Shan Xiongxin said it very bluntly. Although the six of them seemed not to be trifled with, these four guards of the Wang family had been working for the Wang family for many years. What kind of nobles had they not seen? Even when Yang Liang, the king of Han Dynasty, came to visit the head of the Wang family, he had to hand over the
Please give me a greeting invitation, not to mention that not everyone can pay homage to the majestic head of the Wang family.
The noble families in Shandong attach great importance to reputation, especially the Wang family in Taiyuan and the Pei family in Hedong. Therefore, the guard guards are by no means the kind of people who rely on others' power. At least they still have some superficial etiquette and bearing. A guard took Shan Xiong's letter and handed it to him.
When he came to pay his respects, he glanced at the carriage more than ten steps away and said, "May I ask who your young master is? I can report it to the courtyard."
Shan Xiongxin had obviously received Wang Junlin's instructions a long time ago, and immediately said: "Just say that you are a distinguished guest from Kyoto, and then submit the invitation. Your master will naturally invite my young master to come into the house after reading the invitation."
The guard hesitated for a moment, presumably knowing something about the current situation in Bingzhou, and finally said: "You guys wait here. Whether you can visit my master depends on the decision of the inner courtyard."
After saying that, the guard hurried into the house with a greeting note written by Wang Junlin himself.
…
Not long after, there was only the sound of chaotic running in the courtyard, and then the main door was opened by a servant. Eight neatly dressed male servants held long brooms and symbolically "swept" a path in front of the door, with a slightly expression on their faces.
Wang Zhi, the eldest son of the Wang family, who was somewhat pale and tired, came out to greet them. He walked to stand in front of Wang Junlin and Nie Xiaoyu who had already got off the carriage, and looked at them curiously.
Wang Junlin and Nie Xiaoyu, who were still dressed in disguise, looked calm. Wang Zhi finally put his hands on his heart, hugged his chest, bowed and saluted, and asked in a low voice with complicated expressions: "Are you the imperial envoy of the imperial court, Lord Qin An?"
Wang Junlin leaned over and said with a smile: "It's my little brother. Brother Wang didn't invite me in."
Wang Zhi felt a little uneasy. He looked around a few times and found someone on the street looking this way. He whispered: "My father is waiting for you in the inner courtyard, please."
Wang Junlin asked Wang Zhi to arrange for six sword attendants to rest in the living room of the outer courtyard, while he took Nie Xiaoyu to visit Wang Long in the inner courtyard of the Wang family, as if he was not worried about his own safety at all.
As soon as he entered the door, Wang Junlin listened quietly
Hearing the sound of reading loudly, he said: "I heard that the Wang family has a very strong academic style. Even the servants and guards have to study for several years to be able to read."
The seventh lady disappeared last night. Wang Zhi was worried and a little absent-minded, but he knew that the identity of the person in front of him was of great importance, so he did not dare to neglect it. He forced a smile, pointed to the outermost tower on the east side of the Wang family's ancestral residence and said with a smile: "The imperial envoy saw this
Is that the pagoda? That's the Wang family's library, which is also where our Wang family's sect is located. At its peak, there were three thousand students, and now there are hundreds of people studying. The sound of reading that the imperial envoy heard came from there.
of."
Wang Junlin stared at the Wang family library. He knew that one of the main reasons why the famous families such as Wang, Pei, Cui, and Li have survived for hundreds or even thousands of years is that they attach great importance to education. They not only cultivate their own children, but also
It has also cultivated a large number of outstanding talents. These outstanding talents hold high official positions or are children of local wealthy families, and they have become a force in the famous wealthy families.
For example, at least 20% of the county officials in Bingzhou are related to the Wang family of Taiyuan. This is also the most important weight for the major gentry forces in Shandong to compete with the Guanlong nobles and the emerging nobles of the Sui Dynasty. It is not just their own children.
, including a large number of their outstanding disciples, so Wang Xue in Taiyuan, Pei Xue in Hedong Wenxi, Cui Xue in Qinghe and Boling, and Lu Xue in Fan Yang were all famous schools in the Sui Dynasty, and almost all the students who could study there were
They are all famous sons from various counties.
This place was not far from the inner courtyard. Wang Zhi remembered his father's explanation. Seeing that there was no one around him, he whispered to Wang Junlin: "I wonder why the imperial envoy came to my Wang family?"
Wang Junlin seemed to have known this question for a long time. He smiled slightly and said, "Don't Brother Wang and the head of the Wang family know what you are doing when you come down to the Wang family?"
Wang Zhi's face changed slightly, and he didn't know how to answer for a moment.
The Wang family's ancestral residence is the second largest palace in Taiyuan City after the Han Dynasty. It covers an area of 100 acres, not including the 30 acres of Wangxue Bookstore next to it. It was formerly presided over by Wang Tong, a great scholar of the generation, and had thousands of disciples. Later,
After Wang Tong became an official in the imperial court, Wang Tong's younger brother Wang Zhong took charge. His reputation was not as great as Wang Tong's, but his number of students never fell below five hundred.
In Wang Zhi's embarrassed and uneasy expression, Wang Junlin finally came to the inner courtyard of the Wang family's ancestral home. He also saw Wang Long, who
His expression was calm, and there was no sign of joy, anger, sorrow or joy. For this palace, he was worthy of being the head of the Wang family.
The eyes of Wang Junlin and Wang Long met in mid-air. The former was deep and the latter was deep. They both wanted to see through each other at once, at least to see some information, but neither could see anything. However, because Wang Junlin himself was not a good person,
So he knew that no matter how calm Wang Long looked on the surface, he would feel extremely heavy because of the disappearance of the Seventh Lady.
If Wang Junlin was not the imperial envoy appointed by Yang Guang, he would be the first to salute Wang Long regardless of his status, title or seniority. But now that he is the imperial envoy and has made it clear that he is here to threaten the other party, he will naturally not show weakness.
.
Finally, when Wang Long's deep eyes became a little gloomy, Wang Long suddenly laughed and said: "Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy is here. Wang is not able to welcome you from far away. Please forgive me, Your Majesty the Imperial Envoy."
As he spoke, Wang Long bowed to Wang Junlin, but did not bow down as he did when facing an imperial envoy.
What Wang Junlin wanted was to overwhelm the opponent in terms of momentum, and he didn't care about any more false gifts. Naturally, he accepted it as soon as he saw it, and returned the gift with the same smile, and said: "Old Duke, you are too polite. I just accept it."
His Majesty came to see the old Duke with a secret order, but he failed to inform him in advance. I will not blame the Wang family for not being able to meet him from afar."
When Wang Long heard this, his eyes flashed and he said, "Please, Mr. Qin An!" He deliberately avoided the identity of Wang Junlin's imperial envoy and addressed Wang Junlin with his title.
"Please, my lord," Wang Junlin said politely.
Wang Long took Wang Junlin into the inner courtyard. In the inner hall used to entertain the most important guests, Wang Junlin and Wang Long were seated opposite each other as guest of honor.
After Wang Junlin waited for the Wang family's maid who served tea and fruits to leave, before Wang Long took the initiative to ask questions, he said: "The rebel Gao Ying is about to fall. I wonder what my old Duke's plans are?"
Wang Long's eyes flashed, and he said slightly displeased: "No matter whether the rebels are destroyed or not, I, the Wang family, will always be loyal to the court and your Majesty."
Wang Long was the patriarch of the Wang family and an important minister in the court. He was once the Minister of Rites of the imperial court. Wang Tong, the most famous member of the Wang family, entered the court as an official. At that time, under the hint of Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Jian, he retired and took charge of family affairs as the patriarch.