Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 200

Chapter 200 Prosperous Chang’an
On the morning of the first day of the new year, Li Shimin just got up and was washing and changing clothes in his bedroom. Princess Gaoyang ran over early.

“Huang’er pays New Year greetings to Father Emperor! I wish Father Emperor … everything is good, hehe!” Princess Gaoyang said happily.

“Haha, you little girl, you came so early!” Li Shimin laughed loudly and patted her on the back. “There must be something else besides New Year greetings, right?”

Princess Gaoyang chuckled, “Huang’er, you can’t hide this little bit of thought from Father Emperor. Father Emperor, I do have something to ask of you.”

“Yes, I have to accept your request on the first day of the new year. But father has already said that it must be proper. Otherwise, you won’t be able to keep your mouth shut!” Li Shimin laughed.

“Don’t worry, can it be that Huang’er is so careless? He dares to make things difficult for Father Emperor on the first day of the New Year?” Princess Gaoyang smiled and held Li Shimin’s elbow. She smiled coquettishly and told Li Shimin about her request for a guard. He also said that he would treat this guard as a New Year’s reward and send it to her.

Li Shimin nodded with a smile and said, “Ling’er, are you asking for the guards for Mubai?”

“Hehe, I told you, Huang’er can never hide such a small thought from Father Emperor.” Princess Gaoyang snorted coquettishly, “Father, if you want to send Mubai to a distant prefecture or county, even if Huang’er didn’t cry or make trouble, she would agree.” But he went so far alone, I’m worried about his safety! The barracks were filled with wild men of all sizes, especially the local military manor. Most of them were ignorant and reckless people. What if they combined to bully and exclude Mubai? I don’t care, I want to send some people to follow him! ”

“Haha!” Li Shimin smiled. “It seems that the relationship between you two is indeed very deep. I feel very relieved for my father. However, this Baiji is the royal private guard, so how can I send him to a Commandant Zhechong?”

“Aiya, Royal Father … I won’t do anything!” ‘”I don’t care, I don’t care! Anyway, Mubai is the son-in-law of our royal family, so there’s no harm in sending a royal guard to him!” Princess Gao Yang twisted her head and said, “I don’t care! I don’t care!”

“A prince-in-law who hasn’t passed the door? Luckily you can say it, you’re not embarrassed, haha!” Li Shimin patted his legs and laughed loudly, “Alright, forget it, I will obey you.” On the first day of the new year, how dare I go against your will and make you unhappy? How about this, before Mu Bai left, he personally went to the hundred cavalry to choose thirty people as personal guards to go to Xiang Province. This batch of Xun Wei’s military status was also transferred to Xiang Zhou Zhechong Manor, temporarily assuming the rank of Sixth Grade Division Marquis or Seventh Grade Middle Marquis of Zhongjun Yi Manor, and they would listen to Qin Mubai’s orders. That Pang Fei, I can make him Commandant Guo Yi of Xiang Prefecture and be Qin Mubai’s deputy. I will inform Li Junxian and the officials of the Military Ministry to take care of this matter as soon as possible. ”

“Thank you, Royal Father!” Princess Gaoyang was overjoyed. She hugged Li Shimin’s neck and gave him a wild kiss on the face. If Li Shimin laughed out loud.

On the first day of the new year, the officials and the people celebrated together.

Emperor Li Shimin brought his royal family to Vermillion Bird Sect to accept the congratulations of the officials and commoners. He would give some rewards or issue two national policies to benefit the people. At this time of year, Chang’an City is the liveliest. Everyone, old and young, went out and gathered on Vermillion Bird Street to observe the grand occasion.

All the civil and military officials with high ranks in the capital gathered together today. The Imperial City’s Imperial Forest Guards sent over 5,000 people to maintain law and order in front of Vermillion Bird Sect.

Early in the morning, Qin Mubai went out with his father and brother in their official robes. When they arrived at the Vermillion Bird Gate, they were already filled with people. If it weren’t for the fact that the Imperial Guards were here to maintain order, they would probably have been packed long ago.

The father and son dismounted from their horses and went to the official class to congratulate each other on the New Year. Everyone was a little surprised to see Qin Shubao who had been wrapped up in the illness for a long time and faded out of the court. After all, there weren’t many people who knew that Qin Shubao had recovered, and they didn’t know much about the fact that he had returned to the mountain.

The Qin Clan had four fathers and sons. Qin Shubao was an official of the Third Grade Great General. There was only one person in the Second Grade Xun Shangzhu Kingdom, and the Duke of the First Grade Yi Kingdom was even more gracious and honorable. The eldest son, Qin Tong, had been a Martial Cultivator in his early years and was now a Fifth Grade Imperial Guard corps corps commander and an important general in the Imperial Guards. Qin Bin’s second son, Qin Congwen, was a member of the emperor’s think tank in Hongwen Library. Originally, if not for Qin Shubao’s poor health, the Qin Clan would definitely be a noble clan of Zhenguan. Right now, the sudden rise of Qin Mubai, a concubine son of the Qin Family, was inextricably linked to the imperial family, causing the Qin Family to once again have a second spring, attracting the unanimous attention of the Chang’an official clan’s clans.

Today, Qin Shubao and his third son’s public appearance in the Great Dynasty of Zhengshuo had pushed everyone’s attention to a peak-the Qin Clan was bound to rise again!

It was already auspicious time, and the emperor led all his concubines and princesses to the Vermillion Bird Sect. Long live the roar of the sea and the howls of mountains resounded throughout Chang’an City. Two years ago, the Imperial Court had done household registration statistics, and there were already more than 300,000 households in Chang’an with a character of over a million people. This does not include business trips and foreign envoys and scholars. In addition to these rough estimates of the floating population, Chang’an has now accommodated nearly two million people gathered!

There were at least a hundred thousand people gathered in Vermillion Bird Street today!

Vermillion Bird Avenue, which was over a hundred meters wide, was bustling with people. It could be said to be a grand feat!

Li Shimin stood on the tower of Vermillion Bird Sect. He looked up and saw a dark shadow near Ming De Sect. He couldn’t help but laugh, “When I ascended the throne in the ninth year of Martial Morality, there were only tens of thousands of households in Chang’an, and there were no more than two to three hundred thousand people. Twelve years later, the population of Chang’an has flourished, and the number of households has almost doubled!”

“This is the result of His Majesty’s kindness towards the four seas. Guan He is at peace with the four seas, and the people live and work in peace. This is truly the atmosphere of a prosperous era!” Praised him left and right.

“Haha! Every year in the Zhengshuo Dynasty, I can see a new appearance. Very good, very good!” Li Shimin took a deep breath and exhaled happily. He waved his hand and said, “Give me the New Deal!”

Immediately, the imperial edict was promulgated. It was all related to the new policy of divorcing the citizens to rest, lighten taxes, and encourage industry and commerce. Cheers filled Chang’an City, and it shook the entire world through the nine nights. It lasted for a long time.

This was the first time Qin Mubai had participated in such a grand ceremony. She was truly shocked.

The gathering of 100,000 people was too shocking. This was the atmosphere of a peaceful and prosperous era!

Qin Shubao smiled and said, “Dalang Erlang Sanlang, the peerless atmosphere of the Great Tang Dynasty is myriad and hard to come by! We officials and martial artists should serve the country with all our might! Whoever dares to offend the might of the Great Tang Empyrean, we should fight with all our might!”

“Yes, father!”

“Haha!” Qin Shubao laughed heartily and burst out with pride!

From the chaotic times more than ten years ago to the peaceful and prosperous times today, Qin Shubao could be said to have felt a lot along the way.

At this moment, he seemed to be in the era when the Golden Gorge Iron Horse was swallowing ten thousand kilometers of energy like a tiger. He rode his horse and pulled his spear to maneuver amongst the enemies, charging towards and killing whoever dared to do so!

Seeing such a peaceful and prosperous era, Qin Shubao felt a great sense of accomplishment and his hot blood boiled again.

Old Ji was full of encouragement, and his ambition was a thousand kilometers-all the way to the Bloody Fire Mountain and River, his efforts and efforts were not in vain! In this peaceful and prosperous era, countless people had used their hot blood and lives to exchange for it, and it was even more precious!

…

Qin Mubai looked at Qin Shubao, and from his smiling expression and resolute eyes, he could tell that he was unrestrained, heroic, and heartfelt gratified.

Perhaps, he would never be able to understand the thoughts of his generation. But at this moment, Qin Mubai could clearly feel the heroic aura coming from his father.

A man who stands tall and upright; Warhorses, spears, blood, fire, rivers and mountains, there was no need to be afraid of death!

At this moment, Qin Shubao’s image grew taller in Qin Mubai’s eyes. Just because of the current prosperous situation, Qin Shubao was one of the contributors. His tiger-headed golden spear had become a symbol of the majestic might of the Great Tang!

Perhaps, only a man like Qin Shubao had the qualifications to shout out that those who violated the might of the heavens would be executed even if they were far away!

Qin Mubai suddenly felt very fortunate. Being born the son of Qin Shubao was a great honor. It was a great fortune to be reborn in such an era. Being born a martial artist, an ordinary Great Tang citizen, was a great pride and glory!

“Great Tang, I really like you more and more!”

…

The grand ceremony lasted until noon. Everyone’s enthusiasm could not dissipate for a long time. The Emperor had already returned to the palace and walked down the Vermillion Bird Sect’s tower. The Vermillion Bird Street continued to cheer and thunder for nearly two hours. Until the evening, there were still many people on Vermillion Bird Street who did not disperse and spontaneously held various kinds of celebrations. Scholars chanted pairs of poems in praise of the peaceful times. Variety artists showed off their skills and won applause. Men, women, and children walked through them to watch the liveliness. Chang’an City boiled for a whole day before gradually settling down at night.

In the evening, the Qin Manor, which had always been a bustling place, suddenly became lively. The civil servants and generals who came to pay their respects to the Qin Manor almost broke through the threshold of the Qin Manor. The carriages and horses listed in the courtyard were already packed, so they had no choice but to temporarily move to the backyard.

In the hall of the Qin Manor, the guests didn’t stop drinking and eating. The number of people who came to pay their New Year greetings greatly exceeded Qin Mubai and the others’ expectations.

Amongst the people who came to walk, there was no lack of twelve generals, nor was there a lack of prime ministers of the current dynasty. There was no need to mention people like Li Ji and Cheng Zhijie. They had always had a very close relationship with Qin Shubao. In addition, Jiang Xia King Li Daozong and King Wu Li Ke had also condescended to pay their respects to the New Year. Even some of Qin Shubao’s fellow generals and old bureaucrats and friends, who had been cut off from each other for many years, came to congratulate him.

This was truly a momentum.

Even Yuchi Jingde, who had always been at odds with Qin Shubao, came with his three sons. Among them was Yuchi Baoyun.

Qin Shubao smiled and greeted Qin Mubai with wine. He inadvertently talked about the gap between his third son, Yuchi Baoyun, and Qin Mubai. Yuchi laughed heartily and respectfully, “My son is not as good as Qin Sanlang. He deserves to be beaten up and eaten a turtle!” Uncle Treasure, Mu Bai, this brat didn’t dare to tell me about this matter when he returned home. If I hadn’t heard about it from others, I wouldn’t have known about it. Because he knew that even if this daddy knew, he would definitely not stand up for him. If he wasn’t good enough, he couldn’t blame others for being too strong. “If you want to regain your face, you have to work hard to cultivate your martial arts and defeat Qin Sanlang!”

“Haha! Old Black’s temper is still the same as before!” Qin Shubao laughed loudly, “Extremely right. We old fellows will one day have to leave before them. Could it be that we are still relying on our help in everything?”

“Hehe, Second Brother Qin, we’ve been fighting for our entire lives. I can’t beat you and you can’t beat me. Now that you’ve won, your son is stronger than me! Alright, this daddy is convinced!” Yuchi Jingde shouted loudly like thunder, “Come, let’s get drunk with you today!–Saburo, go toast Qin Mubai as well! He is stronger than you, so you have to be convinced and learn from him!”

“Yes, father!” Yuchi Baoyun did not dare to say anything else. He raised his wine to offer a toast to Qin Mubai and said, “General Qin, please forgive me for repeatedly offending this lowly position! Today, just as Lord Father said, this lowly position is convinced by you! However, in the future, I will work hard to improve, and one day I will defeat you again!”

“Good! Brother Baoyun, let’s drink to your straightforwardness and happiness. Let’s drink to this!” Qin Mubai laughed heartily and drank a toast with him.

Yuchi Jingde finished a cup with Qin Shubao and scolded, “My son is confused. What’s the use of hanging out with that Eldest Sun Huan?” That white-faced scholar’s mind was full of bad water, and he didn’t have much strength left, so he was full of crooked thoughts! If you want to learn, you should also learn from Mubai! “Look at how capable he is. His talent and martial arts are a hundred times better than yours, and he has flourished in the sect. Even the princess cried and shouted for him to marry!”

Yuchi Baoyun said with a bitter face, “Father, you made me look like this, and I look pitch-black … Which princess will come to take care of me?”

“Scared, then do you think I and your mother have made you ugly?” Yuchi Jingde was furious, “See if I don’t beat you up!”

The entire hall burst into laughter. Qin Shubao hurriedly persuaded him to continue drinking.

Late at night, the guests of the Qin Mansion gradually dispersed and settled down.

With so many guests coming down, the father and son were really tired of dealing with them. They were a little sleepy, so they rested early. Before leaving, Qin Shubao instructed that he had to go into the palace to pay his respects to the emperor tomorrow morning, and there were still a few families that had to pay their respects back. On the fifth day of the first month, he and Qin Mubai were about to leave the capital to take up their duties, so they had to seize the time to finish these things.

The next day, the father and son entered the palace to pay their New Year greetings, and many officials also came. On the second day of the first month, he paid his respects to the emperor. This was practically an unwritten example. The four of them had just arrived in front of the Martial Hall when they met Princess Gaoyang. Apparently, she had been waiting here for a long time.

“Duke Yi, why are you here? Hehe, I’ve paid you New Year greetings. Is it advantageous?” Princess Gaoyang smiled.

Qin Shubao was amused and laughed loudly, “But the princess came to pay her respects to this old official. This courtesy is reversed!”

Princess Gaoyang smiled bashfully and said, “I am a junior, so …”

Qin Tong and Qin Bin smiled and said, “Father, Your Highness the Princess is paying your New Year greetings as daughter-in-law. Then you must give out interest!”

“Haha, good, good.” Qin Shubao happily untied the jade pendant and gave it to Princess Gaoyang, saying, “This old official has nothing but poverty. This jade pendant was gifted to me by the previous emperor. I will give it to the princess today as a New Year’s reward!”

“Hehe, thank you Duke Yi! Then wouldn’t I be robbing someone of their love?” Princess Gaoyang smiled.

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Alright, you don’t have to look for my father to be happy. No matter how precious things are, it’s fine to give them to you. There’s a family inside and outside. Isn’t it just putting this jade pendant in your right hand?”

“I know, I want you to tell me!” Princess Gaoyang smiled and said, “Oh right, I just wanted to tell you that Father Emperor has agreed to give you a guard.” You can choose thirty people from the Baiji and go with you to Xiang Prefecture to take up your post. Let these people be your Zhongjun Qinyi Prefecture’s generals. In addition, Father Emperor has also agreed to promote Pang Fei to the position of Commandant Guo Yi of Xiang Prefecture as your deputy. ”

“Really? That’s great!” Qin Mubai said happily, “Thank you so much, Ling’er.”

“Hehe!” Princess Gao Yang smiled proudly, “How about it, I’m a little useful, right?”

“Who said that you’re useless? Didn’t you just bother yourself all the time?” Qin Mubai teased, “How could the grand princess of the Great Tang be useless?”

“Alright, you’re mocking me!”

…

Officials to greet the emperor, it is just a walk of time, not tedious. Later on, the father and son entered the palace to pay their respects and were given seats in the Linde Palace. Many court officials were already waiting here, and the Emperor would come to share lunch with the officials later.

Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Li Ji, these people are also in the example.

The Qin Clan’s father and son also bowed to them one by one and sat down in peace.

Qin Shubao whispered to Qin Mubai beside him, “Sanlang, there are many gaps between you and the Fang Clan and the Changsun Clan. This is not a small hidden danger. Our Qin Clan is open and honest and never fears anyone, but gentlemen are easy to form villains, so you have to be careful in the future.”

Qin Mubai nodded with a smile and said, “Then, father, who do you think is the gentleman and who is the villain between the eldest grandson and the house?”

Qin Shubao smiled and said, “There are no absolute gentlemen and no absolute villains in the court. Otherwise, they will not be politicians.”

“Father’s words are reasonable!” Qin Mubai nodded deeply and thought, How many good people can play politics? How many of them had always put a black face in front of the world? People are complicated, not to mention politicians who have been immersed in conspiracy politics all year round.

Soon after, it was noon, and Li Shimin drank until noon at the banquet hall of Qi De. When the banquet was over, the Emperor specially sent a small eunuch to invite Qin Mubai to the Penglai Hall in the harem to meet him privately.

“Mubai, you are leaving for Xiang Zhou in a few days. How are your preparations?” Li Shimin asked.

Qin Mubai replied that everything was ready and only needed to set off.

Li Shimin smiled and said, “You think you’re ready, but Gaoyang doesn’t.” She just felt that letting you go so far was not easy, and she was worried about your safety. Little girl’s mind was not as worried as a man’s, so she was quite worried! Therefore, I have decided to send a personal guard to you. Choose thirty people from among the Baiji to go to Xiang Prefecture and serve as your personal military academy. In addition, I promoted Pang Fei to be Commandant Guo Yi of Xiang Prefecture and your deputy. With the help of a group of familiar and capable people, it would be much easier to be an official. ”

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness!” Qin Mubai bowed gratefully.

“You don’t need to thank me. Ling’er got this for you. She came to ask me for help on the first day of the New Year, early in the morning. Can I not agree?” Li Shimin smiled and said, “When we arrive at the capital, everything will be no different. You need to spend more time and effort to familiarize yourself with the local military and government, and learn more. I will wait in Chang’an to see your achievements.”

“This lowly official obeys the decree!”

Li Shimin got up from the throne and walked to Qin Mubai. He smiled at him with his back cut and his slightly fat belly shrugged. He said, “If you have a son-in-law like this, what can I ask for? Mubai, don’t let me down the expectations I have for you!”

“Yes” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. I know my identity, and I know what I should and shouldn’t do.”

“Very good. This way, I can rest assured.” Li Shimin patted his shoulder and said, “Go ahead. You must be busy visiting relatives and friends during the Spring Festival. Your time is very urgent.”

“I bid farewell.” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and retreated.

With a smile, Qin Mubai shook his head and thought to himself, Li Shimin is also an interesting person. He intentionally reminded me just now that he treated me as his son-in-law, and even promised me a guard to accompany me to Xiang Prefecture. The implication is very obvious-although you and Li Ke are working together as officials, don’t forget that you are still my people!

Actually, Qin Mubai had already understood Li Shimin’s intentions. Back then, Li Ke took the initiative to ask Li Shimin for orders, but Li Shimin agreed. However, when it came time to become an official, Li Shimin had specially given Qin Mubai a rank three Martial Loose Official, General Yun Hui. He had deliberately raised his rank and was only half a grade away from Li Ke, a rank three Xiangzhou Governor. Its far-reaching purpose is to hint to the two of them: Li Ke you want to rope Qin Mubai into their camp, this is no chance; When we get there, Qin Mubai is on equal footing with you, because he is the person I sent to supervise and assist, not your subordinate, Li Ke.