Chapter 20: Same Boat, Shared Fate

  The draft was written, and naturally, Qin Mubai couldn't help but come up with a plan to weigh the words. Back and forth, Qin Shubao had no choice but to look at his "wise and almost magical" son in a new light.

  Although Qin Mubai had almost zero experience as an official in the Zhenguan dynasty and did not understand the emperor himself, he believed that human relationships were the key to writing. What is called politics is actually the art of getting along with people. His experiences from past lives and his extremely rich life experiences made him not bad at this aspect.

  After everything was settled, Qin Shubao finally let out a sigh of relief.

  "Dad is getting old. The older one gets, especially when holding office for a long time, the smaller one's guts become." Qin Shubao shook his head and said: "Didn't you say you had a clever plan to dispel the emperor's knot? This is a sharp blade hanging over your head, you'd better be cautious. Although you're clever, I still have to remind you that being low-key and cautious is always best, don't think you can fool everyone into thinking they're stupid. Alright, from now on, leave everything to you to handle, Dad won't ask about it again."

  "Father will be relieved." Qin Mu Bai also let out a sigh of relief.

  It's like walking on thin ice, but I've managed to get through it. What I fear is not the thief stealing, but the thief remembering. I must think of a way to make the Emperor completely forget about Wu Zetian, only then can I eliminate his resentment towards me from the root.

  After thinking for a long time, Qin Mubai sent a servant to inform the Wu Wangfu that he would be taking a leave of absence and did not go out all day. At night, under the starry sky, he knocked on the door of the Yingguo Gongfu's Wu family residence.

  The Wu family seemed to have a hint of being startled, the housekeeper came to open the door, and behind him was Wu Yuanqing peeking out. As soon as he saw Qin Mubai, he panicked: "My god, you dare to come here!"

  He stepped forward and was about to block the door, not allowing Qin Mubai to enter.

  With a "click", the large gate that was about to be closed was stuck by something. Wu Yuanqing took a closer look and found it was an apricot-yellow scroll.

  "An imperial edict?!" Wu Yuanqing had seen such a thing before, and for a moment he cried out in surprise.

  "If you have the guts, then pull the door tighter and shatter it." Qin Mu Bai said coldly.

  Wu Yuanqing was suddenly flustered and hastily opened the door himself, with a terrified expression, to welcome Qin Mubai in.

  "General Qin... uh, virtuous brother-in-law, ah Qin..." Wu Yuanqing was momentarily at a loss for words and stuttered, not knowing how to address Qin Mubai. He slapped himself on the mouth and said in one breath: "What kind of imperial edict is this?"

  "Can't you see for yourself?" Qin Mu Bai casually tossed the emperor's edict of imperial marriage to him and strode inside: "Where is Mei Niang, I want to have a face-to-face talk with her."

  "Houyuan zafang." Wu Yuanqing responded casually and hastily went to open the imperial edict.

  "What did you say?!" Qin Mu Bai let out a low growl, stopping in his tracks and turning around, his eyes glaring at him like knives.

  At this moment, Wu Yuanqing had also finished reading the imperial edict and was stunned, muttering to himself: "Imperial marriage... The Emperor actually granted an imperial marriage to you two, this... this is too unbelievable!"

  "Wu Yuanqing!"

  "What? Really?"

  Qin Mubai walked up to him, his tall stature making him half a head taller than Wu Yuanqing, looking down at him with an air of superiority, and said in a deep voice: "Do you still remember what you promised me?"

  "Remember, remember. Brother-in-law, please calm down first, hehe! Wu Yuanqing smiled awkwardly and repeatedly bowed his hands, saying, "This isn't because the room wasn't cleaned up in time, is it? Tomorrow, early tomorrow morning I'll have them move to the main house. Is that okay?"

  "Nothing could be better." Qin Mu Bai grabbed the imperial edict and dragged a servant along, striding towards the backyard.

  Wu Yuanqing wiped away a cold sweat, shook his head and muttered to himself: "Xiaoyezhong is really a jinx. Provoking the emperor wasn't enough, now he's provoked the emperor too. Originally thought that because of the engagement, Xiaoyezhong would absolutely not be able to enter the palace, and Qin would also absolutely not dare to have any further dealings with Xiaoyezhong. Who dares to get involved with a woman the emperor doesn't want? Didn't expect the emperor and Qin to fight over her, and it's actually Qin who won... Planned to drive Xiaoyezhong and his family away tomorrow to avoid trouble, how did things suddenly take another turn? It's really strange, can't understand, can't understand..."

  All the way to the backyard, came to a row of dilapidated small cottages. Qin Mubai saw that one of the rooms was lit with a yellow lamp the size of a chrysanthemum bean, and there were also low sobbing sounds coming from inside.

  He stood still and listened, Qin Mu Bai heard a low voice coming from inside.

  "It's all that hateful Qin Mu Bai's fault. He thinks he's so suave, coming to flirt with me. If it weren't for him, I'd be in the palace by now, serving as a concubine. Who knows, maybe one day I'll even become an imperial consort or empress!"

  "My poor child, don't be foolish." Madame Yang cried and muttered, "As a woman from the imperial family, I know all about what goes on inside. Any woman who enters there is like falling into an endless abyss, what's good about it? The women there, each one appears to be dressed in finery and enjoying wealth and glory, but many people spend their entire lives without ever seeing the emperor, ending up as lonely old palace maids. And even more people die in the midst of intrigue and plotting. How can this matter be taken lightly now? If anyone is to blame, it's only the emperor for meddling and ruining your beautiful marriage!"

  "Hum, that's someone else! If my daughter entered the imperial palace, it wouldn't have ended up like this! Mother, you're so muddled, how can you blame the emperor for shielding Qin Mubai? What's good about him?"

  ……

  Qin Mubai heard this conversation outside the door, and couldn't help but smile to himself: This is just right. This is exactly Wu Zetian's personality. If she were like any ordinary woman, then she wouldn't have become the only female emperor in history. Now, however, she has no chance of entering the palace, and can only obediently marry me, Qin Mubai... this is interesting!

  The mother and daughter were chatting enthusiastically, one angry and the other sad, when Qin Mu Bai knocked on the door.

  "Who is it?"

  "Qin Mu Bai."

  A noise came from inside the house. Mrs. Yang went forward to open the door and looked at Qin Mu Bai in shock: "Son-in-law, how dare you come here?"

  "It's not just that I dare to come, but also that I must come." Qin Mu Bai smiled slightly and handed the imperial edict to Yang Fu Ren, saying, "Yang Fu Ren, I'd like to have a private conversation with Mei Niang, may I?"

  Mrs. Yang hastily unfolded the imperial edict, took a glance, and suddenly beamed with joy: "Wonderful... Mei Niang, the Emperor has granted you a marriage! Good, good, my son-in-law, you two talk, I'll go rest in the next room."

  "Thank you, Mother-in-law, for your kindness." Qin Mubai bowed his hands and paid his respects, while Yang Furen walked away with great joy.

  Wu Meiniang heard the news but was unmoved, turned her face away and pouted, sitting on an old bed in the room, without even giving Qin Mubai a straight look.

  Qin Mubai slowly walked to her side, pulled over a small stool and sat down, saying: "Meiniang, upon hearing the news of the Emperor's decree for our marriage, you seem not surprised at all?"

  "What's so strange about that!" Wu Meiniang glanced at Qin Mubai and snorted, "Isn't there the precedent of Zheng Renji's daughter? The Emperor definitely won't summon me to the palace again. Since I can't enter the palace, the Emperor can't save face, in order to uphold the law, morality, and the king's magnanimity, he can only pretend to be generous and bestow marriage on us!"

  "Brilliant, truly brilliant!" Qin Mubai applauded a few times, and suddenly looked at the little girl in front of him with new eyes - at such a young age, she was so clever and perceptive about human nature, indeed having the talent of a great politician!

  "Hmph, no need for your flattery! It's all because of you!" Wu Mei Niang glared at Qin Mu Bai with a scowl and muttered, "If it weren't for you, I would have entered the imperial palace as a noble concubine. Who wants to marry a lowly seventh-rank official like you?"

  "I'll forgive you this once. But saying such things is against the virtue of a wife. If you dare to say it again, I'll have to discipline you with our family's rules." Qin Mu Bai said with a straight face and a stern expression.

  "Hmph - you just know how to bully a weak woman like me!" Wu Mei Niang turned her face away, pouting.

  "Who said that. I came here today, obviously to see you." Qin Mu Bai said, "Mei Niang, let's not talk about nonsense and useless words. Since you're so clever, I'll make it clear with you - the current fact is, you can't enter the imperial palace anymore. And under this sky, except for me, Qin Mu Bai, no one dares to marry you, don't you doubt that?"

  “……” Wu Meiniang was silent for a long time, looking gloomy and entangled, before finally speaking in a low voice: “So what if that's the case? I know that after Zheng Renji's daughter was jilted by the Emperor, she hasn't married anyone to this day and is hiding in the countryside, not even daring to go out. A woman rejected by the Emperor, no one dares to provoke her. Since the Emperor has been so generous as to grant us a marriage this time, I must marry you, and you wouldn't dare issue any divorce papers to divorce me, right?”

  "It's fine as long as you understand," said Qin Mu Bai. "That means we're now like ants on the same string, and we must advance and retreat together. We'll share the same fate, whether it's prosperity or decline. If one side makes a mistake, not only will they be doomed, but the other side won't have a good end either."

  "Yes, I know. I've resigned myself to it, isn't that enough? But don't think you can trap me with this and I'll never escape. If one day you make me unhappy, I'd rather become a nun than marry you. Or else, we can all perish together, humph!" Wu Meiniang said in a drawn-out voice, extremely unwillingly.

  This little girl is smart enough, fierce enough, and ruthless enough, and it's really a match made in heaven!

  After a moment of silent lamentation, Qin Mubai said: "Meiniang, just resigning to fate is not enough. The emperor is also a man, and men do not like the women they have set their sights on being taken away by others. He is now only making concessions due to ethics and law, pretending to be magnanimous. But it's hard to say whether he has left any scars or shadows in his heart. If there are, then the two of us will always have a sword hanging over our heads. If we make a mistake, it may be that old and new accounts will be settled together, and we won't be able to get away with it."

  "Huh?" Wu Mei Niang was taken aback for a moment, clearly not having considered this point. After all, she was just a 13 or 14-year-old girl who had never experienced the ways of the world, and her understanding of men's thoughts was definitely not as thorough as Qin Mu Bai's.

  "What should we do then? Should we hide like Zheng Renji's daughter, out of the emperor's sight for our whole lives? I don't want to!" Wu Meiniang said.

  "I'm not willing to either, evasion is not my style," Qin Mu Bai said. "I came today just to discuss with you. To eliminate the shadow and knot in the emperor's heart, there is only one way."

  "What's the solution?"

  "Eliminate the emperor's infatuation with you, make him lose interest in you, and even detest you. As a result, he will not regret not having obtained you or missing out on you. He may even feel fortunate that he did not recruit you into the palace," Qin Mubai said.

  "You want me to disfigure myself? You're too heartless!" Wu Mei Niang suddenly jumped up, staring angrily at Qin Mu Bai.

  "Am I that kind of person?" Qin Mu Bai smiled slightly and waved her hand, gesturing for Wu Mei Niang to sit down. "You're very clever, you know the emperor wants to bring you into the palace because he's taken a liking to your pretty face. But my method is absolutely not going to ruin your looks."

  "Why can't you just say it clearly once?" Wu Mei Niang quietly took a deep breath and sat down.

  "Alright, let's get it clear once and for all," Qin Mu Bai said. "Actually, achieving this isn't difficult. First, we need to figure out what kind of woman the Emperor likes. I'm asking you, who is the woman that the Emperor has loved the most in his life?"

  "How am I supposed to know?" Wu Meiniang coldly snorted.

  "But I know." Qin Mu Bai smiled slightly and said slowly, "The late Empress Longsun!"

  "Oh? Is that her!" Wu Mei's beautiful eyes sparkled with intelligence, and she blinked once, nodding her head. "I understand what you mean now. Since the Emperor favors women like Empress Longsun who are virtuous and gentle, then I'll do the opposite of her in everything, right?"

  "Brilliant! Mei Niang, you're truly brilliant! Come, let your husband give you a deep kiss!" Qin Mu Bai burst out laughing and made a move to kiss her face.

  "Get out!" Wu Mei Niang couldn't help but jump away, laughing and crying at the same time. She muttered to herself, "This is indeed a good method, it can eliminate the emperor's thoughts about me from the root... But! Why should I eliminate the emperor's thoughts about me? How hateful!"

  "Haha!" Qin Mu Bai laughed, not taking it seriously. He had figured it out - Wu Mei Niang was just a stubborn person who wouldn't admit defeat verbally, even though she had already accepted it in her heart.

  Wu Meiniang puffed out her chest and glared at Qin Mubai, crossing her arms over her chest and turning away, muttering to herself: "Despicable guy! Who wants to be in the same boat with you and listen to your orders all the time? Let me pretend to be crazy and become a shrewish woman, try it yourself? How hateful..."

  "It seems that Mei Niang has grasped the core of this plan, and I can rest assured." Qin Mu Bai smiled and said, "When the Emperor hears about your numerous rumors and dislikes you one day, it will be our greatest achievement, and we can openly discuss marriage."

  "It sounds like I'm willing to marry you... Ugh, why am I so unlucky? I can't even choose who to marry, and yet I have to be controlled by a scoundrel like you before I even get married!" Wu Meiniang stomped her foot in shame and anger, almost crying.

  "Don't blame me, Mei Niang." Qin Mu Bai walked closer and said in a low voice, "It's not me who is manipulating you. In fact, I am also being manipulated - it's fate that is manipulating us."

  "Fate... why won't it just die?" Wu Mei Niang stamped her foot and scolded loudly.

  "Scold well, let fate die! Our own life, we must grasp it ourselves." Qin Mubai gently patted her plump shoulder, "Once you enter my household, it's like entering the deep sea. Believe me, marrying me will definitely not be a regret."

  "Who would believe you, huh?!"

  .??，！