"I am here!... Guanyinbi, what brings you here!" Li Shimin was about to get angry when he saw a bowl in front of him, but when he looked up, his anger immediately turned into a smile.
"Your Majesty, while state affairs are important, there's no need to rush to eat!" Empress Zhangsun said, personally adding dishes to Li Shimin's plate.
"Hmm!" Li Shimin readily put down the vermilion brush and smiled as he accepted the rice bowl.
"Your Majesty, I've heard that Changning and Qin Huaidao are getting along very well!" Li Shimin said gently as Empress Zhangsun handed him a bowl of soup while he was eating.
"Pah! It's not that we're close, it's that we're always clinging to each other." Li Shimin put down his chopsticks and said. Of course, he knew about what was happening in the military camp, especially things related to princesses and noblewomen, which were definitely of great concern and would be reported to immediately.
"Yes! Young people are full of vigor and passion. If they cause any trouble, it won't look good. After all, the Prince is a member of the royal family."
"You mean!" Li Shimin was taken aback, imagined the scene, and then raised his head thoughtfully.
"Since they are mutually in love, why doesn't Your Majesty go with the flow and grant them their wish?" Empress Zhangsun suggested.
Li Shimin thought about it and agreed. Qin Mu had performed well and was worth winning over. Besides, there was the connection with Qin Qiong; the Qin family was very loyal to the court.
"Well, I'll leave this matter to you, Guanyinbi," Li Shimin said with a slight nod.
"Very well! Your Majesty, I will certainly handle it perfectly," Empress Zhangsun said with a smile.
"Are Pu'an and Dongyang alright?" Empress Zhangsun asked with concern.
“No problem, these are two good children.” Li Shimin understood what she meant and said with certainty. At the same time, he was also very satisfied with the attitude of his two daughters. Their ability to enter Confucianism with righteousness showed that they had very upright minds, which was a rare quality in the royal family.
"Should we send our godson and the others to study for a while as well?"
“No, no! It’s not appropriate for my son to go!” Li Shimin immediately shook his head in opposition.
"Why is this, Second Brother?" Empress Zhangsun was puzzled, not expecting Li Shimin to be so resolute.
Li Shimin first explained why his two daughters became Confucian scholars, then took a sip of soup before continuing, "My godson is the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty. What he needs to learn is the way of the emperor. Confucianism can be used as a reference, but not as a reliance. Besides, which emperor have you seen who is pure of heart and cannot tolerate any imperfections?"
Seeing the bitter smile on Li Shimin's face, Empress Zhangsun felt a pang of pain in her heart. She went over and massaged his shoulders, saying, "Second brother is right. I didn't think things through."
"Yes, not only our godson, but also Tai'er and the others, we can't let them learn Confucianism from the Qin family boys," Li Shimin reminded them again.
Although she didn't quite understand Li Shimin's meaning, Empress Zhangsun didn't ask any further questions. She simply paused for a moment before continuing to press.
"Don't overthink it. Although Qin is good, he still lags behind others. He's so young. Even with the inheritance of the Ghost Valley lineage, how much can he comprehend?"
"I will arrange for more and better teachers to guide my godsons and the others," Li Shimin said, patting the jade-like hand on the shoulder.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I know." Empress Zhangsun gently pulled Li Shimin's body back and pressed his head down. She knew that Li Shimin had to think about many things every day and his brain needed rest.
Li Shimin's heart immediately stirred with agitation.
As the old saying goes, isn't it a shame to be so full after a good meal? Li Shimin immediately lost interest in dealing with the memorials, so he pulled the person behind him to the front, grabbed them, and hugged them tightly.
Thanks to Qin Mu, the Imperial Study now has not only a desk but also a large sofa. Even though it's not as big as a bed, it doesn't bother the eager man.
Sometime later, the door to the imperial study was closed, and the guards stood at a distance. Only an elderly eunuch stood outside the door, his head bowed as if he were asleep.
……………
Qin Mu returned home, washed up, and then had dinner with Qin Qiong and his wife. Qin Qiong was very happy; his son had made him very proud, both in military exercises and poetry. As a result, he drank two jin of strong liquor by himself, and without using his Blood Fiend Qi to suppress it, he got drunk again.
Qin Mu wanted to rest, but unfortunately, there were still many things to deal with. The three new restaurants had also opened, and business was booming as always. Because they had six powerful backers, no one came to cause trouble at the restaurants.
After inspecting the accounts and pointing out some problems, he decided to leave the accounting matters to Aunt Zheng, since he couldn't possibly have that much time to oversee them.
Having her younger sister teach Aunt Zheng arithmetic would free her up her hands later. As for the cost, that was of course not a problem; the key was this attitude, which made Aunt Zheng very happy.
The food street and shopping mall will take some time to complete. After all, such a large project, involving the relocation and resettlement of dozens of households, is not easy. The main issue is the sheer number of buildings that need to be constructed, especially the shopping mall and residential buildings. These require a stable array of materials, as well as a significant amount of steel.
According to Cheng Huailiang, Li Shimin once scolded him for using so much steel to build the house, saying it was too wasteful.
After three busy days, Qin Mu received another piece of good news: the marriage had been arranged, and they were just waiting to pick an auspicious day to formally exchange betrothal letters.
Qin Mu only learned about this matter through Aunt Zheng, and that Li Shimin and his wife had actually contributed a lot to it.
On September 13th, a government office in Chang'an officially opened its doors. The local people were very curious about this place with two huge stone lions standing at the entrance. Only in the last two days did they realize that it was a place similar to a county government office.
A drum stood at the entrance of the government office, and the people realized that this was indeed a place to appeal for justice. The vermilion gate was very spacious; when the gate was opened, one could see a courtyard inside, and then the main hall.
Upon arriving at the yamen, everyone was very curious about his new office location. Qin Qiong sat upright in the center, with four large characters on the wall behind him: "A clear mirror hangs high!"
"Mu'er! Why are there two beast statues in this interrogation hall?" Qin Qiong asked, puzzled. Because this world is hostile to the beast race, such stone statues are rarely seen.
"This is called Bi'an, also known as Xianzhang, a legendary mythical beast. It resembles a tiger and is the son of a dragon. It is fond of litigation but also possesses great power. Legend has it that Bi'an is not only public-spirited and righteous, but also able to distinguish right from wrong and make impartial judgments."
"So, just like the four characters 'a bright mirror hangs high,' they both serve as a warning to judges not to bend the law for personal gain," Qin Mu explained.
Qin Mu referenced memories from another world when designing the layout of the Six Doors, making it not only imposing but also incorporating aphorisms and famous sayings.
On the pillars inside the lobby, there are also plaques that read: "Your salary and emoluments are the people's blood and sweat; the common people are easily oppressed, but Heaven is not easily deceived." This is also to remind the office staff.
The spring rain, selfless, enters the gate and first bows to the words "pure breeze"; the bamboo, upright and principled, leaves the government office, leaving behind a legacy of integrity. This is the couplet at the main gate of the government office, which immediately makes one's heart sink.
Only this front hall is open to the public; further back are personal offices. Behind this row of houses is a huge training ground, but strangely, in the middle of the training ground stands a separate stone house.
This was intentional on Qin Mu's part. He deliberately built the detention center in the middle of an open space, with the nearest houses more than 200 meters away, so that the guards could see everything clearly from the outside.
This detention facility is accessed from the inside, meaning it cannot be opened or entered from the outside unless the one-meter-thick stone wall and the arm-thick iron bars are breached.
The above-ground portion of the detention facility is merely a temporary holding place for ordinary people; once the facts are clear, they will be handed over to the Dali Temple for sentencing. As for the underground portion, it's even more formidable. Compared to current prisons, the security is far more stringent. Not only is it lined with bluestone, but even the cracks between the stones are sealed with molten iron. There are also reinforced array formations; it's safe to say that once you're inside, you're unlikely to escape.
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