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

Chapter 1837: Western Tour to Changzhou
The four-masted sailing ship slowly headed towards the Wei River.

Li Xuan stood in front of the window, looking at the undulating golden fields outside, then looked at Qin Dun Jiao Gan who was kneeling on the ground behind him, frowned and said, "What did you say you were going to do?"

"Your Majesty," Qin Dunjiaogan bowed his head solemnly and said, "Two years ago, several Korean women entered the palace. Their parents asked me to bring some things to them and also had some words to tell them. Finally, I would like to ask if they also have things and letters to bring back to Silla?"

"You want to see my palace maids." Li Xuan revealed Qin Dunjiaogan's intention with just one sentence.

"Your Majesty, even the palace maids have a chance to meet their parents once a year." Qin Dunjiaogan kowtowed heavily again.

This is true, and that is the rule, but the problem is that few parents of palace maids can arrive in Chang'an, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs always delays a long time in making arrangements.

Li Xuan knocked lightly on the windowsill, then said, "I am not a harsh emperor. If you want to see me, I will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange it."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qin Dunjiaogan let out a long sigh of relief and bowed, saying, "In that case, I will take my leave."

"Go ahead." Li Xuan waved his hand, and Qin Dunjiaogan retreated carefully.

And there, where he was kneeling, was a brown brocade box.

Shangguan Wan'er walked over from one side, took the box, opened it a little and took a look, then said, "Your Majesty, this is an eight-hundred-year-old ginseng. The people of Silla really got something good."

"There are plenty of these things in the mountains of Silla, but they are rare in our dynasty." Li Xuan waved his hand slightly.

To find 800-year-old wild ginseng, even in places like Andong and Silla, you have to go deep into the mountains and forests and on cliffs, which is not easy.

"Wan'er, what do you think he wants to do?" Li Xuan turned his head and looked towards Hangu Pass opposite.

Shangguan Wan'er bowed slightly, then said carefully: "Communicate with the palace maids, and then spy on the news in the palace?"

"Maybe there is also the matter of chronic poison." Li Xuan sneered lightly, and then said: "He dare not harm me all at once, but let people put some chronic, invisible poison in my food. No, it may not be poison, it may even be a tonic, but it will produce the same reaction. In this way, it can delay my attack on Silla."

Li Xuan saw clearly that Qin Dunjiaogan definitely had ill intentions in coming here this time.

"Then Your Majesty, just don't let them meet." Shangguan Wan'er's expression became stern. Anyone who wanted to hurt Li Xuan would have to overcome the first hurdle from her.

Li Xuan shook his head slightly and said, "Let them see, but he can only see one of the six Silla women, and you have to control the relevant words. As for the things he sent into the palace, I will have them sent to his own meals. What happens if he takes these things in the end has nothing to do with me."

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed solemnly.

……

Li Xuan listened to the noise behind him, turned around in surprise, looked at Shangguan Wan'er and asked, "Why is there something else?"

"Yes!" Shangguan Wan'er bowed solemnly, and then said: "Your Majesty, among the women of the Xu family who were confiscated into the palace this time, I want to take one as my apprentice, so that she can accompany me and serve Your Majesty."

Li Xuan's eyes darkened slightly, and then he asked, "Do you have a candidate?"

"She is Xu Ziran's eldest daughter, only seven years old." Shangguan Wan'er looked worried.

"Her brothers and cousins ​​were all beheaded, and dozens of other clansmen were exiled. Are you sure you want to choose her?" Li Xuan frowned slightly.

"Her mother and her sister also came into the palace with her." Shangguan Wan'er bowed and said, "With them around, she wouldn't dare to do anything reckless."

Li Xuan understood that Shangguan Wan'er was thinking of herself. She herself was imprisoned and imprisoned in the palace because her father was falsely accused of treason.

Now seeing the daughter of the Xu family receiving the same treatment, he couldn’t help but feel sad, so he had the same idea.

"I can promise you, but you have to be careful not to let others use them as a pretext to target you." Li Xuan looked at Shangguan Wan'er with concern.

Shangguan Wan'er nodded seriously and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I know what's going on."

Looking at Shangguan Wan'er in front of him, Li Xuan walked forward, gently lifted her snow-white chin, sighed softly, and said: "If you want a daughter, you can ask me for one."

"Of course I will look for Your Majesty." Shangguan Wan'er raised her head and looked at Li Xuan seriously, saying, "But everything will have to wait until Your Majesty is enthroned."

"Okay!" Li Xuan nodded seriously.

……

Taiji Palace, inner guest room.

Qin Dun Jiaogan looked at the Silla woman in front of him, who was wearing a maid's skirt, with an unpleasant expression, and asked through gritted teeth, "Are you alone?"

"If you have anything to say, please say it now." The Silla woman looked at Qin Dun Jiao Gan indifferently, and even raised her head slightly and said, "If you want to see other people, please wait for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to arrange it."

Looking at this fellow countryman in front of him who was completely different from before, Qin Dunjiaogan's face became extremely ugly.

After entering the palace, he seemed like a different person.

Qin Dunjiaogan fell silent quickly, then asked: "How long will it take?"

"Your Excellency has to ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs. What can I know?" A hint of coldness flashed in the corner of the Silla woman's eyes.

Qin Dunjiaogan actually didn't need to ask, he knew in his heart that today was his only chance to meet his comrades in the palace. If he went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs again in the future, the Ministry of Internal Affairs would try their best to delay him by saying that arrangements had already been made, and he might not even have the chance to see them again.

Taking a deep breath, Qin Dunjiaogan tried his best to calm down. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, and asked with concern, "Are you all okay in the palace?"

"Tang Dynasty is much better than Silla, not to mention the palace." The Silla woman's face was obviously indifferent.

Qin Dunjiaogan was silent for a while, then he asked again: "Did the emperor visit you?"

"Your Excellency should ask how we live in the palace?" The Silla woman gave Qin Dunjiaogan a look of disgust, and then said, "We have only seen the emperor from afar a few times, and no one has been favored by him. But we are lucky that the Imperial Concubine has pity on us, so we are serving the Imperial Concubine and the King of Liang."

Prince of Liang Li Zhiyou was the third son of the emperor. His mother was Imperial Concubine Qu, whose status was second only to that of the empress.

The lady's father was the Right Guard General and Duke of Tianshan County, Qu Chongyu.

People like them, following Qu Douer, are definitely not treated badly in the palace.

However, their situation made Qin Dunjiaogan at a loss for words for a moment.

"Here is a letter from your parents, as well as some clothes and other things they brought for you." Qin Dunjiaogan said, "You can keep them for your own use, or give them to others."

Give it to others?
The Silla woman immediately understood what Qin Dunjiao meant, and for some reason, she fell silent.

"Is there something wrong?" Qin Dunjiaogan's eyes suddenly became sharp.

The Silla woman looked at Qin Dun Jiaogan calmly and asked, "Sir, can you send our parents to Chang'an?"

Qin Dunjiao's eyes narrowed, he stared at the Silla woman and said, "Are you sure you want to do this? Chang'an is not easy to live in. Not everyone can survive in Chang'an. Many people who arrive in Chang'an are likely to die here."

Qin Dunjiaogan could see that the Silla woman still cared about her parents very much. No matter what she wanted to do, as long as Qin Dunjiaogan held her parents in his hands, many things could be accomplished.

Suddenly, the Silla woman stood up, ignored Qin Dunjiaogan, didn't talk to him, and went straight into the palace.

Qin Dunjiao was stunned for a moment, then his brows furrowed.

Soon, a eunuch came out and bowed to Qin Dunjiao, saying, "Please!"

Please what, please leave.

Qin Dunjiaogan suddenly realized that the connection he had finally established with the insider in the palace was cut off just like that?
No matter what his plan was, it was completely shattered before it even started.

Qin Dunjiaogan could only ask the eunuchs to deliver the letters and items to the palace. He didn't even have a way of being sure whether these things could fall into the hands of those Silla women.

Not to mention doing something.

He could only apply again and again to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and even to the Emperor.

But unfortunately, after returning to Chang'an, the emperor became visibly busy.

There were court meetings of all sizes, and civil and military officials. I don’t know how many people he had to meet every day.

Qin Dunjiaogan, who had nothing urgent to do, was quickly pushed to the back, and even got further and further back.

One day, when Qin Dunjiaogan saw the emperor again, the emperor had already gone on a tour westward on horseback with the prince.

During the autumn harvest season, the prime ministers and ministers of the court would personally visit various regions throughout the country to conduct supervision and inspection.

But this year, the emperor personally took the prince to inspect the northwest road.

The Queen is regent.

……

The autumn grass is yellow and the sheep are plump.

On the Changzhou grassland, Li Xuan, dressed in black clothes and black armor, was riding a horse slowly, with a long spear hanging on one side and a long sword in a black sheath hanging at his waist, ready to be drawn at any time.

Three hundred black-armored cavalrymen were patrolling calmly, and more cavalrymen appeared deep in the grassland.

Li Zhizhao followed beside Li Xuan, also wearing black clothes and black armor, holding a long sword and a long spear. Although he couldn't wield them yet, he at least had to pretend to be able to do so.

When the herdsmen around saw the black-armored cavalry, they knelt down immediately without caring who was sitting on it.

When they raised their heads again, the black-armored cavalry had completely disappeared.

Li Xuan waved his hand slightly, and Li Zhizhao immediately followed: "Father!"

Li Xuan nodded slightly, and then said: "Zhao'er, you have been out with your father for more than half a month. Basically, you have seen everything that the emperor has seen. Now, tell the emperor what you know about the way to govern the country?"

"Yes!" Li Zhizhao bowed solemnly and said, "Governing a country means keeping the people safe."

Li Xuan smiled gently, what a ten-year-old child!

(End of this chapter)