bookrandom Chapter 382 The Queen's Youngest Son Sitting in the Hall
Chapter 382 The Queen's Youngest Son Sitting in the Hall
The auspicious snow on New Year's Day fell on the glazed tiles of the Daming Palace, and the entire palace complex was immersed in a festive atmosphere.
This New Year's Day celebration was more grand than the previous one, and the number of countries coming to pay tribute increased significantly.
The reason has to do with those wandering European bards. In the distant Arab region, they heard about the great reputation of the Eastern Tang Dynasty. The prosperous cities, flourishing culture and powerful national strength attracted them crazily.
So, with longing in their hearts, they followed the team of Arab envoys and embarked on the journey eastward, just to see the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, which also made the guest lineup of this grand ceremony even more spectacular.
Back in the third year of the Qianwu reign, a series of friendly commercial interactions began between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire. One transaction that garnered considerable attention was the exchange of people. Detailed invoices from the Ministry of Revenue clearly documented the Tang Dynasty's purchase of over one million people from Arabia.
These people flowed into the Tang Dynasty, reclaimed the vast land, and contributed their labor. The women also added a lot of new population to the Tang Dynasty.
To a certain extent, it has promoted cultural exchange and integration.
Inside the Hanyuan Hall of the Daming Palace, an atmosphere of majesty permeates the carved beams and painted buildings.
Su Zhi was wearing an exquisite golden and red phoenix robe and sitting on the first throne. The phoenix embroidered on the robe was lifelike, and every stitch and thread outlined the noble grace of the Queen of the Tang Dynasty.
Li Jingyou, who is only two years old, sat on a specially made small chair nearby. His chubby little face was full of curiosity, his eyes were wide open, and he looked curiously at the crowd gathered below. His little hands tightly grasped the armrests of the chair, and he shook his little feet from time to time.
Below, the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty were lined up in neat rows, in distinctive attire, sitting and enjoying delicious food.
Looking closely, the figures of those once familiar, elderly ministers are gradually becoming scarce, and are replaced by young and energetic faces.
The wheel of time rolled forward, bringing a lot of fresh blood to the court of the Tang Dynasty.
These young officials have a vision for the future in their eyes.
They are ready to work hard in their respective positions, making great achievements in the new year and contributing their own strength to the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty.
Zhang Xianhuai and Wei Biwu will accompany Your Majesty on this expedition to protect Him.
Zhao Xuan and Luo Qingquan were entrusted with important tasks due to their outstanding talents. They were promoted to the position of commander-in-chief and temporarily took charge of the power of the North and South Pacification Offices.
Both of them came from the Weiban, so Li Chengqian naturally had full trust in them.
In Li Chengqian's view, now that he is about to go on a long journey, the stability within the court is of vital importance, and Zhao Xuan and Luo Qingquan are undoubtedly the backbone of maintaining order in the palace.
Su Jin was also promoted as a special envoy the day before for his proper handling of the King of Qi's affairs. Chu Muyun was also promoted to a captain for his outstanding performance, thus qualifying to enter the hall to participate in the ceremony.
Their promotion is not only a reward for their personal abilities, but also a reflection of the Tang Dynasty's personnel mechanism of selecting the best based on merit and clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments. It encourages more officials to work diligently and forge ahead, and contribute to the development of the Tang Dynasty.
At the bottom of the jade steps, Zhao Xuan and Luo Qingquan stood straight, guarding Queen Su Zhi on the left and right.
They were always alert to every move around them. Li Chengqian cared deeply about Su Zhi. While he was away on a military expedition, there had to be someone in the court with sufficient status and power to deter those evil-minded villains and ensure the stability of the court.
So, before leaving, he handed over the command of the Southern Pacification Office and the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Yamen to Su Zhi.
From the moment power was handed over, Su Zhi possessed a power as important as that of the empress of the Han Dynasty - military power.
The granting of this power meant that she was no longer just a concubine hidden behind the emperor, but a key figure on the political stage of the Tang Dynasty who could stand on her own and had the power to make independent decisions to stabilize the court.
Leave a page of your own in the long river of history so that people in future generations can see your name.
When Li Chengqian was leading the army in person, Su Zhi said to him with deep affection in her eyes that since she had power, the first thing she should do was to solemnly inscribe the full name of Empress Zhangsun in the history books.
Empress Changsun's virtue and kindness, and her silent efforts and dedication to the Tang Dynasty should not be obscured by the dust of time, but should be fully recorded and passed on so that people in later generations can know her greatness.
Li Chengqian was moved by Su Zhi's sincerity and agreed to her request without hesitation.
At this time, Su Zhi sat high above at the highest point of Hanyuan Hall, looking down at the envoys from various countries who were paying homage to her.
She felt mixed emotions in her heart. It was not until this moment that she truly understood the loneliness His Majesty had endured when he was in this position.
Behind the seemingly glorious throne, there are countless days and nights of painstaking efforts. Every decision is related to the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the country, and every decision carries the people's earnest expectations.
However, the scene below the stage was not peaceful.
Many envoys were whispering to each other in private, and the sound of discussion was one after another.
Among them, the Western Turkic envoy, Mondora, could no longer suppress his inner provocation. He stepped forward and loudly demanded, "Empress of the Tang Dynasty, I am Mondora, the envoy of the Western Turkic Dynasty. The Khan of the Western Turkic Dynasty has been filled with doubts recently. Why would the Tang Dynasty provoke a conflict with the Western Turkic cavalry for no reason?"
"Could it be that the Tang Dynasty, relying on its own national strength and being overconfident, is attempting to wipe out all the small nations around us, brutally slaughtering our people and greedily encroaching on our territory?"
His words were full of provocation. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that he was targeting Su Zhi. He intended to create chaos and stir up trouble at this sensitive moment when the Tang Emperor was away on an expedition, the Empress and the young prince were in court, and the main Tang army was fully engaged in conquering Goguryeo, so as to gain personal benefits for the Western Turks.
Mondora's unreasonable remarks caused a flash of greed in the eyes of many envoys with ulterior motives.
In their narrow understanding, if the Tang Dynasty really suffered a setback on the Goguryeo battlefield and was severely damaged, it would very likely follow the same fate as the Sui Dynasty and fall into the quagmire of national weakness, internal and external troubles.
Then there will be an opportunity.
They couldn't wait to tear off a piece of fat from the Tang Dynasty to satisfy their greedy desires.
After all, as a strong opponent of the Tang Dynasty, Goguryeo's military strength should not be underestimated. In their view, Goguryeo's strength is at least not much inferior to that of the Tang Dynasty. The outcome of this war is full of variables and uncertainties, and they are trying to find opportunities in these variables to seek the greatest benefits for their country.
Hearing Mondola's arrogant and rude words, the civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty did not show the slightest anger.
On the contrary, the corners of their mouths turned up, revealing a kind smile that seemed gentle and friendly but contained a hidden mystery.
This smile silently mocked Mondola's shallowness and ignorance, and also showed the other envoys with ill intentions that the Tang Dynasty was not as fragile as they imagined.
Whether facing internal power transfers and personnel changes or external war pressure, the Tang Dynasty has a profound foundation to calmly deal with all difficulties and obstacles.
Su Zhi looked calm, and her eyes slowly turned to Mr. Qi who was sitting next to her.
Mr. Qi nodded slightly, his eyes revealing confidence, conveying a reassuring message to Su Zhi.
Seeing this, Su Zhi's worries immediately dissipated a lot. She gently raised her hand and waved gracefully.
Wu Meiniang understood what he meant and walked forward lightly from the side, respectfully holding a copy of Guo Xiaoke's battle report in her hand...