Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 148 The Arab Diplomatic Mission

Time flies, and soon it is the end of August.

There were suddenly many more Hu people on the streets of Chang'an City.

These Hu people were the first group of Hu people to come to the Tang Dynasty after the Western Turks surrendered to the Tang Dynasty.

Due to the Helu rebellion, trade between the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions was severely affected, and the prices of silk, tea, and ceramics in the Western Regions continued to rise.

Similarly, the prices of gems and spices in the Tang Dynasty were also rising.

At this time, the first merchants traveling between the Western Regions and Chang'an were the first to try it out and would surely make a fortune.

In addition to the caravans, many foreign envoys also arrived. They were from countries that did not come to pay homage last year. They were worried about being blamed by the Tang Dynasty, so they came early this year to show goodwill.

Among them, one delegation was particularly different.

The group was large in number, and the camel caravan formed a long white snake on the street. They were all dressed in uniform, wearing white robes.

The leader was holding a book and chanting something loudly as he walked, with a solemn expression.

Because he didn't speak Tang language, the people around him couldn't understand him and they all looked at the team curiously.

Among the crowd, a Hu man gnashed his teeth when he saw the envoys in white.

He stamped his feet, quickly left the street and headed towards Liquanfang.

There is a Zoroastrian temple on the west street of Liquanfang, where the Persian prince Peroz lived.

This Zoroastrian temple has been expanded and renovated several times recently and is the largest Zoroastrian temple in Liquanfang.

After settling in Chang'an, Peroz became the new king of Persia with the support of his followers, and secretly established a small court in exile.

The small court used the Zoroastrian temple as its base. Since last year, Persian nobles had been fleeing to Chang'an and were granted official positions by Peroz.

Now there are more than 200 officials in this small court, and even Bilus's groom has been appointed as a knight of the guard.

The Hu man just now was Bilus's groom.

He rushed back to the Zoroastrian temple and found the Persian king praying deeply in the back hall.

"Your Majesty, it's bad, the Arabs are coming."

Bilus stood up hastily and cursed, "Bullshit! Can the Arabs really reach Chang'an?"

The knight smiled and said, "They are not the Arab army, but the Arab envoys."

Bilus hummed, "How many people are here?"

The knight said, "A delegation of envoys has arrived, several hundred people."

Bilus sneered, "It's good that they've come. I was just about to ask the Tang Dynasty to send troops to help us restore our country. Let the Tang Emperor see how arrogant they are. Then he will definitely help us."

The knight hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, the Arabs are very cunning. When facing the Tang people, they will definitely hide their arrogance and try to gain Tang recognition of their occupation of Persia."

Bilus said angrily: "The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty will not admit it!"

The knight sighed and said, "We can't decide these matters. Why don't you think about the traitor?"

Bilus's face darkened. He said, "That's right. Keep a close eye on him. If he really meets with the Arabs, kill him. We can't let him leak our information."

The knight said, "But this is the Tang Dynasty. If you kill someone, you'll probably be expelled."

Bilus said, "Then hire an assassin. Don't be stingy with the money. Hire the best assassin in the Tang Dynasty. He will kill him without anyone noticing."

The knight accepted the order and said, "I will obey your will."

At this time, an official came to the back hall and said to Bilus, "Your Majesty, Xue Rengui's wife is here."

Bilus was overjoyed and said hurriedly, "Please take her to the prayer room. You all can go down."

Peroz also had another identity: he was a Zoroastrian priest.

Of course, there are only a few people who need his service, and Liu is one of them.

When Xue Rengui went on the Western Expedition, Liu was worried about her husband's safety and prayed to gods and Buddhas everywhere, even to the Hu religion.

It was Bilus who personally received her, listened to her prayers and gave her guidance.

Zoroastrian priests are different from Buddhist monks and Taoist priests. They do not say ambiguous words, but directly tell believers that they can communicate with gods and hear feedback from gods.

Bilus then assured Liu that Goddess Nana had heard her voice and Xue Rengui was under the goddess's protection.

Not only will Xue Rengui not die, he will also shine on the battlefield and be promoted.

Now, Xue Rengui had indeed won a great victory and was conferred the title of Duke of Pingyang.

Liu felt that this Hujiao goddess was quite effective, so she came to fulfill her vow.

After a while, an official took Liu to a prayer room.

Bilus had changed into priest's attire and was waiting for her with a smile on his face.

Liu said, "Last time, thanks to your blessing, my husband was kept safe. Xue Liu has come to fulfill this vow. Please accept it, Master."

Hand over a purse.

Bilus waved his hand and said solemnly, "You are too polite, Madam. The goddess told me that you are a blessed person and asked me not to accept your money or gifts."

Liu was surprised and asked, "Would the immortal even tell you this?"

Bilus said, "Yes, the goddess often communicates with me in my dreams."

Liu was secretly surprised and thought to herself, "The gods of the Hu people are indeed different from those of the Central Plains."

"Master, I have other things to do, so I'll take my leave now." Liu bowed.

Bilus asked hurriedly, "Aren't you going to pray today?"

Liu said, "Let's do it another day. Goodbye."

Liu did have other things to do, so after leaving the Zoroastrian temple, she headed towards the Wang family mansion in Taiyuan.

The carriage entered the palace through the second gate. Liu, followed by a servant, took cautious, small steps to the palace's back garden. As they reached a grove of sweet-scented osmanthus trees, they heard a burst of sweet laughter emanating from within.

Liu followed the path in the forest and entered the forest.

There is a hidden world in the forest. On a perfectly round open space, there is a small painted pavilion.

Wind chimes were hung on the eaves of the pavilion, and gauze curtains were drawn. One could vaguely see several women sitting behind the curtains, talking.

The place is well ventilated, so you don't feel hot even in summer. A cool breeze blows, mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus and a faint scent of women's cosmetics, which makes people feel intoxicated.

Liu secretly praised it and said, "What an elegant place! I will build one in my mansion soon."

Although she came from a wealthy family, it was only a local wealthy family after all, and was far behind the wealthy families in the capital.

Fortunately, her husband Xue Rengui had just been conferred the title of Duke of a county and held a high position. With her husband as her support, she was not afraid and walked towards the pile of cosmetics in front of her.

There were four women sitting in the pavilion.

They are: Lady Wang, the mistress of the palace, Lady Wu Shun, the wife of the Wu family, Lady Gao, the daughter-in-law of the Changsun family, and Lady Zheng Wang, the daughter-in-law of the Zheng family.

Zheng Wangshi was the mother of Concubine Zheng and the elder sister of Madam Wang. She was the oldest among them.

Liu took a closer look and found that the four girls were eating Lu oranges and shaking coins for fun.

When Wu Shun saw her, he laughed and said, "Sister Liu is finally here. It's really not easy to ask you to come out."

Liu had never participated in the circle of noble ladies in Chang'an before. However, when some noble ladies came to visit her house and invited her to have fun, she politely declined.

Recently, Xue Na often mentioned his classmates at school and asked about their parents.

Liu didn't know many people and couldn't answer her son's questions, so she decided to leave the mansion and enter the circle of noble ladies to broaden her horizons.

Liu smiled and greeted him, saying, "I've been too busy at home lately and haven't had any free time. Today I finally have some free time."

Wu Shun stood up and pulled her to sit next to him.

"Hey, everyone knows you've been busy lately. I heard the Saint has gifted General Xue a larger mansion. Are you planning to move to another district?"

Wu Mansion and Xue Mansion are both in Pingkangfang.

Wu Shun knew that Xue Rengui was a close minister to the emperor, so he often came to Xue's house to visit Liu and enhance the relationship between the two houses.

Liu smiled and said, "The new mansion is also in Pingkangfang, just three hundred steps from East Street."

Mrs. Wang said, "Ah, isn't that one of the properties of the Changsun family?"

Madam Zheng smiled and said, "This mansion was originally given to Zhangsun Yang by the late emperor. It was taken back and given to General Xue again. There is nothing wrong with that."

Wu Shun said enviously, "The Saint is truly kind to General Xue. He was afraid that it would be troublesome for you to move, so he specially found a residence nearby."

Mrs. Wang handed Liu a Lu orange and said with a smile, "I've been to that house. It's very nice."

Liu said, "It's quite big, but it lacks a bit of elegance."

Wu Shun hurriedly said, "I know a craftsman who is very good at garden repairs. I'd like to bring him to your house someday and ask him to help you with it."

Liu smiled and said, "Thank you very much."

With Liu joining in, the money-shaking game became a five-person game.

Liu had often played this game before, but she had never thought that they also gambled, with one lottery chip worth one piece of silk cloth.

Liu couldn't help but feel secretly shocked.

Although Xue Rengui had received many rewards recently, his family was still a little poor, and moving into a new house would require a lot of money.

Xue Rengui also used some money to renovate several blacksmith shops in the city.

Therefore, the Xue family lived very frugally and did not have much surplus.

Seeing that they were betting so big, Liu was too embarrassed to try to stop them. She could only be extra careful when playing to avoid losing too much.

Wu Shun and his companions were very relaxed. They tossed coins and chatted about various interesting things in Chang'an, as if they didn't care about winning or losing.

After a while, several people talked about the envoys from the Kingdom of Daqin who had recently entered Chang'an City.

Madam Wang laughed and said, "I heard that the territory of the Arab Empire is not smaller than that of the Tang Dynasty, and their army is also very powerful. I didn't expect them to come to pay homage to the Tang Dynasty."

Zheng Wangshi corrected her, "They are not here to pay homage, but to negotiate with us."

Wu Shun asked, "What are we negotiating about?"

Liu also turned her head to look at her, because she had heard her husband mention this matter.

Madam Zheng said softly, "They plan to march eastward, but they're worried that the Tang Dynasty might march westward. If the two armies were to meet and clash, that would be disastrous. That's why they're seeking our advice in advance."

Mrs. Wang smiled and said, "This is a country that understands things."

Liu suddenly said, "The Arabs are not sensible, but rather overbearing. They hope that the Tang Dynasty will cede seven of the thirteen kingdoms in the Western Regions to them."

Zheng Wangshi was slightly surprised.

"Sister Liu, who told you this?"

Liu said, "My husband told me."

Wu Shun's eyes lit up and he asked, "Your Majesty, have you agreed?"

Liu shook her head and said, "Your Majesty has not met them. However, I heard from my husband that Tubo has surrendered to the Arabs, and several Turkic tribes have also surrendered to the Arabs. The prestige of the Arabs in the Western Regions is now no less than that of the Tang Dynasty."

Mrs. Wang covered her mouth with her round fan and said, "Is there going to be another war?"

Liu sighed, "That's hard to say."

Women don't like war, especially Liu.

War meant she would be separated from her husband again.

After the party, Wu Shun did not return home, but hurried to the palace, ready to ask Empress Wu for detailed information about the Arab Empire.

(End of this chapter)