"Mom, I'm back -"
Before entering the "Ming Hall", Xiao Taiping started shouting, with a bit of excitement in his voice, and a bit of eagerness.
"You little girl, you have just been out for a day, why are you thinking about running back? Those damn slaves don't know how to stop this crazy girl-"
Mrs. Wu's voice came from the "Mingtang". She hadn't seen her for several years. How could Li Zhi forget this familiar voice?
He stretched out his hand to stop Xiao Taiping, who was about to rush into the "Mingtang", and even smiled gently at the little girl and shook his head.
"Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty, I would like to see Lord Tuyuhun——"
Seeing his father's serious look, Xiao Taiping couldn't help but laugh on the sidelines.
"ah--"
Suddenly, I heard a messy noise coming from the "Mingtang". It seemed that the table had been knocked over? Is there the sound of an object falling to the ground?
To name a few.
"Let's go, don't keep your mother waiting."
Li Zhi had such a sharp ear and eyes. Since the "courtesy" was over, he reached out and took Xiao Taiping on the side. The two walked into the "Ming Hall" side by side, but they almost bumped into Mrs. Wu who came out after hearing the sound.
"Your Majesty? Is it really you? Why are you here?——"
Seeing Li Zhi who had been away for several years, well, Li Zhi's appearance had not changed for many years. After seven years of separation, the only thing that had changed was his clothes.
"Haha, why, 'Xian Fei, you have become the Lord of Tuyuhun, don't you recognize me?"
The moment he saw Mrs. Wu, Li Zhi was still somewhat "strange", but he was still holding Xiao Taiping in his hand, as if he suddenly realized that the woman in front of him was his daughter's mother!
Lady Wu was still in shock, but Li Zhi had already turned his back, holding Xiao Taiping with his right hand, while his free left hand stepped forward and directly wrapped his arms around Lady Wu's waist.
"Ah, Your Majesty——"
It seems that she did not expect that Li Zhi would be so "bold", and she has not had such a "habit" for so many years. Lady Wu suddenly wanted to dodge subconsciously?
What a pity, how could Li Zhi allow her a chance to dodge?
The family of three walked almost side by side to the main seat in the center.
Tuyuhun imitates the Tang Dynasty in every aspect, but this "Mingtang" also has its own unique style, such as the main position here.
The "Mingtang" is considered the meeting place of Madam Wu. She usually sits in the center of the seat, and even the most doting little Taiping never "meddles" in it.
Of course, the little girl has an active personality and doesn't like coming to this "Mingtang" very much. In addition, in the past year, she was mostly practicing, so the number of times she came here was even less.
It was more like half a bed than the main seat. Li Zhi sat on it without any ceremony, and actually took Lady Wu and Xiao Taiping into his arms at the same time.
"Xianfei, do you know your sin?——"
Fortunately, there was no one else in the "Mingtang" at this time for such a "deviant" behavior, otherwise Mrs. Wu would be really embarrassed.
Even so, isn't there his daughter next to him?
Little Taiping, on the other hand, had never had such an "experience" in her entire life. Out of curiosity, she felt inexplicably warm in her heart. The little girl even took the initiative to rub her head into Li Zhi's arms.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty, you are the king of a country. To act like this...besides, what crime do I...concubine have?"
Mrs. Wu had already blushed with embarrassment and struggled hard. She was already half-stepped into the "Daluo Golden Immortal", but she could not break free from Li Zhi's arm.
Are you kidding me? Although Li Zhi is only a small step above Lady Wu in terms of realm, he is the thirteenth "ancestral witch" since the dawn of time.
How could the power of "Ancestral Witch" be comparable to that of Lady Wu, the "Taiyi Golden Immortal" at her peak?
"What's the crime? It's been seven years since you secretly gave birth to a daughter without telling me. If I hadn't met Little Taiping today,
, how long do you want to hide it from me? "
Of course, Li Zhi was not really angry about this matter.
Thinking of the scene back then and Lady Wu's unique character, Li Zhi could naturally understand what she did.
It's just that I have been kept in the dark for so many years, and I still have to vent my anger.
"Your Majesty is unjustly accusing me of this. Half a year ago, I made a formal declaration to Chang'an. I think both Prince Chenxiang and Dingshan also reported it to Chang'an privately, right?"
"Your Majesty has been wandering around on his own. He has been absent from Chang'an all year round and has received no news. However, today he came here to ask questions. Isn't it true that he is still a concubine?"
After hearing that Li Zhi said this reason, Mrs. Wu calmed down.
She even took the opportunity to get rid of Li Zhi's "devil's claws", but the little girl Taiping stretched her body and occupied her father's arms alone.
"this......"
It turned out that after Li Chenxiang and Xue Dingshan met Xiao Taiping one after another, they secretly wrote to Chang'an and informed them about Princess Taiping.
Whether this matter is big or small depends on how you treat it.
In any case, Xiao Taiping is of the royal family of the Tang Dynasty after all. If you don't know, that's fine. They have seen it with their own eyes. Neither Li Chenxiang nor Xue Dingshan dare to neglect it.
Although Tang Emperor Li Zhi and Queen Yang Chan are not in Chang'an, isn't there still the Supreme Emperor Li Shimin?
The two secret messages traveled eight hundred miles in a hurry, entered the "Lizheng Palace" one after another, and were delivered to the hands of the Supreme Emperor Li Shimin.
After Li Shimin received the letter from the two, he didn't know how to make a decision.
In the final analysis, this is not only a matter for the Tang Dynasty royal family, but also Li Zhi's own private matter. After all, Li Zhi, the emperor, has long shown too many unique and unreasonable things.
Li Shimin first discussed it privately with his eldest son, Wuguo, and then invited several older Li family members from Zongzheng Temple and several chief officials from the Ministry of Rites.
Lady Wu's title as "Empress Xian Fei" was recorded in the royal ultimatum back then. Now that "Empress Xian Fei" has given birth to a princess, she is already five or six years old. Although the entire birth process does not comply with the royal rules, this Isn’t there a letter from the current Crown Prince as evidence?
In the end, an elder of the Li family came up with a compromise idea. The Tang Dynasty first included the little princess in the royal ancestral certificate, and the title was established according to "Taiping".
When Emperor Li Zhi of the Tang Dynasty comes back, or when Tuyuhun's "virtuous concubine" herself sends a formal letter, she will issue an edict to inform the world.
There is no other way. For the "virtuous concubine" who is far away in Tuyuhun, not to mention the chief officials of Zongzheng Temple and the Ministry of Rites, even Li Shimin, the "Khan of Heaven", has been treating her in recent years. What he did in Tuyuhun was full of admiration.
It can be called a "wonderful woman"!
But such a strange woman was the daughter-in-law of the old Li family, the "virtuous concubine" of the Tang Dynasty. The princes of the Tang Dynasty, including Li Shimin, couldn't help but feel a little proud while admiring her.
Sure enough, after receiving the secret letters from Li Chenxiang and Xue Dingshan, less than two months later, Tuyuhun's official official letter arrived.
There are two general contents. One is that Tuyuhun thanked Datang for its all-round assistance and was willing to serve Datang as the main body.
The second one is to formally apply for the title of Princess Taiping. However, Tang Emperor Li Zhi is not in the court. The title of Taiping was given out, but the name of this little girl could not be decided.
Fortunately, the other party is still young, and there are not many opportunities for women to be used as famous names in this era. However, the two emperors and empresses, Li Shimin and Changsun Wugou, gave the little girl a reward of more than ten carts.
There is no way, Li Zhi now has two sons and two daughters, but Li Shimin and the others have not been able to get one to stay with them, and even the two little princesses have not been able to let Grandpa Huang and Grandma Huang meet.
The emperor is not in the capital, the queen has also gone to the "Wa Palace", His Royal Highness the Prince is on the battlefield, the second prince is unknown where he is, and Li Zhi really doesn't have a fuel-efficient lamp.
It just so happens
A family that "didn't abide by the rules" allowed thousands of subjects of the Tang Dynasty to slowly live a prosperous life. The territory of the Tang Dynasty also continued to expand. Almost every few days, good news came frequently, or small countries were willing to attach themselves. In the Tang Dynasty.
After being apart for so long, there are always many things to say.
As the saying goes, a little separation is better than a wedding. One night's amorous feelings should not be shared with outsiders...
...
"Mei Niang, how is the situation in the Tubo war? I didn't hear you mention the agarwood and Dingshan incidents yesterday?"
Li Zhi had already known from Xiao Taiping that Prince Chenxiang had also come to Tubo. Last night, the two of them, who had been separated for several years, were focused on practicing "Xuanyuan Fangzhongshu" and had no time to care about military and state affairs.
After the two were entangled, Li Zhi also brought up the name deep in his memory at the right time - Wu Meiniang.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Wu, who was always known for her perseverance and ability, was actually very happy with the name Li Zhi chose.
In Wu Meiniang's knowledge, even though Li Zhi had several women for a long time, it seemed that no woman could win the name Li Zhi personally named.
And she, the "Wu Mei Niang", can be regarded as "taking the lead" in another sense.
"Your Majesty, I am guilty. Without your Majesty's consent, I made my own decision and arranged a marriage for Dingshan..."
Wu Meiniang told in detail what happened to Li Chenxiang and Xue Dingshan during Tuyuhun's southern expedition to Tibet in the past two years.
Speaking of when Xue Dingshan was seriously injured and almost dead, even though Li Zhiming knew that his apprentice had finally turned the corner, he couldn't help but worry for him.
When Wu Meiniang announced the name "Fan Lihua", Li Zhi was stunned for a moment, and then he was relieved.
Yes, now that Xue Dingshan is here, wouldn't it be a pity if Fan Lihua doesn't appear?
As for the charge of "accepting a wife in battle", as Wu Meiniang said, her life is almost gone, how can she care so much?
Besides, didn’t Xue Dingshan also act on orders?
Since it is a coalition of Tang and Tu, and Wu Meiniang is not only the master's wife, but also the honor of a country, what crime does Xue Dingshan have?
"Ugly Yang Fan? Damn it - but he spent so much effort to create a White Tiger Formation, but in the end he got an advantage over that kid Dingshan?"
"Haha, it seems that every drink and every peck has a certain result. 'White Tiger Formation, White Tiger? Is Dingshan really the 'White Tiger Star' reincarnated?"
In the myths and legends of later generations, father and son Xue Rengui and Xue Dingshan were both reincarnations of the "White Tiger Star", which led to the bad fate of "the father kills the son, and the son kills the father."
It is for this reason that Li Zhi kept Xue Dingshan in the palace. Even if he put Xue Dingshan on the battlefield, he sent Xue Dingshan far away to Tuyuhun instead of being with his father Xue Rengui.
Who can say clearly about cause and effect?
Whether Xue Rengui killed Xue Dingshan or Xue Dingshan killed Xue Rengui, it was a loss to Datang and Li Zhi. Li Zhi did not want to see such a thing happen.
Unexpectedly, after leaving Xue Rengui, he encountered a "White Tiger Formation", which still gave Xue Dingshan a narrow escape.
However, fortunately, the ending was good. Not only did his apprentice improve greatly, he also met the daughter of his destiny.
"Your Majesty, Dingshan and Lihua are truly a match made in heaven. I passed on the 'Xuanyuan Fangzhong Technique' to them both, and within half a year, they both made great progress."
"Especially for the Dingshan disciples, from my point of view, this set of exercises seems to be more advantageous to those with lower cultivation levels?"
In fact, when Wu Meiniang said this, she also felt it, and she herself was one of the beneficiaries.
"That's true. However, this set of techniques also has many limitations. If you reach the level of Daluo Jinxian, it will be difficult to benefit from it."
Li Zhi said with emotion, and he himself felt it deeply.
For example, last night's heart-wrenching fight and being turned upside down...
"Bah, that's not serious. How can your majesty still have the majesty of a king of a country?..."
Seeing Li Zhi's eyes drifting towards her again, Wu Meiniang blushed rarely, but her heart felt warm.
In fact, Li Zhi is a bit "hypocritical". If this technique has no realm restrictions, wouldn't it really be against heaven?
"Father, mother, can Taiping come in?——"
At this time, Xiao Taiping's voice came from outside the hall, and Li Zhi and Li Zhi hurriedly separated. Wu Meiniang went to open the door for her daughter, but Li Zhi pretended to sit by the table and read a book.
"Taiping sends his regards to father and mother——"
The door of the palace was opened, and little Taiping ran in jumping up and down. He had coaxed her out last night, but he ran over again this morning.
"Taiping, come to Father and give you some gadgets——"
Although Princess Taiping was over six years old, Li Zhi still held her in his arms like a two or three-year-old child.
Ever since the father and daughter recognized each other yesterday, Li Zhi has been feeling a little guilty and hating himself for not being able to accompany his daughter since she was a child.
It is a pity that this wise and wise emperor of Tang Dynasty forgot his other children.
"This set of armor was refined by my father himself. It is extremely defensive. It is completely immune to water and fire. You can't even feel its presence when you wear it."
"And this set of armor also has another feature. It's a perfect size. Even if my little Taiping grows up, he can still wear it freely——"
Li Zhi said and took out a set of soft armor from the "storage bag".
It's really a complete set of armor, but the style is a bit weird. Naturally, Li Zhi adopted the processing method of later generations, and everything was practical.
This is the "Water Fire Dragon Evil Jiao" that Li Zhi killed with his own hands when he was on "Yingzhou Island". The entire spine was naturally refined by him into the "Great Wild Halberd", and the skin of the dragon is naturally a treasure. .
Li Zhi cut off a few pieces from it and refined this set of armor.
Of course, in terms of grade, this set of armor cannot be compared with the "Great Wild Halberd". When put together completely, it also has the effect of the primary "Acquired Spiritual Treasure".
"Wow, is this armor like this? Taiping has never seen it before."
Xiao Taiping was at the age where he was curious about everything he saw, not to mention that the set of armor Li Zhi took out was indeed a unique design in the world.
"Your Majesty, Taiping is only over six years old, you can't pamper her like this——"
Despite what she said, Wu Meiniang still came over with a smile on her face and helped Xiao Taiping put on the entire set of armor.
"Taiping, my father will teach you another set of techniques. After you have completely refined this set of armor, you can wear it and hide it at any time."
Since it was an "acquired spiritual treasure" level armor, it naturally couldn't be as troublesome to wear as ordinary armor. This made Xiao Taiping even more happy.
...
"Your Majesty, are you going to leave right now?"
A simple morning meal was the first meal that the family of three had together. Li Zhi and Wu Meiniang were mainly eating with Xiao Taiping.
Although she felt reluctant to give up in her heart, Wu Meiniang was not an ordinary woman after all, and she naturally understood that Li Zhi did not come to find her specially.
"I had a feeling a few days ago that something unexpected happened to the 'Sun True Fire'. Now I learned the truth from Mei Niang. The Fire Spirit is actually trapped in the 'White Tiger Formation.'"
"It seems that the mysterious master of Ugly Ghost Yang Fan took action. If even Rutoro is not his opponent, then I will have to deal with him myself."
It took Xue Dingshan more than half a year to fully recover from his injuries, but his cultivation level went further, reaching the middle stage of "Taiyi Xuanxian", and his combat power increased more than ten times. ..
Fan Lihua also benefited a lot, from the initial stage of "Taiyi Golden Immortal" to the late stage of "Taiyi Golden Immortal".
After Xue Dingshan recovered from his injury, he immediately said goodbye to Master Wu.
Although there would be military reports coming from Prince Li Chenxiang every ten days, it was just that the battle ahead was dangerous, and a little carelessness could put one's life in danger.
Xue Dingshan himself is the best example, especially the master of the ugly ghost Yang Fan. Looking at the entire Tang Tu coalition, no one can subdue him.
It's not that Xue Dingshan is greedy for military glory, but because Li Chenxiang is on the front line. He is not only his junior brother, but also the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. How can Xue Dingshan ignore him?
Xue Dingshan was going to Tubo, and Fan Lihua also wanted her husband and wife to accompany her. Naturally, Mrs. Wu had no reason to refuse, and asked the two of them to escort many gifts to the three armies.
In the past six months, the Tang-Tu Allied Forces' westward advance has slowed down a lot, but has become more steady. Every time a fortress, pass or tribe is conquered, it is completely digested.
And many brave Tang people or Tuyuhun people actually followed the Tang-Tu coalition forces and helped digest the results of the coalition's victory.
Tubo has always been poor, and there is naturally nothing to covet in terms of materials. However, war horses and people can be sold for money. If they are transferred to the mainland of the Tang Dynasty, they can be sold at a good price.
Naturally, there are people who know how to herd in Tuyuhun. From time to time, you can encounter some of Tubo's excellent pastures, but Di Renjie sells them to experienced herders in Tuyuhun at a low price.
As a result, many herdsmen with poor livelihoods in Tuyuhun were attracted to Tubo, filling the personnel gap left by selling Tibetans as slaves, and basically being able to support war with war.
"Your Majesty wants to go west to Tibet. Naturally, I can't stand in my way. I still have two things to ask your Majesty to get a charter for."
Wu Meiniang is not a short-sighted woman, not to mention that both of them are practitioners and have a life span of thousands or ten thousand years. Naturally, they will not take this short separation too seriously.
"First, regarding the matter of Xiao Taiping, I have already written a document to recognize my ancestor in Chang'an and return to my clan. However, my daughter still lacks a formal name. Please give it to your Majesty personally——"
Are you asking Li Zhi to name Xiao Taiping?
"Since Taiping was born on the night of the full moon in February, how about calling it 'Ling Yue'?"
In Li Zhi's "memory", there seems to be a dispute over the real name of Princess Taiping in later generations, but a large proportion of people support "Li Lingyue".
Li Zhi wasn't quite sure where the word "Ling Yue" came from, but in this world, Xiao Taiping happened to be born on the night of February 15th, so it would be more appropriate to call it "Ling Yue".
First, in the "Xia Calendar", February itself is called "Ling Yue", which means an auspicious month;
Secondly, it is the time when the fifteenth moon is full, and "Ling Yue" means commanding the stars and the moon. Li Zhi himself has high aspirations, so his little princess with extraordinary talent will naturally have an extraordinary future.
"Your Majesty is a well-chosen name, as if it came from my concubine's heart!"
Wu Mei Niang raised her eyebrows when she heard the word "Ling Yue" spoken by Li Zhi. She felt indescribable joy in her heart, just like when she just heard the word "Mei Niang" that Li Zhi chose for her.
"As for the second thing, if Your Majesty reaches the Tubo front line, can you ask Di Huaiying to rush back to Fuqi City?"
"Nowadays, more and more people from the Tang Dynasty and even from the Western Regions are coming to Tuyuhun. According to the latest data given by Hu Cao, the number of people has almost exceeded three million."
"As the population increases, all kinds of problems will arise. Without Di Huaiying in charge of Fuqi City, I would really be unable to cope with it."
When she said this, Wu Meiniang glanced at Li Zhi with resentment. All these "happiness worries" were given by the person in front of her. Who asked him to promulgate so many laws in Chang'an.
In terms of population alone, more than half of today's Tuyuhun people are from the Tang Dynasty. Some of the original Tuyuhun people went to Tubo, and fewer than 600,000 people remain in Tuyuhun.
"Haha, even if Mei Niang doesn't say anything about this, I will mention it. Di Huaiying is a very talented person. It would be too unfair to put him in Tuyuhun like you."
"The territory of the Tang Dynasty was growing day by day, and the old ministers in the court
As the national strength is at a loss, I am thinking of transferring Di Huaiying to Chang'an City and first serve as Fang Xuanling's deputy. "
"As for Tuyuhun, I issued an edict to transfer Yao Chong over. That kid has been training with Xuanling for so long, and it's time to let him go and stand alone."
The Tang Dynasty was somewhat unbalanced in civil and military affairs, and Li Zhi did not want to let go of Di Renjie, a great talent.
"Mei Niang, this time I come back from Tubo. You and Taiping can go back to Chang'an with me. As for Tuyuhun, I will just grant the entire Tuyuhun to Taiping. How about using it as her fiefdom?"
how?
What else can you do? You have granted a country to a princess. What else can Wu Meiniang say?
"Everything will be at your Majesty's discretion—"
If Wu Meiniang was still a little ambitious a few years ago, through observation and practice in the past few years, she has gradually forgotten this unrealistic dream.
The Tang Dynasty's random move of "driving the people into vomiting" fundamentally changed the entire Tuyuhun. In just over half a year, Tuyuhun's Southern Expedition completely turned into the Tang Dynasty's Southern Expedition.
If Wu Meiniang can't see the situation clearly anymore, she will no longer be Wu Meiniang.
Moreover, Tang Emperor Li Zhi's strength and ambition, as a pillow person, naturally can be seen more clearly than others.
She is determined to be the leader in the entire Nanzhan continent. How can such an emperor and the Tang Dynasty be compared to her and her Tuyuhun?
Besides, is this an outsider?
That was the man she was destined to be, and he was also the father of her daughter, Xiao Taiping.
...
The reunion is always short-lived. We saw each other yesterday, but we are separated today.
And those who are reluctant to leave are not just Wu Meiniang, who is hesitant to speak, and Xiao Taiping, whose eyes are filled with tears?
Li Zhi raised his neck and drank the wine specially sent by Wu Meiniang. She picked flowers and morning dew with her own hands when she was bored, and brewed it with a secret method, named "Daughter's Drunk".
The wine is good, not to mention made by Wu Meiniang herself? Li Zhi drank three cups in a row before feeling relieved.
If the journey is high and the journey is long, will he really be able to return in triumph soon, as Li Zhi envisioned, and return to the Tang Dynasty happily with his wife and daughter? ...
