The house where Ludoson stayed was very low. In Dingnan Army, except for the palace, all other houses were very low. But Ludoson was used to it because he was born in a humble family and had lived a hard life.
He sat steadily on the chair in the middle. The light in the room was dim, and he did not try to hide the enjoyment on his face.
Because a civil servant under him was praising him. This civil servant was the envoy sent earlier. The envoy looked admiring: "I have tried my best to persuade you, but there is no progress. As soon as Lu Shijun came, he cleared the clouds and saw the sun. It was admirable. The emperor relied on Lu Shijun so much, which showed that he had a good eye for talent."
Lu Dosun said arrogantly: The Khitans cannot compete with us, don't worry.
The messenger bowed.
Lu Dosun added: You should follow me in the future and watch carefully. Whether you can learn it depends on your understanding.
The envoy was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed, saying: "Thank you, Envoy Lu, for your cultivation. Please accept my humble greeting."
Lu Duosun asked the envoy in detail about what he had seen and heard in Xiazhou, and exchanged information. In his long speech, the envoy mentioned that Li Yueji was very famous.
Unexpectedly, Lu Dosun immediately interrupted the messenger and asked: "Li Yueji is the daughter of Li Yiyin?" Then he asked in detail. The messenger also heard it from hearsay and only learned it from a Dangxiang man named Chi Ling.
Lu Dosun showed that he attached great importance to this matter, and said thoughtfully: If I can persuade Li Yiyin to marry, I will complete this mission.
The envoy frowned and said: "Dangxiang barbarians are ignorant of etiquette. Even if Li Yueji is a little pretty in the local area, how can she catch the emperor's eye? That barbarian girl has done nothing, but she is enjoying the luxury of fine clothes and delicious food in the palace. It is really a troublesome matter."
Ludoson smiled but said nothing.
The messenger stopped talking and said in a deep voice: Please give me some advice, Lord Lu.
Lu Dosun said bluntly: You have read too many books of saints and sages, and you don't understand the simplest things. That's why you can't do your job well.
Lu Dosun immediately picked up the brush on the table, and quickly wrote a letter, saying: Find someone to deliver it to Lingzhou day and night.
A few days later, the Lingzhou Emperor's Palace quickly responded to Lu Duosun, saying that as long as Li Yiyin could be won over, everything could be discussed and even marriage could be tried.
So Lu Duosun proposed the marriage to Li Yiyin.
The first person to oppose was Li Yueji herself.
As soon as she learned about this, she went to spy on Li Yiyin when he summoned Lu Duosun to discuss matters. Although Lu Duosun was young, he was thin and small, and he wore a very loose robe, which made him look empty. His etiquette was complicated and he spoke in a roundabout way, which made Li Yueji very unhappy.
As soon as Lu Dosun left the rammed earth palace, Li Yueji went to see her father immediately.
She was too busy to care about anything else and said: "Father, you can't marry me to Han'er. I won't go."
Li Yiyin usually doted on her and obeyed her in everything, but this time he did not agree to her. Instead, he said in the Tangut language: Yue Ji is a girl from the Li family. If it is beneficial to the clan, you should put the important matter first.
Li Yueji was so disappointed when she heard this. She was so anxious that she almost cried: "Han'er is ugly and cunning. He looks down on us and calls us barbarians. My father loves me the most. How could he bear to send me to such a far place?"
Li Yiyin said: "Who said that the rumors among the people are biased? Han people are not that bad. During the Tang Dynasty, all ethnic groups were proud of being Tang people, and they wanted to be like that. Now that the Central Plains has declined, people are still the same, how can they be so bad? You don't have to worry too much."
Li Yueji choked up and said: Uncle Mo Zang is loyal to my father. You have promised to marry your daughter to Mo Zang. How can I tell Uncle Mo Zang if you regret it now
After hearing this, Li Yiyin paced a few steps and began to take this matter seriously. He immediately sent someone to summon the leader of the Mo Zang clan to the palace for discussion.
Yue Ji usually didn't dare to act rashly in front of her father, but this time she was really confused. When she saw Mo Zang, before he could greet the king, Yue Ji burst into tears: Uncle Mo Zang
Mei Zang said in a friendly way: "Princess, please don't be anxious." He winked at her, then bowed and met Li Yiyin.
Li Yiyin saw it all and naturally understood her daughter's thoughts. Her uncle Mo Zang treated her very well, the people in Mo Zang's family were very familiar to her, and brother Lu and she grew up together, just like a brother. Of course, she didn't want to marry far away.
Mo Zang said: The king regards Princess Yueji as the apple of his eye, and he will certainly not be willing to let her go. There are many Dangxiang women, and even if they want a marriage alliance, the king does not have to let Princess Yueji go.
As expected, Mei Zang was pleading for Li Yueji.
Li Yiyin took a look at his daughter. The colorful dress wrapped her figure, making it look plump and tight. Her fair skin was as smooth as jade, and her neck was a healthy goose yellow from the sun. She looked full of energy, and her face was round and her features were beautiful. She was not like some people who were born with dark skin.
Li Yiyin said: "You may not know that women in the palace of the Central Plains dynasty have great power. As long as they are favored, they can completely influence the court's national policy. The Han Dynasty was a dynasty where the harem was in power. You have heard about Yang Guifei's story in the Tang Dynasty.
No hiding, no saying a word.
Li Yiyin said: "Yueji is my own daughter, how can I not love her? But the Dangxiang people are caught in a dilemma, and surviving and strengthening our strength is our most important thing. Compared with the whole tribe, my daughter is not as important as the others."
It is not easy to find a woman who can compare to Yueji in Xiazhou, and her loyalty is unreliable. Yueji is the best choice
He once again examined Yue Ji's appearance and figure with a man's gaze, nodded and said: This king thinks Yue Ji is likely to be favored.
Father Li Yueji looked pale.
Li Yiyin said solemnly: "Remember that you are the daughter of the Li family. The duty of a Dangxiang man is to shed blood and sweat on the battlefield, and marriage is your responsibility."
After hearing this, Mo Zang stopped trying to persuade Li Yiyin. He said: Mo Zang is loyal to the king, and marriage is not a big deal.
Li Yiyin said: My son Li Guangrui can marry a woman from a poor family.
Mo Zang was immediately delighted and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Li Yueji wanted to cry but had no tears. Her father and the Mo Zang nobles had decided her fate with just a few words. No matter what she said, it was useless. She had no other choice but to cry.
Not long after, Brother Ling came to the palace to ask for a meeting with Li Yueji.
The Tanguts were a martial people, and Brother Ling was a strong and muscular young man in Xiazhou. He was wearing animal skins and looked like he had just come back from hunting.
When Li Yueji saw Lingge, her eyes were red from crying and she couldn't help but burst into tears when they met.
Seeing this, Lu Ge was annoyed and sad, and was very anxious. He didn't know how to comfort Yue Ji, so he said angrily: It was that Han messenger who caused trouble. I will go and teach him a lesson first, and then find my father to persuade the king.
After saying that, he turned around and left.
Li Yueji stared blankly at the familiar figure. To her, Brother Lu was like a relative, very familiar and reliable. After a moment, she remembered the discussion between her father and Uncle Mo Zang, and felt that it was useless for Brother Lu to persuade them.
Then she came to her senses: Brother Lu was going to teach Zhou envoy Lu Duosun a lesson, and she immediately felt that Brother Lu was going to get into trouble.
She quickly wiped her tears with her sleeve, hurried out of the palace, and asked the guards where the Zhou envoy lived.
When Li Yueji rode to the ceremonial officer in a hurry, there was no movement. Then she waited for a while, and sure enough, she saw Brother Ling rushing over with a group of horsemen.
Li Yueji hurriedly reined in her horse and stood at the intersection, shouting: Brother Ling, you can't do this.
When everyone saw Li Yueji, they all stopped and stared at her in admiration, without blinking. Lingge rode forward and pointed with his whip, saying: Princess, please get out of the way. I'm going to teach that despicable Han official a lesson. Princess, stay away and don't get hurt. Don't worry, everyone has their own consequences. I'll take responsibility for any consequences.
Seeing that she could not persuade him, Li Yueji thought that Brother Lu was a hot-tempered warrior, so she rode forward, took a deep breath and said, "Brother Lu, I know you are doing this for my own good."
Sure enough, her gentleness immediately reduced Brother Ling's anger and seemed to calm him down a little.
Li Yueji persuaded him kindly: "The Lu envoy is just an errand boy. It is useless for you to hurt him. Besides, my father has made a decision. I am afraid it will not be easy to change this matter. If I really go to Zhou in the future and offend the officials of Zhou, it will not be good for me. Brother Lu, please do it for my own good. Don't do such a useless thing."
At this moment, Lu Dosun heard the noise and came out of the house. Compared with the strong soldiers, he was much thinner, but he did not change his expression when facing a group of aggressive soldiers.
Lu Dosun probably couldn't understand the Tangut dialect. He stood there silently and watched the situation for a while. Then he clasped his fists and saluted Li Yueji on the horse, with a look of gratitude on his face.
After Lu Dosun bowed, he squinted his eyes and looked at the leader, Brother Ling, very carefully, but still did not speak.
Brother Ling and Li Yueji were in a stalemate and could not be persuaded to give up.
Finally, the leader who had no where to hide heard the news and came in person. After a round of scolding, he called Brother Lu away.
Li Yueji heaved a sigh of relief and returned to the palace. In the afternoon, Lingge came to see her again. Li Yueji asked without much hope: Why doesn't Uncle Meizang agree to your request
Seeing the gloomy expression on Brother Ling's face, she guessed the result.
Brother Ling said: They think that pleasing the Emperor of Zhou is the most important thing, but in my heart, Princess Yueji is the most important.
When Li Yueji heard this, she was moved: The person who treats me the best is Brother Lu, you are like my brother.
At this time, Brother Ling's eyes sparkled and he gritted his teeth and said, "Princess, let's go!"
Li Yueji was startled and murmured: Where are we going
Brother Ling said: "We can ride north on horseback. As long as we go fast, the officials on the road will not stop me. The world is big, we can go anywhere. I have the ability to take care of you for the rest of your life."
Li Yueji was influenced by his crazy idea, and her heart was also turbulent. Although the future was uncertain, there was nothing more tragic than going to Zhou State and succumbing to the people she hated.