The Water and Land Dojo of Famen Temple has been in operation for more than half a month. Thousands of monks chanted Buddhist incense and chanted sutras day and night, and the sky above the Dharma gate was filled with a layer of smoke. It was really like the artistic conception of an immortal Buddha. There were several cartloads of burned incense candles alone.
After all, Li You was once a prince, and now he has been plated with gold and put on the glorious coat of a Buddhist holy land, as if his evil past should be forgotten. As a result, most of the ministers from the imperial court came to burn incense and worship. The pagoda that houses Li You's golden body also has another name, and is called "Qi Wang Pagoda". Echoing the Tufu Pagoda where Sakyamuni Buddha is housed, it has become a scene in Famen Temple.
I wonder if Li You would find it ironic since he has a soul in heaven. Anyway, Qin Mubai felt that if he were Li You, he might as well set himself on fire and leave no body behind. As the saying goes, one can die to thank the world, but even if he died, he would not be able to pay for his sins, and his body would still not be in peace.
In recent days, Li Shimin, along with Li Ji, Minister of War, has been busy mobilizing troops and punishing generals, preparing to send troops to Lanzhou to garrison and strengthen the military strength there. At present, the Tibetans are mainly attacking the Songzhou area in the southern Shu region. The Lanzhou area has always been strong in military strength and guarded by generals like Qin Shubao. The Tubos have not made many incursions. At most, they have sporadic harassment and occasional plunder.
Anyone with a discerning eye can see that the emperor took this opportunity to send troops to station in Lanzhou. In fact, he was fishing for big fish in a long-term way, focusing on a clever move to dominate the Western Regions.
When Li Shimin first ascended the throne, Jie Li of the northern Turkic Khanate took advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, which was not yet stable, and went south to kill Li Shimin. He was caught off guard, and his troops reached the city of Chang'an. How could Li Shimin endure this evil spirit? After several years of enduring humiliation and hard work, he finally wiped out the Turks in one fell swoop and captured Jieli alive. Later, Tuyuhun was pacified and Tubo and Longyou Hetao were pacified. In foreign wars, Zhenguan Tang Dynasty has never been afraid of making concessions, and Li Shimin was respected as the Khan of Heaven by the barbarians.
However, after pacifying the northern grasslands on their own, the national policy of recuperating and nourishing the people and nurturing the country became dominant. From that time on, a group of capable ministers in internal governance began to emerge and gradually gained real power. People such as Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, etc. are all people with strong Confucianism and benevolence. They have always advocated governing the country with kings and benevolence, and fighting as few wars as possible. Moreover, recuperating and recuperating is also the wish of the current people and officials. As a result, Zhenguan and Tang Dynasty hid soldiers and built schools, and wars became rare.
But Li Shimin was an ambitious man. Such a monarch is naturally aggressive! Taking down the Turks is revenge; pacifying Tuyuhun is not satisfying at all; he must dominate the Western Regions and subjugate Tibet in order to comfort his ambitions!
However, there were many people in the court who were tired of talking about war, and Li Shimin had to take their emotions into consideration. As a result, he slowly laid out a plan to dominate the Western Regions without revealing anything. The first move is to expand the Lanzhou Governor's Mansion!
Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling and others are not stupid, so naturally they can see it. But they had nothing to say to the emperor’s arrangement! - When Tubo invaded, it was natural for Lanzhou to increase its troops for defense!
At the same time, these well-informed people also smelled something strange: the emperor had a plan to dominate the Western Regions, and he did not use people like Li Ji, Hou Junji, and Li Daliang, nor did he move Li Jing or use him. Su Dingfang, his proud disciple, instead used a junior who was still young and had few military exploits - Qin Mubai!
What is this signal? ! Could it be said that this kid is going to be prosperous and the emperor wants to promote him
Qin Mubai also felt a little strange in and out of the imperial city these past few days. The ministers and ministers looked at him in a strange way. After thinking about it in his mind, he understood what was going on, and thought calmly: Whatever they think, it's none of my business! I just need to take care of my own affairs.
The dojo at Famen Temple was finally over, and Qin Mubai returned to the palace to deliver orders to the emperor. Li Shimin met him at Wude Hall, and after talking about official matters, he asked him to follow the emperor to Penglai Hall.
Li Shimin said: "Mubai, you haven't forgotten Zhinu and Sizi, right?"
"Of course not." Qin Mubai replied with a smile, "Your Highnesses, how are you doing now?"
"Okay." Li Shimin also smiled and said, "I am going to go back to accompany them today. If you happen to be here, let's go together!"
"Wei Chen is asking for more!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "To be honest, Wei Chen really misses the two young highnesses!"
"They talk about you all day long, haha!" Li Shimin laughed.
When they arrived at the bedroom of Penglai Hall, they heard that Li Zhi and Li Mingda were reading together, and they were still reading chapters from the "Book of Rites".
Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile and said: "Your Highnesses are really good. They have read the "Book of Rites" at a young age. As far as I know, the "Book of Rites" is a great scripture. Before that, they had already studied the Classic of Filial Piety, The Book of Songs, Gongyang Zhuan, this is about to pass the Four Classics!”
Imperial examinations were implemented in the Tang Dynasty, and the official textbooks were divided into three categories: the Da Jing, the Zhong Jing, and the Xiao Jing. The "Book of Rites" and "Zuo Zhuan" were combined into the Da Jing. There are levels of study including mastering the two classics, mastering the three classics, and mastering the five classics. Naturally, the more knowledge you have, the more talented you will be.
Li Shimin also nodded and smiled happily: "Yu Shinan is really a good teacher. Moreover, Zhinu and Sizi are also diligent in their studies. Speaking of which, they are more influenced by you. I think at the beginning, Zhinu didn't like reading the most. , he feels sleepy when he opens a book. If you hadn't developed a good habit of reading with him every day, he would have become uneducated. "
"Haha, Your Majesty is joking. In fact, His Royal Highness King Jin is very smart, but he is just a little playful. Princess Jinyang is rare smart and can be called a genius!" Qin Mubai said.
"Yes, that's right." Li Shimin nodded, "It's a pity that my son is a girl, otherwise he will be an extraordinary person in the future."
Qin Mubai smiled slightly: "Your Majesty, women may not be able to be extraordinary. For example, Queen Changsun is a mother who will be famous throughout the world."
"Yes..." This sentence brought back endless memories in Li Shimin. He nodded and said thoughtfully, "Of all my children, Ke'er is the most like me, and Sizi is the most like the queen... Well, let's go in. !”
The speaker has no intention, but the listener has intention. Qin Mubai thought to himself: Listening to Li Shimin's tone, is he sighing that Si Zi is not a man? She is both a direct descendant and smart and virtuous. If she were born as a boy, she would be the perfect successor!
After all, Li Shimin is still worried about his successor!
The two walked in front and back, and Li Zhi and Li Mingda shouted excitedly: "Father - wow! Village chief!"
"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, and saw Li Zhi at a glance, but he was completely different!
After not seeing him for a year, he had grown a lot taller and seemed like a completely different person. His voice has also changed a bit, he looks like a grown-up boy now!
It seems that the ancients did mature a little earlier. This kid started to grow rapidly when he was only eleven or twelve years old!
"Prince Jin, Your Highness the Princess, are you okay?" Qin Mubai asked with a smile when he saw Li.
"Okay! Village chief, you haven't come to see us for almost a year!" Li Zhi's voice became a lot thicker and less childish. He sounded a bit like a duck, which was really unpleasant. But the excitement is beyond words, and the honesty and simplicity are also the same as before.
On the other hand, Sizi is still the same as before. The tiger-headed tiger has a white head and is very cute, with a sweet smile. It is also fatter than before, and looks like a doll.
"Look how happy you are." Li Shimin chuckled and said, "Zhinu, Sizi, how are you studying? Can you recite a paragraph to your village chief?"
"OK!"
The two of them started to memorize the Eight Classics correctly. What they memorized was a passage from the "Book of Rites", and the two of them memorized it quite smoothly. Qin Mubai laughed after hearing this: "I won't recite this wrongly. It’s too clear that I can’t memorize this book anyway. Your two highnesses are much more diligent and knowledgeable than me!”
"Mu Bai, if you say this, you will teach them bad things, and they will be proud!" Li Shimin chuckled, his love was beyond words. He called the two little princes to his side, hugged them and said, "The New Year has passed in a blink of an eye, childish You are only twelve years old and it is time to set up a government office. I have promised you a long time ago that you will be the Prince of Jin. Do you have any objection?"
"How dare you, a humble minister?" Qin Mubai cupped his hands and said, "I'm afraid that a humble minister has little talent and little knowledge, and is absent from the capital all the year round, which will not be of benefit to His Highness the King of Jin."
"It doesn't matter." Li Zhi rushed to speak, "The village chief just needs to agree. Anyway, I only want the village chief to be the king of Jin. If it were someone else, I wouldn't be happy!"
"Yes!" Si Zi seemed to be on the same side as his brother, and said with a smile, "Village chief, you just agreed, right? Even if you are an official in another place, you will always come back to Beijing, right? After you return to Beijing , you go to Brother Jiu’s house, and I’ll go too, and we can listen to the village chief’s stories again!”
"Haha!" Li Shimin was amused, "Sizi, Jin Wangfu is not just a storyteller, he is your ninth brother's teacher, you know? You have to learn from him. If you don't understand anything, just ask. Let him protect you if you are in danger, understand?"
"Yes!" Li Zhi nodded seriously, "Isn't the village chief always protecting us? With him here, my sister and I can sleep more peacefully."
"Haha, did you hear everything?" Li Shimin said with a smile, "In a short time, you will be their brother-in-law, and we will be a family. I feel more at ease."
Qin Mubai said with a smile: "In this case, Wei Chen agreed."
"Okay. When Zhinu opens the palace, you will be Jin Wangfu." Li Shimin said with a smile, "Mu Bai, a son-in-law is better than a son-in-law, so I treat you as my son. To Zhinu and Sizi, I I have always regarded it as my darling, and I will leave it all to you when the time comes.”
"Your Majesty, don't worry." Qin Mubai nodded with a smile.
"Okay, let's have a meal together!" Li Shimin laughed heartily in a good mood, "Zhinu, Sizi, after dinner, take out your pipa and play a song. Let your teacher also test it. How do you practice? How's it going?"
"Okay!" Li Zhi and Li Mingda were happy, and happily pulled Qin Mubai and ran to the restaurant.
Li Shimin looked at them, nodded and smiled, and said to himself: "This is really fate!"
After having dinner at Penglai Hall and listening to Li Zhi and Li Mingda play the pipa, it was very late and it was getting dark. Qin Mubai bid farewell to the emperor and others, and left here to go home.
Just when he walked to Xiama Bridge, he saw someone sitting on the edge of the bridge holding a lantern, as if waiting for him.
It's none other than Princess Gaoyang.
"Ling'er, why are you here?" Qin Mubai came over and asked with concern, "It's getting dark and cold, so don't freeze."
"I've been waiting for you for a long time!" Princess Gao Yang smiled gently and handed the lantern to Qin Mubai, "Here you go, my hands are red from the cold."
"You are alone, and you don't want a palace maid to accompany you." Qin Mubai took the lantern, held his hand in his hand and breathed heat, and said, "Waiting for me specially, is there anything you want?"
"Can't I wait for you if I have nothing to do?" Princess Gaoyang smiled playfully and said, "I heard from my maid that you came to the harem with your father and went to the Penglai Hall. I am waiting for you here. I want to tell you. Talk!"
Qin Mubai smiled: "You have chosen such a good place. I seem to remember that someone once bravely jumped into the river here - aren't you afraid?"
"I hate it!" Princess Gao Yang blushed and glared at Qin Mubai in embarrassment.
"Tell me, what's the matter?" Qin Mubai laughed for a while and asked. He knew that Princess Gaoyang would not wait here in the middle of the night unless something happened.
"Well, I heard that you are leaving the capital and going to Lanzhou, right?" Princess Gaoyang asked.
"You are quite well-informed. The court has not yet issued any formal notice!" Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, "Yes, that is what His Majesty ordered."
Princess Gao Yang frowned: "We are getting engaged, how can my father let you leave at this time?"
"State affairs are the most important thing!" Qin Mubai chuckled, "Don't worry, I can't run away. Aren't you holding me in your palm?"
"Don't be ashamed!" Princess Gao Yang rolled her eyes at him in a funny and angry way, and said, "I've only been back to Beijing for a few days, and I'm leaving again? Anyway, I feel uncomfortable. I want to go to Lanzhou with you!"
Qin Mubai frowned: "Actually, I want to take you with me. But Lanzhou is not Xiangzhou. It's a border crossing. There are wars at any time. It's not fun at all and it's dangerous."
"I don't care! Anyway, I have sworn an oath. From now on, I will be wherever you are!" Princess Gaoyang was stubborn.
Qin Mubai looked at her in embarrassment, smiled bitterly, and said softly: "Ling'er, don't be so willful! This time it's not a matter of His Majesty's consent, it's that I am not willing to take you there. As for us, Once we are engaged, we are husband and wife, and His Majesty the Emperor will not care about you. But I am also a stranger in Lanzhou. It is okay that we are in the Taiping Realm. If we fight every day, I am afraid that I will not have time to take care of you. !”
"I hate it! Am I that much of a burden?" Princess Gao Yang said bitterly with a frown on her face, "If you don't go, I won't go! I don't care about it anymore! Humph!"
After that, she turned around and left.
"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, stretched out his hand to pull her into his arms, and said with a smile, "Look at you, are you being childish again?"
Princess Gao Yang blushed and smiled: "I don't care! Anyway, this time, I want to follow you to Lanzhou! If you don't take me, I will sneak away on my own! Maybe I will be intercepted by the Tubo barbarians on the way and bullied on the plateau. Go—it’s up to you!”
Qin Mubai smiled bitterly: "You are clearly threatening people!"
"That's right!" Princess Gao Yang raised her face, licking her lips and humming, "What can you do to me?"
Qin Mubai shook his head helplessly and smiled bitterly: "That's all, I'm afraid of you. How about you ask His Majesty the Emperor! If the old man agrees, I won't have a problem, okay?"
"Hehe, you are so good!" Princess Gaoyang smirked triumphantly, "Your Majesty the Emperor...it's a piece of cake!"
"Can you please keep your voice down?" Qin Mubai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That's all. Someone once jumped into the river here, so it's not advisable to stay here for a long time. I have to go back. You go find your side dishes!"
"Hehe! Go, go, I'll go to the Penglai Palace to find my father!" Princess Gao Yang smiled proudly, stood on her tiptoes and gave Qin Mubai a kiss on his face, with a look of joy on her face.
"You just know how to act like a hooligan!" Qin Mubai scolded with a smile, waved his hand and walked away.
"Yeah! That's great!" Princess Gao Yang jumped to her feet and shouted excitedly, "Leave Chang'an and go to Lanzhou!"