Chapter 153: Samurai Candidate
Chapter 153: Samurai Candidate
The next morning, a strange carriage stopped at the door of Xiao Xia's house. It was strange mainly because it was black in color and had a simple style. There was a flying unicorn painted in gold on the wall of the carriage, which had some ancient Han style.
An envoy showed Xiao Xia a golden medal of the emperor and took him to sit in the carriage. The envoy was serious and meticulous, and spoke very sparingly. After getting in the carriage, he didn't even look at Xiao Xia. Xiao Xia didn't ask any more questions because he knew it was useless to ask.
The carriage drove out of Chang'an City from Guanghua Gate and continued to move northwest. After about ten miles, it arrived at the ancient city of Chang'an, which is the Han Chang'an City.
Twenty years ago, this was the capital of the Sui Dynasty. Although the court and the dignitaries had moved to the new city, the old city of Chang'an had not been abandoned. Hundreds of thousands of low-class people still lived here. The streets were bustling with people and various hawking sounds. Compared with Chang'an City, this place had more of a down-to-earth atmosphere, but the city was a little shabby, and it looked like a large county town in later generations.
But the carriage did not stop, but continued to move westward and gradually drove into a palace area. The style of the carriage immediately complemented this palace area. When Xiao Xia saw the two seal characters "Weiyang", he realized that this was the Weiyang Palace, which was built by Xiao He, the prime minister of the Han Dynasty. The overall color was black, which was exactly the same as the style of the carriage.
It turns out that this carriage belongs to the Weiyang Palace. No wonder it looks a bit out of place in Chang'an City.
After the Western Han Dynasty, the Weiyang Palace remained the place where many dynasties, including the Xinmang, Western Jin, Former Zhao, Former Qin, Later Qin, Western Wei, and Northern Zhou, administered government. In the first few years of the Sui Dynasty, it was also the imperial palace of the Sui Dynasty. The emperor moved to the Taiji Palace only after the new Chang'an City and Taiji Palace were built, and it has been less than twenty years since then.
The carriage drove into the Weiyang Palace, turned countless corners, and finally stopped slowly in front of a towering pagoda. The messenger then said calmly, "Duke Xiao, please get off the carriage!"
Xiao Xia was officially canonized as the Duke of Xihai County in Xianyang. In fact, Xihai County had not yet been established and was still on the long-term blueprint of the Sui Dynasty. Only by defeating Tuyuhun could they seize Xihai and establish Xihai County.
Therefore, the emperor conferred Xiao Xia the title of Duke of Xihai County, which implicitly implied that he hoped he could seize Xihai for the country and establish Xihai County.
At this time, two waiters wearing black robes and gauze hats came up, each holding a copper plate with a black robe and a gauze hat on it.
"Mr. Xiao, please change your clothes!"
The messenger waved his hand. Xiao Xia was a little confused as to why he had to change clothes in the square. He was too lazy to take off his clothes, so he just put on a black robe and a gauze hat.
After straightening his clothes a little, he followed the two men in black up the stairs.
The attic was very tall; the bluestone foundation alone was three meters high. He walked up the steps and reached the platform. The entire platform was made of granite, with a flat ground and railings all around. In the middle stood a huge black and red wooden attic, four stories high.
Xiao Xia finally saw the plaque on the wooden attic clearly. It had a black background with a gold border and three large gold-painted characters: "Lingyan Pavilion".
Xiao Xia was immediately surprised. Isn't Lingyan Pavilion in Taiji Palace? How come it is also in Weiyang Palace?
Xiao Xia's mind turned, and he immediately understood. The names of many buildings in Taiji Palace were directly moved from Weiyang Palace. Taiji Palace has Lingyan Pavilion, and Weiyang Palace also has it. The Lingyan Pavilion Warriors his father mentioned refer to the Lingyan Pavilion in Weiyang Palace. When Emperor Yang Jian first established the Sui Dynasty, he began to plan to build the Lingyan Pavilion Warriors.
At this time, a tall young man walked out of the attic. He was handsome, but his eyes were as sharp as a blade. It was Yuwen Chengdu whom he had seen before.
Yuwen Chengdu clasped his fists and smiled, "Mr. Xiao, long time no see!"
"Why is Brother Yuwen here?" Xiao Xia asked puzzled.
Yuwen Chengdu smiled and said, "I am one of your recommenders, so of course I have to be here. Please follow me!"
Yuwen Chengdu and I didn't have much in common, so why would he recommend me? Needless to say, it must have been arranged by the emperor.
Xiao Xia walked into the attic and the light suddenly dimmed. Xiao Xia came to the back hall on the first floor. There were books on all sides, which looked like a library.
Yuwen Chengdu pointed to the hall and said with a smile: "Young Master Xiao, please go over! The reception area is in front and I can't go in. I will take you back to Daxing City later."
It’s made like Tang Monk’s journey to the West to seek Buddhist scriptures, and there is even a reception area.
Xiao Xia walked into the back hall and saw a man in his thirties standing in front of the table, looking at him with a smile.
"I am Yang Gongren, and I am also the head of Lingyan Pavilion. I will be responsible for the daily affairs of Lingyan Pavilion!"
Yang Gongren is the eldest son of Ande Wang Yang Xiong, and currently serves as the Shaoqing of Zongzheng Temple. After the establishment of the Tang Dynasty, he was the first to pledge allegiance to the Tang Dynasty and became the founding prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. However, at this time, he is the manager of the Lingyan Pavilion warriors who are responsible for the country of the Sui Dynasty. It is really a great irony.
Xiao Xia clasped his fists and bowed, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Brother Yang!"
"Please take a seat!"
Xiao Xia sat down opposite him, and Yang Gongren pushed a document in front of Xiao Xia, "Please sign and seal first!"
"It's a letter of silence. Master Xiao, everything you hear and see here must remain silent and you can't tell anyone."
Xiao Xia nodded and signed directly.
Yang Gongren put away the guarantee letter and smiled slightly, "The Lingyan Pavilion Warriors were born in the third year of Kaihuang. They were not called Lingyan Pavilion Warriors at first, but Lingyan Pavilion Founding Generals. There were nine meritorious ministers. After the destruction of Chen in the ninth year of Kaihuang, it was renamed Lingyan Pavilion Warriors. There are currently sixteen members. Gao Jiong, Yang Su, and Yang Xiong are the chief warriors and also the gatekeepers."
"What is a gatekeeper?"
Xiao Xia had heard his father Yang Guang mention the gatekeeper before, but he didn't know what the gatekeeper meant?
"The gatekeeper is actually the examiner. Although you are nominated by the emperor, you must be unanimously evaluated and approved by the three of them before you can officially become a Lingyan Pavilion warrior."
"I'm not yet?"
Yang Gongren smiled and said, "You are just a candidate now. You were nominated by the emperor and recommended by Yuwen Chengdu and Changsun Sheng. This is the rule. The emperor has the right to nominate, and then two members recommend you. After one to two years of observation, you will be evaluated and assessed. Only when all three pass the assessment can you officially become a Lingyan Pavilion warrior."
Xiao Xia pondered for a moment and asked, "If I do nothing this year, can I pass the assessment?"
Yang Gongren shook his head. "If you do nothing, you will definitely fail the assessment. You must do something and pass at least three tests before you are eligible for the assessment. Your previous mission to Tuyuhun was the first test. You have successfully passed the assessment. You still have two more tests. I will arrange them for you. Of course, I will not tell you what the task is, let alone how to do it. It is up to you to choose."
"Am I the only substitute now?"
Yang Gongren still shook his head, "Besides you, there is another person."
Yang Gongren took out a stack of documents and pushed them to Xiao Xia. "Here are your various applications. Please fill them out truthfully. I suggest you don't be modest, don't exaggerate, and don't make up stories. Loyalty is the first requirement for a Lingyan Pavilion warrior."
Xiao Xia rode Yuwen Chengdu's carriage back to New Chang'an City. Yuwen Chengdu smiled and said, "Brother, this is your first time in the old city of Chang'an, right?"
Xiao Xia nodded, "I thought this place was deserted!"
"How could it be deserted? Most of the people at the bottom of Chang'an live here. You see a lot of performers, snack vendors, and shop assistants. Where do they live? Actually, they all live here."
"But the gates of Chang'an were closed so early. Will they have time to leave the city?"
"In fact, the emperor took their difficulties into consideration and usually asked the store to act as a guarantor. They could go to Wannian County or Chang'an County to apply for a pass, which allowed them to enter and exit between Gwanghwamun and the old city's Xi'an Gate at night, and they could also go out of the Fang Gate. However, they could not leave Gwanghwamun more than one watch at the latest, and Xi'an Gate no more than two watches at the latest. If something went wrong, the store would be held responsible."
Xiao Xia nodded. This workaround was quite good.
The carriage left the old city of Chang'an and headed towards Gwanghwamun in the new city, ten miles away.
At this time, Yuwen Chengdu smiled slightly and said, "If I'm not mistaken, your inner strength comes from Yuan Shoucheng, the Heavenly Master!"
(End of this chapter)