Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Chapter 90 The New Official Takes Office at the Court of State Ceremonial

July 3rd.

With a beaming smile, Li Tai, accompanied by the imperial edict of the Secretariat, received the new gold fish-shaped tally and happily accepted the congratulations from his subordinates.

Officials of the fifth rank and above carried a bronze fish-shaped tally, princes carried a gold fish-shaped tally, and the crown prince carried a jade fish-shaped tally.

Although the Grand Secretary Feng Dexia wore a smile, his heart was filled with bitterness.

He had already displeased Dou Fengjie, and the new head of the hall was actually the Prince of Yue, who was extremely close to Dou Fengjie. Feng Dexia had already foreseen his bleak future.

Changsun Huan, the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies, remained calm. No matter what, Li Tai was still his cousin, and he wouldn't put him in a difficult position.

Furthermore, Changsun Huan was quite confident in the field of funeral services.

"Following the old ways, I am here at the Court of State Ceremonial to do my job."

"As long as I am in the Court of State Ceremonial, I will be free from official duties for one day."

"Fangya" was a term used in official circles during that era, meaning to be exempted from attending court sessions morning and evening.

Officials entering the Court of State Ceremonial only needed to clock in and do their work; they didn't have to listen to the Minister of State Ceremonial's nagging morning and night, which was quite good.

For young officials, attending court sessions morning and evening was a form of torture, and it was also a form of torture for the young Li Tai.

Li Tai made his stance clear and walked excitedly to Dou Fengjie: "Duke Zanguo, please give me more guidance, so that I may not make any mistakes."

Feng Dexia's heart finally died, and he made no attempt to conceal the differences between close and distant relatives.

Zhao Dekai, the Grand Secretary, was also summoned by Li Tai: "Come here, Grand Secretary, tell me, what's the situation at Da Mo Gate City?"

Smoke curls upwards, and tea steams gently.

Inside the office of the Minister of State Ceremonies, Li Tai, who had never been to the frontier, longed to go there but also resented that his fat body hindered his ability to achieve great things.

"That arrow was actually fired by an eagle archer from Tuyuhun? Qida Khan's timely push saved the Minister of Ceremonies from death?"

Li Tai exclaimed in admiration, "Zhao Dekai's position as the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices was hard-won!"

As for the slight flaws in Zhao Dekai's words, Li Tai, like Dou Fengjie, chose to ignore them.

There's a saying from the Tang Dynasty: "If you're not foolish or deaf, you can't be a great-grandfather."

"In reality, Murong Xiaojun's personal martial arts skills are not particularly strong; it's just that he is of royal lineage, and other famous kings give way to him."

Dou Fengjie drew a conclusion based on his own perception.

"When Qida Khan was defeated by the Duke of Zanguo, he may not have been holding back his true abilities."

Zhao Dekai expressed his disagreement.

Ok?

Is that really the case?

Dou Fengjie became even more interested in Murong Xiaojun, and he was determined to have a good fight next time they met.

Let him experience the power and dynamism of Tai Chi.

Zhao Dekai slowly recounted: "Even in Murong Xiaojun's stronghold, Da Momen City, there were quite a few people who were unwilling to fight against Bu Sabo Khan."

However, as Che Hunchi Ding and Murong Shun each established their own territories, this rebellious sentiment gradually subsided.

The tide has turned, and futile struggles are pointless.

They grazed their livestock under the rule of the Tuyuhun, and they still had to graz their livestock under the rule of the Tang Dynasty, didn't they?

Zhao Dekai withdrew, and Li Tai glanced at Dou Fengjie: "Uncle, you have made a brilliant plan and quietly seized the eastern part of the Tuyuhun, prompting the Dangxiang Qiang Tuoba clan to surrender to the Tang Dynasty. Your contribution is truly invaluable."

Dou Fengjie smiled and said, "It's just part of the Tuyuhun strategy, nothing to mention."

Importantly, with the assistance of the Qiang people who were familiar with the geography of Tuyuhun, the Tang Dynasty faced much less resistance in sending troops.

Li Taiyi put on his official robes and struck a simplified Tai Chi starting pose in the inspection room. Surprisingly, he did it steadily and gracefully, indicating that he had practiced quite a bit.

Many martial arts emphasize "punching the space of a reclining ox," and Tai Chi is the best of them all.

After completing the three-five-step routine, Li Tai broke out in a slight sweat and stopped at the right time.

"Your Excellency, the Tibetan kingdom on the plateau wishes to establish diplomatic relations with the Tang Dynasty. I am unsure how to respond."

Feng Dexia appeared outside the inspection room.

"If you wish to establish diplomatic relations, then follow the rules of the Tang Dynasty."

Li Tai answered very decisively.

"Tibet also wanted to ask the Tang Dynasty for a marriage alliance for their Zanpu—who was their king."

Upon entering the inspection room, Feng Dexia pointed out the problem, without mentioning at all that it was he who had brought up the marriage alliance.

Li Tai gave Dou Fengjie a serious look, and Dou Fengjie raised his eyebrows: "There is no precedent for marriage alliances in this dynasty."

In short: Let's discuss it again.

The existence of Princess Yicheng in the Sui Dynasty does not mean that the Tang Dynasty should follow suit.

Furthermore, Xibuye Qizong Nongzan already had Zanmeng Mangsa Chijia, and the Mangsa Chijia family played a significant role in Tibet's renewed expansion beyond the mountains.

Feng Dexia gave a fake smile: "If there's no precedent, we can create one."

Dou Fengjie's expression hardened: "Why is the Minister of Ceremonies so diligent? According to Tibetan custom, a Zanpu (Tibetan king) can marry many Zanmen (Tibetan women). Can a Tang princess be subservient to someone else?"

Li Tai frowned in disgust.

Having a bias is not wrong in itself, but failing to consider the dignity of the Tang Dynasty is an irredeemable mistake.

No wonder I heard before that my uncle disliked this Minister of Ceremonies.

Subordinates may lack ability, but they cannot be biased.

"We'll discuss this further," Li Tai said, waving his chubby hand.

"According to the information I have received, the Tibetan king and his general Qiongbo Bangse are beginning to drift apart," Feng Dexia said, delivering good news before leaving the quarters.

Dou Fengjie burst into laughter.

The officials of the Bureau of Foreign Affairs put on a good show, which led Feng Dexia to pass on false information to Niang Sangsong, who then relayed the information back to Tibet.

Nyang Mangbu Jieshangnang and Qiongbo Bangse didn't get along very well to begin with, so even if the news was questionable, it didn't stop him from reporting it to the Zanpu.

His father, Nangri Songtsen, died because of betrayal. Nangri Songtsen was already wary of his subjects. Upon receiving news from the Tang Dynasty, regardless of its authenticity, he seized most of Bangse's military power.

If it weren't for the fact that Bangse was still relying on the Nianchu River to fight against Dayangtong, Qizong Nongzan might have been able to wipe out his army.

Bangse couldn't tell the difference yet, since his kinsman, Qiongbao Resange, was still arguing with the big sheep on the other side.

Although the rise of Tibet was fierce, its weaknesses were also obvious. The Zanpu (Tibetan king) was suspicious and prone to killing his dogs after the rabbits were caught.

If this point is used properly, even if it cannot cause Tibet to fall apart, it can still cause Ajahn Chah to be in a lot of trouble.

"Is Tibet very strong? Why is Uncle so concerned?" Li Tai observed the expression on the man's face and asked the question that had been bothering him.

"You know about Hanku Mountain in Tuyuhun, right? It's named that because it's so high that people from the Central Plains would find it hard to climb and would feel breathless."

"There is certainly some insult involved, but what we need to be concerned about is that the Tang soldiers do need time to adapt to the plateau."

"The geography of Tibet varies in elevation; in some low-lying areas it is similar to that of the Tang Dynasty, while in others it is higher than the Hanku Mountain."

Dou Fengjie offered a brief explanation.

"So, the Tibetans can come down from the mountains to plunder, but we can't easily fight our way up, right?"

Li Tai quickly grasped the key point.

"When military force is unavailable, dividing and weakening the enemy is the most effective method."

"We can also make use of the influence of the Grand Counselor Mangbo Jiesunbo on the plateau. We might as well spread rumors in his name that Supi is about to be restored to power."

Li Tai's ideas also came to him.