***
"As the saying goes, a man of integrity fears no slander. Qin Mu, you'd better stop using those little tricks to confuse right and wrong and to confuse people. The more you do this, the more guilty you are." Lu Daqi was calm and composed, and he resumed his calm demeanor. He spoke eloquently, "Since ancient times, those who have done great things have disdained such little tricks. Lord Qin is well-versed in the classics and has a wide range of knowledge. I'm sure you have never heard of anyone who has ambitions to conquer the world relying on such little tricks to achieve success, right?"
"General Lu, you are too kind to me. I am young and inexperienced, but I know myself well. In this life, I am content to have three wives and four concubines and to be well fed all day. What do you mean by the ambition to rule the world, General Lu? It's very confusing to me. To be honest with you, General Lu, I do have the ambition to please women under your skirts, hahahaha..."
Qin Mu laughed out loud. Lu Daqi looked at him coldly. Qin Mu was unmoved and continued, "Although I am young and inexperienced, I cannot agree with what Commander Lu said just now. Emperor Taizong of Tang said that using copper as a mirror can correct one's clothes and people as a mirror can help one understand gains and losses. I think this sentence can be understood this way: whether one is upright or not is not up to oneself to say, but it must be said by others. If others say that you are upright, then you are upright; if you think you are upright, but others say that you are crooked, then you are still crooked. After all, you cannot nail the lid of your own coffin."
This was probably the first time that someone understood Tang Taizong's words in this way. After hearing this, Lu Daqi was furious, but he still understood the truth that people's words are scary and that a lot of gossip can melt gold. Qin Mu is now all-powerful in Huguang, and the matter of Lu Qi's recognition of his relatives is still up to him. If one person says one thing, it is a rumor, but if a hundred people say it, it becomes the truth.
"Also, some tricks really can't influence the world. But they can influence a certain person. The eyes of the masses are sharp. If you use these tricks to influence the world directly, it will definitely not work. But using these tricks to influence a certain person, and then letting him play tricks on the world, it is feasible. Therefore, since ancient times, those who have achieved great things are mostly righteous, but they are never short of conspiracies and tricks in private, but usually there are some so-called villains who bear the infamy for them."
"Qin Mu, what do you want? There are only you and me here. You might as well just tell me straight out."
"General Lu, do you still think that I was the one who instigated Lu Qi to recognize his relatives? Then General Lu, you are totally wrong. At least the people of Huguang would not think so. General Lu, this is a wrong act of being out of touch with the masses!"
"you... ... ... .."
"I said that I did everything because I didn't want to be a slave of a conquered country. I think Commander Lu will definitely not believe it." Qin Mu put away his smile, flicked his sleeves and said seriously, "Then let's be frank. I don't ask for much. I just want to hug people left and right. I just want to keep my own land, at least for now. Commander Lu, do you understand what I mean? Commander Lu is a smart man, I think he knows how to deal with it."
Qin Mu said this. If Lu Daqi still didn't understand, then he would not be Lu Daqi. Nowadays, there are many people in the world who have their own troops, not just Qin Mu.
Take Zuo Liangyu for example. He repeatedly disobeyed the imperial edict, but the imperial court could not do anything to him. Instead, they had to repeatedly promote him to higher positions to appease him.
Now Qin Mu wanted to keep his own piece of land. Whether the court was willing or not, it couldn't do anything to him. As long as he didn't take any further action during his tenure, why should he break this window paper
Lu Daqi said with a gloomy face: "So, Lord Qin is planning to not take care of the matter of suppressing the bandits."
Qin Mu answered casually, "Huguang has just been recovered, and the area is not stable. If the army goes north now, Huguang will inevitably be in turmoil. We must guard against this. I understand the intentions of the court and General Lu, but we can't just pick up sesame seeds and throw away watermelons, right? Of course, it is still possible to withdraw some troops to suppress the bandits, but General Lu will have to raise food and grass."
"How many troops does Lord Qin plan to deploy to suppress the bandits?"
"Ten thousand. If there are more, Huguang will be in chaos. Commander Lu, Zuo Liangyu still has more than 100,000 troops. Commander Lu, instead of letting Zuo Liangyu idle and cause trouble to the local area, why not send him to suppress the bandits?"
"Thirty thousand!" Lu Daqi said firmly.
Qin Mu smiled but said nothing, as if he only knew how to count to one and had no idea what the word three was. The reason why Qin Mu wanted to talk to him was simply to use him to put pressure on Zuo Liangyu, hoping to force Zuo Liangyu to leave Jiujiang without bloodshed.
Outsiders have no idea how the two men talked in this closed-door negotiation, but one can imagine that Qin Mu holds all the initiative, and with Lu Daqi's weakness in Qin Mu's hand, Lu Daqi has no bargaining chips at all. What good results can he get from the negotiations
After seeing off Lu Daqi, Qin Mu returned to the back court and saw Yang Zhi and Dong Xiaowan discussing the piano score together in the Eight-Colored Pavilion.
Because Qin Mu did not explain, Yang Zhi had always been very courteous to Dong Xiaowan, without any airs. Dong Xiaowan also seemed to get along well with her. In just two days, the two of them got along very well. This surprised Qin Mu. It seemed that there really was some fate between people.
"My husband is back." When Yang Zhi saw him coming back, she stood up quickly, bent her slender waist slightly, and bowed. Although Dong Xiaowan next to her didn't say anything, she still reluctantly stood up and bowed.
Qin Mu stepped forward and helped Yang Zhi up. She had just received the grace of heaven, and at the same time, she had relieved the sorrow that had accumulated in her heart for months. The skin on her face was pink and rosy, as if water could be squeezed out with a light pinch. Her pair of watery eyes were bright and beautiful with a hint of spring.
Qin Mu liked it, flicked her cheek and said with a smile: "Have you rested enough? If you are not tired, I will take you to Yuelu Mountain. I heard that the maple leaves on the mountain are redder than the flowers in February, and they are as beautiful as blue clouds from a distance. I have a rare free time today, so I will accompany you to appreciate the maple leaves. Don't miss the opportunity, it will never come again!"
Although it was just a light flick, Yang Zhi's face turned red with shame. She glanced at Dong Xiaowan secretly and found that Dong Xiaowan was looking somewhere else with her lower lip bitten. She breathed a sigh of relief, but when she turned around, Qin Mu deliberately pinched her cheek again, "Husband..." she blurted out a coquettish voice, but stopped abruptly.
"Hahaha... Madam, don't act so mature and serious all the time. It's so tiring. You are only seventeen years old. You should do whatever you want in our family. Look at Qiao'er. Do you know why your husband likes her?"
"My dear husband, I... I understand. Have you finished your official duties? How can I feel at ease if your official duties are delayed because of me?"
"Don't worry, my lady. It's all taken care of. Besides, the way I handle official business is different from others. Others have to sit in the yamen to handle official business, but I am different in that I can handle it anywhere. I don't have to stay in the yamen. Come on, if there is anything you need to take, your husband will go with you." Qin Mu pulled her and was about to go back to the house.
"Husband, wait a minute." Yang Zhi turned around and said to Dong Xiaowan, "Sister Dong, go and get ready. You must be bored staying in the back office all day. It's a good opportunity for us to go up the mountain together to take a look."
"Thank you, ma'am. I won't go."
"How can this be possible? Sister, go and get ready. Don't miss the time. Go quickly, go quickly."
Dong Xiaowan declined twice, but could not prevail against Yang Zhi. In addition, she was very quiet by nature, and she would be reluctant to leave whenever she went to a secluded forest or a remote valley, because she hated the noise and luxury. She had lived alone in Bantang, Suzhou for six years. At Yang Zhi's urging, she agreed and went back to her room to pack her things.
Qin Mu picked up Yang Zhi. He ignored her struggles and said as he walked towards the bedroom, "My lady, you have just lost your virginity, so I'm afraid it will be inconvenient for you to move around. But don't worry, I have asked someone to prepare a bamboo sedan chair, and you can ride it up the mountain when the time comes."
Yang Zhi was shocked and ashamed and begged, "My husband, please don't do this. Let me down quickly."
"We're here, stop shouting. The more you shout, the more people will see you."
After all, Yang Zhi was only a seventeen-year-old girl. Although she was shy, how could she not be happy to be loved and pampered by her husband? She buried her head in his neck, and after entering the bedroom, she was actually reluctant to leave.
Qin Mu simply carried her to the bed and was gentle with her. He skillfully reached his hands under her clothes and before she could struggle, he moved them to her chest and grasped those two jumping breasts. Yang Zhi instantly collapsed and fell into his arms with a sexy moan.
Which girl doesn't have spring in her heart, especially in the newlywed years, when they were in love, her eyes were already wandering when Qin Mu teased her, and she twisted her body unconsciously to cooperate with his movements... ...
The two hugged and kissed each other tenderly for a while before getting up to prepare some things and asking someone to go out with wine, food and snacks.
In the carriage, Dong Xiaowan saw that Yang Zhi's face still had spring in it, and her eyes were filled with a strong sense of happiness. For a moment, she did not dare to look at her any more. From the way Qin Mu treated Yang Zhi, Dong Xiaowan discovered the difference between Qin Mu and other men.
Other men either order their women around or act sanctimonious, for fear of losing their status if they don't do so. But in the dark room, they show a different face.
Qin Mu made no secret of his love for his wife. His little action of tapping Yang Zhi's cheek just now was so natural, just like he was teasing his little daughter. With such a husband, it was no wonder that Yang Zhi's face was filled with a strong sense of happiness.
Dong Xiaowan was thinking about her own things, but Yun Qiaoer didn't care. When she heard that they were going to visit Yuelu Mountain, she was like a lark that had escaped from a cage and kept praising Qin Mu.
The attentive Yang Zhi discovered that in addition to them, Qin Mu also brought several officials including Yang Shen and Shao Hua with him. She realized that her husband's words about accompanying her to visit Yuelu Mountain were probably just a coincidence.
Ever since her father gradually recovered, the sadness and confusion in Yang Zhi's heart slowly dissipated, leaving only a strong sense of guilt towards Qin Mu. She thought Qin Mu would definitely divorce her because of how her father treated him.
She had been in despair for some time, but now things had turned around. Not only did Qin Mu not divorce her, he also treated her so well. She was grateful and wanted to repay him double.
Thinking that Dong Xiaowan was the woman Qin Mu liked, she not only did not care, but treated her like a sister.
She felt relieved when she found out that Qin Mu said he was taking them out to play but actually had something else to do. If Qin Mu really missed his business just to accompany her out to play, it would only make her feel uneasy.
I just don’t know what Qin Mu is doing in Yuelu Mountain this time
..**(To be continued..)
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