Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 255

Chapter 255 Chengqian, Crown Prince
A few days later, the warship dock of the Xiangzhou Military Manor.

Qin Mubai dispatched a navy warship to welcome the Crown Prince thirty miles upstream. There were a large number of soldiers on the dock. Important officials from the Governor’s Manor and the Military Manor had already arrived. Li Daozong was also present. Princess Gaoyang and King Qi, Li You, had also arrived.

Qin Mubai was dressed in military uniform and was personally in charge of guarding the dock. Princess Gaoyang and Li Daozong stood together, her eyes never leaving Qin Mubai. Her face was always flushed red, and she occasionally laughed.

“Silly girl, what are you laughing at?” Li You asked.

“Brother, do you think Mu Bai is very impressive?” Princess Gao Yang pointed at Qin Mubai, who was berating the sergeant.

“Yes, yes, yes. Who else is he if he isn’t imposing?” Li You smiled unhappily.

“I like to see men wearing armor and battle robes the most!” Princess Gao Yang said, “You are both heroic and handsome. Brother, you are also a commander-in-chief and a military officer. How come you have never worn an armoured battle robe before?”

“Do you think it’s comfortable to wear?” Li You curled his lips and said, “It weighs tens of kilograms!”

“Wow, it’s this heavy?” Princess Gao Yang turned around and asked Li Daozong in surprise, “Imperial Uncle, is the armor on Mu Bai very heavy?”

Li Daozong smiled and said, “He is wearing a real Ming armor made by the imperial court. It weighs 26 jin. This is the first of the thirteen armors of the Great Tang. It is light, strong and beautiful. Among the iron armors, the heaviest fish scale armor weighs 46 jin. This is not even considered a helmet.”

“This type of bright light armor requires dozens of first-rate craftsmen to take months to make.” Li You added, “It’s not something ordinary people can afford to wear. I heard that Qin Mubai’s Bright Light Armor was given to him by his royal father when he was in charge of Baiji. It can be seen that it’s not an ordinary item.”

Li Daozong also nodded his head, “Perhaps it’s a few points more than the armor I used to wear. After all, my armor is something from a long time ago, so it’s definitely not as well-made as it is now.”

“Eh? You guys are always excited when you say that.” Princess Gaoyang curled her lips. She didn’t know anything about armor, so she didn’t like it anymore. So she immediately changed the topic and said, “If only Third Brother could do it today!”

Li You shrugged his eyebrows and shook his head, sighing, “Imperial Sister-in-law has just been buried. In recent days, Third Brother’s mood has been very depressed and his complexion is also very bad. He probably won’t come.”

“Ah, my poor third brother!” Princess Gaoyang frowned and sighed.

Li Daozong looked into the distance and his eyes suddenly lit up. He nodded at the two of them and said, “Isn’t this coming?”

Indeed.

On the road leading to the military port, Li Ke was dressed in a purple royal robe and was riding his horse. Before arriving at the harbor, he unsteadily dismounted from his horse and walked towards the harbor with vigorous steps of a dragon and a tiger.

“Wow, why does Third Brother suddenly look like a different person, so energetic?” Princess Gaoyang whispered in surprise.

“Don’t tell me you want to see your third brother fall sick all day long?” Li Ke apparently heard it and walked forward with a smile on his face. He smiled at Princess Gaoyang.

“Third Brother, you look really good today.” Li You said.

“Fifth brother, Gaoyang, I’ve really worried you all these days.” Li Ke nodded to them, then cupped his hands to Li Daozong and said, “Imperial Uncle, I’m coming.”

Li Daozong nodded and smiled, “Alright, let’s welcome your eldest brother Crown Prince.”

“Yes.” Li Ke smiled and agreed. He turned to look at Qin Mubai by the dock and said, “I’ll go over and talk to him for a moment.”

With that, Li Ke left.

Princess Gaoyang blinked her eyes in surprise and muttered, “How strange. Why is Third Brother suddenly … acting like he’s fine?”

“Good man, take it as such.” Li Daozong said, “You’er, you need to learn more from your third brother.”

“Yes. Nephew knows that I have many things that are inferior to Third Brother.” Li You said the same thing.

Li Daozong smiled as he looked at Li Ke who was walking away and said to himself, “That’s right, this is the Li Ke that I’ve watched him grow up with since I was a child. I can afford it, I can let it go. True temperament, man!”

Qin Mubai was giving the sergeants the etiquette at the dock, and his mouth was a little dry and his tongue was a little irritated. Suddenly, he turned around and saw Li Ke walking towards him with spring breeze on his face. He couldn’t help but feel a little shocked.

“Your Highness, you’re here.” Qin Mubai looked him up and down in disbelief. Now it seemed that Li Ke had lost a little weight and was no different from before. He could not tell that he had just experienced the pain of losing his wife.

“Yeah, how can I not come to such an important occasion?” Li Ke smiled and nodded to him, “Don’t worry about me, I’m fine.”

“This is for the best. I have always had faith in you.” Qin Mubai nodded and smiled in satisfaction.

“I figured it out.” Li Ke let out a long sigh and looked up at the sky. He said leisurely, “If I don’t live well, how can her spirit in heaven feel at ease? I didn’t take good care of and love her before I died, which is why I let her live so miserably. After death, I should let her spirit in the spring feel a little comforted.”

“Wisdom.” Qin Mubai praised sincerely.

Now, he felt that Li Ke was more calm and mature.

No wonder people often say that a girl needs only one time to become a woman, and she must succeed; For a boy to become a man, he would need thousands of trials and tribulations before he could be effective.

This time, the pain of losing his wife caused Li Ke’s mood to change.

“Alright, I won’t say any more.” Li Ke faintly smiled and stretched out his fist to lightly tap Qin Mubai’s chest, saying, “Now, I will welcome the Crown Prince with you. From now on, the work of the secretariat office will be handed back to me. During this period of time, the military and political priorities of the entire Xiangzhou Prefecture are all on your shoulders and you have to perform sacrificial rituals, but you are exhausted.”

Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, “But it’s worth it.”

Li You looked over from afar and couldn’t help but sigh, “The two of them are really close.”

“Are you jealous?” Dao Sect Li teased.

“Eh!” Li You was stunned for a moment, then laughed dryly, “It’s useless to be jealous! The heavens wouldn’t send Qin Mubai to me!”

“Swift coursers are available more often than not, but people like Bole are rarely found.” Li Daozong said, “You’er, don’t blame the heavens. If you have nothing to do, fight less, gamble less, reflect more, study diligently, and strengthen your knowledge and cultivation. As the saying goes, you and Ke’er are like canals. If you fix the canals first, living water will naturally come. You can’t rely on luck for everything.”

“Uh, nephew knows. Thank you, Royal Uncle.” Li You hurriedly nodded and bowed in agreement, but a trace of impatience flashed in his eyes.

The Li Daoist Sect naturally received all of this in their eyes. They secretly shook their heads and said, “Dragons give birth to nine children, and each of them is different.” In that case, I will never tell you again. If it was Li Ke and Qin Mubai, they would never have reacted like this. Li You was arrogant and careless, but his thoughts were not small. In the future, sooner or later, bad things …

In less than half an hour, a fleet of ships appeared on the surface of the water. The one leading the escort was the Divine Fish spaceship of the Xiangzhou Military Manor.

“Coming!”

The civil and military officials returned to their seats and the horns blew. Li Ke was the first, followed by Li Daozong, Qin Mubai, Li You and Princess Gaoyang. They stood on the dock and waited for the ship the Crown Prince was on to dock.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian brought a line of guards and officials from Chang’an by carriage and horse, arrived at Shangzhou and notified Xiangzhou, let the secretariat of the manor arrange ships to meet the han river. At this moment, he was riding the Divine Fish Divine Ship of the Xiangzhou Military Manor.

When the ship landed, Li Chengqian stood at the bow and cupped his hands.

Qin Mubai had seen Li Chengqian many times when he was a Hundred Cavalry Cavalry. He was no stranger to his appearance, but he did not have any deep acquaintances with Li Chengqian. There were many rumors about him in the outside world, some said that he was smart and agile since he was young, some said that he had grown up and became a playboy and ignorant, some said that he was filial to others, and some said that he was hypocritical.

There were different versions.

Qin Mubai had never been used to listening to rumors. He only believed in the saying, “One can’t see without hearing.” Wasn’t it the living Crown Prince Li Chengqian in front of him now? Wanting to understand him wasn’t easy?

The Crown Prince has already landed. Li Ke takes a step forward and cups his hands and says loudly, “I, Li Ke, lead the civil and military officials of Xiang Province to welcome His Highness the Crown Prince!”

“Welcome, Crown Prince!” The officials and generals, including Li Daozong, agreed.

The Crown Prince, the ruler of the country, was a Half-Monarch. Even the royal uncle had to call him a “minister” when he saw him.

Li Chengqian’s appearance was between the fat King Wei and the handsome Li Ke. Neither too fat nor too thin. Li Shimin had inherited some of the outlines on his face. He had the same thick eyebrows and big eyes as his fellow brothers. He had a small moustache and was quite well-rounded. He was also quite tall, approaching 1.8 meters. At first glance, Li Chengqian, who was dressed in the yellow-robed crown prince’s royal uniform, looked and behaved in accordance with his status as the crown prince.

Li Chengqian walked forward and cupped his hands in greeting. With a smile on his face, he said, “Thank you for welcoming me, everyone. Please excuse me!”

“Thank you, Crown Prince!”

This was considered to have gone through the established etiquette.

At this time, Li Chengqian walked in front of Li Ke, grabbed his wrist and held his hand. He looked at him seriously and said softly, “Third Brother, are you alright?”

Li Ke smiled faintly, “Thank you for your care, Crown Prince. I’m fine.”

“Sister-in-law is gone. You can take care of yourself well!” Li Chengqian sighed and said, “What a nice woman. She is truly beautiful and has a poor life.”

“Brother Crown Prince, Third Brother is finally happier. Can’t you not mention this?” Princess Gaoyang suddenly shouted.

“Haha, right, right, foolish brother is confused.” Li Chengqian smiled with shame and self-mockery, and a few crow’s-tails wrinkled at the corner of his eyes.

Qin Mubai secretly smiled as he thought to himself. There was a crow’s-tail smile at the corner of his eyes. That was true laughter. In other words, Li Chengqian was not as hypocritical as Li Tai. Li Tai often laughed loudly, and his eyes often narrowed, but his crow’s tail patterns were rarely seen.

“Royal Uncle, you’ve been in Xiang Zhou for many days. Is everything alright?” Li Chengqian came to salute Li Daozong again. He was very respectful.

“I have to trouble the Crown Prince. This old man of mine hasn’t been idle for a moment since he came to Xiang Zhou, but he’s very busy.” Li Daozong smiled and said, “Now that you’ve come, everything will be fine. I can finally not take care of Ke’er. After the ceremony, I’ll take Ling’er to the mountains and rivers!”

“Haha, that’s good. When the time comes, you should invite your nephew to come with you!” Li Chengqian laughed heartily.

He had just finished his etiquette, and now it was a family conversation, so he seemed rather intimate. Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince, didn’t put on any airs, but he was rather affectionate. Moreover, judging from the scene just now, he was somewhat sincere in his treatment of people.

“Your Highness, Xingyuan has been prepared. You are tired from traveling. Please move to Xingyuan now and rest first!” Li Ke said.

“That’s good. Thank you, Third Brother.” Li Chengqian nodded and smiled.

“Mubai, lead the way and escort.” Li Ke ordered.

“I accept orders!” Qin Mubai cupped his fists and waved his hand, “Baiji, listen to the order. Protect the Crown Prince until he reaches Xingyuan!”

“Yes!” The hundreds of cavalry soldiers loudly promised to ride horses together, natural and agile tiger.

“General Qin, after a few years, your demeanor is even better than before! You are still as outstanding as before when you came to Xiangzhou.” Li Chengqian nodded and smiled at Qin Mubai. He looked at the Baiji and sincerely praised, “A strong general has no weak soldiers. A mighty master is really good.”

“Thank you, Your Highness the Crown Prince, for your praise. Please, Your Highness the Crown Prince!” Qin Mubai cupped his fists and said.

“Alright.” Li Chengqian boarded the Crown Prince Luan’s carriage that had been prepared for him, and the two Eastern Palace Guards’ military officers boarded the carriage together.

“You guys go down.” “Let Qin Mubai come up,” Li Chengqian suddenly said to the two boarding guards.

The two of them were stunned and didn’t dare to say anything else, so they had no choice but to go down.

Since the Crown Prince had already spoken, Qin Mubai was unable to do so, so he could only board the car and follow along.

“Alright, we can go now.” Li Chengqian smiled and ordered the carriage to start moving forward. Li Ke and the others also boarded the carriage and followed suit.

“General Qin, Guke has long been looking forward to sharing a table with you and getting drunk. However, you have always refused to show your respect. Since you are the landlord of Xiangzhou this time, you and the Prince of Wu can’t treat you so badly, right?” Li Chengqian said casually with a smile on his face.

Qin Mubai knew that he had once posted a banquet in honor of Wu Meiniang after mentioning the Jiangzhou case. At that time, he actually wanted to invite Wu Meiniang to go with him, but he didn’t go.

“If Your Highness is interested, I will definitely accompany you. However, I have limited alcohol capacity. At that time, Your Highness, please don’t laugh.” Qin Mubai replied with a smile.

“That won’t do. You must accompany him well.” Li Chengqian patted the armrest of Luan Zuo and smiled mysteriously, “Because Gu Congan brought you a nice gift from Chang’an. You will definitely like it. Since you like it, you must thank Gu. Since you are thanking him, you must accompany him with the wine.”

“Oh?” Qin Mubai was surprised and stunned. He thought about it and understood.

“Looks like you guessed it?” Li Chengqian did not intend to keep talking. He chuckled and said, “You guessed correctly. Wu Meiniang, some of the palace subordinates and family members of the Eastern Palace are on another boat. We had already agreed to leave the capital for Xiang together, so we came along the same road.”

“Thank you, Crown Prince!” Qin Mubai cupped his hands and said, “Looks like this lowly official has no choice but to give his life to compensate the gentleman!”

“Haha, if that’s the case, then Da Shan!” Li Chengqian patted the armrest and laughed heartily. “It’s better to bump into the sun than to choose a day. Let Uncle Huang, Third Brother and Fifth Brother be here. Let’s have a banquet in Xingyuan, everyone!”-Uncle Huang, Third Brother, what do you think? ”

Li Daozong and Li Ke had already heard this. At this moment, they cupped their hands together and replied, “Very good, I’ll listen to the Crown Prince’s orders!”

Qin Mubai’s eyes involuntarily glanced at Princess Gaoyang’s carriage, and he muttered in his heart, “This is good, even if we arrive at Xiangzhou, we won’t be at peace. The two women collided again.”

At this time, Princess Gaoyang opened the window and excitedly shouted, “Brother Prince, did you say that Mama Mei came with you? Where is she?”

“It’s on the ship behind us. It’s time to go ashore now!” Li Chengqian replied.

“Oh! Then I’ll go find her and bring her with me to the Crown Prince’s mansion. You guys go first, don’t wait for me!-Hehe, motorcycle, turn around, turn around, go back to the dock!” Princess Gaoyang shouted happily.

Qin Mubai couldn’t help but be stunned. Could it be that their relationship was very good? She seemed to be very happy? This was unreasonable!

At this moment, he discovered that Li Chengqian, Li Ke, Li Daozong, and Li You were all staring at him in surprise, as if these words were also written on their faces-“This is unreasonable!”