Chapter 63: Deep Thoughts

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  Returning to the Hundred Riders' campsite, Qin Mu Bai happened to pass by the military prison and saw two soldiers carrying two large food boxes into the prison.

  "Come here, what are you carrying?" Qin Mu Bai called out to the two men.

  The two military officers came forward and said: "This is what General Changsun and General Yuqi have entrusted us with, the dinner prepared for the four palace maids."

  Qin Mubai told them to put down the food box, opened the lid and took a look, and clicked his tongue: "Is this the meal for prisoners? Lotus leaf chicken, braised lamb belly, and such a large black sesame oil cake and good wine. This is clearly a treat for noble guests——send these things to my yamen, I want to have a midnight snack."

  "Ah, this... General..."

  "How dare you?" Qin Mu Bai's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and the two soldiers hastily responded. Qin Mu Bai then ordered one soldier to send Xia Ye away and another soldier to pass on a message to Long Sun Yan in the military prison, saying that the four palace maids would each get one steamed bun and one jug of water per day, as long as they didn't starve or die of thirst. They were to be locked up for three days first, and then it would be decided what to do next. During this time, no one was allowed to speak a word to them; otherwise, they would be punished for disobeying military orders.

  Incidentally, call Zhang Sunyan to the government office to spend the night together.

  Just as the tableware was set up in the government office, Zhang Sunyan arrived. With no one else around, Zhang Sunyan hastily said: "Qin brother, isn't this also a bit too much?"

  "What's the hurry, Brother Changsun? Sit down and let's talk while we eat." Qin Mubai smiled and gestured for Changsun Ruan to take a seat.

  Zhang Sun Yan gritted his teeth and sat down patiently.

  Qin Mubai knew that Changsun Ran did not want to offend Princess Gaoyang. Although he was ordered to supervise the four palace maids, he tried his best to please them.

  "Eldest brother's grandson, those palace maids are used to being arrogant and overbearing every day. In their eyes, there is nothing else that can be accommodated except for Princess Gao Yang. The more you show courtesy to them, the more they will become insolent." Qin Mu Bai said with a smile while pouring wine for Zhang Sun Yan, saying "In the future, we will be serving in the palace for a long time. If we can't even manage a few palace maids, who will give us face? What can we rely on to stand firm in the palace?"

  "Brother Qin's words are indeed reasonable and just. However... since we clearly know they are Princess Gaoyang's people, why do we intentionally make things difficult for them and torment them? Isn't this making a great enemy of Princess Gaoyang?" Changsun Yan said, "I also understand the importance of maintaining the prestige of the Hundred Riders Army, but it's not necessary to make enemies with the imperial family because of this! After all, the imperial family is our master, we are their servants. A wicked servant does not oppress their master, isn't that also a just principle?"

  "It's wrong." Qin Mu Bai smiled slightly and said, "Generally speaking, we do serve the entire imperial family. However, within the imperial family, we represent the emperor's dignity. The imperial family is above all people, but the emperor is even more supreme within the imperial family. Today, Princess Gao Yang dared to challenge the imperial authority, if we don't discipline her, who knows when another prince or princess will jump out and challenge it again? If this continues, where will the imperial authority be? What value will the Hundred Riders have? Therefore, this time Princess Gao Yang is not challenging us Hundred Riders, but the emperor. Do you understand?"

  "Hmm, this..." Zhang Sun blinked his eyes thoughtfully and nodded, "So that's how it is...it seems Qin brother still sees more clearly and further than me."

  "It's not that I have a clear vision or can see far. If we're talking about the way of being an official, I'm definitely not as good as Brother Changsun. I just grasped one core principle - loyalty to the emperor, and always stood on the same ground as him, which made me invincible. To offend some royal family member for the sake of the emperor is not a loss, nor do we need to fear anything. On the contrary, if we neglect our duties because we're afraid of offending Princess Gao Yang, that would be a real mistake, and the emperor will definitely lose trust in us."

  "I understand." Chang Sun nodded, "In different environments, our responsibilities are different. Looking at the world, we need to maintain the imperial court; in the imperial court, we need to maintain the royal family; and within the royal family, we need to maintain the emperor. Is that right?"

  "That's correct!" Qin Mu Bai laughed and said, "Cheers!"

  "Thanks to Brother Qin for pointing it out!" Chang Sun Ran also let out a sigh of relief, secretly marveling in his heart: In just two short months, Qin Mu Bai has become even more intelligent than before, and he's using that intelligence on the blade. He always manages to grasp the core of things, his vision and insight far surpassing most people. Someone like him is truly terrifying! ...It's strange, he's only around twenty years old, how can he be as cunning as my father? Truly a freakishly clever person!

  On a summer night, the four palace maids were in their cells, grumbling and throwing tantrums, waiting for those stinky men to bring them delicious food and drinks. Unexpectedly, by midnight everyone was hungry and thirsty again, but there was no sign of anyone coming, and even the mosquito-repelling incense had burned out. It was truly unbearable. They shouted and scolded loudly, but not a single person came to attend to them. Eventually, they were all exhausted and fell asleep in a daze.

  The next morning at dawn, Qin Mubai got up early as usual to arrange the shift change and reception at the Daming Palace, and took a moment to glance over at the military prison.

  Four palace maids were huddled together in a cell that was like a steamer, and two of them began to sob.

  "Stinky military school, stinky men - let us out quickly!"

  "Sisters, it's him! Can you recognize him? It's really him! He's the one who caught us!"

  "You will regret this! Treating us like this, Her Highness the Princess will make sure your whole family suffers!"

  ……

  Qin Mubai walked to the front of the prison with his hands behind his back, his face solemn and his eyes stern. He let out a low hum, and the four palace maids standing at attention trembled slightly before falling silent.

  Qin Mubai didn't waste words with them either, and with a wave of his hand, one of the military school students behind him threw four steamed buns and four water bags into the dungeon.

  The palace maids were stunned. The bun had fallen to the ground and was now dirty, how could they eat it? Even if they could... These palace maids had grown up with Princess Gao Yang, following their master's luxurious lifestyle, how could they swallow such coarse food?

  The palace maids started arguing again.

  "How hateful! How can you eat such a thing? Why don't you keep it for yourself?"

  "No! No! We want iced plum soup and mung bean paste to cool down!"

  "Let us out! We're starving and parched, see how you'll explain this to Her Highness!"

  ……

  "Shut up!" Qin Mu Bai shouted sternly, scaring them into cries. Glancing at them, Qin Mu Bai lowered his voice and coldly snorted, "To be honest with you, if it weren't for the princess's plea on your behalf, these few dimwits wouldn't have gotten off so easily - ungrateful, eat or not!"

  Having said that, Qin Mubai turned around and left.

  Several palace maids were thoroughly disheartened. They knew that this time they had really encountered a character like Yanluo Wang. For a while, the prison cell was filled with a burst of sobbing sounds.

  Out of the prison cell, Zhangsun Yan asked: "Qin brother, how long will this imprisonment last?"

  "Lock them up for three days first. Then, when they voluntarily admit their mistakes and beg for mercy, we'll consider releasing them." Qin Mubai said, striding away.

  Chang Sun Bian let out a light sigh, and before Qin Mu Bai had walked far, he rushed into the prison cell. He wasn't stupid either; Qin Mu Bai's intention in telling him all this was to get him to pass on a message to the several palace maids, advising them to surrender early and cooperate well, so that he could then speak up for them and persuade Qin Mu Bai to agree to release them sooner. Otherwise, in this hot weather, if they were locked up for a long time, it was hard to say whether these three young women would be tortured to death; the matter might be blown out of proportion, which wouldn't be good for anyone.

  Thinking about it, Qin Mubai actually didn't really want to make things difficult for these four women.

  "Rules are dead, people are alive. Those who know how to be flexible and adaptable are truly clever... Qin Mubai is indeed a versatile and cunning guy!" Changsun Ran could only secretly marvel at this in his heart.

  Qin Mubai and Cheng Huaiyi, Wei Tiyun together, led the hundred riders who had come to relieve the guard, arrived at the rear palace to escort the Emperor. Before Li Shimin ascended the throne, he deliberately said to Qin Mubai: "Mubai, you don't have to follow me to court anymore. From today on, you can rest more. I'll give you a lighter job - take some people to the Penglai Hall in the rear palace to guard King Jin!"

  "Your humble servant obeys." Qin Mubai responded.

  Although the two of them were talking nonsense, it was indispensable. At least this let the hundred or so officials know that in the future, Qin Mu Bai might not appear at court as often, and that he had been entrusted by the Emperor with other tasks, rather than being transferred, set aside, or for some other reason. This way, everyone wouldn't keep guessing and bring unnecessary trouble.

  The stability of a commander is especially important for the morale of an army. Li Shimin and Qin Mubai both deeply understood this principle.

  The emperor's carriage had left. Qin Mubai led a team of one hundred riders, heading towards the Penglai Palace.

  The two young princes, Li Zhi and Li Mingda, were still fast asleep. The sleeping quarters of the two little ones were arranged together, with their beds only a few feet apart. Several wet nurses and palace maids took turns attending to them, ensuring that there was always someone by their side at all times.

  Qin Mubai had never been a father before, and he didn't have any experience with this kind of nanny work either. He felt a bit at a loss and overwhelmed. Fortunately, it seemed like he wouldn't have to feed, change diapers, or sing lullabies himself, otherwise it would be really overwhelming.

  Li Zhi and Li Mingda finally got up after waiting for a long time outside the bedroom, and were attended by wet nurses and palace maids who helped them wash their faces first before having breakfast.

  Two little ones sit on either side of a table eating, and don't let others feed them. Instead, they take turns feeding each other with chopsticks and spoons.

  Qin Mubai went in and saw this scene, couldn't help but be amused.

  "Brother Jiu, the majestic general Father Emperor mentioned yesterday has arrived!"

  "I don't know if he's eaten yet!" Li Zhi blinked his eyes and beckoned to Qin Mu Bai, "General, come over and have a meal together?"

  "Hehe, I've already eaten. You two princes take your time." Qin Mu Bai said with a relaxed smile, "After dinner, I'll take you both to the backyard for a stroll and some fresh air. The morning air is the freshest, and the flowers are also the most fragrant!"

  "Hooray! Brother Jiu, let's eat quickly!"

  "Alright, alright!"

  The palace maids and wet nurses standing by frowned: this arrogant and rude man, instead of saying "serve" the two young masters, said take...

  Qin Mubai's mind was very clear. To be a good nanny, first of all, he had to get close to the children, make them feel that they were their good friends and partners, so as to better guide them. Moreover, in his heart, there was an even deeper thought: what if Li Zhi really became the emperor in the future... I must leave a special impression on him from childhood, rather than being just an ordinary ministerial bodyguard!

  .??，！