Qi Zong Nongzan summoned Lu Dongzan and said: "I just got the news that Empress Changsun died of illness. You can bring gifts to Chang'an. Firstly, you will mourn for Empress Changsun, and secondly, you will propose marriage to the Emperor of Tang Dynasty. " Lu Dongzan replied: "What the lord said is very true. I just think that I will leave in a few days." "Well, don't forget the Haikou that you boasted to me. If you can't invite the princess, don't come back from Chang'an. Also, you can't let the Emperor of Tang Dynasty send one at random, and make an ugly monster to cover your responsibilities."

Seeing that Qizong Nongzan's taste is so high, Lu Dongzan felt a little embarrassed.But thinking about it again, I once boasted that I would invite a Tang princess with both talents and looks, but I couldn't refuse, so I replied: "I will definitely realize the great wish of the Lord if I fight hard." Qi Zong praised and laughed: "You went to Datang to ask for marriage. It's a beautiful thing. Why do you say so? Well, you can go to Chang'an without worry. I believe in your ability. In order to welcome the princess to come, I will let people The palace was built on the Potala Mountain according to the mountain situation, and now the big shape has been completed, and when the princess comes, the palace will be fully completed."

Qizong Nongzan pre-built the palace for the princess of the Tang Dynasty, which took two years to complete. Because it was built on the Potala Mountain, it was called the Potala Palace.The palace was initially built on a small scale, and later generations built it repeatedly, and gradually built a majestic building with a palace, a main hall, a spiritual temple, a Buddhist hall, a scripture hall, a platform and a courtyard.Looking from a distance, the Potala Palace is built on the hillside, with a height of 60 feet, a length of more than 100 feet from east to west, and 13 floors up and down.The Potala Palace can achieve today's scale, and Qizong Nongzan has pioneered it.

On the second day, Lu Dongzan took five thousand taels of red gold and hundreds of rare toys, and was guarded by more than a hundred people, and rushed to Chang'an in a mighty way. When Tang Jian saw the ministers sent by Tubo, he naturally received them hospitablely.Lu Dongzan talked about his intentions straight to the point, and asked Tang Jian to forward it to Li Shimin, and please set a date to meet Li Shimin. Tang Jian didn't dare to neglect, and hurried into the palace to ask to see Li Shimin. At that time, Li Shimin was drawing a bow and shooting arrows on the open ground in front of Liangyi Hall together with Chang He and other guards.Chang He has practiced martial arts all these years, and his archery skills are the strongest, with all ten arrows in the bull's-eye, he is today's champion.Li Shimin picked up today's reward - a piece of colorful silk, and said with a smile: "Chang He, you are nearly forty this year, and your arm strength is still the same as before. This is what it looks like to be a general. This piece of silk is rewarded to you." , don’t think it’s too thin.”

Chang He respectfully took the piece of silk, and said: "Your Majesty's reward is even a piece of paper, and I regard it as the most precious thing. I am actually very uneasy after being praised by the emperor. How can my arm strength match that of the emperor?" He turned his head. Called, "Come here, move the arrow pile forward another fifty steps, and wait for the emperor to shoot arrows." The eunuch next to Li Shimin handed him his special bow and arrow.I saw that this bow is twice as big as ordinary bows, and the arrows are much thicker and longer. Li Shimin took it and flicked the bowstring lightly. Those who were nearby could hear the bowstring make a slight "hum" sound.Li Shimin stroked the handle of the bow, and felt the warmth of the ivory. He sighed and said, "This bow has been with me for more than 20 years. Alas, the string is still there, but the person is gone." Ma Sanbao Yu Zhenguan In the early years, he suffered a sudden illness and died, so many years have passed.

Chang Hesheng was afraid that Li Shimin's heart would be hurt, so he hurriedly said: "Your Majesty praised the minister's arm strength just now, but the arrow pile that I shot was fifty paces away, and your majesty's arrow pile was a hundred paces away. Only this point, the minister I can't wait." Li Shimin was good at archery when he was young. His bow and arrow were twice as powerful as ordinary ones.When it is in danger, it often relies on bows and arrows to defeat the enemy, and often receives miraculous results.Legend has it that Chu Luo Khan once obtained a large feather arrow shot by Li Shimin. After watching it, he passed it to his subordinates to watch. The Turkic people were amazed.After Li Shimin ascended the throne, the Taichang Temple asked him to put one of his big bows and five long arrows in the arsenal, and whenever he encountered a gift from the suburbs, he would ask him to put them out among the ritual objects to show his martial arts.

Li Shimin got up and left the field, and said as he walked: "Since the queen passed away, I haven't learned bow and arrow for eight months, so I must be very unfamiliar with it now."The first arrow missed the bull's-eye and only hit the edge, Li Shimin shook his hand and said, "After all, I'm a bit unfamiliar." Unexpectedly, the arrows he shot later were even more unsatisfactory, two of them deviated from the arrow stack, and the last one fell softly to the ground before the arrow feather reached the arrow stack due to lack of strength. Chang He and the rest of the guards didn't dare to say anything when they saw this, they all stood there stupidly.Li Shimin was also stunned for a long time, and said dejectedly: "I still blame my hands for being a little rusty, why is my strength so weak?"

Chang He stepped forward to take the big bow, and said with relief: "It's still due to unfamiliarity. Your Majesty will shoot a few more times in the past few days, and you will be able to show your majesty's magical skill of piercing Yang with a hundred steps." Li Shimin shook his head, not believing Chang He's words.When he shot the arrow just now, he had already tried his best and felt exhausted, which had never happened before.Looking back on the past now, a trace of worry flashed in Li Shimin's heart: Am I really old?At this time, Li Shimin was only forty years old, and he was in his prime, so he couldn't really be called old.

Li Shimin was uninspired and sat silently on the side. Chang He wanted to divert Li Shimin's attention, he slowly approached Li Shimin, and said softly: "Your Majesty, since I returned to Beijing from the Western Regions, I have always had an idea in my mind." "what idea?" "When I see Hou Shangshu, Zhishenli, and Qibi Heli, they are valued by His Majesty, and they are often ordered to lead the army. I admire them very much. I think that Your Majesty will give me a chance to lead the troops out to make contributions. .” Li Shimin looked at Chang He in amazement, and asked, "What kind of thinking are you thinking? Could it be that I only value the generals who are out in the field, and don't pay much attention to you, the minister of the close guard? You must know that many outsiders are very important to my close ministers." I'm jealous!"

"I know. However, I always think that the true qualities of a general can only be revealed on the battlefield." "Why do you have such thoughts?" "The last time I was ordered to go to the Western Regions to ask for snow lotus, when I passed Gaochang Kingdom, I felt uncomfortable, because I had this thought." "I asked you to carry the credentials and treasures with you, so does Qu Wentai deliberately stop you?" "That's right. Seeing that your majesty has been hurting the queen these days, I dare not say anything to your majesty. When I passed by Gaochang Kingdom, the officials of Gaochang who received me were very unreasonable."

"Why is it unreasonable?" "He didn't even read the national documents, but he was still a little interested in treasures. He looked up at the sky and said: 'I still have a little wink in reading you, if it wasn't for this pile of treasures, you would have to go back the same way.' At that time, the minister was full of anger , I thought to myself, is this a gift to go down to the country? The minister wanted to get angry on the spot, and wanted to get the snow lotus back as soon as possible, so he swallowed his breath and didn't argue with him." Li Shimin pondered for a moment, then said: "It seems that Gao Changguo is getting more and more eccentric. If a subordinate official is like this, let alone Qu Wentai?" Chang He is eager to try: "I see that Gaochang is located in an important place in the Western Regions. He is unreasonable to our court. He should be punished. If your majesty raises troops, I am willing to go out." Li Shimin shook his head and said: "How can you do it easily? I just raised my troops to conquer Tuyuhun and Tubo. If I raise my troops again, people in the world will say that I don't want to be quiet--Niancheng just got better, so I sent troops abroad one after another. Gao Changguo really has renunciation towards our dynasty now, but it has not completely torn face, I can't use weapons rashly because of trivial matters. Chang He, I asked you to guard the palace and entrust the safety of the palace to you. You should know the burden on your shoulders Heavy." The two were chatting casually here, and they saw Tang Jian approaching step by step under the leadership of Tong Shi Sheren. Tang Jian bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Tubo Xiaolun Lu Dongzan came to Beijing and asked to meet the emperor." Li Shimin had already noticed Lu Dongzan when Yuchi Jingde reported He Jiluo's encounter, so he said, "Xiao Lun? He is the Prime Minister of our court. What is his intention?" "The minister listened to his recitation of what Zanpu said. One is to hang the queen's funeral, and the other is to ask your majesty to make peace with him through the meaning of repair." "Well, Tubo Zanpu sent his prime minister to Beijing to pay tribute to the empress. It seems that he knows etiquette." Li Shimin loves the eldest grandson empress, and he still misses it to this day. It is very suitable for the foreigner to come here to pay tribute to the funeral. "Your Majesty, please tell me when will I receive Lu Dongzan?" Li Shimin pondered: "In order to intermarry with our country, this abandoned Zong Nongzan raised this matter in his first emissary. Shortly thereafter, he sent troops to attack inexplicably, and then withdrew his troops on his own initiative. He sent Lu Dongzan as an envoy this time, and it seems that he is determined to win. Well, I am not in a hurry to see him. Tang Qing, you go back and tell him that this matter needs to be discussed in the long term. Hmph, you want a princess and play some child's tricks, so I am afraid of it?" It can be seen that Li Shimin With a strong character, it is difficult to persecute him with an offensive. Li Shimin thought for a while and then said: "However, Lu Dongzan came to mourn the queen, and he knows etiquette, and I can't lack the etiquette. Tang Qing, you have to place Lu Dongzan and his entourage in the official post. These days should be good." Entertain them." "The minister obeyed the order. It's just that when Lu Dongzan didn't see the minister, He Jiluo had already welcomed them into the 'Persian Residence' to rest." "He Jiluo is very considerate when he sees his old friends. Well, let them live wherever they want. Tang Qing, Honglu Temple will come out to entertain them a few more times." "I understand." "Also, you can send an order to the crown prince to let him meet Lu Dongzan on my behalf. In this way, we will not lack in etiquette." Tang Jian repeatedly agreed, then bowed and retreated. Chang He stared at Tang Jian's back, smiled at Li Shimin and said, "Your Majesty, this Tubo leader is quite interesting. In order to intermarry with me, he is unyielding and stalking. It seems that he is determined to win." Li Shimin pondered and said: "I heard Jingde recite He Jiluo's words. This Tubo king is indeed special. The twenty-six generations of his ancestors were all unknown. In his hands, he was the heir at the age of a weak crown. Unifying the tribe, and then conquering the neighboring Yangtong and the Qiangs, and becoming the overlord of the plateau, this talent is unmatched by ordinary people. He is not a reckless person, he is good at strategies, such as marriage proposals, and there are few good-looking things in his country. Is it a woman? No. He is so courteous in asking for marriage because he wants to form an alliance with our court, which will undoubtedly enhance the status of Tubo." "Your majesty thinks so, and thinks that this Tubo king is indeed a hero, so he just agrees to it." Li Shimin shook his head and said: "Chang He, it's not your specialty to communicate with the Tibetans, so you don't want to interrupt. Well, you take them and continue to practice arrows, and I will enter the palace." Chang He bowed and saw Li Shimin walking slowly into the Hall of Liangyi, before he breathed a sigh of relief, and said to himself: "Look at my broken mouth, what nonsense are you talking about?" After hearing Tang Jian's preaching of Li Shimin's will, Lu Dongzan felt a chill in his heart.The purpose of my trip was to propose marriage to the Tang emperor, but now I can't even see the emperor's face, so where do I start?When he heard that the crown prince could receive him, he found some comfort in his heart.From this point of view, the emperor of the Tang Dynasty let the crown prince come forward, showing the importance he attached to the Tubo Kingdom. Li Chengqian met Lu Dongzan in the Xiande Hall of the East Palace. He didn't know where Tubo was at all beforehand, and he didn't pay much attention to the meeting, so he wanted to say a few perfunctory words to end it. However, Lu Dongzan attached great importance to seeing the crown prince face to face. He ordered his attendants to bring a hundred catties of red gold and treasures bought from Tianzhu and other countries into the palace.Li Chengqian was not very eye-catching when he saw Chi Jin, but when he saw the pile of strange curios, his eyes lit up immediately, and he also left his seat. He Jiluo followed Lu Dongzan as an interpreter. Lu Dongzan put his right hand on his left chest and bowed to say something. He Jiluo translated: "It is a great honor for the Tubo special envoy Lu Dongzan to be summoned by the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty. , I will give you some cheap things as a gift to see you." Li Chengqian replied: "No courtesy. Hey, what kind of treasures did you bring? The colorful ones are very beautiful." After speaking, he moved around the corner of the desk and limped to the treasures. Among the treasures brought by Lu Dongzan, there are ivory, rhinoceros horn, amber, pearl, stone green and so on. Looking from a distance, the red and green complement each other, shining brightly.Among the treasures, the two agate lamp trees more than three feet high are the most eye-catching.Li Chengqian walked all the way to the tree and watched it intently. He saw that the branches of the tree were green and the fruit was red. They were carved from a whole piece of agate.The most wonderful thing about this object lies in its color matching. The red is red, and the green is green. There is no trace of variegated colors, and the master craftsmen carve and decorate it perfectly.Li Chengqian knew the goods and knew that this item was the most expensive, so he asked: "It's really a treasure, can Tubo produce this item?" He Jiluodai replied: "Zanpu attaches great importance to this mission to the Tang Dynasty, so before the mission, he sent people to Nibala, Tianzhu, Tochara, Dashi and other countries to buy treasures. These two agate trees , that is, purchased from the Tocharian country." Lu Dongzan said: "Zanpu knows that China is a huge country and there is no shortage of everything, so he sent some small things to let the emperor and crown prince of the Tang Dynasty take a look." Li Chengqian nodded and said: "Rare, it is really a rare thing. Well, come, take all these treasures." He turned to Ludong and praised: "It's just that the two agate trees presented by the envoy are too precious Some, I don’t dare to enjoy them, I have to tell my father.” Lu Dongzan hurriedly said: "The things I brought are specially dedicated to Your Highness. I still have spares at the emperor's place. Like agate trees, I still have a few in the post." Li Chengqian shook his head and said to Tang Jian: "I am not being hypocritical when I say this. It is due to Wei Zheng's 'Ten Gradually Shun', admonishing the father and the emperor not to 'seek horses for thousands of miles, and rare treasures outside the territory'. If I accept it rashly now, I will definitely accept it." I don’t like it for my father. Tang Qing, you know the reason, and you can explain it to them.” Li Shimin published Wei Zheng’s "Ten Thoughts" and "Ten Jianshu" to the world, and told everyone in the world to know, and ordered Li Chengqian to generalize These two books are read as the teachings of sages, and they are required to memorize them backwards.I don't want to really use it today, and Li Shimin's painstaking efforts are not in vain. Tang Jian told Lu Dongzan what he meant through He Jiluo. After listening intently, Lu Dongzan sighed: "Outsiders say that the great Tang Dynasty is strong because of its strong soldiers and horses. In fact, it may not be so. The core is to live in prosperity without being extravagant, and to live in prosperity without being arrogant. This is the core. " Li Chengqian was not interested in Lu Dongzan's exclamation, and asked: "I saw rhinoceros horns among the treasures presented by the envoy, so is there rhinoceros everywhere in Tubo?" "No, our country doesn't produce rhinos. This one was purchased from Linyi. Your Highness, the people of this country usually ride on smaller yaks." "Yak? Does it have horns like a rhinoceros?" "No, the yak has two horns, which are smaller than the horns of the rhinoceros. This animal has long hair all over its body, and its limbs are shorter. It has the most endurance for carrying objects or people on the plateau." "So, if you use a yak as a mount, you can run long distances in battle?" "Your Highness, when our country is going to war, we often use yaks to transport food and grass. If we use them to march and fight, it will be a bit difficult." "Oh, this thing is still interesting, but it's a pity that I can't see it with my own eyes." "Your Highness, I will send people back to the plateau tomorrow, and ask them to bring some yaks back to Beijing, so that Your Highness can have a look." Lu Dongzan talked with Li Chengqian after entering the palace, and found that this person was the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, and he was not interested in state affairs. But he was very interested in such irrelevant things as livestock, so he felt a little disdain in his heart. At that time, Li Yuanchang, king of Han, stood on one side.Li Chengqian was overjoyed when he heard that Lu Dongzan wanted to bring yaks, and said to Li Yuanchang: "Well, if there are yaks in the house, we can ride them in the palace to stab them for fun, which will add a lot of fun." Li Yuanchang nodded in agreement. Lu Dongzan and Li Chengqian didn't talk speculatively, and they didn't have much in common.They talked for a while, and Lu Dongzan said goodbye and left the hall.Before leaving, Lu Dongzan said earnestly: "I came to Beijing under the order of Zanpu, and I want to witness the majesty of the emperor most. It is said that I am satisfied with seeing His Highness today, but I feel a little regretful that I cannot see the Emperor." Li Chengqian was elated: "It seems that you are an interesting character, which is very suitable for me. When I see the father, I will definitely tell the emperor about your various interesting actions." Lu Dongzan walked out of the hall, heaved a long sigh and said to He Jiluo: "Oh, you used to talk to me about the heroic actions of the Tang emperor, but today I saw the crown prince, and I have doubts in my heart. How can the world prosper if such a man is regarded as the monarch? He has a son like this, which shows that he can't know and employ people. This alone, how can we talk about other things?" He Jiluo smiled and said, "It's normal for you to feel resentful because the emperor refused to see you. But you doubt the emperor's ability because of this, so it's a bit of a generalization. Now that the Tang Dynasty is flourishing, the people are prosperous, and the four The clothes of the barbarians all depend on this person. On your way from Tubo to Beijing, you should be able to see the prosperity of various places, there is no falsehood in that.” "Well, what you said is very true. By the way, just now the crown prince said that he would play a song to the emperor. In my opinion, the words of the crown prince may not be effective. When I was leaving, Zanpu said that the marriage proposal could not be done. I will not be allowed to go back to the country. Now that the emperor does not want to see me, we have to plan this matter carefully." He Jiluo pondered and said: "Accordingly, the emperor has already fulfilled the etiquette by letting the prince see you. What to do next is a bit difficult. I don't know how to do it right now. How about this? Let me talk to General Yuchi and ask him to meet you. how?" Lu Dong praised this situation, he had no choice but to sigh, and said: "It has to be like this." In the 11th year of Zhenguan, Li Shimin conferred the meritorious officials as acting governors; Yuchi Jingde was enshrined as the governor of Xuanzhou and changed to the Duke of E; Cheng Yaojin was conferred as the governor of Puzhou and changed to the Duke of Lu; The governor of the state was changed to the Duke of Baoguo.Qin Shubao has been lying on the sickbed since the early years of Zhenguan, and he died of illness the following year, one of his former close comrades-in-arms left first. After all, the hereditary title of a hero is a false position, which is different from the actual position.When He Jiluo and Lu Dongzan were discussing about coming to see Yuchi Jingde, Yuchi Jingde's house was very lively.It turned out that Yuchi Jingde was the governor of Xiazhou at this time, and he took his wife back to Beijing this day, and hosted a banquet in the house to invite Cheng Yaojin and Duan Zhixuan to come over.Cheng Yaojin had already returned to Beijing from his post in Luzhou. At this time, he was serving as the General of Zuo Tunwei, inspecting the troops at the North Gate of the school, and taking full charge of guarding the palace city.After Duan Zhixuan returned to Beijing with Li Jing, Li Shimin spoke warmly to him and gave him the title of General of the Zhenjun, raising his rank from the third rank to the second rank. These three people are all middle-aged people at this time. It stands to reason that at this age, their personalities are more restrained than when they were young. However, their personalities have not changed much: Cheng Yaojin is funny and funny, Yuchi Jingde is hot-tempered and violent, and Duan Zhixuan is calm and restrained. . Cheng Yaojin was the first to enter the mansion, and before reaching the central hall, he shouted loudly: "Heizi, what rare things did you bring back from Beijing this time, and you are so impatient that you called me, Old Cheng?" Yuchi Jingde greeted him out of the door, and replied: "I don't have anything rare, but I haven't seen you, an old monster, for many days, and I feel a little anxious." "Haha, last time you said that Xiazhou's lamb was good, did you bring it back this time? If you forgot, Lao Cheng will roast your black skin and use it as lamb." Yuchi Jingde's son, Yuchi Baolin, bowed to Cheng Yaojin and said, "Old Man Cheng, as soon as my father came back, he kept saying that he wanted to see you. Look at you, he started arguing with his father before he even entered the door. Please, please, please." Sit down in the hall, it's not too late to argue." Yuchi Baolin had grown up at this time and joined the Ministry of War. Relying on her father's shadow, she was awarded the title of Martial Cavalry Captain by Li Shimin, and she was already a military officer of the seventh rank. Cheng Yaojin laughed and said: "I still like to listen to my nephew's words. Pauline, do you know why? Cough, you finally didn't inherit your old man's black skin, which makes me pleasing to the eye." While laughing, Yuchi Baolin stepped forward and pulled Cheng Yaojin's arm, leading him into the middle hall.He knew that when it comes to bickering, his father is no match for Cheng Yaojin, and his father has nothing to do when facing Cheng Yaojin, sometimes he just keeps his mouth shut.With Yuchi's respect for virtue and prestige, and the fact that he boxed Li Daozong even if he didn't agree with each other, it can be said that he is well-known in the government and the public.People from the government and the opposition ran away after seeing him and asked him for an interrogation. They didn't dare to say a lot to him, fearing that they would be punched and beaten again if they didn't agree with each other. After Cheng Yaojin entered the hall and took his seat, he stared at Yuchi Baolin and asked: "Baolin, Heizi has been working abroad all year round, so I left you in Beijing. I remember that you have already chosen the daughter of the Wang family as your wife, why didn't you marry him? " "Old man Lao misses his nephew's marriage. So that the old man can learn that his father sent a letter of marriage to his wife's family last year, and her family replied with a letter of marriage, agreeing to choose an auspicious day in the early winter of this year." The marriage procedure at that time, according to It is derived from the "six rituals" stipulated in ancient times. "Six Rituals" stipulates that there must be six steps in the marriage process, namely, Nacai (the person who adopts the chosen ceremony), Asking the name (asking the daughter's name and divination), Najib (the divination is auspicious, and telling the bride's family), Nazheng (accepting coins), request date (choose an auspicious date for marriage, and report it to the daughter's family), and welcome (the son-in-law goes to the daughter-in-law's house to welcome the bride).Yuchi Baolin's marriage has reached the fifth step at this time, that is, after the man sent the marriage letter to the woman, the woman replied with the marriage letter. These two letters had legal effect at that time. After getting the letter of appointment, the two parties agreed on the date of marriage.The rest is when the auspicious day comes, Yuchi Baolin goes to the bride's house to welcome the bride in person, and the wedding is completed. Yuchi Jingde interjected: "You are uneasy and kind, don't I even care about Bao Lin'er's marriage?" "Hmph, my old Cheng is a little worried. After the younger siblings passed away, Baolin became a motherless child. If I don't care, then it's better for Baolin." Cheng Yaojin said this, obviously trying to tease Yuchi Jingde.At that time, everyone knew that the Lin family that Jingde married was extremely virtuous, and they regarded Baolin as their own, thus gaining a good reputation. Seeing Cheng Yaojin teasing him, Yuchi Jingde was not fooled, so he smiled and didn't make a sound. Seeing Yuchi Jingde's refusal, Cheng Yaojin laughed at himself and said, "My nephew, Heizi didn't do many good things in his life. He only hired the daughter of the Wang family for you. It is said that the daughter of the Wang family As famous as the daughter of King Ren Cheng, she is good-looking, virtuous, and well-educated. Heizi, you dare to offend King Ren Cheng, and it is difficult to ask him to ask for a daughter, so you resorted to all kinds of means to hire the daughter of the Wang family. Come?" Cheng Yaojin's words were really watery, it was widely rumored at the time that Li Jinyan, the second daughter of Li Daozong, the king of Rencheng, was the head of the female school.If you talk about her color, it is brighter than lotus, and her skin is whiter than frost and snow, her movements are gentle, her waist is graceful, she has a beauty that can overwhelm a country. Calligraphy and painting are all masters, and their temperament is a combination of gentleness and understanding.Many well-matched officials wanted to hire Li Jinyan for their son, but they didn't know whether Li Daozong's threshold was too high or Li Jinyan's vision was too strange, so far no one has been able to get his approval. The daughter of the Wang family hired by Yuchi Baolin is also well-known in the family of officials in the capital.But Lian Yuchi and his son also knew in their hearts that there was a gap between this girl and Li Jinyan after all.Cheng Yaojin's words are obviously for the good. After Yuchi Jingde punched Li Daozong last time, he was reprimanded by Li Shimin, he had to bow his head and plead guilty.After the incident, he thought that he had fought all over the world with the emperor for many years, he had made great achievements, and he also made the first contribution to the change of Xuanwu Gate. You, Li Daozong, just took advantage of the royal family. Although you have some military achievements, how can you compare with yourself?It was difficult for him to turn his mood around, and he continued to secretly hate Li Daozong.Now that Cheng Yaojin mentioned Li Daozong, he recalled the past again, and said angrily: "Humph, this incompetent Li Daozong has the ability to give birth to a good daughter. Alas, I also wanted to hire this daughter for Baolin in advance, but what can I do?" Seeing Li Daozong will definitely hit a hard nail, so I have to take advantage of others." "Haha, Heizi, it doesn't seem too extreme for you to praise Li Daozong's daughter. Alas, it's a pity, if the emperor didn't personally marry Princess Qinghe to my son, I would definitely ask Li Daozong for a plea." Cheng Bite the gold and feel proud, and talk about your own pride.Li Shimin married his daughter, Princess Qinghe, to Cheng Yaojin's son Cheng Chuliang, and made Cheng Chuliang the captain-in-law and general of the left guard. Cheng Yaojin felt very honored. Yuchi Jingde scolded: "You old bastard, you love to brag. Such a crap thing makes my ears callous." Cheng Yaojin was waiting to speak, when he suddenly saw Duan Zhixuan walking in, so he stopped talking.Duan Zhixuan held a jar in his left hand, Cheng Yaojin saw the shape, and knew that it was the "Town Cellar Spring" wine they liked to drink, and shouted: "Good Zhixuan, I know we love this one the most, here is a timely gift." .” Yuchi Jingde scolded: "Zhixuan, when you come to my house, are you still afraid that there will be no 'Cell Spring'? Since I invite you, I will naturally prepare all the things we love." Duan Zhixuan shook his head and said, "This jar of wine of mine is a bit special. It was brought back from Xingyang after the Battle of Hulao. It has been buried underground for twenty years and has been kept until now. Brother Jingde, do you have this wine in your house?" Yuchi Jingde said in astonishment: "Good guy, I didn't expect you to be so patient. If I have this wine in my house, I'd drink it up." After finishing speaking, he said to Yuchi Baolin: "Since we have this good wine, Get them to sit early." Three old friends sat around a desk, Yuchi Baolin sat at the bottom, and poured wine for the three of them.After three cups of wine, Yuchi Jingde asked Yuchi Baolin to take out the "wine beard". As the master, he stretched out his hand, and saw that it kept spinning, and finally his hand slowly pointed to Cheng Yaojin. Yuchi Jingde laughed loudly and said: "Haha, God has eyes, after all, he can't spare this tired blue-faced thief." Cheng Yaojin said: "Thank God, I hope that I can drink up this altar of fine wine." After finishing speaking, he picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.Later, when Cheng Yaojin reached out to the "wine beard", he recalled the past in his heart, retracted his hand again, and said sadly: "Oh, seeing the 'wine beard' reminds me of the time when I was in the 'Xunzuixuan' 'The scene of drinking Shaochun wine." Duan Zhixuan said, "That's right, we were drinking together at that time, and we happened to meet He Jiluo." Cheng Yaojin shook his head and said: "What I'm thinking about now is not He Jiluo, but Brother Shubao! We drank and ate meat together, and Brother Shubao studied and studied with Xu Jingzong. Today we drink and eat meat again, but Uncle Where is Brother Bao? He has left us, and I really feel bad." The people in the seat were suddenly silent. Yuchi Jingde shook his head and said: "People can't live together, and it seems that they can't die together. Brother Shubao dies early, there is no way. As long as we can never forget him in our hearts from now on, our acquaintance is not in vain." Duan Zhixuan said: "General Qin treats people generously and has the style of an elder. I have already regarded him as the backbone in my heart. During the period when he just died of illness, I felt empty all day long. It was very unpleasant." "Well, before I leave Beijing, I'm going to pay homage to Brother Shubao's tomb. Do you have anything to do tomorrow? If not, come with me to Zhaoling." After Qin Shubao died, Li Shimin allowed him to be buried in Zhaoling.In this way, Qin Shubao followed Li Shimin during his lifetime, and guarded the eldest grandson queen early after his death, and will still be Li Shimin's minister of the underworld after a hundred years. Cheng Yaojin and Duan Zhixuan nodded in agreement. After deciding on this matter, the atmosphere on the scene became a little more lively.Cheng Yaojin picked up the wine cup, his face still serious, and said: "Brother Shubao must be angry if we drink here, but we don't tell him. How about this, let me drink this cup on behalf of Brother Shubao, and apologize to him. " Duan Zhixuan and Yuchi Baolin laughed, and Yuchi Jingde scolded: "You doghead, you even take advantage of the dead. Brother Shubao knows, why didn't you slap your mouth?" They moved the "wine beard" again, and drank according to the order. After a while, they drank up the jar of wine brought by Duan Zhixuan. Yuchi Jingde called for more wine. Cheng Yaojin shook his head and said: "Forget it, I know that there is no twenty-year-old wine in your mansion. No matter what wine you take out, it will only be embarrassing. If you drink it indifferently in your mouth, don't let it come back to life." Anyone who loves to drink knows that if you drink good wine and then drink other bad wine, the taste in your mouth will be really uncomfortable.Yuchi Jingde understood this truth, so he waved his hand to give up.He complained to Duan Zhixuan again and said: "Zhixuan, you know our drinking capacity, but you only brought a jar to make everyone half full and half hungry, wouldn't you worry me so much?" Duan Zhixuan spread his hands and said, "I only have one altar, so what can I do?" At this moment, the butler walked up to Yuchi Jingde and reported in a soft voice: "He Jiluo led a Tubo man, saying that this man is the Prime Minister of Tubo, and he is waiting outside the hall, asking for an audience." Yuchi Jingde hurriedly said: "Please, please. We mentioned He Jiluo just now, and he will come right away. Well, why did he bring another Tubo Xiangguo? By the way, He Jiluo must have said it many times Lu Dongzan, right?" As he spoke, he stood up to greet him.Cheng Yaojin, Duan Zhixuan, and Yuchi Baolin followed closely behind. Yuchi Jingde watched intently, he saw He Jiluo standing side by side with the Tubo man under the shadow of the lamp.This person was wearing a crimson-colored gown, whose style was slightly different from that of Middle Earth.The slits in Zhongtu's gown go directly to the crotch, but this person's gown has lower slits, only reaching the thighs, which is the style of Tuyuhun, Gaochang and other places.This man wearing this robe is a bit funny, because his figure is too thin, standing upright like a bamboo pole.Yuchi Jingde looked up again, and saw that he was wearing a golden collar around his neck, and his hair was in a knotted shape, which looked a bit weird.His face is thin, and the three beards match his thick splayed eyebrows, and his dark face makes him look even leaner.The most characteristic feature of his face is that pair of small eyes that sparkle and are very sharp. The man bowed his sleeves and murmured a few difficult words. He Jiluo waited for his words to finish and said, "Brother Jingde, this man is Tubo Xiaolun Ludongzan, and his position is comparable to that of Middle Earth. Same as Xiangguo. He said just now that he had heard about General Yuchi’s bravery earlier, so he came here today to pay his respects.” Yuchi Jingde didn't dare to be negligent, and cupped his hands and said, "It's a great honor for Xiang Lu to be here in my house as the special envoy of the Tubo Kingdom. I'm no longer a general now, and I'm really ashamed to talk about being brave. Xiang Lu, I I heard from Ji Luo many times that he was taken care of by you when he was in Tubo, and I thank you on his behalf. Please!" After Yuchi Jingde finished speaking, he moved his hand sideways to signal Lu Dongzan to enter the hall. He Jiluo translated Yuchi Jingde's words to Lu Dongzan, and Lu Dongzan nodded repeatedly while listening, and bowed to thank him, and then followed him into the hall. He Jiluo thought while walking, Yuchi Jingde didn't understand the surname customs in Tubo, and thought his name "Ludongzan" was the surname "Lu", and found it very interesting. After everyone enters the hall, the guests and hosts sit down.Yuchi Jingde seemed very careful at this time, first he called people to serve fragrant tea to the guests, and then he asked people to bring out grapes and green plums to treat the guests, and then said: "From Ji Luo, I learned that Lu Xiang is a hero on the plateau, and I often admire him in my heart. , I just want to have a chance to meet Lu Xiang, and I don’t want my wish to be fulfilled today. Lu Xiang, you are Ji Luo’s friend and my friend. When you come to the capital, you can come to my house to meet. Me. Let Ji Luo tell me what you need to do in China from now on, and Jingde will take care of it for you." At this time, Yuchi Jingde showed his bold side. Lu Dongzan cupped his hands and said, "I would like to thank General Yuchi for his hospitality. Ji Luo, it seems that these gentlemen are very familiar with you, can you introduce them for me?" He Jiluo introduced Cheng Yaojin and Duan Zhixuan to him in turn. After hearing the words, Lu Dongzan felt that this trip was not small, and he cupped his hands and said: "I am on the plateau, and I have heard the names of General Yuchi, General Cheng, and General Duan many times. On the way to Beijing, I saw stickers posted on the doors of every house. There are paintings of door gods, one of which is the mighty image of General Yuchi. People spread word of mouth and describe you as gods and men. I am blessed to finally get to know you generals." Lu Dongzan's words made the warriors feel very at ease. Cheng Yaojin said: "When I was in Luzhou, I heard that a Tubo kingdom had recently risen on the northwest plateau. At that time, I thought it was still in a barbaric era, so I didn't pay much attention to it. I met Lu Xiang today and found that you are smart and interesting. , it seems that the people there are nice.” Duan Zhixuan said: "That's right, I heard that the current king of Tubo is very young, and he dominates the plateau with his bravery, wisdom and strategy. Minister Lu, you praised us just now, and you are not bad. It seems that the reason why Tubo can prosper, You have made a lot of contributions. Your monarch and ministers are one, which can be said to complement each other." When He Jiluo saw that they were flattering each other here, he felt a little amused. Taking advantage of the gap between the conversations, he said to Yuchi Jingde and the others: "Generals, now that the Eastern Turks are destroyed and the Western Turks are torn apart, the most powerful country in the world, Only the Tang Dynasty is the only one. Tubo has grown up on the plateau these years, and the momentum is booming. They are eager for the Tang style, and they are courteous to express their good intentions. Last time, because of a misunderstanding, there was a war." Yuchi Jingde interjected: "It's okay. There is a saying 'If you don't fight, you don't know each other'. Prime Minister Lu's visit to Beijing this time shows that the two countries have settled their differences and we are still good friends." He Jiluo went on to say: "Brother Yuchi is right. It is obvious that if the Great Tang and Tubo have a grudge, it will be detrimental to both sides. Lu Dongzan said that this is to eliminate the previous suspicions and make the two countries a friendly neighbor. " "Is this a good thing, why are you so worried?" Cheng Yaojin was very puzzled seeing He Jiluo's serious expression. "That's right. However, good relations between the two countries cannot be just talked about, there must be real content. For example, Tubo Zanpu has always asked for intermarriage with Datang, but the emperor has not agreed so far. Over the years, Datang has successively cooperated with East Turkic and Tuyuhun.等国通婚，缘何单单将吐蕃国抛在一旁？小人作为外人，观此情状，心内十分不解。”何吉罗一下子直接切入正题，让尉迟敬德等人张口结舌，不好回答。要知道与异国通婚之事，非同小可。他们作为臣子，实在不敢妄言。 过了顷刻，程咬金期期艾艾说道：“我们作为武官，朝廷有制度，不得对此类事情乱言。不过，我曾经听到过风声，朝廷并未拒绝与吐蕃通婚，说要从长计议。” “从长计议？事情拖了这么久，只能使吐蕃赞普以为这是推托之词。”何吉罗显然失去了耐心。 尉迟敬德看着何吉罗那焦急的神情，不禁笑了起来：“吉罗，吐蕃赞普来我朝请婚，你似乎比他还要性急。” 禄东赞接过话头，说道：“诸位将军，我朝赞普心慕中华，渴望与大唐永结同好。若两国结为一体，足以傲视天下。别说一个西突厥在那里为祸，就是再出来一个北突厥、南突厥，亦难撼动两国基石。若两国从此落落寡合，互相猜忌，容易生出许多变数。何吉罗作为一个外人，他能看出其中的关键之处，且他与大唐、吐蕃都有良好的交情，因此焦虑一些，亦在情理之中。” 尉迟敬德道：“禄相，我明白你的意思，是不是想让我们哥儿几个找皇上举荐一番？你放心，冲着你是吉罗兄的朋友，我尉迟恭一定帮忙。” 禄东赞摇头道：“不用。两国交往，是正大光明之举，没必要虚绕圈子。鄙人今日来，主要是想拜见诸位将军。吉罗原来多次说过，几位将军英武能战，肝胆相照，极有义气。鄙人耳听为虚，一直想亲眼目睹诸位将军的风采，今日得偿心愿，我心足矣。” 众人见禄东赞胸怀坦荡，并非来恳求办事，心里又多了一层好感。 禄东赞唤过从人，从其手中托盘上取过一把弯刀，双手递给尉迟敬德，说道：“尉迟将军，鄙人听说中土有一句话，叫做'宝刀赠英雄'，此刀采用高原玄铁而制，难说其贵重，只是刀刃比寻常刀剑要锋利一些。鄙人动身之前，知道定能见到尉迟将军，就觅来良匠，穷数月之功，制成此刀，望尉迟将军笑纳。”他又转向程咬金和段志玄道：“鄙人也为二位将军备好了同样的弯刀，系同时所制。今日因想不到能在这里巧遇二位将军，未将弯刀带来。明日，鄙人专程到府上拜见，再奉此物。” 尉迟敬德接过弯刀，见刀鞘用牛皮制成，刀柄镶有三颗绿松石，其模样并无特别之处。他伸手拔出刀来，只见刀身黑沉沉的，无寻常刀剑的银色光亮。尉迟敬德浸淫兵器多年，还是识货的。此刀由吐蕃相国赠送，别看模样寻常，定有非常之处。他微微一凝神，伸手从后脑拔下几根头发，将其平放在刀刃上，然后鼓气一吹，就见那几根头发从刀刃处拦腰斩断，四散飘向地面。尉迟敬德见状，赞道：“好刀。” 禄东赞不免得意道：“此刀系用高原玄铁所制，锋利非常，若与寻常刀剑相交，触之即断。” 尉迟敬德听罢大喜，问道：“真的吗？”边说边扭头唤人取来一刀一剑。 程咬金和段志玄上前，一人执剑，一人持刀，他们换位与尉迟敬德手中的弯刀互斫。就见这刀剑一遇弯刀，顿时拦腰折断。 几人惊讶得伸出舌头，程咬金道：“世上果真有如此神奇之物？！禄相，你若用此兵器装备吐蕃兵，定会打遍天下无敌手。” 禄东赞道：“要做此种兵器，有两件事不好办：一是玄铁难寻，二是良匠难觅。比较起来，玄铁为稀罕之物，等闲难遇，最为紧要。玄铁若成了寻常之物，鄙人焉敢献给诸君？” 武人向来爱利器如命，何况是罕见的兵器？不说尉迟敬德大喜，程咬金和段志玄此时宝刀虽未到手，也是心花怒放，他们接连向禄东赞道谢。 禄东赞道：“微物一件，何足挂齿？此物能博诸位将军一笑，即是鄙人的荣幸。” 尉迟敬德道：“禄相送给我们如此贵重之物，让我们如何回礼呢？” 禄东赞正色道：“鄙人听说中土之人最重义气，尉迟将军，你与吉罗结为兄弟，我们方能结识。你刚才说，你与吉罗为兄弟，鄙人也就成了诸位将军的兄弟。你若要回礼，即是未将鄙人看成你的兄弟。” 这句话说得尉迟敬德不好意思起来，连连点头道：“对，对，禄相说得对，我们实为兄弟。” 禄东赞见时辰已经不早，起身告辞，尉迟敬德等人一直将他们送出门外。临别时候，尉迟敬德郑重与禄东赞相约，明日邀请他到青云楼里吃酒。 禄东赞愉快地接受了邀请。 他们将禄东赞与何吉罗送上马，然后返回堂中，三人一起欣赏那把奇妙的弯刀。 尉迟敬德凝视弯刀自言自语：“刀不错，人也不错。” 程咬金问道：“你说的是禄相吗？” “是呀，此人贵为吐蕃相国，实在聪明得紧。” 段志玄笑道：“敬德兄，人家不过赠你一把弯刀，何至于就佩服得五体投地？” 尉迟敬德摇头道：“非也。我每每接触生人，最初的感觉极为重要。若彼此都瞧着顺眼，这个朋友就可以长久地交往下去；若是连话都说不下去，此人不交也罢。” 程咬金点头道：“黑子今日总算说句正经话。嗯，这个禄相实在有趣得紧，我们不妨长久交往。” 段志玄说道：“这事就有些犯难了。皇上不答应其通婚之请，那吐蕃赞普上次还为此事大肆兴兵，若通婚不成，两国势必隔膜，我们就难有机会再见禄相了。” 尉迟敬德决然道：“你们两个今晚吃了我的酒，要答应我一件事情。你们这几日若见到皇上，就替禄相说道说道，争取促成此事。” 程咬金哈哈一笑道：“黑子，拿了人家的东西，嘴就软了吧？” 段志玄也笑道：“敬德兄，明明是我带来的酒，如何又成了你的呢？” 三人顿时哈哈笑了起来。