Genghis Khan shook off my hand and laughed, "But who will be the manager of my chicken farm is still a problem." With that, he left.
Before I could speak, Zhao Kuangyin stood up and said, "I don't think it's a waste of money and resources for me, as an emperor, to enjoy eating walnuts." He glared at me and left.
As Qin Shi Huang stood up, I took his hand and said, "Brother Ying, I'm doing this all for your own good."
"Hang up!" The fat man walked away leisurely.
Then it was just me and Zhu Yuanzhang looking at each other. I cautiously said, "Xu Da and the others..."
Zhu Yuanzhang stretched and said, "The Qin Dynasty was great in every way, except the food was terrible. I'll go get a roast duck to eat."
Me: "..." This is a classic case of "the cunning rabbit dies and the hunting dog is cooked," this is the legendary "killing the donkey after it has done its work," this is a classic example of "crossing the river and then destroying the bridge"! Luckily, Liu Bang wasn't around, and Zhu Yuanzhang was eager to eat roast duck, otherwise I would have received the same treatment as Han Xin and Xu Da.
The emperors, relieved, strolled into the courtyard, each one beaming with pride. Li Shimin suggested, "How about we get together for a game of mahjong?" Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhao Kuangyin had no objections, but Liu Bang wasn't there, and Qin Shi Huang and Genghis Khan didn't know how to play mahjong. Zhu Yuanzhang waved to me and said, "Xiao Qiang, hurry up, we're one short."
Feeling resentful, I said irritably, "I'm not playing!"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, "Come quickly, I will bestow upon you the title of First-Class Duke." Anyone who has had a similar experience knows what it means to be one player short in a game of mahjong; it's even more embarrassing than having your wife walk into your bed right after you've climbed into the brothel.
I chuckled and said, "I'm planning to spend the rest of the time with my son. How about I share some with you?"
Zhu Yuanzhang and others said, "...You should go with your son."
Zhao Kuangyin glanced around and saw Empress Lü and Wu Zetian in the courtyard. He suddenly pulled Li Shimin and said, "Brother Shimin, your wife is free, why don't we bring her over to make up the numbers? Anyway, we can't really beat her."
Li Shimin beckoned and said, "Meiniang, come here."
The Empress Wu Zetian of later generations walked up to the group with proper small steps, greeted the others first, and then said softly, "What does Your Majesty want with me?"
Li Shimin said, "Play mahjong with us."
Wu Zetian said in a panic, "But I don't know how."
Empress Lü suddenly said, "Mahjong? I'll teach you."
Wu Zetian said admiringly, "Sister, you even know this?"
Empress Lü said, "My husband told me about this."
Zhu Yuanzhang impatiently flipped over the mahjong tiles and laid them on the table. He grabbed a tile, face down, and slammed it down on the table with his finger, exclaiming, "Six of Bamboo!" But it turned out to be a Nine of Bamboo, far inferior to a steamed bun.
The three women sat down, and Empress Lü pulled up a chair and sat next to Wu Zetian. A group of people scrambled the cards with their hands. Wu Zetian hesitated to move, and Empress Lü said, "Draw some cards, sister."
Wu Zetian said shyly, "How can this be?"
Empress Lü said, "Hey, there are no big or small matters at the gambling table, just treat them as your sisters."
Zhao Kuangyin and the others said in unison, "That's right, that's right, you're treating us like your harem..."
Li Shimin smiled slightly at Wu Zetian and said, "Meiniang, you don't need to stand on ceremony in front of these gentlemen in the future."
Wu Zetian then lightly placed her ten fingers on the mahjong table. Empress Lü began teaching her by shuffling, rolling dice, and drawing cards. After a hand was set up, Empress Lü whispered the rules and how to play in her ear. Wu Zetian memorized them carefully and suddenly exclaimed, "Then, sister, do you think I'll get a hand with the three and six of bamboo this time?"
Zhu Yuanzhang exclaimed in surprise, "No way, you're already ready to win this early?"
Empress Lü glanced at her cards and chuckled, "Sister, you have good luck, but you must never let anyone know what you're playing with!"
Wu Zetian blushed. When it was her turn to draw cards, she took one and placed it in the deck, then played a wind tile, before asking Empress Lü somewhat helplessly, "What should we do next?"
Empress Lü excitedly pushed the tiles over and exclaimed, "Silly girl, we won!"
The men remained silent for a long time. Zhao Kuangyin was stunned for a while before reshuffling the cards, saying, "I think Sister Li has good luck. Why don't we play something bloody?"
Li Shimin asked, "How do you want to take it?"
Zhao Kuangyin said, "One village per round. For example, if I win this round, each of you will give me a village from your territory."
Zhu Yuanzhang immediately agreed, saying, "Good, good, a little gambling is fun, and it's interesting to play like this." He certainly had a big mouth; in my eyes, the village chief was practically a high-ranking official.
Whether it was due to good luck or simply good fortune, after two rounds, each of the three emperors owed her two villages, thus earning her the nickname "Village Chief Wu".
Zhu Yuanzhang said with dissatisfaction, "Change the wind, change the wind, today is really strange."
Zhao Kuangyin also said, "Brother Shimin should also go down. How can a husband and wife team play cards together? They keep giving away points."
Li Shimin said aggrievedly, "Weren't you the one who lit all the cannons? I was the next player to go!"
Empress Lü laughed and said, "I'll go. Let's at least make it a four-way war."
...And so these men spent the next few days like this. Wu Zetian fully demonstrated her talent in this area; by the time she left, the Han, Song, and Ming dynasties had all been established under her rule. Li Shimin proudly told his brothers, "Who would have thought that my wife, who doesn't excel in domestic affairs, would be so capable in foreign affairs? From now on, I'll be counting on her to expand the territory of our Tang Dynasty!"
Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Yuanzhang exchanged a glance, sighed, and got into their carriages and left. Empress Lü stamped her foot and said angrily, "Hmph, I'll avenge my husband when he returns."
Baozi, bundled up tightly, stood at the door to see them off, then said, "Next time, let's play Six Kingdoms Checkers."
This time, Genghis Khan and Li Shimin hurriedly got into the carriage, saying, "Hurry, hurry! The Grand Marshal of Qin has unleashed her power; she intends to destroy the six kingdoms!"
Chapter 209 There's Milk
The day after the emperors left, Mulan was also returning home. Her current status was special, and she was very busy with official duties. Mulan hugged me and Baozi and said, "I'll come see you again when the little one is a month old. The little elephant is coming with me; it'll be more convenient for Cao Cao to visit him then."
Cao Xiaoxiang kissed his younger brother who shouldn't have done it, then looked up at him pitifully and asked, "Dad, do you still want me in the future?"
I quickly squatted down and said, "How could your father not want you?" I suddenly thought of a question and said to him, "Little Elephant, you can go back to your father Cao Cao in three months. At that time..." I didn't finish my sentence. After all, Little Elephant is still young, and there are some things that are not suitable to explain to him. Given Cao Cao's favor towards him, as long as he goes back, the kingdom of Wei will most likely still be his.
To everyone's surprise, Cao Xiaoxiang simply said, "I'm not going back."
I asked curiously, "Why?"