Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 Flowers Blossom And Break
Zhenguan Great Tang’s Prince’s Mansion had strict rules on the establishment of personnel. The most important officials below the Prince level were rank three Wang Fu, who was equivalent to the Prince’s teacher. Generally speaking, they were all officials of the Imperial Court, and they usually did not work in the Prince’s Mansion. The next step was to lead the generals of the prince’s mansion, including the long history and Sima, as well as us, our subordinates, the registry, Zhu Bo, and dozens of other civil servants. As for the Prince’s Mansion, there were generally close to a thousand private soldiers, led by the main and deputy commanders, followed by a captain, brigade commander, and other military officers.

It could be said that although it was small, it had all its internal organs.

Qin Mubai, a Tier 7 Eastern Sacrificial Liquor, was not only a low-ranking official, but also a dispensable function. He could simply be regarded as a small official who had nothing to eat. No wonder even the mere seventh grade captain who was guarding the gate did not take him seriously.

The one worthy of Chen Shi’s attention was King Wu’s Mansion Sima, surnamed Zhou. An old man in his fifties always had a sleepy and indifferent expression. He watched as each official drew circles on the booklet, yawned and left. Nor did he call the new Qin Mubai to arrange a job for him or anything else.

Qin Mubai found the East Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor’s office and showed his official certificate. Three subordinates came to greet him. An official kitchen for banquets and shopping, a musician and kabuki in charge of the house, and a dedicated wind instruments and kitchen utensils, tables and chairs.

The Eastern Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor was truly a boring official that could not be more boring, and could not be more redundant.

Qin Mubai instructed his subordinates to do their own work and shook his head secretly.

Find Li Ke.

King Wu was still asleep. Not only did the bedguards not notify him, they also sent Qin Mubai far away and waited outside the courtyard.

At first glance, Qin Mubai wasn’t in a hurry. She patiently waited outside the courtyard for a long time before she saw the door to Prince Wu’s bedroom open. Two women walked out, accompanied by a maidservant.

It must be the servants of the Wang Clan who slept with Li Ke last night. Seeing that the two women were pretty good, Li Ke knew how to enjoy them.

“Ah … Ha!” Li Ke walked out of the room with a yawn and a lazy waist. His eyes were good. He looked at Qin Mubai outside the garden and laughed loudly, “Haha, Mubai is here today. Hurry up and sit down in the hall and talk!”

“You should obey your orders.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and smiled as he walked over. Li Ke laughed loudly and pulled his hand. Suddenly, his face turned stiff and he shouted at the guard at the door, “Don’t neglect Qin Jiujiu in the future!”

“At the end of the day, I will obey.” The school pawns clasped their fists and agreed, and their gazes at Qin Mubai changed.

“Mubai, did you finally get the complaint? Haha, this prince has been stuffed in the manor all day. It’s good that you’re here, but there’s someone speaking.” Li Ke seemed so excited that he didn’t even give Qin Mubai a chance to speak. He said repeatedly and clapped his hands, “Someone, serve tea!”

A group of maids entered the hall and placed a few tools in the hall. Qin Mubai did not recognize a few of them. The golden hollow cauldron was like a jade ring rolled from medicine, a golden tortoise the size of a palm, and slender silver chopsticks connected by thin chains … Only the set of green porcelain tea set was recognizable.

This was tea. Why were there so many strange things missing even tea leaves?

“Mubai, why didn’t you bring fourth sister?” Without waiting for Qin Mubai to speak, Li Ke came straight to the point.

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “I dare not drink this tea today.”

“Cough … Little Wang doesn’t mean that. Oh, fourth sister has always liked tea the most.” Li Ke laughed self-deprecatingly, rubbed his hands and said, “An Zhou brought Bi Run Mingyue. Good tea! First grade tribute. Fourth sister will definitely like it.”

Just as he was speaking, two beautiful ladies with beautiful peach blossoms on their faces knelt down in front of the pile of tea sets after giving a graceful bow. A eunuch used an exquisite copper shovel to get a pile of burning charcoal and used silver chopsticks to put it into the small golden cauldron. The two maidens raised their hands and placed a small porcelain urn filled with water on the stove to stew. The other person removed the top of the golden turtle, took out a fragrant tea cake, and placed it in a jade ring to grind it.

All of his movements were extremely elegant and gentle.

This was the exquisite tea art and high-grade tea set of the Great Tang Nobility Parade. Not to mention how precious this tea was, even this pair of silver chopsticks that were used to hold charcoal fire were all exquisite melons that were bound to be of great value.

“I will enjoy it.” Qin Mubai smiled.

Li Ke chuckled, “Apart from enjoying myself, what else can I do now? Father ordered me to meditate behind closed doors. I can’t do anything.”

“It should always be possible to ride horses and shoot arrows in the backyard of the palace.”

“Of course.” Li Ke slapped his palm, “The archery skills of the Manor General School are really mediocre. If you come, I will have a partner and an opponent. After drinking tea, I will ride and shoot in the backyard!”

“I’m happy to accompany you.” Qin Mubai replied, but she was thinking in her heart, “It would be best if I could find an appropriate time for him to change my profession. It would be best if he was a military officer, even if he was a low-ranking one.” An idle and bored official like the Eastern Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor was really boring. Archery is my job, the General Door is my label, who would be happy to be a hostel manager!

After drinking tea for an hour, the Great Tang Tea Ceremony was vast and profound, and Qin Mubai could be considered to have experienced it once. Not to mention that brewing tea was an extremely exquisite and exquisite process, even the process of drinking was extremely knowledgeable.

A few years later, Japanese envoys from Japan came to the Great Tang to learn a little bit of this skill, and from then on, it became what they boasted of as the “tea ceremony”.

All the generals in the palace were called to the backyard polo range by Li Ke. This kind of archery competition was popular among the nobles and kings of the Tang Dynasty. Anyone with outstanding archery skills would always have a sense of superiority that was arrogant in the crowd.

“Today, it will be a match for Shooting Red Heart.” Li Ke announced the rules, “One person, one target, ten arrows. Whoever has the most hearts will win. The three winners will each be awarded a silk, and the last three will be fined three glasses of wine. Let’s begin.”

After saying that, Li Ke was the first to step forward, shooting ten bow and arrows in a row, hitting nine red stars. The surroundings were filled with cheers. Archery is indeed not bad. It seems that the rumors about Li Ke’s outstanding martial arts skills are true.

A group of imperial military academies gathered together to chat and discuss, and then went forward one after another to shoot arrows. The level was uneven, and the best was only six red stars. The overall level was indeed mediocre.

Qin Mubai caught a glimpse of the Captain Fan who had stopped him at King Wu’s Mansion’s entrance. Seeing him shoot, he was hit by six red stars, which attracted a lot of applause. He also had a complacent expression on his face. He thought that he had always been at the top of the general school.

“It’s easy to be a lieutenant of the palace.” Qin Mubai said inadvertently, and it just so happened that Li Ke, who was not far away, could hear it.

“Huh? What does Mubai mean by that?” Li Ke smiled knowingly when he heard this, “You don’t seem to be too happy to be this East Pavilion Sacrificial Wine?”

“Your Majesty doesn’t think so.” Qin Mubai smiled and carried the bow forward. The generals looked at Qin Mubai suspiciously and discussed in private.

“Newcomer? Very unfamiliar.”

“Isn’t this the East Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor that plays the pipa? Could it be that he also knows how to shoot arrows?”

Qin Mubai quickly finished shooting ten arrows amidst the discussion.

He was hit by eight red stars, only one less than Li Ke.

Amazing!

“I really can’t tell! A pipa player can shoot arrows like this!”

“As expected of a general, tsk tsk!”

Li Ke smiled from the side and clapped his hands. “Everyone, come over. This king will introduce you first. This is the third young master of Duke Yi, Qin Shubao, the newly appointed East Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor-Qin Mubai.”

Li Ke paused for a moment and said, “This king’s sincere friend.”

The faces of the generals changed as they clasped their fists and bowed neatly, “Greetings, Qin Zhijiu.”

“Mm. I heard your discussion just now. Since you are a general and you have such exquisite archery skills, it is truly inferior to make an Eastern Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor.” Li Ke leisurely hooked his finger at the captain, “You, step out.”

“The end will be here.” Lieutenant Fan stood up in surprise, clasped his fists in fear and bowed. He had a vague feeling that something was wrong in his heart.

“You go and make that East Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor. Qin Mubai will replace you as a captain of the inner tent. You two, change.” Li Ke said casually.

“Huh?” Captain Fan was stunned.

“Do you have any objections?” Li Ke looked at him with a frown. Captain Fan’s face turned pale and he hurriedly clasped his fists and bowed, “General Mo … oh no, humble thanks to His Highness for your kindness!”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and thanked Li Ke. They looked at each other and smiled.

This Li Ke was really meticulous and righteous. Leading the troops was much more interesting than leading a group of chefs and musicians. The Great Tang Empire respected martial arts and valued military merits. The status of a soldier was not something that could be compared to the leader of a good performer.

It was just a single sentence from Li Ke, and Captain Fan had changed from a prestigious prince’s mansion captain to an idle East Pavilion Sacrificial Liquor. There was no need to mention the grievances in his heart. However, Li Ke’s words were a golden rule in the Prince’s Mansion. In addition, Qin Mubai was Li Ke’s “best friend”, so he could only shatter his teeth and swallow them in his stomach.

He only regretted this morning, why did he neglect this Qin Mubai for no reason? Damn it …

Lieutenant Fan stole a few glances at Qin Mubai, his eyes filled with hatred like a bitter woman. The other generals instantly looked at Qin Mubai differently. Although he was still a rank seven official, in the eyes of the crowd, his status had risen tens of thousands of feet. There was nothing ordinary officials like him could compare to.

After the arrow competition ended, the generals dispersed in turn. Qin Mubai smiled and cupped his hands to Li Ke, “Thank you very much.”

“How big is it? What’s there to thank?” Li Ke smiled relaxedly, “Back then, it was only an expedient measure to invite you to serve as a sacrificial wine for the East Pavilion. How could I not know that such an official position is not suitable for your status?” As for the officials in this palace, I can decide anything that doesn’t exceed the fifth grade. A rank seven commandant will be in charge first. After a period of time, I will promote you to become a rank five standard army. All 800 soldiers in the palace will be under your command. If Qin Shubao’s son doesn’t lead the troops when he comes, outsiders will laugh at me if I’m jealous of whether or not I can hire people. ”

“Then I can only thank you. However, it’s better to wait for me to make some achievements. Otherwise, I won’t be able to convince the crowd.” Qin Mubai smiled. He also knew that Li Ke might be a little concerned about his old relationship, but he was actually showing goodwill to Qin Shubao, and his main purpose was to aim for Qin Shuang’er.

It would be easy to climb to the top with such a little nepotism, but it was obviously not a glorious thing. Moreover, if Qin Shubao still refused to allow this marriage, he would be even more embarrassed.

Li Ke’s excessive enthusiasm and special care made Qin Mubai feel a little uncomfortable. It seemed that being an official in King Wu’s Mansion was not a long-term plan, and it was hard to get rid of the awkward feeling of relying on nepotism.

“There’s no need for us to be so polite!” Li Ke smiled indifferently, patted Qin Mubai’s shoulder and walked forward. The servant brought over two horses. He got on the horse and smiled, “Come on, Bi Bi, ride and shoot.”

“Respect is better than obedience.” Qin Mubai jumped onto the saddle and sat down. The two of them each raised a horned bow used by the cavalry and rode their horses.

Compared to the longbow used by infantry, the horned bow was slightly shorter, but the bow was harder and more sturdy, requiring more physical strength to shoot. Riding and shooting had always been the most difficult part of archery. In the Great Tang army, whoever was outstanding in riding and shooting was organized into the Yue Cavalry. They were the most precious and valiant team, and they were the vanguard blades that pushed the city to break through the enemy fortress in battle.

It was like in modern society, although there were many people who could play basketball, there were only a few who could dunk.

Qin Mubai and Li Ke were now dunking.

Although Qin Mubai’s archery foundation was more than a bit stronger than Li Ke’s, his riding and shooting days weren’t long. With his riding technique, he was not much stronger than Li Ke. Even if he did his best, he would still be on par with Li Ke.

“Happy! It’s someone like Mu Bai who deserves to be this king’s opponent!” Li Ke rode on his horse and laughed loudly. Qin Mubai pressed his horse and landed beside him. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed a ball of green stuff flashing by the fence and landing on the ground with a bang.

The two of them fixed their eyes and saw that it was a colorful ball with lace and silk embellishments.

“Someone kicked over from next door. Is someone playing Cuju?” Li Ke picked up the Caiju immediately and put it in front of his nose to smell it. “It smells fragrant. The woman kicks Caiju.”

The style of playing Cuju in the Great Tang Dynasty was unique, compared to who kicked higher and kicked farther. No, a colored ball kicked over from the yard next door.

At this time, a female voice sounded from the next room.

“Aiya, I kicked him. What should I do? That’s King Wu’s Mansion!”

“Who’s going to pick it up? Who’s going to pick it up?”

“I’m still picking it up. If I don’t get blamed by King Wu, then I’ll be lucky. I hope there’s no one in the backyard of the mansion at this time!”

Li Ke smiled mysteriously and said, “Mubai, do you think I should blame them or kick them back? Or should we just go and sparring with them?”

“There’s no need to choose, right? You’ve already said’or ‘so kindly.” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh. This Li Ke was clearly a romantic seed.

“Good suggestion. Let’s go.” Without saying a word, Li Ke rolled over and rode on his horse, ready to leave.

“Fortunately, you don’t have the option of’climbing over the wall ‘. Which house is next door?”

“It doesn’t matter which family it is. I only remember a few beautiful sisters living there. Their fame has spread far and wide.” Li Ke flattered his horse without caring, “Let’s go. Keeping the beauty waiting for a long time will ruin the scenery.”

“It sounds like I’ve made an appointment with you … a talented person, like me, is destined to commit peach blossoms.” Qin Mubai curled her lips into a smile and happily flapped her horse to catch up.

The flowers blossomed.

Qin Mubai had always been interested in taking the initiative to create such a thing. This time, it was a good thing that he encountered a fellow like Li Ke who had a similar smell and was very powerful.