"Your Majesty, Qiu Ying, is ordered to pay homage to the Emperor and the Queen!"
"I, Li Yan, have been ordered to pay homage to the Emperor and the Queen!"
The waiter in front stepped aside and stepped aside. Qiu Ying and Li Yan stepped forward to salute.
In history, it was actually still a year or two before the imperial court officially issued an edict honoring Li Zhi as the emperor and Wu Mei as the queen, but people close to him had already begun to call them so.
Li Yan followed Qiu Ying and gained the favor of his cronies.
"No gifts! Give me a seat!"
A man's voice, out of breath, came from the imperial palace: "Silang, you were injured by a traitor. You should take a good rest. Come quickly, are you in any way?"
Qiu Ying was the fourth in the family, and Shiro seemed to be close to him. The words of concern made Qiu Ying's eyes turn red, and he paused and said: "The Holy Heart loves you so much that I will die even if you die. What's the big deal about a minor injury!"
"I know that Shiro is loyal, but his body is fundamental!"
Compared with the aloof person sitting in the imperial palace, Li Zhi spoke very homely, with a caring and gentle feeling: "You must take good care of your health. I am waiting for you to recover and continue to share my worries!"
Qiu Ying was so excited that her whole body trembled, and she hurriedly responded: "Yes! Yes!"
"Ahem!"
Li Zhi coughed slightly: "Sit down!"
At this time, the palace maid had already come out, holding two blankets in her hands, and spread them in front of her.
After Qiu Ying and Li Yan sat down on their knees, Li Zhi continued: "Tell me about Liangzhou in detail."
Qiu Ying began to describe it carefully.
Li Yan listened and found that Qiu Ying did not add credit to his nephew Qiu Shenji, but instead truthfully reported Xiao Ling's daily interrogation of Liniang.
Obviously, for Xiao Ling, who was a Wu Dewei, rebellion and defection was a serious matter, and Qiu Ying did not dare to hide it at all.
The two saints in the royal palace listened quietly and did not ask any questions during the process.
It wasn't until it was discovered that Magistrate Cui was the murderer of the Tibetan ambassador's murder case that the woman's clear cold snort came from the tent.
The sound was like an invisible long knife, swung in the air, causing Qiu Ying to pause subconsciously and his pupils to shrink.
However, apart from snorting coldly, Empress Wu did not say a word from beginning to end.
He talked for half an hour, and when Qiu Ying finished telling all the details, the hall fell silent.
After a while, Li Zhi's feeble voice sounded again: "Gaozu founded the foundation and Taizong started the business. The three generations of my Tang family have been ordered to care about the people and build the empire to enjoy peace. I don't want the crisis in the border state to reach this point.
Tubo has become a serious problem!"
The emperor's tone was heavy.
The Battle of Dafeichuan was the first disastrous defeat of the Tang army since the founding of the People's Republic of China, which shocked both inside and outside the country.
For Li Zhi, who was ambitious and wanted to surpass Taizong's achievements, this was a blow to the head.
In the first year of Zongzhang (668), that is, three years ago, the Tang Dynasty finally destroyed Goguryeo. Li Zhi was very proud at that time.
He completed the great achievements that had not been completed since Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty Yang Jian and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of Tang Dynasty, and expanded the territory of the Tang Dynasty to the extreme.
So what's the cost?
The price was that when the Tang Dynasty was fully attacking Goguryeo, Tubo seized the opportunity and annexed Tuyuhun, greatly increasing its national power.
In the Battle of Dafeichuan, Tubo claimed to have invested more than 400,000 troops, but in fact at least 200,000 of them were Tuyuhun people.
During the Taizong period, Tuyuhun was destroyed by Li Jing, and the Khan was forced to commit suicide. Although the country was re-established later, the Khan was already the dog of the Tang Dynasty, and Li Shimin even married a daughter there to facilitate his control.
As a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, these two hundred thousand Tuyuhun people were supposed to fight for the Tang Dynasty.
Nowadays, the Tubo annexed the Tuyuhun territory and officially became a great power on the plateau, with a powerful influence in the Western Regions. The reputation of the Tang Dynasty was damaged and its influence was far-reaching.
There are many knowledgeable people in the DPRK, so it is not difficult to see that there is a problem with the national strategy. Although he dare not speak out, Li Zhi is also having a very uncomfortable life.
The several murders surrounding the mission in Liangzhou are also a microcosm of the dispute between the two countries.
The county magistrate betrayed the country, the internal guards defected, and a member of a prominent local family was the mastermind behind it.
All this is shocking.
It proves that Datang completely lags behind its opponent in terms of detailed espionage.
Fortunately, in the end, the opponent's conspiracy was finally defeated and the envoys were disgraced, otherwise it would be difficult to end.
After Li Zhi sighed, his eyes looked at Qiu Ying much softer, and he said seriously: "Silang, you have worked tirelessly on this trip, marching westward with your troops, diligently arresting people, discerning the enemy's plot, making great contributions to the country, and being awarded the title of strong general!"
General Zhuangwu is a military official, the fourth rank. This is precisely to match the leader of the inner guard. He will be transferred later to gain real power.
"Thank you Holy Grace!"
Qiu Ying was overjoyed. From now on, he could be called General Qiu. He immediately stood up and started dancing enthusiastically.
When a saint is promoted to your official position, how can you express your deep gratitude without dancing?
Qiu Ying's dance was different from usual, with the dragon's spine on his back and his hands swinging rhythmically.
"You really dare to dance like that..."
Li Yan secretly covered his face.
On the way, he also taught Qiu Ying the Xi'an slow shake and asked him whether it was appropriate or not.
Li Yan considered it a complete chore to dance like this with a family member, but to dance like this in front of the emperor, it was really a bit vain.
Unexpectedly, Qiu Ying would get involved right now.
Qiu Ying had his own considerations. His body had not recovered yet, and he had just been riding a horse all the way. If he did another strenuous activity, he would really not be able to bear it.
This slow shake is actually in line with your physical condition. You just need to add a little more pace and take it easy.
"Huh? Shiro's dance is quite interesting!"
Li Zhi looked at it with a smile in his voice.
There are no prescribed movements in dance. It is mainly about showing enthusiasm. Most of the movements are swinging arms and hips.
Among them, the arms are mainly lifted, thrown and shaken, and some movements are really similar to slow shaking.
Qiu Ying also added a lot of steps to make the overall movements more in line with the style of the times. Once the dance was completed, Li Zhi was quite satisfied. The ministers worked hard to improve the dance, which showed that they really loved him.
Li Yan breathed a sigh of relief, but he felt a little ashamed when he thought that he would really jump like this in the future.
But the next moment, he was stunned.
"You have been tired from traveling and traveling, and I am tired too. See you another day!"
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Because Li Zhi waved his hand, the chamberlain came to guide them again and actually asked them to retreat.
"Your Majesty, ministers, etc..."
Qiu Ying was also startled, but when he saw Li Zhi in the imperial palace, he seemed really tired. Empress Wu supported him beside him, gently stroked his back with her hands, and did not dare to say anything more, and retreated obediently.
He felt strange as he followed the chamberlain and walked outside.
Logically speaking, both his report and Pei Sijian's report were very complimentary to Li Yan, and the credit was clearly stated. Why were the two saints so cold towards Li Yan?
Li Yan also felt baffled. Didn't you just ask me to come back and report, but you just ignored me?
He had no respect for imperial power. Unlike people of this era, if he said a few words to the emperor, he might be so excited that he would go to the emperor. However, as a student of the history department, he was really curious about what Wu Zetian looked like and wanted to talk to him.
Li Zhi chatted for a few words.
None of the results were achieved.
The couple sat behind the curtain, which made it easier for them to observe the foreign ministers. The foreign ministers could not even see their faces, let alone their words and expressions.
It’s so shady!
After leaving the Zichen Palace, Li Yan was stirred by the evening breeze and began to think about accommodation again.
Chang'an is no different from Liangzhou. The curfew is very strict. It's not that there are no activities at night, but it's basically fun within each city.
Now that he leaves the Daming Palace, should he go directly to the Duke Wei's Mansion under the escort of the imperial guards, or should he follow Qiu Ying back to the mansion and spend the night dealing with it?
Just as he was thinking about it, Qiu Ying in front of him paused and looked forward.
A royal chariot appears.
In order to resist the evening wind, the chariot was also tightly surrounded. When he came to the front, the curtain in front was opened, revealing a young man.
He has a sickly face and a thin body, but his eyelashes are black, his eyebrows are slanted into his temples, his facial features are handsome, and he is dressed in a purple robe, giving him an air of nobility.
The fish charm on the waist reflects the brilliance of jade.
The fish charm is equivalent to the waist badge of the Tang Dynasty. It is required to pass in and out of the palace in Chang'an City. Different identities wear different fish charms.
Ordinary officials and palace guards use copper fish charms, princes and princes use gold fish charms, and there is only one person in the world who wears jade fish charms.
Qiu Ying and Li Yan quickly bowed and saluted: "I pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince!"
When the prince spoke, his feeble voice was almost the same: "No need to be polite, I am very curious about things in Liangzhou. Is it inconvenient for Mr. Qiu to be injured?"
Qiu Ying understood, and raised the corner of his mouth slightly: "I am indeed injured. However, Li Wuwei fought throughout the whole battle and made many meritorious deeds. He will report it to His Highness, which is better than me."
The prince looked at Li Yan:
"Then it's Li Wuwei's turn to help."
…
at the same time.
Inside the Zichen Hall.
Li Zhi, who had just regained half his life, sat up again: "What do you think of Li Yuanfang?"
Empress Wu said: "He has an upright appearance and is full of heroic spirit. He is a good boy who values affection and righteousness. You just ignored him and he was very disappointed."
Li Zhi smiled: "At a young age, he is brave and resourceful. The most commendable thing is that just now he didn't resent Qiu Ying for taking away the credit and knew how to repay his kindness."
After taking a breath, Li Zhi praised him very much: "With such a young gentleman, I feel very at ease with the prince."
The superiors are very interesting. It is best for the ministers to be cold-blooded and ruthless. Don't be bound by the family and only serve them.
But if the ministers really did that, they would be afraid. If they are so cold-blooded towards their family members, why should they sincerely serve them?
This kind of contradictory psychology is similar to that of the bosses in later generations who want the horses to run but also not eat grass. They want to take advantage of all the good things.
Li Zhi and Empress Wu could not help but feel the same way. They were extremely satisfied with Li Yan, an anomaly in a family like Li Yan.
But his character must also be tested.
They specifically asked Chai Qing to recruit him. If Li Yan rushed into Beijing alone and left Qiu Ying aside, Li Zhi and Empress Wu would still use him, but their attitude would be different.
At this time, he gave the prince a cold treatment first, and then asked the prince to come forward and gain his loyalty. Li Yuanfang must have been crying with gratitude after his mood went up and down.
…
Next to the emperor's chariot.
Li Yan, who was invited to accompany the prince, had no mood swings, but just wanted to laugh a little.
Start pua when we first meet?
Unsurprisingly, it’s all routine and not sincere at all!
***The author has something to say***
Thanks to book friends "Great Desert 123" and "jmy" for the reward.