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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 254: Taming
Today there was no court meeting, so Li Jian Cheng received Tongye Hu in Ganlu Palace. The Turkic Khagan, disheveled and dirty, performed a deep bow, while Changsun Wuji stood to the side of the grand hall.
"Great Your Majesty, I am willing to offer my loyalty and serve as your vassal for eternity, guarding the western borders of the Tang Dynasty."
According to the news brought by the envoy, before Tongye Hu was captured, his uncle Ashina Hamotu seized power, imprisoned and killed Tongye Hu's son Ashina Tieli, and intercepted the Western Turkic Forces that were supposed to come to his aid.
Now, Ashina Hamotu sent an envoy not to soften his stance or redeem Tongye Hu but to threaten the Tang Dynasty to release him and withdraw troops; otherwise, war would ensue. In reality, he was forcing the Tang Dynasty to kill Tongye Hu.
The emperor was known for his composure; he did not rush to accept Tongye Hu's declaration. Instead, he said, "A Khan without any power cannot represent the Turkic people. How can he protect my northwest?"
Tongye Hu raised his head. "Your Majesty, Ashina Hamotu only seized power while I was away. Most of the states in the Western Regions still favor me, and many of the Tuyuhun within those states are my confidants.
As long as you send a great army to escort me back home, I will forever obey your commands and revere you as I would the supreme Tengri!"
Xili Fa referred to the sovereigns of the Western Regions, while Tuyuhun were Turkic nobles stationed within their territories responsible for governance, military leadership, and tax collection. Tengri referred to the sky god.
From Li Jian Cheng's understanding, Tongye Hu was correct; despite these events, a significant portion of Turkic nobles still hoped to redeem their Khan.
After all, Tongye Hu had elevated Western Turkic to its peak, almost completely controlling the states in the Western Regions, allowing each noble to enjoy immense wealth.
This was also a crucial reason why he survived after Xieli's death.
However, the emperor needed further assurance. As Tongye Hu was taken away with some confidence, he suddenly saw someone waiting at the palace entrance: the former Great Khan of Western Turkic, Nijue Chuluo Khan (Ashina Daman).
Tongye Hu's expression changed drastically; fear filled his eyes—not fear of Chuluo himself but dread that if the emperor chose to support Chuluo, he would become as useless as Xieli.
What fate awaited a useless person?
With despair weighing heavily on him, Tongye Hu left. When Chuluo entered the hall, he was cautious and respectful—nothing like the brutal tyrant who had once ruthlessly exploited various tribes and had executed hundreds of Tieli tribal leaders in one go.
Now he was a Duke of Guoyi County under Tang rule, responsible for commanding the Turkic cavalry stationed in An Nei.
"Have you met with the envoy from Western Turkic?"
"Your Majesty, I have met them; however, they are unfamiliar faces and do not have close ties with me."
Li Jian Cheng was not surprised. Although Chuluo had been forced to flee to the Sui Dynasty due to Pei Ju's schemes, it was a fact that he lacked the support of the people during his rule over the Turkic tribes.
His few confidants had long been purged by She Kui and Tongye Hu, and now, sending a large army to support him in taking control of the Turkic tribes would likely lead to his demise before long.
Chuluo, despite his bravery and martial prowess, had little else to commend him.
"Do you wish to return to the Turkic tribes?"
After a long silence, Chuluo replied, "I wish to return to my homeland, but I know there is no place for me there anymore. The Tang Dynasty is my true home."
The emperor was pleased with Chuluo's realization; after so many years living under others' roofs, he had finally shown some growth.
"I intend to assign you to guard the Western Sea River Source Four Prefectures, to defend against the remnants of Tuguhun."
Chuluo was quite surprised. He had thought the emperor would keep him close like Emperor Yang did.
"I am willing to serve Your Majesty."
Chuluo was notorious throughout Western Turkic and even among all the nations of the Western Regions. As a deterrent, he was an excellent choice; of course, he would need more officials assigned to accompany him.
Thus, Tongye Hu was left in limbo for seven or eight days until he began to self-destruct in despair and starvation. Only then did the emperor order someone to drag him out and clean him up in preparation for his grand wedding with Princess Gaomi.
Tongye Hu's only son had been imprisoned and killed; it was a fitting end at just the right time.
Now bathed and dressed in Central Plains attire, Tongye Hu felt somewhat disoriented. He thought the emperor wanted to summon him again and was pondering how best to express his loyalty when suddenly a fragrant breeze swept through. Accompanied by dozens of palace maids, Princess Gaomi entered gracefully. The usually confident Khan found himself instinctively shrinking back.
"Khan, this is Her Highness Princess Gaomi of our Tang Dynasty, here to visit you."
The lady-in-waiting beside Ashina Anar introduced Princess Gaomi to Tongye Hu in Turkic. Upon realizing that this was the princess he was originally supposed to marry, Tongye Hu felt an overwhelming sense of shame.
Princess Gaomi stepped forward and gently bowed. Tongye Hu hurriedly returned the gesture but dared not look directly at her face. A fleeting glance was enough for him to imprint her beauty and grace into his heart.
After they sat down, the palace maids brought out exquisite dishes from food boxes and placed them before Tongye Hu. Glancing between the princess and the food, Tongye Hu felt even less inclined to die.
The princess suddenly spoke a sentence in Turkic, not very standard, and Tongye Hu almost thought he had misheard.
The lady-in-waiting beside her said, "Your Highness originally thought she would be marrying into the grasslands, so she learned some Turkic to communicate with Khan. She never expected Khan to break the agreement and invade!"
Tongye Hu hurriedly defended himself, "That was Xieli's instigation; it was not my intention. I am willing to marry the princess; otherwise, I wouldn't have sent five thousand fine horses."
After hearing the lady-in-waiting's translation, the princess glanced at Tongye Hu and sighed softly, "It is because of Khan's past sincerity that I prepared food and wine to visit. I can only lament that Khan has little time left, and I must marry another."
Tongye Hu was greatly shocked. He thought the emperor had released him, but it turned out to be just the princess's intention. At this moment, what troubled him most was not the possibility of his death but that the beautiful princess before him was going to marry someone else.
As Khan's Tongye Hu, he had enjoyed the company of many princesses from various Western regions before. He had not given much thought to a princess from the Central Plains; his initiative in seeking her hand was merely to unite with Tang to attack Xieli.
Princess Gaomi had been married before and knew well how to make a man cherish her. She slightly furrowed her brows, her thin lips pressed lightly together, and her almond-shaped eyes shimmered with waves of emotion. Her expression held both pity for Tongye Hu and sorrow for her own uncertain future.
Tongye Hu was filled with anxiety, his heart burning with fear of death, desire for life, longing for beauty, and reluctance for power. All these emotions overwhelmed him.
He could no longer care about the many palace maids watching him; he knelt down with a thud before Princess Gaomi and said, "Beautiful and noble princess, please intercede with your brother on my behalf. I am willing to give everything to guarantee my promise. I will serve His Majesty loyally and treat you with the same loyalty. I hope to fulfill our marriage contract!"
………………
(End of Chapter)
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