Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 349 Ten Thousand Armors

"Hey, what's the sound?"

Princess Gao'an, who was playing guessing games with several of Zhu Cairen's maids, suddenly raised her head.

Concubine Zhu went to Penglai Palace to visit Concubine Yang. After Princess Gao'an came to the East Courtyard, she couldn't find anyone. With nothing to do, she played guessing games with three palace maids.

As a result, I forgot about time while playing.

"Your Highness, the sound seems to be coming from the main hall. It sounds like the sound of the imperial concubine's phoenix-tail harp." A palace servant transferred from the main hall said.

Princess Gao An divided the copper coins in front of her into three piles, giving each person one pile, and pushed them over, saying, "I don't want to play anymore. I'll give the rest to you."

The three palace maids thanked him happily.

Princess Gao An left the East Courtyard and walked all the way to the door of the main hall. She looked inside and found that Concubine Zheng was sitting at the top and another strange woman was sitting on the piano platform playing the piano.

The woman was beautiful, sitting in front of the piano, like a fairy. As her fingers glided, strings of pleasant notes leaped out from her fingertips.

Princess Gao An was influenced by Concubine Zheng and was proficient in music. She leaned against the door, tapping her thighs rhythmically with her fingers following the music.

The music has a cheerful melody and a slow rhythm, like a spring breeze blowing on your face, making you feel like you are in a grassland, and you can even smell the fragrance of grass and trees.

Soon, the song ended, but Princess Gao An still had her eyes closed, feeling unsatisfied.

"An'er, come here quickly." Concubine Zheng had noticed her long ago and waved at her.

Princess Gao An finally came to her senses, walked over quickly, and bowed to Zheng Ruoyan after being introduced by Concubine Zheng.

"I dare not accept the princess's gift." Zheng Ruoyan bowed and lowered her skirt.

Princess Gao An didn't know how to call the other person for a moment, so she turned to look at Concubine Zheng.

"An'er, just call her Sanniang." Concubine Zheng instructed.

Princess Gao An was stunned for a moment, staring at Zheng Ruoyan, and asked in surprise, "Are you the Third Lady of the Zheng family?"

Zheng Ruoyan smiled slightly and said, "Does Your Highness know my daughter?"

Princess Gao An stared at her with wide eyes and said, "I've heard others mention your name and say you're incredibly beautiful. Now that I see you, it's true."

Zheng Ruoyan smiled and said, "Your Highness the Princess will definitely be a great beauty when she grows up."

Princess Gao An had a good impression of Madam Zheng San, so she did not leave and listened to her conversation with Concubine Zheng.

Concubine Zheng asked Zheng Ruoyan about the origin of the song just now.

Zheng Ruoyan said softly, "Sister, this piece of music is called Flying Crane Jade Sky. It was composed by Sima Langjun after he visited Mount Song."

Concubine Zheng loved music the most in her life. When she heard Sima Chengzhen create such a wonderful piece of music, she liked him very much and even spoke in favor of Sima Chengzhen.

Zheng Ruoyan was still hesitant and sighed, "It's a pity that his parents might not be able to accept his family background."

Concubine Zheng smiled and said, "This man is very talented and will surely pass the imperial examination. When the time comes, I will send someone to speak to your parents and this should be possible."

After hearing what she said, Zheng Ruoyan finally made up her mind and said with a smile, "I will listen to you, Noble Concubine."

After Zheng Ruoyan took her leave, Princess Gao An asked Concubine Zheng, "Auntie, is your cousin planning to marry that Sima?"

Concubine Zheng walked to the zither platform, plucking the strings while saying, "Yes."

Judging from the melody she played, it was exactly the Feihe Yuxiao that Zheng Ruoyan had just played.

Princess Gao An was not interested in the music at this moment, and asked again: "Then she won't marry Shangguan Chun?"

Concubine Zheng said casually: "I don't think so."

Princess Gao An blinked and thought to herself, "Father also said that Madam Zheng San would definitely marry Shangguan Chun. Hehe, this time father is wrong."

She rolled her eyes, said goodbye to Concubine Zheng, and quickly came to Ganlu Palace. She let the order in and saw Li Zhi talking to Wang Jishan.

Princess Gao An listened to a few words and seemed to be talking about Baekje, so she didn't listen any more. She walked to Li Zhi and snuggled up on his legs.

Li Zhi touched her head and continued talking to Wang Jishan. After a while, Wang Jishan finally took his leave.

"An'er, do you have something to talk to me about?" Li Zhi asked with his head down.

Princess Gao An chuckled and said, "Yeah, yeah, when you were in the Princess Courtyard just now, didn't you say that the third lady of the Zheng family would definitely marry Shangguan Chun?"

"I didn't say it's certain, but it's possible," Li Zhi corrected.

Princess Gao An rested her elbow on his leg, looked up, and said, "That girl makes a bet with you that she will not marry Shangguan Chun."

When Li Zhi saw her beaming face, he knew that she must have heard some news.

For Li Zhi today, a lot of history has changed, and he will not force things to develop along the original trajectory.

He would not interfere too much in whether Shangguan Chun could marry Zheng.

"Well, what do you want to bet on?"

Princess Gao An said, "If I win, I hope father will allow my sister and I to go out of the palace to play on the Shangsi Festival."

Li Zhi was stunned and said, "You are so young, do you want to get married?"

Princess Gao An blushed and said, "No, I just wanted to see the fun. Seeing so many wine glasses floating on Qujiang Lake must be fun."

Li Zhi thought about it and said, "Okay then."

Princess Gao An blinked and said, "Then I will take my leave."

Li Zhi waved his hand casually.

Princess Gao An quickly left the room, covering her mouth with her hands and laughing secretly, "Ye Ye is so confused. He didn't even ask me what I would do if I lost. Hehe, I won't accept the punishment if I lose!"

Having said that, she didn't want to lose after all. In the next few days, she simply moved to Xunfeng Palace and asked Concubine Zheng about the situation of Madam Zheng San every day to prevent her from changing her mind and causing her to lose.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly, time passed quickly, and soon it was late February, the day when the imperial examination results were announced.

That morning, Zheng Ruoyan went to the palace again.

After Princess Gao An received the news, she hurried to Xunfeng Palace.

When he entered the palace, he saw Concubine Zheng sitting by the zither again, learning the song "Flying Crane Jade Sky". He looked around but could not see Zheng Ruoyan.

"Aunt, where is your cousin?" she asked as she walked over.

Concubine Zheng said, "She's gone."

Princess Gao An asked hurriedly, "So, has her wedding with Sima Chengzhen been finalized?"

Concubine Zheng glanced at her and said with a smile, "You are so young, why do you keep asking about this kind of things lately?"

"Please tell me quickly!" Princess Gao An said coquettishly.

Concubine Zheng said helplessly: "She has already been engaged to Shangguan and will not marry Sima."

Princess Gao An was stunned: "How...how could this happen?"

Concubine Zheng sighed, "Sima Chengzhen failed the imperial examination and went to Mount Song to become a Taoist priest."

Princess Gao An: “…”

……

The windows were closed tightly and the room was still dark, but the pungent smell of medicine was no longer there.

Xu Jingzong has also taken good care of himself and is no longer in that disheveled, disheveled look.

All the servants in Xu Jingzong's family had been taken away, and he was served by four servants and four maids specially sent by Li Jingxuan.

These eight people are all careful and smart. It is obvious that Li Jingxuan sent them here after carefully selecting them from the mansion.

At this moment, the eight people were guarding outside the door.

There were only Xu Jingzong and Li Jingxuan in the room.

"He passed?" Xu Jingzong's hands trembled slightly, and there was a turbid mist flashing in his dim eyes.

Li Jingxuan sighed, "Actually, Yanbo's performance wasn't very good. Thanks to Your Majesty's reforms to the imperial examinations in recent years, the number of admitted students has been increasing. This time, over 500 students were admitted, and Yanbo ranked 478th. When he returns in the future, he can only start as an official."

Xu Jingzong clasped his two trembling hands together and said in a hoarse voice, "It's all right after it's over. It's all right after it's over."

Li Jingxuan continued, "Because of Her Majesty the Queen's plea, His Majesty has only sentenced him to five years of exile. After five years, Brother Xu will be able to see him again."

Xu Jingzong murmured, "Five years. I don't know if I can live another five years."

Li Jingxuan said, "Brother Xu, since you're not at court, you can rest and recuperate at home. I'll take good care of Yanbo." Xu Jingzong looked at Li Jingxuan and said with emotion, "Jingxuan, thank you very much for this time."

Li Jingxuan said sternly, "Why bother saying these things between you and me? If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to take control of the Ministry of Rites so quickly and ensure the smooth progress of the imperial examination."

Xu Jingzong nodded, no longer entangled, and said:

"Please tell Yanbo that as long as he can get through these five years, the experiences of the next five years will become the most precious things in his life."

Li Jingxuan said, "I will definitely turn around."

Xu Jingzong leaned back on the couch and asked, "Who is the top scorer in this imperial examination?"

Li Jingxuan said, "A man named Tan Yang from Hebei Province, a poor family. Luo Binwang also passed, and ranked eighth."

Xu Jingzong said: "This is not surprising. With his talent, it is possible for him to be in the top three."

Li Jingxuan said, "Your Majesty has reduced the weight of poetry this year, otherwise he would have a good chance of making it into the top three. In addition, seven of the top ten came from humble backgrounds."

Xu Jingzong sighed, "Students from humble backgrounds are naturally more able to endure hardships. Your Majesty has provided them with a path to advancement. How can they not study hard?"

Neither of them came from a prominent family.

Especially Li Jingxuan, who was nominally from the Zhaojun Li family, but in fact, like Li Yifu, he was born in a humble family. After becoming famous, he became a member of the Zhaojun Li family.

Therefore, Li Jingxuan is happy with the current situation.

"Brother Xu, Her Majesty the Queen has made arrangements. Tomorrow, Sun Simiao will come to your residence to treat you. After he leaves, it will be announced to the public that your epilepsy has been cured."

Xu Jingzong sighed, "I'm sorry to trouble Her Majesty the Queen."

Li Jingxuan smiled and said, "This proves that Brother Xu made the right choice by bringing us to support the Queen. If Yuan Gongyu, Hou Shanye, and the others had been more patient and waited a few more years, perhaps they wouldn't have ended up like this."

Xu Jingzong tilted his head slightly, obviously unwilling to bring up this topic again.

Li Jingxuan said, "That's the situation. Brother Xu, do you have anything else to ask?"

Xu Jingzong asked, "How is the border situation recently? Especially in the Kun-Zang region and Yingzhou?"

Li Jingxuan smiled and said, "Brother Xu, since you are already unemployed at home, why don't you just rest and recuperate, and stop worrying about these things."

Xu Jingzong sighed, "When I was at court, I always wanted to rest at home and not worry about government affairs. But during this time at home, I couldn't let go of the affairs of the court. Now I understand why Zhangsun Wuji stayed in Chang'an."

Li Jingxuan was silent for a moment, then said, "The situation in Kunzang is not good. After the Tibetans left, the kingdoms of Sindh and South India surrendered to the Arabs."

Xu Jingzong's heart trembled, and he asked, "How is the court going to respond?"

Li Jingxuan sighed, "There has been no movement for the time being, and I don't know what suggestions those generals have made to Your Majesty."

Xu Jingzong thought for a moment, waved his hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry. Although those generals may not be able to come up with any good ideas in political affairs, they are still better than you and me in military affairs."

Li Jingxuan remained silent, obviously disagreeing in his heart.

Xu Jingzong then asked, "What's the news from Yingzhou? What's the situation in Baekje?"

Li Jingxuan said, "I asked Hao Chujun, and he said that with the support of the Tang Dynasty, Buyeo Boksin's position in Baekje has become increasingly stable."

……

In February, the situation of the international court meeting in Chang'an spread to various regions in Liaodong at an extremely fast speed.

Before Daochen and Jinyan's delegation returned to Baekje, Fuxin received the news first.

He immediately issued a notice and sent people to spread the word everywhere to tell the people of Baekje what had happened in Chang'an City.

At first, some people expressed doubts and did not believe that the envoys sent by Fuxin could receive such great courtesy in Chang'an City.

Later, people from Baekje who returned home gradually confirmed this, and the Mohe Kingdom sent envoys to visit Bok Shin, and the people of Baekje finally believed it.

For a time, Fu Xin's prestige continued to rise, and two neutral county generals expressed their loyalty to Fu Xin.

In mid-February, when Jin Yan and Dao Chen returned to Baekje, they were warmly received by the people of Baekje.

Fu Xin invited the two into the palace and personally hosted a banquet to welcome them.

There were only four people attending the banquet. Apart from Fu Xin, there were only Heichi Changzhi, Daochen and Jinyan.

These three people are also the people Fuxin trusts the most.

Fu Xin hadn't started drinking yet, but he seemed already drunk, his face flushed. He smiled at Dao Chen and Jin Yan and said, "You two have made two county commanders submit to me during this mission. This is truly a great achievement. I offer you a toast!"

After drinking, Daochen said, "Your Majesty, during this mission to Chang'an, I not only gained the support of the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, but also strengthened my relationship with the Mohe and Shiwei tribes."

Fu Xin smiled and said, "I know that the Mohe have already sent envoys to express their friendship to us."

Daochen said, "On our way back, we stopped by the Mohe tribe and met with their chief, Qiqi Zhongxiang. He told us that Silla wanted to buy their horses but was rejected. As a gesture of friendship, they were willing to provide their best war horses to their country!"

Bok Shin was overjoyed and said, "That's great! That bastard King Tamra killed the envoy I sent and said he only wanted to provide horses to Yi Ci. I was just worried about that, but King Zuo solved the problem for me."

Heichi Changzhi suddenly said, "When you two were away from home, something big happened."

Jin Yan asked, "What's the matter?"

Fuxin took over the conversation and said, "You may not believe this, but last month, a Japanese man broke into Xiongjin Port and said he wanted to see me."

Dao Chen was surprised and said, "Japanese? Your Majesty, the Japanese are cunning, you must be careful!"

Fu Xin narrowed his eyes and said, "He's just one person, why should I be afraid? What King Zuo doesn't know is that this Japanese man has brought me good news!"

Dao Chen asked, "Oh, what good news?"

Fuxin smiled and said, "He told me that he was originally a guard at the Chikushi Asakura Palace, loyal to Queen Treasure. However, because he heard a secret, he was hunted by Prince Naka no Oe, and he hoped that I could protect him!"

Dao Chen was confused and asked, "What did he hear? Why did Brother Zhong want to kill him?"

Fu Xin laughed heartily and said, "That brat, Zhong Daxiong, actually wanted to stage a coup and murder Queen Bao. Do you think this is good news?"

Dao Chen was overjoyed and said, "The internal strife among the Japanese is of great benefit to us and has no harm at all!"

Fu Xin prayed to the void and said, "The Tang Dynasty is helping me, and Japan is in internal strife. This must be the Buddha of Light blessing me to become the King of Baekje. I will never let the Buddha of Light down!" He bowed to the void several times.

Jin Yan waited until he finished praying and then asked, "Your Majesty, where is that Japanese?"

Fu Xin laughed and said, "Of course I killed it, why would I keep it?"

Jin Yan thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, why not tell this news to Queen Bao? It will also cause internal strife in Japan."

Bok Shin frowned and said, "If I tell that old woman, she might win the fight. Even though she was the one who insisted on helping Yi Ci and meddling in Baekje's affairs, why should she know?"

Jin Yan said, "Even if Zhong Daxiong succeeds, he won't necessarily withdraw his troops. Which opponent would the king prefer, Queen Bao or Zhong Daxiong?"

Fuxin fell into deep thought.

Dao Chen said, "The princess is right. Queen Bao is hateful, but she is just a woman. That Zhong Daxiong has been carrying out reforms in the country for a long time and is ambitious. This kind of enemy is even more terrifying!"

Fu Xin said, "General Black Tooth, what do you think?"

Heichi Changzhi said: "Your Majesty, whether we tell Queen Bao or not, it is beneficial to us. Why not tell the Tang Dynasty about this news?"

Fu Xin was stunned and asked, "What are you going to tell Datang for?"

Heichi Changzhi said: "Zuo Wang said that the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty does not like the Japanese. If that is the case, let the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty make the decision. He can choose an outcome that is more beneficial to the Tang Dynasty."

Fu Xin said: "What good will this do us?"

Heichi Changzhi said: "First, it can strengthen our relationship with the Tang Dynasty. Second, we can take this opportunity to ask the Tang Dynasty for a batch of military equipment."

Fu Xin's eyes flashed, and he said, "Do you want to get it?"

Black Tooth said: "If you don't try, how do you know you can't get it?"

Dao Chen asked, "What does General Black Tooth want? A warhorse?"

Heichi Changzhi said in a deep voice, "We're not on a plain here. Warhorses are less effective than armor. The armor made by the Tang people is the most solid and durable. If we can get 10,000 sets of armor, our chances of defeating the Yici Army will be much greater!"

Fu Xin was delighted and said, "That's right. If we had 10,000 armored men and formed an ironclad army, Yi Ci would be no match for us!"

Dao Chen hesitated and said, "Ten thousand armors is not a small amount. I'm afraid the Tang Dynasty won't give it to you."

Fu Xin smiled and said, "Just like General Heichi said, it won't hurt to give it a try, even if it's a little less. Prince Zuo, Princess, I'll have to trouble you to make another trip to Chang'an."

The two men looked at each other, performed the Baekje etiquette, and accepted the order in unison.

(End of this chapter)