Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 593 Determination
From Xue Bai's perspective, in history, the Tang court was too weak in pacifying the vassal states, which in turn damaged the court's prestige.

But at this time, the ministers in the palace did not think that they were the "soft bones" in the emperor's mouth. They proposed the most favorable methods to maintain the stability of the country based on the actual situation.

"I dare to guarantee with my life that Pugu Huai'en has not rebelled yet."

Cui Youfu was the first to step out, showing that he was a tough guy. He directly said, "Recently, there are rumors in the capital that Pugu Huai'en killed Du Zhuo. This must be a rumor spread by someone with ulterior motives. Your Majesty should not believe the rumors and raise troops in anger."

In fact, he knew very well that Xue Bai was not being tough on Pugu Huai'en in order to avenge Du Wulang. He said this to remind Xue Bai that the subjects did not support the court in fighting this war.

In the eyes of the public, it is an exaggeration and uneconomical to go to war when a matter can be settled by simply offering an official position. If this is done, people will only say that the emperor is angry about the death of his best friend and started the war.

In short, Cui Youfu wanted to morally veto this war from the very beginning.

But Xue Bai did not get into an argument with him, instead he said: "I also think that Pugu Huai'en has not yet rebelled, and I think he dare not rebel. Because of this, the post of Shuofang governor cannot be given, and the problems that should be investigated must not be tolerated."

Several important officials looked at each other, and even Cui Youfu and Yuan Zai, who had always been at odds with each other, glanced at each other.

"Your Majesty, but what if...what if Pugu Huai'en is forced to rebel?" Yuan Zai asked cautiously.

"Then prepare to attack him." Xue Bai said firmly, "Only if you dare to fight and are able to fight, can you avoid fighting. Is it difficult for you to understand?"

He shouldn't have been the one to confront his ministers about these things. A mature emperor would foster several forces, watch them fight, and act as a referee.

However, Xue Bai had just ascended the throne and believed that this matter was of great importance and far-reaching impact, so he could not indulge the local vassal states from the beginning. Therefore, he did not wait until there were many factions in the court to deal with it.

He cared about this matter, and because he cared, he was anxious, so he took part in the battle himself.

Those who can stand in the hall are all smart people, they understand all the interests, and they don't need Xue Bai to reason with them. But they have different positions. If Pu Gu Huai En is really forced to rebel, who will take responsibility?
The emperor will not take responsibility, at most he will issue an edict of apology, but officials will face the risk of being held accountable, deposed, or punished.

If a war breaks out, they will be the ones who have to work hard.

"Your Majesty," Cui Youfu said with a stronger tone, "I think the current situation is that the court dares not and cannot fight."

"Then tell me why you don't dare?"

"Peace will last for only a year. The people want to 'not fight', the money and food are 'insufficient', and Pugu Huai'en's crime is 'not serious'. This war should not be fought."

"What do you think?" Xue Bai asked.

Cui Youfu was the first to answer: "I ask Your Majesty to properly appease Pugu Huai'en."

"Your Majesty, I ask you to comfort Pugu Huai'en properly."

Most of the officials in the palace agreed.

Even if one wanted to express loyalty to the emperor at this time, one would have to think carefully about whether one would be singled out to take the blame if Puguo Huai'en really rebelled.

Only a few important officials such as Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin still stood there calmly. 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 make Pugu Yan the heir, this matter will be very simple."

"Your Majesty, Pugu Yan has fought for many years and has made great contributions. He deserves the position of a successor..."

"But I have to express my position in front of you today." Xue Bai said to himself, "I will not drag this matter into a major problem that will harm future generations just because I want to make it simple. This matter will be resolved in my hands."

He pointed at Cui Qing and said, "The three 'no's' you mentioned do not apply to me. If Pugu Huai'en does not rebel and is willing to obey orders, the court will naturally not punish him. But if he rebels, no matter what the people think, he must be punished. This is the law of nature. If you say that there is not enough money and grain, that is also simple. I will take the lead in paying for this money."

After the last sentence was said, all the ministers were surprised.

If it was Li Longji during the Tianbao period, there would indeed be enough treasure in the treasury to suppress the rebellion, but how much money does this young emperor have? This matter has been dragged on until now, isn't it that there is no money in the national treasury or the treasury?
"Re-divide Xingqing Palace into districts, and sell all its land and buildings..."

Before Xue Bai finished speaking, the hall was already in an uproar.

Just a few days ago, everyone celebrated the Lantern Festival in Xingqing Palace and reminisced about the prosperous Tang Dynasty. How could they accept that such a beautiful thought was destroyed?

"His Majesty?"

"No!"

The first to step forward and stop the incident were several old ministers, who prostrated themselves on the ground and urged Xue Bai to rescind his order, saying that the palace was the residence of the emperor and there was no reason to sell it since ancient times.

He also said that if the emperor sold the palace gardens, how would the world view it and where would the prestige of the court be?

These words touched Xue Bai.

"Do you still know the prestige of the imperial court? If the local vassal states treat it with contempt, the imperial court will truly lose its prestige! The Tang Dynasty's governance relies on words and laws, or a few palaces. Think it through before you cry to me!"

Seeing that they could not persuade Xue Bai, everyone kept putting pressure on Yan Zhenqing and Du Youlin to stop Xue Bai.

Yan Zhenqing cared a lot about etiquette and strongly opposed this matter.

But Xue Bai was extremely determined.

"No need to say more. I will let all the vassal states know that if they dare to rebel, I will sell everything I have to pacify them!"

"His Majesty……"

"Duzhi stays, and the rest of you leave."

~~
Imperial City, Zhongshumenxia Province.

The officials who retreated from the hall were all worried and pulled their beards.

"Don't worry, the Saint was just speaking in anger."

Du Youlin was the first to express his opinion, saying, "The sage also said that this is to deter the vassal states that have dissenting ideas. The bigger the incident is, the greater the deterrent effect will be. It is not necessary to actually sell Xingqing Palace."

"What do you think, Lord Du?" Cui Youfu said, "It seems that the Saint did not discuss this matter with Lord Du beforehand."

As the prime minister, Du Youlin didn't need to answer anything, so he stroked his beard and remained silent.

But after hesitating for a while, he added, "I am also against selling Xingqing Palace."

Yan Zhenqing rarely expressed his opinion in public: "This is absolutely not feasible."

This incident made them lose interest in state affairs, and they just sat there waiting for Yuan Zai, Yang Wan and other officials in charge of finance to come out. But as time went by, the emperor talked with those people for a long time, far beyond their expectations.

Finally, Yuan Zai and others came.

"how?"

As soon as Yuan Zai entered, he felt that everyone's gazes were shooting at him like arrows. He waved his hands and smiled bitterly, "Don't worry, gentlemen. This matter is not as serious as you think."

"I only want to ask 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.

"In fact, Xingqing Palace was not originally a palace." Yuan Zai took this opportunity to speak up, "If I remember correctly, the area was originally called 'Longqingfang'. It was not until Emperor Xuanzong was granted the title that several princely palaces were set aside and called 'Five Princes' Residences'."

When he said this, many people frowned.

"Minister Yuan, instead of advising His Majesty, you are going to be a flatterer?!"

"What do you mean by a flatterer?!" Yuan Zai was furious, slamming the table and shouting, "I was discussing practical matters with you, and you framed me without any basis, trying to unite with others to attack those who are different?!"

"I……"

"enough!"

Cui Youfu stopped the official from the Censorate who was about to speak.

Yuan Zai continued, "After Emperor Xuanzong ascended the throne, he expanded the palace several times, merging half of Yongjiafang on the north side and Shengyefang on the west side into Xingqing Palace. This made Xingqing Palace occupy a large area in the prosperous area of ​​Chang'an. But in addition to being Emperor Xuanzong's hidden residence, does Chang'an really need three palaces?"

The Taiji Palace, Daming Palace, the vast Forbidden Garden, and the Changle Palace and Weiyang Palace in the Forbidden Garden. The Tang Dynasty royal family had no shortage of places to live and visit.

"The sage's intention is not to allow ordinary people to enter the palace, but to restore the original appearance of Xingqingfang, Yongjiafang, and Shengyefang. In addition to retaining buildings such as Hua'e Xianghui Tower and Qinzhengwuben Tower, the rest will be demolished to adapt to local conditions."

The four words "adapt to local conditions" are also the reason why Yuan Zai turned to support Xue Bai's idea.

The location of Xingqing Palace is really great. To the east, it is close to Chunming Gate, which is called "Qingmen" and is a bustling place with many wine shops. To the north is the East Market, which is extremely convenient. It is also not far from Daming Palace in the north.

In short, the location is better than Pingkangfang, and the area is four times larger than Pingkangfang.

There is no need to talk about how much money one can make from handling this matter. The power and connections it brings are enormous.

"This is about the appearance of the capital and the reconstruction of the Qingmen area. It is not just as simple as selling the palace. How much will it cost? Who will buy it? Who will build it? What will it look like after it is built? All of these need to be controlled by the court. For example, the court plans to divide the entire Xingqing Palace into six plots, and each plot will be sold at a bidding price. Do you know what bidding means?"

"absurd!"

Having said that, there are still people who cannot accept this.

But at the same time, many people also realize the huge opportunities that this brings.

There are many mansions with excellent locations in the capital city. The important officials who go to the Daming Palace to report on state affairs every day are the most qualified to live there. The benefits of this are self-evident.

Moreover, Xingqing Palace was originally a place that only Emperor Xuanzong liked. If it was left there, it would gradually become deserted. The court would have to spend money every year to maintain it. It would be better to use it to solve the current urgent problem...

Because Xue Bai did it on purpose, the matter soon became a hot topic in Chang'an.

Although some people could not help saying that it was because Pugu Huai'en killed the emperor's best friend, the emperor would rather sell the Xingqing Palace than not punish him.

But anyone with a discerning eye knew that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was expressing his determination.

~~
"What? He wants to sell Xingqing Palace?"

"The newspaper said 'Renovation of the Xingqingfang area so that ..."

"We just explored the area."

Na Lanzhen frowned and looked at a map she had drawn, which showed the layout of Xingqing Palace.

Then, a newspaper was placed in front of her. On it was a layout map of Xingqing Palace, which was much more detailed and accurate than the one she had drawn. This was the plan announced by the Tang court.

"How can he govern the country like this when such a thing actually happened?"

Na Lanzhen couldn't believe it, her eyelids twitched several times, and finally she threw away the newspaper in her hand.

She came to Chang'an to rescue Trisong Detsen.

Of course she couldn't do it with her own strength, so she contacted Dazalugong.

Although Dazalugong and Maxiang both supported the young emperor and seemed to be powerful ministers, they were actually different. Maxiang was an ambitious minister of the uncle, while Dazalugong was essentially a Tibetan general who did not want to be restrained and did not want to see Tibet weakened by internal strife, so he gave some support to Nalanzhen.

There is also a small suggestion - "Since the princess has a friendship with the Tang Lord, why don't you talk to him face to face?"

At that time, when the messenger said this, Nalanzhen could feel the frivolous look on his face. He looked down on her and thought that a woman could not accomplish great things. All she could do was to serve the Tang Lord with her body and then do some things like begging for mercy or assassination. She was very angry, but she endured it and quietly disguised herself as a Hu merchant to find out the whereabouts of Trisong Detsen.

During the Lantern Festival, she bribed a group of actors to spy on the situation in Xingqing Palace; not long ago, she helped Dazhalugong spread rumors.

As a result, when the news came out today, she felt that everything she had done was in vain, like an ant trying to shake a tree.

"Princess, the general has sent someone."

"what's up?"

"The general wants to form an alliance with Pugu Huai'en and Huihe. He hopes that we can find evidence that the Tang court is preparing to eliminate Pugu Huai'en."

"There."

Na Lanzhen raised her hand and pointed at the ball of paper on the ground, saying, "The newspaper contains the evidence that the Tang Lord wanted to pacify Pugu Huai'en even if he was sent to the palace."

"What the general wants is not this, but... for example, the secret letter to Guo Ziyi proposing to kill Pugu Huai'en."

"What if there isn't?"

"Can you steal the seal and forge a forged one?"

Na Lanzhen frowned and said, "Who does he think I am? This is Chang'an, do I have such great ability?!"

"Princess, please calm down. The general did this out of loyalty to Tubo. This is the gold that the general ordered me to deliver..."

A box was opened and filled with gold bars.

Na Lanzhen thought about it and asked people to continue using gold to bribe court officials.

~~
Daming Palace.

Xue Bai came back to his senses from government affairs and found that a eunuch had been waiting for a long time with a small scroll in his hand.

Just by looking at the color of the scroll, he knew what it was about.

When he opened it, it was indeed about what he had ordered last time in Xingqing Palace. It said, "The actors and actresses were bought by the Tibetans, and the Xishi Maokang Commercial Bank was their base."

Xue Bai picked up the imperial pen, wrote on it the words "Cast a long line to catch a big fish", and then put the scroll back.

After finishing all these, he returned to the harem.

When I was about to pass by Lingqi Palace, I faintly heard a moving singing voice. The voice was clear and beautiful. It must be Nian Nu singing.

He has now taken Xie A'man and Nian Nu into the palace. In his mind, there is nothing wrong with this. He is already the emperor, and they also want to serve him, so he gave them a title.

Although he had won the most beautiful woman in the country, to be honest, Xue Bai was not too moved at that time, even less than when Xie Aman just smiled at him. It seems that before, he was still in a low position, and he felt that beauties were something he could only encounter but could not get, but now he takes it for granted and it is too common.

After passing through a palace gate, Xue Bai raised his hand and told the waiter behind him not to follow him anymore.

He walked alone into the palace where Nian Nu lived, followed the sweet singing around the corridor, and saw Nian Nu sitting on the branch of a pear tree, looking like a spring warbler.

There was a ladder on the tree trunk. Nian Nu was wearing wooden slippers on her snow-white feet, swaying gently to the singing. A small bell was tied to her ankle with a red rope, making a soft sound.

"Turning around the red pavilion, lowering the beautiful window, shining on the sleepless... Your Majesty? Your Majesty is here."

As she was singing, she turned around and saw Xue Bai. A sweet smile appeared on Nian Nu's face, but then her feet staggered and the wooden slippers fell off.

She wanted to climb down from the tree, but she didn't know what to do, so she said hurriedly, "I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

"bring it on."

Xue Bai stepped forward, raised his hands, and carried her down.

"I am sorry for the insolence."

As Nian Nu spoke, she tugged at her dress and lay on Xue Bai's shoulders, allowing her to hold her down.

During the process, she mustered up her courage and suddenly kissed Xue Bai on the face, saying coquettishly, "Your Majesty, you haven't come to see me for a long time."

Xue Bai looked down and saw that her wooden slippers had fallen deep into the grass and were difficult to pick up, so he simply carried her back into the house.

……

A bright moon passed over the red pavilion, shone through the paper window, and onto the dressing table.

The spring orioles in the distance finally stopped chirping.

"Your Majesty, I did it on purpose." Nian Nu leaned over Xue Bai's chest and whispered, "I sang to lure Your Majesty down, and I was unable to get down from the tree. Will Your Majesty think I was being disrespectful?"

"I see." Xue Bai said, "It's quite interesting."

"Is it interesting?" Nian Nu said, "I wanted to hide and let Your Majesty find me."

"Why didn't you do that?"

"I dare not, for fear that His Majesty would become impatient and leave instead."

"Are you wronged?"

"I am not wronged, I am very happy." Nian Nu said, "I am happy to do anything for Your Majesty."

Xue Bai actually knew that Nian Nu had put a lot of thought into making him feel interesting. The way she sat on the tree, the songs she sang, the words she said, and the clothes she wore were all designed.

There is nothing wrong with this for him, he likes it very much, but he is not satisfied, maybe because it is too easy to get.

As the emperor, there were too many beauties in the harem who wanted to please him. But his beating heart wanted him to make progress.

Perhaps, as an emperor, the enjoyment is not only possessing everything, but also continuous conquest.

~~
A few days later, West City.

In the evening, Nalanzhen received a piece of news.

"Princess, we bribed a clerk in the Honglu Temple Guesthouse. He knows where the Zamp is imprisoned."

"where?"

"He didn't say he needed more money."

Na Lanzhen frowned, took out a box and handed it over, saying, "Don't give it to him all at once, give him half, and wait until you are sure what he said is true."

"Yes."

Seeing that confidant hurried away, Na Lanzhen paced a few steps anxiously. Although she didn't know where she had revealed her flaws, she quickly made up her mind, called the remaining people, and said, "We have to leave here."

"why?"

"It went so smoothly that we were targeted."

This was the experience she gained from the failure in Nanzhao. Without much hesitation, she sent someone to keep an eye on the subordinate who was going to meet the chief clerk of the Honglu Temple, while she herself quickly moved away.

She moved from the West Market to the East Market, which was still a place where Hu merchants gathered. This was her disadvantage in Chang'an. The Tibetans were active frequently, and she could only use Hu merchants as a cover.

Sure enough, not long after she left West Market, a group of people suddenly broke into the business where she used to work and conducted a massive search.

At dawn the next day, the confidant who was sent to follow came back and reported: "Princess, the Honglu Temple is indeed a trap. The people we went to contact have been arrested."

"As expected." Na Lanzhen was surprisingly calm and said, "It doesn't matter. Keep following Lang Jiezan and Ye Budong. There will be results soon."

She had long noticed the little slave who was sent to Tubo at that time, and believed that it must be him who tipped off Ma Xiang, which led to the failure of the plan to get rid of Ma Xiang.

That night.

The captured Tibetans were tortured severely and soon confessed, claiming that they were sent by Dazalugong. The reason they wanted to find the Zamp was because the personal grudge between Dazalugong and Maxiang had intensified, and they planned to rise up against Maxiang.

As expected, Langjiezan and Yebudong were soon taken to see a man to ask them about the feud between Maxiang and Dazhalugong. That same day, Nalanzhen got the information about this man.

"It's Yan Quanming. He is the confidant of the Tang Lord. He secretly planned many conspiracies against Tubo."

"I know him, Mr. Yan's nephew, no wonder."

Nalanzhen finally locked on to Yan Quanming as her target, knowing that as long as she caught him and interrogated him, she would be able to find out where Trisong Detsen was imprisoned.

Yan Quanming had a habit of buying a newspaper and drinking a pot of tea in the teahouse outside the Suzaku Gate every afternoon after leaving the imperial city. It was not difficult to deal with him. All they had to do was disguise themselves as a waiter in the teahouse, tie up Yan Quanming in the private room, and then put him in a swill bucket and take him out of the city.

In response to this, Na Lanzhen made preparations for several days, formulated a plan, and waited at the place where she was staying in the East Market.

"Tuk-tuk-tuk."

There was finally a knock on the door, and she opened it, only to see her henchmen standing at the door carrying a sack.

"quick."

Na Lanzhen held a dagger, ready to interrogate Yan Quanming at any time.

However, when the sack was taken off, her eyes widened and she stood there in shock.

"How...how could this happen?"

The dagger fell to the ground with a clang. Nalanzhen slowly reached out her hand and took the rag from the mouth of the person in front of her, while asking, "Trisong Detsen... why are you here?"

Trisong Detsen had a helpless expression on his face. After the rag in his mouth was taken away, he sighed and said, "I can't escape. Sister, please beg for mercy from the Tang Lord."

Those confidants who were sent to arrest the man were also extremely surprised. The person they captured was clearly a Tang Dynasty official, so how could he become a Zanpu here?
It could only have been switched along the way.

In other words, the Tang court knew their whereabouts very well and even bribed their people.

"What did you say?"

Nalanzhen couldn't accept her brother, the king of Tubo, saying such unspirited words, so she pulled him over and said, "Let's go!"

If she could find him, she could escape with him.

However, as soon as she opened the door, she was stunned again.

Since the Tang court dared to let her meet Trisong Detsen, it was absolutely certain that she would have nowhere to escape. At this time, the courtyard was densely packed with soldiers, surrounding it like an iron barrel.

Na Lan Zhen had to admit that after so many years, she was no match for Xue Bai.

But she hasn't given in yet.

"Let go! Even if you kill us, you will never make Tubo surrender..."

(End of this chapter)