangzhou for a year, he got together with Li Ke and caused a lot of things. The emperor saw it in his eyes and thought about it in his heart - After this back and forth, is Qin Mubai his or Li Ke's
The emperor has his own way of thinking. Is it a good thing for a capable minister to be too close to his own prince, especially to a capable concubine
Back then, Emperor Gaozu Wude killed Liu Wenjing, wasn't it because he was Li Shimin's diehard loyalist? The underlying reason is certainly not Liu Wenjing's rebellion as rumored by the outside world. On the contrary, Liu Wenjing was somewhat arrogant by nature, and she did not like the emperor Li Yuan very much, but she was the only one who treated Li Shimin with all her heart. Liu Wenjing herself was a hero of Yuanmou when she followed Li Yuan to raise troops in Taiyuan. At that time, his ability and reputation were recognized as far superior to those of Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others.
"He has such a fate, let alone me, Qin Mubai?" Qin Mubai began to deeply reflect - after Li You's rebellion, Li Shimin will definitely increase the scrutiny and pressure on his sons. This can be seen from the fact that he immediately recruited Li Ke back to the capital. From now on, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to work with Li Ke in the same state and in the same territory as before.
Keeping distance and drawing clear positions and boundaries may be beneficial to both of you.
The court is so sinister and politics is so cold. Family ties can be cut off with one blow, let alone friendship
Qin Mubai sighed softly in his heart, nodded and said: "Uncle Shi, I understand. I know what to do after returning to the court."
"Well, I know that you have always been very understanding, so there is no need to say more." Li Ji said, "Just remember what I said. A man stands between heaven and earth, but he must have a clear conscience."
"Yes, I remember." Qin Mubai nodded.
The Li Ji in front of me is now in the official position of Yiding and controls half of the world's troops. He controls half of the country in Shandong and Hebei of the Tang Dynasty. It can be said that one person is less than ten thousand people. The so-called mediocrity means that he is not envied by others. Even in the court, many people accuse him of being an incompetent person who caters to the Sacred Heart and is good at being an outsider.
In fact, what is wrong with a gentleman seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune? In other words, is it wrong to be smart
Those who truly understand Li Ji know that he is no villain. In his heart, he has a sense of morality. As long as you have a clear conscience, you can't cheat and deceive, and you can't be a person without conscience.
Qin Mubai felt that after Li You's incident, he should learn to be smarter.
The reality is such that he and Li Ke cannot be allowed to pretend to be arrogant and deceive others, and become a pair of Taoist monks above the court. Since it is inevitable to avoid vulgarity, it is better to learn more from Li Ji and become smarter.
Keeping distance and clarifying one's position does not mean cutting off one's robe and turning against one another. It’s good to have your own universe in your heart. As Li Ji said, you have a clear conscience.