Early the next morning.
The sun rose and shone on the earth. The weather in August was hot, especially in the middle of Sichuan. It was as if people could not breathe when the sun shone on them. When Ma Zhou first came to the middle of Sichuan, he was definitely not used to the weather. But after walking in the forest for a few days, he had gotten used to the humidity and heat in the forest.
The weather in Pu 'an County was like child's play to Ma Zhou. It was not a big deal. He went out of the inn and took a carriage to the Yang family's house.
The Yang family's house was located in the west of the city.
The house was very big.
It covered an area of more than 800 acres, including the Yang family's academy. Moreover, all the members of the Yang family lived here. In fact, the members of the Yang family and some of their distant relatives were not here. If all the members of the Yang family lived together, there would be more and more people.
The carriage stopped outside the Yang family's house. Ma Zhou got out of the carriage, went straight to the door, and knocked on the door.
Creak!
The door opened.
A gatekeeper poked his head out and said in a deep voice, "Who are you looking for?"
Ma Zhou handed over his name card and said, "Please inform Mr. Yang that Wang Zhou of the Wang family of Taiyuan wants to see you."
Ma Zhou did not speak with his real name. Instead, he used the identity of the Wang family of Taiyuan. Because he knew that if he said his identity directly, it would be easy to be in a dilemma. However, if he did not say his background, it would be difficult to meet someone of Yang Lu's status. Therefore, Ma Zhou changed his strategy and said that he was a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan.
The Wang family of Taiyuan was one of the Five Surnames and Seven Hopes.
Even though the strength of the aristocratic families had been weakened and their influence was not as great as before. But the influence of the Wang family was still there. The Wang family still had great influence among the aristocratic families. The Yang family like Yang Lu was influential in the Sword Province. In fact, after leaving the Sword Province, who would recognize the Yang family?
But the Wang family was different. The Wang family had been passed down for hundreds of years. In everyone's eyes, such a large family was truly influential. This was a true aristocratic family.
The gatekeeper was quite knowledgeable. When he heard that it was the Wang family of Taiyuan, he did not dare to delay. He put away his contempt and hurried back to report. Not long after, the gatekeeper came again. When he saw Ma Zhou again, he said respectfully, "Childe Wang, please!"
Ma Zhou said, "Thank you."
He followed the gatekeeper and went straight to the main hall.
In the main hall, an old man in his fifties sat upright. This person was Yang Lu. His figure was thin, and his face was covered in wrinkles. He looked rather old, and even his hair was rather sparse. In terms of appearance, Yang Lu looked to be at least 60 years old.
After entering, Ma Zhou bowed and said: "My name is Wang Zhou. Greetings, Eunuch Yang."
Yang Lu waved his hand and said, "Please take a seat, Young Master Wang."
Although Yang Lu's identity was not ordinary, he still appeared very modest in front of the Wang family. If an outsider saw this, they would definitely be incomparably shocked. Because Yang Lu was usually very strict with the students of the academy and the juniors of the family. He had never shown them a smile. Because of this, the students of the academy could become talents, and the descendants of the family could not be foppish.
After Ma Zhou took his seat, Yang Lu took the initiative to say: "Speaking of which, when I was young, I traveled around Sichuan. I once met Wang Zongzhou, the head of the Wang family of Taiyuan, at a banquet. Although we did not have a deep conversation, we did meet. But I heard that later, Wang Zongzhou was killed, and the Wang family also changed greatly. I don't know the current situation of the Wang family. "
Ma Zhou chuckled.
Yang Lu was indeed not simple. As soon as he opened his mouth, he asked about the situation of the Wang family. Although it was an inquiry, it was actually a test. He wanted to see if Ma Zhou knew the situation of the Wang family, so that he could judge the situation of Ma Zhou, a descendant of the Wang family.
Ma Zhou knew quite a lot about the Wang family. In particular, many descendants of the Wang family were now working for Xia Xia. Moreover, the Wang family of Taiyuan was also helpful for Xia Xia's army to enter the Tang dynasty.
Ma Zhou said neither humbly nor overbearingly, "Wang Yu is now the head of the Wang family, and Wang Qiao is responsible for assisting him. The two of them have been in charge of the Wang family for many years. "
Hearing this, Yang Lu nodded slightly.
He knew the situation of the Wang family, so he asked.
Yang Lu said again: "Young Master Wang, are you from Wang Yu's branch, Wang Qiao's branch, or other branches?"
Ma Zhou said: "I'm from the same branch. Wang Yu is my elder brother."
He did not feel the slightest burden to lie.
His face was not red and he was not out of breath.
As long as he could make Yang Lu submit to Xia Xia and work for him, Ma Zhou thought it was worth it and worth it.
When Yang Lu heard this, the expression on his face changed again and became softer. If he was from Wang Yu's branch, it was even more complicated. Yang Lu smiled slightly, and his wrinkled face relaxed. He said again: "I wonder why Young Master Wang has come to Jianzhou and our Yang family?"
Ma Zhou said: "I'm here for the war between Xia Xia and the Tang dynasty."
He directly stated the reason.
He was now pretending to be a member of the Wang family. With this identity, Ma Zhou believed that even if Yang Lu did not agree to submit to Xia Xia, at least he would not fall out with the Wang family, so Ma Zhou directly stated the purpose of his visit.
As soon as Yang Lu heard Ma Zhou's words, his pupils shrank. Immediately, Yang Lu recovered and said in a deep voice: "If the Wang family is here to persuade me this time, does that mean the Wang family is on Xia Xia's side, and Young Master Wang is also working for Xia Xia?"
Ma Zhou said, "When the Wang Clan was in the Great Tang, they had already served Emperor Xia and submitted to him. When Emperor Xia established himself in the Western Regions, the Wang family sent Wang Qiao to lead a team and arrange for many of their descendants to work in the Western Regions. When Xia Xia established the Imperial Capital, most of the Wang family's descendants worked for Xia Xia. "
"So now the Wang family is already on Xia Xia's side. As for me, I haven't become an official yet. I'm only in charge of some chores in the family. This time, I was entrusted by the family head to come to Jianzhou to persuade you. "
"Speaking of which, you might not believe it, but it was not easy for me to go south to Jianzhou! Xiao Yuanqi, Xia Xia's general outside Sword Gate Pass, sent ten guards and a local commoner as a guide to lead me up the mountain of Sword Gate Pass. "
"This mountain is really difficult!"
Ma Zhou said: "There are countless mosquitoes, snakes, insects, birds, and beasts. The mountain is extremely hot and stuffy. Walking through the mountain, I felt as if I had walked through the gates of hell. To be able to meet you today is a blessing from the heavens. "
When Yang Lu heard this, a look of praise and admiration appeared in his eyes. It was definitely not easy for a scholar to cross the mountain of Sword Gate Pass. He had to pay a great price. Yang Lu stroked his beard and pondered for a moment, then said: "Young Master Wang, what do you need me to do for the war between the two sides?"
Ma Zhou said: "First, I naturally hope that Young Master Yang's Yang family can work for Emperor Xia."
Yang Lu leaned forward slightly and asked unhurriedly: "If I work for Emperor Xia and the Yang family works for Emperor Xia, what benefits will there be? If my Yang family works for Xia Xia, there has to be benefits, right? You can't expect my Yang family to throw caution to the wind and give all our strength at Emperor Xia's command. "
Ma Zhou did not answer directly and instead asked: "Young Master Yang, what benefits does the Yang family need?"
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