Wu Meiniang sent a maid to invite Qin Mubai, saying it was time for breakfast, and then they went to Zheng Anshun's house to keep the appointment. Qin Mubai was about to take Pang Fei and the hundreds of cavalry guards on the trip. Su Lianqing took the sisters from the Tantai family elsewhere, saying that they were going to start "secret training" and asked Qin Mubai to take his place. She went to Wu Meiniang to ask for leave.
Qin Mubai and his party arrived at the back house of "Qinxian Commercial House" where Wu Meiniang lived, and heard the laughter of women in the hall from a distance. With the Liu family as the core, accompanied by Wu Meiniang, Princess Gaoyang and Shuang'er, there were also several maids of Princess Gaoyang and Wu Meiniang's capable women, a total of more than ten people, all women.
Qin Mubai brought all men. There were more than 30 people in total. After breakfast, Zheng Anshun sent a butler to invite them. Everyone then got on the road and headed to Zheng Anshun Villa on the outskirts of Xiangyang.
After leaving the county town and entering the suburbs, our eyes suddenly opened up. There is the mighty Han River in front, the cascading Luoying Mountains behind, and the majestic Yangdi Mausoleum vaguely visible in the distance. The brisk hooves of the horses and the jingling of the bells put the group in a good mood.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her mother, Mrs. Liu, pulled Wu Meiniang into the same car, while Princess Gaoyang rode in the same car as Shuang'er. Qin Mubai and his entourage of men were riding horses and accompanying them.
Halfway through, Ms. Liu opened the car curtain and waved to Qin Mubai on the side: "Sanlang, come here!"
"What's the matter, mother?" Qin Mubai rode over and asked.
"Come on, get in the car!" Mother said with a smile.
Qin Mubai smiled: "No need. It's almost here, I'll just ride a horse!"
"Hey, you kid, come up if I ask you to!" Ms. Liu said impatiently.
"Okay!" Qin Mubai dismounted and handed the horse to the guards to lead him. Without stopping the carriage, he jumped up as lightly as an ape, surprising the driver of the horse.
In the car, Wu Meiniang's face was red, her eyes were full of spring, and she lowered her head shyly.
Qin Mubai wanted to laugh when he saw her like this, she was so good at pretending! Who would believe that Wu Meiniang is a delicate little daughter-in-law
"Sanlang, come and sit here!" The carriage was very spacious, so her mother pulled Qin Mubai to sit next to her, with Wu Meiniang on the other side.
"What's the matter, mother, so mysterious?" Qin Mubai asked with a smile. A very dishonest hand reached over her mother's back and reached Wu Meiniang's side, just in time to hold her hand. Wu Meiniang shrank her hand in surprise, and immediately tightened her grip with him, pinching him with her fingernails intentionally, but the expression on her face remained unchanged.
"I told Meiniang that we have been engaged for several years, and it's time to get married." Mrs. Liu said, "Look at Meiniang, a girl who comes and goes through wind and rain, and is so well-mannered." It's not easy to have a big family! You are her man, so you have to be considerate. Although the emperor has decreed that you marry Princess Gaoyang next March, we can't object to the date of your wedding to Mei Niang. But we can’t delay it any longer, you hear me?”
Qin Mubai felt that Wu Meiniang's hand was holding his hand a little tighter, and there was a layer of moist sweat.
"What does Yiniang mean?"
When Mrs. Liu heard this, she lowered her voice and smiled a little weirdly for the first time, and said: "The wedding date can be a little later than Princess Gaoyang, but... you might as well let Mei Niang get pregnant with your child first!"
"Ah?!" Qin Mubai and Wu Meiniang were both surprised.
"What's the name?" Mrs. Liu deliberately made a serious face, "What's all the fuss about!"
"Auntie, this...isn't this good!" Wu Meiniang's face turned red now, reaching the root of her neck.
"What's the point?" Ms. Liu said calmly and calmly, "Back then, I only married Mubai after giving birth to his father. Who said anything about it?"
"Uh..." Qin Mubai was speechless for a moment and murmured, "Mom, you are you, Mei Niang is Mei Niang, this kind of thing..."
"Sanlang, Mei Niang, listen to me!" Mrs. Liu said, trying to pull their hands together. The two hurriedly retracted their hands, making Mrs. Liu smile, and then shook their hands together. He said with sincerity, "Princess Gaoyang, this is a marriage granted by the emperor, and no one is older than her. But the three of us opened the skylight in front of us and said it openly. Although Princess Gaoyang is smart and noble, she is not qualified to be the head of the family. Mother. Especially Sanlang is becoming more and more mature now. From now on, my Qin family will be the matriarch of the wealthy family, and she must be a woman like Mei Niang, but she herself... is clearly still a woman. A child who has not grown up, Sanlang, Mei Niang is your good wife, do you understand?"
"I know." Qin Mubai nodded, "But what does this have to do with... the child? This matter is far away!"
"Nonsense!" Mrs. Liu scolded lightly, "As the saying goes, a Taoist mother is more valuable than her son. If Mei Niang can give you a eldest son first, then even though she is a concubine, her status must be honored. The fact is that Princess Gaoyang is the main wife. It’s impossible to change, but Mei Niang can’t be suppressed by her, do you understand?”
Qin Mubai pressed his forehead and shook his head in confusion: "Mom, you think too much! I don't want the civil war in my backyard to continue all day long!"
"Yes, aunt..." Wu Meiniang also blushed and said softly, "Princess Gaoyang and I have a very good relationship, just like biological sisters. Princess Gaoyang is not the kind of narrow-minded woman who likes intrigues, and Mei Niang can't do it either. Auntie, don't worry too much. Mei Niang had accepted the reality of the side room very early. Otherwise, she wouldn't have waited for Mu Bai until now. Wasn't her aunt also a side room and received the same preferential treatment from Duke Yi? It doesn’t matter if everyone in the Qin family respects her. Meiniang and Auntie don’t care about this false reputation. "
"Hey, you kids..." Mrs. Liu shook her head helplessly and smiled, "Okay! I don't care about your affairs for my mother. I have no knowledge or ability. I only know one thing, and that is - Sanlang, no matter it is Princess Gaoyang is still Wu Meiniang, you can't treat anyone badly! Only when the family is harmonious can we prosper, remember!"
"I know, mother..." Qin Mubai took a long breath, looked at each other and smiled bitterly with Wu Meiniang.
When Zheng Anshun's villa arrived, Qin Mubai stopped and got out of the car. Zheng Anshun had already personally greeted him at the entrance of the villa and stood there with his arms folded.
Qin Mubai got off his horse and returned the greeting with his hands in hand, saying that it was helpful for Brother Zheng to greet him from afar. Zheng Anshun smiled politely and said that this is the first time I have entertained foreign guests when I bought this mansion in Xiangyang. Only Brother Qin and Guibao's family were worthy of being received by Zheng in person.
This was said arrogantly, but not arrogantly.
Zheng Anshun's farmyard is very large, and there is also a large fruit tree forest, where hunting and garrisoning can even be done. A mansion is located on the top of a mountain surrounded by white clouds, like a palace in heaven.
"If you have taste, you will enjoy it!" Qin Mubai couldn't help but praise.
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "Thanks to Brother Qin's appreciation and sharing, this place has become a bit more romantic and aura. In the past, it was always Zheng who guarded Ruoda's courtyard. It felt like one person and a city. I can't explain it. solitude and loneliness.”
"Qu Gao is a low-key person." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "Brother Zheng, although you are in the business world, you are an expert in the world."
"Brother Qin is laughing at this. Zheng is an extremely vulgar person." Zheng Anshun smiled modestly, but there was a bit of relief in his eyebrows.
The group walked to the mansion on the top of the mountain, and even Princess Gaoyang exclaimed: "Wow, what an exquisite and elegant bamboo house!"
It turns out that this large palace-like house is entirely made of bamboo. You can't see it clearly from a distance, but when you get closer, you realize that the first piece of bamboo is polished very delicately, reflecting the human figure like a mirror. The furnishings in the room are not as magnificent as expected, but rather simple and elegant. There are a few paintings and calligraphy, which are not priceless masterpieces by famous artists, but are Zheng Anshun's own works.
"I love bamboo." Zheng Anshun smiled and said, "There are few bamboos in Guan, but there are more in the south. So I specially asked expert craftsmen to build a big bamboo building here, and there is a big bamboo forest outside the building. In early spring, during the Qingming Festival, I personally Dig up some tender bamboo shoots and stew them with the pickled game hunted during the winter snow. It’s the most delicious thing in the world!”
"I'll enjoy it!" Qin Mubai laughed loudly, "Stewed spring bamboo shoots with bacon, this is a famous dish in Xiangyang. When King Wu and I were in Xiangyang, we loved this dish to go with wine."
While chatting, everyone took their seats. The seating arrangements were the same as when they were at Wu Mei's mother's house that day. Zheng Anshun did not care about the distinction between host and guest, and invited Mrs. Liu to the top. After tea and snacks were served, Zheng Anshun also played a guzheng song himself, which was clear and far-sounding and miraculous, making Qin Mubai and others applaud.
"Speaking of King Wu." Zheng Anshun sat close to Qin Mubai and said, "I heard that he went to Goguryeo. I wonder what the situation is now?"
Qin Mubai frowned: "I don't know either. Around the time I left for Beijing from Lanzhou, he left for Goguryeo. Since then, there has been no news about him."
Zheng Anshun was silent for a moment, and looked at Qin Mubai with a meaningful smile: "Brother Qin, what do you think... King Wu?"
"How about what?" Qin Mubai asked.
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "Today in the court, the crown prince and the King of Wei are fighting to death, and it has reached a fever pitch. The King of Wu invited himself to leave the capital and took an errand with a life-threatening responsibility. Goguryeo... no one without great wisdom and courage can do this!"
Qin Mubai glanced at the people in the hall. They were all drinking tea, chatting and resting, and then whispered: "Do you want to say that Shen Sheng died inside and Chong Er was safe outside?"
"Heroes see the same thing." Zheng Anshun smiled slightly and did not shy away from this sensitive topic. He said, "The King of Wu has great ambitions and is both civil and military. He can be said to be a hero of his generation. Unfortunately, he was born at the wrong time and his ambitions were difficult to realize. ah!"
"How do you say it?" Qin Mubai asked curiously. In the past, Zheng Anshun had never discussed political affairs with him. However, the Zheng family, the richest family in the Tang Dynasty, has never been far away from politics. Zheng Anshun is an observer and may be more knowledgeable than ordinary politicians.
Zheng Anshun smiled and said: "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. But the premise is that this person is a fisherman. Brother Qin, what do you think?"
Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, noncommittal, thinking in his heart: Zheng Anshun's words hit the nail on the head. Li Kekong has great ambitions, but his status as a concubine made it extremely difficult for him to eventually rise to power. Even if the prince and the King of Wei fight with each other and end up losing both sides, it will hardly be Li Ke's turn in the end!
Isn’t there a direct descendant of Jin Wang Li Zhi? ! —The Emperor Gaozong who truly took over Li Shimin’s empire in history!