Chapter 92 Selling one's daughter for personal gain
After Li Yuanzhao entered the hall, he saw that not only were the three prime ministers gathered there, but also the Tibetan prince, Trizan, was sitting in the hall.
She sneered inwardly, but showed no sign on her face, still bowing respectfully: "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
"sit."
The Emperor raised his hand to signal her to sit down, and only then did he slowly begin to speak, revealing that it was indeed about the marriage alliance.
"The Zanpu has sent a prince to request that the Great Qi send a princess for a marriage alliance to solidify the alliance between the two countries. I have summoned you all here today to hear your opinions."
These matters could have been discussed internally within the Great Qi, yet they insisted on summoning the Tibetan prince as well.
It seems that the Emperor intends to use the pretext of "discussion" to raise the stakes in front of the Tibetans and squeeze more benefits out of them.
Before he could finish speaking, Cui Shiliang said first, "Your Majesty is wise! Marriage alliance is a timeless strategy for maintaining good relations with neighboring countries and ensuring peace. Forty years ago, Princess Mingyue married into Tibet, which resulted in many years of peaceful coexistence between the two nations. Now, Tibet is offering gold and horses as tribute, showing its sincerity. I believe Your Majesty should grant this wonderful offer!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "The Third Princess, Li Yuanshu, is gentle and dignified, and is about the same age as the prince. If this marriage can be arranged, it will not only strengthen the friendship between the two countries, but also demonstrate the great grace of the Emperor. It is truly a win-win situation!"
Upon hearing this, Chizudezan first glanced at Li Yuanzhao.
When the emperor and the other two prime ministers heard Prime Minister Cui propose a marriage alliance, they did not raise any objections, as if it were a matter of course.
After all, everyone knows that Princess Zhenguo, Li Yuanzhao, would never marry into a remote and uncivilized place.
Immediately afterwards, Prime Minister Zheng stated the conditions of the Great Qi.
"Tibet's offer of 5,000 catties of gold and 20,000 horses this time is indeed commendable in its sincerity. However, a lasting alliance needs to be based on solid evidence. This is not the first time that Tibet has broken contracts and violated our borders."
"I believe that if we want the marriage alliance to be stable, Tibet should first return the two cities in Longyou that it has seized, and then return the two cities in Hexi that were previously disputed. At the same time, we should sign a blood oath promising not to invade the borders of Qi for ten years."
As he spoke, he looked at Trizin Detsen and said slowly, "Only if Tibet agrees to these conditions can the marriage alliance be considered secure."
As Chizu Dezan listened to the demands such as "returning the city" and "swearing never to invade again," his expression gradually darkened.
But he still spoke up, saying, "Since Tibet and Qi have formed this marriage alliance, they are now related by marriage, and we will not break the alliance."
He then changed the subject and presented Tibet's conditions: "I can agree to what Prime Minister Zheng requests on behalf of the Zanpu. However, Tibet also has a request: we hope that the Great Qi will provide thousands of farmers, artisans, doctors, and monks as dowry, and reopen the border trade so that the people of both countries can exchange goods. Only in this way can the long-term prosperity of both countries be ensured."
Su Jingzhi originally wanted to say a few words, but when he caught a glimpse of Li Yuanzhao, who remained silent throughout, he changed his mind.
"Your Majesty, we believe that the matter of a marriage alliance concerns the national dignity, and we dare not make any rash comments. We leave it entirely to Your Majesty's wise decision."
The hall fell silent for a moment, and all eyes were on the Emperor.
But the Emperor looked at Li Yuanzhao and asked, "Yuanzhao, what do you think?"
Upon hearing this, Li Yuanzhao put down his teacup, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on Chizudezan.
"Father, there is something I do not understand."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at her.
"This time, it was clearly our Great Qi that defeated the Tubo, and the Tubo came to sue for peace. But now, instead of offering a princess, the Tubo wants our precious daughter to marry off to a cold and harsh land."
Li Yuanzhao's tone was somewhat cold, "If this gets out, it will seem as if our Great Qi is afraid of Tibet and is willing to sell our daughters to buy peace. I wonder what Tibet's true intentions are in doing this?"
The Emperor was taken aback by her words and was momentarily speechless.
The prime ministers looked at each other, puzzled as to how this marriage alliance had turned into "selling daughters."
Upon closer examination, however, they are actually quite similar.
The only difference is that the princess can get more benefits in return.
However, these words not only slapped the face of Tibet, but also those ministers who advocated for marriage alliances.
The expressions on everyone's faces were not good.
Only Chizudezan was not annoyed. Instead, he looked at Li Yuanzhao with great interest, his eyes shining with a probing light, as if waiting for her to continue.
Li Yuanzhao continued, "If Tibet truly had the sincerity to seek peace, it shouldn't have come to 'demand' the princess, but rather to marry its princess to the Great Qi. Using the Zanpu's daughter as a hostage to guarantee the alliance between the two countries—that's the proper attitude for a defeated nation seeking peace, not turning around and making demands on the Great Qi!"
Before everyone could process what was happening, Li Yuanzhao's gaze fell on the Emperor, and his tone softened.
"Besides, Father has few children, only us sisters to bring him joy. If Tibet wants to marry my third sister, wouldn't that be taking away Father's family happiness?"
The emperor's face turned pale, his eyes flickered a few times, and he remained silent.
Li Yuanzhao then turned to Trizan, “As far as I know, the king has more than a dozen children, so he shouldn’t be short of a few princes and princesses. At present, apart from my second brother who is not yet married, my third sister and I are not yet married, so we don’t mind marrying one or two Tibetan princes.”
Her tone carried a hint of contempt and arrogance, "Of course, if you want to marry more of them over, that's fine too. The Great Qi is vast and rich, with a full treasury, and can afford to support them."
After these words were spoken, the hall fell completely silent.
The eldest princess has already characterized "marrying off a princess" as "selling one's daughter for personal gain," so who would dare to suggest that the princess be married off to a distant place again?
Moreover, by belittling Tibet to such an extent, she has indirectly enhanced my country's prestige.
If we were to propose marrying the princess to them now, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to our own people?
Cui Shiliang, unusually, did not voice any objection.
At this moment, he thought that if the Second Prince could marry a Tibetan princess, he could also win over the Tibetan forces. It seemed to have the same effect as sending Li Yuanshu to marry a Tibetan princess, which was actually a good thing.
Upon hearing this, Trizantine Chantsen smiled slightly.
"Your Highness, you flatter me. Tibet's request for your hand in marriage is a sincere gesture, not an attempt to humiliate the Great Qi..."
“Sincerity?” Li Yuanzhao interrupted him coldly before he could finish speaking. “If Tibet were truly sincere, why would they send a princess disguised as a man, under the guise of a prince, to test us?”
These words exploded like thunder in the hall, and everyone was shocked, their eyes all turning to Chizu Dezan.
Is this person a princess?!
When Chizudezan realized his identity had been exposed, he was not angry at all; instead, he laughed heartily.
"I didn't expect the Princess to have such a good eye."
These words left not only the three prime ministers but also the emperor speechless with astonishment.
You're telling me this imposing, tall, and powerful man, who looks like he could kill a tiger with a single punch, is actually a woman?!
Chizu Dezan stood up and bowed again. "Yangjin, daughter of the Tibetan Zanpu, greets His Majesty the Emperor of Great Qi, Her Highness the Princess, and all the prime ministers. I had to conceal my identity due to unforeseen circumstances, and I hope His Majesty and all of you will forgive me."
Now, everyone in the hall was completely dumbfounded.
This person was none other than the famous female general—Princess Chizun.
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