Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 133 Troubled Times
Hongxiu was worried that Wang Xi was being deceived, little did she know that Wang Xi was worried about her.

Wang Xi was very clear about Li Linfu's ambition and methods. Seeing that Hongxiu knew him and had even done her a favor, he was very worried that Hongxiu would be deceived by Li Linfu.

However, Hongxiu wasn't as naive as he imagined. On the other hand, a naive woman couldn't be so shrewd; she would have been deceived by some lecherous man long ago.

Even so, Wang Xi remained cautious, because no matter how clever Hongxiu was, she could not possibly be a match for Li Linfu.

When Wang Xi returned to the back hall, Tao Mo had already informed Huangfu Sengnian and the others of Li Linfu's purpose in coming.

"It seems that this Li Yuanwailang really does have some tricks up his sleeve," Huangfu Sengnian said.

Wang Xi said, "So, you agree with what he said?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I haven't thought about it in detail yet, but the timing he chose is quite good."

Wang Xi asked, "What do you mean?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I heard that the number of envoys coming to Chang'an this year has reached more than a thousand, which is much larger than in previous years."

"is it?"

Wang Xi asked curiously, "Why?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "I think it's mainly because a few months ago, when the Tubo invaded Little Bolu, His Majesty personally ordered troops to be sent to its aid and defeated the Tubo."

Wang Xi said, "Little Bolu's geographical location is of paramount importance to our country, and it is only natural to send troops to rescue it."

Little Bolu was the western gateway to the Four Garrisons of Anxi. It became even more important after the alliance between Tibet and the Abbasid Caliphate. If Little Bolu were to fall, Tibet could join forces with the Abbasid Caliphate and attack from the west.

Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had to pass through Little Bolu to expand westward.

Huangfu Sengnian said, "That is true, but for many years we have been on the defensive in the Western Regions. This time we took the initiative to send troops and did so very decisively. This is a significant change in the eyes of the tribes in the Western Regions."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "I see."

He hadn't actually paid attention to that.

Although Tibet is very powerful now, the Tang Dynasty is the hegemon of the entire Eastern Hemisphere, without exception, and no one doubts it.

Every move the empire makes, even a yawn, is bound to cause a stir among the surrounding countries.

Now Li Longji is ambitious and desires both civil and military achievements.

The rescue of Little Bolu may seem normal, but it was not. During Wu Zetian's reign, the empire was primarily defensive and had very weak control over its surrounding areas. Therefore, this was a signal to the surrounding regions that the empire was capable of protecting every vassal state, even the westernmost Little Bolu, and was willing to do so.

The surrounding countries naturally had to adjust their policies toward the empire immediately, and they were also eager to know what the empire's next move would be.

It is no exaggeration to say that this concerns their life and death.

This year was actually a relatively quiet year for diplomacy for the Tang Dynasty.

Wang Xi's initial proposal to use opera to promote Tang Dynasty culture and gain the allegiance of the four vassal states was actually forced upon him.

However, Li Linfu was able to seize this opportunity and, based on this, proposed to put on a play at a banquet for foreign guests. If successful, he would be able to make a name for himself in the court.

Li Jieman suddenly said, "Uncle Li is capable, which is a good thing for my father. My father is in need of help right now."

"What your father lacks is not helpers, but hard work."

Wang Xi said irritably, "To be honest, of the four of us fathers, your father is the least ambitious. If we don't give him a push, he will never take another step. If things continue like this, it may not be a good thing for your father if Li Linfu becomes too capable."

Huangfu Sengnian nodded and said, "Judging from his actions this time, he has great ambitions. Your Highness may not be able to control him."

Upon hearing this, Li Jieman said with great concern, "Then I will go and tell my father not to employ this person."

"That's not necessary."

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "First of all, this is Dr. Jiang's face, so we have to give it to him. Secondly, your father does need such a helper right now, which will make things easier for us."

Li Jieman said, "What if he betrays my father?"

Wang Xi said, "Aren't we still here? Of course, the most important thing is to find a way to motivate your father to improve. If your father doesn't make progress, he will eventually be manipulated by others."

Li Jie sighed, "But it seems my father's ambitions lie elsewhere."

Wang Xi smiled and said, "Take your time."

On the other hand, Li Qiao went to this point entirely to help the Wang family. As a prince with nothing to do, he could have lived a carefree and easy life. Wang Xi couldn't complain too much about this.

Huangfu Sengnian suddenly said, "So, you approve of Li Linfu's plan."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "Opera is our most important weapon. If we can promote it, it will always be more beneficial than harmful to us. Although Li Linfu wants to use it to rise to power, we can also make use of him."

Just then, a commotion was heard outside.

"what's up?"

"It sounds like the voices of orphans."

"Let's go! Let's go out and take a look!"

The group immediately went outside, only to see Xue Jun, Linghu Baodi, and the others walking in angrily. Upon seeing Wang Xi and the others, they immediately came forward, saying, "Brother Que, Monk Nian, it's best that you're here."

Wang Xi asked, "What is it?"

Xue Jun said, "We were eating out just now when we heard someone slandering you, sir."

"Who?"

"It's Wu Chongwen and his group."

Linghu Baodi said, "They said our academy dared not participate in their singing competition, and that our teacher only knew some unorthodox methods and was completely ignorant of poetry and prose, and was just a person who sought fame and fortune."

Cui Gu'er said, "Of course we disagreed, so we started arguing with them."

Huangfu Sengnian frowned slightly and said, "So you agreed to participate in that singing competition."

"Ah."

Several people nodded in unison.

Upon hearing this, Li Jieman panicked immediately, "You guys are really foolish, you've fallen for their provocation."

Cui Gu'er's eyes darted around, and he said, "I know they're trying to provoke us, but if we slink away like this, wouldn't that make it seem like our master is just a fame-seeker?"

Wang Xi asked, quite annoyed, "Does the gentleman still need proof?"

Linghu Baodi said with a wronged expression, "We did have a request, but they told us to just write a poem, as long as it rhymes, that's fine. We..."

Towards the end, he scratched his head in embarrassment.

waste!

Wang Xi cursed under his breath.

Xue Jun said nonchalantly, "We really didn't know how, so everyone in the restaurant was laughing at us, and we had no choice but to accept the challenge."

Cui Gu'er hurriedly said, "Sir, you are so talented. How could such a small poem stump you? If you teach us a few, we will go and seek justice for you."

Wang Xi was so angry that he couldn't speak. He took a deep breath and said, "Okay, you can clean the classroom yourselves first, and we'll talk again after the teacher forgives you."

"Yes."

The group disappeared in a flash.

"So obedient?"

Wang Xi was somewhat stunned.

Huangfu Sengnian said calmly, "These guys clearly know they've caused trouble, which is why they said those things."

Wang Shuang scratched his head and said, "What should we do now? I really can't write poetry."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "What else can we do but not participate?"

Wang Xi glanced at Huangfu Sengnian, "This isn't like you?"

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Compared to being a coward, I hate failure even more, especially when I know I will fail."

After saying that, he looked at Wang Xi and asked, "Can you write poetry?" "Of course not."

Wang Xi shook his head and said, "We'll tell everyone that the gentleman admits he's not good at poetry, so he won't participate in the singing competition. That's in line with Mr. Wuming's character."

Wang Shuang said, "That would be so embarrassing. How could we hold our heads high when we meet Wu Chongwen and his gang in the future?"

Li Jie said, "That's right. The orphans accepted the challenge on the spot, but we didn't participate. It's really embarrassing."

Huangfu Sengnian also had a furrowed brow.

It's really scary to think about.

Wu Chongwen and his group had suffered several setbacks before, and they were holding back their anger. If they backed down in the face of the enemy, they would seize the opportunity and make them laugh at them for a whole year.

After all, they were all young and impetuous.

Wang Xi was also in a real bind.

He had plenty of poems and songs in his mind, after all, Li Bai, Du Fu, and Bai Juyi had not yet emerged, not to mention Su Shi and Li Qingzhao who would follow.

These timeless masterpieces are truly effortless to compose.

The problem is that poetry is meant to evoke imagery; it's impossible to write "the bright moonlight before my bed" while gazing at the sun—that would be too absurd.

The key issue is that it doesn't make sense.

Music and opera are easy to explain, since they are lowbrow and part of the common people's culture. These playboys love these things and are constantly exposed to them. If they happen to be naturally gifted, they can become famous overnight.

However, when it comes to poetry and prose, which represent the highest level of learning at the time and are the most brilliant pearls in the literary hall, there is no way to explain it with talent alone.

Then they will have to use Tao Mo's name, which will bring endless trouble. Because opera is a new art form that no one understands, it is easy to fool people. But poetry is something that too many people understand. If they produce a masterpiece that will amaze everyone, it will attract many scholars to come and ask for advice. Tao Mo will definitely be exposed. No matter how hard Lao Tao tries to do his homework, he will not be able to make up for it.

If they don't go, it will hurt morale, and in particular, it will affect Tao Mo's image in the students' minds.

This is also very dangerous.

This group of students were all spoiled brats, and Tao Mo was able to keep them in check because of his superior image.

Especially back then, when Tao Mo used opera to get them back to the restaurant, they admired him immensely and obeyed his every word.

This also needs to be maintained.

Otherwise, the academy would have to close down.

"I'm definitely going to go."

Wang Xi said, "But we're not good at poetry or prose, so we'll have to think of another way."

Li Jie said, "You can't play tricks with poetry and prose."

Wang Xi said, "I know, that's why you can't see how frustrated I am right now. Later, in Lao Tao's name, I'll have them clean the outhouses. Damn it, they're just causing us trouble."

Wang Shuang nodded and said, "It will take three days to sweep, one day is not enough."

Wang Xi nodded and added, "In addition, we will release some information to the public that the gentleman is a low-key person and therefore does not want to participate in the singing competition. We will wait until they become aggressive before reluctantly accepting."

Huangfu Sengnian said, "Compared to this singing competition, Li Linfu's matter is the real big deal."

Wang Xi nodded and said, "You can rest assured about that. I know what I'm doing, after all, this is what we do best."

The next day, Wang Xi had just left home to go to school when he saw a carriage parked across the street. The curtain was lifted, and Li Linfu was waving at him.

So eager? Of course, this opportunity is indeed very important to him. Wang Xi immediately went over and bowed, "Uncle Li, are you here to see my father?"

Li Linfu smiled and said, "Uncle Li is here to take you to school."

"what?"

"Get in the car first."

"Oh."

Once inside the carriage, Li Linfu said, "Que'er, you are so clever and quick-witted, you should know why Uncle Li has come."

Wang Xi's eyes darted around, and he chuckled, "Uncle Li must have come for that Tang opera."

Li Linfu smiled and nodded, saying, "Que'er is indeed clever. Yesterday, the master hinted that the choice should be left to you. I wonder what Que'er's thoughts are?"

Wang Xi said seriously, "But Uncle Li, you misspoke yesterday."

Li Linfu was startled. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Ah."

Wang Xi nodded. "My husband has always been low-key and dislikes being in the limelight. Yesterday there were rumors that he only knew unorthodox methods and didn't understand poetry. But he told us not to argue with him and said he didn't want to participate."

But Uncle Li performed a Tang opera yesterday, and it was for some foreign guests again. This displeased the teacher. He had previously asked us to perform at the restaurant for charity, which was educational. But if we were to perform for those foreign guests for fame and fortune, the teacher certainly wouldn't like it.

Li Linfu hurriedly explained, "I did this for Your Highness's sake, not to show off."

After saying that, he sighed heavily again, "But it's also my fault for not thinking things through carefully. If I had discussed it with you beforehand, I wouldn't have upset you. It's my fault! It's my fault!"

As he spoke, he slapped his forehead.

This acting skill truly deserves the title of the greatest actor in the Tang Dynasty.

On the surface, Li Linfu was blaming himself, but in reality, he was secretly praising Wang Xi.

Wang Xi naturally played along, chuckling, "But Uncle Li, don't worry, I've already convinced the master."

"is it?"

Li Linfu said with great delight, "I wonder how Que'er persuaded you, sir."

"It's very simple, just do good deeds!"

Wang Xi said, "Uncle Li could turn that party into a charity gala and encourage the foreign guests to donate money, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

A charity gala? That's a good idea. It's justifiable, and it brings both fame and fortune. He truly lives up to his reputation as an anonymous genius. Li Linfu's eyes flashed as he listened.

Wang Xi asked, "What does Uncle Li think?"

Li Linfu was taken aback, then quickly said, "It's feasible, it's feasible, Uncle Li thinks it's very feasible."

Wang Shouyi and Huangfu Shangde were also extremely busy after the expansion of their authority in the Anye Bureau, which was exactly what Wang Xi and his colleagues had hoped to see.

We need to give them a platform to work hard; we can't just push them and expect them to take one step at a time. We need to give full play to their own initiative.

The biggest problem for the On Yip Administration right now is how to carry out its missions nationwide.

Huangfu Sengnian had already told Huangfu Shangde about their plan, which was to help those hidden households under the guise of a loan, but if they could pay taxes for three consecutive years, they would not have to repay the money.

They were also informed of the disadvantages of lending money.

Borrowing money means having to collect the debt. Who do you send to collect it? If you send local officials, can you guarantee they won't ask for too much? If there are bad apples among them, it will cause public resentment, and you will definitely lose more than you gain!
Wang Shouyi and Huangfu Shangde both thought it made sense; it was better to avoid trouble than to cause more problems, so they went to discuss it with Yuwen Rong again.

"This method is feasible."

Yuwen Rong nodded and said, "However, this will require a lot of money. I cannot make the decision; it will have to be decided by His Majesty."

Huangfu Shangde hurriedly said, "Then I'll have to trouble the envoy to expand the territory."

"Wait a minute."

Yuwen Rong raised his hand and said, "This is a matter for your Anye Bureau. You will have to talk to His Majesty yourselves."

Wang Shouyi and Huangfu Shangde exchanged a glance.

Yuwen Rong smiled and said, "Whether it's His Majesty or Minister Zhang and the others, they all hope that we can supervise each other. If only I speak, I'm afraid everyone will start to have wild thoughts. The Anye Bureau has been established for some time now, and I think this memorial has been submitted at just the right time!"

“The envoy’s words make sense!” Wang Shouyi nodded.

After chatting for a while, Yuwen Rong took his leave.

As soon as he left, Wang Shouyi cursed, "This fox is really not easy to fool!"

(End of this chapter)