The tender branches brushed against the eaves of the restaurant. On the second floor, there was a bustling crowd of people. The literati sat on the fence and whispered, gazing at the long rows of houses and bustling streets outside. There were also chivalrous men drinking and laughing loudly.
There were sounds of footsteps coming up the stairs separated by the rising sun screen. A man in blue clothes, holding up the hem of his robe, walked quickly around the screen and waved to a table of invited friends.
“…Hey, did you hear that?!”
The other guests who were drinking and eating around glanced at the man, then looked away and ignored him. The man didn't care either, and walked to the empty seat next to his two friends and sat down.
One of them poured him a drink and said, "What's the matter that makes you so happy?"
The other person nodded, thought for a moment and asked.
"Could it be that my sister-in-law is pregnant again?"
"What's the good news? It's going to be exciting." The man who just sat down took a sip of the wine and said, "I just heard that Tuyuhun in the west is going to send an envoy to Beijing to meet the emperor and ask for the princess."
As soon as these words came out, the guests who were eating nearby all looked over. Some of them were interested and bowed in the direction from their seats.
"Brother, is this true?"
"Oh! How could this be fake?"
The man didn't want to lose face, so he put down his wine glass and gestured with his hand in the air, "You can't talk about this casually. If you say it, it must be ironclad. It was revealed by my second cousin who is my brother-in-law and works in the Honglu Temple."
Seeing that everyone was listening to him, he pressed the table with satisfaction, leaned forward slightly and said softly:
"Not only Tuyuhun, but also envoys from Gaochang, Yiwu, and Turkic came with a large group of people. I heard that the road to the west... As you know, the road to the northwest is small and narrow, and it is packed with people. With so many people walking together, I am afraid that the land will be worn out."
"Oh, so it seems that the capital is finally lively again. Life has been too dull in the past few years."
Someone clapped his hands excitedly, picked up the wine glass and took a sip. Someone nearby also choked him: "You've only lived a stable life for a few years, and you're itching to get angry? If the world is in chaos, would you still have the opportunity to say this here? You're really bored."
People around nodded in agreement.
"If it weren't for Emperor Wen, the north and the south wouldn't have been unified. There wouldn't have been any major wars, but there would have been constant small wars. Who could have endured that?"
"That's right. After the death of the previous emperor, the current emperor is also wise. Our Great Sui Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, and foreign countries are worried about their food and sleep. It is even more reasonable for them to come to the emperor to pay tribute."
There were many knowledgeable scholars among the crowd who took over the conversation and spoke eloquently, but there were also people who disagreed.
"Although the current emperor is wise and has great ambitions, what about the future? Last year, we were preparing to build the Grand Canal from here to Suzhou and Hangzhou... How much manpower and national strength would that require?"
The man who had started the conversation earlier quickly waved his hand and asked everyone to stop talking.
"Let's not talk about this. Let's just talk about the gossip about foreign tributes. It's inappropriate to talk too much about political affairs."
"Brother, what you said is very true. Everyone, please stop talking... By the way, which princess of the royal family is Tuyuhun going to marry this time?"
The April breeze blew through the willows, and the swaying willow branches touched the water surface, creating ripples. Deep in the imperial palace, Yang Guang sat in the Wenzhao Hall and listened to the reports from his ministers below.
"Your Majesty, Tuyuhun Busabo Khan has always been close to our dynasty. His son Murong Shun is coming to pay homage to us. Please decide what kind of etiquette should be followed."
On the golden steps, the tip of the pen that was writing memorials paused, and Yang Guang raised his face. Now, two years have passed, and he has grown a beard and looks quite dignified.
After a moment, he reached out to take the paper under the candlestick and flipped through it, then said with a smile, "Do you still need to ask me about this? Think about it yourself."
"yes!"
The official from the Honglu Temple was about to leave when the emperor's voice rang out from behind him: "Wait a minute."
"What else does your majesty want?"
Yang Guang looked at the minister who turned around and bowed again, narrowed his eyes, turned the paper over and over with his fingers, then waved for the other party to come closer, stand in front of the golden steps, and leaned forward slightly.
"What did the Duke of Yue say this time?"
The official hesitated for a moment and bent his upper body even lower.
"Your Majesty, the Duke of Yue...he said that he would let Your Majesty make the decision."
Yang Guang kept a smile on his face, waved his sleeves, and said gently: "You can go down." His eyes were fixed on the other person as he walked out of the palace door, and the smile on his face gradually cooled.
He looked at the memorial in front of him and threw it to the ground. It flew far away, frightening the eunuchs who were serving him so much that they crawled over to pick it up and called out carefully, "Your Majesty."
Only then did he lift it up with both hands and put it back on the dragon table.
"What are you picking up? Throw it back to me!"
Yang Guang flicked his sleeves and threw the memorial to the bottom of the golden steps. On the flipped paper, the words "Yang Su" were revealed. The eunuch over there didn't dare to make a sound. He looked at the memorial on the ground and quickly lowered his head.
After a long while, the emperor finally spoke after the dragon case.
"Bring Yu Wenzhi to me... By the way, have the people sent to Mount Qixia returned?"
The eunuchs below naturally knew what the emperor meant by asking. The national teacher went back to Mount Qixia and had been gone for two years. Several groups of people were sent during this time. It was fine in the beginning, and the national teacher always responded. But in the past year, no news was sent back. The people who were sent said that the national teacher was in seclusion and did not see outsiders.
What the emperor was asking about now was the ones who had just been sent away this year.
As a trusted attendant, the eunuch lowered his head and smiled docilely, while persuading: "Your Majesty, he has only been gone for half a month. We are not like the Imperial Master and the Duke of Yue who can make rapid progress in a short time."
He picked up the memorial on the ground, blew away the dust on it, and put it on the dragon table.
Ordinary people are indeed not as good as those who practice Taoism. Yang Guang looked at the tiny light, was silent for a moment, a smile appeared on his face, he took the memorial and put it aside, waved his robe and asked the eunuch to retreat to the side. His anger came and went quickly, he calmed down and took a look at the list of Tuyuhun envoys and tribute gifts handed over by the Honglu Temple one by one.
"There are quite a lot of people... The gifts are also really good. The Silk Road is really prosperous... It seems that the money and grain for building the Grand Canal have been settled."
Um
When turning to the second page and seeing the number and names of the envoys, Yang Guang frowned. The content above did not include the strange names of people from the Western Regions, but some inexplicable people who came with the tribute envoys.
'… Gaochang State Grand Master… Tuyuhun State Master… Turkic Priest… What are you sending these people to Chang'an for?'
He wrote down his name and title and came over with dignity. This made Yang Guang a little confused. Could it be that he wanted to fight with the Taoists in the Central Plains
Mr. Lu's absence from the city does not mean that our Great Sui is left without a leader. Eastern Palace Grand Tutor Yuwen Tuo is the second disciple of the Imperial Master, and he is so capable. I heard that the eldest disciple is also here and wants to damage the reputation of our Sui Kingdom. How can Mr. Lu's disciples stand idly by
Having made up his mind, Yang Guang called back the eunuch.
"Send someone to the Grand Tutor's residence to ask him about the Grand Tutor's eldest disciple. If you can see him, please come to the palace to have a chat."
"yes!"
The eunuch bowed and quietly left the side hall. Yang Guang let out a breath, looked at the table full of memorials, and felt a little annoyed. Before he became emperor, he could go wherever he wanted, even to Mount Qixia. Now, he can't leave even if he wants to.
"That's all for today."
The emperor lowered his hand that was about to grasp the brush, stood up from the dragon throne, and went to the outside of Wenzhao Palace with his guards and palace maids. The sunlight was shining on his face through the glazed roof of the palace.
"Sir... you said three to five days, but it's been two years."
Yang Guang looked at the sunshine and said softly.
At this moment, the person he was thinking of was sitting cross-legged under an old pine tree that welcomed guests. The black cloak hanging in the air turned into a trace of magic power, which flew into the scholar's body.
Outside the cliff facing us, there was a sea of clouds rolling.