Feeling a little embarrassed to be scolded by Princess Honghua, Li Qinzai couldn't help but start to reflect on himself.
Yes, it is indeed a bit too much to always catch Tuyuhun to pluck out the wool. Isn’t this a soft persimmon?
But having said that,... soft persimmons are delicious.
"Your Highness, forgive me. It's all a misunderstanding. The main reason is that Tuyuhun is so close..." Li Qinzai defended sincerely.
Princess Honghua was furious: "You deserve to be robbed because you are so close?"
Li Qinzai was silent. No matter in terms of geographical location or labor cost, he really deserved to be robbed because he was so close. This should be the consensus of the simple and kind-hearted people for thousands of years, right?
Rabbits don’t eat grass beside their nests. The problem is that the general public are not rabbits.
"His Royal Highness has just arrived in Liangzhou. Please go to the Governor's Mansion to rest. Your Highness will hold a banquet for His Royal Highness the Princess to cleanse herself from the dust."
Princess Honghua snorted and walked inside, muttering dissatisfiedly: "...I haven't returned to Chang'an for more than 20 years. How did the children of Chang'an become like this?"
Li Qinzai followed her and hurriedly defended the bastards in Chang'an: "Your Highness, I am the only one who has become like this."
"Shut up!"
…………
Princess Honghua has been married to Nuobo Khan for more than 20 years. Strictly speaking, her position is on the side of Tuyuhun.
This is also the reason why Nuobo Khan sent her as his envoy today.
Therefore, Princess Honghua accused Li Qinzai of plundering Tuyuhun when they met today. In previous years, when Tuyuhun robbed the border residents of the Tang Dynasty, she did not hear her condemn her husband.
It is understandable that a daughter who is married will only speak from the perspective of her husband's family. If the couple had always stood for the Tang Dynasty for more than 20 years, the princess would probably not live to this age.
Entering the governor's office, Princess Honghua sat in the first place, accompanied by Li Qinzai, followed by Pei Shen.
Pei Shen's face was still a bit gloomy. The burning of his official warehouse had a great impact on his career. Kuai Ma has returned to Beijing to report, and the court's punishment has not yet come down. Whether the governor can continue to do so depends on whether his horoscope is a coincidence or not.
What a coincidence.
The border town was barren, and there was no singing and dancing entertainment at the banquet in the Governor's Mansion, and the food and wine were rather simple.
Princess Honghua probably got used to grilling meat in Tuyuhun, so she didn't mind it at all. She started eating and drinking after the food and wine were served, showing a sense of heroism in every move she made.
Among the princesses of the Tang Dynasty, this one took the path of great openness and great harmony.
Li Qinzai stood up and toasted a glass of wine. Princess Honghua held the barbecue in one hand and the wine cup in the other. She laughed boldly twice and took a deep breath.
Li Qinzai had an illusion in a trance, feeling that he had arrived at the Liangshan Heroes Gathering Hall. The person in front of him was not Princess Honghua, but brother Honghua.
In addition, Tuyuhun robbed Datang, and Li Qinzai also robbed Tuyuhun. Everyone had done business without capital, and the name of Juyi Hall was well deserved.
So, Tubo is Fangla? Next, it’s time to discuss conquering Fangla?
"The emperor sent you as an envoy. Since you have arrived in Liangzhou, why haven't you come to Tuyuhun to mediate?" Princess Honghua asked straight to the point.
"On the way to Liangzhou from Xiaguan, I occasionally felt the wind and cold and couldn't bear the trek..." Li Qinzai stroked his forehead with one hand and raised his orchid fingers with the other hand, making a weak pose.
Princess Honghua narrowed her eyes and sneered: "I drank the wine just now so generously that I didn't even feel like I was feeling cold at all."
"...return to the light."
"Okay, let's get straight to the point, why are you delaying?"
Li Qinzai sighed: "Your Highness, the time has not yet come for me to go on an envoy."
"What time are you waiting for?" Princess Honghua was a little angry: "Most of Tuyuhun has fallen into the hands of Tibet. If we delay for a few more days, the country will be destroyed. Nuohebo Khan has been waiting for reinforcements from the Tang Dynasty, but reinforcements If they don’t come, and the envoys won’t come either, does the emperor want to watch me Tuyuhun destroy the country?”
"If Tuyuhun was in the hands of Tubo, what would be the benefit to the Tang Dynasty?"
Li Qinzai said in a deep voice: "Your Highness must know that this year there is a drought in the north of the Tang Dynasty and the grain harvest is poor. The King's Army has no food to support it and cannot withstand a war. If Tuyuhun wants the Tang Dynasty to send troops, can you provide the King's Army with food and grass?"
Princess Honghua paused, and her face suddenly turned red.
Tuyuhun was not a grain-producing land in the first place. Now that two-thirds of the country has fallen, it is already very difficult to support the country's army. Where can we find the extra grain and grass to provide the Tang army?
Seeing that Princess Honghua was speechless, Li Qinzai looked at her with sympathetic eyes.
We are all poor friends. If you don’t have something, why do you think I have it?
Hmm? There seems to be some ambiguity...
After a while, Princess Honghua said again: "But you should at least go to Tuyuhun to mediate. The emperor has appointed you as his envoy. Is this how you deal with your errands?"
Li Qinzai frowned: "Your Highness is teaching me how to do things?"
Princess Honghua was stunned for a moment, and then she shouted: "How brave! How dare you be so rude to me!"
Li Qinzai said tit for tat: "Your Highness is now the envoy of Tuyuhun, and I am the envoy of the Tang Dynasty. Did I say something wrong?"
"I am the Princess of the Tang Dynasty!"
"You are the wife of Nokhbo Khan!"
Princess Honghua sat down heavily and tears suddenly fell from her eyes: "More than 20 years ago, the late Emperor Taizong said personally when he sent me to get married, I will always be the Princess of the Tang Dynasty and his daughter."
Li Qinzai softened his tone and said in a low voice: "Since you are the princess of the Tang Dynasty, can Your Highness look at this matter from the standpoint of the Tang Dynasty? Can the war between the two countries be mediated and when? The emperor has his own arrangements, and I will do it for you. Everything must be in the interests of Datang."
"What about Tuyuhun?"
Li Qinzai smiled: "What can Tuyuhun give Datang?"
"Isn't it enough to guard the northwest for the Tang Dynasty and contain Tibet?"
Li Qinzai said leisurely: "Datang can do this himself."
Princess Honghua was shocked and stood up again.
This sentence contains a lot of information, and the implicit meaning is that the Tang Dynasty could take Tuyuhun over and make it its own territory.
"You, you...is this your intention or the emperor's intention?" Princess Honghua asked in surprise.
"Haha, don't be surprised, Your Highness. What I mean is that Datang needs to benefit, and there is no reason why countries should help each other for no reason."
Princess Honghua narrowed her eyes and said coldly: "What do you want?"
"I need a reason why a teacher should be famous, and the title that Datang should have."
"Tuyuhun has always regarded the Tang Dynasty as its suzerainty. Isn't this title enough?"
Li Qinzai was silent for a long time and said slowly: "If the Tang Dynasty made Tuyuhun a fiefdom for the Khan Nuohebo, all the previous khans would have to accept the canonization of the Tang Dynasty. I wonder if Your Highness can accept it?"
Princess Honghua smacked it, and then got angry: "So that's what you had in mind!"
Turning into a fiefdom and a vassal state are completely different in nature.
A vassal state has autonomy, a country name, and monarchs and ministers, but the fiefdom is, to put it bluntly, part of the Tang Dynasty. Like the fiefdom of the vassal king, it must accept the canonization and rule of the Chang'an court, including military, administrative, taxation and other powers.
It must be handed over to Chang'an.
In a word, the Tang Dynasty wanted to swallow Tuyuhun in one gulp.