Deposed? I couldn't be happier! I wouldn't even be a dog to the crown prince.

Once you leave Yangguan Pass, the wind and sand no longer gently brush your face, but instead grind it like coarse sandpaper.

The army stretched out a long black line across the Gobi Desert, winding westward.

Inside that panda-themed palanquin, which was not only windproof and sandproof but also had its own shock absorption system, was a peaceful and serene haven.

Li Chengqian lay sprawled on the soft couch, holding an ice-cold pear in his hand. He took a bite with a "crunch," and juice spilled out.

Wu Meiniang knelt to one side, fiddling with an abacus, checking the consumption of supplies that had just been brought out of the pass.

"Your Highness, at this rate, the ice we brought will only last for three more days at most."

The little girl frowned, looking calculating. "Should we limit the supply of cold drinks to General Huo's side? They drink plum juice like water."

"Need not."

Li Chengqian waved his hand, mumbling, "If it's gone, let the system... cough, let Lao Xu figure something out. We can't let the brothers suffer. Huo Qubing was the vanguard, he's hot-tempered, he needs to drink more cold drinks to cool down."

As they were talking, the car suddenly paused slightly and came to a stop.

Immediately afterwards, Xu Xiao's hoarse, deep voice came from outside, revealing a hint of impatience.

"Your Highness, the road is blocked."

"Um?"

Li Chengqian frowned, swallowed the pear in his mouth, and said, "How can there be a traffic jam in this godforsaken place? Did the sandstorm ahead bury the road?"

"It's not a natural disaster, it's a man-made one."

Xu Xiao's voice carried a hint of murderous intent, "A group of people blocked the middle of the road, carrying Tibetan flags, claiming to be special envoys who wanted to see the person in charge of the Tang Dynasty."

"Tibet?"

Li Chengqian sat up straight, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Songtsen Gampo's men? They arrived quite quickly."

"Let them come over. I want to see what kind of ivory these yaks on the plateau can produce."

After a while.

The car door opened, and a wave of heat mixed with yellow sand rushed in.

A middle-aged man dressed in a dark red Tibetan robe and wearing a felt hat strode up to the carriage, escorted by a group of burly warriors.

This man was lean and wiry with high cheekbones, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, a result of the shrewdness and calculation cultivated from years of holding a high position.

Grand Minister of Tibet, Gar Tongtsen Yulsung.

He did not bow and scrape like the small kingdoms of the Western Regions; he simply patted his chest slightly and performed a respectful steppe greeting.

"Lu Dongzan, the Grand Minister of Tibet, greets His Highness the Crown Prince of the Great Tang Dynasty."

Li Chengqian didn't get out of the car, nor did he even change his posture. He simply glanced down at him through the car window.

"Robbing travelers on the road, is this how you Tibetans treat your guests?"

"Your Highness has misunderstood."

Lu Dongzan smiled, but there was a thorn in his side. "I have come here on the orders of the Zanpu (King of the Tang Dynasty) to... mitigate the losses for the Great Tang."

"Stop the loss?" Li Chengqian raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly."

Lu Dongzan pointed to the west, his tone respectful, but his words revealed an arrogant and condescending attitude.

"Ahead lies the Kingdom of Gaochang. Although Ju Wentai's kingdom is not powerful, it relies on the natural barrier of the desert and has the support of the Western Regions, making it a force to be reckoned with."

"The Tang Dynasty has launched a long and arduous expedition, with such long supply lines. If they get bogged down in the mud, I'm afraid... the odds are against them."

Li Chengqian didn't say anything, just watched him perform quietly, and casually picked up another grape.

Seeing that Li Chengqian didn't respond, Lu Dongzan wasn't embarrassed and continued:

"My king admires the majesty of the Tang Dynasty and does not wish to see our two families at war. Therefore, he has specially sent his foreign envoy to turn swords into plowshares."

"Oh?"

Li Chengqian popped a grape into his mouth. "How do you cook it?"

"It's very simple."

Lu Dongzan straightened his back, his eyes gleaming with ambition.

"As long as the Tang Dynasty stops its advance, we can turn back now."

"We, the Tibetans, are willing to share this trade route in the Western Regions with the Great Tang. With the Liusha River as the boundary, the east belongs to the Tang, and the west belongs to Tibet. We can all keep to ourselves and prosper together—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Li Chengqian smiled.

He laughed out of anger.

That's quite a scheme; you could hear it even from several meters away.

They haven't even put in any effort yet, and they already want to take half of the Western Regions for free?

"What if I don't agree?" Li Chengqian asked calmly.

Lu Dongzan's smile faded slightly, and his tone became more threatening.

"If Your Highness insists on going your own way, then I'm afraid the 200,000 Tibetan eagles will not be able to sit still."

"The Hexi Corridor is long and narrow; if we accidentally cut off the army's retreat..."

"At that time, Your Highness's tens of thousands of troops will probably not even be able to get a sip of water."

This is a blatant threat.

Taking advantage of their geographical location to cut off the Tang Dynasty's supply lines was indeed a tactic that Tibet excelled at.

Li Chengqian remained calm, though his gaze turned colder.

"Is there anything else?"

"certainly."

Lu Dongzan seemed confident of victory and dropped his final bombshell.

"To demonstrate the sincerity of both countries and to forge an everlasting alliance."

"My king is willing to condescend to marry a princess born of the Tang Dynasty."

At this point, Lu Dongzan took out a scroll from his pocket and unrolled it.

The painting depicts a gentle and lovely little girl, Princess Chang Le, Li Lizhi.

"I've heard that Princess Chang Le is virtuous and kind, a perfect match for my king."

"As long as the princess marries into Lhasa, we can split the interests of the Western Regions fifty-fifty, or even... forty-six-fifty."

Lu Dongzan wore a confident smile.

In his view, this was a condition that the Tang Dynasty could not refuse.

Trading a woman for half the benefits of the Western Regions and for peace on the border—even a fool could do the math.

Inside the carriage, there was a deathly silence.

Wu Meiniang stopped using the abacus, her face pale, and subconsciously looked at Li Chengqian.

Having served His Highness for so long, she knew all too well what the title "Princess Chang Le" meant.

That is His Highness's Achilles' heel.

It is an absolute no-go zone—touching it will surely lead to death, scraping it will surely lead to annihilation!

Li Chengqian slowly opened his eyes, which had been half-closed.

Those eyes were frighteningly black, like a bottomless dry well, instantly swallowing up all light.

He did not fly into a rage.

There was no outburst.

They didn't even throw away the grape skins in their hands.

He lay there quietly, looking at Lu Dongzan, his face expressionless.

The air seemed to freeze.

The sound of wind and sand outside the carriage seemed to have stopped.

A suffocating sense of oppression emanated from the luxurious Panda car, causing Lu Dongzan, who was standing outside, to feel a chill run down his spine for no apparent reason.

a long time.

Li Chengqian finally spoke.

The sound was very soft and slow, without a trace of warmth or liveliness.

It was like a knife just pulled from ice water, slowly cutting into one's heart.

"You just said..."

"Who are you going to marry?"