"Haha!" Liu Renyuan smiled bitterly and shook his head: "The dignified Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty sent his son-in-law to Baekje just to kill everyone without leaving any way for others to survive. I used to think those rumors were exaggerated, but now It seems like it’s really even worse!”
"Kill them all?" Wang Wenzuo was startled: "Guardian, is this coming for you?"
"Of course not, otherwise I could still live to this day?" Liu Renyuan smiled: "You want to use me as a sword to get rid of his father-in-law's enemies. As the prime minister of the dynasty, he doesn't care about state affairs at all. He just wants to For personal grudges, tsk tsk!"
Wang Wenzuo saw that Liu Renyuan was full of resentment and knew that he couldn't talk about business today. He also knew that the more he knew about such things, the more trouble he would have, so he just found any reason to escape.
In the next few days, Wang Wenzuo was busy all day long with matters concerning the shipyard and the weapons workshop in the city, and he gradually forgot about what happened to Liu Renyuan that day. When I returned home that evening, I asked my maid to bring me some food. After just two bites, I heard Liu An's voice coming from outside: "Is Sanlang back?"
"Is it Brother Liu?" Wang Wenzuo quickly put down his chopsticks, stood up and went out to greet him: "I just got home and I was eating. I asked Sancho to buy some wine and meat, -" At this point, Wang Wenzuo stopped. There were two people standing in the courtyard. The man behind Liu An was wearing a brocade robe, with a white face and a long beard. He was smiling reservedly at him. Who was he if it wasn't Liu Yuanzhen?
"Sanlang, don't bother. I've prepared the food and drinks and will deliver them right away!" Liu An said with a smile, "I brought a friend here today, but he's from the same clan as me -"
"There is no need to introduce Wu Lang. Wang Canjun and I have already met at Liu Duhu's place!" Liu Yuanzhen said with a smile: "I didn't expect that you are also Wu Lang's friend. What a coincidence!"
"Yes, yes!" Only then did Wang Wenzuo react. He quickly agreed, welcomed the two of them into the house, and sat down separately.
"Although I know that Liu Shaofu and Fifth Brother have the same surname, I didn't expect that they are the same clan!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile as he ordered Sanqiu to take down the half-eaten bowl and chopsticks and bring up some nuts.
"You don't have to be so polite, Wang Shenjun. Although I serve in the Shaofu, I'm just an assistant! It's not a government place now, so there is no need to be commensurate with my official position. I am the thirteenth in my clan, so you can call me Liu Shisan. !" Liu Yuanzhen laughed.
"Then just call me Sanlang!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"That's fine!" Liu Yuanzhen pointed to Liu An beside him: "My Liu family in Hedong has spread its branches and spreads widely. Liu An is quite close to my branch, and he moved to Shandong only after Zhou Dynasty destroyed Qi Dynasty. Counting that, I am one generation older than him! "
Wang Wenzuo was stunned, thinking to himself, should he follow Liu An and call you uncle? This is really a bit unspeakable. Liu Yuanzhen saw what Wang Wenzuo was thinking: "The three of us are of the same age, and you, Sanlang, are not from my Liu family. We will treat each other as equals, so there is no need to care about that!"
"Yes!" Wang Wenzuo hurriedly got off the donkey along the slope and said with a smile: "Then I dare to overstep it!"
"It doesn't matter, I'm a casual person, Sanlang doesn't have to be formal!" Liu Yuanzhen stretched out his index finger and tapped the nut plate in front of him: "I heard something about you before when I was at Wulang's place. You are really a rare talent. It's a pity that , it’s really a pity!”
Wang Wenzuo was confused by Liu Yuanzhen's sudden two-word "It's a pity", and he didn't dare to ask. Liu An on the side interrupted: "My uncle means that with your talent, Sanlang, if there was someone in the court, he would have risen to the top." How could we be in such a situation today?"
"Damn, this guy has laid the bait!" Wang Wenzuo immediately became vigilant, and he quickly pretended to be straight: "I have become a soldier and joined the army. I have been cultivated by the Protector, and I am satisfied!"
"Bingcao joins the army, haha!" Liu Yuanzhen raised his sleeves, covered his mouth and nose and laughed. After a moment, he stopped: "Sanlang, do you know what this young man does?"
"I heard that he is in charge of the private treasury for the emperor!"
"That's right!" Liu Yuanzhen flicked his sleeves: "The palace's royal clothes, treasures, precious meals, the emperor's sacrifices to the ghosts and gods of heaven and earth, and the rewards for officials and generals, all these expenses are under the charge of the young government. I came to Baekje this time to accept Queen Wu’s order is to find something, if Wu Lang helps in this matter, Brother Yu will definitely mention it to Queen Wu!”
Wang Wenzuo originally thought that Liu Yuanzhen was going to use him as a knife to kill people, and he was thinking about how to find a reason to shirk the blame, but he didn't expect that the other party actually asked him to find something, and also involved Wu Zetian. It was completely beyond his expectation, and he couldn't help but be stunned. He paused, thought for a while and asked: "I wonder what the queen is looking for?"
"Relic, does Saburo know?"
"Relics? Could they be the treasures left behind after the Buddha's body was burned after his death?"
"Well, Sanlang is indeed very knowledgeable!" Liu Yuanzhen said with a smile: "When Emperor Wen of the previous dynasty was a minister, a monk gave the relic to him and said, 'Tan Yue is kind-hearted, so I keep it for worship.' Emperor Wen hid it in a seven-treasure box and proclaimed himself emperor. Later, a pagoda was built to store the relics. In the autumn of the fifteenth year of Emperor Kai Huang's reign, a divine light rose from the base of the pagoda and circled the dew plate on the right. It was as bright as the flames of a furnace. Emperor Wen ordered thirty pagodas to be built in the world to store the relics. The relics entered the pagoda. At that time, the ascetics held a vase high and patrolled the four regions. Everyone looked at it and saw the light. They cried in sorrow and mourned. The sound was like thunder, and the heaven and earth changed. At that time, the envoys of Baekje, Goguryeo, and Silla asked for a relic to return home. Make offerings to ensure the peace and tranquility of our family and country, and live forever!"
"Could it be that this relic is what you are looking for when you come to Baekje?"
"Yes, it's exactly this!" Liu Yuanzhen nodded with a smile.
"The water here is very deep!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself. A few years after the death of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, the world was in chaos. Of course, he did not believe that this relic had the mysterious power to protect the safety of his family and the country, but the influence of Buddhism among the world could be It's not false. Wu Zetian's purpose of sending Liu Yuanzhen to Baekje to find relics should be the same as Yang Jian's original purpose, which was to strengthen the legitimacy of his political status. After all, compared to aristocratic families such as Wang, Cui, Changsun, Li, and Xiao, the social status of the Wu family is much lower. If they can use the blessing of Buddhism to plate themselves with a layer of gold, it will undoubtedly be extremely beneficial.
"Sanlang!" Liu An whispered: "The Baekje people know the whereabouts of this relic best. In terms of understanding the Baekje people, if you don't think twice in Sixi City, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. !”
