Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 560 People’s Mind Changes
When sailing on the sea, Fang Chongyong was seasick for two days and had not rested well. Now that he finally returned to land and completely controlled Penglai Port, Fang Chongyong found a guest room in the Dengzhou government office and went to sleep.

He fell asleep almost immediately, but before he had slept for an hour, Wang Weizhong, the governor of Dengzhou, came to his door and said that he wanted to see him about something important.

Fang Zhongyong had no choice but to reluctantly lead him into the house for a secret talk.

After the two of them sat down and dismissed the guards, Wang Weizhong took out a letter from the credential, or a beautifully wrapped letter, and placed it on the table.

"The Lord of Bohai, Damen Yi, has sent someone to deliver a letter of credence. The envoy is none other than Daqin Mao."

Wang Weizhong explained slowly, it was obvious that the so-called letter was the one in front of him.

But anyway, Fang Chongyong was not surprised at all, because for Wang Weizhong, this was just a normal operation, and it was also his main responsibility as the "envoy of Silla, Baekje and Bohai."

In the tributary system of the Tang Dynasty, the Tang Dynasty was the father, and it was at the top. The other vassal states were the sons, and they were one level lower in terms of relationship. So when the Tang Dynasty was strong, there was no such thing as "handing over the letter of credence in person" to the emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

In short, these vassals are not worthy!
The letter of credence must first be handed over to the hands of diplomats under the Honglu Temple like Wang Weizhong. After these people have read it and think it is suitable, they will pass it on. If it is not suitable, it will be directly sent back, and the foreign envoys will not even be able to see the emperor of the Tang Dynasty!

If you think about it a little, you will realize that the emergence of this system is actually in line with human nature and the laws of nature.

If anyone could stand up and bother Brother Ji, how could Brother Ji pick up girls, play musical instruments, and write music? He doesn't have to do anything all day long, and he is too busy to take care of diplomatic affairs.

Therefore, it is necessary for the officials of the Honglu Temple to "filter out" those that are disrespectful, outrageous, and not worth seeing. Otherwise, if a chieftain of a tiny territory sends a letter to the Tang Dynasty and asks "Who is greater than me, the Tang Dynasty?"

If Brother Ji sees it, who will be embarrassed?

"Appreciate further details."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said that he already understood that Wang Weizhong's late-night visit was probably also about the matter of the letter.

"Damen Yi, canonized Daqinmao's daughter as a princess, Princess Zhenhui, and wanted to send her to the harem in Chang'an to accompany the emperor.

This letter is to congratulate the new king on his accession to the throne and for this matter."

Wang Weizhong said meaningfully.

Li Ying had just ascended the throne. As the most important and best-connected vassal state around the Tang Dynasty, Bohai sent a princess to the new emperor and asked her to enter the harem to serve the emperor. This was a "small matter" that could not be more normal, and there were countless examples of this in history books.

However, this matter is commonplace from a broad perspective, but if you consider it from the details, you will find that there is a lot to it.

Daemon-ye was Daqin-mao's uncle, and Princess Jeonghye was Daqin-mao's daughter, two generations apart.

However, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty was, politically, the "father" of the surrounding vassal states. In short, Li Ying should be the "adoptive father" of Da Men Yi.

If Princess Zhenhui really entered the harem, apart from other things, the generation difference alone would be too great, and by then it would be possible that they would have to "talk their own business"!
Damen Yi calls Li Ying "Dad" and Li Ying calls Damen Yi "Father-in-law". Their relationship is extremely messy.

Now the Tang Dynasty was in turmoil, the rebellion in Hebei had not yet subsided, and the throne had changed again, with a new emperor taking the throne. At this moment, Da Menyi came to test it, and Fang Zhongyong was a little impressed by his strategy.

This unintentional temptation fully demonstrates the subtlety and delicacy of politics.

From the response methods of Li Ying and the central government, Da Menyi could find out the current strength of the Tang Dynasty.

The strength of the Tang Dynasty was different, so the way to deal with the "good intentions" of the Bohai ruler was also different.

Should you accept it gladly or reluctantly?

Is it a flat refusal or a helpless refusal?

Is he going to send troops out of anger? Or is he just sending a letter of threat out of spite?

Da Menyi can always tell the truth from the Tang Dynasty's response, and the cost of probing is very low. This person is thousands of miles away, so it is really hard to guard against!
Furthermore, Princess Jeonghye is the daughter of Daqinmao, but Daqinmao is not Damenyi's son! In short, he is selling his nephew's daughter.

Even if this princess was executed by the Tang Dynasty, Da Menyi didn't feel sorry at all.

It is a bit similar to the Han Dynasty using palace maids to pretend to be princesses, giving them titles and then marrying them off to the Huns, except that now it is the other way around.

Fang Chongyong could hear the sound of Damen Yi's abacus even though he was thousands of miles away, and the abacus beads were about to jump onto his face.

"Bohai admires our Central Plains culture. This is a great way to test the waters."

Even though they had different positions, Fang Chongyong had to admit that Bohai State Leader Da Menyi was not a simple person.

This move can be used for both offense and defense, and there is no need to worry about Li Heng turning against him.

Wang Weizhong sighed and said, "Just as Commander Fang Jie said, it is true. And Damenyi's move is actually to test the strength of the imperial court, and then decide whether to help the Hebei bandit army. The situation in Hebei is already corrupt, and if Bohai Kingdom colludes with them, the consequences will be disastrous."

Fang Chongyong looked at Wang Weizhong with some surprise. This Envoy Wang was indeed a diplomat. What he just said was very incisive.

Wang Weizhong was indeed aware of Da Menyi's true purpose.

This is probably one of the reasons why this letter was withheld here.

"So what does Envoy Wang want to say?"

Fang Chongyong already knew that Wang Weizhong was not a die-hard loyalist to the court, and he did not intend to be loyal to Li Heng, who was notorious for killing his father in public. So he naturally did not need to worry about the court.

The purpose of the late night visit is intriguing.

"When I received the letter, the emperor had not yet killed his father.

Because the matter is of great importance, I have been withholding the letter from the state and have not sent it to Chang'an.

But later, the Bohai Kingdom actually sent Princess Zhenhui.

Daqinmao was originally in charge of government affairs in Dengzhou, and now he and his daughter were both in Penglai Port and refused to leave.

This letter has become a source of worry for me.”

Wang Weizhong did not say why Princess Zhenhui did not leave, but it was probably not because the road was blocked.

"The King of Bohai probably believes that Li Heng will definitely lose the throne, so he doesn't want to test him any further.

However, Da Menyi was worried that the Tang Dynasty would take revenge on him in the future, so he asked Princess Zhenhui and Daqinmao to stay here temporarily, just as if they were visiting the Tang Dynasty.

They seem hesitant, but in fact they are just waiting and watching.

If someone raises the banner of rebellion, the Bohai Kingdom might take action soon.

In other words, Princess Zhenhui will marry a prince who has raised the banner of rebellion, and by the way, the ruler of Bohai will also support him to take the throne, right?" Fang Zhongyong expressed his guess.

Wang Weizhong sighed with admiration, "Marshal Fang Jie is so young, yet he can peel off the silk from the cocoon and see through it like seeing through fire. He is indeed a rare talent. What you just said took me a long time to figure out."

What is the official attitude of the Bohai Kingdom towards the Hebei rebels and what are the attitudes towards the imperial court? It has a great impact on the political situation of the Tang Dynasty. At least at this critical juncture, it is very important.

However, Fang Chongyong could also see that Da Menyi did not seem to be interested in Li Wan, especially after hearing about the disastrous defeat of the Hebei rebels in Huayin.

He wants to eat fish, but dislikes the fishy smell and is afraid of fish bones getting stuck in his throat. This should be Da Menyi's mentality at the moment.

"Is Envoy Wang here tonight just to discuss these national affairs?"

Fang Chongyong asked calmly.

Wang Weizhong nodded slightly but did not explain anything.

Fang Chongyong also understood. He put away the letter on the table and saluted Wang Weizhong with his arms crossed.

"Princess Zhenhui's dowry is very generous, and it is written in the state letter."

Wang Weizhong was worried that Fang Chongyong didn't understand, so he mentioned it specifically.

It's quite suggestive.

Fang Zhongyong smiled calmly and waved his hand gently. The latter understood, bowed to him and turned away, the two of them understood each other tacitly.

After Wang Weizhong left, Fang Chongyong opened the letter and read it quickly before putting it down. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind and slowly organized his thoughts.

The letter was full of nonsense, with beautiful and pompous words. In short, it talked about how beautiful Princess Zhenhui of Bohai was, how knowledgeable and well-mannered, and how beautiful and intelligent she was.

He also said that he hoped Li Heng would take her into the harem and become a link between the Tang Dynasty and the Bohai Kingdom.

There is nothing much to be said about these polite words.

The only highlight worth seeing is the dowry. Princess Zhenhui's dowry was horses, a large number of good horses from the Bohai Kingdom.

The Tang Dynasty's finances collapsed, local separatism and wars continued to this day. Horses, especially war horses, have become increasingly scarce due to the consumption of wars and the lack of replacement.

The horses of Bohai will be a powerful aid. Whoever can get them will have the upper hand in the coming chaos.

So why did Wang Weizhong come here so late at night?
On the surface, this matter seems to have no direct interest to him.

After a little thought, Fang Chongyong understood who was hiding in the dark: Daqinmao!
Wang Weizhong was just the "middleman" who passed the message. Daqin Maocai was the person behind the scenes who really wanted to talk to Fang Chongyong.

The Silver Spear Filial Piety Army has occupied Penglai Port, but Daqinmao didn't even come to meet Fang Chongyong. This is really abnormal! This person has been an attendant to Fang Youde for two years, so he has some relationship with Fang Chongyong.

But Daqinmao didn't come to see him, which could only mean one thing: Wang Weizhong came this time to pave the way for Daqinmao. They were both on business in Dengzhou, and they saw each other every day. They had known each other for many years and obviously had some friendship.

What Daqinmao wants to discuss is probably very crucial, so he can't just come to him rashly. He needs to test Fang Zhongyong's attitude through Wang Weizhong.

This is to avoid accidentally falling out, which would result in us not being able to meet and sit down and chat later.

Thinking of this, Fang Zhongyong couldn't help but sigh. Bohai State was known as the "Prosperous State of the East China Sea" and imitated the Tang Dynasty in every way, whether it was the language, the official system, or even the layout of the imperial palace, they were very similar to the Tang Dynasty.

Even the habits of dealing with each other among the nobles were learned from the Tang Dynasty.

The main focus is on being a shrewd person.

"Daqinmao, you are looking for me so anxiously, what do you want to get from me?"

Fang Chongyong narrowed his eyes and tapped the table lightly with his index finger, trying to guess what Daqinmao was thinking.

There is a key piece of information in the affairs of the Bohai Kingdom that is easily overlooked: that is, although Princess Zhenhui is the daughter of Daemon Ye in terms of etiquette, she is the biological daughter of Daqinmao in terms of blood.

This kind of case of royal family girls being changed into princesses was also common among the Tang Dynasty princesses who married out of the country.

However, Da Men Yi's position in this matter may not be completely equal to Da Qin Mao's position.

In other words, Daqinmao may not necessarily carry out what Damenyi thinks, but at least he will have his own little thoughts in the execution.

Now, the fact that Da Menyi sent the "princess" to Li Ying has become a rotten shell on the "outside". Bohai State has a deep relationship with Ji Ge and Fang Youde, and Da Menyi cannot have any friendship with Li Ying who killed Ji Ge.

Inside the shell is Daqinmao's current plan, which is also the main reason why the father and daughter did not return to Bohai Kingdom to report.

Fang Chongyong had no idea what Daqinmao wanted to do, but it must be related to himself, the governor of Xuanwu Town.

Otherwise, why would Wang Weizhong make such a trip?

People's hearts were slowly changing. Although Li Heng was still the emperor for the time being, local officials and diplomatic envoys had already regarded him as a dead man.

Fang Zhongyong thought that it would be better for him not to be too anxious. He should leave Daqinmao alone for now and wait for him to come to him in person, so that it would be convenient to start discussing things.

……

The next day, Fang Chongyong did not wait for Daqinmao, but waited for Li Bai!
This poet, who was famous throughout the Tang Dynasty, had an unusual excuse for asking for a meeting. He actually said that he wanted to "present a poem."

Fang Zhongyong naturally would not refuse such an approach.

If Li Bai was not the aide and envoy of Prince Yong Li Lin, then he would be just a pure poet.

Fang Chongyong can meet Li Bai if he wants to, or not if he doesn't want to, without any further ado.

But Li Bai’s identity now is different from before. He represents the face of Yongwang Li Lin.

Don't hit people in the face, and say goodbye in a friendly way.

Fang Chongyong invited Li Bai to the government office of Dengzhou and treated him with good wine and delicious food. He originally thought that Li Bai would give him a "flattering poem", but he didn't expect that when the poem was displayed, it turned out to be "Dreaming of Wandering on Tianmu Mountain and Chanting a Farewell Poem"!
This guy is showing off his skills!
Fang Chongyong put on an expression of "astonishment" on his face. Looking at the long poem in front of him, which he almost knew by heart, he resisted the urge to complain and kept sighing and commenting on it from time to time.

As expected, Li Bai showed a smug look on his face and waved his hand in a humble manner. For a moment, he even forgot to talk about business!
"Life is full of encounters. Today I am very happy to meet Li Bai in Dengzhou.

Come, fill up, and don’t go home until you are drunk today.”

Fang Chongyong quickly filled Li Bai's glass with wine, his face full of smiles of reunion after a long separation.

(End of this chapter)