Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 143 Emerging
Throughout history, the empires on this land have all identified themselves as China.

Since there is a center, there are naturally four directions.

Eastern Yi, Western Rong, Southern Man, Northern Di.

These four tribes have been the main foreign guests of the Central Plains dynasties since ancient times.

Therefore, since the Sui Dynasty, four pavilions were set up for the Eastern Yi, Western Rong, Southern Man, and Northern Di, including four pavilions in the east, west, south, and north, specifically to receive foreign guests. At the same time, markets were set up in these pavilions for foreign merchants to trade.

According to the rules, these Hu people were not allowed to trade in the two markets, because the profits from trading with Hu merchants were enormous, and the emperor naturally wanted to monopolize it.

This is also why a market was set up in the Sifang Pavilion.

However, as the number of foreign merchants increased, it became impossible to control them. Therefore, merchants from both the East and West markets often traded with foreign merchants.

In a businessman's mind, there is only one rule: buying and selling.

Of course, the emperor's interests were still maintained.

This year, the Sifang Pavilion was exceptionally lively, even bustling with activity.

Because they all realized that the empire's foreign policy was changing.

From the reign of Empress Wu Zetian to around the Kaiyuan era, the Tang Dynasty primarily adopted a defensive strategy in its external relations, focusing instead on domestic affairs.

In recent years, the Tang Dynasty has begun to launch attacks abroad.

The most obvious example is the attack on the Later Turkic Khaganate two years ago, intended to prevent the Turks from becoming powerful again. The second example is the aid given this year to Little Bolu, which was invaded by Tibet.

The two battles resulted in one defeat and one victory.

The former was defeated by the Turks, but the latter saw the Tang army decisively defeat the Tibetans and drive them out of Little Bolu.

Victory and defeat are common occurrences in warfare. The focus of everyone's attention is not on these outcomes, but rather on the fact that the Tang Dynasty's two military campaigns were both very decisive and entirely proactive, which is a very important change.

The empire's every move naturally affects the nerves of everyone around it.

Therefore, this year all countries are eager to send envoys to Chang'an, hoping to meet Li Longji and find out the current empire's attitude towards us.

This could be described as a relatively quiet year for diplomacy.

West Wing.

Foreign guests from Tibet and Tuyuhun are frequently stationed here.

Inside the hall sat an old man and a young man. The old man was named Qier Nan, an envoy from Tibet, while the young man was named Shang Gongbu, the Tibetan youth who had almost gotten into a fight with Wang Xi at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion that day.

In present-day Tibet, there are two clans, "Lun" and "Shang," but these two characters do not refer to surnames. Rather, they represent two powerful groups. "Lun" refers to the prime ministerial power left behind by the Grand Minister Gar Tongtsen.

"Shang" represents relatives of the imperial family and maternal relatives.

The Tibetan rulers also used these two forces to maintain a balance of power.

The Shanggongbu family was one of the most prominent families in Tibet, and they were in charge of the alliance of various tribes, holding a very prestigious position.

In fact, when foreign envoys traveled to Chang'an, they would bring some noble children with them. There was no other way; which noble child didn't want to come to Chang'an to broaden their horizons?

However, due to the restrictions imposed by the Tang Dynasty, they all declared themselves as princes when they applied for the position.

Whether it was Tibet or the Turks, they were still tribal societies, with chiefs and khans everywhere. It wouldn't have been a problem for them to apply as princes.

However, this also meant that these foreign princes were not considered special by the Tang Dynasty, and they were generally not given special treatment unless they were princes who were to inherit the Khan's throne, in which case the Tang Dynasty would give them special treatment.

"I'm afraid that won't work!"

The Tibetan envoy, Qiernan, suddenly stood up. "We haven't received an invitation yet, so I'm afraid we have no choice but to send this gift."

Shang Gongbu sneered, "Don't panic. Without the participation of my Tubo, their banquet is meaningless."

Qier Nan earnestly said, "Young master, our army suffered a defeat this year, and the Tang Dynasty may not necessarily treat us with much courtesy."

Everyone is now rushing to give gifts in hopes of attending the charity banquet. Qiernan also wanted to give a gift, which he thought was quite normal. However, he was stopped by Shang Gongbu.

Shang Gongbu, however, disagreed, saying, "That's because we didn't expect the Tang army to suddenly come to the rescue of Little Bolu, which is why we suffered a defeat. If our Tibet had really sent out all its elite troops, how could a mere few thousand Tang soldiers have stopped our iron hooves? That's precisely why we should ignore them, lest they think we've come to beg for mercy."

Moreover, our purpose in coming this year is to establish contact with the Turks, not to curry favor with the Tang Dynasty.

Qier Nan said, "But we don't know what the Turks are thinking yet. Moreover, according to what I know, the Turks have been trying to form a marriage alliance with the Tang Dynasty for the past two years. If we can't get a marriage alliance with the Turks, I'm afraid we'll have to make other plans."

Tibet had already developed very sharp conflicts with the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions, which would be difficult to resolve through diplomacy. Tibet's main purpose in coming here was to deal with the Turks. Firstly, they hoped to form a marriage alliance with the Turks, and secondly, they wanted to see the relationship between the Turks and the Tang Dynasty.

Just then, a servant came up to the door and handed an invitation to the beggar Nan.

After looking at the gift, Qi'er Nan felt a mix of joy and worry. He sat back down, thinking, "If I don't give this gift, I'm afraid I really won't be able to go."

Shang Gongbu asked, "Why?"

Qier Nan said, "This is an invitation from the Ministry of Rites. It clearly states that if you want to participate in the charity banquet, you must donate a certain amount of money. The more money you pay, the better your seat will be."

Shang Gongbu asked incredulously, "Is the Tang Dynasty really that short of money?"

The beggar from the south said, "They say it's for charity."

"what?"

Shang Gongbu looked puzzled.

Tibet was a slave state; how could it understand charity?

Little did he know, Qier Nan was also somewhat confused, as this had never happened before.

We, the guests, have traveled a long way to come here, and we have to pay for a meal. We have never seen such hospitality before.

Shang Gongbu was now somewhat at a loss. "How do you plan to deal with this?"

After pondering for a moment, Qi'er Nan said, "Why don't we donate to take the second seat and see how His Majesty of the Tang Dynasty treats us?"

Not to mention these foreign envoys, even Tang Dynasty officials couldn't understand it.

I've seen people accept bribes before, but I've never seen anyone do it so openly and honestly.

Memorials impeaching Li Qiao and Li Linfu arrived at Li Longji's doorstep like snowflakes.

Although Wang Xi was the culprit, he was nominally unrelated to the matter, and there was no way to impeach him. Officially, Li Qiao was in charge of the matter, and naturally, he pushed the blame entirely onto Li Linfu. Little did he know, this was exactly what Li Linfu wanted.

Hanyuan Hall.

"Your subject Li Linfu pays his respects to Your Majesty."

With this invitation, Li Linfu finally met Li Longji, the man he had been longing to see.

"No gift!"

Li Longji found the man to be handsome and refined, and felt a certain liking for him. Since it was he who had allowed Wang Xi to accept gifts, he was certainly supporting Li Linfu. However, he still asked quite seriously, "I heard that you openly accepted bribes under the guise of a charity banquet. Is this true?"

Li Linfu said, "Your Majesty is wise. I would never dare to disregard the law or use public office for private gain."

Zhang Jiuling immediately pulled out an invitation and asked, "Was this letter sent by Master Li?"

Zhang Shuo could not personally impeach Li Linfu, a minor official.

Li Linfu glanced at it and said, "This letter was indeed sent out by my men."

Zhang Jiuling said, "It's written very clearly above that if you want to participate in the banquet, you must pay the prescribed amount of money. What else is this but bribery?"

Li Linfu said, "It is not a payment, but a donation."

Zhang Jiuling said, "Whether it's paying or donating, does it mean that if you don't donate this money, you can't participate in this association?"

Li Linfu nodded and said, "Yes."

Zhang Jiuling immediately retorted angrily, "Your Ministry of Rites is holding this banquet according to the imperial court's orders, so what right do you have to charge this money? Isn't this abusing your power for personal gain?"

The reason he stood up was not because he was asked to pay money, but because he was a very traditional scholar, and Li Linfu's prioritization of money made him feel embarrassed and even ashamed.

Not only him, but most people think so too; it's really too blatant.

Li Longji asked, "Li Yuanwailang, what is the reason for this?"

Li Linfu replied neither servilely nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty, this is a banquet hosted by the court, but it is not a banquet within the bounds of etiquette. It is a newly added event this year, and it is a charity banquet. As the name suggests, it is for charity. All the money collected will be donated to the charity institution to help those poor and destitute households."

I thought to myself, if everyone refrains from donating money and instead sits at the banquet enjoying fine wine and food while watching the opera, what will the people think?

They might think we're using the guise of helping the people to provide for everyone's enjoyment, which would damage His Majesty's reputation!

Li Longji nodded slightly.

Zhang Jiuling said, “Doing good deeds is certainly a good thing, but goodness lies in the heart. Forcing others to donate like you do goes against the way of goodness.”

Li Linfu said, "This is not mandatory. It is very clear on the invitation that everyone is free to choose not to attend."

Zhang Jiuling laughed, “Although the letter says it’s voluntary, everyone knows whether there’s any coercion involved. Why should Li Yuanwailang deceive himself here?”

"The one who is truly deceiving himself is not me, Li Linfu, but someone else."

Li Linfu said: "Since ancient times, people have always talked about righteousness but not profit. Whenever money is involved, they become secretive and avoid talking about it, but their purpose is to obtain money. Such contradictions make it easier to breed corruption."

The purpose of this charity banquet is to raise funds to help more people.

Zhang Jiuling immediately retorted, "But I don't think the people will benefit from this either. This is killing the goose that lays the golden eggs, and the consequences will be endless. If you keep talking about profit, the attendees will think that this is just a transaction, not an act of charity. If this precedent is set, then everyone will have an ulterior motive when doing good deeds in the future, and there will be no more good deeds in the world."

Many ministers nodded in agreement.

How can you use good deeds for trade?

Li Linfu laughed and said, "The scribe's statement is a bit unreasonable. One cannot expect the person who raises funds to be of the same good intentions as oneself."

Heaven and earth can bear witness that Lin Fu's actions were merely aimed at raising more funds to help more people, not at educating people or promoting good deeds.

In truth, everyone knew that most people wanted to attend the banquet not out of kindness, but for ulterior motives. Lin Fu had seen this, which was why he came up with this plan.

Lin Fu did not deny that it was a transaction, but he had a clear conscience because he was trying to help more people, which was the main purpose of the banquet.

For example, if the nameless academy goes out to perform a charity show in order to do good, are the businessmen who sponsor their performance also motivated by good intentions? I doubt it.

But that's not important. What's important is that the nameless academy is aboveboard.

We are raising funds openly and honestly, and you are donating money openly and honestly. Every penny will be recorded. Both parties get what they need, and there is nothing wrong with it. What's wrong with that?

Furthermore, if I hadn't done this, I probably wouldn't be able to explain now whether I had embezzled or accepted bribes.

With such difficulties, who will dare to lead charitable activities in the future?

After hearing these words, everyone present looked at this young master with new respect.

No one expected that this unknown official would hold his own in the debate with Zhang Jiuling.

Some ministers even nodded slightly in agreement.

Whether people have good intentions or not is none of your business; the court is only concerned with the people.

Moreover, if he wanted to use this to amass wealth, he wouldn't do it, because if it were written clearly and explicitly, there wouldn't be much opportunity for embezzlement.

To profit from this, one must remain vague and ambiguous.

That way, people will secretly send a gift to secure a good seat.

Seeing that the time was right, Li Longji quickly nodded and said, "What you say makes sense, Li Yuanwailang. In fact, I did not intend to hold this banquet, because I did not want to be extravagant."

The reason I agreed was for the sake of charity.

It can be said that this charity banquet was jointly organized by the Ministry of Rites and the Nameless Academy. If someone were to sneak in and enjoy themselves, it would be unfair to the Nameless Academy.

Ultimately, they came here to perform to raise funds, not to please you.

As long as no one enriches themselves or coerces others to participate, I see no problem. As for the foreign guests, they are not required to participate; no one is forcing them.”

The last half of the sentence is said in a very understated way.

The ministers were taken aback, and no one dared to argue further.

(End of this chapter)