Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 255: The Confrontation between Empress Wu and Princess Wencheng

On the first and fifteenth day of the third lunar month, Li Zhi issued an edict to establish the Kunzang Protectorate in the former Tubo territory of Xiqiang.

Xue Rengui was appointed as the Grand Protector, with nine military governorships and thirty-six prefectures under his jurisdiction.

At this court meeting, the羈縻州 were also abolished and all were changed into正州.

By late March, news from Tubo began to arrive one after another.

Although the Subi, Xiangxiong, and Faqiang tribes submitted to the Tang Dynasty, many tribes still began to rebel.

The rebellion had been put down by Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang, but the situation in Tubo was not optimistic.

It was under such circumstances that the Tubo envoys came to Chang'an, including Lu Dongzan and Princess Wencheng.

Li Zhi did not meet with them, but only ordered people to place the Tibetans in the Honglu Temple.

He was actually very curious about Lu Dongzan and Princess Wencheng, and planned to meet them in person.

However, under the current situation, the two of them are most likely here to protect Tubo, so let's leave them alone first to wear down their will, and we won't be too late to meet again.

On the third day after the Tubo delegation entered Chang'an, the Arab delegation also arrived.

After entering the inner court, Bilus provided a lot of information about the Arabs.

Li Zhi finally understood why the Persians wanted to assassinate the Arab envoys.

The Arab Empire was different from the Tang Dynasty. They established their country based on religion. The king was called Caliph, which means agent. The administrative system was not complicated. The capital was a religious holy place. Every time they occupied a place, they would appoint a governor to rule it.

The advantage of doing this is that the expansion speed is very fast, but the disadvantage is also obvious. The governor has too much power and can easily threaten the power of the caliph.

For example, now, Muawiyah, the Persian governor of the Caliphate, has become too powerful to be controlled.

Muawiyah was not only the governor of Persia, but also the governor of another region, and his power surpassed that of the Caliph of the Holy Land.

The conflict between the two sides was originally getting bigger and bigger, almost to the point of civil war. Later, after negotiations, the two sides decided to transfer the internal conflict to the outside.

Muawiyah was responsible for the eastern expedition, while the Caliph was responsible for the westward expansion, and the conflict was temporarily eased.

Because of this, what the Tang Dynasty needed to face was the Arab army controlled by Muawiyah, not the entire Arab army.

The Arab envoy who went to the Tang Dynasty this time was Muawiyah's younger brother Ibn, who was Muawiyah's right-hand man.

Through this information, Li Zhi also roughly understood the thoughts of the Arabs.

They sent Yiben to the Tang Dynasty, which shows how much importance they attached to this negotiation. It also indirectly shows that the Arabs were not willing to go to war with the Tang Dynasty.

The Arab envoys were very large, almost a thousand people, and they obviously wanted to show their strength in this way.

However, Li Zhi, who knew the strengths and weaknesses of the Arabs, had already seen that they were weak inside.

Li Zhi was not in a hurry to meet the Arabs and also left them aside.

That morning, after Li Zhi finished handling government affairs, he turned to Wang Fusheng and asked, "How many days have the Tibetan envoys been here?"

Wang Fusheng said, "Your Majesty, it has been twelve days."

Li Zhi asked, "What has Lu Dongzan been doing these days?"

Wang Fusheng said, "This man is quite patient. He asked the officials of the Honglu Temple for some books and stayed in his room reading all day without going out."

Li Zhi stood up and said, "It's time to meet with him. Send an order to Duke Ying to ask him to invite Lu Dongzan to come to his house this afternoon."

"Yes." Wang Fusheng agreed and went to the Internal Affairs Bureau to find a famous imperial censor to convey the imperial edict.

When he returned to Ganlu Hall, Li Zhi had already left the hall. Upon asking, he learned that the empress had invited the emperor to Lizheng Hall.

Wang Fusheng trotted quickly and caught up with Li Zhi at Lizheng Gate.

Outside the Lizheng Hall, Wu Meiniang had already brought the palace ladies to welcome the emperor, and Li Xian also accompanied them.

Li Zhi entered the hall, sat down on the couch holding Li Xian, and looked at Wu Meiniang.

"Mei Niang, what do you want from me?"

Wu Meiniang fixed her eyes on Li Xian and said, "Your Majesty, Li Xian is almost four years old. Do you think it's time for him to go to Chongwenguan?"

Li Zhi was too busy on weekdays and had so many children that he couldn't take care of every one of them. When he looked at Li Xian at this time, he found that he had indeed grown up a lot.

"Xian'er, if I ask you to go to Chongwenguan now, would you be willing?"

Li Xian chuckled and said, "I've wanted to go for a long time, but mother wouldn't let me."

Wu Meiniang glanced at him and said, "You are not diligent in your studies. Your knowledge is far behind that of your fifth brother when he was three years old."

Li Xian argued, "It was my fault that I didn't teach you seriously. When I encountered questions I didn't understand, you didn't let me ask!"

Wu Meiniang's face suddenly looked a little ugly.

If Li Zhi had not been here, he would have definitely scolded Li Xian.

Her second son was completely different from Li Hong. When she was lecturing, he always liked to interrupt her and asked her to save his questions for after she finished speaking. When she finished speaking, he would say he had forgotten them.

Wu Meiniang really had no patience with him, so she decided to drive him to Chongwenguan and forget about him.

Li Zhi said sternly, "Xian'er, you have grown up now. When you go to Chongwenguan, you must obey the scholars. If you dare to be naughty, your father will punish you."

Li Xian nodded his little head and said, "I will definitely be obedient."

When Wu Meiniang saw her son acting like a good boy in front of her husband, her eyes twitched a few times and she turned her head slightly.

"Xian'er, go and play. I want to talk to your mother." Li Zhi touched Li Xian's head.

Li Xian said "Oh", slid off Li Zhi, and jumped out of the house.

"Your Majesty, do you have anything to say to me?" Wu Meiniang asked curiously.

Li Zhi asked, "Mei Niang, I heard that the Tubo envoys have come to Chang'an, and that Princess Wencheng is also with them. Do you know her?"

Although Princess Wencheng was the queen of Songtsen Gampo, she was only sixteen years old when she got married, one year younger than Wu Meiniang.

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "I have only heard of her, but I am very curious about her."

Li Zhi said, "That's perfect. How about you summon her into the palace and meet her?"

Wu Meiniang was very smart and understood Li Zhi's thoughts with a flash of her eyes.

Princess Wencheng had a special identity, similar to that of Princess Honghua, but her situation was more embarrassing than that of Princess Honghua.

Her husband Songtsen Gampo had died, and Tubo had rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. She was caught between the two countries, and her situation can be imagined.

Li Zhi probably wanted to meet her, but was also worried that she would become the Tibetans' mouthpiece and plead for them.

Therefore, Wu Meiniang was asked to test the waters first and find out what Princess Wencheng was thinking before deciding whether to meet her.

"I will send someone to invite her into the palace later to find out what she is thinking." Wu Meiniang said with a smile.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "Very good, you meet with her, and I will also go to meet with Lu Dongzan to see what the Tibetans' intention is in sending an envoy delegation!" It has been almost twenty years since Princess Wencheng left the Tang Dynasty. Everything has changed. Emperor Taizong has passed away, and a new emperor has ascended the throne.

Her father, Li Daozon, was also exiled to Xiangzhou because of Fang Yiai's rebellion case and died of illness on the way.

Princess Wencheng stood outside the window, looking past the buildings of the Honglu Temple and towards the direction of Chang'an City.

It’s a pity that the view is blocked by the city wall and the cross street outside the Suzaku Gate cannot be seen.

When she was in Tubo, she spent countless days and nights gazing towards Chang'an, reminiscing about her homeland.

Now I have returned to Chang'an, but I still feel like I am trapped in a cage and cannot see the streets of Chang'an. How sad it is!
Just as she was feeling sad, a voice came from outside the door.

"Jiamusa, Lu Dongzan requests to see you."

Princess Wencheng turned around, walked to the bed and sat down, took a deep breath, and said, "Prime Minister, please come in."

With a "creak", Lu Dongzan pushed the door open and walked in. He first glanced towards the window, and then turned his gaze to Princess Wencheng.

"Jiamusa, the Queen of the Tang Dynasty has sent someone to convey an order, inviting you to the palace."

Princess Wencheng whispered, "I understand. Please leave for a moment. I will change my clothes and then go into the palace to see the Queen."

Lu Dongzan stared at her and said, "Please allow me to say a few words."

"Go ahead." Princess Wencheng still lowered her head.

Lu Dongzan said slowly, "After the death of the Tang emperor, concubines without children were required to live in temples and spend the rest of their lives in misery. You know this, right?"

Princess Wencheng nodded.

"But what was your life like after the death of the previous king? Do you still remember how the new king, his ministers, and the Tibetan people treated you?"

Princess Wencheng clutched the hem of her skirt and whispered, "You've still been so kind to me, letting me live in the palace. I won't forget that."

Lu Dong praised: "The people of Tubo truly admire you. Now they are facing a great crisis, and only you can save them."

Princess Wencheng was silent for a moment, then said, "You've already said these words on the road, and my answer remains the same: I will not let the Tibetan people down."

Lu Dongzan performed a Tibetan etiquette and said, "Then I'll leave it to you."

After changing her clothes, Princess Wencheng got on a carriage and headed towards Taiji Palace.

After arriving at Changle Gate, we got off the car and walked, passing through several palace gates in succession, and arrived outside Lizheng Hall.

After entering the hall, I saw a woman with noble temperament sitting high on a phoenix couch. She was wearing a purple skirt and a phoenix crown, and her face was majestic. She was obviously the Queen of the Tang Dynasty.

"I am Li Jingxiu, paying my respects to Her Majesty the Queen." Princess Wencheng bowed her head.

Wu Meiniang looked at her silently.

I saw that she had a good appearance, a radiant complexion, and a gentle and elegant temperament, which was somewhat similar to Xu Jin.

"Princess, there's no need to be so polite. Yuping, please help her sit down." Wu Meiniang said with a smile.

After Princess Wencheng sat down, she looked up and took a closer look at Wu Meiniang, secretly marveling at her beauty.

Before coming to Chang'an, Lu Dongzan explained the situation of the Emperor and Empress of the Tang Dynasty to her.

She knew Wu Meiniang very well, and stretched out a hand, stroking the string of Buddhist beads on her wrist.

Wu Meiniang's eyes flashed: "Princess, do you also worship Buddha?"

Princess Wencheng said softly, "Most people living in Tubo respect Buddhism, love peace, and hate war."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Is that so? In that case, those countries annexed by Tubo also admired Buddhism and voluntarily incorporated into Tubo?"

Princess Wencheng was surprised. She had not expected the queen to be so sharp in her words.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "Even though most people want a peaceful and tranquil life, the country's decisions are in the hands of a few. To satisfy their desires, they don't care about the opinions of ordinary people."

Wu Meiniang said sternly: "Those who are fighting against our Tang army on the battlefield are the peace-loving people you mentioned."

Princess Wencheng sighed, "They have no choice."

"Whether it's your intention or not, since you've chosen to go to the battlefield, you have to pay the price." Wu Meiniang said coldly.

Princess Wencheng sighed, "Many of them have paid the price with their lives. Now that the war is over, can peace be restored to Tibet?"

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "The Tang Dynasty's imperial army went to Tubo to bring peace to the people of Tubo."

Princess Wencheng raised her head and said, "Your Highness, there are still nearly 100,000 Tibetan people living in India. They all have fathers, brothers, and sisters in Tibet. If they cannot return to Tibet, how can we expect peace?"

Wu Meiniang said calmly, "As long as they submit to the Tang Dynasty, His Majesty will allow them to return to Tubo."

Princess Wencheng said, "We came to Chang'an this time just to submit to the Tang Dynasty!"

Wu Meiniang stared at her: "There are conditions, right?"

Princess Wencheng was a little afraid of her gaze and lowered her head again.

"The Tubo people have only one condition: to be able to return to their original region and live there."

Wu Meiniang asked: "Original area?"

Princess Wencheng replied, "The Yarlung River Valley is the territory of Tubo when the first king established Tubo. If this land is ceded to Tubo, Tubo will be willing to come under the rule of the Tang Dynasty."

Wu Meiniang shook her head and said, "Princess, you are too naive. If the Tang Dynasty agrees to your terms, it won't be long before Tubo becomes stronger again and rebels again."

Princess Wencheng clenched her fingers tightly and whispered, "I, I know."

"You know?" Wu Meiniang showed surprise for the first time.

Princess Wencheng said, "Although Lu Dongzan tried to hide it from me, I am not a fool. I know he wants to return to the Yalong region first to recover his strength and then retake other territories in the future."

Wu Meiniang frowned and asked, "How do you know this?"

Princess Wencheng whispered, "On the way to Chang'an, one night, Lu Dongzan was talking to a confidant by the river, and I overheard them."

Wu Meiniang carefully observed her expression with a scrutinizing gaze. After a long pause, she asked, "Do you know what these words mean?"

Princess Wencheng gritted her teeth and said, "It means betrayal."

"Then why did you tell me?"

Princess Wencheng raised her head and, for the first time, looked Wu Meiniang straight in the eye. She spoke word for word, "I am a Tang princess who married into Tubo. My mission is to achieve peace between our two countries. This is the true meaning of my life, and this is the only thing I will never betray!"

Wu Meiniang was stunned for a moment, and after staring at her for a long moment, her gaze softened. She said, "You are a respectable princess. I will convey all your words to His Majesty."

Princess Wencheng's eyes turned red. She performed the Tang Dynasty etiquette towards Wu Meiniang and turned to leave.

Wu Meiniang leaned sideways on the phoenix couch, supporting her chin with one hand, looking at her gradually receding back, a thoughtful look on her face.

(End of this chapter)