Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 554 He was too eager to improve.
Hualin Garden.

This large royal garden, located north of the Luoyang Palace, originated from Fanglin Garden during the Eastern Han Dynasty. During the Cao Wei Dynasty, it was renamed Hualin Garden to avoid the taboo of Cao Fang's name.

After the Northern Wei Dynasty moved its capital, it fully restored and renovated this royal garden.

The park features famous scenic spots such as Tianyuan Pond, Jingyang Mountain, and Xihe Ridge, as well as a zoo and an orchard, which raise many rare and exotic animals and cultivate many exotic flowers and fruits.

Its scenic beauty is unparalleled in the world.

The palace city of the Northern Wei Dynasty was designed with a front palace and a rear garden.

The front palace included the front court and the rear palace.

The front court was where the Northern Wei emperors handled state affairs, while the rear palace was where the empresses and concubines lived. The rear palace also had a separate garden called Xiyou Garden, which the empresses and concubines could visit on a daily basis.

Hualin Garden, as a royal garden, was where the emperors of the Northern Wei Dynasty entertained members of the imperial family, meritorious officials, and foreign envoys. Important diplomatic events often took place here.

On ordinary days, the emperor and his ministers would stroll together in the garden, drinking, boating, composing poems, hunting, and even holding religious ceremonies here during the reign of the Queen Hu.

After Li Shuang ascended the throne, these diplomatic activities were rarely carried out.

Firstly, due to the series of changes following the Heyin Incident, the garden lacked maintenance and suffered damage, no longer possessing its former splendor; secondly, Li Shuang had not found a suitable reason to hold a banquet.

After the empire was established, many surrounding countries submitted to the Tang Dynasty, while many others did not. However, since the time was still short, the various effects had not yet manifested, and there was nothing that required Li Shuang to specially host a banquet.

But today is different.

Yuwen Tai quelled the rebellion in the north and returned victorious!

On the Jiuhua Terrace, Li Shuang held a banquet to entertain Yuwen Tai and a group of generals.

The Golden Palace, the Nine Dragons Hall, and the Nine Flower Terrace are all built on floating islands in a pool, and their architectural concepts are quite similar.

As night fell, palace servants lit candles in the palace, making the Jiuhua Terrace, situated above Tianyuan Pond, appear like a giant ship sailing on the sea, gleaming with light.

This ancient platform, weathered by time, no longer boasts the magnificent gardens of the Northern Wei Dynasty's heyday, but the victory horns have added a unique charm to it.

Yuwentai had his men escort the captured tribal leaders of the northeastern rebellion into the palace.

"Your Majesty!"

The high platform at this moment no longer displayed the affected elegance that had emerged after the Northern Wei Dynasty's assimilation into Han culture; instead, it was filled with a martial spirit.

Li Shuang sat high up, looking down, and asked:
Why the rebellion?

This rebellion was related to the restoration of the Buyeo Kingdom.

The Buyeo Kingdom was destroyed nearly fifty years ago, and the culprits were Goguryeo and the surrounding Mohe and other tribes.

Now that Goguryeo has lost Liaodong and Buyeo has been restored, the surrounding tribes are in a state of panic.

After Li Shuang led his main force away from Liaodong, Goguryeo continued to try to recover its northern territory and also instigated surrounding tribes to rebel.

Buyeo Guoguang was unable to establish himself in Northeast China on his own, and this rebellion proved that.

Although the Buyeo people submitted to Goguryeo after the fall of the Buyeo Kingdom, and the two countries were intertwined for nearly fifty years, with many customs becoming similar, and even their official and military systems becoming similar, the Buyeo Kingdom was still no match for Goguryeo in terms of national strength.

Even though it lost Liaodong, Goguryeo, which occupied the former territories of Lelang and Xuantu counties from the Han Dynasty, remained a dominant force in the Northeast.

These tribal leaders were originally unruly and were known in the area for their bravery, having killed countless people.

But once inside the palace, seeing Li Shuang sitting on the throne and the Tang generals around him, a sense of fear arose in his heart.

These well-dressed people exuded an aura that sent chills down the spines of these fearless, beast-like warriors who had fought their way through the icy wilderness of Northeast China.

Because they are wild animals, they have an exceptionally keen sense of danger, even if they cannot communicate with each other.

Zu Ting, seeing that these people remained silent for so long, rebuked them:
"Why do you not answer when the sage asks you a question?"

At this sharp shout, several men collapsed to the ground with a thud, some unable to move their legs. "We rebel because we do not submit to the Buyeo people!"

Li Shuang chuckled and, amidst the astonished gazes of the Tang generals, spoke a few words in the Mohe language.

The Tang generals turned around, somewhat surprised, not expecting Li Shuang to have this skill.

However, they soon discovered that after Li Shuang said a few words, the tribal leaders no longer showed their fear and stood up, gesturing excitedly.

The atmosphere inside the palace suddenly became more cheerful.

Yuwentai looked at the scene with mixed feelings. But soon, Li Shuang raised his glass and said:

"My ministers, let us drink!"

"Thank you saint!"

……

After the banquet, Yuwen Tai returned to the Duke of Yan's mansion, which he hadn't visited in a long time.

Inside the mansion, Yuwen Dao was already waiting.

"Uncle, about the situation in Jingzhou and Xiangyang..."

Before Yuwen Dao could finish speaking, Yuwen Tai waved his hand to stop him.

As the main guest at the banquet, Yuwen Tai had drunk quite a bit. Now that he had returned to his residence, he did not immediately discuss matters with Yuwen Dao. Instead, he splashed some cold water on his face to clear his head before discussing matters with Yuwen Dao.

"The Jingxiang affair was likely orchestrated by those Huai Shuo people."

Director Yuwen nodded and said:
“Sa Bao’s establishment of a military government in Xiangzhou is progressing slowly, and the Liang people are very resistant to it. The Left Guard Office even sent an official letter of inquiry. They really don’t mind watching others carry the load.”

Yuwen Tai's reaction to this was rather indifferent, which surprised Yuwen Dao.

"Uncle, are you drunk?"

Director Yuwen thought Yuwentai was drunk and considered coming back the next day, but Yuwentai was perfectly sober.

“We Wuchuan people are different from those Huai Shuo people! This matter is a crisis for Sa Bao, but also a test. If he can overcome this hurdle, he will naturally rise to a higher level.”

"But what if Sabao perishes there?"

Director Yuwen was very worried, but Yuwen Tai remained calm.

"If it really gets difficult, let Sabao go to Dugu Ruyuan. As a fellow Wuchuan native, he won't stand idly by."

"Dugu Xin?"

Yuwen Dao thought of his old superior from Pingcheng and was still somewhat uneasy.

"But he was also very close to Hou Jing and his group."

Yuwen Tai waved his hand and said:
"Whoever is close to the sage, Dugu Xin will be close to them."

A maidservant brought him a hangover soup. After taking a sip, Yuwen Tai felt much better. He leaned back slightly on the cushion, exuding a calmness that Yuwen Dao couldn't understand.

"In the end, this matter is the will of the sage, and Dugu Xin will not watch it end in defeat."

There was one more thing Yuwentai didn't say: he and Dugu Xin had known each other since childhood. Now, Yuwentai was a Pillar of State, while Dugu Xin was only a Grand General.

His desire to achieve something great will also drive him to eventually join the cause.

Yuwen Tai's gaze was deep, and he said disdainfully:
"These Huai Shuo people are too clever for their own good!"

……

(End of this chapter)