Although he didn't get along with Li Tai much, Qin Mubai had a deep understanding of his character. There are traces of Li Tai's evil hands in many of the dirty things he has experienced before. Don't talk about it far away, just talk about the broken-armed Baiqi Zhang Tong whom he met in Xiangzhou, and he told Qin Mubai a lot about Li Tai.
Qin Mubai knew all about his viciousness and viciousness. Now that he had to "work" with him, Qin Mubai also knew that he must not follow his routine. Li Tai, he just wanted to use a few nice words to win the favor and support of Qin Mubai and other military figures.
There is no way for such a thing!
Li Tai wanted to push Tai Chi and play tricks, but Qin Mubai hit him with a heavy punch on his life gate. That sentence "Afraid of offending Changsun Wuji" was like a sharp dagger, directly piercing Li Tai's heart.
Li Tai was so embarrassed that his expression stiffened and his face turned a little red.
"Ahem..." He coughed dryly and smiled stiffly, "Mubai, you can't say that. How can I put it... He is also my biological uncle and a minister of my father. It's not like looking at the face of a monk or the face of a Buddha. , how can I openly contradict him?”
Qin Mubai smiled and shook his head, and said: "After talking for a long time, it turns out that King Wei just wanted me and a few others to be the first to lead the charge and fight for you. In the end, King Wei only supported us 'spiritually' What's the difference between this and not having the support of King Wei? Hey, Qin really had strong support. Unexpectedly, King Wei was so insincere. A gentleman does not force others to do anything. Qin left. ”
After saying that, Qin Mubai stood up, handed over his hands and left.
"Wait a minute!" Li Tai's heart sank suddenly. If Qin Mubai stepped out of the carved tower, it might mean that the military power of the Tang Dynasty would be cut off from Li Tai!
Qin Mubai paused, smiled, and cupped his hands: "We don't agree with each other. Your Highness, there is no need for us to force each other. Farewell!"
"Please wait a moment!" Li Tai put his hands on the ground and climbed up with some difficulty.
"Your Highness, please stay. Qin took leave." Qin Mubai refused to stay for the second time and insisted on leaving. He even opened the door and stepped out of the room with one foot.
"Mu Bai, everything is easy to discuss!" Li Tai finally shouted out in desperation.
Qin Mubai paused, smiled knowingly, turned around, walked back and closed the door.
Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief inadvertently, with a smile on his face, and asked Qin Mubai to sit down again, and said: "Mubai, don't get me wrong, it's not that Xiao Wang is insincere. It's just... It's an eventful time in the court now, and the wind is rumbling. . The prince's eldest brother has just fallen, how can Xiao Wang not act cautiously? In the past, his father had the final say, and Xiao Wang still felt confident. But now, his father is ill and has left all the affairs of the government to his eldest son Wuji and Chu. Suiliang - It is true that he is my young ninth brother in charge of the country in name, but with the conscience of heaven and earth, who doesn't know that he is just a puppet who is manipulated by life? Changsun Wuji has never had a good impression of Xiao Wang, so there is no need to hide it. At this critical moment, Xiao Wang Xian dares to take advantage of him and confront him head-on?"
Qin Mubai nodded and said with a smile: "King Wei finally told the truth. It is normal for King Wei to feel sad about the death of a rabbit after the crown prince's downfall. Changsun Wuji went down the slope, which was beyond everyone's expectations. The outsider brought King Jin to the fore with far-reaching and ulterior motives. The reason why he chose King Jin was simply because he was young, ignorant and weak in character, making it easier for him to control..."
At this point, Qin Mubai cleverly stopped talking.
"How is it actually?" Li Tai asked as expected.
"Forget it, let's not talk about it!" Qin Mubai smiled and said, "As the saying goes, you can't get close if you're not close, but Qin doesn't want to act like a villain."
"Mu Bai, why don't you tell me if you have something to say?" Li Tai's expression became more serious and he said seriously, "Now, Xiao Wang sincerely wants to be your ally. Mu Bai, please be frank with us!"
"Okay... I'll tell you." Qin Mubai nodded, sighed, and said, "A few days ago, King Jin came to my house and asked me for help."
"Help?" Li Tai asked in surprise, "What danger is he in?"
"It's not dangerous, it's just that I'm overwhelmed and can't bear the pressure." Qin Mubai sighed, "King Wei, although King Jin is not as capable as you and the prince, he has a rare pure heart. . Changsun Wuji promoted him to power just to use him to weaken the King of Wei, and ultimately achieve the purpose of attacking the King of Wei and excluding the King of Wei. Otherwise, why would he do such shocking and abnormal actions and openly support the King of Jin to fight with him. King Wei breaks up?"
Li Tai frowned and nodded slightly, saying, "What did Ninth Brother tell you? Did Changsun Wuji force him to... attack me?"
Qin Mubai stared at Li Tai and said softly: "I didn't say these words."
Li Tai smashed his fist lightly on the table and grunted: "I knew it! Changsun Wuji looks loyal but is actually a treacherous man. He loves to manipulate power and wishes he could rule the world! If it weren't for my father, Emperor Youran, still alive , I’m afraid he’s going to be in trouble! He’s probably forgotten whether the king of the Tang Dynasty is surnamed Li or Changsun!”
"King Wei, there is no need to be angry." Qin Mubai said, "From Changsun Wuji's point of view, he is actually not wrong. He only wants to serve His Majesty and choose a qualified monarch for Your Majesty. It's not that he doesn't look down on it. He went to the King of Wei, but he was worried that he could not control the King of Wei, which made it difficult to implement the country's strategy in his mind, and all his methods were inherited from his Majesty. To be honest, His Majesty chose Changsun Wuji, and Changsun Wuji was only responsible for the implementation. So... "
"So, my father wants to test whether Changsun Wuji and his ninth brother can achieve what he wants?" Li Tai said in surprise.
"The emperor's heart is unpredictable and cannot be known." Qin Mubai shook his head and said, "In short, since Changsun Wuji dares to be so unscrupulous now, not to mention the emperor's backing, at least he has his tacit approval."
"So, don't we have any chance of winning? If we oppose Changsun Wuji, we are going against our father!" Li Tai spread his hands and said a little desperately.
"Not necessarily." Qin Mubai frowned and said sternly, "Actually, the emperor is not 100% sure. Otherwise, why doesn't he clearly appoint the crown prince now and lay down the foundation of the country to calm the hearts of everyone in the court and the public? The reason why he is ill , most of them are waiting and watching. Maybe he just wants to try to see what kind of effect the combination of King Jin and Changsun Wuji can achieve, whether the government and the public can operate smoothly under their leadership, and on some important issues of right and wrong. , can we make it right? At this time, it is a big opportunity and crisis for Changsun Wuji and King Jin. It is also a big crisis and opportunity for us. If we can make a correct decision on a certain major event, we can refute it. King Jin and Changsun Wuji, then we can stand out and impress the emperor. King Wei, since you have great ambitions, how can you do nothing at this juncture and let the opportunity go in vain? "
"Big opportunity, big risk..." Li Tai took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, nodded and said, "Mu Bai's words hit the nail on the head! Yes! If you are forced to blindly obey Changsun Wuji under pressure at this time, then It is bound to achieve nothing, even if it is safe, at most it can only succumb to Changsun Wuji and become a comfortable and mediocre person; if you fight against him and rebound strongly, if you succeed, it will be a big star who will steal the show, and your future will be limitless; On the other hand, if it fails, the outcome will probably be bleak. Prince eldest brother, Hou Junji and others are role models.”
"Yes, that's it." Qin Mubai stared at Li Tai and said, "However, this rule is only suitable for us ministers, but it is not necessarily suitable for the King of Wei."
"Why?"
"His Royal Highness, King Wei, do you really want to make your words clear?"
"Now that we've talked about it, what else can't be said?" Li Tai slapped the table, "Mu Bai, please speak!"
"Well..." Qin Mubai nodded, seemingly hesitant, but finally said, "As the saying goes, there is no room for two tigers in one mountain. Even if the King of Wei is willing to succumb to Changsun Wuji and the King of Jin, can they trust you? There are people above the government and the public. As long as the king of Wei is around, the king of Jin will be in more danger."
When Li Tai heard this, his eyebrows suddenly stood up and his eyes widened. He clapped his hands and said angrily in a low voice: "That's true! Changsun Wuji just helped my ninth brother to supervise the country. Before I could make any move, he gave birth to the child to eradicate the country. The king’s thoughts. It seems that no matter whether I compromise or beg for mercy, they will not let me go and they will get rid of me soon!”
"The King of Wei is such a smart man, he should have thought of this a long time ago, right?" Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "Looking at the court and the public, anyone can beg for mercy and humiliation for Changsun Wuji, but Wei The king can't. Moreover, the king of Wei was the prince who was deeply favored by the emperor. When the emperor fell ill and the prince fell, it was known to the world that it was the king of Wei's turn to supervise the country, but Changsun Wuji chose Li Zhi instead, and he did not hesitate to disobey his majesty's wishes. . At this time, Changsun Wuji had already put on a posture of complete breakup and life-and-death struggle, but King Wei was still hesitating and trying to please Changsun Wuji and ease the rift with him. Please forgive Qin for being so harsh and blunt, is this a little too childish?"
Li Tai's face changed and his expression became a little stiff. He nodded reluctantly, shook his head again, and sighed heavily: "If it wasn't for love, how could Xiao Wang be willing to fight to the death with his uncle and brother? But now it seems, Xiao Wang has been forced to retreat. I just want to survive, but he insists on killing me. Hey... It's a fight to the death, Xiao Wang, it's quite helpless!"
Qin Mubai smiled indifferently and said: "Your Majesty has many princes, but the only legitimate sons left in the court are you and Prince Jin. If there is no struggle between you, it would be abnormal. But , King Jin boldly told me that he had no intention of fighting with you. Changsun Wuji was behind everything, and he was just a helpless puppet. It's quite funny to think about it, a majestic prince. You are forced to fight against each other at the mercy of your relatives. Please forgive Qin for using an extremely inappropriate and rude metaphor. Isn't this a bit like a cockfight? Changsun Wuji forces you two brothers to fight to the death, but he claps on the side. Waiting for payment?"
"do not talk!!!"
Li Tai suddenly yelled and his face turned red.
Qin Mubai's face changed and he looked very embarrassed, but he was secretly happy in his heart: Okay, I'm finally angry! It seems that it finally stimulated him!
"Although they are all flesh and blood, the back of the hand is flesh and the palm is flesh, but if I had to choose between my brothers and my uncle, of course I would choose the brothers." Li Tai gritted his teeth and said bitterly, "Changsun Wuji, you are pushing too hard. ! If he doesn’t treat me as a nephew, why should I treat him as an uncle?”
"If you can unite as brothers, you won't be able to defeat Changsun Wuji." Qin Mubai said, "The King of Jin regards me as his teacher, and he has said everything from his heart to me. He said that you promised him that if He will give you the position of supervising the country, and you will eventually have to establish Donggong as the throne. In the future, you will appoint him as the prince. Is this a problem? "
"Ah? Zhinu... have you said this to you?" Li Tai was surprised.
"Fortunately, he didn't tell Changsun Wuji." Qin Mubai smiled meaningfully.
Li Tai took a breath and whispered: "Brother Qin, please don't spread these words everywhere. If it reaches the ears of my father..."
"Don't worry, I won't." Qin Mubai smiled and said, "I am telling you just to prove two things. One is that Qin sincerely formed an alliance with the King of Wei and did not have other intentions; the other is that the King of Jin had no intention The fight with the King of Wei is all due to the pressure of Changsun Wuji, and he is helpless, even more helpless than you. If not, he will tell Changsun Wuji or the emperor what you said to him. Today, the King of Wei will. …Can you still sit still like this?”
"It's true, it's true..." Li Tai nodded repeatedly. This big fat man is so regretful that his intestines are blue now. At that time, he just regarded Li Zhi as an ignorant brat, and told him some nonsense to coax and bluff him. Who would have thought that his misstep would lead to such a big deal!
Li Zhi's trust in Qin Mubai was obviously beyond Li Tai's expectation; now, his little tail is being held tightly by Qin Mubai!
"Your Highness, we are now in the same boat, facing the pressure from Changsun Wuji together. If we do not unite, we will be defeated by them individually, and no one will have a good end." Qin Mubai began to make a "Closing Statement" "Resigned", vowing to break through the last line of defense of hypocrisy and cunning in Li Tai's heart, he said, "When life and death are at stake, whoever takes chances or shrinks back and lives by relying on others will only suffer in the end." It's me. I, Qin, think to myself that even if I don't serve as an official, I'm still a prince-in-law. It's not a problem for me to maintain prosperity, wealth and peace for the rest of my life. As long as I don't serve as an official, I will no longer have any influence on Changsun Wuji. Threat. In comparison, I am in less danger than Your Highness. Please think again!”
"Okay, Mu Bai. You don't need to say anything, Xiao Wang, you know what to do." Li Tai finally stopped his smiling expression, his expression was serious and his eyes were condensed, and he said solemnly, "At this moment, we Let's work together to overcome the difficulties. Don't worry about anything else for the time being. However, if you and I are still weak, if Mu Bai can ask for help, Xiao Wang's chances of winning will be greatly improved. In my humble opinion, it is best to unite Li Jing, Li Ji, Li Daozong, Yuchi Jingde, Duan Zhixuan, and Cheng Zhijie to fight against Changsun Wuji, so that you can have some confidence that these people have some friendship with you, or are friends with you. Your father’s life and death brother, I believe you will find a way.”
"Okay, as long as King Wei stands firm and has a tough attitude, leave the rest to me." Qin Mubai nodded.
Li Tai gritted his teeth, stood up, walked to the wall, took out a sword hanging on the wall, and slashed it hard at the corner of the table, immediately slicing off a corner. He said: "I, Li Tai, swear to God, if I am not sincere and determined to join forces with the Mubai Alliance to fight against Changsun Wuji, I will be the same as this case!"
"Okay! Since King Wei is so sincere, then Qin will do his best." Qin Mubai stood up, cupped his hands and said, "I will try my best to persuade those in the military. From now on, we swear to be with Wei The king stands in the same camp and fights against foreign enemies!"
"Okay!!" Li Tai finally heard the words he wanted to hear most today. He suddenly smiled and stretched out a pair of fat hands to hold Qin Mubai's hand tightly. He said gratefully and excitedly, "Mubai, little The king’s life and future are entrusted to you!”
"The words of King Wei are serious." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and said, "Qin did this not only for His Highness but also for himself. It is all within his scope. Now that Changsun Wuji is so powerful, we and others If we are not determined to unite, we will be overwhelmed by his strength and never be able to stand up again. The only way to survive is to unite the weak against the strong!"
"When Mu Bai's words were heard in Xiao Wang's ears, they seemed to come from the bottom of his heart and penetrated his heart and spleen. They are so useful!" Li Tai said seriously and seriously, "Okay, there is no need to ramble on. The third meeting will be in It will be held in three days. Xiao Wang will enter the palace immediately. You must be allowed to participate in this meeting. Within three days, you must also try your best to unite more people into our camp. Mu Bai, this is a matter of great importance. There is no room for loss in the battle for the stability of the imperial court, the fate of the empire, and our fate!”
"Don't worry, Your Highness." Qin Mubai smiled slightly and cupped his hands, "I've been here for a long time, so I'm afraid that others will be suspicious, so please leave. Let's see you at the Hongwen Hall in three days!"
"Okay, see you at Hongwen Hall!"
After bidding farewell to Li Tai, Qin Mubai left the Wei Palace together with Princess Gaoyang and Shuang'er. The two girls chatted quietly in the car, guessing what Qin Mubai would talk to Li Tai. Qin Mubai sat on the horse, thinking about everything, and the ideas in his mind gradually became clear.
This is a war without smoke. The two sides of the battle involved almost everyone in the Tang Dynasty. There is no doubt that its victory or defeat will influence the direction of history and determine the fate of everyone!
In recent years, the struggle for the right to inherit the throne that has plagued the entire Tang Empire finally triggered a huge war with the "Lanzhou War" as the fuse. Qin Mubai was surprised to find that he was standing at the core of this war without knowing it!
At this moment, he really felt like standing alone on the train track, facing the roaring locomotive.
Look up at the sky, it's sunny. But Qin Mubai clearly felt that the sky in Chang'an was so uncertain and depressing. It's already summer, who knows when a storm will hit the heaven and earth unexpectedly
Changsun Wuji's group is a powerful enemy; Wei Wang Li Tai is an ally with ulterior motives; Li Shimin, who is lying in admiration, is unpredictable; and there are also the rolling wheels of history, when all of these are pressing towards Qin Mubai At this time, he actually felt a kind of animal blood boiling and silly - pleasure!
Could this be the legendary battle with heaven, earth, and humans - endless fun? !