***
With a pot of green plum wine, a small clay stove, and a few dishes, Qin Mu and Yang Tinglin sat opposite each other for a long time, but neither of them spoke.
Yang Tinglin looked a little older than before, but his long beard was still neatly combed, making him look even more thin and stern.
Outside the flower hall, a white-headed bird landed on the rockery, chirping from time to time, as if calling a friend. The maids walking along the corridor tried to keep their footsteps as light as possible, for fear of disturbing the father-in-law and son-in-law in the hall.
In addition to Qin Mu and Yang Tinglin, there was also Yang Zhi in the hall. She insisted on serving tea and water herself, simply because she was worried that her husband and father would become enemies again.
But Qin Mu and his partner neither touched their chopsticks nor raised their glasses, so she didn't even have a chance to refill her glass. The pretty twin sisters Momo and Ruoruo who were following her were even more silent, not even daring to glance at her.
"Daddy, husband, the wine is getting cold, just take a sip." The cold atmosphere made Yang Zhi more and more worried, and she finally mustered up the courage to persuade them.
"This is none of your business. Go back to your room and rest." Yang Tinglin glanced at his daughter with the look of a stern father.
“Dad… … ..”
"My wife, come and sit next to your husband." Qin Mu spoke at this time. As soon as he said this, Yang Tinglin was so angry that he blew his beard and glared. Qin Mu seemed to see nothing. Seeing that Yang Zhi did not dare to come over, Qin Mu simply reached out and pulled her over and pressed her on the chair next to him, "You are heavy, either go back to your room and rest, or sit down obediently."
"Husband, I..." Yang Zhi was embarrassed and anxious, not knowing what to do. She pursed her lips and dared not look at her father. Momo and Ruoruo behind her glanced at each other secretly, but the corners of their mouths could not help but curl up slightly.
"Father-in-law, you don't feel sorry for your daughter and grandson, but I feel sorry for my wife and son."
"You! How disgraceful, how disgraceful." Yang Tinglin was furious.
"Father-in-law, I am not afraid to speak my mind. Now, all matters are decided by me." Qin Mu responded calmly. Yang Tinglin forced him like that at the beginning, so it was impossible for him to say that he didn't mind at all.
Yang Tinglin didn't expect him to say such a thing. He couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted. Chen had been whispering in his ears these days, and his mind had been slightly loosened, otherwise he wouldn't have sat here today, but Qin Mu said such a crazy thing. As an elder, he could bear it now.
"Husband, don't be like this. Can't you just talk to daddy properly?" Yang Zhi was very anxious, with a pleading expression on her face.
"Back then, it was your father who didn't even give me a chance to speak properly." Qin Mu seemed willing to let it go without getting any more angry.
"My dear husband, I beg you, I will apologize to you on behalf of my father..."
"You don't have to beg him! I'm not wrong." Yang Tinglin's eyes were blazing with fire, and he shouted at his daughter. "I have never regretted anything I did. If you want to kill me or rob me, just come to me."
"Mencius said, 'The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important. Father-in-law, I just want to ask you one question: in your heart, who is more important, the people or the king?"
"Do I need you to teach me these?" Yang Tinglin slammed the table so hard that the chopsticks bounced to the ground. Momo and Ruoruo were so scared that they almost cried.
"Then may I ask, father-in-law, compared to the past, are the people of Ganzhou living better now or better than they did then?"
Seeing that Yang Tinglin did not answer, Qin Mu continued, "Today, I might as well make it clear to my father-in-law that I am loyal to the billions of Chinese people and care about the survival of Chinese civilization, not the rule of one family."
"What nonsense! As the saying goes, there is no order without rules. If you don't even follow the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, where does the Chinese civilization you are talking about come from? The Ming Dynasty is the traditional Chinese civilization. If everyone is like you, can there be any peace in the world?"
"Of course, the above are all reasons I tell others. When Qin lost its deer, the whole world chased it. I might as well tell you that the reason why I have my own army is, first, I hate the fools in the Qing Dynasty, and I don't want to kowtow to others and be a slave. Second, the Ming Dynasty is in constant party struggle. There are few good people in the eunuch party and the Donglin party. They are just beasts in human clothing who form cliques for their own selfish interests. The Ming Dynasty is already terminally ill and there is no cure. If I don't fight, there will be others who will fight, and they may not do better than me. This deer, I will chase it."
"You, you evil creature..."
"Stop, you don't need to teach me these. Why do you have to deceive yourself, father-in-law? He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world. Look around the world, how many people are still willing to support the Ming Dynasty? The people of the Ming Dynasty have lost their hearts, and corrupt officials are everywhere. The people are living in misery, which is why the world is in chaos today. I dare not say how good I am, but I dare to pat my chest and say that I am better than 90% of the beasts in human form in the Ming Dynasty. Although I have my own army, I am not against the Ming Dynasty, let alone harming the people. Those corrupt officials are high-sounding on the surface, but what have they done behind the scenes? They deceive their superiors and subordinates. Is that abiding by the rules? Is that the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues?"
Yang Tinglin retorted disdainfully: "You are still making a strong argument when you are only 50 steps away from me. Do you know what integrity and righteousness are?"
"Father-in-law, stop talking about integrity and righteousness. Wake up and stop dreaming about your own Qin Qiu. The Ming Dynasty will be destroyed by Li Zicheng within half a year. I can't save the Ming Dynasty, and you can't save it either. If you don't believe me, let's make a bet. If the Ming Dynasty survives within half a year, I am willing to tie my hands and let you, father-in-law, take me to the capital to be punished. If the Ming Dynasty perishes within half a year, you will follow my arrangements. How about we work together to resist foreign invasions?"
"Humph, I'll make a bet with you. I'll see how you break your promise and gain wealth."
"Hahaha, father-in-law is much thinner than before, so don't use this method to gain weight."
As the saying goes, it is better to provoke a general than to invite him. When Qin Mu came, he had already thought it through. For a person like Yang Tinglin, no matter how he appealed to his emotions or reasoned with him, it would not work at all.
So Qin Mu used the method of provoking him first to anger him. Once this man was angry, he would be easily led by the nose. Seeing him fall into the trap, Qin Mu could not help but be very happy. He raised his glass and said with a smile: "The son-in-law toasts to my father-in-law. Madam, why don't you bring wine to your father-in-law quickly? Mo Mo Ruoruo, come here. Drink a glass on behalf of your young lady, as a witness for your young lady."
How could the Momo and Ruru sisters dare to come up? Their little heads almost shrank into their necks. Yang Tinglin was still furious. He snorted coldly and left immediately.
"Husband..." Yang Zhi followed her father and took two steps, then turned back, her eyes full of hesitation.
"My lady, come here, come here, the matter has been resolved satisfactorily. My lady, what else do you have to worry about? Come here, don't waste the wine and food, sit down and have dinner with your husband, Mo Mo Ruoruo, pour the wine."
"Husband, how can this be considered a solution? Look how angry you've made father..." Yang Zhi still looked worried.
"Don't worry, my lady. Your father will figure it out slowly. Even if he can't figure it out, the rapidly changing situation in the world will help him figure it out." Qin Mu forcibly pulled her to sit next to him, and then enjoyed the wine and food with peace of mind.
Yang Zhi couldn't eat anything, but she couldn't leave as Qin Mu was holding her. She felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Qin Mu laughed and said, "Madam, do you not trust your husband?"
"No, my dear, please don't misunderstand me. It's just that I... ....Alas!"
Qin Mu saw that he couldn't persuade her for the time being. He simply changed the subject and said, "My wife, come with me to the governor's office tonight. I always feel empty when you are not here."
"Hmph, my husband, you are talking nonsense. Don't you have Sister Dong to serve you?" Yang Zhi was only seventeen years old after all. She pouted unconsciously, with a hint of jealousy.
"That's different. We are married, how could others be so considerate?"
Yang Zhi was comforted by him and finally felt relieved, but she soon frowned again and begged, "Husband, you are the best..."
"Well?"
"My dear husband, can you let me stay here for one more night? My father is still angry, and I feel uneasy if I go back like this. How about this, let Momo and Ruoruo go over and serve you together. These two girls were married to you at the same time as me, and they are your people. They have been by my side since they were young, and I can rest assured with them serving me."
Qin Mu looked at Momo and Ruoruo. The two sisters had almond-shaped eyes and cherry lips, and were pretty and radiant. What was even more rare was that they looked like they were carved from the same mold. Both of them were slender and graceful, having just reached the age of 15. Their waists were as slender as the willow trees across the house. Standing together, they were truly a pair of beautiful people, quite charming in a unique way.
As soon as the two sisters met Qin Mu's gaze, their pretty faces instantly turned red, like two red lotuses shyly blooming in the wind, and they lowered their heads to their slightly bulging chests.
"You two, come here... come here."
Mr. Qin put on the same stern master look as Yang Tinglin just now, and urged them repeatedly. Momo and Ruoruo pinched the corners of their clothes and took small steps. They finally moved to Qin Mu's side. In fact, they had very little contact with Qin Mu. Seeing Qin Mu's serious look, they felt very uneasy.
"Auntie... what do you want me to do?"
"Hehe, you two sisters, tell me the truth, how did you bully Qiao'er in the first place?"
"Son-in-law, we...we were just joking with Qiao'er. We didn't really bully her."
"Husband, look at you. Mo Mo Ruoruo rarely sees you and doesn't understand your temper. You will scare them like this." Yang Zhi twisted Qin Muyuan's arm lightly with her slender jade fingers, with a coquettish look on her face.
"Hahaha, my wife is right. Look how scared they are. It seems like they really need to stay with me for a while longer. Otherwise, they will really think that I am a cannibal. Haha..."
"Well, then let them follow their husbands back to the governor's office."
"That won't do. They have been with you since they were young. I can rest assured that they are here to take care of me. Okay, let you stay here for another night, and then take them back tomorrow."
"Thank you, my husband. Thank you, my husband. I know that you are the best."
"It's not enough to just talk about it without doing it."
Yang Zhi couldn't help herself and looked outside the door. Seeing no one coming, she came up to Qin Mu and pecked him on the cheek, then quickly dodged like a frightened rabbit.
Momo and Ruoruo saw this, their hearts pounding. They had married Yang Zhi together, and were now maids. According to current practice, they had the responsibility to help their young lady win the heart of her uncle. How? Of course...
I don’t know what the two sisters were thinking, but their pretty faces turned even redder.
"Hey, Mo Mo Ruoruo, did you two steal some wine and drink it?" Qin Mu refused to let them go. Even Yang Zhi, who was preoccupied with her own thoughts, couldn't help but burst out laughing when she heard it.
"We don't have any." The sisters picked up the corners of the clothes and wrinkled them.
"You didn't steal? Then why are your faces so red?"
"Husband!"
"Haha..." Qin Mu laughed and said to Momo and Ruoruo in a gentle voice, "You guys, don't be so nervous, just relax and behave the same way you did before around your lady. Of course, don't bully others by taking advantage of the fact that others can't tell who is who among you. Uh... By the way, who is Momo? Who is Ruoruo?"
"It turns out that my husband can't tell the difference either, hehe..." Yang Zhi was amused for a moment, and even Momo and Ruoruo couldn't help laughing.
******************
ps: Haoyuan is also very anxious because I cannot keep up with the updates. I am sorry to all the book friends. I stayed up until one o'clock in the middle of the night last night and finally finished another chapter. Well, I will update twice today to express my gratitude.
Please vote for recommendation.
.(To be continued..)
...