Chapter 25: A Small Scheme

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  In the following days, Qin Mu Bai felt like a piece of stubborn iron, first being ruthlessly thrown into the large furnace and heated red, then being hammered by Qin Shu Bao and Cheng Zhi Jie, two savage old blacksmiths, in a frenzied manner for thousands of times.

  The drill ground is for martial arts training, and the spear technique is just a reminder... sounds good, but in reality it's just a beating!

  Still got beaten up by two of the top martial artists in the Tang Dynasty!

  Every single bone seemed to be shattered, and there was not a single place on his body that wasn't injured. His nose was blue and his face was swollen, which made Qin Mu Bai often feel like he had gained weight for no reason.

  However, after being tempered thousands of times, Zhan Tie finally had a bit of a "steel" feeling. Under Qin and Cheng's crazy teaching, Qin Mu Bai's shooting skills, horseback riding, and other equestrian skills made rapid progress. Now, he can even use Qin Shu Bao's newly created "Taiji Gun Method" to fight against Cheng Zhi Jie on horseback for dozens of rounds without falling behind, and will no longer be easily knocked off his horse.

  As for archery, Qin Mu Bai was originally skilled in it. After mastering horse riding, his progress in this skill was even more rapid. In the end, both Qin Shu Bao and Cheng Zhi Jie had to admit: "This kid's current archery skills are not the best in the world, but at least they are extremely exceptional and few people can compare with him. We two old guys are no match for him."

  The court held a celebration banquet for "pacifying Tuyuhun" as scheduled, and Qin Shubao was invited to attend. Qin Mubai didn't have the qualifications to go to such a high-end place to ask for a share of the soup, but he heard that at the banquet, the emperor used his own brewed "Qin Xian Wine" to entertain guests, causing a great stir at the time.

  Qin Shubao returned from the banquet with a very good mood, as if he had suddenly become ten or more years younger and his illness had improved. It turned out that the emperor not only showed off his "Qin spear" at the banquet as before, but also specially praised Qin's third son in public: "Talented and artistic, filial and virtuous; a tiger son of a military family, not disgracing his ancestors."

  Obviously, the emperor is intentionally taking the initiative to resolve Qin Uncle Treasure's knot, resolving some unnecessary enmity that had been formed with Wu Zetian before.

  "Sanlang, the Emperor's magnanimity is indeed not something we can imagine! He not only didn't hold a grudge against you, but instead publicly praised you." Qin Shubao said to Qin Mubai with a relaxed tone, "He praised your qin skills and wine brewing, these are secondary. But he specifically mentioned that you are the 'Tiger Son of a General's Family', isn't this hinting at letting you not get bogged down in music and wine, but instead focus on martial arts, preparing for the Emperor to select soldiers in the near future?"

  "It's possible." Qin Mu Bai replied, "However, it's hard to gauge the emperor's mind. Whether he has truly let go or is just pretending to be magnanimous while actually being suspicious, we can't know for sure. In any case, the child will be careful on his own. If the emperor did have such an implication, it would only reflect that in his heart, he indeed had some dissatisfaction with Wu Zetian."

  "Oh, what's going on?" Qin Shubao asked in surprise.

  "If the Emperor is indeed hinting that I should join the army, isn't that equivalent to wanting me to leave Li Ke?" Qin Mu Bai said, "That would also mean he's somewhat dissatisfied with what happened this time when Li Ke and I were together, and doesn't want us to be together again in the future. What do you think, Father?"

  "Hmm... That makes sense." Qin Shubao nodded, stroking his beard and said, "You're right. Since the Emperor has already hinted at it, you have even more reason to leave the Wu King's mansion and seek a position by the Emperor's side. Work hard to hone your martial skills. If nothing unexpected happens, around the Lantern Festival after the New Year, the Emperor will likely take action on this matter. There are still over 20 days left, so be sure to seize the opportunity."

  "Yes, Father." Qin Mubai responded, but his heart was a bit tight: The great god's calculation is accurate, my father's death date is indeed the 17th of this month, which means there are only more than 20 days left! But looking at him now, he seems to be in high spirits and his body is actually recovering. What will happen when the time comes? I'd rather believe that this mysterious calculation is just a scam...

  There are only a few days left before the New Year. In the peaceful and prosperous capital city of Chang'an, there is an added atmosphere of relaxation and joy. It's common to see people from all households returning home with large quantities of goods purchased from the Western Market. The sound of firecrackers can often be heard in the alleys. What Qin Mubai finds even more interesting is that almost every household in Chang'an, except for the Qin family, has posted two door god paintings on their front doors - Qin Shubao and Yuchi Gong!

  It turned out that this custom had already begun to take shape during the Zhen Guan period.

  After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, Li Shimin, who had just ascended to the throne, often fell asleep and had nightmares (probably due to the psychological shadow left by killing his brothers and nephews), thinking that the palace was haunted. Therefore, Qin Shubao and Yu Zhong, two fierce generals who had killed countless people and were not afraid of ghosts and gods, took turns guarding the emperor's bedroom at night with their armor and weapons. Only then could Li Shimin sleep soundly.

  Later, Li Shimin, due to his sympathy for his subordinates, couldn't bear the thought of these two beloved generals standing guard outside the palace all night. So first he left Qin Shubao's famous iron spear standing upright outside the palace to intimidate and suppress any evil spirits. Later, he ordered a painter to paint portraits of the two men and post them on the palace gate to ward off evil spirits.

  Whether the emperor really slept well afterwards is unknown. However, the prevailing wind of "those above set an example for those below" caused the emperor's action to quickly spread among the people. A few years later, Qin Shubao and Wei Zheng, two living people, actually became door gods in folklore!

  Compared to the lively and festive atmosphere outside, the Wu Wang Fu seemed somewhat subdued. This place, which was almost isolated from the world, now seemed like a stagnant pool of water that was difficult to stir up any waves. Li Ke spent his days locked away, and it was unknown whether those beauties had already made him feel aesthetically fatigued, or whether he had become tired of appreciating those music and dances.

  Qin Mubai thought to himself, on the surface it seems that Li Ke is planning to keep a low profile and become a carefree prince who doesn't compete with others. But he didn't know what kind of thoughts were hidden deep within his heart.

  By chance, Qin Mubai and Li Ke were chatting when they mentioned Wu Wangfei. It turned out that Wu Wangfei Yang, because she had just given birth to a daughter, was weak in body and couldn't bear the hardships of travel, so she stayed behind in Anzhou to rest and didn't follow Li Ke to Chang'an. The servants in the mansion who liked to gossip said that Wu King Li Ke and his wife were brought together by a political marriage, they couldn't speak of love or indifference between them, only "respecting each other like guests". In other words, it was a bit "united in appearance but separated at heart".

  On this day, the Wang Mansion distributed New Year's gifts. Regardless of whether they were high-ranking officials or lowly servants, everyone received a batch of sheepskin, cloth, and other New Year's goods, creating a joyful atmosphere.

  Qin Mubai was busy distributing things to the military school under his command, when Yan Yang, the commander in charge of guarding the entrance of the Imperial Prince's mansion, hastily came to report that someone had arrived at the front gate, asking to see Qin Mubai by name, claiming to be a personal maid of the second daughter of the Yingguo Duke's household.

  "What could Wu Meiniang want from me at this time?" After a moment's thought, Qin Mubai came to the door and saw the little maid.

  Xiaoyuan saw Qin Mubai and burst into tears, pitifully and anxiously shouting: "Brother-in-law, you must go over there quickly! Second Madam is in a terrible state!"

  "What's going on? Don't cry, tell me clearly!" Qin Mu Bai asked with a lump in his throat.

  "Woe is me! Master has not visited the Wu family for so many days, and Wu Yuanqing's brothers have been bullying Erniangzi and the others every day. Beating and scolding are nothing, it's almost taking lives!" Xiaoyuan cried bitterly.

  "What? Is this really happening? You're rebelling against Wu Yuanqing!" Qin Mu Bai saw that the little girl was crying so sadly, and assumed she wouldn't dare to deceive him, so he got a bit angry.

  Yuwen Hongtai happened to arrive, and upon hearing Qin Mubai's low shout, he immediately became enraged and shouted: "Boss, I'll go call a few brothers to hang up Wu Yuancheng and beat him, flay his skin and pull out his tendons! He really has gone mad!"

  "Shut up!" Qin Mu Bai's low growl stopped her in her tracks, his eyes fixed intently on the little maid, making her scalp tingle as she retreated backward, stuttering: "Young master, young mistress, why are you looking at me like that?"

  "If you dare to cheat me, you will be doomed." Qin Mu Bai coldly snorted. At this moment, although he was somewhat annoyed, he still hadn't lost his composure. From a emotional and rational perspective, Wu Yuan Qing wouldn't dare bully Wu Mei Niang and her mother again.

  "Servant, servant, how dare you!" The little maid looked at a group of fierce men in armor with swords and trembled, stammering out a sentence "Young master, please hurry up and come", then ran away.

  "Hmph, little girl, although your acting skills are not bad, but do you think you can deceive me with such a brainless trick? I'd like to see how Wu Meiniang plans to deceive me and what she wants to achieve." Qin Mubai couldn't help but sneer.

  "Head, what to do? Should I go call some brothers to take care of that stupid Wu?" Yuwen Hongtai was getting anxious, constantly asking and urging.

  "You go do what you need to do. I can just go to the Wu Fu by myself." Qin Mu Bai sent him away and didn't even bother to take off his armor, directly mounting his horse and heading towards the Ying Guo Gong Fu.

  Everyone in the Gong Mansion knew Qin Mu Bai, and seeing him in full armor made them all tremble with fear. As the saying goes, "It's better to offend an official than a bandit, and better to offend a bandit than a soldier." Qin Mu Bai's attire clearly gave him an air of majesty that inspired awe without him even being angry.

  Qin Mubai asked someone where they were and was told that the master of the house and Second Madam were playing polo in the backyard.

  "Play?" Qin Mu Bai sneered in his heart: As expected, you're trying to deceive me! Fortunately, I didn't bring a large group of soldiers and charge over here with a big fanfare, or else it would have been embarrassing.

  He was still somewhat annoyed in his heart, but after coming to the backyard polo and taking a look, Qin Mubai couldn't help but laugh again.

  This family has no conflicts or disputes whatsoever, they are simply "a harmonious whole"!

  In the polo field, the net that Qin Mubai pulled up when he came to play that day was still there. Wu Meiniang led a large group of little maidservants, shouting and playing the "shooting door" game. The difference is that today there was also a goalkeeper - Wu Yuanshuan!

  Wu Yuanshuang, a big man, was sweating profusely and nervously crouching down, his face tense as he stared intently at the ball under Wu Meiniang's feet. Clumsily, he didn't know which side to guard. Suddenly, Wu Meiniang let out a sharp cry and kicked the ball over with one foot. Wu Yuanshuang shouted loudly and pushed both hands to block the ball, but it hit him squarely in the face and bounced off.

  "Haha!" The crowd of women burst into applause and laughter. Wu Yuanshuang covered her face, still in a daze for a long time.

  "Second brother, the ball didn't go in, so you win! Little sister loses to you one yuan!" Wu Mei Niang clapped her hands and laughed with a bit of an evil grin, "Let's play again, little sister hasn't had enough fun yet!"

  By the polo field, Mrs. Yang was holding her third daughter who was only a few years old and basking in the sun leisurely. The eldest son Wu Yuanqing was like a servant, adding tea and water beside them with his head down and being very obedient.

  Qin Mu furrowed his brow: Does this look like Wu Mei Niang and her mother being bullied? I think it's the other way around!

  As she walked over, Mrs. Yang first saw Qin Mubai and hastily stood up with a smiling face to greet him: "Son-in-law is here? I'm afraid it's been many days since you last came to our door? — Yuanqing, don't be slow in preparing tea for the guest!"

  "Yes, Mother." Wu Yuanqing didn't say another word and quickly fetched a chair and tea like a servant.

  Qin Mubai raised the corner of his mouth and smiled: "Mrs. Yang, what's going on here?"

  "Are you asking about Mei Niang?" Madame Yang deliberately changed the subject, smiling and saying, "She's playing cuju with her second brother! She said that this game was taught by you, it's really interesting. What's 'dian qiu' and goalkeeper, I don't understand anyway. As long as they're having fun, that's all that matters."

  Qin Mubai didn't ask her any further questions, but instead glanced at Wu Yuanching, who was standing with his head down, not daring to look up or even breathe loudly, looking like a eunuch.

  On the other side, Wu Mei Niang and others also saw Qin Mu Bai, and they came over laughing and making a ruckus. Wu Mei Niang walked over with a big smile on her face, holding a ball, and said loudly: "Hey, isn't this my husband Mu Bai? Wearing this suit of armor, he really looks like a good man!"

  "So you're saying I'm no longer a good person?" Qin Mu Bai turned around, looking at her with a hint of a smile.

  "Pay respects to the young master!" A group of maidservants and waiting women bowed down in unison. Qin Mu Bai's heart stirred slightly: When did the Wu family have so many maidservants, new purchases?

  "Not bad, huh? Mu Bai Fu," Wu Mei Niang said with a mischievous grin as she played with the ball. "I've bought over ten beautiful beauties in the past few days and they keep me company day and night, it's so much fun! Do you want to give it a try?"

  "Mei Niang, how can you talk like that?" Mrs. Yang scolded in a low voice, shaking her head and sighing, "Xian Xu, I'll take my leave first, you two young people chat!"

  "Hmm..."

  After Mrs. Yang left, the Wu brothers didn't dare to leave, standing neatly and obediently on one side, looking like lambs waiting to be slaughtered and eunuchs who had lost their vitality.

  "Eldest brother, second brother, you two can withdraw first. I want to discuss important matters with my husband, Wu Zetian. As for the dinner party, you must arrange it properly and don't be slow in serving my husband!"

  "My foolish brother understands... Brother-in-law and third sister, I'll take my leave." The Wu family brothers quietly and obediently agreed and left.

  .??，！