Chapter 42 Hidden Dangers

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  "Haha! You're right, but every time it's you who makes the first move and I'm forced to respond. Can't you reduce this kind of mischief a bit? Qin Mu Bai smiled and walked behind Wu Mei Niang, gently placing his hands on her soft shoulders, whispering in her ear, "Be patient. Didn't you say you'd only marry me when I become a third-rank official and a Grand Chancellor? It's almost there. Also, take good care of your wine shop, make the business bigger and better, if you need any help, just let me know. And if anyone dares to come here to cause trouble, get rid of them with the help of Yu Wen Hong Tai and Yin Yang; if they can't handle it, tell me."

  "After talking for half a day, I finally heard something that makes sense..." Wu Mei Niang finally let out a sigh of relief and smiled slightly, but her shoulders sank slightly as she escaped from Qin Mu Bai's arms, humming, "You rascal, we're not even married yet, don't think about touching me!"

  "Haha!" Qin Mu Bai burst out laughing, "Wishing you a thriving business, Boss Wu - I'm in a hurry and have to head home. Today's expenses will be put on tab, I don't have much cash on me." With that, he strode away.

  "One hundred taels! I've got it recorded!" Wu Meiniang shouted, looking at Qin Mubai's back, "When the time comes, you'll have to pay me back with interest, or I'll go to your mansion and ask your father for it!"

  Qin Mubai's figure quickly disappeared. Wu Meiniang gritted her teeth and hummed in a low voice: "You little thief, you big scoundrel, you good-for-nothing! ... Others only ask for ten taels of silver, but you have to charge me one hundred taels, humph!"

  Qin Mubai walked out of Wu Meiniang's boudoir, first bidding farewell to Yuwen Hongtai and others in the elegant pavilion, then preparing to leave the wine tower and go home. When going down the stairs, he met Yāoér and the other four women who appeared with him in the room at the beginning.

  The little demon heard a woman next to her say that Qin Mu Bai had come down, and she immediately knelt down in the direction of the stairs, knocking her head and crying out loud.

  "Get up." Qin Mu Bai walked forward and helped her up, while saying to the two pipa girls beside him, "Although I agreed to accept You Er as my apprentice, I work in the imperial palace and have little time to teach her personally. How about this? The three of you can study together, if there's anything you don't understand, go find Tai Le Shi Zeng Shi Ling for guidance, just say it was me who sent you. If I have time, I'll also come here to give you personal instruction."

  "Thank you, Master Qin!" The three women were overjoyed and bowed in gratitude together.

  "You may not have the best eyesight, Yao'er, but your pipa playing truly comes from the heart and with feeling. Keep it up, don't disappoint me." Qin Mubai patted Yao'er's shoulder lightly and gave a slight smile to the other girls before striding away.

  The four girls stared in the direction Qin Mu Bai had left, and for a long time they didn't come back to their senses. Yao'er said softly: "Sisters, is Qin Mu Bai... really handsome?"

  "Really? Really?"

  "Is he a talented and handsome young man?"

  "Really? Really?"

  "With a kind heart, gentle and amiable, he's also handsome. Add to that his elegant demeanor, isn't he the ideal husband in every girl's heart? Unfortunately, my eyes are blind, can't see..."

  "Really? Really?"

  ……

  Qin Mubai returned home, and the first person he met was his mother Liu Shi.

  "Oh my, my son is back! Good heavens, how could you have become so dark and thin in just seven days? Is life in the palace that tough? No, that's supposed to be the most luxurious place under heaven!" Madam Liu grasped Qin Mu Bai's arm and wouldn't stop nagging, as if she hadn't seen him for years.

  Little sister Xiang'er also came out and saw this scene, laughing: "Mother, you see that you are holding onto Third Brother's hand and won't let go, as if you're afraid he'll get lost. Third Brother is already a man of great stature, a general, a noble!"

  "Nonsense!" Mrs. Liu's face turned stern, "In my eyes, you are always children! Even at the age of 70 or 80, you are still children!"

  The two girls burst out laughing together. At this moment, a figure appeared at the edge of the front hall. Standing upright like a god of war, with an aura that was both majestic and restrained, who else could it be but Qin Shubao?

  Qin Mubai felt a surge of delight as soon as he saw his father: what a great complexion! His old man's body was getting better and better, with a ruddy face and spirit, standing upright and seemingly even plumper.

  "Father!" Qin Mu Bai stepped forward and bowed.

  "I'm back." Qin Shubao nodded indifferently and said, "Follow me."

  Having said that, he turned around and left.

  The three of them were stunned for a moment. Shuang'er whispered: "Dad seems to be a bit unhappy? What's going on?"

  Qin Mubai had no time to think much, and followed his father into the study, closing the door behind him.

  "Come and sit." Qin Shubao sat down himself and pointed at the cushion opposite him.

  Seeing his father's solemn expression, it was clear that he had something on his mind. Qin Mu Bai sat down and asked, "Father, what's wrong?"

  "You've only been in office for seven days and you've already done something big, impressive. " Qin Shubao's eyebrows slightly furrowed, his eyes sharp as a knife edge swept across Qin Mubai's face, but his tone was calm as he said, "With such a narrow mind, how can you achieve great things?"

  "Father, the twists and turns of this matter are quite complicated. Can I tell you about it in detail?"

  "I won't listen." Qin Shubao said resolutely, "Not everyone is interested in investigating the process of things. They only see a result - that is, Qin Yong's son beat Yuchi Gong's son. As for why, others don't understand and don't want to understand."

  "I understand what you mean, Father..." Qin Mu Bai let out a sigh and nodded, "Although I didn't overdo it in this matter, and it's reasonable and lawful, the result has caused a bad influence. This will make people think that Father instructed me to take revenge."

  "You can think of it now, why didn't you understand it at the time?" Qin Shubao said with a frown, "In all things, one cannot seek immediate gratification. All matters in the world are not something that can be measured clearly by reason and law; otherwise, it would be too simple. Laws and regulations are dead, but people are alive. You're right, Wei Baocloud broke military law and should be punished. But how to punish him and when to punish him also requires skill. And you used the simplest, most brutal, and most foolish method to handle this matter. At the time, it was indeed satisfying and glorious, but the consequences of doing so were to bury hidden dangers and plant strong enemies for yourself. You've always thought yourself clever, how could you do something so stupid?"

  In Qin Mubai's heart, a sharp blade flashed by, and a golden light was inserted, instantly illuminating his mind as if he had suddenly gained insight. He also knew that this time he had been somewhat rash and impulsive. Therefore, he cupped his hands and bowed down, saying: "Father's teachings are extremely correct, I was indeed a bit arrogant at the time, and my thoughts were not thorough enough. Wei Tai Baoyun is rough and tyrannical, and I also used a rough and tyrannical way to confront him, which is really not clever enough. Ah, the officialdom is treacherous, and I am indeed too tender, I still need to study hard and practice diligently. Just this morning, the Emperor summoned me and told me many things, also intending to point out my mistakes."

  "What did he say?"

  Qin Mubai then told Qin Shubao everything the emperor had said to him.

  After listening, Qin Shubao fell silent for a moment, stroking his long gray beard and nodding: "Fortunately, the Emperor is a wise and just ruler, he still supports you. However, it's clear that he doesn't approve of your method of handling things either. Moreover, the reason he openly took a stand to support you and suppress Changsun Wujie and Yu Zhongyun is not because you are my son, Qin Qiong, or because he truly favors you emotionally, but because... you are the Commander of the Hundred Riders! This point, you must make clear in your mind. He is upholding the authority of the Commander of the Hundred Riders, establishing the prestige of this official position. It's not that he's really protecting and favoring you as a person."

  "The child knows." Qin Mu Bai nodded, "Your Majesty is a successful and astute ruler, he certainly knows the importance of a commander's prestige to the army. Therefore, even if the child is wrong, he may still support me."

  "That's well said. This is the Emperor's usual way of doing things." Qin Shubao said, "The Emperor is in charge of a country and stands high to see far. He can't do everything himself, he can only take care of some people around him. Through these people, he takes care of more people, ultimately achieving the goal of taking care of the country. You are the highest officer of the Hundred Riders, it's much easier for him to take care of you one person, cultivate you one person, than to take care of other deputy envoys and military officers. Therefore, he tends towards you when making decisions. Moreover, Longsun Ruan and Yuchi Bao Yun's father have always been the Emperor's most trusted and closest people, so it's easy for him to make excuses in front of them and let their sons take a little loss. In comparison, his relationship with your father seems somewhat distant, so the Emperor didn't blame you at first."

  Qin Mubai's heart slightly trembled: I had forgotten that there was this layer! Father said it well. It's just like when the son of one's own family and the son of a neighboring family get into a fight, parents usually only scold their own son... Originally, in the emperor's heart, Long Sunyan and Yu Chi Bao Yun were much closer to me!

  "This time, on the surface, it seems like you've gained an advantage and established your prestige in the army, but in reality, you haven't gained anything substantial." Qin Shubao said, "Firstly, from now on, you'll definitely be at odds with people like Changsun Wuji and others. Behind their backs, there are also people like Changsun Wujie and Wei Zheng who will harbor resentment towards you. Moreover, this time, you've also tested the emperor's patience. Once or twice, the emperor may tolerate you, even openly support you. But once the emperor loses his patience, your consequences will be far worse than those of Changsun Wuji and others. He won't hesitate to kick you out with one foot, or even worse."

  "The child has learned a lesson. This time, the child was indeed reckless... In the future, I will be more cautious and won't give others a handle to attack me." Qin Mubai bowed his hands in respect. This time, he was truly convinced. Compared to Li Shimin, Qin Shubao and other old revolutionaries, himself who had always thought of being clever, was indeed too tender. "Experience" is really not something that can be born with.

  Who says that ancient people are inferior to modern people? Political wisdom, the ancestors of ancient times have performed it to the extreme, not conceding at all!

  "So, you now seem to be in a good situation, as if you have received the emperor's favor, with a bright future ahead of you." Qin Uncle Treasure said, "But in reality, you are on thin ice and can't afford to make another mistake. Long Sun Ran and others can make small mistakes but not big ones, even if they do make a big mistake, it won't be fatal, and even if they lose, they can still afford to lose. But you, my Third Son, you can't afford to lose! Because your father has already lost once and almost hit rock bottom. If you slip up again and make another mistake, there will be no chance for you to turn things around!"

  "Remember the teachings of your child."

  "It's fortunate that the commotion you caused this time wasn't too big, and in the end, you showed mercy and gave Long Sunbiao some face, not actually beating him to death with the fifty military rods. If you had really beaten Wei Bohuai to death, you would have been finished." Qin Shubao said, "As your father, I've never known what it means to be weak in old age, but now is not the time for you to show weakness or humility. However, as a commander and leader, someone with wisdom and brains should not use rough methods to handle relationships with subordinates. Strategies, tactics, and even schemes and plots - these are all skills you need to learn gradually. You have an excellent teacher right by your side, and without asking, you can naturally learn countless techniques from him."

  "Is father referring to the emperor?"

  "Of course." Qin Shubao said, "The Emperor joined the army at 16, governed the military on horseback and governed the people on foot, with no exception of success. A wise ruler rarely seen in history, he is also a saint among men. His talent, wisdom, virtue, and moral character are worth learning from everyone. The skill of identifying and using people, the art of getting along with others, and the ability to handle political affairs are all refined. As his imperial guard, how can you give up such a good teacher and not learn from him?"

  "Yes. Father didn't say, but I was also thinking of learning from the Emperor. This morning's conversation indeed made me feel a huge gap between us. In my heart, I have come to respect and admire Your Majesty." Qin Mu Bai said, "Actually, I've been searching for a teacher to study with. Now it's good that I have the best teacher under heaven, I will definitely learn from him with a sincere heart."

  "Good. My son is humble and making progress, this is a good start." Qin Shubao's face finally relaxed a bit, nodding with a smile, "You're right. The Emperor is the best teacher under heaven. Apart from what I mentioned earlier, his talents in martial arts, literature, music, poetry, and calligraphy are also unmatched by ordinary people. Putting aside that he's an emperor for the ages, as a man, he's also extremely outstanding. Even if he weren't an emperor, he'd definitely be an exceptional military commander or a talented poet, or even a renowned scholar or master of his craft. Someone like him is worth everyone learning from. Now you understand why I said your winemaking and pipa playing are just trivial skills not worthy of being taken seriously? Compared to the Emperor, you're like a crow compared to a phoenix, or a faint star compared to the bright moon. The gap is huge!"

  "Hmm..." Qin Mubai slightly furrowed his brow, let out a light sigh, and shook his head. "Not being satisfied is not an option. Among the three of us, there must be one who is my master. There are still many areas where you need to improve, child."

  "Hehe, no need to belittle yourself." Qin Shubao smiled and said, "You have excellent qualifications and outstanding talent, what you lack is only refinement. Just like a rough jade, it still needs carving. Be humble and diligent in your studies, I have confidence in you!"

  "Thank you, Father..." Qin Mu Bai gazed at Qin Shu Bao, nodding gratefully, thinking to himself: To have such a father is truly my good fortune!

  .??，！