Shipin Dalizheng

Rong Tang seemed to have grasped the direction of Prince Yu Li's thinking. Since Goddess Sarna was the belief of the Western Kunlun Kingdom, his purpose of marrying Tang Tiantian was also related to this.

I spent the whole night looking up bits of information about the goddess Sarna again. The people of Western Kunlun generally believe that the goddess Sarna is the god of war, who can protect national peace, make livestock prosperous, and increase population. It seems that they are still praying to the gods and causing trouble.

Since we are asking for something from the gods, when we face them, we will inevitably feel admiration and fear.

The next day, Rong Tang went to the Sima family's house. It was filled with gloom and sadness. Mrs. Tang kept complaining to Tang Tiantian, "I told you not to go out, but you refused to listen."

Rong Tang frowned. Compared with last year, Tang Tiantian was now cheerful and generous, not at all timid. She was becoming more and more charming when walking among the noble ladies in Shangjing. This was obviously a good thing, but Mrs. Tang felt that her daughter was causing trouble by showing off.

Of course, he didn't mean to blame Mrs. Tang. Most people would choose to escape when faced with something they were powerless to deal with, blaming themselves for not hiding well.

To be honest, although Tang Tiantian was very beautiful, her appearance was rather Westernized and did not meet the aesthetic standards of the nobles in Shangjing. If she were an ordinary Hu woman, she would most likely be taken away as a concubine, but Tang Tiantian was a princess and Rong Tang's fiancée, and her beauty was not the only reason, so she was always safe in Shangjing.

This kind of thing happened now, it was just a coincidence. Prince Yuli was from the Western Regions himself. He thought Tang Tiantian was more stunning than the noble ladies from the Central Plains, and she also looked like the legendary goddess Sarna. No matter what his purpose was, it was not surprising that he chose her.

Wei Ranran, who only wanted to drag Tang Tiantian into the marriage as a concubine, probably didn't expect this. After framing her again and again, this person might become her mistress.

Seeing Rong Tang coming over, Tang Tiantian also felt that she had done something wrong and got into trouble again, and apologized with tears in her eyes, "I'm sorry."

Rong Tang took her hand and said, "This is not your fault, don't be afraid."

Tang Tiantian turned her face away, tears dripping onto her chest, "I can't help you with anything except causing you trouble."

"I told you, it's not your fault."

Ever since he first met Tang Tiantian, she had always been a well-behaved and obedient girl, never provoking others. Yet, someone would always try to bully her. Now, apart from him, no one could comfort her.

"Don't be afraid, I'll take care of everything."

Madam Sima sighed, "This matter has caused so much trouble. Grandson-in-law, do you have any good ideas?"

"At the moment, His Majesty has not yet agreed to Crown Prince Yuli's marriage proposal, so there is still room for maneuver. I have come here to ask my grandmother to borrow some of my cousins ​​to carry out a great undertaking."

Madam Sima's face was solemn. "Tell me, what should we ask them to do?"

"To make salt."

Rong Tang said, "Turn all the coarse salt in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse into refined white salt. I want Prince Yuli to exchange salt for salt."

After planning for an hour or so at Sima's house, they brought all the remaining young men of the Sima family to the Ministry of Revenue. Together with dozens of veterans transferred from Fuxinzhuang, they secretly began to convert the coarse salt that had just been stored into refined white salt.

Rong Tang did not hide Tang Tiantian. On the contrary, he took her to various places in a high-profile manner, including the palace, restaurants, shops, horse farms, and the state guesthouse.

He was also very generous when introducing her to Crown Prince Yu Li, "Your Highness, this is my wife, her name is Tiantian. If you consider me a friend, you should know that a friend's wife should not be bullied. It is a taboo for a gentleman to forcibly seize someone's wife. You and I can't even be friends."

The Western Kunlun Kingdom did not adhere to Confucianism. It was normal for widows and wives to remarry. Even during wars, the enemy's wives and daughters could be taken away and raised as their own. However, they valued friends more than brothers.

Is there a friendship between Prince Yuli and Rongtang? It seemed that they had just established a little bit. When he brought up this sentence, Prince Yuli was speechless.

The chief of staff of the delegation gave a lot of advice, and Prince Yuli suddenly realized, "Your Highness can exchange it for ten beauties from the Western Regions. Good friends will never suffer any loss."

Oh my god, is this a business?

Rong Tang sensed Tang Tiantian's nervousness and patted her hand gently. "My dear friend, Tiantian is not a beauty to me, but a lover. Do you know what a lover is? It is the person in your heart who is more important than your own life. How can such a person be exchanged? Not to mention ten beauties, even the whole world is not as important as her."

Yu Li tilted his head, his dark golden eyes staring at Tang Tiantian gravely. He stood up and saluted, "Goddess Sarna is more important than my life in my heart."

Tang Tiantian shrank behind Rong Tang and almost burst into tears.

Rong Tang wanted to curse, "Your Highness, she is my wife. Do you know what a wife is? She is my face and my life. I can't give her away. If you were in my place, would you give your wife away?"

Prince Yuli's eyes lit up, "My prince will exchange his wife for Goddess Sarna. If Earl Jian'an wanted my wife, he should have told me earlier. Although my prince hasn't married a wife, he still has eight or ten concubines. I am willing to exchange all of them for Goddess Sarna."

Rong Tang almost cursed out loud. He finally understood why the two of them had different ideas. This was because the Western Kunlun Kingdom was a pastoral people, and looting was common when the harvest was poor. In their eyes, women were the same as cattle and sheep, sexual and reproductive resources, and buying, selling and exchanging them was normal.

"Nima."

Rong Tang cursed and changed his strategy, "She is mine. If you want to snatch her away, you will be my enemy. Although I am only a middle-ranking noble and a middle-ranking official in Daiyue, if Your Highness wants to snatch my wife away, you will be my mortal enemy."

Prince Yuli lowered his head. He had been in Shangjing for a while and knew the culture of Dai Viet. A wife was not only a man's private property, but also a part of the country's rules. It was a relationship protected by the law. Even the emperor could not morally force someone to separate his wife.

The Emperor of Dai Viet told him that if he wanted the goddess Sarna, he could only snatch her from Rong Tang.

Prince Yuli was a little distressed. Goddess Sarna was too important to Western Kunlun, and he had to bring her back. But he had also heard that this Earl of Jian'an was not to be trifled with. He had an independent army commanded solely by him. Although small in number, it was said to be very powerful, having once captured the Jiangnan imperial capital without a single drop of blood.

He brought only a few hundred people on this trip. Even if they were all warriors who could fight ten people at once, he did not think he should resort to violence. He came for peace, and fighting with weapons was the worst option.

He raised his head again, his eyes firm, "Lord Jian'an, I want to fight you."

Rong Tang was unable to react for a moment, "What did you say?"

"Corner."

Prince Yuli slightly bent his waist and arched his back, taking a stance, staring at Rong Tang with sharp eyes, "Fight like a man!"

This guy wants to challenge him to a duel, decide the outcome by force, and snatch Tang Tiantian away. In essence, it is still the law of the jungle, the strong gain and the loser loses.

Tang Tiantian's face turned pale and she held Rong Tang's hand tightly, "I won't."

Of course Rong Tang knew that it was not possible. Even if he was sure of winning, he could never bet on Tang Tiantian.

"Prince Yuli, if you want to compete, I will compete with you until you are satisfied, but my wife must not be a stake. She is free and always has the right to choose. Even if you have the ability to kill me, the choice will always be hers. My people, my army, will defend her rights for me to the death."

Tang Tiantian suddenly looked at him. He really, really cared about her and would not give up on her because of any pressure.

Prince Yuli's expression was also very solemn. Rong Tang meant that even if he won, he might not get the Goddess Sarna.

But he also believed that the goddess favored the strong.