Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 330

Chapter 330 Zheng Family Attends a Banquet

Wu Meiniang sent a maid to invite Qin Mubai and said it was time for breakfast. Then, she went to Zheng Anshun’s house to attend the appointment. Qin Mubai prepared to bring Pang Fei and the Baiji guards along, while Su Lianqing took the sisters of the Tantai Clan to another place and said that she was going to start “secret training”, asking Qin Mubai to take leave for her at Wu Meiniang’s place.

When Qin Mubai and the others arrived at the “Qin Xian Shop” back home where Wu Meiniang lived, they heard the laughter of a group of women in the hall from afar. With Madam Liu as the core, Wu Meiniang, Princess Gaoyang, and Shuang’er were accompanying them. There were also a few servants of Princess Gaoyang and the capable women under Wu Meiniang. There were a total of more than ten of them, all of them women.

What Qin Mubai brought were all men. Zheng Anshun sent a housekeeper to invite the thirty plus people who had just eaten their breakfast. Everyone rode on the road and headed to Zheng Anshun Villa on the outskirts of Xiangyang.

When they left the county and arrived at the outskirts of the city, their eyes suddenly brightened. In front of them was the vast water of the Han River, behind them were the mountains of Luoying, and in the distance, there was the majestic Mausoleum of Emperor Yang. The horse hooves were light and the bells were clear and pleasant, and the mood of the group was good.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, her mother, Madam Liu, pulled Wu Meiniang into the same carriage, while Princess Gaoyang and Shuang’er took the same carriage. Qin Mubai and his men were riding horses and accompanying them from the side.

Halfway through, Madam Liu lifted the curtain and waved to Qin Mubai, “Sanlang, come here!”

“What is it, Mother?” Qin Mubai rode over and asked.

“Come, get in the car!” Mother said with a smile.

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “No need. We’re almost there. I’ll ride a horse!”

“Aiya, you child, if I let you come up, you can come up!” Madam Liu said impatiently.

“Alright!” Qin Mubai got off the horse and handed the horse to the guard to lead. Without stopping the carriage, he leapt up like an ape, startling the driver of the horse.

Inside the car, Wu Meiniang’s face was flushed red, her eyes were full of spring, and she lowered her head shyly.

Qin Mubai looked at her and wanted to laugh. She really could act! Who would believe that you, Wu Meiniang, are a delicate daughter-in-law?

“Sanlang, come sit here!” The carriage was very spacious. Mother pulled Qin Mubai to sit beside her, while Wu Meiniang sat on the other side.

“What’s the matter, mother? Is it so mysterious?” Qin Mubai asked with a smile. One hand, however, disobediently crossed her mother’s back and reached out to Wu Meiniang’s side, coincidentally holding her hand. Wu Meiniang shrank her hand in surprise and immediately clenched her hands tightly with him. Her fingernails were intentionally pinching him, but the expression on her face did not change.

“Wei Niang told Mei Niang that this engagement has been promised for a few years. It’s time to pass.” ‘”Look at Mother Mei,” said Madam Liu. “It’s hard for a girl to run a big family business. You’re her man, so you have to take care of yourself. Although the emperor ordered you to marry Princess Gaoyang in March next year, we can’t object to that. But you and Mother Mei can’t delay your wedding any longer. Do you hear me?”

Qin Mubai could feel that Wu Meiniang’s hand was tightening a little, and there was a layer of wet sweat.

“Then what do you mean by mother?”

Hearing this, Madam Liu lowered his voice and laughed strangely for the first time. He said, “The wedding date can be a little later than Princess Gaoyang’s, but … you might as well let Mama Mei conceive your child first!”

“Ah?!” Qin Mubai and Wu Meiniang were both shocked.

“What’s your name?” Mrs. Liu purposely said, “What’s there to make a fuss about!”

“Auntie, this … this isn’t good!” Wu Meiniang’s face was really red this time, to the point of blushing at the root of her neck.

“What is this?” Mrs. Liu, on the other hand, was calm and relaxed as she leisurely said, “Back then, I only married his father after giving birth to Mubai. Who said half a sentence?”

“Uh …” Qin Mubai was momentarily dumbfounded and muttered, “Mother, you are you, Mother Mei is Mother Mei, this kind of thing …”

“Saburo, Meiniang, listen to me!” Mrs. Liu said, wanting to pull their hands together. The two of them quickly pulled back their hands, causing Mrs. Liu to laugh. Then, they held their hands together and said earnestly, “Princess Gao Yang, that was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. Neither of them is older than her.” But the three of us will tell the truth in front of each other. Although Princess Gao Yang is smart and has a noble status, she is not qualified to be the head mother of the family. Especially now that Saburo has become more and more useful, our Qin Family will be a big clan from now on. The matriarch of a great clan must be a woman like Mei Niang. Mother did not look down on Princess Gao Yang, but she herself was clearly still a young child. “Saburo, Mama Mei is your good wife, understand?”

“I know.” Qin Mubai nodded, “But what does this have to do with … the child? This matter is far away!”

“Nonsense!” Madam Liu scolded softly, “As the saying goes, a mother is precious to her son. If Mother Mei can give birth to a son first, then even though she is in the side room, her status must be respected. The fact that Princess Gaoyang is in the main room can’t be changed, but Mother Mei can’t be completely suppressed by her, understand?”

Qin Mubai pressed her forehead and shook her head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, “Mother, you think too much! I don’t want my backyard to be in a civil war all day long!”

“Yes, Auntie” Wu Meiniang blushed and whispered, “Princess Gaoyang and I have a good relationship, just like sisters. Princess Gaoyang was not a narrow-minded woman who liked to plot against each other, and Mother Mei could not be a villain … Auntie, there was no need to worry too much. Mother Mei accepted the reality of a side room very early. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have waited for Mubai to arrive today. Didn’t Auntie once have a side room as well, and she was also treated well by Duke Yi and respected by the entire Qin Clan? “It doesn’t matter. Mother Mei is the same as Auntie. She doesn’t care about such a false name.”

Madam Liu shook his head helplessly and smiled, “Alright! I don’t care about your matters anymore. I don’t have much knowledge or ability, I only know one thing, that is–Sanlang, whether it’s Princess Gaoyang or Wu Meiniang, you can’t treat any of them badly! Family harmony is the only way to thrive, remember that!”

Qin Mubai heaved a long sigh of relief and exchanged glances with Wu Meiniang, smiling bitterly.

Zheng Anshun’s villa had arrived. Qin Mubai stopped and got off the car. Zheng Anshun had already personally arrived at the entrance of the villa and stood with his hands clasped.

Qin Mubai immediately cupped his hands and greeted him, saying that Brother Zheng would have to personally welcome him from afar. Zheng Anshun smiled politely and said that this was the first time I bought this manor in Xiangyang to entertain an outsider. Only Brother Qin and the Gui Bao family were worthy of being personally received by me.

These words were arrogant, but not arrogant.

Zheng Anshun’s manor was very big, and there was also a large mountain forest of fruit trees, which could even be used for hunting and garrisoning. A luxurious mansion was situated at the top of the mountain, surrounded by white clouds, like a palace in the Heavenly Court.

“You have taste, you will enjoy it!” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but blurt out in praise.

Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “Brother Qin appreciates and shares it. This place sweeps away the dullness. In the past, I used to guard the manor alone. It feels like I’m alone in a city. It’s indescribably lonely and lonely.”

“Qu Gao and Qiu He.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Brother Zheng, although you are a man in the business world, you are an extraordinary expert.”

“Brother Qin, what a joke. I am a vulgar and impatient commoner.” Zheng Anshun smiled humbly, but there was a gratified expression on his face.

The group walked to the mansion at the top of the mountain. Even Princess Gaoyang exclaimed, “Wow, what an exquisite bamboo building!”

It turned out that this palace-like building was made entirely out of bamboo. It was impossible to see clearly from afar. Only when he got closer did he realize that the first piece of bamboo and wood had been polished to an exquisite degree. It was like a mirror that could reflect a person’s silhouette. The furnishings in the room weren’t as magnificent as they had imagined. On the contrary, they were rather pure and elegant. Occasionally, there were a few paintings and calligraphy that weren’t priceless masterpieces. Instead, they were Zheng Anshun’s own works.

“I love bamboo.” Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “There are fewer bamboos in the pass, but more in the south. So I specially hired an expert craftsman to make a big bamboo building. There is also a bamboo forest outside the building. In early spring, I personally dug out some sharp tender bamboo shoots and stewed the pickled game in winter snow. The world is delicious!”

“I will enjoy it!” Qin Mubai laughed loudly. “Bacon and spring bamboo shoot stew. This is a famous dish in Xiangyang. When King Wu and I were in Xiangyang, we loved this dish the most.”

As they chatted, everyone took their seats. The seats were the same as when they were at Wu Mei’s house, and Zheng Anshun ignored the distinction between host and guest and invited Madam Liu to the upper seat. After the tea snacks were served, Zheng Anshun also personally played a zither. It was clear and distant, and it was amazing, causing Qin Mubai and the others to clap their hands and applaud it.

“Speaking of King Wu.” Zheng Anshun sat close to Qin Mubai and said, “I heard that he went to Goguryeo. How is the situation now?”

Qin Mubai knitted his brows and said, “I don’t know either. Almost when I left Lanzhou for Beijing, he left for Koguryo. There’s no news of him since then.”

Zheng Anshun was silent for a moment, then looked at Qin Mubai with a meaningful smile, “Brother Qin, what do you think of King Wu?”

“What?” Qin Mubai asked.

Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “The Crown Prince and the King of Wei are fighting for the throne in the Imperial Court. They have already reached the White Heat Realm. The King of Wu invited himself to leave the capital and took a life-threatening mission to Goguryeo … You must be wise and courageous, you can’t do it!”

Qin Mubai glanced at the people in the hall. They were all drinking tea and chatting and resting. Then, he whispered, “Are you saying that Shen Sheng died inside while Chong’er was outside?”

“Great minds think alike.” Zheng Anshun smiled and did not avoid this sensitive topic. He said, “King Wu has great ambitions, both civil and military. He can be said to be a hero of the generation. Unfortunately, he was born at a bad time, and his ambitions are hard to reward!”

“What do you mean?” Qin Mubai asked curiously. In the past, Zheng Anshun had never talked to him about politics. However, the Zheng Clan, the richest man in the Tang Dynasty, had never been far from politics. Zheng Anshun was a bystander, perhaps more knowledgeable than ordinary politicians.

Zheng Anshun smiled and said, “It’s a blessing in disguise to have a fight. But the prerequisite is that this person is a fisherman. Brother Qin, what do you think?”

Qin Mubai smiled and nodded. He did not comment. He thought to himself, “Zheng Anshun’s words are very accurate.” Li Kekong had great ambitions, but his identity as a concubine created great difficulty for him to ascend to the throne. Even if the Crown Prince and the King of Wei fought to the death, it would still be difficult for Li Ke to win!

Isn’t there a direct descendant of King Jin, Li Zhi? ! In history, the emperor of the Gaozong sect who had truly taken over Li Shimin’s country!