Chapter 179: |
The term “marital alliance” had nearly become a forbidden concept within the realm of the Great Tang. Throughout the empire, it was widely known that Songtsen Gampo had met his demise due to his ill-advised attempt to force a marital partnership with the Great Tang. His downfall resulted from his efforts to manipulate the situation, but Su Li’s intervention in court had thwarted his scheme.
The people of Changan were abuzz with the rumor that Crown Prince Yongle strongly disapproved of marital alliances. Since then, any foreign power considering proposing such an alliance with the Great Tang must carefully consider Crown Prince Yongle’s perception of their intentions. Anyone who came under his scrutiny from foreign lands had little chance of escaping unharmed.
This rumor was the reason that the various envoys from foreign lands who had been waiting at the Square Pavilion for an opportunity to propose marital alliances with the Great Tang fled overnight. Only one small nation, the Silla Kingdom, dared to step forward and suggest such an alliance during the grand assembly of nations.
The Silla Kingdom had its own unique reasons for daring to propose this alliance. Silla was one of the three nations on the northeastern peninsula of the Great Tang. Among the three, Goguryeo was the most powerful and well-known.
In the past, due to Goguryeo’s collaboration with the Turks, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty launched a massive campaign against them but failed to conquer them despite three attempts. Since then, Goguryeo had lost much of its respect for the dynasties ruling over the Central Plains. Moreover, Goguryeo often displayed its might within the peninsula, frequently bullying Baekje and Silla.
Despite Baekje’s relatively strong national power, it occasionally managed to stand up to Silla’s bullying. Undoubtedly, Silla was the weakest among the peninsula’s nations, and its neighbors weren’t particularly friendly.
Fortunately, Silla had a benevolent guardian—the Great Tang. Silla’s respect for the Great Tang was deeply sincere. Even after the old king of Silla passed away, leaving behind his only daughter, Queen Seondeok, to succeed him, the kingdom maintained its customs of paying tribute and showing respect to the dynasties ruling over the Central Plains.
However, recently, Silla had encountered some challenges. After the old king’s death, his only daughter, Queen Seondeok, ascended the throne due to the lack of a male heir. But for some special reasons, she also remained without a successor. She had chosen her own cousin as the heir, who did have a male heir.
This time, Silla dispatched envoys to congratulate the Great Tang on its victory in the northwest and primarily to propose a marriage alliance for Queen Seondeok’s nephew, Kim Chunqiu. Silla was facing difficulties due to the threats posed by Goguryeo and Baekje. Queen Seondeok sought to strengthen her ties with the Great Tang through this alliance, hoping for assistance from the Great Tang in crucial moments.
However, for a small country like Silla, to be frank, compared to the Great Tang, it was somewhat precarious. Who knows, it might be annexed by another country one day. By sending Gaoyang to marry Silla, Li Er had two intentions.
The first one was, of course, a veiled agreement to Su Li’s request. As for the second one, it was a deliberate declaration to the world that Su Li’s words were of no consequence whether the Great Tang engaged in marital alliances with foreign nations or not. This world was, after all, Li Er’s world!
It had to be said that Li Er’s approach was relatively well-considered. He hadn’t directly refused Su Li. He had managed Gaoyang according to his request. Additionally, he had clearly stated his stance. Although he had acted according to Su Li’s wishes, it was only because he genuinely believed that Su Li’s idea was not bad. It wasn’t because he was intimidated by Su Li’s firmness and gave in. Li Er believed that Su Li would surely be able to perceive this.
……
Two days later, within the Eastern Palace, Li Chengqian regarded Gaoyang sternly as she knelt before him, tearful and pleading. Earlier that morning, Gaoyang had rushed to the Eastern Palace, distraught over receiving an imperial decree from Li Er, stating his intention to marry her off to Silla.
As the Crown Prince and the eldest legitimate son, Li Chengqian exuded an air of authority. While he held some disdain for Gaoyang, he hadn’t entirely ignored her. Gaoyang recounted the events in Forest Garden Park that day, framing them as coincidental occurrences.
According to her, it had been purely by chance that she had arranged for Changle’s maid to stay at the princess’s residence. It had also been an accident when the vial of medicine had fallen into the lake during the commotion. Gaoyang confessed that fear had kept her from revealing the truth until recently when Su Li had deduced it.
Knowing which two were false, he believed only two of Li Chengqian’s thoughts regarding Gaoyang’s words. His sister was arrogant and conceited but lacked intelligence. She seemed to believe she was a skilled actress, unaware that true professionals saw through her performances.
Gaoyang sobbed genuinely this time. “Imperial Brother, I made a mistake. Whatever punishment Father Emperor and Mother Empress choose should have been handled by the Ministry of Rites. Why did Father Emperor issue a direct imperial decree for a marital alliance?” Her voice trembled.
Li Chengqian let out a bitter laugh, pitying Gaoyang to some extent. He hadn’t grasped that their father wasn’t overly concerned about their mistakes as long as they didn’t commit egregious mistakes. Gaoyang’s problem was that her blunders were thoughtless and had potentially significant consequences.
If she could secure Changle’s forgiveness, her situation might not have been so dire. Even if Changle remained unforgiving, Gaoyang could have gone to Li Er and Empress Zhangsun, shed a few tears, and accepted a symbolic punishment as a sign of repentance. The matter could have blown over. But what had Gaoyang done? She hadn’t made any effort to make amends, not even a proper apology. Instead, she had retreated and left things to fate, and her current distraught state was a testament to her internal turmoil.
Li Chengqian didn’t want to be involved in this matter. Li Er had personally intervened, and there was even a shadow of Empress Zhangsun’s influence. The swiftness with which they had handled a foreign nation marrying into the Great Tang and taking a real princess as a bride was unusual. Li Chengqian thought that Gaoyang had genuinely angered Li Er this time, although he was somewhat puzzled by his father’s unusually decisive actions.
While Li Chengqian was preparing to gently advise Gaoyang to accept the situation, given that Li Er had already decided, Gaoyang unexpectedly lifted her head and resentfully claimed, “I’ve investigated it. After I left Changle’s residence that day, Su Li followed me closely into the palace. It was afterward that Father Emperor made this decision!”
Li Chengqian, who had initially slouched, straightened up slowly. His gaze grew sharper, realizing that Su Li had pushed Gaoyang’s marriage alliance. It was time for him to intervene!