Chapter 108: Nanzhao’s dominance

It was a very sunny day. The weather was clear and there was no cloud in the sky. The moon rose from the treetops and gradually put a silver color on Chunming Street in the evening. The street was still filled with people who were busy with joy and drunkenness. The Taibai Restaurant was filled with laughter and joy. The quick-handed and craftsmen were holding plates of dishes, interspersing among the crowd tables and chairs, and music came faintly in the noise.

The elegant room on the fourth floor was even more lively. Dozens of big men gathered together, with big bowls piled into cooked meat like a hill. The aroma of wine and meat, the carbon flavor and human flavor of barbecue, mixed into a special warm atmosphere. The roar, scolding, and cheers almost overturned the roof. The table was filled with yellow copper coins and silver.

Li Qing and Li Siye sat against the wall, and they were fighting for alcohol. One had a white face and turned into a drunken red color, and the other had a black face but the white face became whiter the more you drank, and the tongue was knotted.

The ancients were slightly different from modern people. Moderns were fighting wits and plotting, and Didi was afraid that they would suffer a great loss if they drank one more sip. However, the Tang Dynasty was an era of martial arts. "Drunk lying on the knees of a beautiful woman, awakening the right to kill people." "Why not a man brings Wu Gou and collects the fifty states of Guanshan Mountains" is full of dreams and courage. The same is true for drinking, for fear that he would drink less than others, not to mention that he still has a lot of money to be confident today.

Li Qing picked up another bowl of wine, glanced at Li Siye with his eyes, and said with a chuckle: "I'm the tenth bowl, you have to remember it clearly, he has just drunk eight bowls."

Amid the cheers of his supporters, he drank the wine bowl with a slight scrubbing his mouth, "It's your turn!"

Since he fell into the Minjiang River with Wang Bing, Li Qing's alcohol capacity has gradually increased, as if his potential has been discovered. More than ten bowls of wine have been barely able to cope with it. Li Siye is huge, but his alcohol capacity is disproportionate. After drinking a few bowls of wine, he has lost his daytime power, but his ambition is still there. He forced his eyes to open and shouted, "Get the wine!" He grabbed the wine bowl and drank it all, he laughed at the sky, but he was lying on the table and could no longer move.

Sitting on Li Qing's side, there was a burst of cheers and he snatched the money on the table. Li Siye's side all looked like earthy, watching his money belong to others.

Li Qing laughed loudly and stared at Li Hugui's rimly and said, "Who was betting Li Modao's 100% ounce of money just now? The loser took out the money for me!"

"How can I carry a hundred guan with you? I'll give it to you in a few days." Li Hugen touched his nose, stared at Li Siye, who was drunk and unconscious, and began to reflect on his blind admiration.

At this time, a guard hurried in and whispered a few words in Li Qing's ear. A hint of surprise flashed in Li Qing's eyes, and he stood up and bowed and smiled at everyone, "Brothers, drink slowly, I have urgent matters to take a step first."

Everyone was reluctant to let him go, but they just kept holding him away. Li Qing smiled and pointed to the pile of money he had won and said, "If I leave, everyone will take all the money!"

Everyone was overjoyed, and now they wanted him to get out quickly. Li Qing went out and went downstairs. He saw a carriage parked at the entrance of the restaurant. When he saw him coming out, an anxious white and fat face immediately appeared on the car window, but it was Li Jingzhong. He immediately opened the car door and complained: "Why are you running around? Our house is looking for you everywhere."

"Does my father-in-law have something to ask me for?"

Li Jingzhong pulled him into the carriage and whispered: "Your Highness the Crown Prince has something urgent to see you."

In the East Palace, Li Heng paced back and forth in the study with his hands behind his back. His brows were frowning, and he seemed to be worried. At noon today, the Nanzhao delegation arrived in Chang'an, but Li Linfu got the news earlier than him and had already taken the Nanzhao delegation away. At this moment, Li Linfu was holding a banquet at home to entertain the guests who were coming from afar.

Of course, things are not that simple. Nanzhao affairs have always been in charge of Li Heng. Not only Nanzhao, but also the entire Tang Dynasty's diplomatic power was controlled by him. At this time, Li Linfu suddenly made this move, obviously trying to seize the dominance of Nanzhao, and even used Nanzhao as a breakthrough to gradually take the entire diplomatic power out of his own hands. Moreover, Nanzhao affairs also involved the personnel layout of the new governor of Yizhou. One eagle carries two rabbits. Isn't Li Linfu the best at this?

"Is this what the father meant?"

Thinking of the Nanzhao evaluation report he handed over was like a rock sinking into the sea, Li Heng's worries became worse. No wonder, Zhu Lingqian, the city building envoy that caused turmoil in eastern Yunnan, was recommended by him. He made such a big mess, but his father didn't say a word. This seemed a bit unreasonable. Was his father waiting for the opportunity to meet the Nanzhao delegation this time?

Li Heng knew very well that the Nanzhao mission was nominally an annual audience, but in fact, it was to divert the attention of the court and conceal their hands to the eastern part of Yunnan. According to the news from the Yunnan Censor Li Mi, Piluoge married his two daughters to the sons of Han Chongdao, the leader of the Han clan, and the king of Han Gui. He was so obviously trying to win over that Xiang Zhuang danced his sword, aiming to eastern part of Yunnan!

The father would most likely take this opportunity to hand over the issue of Eastern Yunnan and even the entire Nanzhao affairs to Li Linfu.

"What should I do?"

Li Heng's eyes showed anxiety. His biggest regret was that he lacked a confidant who was familiar with the situation in Nanzhao. Although Li Mi was his man, he was not reliable. Some other important officials who could speak, such as Sun Xizhuang, the envoy who quelled the riot in eastern Yunnan, and Han Qia, who had suppressed the riot in eastern Yunnan, all turned to Li Linfu when his position as the prince was in danger some time ago. Zhang Qiu Jianqiong had to suppress the Jiannan area and could not act rashly.

Li Heng was very conflicted in his heart. The national interests and personal rights were intertwined, which made him unable to start. This time, Nanzhao came to see his second son Yu Chengjie, not Prince Luo Feng, which made Li Heng suddenly think of Li Qing's Nanzhao theory. Is this really the breakthrough point to resolve the Nanzhao affairs, the dispute between cranes and clams, and the fisherman benefited?

Li Heng looked back at Shi Lu. It was almost an hour since Li Jingzhong went to find Li Qing, why haven't he come yet? Just then, there were rapid footsteps outside, and Li Jingzhong led Li Qing to come.

"I'm going to see His Highness the Crown Prince." Li Qing went into the room and gave a secret glance. Seeing that the Nanzhao map was indeed on the table. On the way, Li Jingzhong quietly told him that the prince's search for him might be related to Nanzhao, and he also hinted that the Nanzhao affairs were of great importance to the prince. If it could be properly resolved, it would be completely turned over. The prince had no useful confidant in his hands. At this point, Li Qing had already understood the purpose of summoning him, and it was very likely to be allowed to take over Nanzhao. However, his own people were so slight, so how could they say it.

"Have you drunk?" Li Heng only smelled a smell of alcohol and wrinkled slightly.

"Today I welcome Li Siye, I only drank a little bit, so it's okay."

"Come on! Have a cup of tea, sit down and rest for a while"

Li Heng and Li Qing were together for nearly a month and gradually began to trust him. There was no more coldness or temptation when they first met. Seeing that Li Qing was indeed fine, he turned around and received the report from Honglu Temple, handed it to him and said with a smile: "Do you know that someone has come to Nanzhao?"

Li Qing took it and flipped it over, and smiled and said, "I already know that my family came from Chengdu today and saw the Nanzhao envoys at Mingdemen. The team was very spectacular."

Lian'er had already told him about Yu Chengjie's rude things in the afternoon, and Wang Bing became Yu Chengjie's subordinates, but these things could not be said at this time. Li Qing turned to the end and said a little surprised: "Why did it come from Yu Chengjie, not Ge Luofeng?"

"This is why I came to you. I remember you said that day, it was sowed by the relationship between Yu Chengjie and Ge Luofeng, making their brothers popular. And our Tang Dynasty made profits from it. I didn't care much about it, but looking at this scene today, I'm afraid you've been touched by it. Nanzhao has changed internally."

Li Heng took back the report, sat down, and said with a serious expression: "I came to you just to hear your thoughts again. How should I, the Tang Dynasty, solve the problem of Nanzhao in a safe and effective way."

Li Qing calmed down, he lowered his head and thought, "I don't know what purpose Yu Chengjie is coming here?"

Li Heng took out Li Mi's secret report and handed it to Li Qing: "They are nominally an annual audience, but in fact they are for the sake of eastern Yunnan. You can tell if you look at it."

After seeing it, Li Qing secretly praised Piluo Pavilion in his heart, 'It was indeed a good method, and he actually used a marriage method to win over the second leader of the Han clan. However, the effect of doing so was only to weaken the influence of the Tang Dynasty in eastern Yunnan, and could not gain the eastern part of Yunnan.' He suddenly thought about his plan to provoke internal struggles in Nanzhao, and felt awe-inspiring in his heart, 'Is the next step of Piluo Pavilion also to provoke internal struggles between the two leaders of the Han clan?"

Thinking of this, Li Qing asked again: "Your Highness knows the political orientation of the second leader of the Han clan?"

Li Heng looked at him in surprise and said, "Han Chongdao is biased towards the Tang Dynasty, and Han Guiwang is the culprit of the turmoil in eastern Yunnan. I heard that it is very close to Nanzhao. The emperor's original intention was to make Han Chongdao the king of eastern Yunnan. However, Han Guiwang is quite popular with the people, so he did not move him for the time being and planned to confer a title of king in the north and south."

Li Qing suddenly laughed and said, "Since Nanzhao thought of using a marriage plan to win over the Han clan, why didn't I use a plan to provoke the two Hanhuo together? Let Han Chongdao kill Han Guiwang, and make Nanzhao hopeless to seize eastern Yunnan."

Li Heng's interest increased greatly, "Tell me, what are some good plans?"

Li Qing sneered and said, "If the two dogs fight, if I only throw one bone in the Tang Dynasty, what will happen if your highness says? For example, you will only be granted one King of Diandong."

Li Heng was stunned, and his eyes suddenly appeared. He took two steps, then shook his head and said, "The solution is good, but it is too dangerous. With Piluoge's long-term considerations, how could he sit still? If the one who caught the bone in the end was King Hangui, wouldn't it be a mistake to backfire?"

Li Qing smiled, "So this requires solving the Nanzhao problem first. The two are linked together, one and two, two and three. After solving Nanzhao, they will throw their bones to eastern Yunnan. Whether it is Han Chongdao who killed Han Guiwang or Han Guiwang who killed Han Chongdao, it doesn't matter. By then, the remaining dog should be dying."

After saying that, he returned to Nanzhao. Li Heng's face became more and more serious. He raised his eyes and suddenly saw a smile in Li Qing's eyes. He felt aware of something. Then he walked up and smiled and patted his shoulder and said, "If you have something to say, don't expose half of it."

Li Qing said lightly: "Actually, I have already said the solution. If Nanzhao wants to be weak, it is necessary to start from within it. The court supports Yu Chengjie ascend the throne and let him ascend the throne as soon as possible."

Li Heng nodded, he paced back and forth in the room, fell into deep thought, and after a while, he slowly said: "When you meet with Nanzhao, the court will definitely send envoys to return gifts. Are you willing to go to Nanzhao for me?"

Li Qing hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness has a destiny, how dare I not obey? It's just that my ministers are slight, I'm afraid the court will not let me take on this important task."

Li Heng smiled slightly: "I know this. At least I need officials at the level of the prime minister. Naturally, I will not let you be a regular officer. You can follow me and use force in the dark. I will help you."

Li Heng made a promise, but he was really unsure of it. Li Linfu had already inserted it. Who is the Tang Dynasty's envoy belonging to? It is still an unknown number.

It was already deep, but Li Longji was still paced back and forth in the imperial study. Like Prince Li Heng, he was also considering the issue of Nanzhao. Nanzhao was indeed in a big way. In order to resist the invasion of Tubo in Erhai Lake, the court chose Mengshezhao, who was pro-Tang, and he supported Piluoge, and allowed it to unify the Six Draws, which became today's Nanzhao. Although the wolf drove away the tiger, the wolf wanted to backfire. Piluoge obviously wanted to take eastern Yunnan and even wanted to be on an equal footing with the Tang Dynasty. He should have come to see him at the beginning of January, but it was a whole month late, which shows that his desire to be a minister has faded.

Li Longji sneered, "A barbarian country wants to walk side by side with my country?"

But Li Longji also knew that the Nanzhao issue was related to the overall situation in the southwest and involved Tubo, so he should not be underestimated. The secret report he had just received was that Piluoge wanted to marry Eastern Yunnan and even sent an invitation to visit Tubo. Isn’t this a demonstration to the Tang Dynasty? He asked the Tang Dynasty not to interfere in his acquisition of Eastern Yunnan, and his intention would be punished!

Originally, he wanted to manage eastern Yunnan, but a public riot occurred, disrupting his strategy of restraining Nanzhao, which made Li Longji very angry. The reason was that Zhu Lingqian, recommended by the prince, was brutal, but the position of the prince was in danger at that time. If this matter was investigated again, it would be really difficult to protect the position of the prince. So Li Longji endured it until today. When the prince overcomes the difficulties, he would turn around and knock him, so that he would be honest and wait for him to inherit the throne after a hundred years.

Li Longji sat down and picked up the Nanzhao evaluation report of the crown prince and read it carefully. At the end of the report, the Tang Dynasty should support Yu Chengjie, the second son of Piluoge, to ascend to the throne to weaken the development of Nanzhao. This is indeed a very effective strategy. Since ancient times, all dynasties have been stronger than worries and defeated by arrogance and extravagance. Today, the official envoy of Nanzhao is Yu Chengjie, who is greedy for comfort and wealth. So Li Longji instructed Li Linfu to observe his words first, observe his expression, and see if this Yu Chengjie is an available person.

He repeatedly thought about the strategy of weakening Nanzhao from the inside, considering various feasibility and defense against Tubo. He picked up a record of the Prince's Inner Palace, which contained Li Qing's original words, which was the method.

Li Longji took the red pen and added some of his own ideas to the daily record. He let out a sigh of relief and put the pen down.

Relax all over.

Thinking of Li Qing, a smile appeared on the corner of Li Longji's mouth. After the Lantern Festival, Yang Yuhuan tactfully proposed to him to marry Princess Pingyang to Li Qing. Although he did not want to ignore the enthusiasm of a beauty as a matchmaker, Li Qing is still inexperienced and is not qualified to marry Princess. However, Li Longji also valued Li Qing very much. He was pragmatic and capable, and did not have the aloofness of a literati, which was very suitable for his appetite. So he had the idea of ​​taking him for himself and trying to cultivate him as his own line. However, Li Longji considered it over and over again and decided to ask him to assist the prince to cover up his sharpness, and to hone his strength for a few more years, and then use it later. It was just that someone would have to support him for him, but who would be the right one?

Li Longji sat on the dragon throne with his eyes closed and quietly considered this matter. Gao Lishi gently rubbed his temples with his thumb. He followed the emperor for many years and touched Li Longji's heart again. When Li Longji defeated Prince Li Ying, he was firm in his attitude, so he gently used a force for Wu Huifei from behind. Now Tan King Li Cong wooed him many times, but he didn't say anything. He had long seen that Li Longji did not want to really depose Li Heng, but he just wanted to use Li Linfu's hand to knock him. Everyone said that Li Linfu was powerful, but Gao Lishi understood that Li Linfu was just a dog, and the emperor in front of him was smart!

He glanced slightly at the imperial case. There was a record of the Prince's Inner Palace's daily life on the imperial case. It was criticized by the emperor's red pen. This was what he took out in the afternoon. The Prince's Inner Palace's daily life is available every day, but the emperor has read this record three times. Gao Lishi secretly became alert. What made the emperor so interested?

He thought to himself, but his hands slowed down unconsciously. Li Longji opened his eyes slightly and glanced at Gao Lishi. A light flashed in his long eyes. Gao Lishi was frightened and immediately knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I am dozing off and distracted."

"Forget it, go and rest early!"

"Slaves are not tired, the emperor should rest early only if he has to pay tribute to all kinds of things!"
Chapter completed!