Chapter 70: Gao Yang's Entanglement

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  Several days have passed and everything is as usual.

  The farce of Princess Gaoyang's suicidal jump into the river gradually faded away, and Li Shimin never mentioned it to Qin Mubai again. Even Li Junxian, who was usually the most gossipy and liked to lecture Qin Mubai, didn't bring it up. It can be seen that those palace maids and soldiers who knew the inside story did a good job of keeping their mouths shut. At least, they didn't exaggerate the matter by spreading rumors and making it sound even more outrageous.

  This made Qin Mubai feel much more at ease.

  Since then, Princess Gaoyang may have been taught by Li Shimin and Yin De Fei, or she has been taking care of her illness with peace of mind, so she has become much more honest, basically disappearing from Qin Mubai's sight.

  There is a good phenomenon, Li Zhi and Li Mingda are more and more fond of Qin Mubai this nanny dad, even a little dependent. Listening to the wet nurse and palace maids say, two little guys often get up in the middle of the night, also making a fuss "want village head", otherwise they will cry and not sleep. Once Li Zhi was sick with a fever, he didn't sleep all night and talked nonsense, which scared Li Shimin badly.

  Li Zhi's nonsense can be considered interesting, half of it is related to "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf", the other half is calling out Qin Mu Bai's name, asking him to protect himself.

  The imperial doctor administered injections and used medicine, but Li Zhi's illness did not show any improvement for the time being. In desperation, Emperor Taizong of Tang had someone fetch Qin Mi in the middle of the night and had him attend to Li Zhi by his bedside.

  Qin Mubai first held Li Zhi's hand and chatted with him for a while, telling a story, then played the pipa again. Then a miracle happened - Li Zhi gradually reduced his fever and became clear-headed. But he refused to let Qin Mubai go back, saying that in his dream, Hui Tarō wanted to catch and eat him, and insisted on holding onto Qin Mubai's hand before finally falling asleep peacefully for the night.

  The imperial doctor's acupuncture and medicine were effective, and Qin Mu Bai's spiritual therapy also worked wonders. The next day, Li Zhi woke up to find that his illness had been cured.

  After this incident, Li Zhi regarded Qin Mubai as his own "guardian angel" and couldn't leave her side for a single step. The little guy was also very loyal, whenever there was something delicious, he would think of leaving half for Qin Mubai first. No matter what Qin Mubai said, he would always listen to her and follow her advice. Those wet nurses and palace maids tried their best to persuade Li Zhi to sleep on time or go to the teacher's place to study on schedule, but as long as Qin Mubai said a word, Li Zhi would immediately obey.

  Under Li Zhi's influence, his younger followers, including his sister Li Mingda, also had the same attitude towards Qin Mubai.

  Later on, even Li Shimin felt a bit jealous - as the father, why can't I have more prestige than Qin Mubai in front of these two little guys?

  From then on, Li Shimin trusted Qin Mubai even more, which goes without saying.

  On the side of Xianju Hall, Princess Gaoyang sent palace maids to invite him several times again, but Qin Mubai made excuses and refused to go again. Although the emperor gave him special privileges to enter and exit any place in the rear palace at will, some taboos still need to be observed. Going once is a visit to see someone who is ill, going frequently... that would be suspicious.

  Some things are obvious: the emperor's women, most of the time, are cold and lonely in their chambers. You're a complete, young, vigorous man, always running to Yin De Fei's place, what does that mean?

  The melon field does not collect the shoes, Li Xia's reason for not being crowned is deeply understood by Qin Mu Bai - although Yin De Fei, a mature and beautiful woman, is very attractive to him, she is absolutely not an object he should fantasize about. This joke is better left unspoken.

  The days passed quietly and monotonously. Qin Mubai felt a bit bored and tired. Although he could now easily handle Li Zhi and Li Mingda, taking care of children was more worrisome than commanding an army, and this wasn't a job that Qin Mubai enjoyed.

  In recent days, he has been wanting to ask Li Shimin for a leave of absence to go home and rest for a few days. Calculating the days, it's already been one or two months since he last took a break. Apart from managing the Hundred Riders and handling military affairs, he also has to spend a lot of mental energy taking care of the two little brats, and is really feeling a bit tired.

  That noon, Qin Mu Bai was taking a nap in the Imperial Garden as usual. Although Li Zhi's "warm" invitation to Qin Mu Bai to take a nap with him in the palace, Qin Mu Bai did not dare to agree - that would be sleeping in the imperial harem, which is not something a subject can do.

  Just as Qin Mu Bai was in a daze from sleep, he was startled awake by a clear and crisp call from afar: "Hey——"

  This voice sounds so familiar!

  Qin Mubai opened his eyes and indeed - it was Gao Yang princess.

  She seemed to have learned a lesson from last time when she almost got stabbed while trying to sneak up on him, this time calling out to him from ten meters away.

  Qin Mubai stretched and yawned: "Your Highness, is there something you need me for?"

  Princess Gaoyang walked over with a few close maids, her face seemingly displeased, pouting and looking at Qin Mubai with great dissatisfaction.

  "What's wrong? Have I done something to offend the public again?" Qin Mu Bai asked cautiously. This unorthodox and rebellious little devil was indeed not to be trifled with, it would be better to keep a distance from her.

  "What's wrong with you? Have you forgotten?" Princess Gao Yang hummed softly, "Tell me, why have I summoned you multiple times, yet you never go to the Xianju Hall?"

  Qin Mubai gave a signal with his eyes, and Princess Gaoyang let the few maidservants retreat a little further away before he said: "I'm asking Your Highness, are you really understanding or just pretending to be confused? Who lives in the Xianju Hall? ... Is that a place I can often go to? A melon patch doesn't accept worn-out shoes, and under the plum tree one shouldn't adjust their hat, shouldn't I avoid suspicion?"

  "Hmph, I knew you'd come up with something like that!" Princess Gao Yang glared at Qin Mu Bai with a hint of annoyance, but didn't truly get angry. She said in a calm tone, "So, about your promise to teach me the pipa... what's going on with that?"

  "Teacher, one's words must be followed by actions." Qin Mu Bai smiled and said, "Recently, I've been teaching Jin Wang and Princess Jinyang to play the pipa in the Imperial Garden every afternoon. Why don't you come along too?"

  "I refuse!" Princess Gao Yang firmly declined.

  "Why?"

  "For no reason, I just don't want to!" Princess Gaoyang crossed her arms and turned away, looking like a proud peacock. "I want you to teach me alone, specially! I don't want to be paired with those two servants, Ji Nu and Zuo Zi!"

  "Oh, you're being sour again." Qin Mu Bai smiled and said, "Alright, alright. Then come to the Imperial Flower Garden every day at noon, I'll teach you for half an hour."

  "No." Princess Gao Yang still refused bluntly, "In this scorching weather, who has the mood to play the pipa with you at noon? I want you to teach me every evening after finishing your duties, in the willow forest by the Yuqiao River. The weather won't be hot then, and the gentle breeze by the river is quiet and peaceful, perfect for learning the pipa!"

  Qin Mubai was speechless for a moment, shaking his head.

  "What's the meaning of always being indecisive?" Princess Gaoyang furrowed her brow, looking at Qin Mubai with a mixture of annoyance and disappointment.

  "Your Highness, it's not that I'm pushing three and blocking four... Think about it, at midnight by the imperial moat bridge with no one around, a lone man and woman playing the pipa together, what kind of propriety is that?" Qin Mu Bai said, "The palace has strict rules and etiquette, it's better not to overstep."

  "You, where did you think of going?! What lonely man and widow?!" Princess Gao Yang's face turned red with embarrassment as she hastily explained, "I will naturally bring palace maids and eunuchs to accompany me, and there are often soldiers patrolling back and forth on the imperial bridge. This is a perfectly legitimate guqin performance, what's wrong with it?! —You don't need to say anything more, my mind is made up, you just watch!"

  Having said that, Princess Gaoyang turned around elegantly, stomped her foot and walked away with a huff.

  Qin Mubai scratched his head in frustration: This little devil, it's really hard to deal with! Why did he have to provoke me? Could it be that I've fallen into my old habit again - being jinxed by a beauty? ... Hopefully not. As for High Princess Gao Yang, this eccentric and stubborn big sister, I don't have the slightest interest in her. Moreover, I don't want to become the second Fang Yu'er or the second Monk Bian Que who was beheaded! To make matters worse, being an attendant by the Emperor's side yet getting entangled with a princess - no matter how complicated the situation is, once it gets out, it'll definitely cause a huge stir and attract countless criticisms. Li Shimin will probably not spare me either.

  In short, the little devil is not a good person, it's better to stay away from her.

  But she's stuck on it now... what to do?

  Indeed encountered unprecedented... female trouble.

  In the afternoon, Li Zhi and Li Mingda went to Yu Shinan's place to read books. Qin Mubai was also a little distracted, thinking about how to solve the trouble of Princess Gaoyang all the time. Yu Shinan's old eyes seemed to be able to see through people's hearts, and he smiled and asked: "Mubai seems to have a lot on his mind today!"

  Qin Mubai smiled awkwardly and said: "To be honest with Mr. Hui, I do have some personal troubles that I haven't been able to resolve."

  "Why don't you tell me and let me hear?" Yu Shinan said with a smile.

  For Yu Shinnan, a teacher with outstanding knowledge and character, Qin Mubai had always been very respectful and trusting. However, since it involved the princess and also implicated imperial family secrets, Qin Mubai still didn't want to mention it to Yu Shinnan. So he said: "It's just some trivial matters that aren't worth mentioning, I don't dare speak of them lest they sully your ears."

  Yu Shinan nodded and chuckled: "Actually, many troubles arise from the heart. The more complicated your thoughts are, the more worries you will have. Especially when serving in the imperial court, in this harem, it's hard to avoid being overly cautious and hesitant. Mubai, as long as you act with integrity, you don't need to worry too much. Just be straightforward, be bold, and focus on doing your job with a clear conscience."

  At this moment, Qin Mubai felt a bit enlightened - Ah! When one is among the flowers, how can they really avoid being stained by dust? Even if one doesn't intend to, those flowers and grasses will still intentionally cling to them. Therefore, the troubles of peach blossom luck must follow oneself around, unless one leaves this place of right and wrong. However, since it's impossible to leave for now, why not just be like Yu Shinan said, open-minded and magnanimous, no need to always be anxious and worried about being tainted.

  "Thank you, Mr. Xie, for your guidance. The student has taken note." Qin Mubai gratefully bowed his hands in thanks.

  "Hehe, I didn't teach you anything." Yu Shinan smiled and waved his hand, "You can figure it out yourself."

  Qin Mubai let out a long sigh in his heart: Yu Shinan had been a close minister to two emperors, and naturally, he had often served and come into contact with environments similar to mine. His experience in handling matters was truly very useful to me!

  Alright, little devil, since you insist on sticking around, I won't avoid it either. It's just teaching pipa, not secretly dating or hiding to practice some yin-yang harmony great method, what's the big deal? I'll teach you then!

  Today's explosion, in addition to the fixed updates at 8 am and pm, there will be an extra update at 12 noon. Furthermore, if the number of red tickets increases by 100 (totaling over 400), another chapter will be added, scheduled for 11 pm! Everyone, let's splurge on voting!