Li Po had no intention of staying in the Tai Chi Palace for too long. After handling a few urgent government affairs, he planned to go back to the harem.
This year's Shangyuan Festival will be held according to the regulations of previous years. Li Po has no intention of celebrating in a big way. The only thing that is a little special is that this year he will bring some people to the city gate tower to make an appearance.
Mainly because there were a lot of foreign visitors, mainly people from Silla and Tubo, and also envoys from the Turkic royal court, letting them see the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
In fact, they are mainly country bumpkins from Tibet.
The Shannan area on the plateau is very isolated.
The Supi and Xiangxiong people are still together. The Supi people are in the north and often trade with the Tuyuhun people in the highlands or some tribes in Hexi. Their caravans have gone as far as the Western Regions, but this is not the norm. Lu Tai
Far.
The Xiangxiong people have always had contacts with Tianzhu on the south side of the mountains and some South Asian tribes. As for when they started, it is impossible to verify, but it has been many years.
Both sides are in a half-matched state, both in the primitive city-state stage. Tianzhu may be a little more advanced, but it is not much advanced. Tianzhu is only a corner of the entire South Asian subcontinent, and the rest of the country is still a slash-and-burn tribe.
Moreover, Tianzhu is a Buddhist country, so one can imagine how brilliant its ruling power is.
It’s just that the missionary monks worked very hard, and the spread of Buddhism became wider and wider, making Tianzhu famous. For example, some monks in the Tang Dynasty often clamored to go to Tianzhu to retrieve the true scriptures.
This should be put aside for later. It is a proper act of traitor. Are foreign scriptures so easy to read?
For example, the reason for the decline of the Xiangxiong people is completely different from that of the Supi people. The Supi people obviously encountered a weak king, while the Xiangxiong people dedicated all their property to the Buddha, built Buddhist temples, and Buddha statues.
The Yalong people were the most closed-minded. Although they were influenced by Buddhism, they were devoted to martial arts, so they conquered Xiangxiong and Supi and unified Shannan.
These people came to the Central Plains to seek canonization from the Tang Dynasty, and they must be able to see the power of the Tang Dynasty. Some of them will stay in the Tang Dynasty in the future.
Whether it is as a hostage, or through education and influence, when he returns to Shannan in the future, he will definitely be very close to the Tang Dynasty. This method is not an unusual strategy.
In fact, it had already appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, or even as early as the Shang and Zhou Dynasties.
…………
This year, before the Shangyuan Festival, Li Po will hold a state banquet to entertain the foreign visitors. Before they leave the Tang Dynasty, Li Po also needs to meet them one by one.
The ministers were also discussing the rewards for people coming from the vassal state, and the voices were mixed.
Some people suggested that the countries should be generously gifted and tied up with kindness, while others opposed it. The treasury of the Tang Dynasty was not very rich, and too many rewards were given to outsiders. Where would the heroes be placed?
Moreover, people from far away came to court for more than mere wealth. Their ultimate goal was to be recognized by the Tang Dynasty. No matter how much you gave them, it would not be as good as a piece of canonization document.
Well, Li Po agrees with the latter. The envoys come from places far away from the emperor. The reason why the Tang Dynasty can control them does not depend on how much it gives them, but on whether the Tang Dynasty is strong.
The deterrence is enough, no matter what the Tang Dynasty says, once the Tang Dynasty weakens, no matter how many things you give it, don't let these guys miss you.
Li Po thought more cunningly. In the future, when people come over, he will send some monks there. Isn't this gift better than anything else? It can also save a lot of food.
As for sending craftsmen away... that's just a joke. If you send them away, you will be suspected of supporting the enemy. The stingy Li Po is not as generous as Li Shimin.
…………
It was almost noon, and Li Po was ready to drive back to the harem.
At this time, the eunuch in charge of the Taiji Palace entered the palace in person to report, "Your Majesty, General Yulin, General Luo, has led the way to the palace for an audience. He is now waiting outside the palace..."
Li Po turned around in confusion, "Cheng Beishen? Ah, is it Cheng Zhijie?"
His mind was spinning fast. At this time, the person Luo Shixin could bring to see him was also called Cheng Beishen. Who else could he be besides Cheng Dabeard?
Li Po waved his hand, "Let them come in, and tell Liangyi Palace to order some good wine and good food. I want to entertain people there."
The eunuch took the order and left. Li Po then ordered: "You all should go down too. There is no need to be on duty in the Taiji Hall today. If you have any urgent reports, we will wait until tomorrow."
The people waiting in the palace resigned one after another, and the Taiji Palace suddenly became empty. Only a few eunuchs were left, waiting for the emperor to drive to Liangyi Palace.
Not long after, Luo Shixin came in with Cheng Dabeard and saluted Li Po from afar.
Li Po stood up and walked down casually, "Okay, no need to be polite."
Coming closer, Li Po began to look at Cheng Dabeard with a half-smile, until he seemed to have no place to put his hands and feet. Then Li Po smiled and said, "It's been more than two months since I came back. How come I haven't been here yet?"
The palace has been reinstated? Did something bad happen again and you dare not come to me to explain it?"
Before Cheng Dashu could speak, Luo Shixin said: "Brother, this guy said he was hiding at home to recuperate his health. Judging from his appearance, he must be telling the truth."
Li Po shook his head, "Sanlang is sincere and thinks that many others are like this. If what he said is true, how about I take down Yuchi Jingde's lieutenant general and let you take this seat?"
There were no court officials in the palace, so Li Po had fun with the two of them, which was a good pastime during the first month of the year. After all, the three of them were old acquaintances in Mayi.
So Luo Shixin opened his eyes. This stake was not small, and it was exactly what he was thinking about, so he tried extra hard to put pressure on Cheng Dabeard, hoping that he would not let his guard down at the critical moment.
But Cheng Dabeard couldn't care about him. The emperor's eyes kept lingering on him. He felt as if something was crawling over his body, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.
After so many years, the only person who can completely control Cheng Dabeard is Li Po. Whether it was then or now, he has left a lingering psychological shadow on Dabeard.
Cheng Dabeard beat his chest twice hard, wishing he could break his sternum, and a flattering smile appeared on his face, "Your Majesty is wise, I...I just want to take good care of myself, and then I can do anything for you."
Your Majesty is just serving you."
Li Po laughed and said, "Cheng Dalang is getting better and better at talking. Come on, come with me... and take a look at Wude Hall."
…………
Outside Wude Hall, Duguhua was beside Li Po, but his eyes were looking at Luo Shixin and Cheng Zhijie strangely.
Li Po felt relaxed and stretched greatly.
Luo Shixin was also very satisfied with his thick body, looking cheerful like a wolf cub who had eaten chicken.
Only Cheng Zhijie bent over and stretched his hips, grinning, one of his eyes was swollen, and the corner of his mouth was broken. His clothes were messy and he looked like he had been hit by something.
Where is the Wude Hall? It is where the royal family performs martial arts. Naturally, you have to take action when you enter here. Of course, Li Po didn't do it himself, but he couldn't resist Luo Shixin's strong fist.
There was also an emperor fanning the air next to him, so he naturally wanted to give Cheng Dabeard a good beating for not telling the truth.
Cheng Dabeard did not escape the beating today. The good thing is that the emperor seems to be in a good mood. He should be able to talk well after that, right?
The emperor is still as sinister as ever. He hasn't changed for so many years. It's really... damn.
"You should go back too, don't freeze." Li Po patted Duguhua's round shoulder and expressed a rare expression of concern.
Duguhua smiled brightly and said, "Your Majesty, go slowly, be careful of slippery roads."
After she led people back to Wude Hall, Li Po said, "Let's go to Liangyi Hall. Good food and wine have been prepared for Cheng Dalang to recuperate."
Cheng Bearded held his waist, and there was nothing wrong with his body. The emperor was looking at him, but Luo Shixin took good care of him.
It's just that hard work will eventually be rewarded. Although the emperor's words are still so sinister, his attitude is obviously much closer, and there is no longer the sinister and ghostly atmosphere hidden in it.
It was worth it. Cheng Dabeard's heart suddenly returned to his stomach. If he could have a meal here, his trip would be considered in vain.
…………
"Why do you two come to see me at this time?"
Li Po asked on the way to Liangyi Palace.
Luo Shixin never said anything in front of him, "Cheng Daqiu came to my door. I thought that my brother would be fine in the palace, so I brought him here to let my brother vent his anger."
Li Po nodded, "Sanlang knows my feelings. After all these years, I don't know why, but I get angry when I see Cheng Dalang. I might as well kill him with a knife. It's a bit inappropriate. I'd rather leave him alone and it's an eyesore. It really makes people feel uncomfortable."
Li Po was speaking from his heart, what Cheng Dabeard did was against his taboo.
This man seemed to have a cheerful face, but he was actually cunning. He was very angry when he left in the middle of the road. Later, he ended up defecting to those thieves in Wagang, then to Li Mi, and then to Wang Shichong.
This guy has experienced the entire Henan war, and what Li Po dislikes the most is the Henan bandits...
But the thing is so strange, his sister married a Henan bandit, who do you think you can talk to for explanation?
Luo Shixin nodded his head in agreement. In fact, no matter what Li Po said, he agreed, not to mention that he also disliked Cheng's big beard.
Cheng Dabeard saw the two guys complaining about his faults as if no one was watching. He looked at Li Po and said nonchalantly, "I didn't do anything."
Li Po grabbed his beard and gave it a tug, "You have the nerve to tell me, do you remember what I said back then? Now that we have the handle of the knife, we have to do something serious.
Let's not talk about defending our country. We can't point our swords and guns at innocent people. What kind of ability is that?
Tell me about you. In the more than ten years of war, how many people have you killed with your own hands? How many people were recruited by you to serve as soldiers? How many people died under your hands?
So many people have died, why don't you die? Damn it, good people don't live long, and disasters last for thousands of years."
When he got angry, he grabbed Cheng Zhijie's beard and pulled it hard. The pain made Cheng Zhijie almost shed tears...
This feeling was extremely sour and refreshing, as if I was back to the past.