Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 359

Chapter 359 Ask a Tiger for Its Skin
After sending Li Zhi off, another guest came to the mansion. Shuang’er was serving Qin Mubai breakfast when the boss snorted unhappily, “Who are these people? They know that my brother is in a bad mood and they are disturbing him one after another! Brother, I’ll help you block off your breakfast. You can rest assured and eat breakfast!”

“Forget it, little sister.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “People who are close to me definitely won’t disturb me at this time. Since they are here, they must have something important to do. It’s both friendly and important. Let’s invite them in!”

“Humph!” Shuang’er snorted and went to the front hall to welcome the guests. Not long after that person arrived, the anger on Shuang’er’s face actually dissipated. Qin Mubai looked at that person and found it funny. Who else could stop a woman from getting angry at him?

Of course, it was the richest young master in the world, Zheng Anshun.

On that day, Qin Mubai met him in a hurry on Mount Zhongnan. She knew that he had something important to attend to, so she invited him to the manor for a chat. Today, he came.

After a brief salute, Zheng An said, “Brother Qin, I didn’t want to disturb you, but Brother Qin, please listen.”

“En, Brother Zheng, you’re welcome. Please speak.”

Zheng Anshun said, “The day before yesterday, I was in charge of a business house in Luoyang. King Wei specially sent people to look for me. Please come to the capital and talk about a small matter.”

“A small matter?” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “It’s not a trivial matter for the King of Wei and Brother Zheng to handle this matter. Tell me, what is it?”

“Soon, it will be the fifth anniversary of Empress Chang Sun’s death. King Wei wants to build a temple in Chang’an called the Great Compassion Temple to honor his mother.” “But now, His Majesty the Emperor is sick and the court is in chaos. When this matter was brought up with the Imperial Court, it was like mud bulls falling into the sea. Thus, King Wei wanted to build this temple at his own expense. But …” Zheng Anshun said.

Qin Mubai smiled and waved her hand to indicate that Zheng Anshun didn’t have to say anything else. She nodded and said, “But King Wei doesn’t have any money, so I asked you for help, right?”

“Yes.” Zheng Anshun nodded and said, “Originally, this was a kind act of filial piety. Moreover, since King Wei had already spoken, the Zheng Clan’s responsibility was unshirkable.” A little bit of money was not enough to worry about. However, I know that the court is now in a state of turmoil, and nothing is simple. A slight caution would affect the family. Furthermore, I have already entrusted the Zheng Clan to the general. Such an important matter must be approved by the general. ”

Qin Mubai nodded and fell into deep thought.

King Wei’s move was exquisite, and it could be said that there were many birds with one stone.

Firstly, Li Tai had never expected Li Zhi’s sudden rise to prominence. Prince Wei was not afraid of the Crown Prince at all, because he knew that his father did not like the Crown Prince and wanted to cripple him. However, a white-board-like Li Zhi suddenly appeared, causing Li Tai’s heart to lose its confidence.

His younger brother, who was his direct relative, did not show any signs of showing his face before, and his character was even simpler to the point of being wooden. However, the more such an opponent, the more helpless Li Tai felt. It was like an expert with a fist facing a large pile of cotton, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t do anything-anyway, Li Zhi didn’t fight with him!

At this time, Li Tai wanted to compete with Li Zhi, and an important part of the show was the family card. At this moment, he suddenly moved out of his late mother, naturally in order to gain a favorable impression from the Emperor and Eldest Sun Wuji. Now, Li Tai realized how powerful his uncle, who had never been close to him before, was. He had no choice but to borrow the name of his deceased mother to get close to his uncle–and he had the idea of building the Great Merciful Temple. Moreover, everyone knew that Li Shimin had a good preference for Empress Chang Sun, and in his heart, Empress Chang Sun’s status was unmatched. Li Tai also had the intention to win favor from Li Shimin by building the Great Compassion Temple on his own.

To put it bluntly, the construction of the Great Compassion Temple was more of an important political investment than a sacrifice to the mother.

However, Li Tai, Qin Mubai, and the others all knew that the Zheng Clan and the Qin Clan were connected by the same breed. If Zheng Anyun helped King Wei build the Great Compassion Temple, it would undoubtedly mean that the Qin Family also supported King Wei!

If Zheng An did not agree to King Wei’s “request” to show his filial piety this time, it would be extremely unhumane, and it would be disgraced by the title of “Great Tang Righteous Merchant”. Moreover, it was always the merchants who were eagerly awaiting the favor of the princes. This time, King Wei openly begged for help. If he refused, it would be akin to splitting up with King Wei!

In this way, it was not strange for Zheng Anshun to be in a dilemma.

Qin Mubai pondered for a long time and thought through the twists and turns before saying, “Brother Zheng, don’t worry. It seems like my trip to the Wei Palace is inevitable.”

Hearing this, Zheng Anshun heaved a sigh of relief and hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed, “I knew Brother Qin would take care of everything. The Zheng Clan will wait for Brother Qin to say a word. If we agree, we won’t need to worry about the Wei King and Brother Qin for a moment. If we don’t agree, our Zheng Clan is willing to go forward and retreat with Brother Qin to share the honor disgrace.”

“It’s not that serious.” Qin Mubai smiled faintly and said, “This time, King Wei is forcing me, someone from Qin, to make a clear statement rather than trying to speculate and invite favors.” To be honest, with his Wei King’s fame and status today, other than the Zheng Clan in Chang’an, those wealthy businessmen were all gathered with a wave of his arm. How many people squeezed their heads to throw money at him without blinking an eyelid? He’ll be short of money? The only reason he came to find your Zheng Clan was mostly because of me. ”

“Oh, so that’s how it is! Brother Qin’s words hit the nail on the head!” Zheng Anshun said, “I’ve thought about this question before. I think that King Wei will not lack money. He came to find a reason to ask for my Zheng Clan’s position and use it to attack Brother Qin.”

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Actually, the Qin Clan does not have a low official status. King Wei only wanted to deal with me in one sentence. The reason why he came to find me in such a big bend was simply because of a motive.”

“What’s the motive?” Zheng Anshun asked and hurriedly said, “Oh, I’ve said too much. Xin Mi is very sensitive about this matter. Brother Qin can be my younger brother and didn’t ask this question.”

“There’s no harm in telling you.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Speaking of which, King Wei will always point his spear at the Eastern Palace.” Now, Jin King Li Zhi’s sudden emergence was beyond his expectations, creating a huge obstacle for him. Moreover, King Jin was different from the Crown Prince. He did not fight and did not ask for anything. He even cried, made trouble, and hanged himself. He was unwilling to imprison the country. But it was this kind of opponent that made King Wei extremely difficult to deal with. Therefore, he could only change the current situation by changing the attitudes of the people around King Jin. The most important person beside King Jin was none other than Eldest Sun Wuji. So he built the Great Compassion Temple and changed his ways to show goodwill to his uncle. At the same time, he found the Zheng Clan to invest, which makes it impossible for you to refuse. Isn’t this equivalent to me, someone from the Qin Dynasty, helping his King Wei speculate politically and standing on his side? Kill more than you can get! “Although I, Qin, am not talented, I am King Jin’s nominal teacher. I have not yet assumed the position of King Jin’s teacher.”

“That’s why!!!” Zheng Anshun suddenly realized, “King Wei, what a deep scheming!”

“Isn’t that so?” Qin Mubai smiled and gently waved his hand. “Brother Zheng, don’t worry.” Soldiers came to cover the water and earth. King Wei made a move, so he took it. Someone who had no grudges or enmity with him would naturally not take the initiative to provoke or cause trouble. For the sake of the safety of the Qin and Zheng Clans, I will not act recklessly. However, getting too close to any prince at such a time was not a good thing. “Let’s take care of this.”

“Listen carefully to Brother Qin’s instructions.” Zheng Anshun cupped his hands.

“Brother Zheng is too heavy-handed.” Qin Mubai returned the greeting and said, “We should work together. Brother Zheng, wait for some news. I will be heading to the Wei Palace shortly. At that time, we will know everything.”

Zheng Anshun nodded and asked, “Brother Qin is heading to the Wei Palace in the limelight. Isn’t he provoking criticism?”

“It doesn’t matter.” Qin Mubai sighed softly and said, “King Wei sent people to pay respects to Yao’er’s funeral a few days ago. I didn’t have enough wine, so I should return the favor now. When I was young, I prepared to return the favor to anyone sent to pay respects to Chang’an. I didn’t just go to his family. No one can say anything if the general goes out.”

“Brother Qin’s actions are indeed thoughtful. I’m ashamed that I overthought it!” Zheng Anshun cupped his hands and smiled. His expression was obviously much more relaxed. He smiled and said, “I knew that with Brother Qin’s backbone, everything would be fine. Brother Qin, please help yourself. I won’t disturb you any longer. If you have any ideas, Brother Qin will send a servant to deliver a message. I will definitely die!”

“Brother Zheng is serious. Please!”

Just as Zheng Anshun left, Li Daozong, who was chatting by candle last night, returned, which surprised Qin Mubai.

Qin Mubai invited Dao Sect Li into the mansion and sat down. Before he could buy tea, Dao Sect Li waved his hand and said, “Mu Ming, don’t be busy. This king will just say a few words. After saying that, I will leave.”

“Your Highness, please speak.” Qin Mubai asked with a frown. Looking at Li Daozong’s expression, he was extremely angry. He must have something on his mind.

“Earlier in the morning, before the Imperial Court arrived, King Wei actually came to my mansion and said a few insignificant words to me.” Dao Sect Li said.

“Oh? King Wei took the initiative to visit His Highness early in the morning? This is really something new!” Qin Mubai asked in surprise.

“Guess what he said to me?” After Li Daozong said this, he asked himself, “He actually told me about Yan’er marrying Tibet!”

“What?!” Qin Mubai was greatly surprised and shocked. “As a prince, such a sensitive topic can only be discussed in the public discussions of the Pavilion Department. How can he talk about it in private?”

“If you know his attitude, you will know his intentions.” Dao Sect Li said with a serious expression.

“Your Highness, please speak.”

“Simply put, he opposes giving marriage to Tibet, and supports fighting for peace!” After Li Daozong finished speaking, his two sword-like eyebrows stood upright. His expression was exceptionally solemn as he said word by word, “Li Tai, your scheming is unfathomable!”

“Is that so?” Qin Mubai also took a deep breath and said in surprise, “Li Tai is really amazing! His vision is far more profound than his unconscious eldest brother, the Crown Prince. He is simply not able to predict the enemy’s first chance!”

“No!” Li Tai’s eyes flashed with a fierce light as he said in a deep voice, “Li Tai knows that with his current strength alone, he is absolutely unable to contend against Eldest Sun Wuji’s group.” Therefore, he took the initiative to move closer to the military generals, attempting to gather us and stand in his camp. Right now, there was a clear distinction between the civil and military forces in the court, so it was normal for King Wei to do so. His strength lies in the plan that the three of us just agreed on last night. His Majesty the Wei had already planned it in his chest, and he predicted that the three of us would reach an agreement to fight against Tibet. So he stood up early and leaned against us. “Say, in this situation, are we still lucky enough to push him out?”

“Indeed” Qin Mubai took a deep breath, and his mind immediately remembered King Wei’s perfectly fat face. He smiled so kindly that he was harmless to humans and animals, but his scheming was actually so deep that it made one’s hair stand on end!

“As soon as King Wei left, this prince took the opportunity to complain about his illness. He did not go to the morning court.” Li Daozong snorted and said, “I was afraid that Li Tai would suddenly catch us off guard in the court. He would openly stand on one side of us and propose a strategy that is completely opposite to the strategy of the Eldest Sun Wuji inviting us.”

“Probably not.” Qin Mubai said confidently, “King Wei, this is two-faced and three-sided. He would definitely not openly oppose Eldest Sun Wuji in the Imperial Court. Even if we propose a strategy for the main battle, he, King Wei, will not openly express his support. Because he didn’t dare to challenge Eldest Sun Wuji, he could only curry favor with us in private. When the time comes, it will be us who will stand out. If there is a calamity, it will be us who will bear the blame and have nothing to do with him, King Wei. If he succeeds in the end, King Wei will tell us how he fought for us at the emperor or prime minister’s place. As for whether he did it or not, only the devil knows. At that time, we still have to thank him for his’assistance ‘. First of all, he had to remember King Wei’s pen. “This is his trickery!”

“This fourth fatty!” Li Daozong angrily smashed his fist on the table and chairs and said hatefully, “Smart is smart, but his mental skills are so unorthodox. How can he achieve great things? Isn’t it a great disaster under the heavens?”

‘”Your Highness, there’s no need to be angry. Perhaps I’m just trying to save the heart of a gentleman with a petty heart. After the court meeting dissipates today, I’ll know the result. If King Wei proposes a’main battle’, then let’s trust him for now. He is sincere in forming an alliance with us. If not, then we’ll have to be wary of him, and we won’t break with him.” Qin Mubai said.

“Yes, Muming’s words are exactly what I want.” Li Daozong nodded in agreement and said, “If it’s not unexpected, Fatty Four should have seen Li Ji, or even Duke Wei!” Muming, you should know that Li Tai is not something Li Chengqian can compare to. Not only did he win by a large margin, he could also be very ruthless in his work. Apart from that, he also had some foundations in the military. The current Imperial Historian Li Daliang is also one of the founding heroes of our Great Tang Empire. Previously, he was a general in the army, and he has quite a high reputation. He has a wide network of disciples and old officials. Although Li Daliang couldn’t compare to a great figure like Hou Junji, he was still a person that couldn’t be ignored. Li Tai is able to figure out a lot of reasons related to military and national affairs. I guess Li Daliang, who understands military affairs, is helping him to come up with some ideas. ”

“Yes, I know” Qin Mubai heaved a sigh of relief and nodded. “It seems that Li Tai has come with bad intentions. He knew very well that his uncle was already at odds with him in court, and that he would never stop snaring any available strength against his uncle’s position. The first thing that comes to mind is naturally us generals. Alright, we’ll act according to the circumstances. We’ll put the overall situation first and the affairs of the country first. Although we have different motives, as long as we can reach an agreement, it’s not too much for us to join hands with Li Tai for the time being. However, we have to be careful of him. After all, it is not an easy task to work with a tiger. ”

“Mubai, you really didn’t disappoint this king!” Li Daozong chuckled, “Actually, this king’s final intention here is the last thing you said just now.” Although Li Tai is sinister and terrifying, if he can be used by me, it can be considered a powerful help. But as you said, we have to be careful. Since they were using each other, they had to be careful not to risk their lives. The subtle relationship between them depends on you. After all, the core of the military is Lanzhou and the Western Regions, which are the territory of your Qin father and son. If something happens, you will be the first to take over. Li Tai was also a little sick now, so he would not let him off as long as he could help him. “We must have the courage and courage to tremble in the flames. Why not fight with the tiger for its skin!”

“Yes, what His Highness said is very kind!” Qin Mubai frowned and said in a deep voice, “This time, we need to know what is going on and be biased towards the Tiger Mountain.” Make a clever effort, in turn also use his king wei once. There’s no telling, I’m not going to hide anything. Since he wants to rope us in, he can forget about stepping on two boats and courting eldest Sun Wuji. I have to think of a way to force him to take a clear stand on our side. Only then can we take the initiative! ”

“Smart!” Li Daozong clapped his hands and smiled, praising loudly, “This way, Li Tai will be forced to face off against Eldest Sun Wuji. Li Tai will really be able to help me. This matter will have to be handled by Mubai. None of us will be able to make a move.”

“I know.” Qin Mubai took a sip of tea and thought to himself, “That’s all.” There are no absolute friends or enemies, only eternal interests. Now that our interests are united with Li Tai’s, we can’t say that we have to make him accept a petition and stand firmly in the same camp as us. As for which prince to support as the Storage Lord … it has nothing to do with me! Even if you kill me, I won’t take a stand on this matter. I only care about the war in Lanzhou! Li Tai wanted to drag me into the water, but there was no way!

Alright, let’s do this!

Dao Sect Li hurriedly came and left.

Qin Mubai sat alone and pondered for a long time. He was really exhausted and dizzy. Over the past few days, far too many things had happened. From the night before the wedding, when he was suddenly harmed, to the various intrigues after Yao’er’s death, all of them gave him a headache.

Qin Mubai missed Lanzhou a little. Although living there was a high risk of misery, it was much more peaceful and peaceful than Chang’an, which seemed to be full of flowers and dangers. In Lanzhou, if there was a problem, there was a problem. At most, it could be solved by fighting with a knife, killing a person and turning the horse upside down. In changan, cold spear hidden arrows can not be defended, the heart of the knife soldier.

Qin Mubai really wanted to get out of Chang’an’s nest of right and wrong, and he didn’t want to provoke any disputes over the possession of the first wife. But now, it seemed that under the attack of this huge wave, it was impossible for anyone to stay out of it.

The tree wanted to be quiet, but the wind didn’t stop.

“Alright! Since there’s no way to avoid it, I’ll fight with you with all my might!” Qin Mubai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “It doesn’t matter if the fish dies or the net breaks. This time, I won’t avoid fighting anyone. I don’t want to be thrown into prison again, nor do I want a second demon to appear, nor can I let Lanzhou’s plans be ruined by this political storm! No matter how big or turbulent the tide is, I, Qin Mubai, will go up against the boat and put the tide at risk!”