Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 340 Harem holds another regular meeting
In the Lizheng Hall, Wu Meiniang was holding a small meeting with the concubines and bestowing tributes from all over the place.

No matter how precious the tribute was, the concubines saw it so often every year that they were no longer interested in it.

Only those rare tributes will attract their attention.

Among this year's tributes, there were two new things that attracted everyone's attention.

The first one is sardonyx.

This is a special kind of agate, presented by the Tubo Kingdom.

It is said that this product is produced in the northern foothills of the Great Snow Mountain, in a mysterious land called the Ice and Snow Region.

In Tubo, this item is known as "Qiong" or "Qiongse", and its entangled silk and crystal clear characteristics are breathtaking.

Although the Tibetans had submitted to the Tang Dynasty and presented silk agate as an offering, the best varieties were retained by the Tibetan king, who only offered inferior products.

After Tubo was defeated, they took all their most precious treasures to India.

This time, when paying tribute to the Tang Dynasty, in order to repair the relationship, this precious treasure was taken out and presented to the Tang Dynasty.

Among the twisted agates, the amber and blue twisted agates are regarded as the best.

In addition, agate with natural eye patterns in the middle and agate shaped like ox horn beads are known as the best and are rarely seen in a century.

On the jade plate at this time, there were two pieces of top-quality agate with eye patterns and one with ox horn bead patterns, as well as seven other treasures.

Wu Meiniang waved her hand and ordered the palace servants to present the agate to the concubines, saying, "One for each of you. Choose according to your rank."

The jade plate was first brought to Concubine Zheng. She examined it carefully for a while and said with a smile, "That eye is quite scary. I'll take the one with the ox horn bead pattern."

Then it was brought to Concubine Xu, who took the agate with eye pattern with a smile.

Liu Chong'er took an amber piece, and Zhu Zhenlian and the other two talented women all took blue agate.

After the tribute was distributed, all the women looked at the other jade plate.

The jade plate was also filled with agate, but it was all pure white agate, flawless and without a trace of other colors.

They had seen many white agates (except Zhu Zhenlian), but this was the first time they had seen such pure and white agate.

Concubine Zheng fell in love with the agate at first sight and asked curiously, "Your Majesty, which country sent this as a tribute? It is so pure and beautiful."

Wu Meiniang smiled and said, "It was presented by Baekje."

At this time, Zhang Duohai came to Wu Meiniang and whispered, "Your Highness, she is here."

Wu Meiniang nodded and said with a smile, "I have invited the deputy envoy of Baekje here. Let her introduce this thing to you."

After a while, Jin Yan was invited in.

When the concubines first heard about the deputy envoy from Baekje, they were secretly wondering why the queen invited a man to the regular harem meeting. But when they saw that it was a woman, they were not so resistant.

Although Jin Yan is from Baekje, he has already pledged his loyalty to the Tang Dynasty. As a spy stationed in Baekje by the Tang Dynasty, his mission is to help Baekje submit to the Tang Dynasty.

She now only has a single line of contact with Wang Jishan, and doesn't know why the queen suddenly wants to see her.

After paying her respects to all the nobles, she heard Empress Wu asking her to introduce the white agate on the jade plate, so she introduced this special agate without thinking much.

"Your Majesty, the Queen, and the nobles, this item is called Keyu, and it originated from Tamra. It is a treasure that Tamra presented to our Baekje."

Concubine Zheng was curious and asked, "Where is Tamra Kingdom? Why have I never heard of it?"

Jin Yan said, "Tamra is an island forty miles from Baekje. Like Wa, it is an island nation, but it is smaller."

Xu Jin smiled slightly and said, "I saw a record in a book that to the west of Mahan, there is an island called Zhouhu. The people living on this island speak a different language than the people of Mahan. They all have shaved heads and like to raise cattle, horses, pigs and sheep. Their clothes have upper parts but no lower parts, which makes them look like they are naked..."

When the girls heard this, their faces turned red.

Xu Jin's face also turned red, and she felt embarrassed to say anything more.

Jin Yan smiled at Xu Jin and said, "Your Excellency is well-informed. The Zhouhu you are referring to are none other than the Tamra people. However, after they submitted to Baekje, they changed their customs and no longer practiced nudity."

Wu Meiniang suddenly said, "Since Tamra can raise livestock, the terrain must be very open."

Jin Yan replied, "Yes, the land there is vast and fertile; it's hard to believe it's actually an island. Its fertile land attracted the attention of Japan and Silla, leading Tamra to submit to Baekje in the hope of securing its protection."

Wu Meiniang asked about some situations of Tamra Kingdom again. When she heard that the population of Tamra Kingdom was less than 10,000 people, she lost interest, waved her hand, and ordered the women to choose Ke Yu.

Jin Yan, intent on pleasing the women, smiled and said, "This jade is considered a national treasure by Tamra. It was almost destroyed because of it."

Yang Cairen was playing with a piece of beautiful jade. Upon hearing this, she asked, "Why is this happening?"

Jin Yan smiled and said, "This jade is produced in very small quantities, and most of it is used as tribute to their own country. Many years ago, envoys from Silla came to Baekje to pay their respects to their king, who gave them a piece of jade."

"The King of Silla was obsessed with the jade. Later, upon learning that it was produced in Tamra, he sent envoys to threaten the King of Tamra with an annual tribute of the jade, threatening to attack them if he failed."

"The King of Tamra feared Silla, so he had no choice but to send a portion to Silla every year. However, the production of Keyu was limited, and after sending tribute to Silla, there was less left for Baekje."

"The king of our country was furious and sent people to question the King of Tamra, who told him the truth. The king of our country then ordered him to stop paying tribute to Silla and only to Baekje. The King of Tamra had no choice but to agree."

"The following year, the king of Silla failed to receive tribute and, enraged, led his navy to attack Tamra. Tamra begged for help from his own country, but the king did not send any troops to their aid."

When the women heard this, they were all surprised.

Zhu Cairen frowned and said, "Since your king refused to allow Tamra to pay tribute, why did he not help Tamra now that he asked for help?"

All the women looked at Jin Yan, waiting for her answer.

Jin Yan said, "In fact, several cities in Baekje were occupied by Silla at that time. The king knew that if Tamra refused to pay tribute, Silla would definitely attack, so he secretly prepared for it."

"When he received Tamra's request for assistance, he immediately launched an attack on those cities and recaptured them in one fell swoop. When the King of Silla heard about it, he hurriedly recalled his soldiers and strengthened his defenses to prevent further attacks from Baekje."

Wu Mei Niang praised: "What a great strategy of besieging Wei to save Zhao! This Baekje king is quite clever. What is his name?"

Jin Yan said, "This King of Baekje is my daughter's grandfather, King Mu of Baekje, Buyeo Jang."

After hearing the story behind Ke Yu, the concubines liked the jade even more and began to select it carefully.

Jin Yan was also there, telling the girls how to identify the quality of Ke Yu.

After all the women had finished their selection, Wu Meiniang asked Jin Yan to leave.

The outer court process at Taiji Hall has been completed, and the ministers and envoys from various countries are having a banquet with the emperor in Chengqing Hall.

After Jin Yan left Lizheng Hall, she walked towards Chengqing Hall under the guidance of a eunuch.

When they were halfway there, the eunuch suddenly turned north.

Jin Yan didn't ask any more questions and followed silently, and soon arrived outside a large red house.

The eunuch smiled at her and gestured for her to come in.

Jin Yan pushed the door open and saw a man standing in the room with his hands behind his back and his back to the door. It was General Wang Jishan of the Inner Guard.

Jin Yan bowed to him and said, "I pay my respects to the General."

Wang Jishan said in a deep voice, "What is the current situation in Baekje?"

Jin Yan said: "Nine county generals in the north have sent people to Sabi City to express their loyalty to Bok Sin." "County general" is the highest-ranking official in Baekje, similar to the governor of the Tang Dynasty. He has troops and power in his hands and can be called a frontier official.

Now that there are two regimes in Baekje, the statements of these county generals are very important.

Wang Jishan asked, "How many county commanders support Yici?"

Jin Yan said, "After all, he has been the King of Baekje for nearly twenty years. His prestige far exceeds that of Bok Shin, and sixteen county commanders still support him."

After a pause, she continued, "There are also more than twenty county commanders who are still waiting and watching. If we can gain their support, Fuxin's power will surpass Yici's."

Wang Jishan remained silent and asked, "What are the movements of Japan?"

Jin Yan said, "We are still preparing for war at the Asakura Palace in Tsukushi. According to spies, there are two opinions within the Japanese. One is to send troops directly to help Yici. The other is to provide Yici with military equipment and supplies, but not directly participate in the battle, so as to avoid fighting with the Tang Dynasty."

Wang Jishan hummed, then said, "I know everything. Do you have anything else to report?"

Jin Yan hesitated for a moment and said, "General, can I go home and take a look?"

Wang Jishan said in a deep voice, "Not now. Once you complete your mission, you can retire from the Inner Guard and live a normal life with your husband."

Jin Yan whispered, "Yes."

Wang Jishan turned his head and glanced at her, saying, "Your husband Anlie is still in Mobei. If you go back now, you won't be able to see him."

Jin Yan hurriedly asked, "Is he okay?"

Wang Jishan said, "Don't worry. He has assembled a militia of 300 men, well-equipped, and has defeated the northern barbarians several times. The Yannan Protectorate even sent someone to commend him."

Jin Yan felt relieved and said, "Thank you, General, for telling me this."

Wang Jishan waved his hand and said, "You don't have to thank me. This is the rule of the Inner Guard. As long as someone is on a mission outside, the Guard will take care of their family members."

Jin Yan smiled slightly and said, "Then I will take my leave."

He turned and left the house, following the eunuch, and soon arrived at Chengqing Hall.

The hall was extremely bustling, but the dragon throne was empty and no one knew where the emperor had gone.

Since the emperor was away, the officials and foreign envoys relaxed and gathered together to chat and drink.

Jin Yan glanced around and quickly found Dao Chen.

I saw him gathered with a few burly men, chatting happily with each other.

As soon as Jin Yan walked over, she attracted the attention of those big men.

Jin Yan had already become a celebrity because she had just been summoned by the Queen. These people asked her why the Queen of Tang had summoned her.
Jin Yan frowned and said nothing.

The way these people looked at her, besides questioning, also contained a naked desire, which made her very uncomfortable.

Dao Chen hurriedly said, "Deputy Envoy Jin, let me introduce you. These are envoys from the Liaodong countries..."

There were three people looking at Jin Yan.

The big man with disheveled hair is the envoy of Shiwei.

The one with braided hair and a pheasant tail in his hair was a Mohe envoy.

The one with shaved hair was the envoy from the Xi State.

Jin Yan greeted the others and said, "Her Majesty the Queen has summoned me to introduce a special gift from Baekje to the nobles in the palace."

Everyone asked what it was.

Dao Chen smiled slightly, took over the conversation, and said: "This thing is called Ke Yu, it is a rare treasure of our country..."

Jin Yan didn't want to talk much with these people. When Dao Chen took over the conversation, she stepped back behind Dao Chen, said nothing, and secretly observed the envoys of the three countries.

Among the few people, Xi Shi spoke Tang language most fluently, but spoke the least.

This is not surprising.

When the Khitans joined forces with Goguryeo to rebel, some Xi people also participated.

Although the King of Xi later sent the heads of the rebels to the Yingzhou Military Governor's Office to make up for his mistake.

But after this battle, all the countries in Liaodong plundered a large number of slaves and cattle, sheep and livestock from the Khitan, but the Xi people got nothing, and they also hurt themselves, offended the Tang Dynasty, and their strength declined greatly.

In the Liaodong region, the strength of a tribe is determined by two factors: the first is its own strength, and the second is its relationship with the Tang Dynasty.

The Xi people are now at the bottom of both points, and their status in Liaodong has greatly declined.

Naturally, he has no say in the parliaments of these countries.

In the battle against Khitan, Shiwei and Mohe benefited the most.

When the main force of the Khitan was on guard against the Tang army, they took advantage of the opportunity and launched a large-scale attack on the Khitan tribe.

The two countries, together with the Eastern Turks, looted almost half of the cattle, sheep and population, greatly expanding the strength of the three countries.

This kind of looting was also condoned by the Tang Dynasty.

Just like during the war with Tubo, the coalition forces of the Six Kingdoms looted a large number of Tubo people and livestock and brought them back to their country, and the Tang Dynasty turned a blind eye.

Among the countries in Liaodong today, Shiwei and Mohe are the strongest, so the envoys from the two countries have the loudest voices.

Jin Yan stood quietly by and listened to them talking. After listening for a while, she couldn't help but be surprised.

They were actually discussing and persuading the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty to send troops against Goguryeo!

It is understandable that the Mohe wanted to attack Goguryeo, because the Mohe and Goguryeo had been in dispute for more than a hundred years, and their blood feud could be described as deep.

However, Goguryeo was stronger and supported the Baishan tribe within the Mohe, making the Baishan Mohe the leader of all the Mohe tribes.

As a result, the Mohe became Goguryeo's younger brother, following Goguryeo to fight against the Tang Dynasty and bully Silla.

Until a few years ago, the Tang Dynasty defeated Goguryeo, and the Baishan Mohe suffered heavy losses because they followed Goguryeo.

The Suomote tribe within the Mohe rose to power and became the new leader of the Mohe, leading the Mohe to submit to the Tang Dynasty.

The Suomote Mohe had a blood feud with Goguryeo. Now that they had regained control of the Mohe tribes, they wanted to take back the territories occupied by Goguryeo and wash away the shame.

However, they alone could not defeat Goguryeo, and even if they added the Shiwei and Xi tribes, it would be difficult to win.

So they wanted to persuade the Tang Dynasty to send troops.

By then, even if the land belonged to the Tang Dynasty, they would be able to take a bite of the fat meat, just like they did with the Khitan, obtain a large number of people and livestock, and improve their own strength.

Because of this, the Mohe and Shiwei envoys discussed the matter enthusiastically, and although the Xi envoys spoke very little, they were also very interested.

What Jin Yan found strange was that Daochen was discussing the matter with the same enthusiasm as the other group of people.

Baekje was in the midst of internal turmoil and was unable to take care of itself, so how could it have the energy to participate in foreign wars?

(End of this chapter)