My father, Li Shimin, please call me Crown Prince

Chapter 141 The easier it is to get something, the less you know how to cherish it
"Prince Nongze Shengrui!"

"Prince Nongze Shengrui!!!"

The main hall of Prince Wei's mansion was in a mess.

The tables and chairs were tilted all over the place, and all the vases that could be broken were broken.

The food was scattered on the ground.

Li Tai sat on the ground panting, his whole body flushed.

When the news came, Li Tai was inviting Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai to dinner.

The moment they heard the news, Chai Lingwu and Fang Yiai stood up tactfully, and then Li Tai overturned the table.

What followed was a lot of beating and smashing.

Fang Yiai looked at Chai Lingwu, and the meaning in his eyes was very clear.

You should go and comfort the King of Wei as soon as possible; this is your specialty.

Chai Lingwu gave Fang Yiai a helpless look.

The crown prince has been conferred the title of Crown Prince Nongze Shengrui, what can I do?

We can't find a way to get His Majesty to revoke the title bestowed upon him.

Fang Yiai frowned.

What should we do then? What should the King of Wei do?

Chai Lingwu rolled his eyes.

Serve cold.

At this moment, the servant outside the door walked in cautiously and fearfully.

Seeing the scene in front of him, he hesitated for a long time and didn't dare to speak.

"Just say it if you have something to say." Chai Lingwu urged.

The servant hurriedly reported: "King Wei, the Arab envoys outside the palace want to see you."

Li Tai was angry and he cursed when he heard this: "Why are they here? Are they here to see me laugh at you?"

"Be beaten away by me."

The servant did not dare to object, so he prepared to follow the King of Wei's orders, call the guards in the palace, and beat the man with weapons.

"Wait a minute."

Chai Lingwu stopped him at the right time.

The servant paused.

Chai Lingwu said: "King Wei, during the morning court session a few days ago, the crown prince spoke in favor of the Roman delegation."

"What the Roman delegation wants is for the Tang Dynasty to send troops to attack the Arabs."

"The Arab delegation must be here for the matter that happened in the morning court. Maybe we can meet them."

Li Tai said unhappily, "What's so good about these barbarians? Can they influence the situation of the court?"

Li Tai had no interest in struggles outside the Tang Dynasty. They were too far away and unlikely to have any impact on his succession to the throne, so naturally he had little interest in them.

Chai Lingwu said: "The prince wants to support Rome. The Arabs certainly don't want to be enemies with our Tang Dynasty. They are here to seek support from the King of Wei."

"King Wei, you don't know that although the Arabs are barbarians, the Silk Road is under their control and has a great influence on foreign merchants in the Tang Dynasty."

"Besides, they are also very wealthy, and perhaps they can contribute to the King of Wei's cause."

"Besides, no matter what the prince's purpose is, it is always against the Arabs."

"King Wei, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

When Li Tai heard what Chai Lingwu said, he immediately felt that there was some truth in it.

After looking at the situation in the main hall, he ordered his servants, "Tell them to wait in the side hall. I will be there later."

"Yes, King Wei." The servant hurried to report.

In fact, Li Tai didn't care how much money the Arab delegation could provide him.

No matter how much money you have, can it be more than what the Five Surnames and Seven Families can provide?

He has no shortage of these.

The reason why he agreed to meet him was because he thought he could cause trouble for the prince.

Anything that can cause trouble for the prince is worth doing.

"Change."

Li Tai gave an order and the maid immediately brought new clothes.

Some soup just spilled on my clothes.

Li Tai asked, "What's going on with the Roman mission?"

Li Tai had heard about it before, but didn't take it seriously.

Chai Lingwu said: "The Arab Empire is rising in the west. I heard that it is very powerful and has captured many cities in Rome."

"The Roman delegation is to the west of the Far West, between us and the Tang Dynasty, which is the Arab Empire."

"So the Roman delegation hopes that the Tang Dynasty can send troops to attack the Arabs together with them."

"All the ministers in the court are against it. After all, we are going to attack Goryeo this year. It will affect people's livelihood if we withdraw too many troops."

"But the prince thinks he can help Rome. His Majesty hasn't made a direct decision yet, saying he'll take a long-term view."

Li Tai had already changed his clothes and was about to go to the side hall.

Hearing this, Li Tai suddenly thought of something.

"This country of Daqin seems to have some impression on me."

"The Persian carpet in the bedroom, if I remember correctly, seems to be a gift from the Persian delegation when they asked my father for help. Later, my father gave it to me as a reward."

"It was this Arab Empire that attacked Persia at that time, right?"

Chai Lingwu said: "The King of Wei has a good memory, it is true. At the beginning, it was the Arabs who attacked Persia. I heard that Persia even lost its capital and its king ran away."

Persia was the Sassanid Empire. In the 12th year of Zhenguan, the Arab Empire attacked Persia. After the Battle of Qadisiya, the Sassanid Empire was completely defeated.

The Kavi flag, which symbolized the honor of the Persian Empire, was torn to pieces, the heroic commander Rustam, who was revered by the people, was killed, King Yazdegerd abandoned the capital and fled, and the Arabs captured the Persian capital of Ctesiphon.

In this disastrous situation, Yazdegerd III sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin reacted coldly and was not very interested as he was far away.

"I see. It seems that the Arab Empire is quite powerful. They have been fighting for so many years and have now reached Rome."

Li Tai had a vague impression of the Arabs.

After all, the war against Persia took place in the twelfth year of Zhenguan, and now it is the seventeenth year of Zhenguan, and five years have passed.

The fight with the Arab Empire is still going on.

After five years of fighting, they are still quite powerful.

"Yes, it is quite impressive."

"But compared to our Great Tang, it is still far inferior. The land of the Tang Dynasty is poor and barren, and it is not as prosperous as our Great Tang."

“It’s just a little far away.”

There are many foreigners and foreign businessmen in Chang'an. You can learn a lot about the outside world by asking around. The information is quite well-informed.

Chai Lingwu didn't care about it before, but when he heard that the prince helped the Roman delegation at the morning court, he went to inquire about it.

Fang Yiai followed behind in boredom.

He basically had no say in these topics.

I felt a little sorry in my heart that the King of Wei had overturned the table before I had even eaten enough.

I must eat faster next time.

Fang Yiai felt depressed when he thought of Princess Gaoyang. Not to mention having sex with her, even meeting her was difficult.

I get scolded all day long.

He didn't want to go back. He felt more comfortable staying with the King of Wei.

Side hall.

The Arab envoys have been waiting for a long time.

"Meet the King of Wei."

Amir stood up, bowed and saluted, speaking in somewhat broken Chinese.

Unlike the Roman delegation, the Arab Empire was close to the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty. In particular, the trade of the Tang Dynasty had a great influence on the Arab Empire. As the source of the Silk Road, many Arab merchants could speak Chinese.

Since Amir was able to stay in Chang'an as a permanent envoy, he must be proficient in Chinese.

"Give me a seat."

"Thank you, King Wei."

Li Tai didn't want to sit on the chair, but kneeling was too tiring.

He was fat to begin with, and felt even more tired.

So they simply put chairs in the Prince of Wei's palace.

Anyway, many people in the noble families are like this now, so it doesn't matter. "Your Excellency is here, but do you have anything to tell me?"

Li Tai asked calmly, he was not in a good mood at the moment.

Amir said, "I have brought some special products from Dashi to the King of Wei. Please accept them."

Amir clapped his hands, and a group of servants brought a lot of jewelry gifts.

Li Tai nodded, lacking interest.

With the favor of his father, Li Tai had seen all kinds of rare treasures and could choose any tribute from all nations.

This little bit of jewelry may be very valuable in the eyes of ordinary people, but in Li Tai's eyes, it is just that.

"Okay, thank you, Ambassador Amir." Li Tai replied perfunctorily.

Seeing that the atmosphere was somewhat cold, Chai Lingwu said, "The King of Wei is very satisfied with the gift. If the Amir envoy has anything to say, please feel free to speak up."

The Amir envoy knew that Chai Lingwu was the confidant of the King of Wei, so he said, "King of Wei, to be honest, I came here to present a small gift and to discuss something with you."

Li Tai nodded and said, "Oh? Tell me about it."

The Amir envoy looked at Li Tai sincerely and said, "Who in Chang'an doesn't know the reputation of the King of Wei? You are deeply favored by the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and your future is limitless."

"But in this court, the position of the crown prince has been decided, so there will inevitably be some twists and turns."

"In the minds of us foreign officials, we often hear that the King of Wei is very talented and that you are the best candidate for the position of Crown Prince."

"So we, the Arabs, are willing to form an alliance with the King of Wei to fight against the Crown Prince together. If the King of Wei can ascend to the throne of the Crown Prince in the future, we, the Arabs, can also help to establish friendship between the two countries."

When Chai Lingwu heard this, he secretly thought that something was wrong.

Li Tai's face darkened, and he stared at Amir's envoy sharply: "How dare you! Are you trying to sow discord between the king and the prince? How can we allow a foreign envoy like you to interfere in the affairs of the Tang Dynasty's royal family?"

Messenger Amir was stunned.

What is going on? Isn't it said that the Prince of Wei wants to seize the throne and is fighting with the Crown Prince?

Why did the King of Wei react like this when I said it myself?

Chai Lingwu cursed inwardly, "Idiot."

Everyone knows that the King of Wei wants to seize the throne, but can such a matter be discussed openly and put on the table?

It's enough to understand it in your heart. If you say it out loud, it would be a great rebellion.

If the King of Wei agrees, word will spread tomorrow that the King of Wei is joining forces with the Arabs to seize the throne.

I'm afraid that Your Majesty will summon the King of Wei into the palace immediately and reward him with a few horse whips first.

The Amir envoy obviously didn't realize the twists and turns here, and quickly waved his hand to explain: "King Wei, calm down, I have no intention of provoking. It's just that I see that Your Highness is so outstanding, and I can't bear to see Your Highness being suppressed by the Crown Prince."

"Besides, the prince now advocates joining forces with Rome to attack the Arabs. If this comes true, it will not benefit the Arabs or you, Your Highness."

Li Tai was speechless looking at this idiot, but when he remembered that the other party was not from the Tang Dynasty, he could understand a little.

He snorted coldly and said, "How could I be deceived by you? My Great Tang has its own decisions and will not be easily influenced by foreign countries. Besides, the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne of the country. I respect him so much that I cannot join forces with you to fight against him."

"If you continue to talk nonsense, I will not let you off easily."

This is already a reminder to Amir, asking him not to dwell on this topic.

If he was really angry, he would have kicked him out right now, why would he keep him here any longer?

Amir was quite at a loss. Although he was familiar with the Tang Dynasty culture, this kind of political struggle was obviously unfamiliar to him.

The people I had previously come into contact with were all businessmen or officials from the Honglu Temple, who were mostly straightforward.

Chai Lingwu sighed and said, "Emissary Amir, there are some things that cannot be said carelessly. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the elder brother of the King of Wei. The King of Wei has always respected the Crown Prince. You are slandering the King of Wei's reputation by saying these things."

"The King of Wei did not drive you away because he saw that you were a foreigner and did not understand the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty, so he bypassed you."

"Don't say that again."

"Let's talk about what happened between the Arabs and the Roman delegation."

The King of Wei could ally with the Arabs to fight against the Crown Prince, but he could not admit it or say it directly.

After all, foreign envoys have a great influence and different significance.

To put it simply, it means that one wants to be a whore and also want to be a virtuous woman.

After hearing what Chai Lingwu said, Amir immediately understood.

"King Wei, please calm down. I spoke without restraint. Please forgive me, King Wei."

Li Tai nodded and said, "This won't happen again."

Amir hesitated for a moment, organized his words in his mind, and then tried to say: "King Wei, you don't know that the Roman Empire has always been fickle. They have made peace treaties with many countries, but they often break their promises."

"They are now asking the Tang Dynasty to send troops to attack our Arab Empire, but they just want to use the powerful military force of the Tang Dynasty to seek benefits for themselves."

"Once the matter is accomplished, they may not be grateful to the Tang Dynasty, and may even stab us in the back."

Li Tai nodded in satisfaction, and now he looked like he was talking: "Continue."

Ami immediately understood how to communicate with King Wei. After all, he had never communicated with the Tang royal family before and did not understand the way they spoke.

"I heard that the Crown Prince spoke for the Roman delegation in the court. It must be that the Roman delegation deceived the Crown Prince. So I hope the King of Wei can correct the chaos and let the Crown Prince see the true face of the Roman delegation."

Li Tai was more satisfied this time and said, "It seems that the Roman delegation is indeed a group of treacherous villains. They even dared to deceive my elder brother."

"I will report this to Your Majesty and punish the Roman delegation for their deception."

Chai Lingwu said at the right time: "It is hard for Your Majesty to believe empty words, so why not find enough evidence first and present it to Your Majesty at that time."

Li Tai said: "This is a very good idea, but I am not familiar with foreign affairs."

Chai Lingwu said immediately: "Ammir's messenger must be familiar with it. If he helps, it will definitely be twice as effective with half the effort."

Li Tai nodded and said, "With the help of Amir's envoy, I think we can break the conspiracy of the Roman delegation."

Amir stared in amazement as King Wei and Chai Lingwu sang the same tune.

I can't wrap my mind around this.

Chai Lingwu then asked, "Would the Amir envoy be willing to lend a helping hand to the King of Wei?"

Amir nodded quickly: "Yes, I do."

Here, the King of Wei allied with the Arabs.

On the other hand, Narendra of the Byzantine mission was also taking active action.

I hope to have the opportunity to meet the prince through various connections.

Unlike the Prince of Wei's Palace, the Eastern Palace is located in the inner palace. Without a summons, they cannot even enter the gate of the imperial city.

However, Narend still contacted the Persian delegation.

Persia's attitude towards Byzantium was not friendly. Rome and Persia had always had deep grievances, and a protracted war had broken out between the two sides.

Differences in religious beliefs and the resulting conflicts have led to huge cultural and ideological differences between the two countries.

Even in this situation, Persia and Byzantium had no intention of uniting.

But Narend's words made the Persian delegation willing to help the Byzantine delegation.

"As long as the Tang Dynasty is willing to send troops, whether it is Persia or Rome, it will be a good thing."

The Persian delegation agreed to a temporary alliance after hearing this.

And inside the East Palace.

Li Chengqian has actually always been paying attention to the Byzantine delegation.

The eunuch Wen Zhong was also reporting the information that they wanted to meet the prince.

“The easier it is to get something, the less we value it.”

"Let's leave it alone for a while, and see if they can find a way to see me."

The war in Central Asia was actually quite far away for Li Chengqian.

Moreover, no matter how they fight, it is difficult to touch the interests of the Tang Dynasty.

The trade economy in the Tang Dynasty is popular among many people, so there is no need to worry about the influence of the outside world.

Moreover, for the Tang Dynasty itself, the land was rich and the country was self-sufficient.

Although the Tang Dynasty had a special agency for managing mutual trade and imposed certain taxes on foreign merchants entering the Tang Dynasty to trade and the goods they carried, these taxes were more symbolic.

Moreover, in the early Tang Dynasty, there was no systematic and complete commercial tax collection system, although there were commercial-related taxes such as market taxes.

However, regulations on the scope of taxation and tax rates are not clear and detailed enough, resulting in loopholes in tax collection and management, making it easy for businessmen to find ways to evade taxes.

Although business was relatively prosperous in the Tang Dynasty, the development of the commodity economy still had certain limitations.

Commercial activities were mainly concentrated in the prosperous areas of Chang'an and Luoyang, while other areas were relatively withered.

The first dynasty to have foreign nations come to pay tribute was the Sui Dynasty under Emperor Wen of Sui. The Tang Dynasty was only a few years old, so naturally the development of commercial economy was somewhat neglected.

To put it another way, the Tang Dynasty's external commodities were mainly spices, ivory and other luxury goods, so the lack of them would not have any impact.

But for foreign countries, the Tang Dynasty was the key to their wealth.

If the relationship between the Arab Empire and the Tang Dynasty breaks down, affecting the trade and economic exchanges between the two sides, it will not have any impact on the Tang Dynasty and everyone can do what they should do.

As for the Arab Empire, the impact was huge. As middlemen on the Silk Road, the goods of the Tang Dynasty were the most popular and in-demand goods. Many people made a fortune on this road and relied on it.

If the Tang Dynasty cut off the trade routes, it would be a huge blow to the Arab Empire.

(End of this chapter)