Li Yue held the warm teacup in both hands, "Husband, do we have to build a room specifically for casting things in our new home?"
"Yes." Zhang Yang took a sip of tea, "Always have a room, make something for yourself, or repair the furniture at home. This is a man's romance."
Under the starry sky, the couple sat next to each other and talked in low voices.
"Otherwise, I won't use colored glass for doors. I'll settle for the next best thing and use it for windows."
"That's it."
As soon as he agreed, he felt something was wrong. Li Yue raised his fist and hit him, "My husband is teasing me. This is not the second best thing. It's not possible in the first place!"
Zhang Yang enjoyed her weak little fist, with mixed feelings in his heart, and slowly persuaded her in the future.
"The Madman's Diary has caused a lot of discussion in Chang'an City, and they all say that Cui of Qinghe suffered most of his fractures due to the half-year wind." Li Yue frowned, "That Cui Yixuan thought he was ashamed of his ancestors, and tried to commit suicide several times but was stopped.
Come on, his reputation is more important than his life. In order to preserve his integrity for a hundred years, this old gentleman would rather die to make up for all this. It is really pedantic."
They regard reputation as more important than life, and this reputation represents the entire Qinghe family.
Even if he doesn't commit suicide, someone from the aristocratic family will force him to die.
Only in this way can the impact of his actions on the Qinghe family be washed away. What a vicious approach and what a terrible old system.
This is the first contest between Lishan and the Shijia. To be precise, it is the first head-to-head contest.
In the past, both Yushitai and Li Shimin stood on contradictory sides.
Zhang Yang whispered: "It seems that our family will have to face floods and ferocious beasts in the future."
"Well, aunt also said that there will be people who will spare no effort to discredit your husband in the future."
"Ha!" Zhang Yang smiled disdainfully, "They are wrong. I don't care about reputation in the first place. We Lishan fought well in this battle, and our book business in Lishan will be even better in the future."
The name of Lishan has spread throughout the Central Plains, and it is a huge brand.
Having a signboard has many benefits for future business.
Zhang Yang whispered: "No matter how difficult it is, we have overcome it. We were able to live comfortably when we were impoverished. Now we have strength and are the same as before."
"Well, these difficulties are nothing."
Li Yue hugged her husband's arm and asked, "When can the business in Luoyang be closed down?"
Listening to his wife's questions, she was still thinking about the huge profits there. Zhang Yang said melancholy: "The time is not yet ripe. I have already sent someone there first. It is estimated that a lot of money will be sent in the coming year."
"The money in Lishan is not enough for spending, and the money from the Western Turks and Hexi Corridor has not been delivered yet. The family needs to be more frugal."
Zhang Yang was worried, thinking that even though the money at home was enough, he didn’t give me more money to spend. “How much money is there in the yard?”
She pointed to a piece of land and said, "Three hundred silver cakes are buried here, and there are still more than ten silver cakes that have not been weighed. There are still some not too many under our vegetable field, with three or five silver cakes."
I don’t know how many holes she usually dug in the yard and buried three hundred strings...
Zhang Yang sighed: "Thank you for your hard work."
Li Yue pursed her lips and smiled, a little excited, "It's not hard, it's not just for this family."
The child's cry came from the house again, and she had to go back to the house in a hurry.
Zhang Yang drank water and threw the books he had read aside without any interest. They were all written by crazy people.
The appearance of the Madman's Diary in Chang'an City caused quite a stir.
The book spread quickly, and this volume soon spread to Luoyang and Tongguan.
The charm of this book is that it will frighten and alert those who can read it.
People who can't read it think it's just a ridiculous diary.
Wherever there are people, there is hostility. Scholars and scholars are divided into two groups, and there are still many people who support the noble families.
People were divided into two groups, one group chose to continue supporting the family.
One faction chose to side with the DPRK and China, and most of them were poor students.
Conflicts occurred frequently in various parts of Guanzhong, and the emperor was happy to see the results. Anything that was detrimental to the family was a good thing.
The imperial examination will need to be held again next year. The frequency of the imperial examination once a year has greatly inspired people in the Central Plains.
And the conflicts between scholars have become more and more intense.
No matter how fierce the commotion outside is, His Majesty the Tang Dynasty plays the role of easing the conflicts, mediating, and acting as a middleman. The court likes it the most.
After this incident, Cui Yixuan was almost bedridden. As soon as the Madman's Diary came out, the old man's unstable aura completely collapsed. Now he hangs on a mouthful of ginseng soup. Some people say that Zhang Yang is very harmful to people.
To be precise, Zhang Yang did a lot of harm to people.
Now in the Manna Palace, His Majesty and a group of civil and military ministers are preparing to harm the Uighurs in the north.
After the chaos in Mobei in the past few years, the Uighurs took the opportunity to expand and now seem to have become a big country.
Zhang Yang looked at the files sent by the Diplomatic Academy. The Uighurs' sphere of influence stretches from Lake Baikal in the north, to the Western Turks in the west, and extends to the Ergun River in the east, spanning most of Mobei. Compared with
,Xue Yantuo is also just a small country.
The fate of this small northern country is also inextricably related to the Central Plains, because in the former Sui Dynasty, Yang Guang tried to pacify the north, and the Uighurs began to take advantage of the opportunity to grow stronger at that time.
Now the Uighur Khan Tumido is in charge of affairs in the north.
Zhang Yang whispered: "Although the situation in the north is excellent, the food in the west should not be underestimated."
Yuchi Gong said in a deep voice: "We can send more troops to the Anxi Protectorate."
When someone comes and says that there is a demon in the north, and people think that the north is still far away and will not threaten the Central Plains, this kind of arrogance will bring disaster.
The crisis had just emerged. Zhang Yang thought that starting from May of this year, the Foreign Affairs Commission had been in contact with the Great Cannibal, and there was also a Central Asian named Aroben, who had been in Chang'an City along the Silk Road for some time.
Li Shimin looked at the people present and said, "Let's not talk about food for now. Let's discuss the Uighur affairs first, and then talk about the West."
Zhang Yang held the file in his hand and said, "General Li Ji is away at war, and the Foreign Affairs Commission has sent people there."
Changsun Wuji asked doubtfully: "Your envoy from the Ministry of Rites wants to meet the Uighur Khan directly?"
Putting down the file in his hand, Zhang Yang picked up another one, "Of course, but first of all, I do not advocate letting General Li Ji conquer the Uighurs in the north."
As he spoke, he looked at the emperor's face. It was natural that he had to do the work of opening up new territories. Looking at the immediate interests and the emperor's wishes, the Uighurs must also belong to the Tang Dynasty.
Moreover, the Tang Dynasty had been building up its national power for many years, and a small Xue Yantuo was not enough for the army to exert its strength.
"What are you doing at the Foreign Affairs Commission these days?" Zheng Gong suddenly asked.
"I'm busy selling food. Only by selling food can I have money to continue construction." Zhang Yang took out a bunch of memorials from his baggage again, "This is what our Ministry of Rites has collected, and it is also part of the compilation of geography. All the elders have
You can take a look.”
Hearing that he was talking about an elder, Li Shimin nodded slightly. It seemed that he had remembered everything he had said to him before.
A thin booklet is placed in front of you.
Fang Xuanling picked up a volume and read it, frowning and saying, "Have any other officials in the Foreign Affairs Academy read this kind of volume?"
Zhang Yang explained: "Only a few ministers and Minister Cen have seen it. The specific content has been sealed except for sending it to His Majesty."
Li Shimin cleared his throat and said, "I have indeed seen it."
"Xue Yantuo has many minerals?"
"Well, it says it."
Everyone looked at it and were attracted by the several minerals listed in it.
Fang Xuanling said suspiciously: "Where did all this news come from?"
"As you all know, our Diplomatic Academy has nearly two hundred civil servants, including non-staff, and 60% of them are scattered throughout the border areas. Most of them are mainly inquiring about information and checking out the local customs."
"This has been the case in the Foreign Affairs Commission in the past two years. It took many years to get this information. Not only did I inquire with the traders, but I also went to see it on the spot. Of course, the north was only limited to Xueyantuo, and the west was only limited to Persia.
, it is not clear west of Persia.”
"As long as our Datang territory is wide enough, we can deploy more manpower."
The hall fell silent and everyone looked at the pamphlet. Cheng Yaojin, who had been silent all this time, said, "Can Xue Yantuo's mother-in-law herd and raise war horses?"
Realizing that Cheng Yaojin had said nonsense, everyone ignored him.
Cheng Yaojin pointed to the record in the booklet and said, "Old Niu, look at the Uighur wives who are still wearing animal skins. The paintings are so lifelike, with pictures and texts, it's really pleasing to the eye."
Niu Jinda held up the booklet with one hand and covered his face. He felt so embarrassed.
I want to end my relationship with this old man named Cheng.
Zhang Yang took out another memorial and said, "The suggestion of our Ministry of Rites is this. First of all, I helped Yi Nan Khan reset, and then I asked them to pay compensation and spend a total of six months to help him reset all the soldiers, horses, food, and wages."
One hundred thousand guan."
"Wait a minute!" Wei Zheng interrupted: "Six hundred thousand guan! Isn't that too much? They can't take it out."
Changsun Wuji looked serious, "I thought it was too much."
Everyone's thoughts are the same. Money is no longer an issue. The question is whether Xue Yantuo can be brought into the Tang Dynasty, and from what angle can it be justified and make the other party willing.
Zhang Yang explained: "Use copper mines, iron mines, and coal mines to compensate. Before the repayment is complete, all taxes from Xue Yantuo will be returned to the Tang Dynasty, and officials will be sent to settle in Xue Yantuo."
Yuchi Gong asked, "Yi Nan Khan has been restored to power. What if he doesn't give it to me?"
Cheng Yaojin snorted coldly: "Since they have it, how can they miss it? Naturally they want them all. Killing Xue Yantuo is not a big deal. It is enough to give the general three thousand soldiers and horses."
Everyone nodded in agreement with this statement.
Li Shimin listened to everyone's discussion and stared at Zhang Yang. The more he looked at it, the more uncomfortable he became.
It was he who deceived his superiors and kidnapped Xue Yantuo's khan, so that Duomi khan usurped the throne.
Now he acts like a good person to help him recover, and even asks him to pay compensation.
He did all the good and bad things. How could there be such a shameless person in this world? I, the Khan of Heaven, will lose all my face.
Li Shimin drank tea and stared at him. He was afraid that if word spread, he would be laughed at. He really wanted to kill someone and silence him!
Zhang Yang sat down again and said, "This is the plan of our Ministry of Rites. The next thing will all be decided by your elders."
Fang Xuanling, Yuchi Gong, Wei Zheng, and Changsun Wuji were discussing.
Finally, plans were made for the future of Xue Yantuo and Uighur.
The memorial has been decided. General Li Ji is providing support at the rear. It is Xue Yantuo who is fighting against the Uighurs. The Tang Dynasty will not easily intervene.
Firstly, it can strengthen the momentum of Yinan Khan, and secondly, it can save the Tang Dynasty's troops, and it also has the meaning of supervising the war.
Those present were all counselors and generals who had been strategizing for many years and came from the battlefields of those days.
Everyone quickly decided on a plan with the least cost and the greatest benefit.
After walking out of the Manlu Palace, Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "You will come to discuss more in the future."
Zhang Yang bowed slightly and said, "What Duke Zhao Guo said is that I have benefited a lot from coming here this time."
Wei Zheng said loudly: "You are still young. Don't be too ambitious. Doing the things you are doing right now is the most important thing."
Zhang Yang still lowered his body and said, "My subordinates will definitely remember what Mr. Zheng said."
Wei Zheng and Changsun Wuji looked at each other, and then left in one direction without saying a word.
It was very uncomfortable to be sandwiched between the two people. Zhang Yang sighed in his heart, is this a fight between the factions in the DPRK and China?
It was indeed a war without smoke. It was terrible.
Before even speaking, you can feel the tension between Zhao Guogong and Zheng Gong.
"Shilang Zhang, your Majesty has summoned you."
Zhang Yang was surprised when he heard this: "Didn't I just meet him?"
The prince smiled and said, "Your Majesty has something to say to Zhang Shangshu privately."
Zhang Yang stood with his hands folded, "Old Wang, have you thought about when to retire and come to Lishan?"
The prince saluted repeatedly, "Shilang Zhang, don't say such things. This old slave will serve His Majesty in the palace until he dies of old age. Being able to be buried in the imperial mausoleum is the greatest luck for this old slave. This life is enough. I have never thought of leaving Your Majesty."
Let alone go to Lishan."
Well...I refused firmly.
Zhang Yang still had a smile on his face and walked back towards the original path, "It's okay, Lao Wang! I can wait."
The prince smiled reluctantly and said, "Shilang Zhang, please."
Walking back to the Ganlu Hall again, Li Shimin was looking at the memorial for this discussion. He said in a deep voice: "What do you think of this memorial?"
Zhang Yang smiled and said: "Your Majesty, what a wonderful memorial. Look at the clauses in it. It is full of conscience!"
After he hesitated to speak several times, Li Shimin sighed: "You have to pay money, become vassal, cede territory, collect taxes from them, and hollow out their copper, iron, and coal. Do you think this is your conscience?"
"Is it not good?"
"Oh, you almost didn't say that you would directly transfer Xue Yantuo to the Tang Dynasty."
This is Tian Khan, he wants everything! He wants reputation, he wants benefits, he wants everything from Xue Yantuo, and he wants people to surrender willingly.
The only problem is that the entire Xue Yantuo has not been included in the territory of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Yang sighed: "Don't you think so, Your Majesty?"
"Don't talk about your conscience in front of me in the future."
"Why, does your Majesty think I have no conscience?"
Li Shimin held his forehead in pain, "I'm worried that one day, you will be struck to death by thunder! It's only because God is blind that you are still alive."