Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty: Please say long live His Majesty

Chapter 65: Brothers and sisters respect each other, father is kind and son is filial

"There's even this!" Du He was incredibly surprised after hearing what Dai Zhide said. He then turned to Li Chengqian with a gloomy expression and said, "Your Highness, don't worry. I'll go back immediately and investigate personally. Anyone dared to harm the Prince of Jin and Your Highness? I'll tear them into pieces."

Although Dai Zhide only briefly explained the part involving Li Zhi, Du He quickly connected it to Li Chengqian.

Li Zhi went there in place of Li Chengqian. If it wasn't Li Zhi, then the one who was murdered must have been Li Chengqian.

As the second son of Duke Du Ruhui of Lai, Du He is even more intuited than his brother Du Gou.

"No hurry." Li Chengqian suddenly waved his hand, looking to the right and above him, and said with a smile: "You've been away for a year, it's rare for you to come back, so take a rest first. Chengyang will be thirteen soon. Who knows, the emperor may arrange a wedding for you next year, so your family should prepare."

The marriage between Du He and Princess Chengyang was decided a long time ago, but because Chengyang was young, it was delayed.

In fact, it wasn't just Du He and Princess Chengyang who were being dragged along. Fang Yiai and Princess Gaoyang were also being dragged along.
They are all waiting for the emperor's daughter to grow up.

Hearing Li Chengqian's words, Du He became embarrassed and said, "Your Highness, this matter still requires the approval of His Majesty."

"Alright, alright." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "By the way, your uncle has been transferred out of Chang'an..."

"He should have left long ago." Du He's face turned cold, and he even spoke with some resentment: "If it weren't for him pleading for that person, Aye's achievements would have been damaged. Later, that person plotted for Prince Yin, which made Aye feel guilty towards Your Majesty. Later, the mountain and river sacrifices led to Aye's death at the age of forty-six. But he was for Wei..."

"Don't say that. This is what father meant." Li Chengqian waved his hand. Du Chuke was appointed as the chief secretary of King Wei by the emperor's order, and Du Chuke had no choice.

"Anyway, it's a good thing that he's been transferred to a rural area. At least our family can have some peace and quiet." Du He sneered, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "I saw your Highness's letter a while ago, so I went to Jiangnan to look for a world-renowned craftsman, and I actually found one.

A craftsman named Yang Wulian is said to have inherited the skills of the brothers Huang Gen and Huang Gun from the Sui Dynasty.

"The Illustrated Manual of Water Decorations" mentions the brothers Huang Gen and Huang Gun, who created the 72-posture mechanical puppets." Seeing Du He nod, Yu Zhining quickly looked at Li Chengqian and said, "Your Highness, the brothers Huang Gen and Huang Gun were masters of the Sui Dynasty who were no less skilled than Yuwen Kai, He Chou, and Yan Pi.

The "Water Decoration Illustrated Manual" and the "Seventy-Two Postures Mechanical Dolls" have been lost since the end of the Sui Dynasty. I didn't expect that they are still being passed down."

"A mechanical puppet." Li Chengqian nodded and said, "But if you're talking about Jiangnan, can he build a ship?"

"Of course." Du He nodded subconsciously.

"Where is he now?" Li Chengqian's expression suddenly became serious.

For him now, healing his legs is the top priority, followed by the editing of "Kaogong Zhi", which is the foundation of his foothold in the court. As for other things, they are just steps to weaken Li Tai's power, or even force him to rebel step by step. Li Chengqian can still distinguish what is important and what is not.

"He's in Luoyang." Du He bowed and said, "If Your Highness needs me, I will immediately send a letter asking him to come to Chang'an."

"Go ahead. Thank you for your help." Li Chengqian breathed a sigh of relief and said, "We must hurry up on this matter."

"Yes!" Du He bowed and was about to leave, but just as he was about to turn around, he stopped and turned back to Li Chengqian and said, "Look at my memory. This time when I returned from Hangzhou, I brought back a lot of pearls bought from local fishermen. Your Highness, I will keep eight of them here, and the rest I will give to..."

Before Du He could finish his words, Li Chengqian stopped him and looked at Chang Sun Xiang who suddenly appeared at the palace gate: "Cousin, is there something wrong?"

"Your Highness!" Chang Sunxiang glanced at Du He, nodded apologetically, and then said to Li Chengqian, "Your Highness, the Tubo envoy Lu Dongzan requests an audience."

"Tibetan?" Li Chengqian couldn't help but frowned.

"Your Highness, Gao Zhixing, the Minister of Rites, is accompanying you." Chang Sun Xiang bowed and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid His Majesty has agreed to this."

"Call him in." Li Chengqian turned around, looked at Du He and said, "Erlang, go to the inner room and take shelter first."

"Yes!" Du He bowed solemnly and then entered the inner room.

Li Chengqian raised his head and said, "Everyone please sit down. Let's meet this Tibetan envoy together."

……

"Foreign minister Lu Dongzan, the envoy of Tubo Kingdom, pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. May His Royal Highness live long." Lu Dongzan, who was forty years old but had gray hair on his temples, was wearing a dark gray leather robe and a green gem on his forehead. He entered the hall and kowtowed solemnly.

"Please stand up, envoy." Li Chengqian said with a calm expression.

It was common knowledge that he did not like the marriage between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo, so there was no need to pretend to be friendly.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Dongzan then stood up.

Li Chengqian said calmly: "The envoy is here today..."

"It's almost the end of the year, and I, an external official, would like to present a gift to the Crown Prince on behalf of my Zamp." Lu Dongzan waved his hand to the side, and the next moment, two guards brought in a small brown box.

Buddha patterns are engraved, and the Buddha's head hangs on the wall.

With a "click", Lu Dongzan opened the box directly.

Immediately, a golden Buddha as tall as a palm appeared in front of Li Chengqian.

There was a hint of surprise in Li Chengqian's eyes. This golden Buddha...wasn't this golden Buddha given to Li Tai by the Tibetans in his previous life?

Li Chengqian calmed down instantly, then looked at Lu Dongzan and asked, "The envoy, if you have anything to say, please speak directly."

Lu Dongzan kowtowed again and said, "Excuse me, may I ask what your Highness the Princess likes? Has Tubo prepared any New Year gifts?"

Li Chengqian was stunned for a moment, then looked at Gao Zhixing, who was standing on the side and bowing, in surprise. Gao Zhixing smiled bitterly and bowed.

Li Chengqian withdrew his gaze and looked at Lu Dongzan, his face thoughtful as he said, "As for the princess's matter, you should just prepare the annual gifts as normal and then send them to the Zongzheng Temple. The Zongzheng Temple will deliver them to the princess on your behalf."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Dongzan bowed in surprise, then stood up and said, "In that case, I will not disturb you any longer. I will take my leave."

"Wait a moment." Li Chengqian raised his head slightly, looked at Changsun Xiang and said, "Cousin, go to the storehouse and get the Ruyi that my father gave me two years ago as a return gift. It's my annual gift to the Zamp. After all, we are all family from now on."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Lu Dongzan bowed in surprise.

Li Chengqian raised his hand slightly: "Go."

"Yes!" Lu Dongzan bowed, then turned around and left with Gao Zhixing and Changsun Xiang.

……

"I don't like Tibetans." Li Chengqian played with the small golden Buddha in his hand, then raised his head slightly and looked at Yu Zhining and said, "Master Yu, how can I ruin this marriage?"

"Your Highness doesn't like it, and neither do I." Yu Zhining looked at Li Chengqian seriously and said, "But Your Highness, you should know that if this marriage is ruined, war will immediately reignite in Songpan, Lanshan, Shanhe, Taozhou, and other states."

Li Chengqian sighed softly, looked at Helan Chushi and said, "It's a pity that Duke Chen was not transferred to Lanzhou."

Helan Chushi bowed solemnly, and Li Chengqian waved his hand slightly.

"Your Highness." Du He couldn't help but bow and asked, "Has the Tang princess who will marry into Tubo not been decided yet?"

"Don't worry, it's not Chengyang." Li Chengqian waved his hand and said, "It seems something happened in Tuyuhun. Perhaps we have to wait until the first month of the lunar year for the final decision."

"Yes!" Du He breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at Li Chengqian and said, "If Your Highness doesn't like the Tibetans, I will take my men to give them a good beating."

"No need!" Li Chengqian glanced at Du He sideways, shook his head, and said, "That Tubo envoy is not only an envoy, he is also the Tubo Prime Minister. He is extremely capable. Any slight movement will not only fail to solve the problem, but will make us lose face. Don't act rashly in this matter. I have a plan, and rashness will ruin my plan."

"Yes!" Du He looked solemn.

"Send someone to bring Mr. Yang to Chang'an, and then send him to the Eastern Palace. I can use him in a big way." Li Chengqian nodded seriously.

"Yes!" Du He bowed again.

"As for the gambling house matter, you should personally take Dai Zhide and the others to investigate." Li Chengqian's expression turned cold.

"I accept your order."

……

"Thump thump thump..." The sound of hurried footsteps rang out in Prince Wei's Mansion.

Fang Yiai walked into the study and bowed to Li Tai, saying, "Your Highness, is Your Highness looking for me?"

"Yeah!" Li Tai nodded gently and said, "I heard that Du He and Du Erlang have returned and are searching everywhere with their men. As for you..."

"Your Highness, don't worry. My people went to Luoyang overnight after finishing their work. After the New Year, they will go south to Yangzhou. I will ask them to come back whenever Your Highness summons them." Fang Yiai looked relaxed. How could he easily reveal any flaws in his work?

"That's good." Li Tai breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "The rest is about the New Year's Eve banquet. Do you think we still have a chance this time?"

"Of course there is a chance." Fang Yiai's face grew serious, and then he bowed and said, "But Your Highness, if this matter is not handled properly, it could easily backfire, especially now that the Dali Temple, Yongzhou Prefecture, Jinwu Guards, and Qianniu Guards are still investigating."

"Then make it more elaborate..." Li Tai looked up at Fang Yiai and said, "The King of Wu will be back this year, right?"

"Yes!" Fang Yiai's eyes lit up instantly. King Wu Li Ke, that man has a bad temper.

……

It was dusk and the sky was filled with sunset glow.

In the Chongjiao Hall, Li Chengqian handed the envelope to Li Anyan and said, "The letter from the King of Han will arrive in Chang'an on the 27th."

"Will the King of Han come back at the end of the year?" Li Anyan was surprised.

"Not only the King of Han, King of Jing, King of Xu, King of Han, King of Peng, King of Huo, King of Zheng and other uncles, but also the King of Wu, King of Qi, King of Jiang, King of Shu and other royal brothers, as well as other princes, princesses and princesses of the royal family, most of them will also come back. After all, the emperor will marry a princess to Tubo next year. Tubo is a big country, so it has to be respectable."

Li Chengqian's expression became slightly serious, and then he sneered softly, "Just wait and see, there will be a lot of excitement on New Year's Eve."

"Is it lively?" Li Anyan asked subconsciously.

"It's nothing more than the scenes of brothers being friendly and respectful to each other, fathers being loving and sons being filial. There are the descendants of the royal grandfather, the brothers of my father, and I, his sons, and my brothers... It's a pity that the royal grandfather is gone, otherwise..." Li Chengqian couldn't help laughing.

In his generation, it was naturally Li Chengqian who borne the pressure, but in his father's generation, it was his father who borne the pressure.

I don’t know if my father can sleep well at night.

(End of this chapter)