Morbid pet

Her expression was serious and serious, as if she could not refuse Li Mu.

Li Mu, however, remained calm and calm. He stood up, walked to his parents, and knelt down respectfully.

Xie Zhao frowned, "What are you doing? Get up quickly."

"Mom and dad, Mu'er, please agree to Mu'er's request."

Li Mu's tone was slow and firm, and his attitude was very sincere.

Xie Zhao stretched out his hand to help him up and asked softly: "Mu'er, if anything happens, let's talk about it when we get up. What's wrong with you?"

Li Mu shook his head, "Father, mother, you promise me not to send me into officialdom no matter what. I don't want to get involved in court disputes."

Xie Zhao was slightly startled, unable to react, "You"

Li Mu continued: "Dad, you also know that my foundation is too shallow. Even if I have a delicate heart, I would not dare to break into the court. Besides, now that my elder brother is in the court, I don't need to worry about anything. In the end, Mu'er knows that your expectations for me are that I can support one side and stabilize the court, but Mu'er really doesn't have this ambition."

After hearing this, Xie Zhao paused for a moment, and then said, "You mean, you want to study literature?"

Li Mu shook his head, "I want to learn martial arts. I hope I can protect my parents and my sister in the future."

Chang Le was stunned for a moment, then his eyes heated up and he threw himself into Li Mu's arms.

Xie Zhao looked into his son's determined eyes and was silent for a long time before speaking: "Since you have this ambition, your mother and I won't stop you, but you need to tell us the reason. You are not just my son, you You are still a descendant of the Li family. You must shoulder the responsibilities that belong to the descendants of the Li family. Just work hard for the foundation of the consortium that your mother has entrusted to you. You can also learn martial arts. Not entering the court is what we have always acquiesced to. You don’t need to have any mental burden now, you know.”

Li Mu lowered his eyes, then raised his head and said, "Father, mother, do you still remember a name that Uncle Emperor Wuxin once mentioned?"

Li Yu tilted her head, "Uncle?"

Xie Zhao nodded, "Well, when your uncle was young, he traveled around and got acquainted with an expert. The expert taught him martial arts, so your uncle became prosperous in the world. Your emperor My uncle once said that there are always a few people in the world who may be more powerful in martial arts than him."

"Dad, do you know who that expert is?" Li Mu asked again.

Xie Zhao thought carefully and then shook his head.

"At first, the emperor's uncle was desperate and wanted to run away from home, but the master left a letter saying that he was waiting for him somewhere in the capital. If he didn't look for it, he would leave. The emperor's uncle hesitated. , and then the emperor's uncle chose to believe in that master. He traveled far away from home, met that master, and became his disciple from then on. He also became that master's disciple." Li Mu explained the matter. Come on.

Changle interrupted: "What's the name of that expert?"

Li Mu smiled and touched Chang Le's arm, "My name is Lu Xuanji. According to rumors, Lu Xuanji is an immortal in the sky. Now Master Lu lives in my mansion. I am going to learn martial arts from Master Lu. Jiangnan's business is not going anywhere. Don’t worry if you will be left behind, I will make arrangements for it.”

Changle nodded slightly before asking: "Is there anything else? I'm here today, so I'm not just talking about this, right?"

Li Mu smiled shyly, "There is nothing better than a mother to know a son, mother, Mu'er wants to get married."

Changle's pupils dilated slightly, "Getting married? With whom?"

In fact, Chang Le and Xie Zhao have always been very open about their children's marriage and love. After all, they were also deeply affected by the feudal ethics system. When they were young, they met someone they liked very much and wanted to stay with them for life, but their families did not allow it. , there are too many twists and turns in the aristocratic family, it is really because of family problems that they have wasted each other for several years. If the 15-year-old Changle had married Xie Zhao at that time, with the power of the royal family, most of those aristocratic families would not Choose to take action against the Zhou family.

There aren’t so many twists and turns anymore.

Chang Le's eyes turned red when she thought about it, and her nose felt sour. She said, "Mu'er, mother only has one request. You don't want to marry a low-class wife. You are the emperor's heir, and you must have the consciousness of the emperor's heir. It's not that your mother looks down on you. Those women in the Goulan, it’s just that the women in the Goulan have seen too much evil in human nature since they were young. They will not really have feelings for people. They are wolves waiting for opportunities! The one you want to marry can be a commoner. Even if a woman in your family has not received a good education, but has the love of her parents, she will not have any big flaws in her character. The key is to be kind. You will eventually find that kindness can really cure many problems in life. The ruggedness.”

Chang Le's words were heartfelt, and how much Li Mu could listen to them all depended on his luck.

but.

Li Mu has long been married to Le Ji in Goulan.
The words he wanted to say were choked in his throat.

He said in a trembling voice: "Mom, Mu'er wants to marry the eldest daughter of the Qin family, Qin Zipei. She also likes Mu'er, but there is a woman in Mu'er's heart that she likes very much. She is the kindest person Mu'er has ever seen in her life. A woman, but she is a performer in the Jiaofang Department. I know you look down on such women, but Lucky couldn't choose her own birth, but she really lived hard, and I saw it in her. The rising sun is a kind of vitality that I have never seen before, and it is so stretched that it is shocking."

"We don't mind if you like busking, but are you sure that your woman is worthy of your lifelong trust? Does she have parents and brothers? Has she ever been married? Does she have children?"

Li Mu pursed her lips, "Mom, I don't care that she has been married before. She has changed her ways. She is willing to wash her hands and make soup for Mu'er. She is also willing to endure humiliation and bear the burden for Mu'er, and she can even be a concubine. Isn't such a woman precious enough? What’s more?”

"Besides, she has already died once. She almost died trying to save Mu'er. When I met the assassin in the palace last month, she stood up and blocked the assassin's knife for me. The knife was inserted three inches above my heart. The imperial doctor said she was lucky, but if she was a little off, she would be dead. She is also a lonely woman, without even a family member."

Li Mu's tone was full of grief, and Chang Le's tears fell down.

"Mu'er."

Xie Zhao also sighed: "We know, don't tell your brother about this first."

Li Mu nodded, "I know, Mu'er doesn't want to disappoint eldest brother."

"Be good~" Xie Zhao gently touched Li Mu's head.

Li Mu said again: "Mom, I want you to help me find my aunt."

Xie Zhao asked doubtfully: "Which aunt is yours?"

Li Mu explained: "My aunt Li Yuerong is the daughter of a merchant. Although she is not favored, she is very smart and knows how to maximize profits. She also makes a lot of money, but her husband is not very rich. My husband is not very rich." My aunt's husband's surname is Lu. The Lu family is a wealthy family in the south of the Yangtze River. The family's properties are spread throughout Daqi. They are a presence that cannot be ignored. I want to know who Master Lu is. If he is really like the rumors. General is a mysterious figure, so it’s not difficult to guess why he accepted Mu’er as his disciple, and it must have something to do with my aunt.”

As Li Mu spoke, Xie Zhao frowned, "Didn't Master Lu live in seclusion three years ago? Why did he show up again?"

Li Mudao: "He appeared in front of me when I was 16 years old, and then accepted me as his disciple. His identity has always been mysterious, and I have only seen him in person in the past two days."

Xie Zhao nodded, "That aunt of yours is indeed excellent. In terms of appearance, talent, and wisdom, she is the best of the best. It's a pity."

After Xie Zhao finished speaking, Li Mu also sighed.

Princess Changning also sighed.

Li Mu said again: "Mom, how about you let me marry Qin Zipei, the eldest daughter of the Qin family, and then wait another year to marry Le Ji as a concubine?"

Chang Le and Princess Li Yu looked at each other, and then Chang Le said: "Mu'er, the eldest daughter of the Qin family is the eldest daughter. Her father is the Minister of the Ministry of War. Although the official position is not high, her mother's family is very prominent. She My mother is the only daughter of General Zhenguo. I heard that women are in charge of their family. If you marry Qin Zipei, you may have to pamper this eldest lady a little. Moreover, the Qin family’s maternal clan is the Qin family’s support. If the Qin family regrets it in the end, I'm afraid you will suffer a loss."

Li Mu said firmly: "Since I dare to mention it, I am sure to win Qin Zipei."

"Then what are you going to do?" Xie Zhao asked.

"I want to put pressure on the Qin family first. If the Qin family doesn't allow me to immediately abandon Qin Zipei and find another beautiful woman, I don't believe that the Qin family is willing to let their eldest daughter become a concubine. The Qin family will definitely ask me to take a concubine."

"Well, this is a good strategy." Chang Le patted Li Mu on the shoulder, "As expected of his son, he is much better than your eldest brother. Your eldest brother is also about to become a third-year man, and he has not taken a concubine yet. , I’m really worried. I wonder how long it will take for him to wake up? Bring the girl he says he likes to see us.”

Xie Zhao held Chang Le's hand and said comfortingly: "Don't worry, it should be soon. Now that Pang Ning has said it, he must have a complete plan in his heart. We just need to wait for him. The rest of the things are urgent." There’s no rush.”

Li Mu giggled.

"Then write a letter as soon as possible. We will try to delay it as long as possible. Even if the Qin family regrets it, we will still have time."

"it is good."

Li Mu went back to his room to get pen and paper, while Chang Le continued to embroider and mend his clothes stitch by stitch.

Changle has recently fallen in love with embroidery, especially Su embroidery. The double-sided embroidery is so ingenious that she even lived in Suzhou for a period of time to learn Su embroidery, but she almost exhausted her eyes and failed to learn it. It can be seen that this kind of delicate work is still very delicate. Exercise from an early age.

Li Yu sat aside and accompanied him silently.

Changle suddenly asked Li Yu: "How is your uncle's leg?"

Li Yudao: "It still needs to be nursed back to health. He was too tired when he was young and his body was weak, so he got the root cause of the disease."

"Hey, your uncle is also an infatuated man, what a pity."

Princess Changle sighed and looked far away at the door. Li Li Yuerong, who kept silent and no longer mentioned her miserable life, turned to sigh and said: "Your father was so good-looking when he was young. He was handsome and graceful. Now in the blink of an eye, our children are all At this age, everyone is getting married. Time really flies, too fast, too fast."

Princess Changle sighed and lowered her head to embroider again. Li Yu stood quietly with her.
-
After Li Mu left Princess Changning's Mansion, he went straight to Qin's house. His coachman rode beside Li Mu and said respectfully: "Master, didn't you say you were only going to Qin's Mansion to propose marriage tonight?"

Li Mu pondered for a moment and said calmly: "I changed my mind temporarily."

The coachman said oh and stopped talking.

Li Mu leaned against the wall of the carriage and squinted his eyes. That stunning face appeared in his mind. Over the years, he could not forget her. Every time he thought of her, he felt as if there was a warm current in his chest. move.

"Stop!" Suddenly, Li Mu shouted, and the horse was forced to stop.

Li Mu jumped off the carriage and rushed towards Qin's house quickly.

The driver was startled and hurriedly followed.

After Li Mu entered Qin's house, he went straight to the backyard. At this moment, the backyard was quiet. Li Mu ran straight to Qin Zipei's boudoir, opened the door and went in.

The house was empty.

Li Mu's footsteps paused. After a while, he turned around and left. As soon as he reached the door, he bumped into the maid who was rushing over.

Li Mu supported the maid's shaking body and asked nervously: "What happened?"

The maid cried and said: "The master asked the slave to call the second young master, saying that there is something important to see the second young master." "Important thing?" Li Mu murmured to himself: "What important thing?"

There was a hint of something bad in his heart, but he still held on to a bit of luck, hoping that it wasn't what he expected.

Li Mu came to the main hall. Qin Zipei's father, Qin Zhongwei, was pacing anxiously. After seeing Li Mu, Qin Zhongwei immediately came forward, took Li Mu's arm, and said excitedly: "Mu'er, you are finally here, your cousin, she problem occurs!"

"what?"

"She sneaked out of the Qin Mansion last night and was caught. Now she is being held in a prison. Go and rescue her!"

Li Mu frowned and said, "Who is so bold as to kidnap the eldest lady of the Qin family?"

Qin Zhongwei gritted his teeth and said: "It's that bastard from the Zhao family. The Zhao family is a famous family in the capital. Their family is very powerful in the capital. They even built the palace. Your cousin is the eldest daughter of our family. She is usually arrogant and domineering. I’m used to offending a lot of people, so I guess this time I’m trying to get revenge and complain.”

Li Mudao: "What did the Zhao family do? Why did they arrest their cousin?"

Qin Zhongwei shook his head and said: "I don't know. I only heard that it was because of a painting. It is said that the painting is worth thousands of gold on the black market. I suspect that they want to use this painting to control Zipei."

"Is the painting made by my cousin?"

"No, that painting is a legacy work left by your aunt to your cousin."

Li Mu sneered and said: "My cousin's paintings are worth a few hundred taels each, so her aunt's painting is not only worth a thousand pieces of gold, but probably hundreds of millions. Gee, the Zhao family is really greedy!"

Qin Zhongwei sighed and said, "I have already sent people to invite the Zhao family, but they refused to hand over."

Li Mu frowned and asked, "Why did the Zhao family arrest my cousin? Could it be that they have a grudge against your Qin family?"

Qin Zhongwei shook his head and said: "I don't know about this, but I heard that the ancestors of the Zhao family were charlatans and magicians who knew the art of divination. They may have seen something, so they arrested Zipei and wanted to find out her secret."

Li Mu cursed secretly in his heart, the charlatan is really harmful!
Li Mu thought for a moment and said, "Uncle, don't panic first. I'll check the situation first and confirm it before I go to save my cousin to prevent them from harming her."

Qin Zhongwei said: "Mu'er, you don't understand. Those charlatans are cruel and cunning, especially the ancestor of the Zhao family, who is even more powerful. We, the Qin family, can't defeat him at all. We can only pray that he will not hurt Zipei."

Li Mu said: "Uncle, don't worry. Since I came here today, my cousin will be fine. I am still an idle prince. The palace was not built by our family, but it does belong to our family."

Qin Zhongwei said worriedly: "My lord, I hope so."

Li Mu comforted Qin Zhongwei, then left Qin's house and went straight to Zhao's house.

Li Mu didn't tell Qin Zhongwei what he was going to do. He went directly to a house of the Qin family.

This house was originally his uncle's property. When his uncle was still alive, he gave it to him. Although he disdained living in such a dilapidated house at the time, he could not return the house now.

Li Mu climbed over the wall and entered the house, and then successfully sneaked into Zhao's house.

The Zhao family is a well-known military officer in the capital, and the ancestor of the Zhao family is even more powerful. He has participated in battles, made great military exploits, and is highly valued by the court. Therefore, the Zhao family can be said to be domineering in the capital, unless there is an imperial edict. Or a position such as a county prince or governor conferred by the emperor, otherwise ordinary officials would be very afraid of the Zhao family.

The Zhao family has great power in the capital, and even a wealthy family like the Qin family does not dare to provoke the Zhao family easily.

The eldest daughter of the Zhao family, Zhao Zijin, is a famous beauty in the capital. She has a beautiful appearance and is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. There are countless people pursuing her, but she falls in love with a poor scholar. Naturally, the ancestors of the Zhao family strongly resist this marriage. , and finally assigned her to the eldest son of the Qin family, Qin Zhengsi.

The wedding was scheduled for the sixth day of April, but Zhao Zijin escaped from the marriage. The Zhao family was furious and wanted to kill Zhao Zijin to vent their anger. Unfortunately, Zhao Zijin had been prepared for it. While she was escaping from the marriage, she also spread the news to her family.

When the Qin family received the news, the Zhao family was planning to use Zhao Zijin's body to pay homage to the deceased. If Zhao Zijin really died in the hands of his own family, the Qin family would definitely suffer. This was clear revenge.

The Qin family naturally didn't want their son to be charged with harming someone else's daughter.

The wealth of the Zhao family is not much less than that of the Qin family. If the Qin family wants to monopolize the Zhao family's wealth, they must first eradicate the Zhao family and then divide the treasure.

Although the Zhao family is rich, they do not hang out in restaurants and brothels like the Qin family. Instead, they specialize in military strategies in their mansion.

The Qin family is a family of military generals who are good at riding, shooting, and arranging troops. The Qin family's family motto is "A gentleman loves money and gets it in the right way." They never bully the good.

The Zhao family is just the opposite. The Zhao family is money-hungry and has no bottom line. Anyone who hinders them from making money will kill them at all costs.

The Zhao family has many guards in the mansion. The Qin family wants to break into the Zhao family to save people, which is simply a fantasy.

The Qin family was not a vegetarian either. Not only did they hire a large number of thugs, they even brought bows and arrows. They set up traps around the Zhao family's mansion.

What was originally a good marriage turned into chaos in the end, and the daughter of the Zhao family disappeared after escaping. Everyone thought she was dead, and even the Zhao family arranged a funeral hall and burial for her, just to rely on her. He wanted to lose a daughter in exchange for the wealth of the Qin family, but how could the Qin family be vegetarian?

The final result, of course, is a lose-lose situation for both sides.

That night, the Qin family took advantage of the dark moon and high winds to sneak into the Zhao family's mansion, intending to sneak attack on the Zhao family. However, they did not expect that the Zhao family had already taken precautions. When they broke into the Zhao family's mansion, the Zhao family's guards were waiting for them. There, a fierce fight broke out between the two sides. The Zhao family suffered heavy casualties and were eventually wiped out by the Qin family.

This incident quickly spread throughout the capital, and the Qin family took the opportunity to loot the Zhao family's warehouse and banknotes, and gained another huge fortune.

The Qin family was very excited and felt that they had made a lot of money on this trip. They couldn't wait to transport the treasure to another courtyard in the suburbs of Beijing, preparing to move out of the capital to avoid disaster.

However, the good times did not last long. The Zhao family soon became aware of the Qin family's intentions. They joined forces with another huge force to intercept the Qin family in another courtyard and ordered the Qin family to hand over Qin Zipei.

Naturally, the Qin family was unwilling to surrender, so the two sides fought fiercely. Although the Qin family suffered heavy losses, they finally took Qin Zipei away.

Li Mu, who finally learned the truth, looked gloomy. He also heard the origin of the matter from his elder brother's eyes and ears. It was definitely not as simple as the eldest daughter of the Qin family sneaking out of the mansion, nor was it the Zhao family's desire for a painting worth thousands of gold. The picture is inappropriate.

Li Mu still decided to rescue Qin Zipei, and took action that night.

……

Of course, the royal army cannot be compared with the soldiers raised by these ministers. In terms of physical fitness and equipment ratio, they are much higher. Of course, the Zhao family has no information, and they do not know that Qin Zipei has quietly hooked up with Li Mu. A big ship.

In the end, almost two guards died, and the Zhao family surrendered, admitting that they were in the wrong. The head of the Zhao family took the initiative to commit suicide to apologize, and the rest of the people died and scattered, and the Zhao family was about to be overthrown.

When he found Qin Zipei, he looked at Qin Zipei who was standing by the bed shivering, and asked with a smile: "Cousin, why did you run to Zhao's house?"

Qin Zipei looked up at him and said with tears in his eyes: "Brother Mu, save me!"

Li Mu walked up to her, reached out and patted her shoulder, and said softly: "It's okay, as long as I'm here, the Zhao family can't do anything to you."

Qin Zipei lowered his head and sobbed for a while, then said: "I don't want to go to the Zhao family, but my father said that he was unwell and asked me to go see the old man of the Zhao family on his behalf. I couldn't refuse, so I agreed. Who knew that the Zhao family could be so vicious? You actually want to kill me and silence me.”

Li Mu was silent for a while and said, "Cousin, don't worry, I will protect you."

Qin Zipei raised his head, looked at Li Mu expectantly, and said, "Brother Mu, will you marry me?"

Li Mu showed a bitter smile on his face and said: "Zipei, I came here today just to propose marriage to you, but something like this happened to you, and I had to change my plan to save you, but you and your father said But there is not a word of truth, forget it, I don’t want to mention the old things between your family and the Zhao family, they are all in the past tense after all."

Qin Zipei was about to cry and said: "Brother Mu, you already know that our Qin family has done something disgraceful and it is our problem. I really don't have the face to bring it up to you. Moreover, now that Zipei has been kidnapped, there is no chance of innocence." It has been destroyed. Apart from you, Zipei really doesn’t know how to survive, but I really like Brother Mu and want to marry you, treat you well all my life, and have children with you.”

Li Mu sighed and said: "I know, but Zipei, I want to tell you the truth today. In fact, I don't like you. You will not be happy if you marry me. Have you considered it? You still want to choose me. ?”

Qin Zipei insisted: "I don't care, I don't care, I will marry Brother Mu!"

Love, love, etc. are all false. There is the best, but there is no such thing as nothing.

Qin Zipei has always been very open-minded about these things under the guidance of her mother since she was a child. She said bluntly: "Brother Mu, I know that you have someone you like. It's the woman you brought over at Yu'er's hairpin banquet that day. Well, I met her twice. At the palace banquet, she played the piano very well. We can be good sisters in the future."

Qin Zipei may have been moved by her remarks, and tears fell down her cheeks. She sobbed, "Brother Mu, don't give up on me. I really like you."

Li Mu had a headache. He rubbed his temples and said, "Cousin, don't cry yet. Let's go back tonight."

"No!" Qin Zipei flatly refused.

Li Mu frowned and said, "Why?"

Qin Zipei wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "I don't want to be separated from you. I want to be with Brother Mu forever."

Li Mu was stunned. He didn't expect Qin Zipei to like him so much.

However, Li Mu still shook his head and said: "We are not suitable. I am afraid that I will wrong you. Your old man also has a character that refuses to admit defeat. If this is the case, marrying you is equivalent to marrying a time bomb, which may happen at any time. If it affects my family, it would be better not to be together, what do you think?"

Li Mu said the simplest words in a declarative tone.

But when it fell in Qin Zipei's ears, it was almost like thunder.

Qin Zipei grabbed his sleeve and begged: "What's wrong with us? We grew up together, and you taught me how to read and write. We are a perfect match!"

Li Mudao: "We have known each other for a long time but our time together has been very short. Moreover, you have been pampered since you were a child and have never suffered much, while Le Ji has been eating bran porridge and salted duck eggs for 15 years. I will be the same in the future." If you want to marry her, I suspect that you are jealous, and your life will be very difficult in the future. Besides, our personalities are too different and there is no way we can be together."

Qin Zipei was stunned for a moment, and then suddenly started crying while hugging Li Mu. While crying, he said, "I know you dislike me, brother Mu, but I don't care. I don't care what Le Ji or other concubine you marry. I just want to I will always be with Brother Mu."

Li Mu looked at the girl holding him and crying bitterly, and suddenly felt a trace of guilt in his heart.

In fact, he has no feelings for Qin Zipei between men and women.