[I'm sorry this chapter came a little late, something delayed.] Keep voting! Well, that's sort of an update from January 6th. Today, I will serve it separately, it's powerful enough! May the red ticket rise! ]

After hunting, Li Shimin very decisively sneaked into the harem first, and asked those hundred horsemen to hand over the prey to the imperial food supervisor to take care of and use it as dinner. And asked someone to send a message to Qin Mubai, asking him to come to Penglai Hall together for dinner and then go back.

Qin Mubai was very amused to see Li Shimin hiding his head and tail like this. It is not easy to be a monarch, and it is even more difficult to be a good emperor. Don't look at Li Shimin as an emperor, I'm quite afraid that some courtiers will be crooked. Just said that this hunting was regarded by some courtiers as a flying eagle, a walking dog, a fresh coat and an angry horse, and did not do his job. Li Ke was impeached for hunting excessively, and Li Shimin was also accused by Wei Zheng several times for this incident, and even pointed his nose and scolded him. Once, Li Shimin got a favorite harrier eagle that was catching it in his hand and playing with it, and it happened that Wei Zheng came to do something. What Li Shimin was most afraid of was Wei Zheng's nagging, so he immediately panicked and hid the harrier eagle in his arms. Wei Zheng obviously had a bad look in his eyes, but this time he looked kind, and just talked about a little thing like an aunt, and as a result, the harrier eagle suffocated to death in Li Shimin's arms.

At that time, Qin Mubai was a hundred horsemen, although he didn't see it with his own eyes, but he was clear.

From this point of view, Li Shimin, the emperor, is still a bit of a "wretch". But perhaps it is precisely because of these nests that they have achieved a great cause and achieved the prosperity of Zhenguan.

Putting aside the identity of the emperor, Qin Mubai has always felt that Li Shimin is actually a very "interesting" man. He is talented, tasteful, open-minded, and has a great sense of humor, and at the same time attaches great importance to feelings and has a sense of justice. It is true that his shortcomings and bad deeds are as distinct as his advantages, but there is no saint in the absolute sense in the world, and advantages and disadvantages coexist, but it makes people feel that Li Shimin, a very "great and upright" emperor in history, is actually a very real man of flesh and blood.

When Qin Mubai came to Penglai Palace, he saw two bright figures waiting for him at the entrance of the hall from a distance. It's none other than Li Zhi, the king of Jin, and Li Mingda, the princess of Jinyang. Hearing that Qin Mubai was going to come for a shared dinner, the two little princes were excited, and they actually came out to welcome them to the gate of the palace.

Qin Mubai walked forward quickly to salute first, and was taken aback when he saw Li Zhi. After a few years this time, Li Zhi is obviously a half-sized child, there is an extra circle of fluff around his mouth, and his voice has changed a little, like a duck, and he has grown taller and fatter a lot.

Li Mingda is also seven or eight years old, has grown up a lot, and his smile is innocent and bright, like a small white lotus blooming in the clear pond, spotless. She grinned and showed a pair of small tiger teeth that the daughter of the Li family is accustomed to, a pair of beautiful little flowers were pasted on her forehead, and she wore a red brocade jacket, and her thick makeup made her a little clumsy and bulky, but she had a cute and interesting life, like a fairy driving virgin who came out of the New Year's painting.

"Students meet teachers." Li Zhi was obviously grown up, bowed his hands, and bowed down to Qin Mubai as a teacher and student. From a very early on, Qin Mubai was ordered by Li Shimin to teach Li Zhi and Li Mingda pipa skills and other things, and Li Zhi regarded Qin Mubai as his teacher.

"Your Highness doesn't have to be polite." Qin Mubai returned the salute. A childish and excited voice sounded in his ears-

"Village chief, hug!" Li Mingda smiled and stretched out his arms to Qin Mubai, tiptoeing.

Qin Mubai suddenly laughed heartily, bent down and hugged Li Mingda. Li Mingda hugged Qin Mubai's neck and kissed him on the face, wiping his mouth and giggling: "The village chief's beard pierces people!" ”

"Haha!" Qin Mubai and Li Zhi laughed together.

Although Li Zhi's talent is mediocre and even a little reckless, he has received a lot of influence in the palace and is also very precocious. He turned the year and was fourteen years old, and many of the Tang people were men of this age, and they all married and started families. Therefore, Li Zhi now also attaches great importance to his appearance and etiquette, and no longer calls Qin Mubai "village head", reflecting the bearing and cultivation that a prince should have.

In all fairness, among the children of Li Shimin that Qin Mubai has come into contact with, Li Zhi is the most temperamental one. The crown prince Li Chengqian, who is excellent on the outside and strong on the inside, behaves dissolutely and behaves uninhibitedly; Li Tai, the king of Wei, has a smiling tiger, but his talent is really outstanding; Li Ke, the king of Wu, has great ambitions, Wentao, martial arts, and is affectionate and righteous. There is no need to mention the gone King of Qi Li You and Princess Gaoyang beside him. These people all have one thing in common, high-profile and extraordinary.

Li Zhi is different. Whether it is Qin Mubai or an ordinary eunuch and palace maid in the palace, he is gentle and polite without the slightest sense of arrogance and superiority of a prince, he is simply a big boy in the family.

This may be related to the fact that he lost his mother since he was a child and was raised at the hands of eunuchs and palace maids, and his personality is relatively vague and a little weak. But on the other hand, he is also the most forgiving one of Li Shimin's children that Qin Mubai has ever seen.

Li Mingda, Qin Mubai is now holding her in his arms, and he is fantasizing in his heart: How good it would be if I could give birth to such a girl!

China has a tradition of preference for sons over daughters, but Qin Mubai always feels that relatively speaking, daughters are always more intimate than sons who know filial piety. Not to mention, her own frost is the heart of her parents, and no one in the family doesn't like her, and they all treat her as a baby bump.

The two little princes greeted Qin Mubai, obviously very happy, and their smiles came from the bottom of their hearts. Li Mingda nestled on Qin Mubai's body, playing with his stubby cyan stubble from time to time, or fiddling with his golden crown of hair. Li Zhi excitedly asked him about the customs and customs of Lanzhou and the border scene.

After only ten sentences of conversation, Qin Mubai felt that Li Zhi had really changed. The young slave boy who used to be wooden is indeed half a man now. He was concerned about current affairs and border passes, and was interested in the army and weapons and horses, and when he heard the story of the march and battle, he was a little excited and danced.

The smell of male hormones was quite obvious in the bones of his half-cooked body.

Walking to the inner palace, Li Shimin just changed into loose and casual clothes and made tea in the palace. Qin Mubai put down Li Mingda and stepped forward to give a salute, Li Shimin said with a smile: "No need to be formal, it's just a family banquet - son, come, let me hug my father!" ”

"Father-" Li Mingda trotted into Li Shimin's arms, giggling, and his face was red and simple.

"Ouch, my son has gained weight again, and I can't even hold it!" Li Shimin laughed very comfortably, kissed Li Mingda's face a few times, and scratched her with her beard to giggle.

"Well, that's good. Son, in the future, I will also practice Tai Chi with your ninth brother to strengthen my body! Li Shimin pinched Li Mingda's little face and said lovingly, "In the past two years, my health has improved a lot, and I rarely take medicine!" ”

"Yes, Father." Li Zhi took over and said, "Huang'er has practiced Tai Chi for two years, and he also feels a lot stronger. If my father has time, he might as well practice. The emperor heard that Yiguo Gong practiced Tai Chi to recuperate from a sick body, and now he can gallop on the field again! ”

"Haha, okay!" Li Shimin nodded and laughed with interest, turned his head to Qin Mubai and said, "Mubai, thank you so much." ”

"Why should Your Majesty say thank you for the matter?" Qin Mubai smiled and arched his hand and said, "Actually, a good mood is the best medicine. Most of my father's illness came from within. Rheumatism and bone disease are just small heads. ”

"That's a good point." Li Shimin nodded thoughtfully, put down Li Mingda, put his hand on the stove and roasted it, rubbed his hands and said, "The way to maintain health is from the inside out." The medicine stone can only be supplemented. The set of Tai Chi you created is really good. I have time to practice. Not only to strengthen the body, but also to calm the mood and cultivate self-cultivation. ”

Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile dumbly: I'm sorry, old comrade Zhang Sanfeng, I didn't mean to......

The four of them sat around the fire, waiting for the Imperial Dieter to take care of the prey and bring supper. After a while, someone came to the palace, and it was actually Princess Gaoyang's mother and daughter!

Concubine Yin De and Princess Gaoyang appeared together in Penglai Palace, this is the first time.

Concubine Yin De is still so graceful and luxurious that she doesn't dare to look at her directly, and her frost-white hair adds a mysterious and different style. Qin Mubai saw Princess Gao Yang walking next to her, and found that she was simply a young version of Concubine Yin De, and for the first time found that she was so similar to her mother!

Princess Gaoyang, who has experienced personnel skills, has really grown up, and she has begun to exude the smell of a woman from her bones.

"Come here, sit down." Li Shimin didn't say much, but the smile on his face was quite gentle, beckoned Concubine Yinde's mother and daughter to sit down, and said, "Have a family banquet today." This feast is not ordinary, I got it myself. ”

Concubine Yin De smiled: "Is Your Majesty going hunting again?" ”

"Hey, you're just boring, and you're broken in a word." Li Shimin patted his knees and said as if he was a little annoyed, "Why don't you let Ling'er and her son guess first!" ”

"Hey......" A disdainful voice sounded in the hall, Li Zhi was stunned, and blurted out, "Father, you have said several times just now, how you are powerful in archery." When he entered the palace, he also wore a martial arts uniform, can the emperor not know that you are going hunting today? ”

"Haha!" The room burst into laughter.

Li Shimin suddenly felt very faceless, and deliberately pointed his face at Li Zhi and shouted: "You talk a lot!" ”

Li Zhi's expression was stunned, very hesitant, grinning, and his expression was stunned as if he had made a big mistake.

"Child, you stupid boy, why are you so wooden?" Li Shimin shook his head and smiled bitterly, "If you have half of the cleverness of Emperor Gaoyang, I should rest assured." ”

"Oh......" Li Zhi nodded as if he didn't understand, looking at Princess Gaoyang blankly, blinking his eyes and not knowing what he was thinking.

Qin Mubai's heart was a bright "pong", and he said secretly: Li Shimin's casual words seemed to have broken through a glimmer of heaven. "Reassuring"? What is he worried about Li Zhi? What was the reason for him to leave the fourteen-year-old Li Zhi in the harem? ……

Qin Mubai naturally thought of the eldest grandson Wuji. This uncle of the dynasty, the first minister of Zhenguan, and the only minister, Qin Mubai did not have much intersection with him. Previously, because of the conflict with the eldest grandson, there had been one or two contacts. At that time, the eldest grandson Wuji gave Qin Mubai the feeling that this person was very kind, elegant and kind, very cultivated and knowledgeable. But at the same time, it is also very urban, as if it is unfathomable. With Qin Mubai's eyesight and insight at that time, he could only see a layer of his coat.

But in history, wasn't he the one who tried his best to assist Li Zhi to ascend the throne? When Li Shimin died, he was orphaned by him, so he became a first-class minister during the Li Zhi dynasty.

Although there are different evaluations of him in history, it is not denied that the eldest grandson Wuji is a person with a strong desire for power. Moreover, he did do such a thing as "the right to invade the government and the opposition, and the power to shake the lord", and was finally cleaned up by Gaozong Li Zhi and Empress Wu Cao.

Now is the time when the battle for the heir is the most fierce, but the eldest grandson Wuji, the first minister of the dynasty, seems to be inconspicuous, he neither clearly stands on the side of the prince, nor on the side of the king of Wei. These two people, like Li Zhi, were both born to Empress Changsun and were the nephews of Changsun Wuji. But the prince's loss of virtue provoked the emperor's dislike, this is an open fact, and now except for Fang Xuanling, who was entrusted by the empress to protect him with all his might, "smart people" like the eldest grandson Wuji have already respected him; As for the King of Wei, this prince who is good at writing and skillful has never liked his own uncle, and the two of them are not at eye for each other, which is almost universally known. Li Tai likes to recruit some "second generation officials" or young scholars as henchmen, and he is not very interested in the characters of his father's generation. The eldest grandson Wuji seems to be lukewarm to him, a nephew who "disrespects the elderly".

Therefore, there was a strange situation in the court: the crown prince and the king of Wei competed for connections, but they seemed to only pay attention to some subtle characters, and ignored the eldest grandson Wuji, the first giant of the dynasty.

It's really a lethal dry humor.

After thinking about it, Qin Mubai concluded that the one who took the initiative to ask Li Zhi, the king of Jin, to leave the palace as soon as possible and open the mansion must be the eldest grandson Wuji; And listening to what Li Shimin said just now, he didn't seem to be at ease that Li Zhi would leave the palace and open the mansion, and the root cause of it was precisely because of the eldest grandson Wuji.

Maybe Li Shimin wants to protect Li Zhi from this big storm of competing for the throne, or perhaps, he doesn't want Li Zhi to leave his palm after leaving the palace and be played by the eldest grandson Wuji, so as to affect the prince, the court pattern and the future trend of the Tang Dynasty. Because Li Zhi is also the son of a grandson. Although he was young, he also had the capital to participate in the battle. An important reason for this is the pedigree.

At this moment, Li Shimin's mind must be complicated. First, the eldest grandson Wuji is his eldest brother, who has worked hard for many years, and has always been loyal to him and very effective, and he is the most worthy of his trust and quite useful. Second, no king would be willing to decide the affairs of the court and the direction of the dynasty to his ministers rather than himself. The influence of the eldest grandson Wuji is becoming more and more huge, and there is no doubt that in the matter of competing for the crown and heir, which side he stands on, the balance of power will naturally tilt to which side.

Qin Mubai guessed that in fact, with Li Shimin's shrewdness and long-term vision, coupled with his usual pragmatic style, he should be very clear about the fact that when choosing a successor, the bloodline and descendants are just a piece of paper, and the big Confucianism and the little Confucianism like to fight for such things after tea and dinner, but how much can this really do for a dynasty and a famous family? What really plays a decisive role in the future of the prince and the dynasty is to see who and which forces stand behind this prince. This is the decisive factor for him Li Shimin to decide whether the dynasty will be stable for a long time and whether the Li family's imperial industry will continue to prosper after a hundred years, not the dozens of catties of blood flowing in the veins.

If it was really the eldest grandson Wuji who proposed to let Li Zhi out of the palace, Li Shimin had to cheer up his 120,000 spirits: Could it be that the immature slave couldn't get rid of being involved in the struggle for the heir after all? The eldest grandson is Mowgli, what is his intention?

……

Qin Mubai thought a lot, but he didn't know if his imagination had a basis or was true. These things may have always been buried deep in Li Shimin's heart, and he would never talk about them to others. Only occasionally inadvertently revealing a scaly claw, leading to speculation and speculation.

All in all, the current Zhenguan Dynasty is not as quiet and peaceful as imagined. The competition for the crown is becoming more and more fierce, and it is like planting a time bomb for this dynasty. The detonation of the bomb will be sooner or later, and the lethality it will bring depends on Li Shimin's means of handling the matter.

Li Shimin is indeed sad and distressed enough. He is now a bomb defuser who is faced with countless leads and does not know which one to cut. The slightest mistake can be devastating. Decades of hard work could have been ruined. Zhenguan is prosperous, and it is likely to be a flash in the day.

……

During a meal, Qin Mubai was not at ease eating, and he kept thinking about these things in his mind. After returning from Lanzhou, he felt that the breath of Chang'an had changed a little, and there was also a little smell of wind and grass and trees above the court. He thought that this might be the reason why Li Shimin gave him half a year off and asked him to take Princess Gaoyang and his family out on a trip, not wanting them to stay in Chang'an and be involved in these turmoil. And the truth does not seem to be as smooth as Li Shimin expected. Almost as soon as Qin Mubai settled in Chang'an, the prince and the king of Wei sent a post to invite him.

Obviously, these two people are trying their best now, even if it is a dog's tail grass, as long as they can borrow their strength, they will not let go. It can be seen that the fierceness of the contention.

The craftsmanship of the Imperial Chef is impeccable, and the wild game in the mountains brought by himself is also unique. After the meal, Qin Mubai accompanied Li Shimin, Concubine Yin De and others, and took Princess Gaoyang, the young slave, and the son to play in the back garden for a while, which was quite enjoyable.

It can be seen that Li Shimin has not been so relaxed and happy as he is today for some days.

When night fell, Qin Mubai was "released", but he was caught by Princess Gaoyang and didn't let go. Qin Mubai secretly complained to himself, and said in his heart: My two poor brothers were released by me, and now they don't know where to scold me together!

So he hurriedly went to the Hongwen Pavilion, and the doorman said that Qin Bin had left a message, saying that the palace gate was going to be closed, so he and his eldest brother went to the Qin Mansion first, and waited for Qin Mubai to come back and have a dinner party.

Qin Mubai was in a hurry to burn his buttocks, and hurriedly ran home. Where is Princess Gaoyang willing to let go, she followed out of the palace and threatened: "Don't you want to get rid of me again, run away and be happy secretly!" - Haha, I just ate an banquet in the palace, and I went to your house for a family banquet, and I'm going to get fat soon! ”