The Leisurely Life of the Prince of the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 395: Heavenly Khan and Zamp
She even smiled complacently and said, "There are still many people in this world who are unwilling to believe in doctors. No wonder Dr. Sun wants to travel all over the world."

Li Chengqian said: "You can take charge of the Imperial Medical Bureau."

Dongyang shook his head and said, "That's not my ambition."

"Open a large hospital?"

"Okay."

After all, she still felt that the Imperial Medical Bureau was not big enough. Li Chengqian said with emotion: "Let me think about it."

Dongyang walked to the side and said, "My brother is already the emperor."

"Li Zhi needs help, and you need help too. There are so many things to do in the court..."

Seeing Dongyang's expression, Li Chengqian took out a memorial and handed it to her, saying, "East of Beiyuan, there is a piece of land at Longshouyuan, about 3,000 acres, which I will give to you as a fiefdom for the princess."

Dongyang finally smiled, "Thank you, brother."

"Leave a few acres of land for self-sufficiency, and don't build all of it into a hospital."

"Sister, remember this."

Ning Er asked the maid to bring the food and said, "Your Highness, let's eat together."

Dongyang held Sister Ning'er's hand and said, "Sister, just call me Dongyang."

Ning Er smiled and said, "I liked wearing men's clothes when I was little, why do you still wear them now?"

"The dress is not convenient." Dongyang smiled and took the bowl and chopsticks from the tray brought by the palace maid, and started eating, saying: "This is Xiaofu's cooking. I have loved her food since I was a child."

Ning Er smiled and said, "Mother said that Your Highness the Princess is already twenty-three years old, and it's time for her to behave herself."

Dongyang chewed his food and said, "I was like this when I was a kid, and I don't want to change."

Seeing her laughing while eating, Ning Er advised: "Your Highness, eat slowly."

Li Chengqian was eating and thinking about how fun the big family of the Eastern Palace was back then. She always missed those days.

Three days after Songtsen Gampo was sent to the imperial city, his cough finally eased a lot and his complexion improved a lot.

On this day, Songtsen Gampo woke up from his sleep in the Honglu Temple. He opened his eyes and looked at the empty place. It seemed that no medical officer came today.

Feeling his breathing become steady, Songtsen Gampo sat up and saw a young man sitting behind him.

The other person looked much younger than himself. He was wearing a black robe and was reading a book in his hand. There were several eunuchs standing beside him.

Songtsen Gampo stood up and said, "May I ask who is..."

Li Chengqian put down the book and asked, "How is your recovery going?"

"I still cough when I walk around for a long time, but it's much better now."

"Well, Dongyang said that your illness is still in good time."

Hearing the other party's address, Songtsen Gampo came to his senses belatedly. The man in front of him was the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, now the Khan.

He quickly put on his hat, saluted and said, "Heavenly Khan."

"You are still ill, so don't be polite."

Li Chengqian asked the eunuch beside him to help Songtsen Gampo up, and said with a smile: "I heard that you have been wanting to get drunk with me for many years?"

Songtsen Gampo was stunned for a moment.

Li Chengqian said: "What a pity, you are not allowed to drink alcohol until you recover from your illness."

Songtsen Gampo looked even thinner than Dongyang described. The bones on his face were clearly visible. He had a long, slightly upturned mustache and a small tuft on his chin.

He is not very tall and looks no different from a normal person.

Songtsen Gampo was also looking at the young Heavenly Khan. When he clenched his fingers slightly under his robe, he could see the blue veins under his skin. This was a very strong Heavenly Khan, not one who had lived a life of luxury. There were calluses on the fingers of this Heavenly Khan, which should have been formed by years of archery practice.

When the Heavenly Khan stood up, Songtsen Gampo slowly raised his head and saw his height, which was much taller than himself.

Li Chengqian poured a bowl of tea and handed it to him, "You are still taking medicine. I heard that you like milk tea, but I can't treat you with milk tea, otherwise it will ruin the medicine. You can drink some light tea now."

The Heavenly Khan personally handed the tea bowl to him. For some reason, Songtsen Gampo felt frightened and quickly took the tea bowl with both hands.

Seeing that the other party took a long time to take the tea bowl, Li Chengqian said: "I admire your courage for coming to Chang'an. From now on, you will be a distinguished guest of the Tang Dynasty."

"Thank God Khan for the treatment."

Li Chengqian said: "I heard from Xuanzang that you are a very wise king."

Songtsen Gampo asked, "Has Xuanzang returned to Chang'an?"

He signaled with his eyes to the eunuch to give him a chair and let him sit down first.

"Xuanzang has left Chang'an. When he traveled west, I made a promise with him. Now he wants to travel east to visit various places in the Central Plains. There are rumors in the Western Regions that I want to kill him. Did the Zamp spread it?"

Songtsen Gampo said sternly: "No."

"Well, there are too many rumors about me, and I'm used to it." Li Chengqian put his weight on the chair and said, "It seems that the Zamp is very concerned about Xuanzang."

"Xuanzang is a very wise man. Tubo wants to keep him, but..."

"Well, I know everything that happened in Tubo. Xuanzang is a Tang Chinese after all. I also feel it's a pity that he doesn't have any children outside. In fact, I think the Tang Chinese who traveled far away could leave seeds outside and spread them out. It would be better if there were Tang Chinese in various places."

Songtsen Gampo said: "In this way, there will be more traces of the Tang people, and people will travel the world as Tang people. As long as the Tang Dynasty remains strong, the Tang people will be able to live proudly."

"Whether the Tang Dynasty is strong or not, they can live with pride, because the Tang Dynasty has many glorious deeds. When people mention my father, or Guo Luotuo, Xuanzang, Dr. Sun, Taoist Li Chunfeng, or the soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, their stories can spread thousands of miles, which is more important than the so-called strength."

Li Chengqian said: "Zanpu, you have always believed that the Tang Dynasty's strength lies in its military, which is actually true. However, if it is only strong but lacks spirit, then it is only strong on the outside. You and I are both monarchs who govern a country, so I am sure we both feel this."

Songtsen Gampo looked outside the Honglu Temple and saw Lu Dongzan and Sangbuza again.

"I have always wanted to know, what are your thoughts on governing Tubo?"

Songtsen Gampo replied: "People and food are very important."

Li Chengqian nodded and said, "Well, this is indeed very important."

"What did the Khan think that day?"

"I think identity is more important. People unite and strive or fight side by side because of their common identity."

Songtsen Gampo thought for a moment and asked again: "Why has Your Majesty changed the regulations of various counties several times, but no one has opposed or rejected it?" Seeing that Tian Khan did not answer immediately, Songtsen Gampo talked about the problems he encountered when governing Tubo. There were many conflicts between the Tibetan ranchers and the idle herdsmen. When the decrees were issued, the Tibetan nobles were often the most difficult to arrange, and the herdsmen would also rebel.

Whenever there is a government decree that involves interests, there will always be people who resist.

Li Chengqian shook his head and said, "The Tang Dynasty also has these problems, Zamp... In fact, I have never cared about their internal struggles. I am not interested in these things, nor do I care."

"The Khan must have had very loyal subjects that day."

Li Chengqian said: "I do have capable ministers and brave soldiers at my disposal, quite a few."

Standing outside the hall, Lu Dongzan listened to the conversation between Tian Khan and Zamp. There was also a historian named Lai Ji who was recording the conversation.

Songtsen Gampo said: "Tibet lacks talents and talents to govern the country."

Li Chengqian took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to him.

The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and the Zamp of Tubo sat across the table from each other. The conversation between the Emperor and the Zamp was very important, even to the future relationship between the two countries.

The decades-long feud between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo has concerned many people.

Songtsen Gampo took the memorial and opened it. What he saw was a piece of yellow paper with a lot of words written on it, including the matters concerning the teaching in Luosi, the county system, the civil service administration, the Sinong Temple, the Literature Institute, and the Chongwen Institute entering the Tubo territory.

After reading this, Songtsen Gampo put down the memorial and said, "The Tang people want to purge the Tibetan nobles?"

Li Chengqian nodded.

Songtsen Gampo added: "The Tang people wanted to make Tubo what they wanted it to be."

Li Chengqian nodded again.

"Tibet can't do that."

"Aren't you asking me for help?"

Songtsen Gampo took a deep breath and coughed twice.

Li Chengqian said, "Songzhou is now absorbing more and more Tibetans, and many Tibetan women have married Tang soldiers. This situation is becoming more and more obvious. Zamp... How many years will the war between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet last? Ten years? Fifty years? Two hundred years?"

Songtsen Gampo remained silent.

"I guess you are tired too. How many years will the confrontation between Tubo and the Tang army last? If Tubo continues to go to war with the Tang Dynasty, how will the Tubo people who have already integrated with the Tang people deal with it? Is the war between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty really what the Tubo people want to see?"

Li Chengqian looked at the other party's expression and whispered, "You must have noticed that many Tang troops have been able to penetrate deep into the hinterland of Luoshui. In the future, the plateau will no longer be your barrier. I am not a person who thinks the world is so ideal. Some people say that I am strict, but in fact I should be a realistic person."

"You regard the situation in Songzhou as a conspiracy of the Tang people, or it may be intentional... If the war breaks out again, will your Tibetan warriors fight for the will of the Zamp or for the Tibetans?"

"War means burning, killing and looting. If Tubo is determined to go to war with the Tang Dynasty and wants to take back Songzhou, the Tubo warriors are like rebels. Our Tang Dynasty soldiers are particularly good at eliminating rebels."

Outside the Honglu Temple, Lu Dongzan and Sangbuza looked confused and doubtful. They were worried that the Zamp would agree to the Tian Khan's request at this time.

Songtsen Gampo whispered, "I cannot abandon Tubo."

Li Chengqian stood up and patted the Zamp on the shoulder before leaving.

Lai Ji recorded the emperor's action in the history books.

Li Chengqian's hand had not yet left Songtsen Gampo's shoulder when he said, "You are about the same age as me, and you are a distinguished guest of the Tang Dynasty. There are some things I will not force you to make promises, and you don't have to rush to reject me."

Songtsen Gampo sat in a trance.

Li Chengqian's hand left his shoulder and said, "I often tell my brother to think about it. Now I also ask you to think about it and take good care of your illness. It's okay."

After saying this, Li Chengqian left the Honglu Temple accompanied by the eunuchs.

Songtsen Gampo sat alone with the memorial left by the Heavenly Khan in front of him, recalling the words he had just said over and over again in his mind.

The conversation between the emperor and the Tibetan king soon spread throughout the court and the country.

It seemed like the emperor did this on purpose to let the world know the process of this conversation.

Songtsen Gampo lived in the house arranged by the emperor in Chang'an, together with Lu Dongzan, Sambhota and Tubo envoys.

Sitting in the courtyard, looking up at the sky of Chang'an, he whispered: "Tian Khan is indeed a very powerful person."

Sambuza felt wronged recently, but the Zamp's illness had indeed improved. Now he just needed to take medicine as needed and recuperate well. He said, "Fortunately, the Zamp did not agree to the Khan's conditions."

Lu Dongzan also said: "This Heavenly Khan was quite capable when he was young, and he got along well with his subjects. He was very popular among the people in Guanzhong. He was responsible for the demise of Gaochang."

"Gaochang?"

"Well, I am good friends with Murong Shun from Sifang Pavilion, and I accidentally heard him talk about some secrets."

Songtsen Gampo said: "No matter what happened in the past, the current Khan is actually thinking about the people of Tubo. How broad is his mind?"

Several people talked in Tibetan, and Songtsen Gampo asked Sambhota to bring all the popular books in Chang'an.

Lu Dongzan and Sangbuza had lived in Chang'an for many years. They had contacts with people from the Literature Institute, Sifang Institute, and even Chongwen Institute. Borrowing books was not a difficult task for them.

When the Tibetan envoys heard that Lu Dongzan and Sangbuza were working as compilers in Chang'an, they were a little dazed and puzzled.

While recuperating, Songtsen Gampo has been reading books in Chang'an these days, staying at home, trying to learn the wisdom of the current Heavenly Khan in governing the country.

He also often talked about the current Tubo with Sangbuza and Lu Dongzan.

In fact, several years ago, the Tibetan people knew that the two men were serving as officials in Chang'an. This kind of thing could not be kept secret, as there were so many envoys moving around in the Sifang Pavilion, and there were caravans from various countries coming and going in Chang'an.

Lu Dongzan kept explaining to Songtsen Gampo that he had never betrayed Tubo and had never thought of abandoning Tubo.

The spirit contained in Tian Khan's governance strategy was something Songtsen Gampo had never seen in the history books of the Central Plains. He was pondering and seeking the truth.

Finally, Songtsen Gampo closed the scroll in his hand and said, "Xuanzang is a person who can comprehend the truth of the world, but this Heavenly Khan does not need to comprehend at all. He seems to already know what the truth is, so he does not need to pursue it as hard as Xuanzang did."

“Just like a person with extraordinary talent, he can accomplish great achievements by doing what he wants, and he can constantly correct and improve himself.”

This is Songtsen Gampo’s understanding, and this is the only way he can understand it.

Sambuza explained: "When Tian Khan was still the crown prince, he said that life is a piece of imperfect cloth that needs to be mended all the time. Its colors and imperfections are also part of its beauty."

There were people shouting outside the door again. Some Tang men were clamoring to fight with the Tubo envoys. They also said that the Tubo Zamp was ungrateful for not accepting the kindness of the Tian Khan.

Helplessly, Lu Dongzan only opened a crack when entering and exiting these days, and kept the gate closed at all times.

(End of this chapter)