On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Shimin had just gotten up and was washing and changing clothes in the palace, and Princess Gaoyang came early.

"The emperor has given his father's New Year's greetings! I wish my father ...... Anything, hee-hee! Princess Gaoyang said happily.

"Haha, you girl, you came so early!" Li Shimin laughed, stepped forward to pat her on the back and smiled, "In addition to New Year's greetings, there must be something else, right?" ”

Princess Gaoyang smiled: "The emperor can't hide his father's eyes from such a little thought. Father, the child does have something to ask you. ”

"Well, this New Year's Day request, there must be a request. But for the father, you can say it first, it must be a decent thing, otherwise you don't have to open your mouth! Li Shimin said with a smile.

"Don't worry, isn't the emperor so unconscious, and the first day of the new year dares to come to embarrass his father?" Princess Gaoyang grinned and grabbed Li Shimin's elbow, smiled coquettishly, and told Li Shimin about asking for a guard. He also said that he would send this guard to her as a New Year's benefit.

Li Shimin nodded with a smile after hearing this, and said, "Ling'er, you are the guard you asked for Mu Bai, right?" ”

"Hehe, I'll just say, the emperor is so careful, he will never be able to hide it from his father." Princess Gaoyang snorted coquettishly, "Father, you want to send Mu Bai to Yuanren Prefecture and County to serve, and the emperor agreed without crying or making trouble." But he went so far alone, I was worried about his safety! The barracks are full of wild men who are five big and three rough, especially the local military government, most of them are illiterate and reckless. What if they together bully and exclude Mu Bai? I don't care, I'm going to send some people with him! ”

"Huh!" Li Shimin smiled, "It seems that the relationship between you is indeed quite deep, and I am very comforted for my father." It's just that these hundred horsemen are the private guards of the royal family, how can they be sent to a commander of the folded Chong? ”

"Oh, Father...... I don't do anything! Princess Gaoyang twisted Ni coquettishly, "I don't care, I don't care!" Anyway, Mu Bai is our royal concubine, so it doesn't hurt to send a royal guard to him! ”

"A colt who didn't get through the door? You can say it, and you are not ashamed, haha! Li Shimin slapped his leg and laughed, "Okay, that's it, I will follow you." On the first day of the new year, how can I be embarrassed to go against your will and make you unhappy? In this way, let Mu Bai personally go to the hundred horsemen to select thirty people as personal guards to go to Xiangzhou before leaving. The military status of this Xun Wei was also transferred to Xiangzhou Zhechong Mansion, and he was temporarily appointed as the sixth-rank division or seventh-rank Zhonghou of the Zhongjun Yifu, and he was used around Qin Mubai. That Pang Fei, I can make him the Lieutenant of Guoyi in Xiangzhou Mansion and serve as Qin Mubai's deputy. I will inform Li Junxian and the officials of the Ministry of War later, and deal with this matter as soon as possible. ”

"Thank you, Father!" Princess Gaoyang was overjoyed, hugged Li Shimin's neck and kissed him wildly on the face, if Li Shimin laughed.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the government and the people celebrated together.

Emperor Li Shimin brought the royal family to the Suzaku Gate, where he received the congratulations of hundreds of officials and commoners, and would divide some rewards or promulgate two national policies to benefit the people. At this time of year, Chang'an City is at its most lively. Families, men, women and children all went out and gathered on Suzaku Street to observe this grand occasion.

All the civil and military officials with rank in the capital are all gathered today, and the Imperial City Imperial Forest Guard sent more than 5,000 people out to maintain the law and order in front of the Suzaku Gate.

Early in the morning, Qin Mubai went out with his father and brother in official robes, and when they came to the Vermilion Bird Gate, they were already crowded. If it weren't for the Imperial Forest Army to maintain order here, I am afraid that it would have been exhausted long ago.

The father and son dismounted and went to the official train to congratulate each other on the New Year. Everyone was a little surprised to see Qin Shubao, who had been sick and faded out of the court for a long time. After all, not many people knew that Qin Shubao had recovered, and there was very little knowledge about the fact that he had returned to the mountain.

There are four fathers and sons in the Qin family, Qin Shubaoguan worships the general of the third grade, and the second rank is the only one in the Zhu Dynasty, and the first rank of the wing of the country is even more honorable. The eldest son, Qin Tong, was in the military in his early years, and now he is a general in the Wupin Prison guard, an important general in the Royal Forest Army; The second son, Qin Bin, was a member of the emperor's think tank. Originally, if it weren't for Qin Shubao's poor health, Qinmen would have been a Zhenguan family. Now, the sudden rise of Qin Mubai, a concubine of the Qin family, is inextricably linked with the royal family, which has made the Qin family glow again, which has attracted the unanimous attention of the Chang'an Shi clan.

Today's public appearance of Qin Shubao and his three sons in the Zhengshuo Dynasty has pushed everyone's attention to a peak - the Qin family is bound to rise again!

The auspicious time has arrived, the emperor led a group of concubines and princesses to the Vermilion Bird Gate, and the city of Chang'an sounded a long live cry of the sea and mountains. Two years ago, the imperial court made household registration statistics, and Chang'an had more than 300,000 permanent households and more than one million characters. This does not include business travelers and foreign envoys and scholars. Combined with these floating population rough estimates, Chang'an now accommodates nearly two million people!

Today, there are 100,000 people gathered on Suzaku Street!

Suzaku Avenue, which is more than 100 meters wide, is crowded and lively, which can be called a prosperous feat!

Li Shimin stood on the tower of the Vermilion Bird Gate, raised his eyes and looked out, and saw a black oppressive figure near the Mingde Gate in the distance, and couldn't help laughing: "When I ascended the throne in the ninth year of Wude, Chang'an was only tens of thousands of households, and the population was only two or three hundred thousand. Twelve years have passed, and the people of Chang'an are thriving, and the number of household registrations has almost increased tenfold! ”

"This is the result of His Majesty's benevolence and virtue on the four seas. Guanhe Ningding is peaceful in the four seas, and the people live and work in peace and contentment, which is really the atmosphere of the prosperous era! Left and right praised together.

"Haha! Every year in the Zhengshuo Dynasty, I can see the emerging appearance, very good, very good! Li Shimin took a long breath and spit out happily, waving his hand, "Issue a new deal!" ”

The holy decree was promulgated immediately, all about the new policy of recuperating the people and recuperating lightly, exhorting agriculture and mulberry to encourage industry and commerce, and the city of Chang'an resounded with a sound of cheers, until the ninth night shook the world, and lasted for a long time.

Qin Mubai participated in such a Zhengshuo ceremony for the first time, and he was really shocked.

The large gathering of 100,000 people is too shocking, this is the atmosphere of a peaceful and prosperous world!

Qin Shubao smiled and said: "Da Lang Erlang San Lang, the Tang Dynasty is unparalleled, and it is not easy to come by!" We are the ministers and martial artists, and we should do our best to serve the country! Whoever dares to offend my Datang Tianwei should fight hard and never stop! ”

"Yes, Father!"

"Haha!" Qin Shubao laughed heartily a few times, bursting with pride!

From the troubled times more than ten years ago to today's peaceful and prosperous times, Qin Shubao has felt a lot along the way.

At this moment, he seemed to be in the era when Jin Ge's iron horse was like a tiger, riding a horse and carrying a gun, rushing back and forth in the enemy formation, and killing no one who dared to do anything!

Seeing such a peaceful and prosperous world, Qin Shubao felt a great sense of accomplishment, and his blood boiled endlessly.

Lao Ji is inspired, and his ambition is thousands of miles - the blood, fire, rivers and mountains have fought all the way, and the hard work and dedication have not been in vain! Today's peaceful and prosperous world, I don't know how many people have exchanged their blood and life for it, and it is worth cherishing!

……

Qin Mubai looked at Qin Shubao, and from his smiling expression and resolute eyes, he could read the unrestrained heroism and sincere relief.

Perhaps, the minds of their generation will never be able to understand themselves. But at this moment, Qin Mubai clearly felt the heroic spirit that was about to erupt from his father.

The man's husband stands up to the sky; War horses, spears, rivers and mountains of blood and fire, what is there to fear of death!

At this moment, Qin Shubao's image became tall again in Qin Mubai's eyes. Just because of the current prosperous situation, there is a credit to Qin Shubao; His golden spear has become a symbol of the majestic Tang Dynasty!

Perhaps, only a man like Qin Shubao is the most qualified to shout that sentence - those who commit strong men and heavenly might, although they are far away, will be punished!

Qin Mubai suddenly felt very lucky, it was really a great honor to be born as the son of Qin Shubao; It is a great fortune to be reborn in such an era; It is a great pride and glory to be born as a martial artist and an ordinary Tang citizen!

"Datang, I really like you more and more!"

……

The festival lasted until noon, and everyone was enthusiastic for a long time. The emperor had already returned to the palace and walked down the Suzaku Gate Tower, and the Suzaku Street was still cheering and thundering, which lasted for nearly an hour. Until the evening, many people did not disperse on Suzaku Street, and various celebrations were held spontaneously. Scholars and scholars chanted poems to praise the peaceful and prosperous times, jugglers showed off their skills to win applause, men, women and children walked through it to catch up with the excitement, Chang'an City boiled for a whole day, and gradually rested at night.

At night, the Qin Mansion, which has always been crowded, suddenly became lively, and the military generals who came to pay New Year's greetings were almost about to break through the threshold of the Qin Mansion; The carriages and horses listed in the courtyard were already impassable, so they had to be temporarily moved to the backyard for resettlement.

In the hall of the Qin Mansion, the guests kept drinking and delicating, and the number of people who came to pay New Year's greetings greatly exceeded the expectations of Qin Mubai and others.

Among the people who came to walk around, there were many generals such as the Twelve Guards, and there was no shortage of prime ministers. There is no need to mention people such as Li Tao and Cheng Zhijie, they have always had a good relationship with Qin Shubao. In addition, Li Daozong, the king of Jiangxia, and Li Ke, the king of Wu, also deigned to take the initiative to come to pay New Year's greetings. Even some of Qin Shubao's comrades, generals, ministers, and old friends, who had long since broken off their relationship for many years, also came to congratulate him.

This is really a success, and the wind and water are booming.

Even Yu Chi Jingde, who has always been not very compatible with Qin Shubao, also came, and brought his three sons with him, including Yu Chi Baoyun.

Qin Shubao greeted each other with a smile, and casually chatted about some of the gaps between his third son, Yu Chi Baoyun and Qin Mubai, and Yu Chi Jingde laughed: "The dog is not angry, his ability is not as good as Qin Sanlang, and he deserves to be beaten and eaten a turtle!" Uncle Bao, Mu Bai, this kid didn't dare to tell me about it when he came home, if it wasn't for hearing it from others, I wouldn't know much. Because he knows, even if Lao Tzu knows, he will definitely not help him get ahead. If you are not good at your own ability, you can't complain that others are too strong. If you want to save face, you have to work hard to practice martial arts, and you can beat Qin Sanlang! ”

"Haha! Lao Hei is still the temper of the year! Qin Shubao laughed, "That's right. We old guys will go ahead of them one day, is it possible that we are still counting on us to help us in everything? ”

"Hehe, Qin Er, we have been fighting for a lifetime, I can't beat you and you can't beat me. Now that you've won, your son is better than me! Okay, I'm convinced! Wei Chi Jingde roared like thunder and shouted, "Come, I'll fight with you today to get drunk!" - San Lang, you also go and toast Qin Mubai! People are better than you and have more ability than you, you have to be convinced, and you have to learn from others! ”

"Yes, Father!" Wei Chi Baoyun didn't dare to say anything, he held up the wine to salute Qin Mubai, and said, "General Qin, you have repeatedly offended yourself in your humble position, and you still want Haihan!" Today, as my father said, I am convinced of you! But in the future, I will work hard to improve and one day I will be better than you! ”

"Good! Brother Baoyun, just rush to your straightforwardness and pleasure, let's have this toast! Qin Mubai laughed and toasted with him.

On that side, Wei Chi Jingde and Qin Shubao finished drinking a cup, and snorted heavily: "The dog is confused, what's the point of mixing with that eldest grandson?" The white-faced scholar is full of bad water in his mind and eyes, and he has no strength to follow, and he has crooked thoughts all his life! If you want to learn, you also follow Mu Bai to learn! Look at how capable people are, their talent and martial arts are a hundred times better than yours, and they are shining brightly, and even the princess is crying and shouting to marry him! ”

Yu Chi Baoyun said with a bitter face: "Dad, you made me look like this, I look pitch black...... Which princess will take care of me? ”

"Scared, then do you think Lao Tzu and your mother made you ugly?" Wei Chi Jingde was furious, "See if I don't beat you!" ”

The hall was full of laughter, and Qin Shubao hurriedly persuaded him to continue drinking.

It was late at night that the guests of the Qin Mansion gradually dispersed and calmed down.

With so many guests coming at once, the father and son were really tired of coping with it, and they were all a little sleepy, so they rested early. Before leaving, Qin Shubao instructed that if he got up early tomorrow, he had to go into the palace to visit the emperor, and a few more families had to go back to worship. On the fifth day of the first lunar month, he and Qin Mubai were about to leave Beijing to take up their posts, and they had to hurry up to finish these things.

The next day, the father and son entered the palace to face the Holy New Year, and many courtiers and officials also came. Greeting the emperor on the second day of the first lunar month is almost an unwritten rule. As soon as the four of them walked to the front of the Wude Palace, they ran into Princess Gaoyang, who had obviously been waiting here for a long time.

"Yiguo Gong, why are you here? Hee-hee, I'm giving you a New Year's greeting, is it advantageous? Princess Gao Yang said with a grin.

Qin Shubao was amused and laughed: "The princess came to pay New Year's greetings to the minister, this is the opposite!" ”

Princess Gao Yang chuckled and said, "I'm a junior, so, so ......."

Qin Tong and Qin Bin smiled and said: "Father, Your Royal Highness the princess is giving you a New Year's greeting as a daughter-in-law, then you must send a profit!" ”

"Haha, good, good." Uncle Qin Baole haha took off the jade pendant and gave it to Princess Gaoyang, and said, "The old minister is poor and has nothing else, this jade pendant was given to me by the emperor in the early years, and I will give it to the princess today, and I will be the right to use it as a New Year's benefit!" ”

"Hehe, thank you Yiguogong! Am I not the one who is loved? Princess Gao Yang said with a grin.

Qin Mubai smiled: "Okay, don't look for my father to be happy." No matter how valuable the items are, it doesn't hurt to give them to you, it's a family inside and out, isn't it just that the left hand of this jade pendant is put on the right hand? ”

"I know, I want you to say it!" Princess Gao Yang smiled and said, "By the way, I specially waited for you here just to tell you that my father has agreed to give you a guard." You can choose thirty people from the hundred horsemen and go to Xiangzhou Mansion with you to take up your duties, and let these people serve as the generals of your Chinese army. In addition, the father also promised to promote Pang Fei to be the lieutenant of Guoyi in Xiangzhou Mansion and serve as your deputy. ”

"Really? That's great! Qin Mubai said happily, "Thank you so much, Ling'er." ”

"Hey, hey!" Princess Gao Yang smiled triumphantly, "How about it, I'm a little useful, right?" ”

"Did anyone say you're useless, it's not that you've been bothering yourself with metrics." Qin Mubai quipped, "The dignified princess of the Tang Dynasty, how can it be said to be useless? ”

"Wow, you're sarcastic about me!"

……

The courtiers made an appointment to greet the emperor for the New Year, which is also a scene of kung fu, which is not cumbersome. Later, the father and son entered the palace to worship the New Year, and they were given to sit in the Linde Palace. Many of the courtiers were already waiting here, and the emperor would come to share lunch with his courtiers.

The eldest grandson Wuji, Fang Xuanling, Wei Zheng, Li Tao, these people are also in the case.

Qin's father and son and others also saluted them one by one and sat down separately.

Qin Shubao whispered to Qin Mubai beside him: "San Lang, you have had a lot of gaps with the Fang family and the eldest grandson family, this is a big hidden danger. Our Qin clan is frank and straightforward, and we are never afraid of anyone and do not stamper with anyone, but gentlemen are easy to marry villains and difficult to prevent, so you have to be cautious in the future. ”

Qin Mubai smiled and nodded, and said, "Then my father thinks that the eldest grandson and the house, who is the gentleman and who is the villain?" ”

Qin Shubao smiled and said, "Above the court, there is no absolute gentleman, and there is no absolute villain. Otherwise, they are not politicians. ”

"Father has a point!" Qin Mubai nodded thoughtfully, and secretly wondered: How many good people can play politics? And how many of them always put a black face and an ugly face in front of the world? People's hearts are inherently complex, not to mention politicians who have been immersed in conspiracy and power all year round.

Soon it was noon, Li Shimin feasted the ministers in the Qide Palace, and drank until noon. When the banquet was over, the emperor specially sent a small eunuch to invite Qin Mubai to the Penglai Hall of the harem and meet him privately.

"Mu Bai, you will go to Xiangzhou in a few days to take office, how are you ready?" Li Shimin asked.

Qin Mubai replied that everything was ready, just waiting to set off.

Li Shimin smiled and said, "You think it's ready, but Gao Yang doesn't think so." She just feels that she can't feel at ease by letting you go so far, and she is worried about your safety. The little girl's family is no more worried than a man! Therefore, I have decided to send you a personal guard. Pick 30 people from among the 100 horsemen to go to Xiangzhou together and serve as your Qinyifu Military Academy. In addition, I promoted Pang Fei to serve as the lieutenant of Guoyi in Xiangzhou Prefecture and serve as your deputy. With the help of a group of familiar and competent people, it will be much easier to become an official in the local area. ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty, Longen!" Qin Mubai bowed gratefully.

"No need to thank me, this is all Ling'er asked for you. Early in the morning on the first day of the new year, she came to ask me for help, can I agree? Li Shimin said with a smile, "When you arrive at the place, everything is not as good as the capital." You should put more effort and time into getting acquainted with the military and political affairs of the localities, and watch and learn more. I will be waiting in Chang'an to see your achievements. ”

"Wechen obeys!"

Li Shimin got up from the throne and walked in front of Qin Mubai, looked at him with his hands behind his back and smiled with his slightly fat belly, and said, "If you have a son-in-law like this, what more can you ask for?" Mu Bai, don't let down my expectations of you! ”

"Yes......" Qin Mubai smiled slightly, "Your Majesty, rest assured, Weichen knows his identity, and he also knows what he should and shouldn't do." ”

"Good. So I was relieved. Li Shimin patted him on the shoulder, "Go ahead, visiting relatives and friends for the New Year must be busy, and your time is very urgent." ”

"We're going to say goodbye." Qin Mubai arched his hand and withdrew.

With a slight smile, Qin Mubai shook his head and said secretly: Li Shimin is also an interesting person. He deliberately reminded me that he regarded me as his own son-in-law, and promised to give me a guard to accompany me to Xiangzhou. The implication is actually obvious - although you are working hand in hand with Li Ke to assist the official, don't forget, you are always my person!

In fact, Li Shimin's intention, Qin Mubai had already realized it. At the beginning, Li Ke took the initiative to ask Li Shimin for his life, but Li Shimin agreed. But when it was really time to seal the official, Li Shimin deliberately gave Qin Mubai a military officer from the general of Sanpin Yunlu, and deliberately improved his rank, which was only half a grade behind Li Ke, the assassin of Xiangzhou, who was the third grade. Its far-reaching intention hinted to the two: Li Ke wants to win Qin Mubai into his camp, it's no fun; When you get to the place, Qin Mubai is on an equal footing with you, because he is the person I sent to supervise and assist, not your Li Ke's vassals.