The guards are relatively free and do not have to stand motionless at their door, like sculptures. The two of them are making jokes in the corridor in the courtyard at the moment. The maid's name is A Jiang and she stays in the room. Matsukawa Yang briefly explains a few things
Then tell them to call Ajaan if they have something to do. He will go to the kitchen and ask them to order dinner. It’s still too late to say what they want to eat.
"Is there anything... just, your special dish?"
"Who knows what you have there and how it can be called unique?" Matsukawa Yang shrugged.
"No need." Liu Shenghan said, "Just do whatever you need and keep everything simple."
"That's right. I'll send someone to deliver the meal when it's ready, so I won't deliver it myself. For small things, call Ajaan. For big things, call the guards. Anyway, don't come to me if anything happens."
After that, he walked away. Qi Huan stood up and made a throwing motion behind him, looking angry.
"Why is this person like this?"
"He has always been like this." Liu Shenghan explained, "I have seen him a few times before, but at that time, he didn't seem to be in the same position as now. He seems to be the nephew of the monarch, I don't know. This person's character is like this, and he is so thoughtful.
Not bad. The population flow within Jiutian Kingdom is not active, and there are no people to entertain inside or outside the palace on weekdays. We are used to living a leisurely life, and no one wants to mess around."
This palace is spacious, and even if they have seen the best inns they have ever heard of, it cannot compare to the decoration of other palaces. From the market to the palace, what they see most is a kind of silver-white stone. At first they thought it was white paint.
, as a result, when Bai Ya walked around the house and touched it, he found that the wall was made of cold, hard and smooth stone.
He then asked Ajaan: "What kind of stones do you use to build your houses here?"
"Yes, Miss Jiang, the wall is as white as jade." Jun Aoyan also rubbed the wall.
"You haven't seen this before?" Ajaan's face was full of disbelief, as if they were pointing at the white rice and asking what kind of food it was, "Isn't it just an ordinary white stone? There are so many in the mountains, you can get whatever you want.
How much. Use it to build a house that will keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer. My grandpa said he lived in a white house when he was a child."
"It is said that there was no large-scale mining a long time ago... Later, it was discovered that it is most suitable for building houses. It is strong and beautiful, warm in winter and cool in summer. When they didn't build a few buildings, they called them 'white houses'. Now they are everywhere
, not surprising, it has become an ordinary thing." Liu Shenghan said from a distance while drinking tea at the table. They looked at the wall carefully.
If compared to jade, it is indeed a bit exaggerated. It is not that flawless, and has some light cyan veins, like the blood vessels of a stone. Moreover, this white color is very cold, different from the warmth of jade, and has a light silver-gray texture.
After Liu Shenghan finished drinking his tea, he also walked over and patted the wall gently.
"In the past, people were only looking for a kind of fragrant stone called Tianxiang Jade, which is very valuable. It is said that it would take thousands of miles to dig out this kind of white stone to find two or two days of fragrant jade. However, Tianxiang Jade is not a priceless treasure. People gradually discovered that
The business of building houses with white stones is not a loss, so I just look for jade as a side job."
Ajaan blinked and asked curiously: "Then what do you use to build houses in your hometown?"
"Our hometown... is very big." Jun Aoyan stretched out his arms to gesture, "Things are different in different places. In most places, bricks are burned and the houses are built with mud. There are also many wooden houses and bamboo houses, but
It’s not very fireproof. In places with little rain, they just use soil and thatch to make them, and some dig cave dwellings directly in the mountains..."
"So pitiful? My grandfather only lived in this kind of house when he was a child."
They didn't bother to explain to Ajaan. Okay, whatever the little girl says, you are right.
"Ah, that's right." Bai Ya glanced at her, "Why haven't you brought some food? It's getting dark now. Can you please help Ajiang go to the kitchen to hurry up? The brothers are about to starve out. Already."
"Okay. Just wait, I'll be right back."
The little girl skipped out. Bai Ya glanced outside the door and saw two guards fighting with crickets in the distance. Then he closed the door quickly and lightly, and immediately turned his attention to Liu Shenghan.
"Why are there two?"
Qi Huan and Jun Aoyan were stunned for a moment, and they immediately reacted. They also expressed their doubts, wondering why Liu Shenghan had prepared two paintings, and where was the other one? Qi Huan glanced at it and went into the house to put wood. The box was on the table, but the box was missing.
"I put it away." Liu Shenghan still looked at ease, fearless of anything, "The one I asked you to hand over is the portrait of the monarch."
"Why?" Jun Aoyan didn't understand, "Didn't you say that you want to present a painting of Gandharva, the god of incense? Why paint him?"
"For testing."
"Testing what?"
"Test whether the dignified king of Xiangji Kingdom is a true believer."
"How do you say this?"
When it comes to this matter, there is no point in hiding it anymore. It turns out that Liu Shenghan had doubts about the monarch's religious identity a long time ago - whether he was pious enough. He was the first monarch of Xiangji Kingdom. When he was young, he was passionate and upright, and wanted to be a good young man who could make a difference. At that time, he was just an ordinary citizen in a city-state, and his parents were busy with simple work to support a large family. It is said that the elders hug The older one loves the younger one. He has brothers and sisters, and logically, nothing can happen to him. So he has no enthusiasm, but not only has nowhere to show his skills, even his parents often ignore him.
That year, the scale of the Xiangyin Sect was pitifully small. Eight out of ten people had never heard of its name, and one had heard of it but was not a believer. There were less than 7,000 people in the city, and 700 people didn't sound like a small number. . But in Jiutian Kingdom, which was still the southern kingdom in Bai Ya's mouth at that time, almost everyone had some beliefs. Hundreds of years ago, Buddhists passed through this country and brought such a long-standing belief. And further back , Taoism was introduced from their hometown of Bai Ya, and they also brought a large number of magical instruments and commodities. In addition, there are also large and small religions occupying every corner of the country. Although Xiangyin Sect is a native belief, it has appeared Too late, too many obstacles.
Until the true God comes.
Through legitimate and unfair suppression and exclusion, the number of heretics outside the Xiangyin Sect has been drastically reduced. There are no bloody methods, and most of them have "abandoned darkness and turned to light". After all, the god you praise every day is nowhere to be found. , and here is a visible and merciful god who proves his identity with miracles and wins people's hearts with real benefits. People who lack a sense of belonging naturally know how to make the right choice.
The young monarch is an exception. Their whole family comes from a difficult life. Compared with the psychological comfort of their parents, they need real food to survive. As for his parents, they once had no choice. Their grandparents were ordinary. For Buddhists, their choice is self-evident. But one day, when the God of Fragrance sent wealth and food within their reach to them on the principle of equal exchange, they defected to Lord God of Fragrance at the speed of illiterate readers. under his command.
In other words, he was forced to join the religion in a daze. It is neither a good thing nor a bad thing.
Liu Shenghan didn't know what happened next. She only knew that for some reason, this kid obeyed the God of Fragrance Gandharva, whom he once ignored. He must not be the most loyal believer, judging from whether he was obedient or not. Considering it from a personal perspective, Master Xiangshen should also know that he is not the best candidate. But now he is in this position, barely managing the country well.
"He has no choice." Liu Shenghan was determined, "Faced with the temptation of huge benefits, anyone may change their mind. How did Lord Xiang Shen and his envoys preach back then? Those who are capable work harder, and the more they work, the more they will get. They Claiming that the benefits that everyone gets now should not be the price they pay and the weight they deserve. Their efforts should get more and more valuable things. At first, this statement was very popular among the middle and lower class civilians. After all, As believers, by dedicating their faith and labor, they indeed received more food and money than before."
"Well, aren't those dignitaries worried?" Jun Aoyan frowned, "We who fight all know that the most troublesome thing is the peasant uprising. They are hungry and have suffered enough, so they have nothing to fear. "
"Gradually, those nobles also benefited." Liu Shenghan said quietly, "As long as you convert to the Xiangyin Sect and do things according to their requirements and instructions, you will get the rewards you deserve."
Qi Huan rolled his eyes and cursed: "Do you have a good conscience?"
"The strange thing is that no one has done anything against their conscience."
"What?" Qi Huan didn't understand. Neither of them understood.
"It's really hard to say..." Liu Shenghan looked around, as if looking for something that could be used as an example. Finally, she set her sights on the fruit plate on the table. The fruit was very fresh, and there was a handful of small ones beside it. The knife. This knife looks very dull. Not to mention peeling, it even takes a lot of effort to sharpen nails.
Seeing that she kept looking there, Jun Aoyan asked, "What's wrong with that knife?"
"Well, this knife -" Liu Shenghan picked it up, "it's very blunt, isn't it? Now let's call in nine officials."
"Nine?"
"Yes, nine. Among them, as long as five officials reach a consensus, this knife can kill people. And these five people are not necessarily followers of the Xiangyin Sect."
The other three people didn't say anything. They looked at Liu Shenghan cautiously, with expressions that clearly didn't understand him.
"If more than five people decide to use it to kill people, the result cannot be changed, and other people no longer have the power to make decisions. There are only three types of people here - Xiangyin believers, believers of other religions, and people without faith. If two of them are There are four people in the faction, do you think the remaining one has any decisive power?"
"Probably...no?" Jun Aoyan thought for a while, "He is just a person."
"That's wrong. Everyone thinks so...but in fact, he is the one with the most power."
"Why?"
Bai Ya could probably figure it out, but he was too lazy to think about it as seriously as Qi Huan. If he wanted to know the answer, it would be faster to ask directly. It was rare for Liu Shenghan not to say anything, so he went on.
"Two four-person groups are bound to be in opposition. Now if I say that four people decided to use this knife to kill people, the other four people are opposed. If the position needs the support of five people to be passed..."
He can influence the outcome of decisions as he pleases.
Qi Huan slapped his thigh, startling the others.
"That's not right." Bai Ya rolled his eyes, "Not all choices are black and white. I can kill with this knife, or I can choose not to kill, but I can also use other weapons and methods, or
Use this knife to kill others?"
"What Bai Shaoxia said is right. In addition to the problems of black and white, there are also problems where there are more than two choices. But since there are no longer two choices, everyone can come up with new ideas. When the opinions are too mixed, this
The method is no longer applicable. However, in this case, because people talk a lot, it is more difficult to discuss and come up with a solution.”
"Then, what does this have to do with the matter of conscience you mentioned?" Jun Aoyan asked.
