The Jiutian Gate opened and closed, and tens of thousands of countries paid their respects.
The Tang Empire's Yuan-Ri Imperial Court was extremely grand. Outside the majestic Hanyuan Palace, there were more than 10,000 princes, ministers, and envoys from various countries. The scale was extremely shocking. They were all going to meet the Emperor of the Tang Empire, Li Longji, on the most important day of the year.
The Imperial Court Meeting in the 29th year of the Kaiyuan Era was not only attended by envoys from various countries, but also important figures such as the Queen of the East, Zhao Yefu, and the late King Liu Tengwei. Such a high-level Imperial Court Meeting could only be held by the powerful Tang Empire.
"Woo, woo, woo."
As the ceremonial horn sounded, the officials of the Tang Empire, led by Li Linfu, slowly entered Hanyuan Palace according to their ranks.
Then, Li Longji, the Emperor of the Tang Empire, strode into Hanyuan Palace, surrounded by Gao Lishi and Yu Chaoen, as well as palace maids and eunuchs, and sat on the Dragon Throne.
Li Linfu and other ministers respectfully knelt to Li Longji to show their loyalty and respect to the Emperor.
"Rise, my beloved ministers."
Li Longji looked very good and his eyes were bright. Although he was old, he was still full of a charming emperor's domineering aura.
"Your Majesty, Queen Dong, King Fo, and envoys from various countries wish the Tang Empire a long life and will always be the Lord of all countries. The treasures that were offered have been put into the treasury. Now, all the envoys are waiting outside the palace."
Li Linfu reported in a proud tone.
Li Longji smiled and winked at Yu Chaoen beside him.
"Queen Xuan Dong, King Fo, and envoys from various countries come to see you."
As soon as Yu Chaoen's voice fell, the envoys from various countries, led by Queen Zhao Yefu, entered Hanyuan Palace one by one and greeted Li Longji with the etiquette of the Tang Empire.
The envoys of ten thousand countries, even the Queen of the East and the Buddha King were kneeling at his feet to express their loyalty and blessings. One could imagine how proud Li Longji was.
Li Longji stretched out his hands to let the envoys rise. He deliberately looked at Zhao Yefu, Queen of the East, and Liu Teng, King of the Buddha. He said politely, "I am very happy that Queen of the East and King of the Buddha have come to Chang 'an in person. Come, give me a seat. Sit on either side of me."
Several eunuchs heard the order, and immediately brought in several tables and praying mats, and placed them not far from Li Longji's imperial table.
"Zhao Yefu thanks the Emperor of the Tang dynasty."
"Liu Tengwei humbly thanks the Emperor of the Tang dynasty."
Zhao Yafu and Liu Tengwei bowed respectfully and knelt on the futon according to the etiquette of the Tang dynasty.
At this time, the distance between Li Longji and Zhao Yafu was less than five steps. Zhao Yafu's peerless appearance and smiling posture were naturally all under Li Longji's eyes, which made Li Longji a little absent-minded.
Any man would be tempted by such a beautiful woman, let alone Li Longji, who was the emperor of a country. However, Dongnu Province was a vassal state of the Tang dynasty, and Queen of the East was his subject. He knew that it was impossible to bring Queen of the East into the palace to satisfy his own selfish desires. Moreover, the situation in Dongnu Province was critical at the moment, so it was even more important not to complicate matters. This made Li Longji somewhat regretful.
If Zhao Yafu was only a member of the royal family of Dongnu Province or an ordinary person, Li Longji would definitely try his best to bring her into the palace. However, Zhao Yafu was the emperor of Dongnu Province. This special identity made Li Longji completely dispel the absurd idea in his heart.
Li Longji looked at Zhao Yafu quietly and was stunned. He said with a smile, "Dongnu Province and the Tang dynasty have been friends for generations, and all the Queens of the East have been loyal to the Tang dynasty. I am very pleased. Today, Queen of the East has come to see me in person, which makes me even happier. I decide to confer Queen of the East the title of Guichang King, the Left General of the Jinwu Guards, and reward her with a thousand pieces of gold and two thousand pieces of silk."
"Zhao Yafu thanks Your Majesty."
Zhao Yafu saluted Li Longji with great courtesy to show her gratitude.
Li Longji smiled faintly, looked at the envoys of the other countries, and said loudly, "The Buddha Kingdom is friendly to the Tang dynasty. I confer Buddha King the title of Guichang King, the Right General of the Jinwu Guards, and all the envoys of the other countries will be rewarded."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Buddha King Liu Tengwei and the envoys of the other countries knelt down to express their gratitude.
Li Longji looked at Zhao Yafu, stretched out his right hand, and said softly, "I remember very clearly that when Guichang King came to Chang 'an last time, you were only this tall. I haven't seen you for many years, and you have grown up to be an adult. Haha …"
Zhao Yafu smiled and said, "It's rare that Your Majesty still remembers this. I came with my mother-in-law last time. I haven't seen you for many years. Your Majesty is still in your prime, and you are still the dignified ruler of all countries."
"Hahahaha …"
Li Longji was praised and laughed. The ministers and the envoys of the other countries also echoed. The Yuanri Court Meeting was carried out in a cheerful atmosphere. Everyone was full of joy.
However, Li Longji was perfunctory to the envoys of the other countries out of courtesy. He only paid special attention to the Queen of Dongnu Province, Zhao Yafu. This was not only because Zhao Yafu was beautiful, but also because there was some internal problems in Dongnu Province. Dongnu Province was an important chess piece for the Tang dynasty to balance Tibet. It was extremely important to the Tang Empire. Therefore, Li Longji had to pay attention to it.
Of course, this also happened to coincide with Zhao Yafu's thoughts. Zhao Yafu came to Chang 'an in person this time to use the power of the Tang Empire to stabilize the domestic situation, and get rid of the aggressive Tibet Empire to prevent Dongnu Province from being annexed by Tibet.
The liveliness of the Yuanri Court Meeting was beyond imagination. The entire Hanyuan Palace was full of ministers and envoys of various countries. Even on the streets outside the palace, there were a large number of people in the capital who were watching the fun.
The court meeting was so lively that the entire Chang 'an City was full of joy. However, all banquets had to come to an end. After the court meeting ended, all the ministers and envoys of various countries left Hanyuan Palace one by one.
Li Longji deliberately asked Zhao Yafu, Prince Guichang, and several trusted ministers to stay. Because the matter of Dongnu Province was the most important matter of the Tang Empire, he had to deal with it as soon as possible.
"Prince Guichang came to Chang 'an City in person this time. There must be something important."
Li Longji asked straightforwardly with a smile in his eyes.
Zhao Yafu nodded gently. "Your Majesty, I came to Chang 'an City this time for an urgent matter. The western part of Dongnu Province is Tubo. In recent years, Tubo has been pressing on step by step and has the intention of annexing our Dongnu Province. Without the protection of the Tang Empire, I'm afraid that in a few years, Dongnu Province will no longer be a vassal of the Tang Empire."
Li Longji nodded in agreement and said seriously, "Tubo has great ambitions. They are not only interested in Dongnu Province, but also the entire Tang Empire. Just a few days ago, Longyou sent news that more than 100,000 soldiers of Tubo invaded our Tang Empire's Kuozhou and seized Stone Castle City while our Tang Empire's troops were unprepared."
Zhao Yafu was shocked. It was not strange that Tubo threatened Dongnu Province because Dongnu Province only had 10,000 elite soldiers and was considered a small country. However, the Tang Empire was a very large and powerful empire. Tubo even dared to attack the powerful Great Tang Empire and successfully seized Stone Castle City. This made her very worried.
Li Longji's eyes flashed with a trace of confidence and said seriously, "Prince Guichang, you don't have to worry. Our Tang Empire has millions of soldiers. Even if we lose Stone Castle City, we can still take it back. Tubo despises the Tang Empire and I will not tolerate it. The main army under the command of the famous general of the Tang Empire, Wang Zhongsi, has entered Longyou and will definitely defeat Tubo's main army. Also, Dongnu Province is a vassal state of our Tang Empire. If Tubo dares to invade Dongnu Province, I will definitely send reinforcements."
Zhao Yafu was greatly moved. "With Your Majesty's words, I am relieved."
Li Longji took out the secret letter from Tubo and looked at Zhao Yafu. He said softly, "With the Tang Empire's mighty army, Prince Guichang doesn't have to worry about Tubo's army attacking. However, if the spies in the country are not eliminated as soon as possible, there will be endless troubles in the future."
Yu Chaoen understood and handed the secret letter to Zhao Yafu.
Dongnu Province and Tubo both originated from the Western Qiang Tribe. Zhao Yafu not only learned the culture of the Tang Empire since he was young, but he also came into contact with Tubo's language. Therefore, he could understand this secret letter.
"I didn't expect that someone in Dongnu Province would actually conspire with Tubo to murder me."
Zhao Yafu frowned and had an incredulous expression.
Li Longji smiled. "Not only that, there are spies hidden around Prince Guichang. If not, why would the Tubo assassin suddenly appear in Shen He Plain?"
"Your Majesty, how did you get this letter? Have you caught the spies?"
Li Longji shook his head gently. "This letter is from Ang Lee's subordinates. When they were hunting, they accidentally shot a carrier pigeon and got it from the carrier pigeon's leg. As for the spies, Prince Guichang still needs to investigate slowly."
Ang Lee, it's actually him. Why didn't he tell me about this?
Zhao Yafu was puzzled. At the same time, he was full of worries. He didn't know if he could return to Dongnu Province alive.
"Your Majesty, I only brought hundreds of personal guards to Chang 'an City this time. If Tubo conspires with the spies and sets an ambush on the way back, I'm afraid it's difficult for me to return to Dongnu Province alive. Your Majesty, please save my life."
There was a trace of pity in Li Longji's eyes. Zhao Yefu's situation at this time was more dangerous than when he ascended the throne. At that time, although he was facing the threat of Princess Taiping, he was a 27-year-old man after all. He also had a small foundation and enough confidence to fight with Princess Taiping. Zhao Yefu was just a teenager. He had just ascended the throne for a year. His foundation was still very shallow. It was not an easy thing to deal with the conspiracy forces in the country and sit firmly on the throne.
As a person who had experienced it, Li Longji had deep feelings about stabilizing the country. As a country's ruler, he must be able to control his subjects. At the same time, he must be ruthless enough. Princess Taiping was his aunt, but he still killed her. In addition, his three sons were also killed by him because they posed a threat to his throne.
Zhao Yafu in front of him was obviously a kind-hearted young man. A kind-hearted and fragile person must have scruples about family and bloodline. In this way, how could he eradicate the conspiracies in the country swiftly?
"Prince Guichang, don't worry. I will send an elite troop to escort you back to Dongnu Province. If necessary, this troop can help you eradicate the spies. What do you think, Prince Guichang?"
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