Zhenguan: I, Dou Fengjie, will not be the first cuckold.

Yankangfang, the residence of the Prince of Yue.

King Li Tai of Yue and Sima Suxu leisurely played Go while enjoying the tea from Guang Prefecture and a variety of snacks.

Su Xu occasionally launched surprise attacks, robbed, and surrounded and killed Da Long, seemingly evenly matched, but in reality, Su Xu had a trick up his sleeve.

He wasn't as stubborn as Tang Jian; giving up a move was inevitable for him, and he had to do it in a way that Li Tai wouldn't notice.

Li Tai's obesity was due not only to a congenital illness but also to his love of snacks.

A rich mouth, fat legs.

"Sima, the Duke of Zan has recommended me to be the military supervisor, but something seems amiss!"

Li Tai finally figured it out.

The reasons he did not go to Yangzhou to take up his post were, in addition to his father Li Shimin's favoritism, his position as a whetstone official, and his young age, as well as his illness, which made it difficult for him to travel.

So, was Dou Fengjie using the proposal of supervising the army as a pretext?

"However, Your Majesty must accept this favor. You are too kind."

Su Xu chuckled and ended the game.

There are techniques to giving a handicap in chess, and you need to win one or two games occasionally to prove that you also have the ability.

After all, an opponent you've never beaten will not earn the emperor's respect.

"That's true. It's truly an honor that even my elder brother, the Crown Prince, wasn't mentioned!"

Li Tai gave a wry smile.

It feels really unpleasant to have to accept these empty favors.

Li Tai wanted to take Dou Fengjie into his fold, but Dou Fengjie hadn't yet taken a liking to his small stall.

"Has the young master craftsman Yan Lide yet agreed to marry his daughter to the King of Yue?" After chewing a few bites of snacks, Li Tai's cheeks puffed out like a squirrel's, but he still thought of this question.

"Young Master Yan probably guessed the matter of the succession struggle and didn't want his daughter involved, so he's looking for another family," Su Xu sighed.

The affairs of the imperial family are very complicated.

"The problem is that Madam is already pregnant. If we don't take a princess as a concubine soon, the child won't be able to be registered under the princess's name and have the status of a legitimate son." Li Tai's calculations were very shrewd.

The Lady was a concubine of the Prince, whose status was below that of the Princess and above that of the Concubines. The child she gave birth to was a son born out of wedlock.

If a son born out of wedlock recognizes the princess as his mother, then his status will change to that of a legitimate son.

It can only be said that the marriage and childbearing age of the powerful and wealthy in the Tang Dynasty was completely different from the standards required of commoners.

Emperor Taizong of Tang issued an edict to encourage marriage among the common people, stipulating that commoners should marry at the age of 20 for men and 15 for women, but he himself never followed it.

Su Xu's eyes flickered: "Why doesn't Your Majesty ask the Grand Princess of Tong'an to arrange a marriage between a member of the Wang family of Taiyuan?"

Li Tai hesitated.

Since the goal is to find a princess, the Wang family of Taiyuan is of higher social standing than the Yan family, and they are more likely to gain support for him.

Princess Tongan's husband's family is the Wang family of Taiyuan, and they are capable of acting as matchmakers.

The problem is that Princess Tongan doesn't like Li Tai very much, and the relationship between the aristocratic families and the royal family has become strained because of Prince Xiyin.

Su Xu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, even funerals can be turned into celebrations. Why can't we look at it from a different perspective?"

"The King sought out the Grand Princess of Tong'an, expressing his desire to share the Emperor's burdens and his determination to break the frozen relationship between the court and the aristocratic families through a marriage alliance..."

Li Tai said, "Even if you've learned nothing, you can still say things like that!"

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East Palace, Chongjiao Hall.

Crown Prince Li Chengqian's face was gloomy. He smashed a Tao inkstone onto the hard stone slab, breaking a large gash in it.

He had also heard about Dou Fengjie's two visits to the Liangyi Hall. It was originally a trivial matter, but the fact that the selection of the military supervisor mentioned Li Tai enraged the Crown Prince, who was not actually very magnanimous.

The musician Chengxin, whose face was so delicate that it was hard to tell if he was male or female, stepped forward tremblingly: "Your Highness, please don't be angry. That Dou Fengjie is just using the King of Yue as a cover..."

Li Chengqian's anger subsided slightly: "You don't know, what annoys me is that he doesn't even mention me."

A satisfied smile held a hint of helplessness.

Given Li Chengqian's temper, he would fly into a rage if Dou Fengjie really mentioned him.

When you dislike someone, even their breathing feels like a sin.

Annoyed, Li Chengqian drank a pot of mulberry wine, then embraced Chengxin and regained his composure: "If I had known that Dou Fengjie was so capable, I should have paid more attention to him in the first place."

That being said, he would still stand on Princess Yongjia's side and force Dou Fengjie to submit.

In his eyes, subjects were to be used, not respected.

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Honglu Temple, Dianke Office.

The Karluk envoy, Ta Shili Jinshan, with a sly smile, sat down opposite Dou Fengjie.

"The Karluk tribe is located in Jinshan, which has gold nuggets, cattle, horses, sheep, asafoetida, honey, and sea buckthorn. There are also brave warriors who can serve as servants of the Tang Dynasty."

"When Li Fa requested the Tang Dynasty to bestow upon him the title of Khan."

Jinshan explained the value of the Karluk tribe to Dou Fengjie.

The Karluk tribe has always been a fence-sitter between the Turks and the Western Turks, siding with whichever side is in a favorable position. Although they have some strength, they are not strong enough to establish a Khanate.

The Turkic Khaganate was fragmented. The Western Turkic Khaganate's Siyabgu Khan and Mohedu Khan became allies, while the newly emerging Xueyantuo were eyeing the region covetously.

Back when the Xueyantuo were down on their luck, the Karluk tribe bullied them quite a bit, and the path of joining the Xueyantuo was cut off.

Therefore, the Karluks set their sights on the Tang Dynasty, which bordered them only marginally.

Jinshan wanted to adopt a high-handed attitude, but Dou Fengjie didn't buy it.

"The Karluk tribe consists of three tribes: the Moro, the Chisi, and the Tashili. It has a population of about 100,000 and an army of up to 10,000. Their loyalty to the Khan is inconsistent."

"They possessed a complete range of skills, including hunting, farming, and animal husbandry; they lived in cities and engaged in nomadic life; they were hospitable, warlike, and fond of plundering."

Dou Fengjie recounted the basic situation of the Karluk tribe, which made Beimen Shuangzhi shake his head.

Frankly speaking, apart from the Karluks stabbing Gao Xianzhi in the back during the Battle of Talas, Dou Fengjie couldn't express his opinion on the Karluks' betrayal.

The Karluks were not the only ones who frequently switched sides; many small and medium-sized tribes also often acted as opportunists in order to survive.

The most loyal tribes are often divided up as the forces they serve collapse, and men, women, and children become slaves.

This is their way of survival, and it cannot be judged by the moral standards of the Tang Dynasty. At most, we might not use the Karluk tribe as servants in the army, or we might be more cautious when we do.

"But the Karluk tribe only has 20,000 households and 100,000 people, yet they dare to ask for a Khan?"

Dou Fengjie poured cold water on Ta Shili·Jinshan.

The Turks had 300,000 archers and a population of approximately three million, which is why they were called Khans.

He dares to call himself Khan when his territory has less than a million people, or even less than 500,000. Isn't he afraid of being ridiculed?

Jin Shan's smile faltered, and a fist-sized gold nugget slid in front of Dou Fengjie: "Sir, please take a look. What is the quality of the gold nuggets produced by Jin Shan?"

It seems that Jinshan, a company specializing in strategic thinking, has also learned the ways of dealing with people in the Central Plains.

If it's just a token gesture, then it's somewhat interesting.

Dou Fengjie tossed it to his mother, Zhancheng, saying, "Take this and ask the registrar to check its quality and see how much it's worth."

"Khan is out of the question, but Yehu could consider it."

The phrase "Please have the registrar verify the quality" means that the money was to be deposited into the slush fund of the Court of State Ceremonies.

The title of Yabghu originated from the grasslands during the Han Dynasty. It means "minister in charge" and was held by members of the royal family. They were in charge of the military and political affairs of the tribe.

Unlike Silifa, Tutun, and Sijin, Yabghu had the legal right to inherit the Khanate and could also be regarded as a Lesser Khan.

A fawning smile spread across Jinshan's face.

Sure enough, without some benefits, if you just follow the rules step by step, even if you're not harassed, no one will give you any guidance.