Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 285 Visitors to the Princess's Mansion
Daqingfang, South Street, Huwang Street.

Huwang Street is the third narrowest street in South Street.

At the beginning of the year, the emperor issued an edict to lock up all the kings and chiefs of various countries who were under house arrest in Chang'an for the purpose of surveillance.

These people were moved to the third narrowest street of Daqingfang South Street. Because they were all kings of the Hu tribe, the people named this street "Huwang Street".

At present, there are many people living in Huwang Street, including Chebi Khan of Eastern Turkic Khaganate, Helu of Western Turkic Khaganate, Bilidu of Uighur Khaganate, and Ludongzan of Tubo.

These four people are very interesting. At the beginning, Helu and Chebi Khan were at odds with each other, and Bilidu stood on Chebi Khan's side.

The three of them had no followers, so when an argument broke out, they would just roll up their sleeves and start fighting, and the inner guards who were monitoring them would not care.

Helu was old and was outnumbered, so he was naturally no match for the two and was often beaten black and blue.

Later, for some reason, Helu and Chebi Khan put aside their past grudges and joined forces to deal with the Tiele people.

These former tribal leaders, now imprisoned in Chang'an, were no different from ordinary people. They fought and quarreled all day long and could only reminisce about their former glory when they went to bed at night.

Lu Dongzan was different from the other three. He was not a king and was quite ostracized by them.

This was exactly what he wanted. He did not interact with the three of them on weekdays, and spent most of his time sitting in the house, reading various Tang Dynasty classics.

When Changsun Wuji and Changsun Quan came to visit him, he was reading in the house.

This was the first time Changsun Quan saw Lu Dongzan.

The moment he saw this person, he understood what Changsun Wuji meant.

This man is indeed different from others. Although he is a prisoner under house arrest, there is no sign of dejection on his face. His eyes are deep and flashing with wisdom.

Although there was no tea in his room, he still boiled some hot water to entertain the two of them and added some leaves to the water.

He explained that this was a plant called "Kuncao" from Tubo. When soaked in water, this grass had the effect of calming the mind.

Chang Sun Wuji took a sip, savored the flavor, and said with a smile, "It tastes pure and sweet, and has some of the flavor of Sichuan tea."

Lu Dongzan smiled slightly and his eyes moved slowly between the two of them.

"Uncle Zhangsun, is this your son?" he asked in fluent Tang dialect.

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "This is my cousin."

Lu Dongzan glanced at Changsun Quan and smiled, "So it's Changsun, the Prince Consort who holds the title of Wannianling. He is indeed a young talent."

Changsun Quan saw that he was elegant and polite, completely different from the Hu people he had seen before, and he had a better impression of him.

"I have heard of Prime Minister Lu for a long time."

Lu Dongzan said with a smile, "You two have come to see me, a prisoner of the Southern Crown Chu. Could it be that the situation in Tubo has changed?"

Changsun Wuji said with a half-smile, "Brother Lu, do you hope that Tubo will change, or do you not hope that Tubo will change?"

Lu Dongzan sighed and said, "Of course I don't hope for it. If there is a change, there can only be one result."

Chang Sunquan asked, "What?"

Lu Dongzan said: "Of course, the remaining Tibetans in Tianzhu launched a counterattack against Tubo and were defeated and fled."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "Brother Lu, you worry too much. Your second son, Qin Ling, is now in command of the army. Even His Majesty praises his talents. He will not do anything unwise."

Lu Dongzan smiled and said, "If it's not about this, then why are you two here?"

Changsun Wuji told the whole story of the Khitan rebellion against the Tang Dynasty without hiding anything.

After listening to this, Lu Dongzan asked curiously, "This is your Tang Dynasty's business, why are you telling me?"

Changsun Wuji said sternly, "Your country's methods of absorbing foreign races are very admirable, so I have come to seek your advice."

Lu Dongzan stared at Zhangsun Wuji, and seeing that he was not being sarcastic, he pondered for a moment and said, "Our Tibetan methods may not be applicable to the Tang Dynasty."

Changsun Wuji smiled and said, "No problem. Please tell me about it and let me, your cousin, open my eyes."

Lu Dongzan smiled and said, "Most of my country's methods are borrowed from the Central Plains, and they are quite simple. I dare not teach you how to do it, but I also don't want to let you go to waste. I will explain it to you and you can use it as a reference."

Changsun Wuji extended his hand and said, "Please."

An hour later, Changsun Wuji and the other man left Huwang Street together and rode in a carriage on the dark Chang'an Street.

Chang Sunquan was still thinking about what Lu Dongzan had just said.

When dealing with surrendered countries, Tubo usually only needed three steps to make them surrender and make it difficult for them to resist.

The first step is the simplest, which is to draw out the young and strong men of the enemy, break them up and incorporate them into your own army.

Because of this reason, Zhangzhung's strength was greatly reduced and it was unable to resist Tubo at all.

The second point was to allow some of the other nobles to enter the city of Lhasa and grant them official positions.

In any ethnic group, the upper class leads the lower class, and only when the nobles of the other side are allowed to enter the new power system will they have a sense of belonging.

After the nobles were integrated, the lower-class people would also be easily integrated. This is how Subi was conquered by Tubo.

The last point is the promotion of religion.

Tubo was actually also a religious country. Although it was not as religion-centered as the Arab Empire, religion was also a part of their lives.

The original religion of Tubo was Bon. Later, after Princess Wencheng and Princess Chizun (Nepal) married Songtsen Gampo, Buddhism developed and grew in Tubo.

The Tibetans all believe in religion, whether it is Buddhism or Bonism, and the Zamp is a religious leader. As long as the other party believes in religion, they will naturally feel a sense of allegiance to Tibet.

Through these three points, Tubo was able to quickly integrate various tribes, unify its strength, and become a powerful country in a short period of time.

However, in Changsun Quan's view, none of these three methods are suitable for the Tang Dynasty.

The Tang Dynasty had a military system where soldiers were all farmers. It was difficult for nomadic peoples to become soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, and the Tang Dynasty government did not trust foreign soldiers.

The second point is not even worth mentioning.

The Tang people regarded the surrounding tribes as barbarians, so allowing one or two Hu leaders to enter Chang'an and confer official positions on them was barely acceptable.

However, if a large number of Khitan nobles were allowed to enter the court, Changsun Quan himself would oppose it.

The emperor seems to be less and less fond of religion recently, so I'm afraid this third point will be difficult to pass.

Changsun Quan thought about this and said to Changsun Wuji, "Brother, I'm afraid none of Lu Dongzan's three suggestions are suitable for us."

Chang Sun Wuji said slowly: "If you want to use it directly, it is naturally not suitable."

Changsun Quan's mind stirred. "You mean, to improve it?" Changsun Wuji said calmly, "Silang, you must remember that a person's knowledge depends on his vision. I brought you to see Lu Dongzan only to broaden your horizons."

Changsun Quan looked thoughtful.

He could already sense that although Changsun Wuji intended to help him, he would not do so directly. Instead, he would give him some pointers and let him figure it out on his own.

Although Lu Dongzan's method did not conform to the national conditions of the Tang Dynasty, there must be a reason behind its effective implementation.

As long as we can grasp its root core, we can modify it into a method suitable for the Tang Dynasty.

The carriage soon fell silent. The evening breeze was howling, and the curtains were swaying in the wind. There seemed to be a hint of coolness in the wind.

Summer is passing quietly and autumn is about to come.

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at Changsun Mansion. Changsun Wuji got off the carriage and went straight back to the mansion.

Changsun Quan continued to ride in the carriage back home.

When I returned to the princess's mansion and just passed the courtyard, Princess Xincheng came to me quickly with a look of concern in her eyes.

"Prince Consort, where did he take you?"

Chang Sunquan sighed and said, "I have met a clever Hu man."

Princess Xincheng blinked her eyes and said, "What a coincidence! Another Hu man is waiting for you in the side hall and wants to see you."

Changsun Quan asked curiously, "Who is it?"

Princess Xincheng asked, "That man calls himself An Lie. Do you know him?"

Changsun Quan shook his head.

"Then I'll have him kicked out."

"Wait, did he tell me why he wanted to see me?"

Princess Xincheng arched her eyebrows and said, "It seems to be about Zheng's case."

Changsun Quan was shocked.

Isn’t Zheng’s case already settled?
Because the case involved foreign spies, it was eventually taken over by the Internal Affairs Office.

However, the Zheng family father and sons could not escape punishment. They were demoted and downgraded, and the case was considered a successful conclusion. Why are there still people asking about this case?
Could it be that Carpenter Zhang was being retaliated against by the Zheng family?

Chang Sunquan's heart trembled, and he said, "I'll go take a look."

I walked quickly to the side hall and saw a bearded man sitting in the hall. He had a burly figure, a brown beard, and a weather-frost face. He was obviously a well-traveled merchant.

"Who are you?" Changsun Quan frowned.

The Hu man clasped his hands and said in a deep voice, "Prince Consort Changsun, my name is An Lie, and Jin Yan is my wife."

Zhang Sunquan was startled and said, "I remember now. Jin Yan's husband is indeed called An Lie. Why did you come to see me?"

An Lie said, "I hope you can take me to see Jin Yan."

Chang Sunquan shook his head and said, "Your wife is a foreign spy. You'd better forget about her."

An Lie said in a deep voice: "I know."

"Then you still want to find her?"

An Lie stared at Changsun Quan with his deep brown eyes and said, "Prince Consort Changsun, if you can let me see her, I am sure I can persuade her to submit to the Tang Dynasty and help the court deal with Baekje."

Chang Sunquan shook his head and said, "You are too naive. A woman like her can't possibly have real feelings for you."

"I know that too." An Lie replied. He remained extremely calm from beginning to end.

Chang Sunquan was rather curious and asked, "Then why do you think you can persuade her to return to Tang?"

An Lie said slowly: "Although she has been lying to me, she left me a letter and told me about her situation."

"So what? How do you know she didn't lie to you again?"

An Lie said: "Her mother is dead."

"What did you say?" Changsun Quan was stunned.

An Lie said, "She told me that her mother was the half-sister of the King of Baekje, Princess Yuya. I just received news that Princess Yuya was killed by the King of Baekje."

Chang Sunquan was startled and silent for a moment before asking, "It's the same question again. How do you know she didn't lie to you this time?"

An Lie smiled sadly and said, "Even if she lied to me about this kind of information, what good would it do?"

This was the first time that Chang Sunquan saw sadness on his face. At that moment, he could tell that An Lie had deep feelings for Jin Yan.

An Lie continued, "Take me to see her. If I fail, you'll just waste a little time and connections. If I succeed, you'll have made a great contribution, right?"

Chang Sunquan smiled and said, "You have a good eloquence."

An Lie asked, "Can I take your praise as your agreement?"

Chang Sunquan said, "I'll take you there tomorrow. It's getting late, so you should rest in the princess's mansion for the night."

An Lie lowered his head and said in a hoarse voice, "Prince Consort, you should also know what the Inner Guard is like. It's not an easy place to spend a night in. If she dies or has a mental breakdown, your contribution will be for nothing."

Chang Sunquan snorted and said, "In your eyes, I seem to be a profit-seeking person."

An Lie raised his hand hastily and said, "No, I have no such intention. When we Sogdians negotiate with others, we are accustomed to talking about profit. I hope your Majesty will forgive me."

Chang Sunquan said sternly, "No wonder you Sogdians are so good at making money. But you have to remember, I'm not moved by profit, but by love."

An Lie was surprised and asked, "You agreed?"

"You wait here for me."

Changsun Quan returned to his bedroom and told Princess Xincheng about the matter in detail.

It was late at night, which is the most important time for a young couple.

Princess Xincheng was moved by An Lie's infatuation and gave the token that allowed him to enter and leave the palace at night to Changsun Quan and let him go.

Changsun Quan got on the carriage again and took the Sogdians with him and headed towards the palace.

(End of this chapter)