Two days later.

Princess Gaoyang fell into a deep sleep on the couch, breathing deeply, one hand stretched out of the quilt, holding Qin Mubai's hand and refusing to relax. As soon as Qin Mubai moved, she grabbed it tighter, and she was soon pleasantly surprised.

Looking at her gray face and thin outline, Qin Mubai felt a faint pain in his heart.

This girl hasn't slept for two days and two nights. Crying dry tears and hoarse throat, Qin Mubai was really worried that she would go crazy and lose her heart.

Li You's body had been packed, and the coffin was ready to be transported to Chang'an. Yin Hongzhi has been cremated, and the ashes are placed in a small jar.

At this time, Qin Mubai had a feeling. A person, whether he was a great traitor or a great good in his life, after death, everything turned into smoke.

Previously, Qin Mubai had been extremely resolute in wanting to stab Yin Hongzhi, fantasizing about a variety of ways to kill him, and how to calm Princess Gaoyang's psychological trauma after the incident. But now, as soon as Yin Hongzhi died, Qin Mubai found that he didn't hate him anymore.

Yin Hongzhi, he has lived in hatred and shadows all his life, so his heart is twisted and perverted, and what he does is indeed intolerable to ordinary people.

But now Qin Mubai thought about it the other way...... In other words, what if you witness your parents, wife and children being killed, and your sister being taken captive by the enemy?

Himself, will he do more than Yin Hongzhi? ……

It is because of the different positions and interests that there are contradictions between people and festivals. Standing in Yin Hongzhi's position, he has a deep hatred in the sea of blood, how can he allow it to be written off? Standing in the position of others, he was mad and mad, for his own personal revenge, he did not hesitate to use his own nephew, so that thousands of people died.

Perhaps at the last moment, Yin Hongzhi found that his hatred had been avenged - because Li You had openly rebelled against his father and brought an earthquake-like disaster to Datang. Or perhaps, his hatred was lost to Princess Gaoyang's persistent and sincere family love, and his conscience repented, especially after witnessing Li Youzhi's death, he had no intention of falling in love with the world, so he committed suicide by falling into the city......

Perhaps, for Yin Hongzhi's suicide, everyone has a different answer in their hearts. But what Qin Mubai is most willing to believe is that at the last moment of his life, he, like Li You, still retains his last dignity and conscience.

He doesn't want to imagine and understand human nature as ugly, especially when he is accompanied by the angelic Ling'er.

Yes, Ling'er is an angel, Qin Mubai thinks so with great firmness.

Yin Hongzhi's paranoia and madness, hatred and sin, have not completely wiped out the holy and kind place in Ling'er's heart. Even when she had the idea of killing Yin Hongzhi and ending everything in her mind, she still remembered the past, Yin Hongzhi's kindness and love for her.

Qin Mubai also understood why Ling'er completely turned her face with Yin Hongzhi, and had the intention of killing him quickly.

This decision, which made her so painful and painful, may have been prompted by herself.

Because Ling'er understands him and knows that since he is here, he has made up his mind and wants to take the initiative to take on everything.

The way to bear this is to kill Yin Hongzhi with your own hands and solve everything!

As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, Li You can put most of the responsibility on him, and maybe he can find a way to live;

As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, especially in the hands of Qin Mubai, Qin Mubai and Li Ke can clear their suspicions;

As long as Yin Hongzhi dies, the rebels in Xiangcheng will not defeat themselves, and the people of Yicheng will be spared from military disasters......

All in all, Yin Hongzhi is the source of all evils, and to solve him is to solve everything!

But...... If it was really Qin Mubai who killed him, it would inevitably leave a shadow in Princess Gaoyang's heart. After all, it was one of her closest relatives.

Obviously, Princess Gao Yang thought of this layer.

So she made such a decision, not to let Yin Hongzhi die in Qin Mubai's hands, she would rather do it herself!

She would rather hate herself and torture herself than leave a shadow between her and Qin Mubai!

……

The angel is in love with a mortal, but she belongs to heaven. Unable to refuse the longing of home, let alone leaving and hurting mortals, the angel broke his wings and let himself bear the sorrow of longing and the pain of the flesh......

Qin Mubai thought of this beautiful and poignant fairy tale. At this moment, Ling'er is an angel, and he is that vulgar and snobbish mortal......

After sitting in the room for more than an hour, Princess Gao Yang finally slept deeply. She rolled over and let go of her hand unfreely.

Qin Mubai walked out lightly and found that Yin Yang had been standing outside waiting for him for a long time.

"What?"

Li Tao sent someone to invite, and the messenger had been waiting outside the hall for more than an hour. The last general would not dare to let him in and disturb him. ”

"Got it."

When he came to the front hall to meet the envoy, Qin Mubai cleaned up a little, and then went to see Li Tao in the military camp outside the city.

Li You dedicated the city, Yin Hongzhi committed suicide, and the city was not attacked, and the remnants of thousands of rebels supported Princess Gaoyang as the leader and surrendered together.

Qin Mubai and Li Tao didn't expect such an ending.

Winning without a fight is a battle for the upper in the art of war.

But there was a "biggest" accident, that is, Li You committed suicide by taking poison!

This is probably the last thing the emperor wants to see.

Seeing Li Tao, the two of them tacitly understood it, and they were thinking about it in their hearts.

"The city is suppressing the remaining bandits and pacifying the people, resting for three days, and returning to Beijing." A gleam flashed in Li Tao's eyes, and he said briefly, "You go with me." ”

"Hmm." Qin Mubai nodded.

Li Tao stepped forward, looked at him with a relatively quiet look, and patted him on the shoulder: "There was some surprise." His Majesty the Emperor, you have to think about how to deal with it. ”

"I know." Qin Mubai nodded again.

"The commander is also responsible, and he will not push. Then I will be with you. Li Tao said.

"No need." Qin Mubai said, "One person does things and one person does things, if I hadn't appeared rashly, King Qi might not have been so radical." I'll take that responsibility. ”

Li Tao frowned: "I am the commander of the three armies, I won't let you in, how can you appear under the gate of Xiangcheng?" Needless to say. I, Li Tao, have never been in the habit of shirking responsibility, and I will not avoid the important and make light words. What the facts, we will directly state the holy face, and then let His Majesty the Emperor decide. ”

"Okay...... Uncle Shi, thank you. Qin Mubai smiled.

"Nothing to thank." Li Tao smiled slightly and said, "Actually, when I was willing to let you in, I should have expected that there might be such an ending. Now that it has happened, let's face it calmly and accept it! - Her Royal Highness Princess Gaoyang, how is the situation? ”

"It's fine." Qin Mubai said, "Just now, I finally fell asleep. ”

"Hey...... Luckily she's fine. Li Tao sighed leisurely, "Actually, Li You and Yin Hongzhi died like this, but they are all gone." The rest of the living people are really pitiful. ”

Qin Mubai fell silent for a while. For the first time, he felt his own powerlessness. Once upon a time, he swore in his heart that he would never let Ling'er and Mei Niang be hurt and traumatized. At that time in Xiangzhou, after Li You kidnapped him with the intention of assassinating the prince, Qin Mubai did his best, hoping to detain Li You from death. After all, it's not for Ling'er to do all this?

But in the end...... It's really better to count people than to be counted by heaven!

"You don't have to blame yourself. Everyone has their own destiny, and this may be the destiny of King Qi. Li Tao seemed to see through Qin Mubai's thoughts, and said, "The man stands between heaven and earth, but he asks for everything to have a clear conscience; Success or failure is not all something you can grasp. It's not a bad thing to get a little setback. ”

"Uncle Xie Shi dialed." Qin Mubai smiled slightly, and his mood was much brighter.

Li Tao nodded and smiled: "Mu Bai, be calm, everything will go naturally, don't worry too much." Today's saints are wise and enlightened saints, who will judge everything clearly. ”

"yes, I know." Qin Mubai nodded.

"Now, I'll go back to Xiangyang to make arrangements." Li Tao said, "Bring your soldiers and horses back, put them in order, do a handover of military affairs, and prepare to go to Beijing with me in a few days to face the saint." By the way, who is that Xue Rengui? ”

Qin Mubai couldn't help but smile: "What's the matter, Uncle Shi is interested in him?" ”

"Huh!" Li Tao said with a smile, "I am afraid that there are not many people in the world who can make Xue Wanche bow down and admit defeat in one combination." This Xue Rengui is the peerless general of today's rank. Since I have met it, how can I not ask a few more questions? ”

Qin Mubai smiled, and briefly told Li Tao about Xue Rengui's origin and identity.

"Oh, so you still have the ability to read people? Meritocracy, a good thing. Presumably, I have added another fierce general to my Datang! Li Tao patted Qin Mubai's shoulder and laughed heartily.

Qin Mubai also laughed, but he smiled a little thief: "I thought that Uncle Shi had the intention of digging a corner!" ”

"Ahem!" Li Tao coughed dryly, "If it were your person, I would not be polite." It's King Wu's......"

"Haha!" Qin Mubai laughed, "Aren't they all from the Tang Dynasty?" ”

"That's right." Li Tao smiled with relief, "Yesterday, King Wu and Chu Suiliang came to my camp together. Today, the two of them went to Chang'an first. That Xue Rengui also went with him. ”

"Oh, King Wu is gone?"

"Hmm." Li Tao nodded, and said meaningfully, "Mu Bai, we are ministers, no matter how deeply favored we are, we are separated by a layer after all. Between the royal family, no matter how strange they are, they are a family after all, and blood is thicker than water. Do you see what I mean? ”

"Yes, I understand." Qin Mubai nodded. He knew that Li Ke's meaning was nothing more than to persuade him, or not to get too close to Li Ke. At this time, getting too close to any prince is a danger signal. For example, in front of him, even if Li You raised the flag and rebelled, Li Shimin also sent troops to quell the rebellion with great fanfare, but the first thing that came to mind was to "capture" Li You alive. As for Yin Hongzhi and other people who "instigate and rebel", they are certain to die.

To put it more clearly, even if the prince makes a mistake, he still has the gold medal of the royal family's blood on his head; On the contrary, the people around him are certain to die.

This is also the reason why the succession and crown control of all dynasties are so dangerous. At this time, if you stand in the wrong line, it means that your head will fall to the ground.

At present, this court is obviously the stage of the crown prince Li Chengqian and the king of Wei, Li Tai. Although Li Chengqian is not immoral, he has the natural advantage of being the eldest son, and is backed by the traditional "rules" of establishing a prince. As for Li Tai, Wenzhi is outstanding and far-reaching, which is more in line with Li Shimin's standards and requirements for his successor, and the current voice is also higher and higher.

No matter who of these two people wins in the end, it can be expected that they are unlikely to let go of Li Ke, who is similar to Li Shimin, in the end.

From this point of analysis, standing in Li Ke's "team" is indeed dangerous.

Li Tao is a well-known "centrist" in the court. He is not biased towards any prince, but obeys the emperor's orders. As early as the beginning, when Li Shimin and Li Jiancheng competed, he did not favor anyone. Even Li Shimin invited him to come over and stand in line, but he refused. Similar to him, there is also Li Jing.

Far from affecting their future, Li Shimin trusted them even more in their "integrity" and "loyalty."

Qin Mubai seemed to have sniffed out some of the meanings in Li Tao's words, and it was appropriate to persuade him to "remain neutral".

"Mu Bai, you are a smart person, so I won't say more." Li Tao said with a smile, "It's rare for Duke Wei to accept you as a protégé and pass on your art of war." You should cherish the opportunity and use your wisdom where it should be used is the right way. ”

These words are more straightforward.

Qin Mubai nodded in understanding: "Uncle Xie Shi's teachings are earnest. When I return to Beijing, I will go to the Wei Mansion more often to ask for advice. Concentrate on studying the art of war, and don't ask about miscellaneous matters. ”

"Well, it's teachable." Li Tao nodded with a smile, "Also, the Guanlong area seems to be very lively recently." Your old father may be a little busy in Lanzhou. Go to Chang'an and pay more attention, see if you can find an opportunity to help your father. ”

"Oh, there's a war in Guanlong?" Qin Mubai couldn't help but be a little surprised.

"Oh, military affairs are not allowed to be discussed, but I didn't say anything." Li Tao smiled and said, "In short, when you go to Chang'an, you will understand everything." ”

"Hmm...... Good. Qin Mubai pondered in his heart. Listening to the meaning of Li Tao's words, it seems that I was asked to be transferred out of Xiangzhou "by myself" and go to the border to march and fight!

Could this also be the emperor's intention entrusted to him?

After thinking about it carefully, Qin Mubai thought that it was very likely. After coming to Xiangzhou for a year, he and Li Ke got together, and there were really a lot of things. The emperor saw it in his eyes and thought about it in his heart - this back and forth, is Qin Mubai my person or his Li Ke's person?

The emperor has his own emperor's mind. Is it a good thing for a capable courtier to be too close to his own emperor, especially a capable concubine?

As early as that year, Emperor Gaozu Wude killed Liu Wenjing, wasn't it because he was Li Shimin's diehard loyalist? The deep-seated reason is of course not Liu Wenjing's rebellion as rumored by the outside world. Instead, Liu Wenjing is a bit arrogant by nature, and he doesn't treat Li Yuan, the emperor, very much, but he only dissects Li Shimin. Liu Wenjing himself was still a hero who followed Li Yuan when he raised troops in Taiyuan, at that time, his ability and prestige were recognized as far superior to Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui and others.

"He still has such a fate, let alone my mere Qin Mubai?" Qin Mubai began a deep introspection - after Li You's rebellion, Li Shimin will definitely increase the scrutiny and pressure on his sons. This can be seen from the fact that he recruited Li Ke back to the capital as soon as possible. After this, I am afraid that it will be difficult for me to work with Li Ke in the same state and territory as before.

Keeping a distance and drawing a clear line of ground and boundaries may be beneficial to both of them.

The court is so sinister, and the politics are so cold. Family affection can still be wiped out with one sword, let alone friendship?

Qin Mubai sighed lightly in his heart, nodded and said, "Uncle Shi, I understand. After returning to the court, I knew what to do. ”

"Well, I know you've always had a good understanding, so I don't think you need to say more." Li Tao said, "Just remember what I said, the man stands between heaven and earth, but he asks for a clear conscience." ”

"Yes, I remember." Qin Mubai nodded.

The Li Tao in front of him is now in charge of half of the world's troops, and he is in charge of half of the rivers and mountains in the Tang Dynasty, Shandong, and Hebei, which can be said to be above 10,000 people under one person. The so-called not being envied by others is mediocre, above the court, but many people scold him for being exquisite, and he is the most adept at catering to the Sacred Heart and is good at making wall grass.

In fact, what is wrong with a gentleman seeking good fortune and avoiding evil? In other words, is it wrong to be smart?

Those who really know Li Tao know that he is not a villain. In his heart, he has his own morality. But it is good to have a clear conscience, not to be deceived and deceived, and not to be a man with a clear conscience.

Qin Mubai felt that after Li You's incident, he should also learn to be smarter.

The reality is like this, and he and Li Ke can't be allowed to steal the bell by themselves, and be a pair of scattered immortal Taoist friends above the court. Since it is inevitable to be vulgar, it is better to learn more from Li Tao and learn smarter.

Keeping a distance and drawing a clear stance is not a matter of cutting off one's robe and turning oneself into an enemy. It's good to have your own fortune in your heart. As Li Tao said, he has a clear conscience.