Even though the emperor's words were stern, they contained a very strong warning, but he had been an official in the court for a long time, so how could he not know that the emperor said these face to face, out of love for his subjects.
Otherwise, with the dignity of the emperor, I wouldn’t have the trouble to say anything to you. If you do the right thing, you will be rewarded. This is already a very fair move.
And if you fail to figure out the emperor's intentions and mess up the matter, you are destined to be punished.
These are the rules that everyone in the officialdom knows well.
Now the emperor has said a little more, so that you can clearly understand what you should do and what you should not do. It is an extralegal favor. As a minister, he must understand this. Those who are ignorant will not be favored by fate.
.
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"Your Majesty, don't worry, I will definitely clear the house servant's name."
Li Po smiled and sneered at this guy's small-mindedness, "Fang Qiao's innocence does not need to be repaid by you. He is a man I can trust...I have ordered that anyone involved in this incident be beheaded and their families will be exiled to the East China Sea."
Changsun Wuji agreed and left the Tai Chi Hall without saying a word.
On the way back to Dali Temple, Changsun Wuji thought about Fang Qiao in his heart. When he was in Prince Qin's palace, this person had gained Li Erlang's trust, and everyone praised him for his good deeds.
Now in the new dynasty, this man is still so favored. How did he do it?
Similar to Chu Suiliang, Changsun Wuji also had similar questions.
Thinking of this, Changsun Wuji felt a burst of envy and jealousy.
The main reason is that the emperor didn't treat him well, well, at least in terms of attitude. He was able to be promoted to the minister of Dali Temple in just a few years. Apart from coincidence, the emperor could and was willing to use him.
Talent is also a very important reason.
But compared with Fang Qiao, his official rank was higher, but in the emperor's heart, two eldest grandsons were not as good as one Fang Qiao, and people were afraid of comparison. In comparison, eldest grandson Wuji felt very heartbroken.
…………
Li Po immediately put the matter behind him. In a few days, Jinke will be released.
Although I was a little disgusted, generally speaking, the imperial examination was very successful. From last autumn, scholars from all over the country came to Beijing one after another. By the beginning of this summer, the imperial examination in Beijing ended.
Everything went smoothly, which shows that the imperial court arranged it properly. As long as it happens two or three more times, the entire imperial examination system will be completely established and become an effective talent selection system.
The people in the Ministry of Etiquette were still grading the papers at this moment. No one dared to relax at the critical moment. The offices of the Ministry of Etiquette were brightly lit all night long. There were more than 7,000 people who had written papers. If they wanted to judge the papers, it would take a lot of effort to light a lamp and boil oil.
Normal operation.
It was getting late, and dinner time had long passed. If Changsun Wuji hadn't been delayed by the eucalyptus in his hand, he wouldn't have gone to Tai Chi Hall to meet him at this time.
Li Po didn't stay in the Tai Chi Hall too much. Working overtime is not good for your health, especially if it causes hair loss. People who are emperors definitely don't like to work overtime, and Li Po is no exception.
After leaving the Tai Chi Hall, he ordered someone to prepare soup and water and send it to the Ministry of Etiquette. It was considered as the emperor's compassion for his ministers and to win the hearts of his ministers. Nothing could be better than this.
There will be no imperial examination this year because the alliance is about to take place. At this time, Li Po will no longer waste energy on finishing the imperial examination.
…………
In May, the exchanges between the Tang Dynasty and the Turks suddenly became more frequent. Envoys from the two countries traveled back and forth between the Turkic royal court and the capital of the Tang Dynasty, exchanging opinions on both sides.
The day before the imperial examination results were released, Ashina Mudan once again came to Chang'an after several years of absence. She brought Li Po greetings from Turkic Khan Ashina Yang Huan and a private letter.
It was handed over by Ashina Peony, and Li Po vaguely sensed the cheap aunt's impatience.
The letter didn't say much, but there was one sentence that was very interesting, "Between you and me, we can have a face-to-face meeting on all major matters, and all small matters can be settled with one word. Why should we follow the behavior of businessmen who compete for every penny?"
Li Po didn't feel any shame, he just laughed it off, it was like a big deal, no matter how careful you were, you couldn't be too careful.
Ashina Yang Huan must have stayed on the grassland for a long time, and his nerves have become much thicker, which is understandable. After all, the Turkic people's IQ and strategy are too profound for them.
Staying with those idiots for a long time may affect your IQ and patience.
Li Po could imagine the tumultuous scene in the Turkic royal court when Ashina Yang Huan convened the Turkic nobles for discussion. Every condition or question raised by the Tang Dynasty would cause meaningless quarrels there.
If it were him, he would probably be depressed and want to kill some people to calm his mood. There has been no tragedy in the royal court yet, and the letter only contained a few complaints, which shows that Ashina Yang Huan's nerves are indeed very resilient.
…………
Li Po had read Ashina Yang Huan's letter but didn't take it seriously. It was normal for everyone to be agitated as the alliance meeting approached.
As before, he held a banquet in Liangyi Hall to entertain Ashina Peony.
The two of them were old acquaintances. When Ashina Mudan came to Nannan and met him for the first time, Ashina Mudan was only in her thirties, and now she is approaching her fifties.
Ashina Peony has never been married and has no children. She only serves her Khan.
But the strange thing is that in the fifth year of Yuanzhen, Li Po got the news that Ashina Mudan was getting married. Needless to say, it must be a political marriage.
It is said that Ashina Mudan married a hero of the Tiele tribe, who is also the leader of the Xue Yantuo tribe, the most powerful of the Tiele tribe, named Yi Nan.
The Xueyantuo tribe is the descendant of the Huns, and later merged with the Turks. After the Turks split, they have been swinging back and forth between the East and West Turks.
When Chuluo Khan ruled the Western Turks, he implemented a very cruel rule over the Tiele tribes. The Tiele tribes rebelled one after another, and some powerful tribes took refuge with Qimin Khan.
Later, Shibi Khan led his troops to conquer the south, and the Tiele tribe was brutally oppressed by the Turks. As a result, many Tiele people moved west to join Shegui Khan.
After the defeat of Shegui Khan, the Eastern and Western Turks weakened at the same time, and the Tiele people became self-reliant. Unfortunately, their tribes were too scattered.
Under the rule of the Turks for many years, the Turks planted a lot of seeds of hatred among the Tiele tribes, making it impossible for them to unite together, so even the most powerful Xueyantuo tribe did not dare to claim the title of Khan.
In the following years, the nobles of the Eastern and Western Turks regained their sanity and stopped attacking each other. The Tiele people returned to their old ways. Some worked for Tongyehu Khan in the Western Regions, and some were worshiped in the Turkic royal court.
The Xueyantuo tribe was a tribe protected by the Western Turks during the reign of Shegui Khan. Now that Tongyehu Khan succeeded to the throne, he moved the Khan tent to Suiyechuan, and its influence on the Xueyantuo tribe in the east has plummeted.
Even though they tried their best to win over, it was a pity that Xueyantuo tribe still irrevocably fell to the Turkic royal court. Ashina Mudan's marriage is one of the evidences.
In fact, the Tang Dynasty also had a lot of contact with the Tiele tribes. The Pugu tribe in the northwest of Lingzhou was scattered along the Hexi Corridor, as well as the Uighur tribes near the west, and the Beyegu tribes further to the west. In fact,
They are all branches of the Tiele tribe.
Qibi Heli, who is currently studying at Chang'an Academy, was born in the Qibi clan among the two surnames of the Xue Yantuo tribe.
In fact, most of the caravans that have been trading with the Tang Dynasty in the past two years include Tiele tribes, and their contacts with the Tang Dynasty are becoming increasingly frequent.
In recent years, both the Turkic royal court in the north and the Tang Dynasty in the south have gradually become more attractive to the Tiele people. The Western Turks, who are recuperating and recuperating, are also using various means to win over them.
The marriage between the Xueyantuo Tribe and the Turkic Royal Court symbolizes the breakthrough progress made by the Turkic Royal Court in this battle without gunpowder.
Some tribes of the Xueyantuo tribe and the Huihe people have been wandering on the south side of the Tianshan Mountains, which is located at the junction of East Asia and Central Asia. It is a very important military node. The Central Plains people like to call this place a battleground for military strategists.
At that time, Shegui Khan had their support, so he was able to successfully lead his troops to the east and directly attacked the Western Khan's headquarters stationed at the foot of the Holy Mountain by the Turkic royal court.
The Tang Dynasty's tentacles could not extend that far. That was the sphere of influence of the Turks, and it was also a place where the Turks could use some diplomatic means.
For hundreds of years, ever since the Rouran people ruled Mobei, there has never been a stop there. It is the only place that grassland tribes must pass to enter the Western Regions.
…………
In the Liangyi Palace, Li Po raised his wine glass and said, "I heard that you are finally married. I haven't said congratulations to you yet. Come on, let me toast you with this glass of wine."
There are not many smart people among the Turks, but you are the smartest among them. It is not easy to work hard for so many years traveling between the two countries."
The praise was replaced by a series of laughter from Ashina Peony. The laughter was still hearty, but people were no longer young, especially the Turkic people who lived in the grassland.
There were already many wrinkles on her face and white hair appeared on her head, but she looked in good health.
"Your Majesty still likes to joke so much. If the Turks were as obedient as cattle and sheep, as timid as rabbits and elk, and as stupid as donkeys, you would be the happiest, right?"
The two of them were bickering, but they both drank a drink in a good mood.
Putting down the wine cup, Li Po asked curiously: "Why didn't your husband come? It is said that he is the master of the Xue Yantuo tribe. Is he afraid that he will never come back after coming to the Tang Dynasty?"
Ashina Peony finally got some anger. Marrying a man in his thirties to a man in his forties is not a story worth telling in Turks.
His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was still so cunning and mean, poking her hard at the painful spot.
"The warriors of Xue Yantuo's tribe have returned to the Golden Wolf banner... Haha, no wonder the Supreme Leader wants to recruit him to the court and keep him in Chang'an."
Li Po found the feeling, laughed and said: "Golden Wolf Flag, those Tiele people have never left the protection of Golden Wolf Flag? I advise you to be more careful.
I won’t find anything strange if a tribe like Xue Yantuo raises the flag of the sun, moon and stars one day.”
