Tang Dynasty, my wife Wu Zetian

Chapter 511 Can You Understand Me?

The following morning, Jin Renwen left the Honglu Temple post station and strolled around the streets. He first visited Xuanyangfang and then slowly walked to Pingkangfang.

Pingkangfang brothels were located at the intersection of the North Gate and the Third Bend, a densely populated and bustling area.

Jin Renwen walked along and soon found Qingfeng Tower on the street, but instead of going in, he went to Chunfeng Tower across the street first.

Chunfenglou was a high-class brothel that sold art but not sex.

Kim In-wen selected a song, and an entertainer played a tune and danced for him, while two women sat on either side of him to keep him company while he drank.

The feeling of having both women on either side is indeed quite nice.

Whenever a foreigner came to Chang'an, he couldn't help but visit Pingkang Ward.

Because they had been oppressed by the Tang Dynasty for a long time, they felt a sense of pent-up frustration. Now, enjoying the service of Tang Dynasty women, they experienced a strange and pleasurable release.

Jin Renwen spent more than an hour at Chunfeng Tower and used up two strings of copper coins, equivalent to a month's wages for an ordinary person. It was indeed a den of iniquity.

After leaving Chunfeng Tower, Jin Renwen looked at the sun and saw that it was already noon. He arrived at Qingfeng Tower, glanced around, and quickly spotted Fuyu Fuxin.

He quietly approached a table near Fu Yu Fu Xin, slammed his hand on the table, and ordered the waiter to serve the food.

His rude behavior naturally attracted the attention of those around him.

Fuyu Fuxin glanced at him as well, recognized him immediately, stared at him for a while, then looked away without going over to greet him.

Jin Renwen kept observing Fuxin out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that he did not take the initiative to step forward, he frowned and sighed inwardly.

If Fuxin is truly dissatisfied with the status quo and wants to change it, he will definitely take the initiative to approach him and talk to him.

Now that the other party is ignoring you, it will be very difficult to persuade him.

Left with no other choice, Kim In-moon pretended to look around, and when he saw Buyeo Bok-shin, he deliberately let out a gasp.

"Hey, isn't this Brother Fuyu?"

Fuyu Fuxin glanced at him, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect from afar, and said, "Prince Jin."

Jin Renwen walked over with a smile, sat down opposite him, and said, "I never expected that we would meet again in Chang'an. This meal is on me."

Seeing that he was taking the initiative to be friendly, Fu Yu Fuxin could no longer keep a stern face and forced a smile.

"Thank you very much. What brings Prince Jin to Chang'an all of a sudden?"

"Don't be so formal. If Brother Fuyu thinks highly of me, just call me Brother Jin. To be honest, I've come to Chang'an on orders to participate in the main ceremony."

Fuyu Fuxin murmured, "Is it almost the day again? Time really flies."

Jin Renwen sighed, “Who says otherwise? The world changes, things are no longer the same, how can one not feel sad? Come, let me toast Brother Fuyu.”

Fu Yu Fu Xin sighed deeply, raised his cup, and drank with him.

When Jin Ren inquired about his situation in Chang'an, Fu Xin only sighed and drank without saying a word, which showed that he was indeed in dire straits.

Seeing this, Jin Renwen felt more confident about turning him to defect. However, there was no rush, so he did not ask any further questions. Instead, he brought up the matter of the Tang army transporting grain and fodder in Youzhou.

Upon hearing this, Fu Xin asked in surprise, "Is that really true?"

Seeing his expression, Jin Renwen knew he was unaware of the matter and laughed, "Indeed, now that the Tang Dynasty mobilizes its grain supplies, which country isn't terrified?"

Fuxin gave him a deep look and said, "If we were to go back ten years, would Brother Jin still have allied with the Tang Dynasty to deal with my Baekje and Goguryeo?"

Jin Ren asked in silence.

The two drank a few more cups, and Jin Renwen suddenly said, "It's a pity that His Majesty summoned me to an audience today, otherwise we would definitely drink until we drop!"

Fu Xin asked in surprise, "Why has His Majesty summoned you for an audience?"

Jin Renwen shook his head and said, "I don't know. Has Brother Fuyu heard any news?"

Fu Xin frowned and said, "While we were drinking yesterday, I heard someone mention that Liu Rengui, Liu Renyuan, and Zhao Chiman have all returned to the capital and were even summoned by the emperor. Could this be related to this matter?"

Kim In-won felt a chill run down his spine, thinking to himself, "The Emperor of Tang has even summoned Liu Rengui back. It seems he's really going to take action. Is this really the end for the Silla kingdom?"

Although he was a pro-Tang figure, he was unwilling to have the country where he grew up annexed.

Unfortunately, given the current situation, after the Tang Dynasty annexed Goguryeo and Baekje, its power grew stronger and stronger. As long as they waged war, Silla would have absolutely no chance of winning!
After failing to extract any more useful information from Fuxin, Jin Renwen left Qingfeng Tower and returned to the inn.

With only an hour left before the audience with the emperor, Jin Famin had already changed his clothes and was ready.

After Kim In-soo asked him once, Kim Beop-min pulled him into the house, ordered his trusted men to stand guard outside, and asked urgently, "How did the meeting go?"

Jin Renwen said in a deep voice, "This person seems to have become despondent and is extremely dissatisfied with the officialdom of the Tang Dynasty. We don't know anything about him, but it's not difficult to win him over."

Kim Beom-min, unwilling to give up, asked, "Didn't you find out any information at all?"

"He did mention something, saying that Liu Rengui, Liu Renyuan, and Zhao Chiman all returned to Chang'an and were summoned by the emperor."

Upon hearing this, Kim Beop-min's eyes flashed with delight, and he said, "If the Tang emperor only wants to deal with our Silla, he can simply meet with Liu Ren-gui. Why does he need to meet with Liu Ren-yuan and Zhao Chi-man?"

Jin Ren asked in surprise, "What does my brother mean...?"

Jin Famin squinted and laughed, "The Japanese islands are now divided between the Tang Dynasty and the Mohe. The Mohe have recently been clamoring to establish a kingdom. Will the Tang Dynasty sit idly by? Hehe, I think the Tang Dynasty wants to deal with them!"

Kim In asked, "Then why have you summoned us?"

Jin Famin became even more smug and laughed, "Don't you understand? The Mohe were able to defeat us, which must have frightened the Tang Dynasty. They want to join forces with us to deal with the Mohe!"

Jin Ren asked in a low voice, "Isn't that a bit too optimistic?"

Jin Famin said decisively, "That must be it! That's the only possibility! Now we should be considering whether or not to help the Tang Dynasty deal with the Mohe!"

Kim In-wen said in a deep voice, "Of course not. If even the Mohe are gone, how can Silla survive?"

Jin Famin said solemnly, "That's absolutely right. Although those barbarians of the Mohe are stupid, we can't just sit by and watch them be wiped out. Hmph, when the time comes, we'll use this intelligence to make the Mohe people return all the territory they've seized from us!"

Jin Renwen nodded, thinking, "If only that were true, it's just a pity that Father and Brother are always too blindly optimistic."

Half an hour later, a palace attendant came to summon them to the palace.

The two followed the imperial eunuch who was delivering the imperial decree, passed through Chengtian Gate, and soon arrived at Linhu Hall, where they met Li Zhi at the Guanshui Terrace.

In late autumn, fallen leaves drift down, covering the lake with golden leaves that ripple on the water as the autumn wind blows.

Li Zhi, dressed in a white robe, stood before the fence, gazing at the water, seemingly lost in thought. The two could only stand at the foot of the viewing steps, watching Li Zhi's back as they waited silently.

After standing for a while, Li Zhi finally turned around, walked to a chair, sat down, and gave an instruction to Wang Fusheng.

Only then did Wang Fusheng lead the two to meet the emperor.

After the two men performed the formalities of foreign envoys, Emperor Gaozong glanced at them and slowly said, "I have recently heard that the Mohe people have occupied a significant portion of Silla's territory in Japan. Is this true?"

Kim Beom-min was secretly delighted upon hearing this.

As expected, the Tang emperor wanted to deal with the Mohe, so he deliberately brought up this matter to provoke their dissatisfaction with the Mohe and get Silla to help the Tang Dynasty deal with the Mohe!

"Your Majesty, this is indeed the case. The Mohe people are too fierce and domineering!" Jin Famin deliberately feigned an indignant expression.

He planned to first agree to the Tang Dynasty's plan to deal with the Mohe, and then secretly inform the Mohe about it so that they would be on guard.

Li Zhi suddenly asked, "Minister Jin, do you know anything about the Tibetans?"

Jin Famin was stunned. Why did Tibet suddenly come up in the first place?

"I have heard people mention that the Tang Dynasty established thirty-six kingdoms in India, and Tibet was one of them," he replied cautiously.

Li Zhi smiled and said, "You are right. The land I gave to the Tibetans is very fertile, far better than their original land. Do you know why I did this?"

Seeing that the Tang emperor was going further and further off track, Jin Famin felt a sense of unease and shook his head, saying, "This humble subject does not know."

Li Zhi said in a deep voice, "Because the Tibetans always covet the Kunlun-Tibet region. Logically speaking, I could have simply wiped them out and destroyed Tibet without going through all this trouble."

"But in recent years, Tibet has been a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty and has made many contributions. If I were to send troops to wipe them out, it would be a loss of benevolence and righteousness."

"Therefore, I gave them a better piece of land, far away from the Tang Dynasty, so that Tibet would no longer have any improper thoughts, and the two countries could live in harmony!"

Jin Famin's greatest hope was that the Tang Dynasty would uphold benevolence and righteousness and abide by the rules, so he quickly praised, "Your Majesty is truly the most benevolent and righteous ruler in the world. This is a blessing for all the countries in the world!"

Li Zhi glanced at him sideways: "Can you understand me?"

Kim Beop-min smiled and said, "Your Majesty's actions are not only understood, but also fully supported by yours."

Li Zhi smiled and said, "That would be best. Go back and tell your father that I will give you a year to prepare."

Kim Beom-min was taken aback: "Prepare what?"

"Naturally, they will move to Yingzhou Island."

Kim Beom-min's smile froze instantly. He swallowed hard and stammered, "Your Majesty, what did you just say? I didn't quite understand."

Li Zhi's face darkened, and he said, "My meaning is very simple. You can follow the example of Tibet and move your entire country to Yingzhou Island. I will send someone to tell Qiqi Zhongxiang that the territory I have occupied from you will be returned to you. The Echizen and Echigo areas are rare plains in Japan, which are more fertile and expansive than your Silla homeland. You will not be at a disadvantage!"

Kim Fa-min immediately became very anxious.

"Your Majesty, Silla and the Tang Dynasty have maintained peaceful relations for hundreds of years, unlike Tibet. Why do you want to drive us to Wa... no, Yingzhou Island?"

Li Zhi raised an eyebrow and said, "Do you think I am unaware of what Silla has been doing all these years?"

Kim Beom-min's heart skipped a beat, and he whispered, "This humble subject does not understand Your Majesty's meaning."

Li Zhi said coldly, "In recent years, you have been secretly colluding with the rebellious forces in Baekje and Goguryeo, attempting to annex Baekje and Goguryeo. I have already heard about this from the Andong Protectorate."

Kim Beom-min said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, is there some misunderstanding? There's absolutely no such thing!"

Li Zhi ignored him and continued, "You are so ungrateful that I originally wanted to send troops to destroy you. But considering that you have been subservient to the Tang Dynasty for many years and have made many contributions, I will give you a chance to become like the Tibetans."

"Of course, if you don't want this opportunity, that's fine too. I'll just send 200,000 troops to wipe you out. It will have the same effect!"

Kim Fa-min was sweating profusely, his back felt cold, his mind went blank, and his lips trembled, unable to speak for a moment.

Just then, Jin Renwen stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty, are you really willing to make the Mohe relinquish all the land they have seized from us?"

Li Zhi glanced at him sideways and said, "I am the Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty, and my word is as good as gold. You don't trust me?"

Kim In-wen quickly bowed and said, "Your subject dares not. If that is the case, we will certainly persuade Father to agree after we return to Silla."

Li Zhi waved his hand and said, "You don't need to attend the grand court assembly this year. Go directly back to Silla and tell the King of Silla about this matter. Tell him that I will only give him one month to consider it."

Jin Renwen hurriedly replied, "Yes."

Li Zhi waved his hand, ordering the two men to leave.

Upon returning to the inn, Jin Famin flew into a rage, pointing at Jin Ren and asking in a trembling voice, "Who told you to act on your own initiative and agree to the Emperor of Tang?"

Jin Renwen walked to a chair, sat down, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "If you don't agree, what do you plan to do, brother? Will you simply refuse His Majesty?"

"me……"

Kim Beom-min stammered for a long time, then said angrily, "We can't just agree to that so easily. Silla is land we've managed for hundreds of years. How can we just hand it over to the Tang Dynasty?"

Jin Renwen looked up at him and said calmly, "Then after you go back, you can also persuade Father to refuse and fight a war with the Tang Dynasty."

Kim Beom-min immediately shut his mouth.

The battle with the Mohe people shattered the confidence of the Silla people, who knew they had no chance of winning against the Tang Dynasty.

After a long pause, Jin Famin said angrily, "These Tang people are extremely hypocritical. They talk about benevolence and righteousness, but their actions are just like those barbarians from the Mohe tribe—violent and domineering! Hmph, I think they are even worse than us in terms of inheriting the legitimate lineage of the Central Plains?"

Kim In-wen glanced at him and said, "If Silla had the strength of the Tang Dynasty, you and Father would probably have annexed all the surrounding countries, wouldn't you?"

Kim Beom-min asked angrily, "Whose side are you on?"

Kim In asked, "There's no point in discussing this anymore. Let's hurry back to Silla and report this to Father for a decision!"

Kim Fa-min snorted and said, "Go see Fu Yu Fu-xin again tomorrow and try to win him over before you leave!"

Jin Renwen warned, "If we take him away, I'm afraid the Tang Dynasty will have an excuse to attack us!"

"Who said we were going to take him away? I only said we were going to bribe him so he could provide us with information when we make our move!" Kim Beom-min said irritably.

Jin Renwen nodded.

The next day, he brought a batch of gold to Fuyu Fuxin. Fuxin was short of money and dissatisfied with the Tang Dynasty court, so the two hit it off immediately.

On the third day, the Kim brothers left Chang'an and returned to Silla.

(End of this chapter)