Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 259 Poor Li Xian
Outside Lizheng Gate, Zhang Duohai was standing guard cautiously.

Wu Meiniang listened to Li Zhi and indulged Li Xian in many ways, which ultimately led to her son not being well educated.

This incident also made her realize that she could not completely listen to her husband when it came to educating her children.

She immediately changed her strategy and adopted extremely harsh methods to teach her third son Li Xian.

Li Zhi couldn't know about this, so when Wu Meiniang was teaching her son recently, she asked Zhang Duohai to stand guard outside the Lizheng Gate to prevent the emperor from suddenly passing by.

It is now past noon, the red sun has passed the zenith, and it is about three quarters past the hour of Wei.

According to Zhang Duohai's understanding of the emperor, he should have just taken a nap in the water pavilion near the Jinshui River and was returning to the Ganlu Palace.

After the emperor took a look around Ganlu Palace, if there was no emergency, he would most likely come to Lizheng Palace to find Empress Wu.

If the emperor was in a good mood, he might also go to the Forbidden Garden to race horses.

In addition, the possibility of visiting Xunfeng Hall, Penglai Hall, Chengxiang Hall, and Linhu Hall is not ruled out.

Of course, the emperor sometimes has sudden ideas and does things that others can't think of, which is beyond his ability to guess.

After waiting for a long time, the emperor did not come.

Just as he turned his head to look at the sundial near the gate, a eunuch came running over and gestured to him from a distance.

This is a gesture indicating that the emperor is coming this way.

Zhang Dahai ran towards the Lizheng Hall like a ball with quick steps.

When he arrived outside the hall, he slowed down his pace and entered the hall quietly.

In the inner hall, Wu Meiniang was teaching her son.

In Zhang Duohai's opinion, Empress Wu was serious this time and was much stricter than when she taught the crown prince.

The seventh prince Li Xian was seen sitting obediently on the couch with his head hung, listening to Wu Meiniang explaining the Thousand Character Classic.

Whenever Empress Wu spoke a little louder, he would tremble and look pitiful.

Zhang Duohai sympathized with the Seventh Prince in his heart, and quickly came to Wu Meiniang's side and whispered, "Your Highness, His Majesty is here."

Wu Meiniang nodded, ordered a guardian to take Li Xian away, and then went outside the palace to wait for the emperor.

After a while, Li Zhi arrived.

Empress Wu welcomed him into the palace and poured him a glass of the mead she had recently prepared.

Wu Meiniang was energetic and only needed to spend some energy to manage the harem in an orderly manner.

With nowhere to vent her remaining energy, she began to research various health-preserving and youthful diets.

This mead is one of them.

As long as she didn't focus her energy on state affairs, Li Zhi would not care about her and would give high praise to her research on diet as a sign of encouragement.

"Mm, it tastes good! Mei Niang, pour me another glass!"

Wu Meiniang smiled slightly and poured him another glass of honey wine.

Li Zhi finished his drink in two or three gulps and asked, "Where's Xian'er?"

Wu Meiniang said, "I asked my tutor to take me out for a walk."

Li Zhi nodded, smiled at Wu Meiniang, and said, "Meiniang, I want to discuss something with you."

Seeing his strange expression, Wu Meiniang asked curiously, "Your Majesty, are you going to ask me to meet someone again on your behalf?"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "No, I want to talk to you about Uncle Yuan. I released him from Zhaoling. Are you unhappy about this?"

Wu Meiniang's eyelids drooped. "I know he has made great contributions to the Tubo cause. Li Ji personally pleaded for him. Your Majesty, there is nothing wrong with doing this."

Li Zhi reached out and grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and said with a smile: "Mei Niang, you are becoming more and more sensible. This time, Lu Dongzan's incident, he has made a contribution again. Do you think you should restore his title?"

Wu Meiniang has recently become a good helper to Li Zhi in various matters and has not acted presumptuously.

Li Zhi therefore respected her more and hoped that their relationship would develop in the same way as that of Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun.

Wu Meiniang lowered her head in thought for a moment, then raised it and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I don't think this is appropriate."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "Why?"

Wu Meiniang said softly, "I don't hold any grudge against him, but Your Majesty should also consider Princess Wencheng."

Li Zhi asked, "Princess Wencheng? What happened to her?"

Wu Meiniang asked, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten that her father, Li Daozong, was also implicated in the Fang Yiai case by Zhangsun Wuji, just like Li Ke. Princess Wencheng may not say it, but is there no dissatisfaction in her heart about this matter?"

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then said, "Now that you mention it, I've indeed been a little careless."

Wu Meiniang said softly, "Your Majesty was simply too busy, so he overlooked these things. I believe that Zhangsun Wuji has indeed made great contributions this time, but there is no need to commend him. We should just erase the fact that he framed Li Daozong."

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "Zhangsun Wuji is a smart man, I believe he won't complain."

At this moment, Wang Fusheng suddenly came to Li Zhi and whispered, "Your Majesty, Ashina Buzhen wants to see you and is waiting outside Chengtian Gate."

Li Zhi frowned and asked, "Did he say anything?"

"It seems to be related to the Arabs." Wang Fusheng replied.

Li Zhi pondered for a moment, then stood up and said, "Summon him to the Ganlu Palace for an audience."

After saying goodbye to Wu Meiniang, he left Lizheng Hall and returned to Ganlu Hall.

He entered the outer hall from the side door, sat on the dragon throne, and ordered someone to summon Ashina Buzhen outside the door to come for an audience.

"Your Majesty, I, Ashina Buzhen, pay my respects to you."

After Bu Zhen entered the hall, he bowed and saluted, then began to dance and perform a dance ceremony.

Generally speaking, if a minister had not seen the emperor for a long time, he would express his joy through dancing when he met him.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "There's no need for the dance ceremony. You came to see me because you have something to say, right?"

Bu Zhen said solemnly, "Your Majesty, yesterday afternoon, the leader of the Turgesh tribe, Uzhile, suddenly came to my residence." Li Zhi's eyes flashed. "The Dulu tribe has defected to the Arabs. He came with the Arab envoys, right?"

Bu Zhen said, "Your Majesty is wise. This man came to Chang'an with Yi Ben. He came to me to convey the message of the Arabs."

Li Zhi said calmly, "I deliberately ignored the Arab envoy. You should know my intention, right?"

Bu Zhen hurriedly said, "I understand your Majesty's intention. If the Arabs are looking for me because they want to occupy the area north of Gar City, I will never speak for them!"

"Then why did you come to see me? Did they offer other conditions?"

"That's right." Bu Zhen said, "Your Majesty, the Arabs have expressed their willingness to withdraw from Tubo and give up all their land. They have only one request!"

"what?"

"They hope to be allowed to spread Dashi Buddhism in the Tibetan region, and the government must not stop them!"

After hearing this, Li Zhi was shocked.

The Arabs were indeed cunning. If Li Zhi regarded Arabism as a religion similar to Buddhism, he would definitely agree to it.

However, he was well aware of the horror of the Arab religion.

If they were allowed to preach in Tubo, and the number of Arab believers in the Tubo region increased, when they attacked Tubo again in the future, these believers would become their accomplices, and the outcome of the war would be unpredictable.

Li Zhi thought quietly for a long time before finally raising his head.

"General Bu Zhen, when you saw Wu Zhile again, did you notice any changes in him?"

Bu Zhen was stunned for a moment, thought for a moment, frowned and said: "He seems... not to have changed much."

"Then do you think he is loyal to the Arabs?" Li Zhi changed the question.

Bu Zhen said: "From yesterday's meeting, it seems that he is quite loyal to the Arabs. It will be difficult to make him betray."

He also thought that the emperor wanted him to incite Wuzhile to rebel.

Li Zhi asked, "Then do you think that when Wuzhile first submitted to the Tang Dynasty, his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty was comparable to his loyalty to the Arabs?"

Bu Zhen showed hesitation and said, "This... this..."

Li Zhi said: "I want to hear what's in your heart."

Bu Zhen whispered, "His loyalty to the Arabs seems to be a little stronger than his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty."

Li Zhi nodded and said, "That's it. He has only been with the Arabs for two short years. How did the Arabs gain his loyalty so quickly?"

Bu Zhen recalled his conversation with Wu Zhile and said, "Your Majesty, it may be because of religion. He has converted to the Arab religion!"

Li Zhi said: "Indeed, this is the advantage of a religious country. If we allow the Arabs to preach in Tubo, they will have the advantage when they attack Tubo again in the future."

Bu Zhen was startled and knelt on the ground, saying, "I was not careful enough and almost fell into the trap of the Arabs."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "Stand up. This is not your fault. If I didn't know something about the Arabs, I would have agreed to their terms."

Bu Zhen gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, the Arabs are so abominable. I am willing to go to Tubo and serve as the vanguard to help Your Majesty capture the city of Gar!"

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "No rush. Since we are still in the negotiation stage, let's continue talking. If we can't reach an agreement, it won't be too late to fight again."

Bu Zhen said: "But if we don't agree to both of their conditions, I'm afraid the Arabs will not make any more concessions."

Li Zhi closed his eyes and looked thoughtful.

At this time, Wang Fusheng came to his side and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Minister of War Xiao Siye requests an audience."

Li Zhi opened his eyes and said, "Let him in."

After a while, Xiao Siye entered the hall and saluted Li Zhi.

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "No need to be so polite. Xiao Qing, is there any new military information coming from the front?"

Xiao Siye's face was filled with joy as he said with a smile, "Your Majesty, this is the news sent back from Tianzhu."

Li Zhi's mind moved: "Is Wang Xuance taking any action again?"

Xiao Siye smiled and said, "Wang Xuance took advantage of Qinling's return to Tubo with his troops to lead several Indian states and capture several cities. Now his forces are growing stronger and stronger, and he is planning to capture Qunu City!"

Li Zhi's eyes flashed, as if he thought of something, but he didn't say anything.

Xiao Siye waited for a long while, but seeing that the emperor still did not respond, he had no choice but to remind him, "Your Majesty, Wang Xuance has also proposed a strategy that can eliminate the remaining Tibetan troops."

Li Zhi calmed down and asked, "Oh, what strategy did he propose?"

Xiao Siye said, "He believes that if he attacks Qunu City, the Tibetan army will definitely retreat to defend it. The imperial court can send an army across the Great Snow Mountain to join forces with the Indian army to attack the Tibetans. They will definitely be able to defeat them and recapture India!"

Li Zhi shook his head and said, "No, Tubo is still unstable at the moment, so we can't rashly send troops to India."

Xiao Siye asked, "Should we notify Wang Xuance and have him lead the Indian army to temporarily retreat, away from the main Tibetan forces, and await orders from the imperial court?"

Li Zhi did not answer him, but instead looked at Ashina Buzhen.

"General Buzhen, go tell Wuzhile that Tubo is now Tang territory. Their missionary work must abide by Tang laws and is not allowed to preach at will."

"But I can agree to another condition. As long as they withdraw from Tibet, I can give them India."

Before Bu Zhen could say anything, Xiao Siye hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, after Tubo was recovered, Tianzhu will be recovered soon. Why did you give it up to the Arabs so easily?"

Li Zhi said expressionlessly, "Don't be too ambitious. Right now, stabilizing Tubo is our top priority. Tianzhu is too far away for us to manage."

Xiao Siye said: "But Wang Xuance..."

Li Zhi raised his hand and said, "I have witnessed Wang Xuance's ability. I will issue an order to appoint him as the Deputy Protector General of Kunming and Tibet. Tell him that he does not need to stay in Tianzhu anymore and to come back."

Xiao Siye frowned secretly and thought to himself, "Why does Your Majesty have completely different attitudes towards Tubo and Tianzhu?" Seeing that the emperor had made up his mind, he dared not persuade him anymore.

On the other side, Bu Zhen was secretly shocked after hearing what Li Zhi said.

He pondered the matter carefully, then asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, do you mean that when the Arabs attack India, we should not intervene in exchange for the Arabs withdrawing from Tubo?"

Li Zhi said: "Not bad."

Bu Zhen looked solemn and said, "I understand. I will do my best to reach a contract with the Arabs!"

(End of this chapter)