Back home, it was getting late, and Qin Mubai was also a little drunk. Cheng Huaibi and others sent him to the living room and asked for a cup of tea before leaving together.
Ms. Liu asked Shuang'er to prepare hot soup for him to take a bath, and said angrily: "It's true, you never leave the house as soon as you come back, and you get drunk when you go out. Your father is not like you - by the way, where is Princess Gaoyang? Why didn't she come back with you? "
"Hehe!" Qin Mubai, who had drunk a little too much, smiled stupidly, "Mom, what are you talking about? Gao Yang is not married yet, how can he come back with me? Of course she stayed in the palace!"
"Oh..." Ms. Liu responded, her expression seemed a little lonely and a little doubtful.
"What's wrong, mother, what are you thinking about?" Qin Mubai asked.
"It's nothing. It's just... you married Gao Yang, what will happen to Mei Niang?" Liu asked in a low voice, "Actually, Mei Niang is a pretty good girl, she can understand people inside and out, and she can support Ruoda's family all by herself. How difficult it is to have a career! Everyone in the world looks down on businessmen, but I think she is an excellent woman. Only a woman who has endured hardships knows how hard it is to build a family, and how to take care of her husband and raise her children. You have been in Lanzhou for more than a year. , you have no idea if you leave her alone in Xiangzhou? Now that your marriage to Gao Yang has been announced to the world, what will she think? "
Qin Mubai's heart trembled slightly after hearing this. He lay on a large chair with his head raised and his eyes closed in deep thought. Mrs. Liu was a little annoyed and slapped his leg: "I'm talking to you for my mother's sake!"
"Oh!" Qin Mubai smiled, opened his eyes and said, "Don't worry, I can take care of it. In fact, my wedding with Gao Yang is still half a year away. The emperor suggested that I take you to go sightseeing."
"Really?" Mrs. Liu became excited when she heard this, "That's great! My mother and your sister haven't left Chang'an for many years! How about we go to Lanzhou to visit your father?"
"Oh? Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, "Do you miss your dad?"
"Poor talk! There are no distinctions between young and old!" Mrs. Liu laughed and scolded, but her face turned red and she said, "When you moved to Lan, I wanted to take Shuang'er with you. But your father wrote a letter saying no. Let us go and stay in Chang'an. Now... let's just listen to you! We can go wherever you want. Anyway, we don't understand your national affairs and official rules. "
"Haha!" Qin Mubai said with a smile, "Mom, what I plan to do is to go to Xiangzhou to revisit my hometown first; and then, how about going along the river to Yangzhou for a walk? The world is one-third of the moonlit night, and the other two is Yangzhou, tsk-tsk, The scenery and prosperity there are unique!”
"What's there to do in Yangzhou? It's just prosperous..." Mrs. Liu curled her lips after hearing this, seeming a little displeased, but didn't say much.
"Then where do you want to go?" Qin Mubai asked with a smile.
"Yangzhou, let's go to Yangzhou! Let's go to Xiangzhou on the way. I really miss Mei Niang, a good child." Mrs. Liu said helplessly.
"Wow! Are you going to Xiangzhou?" An excited voice came from the door, and Shuang'er ran in excitedly, "Mom, third brother, isn't that right?"
"Yes, you get excited when it comes to eating, drinking and having fun." Qin Mubai smiled and took the little sister's hand, held it in his palm, and said with a smile, "Siya'er, haven't you wanted to go out for a long time? This This time, wherever you want to go, I will take you there!”
"Really?" Shuang'er's eyes flashed with joy. She glanced at her mother, blushed and whispered, "Is it okay to go to Liaodong?"
"Shut up! That's all you have!" Qin Mubai scolded with an angry smile. After all, his mother is not an outsider. He said bluntly, "You have to travel thousands of miles to find Li Ke. Are you worried?"
"Speaking of this matter, hey..." Mrs. Liu shook her head and sighed with pity and helplessness, "Sanlang, you should persuade your father, he is too stubborn. Shuang'er is already eighteen, and he will never marry again. Others will laugh at us. After all, King Wu's temperament has changed drastically since the death of the princess, and he won't mess with other women anymore. Now, I can rest assured that Shuang'er will marry him. If we love each other, why can't we be together?"
Shuang'er stood aside with a flushed face, looking at Qin Mubai feeling aggrieved and helpless and asking for help.
Qin Mubai frowned, not knowing how to answer. He also knows his current status in the family - he was originally just the son of a concubine, but now he has become the leader of the Qin family and rejuvenated the old Qin family. He was about to get married to Princess Gaoyang, who was also a member of the royal family. If his sister remarried Li Ke, it would be a good thing to get married, and it would make sense in terms of family status or customs. Moreover, Princess Wu has passed away. If Shuang'er were to marry her, it would be easy for her to come forward and be crowned the princess based on her personal relationship with Li Ke, if nothing else.
Everything seems to have fallen into place.
But the problem is also obvious.
One is the level of father. In Qin Shubao's mind, Li Ke was not the master of peace. As a concubine prince, being capable and outstanding is a fault, and it will inevitably lead to trouble in the future. This is the most direct reason why Qin Shubao vetoes their marriage.
The second is the current environment. The Qin family is marrying a daughter. Although she is just a concubine, it is obviously not an ordinary marriage. The reason is because Shuang'er is the biological sister of Qin Mubai's mother. After his trip to Lanzhou, Qin Mubai's reputation and influence were unprecedentedly high. Now, he is about to get married to Princess Gaoyang and become a proper royal relative. It is conceivable that at this young age, he will definitely become a very important figure in the court in the next few years.
Shuang'er's marriage to Li Ke is not so much the daughter of the Qin family as it is the marriage of Qin Mubai's sister. If he marries his sister to Li Ke at this time, everyone will think that he will stand firmly on Li Ke's side. In one camp. This will inevitably touch upon the most sensitive and deadly topic at the moment - the struggle for heirs and reserves.
In order to escape this huge political turmoil, Li Ke had served as an envoy of the Tang Dynasty and risked his life to go to the Korean Peninsula. If Qin Mubai proposed his marriage to Shuang'er to anyone at this time, wouldn't it mean that all his efforts would be wasted? - To put it bluntly, Qin Mubai is now a weight in the matter of establishing a prince!
…
"What are you thinking about with your eyes rolling, Sanlang? We two are still waiting for you to speak!" Ms. Liu urged with some displeasure.
"Oh..." Qin Mubai came back to his senses in response and said, "Mom, Si Ya'er, I have never forgotten this matter. But now, it is indeed not a good time. The twists and turns in this are twisting my mind. I have never been able to explain it to you. I will simply say that if we reveal the marriage at this time, it will harm Shuang'er, Li Ke, and maybe our old Qin family. "
"Ah, so serious?" Mrs. Liu and Shuang'er were both surprised.
"Yes... the current situation in the court is more dangerous, so we need to be cautious in everything." Qin Mubai frowned and said solemnly, "But don't worry, I have always taken Shuang'er's marriage to my heart, and I have never looked down upon it. Wait. After a while, I will make my own decision.”
"Okay..." The mother and daughter looked at each other and nodded helplessly. Mrs. Liu said: "Sanlang, you have become a master. Not only have you supported the old Qin family, we, mother and daughter, can only count on you." ”
"Don't worry." Qin Mubai took the hands of his mother and little sister, with a warm and gentle smile on his face, "You and dad are the closest people to me. Even if I abandon everything, I will never leave you. Everything I do is for you and this family.”
"Ha-bad guy! Bad guy!" Suddenly, there were scoldings coming from far away from the door, and a colorful and light figure was running towards the hall.
When the three of them saw it, they couldn't help but be happy—it was actually Princess Gaoyang!
She held up the train of her skirt and trotted in an inconspicuous manner, her half-naked breasts jumping like a pair of little white rabbits, and she cursed angrily. When she rushed into the hall and saw Mrs. Liu and Shuang'er there, she was stunned for a moment, hurriedly calmed down and stood still.
The facial expressions change so quickly, it’s like changing faces in Sichuan Opera.
Mrs. Liu and Shuang'er held back their laughter and stepped forward to greet him. Princess Gaoyang hurriedly excused herself from the ceremony, and said with a smile: "Auntie, Shuang'er, we will be a family in a short time. There is no need to be polite in private."
The call "Auntie" made Ms. Liu's heart warm and happy, and even Qin Mubai secretly laughed in his heart that Princess Gaoyang was really sweet. Yesterday, she called my mother "Mrs. Qin", but today she had an extra aunt.
Qin Mubai drank a little too much and was still slumped there, too lazy to get up. He squinted his eyes and raised his fingers at Princess Gao Yang: "Your Highness, please come and sit down."
"Ha, you rude guy!" Princess Gao Yang was not angry, she walked over with a smile, and immediately covered her nose: "It's disgusting! I'm so drunk! No wonder you threw me into the harem. It turns out that Go have some fun yourself!"
Mrs. Liu shook her head and smiled, and found an excuse to retreat first. Shuang'er accompanied Princess Gao Yang and sat down next to Qin Mubai, and said with a smile: "Your Highness, my brother seems to have just come back from Qin Xian Pavilion. Smell it, he is full of the smell of Qin Xianjiu!"
"Really?" Princess Gaoyang was immediately itchy with hatred, and said in a loud voice as if a storm was about to come, "How about it, are there many beautiful beauties coming to Qinxian Pavilion?"
"That's -" Qin Mubai laughed heartlessly, "They all look like gods and are enthusiastic. Well, as one of the big bosses behind Qinxian Pavilion, I should go and check it out, right? wrong?"
"Shut up, I don't want to hear what you have to say! I'm so angry!" Princess Gao Yang curled her lips and turned away angrily.
"Haha!" Qin Mubai smiled. Princess Gaoyang had such a temperament. She was straightforward. At least in front of him, she never knew how to hide her emotions.
"Hehe!" Shuang'er snickered happily on the sidelines.
Qin Mubai angrily picked up Shuang'er and put two chestnuts on her head. He then pulled Princess Gaoyang and pulled her into his arms. He smiled and said, "Ling'er, don't listen to her nonsense." . I met Cheng Huaibi and others in the palace and was taken to the Baiqi camp for a few drinks. Didn’t you go to see your mother-in-law? I thought you were going to accompany her today, so I didn’t bother you. "
"That's pretty much it..." Princess Gao Yang turned her anger into a smile and called out twice, and two of her personal maids walked in, each holding a bag of things in their hands.
"What?" Qin Mubai asked curiously.
"Hehe! The Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching! These are lotus seed mooncakes made by my mother. She asked me to bring two boxes for you to eat!" Princess Gaoyang said happily, "I like to eat mooncakes the most!"
"Oh, Concubine Yinde made mooncakes for a novice?" Qin Mubai was stunned for a moment, and murmured thoughtfully: "She can also make mooncakes?"
"Yes!" Princess Gaoyang smiled innocently, "My mother-in-law is now a lay disciple of Buddhism. She lives in the Xuanwu Hall near the Huguo Tianwang Temple every day. She never leaves home to eat, eat, and chant Buddha. She only goes there once a month at most. Famen Temple, I want to pay homage to my brother. I heard that we are coming back. Here are the mooncakes she made overnight!"
"Yeah, it's really good." Qin Mubai waved, and the two maids handed the mooncakes to him. I took it and took a whiff. The fragrance was refreshing but not greasy at all.
Just like Concubine Yin De, the agarwood is far away and as quiet as a lotus.
Qin Mubai was in a daze for a moment, and the image of Concubine Yin De's alluring face and snow-white hair appeared in his mind unconsciously...
"Mu Bai, why are you so dazed?" Princess Gao Yang was a little annoyed, and lightly tapped his knee and said, "I ran out of the palace to give you mooncakes. Is there any reward?"
"Oh, how about you pledge yourself to me?" Qin Mubai said without changing his face or heartbeat.
The maids all laughed, even Shuang'er blushed and covered her mouth and snickered together.
"It's disgusting, he speaks so rudely, he deserves a beating!" Princess Gao Yang was embarrassed and annoyed and punched him in the leg several times.
"How about... I take you back to the palace in person?" Qin Mubai asked jokingly.
"Uh... This... is fine, but..." Princess Gao Yang blushed to the base of her neck and stammered.
Shuang'er giggled a few times. She couldn't hold back her outspoken words and blurted out: "Your Highness, you are going to get married to my brother anyway, so you can stay here tonight? There won't be any criticism!"
"Okay!" As soon as Shuang'er finished her words, Princess Gao Yang agreed excitedly.
Qin Mubai looked at her steadily and said nothing. Princess Gaoyang suddenly lost her speech and felt ashamed for a moment. She covered her face with her hands and wished she could dig a hole in the ground.
"I just said, why are you sending moon cakes? You are obviously here to stay overnight, right?" Qin Mubai deliberately refused to open any pot, and smiled heartlessly, "Shuang'er, did you hear it? Why don’t you quickly arrange a bedroom for Her Royal Highness Princess Gaoyang?”
"Hehe! Yes, sister, I obey, Qin's consort!" Shuang'er responded with a smile and pulled Princess Gao Yang out. Princess Gao Yang was ashamed and annoyed, so she got up and followed Shuang'er out, turning back to give him a vicious face from time to time.
Qin Mubai breathed a sigh of relief, then lay down again and closed his eyes to rest. After a while, Mrs. Liu came back with a thick pile of things in her hand, placed it directly on Qin Mubai's lap, and said, "I almost forgot. You have only been to the palace for half a day, and you have received such a big pile at home." Please post it, it’s up to you!”
Qin Mubai was stunned for a moment, then picked up the invitation and read it.
There were about six or seven invitations, each more beautiful than the last. The hosts who sent out the invitations were also more awesome than the others.
There are two of them, the most famous ones -
Prince Li Chengqian invited Qin Mubai to a banquet in the East Palace tomorrow; King Li Tai of Wei invited Qin Mubai to attend the Qiu Wei Shizi Poetry Meeting.
In addition, Su Dingfang, who was very interested in Qin Mubai, invited him to go to the Weiguo Duke's Mansion to celebrate Li Jing's birthday. In fact, it was just a birthday banquet invitation with a different direction. It turned out that Li Jing's birthday was approaching.
Other posts were temporarily put aside by Qin Mubai.
Holding the invitations from the prince and Li Tai, Qin Mubai was thinking: These people have a really keen sense of smell. I just returned to Chang'an and immediately extended an olive branch. Do you want to win over me as soon as possible while Li Ke is gone? This happens very often now, and I don’t want to deal with it at all. But... there is no reason to offend everyone.
With a bright light in his heart, Qin Mubai thought of Princess Gaoyang. I couldn't help but smile to myself: Come on, I might as well let Princess Gaoyang decide which one to go to. As for me, I can take advantage of my title of quasi-consort and give the limelight to Gao Yang. If you take Gao Yang with you, your brother-in-law will go to your uncle-in-law's house for a meal, which is normal. At that time, we can talk about family ties, family affairs, or even romance, music, art, poetry, etc.; I will avoid all state affairs and government affairs.
"That's it!" Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile to himself, got up and went to the backyard to find Princess Gao Yang and Shuang'er.
Shuang'er is taking some maids from the mansion to clean Princess Gaoyang's bedroom. Princess Gaoyang seemed to be a little absent-minded. Shuang'er asked her whether the bedding was good and whether she liked the bronze mirror. Shuang'er didn't know that Qin Mubai and Princess Gao Yang had already had their weddings countless times. She didn't know that Princess Gao Yang wanted to get into Qin Mubai's bed at night for warmth. She was really interested in sleeping here.
Qin Mubai walked in, and Princess Gao Yang immediately stepped forward and hooked his arm with a happy face. She pulled him with a little secret force in her hand and gave him a playful and lustful look. Qin Mubai then Everything is clear.
"Princess, I feel sorry for you to fall asleep here tonight." Qin Mubai said deliberately, "My Qin family is shabby and cannot be as comfortable as the palace!"
Princess Gaoyang glared at him angrily. With Shuang'er and the maids present, it was hard for her to get angry. Qin Mubai handed her the invitation and said with a smile, "You decide, which restaurant to go to for lunch tomorrow?"
"Ah, the prince's brother and fourth brother have both come to invite us. What should we do?" Princess Gaoyang was still in trouble.
Shuang'er packed up the bedding and left, saying she was going to prepare some refreshments for the princess to spend the night.
Qin Mubai also walked out. Before leaving, he scraped Princess Gaoyang's nose and said with a smile, "How about we have a good time to discuss it tonight?"
"Hehe, that's about it!" Princess Gaoyang smiled sweetly, turned to her maids and said sternly, "You guys, sleep here obediently today, do you hear me?"
"Yes, Your Highness Princess..." The maids suppressed their laughter and responded a little aggrievedly.
When Qin Mubai heard these voices behind him, he shook his head and walked away with a smile, and said to himself: Gao Yang is already used to sleeping with me, and he will do the same when he returns to Chang'an. He doesn't even return to the palace and has to stay out at night... This guy, what etiquette, dignity and royal face are there? , it’s just a cloud to her!