Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 417 Brothers United, Sharing the Worries of Their Sovereign and Father
Xue Ne was startled. He looked up and saw the Sixth Prince, Li Xian, walking in from outside the door, followed by several servants.

Upon seeing this, Li Hong frowned and said, "Sixth Brother, why didn't you announce your arrival before coming in?"

Li Xian chuckled and cupped his hands to Xue Ne, saying, "I came in a hurry and just barged in. Please forgive me, Xue Ne."

Xue Ne hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't dare."

Li Hongdao asked, "Sixth Brother, why did you leave the palace too?"

Li Xian walked to the table, picked up the teapot without any ceremony, poured himself a cup of tea, took two sips, and then said, "Father asked me to help you."

After hearing this, Li Hong did not doubt it and simply nodded.

Xue Ne suddenly asked, "Sixth Prince, you just said we shouldn't go to see the Kang Kingdom envoy, why is that?"

Li Xian walked to a chair and sat down, laughing, "We didn't force them to pay taxes. Now that they refuse, wouldn't it seem too eager for us to go and ask them?"

After listening, Xue Ne understood.

The more anxious the Tang Dynasty was, the more suspicious people would become. They might even think that the Tang Dynasty was behind the Turks' attack on them.

Li Hong had always known that his younger brother was intelligent, so he asked, "Sixth Brother, what do you think we should do to investigate?"

Li Xian said, "Brother, you can have someone investigate the Kangguo delegation first, and then we can deal with them slowly."

Li Hong said solemnly, "This is a matter of national importance, not something to be taken lightly."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But what you said makes sense. Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle. But who should we send to investigate?"

Xue Ne suggested, "Why not order the inner guards to investigate? They know the foreigners best!"

Li Hongdao said, "Very well." He immediately sent a eunuch to the Inner Palace to deliver the order.

Li Xian planned to play at the Xue residence while waiting for news from the Inner Court, but Li Hong said, "Sixth Brother, you stay at the Xue residence and play. I'm going to the Court of State Ceremonial."

Li Xian asked in surprise, "Didn't we agree that the Inner Court would investigate first? What else is there to do?"

Li Hongdao said, "I just want to meet those foreign envoys and, incidentally, test the attitude of the Kangguo envoys. I won't alert them."

Xue Ne quickly replied, "I'll go too."

Seeing this, Li Xian had no choice but to go along, since he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
When Dai Zhide, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, heard that the Crown Prince and the Sixth Prince had arrived, he hurriedly came out to greet them.

Upon hearing that the Crown Prince wished to meet with the envoys of the nine Sogdian states, arrangements were immediately made.

Two quarters of an hour later, Li Hong met the envoys from the nine kingdoms in the back hall of the Honglu Temple.

Li Xian and Li Hong sat side by side at the head of the table, while Xue Ne stood behind Li Hong.

The envoys from various countries were somewhat uneasy when the Crown Prince and princes of the Tang Dynasty suddenly came to see them.

The sixth prince, in particular, had eyes that swept over them like a brush; if anyone coughed, he would stare at them for a long time.

Fortunately, Li Hongyan was gentle and unpretentious, which quickly put the envoys at ease. When he asked about their own countries, they answered carefully.

This conversation lasted for more than an hour.

Li Hong is an excellent listener. When they talk about their local customs, he listens with a smile and asks a question or two from time to time.

As a result, envoys from various countries became more and more open.

They all rushed to introduce their country's situation to the Crown Prince of Tang, hoping to leave a good impression on Li Hong.

Li Xian was restless by nature, and seeing that no one had a lung ailment and that Li Hong was talking to them endlessly, he became somewhat uneasy.

He greeted Li Hong and then left the inner hall to stroll around the Honglu Temple.

Dai Zhide sent a man surnamed Zheng to accompany him and act as his guide.

While strolling through a cluster of buildings, they suddenly saw a foreigner holding a whip, lashing out at a servant while cursing.

Li Xian asked curiously, "Who is that? How dare they be so presumptuous at the Court of State Ceremonial?"

Zheng, the official in charge, said, "Your Highness, that was the deputy envoy of Kang Kingdom named Kang Na. He was just in a bad mood and was hitting a Kang Kingdom person. Your Highness need not take it to heart."

Li Xian snorted, "That won't do either. How can a guest be so arrogant and domineering on the host's turf? Go over there and whip him three times to teach him a lesson!"

Zheng, the head steward, hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Vice Envoy Kang is actually a very sensible person. His son-in-law is a Tang Chinese, and he is usually very well-behaved in the Court of State Ceremonies. It's just that something happened this time."

Li Xian looked at him and said, "You're speaking up for him like this, you wouldn't have accepted a bribe from him, would you?"

Zheng, the steward, turned pale with fright and almost knelt down before him, saying with a bitter face, "Your Highness, what are you saying? Everything I have said is true!"

Li Xian said, "Then tell me, why did he lose his temper like that?"

Zheng, the official in charge, sighed, "He always came to Chang'an as the chief envoy before, but this time he is the deputy envoy. That's why he was depressed and lost his temper."

Li Xian asked curiously, "How did he suddenly become the deputy envoy?"

Zheng, the official in charge, said, "I don't know either. But I heard from the envoy from Mu that Kang Na's position as prime minister in Kang has also been taken over by this chief envoy!"

Li Xian asked in surprise, "What's this envoy's name? Is he very powerful?"

Zheng, the official in charge, said, "His name is Ibn, but I haven't seen anything particularly outstanding about him."

Li Xian asked, "Could he be the king's son?"

Zheng shook his head and said, "It shouldn't be. That Yiben is over forty years old, and the King of Kang is only over fifty."

Li Xian thought for a moment and then asked, "What is the relationship between Kangna and Ibn?"

Manager Zheng said, "It's not very good. I even saw the two of them arguing in the corridor once."

Li Xian nodded.

Thinking that since he was at odds with the chief envoy, perhaps he could get some information out of him. Just as he was about to walk toward Kang, he changed his mind again.

“I am a prince of the Tang Dynasty. If I suddenly approach him, it will definitely arouse his vigilance. It is better to let Xue Ne go and question him, so as not to alert him.”

With that thought in mind, he returned towards the back hall of the Honglu Temple.

When he arrived outside the back hall, the conversation inside had just ended, and the envoys from various countries filed out. Upon seeing him, they all greeted him.

Li Xian entered the room and found Dai Zhide still talking to Li Hong. After Dai Zhide left, Li Xian asked, "Brother, did you gain anything from talking to them for so long?"

Li Hongdao said, "There wasn't much to gain, but the Kangguo envoy Ibn was a bit strange."

Li Xian blinked and asked, "What's strange?"

Li Hongdao said, "He doesn't seem to know much about the situation in Kangguo, and he speaks Tang language very poorly. I don't know why the King of Kangguo would send such a person to our Great Tang."

Li Xian hurriedly said, "I've also made a discovery."

Li Hong asked in surprise, "Didn't you just go out?"

Li Xian laughed and said, "I found it outside." He then recounted his encounter with the Kangguo deputy envoy.

Li Hong pondered for a moment and said, "That explains it. This envoy from Kang Kingdom must have been temporarily appointed by the King of Kang Kingdom, and the original envoy has become the deputy envoy."

Xue Ne frowned and asked, "Why did the King of Kang suddenly change his chief envoy?"

Li Hongdao said, "I noticed that although the Kangguo envoy was not fluent in Tang language, he had an air of arrogance about him. Perhaps he has a very high status in Kangguo."

Xue Ne said, "An envoy sent to our Great Tang Dynasty, regardless of his official rank in his own country, should not act arrogantly in front of Your Highness. I think that person was very rude!"

Li Xian said, "It's no use guessing here for an hour. Why don't you ask someone?"

Li Hongdao: "Who are you looking for?"

Li Xian said, "Of course it's the deputy envoy from Kang. He's at odds with Ibn, so maybe we can get some useful information out of him."

Li Hong thought about it and felt it was a good idea, so he said, "Xue Ne, since Liu Lang and I are not in a position to do this, you can go and test the waters."

Xue Ne accepted the order.

However, when he arrived at the residence to look for Kang, he found no one there.

The clerk in charge of the premises told him that Kang Na had just left the Court of State Ceremonies.

Pingkangfang West Street, the most bustling area, still houses Shi Sanlang's ancestral mansion.

This sprawling mansion is no longer as magnificent and resplendent as it once was.

The gate was painted dark gray, the two large stone lions at the entrance had been removed, and there was no guard to be seen outside. There were also many fallen leaves at the entrance.

It's not that Shi Sanlang has been doing badly lately.

On the contrary, Shi Sanlang's business grew bigger and bigger. After the collapse of the White Horse Trading Company, one of the three largest trading companies in the northern desert was the Shi Family Trading Company.

Shi Sanlang slowly came to realize that no matter how rich he was, there were plenty of people in Chang'an who were more powerful and influential than him.

Take Du Long for example. Not only is his business bigger than his, but he also has the backing of the Du family of Huanshui. Wasn't he executed in the autumn last year?
Shi Sanlang witnessed Du Long's execution firsthand, and ever since then, he has kept a much lower profile.

Kang, being a non-Han Chinese, naturally didn't understand these things. After entering the Shi residence, he asked his daughter, "Has Sanlang encountered any difficulties in his business recently? What difficulties are you facing? Why didn't you tell me?"

Saki personally served him tea, saying, "Father, you worry too much. My husband's business is doing very well lately." Kang Na took a sip of tea and asked, "Then where did the stone lions at the gate go?"

Shaji said, "My husband said that we are merchants, and we have occupied such a large house in Chang'an City, which has already aroused the envy of others. We need to live a low-key life to avoid trouble."

Kang Na was silent for a moment, then said, "That's true."

Seeing his depressed expression, Saki asked, "Father, is something troubling you?"

Kang Na sighed and said, "Do you know my identity as a visitor to Chang'an this time?"

Saki whispered, "I heard from my husband that you are the deputy envoy this time."

A hint of resentment appeared on Kang's face.

"That's right, that old man has forgotten who helped him contact the Tang Dynasty when he fled to the Anxi Protectorate and ultimately helped him restore his country! Now he's turned on us like a dog after the rabbit is caught, not only dismissing me from my position as prime minister but also making me his deputy envoy!"

Saki knew that the old man her father was referring to was the King of Kang, and hurriedly asked, "Why is he like this?"

Kang Na snorted, "Of course there's a reason for this. Where's your husband?"

Shaji said, "My husband went to the An residence. Recently, An Lie's wife was granted the title of First-Rank Lady of Han, and my husband went to offer his congratulations."

An Lie was originally a prominent merchant who traveled the Western Regions trade route. Kang Na knew him and was surprised to hear that his wife had been granted the title of First-Rank Lady.

"Who is An Lie's wife, and why was she granted such a high title?"

Shaji said, "She was a Baekje princess named Geum Yeon. I heard that she was once appointed as the governor of Ungjin Port by the emperor."

Kang Na was not very clear about the situation in Baekje, so he immediately asked for details. After finding out, he said, "An Lie is quite lucky."

Saki said, "Father, you haven't told me yet, why did the king dismiss you from your position as prime minister?"

Kang Na's face darkened again, and she said, "There's a secret in this, and after I tell you, you mustn't tell your husband."

Saki asked, "Why?"

Kang Na said in a deep voice, "If this gets out, your mother and brother may be killed by that tyrannical king."

Upon hearing this, Saki turned pale and quickly nodded.

Kangna beckoned to her and whispered the situation in Sogdian to him.

Upon hearing this, Saki exclaimed, "How could such a thing happen? Isn't the king a devout Zoroastrian?"

Kanna snorted, "I don't know how that bastard Ibn managed to bewitch him. Now you should know how terrifying the Abbasid Cult is, right?"

Shaji hurriedly said, "Father, this matter will eventually be revealed to the Sage. When the Sage sends troops to attack Kang, how will you handle it?"

Kang Na gritted his teeth and said, "I'm willing to be a deputy envoy to come to Chang'an this time, just to bring your mother and brother with me. And to tell His Majesty the Emperor about this matter."

"It's a pity that the tyrannical king actually sensed something and forbade me to bring my family along."

Saki looked anxious and said, "Why don't we have someone tell our husband about this and let him make a decision?"

Kang Na said, "No, he is a Tang person. If we tell His Majesty the Emperor, and the Tang Dynasty sends troops to attack Kang, will your mother and brother still have a chance to live?"

Saki asked, "Then what should we do?"

Kang Na said, "After I return to Kang, I will find a way to take your mother and brother away from Kang and go to the Anxi Protectorate. Then I will tell Protector Pei about this!"

Saki asked worriedly, "Are you sure you can do it?"

Kang Na said, "Don't worry, your father served as prime minister for a few years, so he still has some influence. When the time comes, we will come to Chang'an to seek refuge with you and your son-in-law."

Shaji quickly replied, "Father, don't worry, my husband will definitely take good care of you."

Kang nodded, chatted with his daughter for a while, and then left the Shi residence.

When Kang Na left the Shi residence, he did not notice that a carriage was parked diagonally across the street from the gate, with Li Hong, Li Xian, and Xue Ne inside.

After the three watched him leave in his carriage, Xue Ne said to Li Hong and Li Xian, "Your Highness, Sixth Prince, I'm off now."

Li Hongdao said, "Go ahead, we'll wait for your news."

Xue Ne immediately went to the Shi residence, revealed his identity, and stated that he wanted to see Shi Sanlang.

When Shaji heard that Xue Rengui's son had come to visit in person, she was greatly surprised. She brought her six-year-old son and went to the door to greet him and invited him into the hall.

Xue Ne asked Sha Ji about Shi Sanlang, and Sha Ji replied, "My husband is not in the mansion."

Xue Ne frowned and said, "Then I'll wait for him to come back."

Shaji naturally dared not keep him waiting for long, so she sent a servant to An's residence to fetch Shi Sanlang.

Upon hearing that Xue Rengui's son was at his residence, Shi Sanlang hurriedly bid farewell to An Lie and returned to his own residence, where he bowed to Xue Ne in greeting.

Xue Ne ordered him to dismiss the servants, and then said with a serious expression, "Young Master Shi, I have come here on the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince."

Shi Sanlang was greatly alarmed. He knelt on the ground, cupped his hands, and said, "What are Your Highness's orders?"

Xue Ne then explained that Kangguo had originally agreed to pay taxes to the Tang Dynasty, but later changed its mind and refused to pay taxes.

"You said your father-in-law is the deputy envoy of Kang, so His Highness the Crown Prince sent me to ask you if you know the reason why Kang changed his mind?"

Shi Sanlang said urgently, "My father-in-law has not yet visited the residence since arriving in Chang'an. I was unaware of this!"

Xue Ne said, "No, your father-in-law just came by."

Shi Sanlang was startled and quickly said, "Perhaps my wife knows? Young master, may I go and ask her?"

Xue Ne said, "Go."

Shi Saburo hurriedly went to the back hall and asked Saki about the matter.

Upon hearing this, Saki hesitated and remained silent.

Shi Sanlang said urgently, "His Highness the Crown Prince has come to ask me personally. Are you trying to kill my whole family by not telling me?"

Seeing his intense tone, Saki sobbed, "I said it, please don't be angry."

Shi Sanlang asked urgently, "Speak quickly!"

Saki whispered it to him, and Shi Sanlang's expression changed upon hearing it. He exclaimed, "What? The King of Kangguo has converted to the Abbasid Caliphate? How is that possible!"

Shaji sobbed, “These are what my father just said. He also told me not to tell you, lest the sage be angered and attack Kang, and my mother and brother would lose their lives.”

Shi Sanlang snorted, "Woman's view! You must remember, now that you've married me, Shi Sanlang, you are a Tang person, and you're not allowed to hide anything from me anymore!"

Saki whispered, "Yes."

Shi Sanlang quickly returned to the main hall and told Xue Ne what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Xue Ne said with delight, "Very good, Shi Sanlang, you have rendered a great service this time. I will ask the Crown Prince for a reward for you!"

Shi Sanlang said happily, "Thank you very much, young master!"

Xue Ne returned to the carriage and told Li Hong and Li Xian the results.

Li Xian asked in surprise, "The King of Kangguo has converted to Abbasid Caliphate?"

Xue Ne said, "That's what Shi Sanlang said."

Li Xian snorted, "Wasn't he overthrown by the Arabs before? We were the ones who helped him restore his kingdom, and yet he turned around and converted to the Arab religion. It's simply outrageous!"

Xue Ne said, "I heard from my father that it is common for the Hu people to go back on their word."

Li Hong was overjoyed to have completed the task assigned by Li Zhi and said, "Now that we have found out the truth, go and report to Father."

Li Xian said smugly, "Brother, this time it all went so smoothly thanks to my discovery of Kang Na!"

Li Hong smiled and said, "Indeed, we owe you a great debt. From now on, I only hope that we brothers can work together to share the burdens of our sovereign and father!"

The carriage immediately returned to the palace.

Not long after they left, Wu Minzhi arrived outside the Shi residence with a team of inner guards.

Li Hong sent someone to have the Inner Court investigate the matter, and Wang Jishan then sent Wu Minzhi to investigate.

Wu Minzhi also traced the trail all the way to the Shi residence, but ended up falling behind Li Hong and the others.

Wu Minzhi dismounted, ordered his men to wait outside, and went in alone.

Fifteen minutes later, Wu Minzhi came out, looking surprised.

When one of his subordinates inquired about the situation, Wu Minzhi laughed and said, "It's really strange. As soon as I opened my mouth to ask, Shi Sanlang started rattling off everything."

The subordinate asked in surprise, "Does he really know why the King of Kangguo changed his mind?"

Wu Minzhi said, "It should be good. In any case, let's go back and report to the General first." He then led his men back to the inner prefecture.

(End of this chapter)