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墨書 Inktalez
In the residence of the Soga Clan in Wa Country, Minister Soga Makiko was serving several monks and nuns with exquisite food and elegant attire. Most of the monks hailed from Silla and Baekje, while the nuns were predominantly Wokou.
This practice was related to the indigenous shamanistic beliefs of Wa Country, which held that nuns possessed the same innate ability to communicate with deities and spirits as shamans did, a gift believed to be absent in men.
As the chanting filled the air, Soga Makiko knelt before a Life-Sized Buddha Statue. "O heavenly kings and great deities, assist and protect me, granting me benefits. I vow to honor you by erecting temple towers and spreading the Three Treasures."
Behind him, a tall general from Wa Country spoke loudly, "Master, I am willing to set sail and battle the Tang Kingdom!"
Soga Makiko slowly rose. "Right now, the pressing concern is not the Tang Kingdom but the Crown Prince; he should be dead by now."
The Crown Prince was not only Soga Makiko's nephew but also his son-in-law. However, the struggle for power had rendered this relationship insignificant.
Soga Makiko's son, Soga Emishi, was about to say something when a servant rushed in hastily. The breach of decorum infuriated Soga Emishi, who stood up and delivered a resounding slap.
Li Jian Cheng was also hosting a banquet for Tuli Khan's envoy, leaving both parties puzzled about the emperor's intentions—who exactly was he supporting?
However, Li Jian Cheng paid no mind to Luo Yi's antics and instead rewarded the generals from Liaodong for their contributions, fully integrating them into the Tang dynasty.
The people of Liaodong could be partially relocated to Wa Country; new places would bring new conflicts, and over time, old grievances would fade away.
Meanwhile, Tuli's situation was dire; similarly, he faced challenges as powerful states in the Western Regions sought to unite against his rule while weaker ones actively sought refuge under Tang's banner. His authority was waning rapidly.
"Let’s go meet His Majesty and arrange for battle," he said.
The establishment of a cabinet allowed the emperor's confidants and key ministers to participate directly in major state affairs.
Li Jian Cheng was not particularly concerned about Wa Country; the gap between them was simply too vast. A nation just beginning to emerge from slavery and lacking centralized monarchic power could hardly muster any strength to oppose an emerging hegemon.
One should truly worry about natural disasters, such as typhoons, tsunamis, and earthquakes; these three pose a greater threat and obstacle to the Tang Army's Naval Forces in conquering Wa Country.
After winter set in, the Grand Empress Dowager fell gravely ill and passed away within three days.
Li Jian Cheng had initially intended to support Yishiyi Man, but now he changed his mind. Since the Turkic situation had deteriorated to this extent, there was no need for a large-scale military campaign.
At this time, under Tuli Khan's command, the leader of Xue Yantuo, Yishiyi Man, along with Balhae from the Qie Le tribe and the leader of Uyghur Tongluo, came to pay their respects.
It turned out that after Zhao Deyan's reforms, the Turkic realm was now in chaos, and the people were suffering. Princess Yicheng and Tuli were indulging in revelry, collecting heavy taxes from various tribes every month.
The Emperor hosted them grandly in Jiangdu, while at the same time, Tuli's envoy arrived. Given the significant movements of various tribes and their blatant actions, he was understandably apprehensive.
Tongye Hu adopted a humble demeanor because the Tang Dynasty was flourishing. He remembered how he and Xieli Khan had attempted to invade during Tang's early days when it was still unstable and faced internal and external troubles; they had suffered disastrous defeats then, and now it was even less feasible.
Additionally, Wa Country continuously sent envoys to apologize. This time, there were no grand titles like "Eastern Emperor" or "Western Son of Heaven"; instead, the small king respectfully inquired about the Great Emperor's imperial edict or sent greetings from the Wa Kingdom King to the Tang Emperor.
Li Jian Cheng waved to his sister. Li Wei stepped forward to take the child from her arms and carefully placed him into the Emperor's embrace.
"Here you go."
Observing filial piety was not a trivial matter, even for an emperor who could replace days with months.
A servant quickly ran out while Soga Father and Son remained seated. After a moment, Soga Emishi said, "Father, the Crown Prince's Eldest Son is your grandson and my nephew. His Majesty also intends to pass on the throne to him. Are we really going to choose to support another prince?"
Soga Makiko's expression remained unchanged. "Go see how the Crown Prince reacts upon receiving this news."
After autumn arrived, the Emperor took the Queen and returned with the Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager to Luoyang.
Until the Queen gave birth to her second legitimate son in Jiangdu, the Emperor returned and conducted a ritual for heaven and earth outside Jiangdu City.
After two or three years of natural disasters, this year finally saw some calm. The situation in various regions was good, and the granaries had some stored grain, so the common people only needed tax reductions without requiring relief.
The Emperor stayed in Jiangdu for only a month during his southern tour before continuing southward, despite the courtiers' attempts to dissuade him.
The Emperor mourned deeply and wept, personally supporting the funeral of his late father. Until New Year's Day of the Peace Year Seven, he was disinterested in state affairs. Fortunately, there were not many matters that required his daily attention at that time.
"Your Majesty."
Soga Makiko, twisting a string of prayer beads in her hand, said, "It is too close; that is also not a good thing."
They could no longer endure it, but currently, both Turkic factions nominally submitted to the Tang Dynasty. They wanted to rebel against Tuli Khan; regardless of whether it would succeed or not, they had to consider the Tang Dynasty's stance.
Tuli ordered a thousand camels, three thousand horses, and ten thousand sheep to be driven away as gifts for the upcoming Wanshou Festival.
Now they only needed to wait for this year's harvest; they could send troops next year.
In any case, even if they were truly defeated, they could push the responsibility onto His Majesty.
However, that servant merely bowed in apology before immediately saying, "Your Majesty summons you to the palace; the Andong Protectorate of the Tang Kingdom is leading ships as tall as mountains to attack!"
Soga Makiko clasped her hands together toward the Crown Prince's residence and muttered sutras for the deceased.
After reading this, the Emperor said nothing. Since this was the choice of the Retired Emperor himself, he felt it inappropriate to say much more. Moreover, dying from indulgence was not without its blessings.
The Imperial Physician finally said, "The Retired Emperor had a good foundation; if he starts recuperating now, he may still recover."
In fact, it no longer mattered whether the Tang Dynasty's battles were victories or defeats, for the Soga Clan had lost their last restraint, and no one could hold them accountable.
"Your Majesty, this is the pulse diagnosis of the Retired Emperor."
Li Jian Cheng took it and glanced over. From the physician's explanation, he roughly understood Li Yan's condition. He was like the former Xiao Cong, drinking heavily day after day, allowing himself to be consumed by women, which had already damaged his very foundation.
"Rest assured and take care of the Empress Dowager. I will have other physicians attend to the Retired Emperor."
Moreover, the Retired Emperor had been in contact with some notable figures and had taken Five Stone Powder together with them.
"Master, the Crown Prince has coughed up blood and died!"
Just a few days after New Year's Day, the Western Turkic Khan arrived in Chang'an with his wife and children. Princess Gaomi came to pay her respects, while Tongye Hu was primarily there for matters concerning the grasslands.
With Li Shimin and Li Jing leading two elite forces, they could directly seize the grasslands and establish a Protectorate to govern.
The Dou Family had departed, and Li Jian Cheng felt a deeper affection for his family. He personally embraced his nephew; after all, aside from his own children, he had never held a nephew before, let alone a niece.
………………
(End of Chapter)
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