Tang Dynasty Little Godfather

Chapter 154 You'll be scared to death
Li Longji once gave Wang Xi a token to facilitate his entry and exit from the palace, and now that token has come in handy.

Holding the token, Wang Xi easily entered the palace.

When Li Longji learned that Wang Xi was requesting an audience, he was not surprised, assuming that Wang Xi had come for Shang Gongbu. He was somewhat uneasy about this, so when he saw Wang Xi, he asked directly, "Is Que'er dissatisfied with the judgment of the Jingzhao Prefecture?"

Wang Xi was taken aback at first, then shook his head and said, "No."

"Really?" Li Longji asked.

Wang Xi nodded and said, "Really, really. Actually, when I encounter problems outside, I hate asking my parents to step in. That's really pathetic. If you don't believe me, Uncle, you can ask around."

"Of course my uncle believes you."

Li Longji smiled and nodded, but still explained, "Actually, even if Shang Gongbu were executed, it wouldn't have a significant impact on the relationship between the Tang Dynasty and Tibet. The reason I didn't execute him was mainly to show the other envoys."

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to manage the Western Regions well, the grasslands and the various tribes of the Western Regions were crucial. Because of the limited productivity, if troops were to be sent from the Central Plains, the logistical support would not be able to keep up. At most, they could only defeat the enemy, but could not achieve effective control.

Therefore, whenever the Tang Dynasty sent troops to the Western Regions, only a small portion of the troops were Han Chinese; the main force consisted of grassland troops. Logistics also relied on the grasslands, and the number of troops stationed there was actually not large, usually only a few thousand.

In the event of war, the Tang emperor would typically select generals from the court and then command the various tribes of the grasslands to send out troops.

In the coming years, he will focus on developing the Western Regions, so his relationship with the various tribes of the grasslands will be very important.

Whether or not Shang Gongbu is executed, the relationship between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty will not change fundamentally, but other tribes may have more to say.

This constitutes excessive deterrence.

In fact, all the tribes hoped to see a benevolent Tang emperor who could treat everyone equally.

As Zhang said, if you emphasize Wang Xi's identity, people might think that you are standing up for your nephew. After all, there are no cameras recording everything these days, which would be unfair to Wang Xi and there is no need for it.

Wang Xi nodded and said, "I understand, and I am very grateful to my uncle."

"There's no need for that. You've done nothing wrong, and I'm handling this impartially." Li Longji chuckled, then asked curiously, "So, what brings you to the palace today?"

Wang Xi hesitated for a moment, then chuckled and said, "Actually, the reason I came here today is...to have another matter to discuss."

Li Longji asked, "What is it?"

Wang Xi said, "Uncle, do you still remember that you owed me a favor back then?"

"Human favors?" Li Longji was taken aback.

Seeing that this fellow had actually forgotten, Wang Xi quickly said, "Uncle, you can't renege on your debt. Consort Wu can testify to that."

Consort Wu? Li Longji thought carefully and then remembered this matter. He had asked Wang Xi to read *Dream of the Red Chamber* to Consort Wu, saying he would reward her, but Wang Xi hadn't decided what he wanted at the time, so he simply wrote down a favor. He chuckled and said, "How could Uncle renege on a debt? But I wonder what Sparrow wants?"

Wang Xi said, "I wish my uncle would grant me a marriage."

Li Longji said "Oh," and then added, "I wonder which lady Que'er has taken a fancy to, that I need to bestow a marriage upon her."

The royal family already held a very prominent position, and unless it was for the purpose of marrying a princess, they wouldn't bother him with such matters.

Wang Xi chuckled.

Li Longji, seeing the boy's clever and eccentric nature, suddenly changed his expression, "Could it be that Hongxiu?"

Wang Xi nodded repeatedly like a chick pecking at rice, "Uncle is truly a prophet; he guessed it right away."

"Nonsense!"

Li Longji was startled and said, "She is a courtesan, and you are my nephew. The two are not of equal social standing, so how can I grant you this marriage? Even disregarding that, she is your teacher. This is against ethics. Are you trying to put your uncle in an unjust position?"

Wang Xi hurriedly said, "How could I harm my uncle? I was forced into this."

Li Longji was even more astonished, "Who forced you?"

"My mother?"

"Your mother?"

"Ah."

Wang Xi then truthfully informed Li Longji of Princess Xue's intention to drive Hongxiu away.

"I see."

Li Longji nodded slightly and said, "Your mother is only doing this for your own good."

Although he had a good impression of Hongxiu, he knew that even an upright official couldn't settle family disputes, so he couldn't say anything.

Wang Xi nodded and said, "I know, and I have no complaints against my mother, which is why I came to ask my uncle for help."

Li Longji shook his head and said, "This marriage cannot be granted by your uncle. Even your aunt will complain to me. You should find someone else."

Wang Xi quickly said, "Uncle, don't be in such a hurry to refuse. Actually, you don't need to grant us a marriage. You just need to mention it to my aunt."

"Just to mention it?"

"Yeah."

Wang Xi suddenly asked, "Does Uncle think my nephew is a good match for the Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai played by Hongxiu?"

Li Longji nodded and said, "You all acted quite well."

Wang Xi said, "Uncle only needs to pretend to be very into the role, wanting to match this couple to make up for the regret of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, but he only needs to touch on it and not take it too seriously."

"Make up for regrets?"

Li Longji thought for a moment, then suddenly pointed at Wang Xi and said with a laugh, "I knew you wouldn't be able to repay favors easily."

That night.

When Li Longji arrived at the Empress's palace, he casually asked during the meal, "Yue'er, what did you think of the play at the charity gala?" Empress Wang quickly replied, "It was very good. I couldn't help but shed tears at the time."

That's true; many of the female guests cried at the time.

"That's really touching!"

Li Longji nodded and said, "Especially Que'er and that Hong Niangzi, they are truly a perfect match, a match made in heaven."

Empress Wang was taken aback for a moment, then said awkwardly, "That's one way to put it on stage."

Li Longji quickly replied, "Actually, the couple below the stage are also a perfect match!"

Empress Wang sensed something was amiss and asked, "Why did Your Majesty suddenly bring this up?"

Li Longji sighed and said, "Whenever I think of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, I always feel regret. Moreover, Que'er seems to really like Hong Niangzi. This time, she risked her life to save Hong Niangzi, which is no less than that of Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai. I think, if they..."

"But that won't work."

Empress Wang interrupted him directly.

Li Longji asked, "Why not?"

Empress Wang immediately said, "That Hong Niangzi is just a lowly prostitute, while Que'er comes from a noble family. They are not a good match and it is not suitable at all."

Li Longji waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you are mistaken. I have sent people to investigate. The woman named Hong Niangzi is actually the daughter of the governor. She became a palace prostitute because her father committed a crime. I can pardon her father's crime and restore her status. In this way, the two of them will not be too different in status."

You even sent someone to investigate? Empress Wang panicked immediately. This was simply a case of matchmaking gone wrong. Suddenly, a thought struck her: "Even so, Hong Niangzi is still Que'er's teacher. This is against ethics."

"Oh, that's true."

Li Longji nodded regretfully, "However, the two of them are truly a perfect match, a beautiful couple. What a pity! Oh well, Empress, just pretend I never mentioned this matter."

Empress Wang nodded awkwardly.

Although Li Longji only mentioned it casually, she was extremely uneasy. Wang Xi was the apple of her eye, and she would never agree to let him marry Hongxiu. Even if she was the daughter of the governor, she was not good enough for Wang Xi.

However, she also knew that Li Longji often did some outrageous things in his hobbies. After thinking it over, she decided to send Chen Liang to inform Wang Shouyi that they needed to get rid of that woman as soon as possible, lest Li Longji feel the same way again and try to arrange a marriage between them.

When Wang Shouyi learned of this news, he was utterly dumbfounded.

Such a thing is unbelievable.

Unheard of!
"Chen Zhongguan, this... this..."

He couldn't utter a word for a long time, not knowing how to describe it, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty isn't... isn't that free?"

Chen Liang hurriedly said, "Duke Qi, you must not be careless. You should know that His Majesty loves opera very much, and the play about Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai moved many people, including the Empress, who was also moved to tears at the time. His Majesty may very well want to bring this couple together to make up for his regret."

"what?"

Wang Shouyi said, "That was just acting."

"So, what's done on stage is already set; the only thing that can be changed is what's happening off stage."

Chen Liang said, "That's why the Empress is in such a hurry to send me here, so that the Duke of Qi can send Hongxiu away as soon as possible. If His Majesty really gets carried away and arranges a marriage, it will harm the young master."

Wang Shouyi slapped his forehead and said, "How could this be?"

"what?"

Princess Xue seemed unable to believe her ears, "Your Majesty intends to match Hongxiu and Que'er?"

Wang Shouyi nodded blankly.

Princess Xue asked, "Did Que'er request this?"

Wang Shouyi shook his head and said, "Do you think His Majesty would grant Que'er's impolite request?"

Princess Xue asked, "What happened?"

Wang Shouyi sighed heavily, “It’s all because of that opera. The play that Que’er and Hongxiu performed at the charity banquet that day moved His Majesty deeply. However, the ending of the play was a separation of life and death, which His Majesty found hard to accept, so he wanted to bring them together in reality.”

Princess Xue was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this, saying, "This is truly absurd."

"Isn't it?"

Wang Shouyi was also annoyed. "You can make a fool of yourself, but to use my son as a pretext? What kind of nonsense is this?"

Princess Xue then asked, "Did that little sister try to stop His Majesty?"

"Of course, my younger sister tried her best to stop it."

Wang Shouyi said, "My sister originally said that these two people are not a good match, but do you know what His Majesty said? His Majesty did not hesitate to pardon Hongxiu's father because of this."

Fortunately, my younger sister was quick-witted and realized that a teacher-student relationship was against ethics, so she persuaded His Majesty to stop.

However, my younger sister thinks this is unreliable, so she hopes we can send Hongxiu away as soon as possible.

Upon hearing this, Princess Xue frowned slightly. "If Your Majesty truly intends this, even if it is sent to the ends of the earth, it will be found and brought back."

Wang Shouyi asked, "What should we do then?"

Princess Xue said, "What my sister said is very true. Although His Majesty can pardon Hongxiu's father's crimes, he would not dare to go against the world's opinion and give the teacher to the student. It would be safer for Hongxiu to stay in the academy as a teacher."

After saying that, her expression suddenly changed, "Oh no!"

Wang Shouyi: "What's wrong with it?"

Princess Xue lightly stamped her foot, "Didn't I tell Hongxiu to leave the academy a couple of days ago?"

(End of this chapter)