The Tang Dynasty: Wu Zetian made me her imperial tutor

"When I previously presented my memorial to the throne regarding the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet, I also mentioned that Buddhism is not the most important thing for ordinary people; necessities such as food and clothing are."

"As the saying goes, when the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame. The Central Plains and the surrounding barbarians all follow this principle."

"Therefore, introducing Buddhism to Tibet is my long-term strategy, while in the short term I focus on the instinct for survival."

"This involves matters of great importance to the nation, and the Empress Dowager wishes to discuss it with all of you, which is why I am speaking now..."

Lu Jun put on another layer of armor.

He had considered Yao Yuanchong's question beforehand and wanted to continue discussing it.

However, the Empress Dowager was so concerned about the Great Cloud Sutra that she forcibly stopped it, not giving him a chance to speak.

That matter cannot be exposed; a way to save face for the Empress Dowager must be found before revealing the answer:

"Two words: trade."

"If the plan to sow discord succeeds, the Tang Dynasty will inevitably gain the upper hand in the short term. It can then open trade markets to divide the various Tibetan tribes."

"Each tribe was assigned a specific trading post, and if they disobeyed, their needs would be cut off, making it unbearable for them."

Lu Jun's method was the same as the border markets and mutual markets system used after the Song and Ming dynasties.

Things that seem ordinary but are actually useful often sound very simple.

"Trade between the two countries?" A hint of confusion crossed Wu Zetian's face.

"Chu Yu, hasn't the border trade already existed for a long time?"

"The Tang Dynasty had a Market Supervisor, and all trade with foreign countries was strictly controlled by the imperial court."

"In the first year of the Chuigong era, the Tiele tribes in the northern desert rebelled against the Celestial Empire. They submitted but did not receive their due reward, and the Western Regions and Hexi were both disturbed by them."

"Therefore, I hereby issue an edict that if barbarians trade within the Celestial Empire, they shall not cross the border to prevent them from colluding with foreign states."

"However, even after five years of implementing the policy of severing trade, the Turks and Tibetans continued their incursions, rendering it largely ineffective. If they couldn't buy from us, they would rob us; this has always been the case..."

Indeed, border trade is not a new thing.

The trade between the Central Plains dynasties and foreign tribes, with each side getting what it needed, was a long-standing desire of both.

In the early Western Han Dynasty, border markets were already established, and after Zhang Qian's mission to the Western Regions, these markets became even more prosperous.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was called the Mutual Market; during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, it was called the Exchange Market; and during the Sui Dynasty, the Exchange Market Supervisor was established, and the imperial court began to manage it uniformly.

The Tang Dynasty continued the official control system, changing its name to Mutual Market Supervision Bureau, which remained under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Household Department.

In the first year of the Chuigong era, it was renamed Tongshijian.

Therefore, to Wu Zetian, the term "mutual trade" was neither a clever scheme nor effective.

Lu Jun replied, "Your Majesty, the border trade is not working because the goods being sold are not urgently needed..."

"Urgently needed supplies?" Wu Zetian pondered for a moment. "I know they lack copper and iron, but how can we sell them so easily?"

Li Zhaode then spoke up: "Lu Shiyi, the Tubo have grand ambitions, which cannot be satisfied by trade alone. Even if we sell them copper and iron, will that really end the conflict?"

People from the Mashang ethnic group are very straightforward; they'd rather take action than argue, and if they can buy something for free, they won't carry any coins when they go out.

Yao Yuanchong raised further questions:

"Lu Shiyi is a learned man, and should know that the needs of Tibet and the northern deserts are different."

"The army consumes a huge amount of copper and iron, and naturally all countries hope to have as much as possible, but Tibet is in a much better situation than the Mongolian Plateau."

"As far as I know, India and Nepal produce iron, which Tibet was able to obtain through trade in the past. After Tibet came under its control, it also gained access to its iron mountains."

"Furthermore, the Bailan tribe also has iron mountains. After the Tibetans conquered Bailan, they learned how to smelt iron and were able to produce it themselves."

"Therefore, the armor made by the Tibetans was extremely sturdy, and their army was a formidable enemy of the Tang Dynasty."

"Even without trade, they are powerful enough."

"How can we restrict further trade?"

Although his seniority was not as high as that of the prime minister or other high-ranking officials, his expertise in government affairs was second to none among the ministers present.

That meant that even ironware was not a necessity, and that trade was of no use to Tibet!

Lu Jun replied calmly, "The necessities I mentioned are still the basic necessities of clothing and food, not copper and iron."

"What is that?" Wu Zetian asked immediately.

Lu Jun blinked and smiled, "Empress Dowager, may I ask the eunuchs what we need for clothing and food?"

Lou Shide, Xu Qinming, and Tang Xiujing were all taken aback when they heard this.

Having been stationed in the border town for so long, they were unaware of the Empress Dowager's leniency towards Lu Jun, and thought to themselves, "This young man is far too bold. Isn't he afraid of being severely reprimanded by the Empress Dowager?"

Wu Zetian smiled slightly and nodded: "As you wish, you may ask anyone in the palace."

Lu Jun doesn't mince words; she's used to it, and besides, this young man is one of her own.

Upon seeing this, Lou Shide and the other two exchanged glances: "The Empress Dowager is so good-tempered? We've never seen her like this before..."

Xu Qinming's heart skipped a beat: "When we discuss Hexi later, we need to be more polite to Lu Chuyu..."

Everyone else in the hall knew about the palace examination, the promotion to higher official positions, and the double salary and double stipend, so there was no further excitement.

Lu Jun smiled slightly at the maid beside her: "May I ask, sister, do you know what the Tibetans and Turks each need?"

The maid exclaimed, her pretty face flushing red, and lowered her head: "How would this servant know such things..."

She was secretly chuckling to herself, "I'm two or three years younger than you, why are you calling me 'older sister'?"

The eunuchs and maids were adept at reading people's expressions and had long since realized that the Empress Dowager treated Lu Jun differently, so they all had a good impression of him. Moreover, he was a blessing for those who appreciated good looks.

Much better than Master Xue's muscular physique.

Wu Zetian laughed heartily and looked around the hall: "Does anyone know the answer? I'll reward you if you answer correctly!"

She had killed quite a few people in the past two days, which made her feel somewhat depressed. Lu Jun had stirred her interest, and she wanted to take the opportunity to relieve it.

Upon hearing of the opportunity to receive a reward, the eunuchs and maids' eyes lit up, and they vied to answer:

"This servant knows, it's fabric for making clothes!"

"No, no, no, they were already skilled at skinning livestock and had plenty of ways to keep warm. It was probably silk or satin, which would look good on nobles."

"Although they have fur, their livestock cannot survive in the event of a natural disaster, so they still need cloth."

"That makes sense! What we need most isn't food, but clothing. Besides cloth, there's also millet, rice, and wheat, right?"

"Well, we can't eat meat every meal; we also need grains and vegetables to nourish our spleen and stomach..."

Seeing that the Empress Dowager was in a good mood, everyone rushed to answer, and more than twenty people in the hall spoke up.

Wu Zetian remained noncommittal, turning her gaze to a distant corner: "Wan'er, what do you say?"

Shangguan Wan'er was an inner attendant who often accompanied the emperor so that she could be summoned at any time when drafting official documents. Therefore, she was also present in the palace.

Today's discussion was confidential, and she stayed far away in a corner, following the palace's rule of avoiding conflict.

As Lu Jun talked about fresh and interesting topics such as climate and technology, she listened quietly.

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's question, she lowered her eyes and replied, "Wan'er is not very knowledgeable about foreign affairs and cannot answer."

It's not that I can't answer.

Lu Jun asked this question, and she was careful not to make the Empress Dowager think she was being too concerned.

Wu Zetian laughed and said, "It's alright, tell me, I won't blame you if you're wrong."

"Yes." Wan'er then spoke: "Besides cloth and silk, the Turks also need pig iron, farm tools, grain, and seeds, while the Tibetans need paper and salt."

She had read many imperial edicts bestowed upon the Turks and Tibetans by the Tang Dynasty over the years and remembered their contents.

Tibet has salt lakes, but its salt-making technology is crude. Salt is extracted using charcoal, resulting in a dark color and bitter taste. Tibet still needs to buy good salt from the Central Plains.

Wu Zetian then showed satisfaction and turned to ask Lu Jun, "Chu Yu, her answer wasn't bad, was it?"

Lu Jun nodded: "Extremely brilliant."

Wu Zetian said to the corner, "Wan'er, I will reward you with a calligraphy scroll by Lu Jianzhi, so that you may absorb some of the talent of the Lu family of Wu County."

Lu Jianzhi was a great calligrapher of the early Tang Dynasty. He came from the Lu family of Wu County, the branch of the Grand Commandant. His ancestor was Lu Mao, the younger brother of Lu Xun, who was also the uncle of Lu Ji, the ancestor of Lu Jun.

This reward was for Shangguan Wan'er, and also to give a boost to the Lu family of Wu County, so that Lu Jun would also be happy.

Wu Chengsi's face flushed, knowing that his aunt was doing this for Lu Jun's benefit, subtly standing up for him in court.

When it comes to using people, my aunt is far more capable than I am; I need to learn from her…

When Wan'er heard Lu Jun say that she was "extremely clever," a faint smile appeared on her lips, but she immediately pursed her lips.

He prostrated himself on the ground: "Thank you for your generous gift, Empress Dowager!"

Wu Zetian turned to Lu Jun and asked, "Although Tibet needs cloth, paper, and salt, it's not indispensable. They can still survive even if the trade is cut off. What's the point of the trade?"

Lu Jun replied, "Tibet desperately needs something, which is readily available throughout the Tang Dynasty, but has yet to be discovered."

"What is that?" The Empress Dowager sat up abruptly.