Ang Lee was very curious. Since Mei 'er's adoptive father was a high-ranking official, how could he bear to give away such a useful little girl like Mei' er? Could it be that this adoptive father of his was incapable in that aspect? Could it be that he was a senile old man?
What Li An could not understand the most was that when Mei 'er came to his side, she was still a field that had not been cultivated. She was a genuine fledgling. If he, the godfather, was a normal person, how would he be able to stand it? What was the purpose of adopting her?
Mei 'er's expression turned slightly cold, and she slowly said, "My adoptive father was highly regarded by the King. In order to thank the King for his favor, he groomed me well and offered me to the palace to be the King's concubine. On the first day I entered the palace, the King only took one look at me and then sent me to Chang' an City, where I met Alang."
"Oh, so Mei 'er almost became the King's concubine of the Stone Kingdom! Then wouldn't I have stolen the King's concubine? "
Ang Lee smiled slightly, and then said, "Mei 'er was originally going to be the King's concubine, but now you've become my servant. The difference in status is huge. Do you feel uncomfortable?"
Mei 'er was stunned for a moment, and then she shook her head and said, "No, Alang, Mei' er is already very content. Alang is handsome and suave, and you treat Mei 'er well. Why would Mei' er feel uncomfortable? Moreover, the Stone Kingdom is only a small country. Being the King's concubine is far better than being Alang's servant. "
"Wow! Being my servant is better than being the King's concubine. Mei 'er, you really know how to talk. Alang is very happy to hear that. Haha! "
Ang Lee was very happy. Mei 'er's words were equivalent to saying that Ang Lee was better than the King of the Stone Kingdom. She would rather be Ang Lee's servant than be the King's concubine. This kind of achievement was very great.
Of course, thinking about it carefully, Mei 'er was probably speaking the truth. The king of the Stone Kingdom should be an old man, and probably wouldn't be very handsome. At least, he definitely wouldn't be more handsome than Ang Lee. There was no doubt about that.
On one hand, he had to curry favor with the Tang dynasty, and on the other, he had to curry favor with the Arabs in the west. Such a useless good-for-nothing was truly nothing special. In the Tang dynasty, he would only be a provincial governor, not a high-ranking official. But Ang Lee was different. As a core member of the Tang dynasty, he possessed immense power and influence. When inspecting the west, he could even make decisions on behalf of the emperor. Of course, this was also because Ang Lee was rather reliable and deeply trusted by the emperor.
"Assistant Minister Li, Taras City is just ahead. The King is currently in this city. I will go and report to him."
Corban respectfully bowed to Ang Lee and then quickly went to report.
When Ang Lee heard that the king of the Stone Kingdom had come from Tuozhe City to Taras City, he knew that it had to be because of the destruction of the railway. After all, the destruction of the railway was a major matter that had to be taken seriously.
"Mei 'er, let's go into the city and see what the king of your Stone Kingdom looks like. I'm guessing that your king isn't very handsome, or else why would Mei' er say that she would rather be my servant than the king's consort?"
Ang Lee joked.
"Alang is joking. Our king is not bad, but he naturally can't compare to Alang. Alang is the most handsome man in the world."
Mei 'er gently smiled, brimming with charm.
"Haha! Alang was very happy to receive such praise from Mei 'er. Come, let's go into the city and see what your king looks like. "
Ang Lee was very pleased with himself as he hugged Mei 'er and rode in a luxurious car to Taras City.
As Ang Lee's status in the Tang dynasty was well known, the king of the Stone Kingdom valued Ang Lee very much. In order to welcome Ang Lee, he had specially prepared a grand welcoming ceremony. Other than a large number of ministers and citizens, King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom hurriedly brought a group of people to welcome Ang Lee when he heard that Ang Lee's team had arrived.
"Your Highness, this is Assistant Minister Li."
Corban smiled as he introduced Ang Lee, then turned to look at Ang Lee and continued, "Assistant Minister Li, this is our king."
"Assistant Minister Li, my friend, welcome to the Stone Kingdom. You will be the most distinguished guest of our Stone Kingdom."
King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom was a bearded man, but he was quite handsome. When he saw Ang Lee, his expression was very warm, as if he was a good friend who had not seen Ang Lee for many years.
"Your Highness, we have been friends for a long time. The Tang dynasty and the Stone Kingdom are also friends. We are here this time to build a railway and promote the further development of the Tang dynasty and the Stone Kingdom, so that the people of our two countries can live a good life."
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Yes, we have been friends for a long time. The Stone Kingdom is also the most loyal friend of the Tang dynasty. Friends, welcome to the Stone Kingdom. Please come in. The food and wine are ready. Let's talk while we eat."
King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom said very politely.
Ang Lee nodded and said, "Well, since Your Highness is so kind, I will not stand on ceremony. Your Highness, please."
"Assistant Minister Li, please."
Ang Lee and Yue Luo walked side by side, showing their superior status. Ang Lee's shoulder was even in front of Yue Luo's. Of course, this was because Yue Luo deliberately let Ang Lee go.
The officials of the Tang dynasty also all walked in front of the officials of the Stone Kingdom to show their noble status.
The banquet was very high-class. There were countless kinds of delicious food, and of course, there were songs and dances to liven things up. It had to be said that the dancers of the Western Regions were very beautiful. After seeing them, it was easy to let people's imaginations run wild, especially their white skin and charming eyes, which were the most attractive.
Ang Lee and all the officials of the Tang dynasty who came with him all looked at the dancers, especially the protruding parts, which were the focus of everyone's attention.
"Assistant Minister Li, are you satisfied with the songs and dances performed by the dancers of our Stone Kingdom?"
King Yue Luo of the Stone Kingdom asked enthusiastically.
"Yes, yes, very satisfied. The performances were very good. The little girls of your Stone Kingdom have good figures! They make people envious. "
Ang Lee said with great satisfaction.
"Haha, it's the honor of our Stone Kingdom to be recognized by Assistant Minister Li. Come, let's drink."
Yue Luo was in a very good mood. Of course, he was very happy to satisfy the officials of the Tang dynasty.
"Come, cheers."
Li An smiled in response and raised his glass to drink.
"Assistant Minister Li, if you like, just pick one! If the little girls of the Stone Kingdom can be favored by Assistant Minister Li, it's their blessing. "
Yue Luo praised warmly.
"Haha! Your Highness is too polite. There's no need to pick one. Didn't Your Highness give me a little girl a few days ago? I heard that she was supposed to be Your Highness's concubine, but Your Highness gave her to me. What a good friend you are! "
Ang Lee said proudly. He waved his hand and asked someone to bring Mei 'er over.
"Mei 'er, come here and sit in Alang's arms."
Ang Lee was not afraid of any occasion. In the small Stone Kingdom, he did not have any scruples at all, and no one could do anything to him.
When Yue Luo heard that he had given his concubine to Li An, he was stunned for a moment. Then, when he saw Mei 'er lying in Li An's arms, he was stunned again. He felt a little upset. After all, she was about to be his concubine. Naturally, he felt uncomfortable giving her away. If he didn't need Li An's help at that time, he wouldn't have thought of a way to give her away. Of course, he had a lot of women, so he didn't care about one or two.
However, when Ang Lee mentioned in public that he had given his concubine away, he felt a little embarrassed. This kind of private matter should not be brought out in public.
The Stone Kingdom's ministers were also a bit embarrassed. After all, their king had actually given the concubine he had already obtained to Li An as a servant. This caused them to lose face. However, the ministers behind Li An were not like this. Their faces were filled with joy and they seemed to be immensely proud of themselves.
"Haha! Assistant Minister Li is right. Mei 'er is the adopted daughter of my right-hand minister. She was sent to the palace with the intention of becoming my concubine. However, I have enough women in the palace. Besides, I have many state affairs to deal with. Since Assistant Minister Li is my friend, what's wrong with giving her to Assistant Minister Li? I don't know if Assistant Minister Li is satisfied? "
Yue Luo's brain turned and he began to show off that he had many women. He was so busy that he could not cope with them all. Therefore, he gave the extra Mei 'er to Ang Lee. He did not lose anything. Anyway, he could not use them all.
He could give them away. "I am satisfied. Mei 'er is well-educated and well-versed in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. I am very satisfied that Your Highness has given me such an excellent woman. However, I am also very busy and have many wives at home. Therefore, I can't be picky about these dancers today. I have Mei' er now."
Ang Lee said with a smile and hugged Mei 'er tighter in his arms.
"Hahahaha! Let's drink. "
At the mention of women, everyone's spirits were lifted, and they drank even more heartily.
After a few jars of wine, Ang Lee began to talk about the purpose of this trip.
"Your Highness, I came here to promote the economic development of the Tang dynasty and the Stone Kingdom and to build the railway as soon as possible. However, some people in the Stone Kingdom colluded with the envoys of Dashi to attack the excellent craftsmen of the Tang dynasty and sabotage the construction of the railway. Your Highness, what do you think about this problem?"
"Assistant Minister Li, we have arrested all the saboteurs who did not know what was good for them. Those who escaped are also being hunted down. We will never allow such behavior to destroy the friendly relationship between the Tang dynasty and the Stone Kingdom. We will definitely punish these criminals severely."
Yue Luo said in a tough tone.
"Punish criminals severely? Your Highness, how come I heard that your country treated the Dashi Country's envoy who plotted this incident with great respect? Could it be that Your Highness is disloyal to the Tang dynasty? "
Ang Lee said seriously.
Hearing this, Yue Luo became nervous and hurriedly explained, "Assistant Minister Li, you must have misunderstood. How dare our Stone Kingdom be disloyal to the Tang dynasty? It's just that Dashi is a big country and has a strong military force. We really can't afford to offend them! So we can only settle them down temporarily and wait for the Tang dynasty to deal with them. "
"Your Highness, you mean to hand these envoys of Dashi over to the Tang dynasty and let the Tang dynasty deal with them. In this way, even if we kill them, Dashi won't blame you. Isn't this a little too naive?"
Ang Lee said with a smile.
"Assistant Minister Li, Dashi's momentum is oppressive, and we've been forced to pay a large tribute over the years. My Stone Kingdom is in decline and truly doesn't have the strength to resist. We have no other choice. I hope that the Great Tang can uphold justice for us."
Although Yue Luo was the ruler of a country, he was like a subordinate in front of Ang Lee and was overly respectful to Ang Lee.
"Haha! I also know the difficulties of the Stone Kingdom, so I don't care about these details. It doesn't feel good to be under house arrest, and they feel anxious every day. Even if there is good wine and good food, they won't feel comfortable eating it. "
Ang Lee expressed his understanding and asked, "Your Highness, where are these envoys of Dashi under house arrest? I want to meet them now."
"Oh, they are nearby. I will lead the way. Assistant Minister Li, please."
When Yue Luo heard that Ang Lee wanted to meet the envoys of Dashi, he hurriedly led the way.
It had to be said that the place where the envoys of Dashi were under house arrest had a very good environment. There was a small courtyard ten-some steps around, and the facilities in the room were fairly complete. There was no lack of a table, bed, or bedding, and there was even a convenient room in the corner of the courtyard.
"Not bad! As prisoners, this is already very good treatment. I just don't know how they feel. "
Li An said with a smile as he walked into the small courtyard.
Because the room was rather stuffy, the envoys of the Stone Kingdom were all standing in the courtyard and looking up at the sky, their eyes blinking. It was impossible to tell what they were thinking.
"You all seem very leisurely! Your heads are about to fall to the ground, so how can you still be in the mood to look at the sky? "
Ang Lee threatened the moment he entered the courtyard.
The envoys of Dashi understood the Tang language. At first, they were taken aback, and then fear appeared on their faces. Puffing out their chests, they frowned and asked, "Who is Good Sir? You are able to walk in front of the king."
Ang Lee did not answer, only slightly turning his head to look at Yue Luo.
Seeing this, Yue Luo cleared his throat and said, "This is the famous Assistant Minister Li of the Tang dynasty. Assistant Minister Li was the one who invented the railroad and the train."
"You are the Tang Empire's Assistant Minister Li?"
The envoys of Dashi were startled at first, and then they were astonished. Because many rare items had been invented by Ang Lee, there was almost no one in Dashi who did not recognize Ang Lee. As envoys of Dashi, it was naturally impossible for them not to know of Ang Lee. But they had never seen Ang Lee with their own eyes, so when Ang Lee stood in front of them, they acted as if they did not recognize him.
"So it was the famous Assistant Minister Li of the Tang dynasty. Nice to meet you, nice to meet you."
"To be able to meet a talent like Assistant Minister Li before I die, my life is not in vain."
"Even if we die, we will be loyal to our country. In the words of the Tang dynasty, it is a worthy death."
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