The dismissal of Liu Shuang from office was regarded as the turning point in the death of Queen Wang, and this is also recorded in history books. After Liu Shuang was dismissed from office, Queen Wang and Concubine Xiao were each beaten with 100 boards by Wu Mei and then executed.
Li Hong opened and closed the wooden boxes of the two exquisite towers presented to him by Wang Jing, in order to confuse Liu Shuang and Wang Jing and make them believe that he was just an active child.
"Prince Dai, these were found specially for you by Marquis Jinyang. That day I told Wang Jing about the Linglong Pagoda that you accidentally smashed in the Linhu Palace the envoy from the Kingdom of Kucha and presented to Your Majesty. I didn't expect that Wang Jing was a thoughtful person and went through untold hardships to find these two towers for you. Now, you can return to the palace to apologize to Your Majesty. What's more, the King of Dai is still young, and I don't think His Majesty will blame you." Liu Shuang said as he watched the King of Dai absent-mindedly flipping through the box.
"Yes, King Dai, when I heard my uncle talk about this matter that day, I was immediately worried. Although I have never met King Dai, his extraordinary intelligence is well known in Chang'an City. Naturally, I admired him very much, so I searched for him in Chang'an, Luoyang and other places. Thanks to King Dai, I finally found him." Wang Jing heard Liu Shuang speaking for him, and hurriedly followed suit.
"Hehe, thank you Marquis Jinyang for your kindness. If it weren't for your Linglong Tower, I wouldn't dare to return to the palace now. Now that I have this treasure, I am not afraid of being scolded by my father and mother when I return to the palace." Li Hong said as he slumped on the futon like a boneless person, with his upper body resting on the table.
"Ah?" Liu Shuang pretended to be surprised and said, "Prince Dai, you are not planning to return to the palace today, are you? I would like to invite you to appreciate the night view of Chang'an. The newly built Big Wild Goose Pagoda is towering into the clouds, and it is a symbol of the prosperity of our Tang Dynasty. How about I accompany you to appreciate the Big Wild Goose Pagoda tomorrow before returning to the palace?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Minister of the Central Secretariat. I have been out of the palace for more than a month. It would be inappropriate if I don't go back. My father and mother would blame me even more. Moreover, I have the treasure of Marquis Jinyang today, so it is only natural for me to return to the palace. Alas... it's just..."
Liu Shuang and Wang Jing looked at each other. From what they heard, they thought that this king might be talking about the lost palace maid.
"Just what? Please give me your instructions, King Dai. If I can accomplish it for you, I will do my best and will never hesitate to die for you." Wang Jing asked hurriedly.
...
...
"To reply to Marquis Jinyang, it was the personal maid of King Dai who ran away. Yesterday, King Dai ordered her to go out on an errand, but unexpectedly she never came back and there is no news of her since." Xia Zhi stood aside and answered for the annoyed King Dai.
"Ah, there is such a thing?" Wang Jing's tone was filled with unconcealable excitement and a hint of regret.
The King of Dai was so excited that he never thought that his maid had been kidnapped. But it was a pity that the pair of exquisite towers were given to him for nothing.
"That's right. I met you at the gate of Ci'en Temple yesterday. I was leading them to look for you." Li Hong said with a depressed face. He had seen all the changes in Wang Jing and Liu Shuang's expressions.
"Then I wonder if King Dai has found it?" Liu Shuang asked with a hint of relief in his eyes.
"I didn't find it. Forget it. She was just a palace maid. With this Linglong Tower, I don't think my mother will blame me for losing a palace maid." Li Hong carefully handed the wooden box of the two Linglong Towers to Xia Zhi and asked her to keep it.
"Well... if that's the case, we will not delay your return to the palace. We will take our leave first." Liu Shuang said as he looked at the sky outside which was gradually darkening.
"Well, you can leave now. Li Hong thanks Marquis Jinyang for his kindness again. Xia Zhi, send the Minister of the Central Secretariat and Marquis Jinyang back for me."
After Liu Shuang and Wang Jing disappeared, the laziness on Li Hong's face also disappeared. His face became a little solemn, and he murmured: "I didn't expect Liu Shuang to be involved, but what are they doing here with a palace maid?"
"How did King Dai determine that Liu Shuang was involved in the kidnapping of Bai Lu?" Mangzhong was a little confused. He had listened to the conversation from beginning to end, and didn't feel that any sentence seemed to indicate that Liu Shuang was involved.
"Liu Shuang asked me to stay in Chang'an for one more night, which is enough to prove that there must be some deal between them." Seeing Mangzhong still looking confused, Li Hong patted his forehead and explained, "Liu Shuang's invitation to me to appreciate the Big Wild Goose Pagoda was fake, and it was really to test my return to the palace today. If I accept his invitation, he will naturally doubt whether I have other motives. This will only make him act cautiously, and in order to be safe, it is very likely to arouse his suspicion. It is not impossible to kill Bai Lu to silence her then."
"Then if you return to the palace today, won't he silence Bai Lu?" Mangzhong still didn't quite understand.
"Oh, I'm so stupid. The two exquisite towers are their excuse for me to return to the palace. I have no choice but to go back. Only in this way can I prove that I don't care about the palace maids, but only care about the exquisite towers. This will also let them relax their vigilance. At least they won't be so eager to kill Bai Lu to get rid of suspicion."
Mangzhong nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked, "Are you planning to return to the palace today?"
"Why don't you come back to me? How can I go back to the palace when Bai Lu hasn't been found yet? If I go back, my mother will punish me. I don't want to waste my time talking to you anymore. Go and withdraw Jingzhe and Liebao. It is basically certain that Bai Lu is in Ci'en Temple. There is no point for them to stay there. If they are discovered, Bai Lu might be harmed."
Mangzhong should have run out in a hurry, but he didn't dare to ask why. If he continued to ask, the King of Dai would definitely become impatient, and then he would have to bear the consequences.
As the lights came on, palace lanterns were lit on the paths of Prince Pu's Mansion, making the roads appear bright and dark, which looked quite eerie.
The two men, who worked hard and were not complaining, came to Li Hong under the guidance of Xia Zhi with sad faces. They each held glassware of different sizes in their hands. After paying their respects, they placed the glassware in their hands on Li Hong's desk.
Li Hong looked at the two round glass objects, which looked like small fish tanks. He tapped the glass with his fingers, and a clear sound came out.
"What's wrong?" Li Hong asked.
"I am incompetent and cannot seal them all intact. Cracks appear every time in the sealing process. I really can't think of a better way, so I bring them here to ask for your instructions, Your Majesty." Ren Lao has learned to speak human language during his time in Prince Pu's mansion. He is no longer the greenhorn who has just arrived. He refers to this little brother as the first person he speaks.
Li Hong looked at the hard-working and sad face through the glass. The surface of the glass was not very smooth, and the uneven surface made people feel nauseous when looking at things through the glass.
Yes, today's glass still lacks certain fibers and has very poor toughness. It is already rare to be able to achieve the current state. If you want to make it into a vacuum-shaped ornament or a delicate tower, it is too difficult.
I had already given up on making jewelry with glass, and just let Ren Laoren make it according to their ideas to see if I could come up with any surprises. Now it seems that this glass is not as good as crystal, and is much worse in hardness, thickness and toughness.
Crystal can be carved and stamped at will, and does not require a large flat plate, so it is not difficult to work with. But it is different with glass. Its fragile nature makes even the famous craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty helpless.
Li Hong picked up the glass product that was slightly larger than his head. The diameter was just enough to fit his head inside. Li Hong put the glass, which was as big as a small fish tank, on his head and said in a muffled voice, "Increase the thickness of the glass appropriately and try to add more crystal quartz sand in it. Also, don't use glass to make ornaments anymore. It's a waste. Can it be better than crystal?"
Although Ren Laoren had different ideas, they temporarily gave up after hearing what King Dai said. In their eyes, this glass was more transparent and clear than crystal. If it could be made into jewelry, it should be no worse than crystal.
The two bowed and responded, temporarily giving up the idea of using glass to make ornaments. They picked up other ornaments on the table and were about to leave when Li Hong suddenly shouted, "Wait a minute!"
"Please give orders on behalf of the king." He was used to Li Hong's sudden surprises because he was willing to work hard and never complain.
Li Hong wore the glass jar on his head and looked at the red lantern swaying in the breeze at the door and started to chuckle.
"Hua Meng, go take down a lantern at the door." Li Hong ordered.
He suddenly thought, since this thing can't be vacuum sealed, why not make it into a lampshade? And if this thing is made into a lampshade, wouldn't the brightness be much brighter than this lantern, and more durable?
Also, this glass can be made into tea cups, wine glasses, etc. Thinking of this, Li Hong began to laugh neurotically again.
After several gestures and explanations, Ren Lao Ren Yuan finally understood what King Dai meant, and he was very happy. Yes, it would be perfect if this thing could be made into a lampshade.
After the two left excitedly, Xia Zhi ran in with a nervous look on his face, accompanied by a eunuch whom Li Hong had met several times in the palace, and two Tang Dynasty officials.
Four people hurried in, but Li Hong had not taken off the glass jar on his head. He just kept wearing the glass jar, and as he opened and closed his mouth to speak, a cloud of water vapor gradually thickened and thinned on the glass in front of him.
"Who are they? What happened today? Why did so many people come to see me?" Li Hong asked in a muffled voice.
The two Tang officials looked around the room and saw that there was no one inside except the Dai King's personal maids and eunuchs. They bowed and said, "Your servants, Dali Temple Duan Xuanbao and Ministry of Justice Minister Liu Rengui, greet the Dai King."
"Your servant Hua Ji greets King Dai." The eunuch in the palace bowed after the two men bowed.
Liu Rengui? This is a famous general of the Tang Dynasty. Now he is the Minister of Justice? Oh, yes, I remember there was another famous person in this era in my previous life - Di Renjie. Yes, I don't know where this guy is now. I should look for him someday. I wonder if he has not entered Chang'an yet.
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