People in the Tang Dynasty, Jian'an style

Wang Ping stood up and said seriously, "Erlang, you are too modest. I have traveled a lot and met many people. I have some experience in the art of judging people. But when I saw Erlang today, I was shocked. In my opinion, Erlang will definitely be something extraordinary in the future!"

If someone else praised him, Li Wenbin would definitely be carried away, but as for Wang Ping who praised him highly when they first met, he remained silent.

He smiled and changed the subject, "I have been trapped in Chang'an all day, and my elders at home don't allow me to go out. I didn't expect to meet you today. Since you have been traveling all year round, you must be familiar with the customs and scenery inside and outside the Tang Dynasty. Can you explain it to me so that I can broaden my horizons and brag to my friends in the future?"

Wang Ping saw that Li Wenbin didn't pick up his words, and a hint of embarrassment flashed across his eyes. However, he had great self-control and didn't show any strange expression on his face. He still smiled and said, "Haha, since Erlang is interested in the customs of various places, I will explain them to you today."

At this point, Wang Ping paused, and seeing that Li Wenbin looked calm and seemed to be listening very seriously, he continued, "I have lived in Taiyuan since I was a child. It is not far from the northern grasslands, and I have frequent contacts with the grassland tribes. After I became an adult, I went to the northern grasslands the most. On the grasslands, the strong are respected, and there is no morality between tribes. Often because of a small matter, the tribes on the grasslands will fight each other, and even blood will flow into rivers..."

Although Wang Ping claimed that he did not like reading, he actually had a high level of literary accomplishment. When he explained the things on the grassland, he cited a lot of examples and his descriptions of the plots and characters were also very vivid. Not only was Li Wenbin listening attentively, but Ruyue behind him was also attracted by the story told by Wang Ping, and for a moment she even forgot to serve Li Wenbin.

Li Wenbin originally just wanted to find an excuse to change the subject, but he didn't expect that Wang Ping was indeed very knowledgeable. Not only did he know everything about the grassland, but he also expressed his views on something from time to time. His views were very unique and often made people feel refreshed.

He listened to Wang Ping's narration and verified it with his own knowledge from later generations, which also enabled him to have a deeper understanding of the northern grasslands of the Tang Dynasty.

Listening to Wang Ping's endless narration, Li Wenbin couldn't help but feel a competitive spirit in his heart.

In between Wang Ping's narration, he would occasionally interject his own opinions, but simply making comments soon failed to satisfy Li Wenbin's interest in talking.

Li Wenbin could not argue with Wang Ping about things on the grassland, but Li Wenbin, who grew up in the information explosion of later generations, was much more knowledgeable than anyone else.

If the grasslands don’t work, then talk about overseas. Li Wenbin starts with what was called Ryukyu in the Tang Dynasty, then turns to the rich production in the South Seas. Then, with the South Sea as the center point, he goes west through Malacca into the Indian Ocean, then into the Red Sea and then into the Mediterranean.

Li Wenbin talked at length about the rise and fall of the Roman Empire.

Going eastward, it starts from Oceania and talks about the peculiar species there. North and South America are the focus of the explanation. Crops with great economic value such as potatoes, peppers, corn, extremely rich gold, silver and other minerals, the mysterious Inca civilization, etc., also amazed Wang Ping.

Although Wang Ping is extremely talented and knowledgeable, he is still inferior to Li Wenbin, who is used to chatting with others online.

Li Wenbin is a guy with a problem. Once he gets in the mood to chat, he becomes very excited and in high spirits. His mouth talks like a train running, and no one can stop him from talking.

Wang Ping was able to hold on at first, but he was soon defeated and was extremely shocked by the magnificent overseas world that Li Wenbin described.

However, as the amount of information in Li Wenbin's words increased, Wang Ping gradually couldn't keep up with Li Wenbin's train of thought. In the end, he was directly hit by the continuous new terms from Li Wenbin's mouth, and his brain became a mess.

Can’t figure out the relationship between Indians and Indians anymore?

What is the relationship between the Baltic Sea and pineapples?

Why is it that the Roman Empire is clearly to the west of the Tang Dynasty, but if you go east to America and then cross the Atlantic Ocean, you can actually reach Rome...

Questions that transcend the times swirled in Wang Ping's mind. Compared with these questions, the knowledge he was proud of in the past seemed so insignificant.

Until the end, his mind was blank like a computer crash. He could only see Li Wenbin's mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't hear what he was saying. Even when Li Wenbin said goodbye, he didn't react at all. Poor kid, Li Wenbin made him a temporary idiot. It is estimated that he will not recover in three to five days.

Sitting in the carriage on the way back home, Li Wenbin drank tea comfortably. Although he enjoyed talking, his throat was a little sore.

However, thinking of the idiotic expression on Prince Wang Ping's face at the end, Li Wenbin couldn't help but want to laugh.

Chapter 137: This will not happen again

Ruyue massaged Li Wenbin's shoulders very obediently and said with a smile:

"Your Highness, you are amazing. You actually know so many things. It's a pity that I don't understand a lot of them!"

"Hahaha, that's nothing. I know much more than just this. It doesn't matter if you didn't understand. There will be plenty of time in the future. Just ask me directly if you don't understand anything." Li Wenbin was also in a good mood. He hadn't felt so good in a long time.

"Hehe, I want to laugh when I think of the last appearance of that young master. He was like a fool and didn't even hear Your Highness saying goodbye to him!" Ruyue pressed her body tightly against Li Wenbin's back and smiled as she changed the subject.

Li Wenbin laughed after hearing this, and rubbed her little head with his hand and said, "You girl, do you really think that you just happened to meet that prince? He already knew our identities, and he was waiting for us there!"

"How is this possible?" Ruyue asked in astonishment. "Except for those of us who are close to you, no one else knows that your highness went to the restaurant today. How could that prince be waiting there in advance?"

"Hehe, I can roughly guess the cause and effect of this matter, although I still don't know what the purpose of this young master Wang approaching me is, but as the saying goes, 'If someone is too nice to you without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief'. Be careful when you see him next time." Li Wenbin's expression was vague when he spoke, as if he was answering her, but also as if he was talking to himself.

"But, Your Highness, how do you know that he was waiting for us?" Ruyue was very curious and had to get to the bottom of it.

Li Wenbin smiled mysteriously, and said two words with a somewhat proud look: "Guessed!"

"Guessed?" Ruyue thought that Li Wenbin would point out the other party's flaws, but she didn't expect that Li Wenbin actually guessed.

"For this kind of thing, only a guess is enough, and I have also made arrangements. I believe that the person who arranged this meeting will come to me soon." The expression on Li Wenbin's face was very strange when he spoke. He seemed a little angry, and a little helpless.

……

In the side hall of the palace, Li Wenbin had a gloomy and tense face.

Wang Hexuan, who was wearing a green robe, stood below with his head bowed, his lips tightly closed and said nothing. Ruyue, who was standing next to him, was also affected by the heavy atmosphere in the hall and stood there not daring to move.

Li Wenbin walked back and forth several times, and suddenly took a long breath, staring at Wang Hexuan, and slowly uttered three words: "Why?"

Apart from the people around him, only Wang Hexuan knew that he went to the restaurant, and only he, the owner of the restaurant, could arrange an inconspicuous "chance encounter" in the restaurant.

The three words Li Wenbin asked seemed to weigh a ton of weight, pressing Wang Hexuan's waist even harder. After a long while, he finally answered, "Your Highness, this is all my fault. As for the reason, I only have one thing to say."

When he said this, Wang Hexuan suddenly raised his head, took a step forward with a painful look on his face and said in a deep voice: "The Wang family in the world comes from Taiyuan!"

These seven simple words made Li Wenbin's body tremble. For the first time, he truly felt the threat from the aristocratic families. With his understanding of the history of the Tang Dynasty, he knew that the aristocratic families represented by the Five Surnames and Seven Families had influence throughout the entire Tang Dynasty. However, he did not expect that he had just started out and he had already attracted the attention of these families. What he did not expect was that Wang Hexuan, whom he had always trusted, was also from the Taiyuan Wang family?

"Can I still trust you?" Li Wenbin seemed to be asking Wang Hexuan, but also seemed to be asking himself. Although Wang Hexuan may not have any ill intentions and just wanted to arrange a meeting without leaving any trace, this is a matter of principle, and to put it more seriously, it is a betrayal. Li Wenbin trusted him and did not hide his whereabouts from him, but Wang Hexuan took advantage of this and actually plotted against him behind his back, which was what Li Wenbin could not tolerate the most.

"Your Highness!" Wang Hexuan suddenly knelt down with a thump, tears in his eyes, and said loudly: "Although I am just a businessman, I also know what it means to 'a man will die for his friend'. Your Highness has never abandoned me and has always regarded me as a confidant, but I have been selfish and betrayed your trust. Now it is too late to say anything more. I only ask Your Highness to give me some more time to complete the few things Your Highness has entrusted to me. This is also my last effort for Your Highness. After that, I will leave with my family and never set foot in Chang'an again."

"Hmph, you want to just walk away after making a mistake? What did I write in the note I gave you?" Li Wenbin was furious after hearing this. Wang Hexuan was regarded by Li Wenbin as his right-hand man and a key figure in his future plans. Li Wenbin would never let him go, even if he was from the Wang family of Taiyuan.

If Li Wenbin gets angry, he has no less than a hundred ways to cut off the foundations of these aristocratic families.

"Your Highness... Your Highness wrote 'this will not happen again'." Wang Hexuan's expression was shocked, and he answered with a trembling voice. Li Wenbin had already guessed that it was him who arranged this behind the scenes, but he still made an exception and forgave him, which made him even more ashamed.

"Hmph! Just remember it. You are a smart person and you know what you can and cannot do. I don't intend to delve into this matter. I just want to remind you not to cross my bottom line. I don't need to say more about the other things. You should be able to think clearly..."

"Let go! Let me in..."

Just as Li Wenbin was scolding Wang Hexuan, he was suddenly interrupted by a noise outside.

Without his instructions, Ruyue immediately went out to inquire about the situation.

After a while, a very beautiful girl in white came in.

"Wanrong, why are you here?" Wang Hexuan was surprised when he saw the girl in white and couldn't help but shout.

"My humble servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi!" Wang Wanrong ignored her father's question and bowed respectfully to Li Wenbin.

Wang Wanrong was carefully dressed up, with her long black hair tied up with a jade hairpin. She had a standard classical oval face, big eyes that were clear and bright, and there seemed to be ripples in her pupils, as if she was silently telling something all the time; her strong and straight nose bridge had both the feminine beauty and the masculine heroism; her plump and tender lips were a nearly transparent ruby ​​red, which made people want to take a bite at first sight.

From a male's perspective, Wang Wanrong, with a little makeup on, is indeed a rare beauty. One can't help but admire her at first sight. At least Li Wenbin was a little moved.

However, just as Li Wenbin was admiring the beauty, the steward next to him knelt down to report, "Your Highness, this Miss Wang insisted on coming to see you..."

Chapter 138 Feeding the Tiger with Oneself

"Your Highness!" Wang Wanrong's face flushed with excitement. She took a step forward and said again, "I beg Your Highness not to punish my father. He did that because he had no choice."

Li Wenbin was stunned for a moment, then he realized that it seemed that Wang Wanrong came to plead for her father.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that she had never intended to delve into the matter.

"Oh? I'd like to hear what your father's difficulties were. He was willing to offend me and arrange a chance encounter for Wang Ping. Is it because you are from the Wang family of Taiyuan?" Li Wenbin felt that there seemed to be some hidden story in Wang Wanrong's words, so he couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Wanrong, this matter..."

Wang Hexuan obviously didn't want his daughter to talk about her difficulties, and immediately tried to stop her, but Wang Wanrong interrupted him with a stubborn look on her face and said, "Father, don't you always have no good feelings towards those aristocratic families? If it weren't for my grandfather's teachings, why would you suffer these grievances?"

Huh? Li Wenbin was even more curious. It seemed that this matter was not as simple as it seemed. It even involved the previous generation of the Wang family.

"Oh..." When Wang Hexuan heard his daughter mention her father, his heart was touched. He sighed and lowered his head in silence, obviously approving of his daughter's behavior.

"Your Highness, this matter started several decades ago. Back then, my grandfather..."

As Wang Wanrong told his story, Li Wenbin gradually figured out the whole story. It turned out that the situation of Wang Hexuan's family was a little special, and it was not as he had imagined. They betrayed him simply because of the clan's appeal.

It turned out that Wang Hexuan's father, Wang Wanrong's grandfather, was also the eldest son of the Taiyuan Wang family. Because he did something wrong, he was expelled from the family and strictly ordered not to call himself Taiyuan Wang in the future. He was not allowed to go home to worship his ancestors during festivals, and he was not allowed to enter the Wang family ancestral hall after his death.

This was undoubtedly a very cruel punishment for the ancients who had strong clan concepts. Unfortunately, Wang Wanrong did not say what mistake her grandfather had made, and Li Wenbin did not dare to ask further.

Although Wang Wanrong's grandfather later created a huge family business, he never forgot to return to his family and restore his origin as the Taiyuan Wang family. Unfortunately, although he was rich enough to rival a country, in the eyes of the aristocratic families, he was just a businessman full of money. So until his death, this wish was not fulfilled.

Before the old man died, he held Wang Hexuan's hand and expressed his last wish: no matter what the cost, he wanted their Wang family to return to the Taiyuan Wang family and place his spirit tablet in the ancestral temple for worship.

In order to fulfill his father's last wish, Wang Hexuan went to Taiyuan several times to ask the clan to revoke the punishment on his father. Once he even knelt in front of the Wang family's gate for three days and three nights holding his father's spirit tablet.

Unfortunately, as a noble family, the Taiyuan Wang family was extremely arrogant. They looked down on Wang Hexuan's clan members who had fallen into the business of merchants, let alone let them be included in the Wang family again, so every time Wang Hexuan could only return in disappointment.

After several setbacks, Wang Hexuan had given up the idea of ​​returning to the Taiyuan Wang family. However, what he did not expect was that two days ago, Wang Ping, the eldest brother of the Taiyuan Wang family, found him and claimed that as long as Wang Hexuan arranged a meeting between him and Li Wenbin, he would be able to convince the clan members to re-list Wang Hexuan as the Taiyuan Wang family.

In fact, after his previous experiences in Taiyuan, Wang Hexuan no longer had any good feelings towards the aristocratic families. However, on one hand was his father's last wish, and on the other was Li Wenbin's trust, which made him face a very painful choice.

In the end, family affection overwhelmed reason. He took advantage of Li Wenbin's trust in him and arranged a chance encounter for Wang Ping. He thought he had done it perfectly, but unexpectedly, Li Wenbin still saw through the flaw.

After listening to Wang Wanrong's story, Li Wenbin was silent.

As a modern man, it is difficult for him to understand the clan concept of the ancients. In Li Wenbin's view, as long as he lives happily and freely, he doesn't care whether he will be buried in the ancestral temple after his death.

Unfortunately, the ancients did not have this awareness. They believed that if they did not enter the ancestral temple after death, they would become wandering ghosts and would not even have the right to reincarnate. It is estimated that Wang Hexuan's father also asked his son to bring his spirit tablet into the Wang Clan Ancestral Temple out of this fear.

"Your Highness, my father was indeed wrong in this matter, but he only wanted to fulfill his grandfather's last wish. For the sake of his filial piety, please forgive my father this time!" When Wang Wanrong said this, she bent her legs and knelt down.

Now my father is full of ambition to follow Li Wenbin to do something big. If all his efforts are wasted because of this incident, then their Wang family will never rise again.

Thinking about her mother and two younger brothers at home, Wang Wanrong could not let Li Wenbin lose trust in their Wang family.

"If Your Highness still has doubts about my father, I am willing to enter the palace as a slave and serve Your Highness for life!" Before Li Wenbin could react, Wang Wanrong, the fierce girl, suddenly gritted her teeth and spoke out the biggest bargaining chip she had carefully prepared. She used her daughter to stay with Li Wenbin as a hostage in exchange for Li Wenbin's renewed trust in his father.

"Ahem..." Li Wenbin, who was totally unprepared, was frightened by Wang Wanrong's words and kept coughing. No wonder Wang Wanrong came to see him today and was dressed so beautifully. It was obvious that she had prepared this "beauty trap" a long time ago, and was ready to preserve the hope of their Wang family's rise with the courage of sacrificing herself to feed the tiger.

This is not the first time that Li Wenbin has encountered a girl who offered herself to him, but a mere woman is still insignificant compared to his grand plan.

He turned to Wang Hexuan and said, "Well, ahem... that's all for today. Miss Wanrong, you should take her away!"

"Your Highness, please forgive my father. I will do anything for you..." Seeing that Li Wenbin was unwilling to accept her, Wang Wanrong suddenly became anxious and could not help but beg loudly. Wang Hexuan, who was standing next to her, was touched but also a little embarrassed. He was afraid that his daughter would say something indecent again, so he quickly grabbed his daughter and covered her mouth.

Li Wenbin was really afraid that Wang Wanrong would say something too ambiguous like "warm the bed", so he took this opportunity and hurriedly escaped with Ruyue.

"Wuwu, let go..." Watching Li Wenbin leave, Wang Wanrong's face was full of despair and pain. She continued to struggle in her father's arms. The tears in her eyes flowed like a stream, destroying the carefully applied makeup on her face, leaving it black and white like a little cat.

Chapter 139 Why are you here again?

Li Wenbin finally breathed a sigh of relief after escaping to the inner house. Thinking of Wang Wanrong's resolute look just now, he couldn't help laughing out loud.

But after laughing, he felt a little touched in his heart. For the prosperity of his family, she could exchange her life's happiness. This kind of woman is undoubtedly worthy of admiration.

I just don’t know what kind of expression Wang Wanrong would have when she found out that she had made such a big mistake?

Thinking of this, Li Wenbin burst into laughter again!

……

"Your Highness, that Miss Wang is here again!" Just as Li Wenbin was comfortably enjoying the beautiful yet corrupt life of ancient aristocrats, he suddenly heard Jinxiu's somewhat dissatisfied whisper.

After hearing this, Li Wenbin opened his eyes helplessly and saw that it was indeed the little girl Wang Wanrong, walking towards the pavilion along the path on the rockery. He could not hide from her.

Last time, in order to regain Li Wenbin's trust in his father Wang Hexuan, she was willing to feed the "tiger" with her own body and send herself to him as a slave, but she didn't expect that he had no intention of investigating the matter, which made her make a big mistake.

Li Wenbin originally thought that after this incident, Wang Wanrong would probably never be embarrassed to see him again. After all, this was such a huge blunder. In this feudal society where men and women were strictly separated, a girl put aside all her self-esteem, cried and shouted that she wanted to give herself to the other party, but the other party did not accept it. If it happened to other girls, they would probably even want to die.

However, Wang Wanrong's thinking was obviously different from others. She took the initiative to find Li Wenbin the next day. She said that she did not believe what Li Wenbin said to her father yesterday, and did not believe that he could still trust his father as before.

After all, although her father had his reasons for what he did, it was still an unforgivable betrayal for Li Wenbin. So in order to reassure him, she decided to voluntarily enter the Qi Wang Mansion as a hostage, and she would never complain about being a slave.

Li Wenbin was speechless with this stubborn young woman. After his persuasion failed, he could only call Wang Hexuan to take her away.

Don't be fooled by Wang Wanrong's weak and timid appearance. She was born with a stubborn temper. Even Wang Hexuan couldn't do anything about her. No matter what he said, it was useless.

Wang Hexuan was reluctant to hit or scold his daughter who was only concerned about the family. In the end, he simply kicked the ball back. He could no longer control this daughter and let Your Highness the Prince of Qi handle it yourself.

Li Wenbin was also having a headache. With his status, having a maid was no big deal.

But Wang Hexuan was his right-hand subordinate after all, and it would definitely be inappropriate to take someone else's daughter in as a slave.

In the end, Li Wenbin could only come up with a compromise, and Wang Wanrong would not have to enter the mansion as a slave.

But if she wanted to follow him every day, Li Wenbin would not stop her. The door of the palace was always open for her. She could come whenever she wanted and she could go anywhere in the palace without any hindrance, even Li Wenbin's bedroom.

Wang Wanrong thought about Li Wenbin's proposal again and again, and finally agreed.

After all, she is not very old and has a mother and younger brother at home. If she enters Li Wenbin's house as a slave, she will not be allowed to go home to visit her mother and she will not even be allowed to leave the house.

If she followed Li Wenbin's suggestion, she could stay with him as a hostage during the day and go home at night. It would be a good idea to kill two birds with one stone.

So Li Wenbin had an odd "maid" by his side, but Li Wenbin soon regretted his decision.

In contrast to Li Wenbin's idleness, Wang Wanrong was a model of someone who loved what she did. She arrived at Li Wenbin's house early in the morning on the third day. She positioned herself as a maid like the servant girls in the mansion, and she rushed to do everything.