Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 599 Princess Xian'an: My Father's Throne is Also an Inheritance~
"Princess."

"Follow me south to the Anxi Army."

"Next, we need to deal with the Tibetans."

The main power north of the Tianshan Mountains was the Uyghurs.

The Uyghur Khanate they established was even able to mobilize tens of thousands of troops.

Now that the main fighting force of the Uyghurs has been eliminated, Yang Xigu's pressure has been greatly reduced.

Next, all we need to do is instigate and bribe the local barbarians to kill each other.

With the situation north of the Tianshan Mountains settled, it's time to turn our attention to the Tibetans to the south.

Correspondingly, Princess Xian'an and her dowry also set off south together.

"The emperors of the Tang Dynasty were really interesting."

Lin Dao, on horseback, glanced at Princess Xian'an riding beside him, then looked at the dowry members in the procession, his smile full of sarcasm.

“I can understand playing musical instruments and singing, I can understand eunuchs, palace maids and soldiers, and even if poets are involved, I can understand.”

"Why include science students in addition to those who are interested in art and humanities?"

"The nine elders and eighteen craftsmen were all brought along, for fear that the assistance would be insufficient and the technical improvement would not be adequate."

The phrase "nine masters and eighteen craftsmen" refers to craftsmen from all walks of life.

The "Nine Masters" refers to nine professions: pig slaughtering, pig butchering, ox casting, wall building, oil pressing, haircutting, pot mending, pedicure, and drumming.

The first three are standard technical professions, and he also works part-time as a veterinarian.

When it reaches the grasslands or plateaus, it has a transformative effect on improving animal husbandry technology.

The last six are related to people's livelihood.

In the eyes of the Central Plains, things like shaving heads and mending pots are not worth mentioning.

In the grasslands and Tibet, that would be considered a highly skilled worker.

The ancient grasslands and plateaus were technological deserts.

As for the "Eighteen Craftsmen," it's just a general term; when you break it down, there are more than eighteen trades.

The main craftsmen were goldsmiths, silversmiths, coppersmiths, blacksmiths, and tinsmiths.

This includes those who make handicrafts, such as gold and silver ornaments.

There is also the most important blacksmith, who is the highest-ranking craftsman in all trades.

Traditionally, blacksmiths are depicted as shirtless, hammering iron.

That's not entirely wrong; it's more accurate to say that Xiao Qiao was a blacksmith.

Not everyone is qualified to be called a craftsman, especially in the blacksmithing profession, which requires at least ten years of apprenticeship.

Only those who can survive this hurdle are qualified to become junior blacksmiths.

Their capabilities range from producing agricultural tools such as sickles, hoes, and plows, to daily necessities such as kitchen knives and iron pots, as well as the highest-level weapons and armor.

Blacksmiths are generally experts in the entire process, from selecting ore to the final forging.

In particular, the blacksmiths who were given as gifts when the Tang emperors and the court married off princesses to foreign rulers were all from the Military Equipment Bureau!

The Tibetans possessed superior armor and their metallurgical technology advanced rapidly in a short period, almost leaping from the slave era into the feudal era.

The root of this lies in the group of craftsmen, including blacksmiths, that Princess Wencheng brought to the plateau.

"Li Erfeng, oh Li Erfeng."

"If the First Emperor's mistake was his obsession with immortality, then your blunder was your practice of marriage alliances!"

"It's one thing to make a fool of oneself with a marriage alliance, but to actually provide advanced technology is another."

"How is this any different from the beautiful country that treats the Blakes well?"

Lin Dao was extremely dissatisfied with this.

The marriage alliances of the Tang Dynasty were all orchestrated by Li Erfeng.

This has been a scourge for centuries!
The Song and Ming dynasties in later periods learned a great lesson from the Tang dynasty and never again engaged in the disgraceful practice of marriage alliances.

Unfortunately, the technology had already spread, and the barbarian tribes upgraded their equipment and grew stronger, so there was nothing that could be done.

Thinking about this, Lin Dao became even more agitated.

Next time I go to Wude Time and Space to collect raw silk ore and brocade, I must find Li Erfeng and have a one-on-one duel at Xuanwu Gate, and beat him until he has black eyes.

Besides blacksmiths, the most important craftsmen are carpenters.

Carpenters are further divided into chief carpenters, who build houses.

Fang carpenter, that is, someone who makes furniture.

A round carpenter, who makes things like tubs and basins, is also called a hoop carpenter.

There are also sawyers, who saw planks, and also known as sawing craftsmen, etc.

In addition to these, there were also sculptors, painters, zither players, bamboo weavers, and tile setters.
Craftsman ~ Drummer ~ Chairmaker ~ Umbrella maker ~ Lacquerer ~ Leathermaker ~
Weavers, velvet makers, cloth dyers, foundry workers, scissor and knife sharpeners, kiln workers, and so on.

Without a doubt, the craftsmanship of the Tang Dynasty was among the best in the world.

Unfortunately, almost all of these advanced technologies have been leaked.

As a result, in an era where technological advancements were not rapid, the nomadic barbarians rose to power and began to invade the Central Plains time and again.

Princess Xian'an was unaware of these things.

However, she could also hear the dissatisfaction in Lin Dao's words.

He reached into his sleeve, took out a document, and handed it to Lin Dao.

"what?"

Upon taking the document and opening it, it turned out to be a divorce agreement.

This is not something fabricated, but a real thing, and it is clearly recorded in the Tang Code Commentary.

Women in the Tang Dynasty did indeed have a high status, because in addition to divorce papers, there were also divorce papers.

Compared to the divorce papers of the Song and Ming dynasties, this was indeed far superior in terms of women's rights and status.

Flipping through the divorce papers in his hands, Lin Dao tilted his head in confusion. "What does this mean?" "You yourself said it, Immortal Master," Princess Xian'an sighed, meeting Lin Dao's gaze. "You must marry me and make me your Empress."

"In that case, the previous engagement shall be dropped."

Princesses of the Tang Dynasty were generally quite career-minded.

Among them, the most outstanding, such as Princess Taiping and Princess Anle, even had the opportunity to ascend to the throne.

Driven by prevailing social norms, Princess Xian'an took the initiative, asking, "When will you marry me? When will we have children?"

Such initiative and boldness also surprised Lin Dao.

Were all women in the Tang Dynasty this fierce?
Even modern-day fairies wouldn't be so direct; they would at least ask first whether the woman has a car, a house, or savings.

"Just wait."

After his initial surprise, Lin Dao shook his head slightly. "Let's talk about it in a month."

Princess Xian'an was puzzled. "Why do we have to wait a month?"

Faced with his persistent questioning, Lin Dao did not give a vague response, but instead stated loudly, "I have to make sure the child is mine."

Although Princess Xian'an is only a little over ten years old and has been married to the Uyghur Khan for less than a year, she is still young.

But she had already experienced three changes of the Uyghur Khan.

In such cases, it is necessary to wait some time to ensure that future children are one's own seed.

Lin Dao would never do something like raising offspring for the Uyghurs or being a gigolo for a princess.

This time, Princess Xian'an understood.

Logically speaking, she should be angry and furious.

But no.

After thinking for a moment, Princess Xian'an replied earnestly, "I am still a virgin."

"Hmm?" He paused for a moment, then frowned. "Don't joke around, you've been married to three Uyghur Khans."

“It is indeed the third Uyghur Khan.” Princess Xian’an ignored Lin Dao’s strange gaze, raised her chest and spurred her horse to answer, “When I arrived at the Uyghur camp last year, the Khan of the Longevity Heaven was older than my father and was already bedridden and unable to get up, so there was no physical intimacy between us.”

The Uyghur people were previously called Huihe.

It was Changshou Tianqin Khan, who had been on friendly terms with Emperor Dezong of Tang last year, who, when seeking a princess, asked Emperor Dezong to issue an edict to change his ethnic name from Huihe to Huihu.

This is the reason for the change in their clan name.

Changshou Tianqin Khan did indeed address Emperor Dezong of Tang, who welcomed the Buddha's relics, as brothers. However, after marrying Princess Xian'an, he considered himself half a son.

"Later, the Khan died of illness, and the loyal Khan succeeded him."

Princess Xian'an continued to explain, "He was very busy when he ascended the throne, with many things to do and many ceremonies to hold."

"Moreover, the situation inside the camp was unstable at the time, and rumors were already circulating that someone was planning a rebellion."

"Later, the loyal Khan was poisoned to death by his younger brother and Princess Ye, the young queen consort."

From the death of Changshou Tianqin Khan to the poisoning of Zhongzhen Khan, only four months passed.

In such a short time, there wasn't enough time to attend to various ceremonies, seize and consolidate power, deal with internal challenges, and so on. Where would he find the mind to think about women?

Besides, the loyal Khan was no naive young man who had never eaten meat.

He already has several sons.

"After the death of the Loyal Khan," Princess Xian'an continued, "the Grand Chancellor Jieganjias returned from Tingzhou, killed the Loyal Khan's younger brother and Princess Ye, and installed the Loyal Khan's youngest son as the new Khan."

"Now that I think about it, the loyal Khan had several sons, but Jieganjias chose the youngest one as his successor."

"This is clearly setting up a puppet."

Lin Dao listened quietly without saying a word.

"As you can see, Ah-Chu is still a child~"

Princess Xian'an smiled and said, "I am still a virgin."

“I accept your explanation.” Lin Dao nodded. “But we still need to use a pregnancy test.”

What kind of pregnancy test?

"You don't need to know, just use it."

Lin Dao's relationship with Princess Xian'an was entirely based on mutual exploitation, with no emotional foundation whatsoever.

He used the princess to win over the hearts of the Anxi and Beiting armies, waiting for his child to grow up so that he could take the banner of righteousness and enter Chang'an.

Before that, he had to stabilize the Western Regions, defeat the Tibetans in the mountains, and expand as far west and north as possible.

As for Princess Xian'an's thoughts, they were even simpler.

Since her father abandoned her and sent her to the grasslands to eat sand and marry an old man who was older than her father.

Then there's no need for me to talk about loyalty and filial piety.
If the daughter-in-law of the Li family can become an emperor, why can't I, the daughter of the Li family?
Once her child with the immortal has grown up, she can rightfully march to Chang'an and inherit her father's legacy.

She wasn't just imagining things; the Tang Code and the Kaiyuan Decree clearly state that women also have the right to inherit property.

Of course, there are prerequisites.

If a woman is unmarried and there are no male heirs in her family, she can inherit the entire estate.

If a woman marries and her natal family line dies out, she can inherit all of her estate.

Since the Tang Code says it is permissible, then it must be permissible.

It's just that the family line has ended, it's no big deal.

In Princess Xian'an's words, "My father's throne is also his legacy!"
Lin Dao's collaboration with Princess Xian'an began after the pregnancy test confirmed the pregnancy.

A night of continuous intensive efforts ensured that the collaborative project between the two parties could take root and flourish smoothly.

They cooperated and marched along the way, eventually returning to the city of Kucha.

I had barely returned when a fast messenger arrived in Kucha to report the news, having traveled a long and arduous journey that exhausted several horses.

The Tibetans launched a massive military offensive and besieged Khotan!

(End of this chapter)