Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 32: Tang Dynasty Hospitality

The gold and silver shops in Chang'an were one of the most profitable businesses. Ordinary people could not afford to open one, and it would be difficult for them to stay open for long even if they did.

Behind every gold and silver shop that has become a time-honored brand, there is usually a big family backing it, and most of them are Jiangnan aristocratic families.

Wu Meiniang had been fighting with Concubine Xiao Shufei for many years and knew the Lanling Xiao family best.

When she saw the words "Jiangnan Wu Ji" written in the corner of the gold and silver shop's plaque, she knew that it was apparently the Wu family's business, but in fact it was the Xiao family's business.

Li Zhi saw the envoys from the Eastern Women's Kingdom and the Tibetan envoys enter the gold and silver shop one after another, and said to Wu Meiniang, "Meiniang, shall we go in and take a look too?"

Wu Meiniang was reluctant to enter Xiao's shop and said with a smile, "I think the Tibetans will cause trouble for the Queen of Dongnu. You go in, I'll wait for you outside."

Li Zhi had no choice but to go in alone.

The shop was magnificent, with soft carpets on the floor and eight large red-leather wooden cabinets in the corners. The cabinets were shining with gold and filled with various gold and silver items.

Queen Dongnu was standing in front of a wooden cabinet, looking at an exquisite gilded lying turtle incense burner.

"I wonder if the craftsmen of my Dongnu Country can make such an exquisite thing." She sighed softly.

A female guard nearby said with a smile, "Queen, there's no need to lament. When we return, we'll hire a Tang craftsman with a large sum of money and have him pass on his skills to the craftsmen in our clan."

Another female guard said, "I don't know when I can go back. Although this place is prosperous, it's also scary."

The burly driver stammered, "I'm scared too."

The female guard glared at him and said, "Do you have the right to speak here?"

The driver smiled innocently and was not angry.

Just then, a voice came from the door.

"Queen Binjiu, you are really good at escaping. You actually escaped to the Tang Dynasty. No wonder we couldn't find you anywhere."

Queen Dongnu turned her head and saw a group of Tibetans striding into the shop.

She asked in Tang language: "What are you talking about? I don't understand."

The leader was a Tibetan man wearing a golden ring on his head. He looked heroic and majestic. He also spoke in Tang language, "The Queen's Tibetan should be more fluent than Tang. Why are you pretending not to understand?"

The guest asked the queen, "Who are you?"

The Tibetan leader smiled and said, "I am the Queen's future husband. I believe the Queen has received the betrothal gift from my father."

Queen Binjiu's eyes turned cold and she asked, "Are you Dayan's son?"

The Tibetan leader bowed slightly, performed Tibetan etiquette, and said with a smile: "I am Dubu. In order to marry the queen, I have killed my wife and four concubines. The queen should know my sincerity."

Queen Binjiu's expression changed slightly: "Are you the Dubu?"

Du Bu smiled and said, "I didn't expect the Queen to have heard of my name. I am truly honored."

Queen Binjiu sneered, "Your Excellency and your son are Tuyuhun people, yet you have sold your bodies to Tubo and the Western Qiang tribes. Who doesn't know this?"

Dubu was not angry, but sighed, "Life is unpredictable, and sometimes we can't make our own decisions. For example, Her Majesty the Queen, such a proud person, had to leave her homeland and come to the Tang people to protect her country."

Queen Bin said in a deep voice: "I already have a husband."

Du Bu smiled and said, "The Queen can also kill him for me."

All the men in the Eastern Women's Kingdom were commanded by Wang Fu. When the strong man heard him insult Wang Fu, he roared and rushed towards Du Bu.

Without Du Bu making any movement, the strong man was lifted up by him.

The two female guards behind Queen Bin drew their scimitars and rushed towards Dubu.

Dubu swung the big man in front of him, and the female guards lowered their heads to dodge.

Du Bu took advantage of the situation and threw the big man out of the door. He grabbed the two female guards by the throat and lifted them up. The two female guards screamed and the scimitars in their hands fell to the ground.

The shop owner and his staff were about to step forward to stop them, but were stopped by other Tibetans.

Queen Binjiu's eyes were filled with anger. She pulled out a silver knife and was about to take action.

Suddenly, a dark shadow flew in from outside. It was the strong man Dongnu who was thrown out.

The strong man staggered two steps after landing and then stabilized his body.

Queen Bin was slightly startled and looked towards the door, only to see a handsome young man wearing a fu hat standing at the door at some point.

The young man was naturally Li Zhi. He was originally standing at the door listening to their conversation when the big man suddenly flew out.

Xue Rengui stepped in front of him, grabbed the big man, spun him around, and threw him back.

He knew that the Eastern Women's Kingdom was a friend, not an enemy, so when he threw it, he aimed it diagonally upwards, making it easier for the strong man to land.

The shopkeeper shouted at Dubu, "You foreigners, you're using swords in Chang'an. Do you want to go to prison for eternity?" Dubu smiled slightly and said, "They attacked me, and I was just defending myself."

Although he was smiling, he did not hold back at all. Both female guards rolled their eyes because of the pinching.

Seeing him so arrogant, Xue Rengui snorted coldly and rushed towards Dubu.

Several Tibetans went over to intercept them, but they were easily knocked over by him with three punches and two kicks.

Seeing Xue Rengui getting closer, Dubu shook off the two female guards and when Xue Rengui kicked a Tibetan away, he grabbed his belt with one hand and his arm with the other and lifted Xue Rengui up.

When Xue Rengui was lifted to Dubu's shoulders, he hooked his arm around the back of Dubu's neck, spun around, and threw Dubu down in the air.

Du Bu reacted quickly. When he landed, he supported himself on the ground with one hand, turned over, and landed on one knee.

The two of them acted so quickly that no one around them had time to react.

Queen Binju helped the two female guards to their feet, bowed to Xue Rengui, and said, "Thank you, brave warrior, for your help."

Xue Rengui just nodded and stood behind Li Zhi.

Du Bu slowly stood up, looked at Li Zhi for a moment, and said, "My friend, why do you have to meddle in other people's business? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"

Li Zhi laughed and said, "I'm afraid of everything except trouble."

Du Bu stared at him for a long moment and said, "Look at your extraordinary appearance, you must be the son of some noble family. I wonder how I have offended you to make you want to pick a fight with me."

Li Zhi asked, "How did this lady offend you? Why are you trying to pick a fight with her?"

Dubu smiled and said, "My dear, you have misunderstood. I did not mean to embarrass her on purpose. She is the Queen of Dongnu, and I am the Tubo envoy. This is a matter between our two countries."

Li Zhi said, "Since this lady has come to Chang'an, she is a guest of the Tang Dynasty. You are also a guest of the Tang Dynasty, but you are making things difficult for another guest. Do you take the host family seriously?"

A Tibetan shouted, "You Tang people, you really don't know your place. We are envoys, guests of your emperor, not guests of a commoner like you. You are meddling too much!"

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Did our emperor invite you here?"

The Tibetan was stunned and said, "That's about the same."

Li Zhi said calmly, "Far from it. You are not invited by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but rather a vassal state, coming to pay homage to the Tang Dynasty. Calling you guests is an honor."

The Tibetan man was furious and was about to rush towards Li Zhi, but Dubu stopped him.

Du Bu said in a deep voice, "My friend, if you are attracted to Queen Shangbinjiu and want to marry her as a concubine, you are wrong. Queen Dongnu will not marry a foreign man."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "I know, and I don't have any unreasonable thoughts. It's just a little strange."

They all preached, "What's so strange?"

Li Zhi asked, "You clearly know that Her Majesty the Queen cannot marry a foreigner, so why are you still so shameless and entangled with her? Are all Tibetans so shameless?"

Dubu's expression changed several times, but he did not lose his temper. He simply said, "I am representing the Tubo Kingdom in the marriage with the Queen, so it is naturally different."

Li Zhi laughed and said, "That's even more bizarre. You, a Tuyuhun, are actually representing the Tibetans in an alliance with another nation. Isn't this a huge joke?"

Dubu stared at Li Zhi intently. After a long while, a smile appeared on his face again. He said, "I am from Tibet, not Tuyuhun. My lord, you are joking."

While the two were talking, a dozen guests suddenly came in.

Du Bu realized that these people were not ordinary people, and he became even more wary. He turned around and smiled at Queen Binjiu.

"Your Majesty, you bought this to celebrate your birthday at the Wu Mansion, right?"

The Queen said coldly, "What does it have to do with you?"

Du Bu laughed and said, "Then we will meet again soon." He strode away with his men.

Lady Bin performed the Eastern Women's Kingdom etiquette towards Li Zhi and said, "Thank you very much for your help, sir. Please leave your name. I will come to thank you in person another day."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "The Queen is a guest. As long as you abide by the laws of your country and do not cause trouble, we Tang people will treat you as a guest. No need to thank me. Farewell."

Turned around and left the gold and silver shop.

A Dongnu guard said, "Hey, I don't know who this Tangren is. Not only is he handsome, but he's also so good at talking. I really want to kidnap him and take him back to Dongnu Kingdom."

Another female guard laughed and scolded, "Didn't you see that the warrior next to him, Lian Dubu, was defeated? I think it's not you who is tying him up, but he who is tying you up."

The guard smiled and said, "That's not bad."

Queen Bin glared at the two of them and said, "What are you talking about? Don't forget the purpose of coming to Chang'an this time. Let's go."

He bought a gift, asked the shopkeeper to pack it up, left the shop, got on the carriage, and headed towards Wu Mansion.

(End of this chapter)