From Xue Bai's perspective, historically the Tang court was too weak in its appeasement of the feudal towns, which in turn led to the loss of the court's prestige.
But at this time, the ministers in the palace did not think that they were the "softheads" in the emperor's words. They proposed the most conducive method to maintain the stability of the country based on the actual situation.
"I dare to guarantee it with my life, but Pugu Huai'en has not yet rebelled."
Cui Youfu was the first to come out, showing that he was a tough guy, and directly contradicted him: "Recently, there are rumors in the capital that Pugu Huai'en killed Du Qi. This must be a rumor deliberately spread. Your Majesty must not listen to rumors and raise an army in anger."
In fact, he knew very well that Xue Bai did not have a tough attitude towards Pugu Huai'en just to avenge Du Wulang. The reason why he said this was to remind Xue Bai that the subjects did not support the court in fighting this war.
If you only need to give an official position to settle a matter, but you have to fight a war, this will be a fuss in the eyes of everyone, and it is not cost-effective. If you do this, everyone will only say that the emperor was killed because of the death of his best friend. Angry and raises an army.
In short, Cui Youfu wanted to veto this war morally from the beginning.
But Xue Bai did not fall into the argument with him. Instead, he said: "I also think that Pugu Huai'en has not rebelled yet, and I even think that he dare not rebel. Because of this, Shuofang cannot be given the post of post, and there are issues that should be investigated and dealt with." It will never be tolerated.”
Several important ministers looked at each other, even Cui Youfu and Yuan Zai, who had never dealt with him, looked at each other.
"Your Majesty, what if...what if Puguhuaien is forced to rebel?" Yuan Zai asked cautiously.
"Then be prepared to attack him." Xue Bai said decisively, "Only if you dare to fight and can fight can you not fight. Is it difficult for you to understand?"
It was not his place to confront the ministers with these words. A mature emperor would support several forces and watch them compete in the arena, while he only acted as the referee.
However, Xue Bai had not long since ascended the throne and believed that this matter was of great importance and far-reaching influence, and he could not condone the vassal town from the beginning, so he could not wait until there were many factions in the court to deal with it.
He cared about this matter, and because he cared about it, he was anxious, so he went into battle himself.
Those who can stand in the palace are all smart people who understand all the stakes and do not need Xue Bai to reason with them. But their positions are different. If Pugu Huaien is really forced to rebel, who will take the responsibility?
The emperor will not take responsibility. At most, he will be punished by the next imperial edict. However, officials have to face the risk of being held accountable, dismissed, and punished.
If a war breaks out, they will still be the ones doing the hard work.
"Your Majesty." Cui Youfu emphasized his tone and said, "I believe that the current situation is that the imperial court does not dare to fight and cannot fight."
"Then tell me why you don't dare?"
"The world has only been peaceful for a year. The people's sentiments are 'no war', money and food are 'not enough', and the crime of serving a grudge is 'not enough'. This war should not be fought."
"What do you think?" Xue Bai asked.
Cui Youfu responded first: "I ask your Majesty to properly appease Pu Guhuai'en."
Even those who want to express their allegiance to the emperor at this time have to weigh in their hearts whether they will be taken out to take the blame when Pugu Huai'en really rebels.
Only Yan Zhenqing, Du Youlin and a few other important ministers still stood there with calm faces. Even Yuan Zai, who usually supported Xue Bai, lowered his head and avoided Xue Bai's gaze.
After a long while, Xue Bai said: "If I agree to grant my servant Gu Jue to stay, the matter will be very simple."
"Your Majesty, Pu Gujun has been fighting for many years and has made great achievements. He deserves to be given the post of staying behind..."
"But I will express my position in front of all the ministers today." Xue Bai said to himself, "I will not drag this into a big problem that will harm future generations just because I am greedy for the simplicity in front of me. This matter is in my hands.
solve."
He pointed at Cui Qing and said: "The three 'nos' you said do not hold true here. If Pugu Huai'en does not rebel and is willing to obey the orders, the court will naturally not attack him. But if he rebels, regardless of the people's support
No matter what, we must crusade, this is the law of heaven. If money and food are not enough, it is simple. I will take the lead in paying for this money."
After saying the last sentence, all the officials were surprised.
If it were Li Longji during the Tianbao period, there would indeed be enough treasure in the internal coffers to put down the rebellion, but how much money did the young emperor in front of him have? This matter is brought up to now, isn't it the treasury, and there is no money in the internal coffers?
"Redivide Xingqing Palace into squares, and sell all its land and buildings..."
Before Xue Bai finished speaking, the hall felt like it was exploding.
Just a few days ago, everyone celebrated the Lantern Festival at Xingqing Palace, recalling the prosperous days of the Tang Dynasty and wondering how we could accept the loss of such beautiful thoughts.
"His Majesty?"
"No!"
The first people to come forward to stop him were several old ministers. They all fell to the ground and urged Xue Bai to take back his orders, saying that the palace garden was the residence of the emperor, and there was no reason to sell it since ancient times.
He also said that if the emperor sells palaces and gardens, how will the world view it and where is the prestige of the imperial court?
This sentence hit Xue Bai.
"Do you still know the prestige of the imperial court? If the local vassals are disrespectful, the imperial court will truly lose its prestige! The governance of the Tang Dynasty relies on words and laws, or a few palaces and gardens. Think about it clearly before you cry to me!"
Seeing that they could not be persuaded, everyone kept putting pressure on Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin to stop Xue Bai.
Yan Zhenqing was very concerned about etiquette and strongly opposed this matter.
But Xue Bai was extremely determined.
"There is no need to say anything. I will let all the feudal lords and towns know that if they dare to rebel, I will pacify them even if they sell iron!"
"His Majesty……"
"Duzhi will stay, and the others will leave."
~~
Imperial City, Zhongshu Menxia Province.
The officials who exited the palace were all worried and pulled their beards all over the place.
"Don't worry, the saint just said it out of anger."
Du Youlin expressed his position first, saying: "The sage also said that it is to frighten the feudal towns with different intentions. The bigger the incident becomes, the greater the frightening effect will be. It will not really sell Xingqing Palace."
"How did Du Gong see it?" Cui Youfu said: "It seems that the saint did not discuss this matter with Du Gong in advance."
As Du Younja was the prime minister, there was no need to answer everything, so he stroked his beard and remained silent.
But after pondering for a while, he still added: "I am also opposed to selling Xingqing Palace."
Yan Zhenqing rarely expressed his position in public: "Absolute measures are not feasible in this matter."
This incident made them all uninterested in state affairs. They just sat and waited for Yuan Zai, Yang Wan and other officials in charge of the branch to come out. However, time passed by and the emperor chatted with those people for a long time, far beyond their expectations.
Finally, Yuan Zai and others came over.
"how?"
As soon as Yuan Zai entered, he felt eyes shooting at him like arrows. He waved his hands and said with a bitter smile: "Don't be anxious, gentlemen. This matter is not as serious as you think."
"I'm just asking you, have you persuaded His Majesty to change his mind?"
Yuan Zai shook his head and said: "It's difficult."
Everyone sighed and was silent for a while.
"Actually, Xingqing Palace was not a palace at first." Yuan Zai took this opportunity to speak, "If I remember correctly, that area was originally called 'Longqingfang', and it was not designated until Emperor Xuanzong was knighted. He built several palaces and called them the 'Five Princes' Residences'."
As soon as he said this, many people frowned.
"Gongfu Yuan, if you don't advise His Majesty, will you become a sycophant again?!"
"What do you mean by a sycophant?!" Yuan Zai was furious and shouted angrily, "I am discussing practical matters with you, but you are setting up a trap for no reason, trying to join the party and defeat those who are different?!"
"I……"
"Enough!"
Cui Youfu stopped the Yushitai official who was about to speak.
Yuan Zai continued: "After Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, he expanded several times and merged half of Yongjia Fang on the north side and Shengye Fang on the west side into Xingqing Palace. This made Xingqing Palace occupy a large area in the prosperous area of Chang'an. But it In addition to being the late residence of Emperor Xuanzong, is there really a need for three palaces in Chang'an City?"
Taiji Palace, Daming Palace, plus the vast Forbidden Garden, as well as Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace, the ancient city of the Han Dynasty in the Forbidden Garden. The royal family of the Tang Dynasty indeed had no shortage of places to live and visit.
"The saint's intention is not to allow ordinary people to enter the palace, but to restore the original appearance of Xingqingfang, Yongjiafang, and Shengyefang. Except for retaining the Huacalyx Xianghui Building, Qinzhengwu Main Building and other buildings, the rest will be demolished , adapt measures to local conditions.”
These four words of "adapting measures to local conditions" were also the reason why Yuan Zai turned to support Xue Bai's idea.
The location of Xingqing Palace is really great. To the east is close to Chunming Gate, which is called "Qingmen" and is a lively place with many restaurants; to the north is Dongshi, which is very convenient; and to the north is not far from Daming Palace. .
In short, the location is better than Pingkangfang, and the area is four times larger than Pingkangfang.
It doesn’t matter how greedy you are for handling this matter, but the power and connections it brings are incredible.
"This matter is related to the style of the capital. The reconstruction of the Qingmen area is not just as simple as selling palaces and gardens. How much will it cost? Who will buy it? Who will build it? What kind of appearance will it be built? All need to be controlled by the imperial court. For example, the imperial court plans to divide the entire Xingqing Palace into six plots, and each plot will be sold through bidding. Does anyone know what bidding is?"
"absurd!"
Having said this, there are still some people who cannot accept this matter.
But at the same time, many people are aware of the huge opportunities this matter brings.
There are many houses with excellent locations in the capital. These important ministers who come to the Daming Palace every day are the most qualified to live there. The benefits of this need not be said.
What's more, Xingqing Palace was originally a place that only Emperor Xuanzong liked, and it would only gradually become deserted in the future. The court had to spend money every year to take care of it, so it would be better to use it to solve the current urgent needs...
Due to Xue Bai's intention, this matter soon started to be discussed in Chang'an.
Although some good-hearted people could not help but say that it was because Pugu Huai'en killed the emperor's close friend, the emperor would rather sell Xingqing Palace than attack him.
But anyone with a discerning eye knows that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was expressing a determination.
~~
"What? He wants to sell Xingqing Palace?"
"The newspaper said, 'Renovate the Xingqingfang area to...'"
"We just explored there."
Nalanzhen frowned and looked at a map she drew, which showed the layout of Xingqing Palace.
Then, a newspaper was placed in front of her. There was a layout map of Xingqing Palace on it, which was much more detailed and accurate than the one she drew. This was the plan announced by the Tang court.
"How could he govern the country like this when such a thing happened?"
Nalanzhen was in disbelief, her eyelids twitched several times, and she finally threw away the newspaper in her hand.
She came to Chang'an to save Trisong Detsen.
Of course she couldn't do it with her own strength, so she contacted Dazalu Gong.
Although it is said that Dazalu Gong and Ma Xiang supported the young master together, they seemed to be powerful ministers. But in fact, there was a difference. Ma Xiang was an uncle and an ambitious man; Dazalu Gong was essentially a person who did not want to be restrained.
The Tibetan general did not want to see Tubo weaken due to civil strife, so he gave Nalanzhen some support.
There is also a little suggestion - "Since the princess has a relationship with the Tang Master, why don't you talk to the Tang Master face to face?"
At that time, when the messenger said these words, Nalanzhen could feel the frivolity on his face. He looked down on her and felt that a female prostitute could not achieve great things. All she could do was serve the Tang Dynasty with her body, and then do some intercession or
Assassinations and the like.
She was very angry, but she endured it and silently pretended to be a Hu merchant to find out the whereabouts of Trisong Detsen.
On the night of the Yuan Dynasty, she bribed a group of actors to spy on the situation in Xingqing Palace; not long ago, she helped Da Zhalu Gong spread rumors.
As a result, when today's news came out, she felt that all her efforts were in vain, like a worm shaking a tree.
"Princess, the general has sent someone."
"What's up?"
"The general wants to form an alliance with Pugu Huai'en and Huihe. I hope we can find evidence that Tang Ting is planning to get rid of Pugu Huai'en."
"There."
Nalanzhen raised her hand and pointed at the ball of paper on the ground, saying: "That newspaper is the evidence that the Emperor of Tang Dynasty wanted to pacify Pugu Huai'en even after he came to the palace."
"What the general wants is not this, but...for example, a secret letter written to Guo Ziyi, proposing to kill Pugu Huai'en."
"What if not?"
"Is it possible to steal the seal and make a forged one?"
Nalanzhen frowned and said: "Who does he think I am? This is Chang'an, can I be so capable?!"
"Princess, please calm down. The general did this out of loyalty to Tibet. This is the gold the general ordered the villain to send..."
A box was opened, filled with gold ingots.
Nalanzhen thought for a while and asked people to continue using gold to bribe court officials.
~~
Daming Palace.
Xue Bai came back from his government affairs and found that an eunuch had been waiting beside him for a long time holding a small scroll.
Just by looking at the color of the scroll, he could tell what it was about.
When I opened it, it turned out that it was indeed about what he had ordered at Xingqing Palace last time. It said, "The actors are bribed by the Tubo people, and the Xishi Maokang Commercial Bank is their stronghold."
Xue Bai picked up the imperial pen, wrote the words "Put a long line, catch big fish" on it, and put the scroll back.
After he was busy with this, he turned back to the harem.
When I was about to pass by Lingqi Palace, I faintly heard the moving singing. The sound was clear and sweet, it must be Niannu singing.
He has now admitted Xie Aman and Niannu into the palace, and there is nothing wrong with this matter in his heart. He is already an emperor, and they want to serve her, so they gave him a title.
Although he got the most beautiful woman in the country, to be honest, Xue Bai didn't have much ripples because of it at that time. It was not even as good as when Xie Aman only smiled at him. Thinking about it, he was still in his infancy before, facing the beauty.
There is a feeling that it can be encountered but not obtained, but now it is too natural and common.
After passing through a palace gate, Xue Bai raised his hand so that the waiter behind him would not have to follow him.
He walked alone into the palace courtyard where Nian Nu lived, and walked around the corridor following the sweet singing. He saw Nian Nu sitting on the branch of a pear tree, really like a spring oriole.
There was a ladder set up on the trunk of the tree, and Niannu's snow-white feet were covered with wooden threads, gently swaying to the sound of singing. A small bell was tied with a red rope to her ankle, making a gentle sound.
"Turn to the Zhu Pavilion, go down to Qihu, and look at Wumian... Your Majesty? Your Majesty is here."
As he was singing, he turned around and saw Xue Bai. A sweet smile appeared on Niannu's face, but then he swayed his feet and the wooden tree fell down.
She wanted to climb down from the tree branch, but she didn't know what to do, so she hurriedly said: "I salute your Majesty, my concubine."
"bring it on."
Xue Bai stepped forward, raised his hands, and hugged her down.
"I'm sorry, I'm so rude."
Nian Nu said, pulled up her dress, lay on Xue Bai's shoulders and let her hug her.
In the process, she plucked up the courage, suddenly kissed Xue Bai on the face, and said coquettishly: "Your Majesty, I haven't come to see you for a long time."
Xue Bai looked down and saw that her clover had fallen deep into the grass and was difficult to pick up, so he simply carried her back into the house.
…
A bright moon turned over the Zhu Pavilion and shone on the dressing table through the paper window.
The spring orioles in the distance finally stopped singing.
"Your Majesty, I did this on purpose." Nian Nu leaned on Xue Bai's chest and whispered: "I sang on purpose to lure Your Majesty down, and deliberately failed to get down from the tree. Your Majesty, will you think that I am rude?"
"I can see it." Xue Bai said: "It's quite interesting."
"Is it interesting?" Nian Nu said, "I wanted to hide and let His Majesty find her."
"Why didn't you do this?"
"I don't dare, for fear that His Majesty will be impatient and leave instead."
"Are you wronged?"
"I'm not wronged, I'm very happy." Niannu said, "Whatever I do for your majesty, I feel happy."
Xue Bai actually knew that Nian Nu had put a lot of thought into making him feel interesting. The posture he sat in the tree, the songs he sang, the words he said, and the clothes he wore were all designed.
There is nothing wrong with this for him, and he likes it very much. But he is not satisfied, maybe because it is too easy to get.
Since he is the emperor, there are too many beauties in the harem who want to please him. But the beating heart still wants him to make progress.
Perhaps, as an emperor, what you enjoy is not only possessing everything, but also constantly conquering.
~~
A few days later, West Market.
In the evening, Nalanzhen received a piece of news.
"Princess, we bribed a bookkeeper at the Honglu Temple Guest House, and he knows where Zanpu is being held."
"where?"
"He didn't say that he needed more money."
Nalanzhen frowned, took out a box and handed it out, saying: "Don't give it to him all at once, give him half, and wait until you confirm that what he said is true."
"yes."
Seeing her confidant hurried away, Na Lanzhen took a few uneasy steps. Although she didn't know where her flaw was, she quickly made up her mind, recruited the remaining people, and said: "We have to get out of here.
"
"Why?"
"It went so well, we were targeted."
This was the experience brought to her by the failure in Nanzhao. She did not hesitate much and sent someone to keep an eye on the subordinate who went to see the chief registrar of Honglu Temple, while she quickly moved away.
It was moved from the West Market to the East Market, and it was still the place where Hu merchants gathered. This was the disadvantage of her activities in Chang'an. The Tubo people moved frequently and could only be covered by Hu merchants.
Sure enough, not long after she left the West Market, a group of people suddenly broke into the trading house where she was staying and conducted a massive search.
At dawn the next day, the confidant sent to follow up came back and reported: "Princess, that Honglu Temple is indeed a trap. All the people we contacted in the past have been captured."
"Sure enough." Na Lanzhen was surprisingly calm and said: "It doesn't matter, continue to follow Lang Jiezan and Ye Butong, and you will have results soon."
She had long since noticed the little slave who was on an envoy to Tibet, and believed that he must have tipped off Ma Xiang, which led to the failure of the plan to get rid of Ma Xiang.
It's night.
The captured Tibetans were tortured and quickly confessed, claiming that they were sent by Dazalu Gong. The reason why they wanted to find Zampu was because the personal grudge between Dazalu Gong and Ma Xiang intensified.
, and planned to raise an army against Ma Xiang.
As expected, Lang Jiezan and Yebutong were quickly taken to see a person and asked them about the grudge between Ma Xiang and Dazalu Gong. On the same day, Nalanzhen got information about this person.
"It's Yan Quanming. This man is the confidant of the Tang Dynasty. Many conspiracies about Tubo are planned by him secretly."
"I know him, Mr. Yan's nephew, no wonder."
Nalanzhen finally zeroed in on Yan Quanming and knew that as long as he was caught and interrogated, she would know where Chisong Dezan was being held.
Yan Quanming had a habit of buying a newspaper and sipping a pot of tea at the teahouse outside Zhuque Gate every afternoon after leaving the imperial city. It was not difficult to deal with him, as long as he pretended to be a teahouse boy and tied up Yan Quanming in the private room.
Then put it in a swill bucket and take it out of the city.
In response to this, Nalanzhen planned for a few days, made a plan, and waited at her destination in Dongshi.
“Tuk-tuk-tuk.”
Finally there was a knock on the door. She opened the door and saw her confidants standing at the door carrying a sack.
"quick."
Nalanzhen held a dagger, ready to torture Yan Quanming at any time.
However, when the sack was taken off, her eyes widened and she froze in shock.
"How...how could this happen?"
The dagger fell to the ground with a bang. Nalanzhen slowly stretched out her hand, took the rag from the mouth of the person in front of her, and asked at the same time: "Chisong Dezan...why are you here?"
Trisong Dezan had a helpless expression on his face. After the rag in his mouth was removed, he sighed: "I can't escape. Sister, please beg the Lord Tang for mercy."
The confidants who were sent to capture the person were also inexplicably surprised. The person they captured was clearly a Tang official. How did he end up here as a Zanpu?
It can only be that someone transferred me on the road.
In other words, Tang Ting already knew their whereabouts clearly and even bribed their people in turn.
"What did you say?"
Nalanzhen couldn't accept her brother. The king of Tubo said such unambitious words, so she pulled him over and said: "Let's go!"
Now that she can find him, she can escape with him.
However, as soon as she opened the door, she was stunned again.
Since Tang Ting dared to let her meet Trisong Detsen, he was absolutely sure that she would have nowhere to escape. At this time, the outside of the courtyard was densely packed with officers and soldiers, surrounding her like an iron barrel.
Na Lanzhen had to admit that after so many years, she was no longer Xue Bai's opponent.
But she hasn't lost yet.
"Let go! Even if you kill our siblings, you will never make Tubo surrender..."