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It is already mid-spring, the mountains south of the Yangtze River are turning green, the smoke from the fishing market is dissipating below the mountains, the tavern is deep in the rain beside the willows.
Red flowers fell on the green tiles, and water droplets from the eaves formed small puddles on the bluestone slabs at the entrance of the alley. The tinkling sounds carried the rhythm of Tang and Song poetry, like echoes from the ancient times.
On the white horse-head wall, you can occasionally see a camellia with crystal water droplets sticking out of the wall.
Li Xiangjun wore a peach-red palace dress embroidered with plum blossoms through silver thread, a pink skirt with scattered daffodil flowers and green leaves, a long tasseled palace belt with colorful silk flowers tied around her waist, and held an oil-paper umbrella. She walked lightly out of the alley, looking as delicate as a flower branch.
Qin Mu, who was following behind, called out softly, "Xiangjun, slow down, your shoes are wet."
All the way south, Qin Mu was always busy, and Li Xiangjun was bored on the boat alone. She finally stayed in Suzhou for half a day, where she could come out to enjoy the scenery and get some fresh air. She was in such a relaxed mood that she didn't care about much else.
There was a light drizzle in the sky, and there were small puddles on the bluestone road from time to time. The moon-white cream satin beaded shoes on her feet were already covered with water stains.
She looked down and replied, "It's okay. It's not wet inside."
Qin Mu pointed to the small restaurant under the tall willows and said, "We've been walking for a long time, you must be tired, let's go in and have something to eat."
Li Xiangjun naturally obeyed Qin Mu's orders and followed him to the restaurant. Li Shi and other guards immediately rushed over to clear the place. Fortunately, it was not meal time and there were only a few customers in the restaurant.
Li Xiangjun went under the eaves and put away her oil-paper umbrella. Unexpectedly, a gust of spring breeze blew, and the willow branches outside the eaves swayed gently, and a string of water droplets dripped onto her pretty face. Her skin was as pink and tender as jade, and it looked even more watery after being touched by the crystal water droplets.
"It looks good this way." Qin Mu said with a laugh.
Li Xiangjun wrinkled her nose, gave him a coquettish wink, and then tilted her face up and waited. Qin Mu gently touched her nose and wiped the water drops off her face.
"The King of Qin is so nice." If there were no other people present, Li Xiangjun would definitely give him a gentle hug in return.
The shopkeepers were a middle-aged couple. When they heard Li Xiangjun address Qin Mu, their hands trembled and they almost broke the teacup...
Qin Mu and his companion went up to the second floor and found a seat by the window. This small restaurant was a bit simple, but fairly clean. There was a black lacquered square table with a pair of celadon pots and cups on it.
Li Shi and his companions were standing guard downstairs. The shopkeeper followed him upstairs to order dishes, feeling extremely terrified. Although he had just heard Li Xiangjun address Qin Mu, he did not dare to follow suit and could only ask carefully, "My dears, our small shop is simple and humble, and I am sorry for neglecting you. What would you like to order?"
Qin Mu asked: "What is the best dish in your restaurant?"
"My most famous dish in this restaurant is steamed duck with rice wine. Would you like one?"
"Well, then just give me one and two of your specialty side dishes."
"Okay, please wait for a moment, my dears." Seeing that Qin Mu was easy to talk to, the shopkeeper relaxed and went downstairs happily.
Outside the window, willow trees are swaying in the mist and rain. In the distance, you can see faint sails on the Taihu Lake. From time to time, black boats pass by on the nearby river. Green moss grows on the stone arch bridge. There is a sense of tranquility and peace everywhere. Time has come here. It seems to have turned into soft waves, flowing slowly.
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze from the window and asked, "Xiangjun, do you still remember the song "Drunken Rain in the Mist" that I taught you in Huichang?"
"Of course I remember." Li Xiangjun answered, supporting her pretty face with one hand and humming a few words, "The misty Jiangnan is wet and drunken, and the lake is sparkling at dawn. I put down my knife and pen, and stand here with a chrysanthemum in my hand, just to wait for me to meet you..."
She sang with the soft Wu dialect accent, which was particularly soft and had a unique charm.
Qin Mu leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I'm busy all day long. Sometimes I wonder why I'm doing this! I really want to take you guys with me, be ordinary people in this ordinary street, and listen to you sing..."
Li Xiangjun smiled and said, "I understand the King of Qin's thoughts, but there is no home without a country. The world is not unified yet. The King of Qin cannot have the idea of seclusion. If the King of Qin is tired, I..."
"How's the slave?"
Li Xiangjun bit her rosy lower lip and replied coquettishly, "I won't tell you."
"hehe... ... .."
The two chatted for a while, and the couple brought the dishes. As soon as the lid was opened, a strong aroma filled the air. "My dears, this is our signature dish, steamed duck with rice wine. Please enjoy it slowly."
Qin Mu picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. He felt that the taste was really good. He hurriedly said to Li Xiangjun: "Xiang'er, eat quickly, it's really good."
After hearing Qin Mu's praise, the couple burst into laughter, said "Enjoy your meal" and then went downstairs.
Li Mu and Li Xiangjun drank for a while upstairs and vaguely heard the chatter of the shop owner and his wife downstairs.
"Boss, I think we should change the name of this steamed duck with fermented rice wine."
"My lady, what you said is, how can the duck that the King of Qin ate be called this again? Let me think about calling it Steamed King of Qin Duck. What do you think, my lady?"
"Not right, not right. Reading these two words together may violate taboos."
"What do you want to call me, ma'am?"
"Boss, why not just call him Qin Wang Duck?"
When Qin Mu heard this, he didn't know whether to laugh or cry. How come he was associated with ducks after all this talk
Li Xiang laughed and joked, "Prince Qin opened a painting and embroidery workshop and has been talking to Hanyan about the brand effect. Now it seems that it's not just Prince Qin who knows about the brand effect. Prince Qin, I find this interesting. Please don't be angry with him, okay?"
Li Xiangjun begged Qin Mu in a soft voice, how could he be angry? Okay, it's Qin Wang Duck, but you have to give me a 20% discount on this meal, no, 50%; otherwise I will suffer a great loss.
After the two men finished their meal, they were about to set off south again. Xu Yingjie, Wu Jiacheng and Suzhou officials came to see them off. Qin Mu praised everyone with a few words and then boarded the ship to leave Suzhou.
Jiao Menglong's words made Qin Mu more eager to attack Fujian. After the fleet entered Taihu Lake, he ordered their fleet to go directly to Hangzhou without stopping.
The rain on the lake was light and charming, and the mist was floating freely. The boat was sailing on the smooth water, the waves were spitting out cold flowers, and the smoke and waves were connected in the distance. Qin Mu lay in the cabin for a nap, leaning on the large pillow made of ginger koi brocade, hugging the cloud silk quilt. Li Xiangjun sat beside him and gave him a gentle massage.
"King Qin, why don't you stop on the road?"
"Let's go and see how the navy is training first." Qin Mu's hands slid unconsciously over her petite body, but he was thinking about something in his heart.
It seems that the Zheng family must take it down as soon as possible. Of course, it is not just for the indigo dye Jiao Menglong mentioned. The Zheng family controls the maritime trade routes, from Japan to Southeast Asia, all under the control of the Zheng family;
If the Zheng family is not taken down, the maritime trade routes will be blocked and the entire Qin Dynasty will be like someone has strangled its aorta. How can this be possible
The problem now is that it shouldn't be a big problem to take over Fujian. The key is how to take over the Zheng family. If the Zheng family's powerful fleet retreats to Taiwan, even if Fujian is taken over, the maritime trade route is still controlled by the Zheng family!
Li Xiangjun saw that he was frowning, and knew that he was thinking about something. She remembered what he said in the tavern about being tired. She couldn't help but said with a heartache: "King Qin, take a rest first. Maybe after a rest, you can come up with a good idea."
"Well. Let's take a break then." Qin Mu held her in his arms. Li Xiangjun was petite and delicate, and it felt very comfortable to hold her in his arms. She also had a light body fragrance that smelled very good.
"Close your eyes quickly." Li Xiangjun threatened in a tender voice.
He closed his eyes obediently, but the Zheng family’s fleet popped up in his mind again. This huge fleet was really both pleasing and worrying.
If this fleet can be subdued, it will undoubtedly make the Qin Dynasty even more powerful, but if it cannot be subdued, it will become a murderer that strangles the Qin Dynasty's vital artery.
Years ago, he asked Gu Rong to train the newly recruited 10,000 navy. This navy was stationed in Ningbo, and daily training was done at sea. From this point, it can be clearly seen that this was prepared to deal with the Zheng family fleet.
All along, thinking of the thousands of warships of the Zheng family, Qin Mu always felt that the Qin navy was too weak and had no experience in naval battles, so he did not dare to send the navy to fight against the Zheng family.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that he had always wanted to build the navy as strong as the Zheng family before going to the decisive battle. This idea might be wrong.
In fact, naval warfare and land warfare have some similarities. As long as the plan is good, it is also possible for the weak to defeat the strong, and the few to defeat the many.
There is no doubt that the current Zheng family fleet is powerful and proud. If they fight at sea, they will definitely not take the Qin navy seriously.
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ps: I planted a seed and it finally grew into a fruit. Today is a great day... ... ...
Haozi would like to express his sincerest gratitude to all the friends and brothers who support Ming Yang Tian Xia. Thank you. In July, Ming Yang Tian Xia ranked sixth in the monthly ticket list. This achievement is all thanks to all the brothers. Haozi bows his head again!
To be honest, my eyes are red as I talk about this. It may be difficult for you to understand... I have been writing books since 2011. My life has been hard for nearly five years. I sweat profusely in the summer and my hands are covered with frostbite in the winter. I smoke cheap cigarettes and sometimes live on white bread. I type day after day and conceive like crazy, but the results are always bleak. I am disappointed again and again, hiding in the room and howling hysterically again and again... After that, I sit down again and again and continue to type day and night. Almost five years have passed, and this is the first time I can make it to the monthly ticket list. Others may think that being sixth in the category is nothing and can be done easily, but for this step, I have been waiting for nearly five years. How many five-year years are there in a person's life!
Today, my brothers picked the stars for me and also pulled down the moon. I want to cry, I want to laugh, I bow deeply again. I would also like to express special thanks to my good friend, the deputy moderator "Rulai Rufeng", for helping me canvass for votes every day. Thank you!
Well, August continues. Please guarantee the minimum monthly ticket and the recommendation ticket!
.(To be continued..)
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