Yang Fan's carriage rushed all the way to Longqing Square. All kinds of news that had happened in the capital city in recent days were continuously passed to his carriage. The common people naturally did not know about the detailed debate in court about the marriage alliance. They only knew the result, but Yang Fan had his own channels of information and clearly grasped the reactions of the various factions.
As for the rumor that the Prince of Xiang was in a hurry to marry off his daughter, Xian Zong had already confirmed it. The Prince of Xiang was marrying off four daughters. How could such a large commotion be concealed? This matter had already spread throughout the city. The only people who did not know about it were the Tubo emissaries.
The Tubo emissaries were settled in the Four Quarters Embassy. The Four Quarters Embassy was under the Ministry of Rites, and its function was to receive the emissaries of various countries. Thus, even a low-ranking official or servant in the Four Quarters Embassy was considered half a spy. They analyzed the words and actions of the emissaries and obtained all kinds of intelligence. At the same time, they were also responsible for preventing the emissaries from spying on their own country.
Under their vigilance, Misa and the others really did not know what was happening in Chang's City. Moreover, in order to cover the Prince of Xiang's selection of a son-in-law, Wu Zetian had used the excuse of lacking palace maids after the capital was moved to hold a selection in Chang's city. For a moment, the common people of Chang's were busy looking for son-in-law to marry off their daughters. This was an excellent cover for the Prince of Xiang's actions.
After reading the news, Yang Fan lightly sighed and said to Xiao Man, "If the Prince of Xiang can marry a daughter into the Tubo Empire, it will be extremely beneficial to his consolidation of power. But for the lifelong happiness of his daughter, he is willing to give up this opportunity. For a prince in such a dangerous situation to do this is truly not easy. "
Xiao Man sighed. "Yes, this is something even many noble families cannot do. In their eyes, their daughters are only tools to be used to form alliances with other powers. When a noble family marries off a daughter, the most important thing is never whether the daughter likes him or not, but what benefits the son-in-law will bring to the family. "
Yang Fan slowly nodded. "Yes, the noble families are like this, and the imperial family is also like this. The current Crown Prince, the current Emperor …"
Yang Fan suddenly thought of how Crown Prince Li Xian had hastily married off his daughter after returning from Fangzhou. Compared to his brother Li Dan, Li Xian's decision to marry off his daughter was too obvious. Even the current Empress, Wu Zetian, had forced Princess Taiping to marry Wu Youji out of political motives.
Although Wu Zetian had compensated her daughter and rewarded her generously, raising her salary to the rank of a prince and bestowing her with fields and houses, could all of this heal the emotional damage she had suffered? It was truly rare for the Prince of Xiang to resolutely abandon this opportunity that could greatly increase the influence and status of the Prince of Xiang's estate and improve his political environment.
On the long street, Shanghai Wan'er's motorcade was slowly leaving. As soon as they entered the city, Wan 'er's entourage separated from his. She accompanied her mother, Lady Zheng, and turned towards the Shangguan family's old house. Yang Fan looked out the window at Wan' er's entourage, which was gradually moving further and further away. He thought of how he and she could not stay together because there were too many interests at stake. He could not help but sigh sadly.
… …
The next day, Wu Zetian invited the envoy of Tufan, Lun Misa, to a banquet in the Linde Hall of the Palace of Great Clarity. After all, this was the first important envoy from a foreign country that the emperor had welcomed after moving the capital. It was accompanied by all the civil and military officials and members of the imperial family.
For such a grand banquet, naturally it was necessary to play court music. The first song to be played was the 'Taiping Yue'. The 'Taiping Yue' was also known as the 'Five Direction Lion Dance'. It consisted of two people wearing flowery embroidered robes, five-colored silk cloths, cloud crowns, and black leather boots. They held ropes and brushed them as they teased the male lions. There were also ten people dressed as five male lions, each standing on one side and dancing to the music. There were also a hundred and forty people singing the 'Taiping Yue' at the same time, clapping their hands and stomping their feet to match the beat.
As soon as Lun Misa saw this grand and powerful dance, he could not help but dance with joy. He hurriedly asked Wu Zetian, "Your Majesty, I was born in the wilderness and do not know Chinese music. Now that I am sitting at the bottom of the stairs, I cannot see the details of the dance. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to leave the banquet and come closer to take a look."
Wu Zetian smiled and nodded her head. Lun Misa and Tufan's assistant envoy left their seats and rushed to the side of the song and dance performers. They leaned against the dragon pillar and whispered to each other, praising them incessantly. The civil and military officials in the hall saw them like this, they could not help but show contempt on their faces. Some people even whispered and laughed in low voices.
But Lun Misa and the deputy envoy stood there with a look of surprise and admiration. They seemed to be completely unaware of the people's barely concealed mockery. Yang Fan held his sword and stood at the side of the hall, watching his performance with cold eyes. He gradually became vigilant.
He had a confrontation with Lun Misa on the Wuzhang Plain, so he knew that this man's appearance was rough, but his mind was actually very cunning. Perhaps Lun Misa had never seen this kind of grand, well-dressed, uniform, and dignified palace music. But as an envoy sent by the Tubo King, his self-restraint should not be this low. Now that he was pretending to be rough, he must have some ulterior motive.
When the song of peace and prosperity was over, Lun Misa and the deputy envoy returned to their seats. They sighed in admiration and thanked Wu Zetian, saying, "Ever since I entered the holy court, I have received Your Majesty's preferential treatment. Now that I have seen this wonderful music, my life has not been in vain. Although I am lowly, I really do not know how to repay Heaven's kindness. I only wish Your Majesty to live long, long, long live! "
Lun Misa humbled himself. Even though she knew that he was speaking words of flattery, Wu Zetian could not help but be pleased. She, who rarely drank in recent years, unexpectedly also picked up her cup and took a big sip.
Lun Misa continued, "Tufan is located in a remote and desolate area. We have always admired the culture of the Central Plains. Today, I have been sent by my King to come to your country. I sincerely and sincerely beg the Holy Emperor to allow the marriage of the Imperial Princess to my King. From now on, our two countries will forever be father and son-in-law."
Wu Zetian was slightly startled. She put down her cup and said with a smile, "Even if I am an ordinary housewife, marrying off my daughter is not a small matter. I have to discuss it with my children and see which of the marriageable girls in my family is the best match. Since you have just arrived in the Central Plains, there is no need to be anxious. Today, let's watch the song and dance and discuss this matter later."
Lun Misa had no choice but to thank her and return to his seat. Following that, the hall began to play four-way music. Lun Misa sat upright and watched while his assistant looked left and right. Suddenly, he saw someone and was startled. He whispered a few words to Lun Misa. Lun Misa looked over and was also slightly startled. Then the two of them whispered to each other and peeked at each other from time to time.
Wu Zetian saw that the two of them were acting suspiciously. She could not help but ask, "What are you looking at?"
Lun Misa quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, may I ask if the general at the opposite table is surnamed Tang?"
Wu Zetian looked at the person he was pointing at. He was indeed wearing a general's uniform. He looked vaguely familiar, but she could not remember his name. She signaled him to come forward. That person was Liangzhou's Governor Tang Xiujing. Because he had just returned to the imperial court to handle some matters, according to his rank, he was also attending the palace banquet today.
After Tang Xiujing introduced himself, Lun Misa suddenly realized, "Ah! It really is General Tang! "
Wu Zetian curiously asked, "Do you have a relationship with Tang Xiujing?"
Lun Misa hurriedly said, "My country overestimated its own strength and offended your country's heavenly prestige. During the battle of Hongyuan, I saw this General Tang with my own eyes. This General Tang is brave and invincible. He was outnumbered and defeated my Tufan army. Because I have seen him with my own eyes, I have a deep memory of him."
Wu Zetian was very happy to hear this. She turned to Shangguan Wan'er who was accompanying her and said in a low voice, "This man is a brave general. Remember his name, I want to put him in an important position!"
Yang Fan did not believe that as an envoy, Lun Misa did not have this kind of profound bearing at the banquet. Even the old and clumsy Wu Zetian was able to notice his strange behavior. He was afraid that seeing Tang Xiujing and exposing the scandal of his defeat at the hands of the Zhou army were all intentional.
This Lun Misa was so servile that he did not hesitate to expose his own disgrace. First, he portrayed himself as a country bumpkin who had never seen the world. Now, he shamelessly exposed the scandal of their defeat at the hands of Tang Xiujing. Was all this just to curry favor with the Emperor and ask for a marriage alliance?
"When a bird is about to strike, it will fly and fold its wings. When a fierce beast fights, it will bow down. " Yang Fan suddenly thought of these words and couldn't help but tremble. He immediately rushed to the palace and gave a few orders to Ren Wei, who was patrolling outside, before returning to the palace.
As the sect master, there were many things that he did not need to do personally. As long as he thought of it, he could use his own strength to carry it out. In this case alone, if he had any suspicions, he could use his own strength to investigate. And these matters were not something that a few servants and attendants in the estate could accomplish.
Besides Yang Fan and Shen Mu, only the Imperial Court had this kind of power. But this sort of groundless suspicion might not necessarily be enough to convince the Imperial Court to mobilize its strength to investigate. Moreover, the efficiency of using official channels was too slow. By the time the truth was discovered, it might already be too late.
Yang Fan's rush in and out of the palace attracted Lun Misa's attention. When Lun Misa saw Yang Fan, he couldn't help but laugh and whisper a few more words to the deputy envoy. After entering the court, Lun Misa had already paid a visit to the Crown Prince, the Prince of Xiang, and King Liang with lavish gifts, so he was rather familiar with them. Seeing him laugh, Crown Prince Li Xian followed his gaze and asked, "Could it be that Esteemed Envoy is also an old acquaintance of General Yang?"
Lun Misa smiled. "Indeed! This envoy came from Tibet and passed through the Wuzhang Plains. I once met this general. General Yang has an Arabian horse. This envoy wanted to buy it with a large sum of money, but General Yang is also a horse lover and firmly refused. This envoy wanted to exchange a Tibetan beauty for a horse, but General Yang still refused. What a pity! "
When Li Dan heard this, he turned to glance at Yang Fan and said to his eldest son, Li Chengqi, who was sitting to the side, "Yang Fan loves horses, and the Tibetans are unwilling to part with him. How can I, your father, abandon my beloved daughter and marry someone far away? The marriages of your sisters must be carried out as soon as possible."
Li Chengqi replied in a low voice, "Father, rest assured. Your son has already selected a few suitable candidates from the talented and noble young masters of the capital. In the next few days, I will invite them to my residence for a banquet and have the sisters take a look. If they are to their liking, they will immediately be engaged!"
Li Dan nodded. At this moment, Lun Misa suddenly said to him, "This envoy has heard that Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, has many beloved daughters who have all reached marriageable age. My prince is currently in his thirties and is in the prime of his life. Moreover, he has always longed for the people of the Central Plains. I wonder if Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, is willing to marry my prince?"
Crown Prince Li Xian quickly glanced at Li Dan and answered on his behalf, "Esteemed Envoy is too impatient. Didn't His Majesty say that marrying off a daughter is not a small matter? This matter can be discussed later."
Li Dan sighed inwardly, thinking, There are two overbearing Zhang and the Wu clan eyeing me like a tiger. I didn't think that Elder Brother would still be wary of me.
Lun Misa smiled. "That is why this envoy is asking the Prince of Xiang. If Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, agrees, I believe that Her Majesty, the Empress, will also graciously approve. "
Li Dan said, "Esteemed Envoy's information network is not very well-informed. To tell you the truth, although this prince has several daughters who are suitable for marriage, they have long since found husbands. The betrothal gifts have already been sent out. My eldest and second daughters will be married this year, and my third and fourth daughters have already been engaged."
Lun Misa immediately asked, "Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, has more than four daughters, right? Have the other imperial daughters been married?"
Li Dan replied, "This prince has seven daughters, but the eldest of these seven is only twelve. How can we talk about marriage?"
Lun Misa clapped his hands and laughed. "The Prince of Xiang's words are incorrect. According to the customs of our Tubo, what harm is there in getting married at the age of six or seven? Since Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, has seven beloved daughters, I believe that for the sake of the friendship between the Great Zhou and the Tubo, Your Highness, the Prince of Xiang, will not refuse to marry one of your seven beloved daughters? "
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
