Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 251

Chapter 251 Little Demon Comes
The next morning, Qin Mubai arranged for a warship to invite Xiao Yu and some of the officials and craftsmen accompanying him onto the ship and head to the West River Cao to investigate the terrain.

Xiao Yu’s legs trembled when he arrived at the fork of the river harbor and wanted to change to the small prism boat. Such a narrow boat, if someone accidentally fell into the river, someone guarding from the side would not die, but that would be too embarrassing. Therefore, he carefully sat in the cabin, holding his breath as if he was facing a great enemy, not daring to move his butt. It made the entire boat full of people laugh.

Several shuttle boats passed through the harbor for four hours, causing Xiao Yu and the others to faint and finally reach the stone slope. Xiao Yu was already dumbfounded. When he got off the ship, he kept wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. He muttered, “Such a complicated terrain, the curves of the harbor, how could the carriages and horses carrying the stone building materials get in? Aren’t they all lost? If they want to build a royal cemetery and palace here, it would be a fool’s dream!”

“Elder Xiao Ge, do you know that my words are true now?” Qin Mubai stamped his feet and pointed at the ground. “The river runs through the swamp. The ground here is full of hard stones. If you want to build a palace here, you can’t even bury the foundations. How can you do that?” “Moreover, if we want to build a palace above, it will definitely collapse the underground palace below. Therefore, if it wasn’t for the fact that the Ghost Axe Divine Art took several years, it would definitely not have been possible to do so.”

Xiao Yu earnestly picked up a stone and struck it hard on the ground. He shook his head in embarrassment, “It really is a hard stone. I believe that when Yang Guang was secretly building the mausoleum here, he had already used large stones to consolidate the roof of the underground palace. Now that he wants to build a palace above it, it is really impossible.”

“In that case, we can only change our plan.” Qin Mubai said, “Actually, this was once a snake island. There were tens of thousands of snakes living on this island.”

“What?!” Hearing this, Xiao Yu was shocked and almost jumped up. He shouted, “Snake!!”

“Elder Xiao Ge, don’t panic. Listen to this lowly position and finish your sentence.” Qin Mubai suppressed his laughter and said, “In the past half month, I have sent nearly a thousand serpent hunters and sergeants to drive away the snakes on the island. I have even sprinkled a lot of deflagrant powder on the island. Now, there are basically no more snakes on this small island.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is, so that’s how it is” Xiao Yu still wiped his forehead in fear and muttered, “No wonder you haven’t started work. So you’re dealing with the snake problem on the island.”

“Exactly.” Qin Mubai said, “If we don’t deal with these beasts, what if we bite the Crown Prince or the King of Jiangxia? What do you think? We’ve just said that we need to change the plan. Would Elder Xiao like to listen to my humble opinion?”

“Yes, tell me.” Xiao Yu nodded.

‘”What I mean is to clean up the island, plant grass and trees, lay carpets, and build temporary altars for the ceremony. As for the river, I can use corvee labor to recruit civilians and dig a river that can pass through warships to this place. At that time, the Crown Prince and the King of Jiangxia will not be allowed to board the shuttle ship. What do you think?”

“Good is good … But, this is Emperor Yang’s mausoleum after all, so how could we arrange things so hastily?” Xiao Yu said unyieldingly.

Qin Mubai shifted her gaze to signal him to walk to the side and whispered, “Elder Xiao, please forgive me for saying so much.” Although Yang Guang was the Son of Heaven, he was also the ruler of the previous dynasty. The reason why His Majesty was willing to offer sacrifices to him was because he had an open-minded spirit artifact, and also because he wanted to preserve the imperial jade seal. Do you think His Majesty really admires and likes Yang Guang? That’s absolutely impossible! You are Yang Guang’s brother-in-law. Your status is already sensitive. The Emperor sent you to preside over the sacrifice to show your selflessness. However, if you are too sincere and make this sacrifice vigorous, and its scale even surpasses that of the ancestor Martial Ancestor, can His Majesty feel happy in his heart? When that time comes, wouldn’t the civil and military of the Manchu Empire say that your Xiao Pavilion is always an elder of the former Sui Empire, and that you will never forget Yang Guang, who lost his country? “This isn’t good!”

After Xiao Yu heard Qin Mubai’s words, his expression did not change much. After all, he was also an old man who had been in court for decades. Although his temperament was straightforward and resolute, it did not mean that he was really stupid. He was very good at concealing his emotions when he encountered a crucial problem.

“General Qin, I think you’re overthinking it.” Xiao Yu said, “It’s true that Yang Guang is my brother-in-law, but isn’t he also the cousin of the current Emperor? This old official does what the Emperor orders. This old official will do as the Emperor instructs. There is no doubt that this old official will fulfill it. If someone really speculates and criticizes this old official because of this, this old official will not be afraid at all.”

Qin Mubai blinked her eyes and cursed in her heart, “Old fox, your mouth is really hard!”

‘”But then again, the plan I made in Chang’an did not know the terrain of this place beforehand. Furthermore, three months is too short a time. However, the three plans I made-Clear River, Jianming Palace, and Xiuxingyuan-are not going to be overthrown by you. This is too unjustifiable.” Xiao Yu knitted his brows and stroked his long beard. “How about this, I won’t make things difficult for you. You also want me to give an explanation to His Majesty the Emperor. Let’s make a compromise.”

“What plan?” Qin Mubai asked.

Xiao Yu stopped and said, “There is no need to clean up all the rivers for the time being. As you said, just dig a river that can enter a large warship. The Crown Prince and the King of Jiangxia can also be frugal, but if these two are to be questioned …”

“Don’t worry, I’m responsible.” Qin Mubai said coldly, “What else? Continue.”

“Also, I have no objection to building a temporary altar. However, sooner or later, we will have to build the Ming Palace. As for how to build it, it is up to the craftsmen. There is no need for you, General Qin, to worry about it.” Xiao Yu said, “Besides, you’re just acting for the governor, aren’t you?”

Qin Mubai couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed. This Xiao Yu really wanted to die for face. He didn’t care about other people’s feelings. No wonder his popularity was so bad. But right now, arguing with him was meaningless, so it was better to agree to it.

“Alright, that’s all we can do.” Qin Mubai nodded and said, “When King Wu returns, I’ll leave the state affairs to him. Right now, I’ll just build a temporary altar.”

“Alright, then let’s do this!” Xiao Yu corrected the color and loudly said, “Return!”

“Elder Xiao Ge, don’t you want to enter the underground palace and worship Emperor Yang?” Qin Mubai deliberately asked.

Xiao Yu’s face turned stiff, “He is the king of the former Sui Empire, and I am a minister of the Great Tang Empire. Is there a private worship ceremony?”–Cut the crap, and go back! ”

Qin Mubai and the people beside him didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. They all cursed in their hearts, “If Yang Guang-your brother-in-law heard this, he must jump up and tear your mouth apart!” This Xiao Yu really had a troublesome mouth, no wonder he was often demoted!

In the next two months, the entire Xiangzhou Prefecture was busy. The prefecture government transferred corvees and employed more than 20,000 private laborers to dig rivers day and night. A 20-mile-long river, connecting the Han River to the stone slope, directly flattened the previous “Phoenix-dwelling Parasol Tree Mountain”.

The river was personally designed by Qin Mubai, and his intention to raze the Parasol Tree Mountain was quite deep.

Back then, the person who had chosen the location for this mausoleum must have been a geomantic expert. Furthermore, the location of the mausoleum must have been artificially reconstructed, making this place rich in the Emperor’s Qi of the Unity of Heaven and Man.

Emperor Qi Feng Shui did not take advantage of the stability of the country. Whether Ning Xin believed it or not was one thing, but since Li Ke knew about this matter, Qin Mubai would also give him an explanation at that time. It made sense for him to go to the emperor. In the end, this was all to make the Emperor feel relieved.

Invisibly, Qin Mubai had “done a great deed for the Great Tang Country”.

But it’s weird. After Wutong Mountain was razed, half of the water birds in the West River Channel were gone, and not a single snake appeared on the stone slope. Could it be that, as Li Ke said, snakes are dragon-shaped, emperor qi vigorous snakes?

The work on the stone slope had also begun. Countless prismatic boats passed through the river day and night, transporting plants, flowers, trees, and building materials. Although it was only a temporary altar, it wasn’t small in scale. On the originally barren stone slope, tens of thousands of stones of mud were forcibly moved over, and plants and plants were planted on it. The towering forest of steles, the stone slates made of white marble, and the stone horses and stone men’s Heavenly Palace frescoes were all complete.

Two months later, the small stone slope was almost “changed.” In the past, a barren and desolate area had almost turned into a quiet place like a paradise, and it didn’t lose its dignity and splendor.

During these two months, Qin Mubai was indeed extremely busy. However, he didn’t work in vain. He accidentally made a small fortune at this moment.

Xiangzhou such a big project, the use of tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians, daily food and drink costs are quite a lot. Xiao Yu had brought a lot of money from Chang’an that was earmarked for sacrifices, so he had to pay for the food, clothing, and transportation of corvees and craftsmen and sergeants. This way, the hundreds of thousands of stones of grain and salt in Qin Mubai’s hands would be sold.

Rather than going to other states and counties to buy food, it was better to use what he had nearby! Nearly 20,000 soldiers and civilians involved in the project had to eat 400 stones a day just to eat food, 12,000 stones a month, and nearly 25,000 stones in two months.

Thus, Qin Mubai accepted the money Xiao Yu had given him with his left hand, handed over the grain and salt stored in his treasury with his right hand, and put the money into his own pocket.

The money comes so easily and comfortably that it saves shops and manpower by paying neither taxes nor worrying about bad debts. Two months later, more than two million yuan was easily obtained.

Although the money was not much, it was enough to cover the storefront and pay the rent.

Qin Mubai had already taken a good look at the shop. It was not elsewhere, but the two most prosperous shops in the busiest and busiest city of Xiangyang, namely, the two large shops across the street that Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun had previously operated-Zhengchang Liang Hao and Yongye Salt Square!

After Duan Rongji, Ouyang Jun, Zhao Chong, and the others were captured together, the two Wang Pu Clans were sealed off by the prefecture government offices, and the houses and pavilions were taken over by the officials. Over the past few days, businessmen from far and near had to break through the threshold of the state capital and find all sorts of ways to sell or rent these two stores, but none of them succeeded.

The reason was very simple. Li Ke and Qin Mubai had already made an agreement. That place was reserved for Wu Meiniang! Qin Mubai had also been waiting for Wu Meiniang to come to Xiang Zhou, where she could open a shop again, but from now on, she had to hang up the name of the “Wu” family.

These two shops were not small, especially in the extremely hot and prosperous shops, where the rent was quite expensive. Qin Mubai, a poor official, could not afford to pay the rent, so the shop was still empty.

Alright now, all the food he sold to Xiao Yu was cash. After getting the money, Qin Mubai did not cover it up and directly handed it over to Yin Cao Caozheng, the capital of the Xiangzhou Prefecture, paying the rent for five years.

Of course, a “discount” is a must.

In the past two months, Qin Mubai had played the pipa like he was pushing the hand to lead the hand to the piper, and he had enjoyed the rain and clouds.

The discovery of Emperor Yang’s mausoleum in Xiangzhou and the holding of a grand sacrificial ceremony quickly spread throughout the world. Many tourists came to see this grand event. It’s like now we have a big sports meeting or an exhibition in a city, attracting countless business opportunities.

Xiangzhou was originally an active port city, the flow of business travelers was endless year-round, passing through like a crucian carp. It is now even more so in Ka Wong, where ships dock and leave the harbour day and night, or are loaded with cargo or pedestrians.

Two months later, the inn in the northern port city of Xiangyang was packed full day and night. Even the madams and girls in Ying Yuan were restless, painful and happy night and night.

When the officials of Yin Cao showed Qin Mubai the tax accounts, their faces almost burst into laughter. He said that ever since the founding of the Great Tang, Xiangzhou had never been so lively and had never collected so much tax.

“Compared to the past, this month’s tax revenue is more than three times what it was at that time!”

Qin Mubai only smiled and thought to himself, Who would have thought that Zhao Chong had only given me a few maps hidden in the Night Fragrance Barrel, and now he was about to detonate the entire Xiang Province? This should be Li Ke’s achievement, right? … oh, the emperor sent me to assist Li Ke, that is also my achievement. Not bad, not bad, the blind cat dragged the dead mouse!

A few days later.

Qin Mubai went back to the military manor to take care of some military affairs. Not long after they sat down, the two palace soldiers hurriedly ran to the military mansion to look for Qin Mubai and said that the Jiang Xia King had arrived in Xiangzhou!

Qin Mubai was immediately stunned, “No way, it’s so fast. There’s still half a month left before the sacrifice!” Furthermore, shouldn’t the Jiangxia King and the Crown Prince come at the same time? If they want to come, can they not let us greet them without snoring in advance?

“General Qin, Elder Xiao Pavilion has sent a lowly person to invite the general to the post to welcome His Highness the King of Jiangxia! Get ready quickly and set off!” The sergeant said anxiously.

“That’s good too.” Qin Mubai could only mount his horse and head straight for Xiangyang County.

When they arrived at the inn, Qin Mubai saw the carriage in the courtyard with a single glance. However, Qin Mubai did not think too much about the usual standard Ziqing carriage used by the Prince and the Commandery Prince. When he walked into the inn and arrived outside the hall, Xiao Yu happened to hear Xiao Yu say,

“Your Highness, you and the Crown Prince have already made arrangements. Please move later. You will find it more comfortable to stay there.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Jiang Xia King Li Daozong’s voice was as loud and heroic as ever. He laughed twice and said, “Elder Xiao Ge, you must be living a bad life when you get to Xiangzhou. Could it be that that brat Qin Mubai didn’t treat you well? Look at your old appearance. Tsk tsk, your face is yellow and full of sore scabies. Could it be that you were bitten by mosquitoes?”

“Ah, let’s not talk about it!” Xiao Yu smiled bitterly and said, “This old minister really has something to apologize to His Highness.”

“What is it?”

“That’s right … His Highness and the Crown Prince’s Xingyuan were both renovated from expropriated houses. Furthermore, these two houses were left behind by Duan Rongji and Ouyang Jun, the criminals of the Xiangzhou case.” Xiao Yu lowered his voice a little, as if he was a little embarrassed. He whispered, “If there is anything wrong, please forgive me, Your Highness.”

“You want me and the Crown Prince to live in the intruder’s old house?” Dao Sect Li’s voice was indeed somewhat unhappy.

Qin Mubai furrowed her eyebrows in anger and stood outside the door by the window, not entering. He just wanted to hear what else Xiao Yu wanted to say. Most of the guards outside recognized Qin Mubai, so they didn’t dare to publicize it.

“This … this is actually not the intention of this old official.” Xiao Yu said, “I insisted on building the Crown Prince and the Prince’s mansion. But Qin Mubai insisted that it would be too late to waste money. Qin Mubai is a local father and mother, and he holds power. I am under the eaves, so I have no choice but to lower my head, so I have no choice but to let him handle things.”

“Heh, you’re suing Qin Mubai, Elder Xiao Ge!” Dao Sect Li laughed heartily.

Qin Mubai could hear a trace of ridicule in his laughter, as if he was teasing Xiao Yu.

“Uh, this … this old minister does not mean it, does not mean it!” Xiao Yu’s behavior was also quite strange, and he suddenly turned back and begged for mercy.

“Elder Xiao Ge, you are not ashamed!” Suddenly, a crisp and tactful female voice sounded in the hall, with a few domineering and delicate voices!

Qin Mubai was so familiar with this voice that his heart trembled when he heard it. “My dear, why did the Jiang Xia King come so early? He must have been tricked by this girl!”

Who else could it be? Of course it was Princess Gaoyang, Little Demon Ling’er!

“Uh! … Your Highness, what did you say?” Xiao Yu was scolded by Princess Gaoyang and asked in an unconvinced tone.

‘”Are you the Prime Minister, or the Shangguan appointed by the Royal Father to be in charge of the sacrifice ceremony? Why did you say that you have to lower your head under the eaves? Mubai dares to bully this old man? Or is it because you are too incompetent, you can’t even control a small official in a small place like Xiang Prefecture?” Princess Gaoyang said hurriedly, “Speaking of which, it is indeed a waste of money to build a new Xingyuan. Mubai is the father and mother of Xiangzhou, so it is right to think about the local people.” Do you think he did something wrong? Could it be that you want him to rob and torture tens of thousands of people in the Xiang Province in order to please the Crown Prince and the Jiang Xia Imperial Uncle? Wasn’t this just gouging out the flesh to make up for the loss? In this way, even if the Crown Prince and the Jiang Xia Royal Uncle lived in a brand new Xingyuan Prefecture, would they be able to live in peace? You still have the title of a minister of the three dynasties, so you don’t understand this logic. If Royal Father finds out, do you think he praised Mubai or refuted you? ”

“Haha!” Jiang Xia King Li Daozong laughed from the side, “Gaoyang, your mouth is getting sharper. I want to ask, is there a difference between praising Mubai and refuting Elder Xiao Ge?”

“It was originally!” Princess Gaoyang was unforgiving and did not give Xiao Yu the chance to speak. Taking advantage of the victory, she chased after him and said, “What happened to the prisoner’s manor?” After investigating, it was none other than the Tang government. Since we are a royal family, living in an official’s house is the most suitable. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Mubai. Elder Xiao Ge, as soon as you entered, you were in a hurry to say bad things about Mubai. Did he offend you somewhere? Or do you think he’s too capable, so you’re afraid he’ll cover up your limelight and be in a hurry to extinguish his prestige? Wow! Elder Xiao Ge, you weren’t the kind of person who used to be jealous of virtue and ability. How did you end up like this now? ”

“Uh … um … this … this!” Xiao Yu was stuck speechless by Princess Gaoyang’s call. He was anxious and his mouth squeaked.

“Alright, Gaoyang, spare Elder Xiao Ge!” Li Daozong chuckled and came out to make things right. “He didn’t say anything bad about Qin Mubai. He was just talking about the facts. Look at you. You haven’t married yet, so you’re just going to face him like this. What if I accidentally scold Qin Mubai a few times? Why don’t you stab me with a knife?”

“Hehe, of course not!” Princess Gaoyang began to act spoiled and said, “Jiang Xia King is such a cute old man, how can I be willing to stab him with a knife? At most … Gritting my teeth!”

Qin Mubai could not help but laugh when she heard this outside the door. Then she turned around and walked in, smiling, “It seems that I came at the right time. Everyone was chatting happily!”

“Wow, Mubai, you’re finally here!!”

Princess Gaoyang was so excited that she jumped up. Without hesitation, she threw away Li Daozong’s elbow and flew towards Qin Mubai!

…

On the side, Xiao Yuru was granted amnesty. He took the opportunity to wipe away the cold sweat on his forehead and smiled bitterly at Li Daozong. He whispered, “This old official is not afraid of the heavens or the earth. Even His Majesty the Emperor dares to peel off three dragon scales on his neck. Only … he is afraid of this girl!”

“Then you dare to slander Qin Mubai in front of him? You really don’t know whether to die or not!” Li Daozong whispered with joy, “I advise you to be careful from now on. If that girl takes revenge on you, it will be terrible!”-Don’t look at me like that, much less expect me to help you. There are probably only two people in the world who can deal with that girl. One is in Chang’an; the other is in this room. ”

Xiao Yu’s old face trembled and his heart began to tremble.