To demonstrate his wisdom, Tuoba Xiong said with a cold face.
"I cannot agree to the matter of who will succeed the Khan of Xiliang. The grasslands believe in the supremacy of strength, and it's not a matter of whoever I pass the throne to and who will be able to hold onto it..."
Hearing this, Li Zhu was speechless. Ultimately, he didn't want power in Xiliang to fall into the hands of outsiders. But this didn't deter him; he might not have much else, but his strength was formidable enough…
"Tuoba Khan, you should have seen my strength, you should have seen my vast army. I've come here to marry Nazha..."
Since the marriage took place in Xiliang, the child born to Nazha would be a member of the Xiliang royal family, and their status would naturally not be an issue...
With the power I currently possess, if even this cannot support him becoming the Khan of Xiliang, then it proves that Xiliang still has the strength to resist foreign enemies, and therefore does not need my help, so I have nothing more to say…
"Since Xiliang doesn't welcome my future son, I'll have no choice but to take him back to Jin and Youzhou, after all, that's where the empire I built for him lies..."
Hearing Li Zhu's words of refusal and threat, Tuoba Xiong felt as if his heart had been stabbed with a knife. How could he speak to his father-in-law like that?
"I can't make this decision on my own. After all, this is a major event for Xiliang, so I must consult the opinions of the various tribal nobles..."
Tuoba Xiong knew he was being manipulated by Li Zhu, so he could only soften his tone for the time being…
Li Zhu knew this matter couldn't be resolved overnight, but the initiative was now in his hands, so he couldn't easily let Tuoba Xiong take advantage of him for free, not even his father-in-law...
"Of course, I'll wait for your message..."
With that, Li Zhu turned and left without the slightest hesitation…
Ignoring Tuoba Xiong's discussions with the nobles of various tribes, he returned to his camp and sat cross-legged before the golden statue of the ascetic monk...
High-ranking monks are said to leave behind golden bodies upon their passing, remaining incorrupt for thousands of years. However, truly golden bodies are rare, as very few monks can cultivate to the point of perfection.
Most golden statues are man-made, but the ascetic monk was a true master of enlightenment. Before his death, he infused his final strength into the golden statue, ensuring its preservation for a thousand years and allowing future generations to comprehend Buddhist teachings through it…
This was originally a great act of merit, so even at the last moment, Li Zhu still respected the ascetic monk, even though he had come to kill him…
Li Zhu was not a Buddhist practitioner and could comprehend very little. However, he still managed to glean a Buddhist method of body tempering from the ascetic monk's golden body. This might have been intentional on the monk's part, intended to ensure Li Zhu's genuine help in returning the golden body to the Liao Kingdom.
Just as Li Zhu was cultivating, Nazha's voice rang out in the tent.
"Brother Zhu, my father requests your presence..."
Li Zhu frowned slightly, wondering why Tuoba Xiong wanted to call him over at this time. Had he come to a realization?
Even though he didn't know what his future father-in-law was going to do, he still responded immediately.
"They're here..."
Li Zhu walked out of the tent and, seeing that Nazha looked somewhat unhappy, couldn't help but ask...
"What's wrong? You seem unhappy?"
"nothing…"
Naza didn't want to reveal that her father was eyeing her military power, so she could only sulk in silence...
"No matter what happens, you must remember that your brother Zhu is here for you..."
Li Zhu took her hand, which made Nazha feel very at ease. She smiled and nodded, putting her previous unpleasantness behind her...
The two walked side by side and soon arrived at the main hall of the royal court…
Li Zhu looked and saw that there were quite a few people, at least several dozen...
However, Li Zhu was not intimidated. Instead, he took Nazha's hand and walked into the main hall with his head held high...
Even under the watchful eyes of so many nobles, Li Zhu remained remarkably calm...
"Li Zhu, this is Xiliang. Even if you are the Crown Prince of the new Tang Dynasty, you should know some rules, right? Nazha is not married to you yet, and you are holding her hand so recklessly. Do you know that this will have a great impact on Nazha's reputation?"
Tuoba Dada couldn't help but frown and reprimand him!
"Oh, it's mainly because Nazha is so beautiful that it always makes people want to hold her hand. Please forgive me..."
Li Zhu verbally apologized, but he showed no intention of letting Nazha go...
This greatly angered the nobles of Xiliang, but the burly man at the head of the group was different from the others; he even gave Li Zhu a friendly smile…
This made Li Zhu wonder, who is this guy? Why does he look at him like he's a child?
Li Zhu sized up the burly man; aside from having a Chinese face, there was nothing particularly unusual about him…
It's quite normal for Han Chinese to hold positions within ethnic minorities. After all, the culture of the Central Plains is profound and extensive; even a private tutor could outsmart all the people from the grasslands in terms of scholarship…
"Greetings, Khan..."
Upon reaching the center of the main hall, Li Zhu bowed to Tuoba Xiong as a final gesture of respect…
"No need for formalities..."
Tuoba Xiong said in a deep voice, and then he addressed everyone.
"The new Tang crown prince, Li Zhu, has already stated his conditions for sending troops. He's right here now, so just say what you're thinking..."
Upon hearing Tuoba Xiong's words, the entire hall immediately erupted in commotion...
"Of course we can't agree to that! Our Xiliang cavalry has swept across the land; how can we bow down to the New Tang Dynasty..."
“That’s right. If Li Zhu doesn’t send troops to help us, then we should withdraw our cavalry from the New Tang territory. After all, we are under a lot of pressure right now. Even if we are to help the New Tang, we need to prioritize resolving our own border crisis…”
"I agree with what you two gentlemen said. Our Xiliang is so powerful that we have absolutely no need to bow down to him..."
Everyone chimed in with their opinions, but none of them agreed with Li Zhu's conditions. Seeing this situation, he was even considering giving up. These were just a bunch of ignorant barbarians; he wasn't even willing to lead them towards civilization…
But at that moment, Tuoba Xiong suddenly spoke again.
"Fu Ran, do you think we should agree to Li Zhu's conditions?"
Upon hearing this name, Li Zhu's expression turned solemn. He hadn't expected that this unassuming, burly man was actually Fu Ran, the top strategist of Xiliang...
I heard that he single-handedly assisted Tuoba Xiong in conquering all the tribes of Xiliang, becoming the unique Khan of Xiliang…
If it weren't for powerful states like the Xiongnu and Liao on the grasslands, Xiliang would probably have unified all the tribes. This shows how capable Fu Ran was. In the Xiliang royal court, his words sometimes carried more weight than the Khan's. If he hadn't been so low-key, some people would have even suspected that he harbored ambitions to seize the Khan's throne.
The leader, Fu Ran, first bowed to Tuoba Xiong, expressing his absolute loyalty to the Khan…
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