Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 370 The Japanese Tribute

On the first day of the lunar year, the entire city was sealed off and the annual grand court meeting was held in the Taiji Hall.

It was noon at this time. The sun half peeked out from behind the dark clouds, and after letting down a few rays of sunlight, it hid behind the clouds again.

Princess Gao An stood at the moon-lit gate of the princess's courtyard, looking out and looking around.

Princess Yiyang came out of the house, came to her side, and said, "Since you are leaving the palace, go quickly. I will help you keep the gift from Lizheng Palace and show it to you later."

Every year on the first day of the lunar year, the Queen would hold a regular meeting in the Lizheng Hall.

Logically speaking, all the ladies in the palace can participate, and naturally the princesses can also participate.

But in the past few years, only concubines participated, and it has become a common practice, so everyone abides by the old rules.

Princess Gao'an and Princess Yiyang only need to wait in the Princess Courtyard, and the Queen will send someone to deliver the tribute.

Princess Gao An said, "I'm not in a hurry. Anyway, my appointment with Brother Xiao Ji is at 3 p.m. I heard that the Japanese envoys arrived in Chang'an last night."

Princess Yiyang asked curiously, "Japan?"

"Yes, they brought over more than a dozen carts of tribute. I thought there might be some exquisite items."

Princess Yiyang asked curiously, "Didn't they lose to us on the battlefield? Why are they sending envoys?"

Princess Gao An said, "I heard that they were sent by the Prince of Wa to apologize to the Tang Dynasty. They also said that Wa's assistance to Buyeo Yici was the intention of the Wa Queen. Now that the Wa have expelled the Queen and the Prince is in power, they hope to submit to the Tang Dynasty and live in harmony."

Princess Yiyang asked, "Who told you that? How come I don't know?"

Princess Gao An said, "Dazhuzi told me what I was surprised about."

The "big pillar" is named Wang Chu, and he is a member of the Qianniu Guard.

After Princess Gao'an and her two daughters moved into the Princess Courtyard, Li Zhi specially dispatched a thousand-man guard to protect his two daughters, and the leader of the guard was this person.

Wang Chu was tall and dark, like a pillar, so Princess Gao An gave him the nickname "Big Pillar".

Princess Yiyang said, "The Japanese have offered tribute before, so this is nothing surprising. I'm afraid you've waited in vain."

Princess Gao An retorted, "That's not necessarily true. They are now desperately begging their father to let them go, so they will definitely bring the best treasures."

Princess Yi Yang thought it made sense, so she stopped arguing and stood at the door waiting.

Not long after, a group of palace servants came in one after another, carrying trays covered with yellow silk.

The leader was He Shang Gong of Lizheng Hall.

She was much younger than Lady Jiang, only in her thirties. After entering the princess's courtyard, she had a gentle smile on her face.

"Greetings, Your Highnesses! This is the tribute bestowed upon you by Her Majesty the Queen, consisting of various local products, silks, satins, gold and silver ornaments. Here is the list, Your Highnesses, please check it."

Usually, the servants are responsible for checking and receiving the gifts.

When Lady He saw the two little princesses waiting at the door, looking eagerly in anticipation, she knew that they wanted to check it in person.

Princess Yi Yang took the list and began to read it.

Princess Gao An simply lifted up the yellow silk, glanced over it, and checked the gifts one by one.

Her eyes are very sharp and they move quickly. She won't even give a second glance to ordinary pearls, agates, jade and gemstones.

She would only stop to play with treasures that she had rarely seen.

As I was looking through it, I suddenly saw a strange jade ornament. The head was wide and round with a small hole inside, and the tail was pointed and thin, like a fish tail. It was milky white, crystal clear, and very cute.

"What kind of jade is this?" she asked curiously.

Concubine He smiled slightly and said, "Your Highness, you have a good eye. These are precious jade jewels presented as tribute by the Japanese. There are only about thirty of them, and even the ladies of the state didn't get any. Your Highness the Queen has specially selected three to give to the two Highnesses."

In addition to the milky white jade magatama in Princess Gao'an's hand, there is also a blue and green jade magatama.

Princess Yiyang hurriedly said, "Please ask Consort He to express our gratitude to Mother on our behalf."

He Shanggong agreed with a smile.

Princess Gao An suddenly said, "Sister, here are three pieces. I'll give one to Brother Xiaoji. What do you think?"

Princess Yi Yang thought of the golden boat that Li Ji had given her yesterday and nodded in agreement.

Princess Gao An was overjoyed and asked her to choose one piece. She then put the other two pieces into the small bag around her waist.

The remaining gifts, although precious, were mostly things from previous years and were not very attractive to Princess Gao An.

She casually picked up a piece of Baekje jade, played with it in her hands for a while, and put it into her small bag.

After He Shanggong handed the things to the people in the Princess's Courtyard, she took them away.

Princess Gao An returned to the house, began to change her clothes, and prepared to leave the palace.

"Sister, are you really not going with me?" she asked after changing her clothes.

Princess Yiyang shook her head and said, "If you really want to go to Da Ci'en Temple, I will go with you. Places like folk restaurants are chaotic and I don't want to go there."

Princess Gao An smiled and said, "It's interesting to go to places you haven't been to. I'll go there by myself then." She took a personal maid and left the house.

Outside the princess's courtyard, the crown prince knew that she was going to leave the palace today, so he had brought a few guards, changed into casual clothes, prepared a carriage, and had been waiting for a long time.

Princess Gao An got on the carriage, passed through the palace gates, and quickly left the palace.

Xingdaofang, across the street, was her first destination.

Princess Gao'an's carriage entered Xingdaofang from the North Gate and arrived at Princess Changshan's Mansion.

Princess Changshan welcomed her into her mansion and ordered her servants to serve her various fresh fruits and vegetables. She also discussed with her the matters related to her trip to Da Ci'en Temple.

Princess Gao An then told her that she was going out to play with Li Ji.

Princess Changshan was stunned for a moment and said, "You little girl, I was wondering why you had time to accompany me, but it turns out you want me to cover for you again."

Princess Gao An hugged her arms and called out to her in a flattering manner, "Aunt, Aunt."

Princess Changshan doted on her. She touched her little face, gave her some instructions, and said nothing more.

At three quarters past noon, the son-in-law Lu Zhaolin came back first.

After greeting Princess Gao'an, he took Princess Changshan into the inner room to talk.

Princess Gao'an was about to go to the gate of the princess's mansion to wait for Li Ji when she suddenly heard a scream from the inner room, which seemed to be the voice of Princess Changshan.

Princess Gao An was slightly stunned.

In her impression, Aunt Changshan has always been well-educated, gentle and elegant, and has never lost her composure like this. How could she exclaim out loud?

Princess Gao An was curious, so she stayed in the house without moving.

After a while, Princess Changshan finally came out.

Princess Gao An then asked about what had just happened.

Princess Changshan's eyes were a little evasive, and she smiled and said, "Nothing, I was just a little surprised when my husband mentioned something strange."

Princess Gao'an asked what the strange thing was, but Princess Changshan avoided the question.

Princess Gao An was impatient, and when she couldn't get the answer, she felt very upset. Just as she was thinking about how to get the answer, a servant in the princess's mansion came to report that King Wu had arrived.

After a while, Li Ji was led into the hall and paid his respects to Princess Changshan. Lu Zhaolin also changed his clothes and came to entertain the guests.

After sitting for a cup of tea, Li Ji took Princess Gao An away.

After leaving the princess's mansion, the two of them took a carriage towards Pingkangfang.

Princess Gao'an first took out the blue jade and gave it to Li Ji, and then shared with him the story of Princess Changshan's exclamation.

"Brother, isn't that strange? What on earth did Aunt Changshan hear that caused her to react this way?" Li Ji glanced at her and said, "I think I know the reason."

Princess Gao An was surprised and said, "You know? Then tell me!"

Li Ji said, "After the grand court meeting today, Your Majesty entertained the ministers and envoys from various countries in the Wude Hall. Suddenly, the Tuyuhun envoy proposed to propose marriage on behalf of the Tuyuhun king's second son, Murong Zhi, to a princess of his country."

Princess Gao An was stunned for a moment and said, "Please marry the princess? But Aunt Changshan is already married."

Li Ji glanced at her and said nothing.

Princess Gao An finally realized what was happening. She was shocked and angry. She said, "Could it be that they want to marry me and my sister... Ouch..."

In her excitement she stood up and hit her head on the roof of the carriage.

Li Ji suppressed his smile and pulled her to sit down.

"Don't be afraid. The late emperor married Princess Honghua there to win over Tuyuhun and prevent them from turning to Tubo. Now that Tubo is weak, the situation is naturally different."

Princess Gao An asked, "Did Ye Ye refuse?"

Li Ji said: "Your Majesty naturally refused, but the Tuyuhun people are a bit ungrateful."

Princess Gao An asked hurriedly, "What happened to them?"

Li Ji said: "They want to imitate the past and ask you Tang Dynasty to give them a few questions. As long as they can pass them, they will marry the princess to them."

Princess Gao An clenched her fists and said angrily, "They are so despicable!"

Li Ji patted her hands and said with a smile, "Don't be angry. Someone has already taught them a lesson in the main hall just now, and there are more than one person."

Princess Gao An hurriedly asked who were there.

Li Ji laughed and said, "The first one was our Minister Zhang Jianzhi, Junior Secretary of the Honglu Temple. He quoted from classics and without a single curse word, he scolded the Tuyuhun envoy to death. It was brilliant!"

Princess Gao An said happily, "What else? What else?"

Li Ji said: "The second one is the Tibetan envoy. They said that the Tuyuhun people are arrogant and offend the suzerain state, which is not the way of a vassal state."

Princess Gao An was surprised and asked, "The Tibetan envoy actually spoke for us?"

Li Ji sighed, "Yes, now Tubo needs us to fight against the Arabs and become close to us. Alas, the relationship between countries is really complicated."

Princess Gao An didn't have as much emotion as him, and asked again: "Just the two of them?"

Li Ji smiled and said, "The last one is the Japanese envoy. They didn't come from any good intentions. They just wanted to please Your Majesty and let the Tang Dynasty not attack them."

Princess Gao An clapped her hands and laughed, "No matter why, as long as he scolds the Tuyuhun envoy, I'm happy!"

Suddenly he sighed again and said, "Today's banquet must be very interesting, but unfortunately I am a woman and cannot attend."

Li Ji said, "There were only two interesting things. Afterwards, everyone was busy drinking, feasting, dancing and singing. His Majesty left very early."

As he was speaking, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Princess Gao An asked outside, "Dazhuzi, have you arrived yet?"

"Your Highness, we have arrived at the North Street of Pingkangfang, two hundred steps away from Mojiaxuan, but the street is too crowded and the road ahead is blocked." Wang Chu replied.

Princess Gao An stuck her head out of the carriage and saw that the street was indeed blocked by carriages. The street was full of pedestrians, shoulder to shoulder, and people in formal attire were like clouds.

The two had no choice but to get off the car and walk, and soon arrived at Mo Jiaxuan.

It was still early and the sun had not yet set, but Mo Jiaxuan had already lit up the bright lights, which were colorful and magnificent.

Princess Gao An was surprised and said, "I never thought there would be such a place among the common people. Brother, has it always been so lively here?"

Li Ji frowned and said, "The last few times I came here, it wasn't this lively. Strange, could it be because it's the right day?"

Suddenly, a voice came from the side.

"There's a Yibao meeting on the third floor today, so it's a little more lively than usual."

Turning around, I saw a middle-aged scholar in his thirties standing next to me. Even in the middle of winter, he was holding a folding fan.

When Princess Gao An heard the words "Yibaohui", she showed a look of surprise and leaned close to Li Ji's ear.

"Brother, shall we also join the Yibao Club?"

Although her voice was low, the scribe heard it.

"Ordinary people can't participate in the Yibao Club. Only those with a net worth of at least this amount are eligible to participate." He smiled slightly and raised a hand.

Princess Gao An didn't understand what he meant and asked Li Ji.

Li Ji whispered, "In the black market, one finger represents one million coins, and five fingers represent five million coins."

Five million coins is five thousand strings of cash. Although it is not a small amount, it is nothing to Princess Gao An and Li Ji.

Seeing that the two men looked normal, the middle-aged scholar knew that they were of extraordinary status. He smiled and bowed to them, then stepped into Mo Jiaxuan.

The two looked at each other and stepped in.

They came to Mojiaxuan this time to look for Zhou Xiang's younger brother Zhou Chun.

The two most important clues at present are Yibaohui and the Hu merchant Anqing.

Now that I happen to come across Yibao Club, I will definitely not miss it.

The first floor of Molanxuan was already full of people, both Hu people and Tang people, and the place was noisy and bustling.

The second floor is quite quiet, but the cost of a private room is two strings of cash, which is not affordable for ordinary people.

Not long after Li Ji and Princess Gao An sat down in the tea room, a deacon came over and asked if they wanted to attend the Yibao meeting in an hour.

The deacon was a Hu woman with a beautiful appearance, a graceful figure, and graceful manners. It was obvious that she had received rigorous training.

Li Ji said he wanted to participate.

Deacon Hu Ji told him that he needed to show proof of financial resources and also had to give the treasures to be traded to Molanxuan's professional treasure appraisers for appraisal before he could participate.

Princess Gao An wanted to take out a treasure from the small bag, but Li Ji quickly held her down.

The things on her body were all palace treasures. If they were recognized, it would cause a sensation and the identities of both of them would be exposed.

Li Ji took out a jade disk with tortoise shell pattern and showed it to the steward Hu Ji.

"Can this be proven?"

Deacon Hu Ji had excellent eyesight and immediately recognized that this was fine Lantian jade. She smiled slightly and said, "Of course. In addition, you need to show a treasure for the transaction."

Li Ji asked, "Any kind of treasure will do?"

Hu Ji said, "It needs to be taken to our treasure appraiser and approved by him."

Li Ji snorted and said, "That's not right. Why did I hear that someone could join the Yibao Club just by holding a wooden box?"

Hu Ji's expression remained unchanged as she smiled and said, "The gentleman you are talking about is a regular customer of our store and has a good reputation, so he can be exempted from the appraisal."

Li Ji asked, "How can I become a regular customer?"

Hu Ji smiled and said, "You only need to have participated in the Yibao Club more than five times."

Li Ji nodded and said, "Can I ask the name of the distinguished guest who used the wooden box to attend the Yibao Club?"

Hu Ji's face showed a strange color. She stared at him and said, "My dear, please forgive me. According to the rules of this restaurant, we are not allowed to disclose any customer information. Of course, we will not disclose your information to others."

Li Ji said, "That's good."

(End of this chapter)