Chapter 440 Red Umbrella, White Rod
Mu Chaobi's eyes were filled with murderous intent at this moment, and he no longer showed any sign of forbearance.
Zhang Qian glanced at Deng Hui and said, "Commander-in-chief, Jiang Qingzhi used four cups of wine to divide the civil and military forces of Yunnan today. It seems smart, but he forgot one thing, that is, this is Mu's Yunnan."
Deng Hui stroked his beard and smiled: "The Duke doesn't need to do too much, just let the Mu family know, if the Duke falls, will they benefit?"
Zhang Qian nodded, "Don't forget how Emperor Chengzu treated the Mu family back then."
At that time, Emperor Chengzu's main strategic goal was the grassland, but he still continued to send people to Yunnan to stir up trouble. His purpose was obvious, which was to take back the governance of Yunnan.
"Your Majesty is currently stubborn and is at odds with the literati. If Yunnan is brought back to the court, your Majesty's prestige..." Deng Hui analyzed Jiang Qingzhi's intention from the perspective of conspiracy theory.
"Governor, the Mu family is the most important." Jiang Shun is the first general under Mu Chaobi, and is both civil and military. "As for the civil and military officials, to be honest, as long as the governor is here, they will still be rich and prosperous. If the governor falls, they will also suffer. So there is no need to worry."
"Just follow a new master." Someone sneered, "For those people, whoever has money is their father, whoever has milk is their mother. There is no loyalty at all."
Jiang Shun said calmly, "A new master? How did the Beijing Guards get rebuilt? They were purged. Seven or eight out of ten Beijing Guards officers were gone, and even four or five out of ten soldiers were returned. But they are still Beijing Guards. If Yunnan had a new master, how many of these civil and military officials would be left?"
Mu Chaobi nodded in appreciation, "Jiang Shun is right. Let's spread this message later."
"Excellent." Deng Hui said with a smile, "If these words are spread, not only can they rally people's hearts and fight back against Jiang Qingzhi, but they can also make Jiang Qingzhi afraid to act rashly."
"If Yunnan is forced to rebel, he will have no chance of escaping disaster if he returns to Beijing!" Zhang Qian sneered, "But the most important thing right now is how to kill him without leaving any trace."
"Do we have to kill him?" Deng Hui frowned. "After all, Jiang Qingzhi is a relative of His Majesty and is quite trusted by him."
"Are you still thinking that the governor can make peace with the court?" Zhang Qian looked at everyone slowly, "The deaths of the first two Dukes of Qian are well known to everyone from His Majesty to the court. It must have been the governor's doing.
Normally, if something like this happened, the court would be furious, and the Royal Guards would go south to arrest the person. But Your Majesty and the court chose to forbear. Why?"
Mu Chaobi tapped the table with his fingers, and when everyone looked over, he said, "It's just because the time is not right. The main threat to the Ming Dynasty is in the north, and your majesty and the court dare not start a war in the southwest. That's why they chose to forbear.
Once the situation changes, for example, if the Altan tribe is no longer a threat to the Ming Dynasty, Your Majesty, with his vindictive nature, will certainly go all out... to take ruthless action against me and Yunnan."
"The only concern now is not to break up." Zhang Qian smiled and said, "Maintaining the relationship with the court is the top priority. On top of that, planning to kill Jiang Qingzhi is why the governor asked you to come here today."
Everyone was silent.
Mu Chaobi said calmly: "First, create an accident, and second, find a way to ruin Jiang Qingzhi's reputation. The first is to take action directly, and the second is to create public opinion and win the support of the army and the people for me and Yunnan."
The rest was the specific means, and Mu Chaobi didn't need to get involved in this matter. He stood up and said, "You've all worked hard. There will be wine and food later. Eat and then go back."
Everyone thanked him and watched Mu Chaobi being escorted away.
Even in the Duke's Mansion, Mu Chaobi was accompanied by guards most of the time.
"I think we should just send a good assassin to kill him!"
"If the assassination attempt is a failure, it would be better to burn him to death!"
"Poison? There are many poisonous snakes in Yunnan."
"besides……"
The voice gradually faded away, and Mu Chaobi returned to the back of the Duke's Mansion.
The night was pleasant, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers, and there was a gentle breeze, rustling the branches and leaves.
Mu Chaobi had no intention of enjoying these beauties, as Mu Gong was gone and he was the only owner of the huge Duke's Mansion.
He walked into the reception room, and the guards stopped and looked around vigilantly.
This is not only to guard against Jiang Qingzhi, but mainly to guard against those who are loyal to the old Duke's faction from taking risks.
There are many paintings hanging on the walls of the reception room. The earliest one is a portrait of Mu Ying, the ancestor of the Mu family.
Mu Chaobi looked at the ancestors one by one until the last two portraits. The first one was his father Mu Shaoxun, and the second one was his elder brother, Mu Chaofu, the father of the previous two Dukes of Qian.
"Since I was a child, I have watched my brother being flattered by everyone, which made me quite envious. At that time, I wondered why my brother could be so flattered? Was it because he was older than me? If age was the only criterion for superiority, wouldn't those old men and women be extremely noble? I was also stupid and actually asked my father about this, and was beaten up."
Mu Chaobi looked at the portrait of his father Mu Shaoxun. "I still remember what my father said back then, not a single word. He said: There is order of seniority. Not to mention the age difference, even if you are twins, as long as your elder brother comes out first, he will be the heir to the title of Duke of Qian."
"Is that so?" Mu Chaobi smiled, "My father passed away early, and my elder brother inherited the title at a young age. At that time, the governor of Yunnan and others were coveting the power to govern Yunnan. Fortunately, the Mu family members banded together and blocked your majesty's tricks.
But what did my brother do at that time? He only knew to show his loyalty to the court, and every time he submitted a memorial, he must have been extremely terrified, fearing that his power would be reduced...
"Reducing the power of the vassal states! He doesn't even think about it. If he really wants to reduce the power of the vassal states, the more respectful he is, the more determined your majesty's confidence will be."
Mu Chaobi looked at Mu Chaofu's portrait and said, "I was quite indignant at that time, and wondered why the successor could not be chosen based on ability? But everyone said that the eldest son of the legitimate wife was the heir and the eldest son was the heir for thousands of years."
Mu Chaobi sighed, "But I was wondering...what if the older one died?"
A gust of wind blew in and the portrait shook.
"Thank goodness, God must have heard my voice, so my brother passed away at the age of 20. I was thinking, is it my turn now?"
"But those tribesmen pushed out Mu Rong's baby, who is still breastfeeding. The court did the same. Why?" "Why can a baby who is still breastfeeding inherit the title? Is it because he is the son of Mu Chaofu? I don't accept it!"
On the candlestick on the table, a candle as thick as an arm was burning. The flickering candlelight cast Mu Chaobi's figure on the portrait, as if the two brothers were having a cordial conversation, or as if they were fighting to the death.
"The court ordered me to assist Mu Rong as the deputy governor, but why didn't they just let me inherit the title?"
Mu Chaobi snorted, "How can I bear to see that baby sitting there in a daze? Father..."
Mu Chaobi looked at Mu Shaoxun's portrait and said, "I will help him grow up like this, and then personally hand over Yunnan, which I have worked so hard to maintain, to him... wouldn't that be like making wedding clothes for others?"
He laughed, his smile was a little strange in the candlelight, "Since I can't bear it any more, I don't need to bear it anymore. So I quietly made some moves. Not long after, my eldest nephew passed away.
I sent people to the capital early on to ask for help from my connections and plan for my succession to the title. I created public opinion in Yunnan... Everything was ready, but Your Majesty and the court..."
Mu Chaobi punched Mu Chaofu's portrait with all his might, "They actually let Mu Gong inherit the title, but he's still a baby, still a baby!"
Mu Chaobi slowly squatted down and gnashed his teeth and said, "I will do it once and for all. Since the court is unkind, don't blame me, Mu Chaobi, for being unjust. I was the one who killed Mu Gong. Now that my brother's bloodline is cut off, what can the court do? What can Your Majesty do?"
Mu Chaobi looked up at the portrait and said, "Brother, what can you do? Hahahaha!"
Amidst loud laughter, Mu Chaobi stood up and said, "Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, brother, I still have Chen. I'm going to go see this beautiful sister-in-law now...hahahaha!"
He went to a small courtyard in the backyard.
Not long after, Chen's voice was heard from inside, "Mu Chaobi, what do you want to do? Let me go, let me go..."
After an unknown amount of time, Mu Chaobi came out with a satisfied look on his face and said to the guards, "No one is allowed to approach this place."
"Yes."
Mu Chaobi stood in front of the courtyard, looked up at the night sky, and said with a smile: "Once you have power in your hands, you can issue orders. Those who looked down on me in the past are now bowing down to me. This world is all about the survival of the fittest, there is no longer any reason to speak of. Hahahaha!"
Not long after, Zhang Qian asked for a meeting and brought the results of everyone's discussion.
"Strike from the dark first?" Mu Chaobi frowned. "The longer the night, the more trouble there is. Hurry up."
"Yes."
……
For Jiang Qingzhi, eating is one of the motivations for living.
In his previous life, he liked strong flavors, but later his spleen and stomach were not good, so he could only eat light food, which made his mouth taste bland. But just like life, he gradually tasted the true flavor of food from the blandness.
He had never been to Yunnan in his previous life, but he had long heard of Yunnan cuisine, especially mushrooms.
It is said that there are so many varieties of mushrooms in Yunnan that even the most experienced mushroom pickers cannot fully distinguish them.
In the morning, Jiang Qingzhi was awakened by the sound of birds singing.
He heard some faint sounds, as if something was caressing the entire world, and as if something was moistening the roof and the yard.
The sky was still dark, Jiang Qingzhi got up and put on his clothes. He opened the door and a damp but fresh air rushed towards him.
It's raining, and the rain is as light as silk.
"Master, get up."
Sun Chonglou’s shout came as expected.
After the training was completed, the accompanying cook also prepared the meal.
"Uncle, these were what I bought with my men yesterday." The cook was warned to be more careful when cooking.
The staple food for breakfast is rice, and the dishes include lamb and a dish of mushrooms fried with bacon.
"The bacon is local, and is said to be a delicacy as good as ham. Add to that the delicious mushrooms... I took a bite, and it was delicious!"
Everyone was salivating and sat down to start eating.
The mutton was okay. Jiang Qingzhi took a mouthful of rice and looked at the mushrooms fried with bacon. The mushrooms were bright red in color. Jiang Qingzhi's eyelids suddenly twitched.
"Wait a minute!"
Everyone was preparing to feast on the meal, but was shocked when they heard the words.
"Young Master." Sun Chonglou was impatient.
"Have you ever heard a song?" Jiang Qingzhi picked up a piece of mushroom and said slowly:
"Red umbrella, white pole, after eating, lie on the board together, lie on the board, sleep in the coffin, and then bury the mountain together..."
(End of this chapter)
