I said, "I wonder what kind of books Your Majesty would like to read? Since the Tang Dynasty, there have been quite a few new books published, such as 'Jin Ping Mei' and 'Rou Pu Tuan,' which are all very well written. There is also a book in which you are the second male lead—a character second only to the protagonist."
Li Shimin immediately became curious: "Oh, which book is it?"
"The Journey to the West, which tells the story of Tang Sanzang's pilgrimage to the West, mentions you frequently. Isn't Tang Sanzang your imperial brother?"
"Who is this Tang Sanzang..." Li Shimin asked, puzzled.
Wang Yin, who spends every day at school, interjected, "It is Xuanzang."
Li Shimin suddenly realized, "Hehe, it's that monk. When did he become my imperial brother?"
This is something we can't delve into too deeply. Because what Wu Cheng'en wrote is different from what we have; most of his work is fiction.
They arrived at the school as they were talking. Since it was too late to gather everyone, they had to call the clients they could find to a small welcome party in the lecture hall. These clients now hold a seminar every Friday, and a welcome party for newcomers; they've long since become close friends and acquaintances, and the initial novelty has worn off. Each meeting has essentially become a good time for them to chat and joke around.
However, since everyone present was a VIP, it caused quite a stir in the venue. I announced two rules: first, anyone could get an autograph or take a photo with the emperor of their own dynasty or their favorite emperor; second, anyone who had suffered under a particular dynasty was not allowed to take their anger out on the founding emperor. This was mainly aimed at the heroes. But it was completely unnecessary; the bandits were living the high life. As some of the earliest clients, they fully understood the essence of living to enjoy life, and they were all quite detached from worldly concerns.
To my surprise, the 300 soldiers of Yue Fei's army remained calm even when they met Zhao Kuangyin. I had assumed that even if they didn't perform a grand ceremony of bowing and scraping, they would at least show special respect to the founding emperor. Now it seems they were truly loyal only to Yue Fei. This isn't to say that Emperor Gaozong should have been suspicious of Yue Fei; the 300 soldiers' loyalty to Yue Fei stemmed from his loyalty to the country. This wasn't a leadership tactic, but rather a testament to his personal charisma.
After the routine welcoming ceremony, a group of artists surrounded Li Shimin. It wasn't out of flattery, but rather because they needed the early Tang emperor to explain many artistic concepts from a high-level perspective. Li Shimin specifically consulted Zhang Zeduan about the poem "Even now, I think of Xiang Yu." Wang Xizhi and the two renowned physicians, not knowing any of them, simply mingled and chatted.
Although the heroes were born before Genghis Khan and had the advantage of arriving first, knowing that he was a hero of the grasslands, they disregarded the suspicion of having a nation destroyed and took the old man away for drinks.
Zhao Kuangyin and Zhu Yuanzhang were also busy, each finding like-minded companions. It was clear they were still somewhat unaccustomed to this environment; after meeting hundreds of people, not a single one bowed in homage. However, they felt somewhat better after hearing that Qin Shi Huang had dug up his own tomb and that Liu Bang had gone to do small business with a counterfeiter.
Fortunately, Wu Sangui wasn't there, otherwise I don't know if he could have dealt with Zhu Yuanzhang. And then there's Kangxi, who's coming in a few days. Now I see the downsides of being a traitor. Add Li Zicheng to the mix, and no one who's ever dealt with him can get along with him. In this respect, he seems even worse off than Qin Hui.
Seeing that everything was alright for the time being, and that Xiuxiu and the others would take care of my daily needs, I went to find my car as Wang Yin had instructed. I was very curious about what note Xiang Yu had left me.
When I opened the car door, sure enough, I saw a folded note on the steering wheel. I unfolded it and read only a few large characters: I'm going to find Yu Ji; she's in my heart.
In an instant, I felt as if I had been doused with cold water. Where could I find Yu Ji?
I suddenly remembered last night. He Tiandou was going to tell Xiang Yu the era in which Yu Ji was reincarnated, but Xiang Yu stopped him, saying he already knew. I thought there was some mystery involved, but now I realize he was simply afraid that He Tiandou would reveal it and extinguish his last hope. Now he's riding a horse, not knowing where he is, and saying Yu Ji is in his heart—it's too poetic! Is he trying to commit suicide?!
I also recall him holding Zhang Bing, whose true identity had been revealed, a strange sense of satisfaction on his face. This was because he wasn't happy with Zhang Bing; the conflict between reality and his ideals left him conflicted. When Zhang Bing was exposed, Yu Ji came back to life, becoming once again the perfect embodiment of his beloved yet unattainable love, and the Overlord's heart was revived.
Now, I can only hope that Xiang Yu's departure was merely a way to clear his head in his depression. Perhaps he'll return to Gaixia to reminisce before coming back, or perhaps I'll never see this ancestor of Baozi again...
I was extremely upset when I noticed several handprints on my windshield. Because one of my windshield wipers was broken, half of the windshield was covered in mud. Pressing the wet handprints on it removed all the mud, but the effect was minimal. Not satisfied, the vandal then pressed several ink marks on my car body.
I was so angry that I jumped up and down, yelling, "Which unlucky kid did this?"
Just as I was getting frustrated, I heard someone behind me say intently, "This was done by the Mafia. The fact that they left their handprints on your car means they're planning to do something to you."
I turned around and saw Fei Sankou. His words reminded me that the Mafia seemed to have this habit, and I wondered if they learned it from Li Mochou.
I didn't have time to say anything more. I carefully examined the handprints on the car, and suddenly, I burst into anger and yelled to the sky, "Damn it, there's a Six-Fingered one in this Mafia!"
Chapter Seventy-One: The Persuader
What a shady deal! They've painted this perfectly nice car all over, like a spotted dog, like a school bus for kindergarten kids. These mafia members are really shameless.
I turned to look at Fei Sankou and asked him, "What are you doing here?"
Fei San smiled and said, "You still haven't explained to me that you've brought everything back."
"How many people were caught?"
“Two. There aren’t many guards, and they don’t know anything about it; they know less than the few people you helped us catch.”
I lowered my head and said, "Where should we talk? Let's find a place."
Fei Sankou said, "Then accompany me for a walk around. This is my first time here since Yucai was built."
"good……"
Fei Sankou glanced at me and said, "You seem a little nervous."
How could I not be nervous? I wonder what those foreigners I caught were saying. It's like going to parent-teacher conferences when I was a kid. The teacher always said beforehand that I wouldn't tattle, but my dad never let me off easily when I got home. What serious crime could I have committed? I just like to cause trouble in class, get into fights for no reason, get caught smoking in the bathroom a few times, and write a few love letters to every pretty girl in my class when I'm bored—
I cautiously asked Fei Sankou, "What did those bastards say about me?"
Fei San said, "They don't know much more than that. They only said that the things they got from you were very valuable. We're also very curious. What's the value of a few costumes and a dagger of average hardness? The most valuable thing is that pure gold inner armor, but to the naked eye, it's just that the gold is of high quality. We don't understand why these things would attract the fervent attention of an internationally renowned mafia."
I asked, "Does the Mafia even have brands?"
Fei Sankou said, "There are different types of Mafia. The most common ones are family-run, originating from times of war and turmoil. They take advantage of these periods to cultivate relationships with powerful figures and politicians, protecting their family interests through various means. Over generations, they develop into a massive force, naturally acquiring a mysterious and unusual dark nature. The Corleone family in the famous 'Godfather' is an example of this. Generally, these Mafias are relatively stable. They have their own businesses, and in many countries, economic growth in certain regions relies heavily on them. Their core members are never numerous, and they don't do anything too outrageous."
I interjected, "These are monks with temples. They can make a living by selling incense ash and Guanyin statues that supposedly grant children, but they wouldn't dare to rebel."
Fei Sankou chuckled, "That's pretty much the gist of it. Now let's talk about the monks without a temple. These mafia or organizations are temporarily cobbled together by a few wealthy tycoons. They use their power to traffic in arms and drugs, and sometimes they do temporary business with certain countries. They are greedy for huge profits, and they are never stingy with money when it comes to spending, but when it comes to returns, they expect to get back many times over. Their members are also not many, and the people who work for them are basically high-paid mercenaries, and these people are ruthless characters who will do anything."
"Then what's the difference between them and terrorist organizations?"
"The money of terrorist organizations is merely a means to an end. Their goal is to attract global attention or achieve certain political objectives through extreme actions. To put it nicely, they are people with their own beliefs. The Mafia, on the other hand, is much simpler; they pursue exorbitant profits."
I thought for a moment, scratched my head, and said, "It seems like I've offended the second type of mafia."
"Yes. Among what we got were a Yuan Dynasty incense burner and a Ming Dynasty vase, which are indeed significant antiques, but these don't seem to warrant such a large-scale operation. As I said, they are an internationally renowned mafia that mainly targets high-value antiques. They wouldn't do this if the profit wasn't less than 1 billion US dollars."
I quickly asked, "So you've already had someone look at those things?"
Fei Sankou said, "No, everything I know was told to me by the people we arrested. I have to keep my promise to you, and now it's your turn to fulfill it."
I sighed and said, "Well, how should I tell you this?"
Just then, a group of children ran past us, each one as light as a swallow, with a few of the older ones constantly leaping up and down the treetops. Old Fei paused for a moment, then said, "Just say what you need to say. You know what I do. Even if it's something shameful, as long as it's not illegal, I can keep your secret."