Princess Taiping shook Wu Mei's arm and cried: "Mother, do you really want to marry your daughter to a barbarian?"
Wu Meifeng frowned and said:
"When did I say such a thing before? But you kid is getting more and more outrageous. How could you break into the hall and say such things to your brother?"
Princess Taiping suddenly burst into laughter and said angrily: "It's all because of the emperor's brother. Who told him to marry his daughter to that Chidu prince?"
Wu Mei ignored her and silently read a letter.
Princess Taiping asked curiously: "Mother, what are you looking at?"
"This is a letter written by Chengsi. In the letter, he mentioned something called gunpowder, saying that it can make a sound like thunder and is very powerful."
Princess Taiping leaned her head over, looked at it for a while, and said with a smile:
"Is there any other medicine like this? My daughter has never heard of it. Oh, by the way, the second cousin is a doctor and has opened a medical clinic. She must have told the second cousin."
Wu Mei raised her eyebrows: "You said Zhiying opened a medical clinic?"
Princess Taiping realized that she had made a mistake and quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
Wu Mei snorted coldly and said: "It doesn't matter if you don't tell me, I will send someone out of the palace to inquire."
Princess Taiping said with a smile: "My mother, my second cousin opened a small medical clinic, and she rarely sees patients..."
"What? She also treats others in person?" Wu Mei raised her eyebrows.
Princess Taiping said hurriedly: "My second cousin asked her to do it!"
"Nonsense, how can any man let his wife go out and show off her face?"
"Really! The second cousin said that he was afraid that the second cousin would be lonely in Chang'an City, and knowing that she likes to treat diseases and save people, he allowed her to continue running the medical clinic. The people are praising the second cousin for this matter."
Wu Mei was stunned for a moment, nodded and said:
"Well, she and Chengsi have been married for less than a month, and they are about to separate. That's fine. Since Chengsi didn't say anything, I won't meddle in this matter."
After Princess Taiping confirmed that she would not be married off, she felt relieved. After giving Wu Mei a slap on the shoulder, she resigned and left.
After leaving Zichen Palace, she still felt a little depressed, so she went to Yulinyuan Racecourse and rode a horse for a while before she felt a little more relaxed.
At noon, she returned to the Zichen Hall and had lunch with Wu Mei. During the meal, she told Wu Mei all the clan information she had found out on weekdays.
Just after noon, she first served Wu Mei Xiaomei, and after her mother fell asleep, she left Daming Palace and went to Taiping Academy.
Unlike men's colleges, each student at Taiping College only needs to attend the college for ten days a month.
There is nothing we can do about it. The students in the academy are all ladies, and they have their own things to do on weekdays.
Even when I come to the academy, I mainly want to talk to someone, and there are not many people who really come here just to study.
There are six courses in Taiping Academy, namely Poetry, Ming Jing, Ming Dharma, Ming Calculation, Ming Zi and Bow and Arrow.
The first five are okay, as long as you take the time, you can learn them well.
Only bows and arrows are a real challenge for those delicate ladies.
They all used specially made light bows. However, after a few months, not only could some of them hit the target, but few could even draw the bowstring.
Each of the six courses has six teachers, among which the archery teacher is Cheng Caiyi.
After Princess Taiping returned to the academy, she immediately invited Cheng Caiyi to the study.
As soon as Cheng Caiyi arrived, she took him by the hand and told him about the Tubo people's marriage proposal.
At the end, he said bitterly: "That bastard Li Xian actually wanted to marry me to Tubo. He completely ignored the relationship between brother and sister."
Cheng Caiyi remained silent.
Princess Taiping added: "Sometimes I really envy you and Xue Yujin. Although I am a princess, none of my brothers are nice to me."
"Aren't there Mr. Wu and Mr. Wu?" Cheng Caiyi said.
Princess Taiping hummed:
"They are not in Chang'an City. If my second cousin is in the city, he will definitely help me teach that Tubo prince a lesson like last time!"
Cheng Caiyi was silent for a while and said:
"Your Highness, I heard from my brother that an army of 200,000 Tibetans has been stationed near the Fourth Town of Anxi. Prince Chisong is probably well prepared this time."
Princess Taiping was not familiar with military matters, so she quickly asked: "There should be defenders on our border, right? We can't defeat them, right?"
Cheng Caiyi shook his head and said: "Your Highness is unaware of something, but now we only have about 50,000 soldiers in the four towns of Anxi."
"Is that all?" Princess Taiping was surprised.
"Actually, at the suggestion of Duke Wu, Her Royal Highness the Queen mobilized another 20,000 troops from other places, but the total is only 70,000. They still have to guard the four directions. It is difficult to defeat the 200,000 Tibetan army."
Princess Taiping wondered: "Aren't we still in Chang'an City with the Sixteenth Guards? Why don't we add more troops to the four towns of Anxi?"
Cheng Caiyi patiently explained: "Our court is fighting against Goryeo in Liaodong, and the materials of the court are currently supporting the Liaodong battlefield.
If we open another battlefield, we will need to increase taxes, which will be a heavy burden for all the people in the country. Over time, it may shake the foundation of the country."
Princess Taiping's face changed slightly: "That means we can't go to war with Tubo now?"
Cheng Caiyi sighed: "It's best to wait until the Goryeo are defeated before dealing with the Tubo people. They just realized this and made the request for marriage."
Princess Taiping felt a little uneasy immediately and said with a forced smile: "The Queen Mother said she would not marry me off. She must have some countermeasures."
The guard commander Luo Zhen beside Princess Taiping suddenly said: "Your Highness, the Tubo people have just annexed Tuyuhun not long ago, and they should be busy consolidating the newly conquered land. I think it is just a bluff!"
Cheng Caiyi glanced at him and said coldly:
"That's not necessarily true. I heard from my brother that the current political power of Tubo is in the hands of Prime Minister Lu Dongzan. This man is a very powerful figure. He defeated the envoys of various countries and married Wencheng for their Zanpu.
Princess."
"Ah, I've heard about this too. Even the queen mother praised that man." Princess Taiping said in surprise.
Cheng Caiyi continued: "After Tuyuhun was annexed by Tubo, Lu Dongzan personally went to Tuyuhun to take charge. With his ability, he may have stabilized the situation there."
The more Princess Taiping listened, the more frightened she became:
"But didn't my second cousin say that day that the imperial court had already known about the Tibetan people's conspiracy? Could it be that he didn't think of a countermeasure?"
Cheng Caiyi said softly: "I know, I know, but Tubo is so powerful now, even if we knew, there is nothing we can do against them.
My brother said that when General Xue was in Liangzhou, if the Tibetans invaded, he could immediately lead reinforcements to deter the Tibetans."
Princess Taiping murmured: "...General Xue is also in Liaodong now, which means no one can deter them?"
Cheng Caiyi sighed:
"Unless the imperial court stops fighting against Goryeo and turns to fighting against the Tibetans, as Lord Wu said at the time, even if General Xue is in Liangzhou, our army will be at a disadvantage in the long run against the Tibetans."
Princess Taiping looked increasingly uneasy and thought about it all afternoon in the academy.
At night, he couldn't help but go to the palace to see Wu Mei and asked: "Mother, you really won't marry your daughter to Tubo, will you?"
Wu Mei said impatiently: "Didn't you ask me about it during the day?"
Princess Taiping whispered: "But my daughter heard that the Tubo army has gathered outside the four towns of Anxi, and the number of our defenders is less than half of theirs."
Wu Mei glanced at her and said lightly:
"Don't think too much about these things. The outcome of the war is not entirely determined by the number of people. Although Xue Rengui is not here, the Anxi Governor Su Jihai is also a general. He will not let the Tibetans easily capture our city."
"Then...then what if..."
Wu Mei said solemnly: "Even if the four towns of Anxi are lost, I will not let you marry a Tibetan. You can rest assured, right?"
Princess Taiping's nose felt sour. She had always felt that her mother was too strict before, but seeing Wu Mei's expression at this moment and hearing her words, she felt very relieved.