Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 278

Chapter 278 Bie Xiangyang
After leaving the barracks, Qin Mubai returned to Princess Gaoyang’s mansion in Xiang City and saw that she was still asleep. Thus, he left behind a letter and immediately left the city with Yin Yang and the others, heading to Xiangyang to take care of military and political affairs.

Pang Fei was still stationed at Xinye Military Port with the troops of the Xiang Province Military Manor. They had not retreated. Even after knowing that Xiang City had been destroyed, they had been stationed here. Even though they knew that there were tens of thousands of troops from Li Ji in front of them, they did not retreat without authorization.

At this moment, this army had become his loyalty.

Qin Mubai ordered the entire army to withdraw to the Xiangyang military camp. On the ship, Qin Mubai temporarily handed over the military affairs to Pang Fei, allowing him to temporarily act as a surrogate commandant. If there were any changes after returning to the court, Chang’an would naturally issue a letter.

At this time, Qin Mubai did not know if he would really go to the border to fight. If they were to go, then the position of Commandant Zhechong in Xiang Province could not be left aside. After all, Xiangzhou was also a small “base area”. At the very least, Wu Meiniang was still doing business here, so there was no lack of people to take care of her. Leaving Pang Fei behind for the time being was a good foreshadowing.

The army arrived at the military camp, Qin Mubai and Pang Fei cooked together in the barracks for a while, then left this place, heading to Xiangyang County. First went to the secretariat of the manor, and know not to stay secretariat of the right to ten thousand ji.

Sure enough, Li Ke left behind a letter. Qin Mubai couldn’t help but smile.

What a heroic man. Li Ke also thought of this layer-drawing a clear line and temporarily cutting off all contact.

Qin Mubai had always believed that Li Ke, the prince, was more mature and wise than him in many ways. Right now, Fang was the best proof. He had only awakened through Li Ji’s advice, and Li Ke had probably already thought of this level. It was just an obstacle to the situation, and he had never said it openly. It was also a good thing to use the opportunity of Li Ke’s incident to speak out.

This saved Qin Mubai a lot of trouble. If that was the case, then it was indeed not something that instant noodles could touch noodles. Leaving behind a letter to make things clear, the two of them would naturally be able to keep their confidants quiet for a long time, and would not cause any other unhappiness or misunderstandings.

After leaving the Prefecture, Qin Mubai made a trip to the countryside. There was also a set of his own “secret private property”–“research” institute.

The last time the Crown Prince left, he left behind Fan Zhu, who had been tattooed with the Sea Coast Department’s decree, and with Qin Mubai’s “help”, he continued to ponder over the red cannon. For several months, this exquisite and sincere master craftsman finally succeeded in casting this cannon that none of his predecessors had ever touched with just a single piece of paper from Qin Mubai!

The three old disciples of Niu Wuzhi did not fail their mission. They worked together with Tu Youhai to refine the Five Finger Divine Lightning, making it more suitable for use in cannons. Right now, the chances of exploding the cannons had fallen to an extremely low level, and the cannons’ pseudocentric ability could gradually be controlled by humans. Although he still couldn’t do what the current high-grade artillery meant, the error rate was gradually shrinking.

The situation was pleasant.

When Qin Mubai arrived, the four of them went out to welcome him. Everyone chatted for a while about the progress of the artillery’s craftsmanship, and also sent two guns to Qin Mubai to take a look.

The results were indeed good.

The target of the test firing was a few contiguous trees on a wilderness beach 200 steps away. The first shot was seven or eight steps away, and the second shot was successfully destroyed.

“General, this cannon was probably successfully manufactured. However, the cannon operator will probably have to go through a lot of training and practice before he can successfully grasp the firing technique. Otherwise, he will be easily injured by accident.” Tu Youhai said, “Also, this cannon definitely can’t be moulded in large quantities right now, because just the polishing of the cannon bore is an extremely meticulous process. It requires an experienced craftsman like me to operate it day and night for thirty to forty days before it can be done.”

“Yes, it’s really hard on you.” Qin Mubai nodded and smiled. “Right now, King Wu and I are leaving Xiangyang for the capital. However, my promise is the same as yours. If you are willing to stay in Xiangyang as a separate Sima, I will immediately go back to the court to help you. Of course, you can also choose to come with us to the capital. At that time, it will not be difficult for you to be appointed as a Beijing official.”

“Oh, General and King Wu … won’t they return to Xiang Prefecture in the future?” Tu Youhai said in surprise and disappointment.

“It’s hard to say.” Qin Mubai said, “Perhaps, maybe not. Even if I do, I’ll have to wait for a while. What do you think?”

Tu Youhai began to ponder. If King Wu and Qin Mubai were here together, he would have been promoted by Qin Mubai, and there would be someone up there who was easy to be an official. This was naturally a great thing. However, the two of them have already left, leaving behind a lonely person to “fight” here. It’s hard to say what future they have. It’s better to return to Chang’an and continue to be my Left Campus Department Order!

“This lowly position, I am willing to go to the capital with the general!” Tu Youhai said decisively.

“Alright, then prepare yourself. We’ll leave in two days.” After Qin Mubai finished speaking, he said to the three old men, “Three old masters, I promised to send you to your deaths. Now that I’m leaving Xiangyang, my return date is uncertain. Come with me to Chang’an!”

The three old men were very hesitant and discussed for a long time. They said that they were old enough to return to their hometown. They were too old to leave Xiangyang, where they were born and raised. They even wanted to stay here to protect the filial piety of Niu Wuzhi, who was childless. If they wanted to concoct gunpowder, their direct disciples would be able to do so on their behalf. If it was to be said that the elderly were to be sent to their deaths, they could just give them some money without much trouble.

These words were exactly what Qin Mubai wanted.

The three old men called their disciples over. A young man in his twenties had been an abandoned baby since he was young, and they had adopted him as a parent.

“General, he has no name or surname. We all call him ‘Shi’er’. He has been working with us on gunpowder since he was young. Now, he has a pitch-black appearance and is as ugly as us. He only knows gunpowder and has no other skills. If he stays with us in the future, he will lose his livelihood if we die.” The three old men said, “He is younger, smarter, and better at cooking than us. He is honest, and eats three meals a day, but he is not hungry. If the general does not give up, please accept him!”

Shi’er was born sturdy and honest, and as they said, she was dressed in pitch black and ugly. Upon hearing the three old men’s words, he knelt on the ground and cried loudly, unwilling to leave the three old men alive.

The three elders consoled her for a while, and Shi’er stopped crying.

Qin Mubai felt that this Shi’er was a kind and loyal person with a skill. This kind of person was the most qualified subordinate.

“Shi’er, if you want, I’ll give you a surname. How about ‘Qin Shi’?” Qin Mubai said.

The three old men were immediately overjoyed, “Shi’er, why don’t you thank the general? The general has accepted you! You are famous now! After that, you will be the general’s servant!”

Shi’er wiped away her tears and bowed down obediently, “Qin Shi kowtowed to the general!”

“Alright, get up!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “From now on, you will be my Qin Mubai’s bookboy. Other than me, no one will order you around.”

“Qin Shi kowtowed to the general!” However, he only cared about his head and kowtowed to the ground with a bang.

After leaving Tu Youhai and Qin Shi here temporarily, Qin Mubai returned to Xiangyang County and bid farewell to Wu Meiniang.

Dengzhou military chaos, xiangyang county order is slowly restored, qin immortal pavilion has not officially opened. Wu Meiniang and the girls were still hiding at home. The few Baiji who had stayed here were still guarding and protecting them.

Wu Meiniang had probably heard about the change in Dengzhou as well. When she saw Qin Mubai enter, her eyebrows knitted slightly and she said worriedly, “Mubai, are you alright?”

“Isn’t this good?” Qin Mubai smiled.

“Mm … Where’s Princess Gaoyang?”

“Not bad.” Qin Mubai let out a long sigh and smiled apologetically, “Mother Mei, I might make you angry.”

Wu Meiniang smiled calmly, “Why?”

“I’m here to bid farewell.” Qin Mubai said.

Wu Meiniang’s expression did not change. She only slightly curled her lips and nodded, “I know.”

“You know?” Qin Mubai was surprised.

“Of course.” Wu Meiniang smiled and said, “Such a big thing has happened. You must go back to Chang’an to see the Sovereign King. Chen Ming has done everything. Also, King Wu came here before and said that he went to Chang’an first. At that time, I was guessing that you would also be called to Chang’an.”

“Sorry, Mother Mei.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “You just arrived and haven’t accompanied you for two days, but I want to leave.”

“It’s important to get down to business. Don’t worry, let’s go.” Wu Meiniang smiled and said, “Men are ambitious in all directions. How can they curl up beside a woman? Didn’t you tell me before, ‘If a relationship lasts for a long time, how can it last forever’? I’ll just wait for you.”

Qin Mubai nodded gratefully, “Aren’t you going to Chang’an with me?”

“No.” Wu Meiniang said softly, but she was sure, “At the beginning of everything here in Xiangyang, everything big and small has to be taken care of. Didn’t you return me hundreds of thousands of stones of grain? I have to exchange it for real gold and silver, so that we can live a carefree life for the rest of our lives.”

Qin Mubai’s face turned embarrassed as he said sour, “Why do I feel like a pretty boy eating a soft meal?”

“What?” Wu Meiniang had probably never heard of these words before, but she understood what Qin Mu meant. She chuckled and said, “Don’t think wrongly! I call the river full of water. If it weren’t for your ability, I would have died today. Leave the trivial matters to our women. Don’t worry about doing your big things. Go do your business!”

“Yes.” Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, “Three days later, let’s set off.”

Wu Meiniang also smiled, but there was a trace of reluctance in her smile. She smiled slightly regretfully but calmly, “Go, accompany Gaoyang. Now, she needs you more than I do.”

For a moment, Qin Mubai didn’t know what to say. They held Wu Meiniang’s hand and stared at her, saying word by word, “Mistress, you have a big family style!”

“Hehe!” Wu Meiniang was amused. “You, your mouth is the sweetest at this time. Although I am a million unhappy people, how can I beat your sweet words? Alright, it’s a simple journey. Quickly bathe in the fragrant soup and sit down for a drink with me. Let’s rest for a while before leaving.”

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “If you have Mother Beauty with you, it won’t hurt to rest until tomorrow.”

“Fantasy Sky … Deng Disciple!”

In the evening, Qin Mubai, who was soaked in wine, left Xiangyang on horseback with Tu Youhai, Qin Shi, and the others, along with Pang Fei and Yin Yang.

The faint scent of Wu Meiniang’s body still lingered on her body, and she seemed to be able to feel her gentleness and fragrance between her lips and teeth. Qin Mubai looked back at the familiar Xiangyang City and breathed in the familiar smell of water grass in the river harbor. He said to himself, “When will we return to the same place?”

Goodbye, Xiangyang.