Just after seeing off Li Zhi, another guest came to the house. Shuang'er was serving Qin Mubai for breakfast. The boss snorted unhappily: "Who are these people? They know that my brother is in a bad mood but they still come to disturb me one after another! Brother, let me help you block you." , you can enjoy your breakfast in peace!”
"Forget it, little sister." Qin Mubai said with a smile, "People with whom I have an average friendship will definitely not bother me at this time. Since I am here, there must be something important. It is a good friendship and there is something important. Just invite people in!"
"Humph!" Shuang'er snorted and went to the front hall to greet the guests. Not long after, the man came, and the anger on Shuang'er's face actually dissipated. Qin Mubai was a little funny when he saw that man. Who else could make the woman not angry with him
Of course it is the richest son in the world, Zheng Anshun.
After a quick meeting on Zhongnan Mountain that day, Qin Mubai knew that he had something important to do, so he invited him to his house to talk, and today he came.
The two briefly exchanged greetings, and Zheng An got straight to the point and said, "Brother Qin, I don't want to disturb you at all. However, there is a reason for this. Please listen to me, brother Qin."
"Well, Brother Zheng, you're welcome. Please speak."
Zheng Anshun said: "A few days ago, Zheng was managing his family's business premises in Luoyang. The King of Wei specially sent someone to look for him and invited me to come to the capital to get together and talk about a small matter."
"A trivial matter?" Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "If it is a matter handled by King Wei and Brother Zheng, it is not considered a trivial matter. Tell me, what is it?"
"Not long after, it will be the fifth anniversary of the death of Empress Changsun. King Wei wants to build a temple in Chang'an called 'Da Ci'en Temple' to honor his mother." Zheng Anshun said, "But now, His Majesty the Emperor is bedridden. There was chaos in the court, and no one paid any attention to the matter after it was brought to the court. So the King of Wei wanted to fund the construction of the temple independently, but... "
Qin Mubai smiled and waved his hand to signal Zheng Anshun not to say any more, nodded and said, "But King Wei has no money, so he asked you for help, right?"
"Yes." Zheng Anshun nodded and said, "Originally this was an act of filial piety, and since King Wei has spoken, the Zheng family has no choice but to help. A little money is nothing to mention. But I know, Nowadays, everything is not easy in the court. If you are careful, your family will be affected. What's more, I have already entrusted the Zheng family with the general's approval. "
Qin Mubai nodded and fell into deep thought.
The King of Wei played this skill very skillfully, killing two birds with one stone.
First of all, now is the stage when the fight for the heir apparent is intensifying. Li Zhi's sudden rise will definitely cause Li Tai to complain that he did not expect it. To be honest, King Wei was not afraid of the prince at all, because he knew that his father did not like the prince and had long wanted to depose him; but Li Zhi suddenly appeared like a blank slate, which made Li Tai feel unsure.
His biological brother, who had never shown any sign of prominence before, was even more simple and dull. But the more such an opponent, the more Li Tai felt helpless. It's like a master of hand boxing facing a large pile of cotton, but no matter how hard he tries, he can't produce any force - anyway, Li Zhi just won't fight with him!
At this time, Li Tai wants to compete with Li Zhi, and an important scene is the family card. He suddenly moved out his late mother at this time, naturally to gain favor with the emperor and Changsun Wuji. Now, Li Tai probably realized how powerful his uncle, who was not close to him at all before, was. He couldn't show his kindness to his uncle directly, so he had to use his late mother's name to get close to his uncle - so he came up with the idea of building the Great Ci'en Temple. Furthermore, it is known that Li Shimin has a preference for Queen Changsun. In his heart, Queen Changsun's status is unmatched. Li Tai also wanted to please Li Shimin by building the Da Ci'en Temple on his own.
To put it bluntly, the construction of the Great Ci'en Temple is more of an important political investment than a sacrifice to the mother.
However, people from this plane like Li Tai and Qin Mubai probably know well that the Zheng family and the Qin family have long been of the same blood. If Zheng An agrees to help King Wei build Da Ci'en Temple, it will undoubtedly mean that the Qin family also supports King Wei!
If Zheng An did not agree to King Wei's "request" to show his kindness and filial piety, it would be extremely unkind and he would not live up to his reputation as a "good businessman of the Tang Dynasty". Furthermore, businessmen have always been eagerly looking forward to the favor of the princes and princes. This time, the King of Wei openly came to ask for something. If he refused, it would be tantamount to breaking up with the King of Wei!
In this way, it is not surprising that Zheng Anshun would be in a dilemma.
Qin Mubai thought for a long time and figured out all these twists and turns, and said: "Brother Zheng, don't worry. It seems that my trip to the Wei Palace is a must."
Hearing this, Zheng Anshun breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly bowed his hands and said: "Zheng knows that Brother Qin will take care of everything. The Zheng family is just waiting for a word from Brother Qin. If you agree, the construction will start immediately. There is no need for the King of Wei and Brother Qin needs to worry about it for a moment; if you don’t agree, I, the Zheng family, are willing to advance and retreat with Brother Qin and share the glory and disgrace.”
"It's not that serious." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "This time, King Wei is not so much trying to opportunistically invite favors as he is forcing me, Qin, to make a clear statement. To put it bluntly, with the current situation of King Wei With today's fame and status, except for the Zheng family, he can definitely win over all the wealthy businessmen in Chang'an. How many people are trying to throw money at him without batting an eyelid? Will he be short of money? The reason why I only found your Zheng family is because they came to me."
"Oh, that's it! Brother Qin's words hit the nail on the head!" Zheng Anshun said, "Zheng also thought about this problem. After thinking about it, he also felt that King Wei would never be short of money. He found a reason. The reason for coming here is to ask me about the position of the Zheng family, and to use this to attack Brother Qin. "
Qin Mubai smiled to himself and said: "Actually, Qin's family does not care about low official status. King Wei wants to deal with me. It is just a matter of one sentence. The reason why he took such a long detour to find me is nothing more than a motive. "
"What's the motive?" Zheng Anshun asked, and quickly added, "Oh, Zheng said too much. This matter is secretive and sensitive. Brother Qin can be my younger brother and didn't ask this question."
"It's okay to tell you." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "After all, King Wei's spearhead will always be pointed at the East Palace. Now, King Li Zhi of Jin has unexpectedly emerged as a new force, which has caused him great obstacles. . And the King of Jin was different from the prince. He didn't fight, wanted nothing, and even cried, made trouble, and hanged himself. But this kind of opponent made the King of Wei very difficult to deal with. The current situation could be changed by changing the attitude of the people around King Jin. The most important person around King Jin was Changsun Wuji, so he built the Great Ci'en Temple and showed his kindness to his uncle in various ways; At the same time, he found the Zheng family to provide funds, which you can't refuse. Doesn't this mean that I, Qin, are helping the King of Wei to engage in political speculation and siding with him? Although this person is not talented, he is the nominal teacher of King Jin, the King of Jin who has not yet taken office. "
"So that's it!!!" Zheng Anshun suddenly realized, "King Wei, you have such a deep scheming!"
"That's it." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, waved his hand gently and said, "Brother Zheng, don't worry. When the soldiers come, the water will be blocked and the earth will cover it. If the King of Wei makes a move, I will just accept it. I have no grudges with him. Qin will not take the initiative to cause trouble. For the safety of the Qin and Zheng families, Qin will not act recklessly. However, it is not a good thing for us to get too close to any prince at this time. That’s it.”
"Just listen to Brother Qin's teachings in everything." Zheng Anshun cupped his hands and said.
"Brother Zheng is too strong." Qin Mubai returned the gift and said, "We are in the same boat, as we should be. Brother Zheng is waiting for news about someone. Soon, someone will go to the Palace of Wei and his party. By then, everything will be clear. ”
Zheng Anshun nodded and asked: "With the limelight at this time, if Brother Qin goes to Prince Wei's Mansion, won't it cause criticism?"
"It doesn't matter." Qin Mubai sighed softly and said, "Yao'er's funeral was held a few days ago, and the King of Wei sent someone to mourn. I didn't have time to invite you to drink, so it's appropriate for me to return the favor now. Shao Shi made some preparations, Chang'an I will pay tribute to all the people from the major sects who come to pay their respects, and I will not only go to King Wei's family, but no one can say anything."
"Brother Qin acted carefully. It was Zheng who worried too much. I'm sorry!" Zheng Anshun smiled and his face obviously relaxed a lot. He said with a relaxed smile, "I know that with the backbone of Brother Qin, I can't help you." Everything is safe. Brother Qin, please do it yourself. I won’t bother you any more. If you have any plans, please send a servant to send a message to Zheng Moumou! "
"Brother Zheng is serious. Please!"
Just after Zheng Anshun left, Li Daozong, who had just talked at night yesterday, came back, which surprised Qin Mubai.
Qin Mubai invited Li Daozong to sit down in the house. Before he could place the tea, Li Daozong waved his hand and said, "No need to be busy, Mu Ming. I will just say a few words. After that, I will leave."
"Your Majesty, please speak." Qin Mubai asked, frowning. Looking at Li Daozong's expression, he was very angry, so he must have something on his mind.
"Just early in the morning before going to court, King Wei actually came to my house and said a few irrelevant words to me." Li Daozong said.
"Oh? King Wei took the initiative to visit the prince early in the morning? This is really a new thing!" Qin Mubai said in surprise.
"What do you think he said to me?" After Li Daozong said this, he asked and answered, "He actually talked to me about Yan'er marrying Tibet!"
"What?!" Qin Mubai was greatly surprised and said in shock, "As a prince, such a sensitive topic can only be discussed in public discussions in the cabinet. How can he talk about it in private?"
"If you knew his attitude, you would know his intentions." Li Daozong said with a serious expression.
"Your Majesty, please speak."
"To put it simply, he opposed the granting of marriage to Tibet and supported the use of war to make peace!" After Li Daozong finished speaking, his two sword eyebrows stood up sharply, his expression was extremely serious, and he said word by word, "Li Tai, your scheming is unfathomable!"
"Is this so?" Qin Mubai also took a deep breath and said in surprise, "Li Tai is indeed really powerful! His vision is far more profound than that of his ignorant prince brother. He can predict the enemy's opportunities before they know it. !”
"No!" A sharp light flashed in Li Daozong's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Li Tai knew that with his current strength alone, he would never be able to compete with Changsun Wuji and his group. So he took the initiative to ask the military general Get closer, trying to get us closer, and stand in his camp. At present, the division of civil and military forces in the court is clear, and it is normal for King Wei to do this. His power lies in the strategy that the three of us just agreed on last night. He, the King of Wei, had already made plans and expected that the three of us would reach an agreement to fight against Tibet, so he stood up early and stayed close to us. You said, in this situation, we will be able to do it. Did the King of Wei push him out?"
"It's true..." Qin Mubai took a deep breath, and the plump and fat face of King Wei immediately appeared in his mind. He smiled kindly and looked harmless, but his scheming was so deep and outrageous!
"As soon as King Wei left, I made an excuse to report illness and did not go to the morning court." Li Daozong snorted and said, "I am afraid that in the court, Li Tai will suddenly catch us off guard and openly stand with us. camp, proposed a strategy completely opposite to Changsun Wuji’s request for peace.”
"Probably not." Qin Mubai said with certainty, "King Wei, this is two-faced and trying to have both sides. He will never openly contradict Changsun Wuji in the court. Even if we propose a main battle strategy, He, the King of Wei, will not publicly express his support because he does not dare to challenge Changsun Wuji, so he can only win over us in secret. When the time comes, it will be us who take the lead. If there is a disaster, it will be us who take the blame, and he, the King of Wei, has nothing to do with it. If it finally happens, King Wei will tell us how he worked hard to fight for us from the emperor or the prime minister. As for whether he did it or not, only the devil knows. At that time, we will still have to thank him for his "help". . For all the credit, we must first remember the king of Wei. This is his deceit!"
"This fat man!" Li Daozong punched the table and chair angrily, and said bitterly, "Smart is smart, but his mind is so crooked, how can he achieve great things? Isn't he a great harm to the world!"
"Your Majesty, there is no need to be angry. This may be just Qin's judgment of a gentleman's heart. When today's court meeting is over, we will know the result. If King Wei proposed a 'main war' proposal in court, then we will tentatively believe him. , he is sincerely forming an alliance with us; if not, then we just have to be more careful and there is no need to break with him," Qin Mubai said.
"Well, Mu Ming's words are exactly what I want." Li Daozong nodded in deep agreement and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, the four fat guys should have met Li Ji and even Duke Wei! Mu Ming, you want to You know, Li Tai is not as good as Li Chengqian. Not only is he more scheming, he can also be very ruthless in his actions. In addition, he also has some foundation in the military, such as the current imperial censor Li Daliang. , is also one of the founding heroes of the Tang Dynasty. He was also a general in the army with a high reputation and a wide network of disciples and friends. Although Li Daliang is not as big as Hou Junji, he is still a figure that cannot be ignored. Li Tai can think of many reasons related to military affairs. I guess it is probably Li Daliang who knows military affairs who is helping him make suggestions. "
"Well, I understand..." Qin Mubai breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "It seems that Li Tai came with bad intentions. He knew that his uncle was already opposing him in the court, so he Non-stop snares of any available force that are opposed to his uncle's position. The first thing that comes to mind is naturally us generals. Well, we will act according to the situation, focusing on the overall situation and national affairs. Motives, but as long as we can reach a consensus strategy, it is not an exaggeration for us to temporarily join forces with Li Tai. However, we must be careful about him. After all, it is not an easy task to seek skin from a tiger. "
"Mu Bai, you really did not disappoint me!" Li Daozong laughed, "Actually, my ultimate intention here is the last sentence you just said. It is true that Li Tai is sinister and terrifying, but if you can do it for me However, as you said, we must be careful not to risk our own lives when using each other. It's up to you. After all, the core of the military is Lanzhou and the Western Regions, which are the territory of your Qin family. If something happens, you are the first to take the blame. Now he is a little sick and has to go to the hospital. , As long as we can help him, he will not let go. If we have the courage and courage to take advantage of the fire, we might as well fight against the tiger's skin!"
"Well, what the prince said is very good!" Qin Mubai frowned and said in a deep voice, "This time, we have to know that there are tigers in the mountains and go to the tiger mountains. We will use our cleverness to make use of him, King Wei. Needless to say, I won't let him hide his head and hide his tail. Since he wants to win over us, he can't even try to please Changsun Wuji. I have to find a way to force him to make his position clear. Only by standing on our side can we take the initiative!”
"Clever!" Li Daozong smiled and praised loudly, "In this way, I can force Li Tai to have no way out but to confront Changsun Wuji, pull out the tiger's teeth, and Li Tai will really be able to do what I want. This matter , we have no choice but to take action."
"I know that." Qin Mubai took a sip of tea and thought to himself: intrigues are just bullshit. There are no absolute friends and enemies, only eternal interests. Now that our interests are aligned with those of Li Tai, there is no way we must let him submit a pledge of allegiance and stand firmly in the same camp as us. As for which prince I support as heir apparent... it's none of my business! Even if you beat me to death, I won’t take a stand on this matter. I only care about the war in Lanzhou! Li Tai wants to drag me into the water, but there is no way!
Okay, let’s do it!
Li Daozong came in a hurry and left in a hurry.
Qin Mubai sat alone and thought for a long time. He was really a little exhausted and dizzy. In the past few days, too many things have happened. From the sudden frame-up on the night before the wedding to the various intrigues after Yao'er's death, everything gave him a headache.
Qin Mubai misses Lanzhou a little bit. Although life there is miserable and risky, it is far more peaceful and peaceful than Chang'an today, which seems to be full of flowers but is actually full of dangers. In Lanzhou, if there is a problem or trouble, the problem can be solved by a quick fight with a knife or killing someone; in Chang'an, cold guns and hidden arrows are hard to guard against, and people's hearts are as dangerous as swords.
Qin Mubai really wanted to get out of Chang'an's nest of right and wrong, and he didn't want to get involved in any dispute over the heir apparent. But now it seems that no one can stay away from this huge wave.
The trees want to be quiet, but the wind doesn't stop.
"Okay! Since it is inevitable, I will cheer up and compete with you!" Qin Mubai took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and chanted to himself, "Whether the fish dies or the net is broken, this time , I won’t shy away from fighting anyone. I don’t want to be thrown into prison again, let alone a second Yao’er appearing, and I can’t let Lanzhou’s plans be ruined by this political turmoil, no matter how huge or turbulent it is! Qin Mubai, go up against the boat, the tide is in danger! "