Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 185 Empress Wu and the Lion Stallion

This is a horse with mixed blue and white hair.

The horse had a strong head, its mane dragging on the ground, and its four slender hooves. However, it looked quite irritable and kept paddling its hooves.

The blue-white-haired horse is usually called "Cong". The mane of this horse is like a lion, so it has a nice name, Lion Cong.

Wu Meiniang stared at the horse in a daze, her thoughts unconsciously drifting back to the time when she entered the palace.

There was also such a horse back then. No one in the palace could tame it, and Emperor Taizong of Tang was very distressed.

Wu Meiniang was accompanying the emperor at the time, and she was determined to help him share his worries, so she proposed her method of horse training to Taizong.

"Your Majesty, I can control it, but I need three things: an iron whip, an iron club, and a dagger. If it refuses to yield with the whip, I'll hit it on the head with the club. If it still refuses to yield, I'll slit its throat with the dagger."

This was Wu Meiniang's suggestion at the time.

She was young at the time and did not know how to please others. Although Taizong smiled slightly, he did not say anything. From then on, he never summoned her to serve him again.

Later, Wu Meiniang finally realized that Taizong liked gentle women who were dependent on him, and did not like women with strong personalities.

Just as she was lost in thought, Zhang Dahai's voice came from the side.

"Ah, Deputy Protector Pei is really thoughtful. Not only did he send His Majesty a fine horse, he even specially found a pair and gave you one as well."

After hearing this, Wu Meiniang nodded her chin slightly.

She knew that Pei Xingjian was worried that she would hold a grudge against him for deposing Wang Liwu, so he offered her the horse to show his goodwill.

It's a pity that he didn't know that this horse would only bring back painful memories for her.

"Is this horse very old?" she asked casually.

Zhang Duohai said, "I heard she's less than three years old."

Wu Meiniang asked again: "Where are you from?"

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "This was presented by An Guo to Deputy Protector General Pei. I heard that since Deputy Protector General Pei was stationed in Suiye City, every time there is a dispute in the Western Regions, they will ask him to seek justice. Because of his fairness, all the countries in the Western Regions respect him. Now the Western Regions can be said to be in harmony."

Wu Meiniang said: "I was not mistaken, he is indeed a talented person."

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "I heard that Deputy Protector Pei also ordered people to bring a lot of grain and seeds. Not only did he have the army cultivate land around Suiye City, but he also promoted farming methods to the Turks and people from other countries in the Western Regions."

Wu Meiniang tilted her head and asked, "Will those foreigners accept it?"

Zhang Duohai smiled and said, "The Turks initially refused to accept it, but their current location isn't suitable for grazing, and they don't have enough food. Some small tribes have already started experimenting with growing corn and wheat, and Deputy Protector Pei has even sent people to teach them."

Wu Meiniang nodded.

As long as these Turks get used to the farming methods of the Tang Dynasty and take the land as their roots, they will be able to completely integrate into the Tang Dynasty in the future and will not rebel.

Wu Meiniang said, "Raise this horse. You can starve it from time to time and then let Hong'er feed it. When Hong'er grows up, it can be used as a mount."

The slaves on both sides agreed.

Wu Meiniang turned around and was about to leave, but after a few steps, she turned back and warned, "This horse has a fierce temper. Be careful not to hurt my son."

The horse slaves responded in unison.

After Wu Meiniang returned to the main hall, she began to practice calligraphy and casually asked, "How is the situation in Tubo? Have all the spies withdrawn?"

Zhang Duohai snorted, "Everyone has withdrawn. The queen is really a fake. Thanks to General Xue, otherwise the loss would be huge."

Wu Meiniang shook her head and said, "Li Ji is a military general after all, so his mind is still not detailed enough."

Zhang Dahai smiled and said, "Your Highness, who do you think is the most suitable person for this task?"

Wu Meiniang thought for a moment, and the first person who came to her mind was Zhangsun Wuji.

She shook her head and said, "This is a matter for your Majesty to worry about. Has your Majesty summoned Queen Subi?"

Zhang Duohai said: "The imperial decree has been passed on and he will be summoned tomorrow."

After a pause, he whispered, "Your Highness, I heard that the Hu girl is very charming. I'm afraid that Your Majesty might summon her into the palace."

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "You fat fellow, His Majesty summoned her to use her to fight against Tubo. Even if he summoned her to the palace, it was for a major event. Do you think I should stop her?"

Zhang Duohai hurriedly said: "Your Highness is right, I spoke too much."

……

In the study, Gao Youdao was sitting opposite Xue Rengui drinking.

Gao Youdao's wedding was held at the end of September. Xue Rengui was still in Yanran Protectorate at that time and could not attend.

So when he finished his work, he immediately visited Gao's house and gave him a gift.

Gao Youdao's new house is a two-courtyard house, which was given by the imperial concubine herself and nominally given to Du Rong. After all, Du Rong is also a royal relative, so Gao Youdao can't refuse.

Xue Rengui is not a talkative person, but today he is more depressed than usual and seems to be worried about something.

Gao Youdao saw him lose himself in thought again after finishing a glass of wine, so he hurriedly asked, "General Xue, are you in any trouble?"

Xue Rengui suddenly realized, "Ah, no, I'm so sorry. I came here to congratulate you, but I was just staring blankly. Come, let me toast you again!"

Gao Youdao raised his glass and drank with him, smiling and saying, "I'm not afraid of General Xue laughing at me. Although I'm a scholar, I've always regarded General Xue as my best confidant. If General Xue is in trouble, I'm willing to do my best to help."

Xue Rengui glanced at him and sighed, "I may make Brother Gao laugh, but I am worried about a woman."

Gao Youdao's heart moved: "But that Queen Subi?"

Xue Rengui said, "It is precisely because of her that His Majesty will summon her to the palace tomorrow." Gao Youdao hesitated for a moment and said, "Could it be that General Xue...has feelings for her and is worried that she will be taken into the palace by the emperor?"

Xue Rengui didn't expect him to be so straightforward. He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I am over forty years old, with a virtuous wife and a loving son at home. Why would I worry about this? To be honest, that Hu girl is different from my Tang girl. She has a charming personality. I am worried...ah..."

Gao Youdao smiled slightly and said, "Are you afraid that His Majesty will be bewitched by her and his temperament will change drastically, and then the court officials will blame you for seducing the emperor?"

Xue Rengui smiled bitterly and said, "Not only the court officials, but also Her Majesty Empress Wu and all the concubines in the harem."

Gao Youdao lowered his voice and asked, "Is that woman more beautiful than the queen?"

Xue Rengui also whispered: "A foreign woman is naturally not as good as the queen, but you don't know what it was like when I first saw her."

He told Gao Youdao about the situation when Lan Ya was captured.

Gao Youdao was stunned and said, "If that's the case, she is indeed charming. But Brother Xue, don't worry. In my opinion, His Majesty summoned her because of the Tubo matter, not for sexual purposes."

Xue Rengui said, "I understand, but I still can't help but worry."

When a person is penniless, he is often fearless and full of drive. However, when he has more and more, he will become cautious.

Gao Youdao thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Brother Xue, think of it this way. Even if His Majesty takes her into the palace, doesn't He still have the Queen? With Her Majesty's skills, she still can't handle a Hu woman."

Xue Rengui was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up and he smiled, "Yes, it seems that I was indeed overly worried. Come, have a drink!"

The next afternoon, Xue Rengui brought Subilaya into the palace.

Li Zhi still met them in the Linhu Palace.

He looked up at the two people walking towards him from a distance.

The woman next to Xue Rengui was indeed beautiful, with skin as white as sheep fat, black hair draped over her shoulders, a silver ring on her head, and deep, dark eyes.

Although this woman's appearance is slightly inferior to Wu Meiniang and Xiao Shufei, she is on the same level as Concubine Zheng and is even better than Xu Jin.

Li Zhi had seen many beauties and didn't care much about her appearance. He secretly examined her expression and saw that she walked steadily and had a noble temperament, which was somewhat similar to the Queen of Dongnu.

Lan Ya walked with her head down, and only looked up after she got closer. She was secretly surprised to see that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty was so young.

"Subilaya, I pay my respects to His Majesty the Heavenly Khan!" She first performed the etiquette of the Subi Kingdom, and then the etiquette of the Tang Dynasty.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Your Majesty, please be my guest in the Tang Dynasty. Your Majesty, please take a seat. Xue Qing, you too."

Lan Ya did not sit down, and whispered: "I am a descendant of a fallen nation, and I dare not accept such courtesy from His Majesty the Khan."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty, you don't have to be so polite. I also know that when your Subi Kingdom was strong, the Tubo King also sent his princess to your country to serve as a maid. Now that you have temporarily fallen into a trough, there may be a day when your country will recover."

Lan Ya looked up at Li Zhi again and said softly, "I never thought that a small country on the border would be favored by His Majesty the Khan. Lan Ya does not seek to restore the country, but only hopes to help His Majesty and completely destroy the Tubo land!"

Xue Rengui saw that she had completely changed her appearance at this moment, with the solemn and dignified image of a queen, without a trace of charm. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and looked at this woman with a higher opinion.

Li Zhi was very satisfied with her statement. He raised his hand to signal the two to sit down and said slowly, "Queen, can you tell me about the current situation in your country?"

Lan Ya said, "Your Majesty, you also know that Tubo was originally a vassal of our country. Later, when it grew powerful, it became ambitious and bribed our ministers with money, attacking us from both inside and outside, thus destroying our Subi Kingdom."

Li Zhi nodded.

In fact, Tubo became truly powerful only after it annexed the Subi Kingdom.

The reason is very simple. The geographical location of the Subi Kingdom is very good, suitable for grazing, rich in cavalry, and has a large population.

Tubo first joined forces with Yang Tong to eliminate Subi, gaining a large number of people and horses and possessing powerful cavalry. Then it turned around and used the Subi cavalry to eliminate Yang Tong.

Lan Ya continued, "My mother was killed by the Tibetans. I was young at the time, and my people elected me as the new queen. I hid throughout the country, seeking an opportunity to restore my country."

"The Tibetan king first used harsh tactics to wipe out all the Suobi tribes that supported me. Later, he used soft tactics to win over the Suobi nobles and control the entire Suobi territory. I was also betrayed by my subordinates and captured by him."

"He didn't kill me. He took me to various banquets and was superficially kind to me, but I knew he was feigning this attitude to appease the Suobi nobles and subjects so they would never rebel against him again."

Li Zhi nodded secretly. He thought that Songtsen Gampo had the ability to use force but also to soothe and persuade others. This was his extraordinary ability.

Lan Ya continued, "I knew he was being hypocritical. I tried to escape several times, but was caught by the guards every time. He didn't punish me or lock me up. It wasn't until after his death that his son ordered me to be locked up."

"When some loyal tribesmen learned I was imprisoned, they were furious and tried to rescue me, but failed several times. It wasn't until General Xue defeated Qinling and chaos broke out in Tubo that they took the opportunity to rescue me."

Li Zhi asked, "Then why did you go to Mobei?"

Lan Ya said quietly, "The Subi Kingdom has been destroyed for over twenty years. Restoring it with my own strength is wishful thinking. I fled north with my people, hoping to find a place with water and grass to live, but we were attacked by a Turkic tribe. All my people were killed, and I became the woman of the tribe's chieftain."

"Later, when you attacked the Turks, the tribal chieftain was recruited by Helu and left the tribe with 3,000 of his people, never to return. The tribe was attacked by the Tiele people, and I was captured by the Tiele people and presented to Bilidu. Bilidu, in order to win over Shuli and rebel against the Tang Dynasty, presented me to Shuli in turn."

Li Zhi was silent for a while, then sighed, "You've certainly had a rough life. According to you, the people of Subi have completely given their all to Tubo."

Lan Ya whispered, "After Songtsen Gampo's death, Lu Dongzan continued to implement his appeasement policy. I'm afraid I won't be able to convince them to join the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi sighed secretly. It seemed that Queen Subi could not play a big role at the moment.

However, such an important person will always come in handy in the future.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Your Highness, you can ask me for anything you want, and I will do my best to satisfy you."

Lan Ya lowered her head and said softly, "Subi Lan Ya has nowhere to go. I only beg His Majesty the Khan to allow me to stay in Chang'an City."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "Of course you can. I will confer upon you the title of Third Rank Lady of a County and give you a mansion. You can live in Chang'an as long as you want."

Lan Ya stood up and bowed, saying, "Lan Ya thanks His Majesty the Khan!"

(End of this chapter)