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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 255: The Marriage Proposal
Princess Gaomi appeared somewhat at a loss, but the lady-in-waiting continued to diligently translate Tongye Hu's promises.
The princess ordered the lady-in-waiting to assist Khan to his feet and then commanded the court ladies to withdraw, leaving only two female attendants by her side.
"It seems my royal brother is inclined to escort Chuluo back to Western Turkic. As a mere woman, it is truly difficult for me to persuade His Majesty."
At this moment, Tongye Hu felt as if he had grasped a lifeline, immediately laying out his advantages while thoroughly pointing out Chuluo's shortcomings.
Princess Gaomi did not respond right away; she simply instructed Tongye Hu to eat something first. Having gone two days without food, Tongye Hu began to devour the meal voraciously.
Once he finally finished eating, Princess Gaomi ordered the attendants to clear the dishes and then cast a deep glance at Tongye Hu before preparing to leave.
Tongye Hu wanted to retain her attention and persuade her further, but inexplicably, he did not want to appear desperate in front of Princess Gaomi. Even if he were to die, he wished to leave a good impression in her heart.
Tongye Hu was tall and, after bathing and having a meal, regained some of the noble demeanor of a Western lord. He stood up to see the princess off but was stopped by the guards at the door, left only to watch her graceful figure depart.
He couldn't help but think that if he hadn't made a foolish mistake and been dragged into invading the Tang Dynasty by Xieli, perhaps he would have already married the princess and be enjoying wealth in Qianquan City.
Suddenly, Princess Gaomi halted. Tongye Hu was startled; with incredulous hope, he watched as the princess furrowed her brow and turned back, gently nodding her head.
This… this meant that the princess had agreed to help him plead with the emperor.
"Tengri, may you bless me, may you bless the princess. Under your protection, may I take the princess back to the steppe; I will offer you a grand sacrifice."
Meanwhile, in the palace, Li Jian Cheng was playing chess with Fang Xuanling. The emperor casually leaned against a pillar while Fang Xuanling knelt beside him.
"When do you think it would be best for Tongye Hu to return?"
Fang Xuanling pondered, "In my humble opinion, the sooner, the better. We should return Tongye Hu before Qin Wang leads the troops back home; otherwise, we will have to send an army to escort him."
"I am only worried about the reinstatement of the Western Region Commandery. Will it be easy to repeat in the future?"
"Tongye Hu is certainly capable now, but once he returns to the kingdom, if he reneges on his promises and changes his mind, what then?"
Li Jian Cheng casually made a move on the board. "If the national strength is strong, we will send troops to deal with it. If the national strength is weak, we must endure and wait for a better time."
Fang Xuanling chuckled. "That is not Your Majesty's style."
Li Jian Cheng smiled in return. "The Western Turkic is still a bit far off. I want to handle what is in front of me first. I do not expect Tongye Hu to be overly obedient; at least if he can remain settled for seven or eight years, that would be enough."
Li Wei entered the hall and reported, "Your Majesty, Princess Gaomi requests an audience."
"Let her in."
Fang Xuanling conceded defeat at the game and bowed to the emperor before carefully stepping aside to wait for the princess to enter and pay her respects.
The princess conveyed Tongye Hu's words verbatim. After she finished, the emperor said, "You will have to endure a couple more days of hardship."
In the following days, Tongye Hu was anxious and restless, unsure whether he was worried about his own life or whether he could see the princess again.
One day, a female official came again to deliver food. Tongye Hu hurriedly inquired about news, but the official's attitude was extremely unfriendly, and she was unwilling to speak.
Tongye Hu pleaded repeatedly until finally, the female official said, "After the princess pleaded for you, His Majesty was furious. The princess disregarded her own well-being and knelt before His Majesty begging for mercy; now her knees are bruised and swollen to the point she cannot move!"
Tongye Hu paused for a long time before saying, "Please tell the princess that there is no need to worry anymore."
"Hmph."
The continuous ups and downs had deeply affected this accomplished Khan, but sometimes the twists of fate are so strange, at least in his eyes.
One day, in a daze, Tongye Hu was brought back into the palace. After kneeling down and looking up, he saw that the emperor of the Tang Dynasty remained as mysterious as ever; no one knew what he would do next.
Looking around, Tongye Hu recognized several familiar faces among his subjects, but more than half had already pledged allegiance to Ashi Nahamo Tuo. They were here to provoke the Tang Dynasty into killing him.
On the other side among the Tang Courtiers, he also spotted Chuluo Khan. Tongye Hu thought to himself that it seemed very likely that his life would end today.
The emperor, high above, spoke: "I wish to fulfill the marriage agreement made between our two nations. After the grand wedding in Chang'an, I will send Troops to escort Khan and the princess back to your homeland."
Upon hearing this, Tongye Hu was stunned. The envoy from Western Turkic changed color dramatically, and Chuluo immediately stood up, pointing at Tongye Hu and said, "Your Majesty, he has betrayed us; how can we trust him again?"
The Turkic envoy quickly added, "No, this... this, Your Majesty, the Khan you mentioned must be our Quli Sipik Khan, right? The Khan must be very honored to marry the esteemed Your Highness of the Tang Dynasty."
Realizing what was happening, Tongye Hu immediately bowed down: "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
The emperor nodded and addressed the Turkic envoy: "I do not know what kind of Khan you are referring to; the Tang Dynasty will not recognize him."
After respectfully bowing to the emperor, Tongye Hu instructed the two envoys behind him: "When you return, immediately inform the leaders of Kucha, Dushan, Qiemu, Tocharian, Yarkand, Shiguo, and the Heavenly Kingdom, as well as those from Jueyue Shi, Balshimi, Boma, and Bone of Conclusion, to raise troops against Moheduo!
It must be resolved before I return with the princess. Additionally, instruct all kings of various nations to send envoys to congratulate our great Tang Emperor, who is as holy and divine as heaven itself—our esteemed Central Plains Khan!"
The two envoys immediately complied, expressing their gratitude with a bow towards the exalted Central Plains Emperor, then they took their leave.
The remaining envoy representing Moheduo had a grim expression. If Tongye Hugu Khan were to survive, the various countries and tribal leaders of the Western Regions would likely lean more towards him.
The civil and military officials of the Tang Dynasty were quite pleased with Tongye Hu's stance. With a Khan as a son-in-law, there was nothing wrong; the trade routes to the Western Regions would surely be unobstructed.
Although they did not wish to see the emperor's prestige soar to unprecedented heights, they were generally satisfied with the current development of the Tang Dynasty.
After the court session, the emperor kept Tongye Hu in the Martial Virtue Hall for a meal. Tongye Hu expressed his gratitude profusely, swearing loyalty multiple times.
However, Tongye Hu suddenly asked nervously, "Your Majesty, may I ask if the princess you have betrothed to me is Princess Gaomi?"
The emperor frowned, "What? Do you wish to change your mind?"
"I dare not. I only hope to be with Princess Gaomi."
The emperor snorted coldly, "I have no fondness for those who are unfaithful and treacherous; I would rather see them dead. If it weren't for Gao Mi pleading on your behalf, I would have preferred Chuluo. Even if Chuluo is not an option, Moheduo is also worth considering."
Tongye Hu broke out in a cold sweat again and said, "Your Majesty, I assure you that I will faithfully fulfill my promise and will not dare to offend your majesty's authority again. Now I only hope to return to the grasslands with the princess and live out my remaining days in peace."
………………
(End of Chapter)
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