Tang Dynasty: A Guide to Avoiding Pitfalls for Li Er at the Start

Chapter 310 Do you believe I'll sue you for child labor abuse?

"Little one, are you surprised or delighted to see me?"

Li Daozong caught up with Wen He's carriage in a few steps, as if afraid that he would run away. He nimbly jumped on and landed steadily on the carriage floor.

This action was utterly unlike the dignified demeanor of a Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies; it resembled that of a bandit blocking the road, leaving even Li Yifu, the driver of the carriage, momentarily stunned.

"It wasn't a surprise, but it wasn't unexpected either."

Wen He lifted the carriage curtain and gave Li Daozong a disdainful look without hesitation.

"I just want to ask Prince Rencheng, where is the little pony you promised me last time?"

How much time has passed?
Last time outside Xuanwu Gate, this guy patted his chest and made a promise, and what happened?

He didn't even see a single horse hair, let alone a foal.

Li Daozong was taken aback upon hearing this, clearly having completely forgotten about it.

He scratched his head sheepishly and chuckled dryly, "It's my fault, it's my fault! I was just busy with the Lord of the Rings project the other day and couldn't find the time."

"Oh? Your Majesty, did you send an envoy to the Prince of Huan again?"

Wen He raised an eyebrow.

He felt that Li Shimin probably didn't have such a strong masochistic tendency.

The envoys sent the first two times were either humiliated or deceived. Do they want to do it again?
Li Daozong smiled and shook his head, patting the carriage wall: "We sent envoys, but not to Huan Wang, but to Zhenla and Funan, to tell them that the Tang Dynasty is willing to sell weapons to help them attack Huan Wang."

Wen He's heart skipped a beat.

Is this some kind of proxy war?
"Who came up with this idea?" he asked curiously.

Li Daozong chuckled, a hint of smugness on his face: "Who else could it be? Fang Xuanling, of course."

He said that during the Spring and Autumn Period, when Jin and Chu were vying for hegemony, weren't the subordinate states of Zheng and Song always the vanguard? Now that King Huan is far away, the Tang Dynasty can't reach him. Why not learn from our ancestors and let them fight it out themselves?

Wen He nodded to himself.

The methods that later great powers used were already mastered by our ancestors.

Later, Wang Xuance borrowed troops to destroy Central India, and Gao Xianzhi went on a distant expedition to the Western Regions; they were essentially following the same pattern.

"So, you're alright?"

He recalled that Li Daozong had previously worried about being punished by Li Shimin because of the Huanwang incident, but seeing his beaming face today, it was clear that he had not been implicated.

"Of course I'm fine!"

Li Daozong slapped his thigh, his tone becoming increasingly cheerful.

"Half a month ago, the Kingdom of Funan sent a letter to the Protectorate General of Jiaozhou in Lingnan Circuit, saying they were willing to buy our military equipment. Their envoy is already on his way and should arrive in Chang'an in about a month..."

He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed that Wen He's face showed no joy, but rather a frown, and asked, "What? You think this method is bad?"

"I'm afraid that raising a tiger will become a threat," Wen He said bluntly.

The purpose of sending envoys to King Huan was to exchange for grain seeds; the objective was clear.

But if Funan and Zhenla were to destroy Huanwang, things would be different.

Zhenla is currently a vassal state of Funan. With the fall of Huanwang, Southeast Asia will likely be unified by Funan. The rise of a unified and powerful nation in the south may not be a good thing for the Tang Dynasty.

"You're overthinking it!" Li Daozong waved his hand dismissively.

“Funan is so poor that it can’t even afford Wenshan armor. At most, it can buy some infantry armor, but the quantity is pitifully small. Its weapons are mostly spears. It is only because His Majesty is benevolent that he has given them a dozen or so horse spears to save face.”

Looking at his nonchalant demeanor, Wen He suddenly thought of the gentlemen in the parliament of a certain country in a later era.

When they delivered weapons to their "little brothers," they probably had the same expression that said, "The enemy is too weak to be a threat."

The result, well, everyone knows.

Fortunately, there was no financial aid or loan-related scheme at the time, otherwise he would have rushed into the Taiji Hall to stop this seemingly clever but actually risky move.

They even gave away a horse spear?
Wen He couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

That's such a waste!
The horse lance was a standard heavy weapon of the Tang Dynasty cavalry. It was expensive to make and complex to manufacture. Even ordinary soldiers might not be able to use it. Yet it was casually given to Funan.

"After the Prince of Rencheng delivered this good news, is there anything else?"

Wen He raised an eyebrow at Li Daozong. He didn't believe that this guy would be so bored as to come all this way just to talk to him about the Ring King.

"Didn't you start this conversation?"

Li Daozong was taken aback by his question. Looking at Wen He's impatient expression, he stroked his beard and said, "You kept asking about the little colt, so I casually mentioned the Ring King."

"I'll only ask you, little pony."

Wen He stretched out her hand, making a begging gesture.

Where is my little pony?

Li Daozong quickly put on a smiling face and took half a step back: "Another day, I will definitely send it to your residence another day! I came to see you today because I have something more important to discuss."

"You wait first."

Wen He immediately raised her hand to interrupt him, counting on her fingers.

"I am currently a Hundred Cavalry Commandant, and also serve as the head of the Ministry of Works, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War... I don't think I've ever held a position at the Court of State Ceremonial, have I?"

"The way you're saying that's making things awkward, isn't it?"

Li Daozong took two steps closer, his smile appearing exceptionally cunning.

"Didn't you handle the envoys from Goguryeo and Japan before? As the saying goes, one should not trouble two masters for one matter. In two days, the person sent by Soga no Emishi from Japan will arrive. You can help me deal with him."

"I'm not going." Wen He refused without even thinking.

"Add ten more foals!" Li Daozong immediately increased the bet, patting his chest to guarantee it.

"Even if you gave me a cavalry company, I wouldn't go."

Wen He didn't even lift his eyelids. Li Daozong didn't understand what "cavalry company" meant, but seeing how firmly he refused, he knew this tactic wouldn't work.

He stroked his beard, his eyes darting around, and suddenly laughed: "Speaking of which, my Office of Ceremonies in the Court of State Ceremonial is currently short of a Master of Ceremonies. This job is very tiring; we have to entertain foreign envoys and arrange for them to attend the Yuanhui (New Year's Assembly)..."

"Do you believe I'll sue you for child labor abuse?" Wen He's eyes widened.

“There is no such provision in the laws of the Tang Dynasty.” Li Daozong spread his hands, looking like he was saying, “What can you do to me?”

"His Majesty will not agree," Wen He said through gritted teeth.

"I've heard that Your Majesty is currently lacking a fine brush washer, and I happen to have a few treasures from the previous dynasty in my home." Li Daozong smiled even more smugly.

"Damn it!" Wen He couldn't help but swear.

"As long as you help me, I'll let you curse me, not just my elder brother, but even my second brother." Li Daozong was completely desperate, he didn't care about saving face anymore.

Anyway, he had no idea what Wen He meant by cursing.

Wen He gritted her teeth, but finally gave up and glared at him, saying, "Your Honglu Temple has so many talented people, why do you have to keep targeting me? Besides, it's just entertaining the Japanese envoys, it's not a big deal, you could just send anyone."

The reason he refused was that he felt Li Daozong was definitely hiding something from him.

Otherwise, given the functions of the Court of State Ceremonial, entertaining envoys would have been its duty, and there would have been no need for the Prince of Rencheng to personally beg him, this "youngster."

"This is no ordinary hospitality."

Li Daozong put away his joking expression, leaned closer, and lowered his voice.

"The Japanese had previously hinted that they wanted to formally send an envoy to Tang China and send a prince to Tang China to learn Han culture. Several high-ranking officials from the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites disagreed and argued for several days."

"His Majesty came to ask for my opinion, but I couldn't make up my mind, so I came to ask you." He said, his face almost beaming with a fawning smile.

Wen He held her forehead, feeling a throbbing sensation in her temples.

Li Shimin was clearly deliberately trying to cause him trouble!
He had already spoken about the matter concerning Japan before.

Now that His Majesty is not directly refusing, but instead asking Li Daozong, it's clear that he's calculated that Li Daozong is indecisive and will definitely come to him.

However, we shouldn't necessarily condemn the entire issue of the Japanese envoys to Tang China.

Seeing the hesitation on Wen He's face, Li Daozong's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked, "Do you have an idea?"

"What's in it for me?" Wen He looked up at him, her expression indifferent. If you want him to work, you always have to pay a price; after all, this guy had just threatened her.

"A little pony?" Li Daozong asked tentatively.

"Get out of the car." Wen He pointed out the window expressionlessly.

"Then... the position of Master of Ceremonies? It's a sixth-rank official, which is higher than your current rank!" Li Daozong threw out another bait.

"Where's my knife?"

"Alright, alright, don't get excited."

Li Daozong quickly waved his hand. Seeing that Wen He was unmoved, he stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he slapped his thigh and said, "Someone sold a piece of land to me in Huayuan County before. How about I give it to you?"

"Just one piece of land?" Wen He raised an eyebrow, her tone dismissive, but the name "Huayuan County" sounded strangely familiar.

I feel like I've heard it somewhere before, but I can't quite place it.

“That land is five hectares!” Li Daozong stretched out his palm and emphasized the number “five”.

One qing is one hundred mu, so five qing is five hundred mu.

Wen He suddenly felt her throat go dry and subconsciously swallowed.

Five hundred acres of land, even in a place like Huayuan County that is a bit far from Chang'an, is worth a lot of money.

If used to grow cash crops or open a workshop, it would be a sure-fire way to make money.

“In that case…” He cleared his throat, trying to make his tone sound calm.

"Then I'll reluctantly help you with this favor."

Li Daozong immediately clapped his hands and laughed loudly, "Your Majesty is indeed Your Majesty! He said you would definitely agree!"

Previously, Li Daozong was worried that Wen He would refuse, so he went to the palace to ask Li Shimin.

The latter simply said, "Wen He is a money-grubber."

He immediately understood which method to use.

Upon hearing this, Wen He's lips twitched involuntarily a few times.

This sounds awkward.

So, in Li Shimin's eyes, he was just a money-grubbing guy?
Although... it seems that's indeed the case.

Feeling frustrated, he just wanted to get rid of Li Daozong, who was taking advantage of him while acting innocent, so he waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, do you have anything else to do? If not, I'm going to the Hundred Cavalry Camp."

"Let's go together!"

Li Daozong acted as if he were one of the family, patting his chest and saying.

"It's been a while since I've stretched my muscles. I heard that your Hundred Cavalry Battalion recently got a new Inspector General of the Hundred Cavalry. I think he was there during the Battle of Huizhou. His name is Su Dingfang. I'll accompany you today to set the tone!"

Seeing that Wen He had agreed to the task, Li Daozong was in a great mood, and his words were filled with a sense of triumph.

Upon hearing this, Wen He suddenly curled up the corners of her mouth, revealing a sly smile, a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Oh, really? Then I'm really looking forward to it."

Li Daozong vs. Su Dingfang... Is there still any suspense in the outcome?

You say I'm a money-grubber?

Just wait for me!

There's going to be a good show soon.

(End of this chapter)