Tang Dynasty: Father, if you don't rebel, I will!

"I am a member of a collateral branch of the royal family, and I have the audacity to call Your Majesty my elder brother..." Qu Changhe said nervously.

However, he dared not look directly at the face of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty.

He could only stare at the other person's toes as he replied.

Li Chengqian responded softly.

"Then what brings you to me?"

"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Celestial Empire is preparing to wage war against the Western Turks, and I have come to confirm whether this is true..."

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow: "So what if it's true, or false? If it's true, does Gaochang also intend to get involved? To join forces with the Western Turks?"

These words startled Qu Changhe, the already extremely nervous envoy from Gaochang, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

"No, no, Your Highness misunderstands. Gaochang is a small country with a small population. In other words, we would never dare to show any disrespect to the Celestial Empire. Even if we were to lose our minds, we would never dare to be so ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth..." Qu Changhe swallowed.

"Our Gaochang Kingdom is located on a vital trade route between the Western Regions and the Western Regions. It is thanks to the trade between the Celestial Empire and the Western Regions that we have acquired some wealth, which has enabled our Gaochang Kingdom to stand tall in the Western Regions. We dare not forget the grace of the Celestial Empire, and we dare not disrespect its virtue."

"The Western Turkic tribes have a history of plundering along the trade routes in the Western Regions. Our king has warned them many times, but they have ignored him. Gaochang and the Western Turks are enemies, not allies!"

"I beg Your Highness to see the truth!"

Li Chengqian chuckled: "So, if my Great Tang is truly prepared to take action against the Western Turks this time, is your Gaochang Kingdom willing to send troops to assist us as well?"

Send troops?!

Qu Changhe's old face froze for a moment, and then a look of fear appeared in his eyes.

"Your Highness, I... my kingdom of Gaochang is small and sparsely populated; we struggle even to protect ourselves, so..."

Li Chengqian nodded, but the smile on his face faded slightly under Qu Changhe's tense gaze.

He nodded softly, looking rather uninterested.

"Oh, so you want to come here to gather information. If it is confirmed that my Great Tang is going to war with the Western Turks, you can play both sides and gain benefits, right?"

"Stab!"

Inside the hall, several soldiers from the Eastern Palace's Six Guards drew their steel swords instantly.

The sharp sound startled Qu Changhe so much that his body went limp on the spot, and he trembled like a leaf as he hurriedly kowtowed.

"No, no, no, Your Highness, you are wise. Gaochang would never dare to have such a rebellious thought. Our king has admired the Celestial Dynasty for a long time. The people of Gaochang are loyal to the Tang Dynasty and would never dare to have any disloyal thoughts!"

Qu Changhe banged his head repeatedly.

The fate of Tuyuhun is a testament to how ruthless and shameless this Tang Dynasty prince was.

Now, the Khan of Tuyuhun, Murong Fuyun, is quite old, yet he still has to lead his tribe to raise horses and cattle for the Tang Dynasty and raise funds for annual military expenses and reparations.

They could only watch helplessly as two great cities rose majestically upon the Dafei River and Chishui Source, which originally belonged to them, at a speed visible to the naked eye, yet they were powerless to stop it...

Gaochang was richer than Tuyuhun, but its army's fighting strength was incomparable.

Such a delicious and tempting white sheep was situated on the crucial route the Tang Dynasty had to take to deal with the Western Turks...

Li Chengqian smiled coldly. Seeing the other party's cowardly appearance, he simply stopped pretending.

He had originally intended to summon this envoy from Gaochang, but now that the other party had come to him of his own accord, he decided not to waste any more time with him.

“Your Gaochang are nothing compared to the iron cavalry of my Great Tang, but…” Li Chengqian leaned forward slightly.

"Today, leading the army to conquer the Western Turks is none other than my own grandfather, the Retired Emperor of our Great Tang Dynasty, a man of immense importance! While our Tang army fights the Western Turks on the front lines, you Gaochang will be making trouble in the rear..."

They didn't give Qu Changhe any chance to explain himself.

Li Chengqian simply snorted coldly.

"Whether you can or not, I don't care. I only know that I believe you can, and that's enough!"

Qu Changhe stared in astonishment, his mouth agape: "..."

The shamelessness of the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty is an open secret among the high-ranking officials of neighboring countries.

He had even prepared himself for being harassed by the other party when he arrived.

However... he never expected that the other party could be so shameless!

"Your Highness, our entire Gaochang Kingdom comprises only twenty-two cities. We are already struggling to protect the Western Regions trade routes from bandits and thieves. How could we possibly have the strength or audacity to disrespect the Emperor Emeritus of the Celestial Empire!"

"Your Highness, I am innocent! My King is innocent!! Gaochang is innocent!!!"

Qu Changhe was so anxious at this moment that he forgot everything and straightened up to look anxiously at Crown Prince Li Chengqian.

Unexpectedly, he was met with a pair of cold eyes that showed nothing but contempt and disdain.

"Injustice? Whether you're wronged or not is not for you to decide. I don't think I've wronged you. That's enough!"

Qu Changhe's face turned deathly pale.

He knelt on the ground in astonishment, stunned for a long while, before finally speaking haltingly.

"Your Highness, Your Highness not only intends to wage war against the Western Turks... but also to conquer my Gaochang Kingdom?"

Li Chengqian smiled gently, picked up his teacup, and looked completely calm and composed.

"As you yourself said, you only have twenty-two cities. I really can't think of any reason why I should keep you here. Gaochang is a vital trade route to the Western Regions, with countless Persian and Arab merchants traveling through it..."

"You people in Gaochang are eating your fill of delicious food, but you never think of sharing any of your happiness with your good neighbor... Tsk tsk tsk, I'm really envious!"

Li Chengqian made no attempt to hide the greed in his eyes, looking at the lamb like a hungry wolf eyeing its prey.

His eyes swept over Qu Changhe, who was kneeling on the ground.

It seemed to be pondering where to begin its bite...

Qu Changhe: "...You are the Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire, you..."

“The Crown Prince of the Celestial Empire is hungry,” Li Chengqian said jokingly.

Seeing that the other party was completely at a loss for words, Li Chengqian took a sip of tea, slowly put down his teacup, took a deep breath, stood up, and slowly walked over to the other party.

Hands tucked into sleeves.

"You people from Gaochang are so lucky!"

"The climate is warm, ideal for silkworms, and the grains and wheat ripen again...tsk tsk tsk..."

"We are located on a vital route through the Western Regions, and we also have local products such as red salt, white salt, grapes, frozen wine, honey, flour, and silk... Wang De, bring me a handkerchief, I'm drooling."

Li Chengqian swallowed hard, and the more he spoke, the more terrifying the greedy light in his eyes became.

Standing behind Qu Changhe, one hand gently rested on the other's shoulder.

He gently wiped his drool with a handkerchief, as if preparing to start eating.

A chilling voice came from his mouth, startling Qu Changhe, who felt as if he were being targeted by some evil spirit, and his whole body trembled violently.

"Standing on such a precious land, receiving taxes from the passing caravans of my Great Tang Dynasty, and with local agriculture and production still possible, the King of Gaochang is truly lucky. It's just a pity... he doesn't know how to deal with people!"

"You people in Gaochang eat meat, and I, your poor neighbor, can only watch enviously?"

"Pat pat..." Two light pats were placed on Qu Changhe's shoulder.

The latter was so frightened that he almost fell to the ground on the spot.

He hurriedly turned around, knelt on the ground and begged, grabbing the hem of Li Chengqian's robe.

"Your Highness! Your Highness the Crown Prince! Gaochang has absolutely no rebellious intentions, nor would it dare to have any!"

"Your Majesty, I am willing to immediately inform you that we will pay tribute to the Tang Dynasty every year! I humbly beg Your Highness to show mercy and spare the life of my small kingdom of Gaochang. I beg you, Your Highness, I beg you..."

Qu Changhe was terrified.

Don't be fooled by Li Chengqian's words. As the crown prince, with the Tang Dynasty's current national strength and military power, he only needs to speak up, and there will be plenty of soldiers to fight and generals to lead troops.

We could easily crush Gaochang like it's nothing.

He banged his head on the ground repeatedly. In his dizziness, his mind became clearer, and he seemed to suddenly remember something.

He hurriedly looked up, his face showing a panicked and pleading expression.

"Your Highness, Gaochang is willing to provide provisions for the Tang Dynasty's Heavenly Army to conquer the Western Turks! With Gaochang here, the Celestial Empire will not need to transport grain from its own territory, which will surely save a lot of resources!"

"Your Highness, Gaochang is useful! Gaochang is useful!"

Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes.

He chuckled to himself and winked at Wang De beside him.

The latter immediately rushed over with a tray.

Li Chengqian picked up the items on the tray and handed them to Qu Changhe.

"As an envoy from Gaochang, surely you wouldn't be unfamiliar with this?"

Qu Changhe looked up and, after seeing what was there, quickly nodded.

“I recognize it! I recognize it. This is white berry, which is abundant in my Gaochang... and is planted in many places in my king’s garden.”

Li Chengqian nodded slightly.

"The King of Gaochang's tastes are somewhat similar to mine; I also like this item..."

Upon hearing this, Qu Changhe's eyes lit up, and he quickly agreed.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will write a letter today and send a fast horse back to report, and have someone send a batch of seeds over. This plant grows quickly, and in a few months Your Highness's garden will be covered in a blanket of white..."

Qu Changhe spoke hurriedly.

However, Li Chengqian gently shook his head.

He looked down at the other person with a smile that made Qu Changhe realize something was wrong.

"No need. My garden has already been ruined by my good-for-nothing brothers... Let's plant these white berries in Gaochang."

Qu Changhe looked bewildered, not understanding what Li Chengqian meant.

next moment.

Li Chengqian spoke again, and what he said caused Qu Changhe's expression to change drastically in horror.

"From now on, Gaochang will no longer need to grow grain. Instead, I will have everyone plant this white jujube. I will arrange for its purchase and then sell it to you as grain..."

"W-what?!!!"