Chapter 56: The Princess of Wen Cheng Has No Worries

  Husband!

  No mistake, Empress Changsun indeed called out to her husband!

  Rumor has it that at this banquet, Empress Changsun wants to take the opportunity to find a suitable husband for Princess Changle.

  It's just that the characters have already been locked in place.

  This man is naturally Du He!

  Through observation and exploration, Du He's performance made her very satisfied.

  Princess Changle was delighted, and Emperor Taizong of Tang praised and approved. He himself was also very satisfied. Empress Changsun also settled on it, taking Duhe as her own son-in-law.

  As for Du He's opinion, it was not decided by Du He himself.

  After all, it was a feudal era, and who could refuse Li Shimin's imperial decree of marriage.

  The Empress Changsun wanted to call out to Du He, but didn't know what to call him. Directly calling his name, Du He, seemed too familiar, and calling him Du Er Lang was also not suitable, nor was Qing Lian. She remembered that Princess Chang Le had said that Du He's nickname was "Lao Gong".

  Anyway, Du He is about to become his own son-in-law, so calling him Xiao Ming is quite suitable.

  So, Du He's tragic!

  He stopped in his tracks, his face also showing a shocked expression, completely thunderstruck, his body swaying, and he almost couldn't stand steady.

  Heavens! Earth! Who have I offended?

  Zan Zan Li Xueyan and Princess Chang Le's cheap tricks are one thing, but why is Empress Longsun also shouting along?

  That's a big joke!

  If Li Shimin, the supreme ruler of the Tang Empire, were to find out, wouldn't he be torn into a million pieces and fed to dogs to vent his anger?

  No way, absolutely can't let anyone know the true meaning of this old man.

  Du Heqiang pretended to be calm and looked back at the Empress Changsun, who called him "husband", with a nervous feeling in his heart, as if he had done something wrong.

  Empress Zhangsun paused, calling out to Du He, originally wanting to reprimand Li Chengqian for his actions today, but thinking that family scandals should not be made public, she sighed silently and said: "Nothing, you may go!"

  "Hmm..." Was it just for a single "husband" that she... Du He shivered slightly and hastily left.

  This banquet was just a small episode in Du He's life in the Tang Dynasty.

  The banquet ended soon, and a new semester began at Hongwen Academy.

  In the school, Du He and Li Xueyan argued, occasionally teasing Chang Le mm, and the days were spent with relish. These two beauties reached a consensus, secretly competing with each other, and Du He could be said to have enjoyed all the blessings of others.

  As for the polo match, Du He didn't fall behind, and Luo Tong already had the momentum of a great general, able to hold his own. When it was time for the competition, the two of them took turns playing, still maintaining their usual winning streak, with their score steadily ranking first in the standings.

  It wasn't long before a carefree day passed, and something that would affect Du He's life happened.

  It was a day when Hongwen Academy had a holiday every ten days, and Du He made an appointment with Luo Tong, Li Yexu, and Li Yehui to go to the stadium together.

  Today's match is between Prince Li Chengqian's Royal Guard and a team called Fengxue Piaoling.

  Li Chengqian's hobby is a bit special, in Du He's words, it's psychological perversion.

  As the crown prince, what didn't he have? Yet he liked to disguise himself as a thief and rob people's cattle to cook in a big pot. He also enjoyed playing dead, lying motionless on the ground, and having his servants mourn him with a Turkic funeral.

  He didn't like the native culture of Datang at all, but instead admired the Turkic culture, and in the East Palace, he raised a large group of Turkic people with high martial arts skills. They were all grown up on horseback and were familiar with archery and horses.

  The royal guard was also composed of them, and the results were quite excellent. However, this team representing the imperial family was all Turks, which had to be considered a great irony.

  The strength of the Blizzard team is also quite good, the game is evenly matched and very exciting.

  The match was about to end in the first half when the Royal Guard finally scored a goal.

  "Good!" A shout came from the VIP seat! Immediately followed by a proud and self-satisfied laughter.

  Du He and Luo Tong, among others, looked on as they saw Li Chengqian laughing triumphantly at the head of the group.

  Lu Tong curled his lip and snorted, "What's there to be proud of? If he encounters our Iron Blood Tyrant team, he'll cry before he can even react!" It seems that Li Chengqian isn't well-liked either.

  Du He's gaze fell on the people beside Li Chengqian. They were all dressed strangely, especially their hair, which was braided into dozens of braids, like a hemp flower, hanging from their heads. They were not Tang people, nor were they common Westerners or Turks.

  "Look at those people beside the prince!" Li Ye also noticed them and said in a low voice, "Judging from their attire, they should be Tibetans. Grandfather has been studying Tibetan materials recently, he once said that Tibet currently has an extraordinary king. If we don't restrict their development, they will definitely become our Tang Dynasty's powerful enemy in the Western Regions in the future. This must be their envoy, and they're actually accompanying the prince, it seems that the other party didn't send a minor figure."

  Du He heard Li Ye's words and also secretly praised him. This Li Jing is indeed the military god of the Great Tang Dynasty. His vision is far-reaching, his insight is unique, and everything is as he expected.

  The rise of Tubo became the strongest enemy of the Tang Dynasty in the Western Regions. By the time of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu, in terms of military strength, Tubo was not inferior to the Tang Dynasty. Especially after the outbreak of the Anshi Rebellion in the Tang Dynasty, Tubo took advantage of the situation to seize Xizhou, Huitong, Taideng, and Kunming, directly threatening the Chengdu Plain and menacing Sichuan. Later, they even marched into Chang'an, occupying the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

  If the Tang Dynasty was at its peak and could have defeated the Tubo in one battle, why would it suffer such humiliation?

  However, conquering Tibet is by no means an easy task, and the plateau climate will be a nightmare for the Tang army.

  As he thought so, he saw that the group of people from Tuyuhun also looked over here.

  Among them, there were two people who made Du He particularly concerned.

  One was a middle-aged man in his forties, dressed in an odd attire, with a fat head and big ears, weighing no less than two hundred and fifty pounds, with a silly expression on his face, sitting next to Li Chengqian.

  This person looks ordinary and unremarkable, but gives Du He a sense of great wisdom behind foolish appearance.

  There was another one, no more than twenty years old, dressed as a guard, standing behind the big fat man with an air of spirit and a gaze that didn't dare to glance sideways, with an inexplicable temperament, this kind of temperament Du He had seen it on Li Shimin before.

  But compared to Li Shimin, those guards are much inferior.

  Who are they after all?

  What brings you to Great Tang?

  Du He fell into deep thought.

  The Great Tang Imperial Palace, Ganlu Temple.

  Li Shimin was discussing with Changsun Wuji about the news of the Tibetan envoy.

  "Wuzhi, this time the Tubo Dazhuan Dongzan sent an envoy to our Great Tang, bearing the order of Zanpu Songzanganbu, wishing to form a marriage alliance with our Great Tang. What do you think about this matter?"

  Changsun Wuji was Li Shimin's most trusted minister and also his uncle-in-law, so it was only fitting to discuss such matters with him.

  Chang Sun Wuji said in a low voice, "The Tubo vassal has been paying attention to the recent years. Ten years ago, the Tubo was not worth mentioning at all, but seven years ago, when the 13-year-old Songtsen Gampo ascended to the throne of Zanpu, he worked hard to learn from our great Tang culture, and his national strength gradually prospered. He pacified internal unrest, conquered various Qiang tribes, and quietly became the overlord of the southwest. In terms of national strength, Tuyuhun is not their opponent."

  "So it seems that Wuji is in favor of the marriage?" Li Shimin asked in a deep voice.

  Changsun Wuji replied: "Your Majesty is determined to conquer the Northern Territory, and in order to do so, it is necessary to appease the Southern powers. I suggest a marriage alliance for the sake of the Tang Dynasty."

  "What you said is not unreasonable!" Li Shimin stood up, "However, the princesses are either not yet of marriageable age or have already been betrothed to the sons of ministers. Only Chang Le is suitable. Chang Le is my treasure and darling! How can I bear to marry her off to a distant barbarian land?"

  Changsun Wuji smiled: "I have a plan, Princess Yongle cannot be married off, but Your Majesty can grant a princess from the imperial clan. According to my knowledge, Rencheng King Li Daozong has a young daughter named Li Xueyan, who is only 15 years old and as beautiful as a flower. The Emperor can appoint her as a princess to meet the demands of Tubo."

  "This is a good idea!" Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he said: "Quickly summon Ren City Wang to the capital to see me. If he agrees, I will confer the title of Princess Wencheng on Li Xueyan and have her marry into Tibet."

  Zhangsun Wuji saw Li Shimin agree, and a faint, cold smile appeared on his harmless-looking face!