Chapter 378: Neither the monarch nor his ministers are good people
Seeing that the veins on His Majesty's forehead have popped up.
The two guards on the side looked at the young minister, their hands already on the handle of the knife.
Aunt Yang and Aunt Wang stood aside quietly. As long as they dared to draw their swords, the family would be ready to fight the royal family to the death.
Zhang Yang's words continued, "Your Majesty intends to make Lu Chengqing the Secretary of the Ministry of Household Affairs, luring him with the matter of checking the land, and causing him to have conflicts with Lishan. In this way, he wants to make enmity with the people of the five surnames. This time
In the future, the ministers will inevitably face the revenge of the family, and your majesty can channel it. At worst, I will be killed, and maybe the five surnames will admit defeat, but in the eyes of people, your majesty is still the wise Khan. No matter how you calculate, you will not suffer.
of."
Picking up the tea on the table, Zhang Yang said slowly: "Your Majesty said that I am an unscrupulous person, but what about Your Majesty? Your Majesty is always wise, and the methods he uses behind the scenes are no less than those of his ministers."
The dialogue between the monarch, his ministers, his father-in-law and his son-in-law is like the tip of a needle against the awn of wheat.
Li Xiaogong lifted the skirt of his clothes, and cold sweat broke out on his back. If it hadn't been for hearing this today, he would have known that so many things had happened between Zhang Yang and His Majesty.
And there is also a feeling of tearing one's face.
Are their conversations always so exciting?
Feeling uneasy in his heart, Li Xiaogong wanted to pretend to be drunk and drink it by pouring it into the lake, but what he drank instead was tea.
After finishing speaking, the emperor fell silent again.
He looked at his daughter and then at his son-in-law, "Do you believe me if I say I've never thought about it this way?"
Zhang Yang nodded, "Of course I believe it."
"You took Zhang Gongjin as your teacher, what did he teach you?"
"Your Majesty, I have taught you everything the teacher can teach you."
Smiling bitterly, Li Shimin shook his head and said, "He taught a good disciple."
Zhang Yang held up the teacup and said, "I will relay this to the teacher."
Li Shimin said in a deep voice: "The attack logic this time is all your arrangement. If you want to say anything, just say it. I will give it to you."
"The wood and stone materials needed for the construction of the new home in Lishan should be provided by the Ministry of Industry."
"Should it be provided by the Ministry of Industry? How much stone and wood are needed? You have demolished the Lishan Palace, so the stone and wood needed can be used to build another palace for me!"
"If Your Majesty doesn't give it, I won't force it."
"I give it!" Li Shimin gritted his teeth and said two words.
"Also, can the craftsmen that I promised before be given to Lishan? His Majesty has been delaying what he promised last year for so long."
"Okay! I'll give it to you."
Zhang Yang stood up with a smile and saluted, "One more thing. There is a wave of envoys from Tibet coming to Chang'an. Can this matter be left to the Ministry of Rites with full authority?"
Li Shimin nodded and said: "This is a matter of the Ministry of Rites, but I have to arrange for people to observe the specific discussion."
"Leave it to His Majesty's arrangement."
He wanted to say something more, but he couldn't say it at the moment. Li Shimin shook his head and sighed before leaving.
After the emperor left with his people, the family heaved a sigh of relief.
Seeing that Li Xiaogong was still sitting, Zhang Yang asked in confusion: "Do you think our Majesty has any psychological problems?"
Li Xiaogong hesitated and said: "I don't understand what psychological problems mean. Now I feel that Your Majesty is not a good person, and you are not a good person either."
A mouthful of tea stuck in his throat, Zhang Yang kept coughing, "I am a good person."
Li Xiaogong shook his head and said: "If your Majesty really wants you to die without a burial place, you must call me."
"Are you here to burn paper money for me?"
"You are still young. I died for you, but I left my whole family to your care."
Feeling the force of Li Xiaogong's pat on his shoulder, he muttered to himself as he walked: "Poor child."
The atmosphere was a little heavy for a moment. Looking at Li Xiaogong's back, Zhang Yang felt that this figure was much taller for some reason.
Thinking carefully about what he said to Li Shimin, maybe he felt that one day the emperor would really chop off his head.
Feeling the severe pain in his waist, Zhang Yang took a breath and endured the pain, "Daughter-in-law, what are you doing?"
Li Yue twisted it twice, then beat her hard with her fists. As if she had finished venting her anger, she whispered: "It's fine now, it's nothing."
I thought to myself, what is it about this that makes my wife unhappy?
Feed the remaining bun on the plate to the little bear.
Li Yue tidied up the house and put Xiao Wu into old clothes. "My husband has tidied up everything."
Zhang Yang looked at the sky and said, "As long as it doesn't rain, no one should stop us from building a new home."
Another three days of peaceful life passed. This time Li Shimin was very generous and asked the Ministry of Industry to supply Lishan with all the wood and stone needed to build a new home.
Yan Liben came with a group of craftsmen, including a blacksmith.
There were not many people who could make a living as blacksmiths in the Tang Dynasty. To Yan Liben, taking out three blacksmiths was like cutting meat from the work department, leaving one less one.
Taking the list handed over by Zhang Yang, Yan Liben said in surprise: "You want so many?"
Zhang Yang grinned and said, "That's what I promised."
Yan Liben frowned and said: "Your Majesty is giving Zhang Shangshu the stone and wood to build a new home. According to the quantity listed by Zhang Shangshu, these are enough to build a city."
First he cleared his throat, Zhang Yang said without blushing, "This is for building a new home. My new home is very big, eh! Yes, it's very big."
Since His Majesty agreed, Yan Liben could not say anything more. He added: "These craftsmen are all good builders. I hope Zhang Shangshu will treat them well."
"We must be sure that we at Lishan can give them twice the wages they originally received from the Ministry of Industry." Zhang Yang smiled and saw a familiar face in the team of craftsmen, "Huh? Master Jiang, I haven't seen you for a long time, how can you go to work?"
It’s all mixed up.”
Master Jiang, whose beard and hair were half white, looked suspiciously at the young man in front of him who was chatting and laughing with the Minister of Industry. For a moment, he couldn't remember where he had seen him before, so he followed Niu Chuang into the village.
Anyway, His Majesty agreed. Besides, these stones have been mined by people who have committed crimes and are doing hard labor, so it is nothing to give to Zhang Yang.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! There are more important things for him. Yan Liben accepted this list and said, "When I first met you, you were still a young boy, but now you are on an equal footing with me."
Xu Jingzong came with people from the Ministry of Rites to greet him.
Since the middle of winter last year, this is the second time we have received Tibetan envoys.
First, they were led into the Foreign Affairs Academy. Zhang Elephant asked in confusion: "Isn't Zhang Shangshu here yet?"
Xu Jingzong packed up the eucalyptus papers and explained: "I said I would come in a while."
People were coming in and out of the Diplomatic Academy. Zhang Dashu first asked these Tibetan people to sit down and drink tea to keep warm. "It is easy to catch a cold after being exposed to the rain at this time of year. We will rest for now and we can start talking when our minister comes."
After half a stick of incense had passed, Zhang Yang walked into the Diplomatic Courtyard carrying a vegetable basket, "I just spent some time shopping for vegetables in the East Market."
Xu Jingzong quickly took the vegetable basket and said, "Everyone has arrived."
Zhang Yang brushed off the water droplets on his clothes, took off his still wet coat and dried it by the stove, tidied up his bun and sat down again, "I don't know when the rain will stop."
Just as the conversation was about to begin, Li Chengqian and Fang Xuanling also arrived. The Secretary of State did not need to participate in the conversation between Tubo and the Foreign Affairs Council, but he still needed to intervene.
Li Shimin is not 100% assured of the Foreign Affairs Council.
"Prime Minister, His Royal Highness, please take a seat here." Zhang Yang invited.
"The Prime Minister should sit down first, and I can just stand and listen."
Seeing how humble and courteous the prince was, Fang Xuanling found it hard to refuse.
Zhang Yang looked around first and said, "Everyone who should be here is here, let's get started first."
Under the arrangement of several civil servants, these Tubo people sat in a neat row. The leader said: "I wonder if the Tang Dynasty can let our Tibetan Prime Minister go first."
He was fluent in Guanzhong dialect, and the people specially arranged by Songtsen Gampo paid great attention to this negotiation.
Zhang Yang opened his mouth and said: "Let's not talk about Lu Dongzan for now, but I would like to ask you where Tubo Zanpu is."
"If the Prime Minister could be released, Zanpu would sing praises to the wise Khan of Heaven."
It feels very uncomfortable when you say something east and I say something west.
It was originally a tentative question. These people would definitely not tell the whereabouts of Songtsen Gampo. The last military report said that Niu Jinda and Li Daliang's men had almost crossed the West Sea and Hehuang. Judging from the date in the letter,
Now they have entered the plateau area.
There may be changes when the next military report comes.
It was not because of the backward information. Li Shimin and the generals in the DPRK were in high fighting spirit and were pursuing victory. At this time, they could not be dissuaded at all.
Zhang Yang sat cross-legged with his hands folded, "First of all, Lu Dongzan was imprisoned in Chang'an City because he bumped into His Highness the King of Wei. Other envoys in the official post can testify to this."
The Tubo people heard this and did not refute.
Zhang Yang said again: "Lu Dongzan let go and burned the official post because he confessed on his own. That's why we took him to the dungeon. Don't you object to this?"
These Tubo people still looked apologetic and had no objections.
Zhang Yang continued: "Even the prime minister of Tubo must be dealt with in Chang'an according to the rules of Chang'an City. You can let us release him if you want, but you need to pay a fine."
Halfway through his words, Zhang Yang looked at Xu Jingzong and asked, "Are all the treasures that Lu Dongzan had seized before still there?"
Xu Jingzong explained: "They are all still there."
"In that case, the treasures will be handed over to the court as fines. The burning of the post will be avoided for the time being. Lao Xu, please tell the Ministry of Punishment to release him."
"Here."
Zhang Yang was waving his fan and thinking in his mind. It seemed that these Tubo people would not say much unless Lu Dongzan showed up.
It was very quiet inside the Diplomatic Academy. The rain outside was a lot heavier and you could hear the sound of rain hitting the roof.
Not long after, Xu Jingzong and three officials from the Ministry of Justice came with Lu Dongzan in custody.
Seeing Lu Dongzan, these Tubo people gathered around him. They talked in Tubo dialect and even wiped their tears.
Li Chengqian asked in a low voice: "Is it appropriate to release Lu Dongzan?"
Zhang Yang said with a smile: "Your Highness, please forgive him if you have to, but if you don't let him go, how can we, the Ministry of Rites, exploit him?"
"Exploitation?"
"Ouch... cough." Zhang Yang cleared his throat and changed his words: "It's a negotiation. Lu Dongzan is the Prime Minister of Tubo. It is most appropriate for him to represent Tubo. We also need such a person."
Li Chengqian nodded slightly and asked no more questions.
The Tubo language was very jerky and difficult to understand, so Zhang Yang whispered: "Brother Da Su, what are they talking about?"
Zhang Dashu explained: "They said Songtsen Gampo needed him as the prime minister to go back and stabilize the situation."