Cold air howls in the north, and the cold wave rushing down from high latitudes turns into large cumulonimbus clouds when it reaches the warm Guanzhong.
In front of the Manna Hall, a few drops of rain fell. Good rain knows the season, which is good news for spring plowing.
Eunuch Wang said with a smile on his face, "Did Zhang Shangshu throw something away?"
Zhang Yang frowned and looked at the ground, then looked back, "It's nothing, I'll go back first."
The prince bowed and saluted.
Along the way, Zhang Yang looked back from time to time.
This made the prince look at his shoes in confusion, and he was very curious. What were he looking at? There was obviously nothing else on the boots.
After negotiating the terms with the emperor, the next step will be much easier.
At least insure against future risks first.
Zhang Yang walked to the gift department and wanted to take home a small oil-paper umbrella. This umbrella was made by his wife herself.
Li Baiyao stood in front of the etiquette department, looked at the rain all over the sky and whispered: "At first I thought the time had not come yet, but now that Your Majesty is going to rebuild Lingyan Pavilion, it will only be a matter of time before the Western Regions are pacified."
Zhang Yang nodded and said: "Yes, the situation is very good."
Li Baiyao frowned and said: "Zhang Shangshu doesn't think there are more voices recently asking His Majesty to go to Mount Tai to enshrine Zen?"
"Have it?"
"Zhang Shangshu doesn't usually make friends, and he doesn't come around the government and the public, so he hears less."
The rain fell again, and Li Baiyao whispered: "Four years ago, there was a great victory at Yinshan. In the second year, someone in the court persuaded His Majesty to grant the title of Zen to Mount Tai. At that time, the Hexi Corridor had not yet been recovered, and the Western Region had not yet been stabilized."
"At first, His Majesty sternly refused. His Majesty believed that his merits were not enough to be enshrined in Mount Tai. However, as more and more people came forward, many people could see that His Majesty was shaken. Later, His Majesty had no intention of going to Mount Tai and would no longer allow him to go to Mount Tai.
People mentioned the matter of Mount Tai being enshrined in Zen."
For the emperor, it was a great honor to be enshrined in Mount Tai.
Li Shimin took advantage of this vanity and did not rush to Mount Tai to become a Buddhist monk, which instead brought him better positive reviews.
I don't care about these false reputations, and I deserve recognition for being dedicated to political affairs and working diligently.
The emperor also had a temper, Li Shimin was not Li Jiancheng.
The aristocratic families and those nobles wanted to emphasize the importance of establishing a long-term heir to the throne. At that time, there were many noble families standing behind Li Jiancheng.
They did not appreciate Li Shimin who held military power.
No one thought that General Tiance, who controlled the world's soldiers and horses, would attack Xuanwu Sect.
Afterwards, the gentry's curses on Li Shimin were overwhelming.
Even now, even though Li Shimin has won a great victory in Yinshan, captured Jieli Khan, and pacified the north, these wealthy nobles still have some complaints about Tian Khan.
Now Li Shimin wanted to control the aristocratic families and institute imperial examinations, which also aroused resistance from the aristocratic families.
This time the emperor and the Qinghe Cui family took charge, and the first to bear the brunt was the Qinghe Cui family, a noble family that had been based in the Central Plains for seven hundred years.
Li Baiyao sighed: "Will your Majesty go to Mount Tai to enshrine Zen this time?"
Zhang Yang nodded and said: "His thoughts... who knows."
Holding an umbrella, Zhang Yang stepped into the rain.
In the Manlu Palace, Queen Changsun held a bowl of bitter tea to dispel fire and put it aside, "I heard from people in the palace that Zhang Yang came to see His Majesty again?"
Li Shimin took the bitter tea and took a sip, "For those envoys, he needs to ask me what I want."
The medicinal materials used to dispel fire are very bitter, especially the lotus seed core.
After finishing the bowl of tea in one breath, Li Shimin picked up another piece of brown sugar and put it in his mouth, "Zhang Yang, this kid, always negotiates terms with me."
Empress Changsun frowned and said, "Your Majesty, have you agreed to his conditions?"
Li Shimin nodded slightly, "So what if I don't agree? If you talk to this guy about the future or the promise, he won't believe it. He will believe in the written evidence and negotiate terms with me. Both I and his monarch will benefit from this.
Only then can he feel at ease.”
Empress Changsun helped organize the memorials scattered on the table. The number of memorials that needed to be reviewed was increasing year by year.
Most of the time, the maids and eunuchs here, or His Majesty's servants, take care of it.
Sometimes the maids and eunuchs don't know what kind of memorial should be placed where.
But the queen can find which memorials require your majesty's timely approval.
Seeing the queen handing the tea bowl to the maid on the side, Li Shimin said again: "It's okay if this kid can handle the matter well. If he can't handle the matter well, I will punish him severely."
The maid stood aside and listened quietly to these words. From the beginning to the end, Queen Changsun never asked about the conditions reached by His Majesty and Zhang Yang.
Nor would he ask what His Majesty asked Zhang Yang to do.
His Majesty will take the initiative to say so.
As long as Your Majesty doesn't say anything, the Queen will not interfere with political affairs.
It rained for half of February, and it didn't stop until March.
Xu Jingzong and Zhang Xiangxiang were standing outside Chang'an City with a carriage of books.
First, he opened the box and looked at the books inside. Zhang Elephant frowned and said, "Are these all Buddhist scriptures?"
Xu Jingzong nodded and said: "Yes, our minister arranged it."
At present, the central government has begun to restrict the development of Buddhism. The Sui Dynasty disrupted the Tang Dynasty and its population was declining.
Buddhism was not involved in production, and it was not conducive to the development of population in the Tang Dynasty.
Many temples around Chang'an City were also demolished, and the famous monk Bopo even left Chang'an City and fled Tongguan.
Zhang Elephant asked suspiciously: "Does Shangshu want Buddhism to flourish in Japan?"
Xu Jingzong smiled and said: "These scriptures are quite good."
Several envoys from the Japanese Kingdom came out of Chang'an City. Xu Jingzong bowed slightly and said, "The books in this carriage will be handed over to you."
The Japanese envoy saluted very politely.
Xu Jingzong patted him on the shoulder and said: "We in the Central Plains have always appreciated people with lofty ideals. As far as we know in the Foreign Affairs Commission, your royal family, the Suwo family, has given a lot of power to the left and right ministers. In the eyes of this official, this is not a big deal."
A good thing."
The leader of the envoy this time was Nakatomi Kamazu's son. The Soga royal family gave their family the surname Fujiwara. It was a great honor for them to give the surname to the royal family.
Fujiwara whispered: "I wonder if Mr. Xu has any advice that he can tell me."
Xu Jingzong smiled and said: "It is not a good thing to be subordinate to others for a long time. You can use this scripture to recruit more disciples to fight for the interests of your family. As for the left and right ministers, you can also replace them."
"I hope that next time I see you again, you will have a higher status. Otherwise, it will not be you who sends envoys in the future, and you will eventually be forgotten."
Fujiwara's eyes flashed with determination, "I will definitely keep this in mind."
Xu Jingzong added: "It's a pity that I didn't win the title of country for you this time. Our Diplomatic Academy prefers to deal with acquaintances. If you come to the Tang Dynasty next time and go back with the title of country given by Tian Khan, it will be
It's a great honor, I hope you will think about it more on your way back."
Fujiwara was silent for a long time and asked, "Can you take the rest of the tribe back this time?"
"Did the messenger mean the crazy monk?"
"Our people tried to persuade him, but he was crazy and refused to leave."
Xu Jingzong sighed: "Then let him stay in Chang'an City. As for the national title, we will discuss it next time. We hope to see more sincerity when he comes to Datang in the future."
Zhang Daxiang could think of a rough idea of what Xu Jingzong meant by sincerity.
The Japanese envoy left with the scriptures, and Xu Jingzong said goodbye with a smile.
Zhang Elephant whispered: "Would it be too much if we do this?"
Xu Jingzong said with a smile on his face, "Everything is for a long-term plan, and we will plan for it slowly."
There are so many people in the Diplomatic Academy, but Zhang Xiangxiang is a gentleman and a loyal and kind person.
It is said that Zhang Gongjin was a strategist. He had worked for various heroes until he served under Li Shimin. As a strategist, he had plotted against many people and had become a master of conspiracy.
At that time, he fought against the powerful and suppressed the rebels in various states.
Later, he was recommended by Yu Chigong and Li Ji.
Then he mobilized the Xuanwu Clan to express his determination for His Majesty, and then advocated farming and conquering the Turks.
Zhang Gongjin is a counselor worthy of admiration.
When I was still in the Prince of Qin's Mansion, I often heard that Zhang Gongjin was not easy to make friends with. He spent most of his time alone in the Prince of Qin's Mansion, talking to His Majesty and formulating strategies.
Not all people who are good at strategy are good people.
Make decisions based on the situation, and many people died under Zhang Gongjin's strategy.
Fortunately, this person is seriously ill and can only stay in Lishan for a long time. Otherwise, the situation in the court and the Zhongshu Province will only change again, and Zhang Gongjin can even beat Changsun Wuji.
For such a person, Zhang Gongjin's three sons seem to be kind people.
No matter it is Xiang, Dasu or Daan, they are all loyal, honest and diligent people when it comes to raising their children.
Except for Zhang Yang who seems to have inherited Zhang Gongjin's mantle, it seems that these three sons are not qualified to be counselors.
There are too many people scheming in life. Perhaps Zhang Gongjin is too tired. He also hopes that his descendants can be so loyal. After all, the world is peaceful and there is no need for people's calculations.
Zhang Elephant frowned and said: "These envoys are so submissive and humble, why does Zhang Shangshu treat them like this?"
Xu Jingzong smiled helplessly. Do you think this is too much? In fact, this is just the beginning.
After all, he is still a loyal and kind person. Xu Jingzong said with a smile: "I haven't eaten any food yet. I almost vomited after eating mutton recently. When I burp, it smells like mutton."
Zhang Elephant said: "Eat some braised pork."
Xu Jingzong was worried, "The braised pork is too greasy. Is there any beef?"
Zhang Elephant snorted coldly, "You have a beautiful idea."
The two of them were worrying about food. A man from the Western Regions had been squatting by the city gate. He turned his back and took out a scimitar. He saw the right moment and rushed towards Xu Jingzong.
While he was distracted, Xu Jingzong saw the other party rushing towards him.
The edge of the knife was getting closer and closer, and an arrow was shot from the direction of the city gate. In an instant, the Western Region man was hit by an arrow in his shoulder, and the scimitar in his hand fell to the ground.
As soon as blood started to appear in the scene, there were screams from all around, and the guards in front of the city gate rushed up and pushed the Westerner to the ground.
Xu Jingzong was petrified on the spot, who would have thought that someone would come to assassinate him.
Su Dingfang came up with a bow, "I noticed that this man was acting suspiciously at that time, but I didn't expect that he would dare to commit murder on the street."
After coming back to his senses, Xu Jingzong cupped his hands and thanked him, "General Su, for your life-saving grace, I would like to lower my rank..."
Su Dingfang interrupted: "It's my responsibility, not enough to thank you."
Zhang Xiangxiang asked in confusion: "Why would someone come to Chang'an City to assassinate us?"
Su Dingfang picked up the scimitar on the ground: "This is a unique weapon from the Western Regions. It's not pleasant to be cut by this thing. Naturally, some people will hold grudges when the Tang Dynasty regains the Western Regions. It's not surprising that there will be assassinations."
Seeing that the soldiers were about to take away the assassin, Xu Jingzong stepped forward and said, "Can I ask you a few words?"
Su Dingfang stopped and said, "Just ask."
This Westerner has scars on his face and a mark on his side.
Zhang Elephant hesitated and said: "This is the mark of a slave. Unlike the Gaochang people, this mark is used by Persians. His appearance does not look like a Persian. It is rare for a person from the Western Regions to have the mark of a Persian slave."
Su Dingfang didn't care about the identity of this assassin. He dared to assassinate the minister of court. In his eyes, he was already a dead man.
Xu Jingzong shouted and asked: "Why did you assassinate me?"
The other party spoke in Western dialect for a long time.
Others may not be able to understand the Western dialect, but Xu Jingzong learned one or two sentences from his daily interactions with people. Although he understood everything, he could understand the word Yanyan.
Are you here for Anyanyan?
A man with the nine surnames of Zhaowu disappeared inexplicably in Chang'an City. The officials did not know the reason and thought he had left.
If the people from the Western Regions who followed Anyanyan knew about it, they would definitely take action to protect the Khan's envoy.
Su Dingfang asked the soldiers to take the man away.
Xu Jingzong was still very nervous. This time he was really frightened.
In the end, the two of them decided to have a meal at the Diplomatic Academy. The food here was a bit sparse, but they could rest assured and not worry about being poisoned.
The assassin was sent to Dali Temple and imprisoned, awaiting disposal.
A man from the Western Regions who came to assassinate him caused quite a disturbance in Chang'an City.
Some people say this is the result of the Foreign Affairs Council's long-term toughness.
There are also people from the Western Regions who are dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty's construction of the Anxi Protectorate.
There were many people talking, and Xu Jingzong stood at the door of Dali Temple for a long time.
Sun Fujia hurriedly walked out, bringing a young man with him.
The man bowed to Sun Fujia and then left.
Xu Jingzong asked curiously: "Who is this person?"
"He is from Luoyang, a literati, and came to take the imperial examination this year. But do you still remember that at the beginning of the year, there was a person who had a fight with the Tubo envoy? Or was it sent by someone from your Diplomatic Academy? In my heart, the Tubo envoy also left, and the other party did not care. This
Just let it go, don't delay other people's future."
Xu Jingzong looked at Wang Xuance's back and said, "This man looks like a warrior."
Sun Fujia explained: "A literati always has a martial spirit to be heroic and a good man."
At that time, envoys from various countries also came to the Tang Dynasty. They were so busy year after year that they forgot about this matter.
Xu Jingzong asked in a low voice: "What happened to the people from the Western Regions who came to assassinate them?"
"I don't understand the words of this Westerner. I'll find someone who understands the Westerner for interrogation in the future."
Xu Jingzong cupped his hands and said, "Young Master, I'm tired."
Sun Fujia nodded, "If there are any results in the future, let me inform Mr. Xu."
The little bear is always very lively on sunny days. He doesn't like rainy days and becomes listless when it rains.
Li Yue planted a few flowers in the yard and asked curiously: "What are you writing about, husband?"