Just as the two were fighting fiercely in the carriage, Wang Guinian outside the carriage apparently heard Miss Du's unpleasant screams. He didn't want to disturb the two of them from continuing their flirting, so he forced himself on her through the curtains of the carriage. He suppressed laughter and said: "Brother Meng, Miss Du, the Siyi Pavilion is here,"
"Oh, okay," Meng Xinghe replied from inside, letting go of Miss Du's mouth that was covered by him, "Don't stare at me, you were the one who called me first just now,"
After being taken advantage of by him, Miss Du long ago wanted to tear him to pieces, "Get out of here, don't block my way,"
Pushing Meng Xinghe away with a palm, Miss Du jumped out of the car without any restraint.
Meng Xinghe also stepped out of the carriage immediately. Wang Guinian in front of him saw the two of them as enemies. They both said that beating is intimacy and scolding is love. If a woman is willing to hit and scold you, it proves that she at least has you in her heart. As an outsider, Wang Guinian could naturally see that Miss Du must have feelings for Brother Meng. When the two of them were walking behind to the Siyi Pavilion, Wang Guinian chatted: "Brother Meng, I heard that Mr. Du yesterday I am serious about betrothing my daughter to you, so I would like to first congratulate Brother Meng on his beautiful wife,"
Meng Xinghe shook his head: "I just married a fierce woman, there is nothing happy to talk about,"
In Chang'an, Meng Xinghe is probably the only one who dares to say that Miss Du is a shrew. Wang Guinian joked: "Maybe Miss Du is just being tough for Brother Meng."
This is a fair statement. Miss Du's temperament changes because of me. Is this the legendary "gong" of a woman who pleases herself?
"Oh, by the way, Brother Guinian, why did the Holy One call us to the Siyi Pavilion?" Putting aside those useless topics for now, Meng Xinghe asked the question he wanted to know. Is it possible that the Holy One is going to meet those envoys today? minister.
Wang Guinian explained: "I don't know about this. Your Majesty just asked all the ministers of the DPRK and China to move to the Siyi Pavilion. Maybe he wanted to receive foreign envoys. He did the same thing last year."
"So that's it," Meng Xinghe listened in his mind and asked carefully: "Then what did you do to receive foreign envoys last year?"
Wang Guinian thought for a while: "When we received him last year, we first accepted the worship of the envoys from all over the world, and then held a banquet for three days in the Siyi Pavilion. The envoys from all over the world would tell us everything at the banquet. His Majesty the Emperor If it can be solved, an imperial edict will be issued on the spot. If it cannot be resolved, it will be left in the palace for the ministers to discuss privately. After the case is settled, an imperial edict will be issued to the envoys of other countries so that they can return to their posts. Logically speaking, these things are The Ministry of Rites is in charge, why don't they inform Brother Meng that you, the receptionist,"
"Maybe the people in the Ministry of Rites have forgotten that I am just a receptionist," Meng Xinghe cleverly solved the crisis. He would not argue with the Hou family and his son about such a trivial matter.
Wang Guinian didn't say much, and the two of them approached the Siyi Pavilion one after another. Under the guidance of the officials in the pavilion, they came to the main hall of the Siyi Pavilion where the envoys were received.
The main hall is the largest palace in the Siyi Pavilion. It can host banquets and receive foreign envoys. Li Shimin banquets envoys here every year, and this year is certainly no exception.
Entering the main hall, Li Shimin led the officials of the Tang Dynasty who had arrived a long time ago. At this moment, they were sitting at the end of the hall. The ministers below him who were chatting happily suddenly heard a report from the palace people outside. The minister ordered Master Meng to arrive, and they suddenly stopped. While they were talking, their eyes were all directed towards Meng Xinghe who had just walked in.
"It's him." The foreign envoys who recognized Meng Xinghe certainly couldn't believe it. A few days ago, he was a young man who received envoys. Now he has become a minister. In their country, someone can become prime minister at the age of twenty. People are definitely rare to see in a thousand years, so the way they look at Meng Xinghe is not as snobbish as before.
Li Shimin frowned, you are finally here.
"Your Majesty, I was delayed on the road, so I was a few moments late." Meng Xinghe stepped forward and glanced at the blond man next to him. Meng Xinghe smiled at him and said, "Hello,"
The man held his chest with one hand very politely: "Hello,"
He spoke Chinese, but it was very unfamiliar. Meng Xinghe was shocked. He was an Englishman, sent from Elizabeth's hometown.
"Meng Shangshu came just in time. Earl John asked me a question just now. Please answer it for me. Earl John, this is the smartest man in our Tang Dynasty. If you have any questions, just ask him. Bar,"
After Li Shimin's edict came out, he felt relieved and hoped that Meng Xinghe would not embarrass the Tang Dynasty in front of the envoys from all countries.
"I obey the order," Meng Xinghe cursed reluctantly in his heart. Why did he leave the hot potato in my hand just now? What did all the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty do for a living?
The man named Earl John heard that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty said that the man in front of him who was younger than him was actually the smartest person in the Tang Dynasty. Earl John almost didn't believe it and said: "Since His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty said that the noble Lord is The smartest man, then I, John, would like to see with my own eyes whether your Excellency can really answer the question chosen by His Majesty the Emperor of our country,"
Bang bang bang, three rounds of applause sounded, and a man who looked the same as John walked in from outside. The man held a shining golden crown in his hand. The dazzling light kept radiating around. Many people were already praising him. What a rare treasure.
The man handed the crown to John. John held the exquisite crown and flattered Li Shimin, saying: "This is a pure gold crown specially made by the king of our country for His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but we suspect that the craftsmen cut corners on the work. The gold is mixed with brass, but we don't know how to detect it. If we offer it to His Majesty the Emperor, it would be tantamount to deceiving His Majesty. But we are afraid of wronging our craftsmen. For such a dilemma, we still ask the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, please give us an idea to determine whether the crown is authentic or not,"
"Give Lord Meng the crown donated by Earl John and let him identify it carefully," Li Shimin waved his hand and handed over the matter to Meng Xinghe.
After receiving the crown from the palace attendant, Meng Xinghe looked at it up and down for a few times. His observation method was like identifying an antique, which suddenly caused a burst of laughter from the surrounding audience.
"Does Mr. Meng have a pair of magical eyes that can tell the truth from the false just by looking at it? I really want to wait and see."
Hou Wenhai laughed with several officials of the Tang Dynasty around him. His act of undermining his own prestige and improving others' ambitions immediately attracted Li Shimin to kill him, and they immediately shut up in amusement.
Ignoring the laughter around him, Meng Xinghe looked up and down with the crown, and then said calmly: "Your Majesty, I wonder if you can have someone bring two wooden basins filled with water and two clay pots for me? ,"
Li Shimin listened to his instructions and immediately asked people to prepare.
After a while, the clay pots and wooden basins were brought. Meng Xinghe asked Earl John again, "I wonder how many kilograms of gold the king of your country used to build this crown."
"Twenty pounds," Earl John said, what did this Tang Dynasty man want to do?
After hearing this, Meng Xinghe said to Li Shimin again: "I'll trouble your Majesty to have someone fetch twenty kilograms of gold again."
"Yes," Li Shimin listened to Meng Xinghe's instructions again. He was curious about how Meng Xinghe could tell whether the crown was genuine or fake.
After a while, all the three things Meng Xinghe wanted were ready. He called a few palace servants to help. He first put twenty taels of gold into a wooden basin. Water immediately overflowed. Meng Xinghe asked the palace servants to use clay pots. Next, without leaking a drop, he put the crown into the water again and used the same method to catch the overflowing water into the clay pot.
After doing these things, Meng Xinghe took two clay pots and asked the palace servants to return the crown to Earl John, saying: "Your Majesty, the results have come out,"
"It's out," Li Shimin said with joy on his face, "Tell me quickly if the crown is real."
Meng Xinghe said seriously: "No,"
Li Shimin's face was disappointed, but he was happy in his heart. Meng Xinghe had now solved this problem for Datang. What he got was not just a simple crown, but a kind of supreme respect. Sitting on the dragon throne, Li Shimin said eagerly: " Lord Meng, please tell me how you identify the authenticity of the crown, I would like to hear the details,"
Meng Xinghe did not dare to hide anything and said truthfully: "Actually, it is not difficult to solve this problem. As early as the Three Kingdoms period, someone had come up with a solution for us, and it was only by using the example of Cao Chong weighing elephants that I could distinguish the authenticity of the crown. , If there is no adulteration in the crown, then the water overflowing from the wooden basin should be equal. Now it is obvious that the water in the two clay pots is not the same. It is obvious that it has been tampered with."
"Hahaha," Li Shimin laughed: "Mr. Meng is indeed knowledgeable and talented. Count John, you can go back and report to your king now."
"Thank you, His Majesty the Emperor, for solving our problem. However, John has a small request. If the distinguished Mr. Meng can solve the problem, how about giving this crown to Mr. Meng as a souvenir? When John returns to China, he will personally be the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty sent you a crown of pure gold,"
Earl John was so generous. Although Li Shimin was taboo about this matter, he did not want to lose his grace in front of foreign envoys.
"Then give it to Meng Xinghe," Li Shimin's tone was not as kind as before, but it was excusable. John didn't know that in the Tang Dynasty, monarch power was supreme and the crown, which symbolized royal power, could be given to ministers casually. He only thought that it was mutual Giving something away was just a normal thing, but little did he know that it had pushed Meng Xinghe to the point of despair.
Meng Xinghe took over the crown tremblingly. "Undying John, you have done me a lot of harm. It is estimated that after you leave, Li Shimin will raid my house. It belongs to your grandma. You just give me a little English beauty." It's better than a crown.
Seeing Meng Xinghe accept the crown, John, who was standing next to him, gave him a good smile and said: "Honorable Sir, if you have the chance, you must go to our country. For a smart genius like you, our king will definitely treat you Treated like a VIP,”
I want to kill someone. This John is so damn hospitable. Meng Xinghe smiled bitterly and said: "Definitely, definitely,"
John didn't want to talk to him, so he turned to Li Shimin, who was directly in front of him, and said: "Your Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, John has other important matters and will leave for the time being, but before leaving, he also wants to pay homage to His Majesty the Emperor, a man from the Tang Dynasty."
There is also such a strange thing. Earl John actually wants to inquire about a Tang Dynasty person. Li Shimin said warmly: "I don't know who the Earl wants to inquire about. I will definitely send someone to help you find it."
Earl John said: "He is a scholar from your Tang Dynasty. His name seems to be Meng Xinghe."
Li Shimin looked at Meng Xinghe in disbelief: "That's Mr. Meng next to you,"
Earl John looked at Meng Xinghe next to him in surprise, "So you are the smartest genius as our Princess Elizabeth said. No wonder you can answer such difficult questions." As he spoke, Earl John, who almost worshiped Meng Xinghe like a god, immediately jumped out of his arms. He took out a parchment letter and said: "Master Meng, please accept it. This is the letter our princess gave you. The princess also asked John to tell you that far away from the Tang Dynasty, there will always be a blond The girl is waiting for her prince to arrive under the moonlight. He does not want that prince to ride a white horse. Being able to come is enough for her to be happy for a lifetime."
After handing over the letter and completing the princess' explanation, Earl John was about to exit the hall. Meng Xinghe turned his back to the gazes of hundreds of pairs of eyes present and slowly put the sheepskin letter into his arms. He told the little boy the story of Snow White and the Prince. Now she didn’t know how to complete her fairy tale. Looking at Earl John leaving, Meng Xinghe knew that little Shabai might be gone forever. After thinking about it, he finally said: "Meng Xinghe also has a saying, I hope Earl John can convey this to your Princess Elizabeth,"
"Master Meng, please speak,"
Meng Xinghe paused for a moment, and finally managed to choke out four words, "Have a nice trip,"