The rebellious grandson of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty: Please, Your Majesty, be called Cro

Chapter 174 I wonder when Master Cui sent his daughter into my room?

Tulisa praised her a few more times before suddenly realizing that something seemed off about the atmosphere in the hall.

"What's wrong?" Tulis asked, puzzled.

He didn't understand poetry and prose, but he had indeed worked hard to study Han Dynasty scholarship. He had heard that a Han emperor once asked his brother to compose a poem in seven steps, which became a legend.

This grandson of the emperor didn't even take seven steps just now. Shouldn't the poem he wrote be considered extremely impressive?

Li Shimin's face had darkened—Li Xiang's poem, though ostensibly about a marriage alliance, was actually a satire of the emperor!

What does it mean that "Emperor Han praised Lou Jing's strategy in vain, but then married the princess to the Xiongnu chieftain"?

When Emperor Gaozu of Han was besieged at Baideng Mountain, he had no choice but to follow Lou Jing's advice and use a marriage alliance to appease the Xiongnu Chanyu and seek temporary peace.

Meanwhile, the Tang Dynasty, which was clearly "frequently accepting surrender letters at the military headquarters and traversing thousands of miles with a single sword," was showing its strength, yet it followed the strategy of Emperor Gaozu of Han and Lou Jing, sending a princess to marry a foreign ruler.

This is clearly a satire of Li Shimin's old age and cowardice in battle, comparing him to Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) who feared the Xiongnu and the Xueyantuo. That's why he sent a member of the imperial clan as a bride for political reasons!

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned cold. Tulishe also noticed that Li Shimin's expression seemed off, and stopped talking.

Even the musicians and dancers at the banquet dared not continue their music for a moment, and the sounds of string and wind instruments gradually became sparse until they finally fell silent.

"What's wrong?" Only Li Xiang seemed oblivious to Li Shimin's unpleasant expression, still smiling as he turned to look at the musicians and dancers with a warm smile.

"Keep the music playing, keep dancing!"

"Your Majesty has conquered the world for so many years, now that you're old, isn't it time to enjoy yourself?"

"Keep playing, play that piece—oh right, the Qin King's Battle Song!"

Even the slow-witted Tulisa realized something was wrong at this point.

This is almost a direct statement that His Majesty the Heavenly Khan of the Tang Dynasty is old and indulging in pleasure.

That's why they use women to buy peace!

Li Shimin's body had begun to tremble slightly, unable to be contained. Beside him, Li Zhi quickly supported Li Shimin, appearing dutiful. But when no one was looking, he subtly raised his eyes and glanced at Li Xiang.

They are oblivious to their own mortality and speak rebellious and nonsensical words all the time.

They actually dared to disrespect their father, the emperor, and disrupt the dignity of the Tang Dynasty in front of foreign envoys.

After a moment's thought, he ultimately decided not to refute Li Xiang in order to win Li Shimin's favor.

This nephew of his already had a bad reputation among many powerful officials from Shandong families. His meddling only served to further alienate his father, the emperor, and his close associates, including the Guanzhong aristocracy.

It was unwise, but it was exactly what he, the regent prince, wanted to see.

It should be noted that even the Minister of Works, Fang Gong, who was known for his prudent approach to self-preservation and had rarely spoken out on politics in recent years, was the one who strongly advocated for the marriage alliance.

With enemies on all sides, this brat is bound to meet his end.

As for how this situation should be handled—in such a setting, the emperor should not rebuke this brat in front of outsiders, but someone must take the initiative to share the emperor's burden and step forward to refute him.

Sure enough, Li Zhi soon saw someone stand up from their seat, step forward, and say, "Hehe, the imperial grandson composed a poem in a short time; his poetic talent is truly unparalleled."

"However, the use of classical allusions is rather biased."

"The situation in our Great Tang Dynasty is different from that of the Former Han Dynasty. When Emperor Gaozu of Han was besieged at Baideng, he feared the Xiongnu and sought peace through marriage alliances."

"Our Great Tang's might extends far and wide, and all barbarian tribes submit to its rule. To establish a marriage alliance with them demonstrates our Celestial Empire's inclusiveness and benevolence towards all."

A nation's benevolence and virtue are by no means about feigning weakness and seeking peace.

This man bowed to the throne with his hands clasped, his words earnest, every word intended to smooth things over for Li Shimin.

"The Xueyantuo took the initiative to send envoys to pay tribute, offering countless cattle, horses, sheep, and camels, bowing their heads to seek marriage. This shows their admiration for the Tang Dynasty's teachings and their willingness to become vassals. Your Majesty's granting of the princess's marriage will unite the two nations through blood ties, ensuring that the northern border will be free from the calamities of war for decades, and that the people will be spared displacement and death."

"This is an act of goodwill, one that will be remembered for generations. How can it be confused with the desperate measures taken in the early Han Dynasty?"

As soon as the words were spoken, many court officials who had supported the marriage alliance nodded in agreement and chimed in with their own words.

"What the Vice Minister says is absolutely right! The Imperial Grandson is young and ultimately lacks understanding of long-term strategies for governing the country —"

"The Holy Emperor embraces the world and governs with benevolence and virtue; this is truly a wise strategy for the nation."

"Excellent, excellent! This is benevolent governance, incomparable to anything else. The poem is superb, but alas, the allusion is inappropriate—"

Li Xiang sized up the minister who stepped forward. The minister stroked his beard, exuding elegance and showing no fear. However, Li Xiang sensed a subtle hostility in his eyes.

"Who are you?"

"Your subject, Cui Dunli, is from the Cui clan of Boling and currently holds the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War," the man said with a smile as he introduced himself.

"So it's the Cui family," Li Xiang replied with a smile. He had already consulted the Ministry of Rites yesterday about the background of the marriage alliance.

The officials inquired and learned that the man who had been sent as an envoy to the Xueyantuo tribe a year ago to discuss the marriage alliance was none other than Cui Dunli.

He handled all the procedures for this marriage alliance, and its success was a great achievement for him. Naturally, he couldn't allow anyone to interfere with the matter.

Moreover, the Cui family of Boling is a prominent family.

That's not surprising.

"In that case," Li Xiang stepped forward, smiling broadly.

"I have heard that the Cui family of Boling is a prominent family with a thousand-year history, so they must be very knowledgeable about benevolence and virtue."

"My original surname was Li, and I am also a member of the royal family. Since Lord Cui is a minister of the Tang Dynasty, he must be very willing to be friendly to my Li family."

"I've heard that Lord Cui also has a virtuous daughter. In that case, I wonder when Lord Cui will send his daughter to my room to demonstrate the kinship of our noble family?"

Cui Dunli was taken aback, his expression changed slightly, and he forced a smile, saying, "Your Highness, please don't joke."

"I'm not joking. Didn't Lord Cui say that a marriage alliance is a sign of benevolence and that a woman should be offered as a token of goodwill?" Li Xiang's smile gradually turned into mockery of Cui Dunli.

"What? The daughters of the imperial family can be spared, but the daughters of noble families are treated like gold and jade, untouchable and unassailable?"

Just moments ago, Cui Dunli was stroking his short beard with an air of elegance, but now, he had even pulled out a few strands of his chin beard, wincing slightly in pain.

These five prominent families, with generations of high-ranking officials and scholars, had monopolized the prestigious social standing of the land since the Wei and Jin dynasties, their influence deeply entrenched and their influence immense. In their eyes, the height of their social standing even surpassed that of the emperor.

In their eyes, the imperial Li family was "not of high social standing and lacked a pure family tradition."

Even if the royal family sought to marry a woman from one of the five surnames, the Cui family would still look down on her.

Not to mention that this brat actually wanted Cui Dunli to send Cui's daughter directly into his room!

This is humiliation, a public, blatant humiliation!

"Why has Lord Cui's expression changed? Do you perhaps think that I, Li Xiang, intend to humiliate your Cui family?"

"As Lord Cui himself said, this was an act of goodwill that will be remembered for generations to come. How can it be compared to an act of insult?"

Li Xiang stared at Cui Dunli's ashen face with a half-smile.

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