Qin Mubai's family stayed in Gaochang for several days, first to rest and secondly to pay homage to Qin Shubao.
Gaochang, the place where Qin Shubao died in battle. There is a statue of him on the Flame Mountain. This is also the birthplace of Qin Shubao's "miracles". Many legends about Qin Shubao have gradually been deified through word of mouth. It is said that he often appears to protect the people of Gaochang and protect the safety of business travelers on the Silk Road.
In the minds of the Chinese people, heroes and bears alike all hope to return to their roots. But Qin Shubao died in battle in a foreign country, and his body was burned to ashes by fire. Now he is with Qin Mubai, traveling thousands of miles around the world. In front of the statue, Qin's mother Liu, Shuang'er and others couldn't help crying and feeling filled with emotion.
"Sanlang, you really should go back to the Central Plains and bury your father's ashes in the Qin family's hometown in Licheng, Qizhou." Mrs. Liu said, "The fallen leaves are returning to their roots. Who doesn't want the fallen leaves to return to their roots..."
"It's because the child is unfilial... Since I last married Gao Yang and left Chang'an, I haven't been able to set foot in the Central Plains." Qin Mubai had no choice but to say, "But our family has settled in the Western Regions from now on, and it will become our second hometown." . When we settle down, I will choose a geomantic place to bury my father. From now on, my Qin family will be based in the Western Region!"
At the same time, a solemn and solemn ceremony was being held in the Tai Chi Hall in Chang'an Imperial City.
—Li Ke, crowned heir!
Shortly after Li Ji returned to the court, this long-delayed event was finally put on the agenda and officially held.
Li Shimin summoned Wu Wang Li Ke as the crown prince and crowned him personally. Beautiful photos were shining, civil and military officials were present, colorful flags were flying, and golden armor was dazzling, and there were thunderous cheers.
Now that Li Ke has been appointed as the prince, a team of civil and military officials must be formed to assist Li Ke. At this point, Li Shimin spent all his efforts.
The first person to bear the brunt was Changsun Wuji, the first minister of Zhenguan. Previously, he was Li Ke's biggest obstacle. In order to reconcile his relationship with Li Ke, Li Shimin put a lot of thought into it both publicly and privately. This time when he established the crown prince, in addition to letting Changsun Wuji continue to serve as Situ and Shangshu Zuopshe, he also specially named him the crown prince and grand master - becoming Li Ke's teacher!
Another important minister, Fang Xuanling, was appointed Crown Prince and Tutor.
Li Ji, the first leader of the military, served as the prince's Taibao.
A generation of important officials such as Chu Suiliang and Ma Zhou were assigned to important positions in Chunfang. Shi Quan Wanji, the original chief minister of Prince Wu, was appointed Prince Zhan Shi, who was equivalent to the general manager of East Palace affairs. He still assisted Li Ke in his affairs.
The returning Kansai army was reorganized into two armies directly subordinate to the emperor - the left and right Longwuwei, who guarded Chang'an all year round.
Because of his outstanding military exploits, Xue Rengui was awarded the title of Champion General (a third-grade honorary officer) and was awarded the title of General Youlong Wuwei. He commanded the most elite royal field commander in the imperial capital and became the patron saint of Chang'an and the first emperor of the Tang Dynasty. A symbol of combat power; Pang Fei was appointed as the general of the Zuojian Gate Guard, commanding the imperial army and guarding the Daming Palace and Taiji Palace.
It is worth mentioning that the generals of the Kansai Army after returning to the court, in addition to holding important positions in the Sixteenth Guards, were also assigned the command of the Sixth Commander of the Prince's East Camp, and they were all under Li Ke's command.
In this way, a new team of courtiers centered on Li Ke was formed.
It was not until the coronation ceremony and various canonizations were over that the ministers suddenly remembered one thing: Why was there not a single mention of one person who should have been the most important person today
Qin Mubai
…
Only ten days after the crown prince's coronation, the imperial court summoned Li Ke as the general manager of the march to Liaodong Road, and Li Ji and Li Daozong as deputy general managers to conquer Liaodong!
Xue Rengui, Li Daliang, Yuchi Jingde, Cheng Zhijie and other generals led a total of 300,000 troops, including the left and right Longwu guards and the left and right guards, to set off for the expedition immediately under Li Ke's command!
In an ingenious move, Li Shimin asked Changsun Wuji to serve as Li Ke's marching commander, and they went to Liaodong together. Fang Xuanling, the steward of the Tang Dynasty, was still the governor-general of food. Pang Fei was sent to Dengzhou to supervise the construction of sea ships. The navy of Governor Datang also belonged to Li Ke, and assisted in cross-sea attacks.
Before leaving for the expedition, Li Ke went to the harem to say goodbye to Li Shimin.
"Father, my son is about to go on an expedition tomorrow." Li Ke said, "I am going to Liaodong and have to travel thousands of miles away. I don't know when I will come back to serve my father. I also ask my father to take more rest and take care of his body."
"I know it well," Li Shimin said, "I thought about the matter you mentioned to me again and again, and decided to do as you suggested."
Li Ke's heart moved and he said, "Is it referring to the matter of conferring Qin Mubai as a county prince?"
"That's right." Li Shimin frowned slightly, but his eyes lit up, and he said, "In the few years before and after I ascended the throne, I cut off a lot of the royal titles of my Li family. From then on, except for those who surrendered, Foreign Khan Jieli, Qizong Nongzan and others have never been granted the title of king with a different surname in the Tang Dynasty. Previously, you proposed to make Qin Mubai king, but I rejected it immediately. However, I thought about it again and again after weighing the pros and cons. , For the long-term peace of the Western Regions, and for the Tang Dynasty to conquer Liaodong without any worries, I decided to make Qin Mubai king!"
"Father is wise!" Li Ke felt a little happy in his heart and bowed his hands, "The Western Region of the Tang Dynasty has just been established, and the pattern is unclear and people's hearts are unstable. A pillar is needed to hold up half of the country. Although Su Dingfang and others have outstanding abilities, they are still in the Western Region. His reputation is not enough to convince the public, especially those foreign chiefs and people of all ethnic groups. They only recognize Qin Mubai, the "son of the true god". Now that Qin Mubai has resigned and lost real power, making him king can provide stability. The hearts of the people in the Western Region. Besides, Mu Bai is a relative of the Prince Consort, and with his extraordinary achievements, it is not an exaggeration to be crowned a king. "
"You're right." Li Shimin also nodded in approval, "In fact, the rules are all set by people. After the Han Dynasty did not grant kings with different surnames, all dynasties and generations generally followed this practice. But people like Qin Mubai, It's not an exaggeration to be a king. If someone can make his contribution and reach his height in the future, he will be qualified to be crowned king. Otherwise, even if there is no one in the Li family, I will give him a title. Shut up!"
Li Ke let out a long sigh of relief: Well, finally before leaving, this big event was settled! Mu Bai was granted the title of King, which meant that he could rule the Western Region forever. Not only can the Western Region of the Tang Dynasty be at peace from now on, but Mu Bai can also enjoy a good death and his achievements will shine through the ages!
"As for the titles of the county kings, I have drafted a few. Why don't you copy them for me?" Li Shimin said, "The first is the Prince of Loulan County, the second is the Prince of Yuyang County, and the third is the Prince of Gongyue County."
The meaning of Li Shimin's words is obvious. Places such as Loulan, Yumenguan and Yangguan are either military towns or currently deserted beaches. They have no residents, so they cannot be called food towns. If the first two are granted the title, he will be a pure empty-headed prince, with only titles and titles but no land or food.
Gongyue City is different. Gongyue City was the former capital of the Western Turks Beiting, and it was also a hub city on the Silk Road. Not only was it a densely populated city, but it was also very prosperous with active business travel. If you can enjoy some food here, you will undoubtedly be rich. From now on, future generations will not have to worry about food and clothing.
After Li Ke thought for a moment, he said: "Father, in my humble opinion, since we have generously made Qin Mubai king, we should do our best and give him some food. Gongyue City is an important town in the Western Regions. If it can be done Qin Mubai's settlement here undoubtedly means that the Tang Dynasty has laid a solid foundation in the Western Regions. With Gongyue City as the center, the Tang Dynasty has more than ten governor's offices in the Western Regions, which will make it easier for the Tang Dynasty to pass administrative orders in the future! "
Li Shimin was silent for a moment after listening, obviously thinking deeply. Finally, he nodded, "Well, let's make Qin Mubai the King of Gongyue County, and he will live in a town of 800 households; he will be hereditary for future generations!"
Just as the angel holding the imperial edict left Chang'an, Qin Mubai's family also set off from Gaochang to Samajian.
Qin Mubai was worried about the pearl in Liujia, so he did not dare to delay any more and left early. When he arrived in the Western Regions, Qin Mubai was like a "dragon swimming in the sea". People from all over the country, counties and foreign ethnic groups came to pay homage. Along the way, there were also soldiers and horses clearing the way and vehicles escorting them. So the journey was not hard and went very quickly.
More than a month later, Qin Mubai and his family finally set foot in Samadhi to build the city! He rushed to Wu Meiniang's prime minister's house in a hurry, but found no one. After hearing a report from a servant that "the queen is giving birth" today, Wu Meiniang went to the palace to accompany her.
Qin Mubai hurriedly took his family to the palace. Everyone here knew him, so he went straight to the harem and arrived at the Crescent Queen's palace.
As expected, the place was extremely tense and busy with people coming in and out. Wu Meiniang was waiting anxiously outside the palace. Seeing Qin Mubai and his entourage approaching, Wu Meiniang was overjoyed to welcome her, and knelt down to Mrs. Liu: "My daughter-in-law has met her mother-in-law!"
"Good daughter-in-law, get up!" Ms. Liu always liked Wu Meiniang the most and helped her up happily. "Meiniang, I haven't seen you for a few years. You have become more beautiful and capable, and you have become the prime minister of Zhaowu Kingdom! See you again. You are so happy to be my mother!”
As soon as the words fell, the door of the queen's palace was opened, and Su Lianqing rushed out, shouting in surprise: "Give birth, give birth! Haha, twins! - Hey, Qin Mubai, are you here? Come on. Just right!”
"Have you given birth? Or are they twins?" Qin Mubai rushed forward with great joy, holding Su Lianqing's arms tightly with both hands, and was so excited that he couldn't speak incoherently, "Can I, can I go in? Can I?"
"Let go, you're going to crush me!" Su Lianqing broke away angrily, caught a glimpse of Yuwen Hongtai hiding behind, and ran over happily, not caring about the countless people present, jumped up and rushed towards him Yuwen Hongtai's body.
"Master, you are finally back. I miss you so much!" Su Lianqing put her arms around his neck, clamped her legs around his waist, and kissed him wildly on the face.
"Smelly bitch, third brother and godmother are here, stop being so presumptuous!" Yuwen Hongtai roared loudly and threw Su Lianqing away.
Su Lianqing sat down on the ground and was so angry that she cursed her, "Smelly Heizi, I'll have a good look at you soon!"
Everyone laughed. At this time, the palace doctor came out and said that everyone can go in to visit the queen.
Qin Mubai, Wu Meiniang and others rushed in eagerly and saw Queen Mingzhu lying on the fragrant couch, dripping with sweat and pale and extremely weak, with two maids beside her each holding a baby.
"Mingzhu, I'm here!" Qin Mubai hurriedly came forward and sat in front of the couch, holding Mingzhu's hand, "I'm sorry, I'm late."
"It's not too late, it's not too late..." Mingzhu smiled weakly but happily, "Mubai, I have always had no opinion and no ability, but this time my belly is full of energy. Look, I gave birth to a son for you. Girl. My daughter was born a moment ago, she’s my sister... Go and give her a hug!”
"Okay, I'll hold her!" Qin Mubai was so excited that she almost burst into tears. Qin's mother Liu, Shuang'er and others were even more excited, vying to hold the child, and then each went to Mingzhu's bed to comfort and serve her. .
"Mother, our Qin family has a new baby!" Qin Mubai happily hugged his two children and said, "Please ask mother to name the grandchild!"
"I haven't studied much, so I'm afraid I won't get up well..." Mrs. Liu was happy but also a little embarrassed. But Qin Mubai, Wu Meiniang and others insisted again and again. Ms. Liu thought for a while and then said: "Since the girl is the sister and the boy is the brother, how about calling them Qin Si and Qin Nian respectively?"
"Qin Si, Qin Nian... I miss you, I miss you, okay, okay!" Qin Mubai agreed immediately, holding the child in his arms and sitting in front of Mingzhu's bed, and said softly: "Mingzhu, what do you think?"
"Everything depends on my mother-in-law's arrangement... Sisi, Nian'er, it is indeed a very good name!"
Qin Mubai finally took a long breath, looked at the two children in his arms, and chanted to himself: "Sisi and Nian'er... From now on, our longing for the Tang Dynasty and our homeland will never end!"