Originally, according to Qin Mubai's advance itinerary, he would stay in Xiangyang for at most six or seven days, and then transfer to Yangzhou for sightseeing. Unexpectedly, their group's goal was too big after all, and it was extremely difficult to avoid leaking the news.
Xiangzhou was originally a place where Qin Mubai made his fortune. It is said that he was half a native emperor and did not serve the country. Now that the "old lord" has returned to his hometown in glory, all the officials, generals, and wealthy gentry and merchants, as long as they have the slightest connection with him, will try their best to curry favor with him.
Today the governor is visiting for a banquet, and tomorrow the captain is paying a visit. Not only are the heads of the three major chambers of commerce who have close business relationships with Wu Meiniang coming together to invite them, even the local gentry are looking for connections to establish relationships. , I want to invite Qin Mubai and Princess Gaoyang to visit me.
If you reach out and don't hit someone with a smiling face, you can't touch someone's kindness. For more than a month and a half, I visited an average of 1.5 houses a day, and finally got through all the entertainment.
Even the delicacies from the mountains and the sea are nauseating to eat. Qin Mubai finally understood the truth that "people are afraid of being famous and pigs are afraid of being strong". Don't underestimate the people of Shangao Emperor Yuanxiangyang. Their noses are no duller than those of the rich and powerful families in Chang'an. Qin Mubai's feats in Lanzhou have spread all over the world, and now he is about to marry Princess Gaoyang. It is difficult for such a young man not to prosper. It is often said that some people in the Taoist dynasty are good at becoming officials. It can be said that Qin Mubai made his fortune in Xiangyang, so Xiangyang people naturally regarded him as half of their hometown. It's natural to fawn over someone.
Ever since he became an official, Qin Mubai, who neither bullies his superiors nor humiliates his subordinates, has always put on little airs. He can talk happily with princes and nobles, and he can also get along well with the ninth-grade officials, so he is very popular. This time he revisited his hometown in Xiangyang, and he really experienced the feeling of "returning to his hometown in rich clothes".
But this trip was delayed. Based on this calculation, it would be necessary to celebrate the New Year on the road, so after Qin Mubai, his mother and others discussed it, they decided to simply celebrate the New Year in Xiangyang. Qin Mubai sent an urgent letter home to Chang'an, to his eldest brother Qin Tong and second brother Qin Bin, asking them if they would like to come to Xiangyang together during the annual vacation to find a fresh way to celebrate the New Year. A few days later, he received a reply from his eldest brother Qin Bin. The letter said that he and Qin Bin had just received transfer orders, and the two brothers had joined Baiqi together and were assigned the positions of deputy envoy and chief historian. During the Chinese New Year, the two of them have to stay at the palace and cannot come to Xiangyang. Please forgive me for this, including my mother, third brother and the princess.
Qin Mubai and others were happy after receiving this letter. I didn't expect that this matter could be implemented so quickly. It seems that the emperor has already made up his mind. When he asked Qin Mubai before, it was a bit like "killing the chicken when asking for a guest". He insisted that Qin Mubai take the initiative to ask for this favor from the old man.
This old man is a monkey spirit! Even if you are given a benefit, it cannot be given in vain! - Qin Mubai laughed loudly.
In fact, Qin Mubai also knew in his heart that he had made great contributions to Lanzhou and was rewarded by the court from top to bottom, but Qin Mubai was not given any substantive commendation. Firstly, he is getting married to the princess, who is the biggest reward; secondly, Qin Mubai is too young and is already a fourth-rank official, and if he gets promoted, he will be even lower than his father's official. If it's too big, this won't work. So, Li Shimin changed his mind and gave the reward to his two brothers.
As a result, the four men of the Qin family all held high and prominent positions. They were so prominent that they seemed to have become a new force in the court!
Princess Gaoyang was naturally happy too. Although she never cares or cares about her family background, this is such a custom now, just like in the 21st century. Which girl wouldn't want to marry a husband with better conditions? In the past, although Qin Shubao was a second-grade Shangzhu country, the Qin family was indeed in decline. When Princess Gaoyang wants to marry, she really seems to be condescending to marry her.
Not anymore. The Qin family is really prosperous! Not to mention that Qin Shubao was in Lanzhou and blocked half of the Western Front of the Tang Dynasty. His importance was even more important than that of Li Ji. Let's talk about the three sons of the Qin family. Every one of them was a rising star in the military world. Especially Qin Mubai, his contribution allowed his two brothers to leap over the dragon gate overnight and become senior officers of Baiqi, the emperor's confidants, and the most famous people in the imperial court in the future!
The perfect marriage that Princess Gaoyang desires is nothing better than this. This was probably what Li Shimin had in mind - a perfect marriage that should belong to Princess Gaoyang. Now it seems that Princess Gaoyang's marriage to Qin Mubai is many times better than her marriage to Fang Yiai.
Now, Qin Shubao's weight is not necessarily much lower than that of Fang Xuanling; but Qin Mubai is stronger than Qian Fang Yiai. This is the biggest difference between the two. From this, we can directly see the emperor's painstaking efforts. He is trying to regain face for himself. The Qin family has become prosperous, and Princess Gaoyang's remarriage will not be so eye-catching.
The only person who feels very shabby is probably Fang Xuanling. Princess Gaoyang ruined the royal wedding by crying, making trouble, and hanging herself. If Princess Gaoyang marries someone who is not as good as Fang Yi in the future, Fang Xuanling will feel better; but this is the case... It seems that Princess Gaoyang really wants to climb a high tree before she "changes her job." "Yes!" Now, Fang Xuanling may be even more painful and depressed than being directly slapped in the face.
I don't know what method the emperor will eventually use to comfort Fang Xuanling, a meritorious veteran who has followed him for many years. Qin Mubai also thought a lot about him. After all, Fang Xuanling and Changsun Wuji were now the emperor's most capable and confidant men. But now, these two court bosses have some big or small feud with Qin Mubai. As his marriage to Princess Gaoyang approaches, this feud and contradiction becomes more and more prominent. Nowadays, the fight for the heir apparent is becoming more and more intense. Fang Xuanling is actually a kind, loyal and upright person. He is entrusted by the eldest grandson Empress, and has been doing his best to assist the prince in inheriting the throne.
Li Shimin has been slow to abolish Li Chengqian. An important reason is that a group of court ministers headed by Fang Xuanling adhere to the traditional ideas of concubine and oppose the abolition of Li Chengqian. Therefore, Fang Xuanling is a staunch princeling. Behind the King of Wei, there was a large group of young officials gathered, as well as the emperor's subjective love; as for Changsun Wuji, because of Queen Changsun's dying words, "Relatives should not be given weight", he has been keeping a low profile in recent years. In the years after Emperor Changsun's death, he even stayed away from home to study the law. But recently, he returned to the court and took up actual duties.
But all along, no one dared to ignore the influence and strength of his brother-in-law, the emperor. He was like a truly lurking hungry wolf, keeping quiet, never taking a stand on the abolition of the throne, not getting close to the prince or the king of Wei, but secretly moving closer to the young prince Li Zhi.
Just like in history, when the crown prince and the King of Wei lost both sides in the fight, Changsun Wuji supported Li Zhi, and thus the historical Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty appeared.
Qin Mubai is far away in Xiangyang, but his heart is still in Chang'an. Being far away from the rivers and lakes, there is a feeling of being clear from the outside. For more than ten days, he had been thinking about this question every day when he was having a banquet: If it were like what happened in history, and Li Zhi finally aspired to the throne with the help of Changsun Wuji's extraordinary army, what would Qin Mubai do? What will happen
Changsun Wuji's greed for power is recognized by history and is also the consensus of the court today. The reason why he gave up on Li Chengqian and Li Tai, two nephews who were equally close to him, was that they had one thing in common: these two boys were too difficult to control for his eldest grandson Wuji.
Yes, for powerful ministers, a king who is not easy to control is obviously fatal.
Li Chengqian is absurd and unruly. Now that Li Shimin is alive, he still has some scruples. Once Li Shimin dies, who will he pay for? Changsun Wuji? Do not make jokes! Except for visiting his uncle for a week during the Chinese New Year, he usually treated him as if he didn't know him.
Not to mention Li Tai. Everyone in Chang'an knows that Li Tai only loves young talents and likes those "weak people" who obediently hide under his wings to survive and be liked. This proves that Li Tai is very strong. He never fawned over or pleased his uncle, and the two of them had always been at odds with each other. If he finally ascends the throne, where can Changsun Wuji be placed
After all this comparison, Changsun Wuji could only choose Li Zhi, who was young, weak and somewhat weak in character. The icing on the cake is not as good as providing help when the time is right. Now Li Zhi is just a little prince raised in a deep palace without any power or prestige. If he ascends the throne with the sole support of his eldest grandson Wuji, then he will be the only powerful official! A powerful official who speaks his mind!
Changsun Wuji's plan was extremely successful. Once he succeeds, he will definitely be inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. It’s even more nourishing than following Li Shimin now!
Qin Mubai certainly didn't want his wishful thinking to come true. Wouldn't it be said that the previous conflict between Qin and Changsun Wuji's son was secondary. The most important thing is that Changsun Wuji chose Li Zhi, which made it clear that he wanted to choose a "Shou Chengjun" who could continue and maintain the remaining power of Zhenguan's prosperous age. Changsun Wuji would be famous enough to go down in history.
But what Qin Mubai wants is a "pioneering king"!
Coming from the 21st century, he is not satisfied with the current situation of Datang at all!
The Tang Dynasty could definitely be better, so why should the Zhenguan era be regarded as the end? Think of it as a merit that you can lie down to sleep
This is the biggest difference between the two! It can also be said that there is a complete divergence of political opinions, or even opposition!
If Li Zhi succeeds in ascending the throne with the help of Changsun Wuji, what use will he have to Qin Mubai? Since there is no need to expand the territory, any general can do it to defend the territory.
No need to guess, after the incident in Lanzhou, Changsun Wuji now regarded Qin Mubai as his biggest potential enemy. At that time, the emperor stood up to the crowd to support this weakling to do such big things... Finally, Li Jing, who had made great achievements in the world, got old, and now a young Li Jing appeared, which was enough to make his eldest grandson Wuji uneasy.
In terms of seniority and merit, only Fang Xuanling is now the only one left in the court who can keep pace with Changsun Wuji; but Changsun Wuji has an additional status as a national relative, so Changsun Wuji is really not afraid of Fang Xuanling at all. As for Wei Zheng? He is already old, and his eyes are almost blind when he is old, and he is not taken seriously by Changsun Wuji. This has to go on forever, and Fang Xuanling, who has always been in poor health and is older, may not be able to survive his eldest grandson Wuji.
Now that Qin Mubai, who is only in his twenties, appears, one can imagine Changsun Wuji's mood.
Far away in Xiangyang, Qin Mubai seemed to have smelled the smoke of war lit by Changsun Wuji. Although there was very little conversation between the two, the fight between them had started quietly.
There is another person, big or small, whom Qin Mubai wants to settle before the official confrontation with Changsun Wuji. That is - Li Yuanchang, King of Han.
In the middle of the night, Qin Mubai quietly came to a hidden manor outside Xiangyang City according to the previous agreement, and met Su Lianqing and the Tantai sisters.
Seeing these three women again after half a month, Qin Mubai couldn't help but feel his eyes light up. Su Lianqing is really good at it. In just half a month, she trained these two twin beauties, with murderous aura and cold faces, to be graceful and graceful. Sometimes they are a little girl, sometimes they are a talented girl. They can not only repel people thousands of miles away, but also be charming. .
"Okay! This is the best!" Qin Mubai said with a happy smile, "If you refuse and welcome back, that's the best way to get that guy to take the bait!"
Su Lianqing, who was pretending to be who, was pretending to be the mother of the two of them. She looked a little old-fashioned, but she was also a mature lady. She smiled and said: "General Qin, it's rare to see you take the wrong approach. Using our crooked ways, tell me, what does that kid have in his hands that makes you work so hard to deal with him? As far as I know, even if he is a prince, he is really no match for you in terms of strength."
"You don't have to ask so many questions." Qin Mubai said, "Actually, I don't know what he has in his hand. In short, it is a top secret and important thing. As long as you two sisters can successfully lurk around him, I don't care Whatever means you use, you must get that thing to me. Even if you can't get it, I will destroy it. If you succeed, I will ensure that you three will be prosperous and wealthy for the rest of your life."
"Okay!" The three women responded in unison, "If you are given such a gift, let alone picking up something, even if you ask us to kill him, there will be no problem!"
"No, don't kill him." Qin Mubai's lips curled up slightly, and he smiled coldly, "If you kill him, what else am I going to do?"
The three women were startled at the same time and wanted to laugh, but couldn't. They rarely saw Qin Mubai show such an "evil" expression. From this point of view, that guy really offended Qin Mubai a lot. Because they have all experienced how powerful Qin Mubai is, but they have never heard that he really hates anyone or plots against anyone. But with his ability and scheming, if he really wants to cause harm, that person will definitely be miserable.
"When you are ready, you will leave Xiangyang and go to Chang'an. I have a letter written by Wu Meiniang here. With it, you can directly find Wu Yuanqing or Wu Yuanshuang and enter Qinxian Pavilion to make a living." Qin Mubai said, " With Wu Meiniang's recommendation letter, Qin Xian Pavilion will definitely support you "mother and daughter". It won't take long for you to be famous in Chang'an. There’s no need for me to teach you anything.”
"What a brilliant move, General Qin." Su Lianqing said with a smile, "I thought you wanted us to find a way to approach that guy proactively, but I never thought it would be such a roundabout way. Wonderful, really wonderful. This is amazing. It’s really a perfect match. If that guy is a good match, I’ll take the initiative to join him.”
"Yes, for sure." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "If he didn't come up to him, he wouldn't be the biggest drunkard in Chang'an."
"Okay, we'll leave tomorrow."
"Let's leave tonight. By water, I have arranged a large boat at Baguidu. Let's go, now!"
"... You arranged it very carefully, okay, I'll take my leave!"
After a stick of incense, Qin Mubai walked out of the small village courtyard, lit a small lantern, and hung it on the firewood door. A few moments later, an inconspicuous carriage drove over slowly.
A confused smile appeared on Qin Mubai's face. He walked forward and opened the curtain of the carriage himself, and a jade-like pink hand stretched out from inside, and he led her to get off the horse.
"Mu Bai, you are really getting worse and worse." Wu Meiniang's face was pink and her cheeks were rosy, she smiled charmingly, "You are also leading me to the worst."
"What should I say?" Qin Mubai pretended to smile and gently took her into his arms. The driver of the car drove the car into the manor and settled down.
Wu Meiniang put her hands on her chest and took a sip of hot steam into her palms: "Come in, it's so cold!"
"Why are you in such a hurry to enter the bridal chamber?" Qin Mubai smirked.
"Shut up, you slut, who wants to follow you into the bridal chamber?" Wu Meiniang's face flushed instantly, she pushed Qin Mubai's chest with both hands, managed to break free, and trotted towards the candlelit room.
"Still saying no?" Qin Mubai grinned and swallowed a mouthful of saliva, "It's been more than half a month, and I finally managed to get Gao Yang drunk when she wasn't prepared, and even put aside those few A maid like a water pump sneaked you out of the city. If I don't have a meal tonight, I will be sorry for the ancestors of the Qin family! ... No wonder men are greedy. This feeling of cheating is exciting. ah!"