Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

The betrothal gifts on several carriages had been unloaded, and boxes of varying sizes were placed in a side hall. When opened, they were filled with dazzling treasures!

The old man of the Cui family squinted at the dazzling lights filling the room, then his eyes widened as big as a square-holed copper coin! His appearance was no different from that of an ordinary, worldly businessman!

The old man was momentarily distracted, then his eyes swept over the pearls and jade treasures and looked at an inconspicuous little box in the corner.

Seeing the old man's gaze, the servant beside him knowingly moved the box over and carefully opened it. Inside were several thin, yellowed books and a few paintings and calligraphic works. The old man's pupils contracted sharply as he carefully unfolded the books and paintings. Looking at the unfolded books, paintings, and calligraphic works, his mouth gaped open, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He examined them closely, exclaiming, "If I had known about this treasure earlier, my Cui family would have been willing to marry off ten more daughters!"

Little did he know, these books and paintings were the least valuable possessions in Li Xingzhi's eyes. Li Xingzhi could produce dozens or even hundreds of them without batting an eye! At that point, the Cui family might not have enough daughters to marry off!

Having seen those gifts, the old man no longer had the backbone to refuse them. He disregarded the Zheng family's feelings and ordered all the treasures to be stored away in his room.

Having accepted the gift, it was clear that Cui Ruer's status as a daughter-in-law of the Li family was acknowledged.

Thus, with the nod of the head of the Cui family, Cui Ru'er and Li Linzhi, along with the many servants of the Li family, were not subjected to the slightest difficulty, which made the other families who wanted to see them make a fool of themselves find it extremely unbelievable. The Zheng family members, on the other hand, were so angry that they smashed countless pottery bowls and porcelain bowls.

The thirteenth year of the Zhenguan era, a rather turbulent year, passed in the blink of an eye, and soon the fourteenth year arrived.

The new spring had just begun. All the ministers, dressed in new clothes, stood quietly in the main hall. In the middle stood a group of people, their expressions respectful, their appearances slightly different from those of the Tang Dynasty officials. They were red-faced and ruddy-cheeked, with long hair braided, wearing fur robes with their sleeves draped over their shoulders, and felt hats. These were the Tibetan envoys who had come to pay homage.

After several failed attempts to provoke the Tang Dynasty, Tibet devoted itself to restoring friendly relations. Following Songtsen Gampo's pacification of internal strife, he dispatched his minister, Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, to the Tang court to pay homage and pledge allegiance. Of course, there was also the more important mission of establishing a marriage alliance!

In the eighth year of the Zhenguan era, Songtsen Gampo requested that the Tang Dynasty send a princess to marry him. Emperor Taizong (Li Shimin) observed that the Tibetans were arrogant and self-important, seemingly not taking him, the Tang emperor, seriously, and naturally refused. As a result, the Tibetans repeatedly raided the Tang borders, only to be repelled several times. This time, however, they came, setting aside all pretense of goodwill to establish friendly relations with the Tang Dynasty. Their intentions were sincere, and they even brought five thousand taels of gold and hundreds of precious jewels as a betrothal gift! Whatever their reasons, Emperor Taizong had no reason to refuse.

Below the main hall, the Tibetan envoys bowed their heads and presented a letter of tribute, proclaiming loudly, "Now that the Holy Emperor has pacified the four directions, all the countries illuminated by the sun and moon are now our subjects! Tibet wishes to bask in the radiance of the sun and moon, and earnestly beseeches the Tang Emperor for his benevolent encouragement to spread the light of the sun and moon!" The envoys all bowed three times and withdrew, then added, "Our Tibetan Zanpu humbly requests that a royal princess descend upon Tibet, so that Tibet may always bask in the radiance of the sun and moon!"

Although the Tibetans adopted a very humble posture, Li Xingzhi had already given his approval in his heart and felt a sense of pride, looking down at them with disdain. He asked his subordinates, "What do you all think?"

All the ministers praised, "Now the entire Tang Dynasty is under our rule, the harvests are plentiful, and there are no starving people on the roads. May this emperor live ten thousand years! This is the merit of the sage!" But there was one man, with a beautiful beard and long hair, who stood there blankly, without saying a word, which was quite strange.

Hearing the praise from everyone, Li Shimin was overjoyed and said, "Li Daozong, I heard that you have a daughter who is beautiful and virtuous but not yet engaged. Why don't you go to Tibet and Tibet for me and see what you think?"

Everyone had already expected this, but upon hearing it now, they all looked at the long-bearded middle-aged man beside them with sympathy.

The middle-aged man with the long beard seemed to have expected this, his expression remained unchanged, his face solemn and expressionless. He simply said, "It is my daughter's honor."

"In that case, today I will issue an edict to bestow the title of Princess Wencheng upon Li Daozong's eldest daughter and marry her to the King of Tibet!" Li Shimin then looked at Li Daozong and comforted him, "The daughters of our Great Tang will not be bullied even when they are abroad! Otherwise, our Great Tang will not hesitate to fight! My dear minister, why don't you act as the envoy to escort her to the wedding?"

The Tibetan envoy beside him quickly said, "Our Tibet admires the glory of the superior country, so we have come to seek a marriage alliance. How could we dare to neglect the princess of the superior country!"

The matter was already settled, and Li Daozong no longer considered it. He also knew that the fact that the emperor could say those words was already an extra favor, so he bowed down to express his gratitude.

Li Xueyan was still at home looking at the half-foot-long piece of plain paper that the crane had brought.

Since that day, a strange atmosphere had been brewing between Li Xueyan and Li Xingzhi, and they began exchanging letters. Li Xingzhi missed the "penguin" and "WeChat" things from his previous life, but he still enjoyed writing letters by hand. They exchanged letters back and forth for more than half a year, and the emotional atmosphere between them was just waiting for the right moment to blossom.

Just as Li Xueyan was tidying up the plain paper and letters in the small box, there was a knock on the door.

"My lady, the master is in the study and would like to come over."

Li Xueyan hurriedly put away the letter and box before saying, "Go tell Father I'll be right there!"

She straightened her clothes before pushing open the door and heading towards the study.

Li Xueyan walked to the study and saw that the door was slightly ajar. She knocked gently twice. After a short while, a rather weary and aged voice came from inside, "Yan'er? Come in."

She noticed something unusual in his voice, assuming her father was busy with official documents and cases, and wondered how to persuade him to rest more. She pushed open the door and went in, only to see Li Daozong looking at her with red eyes, somewhat listless, slightly tired, and with a hint of guilt and sorrow.

Li Xueyan unconsciously flinched, avoiding the unsettling gaze, before asking, "Father, what's wrong?"

Li Zongdao composed himself, his eyes slightly lowered, and he did not answer. He only said, "You were born into my Li family and enjoyed wealth and honor, but in the end, you will be unable to control your own destiny. Although I had expected this, I did not expect it to actually happen one day."

Upon hearing this, Li Xueyan's heart skipped a beat, and a feeling of trepidation suddenly arose and spread instantly.

He spoke for a while, and without waiting for Li Xueyan to say anything more, he continued, "This morning at court, His Majesty personally bestowed upon you the title of 'Princess Wencheng,' and the imperial edict will arrive soon. At that time, you will represent our Great Tang in the marriage alliance with Tibet!" After saying this, Li Zongdao shut his mouth and said no more.

Upon hearing her father's words, Li Xueyan suddenly froze, a chill running through her from the depths of her heart to her very being! A bleak vision filled her, and her face turned deathly pale!

She just stood there blankly, not speaking or moving, her eyes vacant, seemingly lost in thought, perhaps too devastated to have any other ideas.

Li Daozong turned his head away, unable to bear to look any longer. He gazed out the window, his eyes losing focus.

After a long while, Li Xueyan came to her senses, looking as if she had just recovered from a serious illness, completely drained of energy. She said weakly, "Xueyan will obey the Emperor's arrangements and the Master's arrangements." As she spoke, she knelt down on the ground. She looked up and cried out, "From now on, Xueyan will no longer be able to serve the Master." With that, she slammed her head hard against the ground. After three kowtows, she stood up.

Li Zongdao waved his hand, signaling her to leave. His throat tightened, but the words turned into a long sigh. He had three sons and a daughter, and he especially doted on this daughter, whom he raised and cared for. This daughter was also very sensible, which brought him great comfort, but he never imagined this day would come!

Li Xueyan returned to her room, sat on the bed, and stared blankly for a while.

At that moment, a large crane with a wingspan of about ten feet and a shimmering white body suddenly landed in front of the window, holding a strip of plain white cloth in its beak. Its bright eyes glanced at Li Xueyan a few times, uttered a few soft chirps, and placed the white cloth on the table by the window.

Hearing the white crane's clear cry, Li Xueyan was startled and came to her senses. Looking at the white crane, all her past joy turned into bitter sorrow. She gently stroked the white crane's soft feathers and said bitterly, "Crane, oh crane, how wonderful it would be if I were you?" Then she added, "I suppose you don't want to be mine."

She picked up the plain paper on the table, hesitated for a long time, and finally did not unfold it. Instead, she put it back on the table, gently stroked the white crane's crown, and said, "White Crane, you should not come here again in the future." As she spoke, she patted the white crane's huge body.

The white crane understood Li Xueyan's meaning but didn't know what she was talking about. It looked at Li Xueyan with a puzzled expression, then suddenly used its slender, long claws to lift itself up, spread its large wings, and transformed into a white light, soaring into the sky and reaching the top of the clouds! It let out a clear, stirring cry, then plunged down from the clouds and shot into a house in Chang'an City.

Li Xueyan stared at the vanished white crane, feeling utterly lost. After a long silence, she pulled a small box from under the bed. She opened the box, poured out a box full of plain paper and strips of cloth, gently placed them on the ground, and glanced at them. Then, she took a tinderbox from under the lamp, flicked it a few times, and a few sparks appeared. Suddenly, a bright red flame blazed up.

She stared at the crimson flames, her hand trembling slightly, causing the flame and tinder to fall to the ground. It landed right next to the pile of plain white cloth and paper, and instantly burst into flames, turning the entire room a fiery red!

A pale face appeared even more ashen in the firelight…

In the backyard of the Li family, Li Xingzhi was sitting in the water pavilion brewing tea, while waiting for a white crane to bring him a message.

Suddenly, the sound of a giant bird flapping its wings rang out, followed by a flash of white light. Looking closely, they saw a giant crane land and stand behind the melting snow. Beside the crane, a pale red plum blossom stretched out its head, blooming brightly.

Li Xingzhi paid no heed to the delicate fragrance of the plum blossoms, his gaze fixed on the crane's beak, only to find it devoid of any sign of life. All his anticipation and joy vanished. A sense of profound loss washed over him. He looked towards a distant spot, wondering, "Has something happened?" Then he thought, "What could possibly happen to her, a daughter of the Li family's patriarch?!" With this thought, he forgot his worries, but a lingering sense of profound disappointment remained.

"What's wrong with me?" Li Xingzhi slapped his forehead. He suddenly felt like a silly boy caught up in the bliss of first love, even though he was clearly a father!

Just then, a voice came from somewhere, "Daddy, that big white bird is here again!" It turned out that the child who had been sleeping with drool drool next to him had woken up at some point.

The child looked at the white crane and suddenly said, "Daddy, shall we ride this big white bird to see Mommy?"

Hearing the child's innocent voice, Li Xingzhi forgot all the disappointment he had felt. He laughed and said, "Alright! Once your mother's business is finished, we'll ride the big white crane to pick her up!"

The child looked at the white crane curiously, then suddenly ran over, carefully approaching it. Seeing that the crane meant him no harm, he cautiously reached out his hand. Gently touching the shimmering white feathers, he excitedly exclaimed, "I touched it! Daddy, I touched a big white bird!" Emboldened, he leaned closer, burying his head in the crane's fluffy, warm feathers, his face filled with comfort and joy.

The white crane glanced curiously at the little creature that was so close to him, but then lost interest and started teasing the red plum tree that was hanging down from the tree.

Little Dragon rubbed against the white crane for a while, then suddenly said to the crane, "Big bird, can you take me up to the sky? Let's go find our mother."

As Baihe listened to Xiaolonglong's somewhat incoherent speech, a hint of doubt appeared in her clear eyes.

Looking at this child who longed for his mother, Li Xingzhi couldn't help but recall a song that might not appear for some time: "There's only one mother in the world who is good, a child with a mother is like a treasure..."

He looked at the child and suddenly said, "Longlong, how about Daddy takes you for a ride on the big bird?"

"Okay!" Little Dragon suddenly raised his head and asked to confirm, "Daddy, can you really take me flying on the big bird?"

"of course can!"

Little Longlong exclaimed with admiration, "Daddy is so amazing! I want to fly now!"

Hearing the child's praise, Li Xingzhi felt an unprecedented sense of accomplishment! He hugged the child, wrapped him completely in his fur robe, and then let out a sharp cry! Hearing the laughter, the white crane also let out an excited, clear cry, then pushed off with its long legs. With a flap of its large wings, it rose from the ground.

"The big bird flew away!" Little Dragon exclaimed anxiously.

Li Xingzhi didn't answer. With a powerful stomp, he soared into the air like a large bird, catching up with the white crane from behind, and finally settling steadily on the crane's back!

The child had no idea how incredible all of this was; he only thought his father was incredibly amazing, and he kept shouting and yelling in Li Xingzhi's arms. Then he looked down. His tender voice emitted exclamations of amazement, and his longing for his mother had long been forgotten.

Another half month passed.

The white crane flew away several times, and returned several times. It always carried a plain note in its beak. Li Xingzhi felt a pang of disappointment, but didn't dwell on it. Since beginning his cultivation of Taoism and internal energy, his personality had become increasingly tranquil, and he disliked forcing others' wishes upon him.

Fate brings us together and fate separates us; it's always the same.

Meanwhile, in Li Daozong's mansion in Chang'an, lanterns and decorations were everywhere, and the characters for "double happiness" were pasted all over the doors and windows. However, there was no joy in the entire mansion.

That evening, Li Daozong rode ahead on horseback, leading a magnificent sedan chair straight into the palace.

The princess sent for the marriage alliance was from the Tang Dynasty, not Li Zongdao's daughter. Naturally, the wedding procession went to the palace. The Li family father and daughter could only prepare their attire for the night, enter the palace, and stay overnight to await the arrival of the Tibetan envoys.

The father and daughter chatted for a while, but that's another story. The next day, Li Xueyan, heavily made up and with blush on her cheeks, wearing a Han-style wedding hat to conceal her face, boarded a four-horse carriage. Guided by Tibetans, protected by thousands of Tang soldiers, and escorted by Li Zongdao, the group of several thousand people, with hundreds of carriages and goods, adorned in red and green, slowly made their way out of Chang'an and headed straight for the border between Tibet and the Tang Dynasty!

Li Xingzhi remained secluded in his courtyard, completely oblivious to the outside world. Of course, he didn't feel there was anything outside that required his attention.

A month or so later, Li Xingzhi, who had been extremely still, suddenly became restless and walked out of the mansion. For some reason, he ended up at the residence of Li Daozong, the Minister of Rites.

He noticed that the mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, but the area in front of the gate was deserted and the gate was tightly closed. Feeling puzzled, he went up to the gate and knocked on the copper clasp.

After a long while, the door creaked open a crack, and a head peeked out. The man, seeing that the person before him didn't look familiar, and with a less than friendly tone, asked, "Young master, what brings you to our gate?"

"I noticed that this place is decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers, yet the area in front of the mansion is quite deserted, lacking any lively or joyful atmosphere. I found this strange, hence my inquiry." Li Xingzhi knew he had been somewhat abrupt, but feeling puzzled, he didn't care much. Besides, he was free to come and go as he pleased, and didn't need to concern himself with how others perceived him.

The person who opened the door glanced at Li Xingzhi and then slammed the door shut with a "bang!"

Li Xingzhi felt even more puzzled, so he found a restaurant and teahouse, sat down, and inquired about it.

Restaurants and teahouses are indeed places to gather information! At this time, the matter of Princess Wencheng going to Tibet for a marriage alliance was still being talked about among the people. Some busybodies even fabricated a story about "Tibetan envoys cleverly solving three difficult problems to marry a Tang princess" in order to highlight the glory of the Tang Dynasty. What was clearly just a cold and hard political transaction quickly became fleshed out and emotionally charged among the people.

Li Xingzhi only needed to sit down and listen for a moment before he quickly found out what he wanted. However, the news wasn't exactly pleasant for him.

He returned home, still feeling depressed and restless, as if he had a pent-up anger that he couldn't vent! He thought and thought, and for some reason, Li Xueyan's voice, appearance, and smile suddenly appeared in his mind, lingering and becoming more and more deeply engraved in his head.

"Why not hijack the wedding procession?" This idea suddenly sprouted in his mind like a seed of evil, taking root and growing instantly.

However, upon further reflection, he couldn't think of any reason to support him in doing such a thing.

He possessed power and treasures unimaginable to anyone in this world, but precisely because of this, he had always been extremely vigilant and dared not act recklessly, for fear of one day becoming a prisoner of this power. In fact, if he so desired, with his current abilities, what difficulty would there be in overthrowing the entire world and slaughtering all living beings? (To be continued.)

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