Li Yuanying was always good at flattering Emperor Li, effortlessly scratching his itch with a few well-chosen words.
“The City of Chengyang’s scholars all passed the imperial examinations, surely they can be sent as envoys to the ceremony? It’s never been done before, why can’t the Great Tang do it? Our naval forces are in good shape now, if anything happens, Du He and the others can definitely keep Chengyang safe. Sending Chengyang to Silla for the ceremony isn’t that big of a deal.”
Seeing Emperor Li’s expression soften, the Minister of Rites knew things were going south. He inwardly cursed Li Yuanying, calling him a shameless flatterer.
Both Li brothers were shameless. The Minister of Rites decided to retreat and talk to Changsun Wuji. Changsun Wuji was shocked. Sending his niece across the sea? That was out of the question! Li Yuanying had only just calmed down, now he’s causing trouble again. It was truly a headache.
Changsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Wei Zheng went to Emperor Li together. Their opinions were unanimous: This was absolutely unacceptable.
Emperor Li got annoyed. He had drawn a map of the route from Henan Road to Silla for Li Yuanying, showing it was a short journey with few reefs, extremely calm waters, and few sharks or large fish. Du He and the others often patrolled this area, even conducting drills facing towards Goryeo, scaring off pirates and smugglers who were causing trouble at sea. So, going to Silla from here was safe, quick, and definitely wouldn’t be dangerous!
Emperor Li knew there was no such thing as a “definitely not” guarantee, but he agreed that Li Yuanying had minimized the risk, and that with the naval forces guarding them, Chengyang would be safe.
Emperor Li had already agreed to Li Yuanying, now Changsun Wuji and the others were opposing him, making him feel embarrassed. He started playing the stubborn child: “Chengyang is my daughter, I want her to go, it’s none of your business. What’s improper? What’s dangerous at sea? I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care.”
Emperor Li’s stubbornness was infuriating. Wei Zheng was furious and went home in a huff. Later that day, Li Yuanying went to play at the Ciren Temple, and when he passed by Wei Zheng’s house, thinking it had been a while since he’d seen the old man and missing him, he had someone cut a few pounds of venison and rode over to Wei Zheng’s house for a visit.
But Wei Zheng tried to throw him out.
Li Yuanying was puzzled. He had been quite well-behaved recently, he hadn’t offended Wei Zheng. He squeezed through the door, took the venison to Mrs. Pei to cook, and then went to flatter Wei Zheng, asking why he was angry.
Wei Zheng couldn’t do anything about him, so he could only scold him for instigating Emperor Li to send Chengyang as an envoy to Silla.
Li Yuanying said, “Chengyang and Manman are classmates. It’s a great joy for a classmate to become queen. What’s wrong with Chengyang going to see her? My third and fourth cousins have also gone to Tubo and Goryeo as envoys, why can’t Chengyang go? Do you also think that girls shouldn’t travel, that girls shouldn’t broaden their horizons, that a girl representing the Great Tang as an envoy would damage the Great Tang’s reputation?” Li Yuanying found it strange. “Everyone has parents, we are all born and raised the same. Why can boys do it, but girls can’t? Is it because girls lack a certain piece of flesh below their waist?”
Wei Zheng was so furious his blood boiled. How could he speak like that? What did he mean by “lacking a certain piece of flesh below their waist”? It was vulgar and crude!
Wei Zheng scolded him, “You’ve only been back in Chang’an for a few days, and you’ve already caused so much trouble!”
Li Yuanying felt wronged. “I was like this even when I wasn’t in Chang’an.” He had even more freedom to act up in Tengzhou. If it weren’t for his older brother’s promise that he could travel freely after the International Expo next year, he wouldn’t have come back.
Wei Zheng couldn’t do anything with Li Yuanying, and he couldn’t figure out how to persuade him.
It had to be said, there was some truth to Li Yuanying’s words. Emperor Li, as the father, was willing to let his daughter go, so what were they trying to stop?
Having a Great Tang princess personally attend the ceremony might help Kim Seung-man secure her position as ruler. Emperor Li never gave up on using military force against Goryeo, and the court also supported Silla. If Kim Seung-man could quickly establish herself, it would be a great benefit to the Great Tang.
Having a princess, a princess who dared to go beyond the borders and act as an envoy to other countries, might make future generations praise the Great Tang for its openness and strength. Who would dare to send a weak, delicate woman as an envoy unless they had enough confidence in their national strength?
Although Li Yuanying said there was no difference between boys and girls, there were still differences, at least in physical strength. Women’s bodies generally couldn’t withstand the hardships of travel.
It was unexpected that the Princess Chengyang, who seemed the most easygoing and peaceful, would be the first to take this step.
Wei Zheng sighed and helplessly ate the delicious stewed venison with Li Yuanying. Mrs. Pei was best at preparing venison, this stewed venison had a rich gravy and tender meat, it was delicious and easy to chew, leaving you wanting more!
The next day, Wei Zheng switched sides. Not only did he support sending Chengyang as an envoy, he further proposed that Chengyang should be the chief envoy, and he articulated the strategic significance of this move for the control of Liaodong with great logic.
Li Yuanying, the instigator of this whole affair, was brought in to listen. He was stunned. He just wanted Chengyang to go out and have some fun, but Wei Zheng had managed to come up with so much more.
Old foxes are indeed the best! He still had a lot to learn!
Li Yuanying shamelessly leaned in next to Emperor Li and clapped for Wei Zheng. “That’s right, that’s it! Your Majesty, listen to this, this is the way!”
Emperor Li was also quite satisfied.
Yes, that was it. He was not only showcasing the Great Tang’s strength to Silla and the other nations, but also securing Liaodong.
Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling thought Wei Zheng had done an underhanded thing. Knowing Li Yuanying was his grandson-in-law, did he need to switch sides so quickly? He was a staunch advisor, how could he also become so shameless?
Since the opposition camp had a traitor, and this traitor was eloquent and sharp-tongued, the matter of sending Chengyang and Wu Mei to Silla was settled. All that remained was to wait for the envoy group to meet them in Tengzhou with the letter of credentials before setting off.
Li Yuanying went back and praised Wei Zheng in front of Wei Jiu, saying how great and powerful the old man was, he needed to learn more from him. Today Chengyang could go, tomorrow it would be their turn. It was absolutely fantastic!
Li Yuanying was full of joy, but Changsun Wuji wasn’t so happy. He went back home, called his son and daughter-in-law, and asked his daughter-in-law, Princess Chang’le, to write a letter to Chengyang, persuading his niece not to follow Li Yuanying and go wild.
Princess Chang’le only then learned that Chengyang was going to Silla. She had married at the age of twelve or thirteen, and married into her uncle’s family. Everyone was kind to her, and she lived a peaceful and happy life. Although she was a little weak, she had improved a lot in recent years. The imperial physician said she would soon have children if she continued her recuperation.
As a princess of the Great Tang, she had such a caring and loving husband, and such a peaceful and quiet life, Princess Chang’le was very content.
She never expected that Chengyang, the quietest and most reserved among them, not only followed Li Yuanying to study at the Imperial Academy, and passed the female imperial examinations with her own ability, but now she was also going to be an envoy to Silla representing the Great Tang.
Princess Chang’le suddenly remembered when Li Yuanying came to visit her many years ago, he told her to go out more, saying that women could also live exciting and interesting lives. At that time, she just thought Li Yuanying was young and naive, women could have a good life by taking care of their husbands and children, how could they be exciting and interesting?
Princess Chang’le went back to her room and picked up a brush to write a letter to Chengyang. She had been taught since childhood to be gentle and virtuous, and she was also good at persuading others.
But after dipping her brush in ink, Princess Chang’le hesitated for a long time before putting pen to paper.
She had once overheard the ladies at a flower viewing banquet discussing the women’s academy in Tengzhou, many of them thought it was inappropriate for the women there to study at a school just like the men.
It was one thing for poor girls, but many daughters of officials were also sent there to curry favor with Li Yuanying. How could girls be the same as boys? Men and women were born different, girls shouldn’t be running around outside, they should stay at home and learn how to manage a household, how to be a wife and mother, what was the point of running around all day? It would be fine if they were all daughters from good families, as a way to make some connections, but the key is that there were also many who were from humble backgrounds, being seen together would definitely lead to ridicule!
Princess Chang’le put down her brush and sat quietly at her desk for a while before picking up the brush and writing a letter to Chengyang.
A few days later, Chengyang and Wu Mei received the decree from Chang’an. After Wei Zheng’s betrayal, Changsun Wuji and Fang Xuanling gave up struggling and closed their eyes and signed the edict, making Chengyang the chief envoy and Wu Mei the deputy envoy, letting them have their way, and if anything happened, they would absolutely not be responsible!
Chengyang and Wu Mei were both a little incredulous when they received the edict.
They had written to Li Yuanying, but they hadn’t really held out much hope. Even if they were successful, they thought they would just be part of the envoy group going to attend the ceremony, but they never thought Li Yuanying would make them the leaders.
After reading the letter Li Yuanying shamelessly had the eunuch deliver along with the edict, they learned that Wei Zheng had played a role.
Wu Mei said with a smile, “Looks like we’re riding on姝 sister’s coattails.”
Li Yuanying couldn’t understand why Wei Zheng suddenly changed sides, but Wu Mei figured it out immediately. Wei Zheng was a stubborn old man, but he also loved his granddaughter Wei Jiu very much. It’s fine to break the rules once, there’s always a second time, and you’ll get used to it.
Wei Zheng fought for them to be envoys this time, actually, it was also to fight for Wei Jiu, to fight for more girls in the future.
No matter who they rode on the coattails of, the matter was settled.
Chengyang held the edict and laughed happily, lightly lifting her skirt and going to tell Du He about it. Du He had matured a lot over the past few years. He used to be a wastrel, without many rigid ideas. Seeing Chengyang so happy, he naturally joined in the happiness and patted his chest, saying that she didn’t need to worry about anything, they would be there to protect her, there would definitely be no danger.
Di Renjie, however, was a little unhappy, grumbling to Wu Mei with reluctance, “You guys can have a good time out there, but all the work is left to me.” He also wanted to go to sea to see the world!
Wu Mei looked at him and smiled softly, “It’s not a difficult task for you. With you in charge in Tengzhou, there will be no problems.”
Di Renjie’s ears reddened, he pretended to be calm and said, “Of course there won’t be any problems.” Then he stopped drinking his tea, stopped talking, and found an excuse to leave.
Wu Mei watched Di Renjie flee in embarrassment and couldn’t help but laugh even more happily.
Who would have thought of having days like these?
Two days later, Princess Chang’le’s letter arrived at Chengyang’s hands. Chengyang usually corresponded with Princess Chang’le, especially after the post office was built, they would regularly write letters to each other, telling each other what had happened recently.
However, their last correspondence was a month ago, and this letter came a little suddenly.
Princess Chang’le was raised by Empress Changsun for the longest time, and she was the most like Empress Changsun in personality. She often advised her younger sisters.
News in Chang’an would definitely travel fast, Chengyang knew Princess Chang’le probably wrote because she knew about her going to Silla as an envoy, and she was prepared to be scolded. She unfolded the letter and was stunned.
Princess Chang’le didn’t persuade her not to go, she only told her many things in the letter: “You need to prepare well for this trip to Silla, the sea is windy and the waves are big, even if you don’t encounter any danger, you’ll still suffer enough from the cold. So if you want to go out of the cabin to see the world, make sure to choose a day with good weather. Wear enough clothes, don’t get cold. I’ve lived in Chang’an all my life, I’m unlikely to have the opportunity to see other places, it’s great that you can go out, make sure to take a good look at the seascapes and the scenery of Silla. The letters you wrote about Tengzhou are very good, I always read them several times, it’s as if I’ve seen them with my own eyes.”
As Chengyang read, she couldn’t help but shed tears.
**Author’s Note:**
Little Prince: I really just want everyone to go out and play!
Update!
Addicted to updating!
It looks like I’m going to be late for the movie!
I went to see “Capharnaüm” yesterday, and I’m going to see “A Mother’s Revenge” today.
Yesterday was a knife, I feel like this one will be a knife too.
Previous Chapter | TOC |