Chapter 78: Princess Wencheng

Li Chengqian's eyes lit up: "Have the Liangzhou troops and horses been arranged properly?"

"Yes! They are currently training in Wannian County; once finished, they will proceed to various locations according to the plan."

"Wang Qi, go to Fu Ren Guan and tell Cui Zhiwen to go to the Main Guest Department of the Ministry of Rites in three days."

"Yes!"

After Wang Qi left, Li Chengqian asked in a deep voice:

"Is there a reply from Princess Wencheng?"

"I don't know! However, several of the Imperial Guard who accompanied her as part of her dowry have returned, and they wish to see the Crown Prince."

"Bring them over, use the method of Xiao Liangdi, and don't let anyone discover it."

"Yes!"

"Have you found the people I asked you to look for?"

"I found ten; their ancestors were all among the Nine Ministers of the Han Dynasty at the very least, but due to the chaos of war, most of their Zushu were lost or their heritage was broken, and they can only make a living by farming."

"Not enough; find more. The number should be equivalent to the troops and horses currently coming to Liangzhou."

"Yes!"

Li Chengqian never dared to underestimate a person who could make the Tibetans build a statue for them that would be preserved for over a thousand years.

Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet not only consolidated the peace of the Great Tang's western frontier but also spread Han culture.

Yuwen Ding did not make Li Chengqian wait too long; that very night, he brought a person to the Eastern Palace.

Looking at the young man of about twenty years old before him, Li Chengqian always felt he was familiar:

"Have I seen you somewhere before?"

"This subordinate was once a member of the Eastern Palace Thousand Bull Guard, and was transferred to Princess Wencheng's side in the fifteenth year of Zhenguan."

"I thought so! So it's an acquaintance from the Eastern Palace."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly: "Does Wencheng have a letter?"

"No! The Princess said, if the Crown Prince truly cares for the Commoner of both nations, she will do her best to mediate."

"Liu Hu, did Wencheng say anything else?"

Liu Hu lowered his head, his tone flat: "The Princess wants to ask the Crown Prince, are the Duke of Zhao and Chu Daifu definitely supporting the Prince of Wu?"

"Naturally! You can go back to the Prince of Jiangxia's mansion and ask Jingheng to see if I am lying.

The Prince of Jiangxia and my uncle have already become enemies; don't expect that after Zhinu ascends the throne, he won't make a move against the Prince of Jiangxia.

I have already said what needed to be said in the letter. You go back and tell Wencheng, what I want is not mediation, but for her to stand firmly on my side.

The Tea and Horse Department is a gift I gave her, yet this gift can only be delivered by my people."

Liu Hu's expression did not change, and he continued to ask:

"May I ask the Crown Prince, will the horses exchanged by the Tea and Horse Department become sharp weapons for dealing with Tibet?"

"As long as Tibet does not invade our borders, the Great Tang is willing to live in peace with Tibet."

"This subordinate will convey the Crown Prince's words to the Princess. I wonder if the Crown Prince has any other matters?"

Li Chengqian slowly stood up, walked behind the screen, took a scroll of paper from a book basket, and then threw it to Liu Hu:

"Give this to Wencheng. Tomorrow, have Yuwen Ding take you to the East Market to look around and buy more things that Tibet doesn't have to take with you.

I have also prepared a batch of cooks and tailors; consider them my gift to Wencheng."

"This subordinate thanks the Crown Prince on behalf of the Princess!"

"Go!"

Princess Wencheng had been promoting Han culture in Tibet; how could Li Chengqian not help her?

Although the main purpose was still to defeat Li Shimin, one must still prepare for the future when there is an opportunity.

'The imperial clan, the Tea and Horse Department, the army, and the common people should be enough!'

Everything that should be done has been done; Li Chengqian now only needs to wait, wait for Zhangsun Wuji and Li Tai to fight, or rather, wait for Li Tai to snatch the victory report.

And this did not make Li Chengqian wait too long. Half a month later, as the news of Su Dan's impending arrival in Chang'an spread, Li Tai could no longer endure it and directly had Xiao Yu propose the matter of civilizing Anzhou at the morning court.

"Crown Prince, the Doctor of Anzhou has been away from his post for many days, and the Prince of Wu submits a memorial every two days; it really cannot be delayed any longer. I ask the Crown Prince to make a decision soon."

Li Chengqian showed a worried expression: "I want to as well, but unfortunately, I haven't found a suitable candidate."

"General Xiao, why don't you recommend one?"

"Your subject recommends the Censor Yu. He and Libationer Kong once participated in the Five Classics Commentary, so talent is not an issue.

His moral character is also obvious to all; for the sake of the imperial court and the state, he was recalled from mourning by the Emperor, which shows his loyalty and ability that even the Emperor recognizes."

"Censor Yu is full of righteous spirit; I admire him greatly."

After speaking, Li Chengqian looked at Zhangsun Wuji: "Uncle, what do you think?"

'I don't think much of it! A sinister villain, finding people every day to charge into battle for you.

This dog thief Xiao Yu is also shameless, actually bringing up the Emperor; he is simply not human.'

After Zhangsun Wuji complained in his heart, he slowly spoke:

"It is precisely because Censor Yu is upright that he cannot go to Anzhou. With the Emperor away, we still need Censor Yu in the court to supervise the hundred officials.

Your subject thinks that Chu Daifu is better. He went to Anzhou in the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, and besides, with the Emperor away, it is a waste of great talent for him, a Vice Minister, to stay in Chang'an.

Rather than this, it is better to let Chu Daifu go to Anzhou to civilize the Commoner."

"The Duke of Zhao is wrong. Scholar Chu is seriously ill in bed; now letting Chu Daifu leave Chang'an violates the way of ruler and subject, and violates the way of filial piety."

"With the care of recent days, Scholar Chu is no longer in serious condition; why can't Chu Daifu leave Chang'an?"

"Old and frail, Scholar Chu is already eighty-five; is it appropriate to let Chu Daifu leave Chang'an at this time?"

"..."

Listening to the debate between the two sides, Li Chengqian's eyes flashed with the light of gossip; there was nothing more enjoyable than listening to a debate competition up close.

"You old fool, don't think I don't know what you're plotting."

"How dare you, you rustic peasant, show such disrespect to me! Do you know that I, too, have been on the battlefield?"

"My sword has not failed to kill enemies either!"

"..."

Seeing that both sides were about to come to blows, Li Chengqian hurriedly spoke up:

"Stop..."

"We were talking perfectly fine, why the sudden temper? Since you cannot agree, let me make the decision."

"Prefect of Taizhou Su Dan has had outstanding administrative achievements and has been recalled to Chang'an by Father for his success in educating the local Commoner."

"Since no Imperial Edict has been issued regarding his position yet, why not have him go to Anzhou to serve as an interim Scholar, and wait for Father to return before making a final decision?"

"Absolutely not!"

Li Tai voiced his opposition and took an Imperial Edict out from his sleeve:

"Father has already issued an Imperial Decree appointing Su Dan to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites; this is the draft Imperial Edict I obtained from Vice Minister Ma at the Secretariat."

"It already bears the 'Imperial Decree' character written in Father's own hand, which means Father has already made his decision."

"Impossible!"

Li Chengqian stepped forward to snatch the Imperial Edict, read through it quickly, his expression growing increasingly ugly, and then glared fiercely at Zhangsun Wuji:

"Uncle, you are truly an incompetent Prime Minister to keep such a matter from me."

Without waiting for Zhangsun Wuji to react, Li Chengqian glanced at Li Tai and returned to his seat:

"Since neither of you can convince the other, then let the Prince of Wu find a Great Confucian in Anzhou to teach the students; there is no need for a great talent of the imperial court to go."

?????

Everyone present was full of question marks; when you have no candidate, you talk about teaching students, and when you have a candidate, you talk about educating the Commoner—could you be any more shameless?

Who doesn't know that the Prince of Wu has already been won over by you? If we let you fool us like this, we would truly be fools.

The corners of Li Tai's mouth curled up slightly: "Who says there is no candidate? Consort of the Prince Su Xu!"

"He is one of the Eighteen Scholars personally appointed by Father and participated in the compilation of the 'Geography Records', so his talent and learning go without saying."

"Prefect of Qianzhou Su Jun is his eldest legitimate son, and under his guidance, Prefect Su has made the local customs of Qianzhou simple and honest in just a few short years."

"If Scholar Su goes, with his talent, ability, and virtue, it will be enough to transform the customs of Anzhou in a short period of time."