Before Yao'er's scream could be settled, there was a rapid sound at the edge of the window. Yao'er, who has a keen hearing, suddenly felt a chill running down his spine and the hairs stood on end. This voice clearly contained strong hostility and murderous intent!
Also acting out of desperation, Yao'er knocked the pot of chicken soup to the ground and shouted, "Ah!!"
The banging sound and Yao'er's scream obviously scared the people outside the window, and they immediately heard his fleeing voice. At this time, a male servant and two maids who were cleaning the adjacent bathhouse also hurried over and asked Miss Yao'er if something was wrong.
Yao'er's face turned pale with fright, but he couldn't say much to his servants. He just said that he accidentally spilled the chicken soup and screamed in fright. The servants admitted their mistake in shame and said they shouldn't have left Yao'er alone in the kitchen, and quickly cleaned up.
Shuang'er came back at this time, and said with a happy smile: "Yao'er, the third brother and the princess are back, now it's good, we can all put our hearts at ease... Hey, what's wrong with you, you look so bad? "
"It's nothing... I accidentally spilled the chicken soup just now and was frightened." Yao'er forced a smile and said, "Where is the third brother? I want to see him."
"Come on, I came here to call you. Third brother is already in the front hall, greeting mother with the princess!"
The two daughters went to the front hall together, and the family gathered together, naturally celebrating. But Yao'er was always a little uneasy. When he saw everyone drinking tea, he was very worried, for fear that they might also be poisoned. So he simply told the matter in public.
Everyone was shocked after hearing this. Qin Mubai frowned and said, "It seems that someone wanted to harm me and sneaked into the house to poison me. Mom, from now on, the house will be on heightened alert. Any eating utensils, including well water, etc. must be strictly guarded." Test for poison. In addition, Gao Yang, I will mobilize the Hundred Cavalry Guards to protect my family. During this time, everyone should not go out alone. Yao'er, you should not go to Qinxian Pavilion for the time being. Stay at home. Be safe."
The short-lived joy was suddenly gone, and everyone's minds were tense. Princess Gao Yang nodded and said: "I listen to you. Only when the guards are mobilized to protect the family can we feel more at ease. But who will harm us? If we are guarding day and night, I will know that he is hiding, so I can't guard against him." !”
"I don't know." Qin Mubai frowned, shook his head, and said, "Prince, everyone in Li Yuanchang's group wants me dead. In addition, I have killed many people and offended many people over the years. , there are not many people who want to kill me. In this stormy time, please be vigilant!”
"Okay..." Everyone was speechless and had no choice but to agree.
A few hours later, Qin Mubai personally checked around the house and found a series of man's footprints behind the kitchen, and there were also signs of climbing on the window edges. The footprints lead from here to the polo field at the back house and out. Judging from the footprints, he should be a man. He is not short in stature and has very strong skills. He should be a member of the Lian family. There is only one set of footprints in the house, but it does not rule out that there are people outside who should be exposed as allies.
The family carefully checked the well water, food and everything that might be contaminated with poison, but luckily nothing else was found. During dinner, everyone used silver needles to check the poison carefully, and everyone was very nervous.
After the meal, Qin Mubai rode a fast horse to the palace in person, and mobilized the guards that Princess Gaoyang had left in the Xianju Palace. Thirty hundred knights were all arranged to take turns guarding at Lao Qin's house, and they were on guard day and night in three shifts. .
Although Qin Mubai had great confidence in Baiqi, such tense day and night vigilance was like white terror. The peace and tranquility of the past were gone, and a dark cloud hung over everyone's heart. Qin Mubai was so angry that he secretly thought about how to find a way to catch the black hand hiding behind the scenes and eradicate the roots.
Both Qin's mother and Shuang'er said they should just report to the government. Qin Mubai laughed and said, I am an official, so why should I apply for a government official? Can Wannian in the capital and the two county offices in Chang'an be able to handle things better than me and Baiqi
In this way, the Qin family spent nearly half a month in fear, but fortunately they were safe and sound. As a result, everyone gradually felt relieved, the shadow of this incident finally faded away, and the Qin family returned to some normal life.
During the past half month, Qin Mubai deliberately stayed at home without leaving the house, but always paid close attention to any disturbance in the court.
As he expected, the emperor was still bedridden. Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang turned into assistants on the left and right Bi, assisting the young King of Jin Li Zhi in supervising the country and governing the country, and did a series of things that would affect the entire history of China.
First, the three divisions will interrogate the rebellion case of Prince Li Chengqian. In the end, the motion was reached, and the prince admitted his intention to rebel. Fortunately, he repented in time and set things right, and he was able to avoid death for his meritorious service. So the prince was demoted to a commoner and exiled to Lingnan. He cannot be summoned by the imperial court or enter the palace. On that day, the prince's family moved out of the East Palace, and were escorted by Yushitai to Lingnan to serve their sentence.
Secondly, when they were conducting a thorough investigation into the prince's rebellion case, Changsun Wuji and others used all their strength to chase and fight to eliminate the prince's accomplices and eradicate dissidents. Above the court, there were no less than fifteen high-ranking officials of rank five or above who had "fallen off their horses". The lightest punishment is to be demoted and sent away, the more severe punishment is to be demoted to a commoner and never be hired, and the worst is to be beheaded if the family is ruined.
Two of them particularly attracted Qin Mubai's attention. One of course is Fang Xuanling, who is still seriously ill. It is said that Fang Xuanling still lives in the same room as the emperor and does not leave the house. No one knows how his condition is. Naturally, no one dared to run in and touch Fang Xuanling. As a result, Fang Xuanling, who should have been with the prince through ups and downs, was temporarily unharmed.
The other person was Hou Junji, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and one of the big men in the military, who had met Qin Mubai occasionally before but seemed to have a close relationship with him. Hou Junji followed Li Shimin before and after the founding of the Tang Dynasty. In marching and fighting, he is an absolute master; he charges into battle and takes the lead. He is a rare general of the Mesozoic generation in the Tang Dynasty. Earlier, when Qin Mubai assisted his father in fighting the Tibetans in Lanzhou and regaining Dafeichuan, Hou Junji defeated the Tibetan army in the Songzhou area of Jiannan Xichuan. The two groups of soldiers and horses worked together to win a great victory, beating the Tubo people to disgrace. Moreover, at that time, Hou Junji's triumphant voice was played first. Because he had followed the emperor for a long time and was extremely active after the emperor ascended the throne, he was more prominent in the army and court than the Qin family's father and son. He is currently recognized as a military leader who has quickly become stubborn after Li Jing, Li Ji and others.
It was such a character who was purged during the prince's rebellion. In fact, it is well known that Hou Junji has a close relationship with the East Palace and has always been a staunch princeling. Qin Mubai did not know whether he participated in this rebellion. But according to Changsun Wuji, he was involved. Although he was not seen on the battlefield, he "impressed the queen for planning and commanding" and was "responsible for the training and mobilization" of the troops.
This kind of fictitious thing is not uncommon in the ever-changing party disputes in the court. Changsun Wuji made it clear that he wanted to cleanse Hou Junji to avoid future troubles, so why bother to inflict crimes? That is to say, Hou Junji insulted the emperor while squatting in the toilet one day and had a disobedient heart. If someone squatting in the toilet next door heard it, then you can only accept your fate.
Ironically, Hou Junji was not sentenced to death for such a "heinous" crime. Instead, he was dramatically demoted to a place that almost no one expected - Sima, Liangzhou.
Liangzhou, a frontline military town under the rule of the Governor-General of Lanzhou. There, the governor was in charge of civil affairs and the governor was in charge of military affairs. Although the chief minister, Sima, was in a high position and had a good salary, he had little real power and little to do. This kind of official position is now recognized as a "pension official" in the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty.
The Duke of Lu, the Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs, and the best generals in the dynasty, who were extremely famous for a time, were kicked out of the house in an instant. They went to the countryside of Liangzhou, where chickens don't lay eggs and birds don't poop, and made a fortune. There are no idle officials waiting to die.
Moreover, he is also the direct subordinate of Qin Mubai, the governor of Lanzhou.
Qin Mubai seemed to smell a bit of the emperor's handiwork from this bizarre and unreasonable move. If Changsun Wuji had his way, it would be reasonable not to kill the prince, but people like Fang Xuanling and Hou Junji had to be eradicated. But now Fang Xuanling is not there, and although Hou Junji has fallen from the sky to the ground, fortunately, he still has a life, leaving Qingshan alive.
Qin Mubai secretly analyzed and felt that although Li Shimin wanted to reestablish the crown prince, he did not want to let the court suffer too much vitality and lose too many key elites, so he had a purpose to protect it. There is also a more far-reaching intention. Perhaps the person the emperor trusts and relies on the most is Changsun Wuji, but it is absolutely impossible to hand over the government affairs to him 100% and let him do whatever he wants in the court to eliminate dissidents. When the time comes, if there are no ministers who can even compete with Changsun Wuji, how will he be able to control himself as a ruler
This is Li Shimin's consistent approach of giving trust and power, but also adding a little restraint and not leaving things to chance.
Two days ago, Cheng Huaibi, the deputy envoy of Baiqi, secretly visited the old Qin residence and told Qin Mubai something. He said that according to Qin Mubai's instructions, Han King Li Yuanchang was tortured for more than ten days in a row. He could not survive but could not survive. He committed suicide several times but was rescued. Then late one night, Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, mysteriously appeared in the prison of Baiqi camp with the emperor's seal, and talked with Li Yuanchang for an hour at night, but no one could get close.
Then Li Daozong left. At that time, the Baiqi guards checked on Li Yuanchang and found that everything was normal, so there was no suspicion. But less than an hour after Li Daozong left, the Baiqi Guards found Li Yuanchang bleeding to death in the room.
After that, the eunuchs from Yeting came to collect the corpses. Wrapped in a roll of sack, put into a thin coffin and taken away.
And now, the news spreading outside is that Li Yuanchang, the king of Han, has died in the rebellion in the East Palace. Because he rebelled against his ancestor Wangzong, he was not allowed to enter the ancestral temple after his death, so he was hastily buried at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain. His family members all had their way out or ending arranged by Zongzhengji...
Li Yuanchang, the dandy king who was once famous for his poetry and painting, was a romantic and brought endless harm to Chang'an, ended up with such a hasty and mysterious death, and became the talk of the people in Chang'an.
In the court, the waves are turbulent; in Chang'an, the situation is changing.
The Qin Mansion was extremely quiet.
It was already the end of the month. Yao'er said that he had to go to Qinxian Pavilion to conduct an inventory once a month. There was no room for error in such things, and asked Qin Mubai to allow him to go out. Qin Mubai thought, there is no reason to be so cautious and live a normal life. Could it be that he stopped eating because of choking? So he agreed. Thinking about how boring these days have been, it would be nice to take a walk around Qinxian Pavilion to relax.
For the first time, Princess Gaoyang did not clamor to follow. Because of the arsenic incident, she didn't go out for half a month, and her previous plan to go to Famen Temple to perform rituals came to nothing. She was frustrated and bored and found a job to relieve her guilt - learning to cook with Shuang'er.
So, a rookie master and a rookie apprentice often made the kitchen of Lao Qin's house a mess. Not only that, they also had to use some weird things that could not be judged from their appearance, claiming to be delicacies, to poison the taste buds and stomachs of the family.
Facts have proved that Shuang'er's cooking skills have improved very quickly, and the dishes she cooks to this day are still shockingly unpalatable. Princess Gaoyang is really not a cook, but she has the potential to become the Blue Phoenix of the Tang Dynasty. (Leader of the Five Poison Sect).
Princess Gaoyang finally found a new thing to do, and decided to stay in the house today with Shuang'er to study how to bake "Jushengnu" sesame cakes. It saved Qin Mubai a lot of talking, so he got into the car with Yao'er and took a few guards with him to Qinxian Pavilion.
The two of them had not been alone together like this for a long time. Yao'er was actually a little uncomfortable and blushed.
"Third brother, when this crisis is over, are you going to Lanzhou again?" Yao'er asked cautiously.
"Well." Qin Mubai said, "If this matter hadn't delayed me, I should have gone a long time ago. The situation in Lanzhou is a bit tense now, and I'm worried that my father will not be able to handle it alone. If there is a war, I cannot be left out. "
Yao'er nodded gently and said in a whisper as soft as a gnat: "Third brother, I have a small request..."
"Haha, what's the point of being polite to my family? If you have anything to say, just say it!" Qin Mubai said with a smile.
"Well, well, then I said it..." Yao'er grinned sweetly and a little shyly, and said, "I really want to get out of Chang'an and go see the outside! Although I can't see, But it’s good to smell the air outside. I haven’t left Chang’an for several years, a long time.”
"Is this a small wish?" Qin Mubai laughed, a little ashamed, and said, "I should have taken you there last time I traveled to Xiangyang. Okay, I'll see what the weather is like tomorrow. If the weather is good, How about we go out for an outing together? It doesn’t take too long or too far. We can go to Zhongnan Mountain for a walk, or go to Dongguan for a while. Spring is coming, and the ancient Taoist temples on Zhongnan Mountain are welcoming worshipers. , the scenery in Luoshui should also be good, there will be many tourists outing, it should be very lively. "
"Really? Thank you so much, Third Brother!" Yao'er said happily, with excitement in her voice.
Qin Mubai nodded with a smile. Thinking that Yao'er couldn't see it, he hurriedly said: "Third brother will never lie to you."
"Well, I believe Third Brother." Yao'er said with a smile, "Actually, Yao'er is already very satisfied in this life. There are only a few small wishes left, all related to Third Brother..."
After saying this, Yao'er gasped in surprise, her face turned red, and she looked like she had let something slip.
Qin Mubai did not laugh at her, but said softly: "Yao'er, tell me whatever wishes you have. As long as the third brother can do it, I will satisfy you."
"No, it's nothing... Actually..." Yao'er lowered his head, hesitated, and said softly, "Actually, as long as I can hear Third Brother's voice and smell Third Brother's scent every day, I will be satisfied. This is the biggest thing in this life. It’s my wish. If I could accompany my third brother to travel around the country, listen to the sounds of the Western Regions, smell the smell of the East China Sea, go boating on the rivers, and play the piano on the mountain tops, Yao’er would have no regrets in this life!”
Qin Mubai's heart palpitated slightly, and he reached out to take Yao'er's hand and patted it gently, saying softly: "What's so difficult about this? When the third brother returns to Beijing for a long vacation next time, he will take Yao'er with him. I can go sightseeing with my family wherever I want!”
"Well..." Yao'er bit her lip, nodded slightly, and said, "It's a pity that my unsatisfactory eyes have never been able to see the appearance of the third brother. I really want to know what the third brother looks like when he smiles. That must be the most beautiful smile in the world..."
"Come and touch it!" Qin Mubai took her hands and put them on his face, with a smile on his face and said, "How about it? Can you feel my smile?"
"You laugh so silly, so silly, but so happy! Third brother, the princess and the boss are all so lucky because you love them and pamper them all their lives... But I am luckier than them all, because at this moment, I hold With Third Brother’s smiling face!”
…
When they arrived at the Qinxian Pavilion, Yao'er went to settle accounts with the Wu brothers and others. Qin Mubai always ignored such matters, so he took the few accompanying guards to listen to a ditty and drink imperial wine.
What a coincidence, as soon as Qin Mubai arrived at the wine pavilion, he met his second brother Qin Bin, who had just come in alone. So the two brothers had company and sat together in a pavilion.
Qin Bin usually doesn't talk much and has a calm personality. Today, it seems that I have a lot of things on my mind. Qin Mubai asked him what he was worried about. Qin Bin sighed, stared at Qin Mubai and said, "Third brother, let's move our families to Lanzhou together!"
"Why?" Qin Mubai asked, frowning.
Qin Bin drank a glass of wine and sighed heavily: "With such a big event happening in the court, everything will change. Which side should we stand at this time?"
Qin Mubai suddenly realized it and asked in a low voice: "Is Changsun Wuji trying to win over you?"
Qin Bin nodded alertly and whispered: "Not only me, but also your eldest brother. In fact, we know his intentions well. Although the two of us are the eldest sons of the Qin family, everything in the Qin family has been yours. Support it. Changsun Wuji is trying to win over our two useless brothers to his camp first, and then use family ties to constrain you so that you have to join his faction. "
Qin Mubai nodded and said: "Second brother is wise, and I had almost expected Changsun Wuji's move. I just didn't expect that he didn't come to me directly, but through you... I'm afraid, he did too. I felt that I was not easy to talk to, or that I was too sensitive, so I got some advice from you first.”
"What's the wisdom of the third brother?" Qin Bin said, "Now the government is decided by Changsun Wuji and Chu Suiliang. The two of them assist the King of Jin and have overwhelming power. Moreover, Chu Suiliang is obviously not as good as Changsun Wuji. Nowadays, Changsun Wuji is inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people. If your eldest brother and I join him, you and your father will be passive. I know that you have never intended to get too close to Changsun Wuji, and my father will be even more vulnerable. Needless to say. Furthermore, if we, as the commanders of His Majesty's loyal guards, stand in Changsun Wuji's camp, then... the outcome can be imagined. On the other hand, if we do not surrender to Changsun Wuji, we will be unable to fight with him. As enemies? Hou Junji, people like that have been purged, who are we?”
"Don't worry, second brother. Let me think about this matter. You have made an appointment with eldest brother in the past two days. When are you free to come home together? How about we three brothers discuss it in detail? There are many people in the wine shop here, so let's not be too crowded for now. I said it." Qin Mubai said.
"That's fine. Just the day after tomorrow. My eldest brother and I will take turns to go to Lao Qin's Mansion to visit my mother."
"good."
It was rare for the two brothers to have a drink together, and Qin Mubai hadn't relaxed for a long time, so he drank more casually today. For a moment, he didn't control his wine glass and drank too much. The two brothers got drunk together and fell asleep in the Accord.
After Yao'er finished his work, it was already midnight. When he came to see Qin Mubai, he found that both of his brothers were drunk, so he asked the guards to gently carry them into the carriage, and first sent Qin Bin to his home for safekeeping. Yao'er then got into the carriage again and returned home with him.
Qin Mubai was snoring like a thunderous sleeper and slept like a dead pig. Yao'er sat next to him with a smile on his face, slender fingers caressing his face softly and slowly, the smile on his face was so sweet and warm that it was intoxicating.
Walking into Lifang Hutong, which you must pass every day, you are only two hundred steps away from Lao Qin's house. Yao'er suddenly became inexplicably flustered.
This mood is not unfamiliar to her! That’s how I felt when I found arsenic in the kitchen that day!