In the empty temple, happy monks and villagers were cleaning up the mess. It was obvious that they had gained a lot today. Li Shan and Wang Renbiao were walking slowly, and the latter's wife was playing behind them carrying two small lanterns.
"I want to sell you the secret recipe." Li Shan's eyes flickered, "I can even give it to you..."
"It's a joke, it's a joke." Wang Renbiao waved his hand and said, "Cooperating and sharing profits is already taking advantage."
Li Shan is really not joking. As a time traveler, the value of such a secret recipe is not too high. As long as there is enough and possible returns, he is willing to give it away...as a risk investment.
Dongshan Temple was saved from dismantling mainly due to those few scriptures and the westward route planned by Li Shan for Xuanzang. Gewürztraminer did not play any role, even in the process of digging out the first pot of gold in the later period.
No, those who are willing to give money and incense to Buddha are all here for the scriptures.
But Gewürztraminer has also become famous for its delicate and smooth taste, and Li Shan already has some ideas for future plans.
Gewürztraminer itself is no longer of much help to Li Shan, and he does not expect to make a fortune from it.
After pondering for a moment, Li Shan said frankly, "Thank you for the kindness, but it is not appropriate to cooperate and share profits. It is better to end it once and for all."
Wang Renbiao looked at the young man in front of him in surprise. He had indeed thought about buying it out once, and he was not afraid of the other party's tricks. But he succeeded so easily because he expected it.
"Twenty gold, please find a familiar blacksmith shop in the city and make some kitchen utensils. If you have the connections, help find a craftsman who can build houses."
Wang Renbiao's eyes widened. The last two conditions were incidental. The secret recipe was only twenty pieces?
In this era, similar secret recipes can be passed down from family to family, and they are also a powerful tool for wealthy families to make money. Otherwise, why would the villagers of Zhujiagou be so grateful to Li Shan?
"It's quite difficult to keep it secret." Li Shan explained with a smile: "And there is some cause and effect on my lower body, so I don't want to implicate others."
Wang Renbiao frowned and said softly: "Did you offend someone?"
"Um."
"I am originally from Taiyuan, how can I help you?"
"Taiyuan Wang family?" The expression on Li Shan's face did not change. He thought for a while and shook his head and said, "Don't embarrass me, brother."
Wang Renbiao wandered around the temple for a long time, obviously not just with eyes and ears, he smiled and said: "I heard that you are from the Li family in Longxi?"
"Hehe, hehe..." Li Shan smiled, waved his hands and said, "Buddha's face is covered with gold, just kidding."
Wang Renbiao waved his sleeves and said softly: "Today I see my elegant demeanor, I must be from a noble family, not from a small family. Wang asks me sincerely."
Li Shan was flipping through the Taiyuan Wang family in his mind... It seems that there were no big names in the early Tang Dynasty. Can he borrow some help?
Not being a history major, Li Shan only vaguely remembered that Li Zhi's queen was from the Wang family in Taiyuan, and she was the queen who was accused of strangling Wu Zetian's daughter to death.
After being silent for a while, Li Shan sighed softly, "Why do you need to get to the bottom of it...my great-grandfather Shen Guogong?"
"Shen Guogong?" Wang Renbiao looked confused and searched in his mind.
In Chinese history, there were many people who were granted the title of Duke Shen, but before the Tang Dynasty, there were only three people, and they were from three generations.
"Is it Li Gong who whipped Yuwen Black Otter?" Wang Renbiao asked unexpectedly.
Li Shan nodded lightly. The so-called Yuwen Black Otter was Yuwentai, the actual founder of the Northern Zhou Dynasty. He was on the battlefield throughout his life. The most dangerous moment was when he was defeated in a battle and was about to be killed by the pursuers. At that time, the only subordinates around him were interested in him.
He was insulted and whipped, and the pursuers thought that Yu Wentai was just a pawn and gave up chasing others. Only then did Yu Wentai escape with his life.
That general was Li Shan's great-grandfather Li Mu, who was later given the title Shen Guogong. His ancestor claimed to be a descendant of Li Ling, and the Longxi Li family claimed to be a descendant of the former Han Dynasty flying general Li Guang.
Li Ling is the grandson of Li Guang, the one who finally surrendered in the battle with the Huns and trapped Sima Qian and was beheaded.
Li Ling escaped to the grassland for hundreds of years, and the genealogy has long been impossible to test. Li Mu's family calls themselves the Li family of Longxi... To put it harshly, this is just to put gold on their faces.
Li Shan’s predecessor didn’t understand, but Li Shan who traveled through time knew it well. Just kidding, from the Western Han Dynasty to the Eastern Han Dynasty, after going through the Three Kingdoms War, the southern migration of clothes, the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the genealogy of the Li family in Longxi can no longer be tested, you Xianbei man
They came and said they were descendants of Li Ling... Who would believe this!
"It's a pity that afterward there was civil strife and slander, otherwise it would be hard to say..." Wang Renbiao clicked his tongue twice.
Li Shan understood this sentence. After hundreds of years of fighting between Wei, Zhou, Qi, and Sui, the genealogy of the family was a bit blurry. If Li Hun had not died and continued to this day, he might actually be recognized as the Li family of Longxi.
.
Because the same is true for the Wang family in Taiyuan. King Jinyang, King Qixian, and King Langya can all be traced back to Wang Li of the Qin Dynasty, but the actual genealogy is very messy.
Not to mention that the royal family of the Sui Dynasty called themselves the Yang family of Hongnong, and the royal family of the Tang Dynasty called themselves the Li family of Longxi...
Wang Renbiao continued to calculate, and his expression changed, "The third generation Shen Guogong Li Jincai's clan was destroyed, but his nephew Li Dewu..."
Wang Renbiao suddenly remembered the story of the reunion that had shocked the capital a month ago.
"My ancestral home is Chengji County, Longxi County, but I was born in Lingnan." Li Shan turned sideways and looked at Wang Renbiao's expression from the corner of his eye.
After a while, Wang Renbiao said dullly: "That's it, that's it..."
"The secret recipe is twenty pieces, please don't reveal it, dear friend." Li Shanzuo bowed and said, "It's freezing cold, and I don't have any money, so I can't go back to Lingnan, so I stayed in the temple."
"Don't tell?" Wang Renbiao was excited, "The Pei family still doesn't know?"
"When Lingnan was first settled, all the old servants rebelled. How to know the truth?"
Wang Renbiao swallowed his saliva. Although he was born in the Wang family of Taiyuan, he was still a junior and his status in the family was not high. Otherwise, he would not be interested in the business of Gewürztraminer. For this reason, he might have to take on the Pei family of Hedong in the future.
This is obviously unwise.
"Go back to Lingnan after it thaws?" Wang Renbiao asked tentatively.
"Maybe." Li Shan sighed, "If we don't cooperate and share profits, it's really out of consideration for our dear friends."
Nineteen-year-old Wang Renbiao was a little confused, wondering if he was taking advantage of the situation?
"It's getting late." Li Shan said softly: "If you are interested, I will be waiting for you in the temple or the village at the foot of the mountain these days."
Li Shan was a little disappointed, but he also felt that it was reasonable. Who would be willing to risk offending a wealthy family like the Pei family in Hedong for a nobody. Now the Pei family had two prime ministers in the Tang Dynasty, Pei Ju and Pei Ji. In this regard, there were five surnames and seven families.
There's no comparison.
On the way back to Beijing, Wang Renbiao was still thinking about whether to buy the secret recipe. He had been in charge of the household affairs for more than a year, and he was aware of the benefits that Gewurztraminer might bring, but twenty pieces... was too harsh, and Li Dewu
Abandoning his wife and son, the young man was left alone and helpless.
Would you like to give me more?
But his father was appointed as the supervisor of Suizhou half a month ago, and he only had less than a hundred dollars on hand. He couldn't sell the house he had just acquired... Thinking of this, Wang Renbiao felt a warm feeling in his heart. Although his mother was mean,
But before his father took office, he transferred a house to his name.
The carriage stopped outside a huge house, the gate was tightly closed, and the side door was also closed. Wang Renbiao didn't care and helped his wife enter the house through the corner door.
"Lang Jun is finally back!" A servant hurried over, "Lang Jun, the mistress has summoned you."
Wang Renbiao looked tense and took his wife to the backyard. As soon as he entered the door, he saw a young man in rich clothes.
"The son pays homage to his mother."
Sitting at the top was an old woman with gray hair, dressed in silk and satin, with a golden hairpin in her bun. Her lips were slightly thin, her cheekbones were arched, and she had a very mean look.
"I heard that you went to Dongshan Temple today?"
Before Wang Renbiao had time to reply, the young man on the side laughed and said: "Aunt, it is widely spread in Beijing that an eminent monk has come east with scriptures and visited Dongshan Temple. I think my ninth brother went to seek scriptures for my aunt."
"Oh?" The old woman raised her eyebrows, "Is that really true?"
Wang Renbiao couldn't find anything to say for a moment, so he couldn't help but look sideways. The young man who interrupted was his cousin Wang Renyou, who had always been at odds with him.
"Ninth brother, we all went to Dongshan Temple, didn't we go to seek Buddhist scriptures?" Wang Renyou asked in a surprised tone, then turned around and said: "Aunt, let's see, my nephew will go there tomorrow."
The old lady narrowed her eyes slightly and stared at Wang Renbiao who was still kneeling on the ground, "You have been handling general affairs for more than a year and have made a lot of progress. I heard that you have bought a house outside?"
"You're still hiding it because you're afraid someone will take it away from you?"
"Ninth brother, this is your fault." Wang Renyou added, "You are the only son in the family and you have to support your parents. How can you live outside the house?"
Wang Renbiao had a livid face but refused to tell the difference. Could it be that this was something his father left for him before he went to work in another place?
This explanation may work in other families. Wang Renbiao's father, Wang Yu, was born in a side branch, but he is the Wang family of Taiyuan after all. But it does not work in this family, because the old woman was just a daughter of a noble family before she got married, but
Four years ago, in the first year of Wude, she was named Princess Tong'an.
She is the biological sister of the current emperor Li Yuan and the biological aunt of Prince Li Jiancheng.
Princess Tong'an, who was in charge, was still scolding her sternly. Similar scenes had been played out almost every day in the years since she returned to Chang'an, and Wang Renbiao had become accustomed to it.
"That's all, I'm too lazy to say more." Princess Tong'an snorted coldly, "Since you have already bought a house, then move out."
"Mother..." Wang Renbiao suddenly raised his head.
Princess Tong'an turned a deaf ear and walked straight to the back. Wang Renyou knelt down and said with a smile: "Ninth brother, don't worry, my aunt is just angry for a moment. Who asked you to...move over first? I will explain it to you in a few days."
.”
Wang Renbiao gritted his teeth and said nothing, took his wife and left. If he expected Wang Renyou to explain clearly, he might as well expect his father to return to Beijing as soon as possible.
An hour later, Wang Renbiao and his wife Li were sitting in a house in Chongyongfang. There was not a servant or a maid around them, only a few boxes and a few baggage scattered on the ground.
The historical trajectory has undergone subtle changes here. In the original time and space, it was not until Wang Renbiao died of illness that Princess Tong'an kicked out his wife Li and his son Wang Fangyi.
"Lang Jun, mother is just in a hurry..." Mrs. Li knew the origin of this house and advised in a low voice: "I will come to serve mother again in a few days..."
"It's just Chongyongfang, but she can't tolerate it!" Wang Renbiao slammed the table and stirred up a burst of dust.
Chang'an 108th Square, the Imperial City is located in the north, the closer to the Imperial City, the more popular houses are, and Chongyongfang is located in the middle of Chang'an, three squares to the north is the East Market, but the geographical location is not good.
Mrs. Li also understood in her heart that the key to the problem was not the house itself, but that the house was privately transferred to her son by her father-in-law, Wang Yu.
"There is no need to write a letter to Suizhou. My father cannot return to Beijing without an edict, and there is no need to count on Wang Renyou. He must be the one standing in the way this time..."
Seeing his wife's puzzled face, Wang Renbiao smiled bitterly and said: "He and I have always been at odds, but it wasn't until my father was about to take office half a month ago that I learned the inside story..."
Princess Tong'an and her husband Wang Yu had one daughter and three sons. The daughter was brought into the harem by Yang Guang of the former Sui Dynasty. The three sons died one after another. Wang Yu was over forty and had no heirs. He wanted to have a step-nephew. Princess Tong'an fell in love with her and she was only two years old at the time. Wang Renyou.
But before the adoption, a maid next to Wang Yu got pregnant and gave birth to Wang Renbiao. What did Princess Tong'an think? After more than ten years, the couple lived in Luoyang and Yangzhou, leaving only the old servant in Chang'an. Take care of young children.
It didn't matter at first, but five years ago, Li Yuan launched an army to capture Chang'an. In a few years, he was able to clear up the troubled times and was about to unify the world...Wang Renyou was naturally jealous. He liked to dress beautifully, was quite talented among the children of the aristocratic family, and was good at flattering. , very popular with Princess Tongan, and often started quarrels.
It had only been three years since Princess Tong'an and Wang Yu returned to Beijing, but Wang Renbiao had been in Guanzhong. During these three years, Wang Renbiao was in a difficult situation. It can be said that at least half of the credit falls on Wang Renyou.
After sitting in silence for a long time, the couple began to take stock of the soft goods they had brought. After counting, they found that they only had more than thirty dollars. Moreover, they had to buy all kinds of furniture, charcoal fires, and bedding in winter...
Wang Renbiao suddenly remembered the young man from Dongshan Temple outside the city. In this case, maybe that was a way out... at least, it was better than opening his mouth to others.
After giving a wry smile, Wang Renbiao couldn't help but think, one is the one who abandoned his wife and children, the other is the one who was abused by his mother. I really don't know who is worse off?