Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 357

Chapter 357 King Jin Visits

Late at night, Li Daozong’s father and daughter returned with Li Ji. The three of them talked for a long time at night. Apart from explicitly stating the unity of interests, they also reached an agreement on the standpoint that Lanzhou should use troops to quell Gao Chang’s rebellion.

Along with Li Jing’s retreat, Li Xu was already the NO.1 in the military circles of the court. How could he allow Eldest Sun Wuji to take charge of the royal platform alone? This was not because Li Xi was greedy and selfish, but because his habitual thinking had influenced him since the founding of the Great Tang. The Great Tang Empire paid great attention to military merits, and the status of soldiers was quite high. Although Li Shimin, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, and the others had been in the limelight since Li Shimin ascended the throne, as long as it involved military and national affairs, it was Li Jing, Li Xuan, and the others’ stage. The equality of civil and martial arts was the usual scenery in the Great Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, Changsun Wuji was almost going to take charge of the royal platform alone, so how would he deal with the soldiers? Although Li Xi had always kept a low profile and endured it, when it came to “issues of principle”, he was not vague at all. What he said was that I, Li Lu, can guard the northern border for a long time without returning to Chang’an and ignoring state affairs. However, there is no way I can bow to Eldest Sun Wuji and listen to his advice! We are the same age, why should we?

The reason why Li Daozong took such a stand was because of his “rabbit’s death and fox’s sorrow” and his personal respect for Qin Mubai. The other reason was, of course, because of his daughter. Li Xueyan, a mere weak woman, was willing to sacrifice her life for the country and marry Tufan in order to calm down the war and educate the Tibetan people. Tibetans are good, they actually think that she is a fake princess, no, waved their sleeves and prepared to fight. Wasn’t this hanging him high up and whipping his face with a whip? Not long after this, Changsun Wuji actually brought up the old matter again. To send Li Xueyan out to resolve the war with Tibet … Luckily, Li Daozong was a person with good cultivation, If it was a reckless man, he would probably lose face with Eldest Sun Wuji on the spot-he said that he didn’t want my daughter, and you still wanted me to beg him to send her over. Do you think that I’m not embarrassed enough? What are you feeling at ease about? !

In the dark, there were days.

Qin Mubai had never thought of making enemies with Eldest Sun Wuji, or stirring up a huge political storm in the Imperial Court. However, the torrent of fate had always inadvertently dragged people into it. At such a time, he would either be caught in the tides of the storm, or he would be buried in the mud at the bottom of the river, and he would never be able to turn over.

As Li Ji said, Qin Mubai is now at a turning point in his life.

It was already very late at night, and Qin Mubai did not feel sleepy at all. She walked alone in the courtyard.

The moonlit night was bright, and the parasol tree was combed.

In the night sky, the intermittent sound of the pipa came from somewhere. It was played rather awkwardly and could not be tuned. However, it could be vaguely argued that it was actually a song from Lanzhou Hong!

Qin Mubai was instantly shocked, almost reflexively thinking, “Yao’er?” !

As they escaped, it was precisely the sound coming from the courtyard where Yao’er lived when she was alive!

Apart from the intermittent sound of the pipa, there was also the sound of crying.

Qin Mubai was stunned!

Yao’er … Soul Returning?

Is there really such a thing in the world? !

At this time, Qin Mubai did not feel the slightest bit scared. He strode towards the room, wanting to shout loudly, but also afraid that it would scare away Yao’er’s soul. Hence, he held his breath and didn’t dare to leave. He walked to the door.

At first glance, he burst into laughter and was slightly disappointed.

It turned out that Shuang’er was practicing the pipa with that group of little orphans.

“Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night?” Qin Mubai walked in and asked with a smile.

“It’s Third Brother” Shuang’er’s eyes were a little red, and she put down the pipa in her hand awkwardly. “We can’t sleep!”

“What’s the matter?”

“Normally, it’s always me and Yao’er who coax them to sleep before sleeping together.” Shuang’er whispered, “Now that Yao’er is gone, it feels strange for me to sleep alone.”

“Are you afraid?”

“No. Even if Yao’er comes back, I don’t need to be afraid of anything. She’s such a kind person, and she’s just like my own sister. What am I afraid of?” Shuang’er wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. “I’m just … not used to it. I’m really not used to it. It feels like my heart is empty. It’s like I’m missing my hands and feet. Just as I’m half asleep, I’m used to squeezing to the side and leaning on Yao’er’s body to keep warm. But when I find that there’s nothing around me, I wake up and can’t sleep anymore.”

“Silly girl.” Qin Mubai stroked her head and laughed, “Come, let me coax these little girls to sleep first and then chat with you, okay?”

“Alright.” Shuang’er smiled and nodded, “Third Brother, it’s been a long time since you’ve cared about me like today!”

“Is there?” Qin Mubai was slightly stunned as he thought to himself, Is this really the case? Perhaps it was because of Yao’er’s departure that I realized the value of my loved ones? Only then would he know how to cherish it? Yao’er, she is not only my bosom friend, but also like my fellow countrymen and sisters. Ai, now, as long as you pour all your emotions towards Yao’er onto Shuang’er.

The two siblings took the little orphans to the bedroom and coaxed them to sleep peacefully. Then Shuang’er brought some tea and the two siblings sat in the courtyard and chatted.

“Brother, these days you really haggard a lot, mother and I are almost heartache. But we don’t know how to persuade you, and you have to take care of those national affairs at this time … Brother, you’re too tired. These past few years, you’ve been traveling all over the world, and you haven’t really had a good day. “What are you so busy about?” Shuang’er said.

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Silly girl, this is not a simple plan. In a man’s entire life, if he didn’t do something that he had dreamed of when he was young and frivolous, what would he recall when he was old and unable to move? From the beginning, I had such a simple idea. After stepping in, everything became uncontrollable. ”

Shuang’er hugged her elbows and lightly curled her lips. “You guys have to think about things so complicated. It’s obviously a very simple thing, but you have to go around it for thousands of twists and turns. You don’t mind being upset.”

“Oh? From what you said, you’re sour. It seems like you have something else to point at, right?” Qin Mubai laughed jokingly, “Silly sister, who do you miss?”

“Who do I miss? I… I didn’t think of anyone!” Shuang’er blushed.

“Haha!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Actually, I don’t have any hardship or tiredness. Compared to a person, I’m in heaven.”

‘”Who are you talking about” Shuang’er said sarcastically.

“You know what to ask.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Since Li Ke went to Goguryeo, you must be worried that you won’t be able to sleep peacefully day and night, right?”

“No … He is heartless, what do I mean?” Shuang’er gritted her teeth and said hatefully.

“What’s wrong? It hasn’t been a long time since I asked about this. When did you guys fall out?” Qin Mubai said in surprise.

Shuang’er opened her mouth and wanted to say something, but she finally sighed and said, “Forget it, there’s no need to mention this matter again. After all, I have no fate with him, and we can’t be together in this life. Brother, if you have any suitable man, then marry off your little sister! Little sister, listen to you.”

“What did you say? Did I hear wrongly?” Qin Mubai was surprised, “Shuang’er, you didn’t even listen to your father before. You would rather die than marry someone else. Now this is …”

“Brother, don’t say anything” Shuang’er’s eyes turned red and her voice choked up. “Li Ke, it’s not the Li Ke of the past anymore. In his heart, there’s only Jiang Shan and Hong Tu left. There’s no Shuang’er left.”

Qin Mubai frowned, “Did you break with him?”

“It’s him and me!” Shuang’er endured her tears and said with red eyes, “I met him once when you came back from Xiangyang together. At that time, he said to me with a ashen face, ‘Don’t tangle with him anymore.’ He also told me that the former Li Ke had already left with the princess. The current Li Ke is no longer the Li Ke that Shuang’er knows.”

Qin Mubai was confused for a moment and said, “How come I have never heard of this? It has been so long since anyone mentioned it to me?”

“He didn’t let me tell you.”

“Then you won’t say anything?” Qin Mubai was both angry and funny as she said, “He broke with you like this. Do you still listen to her?”

“No …”

“Ah, what Dad said is correct. It’s really a bad idea for a woman to stay here.” Qin Mubai smiled and sighed, “Silly girl, don’t think too much. With my understanding of Li Ke, the more ruthless he is towards you, the more worried he is about you.”

“Why?” Shuang’er said in surprise and joy.

“It’s a long story.” Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, “In short, Li Ke is an extremely affectionate person. If he really doesn’t have you in his heart anymore, he will avoid you from ignoring you or carelessly taking responsibility.”

“Then why … did he say such heartless words to me?” Shuang’er said, puzzled and somewhat sullen.

Qin Mubai patted her hand and smiled, “When I came back from Xiangyang, the situation was quite subtle.” Li Ke can’t get too close to us. He knows how close you are to him, and if you get too close to him after he returns to the capital, you will inevitably mention the marriage. And your marriage was absolutely inappropriate at that time. Moreover, Li Ke had already wanted to leave the court to avoid calamity, so he didn’t know where he was going or what kind of situation he would be in in the future. So, he can’t drag you down with him. So … ”

“Don’t listen, don’t listen!” Shuang’er covered her ears and shouted angrily, “You men are all selfish! You only speculate on women’s thoughts wishfully! Whatever the overall situation and subtleties are, they are all mediocre people! Am I the kind of woman who can only share wealth and honor, but not tribulation?”

“Shuang’er, you can’t say that.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “I remember that Li Ke said something a long time ago. When I first joined his palace, I was quite impressed by that sentence. Now, it’s not strange to use it to understand his methods.”

“What do you mean?”

“He said that to truly love a person, it is not to possess, but to hope that he can live a better life.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “This is a person who has deep feelings. Only after having a deep understanding of feelings will he have an idea.” Shuang’er, emotions are selfish. It’s normal to love someone and want to have him and be with him. The two of them were happy to stay together for life, so it was perfect. However, there were nine out of ten things that were unsatisfactory in this world. Lovers are everywhere. The world was so helpless, what could a person do? So, sincere blessing, and strive to make each other better, is not a sublimation of feelings? ”

“I don’t understand this. I only know that if you love someone, you have to be with him no matter what. No matter how difficult or dangerous it is, it doesn’t matter!” Shuang’er said stubbornly.

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “You are simply persistent. You deserve admiration and admiration. However, to be able to sit quietly in a corner and admire his excitement with a smile, or to be willing to fall into reincarnation and return a corner of peace to the other party, isn’t that a realm that can only be achieved if you are madly in love?”

“Very tragic, very great, isn’t it?” Shuang’er lightly sniffed and whispered, “Brother, what did I do wrong in the end?” I didn’t think of anything, I just wanted to be with him. I don’t have to be Princess Wu or even a servant. As long as I stay with him peacefully, I will be satisfied. Isn’t he in Koguryo, very dangerous, very sad? I’m willing to accompany him! I don’t want to hear him say anything about breaking up with me. I’d rather he said to me, Come with me to Koguryo, we’ll die together! ”

“Silly girl, if Li Ke takes you to Goguryeo, then he is not Li Ke.” Qin Mubai sighed softly and said, “Just like Yao’er, the moment she rolled over and blocked the arrow for me in the carriage … She said that she was so happy that she could finally do something useful for me and die for me …”

‘”Brother” Shuang’er’s tears flowed down her cheeks and she choked, “If it were me, I would be willing to block the arrow for you and Li Ke. I’m worried that Li Ke is alone in Goguryeo, where the three kingdoms have been fighting all year round. It’s extremely dangerous. If anything happens to him, I …”

Qin Mubai touched Shuang’er’s face with both his hands and placed his forehead against her forehead. “Don’t think nonsense. Li Ke is not a wine bag and rice bag. If only Goguryo could kill him, then he wouldn’t be able to live to this day!” He whispered.

“I mean, what if … what should we do?” Shuang’er sobbed, “You don’t know how worried I am about him. Even though he said such heartless words to me, I still can’t help but miss him. I’m worried about him!”

“If he really can’t come back, then you …” Qin Mubai’s lips curled up slightly as he whispered, “Marry a good man and live as you please. He will be very happy after a happy life. Then, you can put him in the softest and holiest place in the depths of your heart and serve him forever. For the rest of his life.”

“Just like you did to Yao’er?” Shuang’er said with tears streaming down her face.

Qin Mubai’s heart twitched slightly, and it stung.

“Silly girl, it’s late. Go to bed! Tomorrow, accompany me to the palace to find Princess Gaoyang!”

“En …”

The next morning, Qin Mubai woke up. Suddenly, a servant came to report that King Jin was visiting!

Qin Mubai was not surprised at all. Strange, why did King Jin, the imperial country, suddenly come to visit me? At this time, shouldn’t he be sitting high in the Dragon Court and imprisoning the Imperial Court?

Thus, he adjusted his clothes and went to the front hall to meet Li Zhi.

When they arrived at the front hall, Qin Mubai saw Li Zhi, a half-grown boy wearing a yellow robe with his hands cut off, walking around in annoyance. He looked like a grown-up.

“This lowly official, Qin Mubai, greets Jin …”

“Master, save me!!!” Before Qin Mubai could finish his salute, Li Zhi actually knelt down on his knees and shouted loudly at Qin Mubai.

This shocked Qin Mubai, and he hurriedly pulled him up, “Your Highness Prince Jin, what are you doing? How can there be a reason for a monarch to kneel before a subject?”

“Once a teacher becomes a father for life, why shouldn’t a student worship a teacher?” Li Zhi said with a bitter face, “Master, don’t talk about these complicated etiquettes. Please save me!”

“Save you? Where do I start?” Qin Mubai was even more shocked. He hurriedly invited Li Zhi to the quiet room and asked him, “Tell me, what happened?”

“Ah! I don’t understand. Why does uncle insist on pushing me into the dragon chair, Director Jian Guo?” Li Zhi curled his eyebrows and snorted, “I grew up in the palace, so I don’t know anything about the court. Furthermore, I’m only fourteen years old. How can I supervise the country? I have a headache when I see those memorials. When I hear those ministers kneeling on the ground and calling King Jin Qianshui, my eyes darken. Isn’t this hard for me?”

“Is that why?” Qin Mubai couldn’t help but laugh, “You’ll be fine after you get used to it. Perhaps you won’t be willing to get off that dragon chair at that time!”

“Impossible!” Qin Mubai’s joke made Li Zhi’s face pale. He immediately stood up and swore an oath of resentment, “I, Li Zhi, swear to the heavens that I have no greed for the throne. Otherwise, I will die a terrible death from five bolts of thunder from the heavens!”

“Alright, alright, alright. Don’t be so nervous, alright? Can you be more promising?” Qin Mubai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry as she pulled him to sit down and said, “Shouldn’t you discuss this matter with your uncle? Why did you come looking for me?”

“Ah! My uncle, I don’t know what I’m thinking. He clearly knows that I’m not the material of the Supervisory Council, so he has to drag me up.” Li Zhi said dejectedly, “The first time I went to court that day, I wanted to give the position of imperial edict to Crown Prince Brother.” The result was good, not only did he not make way, but he also pulled the Crown Prince’s brother off his horse and exiled him from Chang’an. This … I really didn’t expect this! Now, I don’t know how many people are calling me hypocritical, trying to harm my own brother, and even hypocritically giving way to him. Master … I! I really want to cry without tears! That’s not what I meant. ”

“I know you and believe you. You don’t have to explain to me.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Others don’t know that you are kind, filial, and honest. Don’t I know? I really can’t blame you for this. The current situation is like this, so what can I do?”

Li Zhi couldn’t hold his breath any longer, he clenched his fists and smashed them on the table, saying hatefully, “Yes!” I didn’t know how much I wanted to save my big brother! Even if he was not allowed to imprison the country, there was no reason to convict him of conspiracy to drive him out of the Eastern Palace and demote him to a commoner, right? In this way, Father Emperor doesn’t know how much he hates me and how much he hates me! I’m afraid we brothers will never meet again! –That’s the eldest brother of my first mother! How, how could I do such a thing, chase him out of the Eastern Palace and sit on the throne like a dragon? Aren’t all people in this world going to curse me, Li Zhi, for being wolf-hearted and dog-hearted? ”

“Not at all.” Qin Mubai advised, “Anyone with a bit of brains knows that it was not your intention. It is indeed true that the Crown Prince wanted to rebel, and it has nothing to do with you. Director Jian Guo, this is not what you want. Your uncle had to force it on you.”

“He forced it on me. Do I have to?” Li Zhi curled his lips and said sarcastically, “How can it be so reasonable? I still have to get something from someone else! Don’t tell me, I really don’t want it! I just like to study and play with Ye Zi, how carefree!”