Li Zhi obviously cared more about Li Xian and Li Zhe, unlike Li Hong, whom he never cared about in terms of academic matters.
Li Xian and Li Zhe also came prepared. After dinner, they respectfully stated the questions they had prepared long ago and asked Li Zhi for advice.
Li Zhi naturally answered every question. Being able to demonstrate his knowledge in front of his son made him feel accomplished and proud.
Li Zhi's eloquent talk made Li Xian and Li Zhe's eyes sparkle with admiration and worship. They sighed that they would ask their father for more advice in the future. There was a hint of "listening to your words is better than reading for ten years" in their conversation. Naturally, their alternative flattery made Li Zhi laugh heartily and pleased the emperor.
Li Hong sat on the side and yawned in boredom. Whether it was the seemingly plausible philosophy in the ancient books of the sages or the summary of the previous dynasties in the history books, in Li Hong's opinion, it was just like crying when reading the ancient books - worrying about the ancients. They didn't know how to look forward at all, and they didn't know how to bravely explore and innovate. In two words, pedantic!
Li Xian and Li Zhi looked at Li Hong provocatively from time to time, as if to say, look how favored we are in front of the emperor, unlike you, who is ignorant and incompetent every day.
Li Hong didn't care about this kind of low-level competition for favor at all. If his mother hadn't pinched his thigh secretly all the time, he would have fallen asleep on the table.
Li Zhi didn't know what to be happy about today. He chatted with Li Xian and Li Zhe for a long time before he put away his smile and said seriously, "Okay, you two can go back to your palaces. I still have something to test the crown prince of the Tang Dynasty."
Li Xian and Li Zhe both had a hint of loneliness in their eyes. They stood up and saluted at the same time, saying, "Yes, I obey your order. I will take my leave."
...
...
After Li Zhi smiled and waved for them to leave, only Li Hong and his parents were left in Wu Mei's study.
Using the lid to stir the steaming new tea in the covered bowl, Li Zhi said calmly, "The Tuyuhun King Nuohebo and Princess Honghua have led the remaining Tuyuhun troops into Liangzhou. Hong'er, what do you think we should do with them?"
Some time ago, I reminded my father about the war between Tubo and Tuyuhun, but my father didn't pay much attention to it and allowed the two countries to fight. Now that Tuyuhun is on the verge of destruction, my father finally remembered how to deal with the growing threat of Tubo.
But at this moment, Tuyuhun was already doomed. How could it be easy to recover from the powerful Tubo? Moreover, in history, Tuyuhun was completely destroyed by Tubo this year.
"The Book of Sui records that Tuyuhun owned Qinghai, which had small mountains in the middle. Their custom was to always put a mare on top of it, saying it was a dragon seed. Once they got a Persian grass horse and released it into the sea, and the horse gave birth to a foal that could run a thousand miles a day, so it was called Qinghai colt. These fine horses may be used by Tubo to deal with the iron cavalry of our Tang Dynasty in the future." Li Hong said calmly as he watched his father fiddling with the covered bowl.
"What do you think?" Li Zhi asked calmly, his expression still calm.
In recent years, the Tang Dynasty has used military forces in both the east and west. For some reason, my father, who is somewhat indecisive in the court, always has his own opinions on foreign affairs.
Moreover, when it comes to foreign affairs, my father will act like a true superior. He will always listen to other people's opinions in his heart before expressing his own views.
"Since you have received the request for help from Tuyuhun King Nuohebo, I think the Tubo envoys are probably on their way to Chang'an. Tubo sent envoys only to explain to you the reasons why they are sending troops to Tuyuhun, in order to delay and restrain you from sending troops to Tuyuhun quickly. But no matter what your attitude is, Tubo will never withdraw its troops from Tuyuhun royal city, Fuqi City." Li Hong said to Li Zhi who was at ease.
Wu Mei sat beside him without saying a word. The fact that she could sit here at this time was enough to explain what His Majesty was thinking now. The undercurrents between the three of them were far from over, and Li Zhi didn't want it to end now. He still wanted to see to what extent the desire for power of both himself and Li Hong had expanded.
After all, he is only 34 years old and at the prime of his life. No matter how much he values Li Hong, he will never allow Li Hong to easily touch the power of the throne now.
"It's rare that you have such a meticulous mind. You are right. Nohebo hopes to lead his people to continue migrating to the heartland of the Tang Dynasty. The envoy sent by Lu Dongzan of Tubo is indeed on the way, but there is also a letter from Tubo on my desk."
"Aunt Wencheng?" Li Hong exclaimed.
"That's right!" Li Zhi emphasized, "Wencheng hoped to marry into the Tang Dynasty again, but I refused."
"Why hasn't that old guy Lu Dongzan died yet?" Li Hong felt relieved when he heard that his father had rejected the marriage proposal, and he murmured in common language.
This two-pronged tactic is to stop the Tang Dynasty from quickly sending troops to Tuyuhun. I am afraid that except for the cunning Lu Dongzan, the current Tubo Prime Minister Geer Dongzan, with his IQ, is probably unable to come up with such a perfect strategy.
"Oh, Hong'er, do you know Lu Dongzan?" Li Zhi asked curiously.
It seems that Lu Dongzan is about seventy years old now. How could a little child know about his existence?
"Of course I know. Jingzhe and Liebao mentioned it in their intelligence." Li Hong said without hiding anything. "And I am sure that this two-pronged approach was probably the work of Lu Dongzan. After all, he knows our Tang Dynasty better than anyone else in Tubo."
And this is nothing new. Whether it is my father, my mother, or myself, the three of them now even share all the intelligence resources of Li Jingmen.
Although all the information had to be filtered through his father before reaching Li Hong's hands, Li Hong was still surprised to hear that Lu Dongzan was still alive.
"Two-pronged approach?" Li Zhi pondered the meaning of Li Hong's words, slowly looked at Li Hong, and said carefully: "You mean Lu Dongzan is afraid that the Tang Dynasty will send troops to Tuyuhun to help them restore their country? So he used Wencheng and the envoys to delay and persuade the Tang Dynasty to send troops?"
"Yes, father is wise. Father, I request you to send troops to Tuyuhun immediately, and at the same time immediately allow Nuohebo and Aunt Honghua to lead the remnants to move to the inland." Li Hong suddenly stood up and said solemnly.
"No, if I send troops, wouldn't that be fulfilling Nohebo's wish? Wouldn't it be like I'm restoring his country for him?" Li Zhi flatly refused.
"Father, I beg you to allow Nuohebo to enter the heartland of the Tang Dynasty immediately. His remaining troops and clansmen will not pose any threat to the Tang Dynasty. What's more, as long as you send troops to capture the Tuyuhun royal city and drive out the Tibetans, that place will become the land of our Tang Dynasty. As for Nuohebo, you can immediately issue an order to appoint him as the governor of any state in the Tang Dynasty, as long as it is within Liangzhou." Li Hong said excitedly.
In this way, they can completely catch Tubo off guard and firmly control the land of Tuyuhun in their own hands. At the same time, they can use the old subordinates of Tuyuhun who have not escaped to contain the increasingly powerful Tubo. It's the best of both worlds.
Li Zhi looked at Li Hong who was getting more and more excited, smiled and shook his head, motioned him to sit down, and then slowly said: "Tibet and the Tang Dynasty have been friendly for generations, and have never invaded our Tang Dynasty and disturbed the peace of our people. Sending troops like this is really a bad idea. Just give a stern warning to Tibet. As for Nuohebo and his people, you can consider incorporating them into the Tang Dynasty, and I can grant him the title of governor of a state."
"Father..."
"Okay, let's talk about this matter here. Although I will not send troops, in order to prevent them from invading the Tang Dynasty, I will order troops to be stationed on the border and strictly monitor their every move." Li Zhi comforted Li Hong who looked disappointed.
Li Hong sighed helplessly from the bottom of his heart, this was a great opportunity, while Tubo was still not firmly established, taking down Tuyuhun could also give Tubo a certain warning and deterrence, making them stay on the plateau honestly.
If we do not send troops now, history will continue to develop as recorded in history books, and it will be much more difficult for the Tang Dynasty to use military force at that time!
The four towns of Anxi went back and forth, occupying and retreating like a tug-of-war, and they could never get the peace they deserved! All this was due to the Tubo's covetous eyes on the Tang Dynasty.
After Li Zhi comforted Li Hong, the three of them slowly turned the topic to the matter of the Wu family's conspiracy among the three of them over the past period of time.
Li Zhi suddenly said, "Today, my uncle Li Yuangui and others from the royal family came to see me, hoping that Hong'er could give them a share of Taiyi City's assets. Hong'er, what are your plans? At the beginning, the emperor promised you that Taiyi City would be under your full control, so the emperor wanted to hear your opinion so that he could give an explanation to your uncles and grandfather."
Oh my god, are you trying to pass the buck to me again? Moreover, you two broke the rules first, using the Wu family to disrupt the business rules of Taiyi City, and now you are forcing me to face a difficult problem.
But when it comes to this matter, Li Hong is not a pushover. He points his spearhead directly at Li Zhi and is ready to stand on the same front with Wu Mei at any time. He said, "Mother, the mercury that I lost in Taiyi City a few days ago has been found in my aunt's mansion. Today, my aunt and cousin came to the East Palace to apologize to me. But I think this matter has violated the laws of our Tang Dynasty. Although they are royal relatives, the emperor is guilty of the same crime as the common people. I still hope to listen to your instructions on this matter."
After Li Hong finished speaking, Wu Mei looked relaxed, but Li Zhi's face turned green. It was obvious that this guy was using Wu Shun and Helan Minyue to attack him.
As long as the Queen agreed, the Prince had the right to punish Wu Shun and her daughter. Then, with the instruction of his mother, Li Hong would exile Wu Shun and her daughter to a remote place far away from Chang'an. In that case, he would have two less beauties to favor.
So without waiting for Wu Mei to speak, Li Zhi quickly asked, "Hong'er, I heard that a carriage entered Taiyi City today? It seems to be carrying some valuable things?"
Li Zhi also had something in mind. What he was talking about was the important items that Helan Minzhi took away from an area called the Medicinal Food Room in the restricted area of Taiyi City.
In fact, the things lost in the medicine room were caused by Wu Mei who instigated Helan Minzhi. Li Zhi thought that his plan had succeeded, but he didn't expect that Wu Mei was the one who took advantage of him.
Liang Jianfang was killed by his own men, but his death was worthless and he became an innocent victim of the game between the three parties.
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