The third emperor of the Sui Dynasty

Chapter 197 Xiao Yu hit the nail
In the south of Yecheng, a group of Sui troops escorted more than a dozen Tang envoys, heading north from Ji County.

The leader is in his early forties, with thick eyebrows and starry eyes, and an upright appearance. This person is Dr. Tang Guanglu, Song Guogong, and Xiao Yu, Minister of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

After entering the city, a bustling scene immediately came into Xiao Yu's eyes. Although Yecheng was also divided into squares with high walls like Chang'an, Yecheng retained the system of time squares, and the houses facing the street belonged to each other. Government shops allow merchants to rent shops to sell goods, and sign a contract once a year, but the requirements for merchants are not to occupy the road, not to operate without a license, not to deface the street, etc., otherwise the right to operate will be revoked.

Before that, there were also markets in cities, and all shops were concentrated in specialized markets, such as the two major markets of East Market and West Market in Chang’an, and Luoyang also had three major markets: South Market, West Market, and North Market.

Merchants must concentrate on doing business in the market, and even divide special areas, and all lines are operated together.The common people live in each square area. This square area is like a community in later generations. It is closed and isolated. There are square doors and square walls. .There are no sales stalls on both sides of the street.

This kind of design is easy to manage and good for defense, but it is not good for people's lives. For example, residents of Chang'an City can only go to the two cities of East and West if they want to buy vegetables. People living in Nancheng have to walk several miles to buy vegetables in the morning.

Moreover, before dawn, the gate of the square is not opened, and one cannot go out of the gate to the street when it is dark.All kinds of regulations make the lives of Chang'an people extremely inconvenient.

In Yecheng, all the shops facing the street are official shops. If the common people buy and sell, they can buy them as long as they go out of the square gate.It is also because of the breaking of the neighborhood restrictions that Yecheng is obviously very lively. There are people coming and going on the street, various shops stand along the street, and peddlers go back and forth. A sense of peace and happiness is touching.

Xiao Yu's eyes fell on the outside of the car window, and through the gap between pines and cypresses, he could see the situation on the street. Most of the men, women, old and young on the street were plump and had ruddy complexions, indicating that they lived relatively well-off, but their clothes were relatively simple. Of course, there are also many brightly colored silks, satins and silks, but most of them are loose and fine linen.

The task Li Yuan gave to Xiao Yu was to obtain the four prefectures of Jincheng, Fanghan, Jiaohe and Xiping through negotiation. Tang went to the Western Regions, the only way to obtain Ma Yuan, but the latter three counties were taken advantage of by Yang Tong's gang, and they took them down without a single soldier. Li Tang's anger was overwhelming. One can imagine.These counties are related to Li Tang's most fundamental building of a strong army, because without horses, the cavalry of the king of land warfare cannot be formed at all.

But Xiao Yu and other Xiangguo knew that Li Yuan was jealous of Huining County in the hands of the Sui Dynasty. Xiao Yu was a minister of internal history in the Sui Dynasty and was very familiar with Huining County. He also knew that there were excellent silver and copper mines there. After the Sui Dynasty took over, hundreds of large ships transported countless copper and silver ingots to Yecheng through the Yellow River every month. In order to avoid the Sanmenxia, ​​which was carrying silver and copper ships, the Sui Dynasty even moved to the east of the entrance on the left side of the Yellow River. A canal was dug out of the rock.To avoid the risk of sailing in Sanmenxia on the Yellow River.The canal is more than 400 meters long, 30 meters wide and [-] meters deep.The two walls are steep, the upper mouth is slightly wider than the bottom of the river, and a plank road is also built on the bank.

For the Sui Dynasty, the rich gold, silver and copper mines in Huining County were very important, but they were also strategic materials needed by Li Tang. In order to win this county, Li Tang would use troops to the Great Sui sooner or later.

Xiao Yu knew that Yang Tong would not give in, and Li Tang's army and Guanzhong being surrounded on three sides were really worrying. If there was a war, Xiao Yu would be worried for Li Tang.However, Li Yuan was still thinking about what to do, and planned to win the two counties of Huining and Wuwei by lightning after negotiating to win Fanghan, Jiaohe, and Xiping through negotiations, so as to open up the channel of communication with the Turks.But Xiao Yu didn't think the domineering Yang Tong would agree. The most important thing was that Li Tang didn't have anything to exchange.How could they give you the four counties for nothing if they didn't come up with anything that moved Yang Tong's heart?And this is also the reason why the other prime ministers refused to come because they were afraid of offending Yang Tong, and went back with their heads shaved like Pei Ji, who is ashamed to see people now.But he eats the king's salary, so he can only be loyal to the king and do his best.

Come to Shenwu Palace Shenwu Palace!

Yang Gongren and Kong Yingda have been waiting here for a long time. The three know each other. They are all important figures in the Sui Dynasty, especially Yang Gongren. Dongzhi can be said to be under one person and above ten thousand people.Kong Yingda did not give up. He was in charge of the compulsory education in the Sui Dynasty. He could be regarded as the "master" of thousands of students and was deeply loved by people all over the world.The reception of these two big men made him feel a great pressure.

Xiao Yu got off the carriage, stepped forward quickly and saluted: "Thank you, my lords, for waiting for a long time, it's a sin, a sin."

Yang Gongren smiled and said: "Xiao Xiangguo is a distinguished guest in the Sui Dynasty, we have neglected a lot along the way, please forgive me."

"The journey went smoothly. The Sui Army guards were very good. Master Yang is serious." Xiao Yu originally had five hundred entourages, but the Great Sui Dynasty did not allow them to enter the country. Instead, the Sui Army escorted several of their envoys to Yecheng.

This time Xiao Yu shouldered the important task of reconciling with the Sui Dynasty, and it was a matter of empty gloves and white wolves. He was a little nervous. All the dignitaries were dissatisfied with the imperial court, especially the incident of Li Jing's arrival in Guanzhong, which also caused the people in Guanzhong to lose confidence in the Li family.

Kong Yingda smiled and said, "Xiao Xiangguo should have rested for a few days, but we think Xiao Xiangguo is also anxious, so let's talk briefly first!"

"Uh! It's not urgent."

"..." Yang Gongren and Kong Yingda looked at each other.

"My lords, can you let me meet Princess Pingyang first?" Xiao Yu was very helpless, because he found that he still hadn't thought about how to negotiate, and he didn't know where to make a breakthrough. If he did it rashly, it would only make mistakes further. Zooming in, the thought of meeting Yang Tong right away after the previous rush of enthusiasm also faded a bit.

He wants to observe for a few days first, collect some information about the recent Great Sui Dynasty Hall, and then define it. This is crucial for the next step. If you don't know each other, you can't maximize your benefits.

Xiao Yu wanted to delay for a few days, take the time to fully understand the Sui Dynasty before meeting Yang Tong, at least he had to have the capital to talk, and Li Xiuning was obviously a good breakthrough.

"I will send a message to the palace. As for whether Concubine Li will see you or not, I can't guarantee it." Yang Gongren said with a smile.

"Thank you Master Yang!" Xiao Yu cupped his hands in a salute,
Sure enough, in the afternoon, Li Xiuning's oral order came from the Ministry of Rites.

The place where Li Xiuning met Xiao Yu was called the Hall of Fengyi. During festivals, Empress Xiao and other royal women received officials' family members, which was a common practice.

"Minister Xiao Yu sees Your Highness the Princess!" Xiao Yu cupped his hands and saluted.

"Xiao Xiangguo excuse me, please sit down." Li Xiuning raised her hand slightly. After she married in Yecheng, she lived very happily. Yang Tong didn't see gender differences, and she didn't have any embarrassment because she was Li Yuan's daughter. Now she is The deputy commander of Feiyu Bowrider, together with Shui Tianji, is in charge of this alien army, and goes to the barracks to train soldiers every day.

"Thank you for sitting!"

After Xiao Yu sat down, she cupped her hands and said, "I was ordered by the holy order to have peace talks with Da Sui, and I ask the princess to help me."

"Is it what the father means?"

"Princess, please take a look!" Xiao Yu presented the letter written by Li Yuan himself.

Li Xiuning took it apart and saw that his father didn't mention the slightest family affection, but only asked her to persuade Yang Tong to get the best interests for Li Tang in an orderly tone. Just a tool to achieve power struggle, not a daughter.When she looked at the familiar handwriting, it was so dazzling at this moment, it made her dizzy for a while, and her heart ached to the extreme.Inadvertently, I couldn't help but think of what my eldest brother Li Jiancheng said when he married into the Sui Dynasty, "When you arrive in Yecheng, you put yourself first, your husband first, and the Yang family first."

She gritted her teeth and said lightly: "I understand what my father means. I also asked Xiao Xiangguo to go back and tell my father: I just want to say that I am just a woman, and national affairs have nothing to do with me. When I married the King of Qin, I was the King of Qin I lost my wife, she was born as a member of the Yang family, and died as a ghost of the Yang family."

Li Xiuning has a strong personality, especially a man, but it involves a dispute between her father and her husband, which makes it difficult for her to make a choice. Helping her father means hurting her husband, and helping her husband will hurt her father. She is caught in the middle and it is difficult to choose , When these words came out, my heart was also happy.

Although she is only Yang Tong's side concubine, she likes Yang Tong and the current life very much. Yang Tong believes in her talent and gives her a platform to show off. Regardless of military affairs or other things, Yang Tong never hides anything. At least five or six times out of ten, she adopted her reasonable suggestions. Even if she didn't, she would persuade her with reason instead of using her husband's status to force her down. This made her very warm.

Yang Tong and her have a common language and can chat together. Unlike other people, they have no power to refute in front of her. Often her whimsical ideas will be taken as jokes by her father and brother when they are in the Li family. She can speak freely, and Yang Tong does not say that she agrees with all of them, but she can also give reasonable opinions, often hitting the point with one word, and her unconstrained ideas are not only not prejudiced by Yang Tong, Yang Tong often gives them patiently. She answered some questions, and even gave supporting evidence. On the contrary, she couldn't keep up with Yang Tong's footsteps. Often, Yang Tong's casual words made her think for a long time, and she couldn't even understand it for a long time. In the end, Yang Tong had to explain in detail. In short, Being with Yang Tong makes her feel that she is not so different, and makes her happy who has been lonely.

In addition, Yang Tong really loves her!
In this society where men are superior to women and women are inferior, and the hierarchy is strict, Yang Tong's doting on their sisters is simply outrageous and unethical!
The house servants and maidservants are the property of the head of the family, and the sisters and women are the tools of the head of the house, not only squandering them arbitrarily, but also holding the power of life and death!

Li Xiuning is obviously talented, why is he not valued in his own family, and even deprived of the military power he worked so hard to obtain?

It is because women are outsiders, outsiders who will become 'guests' sooner or later!Li Xiuning was shocked and moved by Yang Tong's idea of ​​treating others equally and treating everyone equally.

Thinking of all the things after marrying Yang Tong, Yang Tong never forced himself to do anything, and he never forced himself to do things he didn't like to do, so that she would not be embarrassed, and more clearly let her jump out of the Sui and Tang Dynasties disputes.

How lucky is it to meet a husband who respects and loves himself?How could I be willing to hurt him?
"Princess, you are Li Tang's princess after all! You should think of Li Tang's interests." Xiao Yu tried to persuade her again and again.

"The splashed water, the married daughter, from the moment I left Chang'an and set foot on the territory of the Sui Dynasty, I was a member of the Yang family! I hope that the emperor will not come to embarrass me again. I know what I need. I need Xiao Xiangguo to teach me." Li Xiuning's face immediately became ugly, and his tone was very cold, with a hint of threat in his coldness.For a woman, her husband is always the most important person when she has no children.

Li Xiuning's indifferent tone made Xiao Yu very unhappy, but after all Li Xiuning was Princess Li Tang and the side concubine of King Sui and Qin, Xiao Yu didn't dare to turn his back on her.

The smile on his face disappeared, and he said lightly: "Princess, no matter what, you are the Holy Majesty's daughter after all, at least you don't want the Holy Majesty to be exhausted physically and mentally."

Li Xiuning also restrained the anger in her heart, "Xiao Xiangguo is also an elder who is a father. Do you want your daughter-in-law to turn to her natal family at the expense of her husband's family? Also, I heard that Xiao Xiangguo was led by Emperor Taizong Wu and the Empress Dowager." Big one, shouldn't you first meet the Empress Dowager who brought you up with so much painstaking efforts? Shouldn't you first pay homage to Emperor Wu, who has the gift of birth and knowledge?"

Li Xiuning has a strong and upright personality, hates hypocrisy, and hates men who lose their integrity and affection for fame and fortune. Obviously, Xiao Yu is also among the soft bones she despises.

Xiao Yu blushed!He lowered his head and dared not answer.

　Thanks to the third son of Xixia for the reward! !
　　
　
(End of this chapter)