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

The martial arts of the Tang Dynasty?

Are you only using fists and feet?!

Upon hearing this threatening statement, Galdonzan, who had originally intended to feign pitifulness in order to obtain some Central Plains technology that could truly strengthen Tibet, was now in a state of disarray.

It was put away instantly.

Seeing the furious Zheng De and the cold-eyed Crown Prince Li Chengqian of the Tang Dynasty, he hurriedly shook his head and waved his hands.

"Your Highness, I would never dare to say such a thing. It was my mistake, my mistake. Please forgive me and don't hold it against me..."

Nalingdeva couldn't understand Tang Dynasty Mandarin. At that moment, he was looking at Gardongzan and Zheng De, who suddenly seemed very angry for no reason, while listening to Sujiga's translation.

After listening to Sujiga's translation, he immediately understood.

On the same gift list, this generous Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty gave the Kingdom of Nepal divine weapons, but gave Tibet some literary classics and Buddhist scriptures.

It is clear that Tibet prefers the gift list from their own Niva Kingdom.

but......

"Your Highness, if Tibet does not want this gift, then... I wonder if it would be possible to give it to our Nepal?"

He rose, placed his hand on his chest, and bowed, his voice earnest.

Even Sujiga hadn't expected that this prince of the Niva Kingdom would be so audacious.

They even wanted to take over Tibet's share... He quickly translated.

Nalingdeva continued, “Our Nepal Kingdom and the Tang Dynasty have had almost no contact because of the high mountains and long distances. All our memories of the Eastern Celestial Dynasty are based on imagination. If Tibet does not want this great gift from the Eastern Celestial Dynasty, Your Highness, could you please bestow this gift upon our Nepal Kingdom?”

"In this way, at least in the future our Nipo Kingdom will have more people who understand the language and writing of the Tang Dynasty."

Listen!

Look at people!

When Sujiga translated Nalingdeva's words, Zheng De, who had been furious, and the eunuchs and maids of Shougong Palace immediately softened their expressions.

Even Li Chengqian, who already held some approval for the prince of Niva, Nalingdeva, softened his previously cold expression.

"Heh, doesn't the prince of Nepal think that these books are far less valuable than those swords and armor?"

Nalingdeva, upon hearing Sujiga's translation, displayed a respectful and devout expression.

“Your Highness, there is a proverb in our country of Nipo: swords without writing are weak and feeble, and language without force is ineffective. The fact that the Tang Dynasty has such powerful swords and armor can only mean that the Tang Dynasty’s writing and language contain even greater power.”

"If Your Highness the Crown Prince would allow me to be a little more greedy, I would also like the Tang Dynasty to send envoys to be stationed in the Kingdom of Nepal, and at the same time teach the Kingdom of Nepal the writing and language of the Tang Dynasty."

Sujiga translated Nalingdeva's words, but before Li Chengqian could finish listening to the translation...

Gardon Tsen, who understood the language of Nepal, had turned completely ashen-faced.

He stared fiercely at Lingdeva.

This was a prince whom not only he, but also the high-ranking officials of the Niva Kingdom, and even the King of Niva Kingdom, had not paid much attention to.

Everything he did today caught him completely off guard.

"Hahahaha!"

Li Chengqian's hearty laughter suddenly rang out in the Shougong Hall.

He laughed heartily, his laughter tinged with obvious surprise.

Pointing to Nalingdeva, who looked devout in front of him, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh.

"Prince of Niva, you're right, you are indeed a very greedy fellow! Hahaha!"

“However…only truly greedy people have the eyes to discover true treasures, unlike some people…” Li Chengqian said, glancing sideways at Galdonzan, whose face was grim.

"I used to think he was a smart man, but I never expected... haha, that someone would actually think that something cold made from stones dug out of the mountains could be more valuable than the wealth formed by the wisdom of flesh and blood people."

He shook his head, his eyes filled with approval and joy as he looked at Nalingdeva.

"You are a greedy yet clever man, Prince of Niva. I admire you greatly!"

After hearing the translation, Nalingdeva hurriedly bowed again in reverence.

"It is my honor, Your Highness, the ruler of the Eastern Celestial Dynasty."

Li Chengqian nodded in satisfaction, no longer wanting to look at Galdonzan's dark face.

With a wave of his hand, he gave an order to Wang De beside him.

"Since Tibet looks down on the culture of the Central Plains, then we don't need to embarrass ourselves. Let's send this gift to someone who truly appreciates its value... Also, send an order to the Court of State Ceremonies to select candidates for the delegation to Nepal."

Gardonzan's expression changed drastically.

Want to say something.

However, Li Chengqian showed him no respect whatsoever.

A wave of his hand.

"Send the Tibetan envoy back to rest. Prince of Nepal, have lunch in the palace today. I have always been very curious about the culture of Nepal."

Gardonzan's slip of the tongue resulted in him being dragged out of Yangcheng Palace by the soldiers of the Six Guards of the Eastern Palace.

Faced with the curious stares and pointing fingers around him, Galdonzan covered his face and quickly left with his entourage.

however.

The fact that the Tibetan envoy refused the Central Plains classics bestowed by the prince and showed disdain for Central Plains culture quickly spread throughout the officialdom and even among the common people of Taiyuan Prefecture.

Outside Taiyuan Prefecture.

The officials who were counting and inspecting the Harsha slaves sent by Tibet, under the watchful eyes of the city guards, suddenly looked at the bewildered Tibetan soldiers around them with suspicion upon hearing this news.

"This person is too thin; he can only be considered half a person!"

Wang Qingyun simply gave a wink to a sergeant in the city guard.

Before long, the Tang Dynasty officials in charge of registration and inspection began to nitpick.

"Wha, what?"

The Tibetan official left behind by Gar Tongtsen, who was responsible for negotiating and trading with the Tang officials, immediately changed his expression.

"No, why? This person isn't sick, he..."

"Too skinny! If you can't understand the official language of our Great Tang, go back to your Tibet and learn it before you come back! Our Great Tang needs slaves who can work, not useless people who come to retire!"

"You're not convinced? If you're not convinced, then this person doesn't count at all. Where did you capture him? Send him back to where you found him!"

His voice was not quiet, but how quiet could the voices of these officials in the Tang Dynasty be?

With a single glance, any slave who barely met the standard was given a bright red X.

"No way! This won't do either! And this too! Are you guys doing this on purpose?! What kind of garbage are you sending?!"

An official, holding a brush dipped in red paint, walked quickly among groups of bound Harsha slaves.

Before they could even see clearly, the brush in their hand had already drawn a large X on the faces or bodies of the slaves in the blink of an eye.

"Why?! You're going back on your word!" The Tibetan officials were stunned and cried out in protest.

They dragged out a Harsha slave who had been marked with a red cross by a Tang Dynasty official.

Pointing at the other person, he shouted in dissatisfaction.

"Height, weight, and no illness—all of these meet the requirements your Great Tang Dynasty previously stated. Why have they changed now?!"

"You're saying he's not sick? Does his complexion look normal?"

"At most, it counts as half a person. If you're not satisfied, you can take it back and use it yourselves!"

The officials of the Tang Dynasty showed him no respect whatsoever.

After a while.

What was originally a smooth handover ceremony turned into a huge argument between officials from the Tang Dynasty and Tibet.

"What are you doing! What are you doing! What are you all doing! Are you trying to rebel?!"

Wang Qingyun led a contingent of Taiyuan City Guards, swords drawn, and rushed over.

His fierce gaze ignored the Tang officials and instead stared intently at the few Tibetan officials who were arguing the loudest.

"What? Can't tell where we are? Do you want me to teach you?!"

The young Tibetan soldiers, hot-blooded and indignant, looked resentful.

They would then have to issue a rebuttal.

However, the Tibetan official, who finally realized something was wrong, grabbed him.

When Galdonzan arrived after hearing the news, he heard the report from his subordinates.

Looking at Wang Qingyun and the other Tang Dynasty officials standing to the side, they were clearly making things difficult for them, yet they didn't utter a single word in rebuttal.

"Let's follow the rules of the Tang Dynasty. These people, half and half it is fine!"

"grown ups......"

Gardonzan shouted, "Listen to me! Stop talking!"

He suppressed his angry subordinates, forced back his frustration and anger, and approached Wang Qingyun, bowing slightly.

“Wang Sima, it was our people who were rude first. How to receive these slaves is up to the Tang Dynasty... We will fill any vacancies afterwards.”

Wang Qingyun gave a cold snort with a forced smile.

Without saying a word, he left with his men.

When the situation was reported to Li Chengqian.

Of the 35,000 slaves that Galdonzan brought this time, the Tang officials in charge of receiving them ultimately reduced the number to 25,000.

They swallowed up 10,000 slaves for no reason.

"Twenty-five thousand?! Wang Qingyun, are you all just sitting around doing nothing? Thirty-five thousand slaves, even if you don't count them all as half the number of the old, weak, sick, and disabled, surely that's still less than twenty thousand!?"

Shougong Hall.

At the meeting the following day.

Because of this incident, Kong Yingda launched into a tirade against Wang Qingyun during the meeting.

"If you can't do this kind of work, then let our Ministry of Rites do it! You soldiers have your pride and shame, but we officials from the Ministry of Rites just love to be arrogant and rude in front of foreigners!"

Li Chengqian sat in his seat, suppressing a laugh.

Yesterday, Galdonzan rejected the classics of Confucius, which can be considered as stepping on the landmine of this Shandong patriarch of the Confucius family.

Even now, there are no fewer than ten memorials and documents from the Kong family and some great Confucian scholars from Taiyuan Prefecture in front of him.

They all demanded sanctions against Tibet.

Even his own tutor, Yu Shinan, rushed over last night while he was having dinner to ask if it was feasible to wage war against Tibet...

"Alright, alright, Lord Kong, there's no need to vent your anger on Wang Sima. We've already made a profit by keeping ten thousand slaves for ourselves."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, gesturing for the old fellow Kong Yingda to sit down.

Wang Qingyun quickly stood up and bowed gratefully to Li Chengqian.

however.

Kong Yingda, who had just sat down, still had anger on his face. He suddenly seemed to have thought of something.

"Your Highness, is it possible to make some adjustments to the weapons and equipment exchanged with Tibet?"

Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow, and everyone looked at Kong Yingda at that moment.

Seeing the other party's expression, he instantly understood that this so-called "making a fuss" was nothing more than passing off inferior goods as superior ones.

"Ahem... Lord Kong, isn't this a little inappropriate?" Even Xiao Rui, the head of the new Commerce Department, was somewhat embarrassed.

however.

Kong Yingda's eyes widened.

"What kind of shame do you have at such a young age? Fine! You have a shame? I don't!"

He then cupped his hands in greeting to Li Chengqian.

"Your Highness, this old minister is old and also wants to be remembered in history. However, the Tibetan barbarians are truly despicable. If I do not teach them a lesson, I will not only be ashamed of my ancestors, but also disgrace the salary I receive every day!"

"I humbly request Your Highness to allow this old minister to take charge of the trade with Tibet, regardless of the charges of embezzlement or the disgrace to foreign lands!"

"If the Tibetans dare to insult my Central Plains sage, they shouldn't blame me for abandoning the etiquette of the Central Plains!"