People in the early Tang Dynasty: I compete with Wu Zhao for the throne

Chapter 1773 Thirteen beautiful women from Silla, presented to His Majesty! (1/2)

Hurried footsteps were heard outside Chengtian Gate. Shen Quanqi, the attendant on duty, could not help but stand up inside the gate. Then he saw Chen Yi, the Minister of the Honglu Temple, standing outside the gate, being inspected by the imperial guards.

"Mr. Chen." Shen Quanqi walked out from the door and bowed to Chen Yi, saying, "Mr. Chen, today is a day off. Are you going to the Secretariat, the Ministry of Personnel, or..."

"Go see His Majesty." Chen Yi bowed to Shen Quanqi and asked, "Where is His Majesty today?"

"Your Majesty and Wang Zhaoyi went to Shangyang Palace to visit Prince Wei, Prince Xiang and Princess Anle." Shen Quanqi bowed and said in return, "Your Majesty may not be able to return for a while. If Lord Chen has any urgent matters, I can inform the Shangguan Palace Order and ask him to send someone to inform Your Majesty."

Chen Yi knew Shangguan Wan'er. During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, she was a talented woman serving the Empress Dowager. During the reign of Emperor Zhongzong and Emperor Ruizong, she was a Zhaoyi serving the Empress Dowager.

Later, the Ziwei Palace was besieged, and Shangguan Wan'er strangled the Queen Mother to death in order to avenge her family.

Afterwards, she was appointed as the Palace Order, in charge of the female officials in the palace.

Last year, when the emperor ascended the throne, he still used him as palace commander, serving the emperor and assisting him in government affairs.

Because the palace order was not a concubine, it was not considered that the harem was interfering in government affairs. Moreover, Shangguan Wan'er never spoke in front of the officials, so the officials just let it go.

For example, today, Li Xuan went to Shangyang Palace. If there was an emergency, Shen Quanqi would go to Zhulong Gate.

The imperial guards delivered the message to Zhenguan Palace.

Shangguan Wan'er, who is in charge of guarding the Zhenguan Hall, will pass the news to Li Xuan.

Chen Yi bowed slightly and said, "It's not his fault. The Silla envoy has returned. He brought back news that there is no trace of Emperor Sukjong in Silla. The so-called finding of Emperor Sukjong is just someone else pretending to be him."

"Impersonation! There are people in Silla who impersonate the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. They admit it and even ask the Tang Dynasty to make way so that they can send Emperor Sukjong back. Do the people of Silla think the Tang Dynasty is a fool?" Shen Quanqi couldn't help but blurt out a series of words.

Chen Yi stood aside and listened speechlessly.

Shen Quanqi suddenly realized what was going on and bowed to Chen Yi, saying, "Mr. Chen, even if we inform His Majesty now, I'm afraid His Majesty won't see me right away. Besides, today is a day off..."

"No problem." Chen Yi waved his hand and said, "In fact, the Silla people arrived in Luoyang three days ago. Originally, I didn't want to care about it today, but they seem to have gotten through the Honglu Cheng, so I came to take a look. Anyway, today is a day off, so it's normal that I can't see Your Majesty."

"I see." Shen Quanqi nodded and said, "In that case, I will log in first and then send it to Shangguan Zhaoyi when I am on duty. As for when Shangguan Zhaoyi will give it to Your Majesty and when Your Majesty will respond, it is not up to me to decide."

"That's it." Chen Yi breathed a sigh of relief, bowed, then turned and left.

Shen Quanqi watched Chen Yi's back disappear, then turned around, gave a few instructions, and quickly went into the palace.

Not long after, Shangguan Wan'er met Shen Quanqi at Daye Sect.

After listening to Shen Quanqi's words, Shangguan Wan'er nodded and said, "I see. Send an order to the Right Thousand Bull Guards to check on the Minister of Rites. All the details must be clear so that when His Majesty asks, we can answer."

"Yes!" Shen Quanqi immediately bowed, then turned around and left quickly.

Shangguan Wan'er returned to Zhenguan Palace. She did not send anyone to Shangyang Palace to deliver the message, because Li Xuan was not in Shangyang Palace at the moment, but had gone to Shangqing Temple in the palace.

……

In the northwest corner of Ziwei Palace is Shangqing Temple.

Blue bricks are stacked and moss is scattered.

The deserted Shangqing Temple, which is seldom visited, finally had some people today. However, most of them were standing outside the palace, and no one else was allowed to enter.

Before the Three Pure Ones, Li Xuan burned incense with a solemn expression.

Afterwards, Li Xuan nodded slightly to the plump Pei in a Taoist robe, took out a memorial from his sleeve and handed it to her: "This is a memorial submitted by the Zongzheng Temple, requesting to adopt the son of the royal family as the heir of the emperor. I have approved it."

Pei took it silently, opened it and read it, then bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Jiannan Dao is already selecting children under one year old. At the end of the year, they will be sent to Luoyang. After offering sacrifices to the emperor, they will be recorded in the clan register and granted the title of Si Zhong Wang. Their son Si Yong will also be Si Zhong Wang, and will be named Li Guangzhen." Li Xuan glanced at Xu Lu standing beside him and said, "The Ministry of Internal Affairs will record it and handle it properly when the time comes."

"Yes!" Xu Lu bowed solemnly.

Li Xuan nodded, looked at Pei and said, "In that case, I will not bother you today."

"Farewell, Your Majesty." Pei quickly bowed and saw Li Xuan off.

Only after everyone left did Pei heave a sigh of relief and walk towards the backyard.

The door to the backyard room opened, and Gao, dressed in a green Taoist robe, was holding a one and a half month old baby and coaxing him.

Seeing Pei come in, Gao immediately stood up and couldn't help asking, "How is it?"

"Prince Zhong, Li Guangzhen." Pei took her son over and coaxed him calmly.

Gao immediately breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Sister Wang, you're all right now. You finally have someone to rely on for the rest of your life."

"Lord, Prince." Pei looked up at Gao and said with a complicated expression, "Shun'er."

Gao immediately stepped forward and said soothingly, "Although Shun'er was raised by you, he is the son of Prince Zhanghuai after all, and it is difficult for the legitimate heir of Emperor Gaozong to live a smooth life.

Look at the two over there, one is afraid to see people because of his aunt, and the other is afraid to inherit the throne because of a series of coups. Prince Zhong, Prince Zhong might be just right."

"Maybe." Pei's expression was a little complicated for a moment.

"Okay." Gao hugged Pei from the side and said, "Let this child recognize my sister-in-law as his godmother, and let him take care of us both in our old age."

Seeing Gao's happy face, Pei nodded gently, chewing the two words in her mouth: "Loyal Prince, Loyal Prince."

……

On the imperial chariot, Li Xuan was also muttering these two words: King Zhong.

Zhongzhou was located next to Bazhou and governed three counties: Linjiang, Zhongxian and Wanxian. Although it was a lower-level state, its population was close to that of Zhongzhou.

It is a pretty good place. The annual salary is enough for both Ms. Pei and Prince Zhong to live well.

In the future, Li Xuan will let Pei and Prince Zhong stay in Luoyang for a long time.

On the one hand, it was because Li Hong's tomb was in Luoyang, and on the other hand, he wanted to see if anyone wanted to do something through Prince Zhong. Li Guangzhen would nominally be Li Zhi's grandson, a member of the same clan as Li Chengqi and Li Chongjun.

Perhaps because of his blood relationship, he is not qualified to inherit the throne, but just because he is the adopted son of the emperor, there will be a large group of people who will try to connect him with Li Chengqi and Li Chongjun.

Li Xuan wanted to see who would fall into the elaborate trap he had set.

Li Xuan couldn't help but laugh when she thought about the possible future.

The imperial carriage swayed and finally returned to the Zhenguan Hall.

It was a day off today, so Li Xuan didn't plan to deal with any more memorials.

Shangguan Wan'er stood at one side and reported to him seriously the news inside and outside the country when Li Xuan was away, especially the last sentence about the return of the envoy from Silla.

"Qin Dunjiao is back?" Li Xuan looked at Shangguan Wan'er in surprise, and then said, "Have someone sort out all his whereabouts since he landed in the Tang Dynasty. I want to see if there is anyone here who has had any contact with him?"

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er immediately bowed and left.

Li Xuan sat on the imperial couch with a serious look on his face.

If he really wanted to offer sacrifices to the gods on Mount Tai, pacifying Silla was the most basic thing to do.

If the Tang Dynasty pacifies Silla, it will inevitably be a major war.

At least the Tang Dynasty would have to mobilize more than 200,000 naval and land forces.

There are so many opportunities for others here.

Although Li Xuan was not Yang Guang, he did not want to repeat the experience of Li Shimin and Li Zhi, who had gone through great pains to pacify Goguryeo, only to be taken advantage of by Silla in the end.

How to completely pacify Silla? The front line has never been a problem; the problem lies in logistics.

The logistical issues need to be explored bit by bit.

……

In the Taiji Hall, Qin Dun Jiao Gan knelt heavily on the ground and said, "I, the foreign minister Qin Dun Jiao Gan, pay my respects to His Majesty the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty. May Your Majesty live a long life and may the country be forever strong. Long live His Majesty."

Li Xuan sat on the imperial couch and stared at Qin Dunjiao for a long time before he asked, "How is the King of Silla?"

Qin Dunjiao felt a chill on his back for no apparent reason, and immediately kowtowed and said, "My king is in good health."

"I'm in good health." Li Xuan sneered softly and said, "So, for the matter of King Sukjong, just push out two scapegoats. I thought there would be bloodshed in Silla, at least to push out the real leader. Now it seems that the King of Silla is not willing to take out any real stuff!"

"Your Majesty!" Qin Dun Jiaogan kowtowed and said, "My king has realized his mistake, so I have asked this minister to present a pearl that guards the country, thirty catties of gold, thirteen beauties, and twenty-seven pieces of jade to Your Majesty!"

"Eh!" Li Xuan suddenly exclaimed, "I didn't realize that the King of Silla knows quite a bit about the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty."

"Thank you for the praise, Your Majesty." Qin Dunjiaogan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I have accepted the things. As for Andong, I will also restrain Duke You from invading Silla easily. But if the people of Silla enter Andong again on the pretext of being lost, then I still say the same thing: once you enter Tang territory, you will become a slave of Tang." Li Xuan leaned forward, looking at Qin Dunjiaogan with an extremely oppressive gaze.

"Your Majesty!" Qin Dunjiao bowed bitterly and said, "The border between the Tang Dynasty and Silla is mostly mountainous and it is common to get lost."

"Then you must order them to retreat ten miles. No one is allowed to be within ten miles of the border between Silla and the Tang Dynasty. In this way, even if they mistakenly enter the Tang Dynasty, they won't go anywhere." A sneer appeared on Li Xuan's lips. Using the method of mistakenly entering to spy on the military intelligence of the Tang Dynasty, this trick is still used by the Silla people more than a thousand years later, which shows that it is really useful.

"Silla is willing to redeem it." Qin Dunjiaogan continued to plead.

"Let's talk about it later." Li Xuan waved his hand, looking a little annoyed.

"Your Majesty, what about the trade?" Qin Dunjiaogan quickly changed the subject.

"I approve it." Li Xuan nodded, agreeing to Qin Dunjiaogan's request for trade. Then he added, "I have no objection to Silla people doing business everywhere, but if they are spying on intelligence or bribing officials, then if they are caught, don't blame me for arresting all Silla merchants in the Tang Dynasty and demoting them to slaves."

"Yes!" Qin Dunjiao's mouth twitched, but he still bowed solemnly.

"One last thing, you guys keep looking for Emperor Suzong's secret. If you find it, I'll reward you regardless of whether you live or die. Remember, it has to be genuine." Li Xuan said, then waved his hand and said, "Okay, go ahead. You're familiar with Luoyang, so go find a place to relax."

"Yes!" Qin Dun Jiaogan immediately bowed, and then said: "I will take my leave."

……

Qin Dunjiao carefully came down from the south side of Tianjin Bridge, got on the carriage, and headed forward along Dingdingmen Street.

Sitting in the carriage, Qin Dunjiao couldn't help but pondering Li Xuan's last words.

Continue looking for Li Chongzhao.

Logically speaking, Li Chongzhao had been missing for more than two years. In another year, the Tang royal family would completely remove him from the clan register and bury him as an emperor, with no descendants.

Does the emperor really want Silla to continue looking for Li Chongzhao, or is this a hook to see what Silla will do in this matter?
Qin Dunjiaogan couldn't help but look from behind the curtain towards the direction of Qianyang Palace. There, it seemed that there was a pair of eyes staring at him.

Li Xuan stood in front of the Qianyang Palace, watching Qin Dunjiaogan walking away on Dingdingmen Street, and whispered, "Uncle, do you think the Silla people will find Chongzhao's body next year?"

“It should be possible.” Yu Ze walked out of Qianyang Palace, looked at Qin Dunjiaogan’s receding figure, and whispered: “Qin Dunjiaogan may be stupid, but there are many smart people in my Tang Dynasty. He only needs to ask a few people to find out, and there are indeed many people who have done business with Silla privately in recent years.”

"Trade." Li Xuan sighed and said, "Let them take advantage of it for a while, and then pay it back with interest in a few years. Similarly, we can also take the opportunity to sow discord within Silla and find the right opportunity to destroy the country in one fell swoop."

"Yes!" Yu Ze bowed slightly. They destroyed Tubo back then by taking advantage of the huge rift between the Tubo royal family and Lun Qinling.

Now Li Xuan’s eyes fell on Silla, this set would naturally be copied, and now they are very patient.

"How's the situation over in Yinshan?" Li Xuan suddenly changed the subject.

Yu Ze immediately became solemn and said, "This summer, the border areas are focusing on growing grain and not interfering much with the grasslands. The brothers Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo have already begun to win over the tribes and have infiltrated the Yinshan gold mines."

"Very good, let them focus their attention on the gold mine, and let Duke Xue quietly mobilize the troops." Li Xuan looked towards the direction of Anxi.

Now he is just waiting for the harvest this autumn, and then he will mobilize the overall situation to destroy the two brothers Ashina Gudulu and Ashina Mochuo in one fell swoop and make the grassland completely stable.

(End of this chapter)