The Zhengdan Dynasty Meeting in the second year of Tongguang reign (917) was the first time to attend such an important occasion after two years.

The lengthy procedures were similar to those in the past. The biggest change was that more envoys from Anxi Province came to Chang'an to pay tribute.

The envoy from Yinzhou presented fragrant dates and Hu Tonglei (Populus euphratica resin).

The envoy from Xizhou presented cotton cloth, wine, and honey (sugar granules condensed from the secretion of camel thorn leaves).

The envoy from Tingzhou presented Suhuo horns (antelope horns) and wild horse crotch leather.

The envoy from Yanqi presented felt blankets, asafoetida (a medicinal material), borax, and almonds (almonds).

There are not many things, and they are not very valuable, but they show the great martial arts of the new dynasty.

In other ways, when the envoys from the state saw it, they were also honored.

So, don’t think this ritual is long and boring, it is really useful.

Envoys from various states in the world come once a year, accompanied by more than ten or dozens of people, and stay for three or four months, which greatly enhances the centripetal force of each state towards the central court.

Secondly, victory in foreign wars like this will also touch their hearts and make them feel bright. When they return home, they will spread the word and have the effect of calming people's hearts.

Shao Shude has been fighting for many years and has won consecutive battles, which certainly makes people dare not make mistakes. But this kind of thing also needs more people to publicize it. The more publicity, the better the effect.

Foreign envoys and representatives of chiefs from various tribes also attended the court meeting, and the "educational significance" they received was even greater.

After the lengthy ceremony, the old custom was to have a banquet in the corridor.

The emperor and empress spoke a few words, drank a glass of wine, and left.

As soon as they left, the atmosphere gradually became more lively.

As the loyal and obedient Prince Suiye, Dunyu put on the court uniform of a seventh-grade civil official today, and he looked quite like one - to be honest, his appearance was pretty good.

I don’t know how Honglu Temple arranged it, but Chaosanlang Pijia, the former lord of Gaochang Kingdom, sat next to him.

"You said that your grandfather was so obsessed with it back then that he insisted on attacking us, and in the end the Persians took advantage." Dunyu put down the wine bottle, turned to look at Pijia, and said: "You didn't get it right in the end, let the big guys take advantage of it."

Xia is destroyed."

He had recently been awarded a casual official position and married the granddaughter of Li Dexiu, the Minister of Justice. It was a time of great success. After Erliang Mao peed, he looked at his rival Pijia sitting next to him and couldn't help but taunt him.

"You are weak, who can blame you?" Pijia was in a bad mood and choked back.

"Haha." Dunyu laughed and said: "We are weak, but we know the current affairs. My father is the Zhongshun Suiye King of Daxia, and I am the prince's son. What do you have?"

Pijia was speechless, but drank heavily.

After a while, the lieutenant general Han Zhi came over. Dunyu immediately stood up and saluted, while Pijia stood up reluctantly and gave a hasty salute.

"The saint summoned you two." Han Zhi said concisely and concisely.

"What's the matter?" Pijia blurted out subconsciously.

With his current identity and status, it would be best for the saint to forget about him. It would not be a good thing to be summoned if he lived long enough like that.

"Lian Jieyu has not seen Chao Sanlang for two years, and she asked the saint for permission to see her again today." Han Zhi was in a good mood and replied patiently.

"My mother? Why is she Jieyu?" Pijia's face suddenly turned ugly.

He is not to blame for some things. The king of a subjugated country is like a god of plague in Luoyang. Few people come into contact with him. Naturally, he is not well-informed and knows nothing.

After Empress Zhao of Mingxian left, Chongyuan Zhang Hui felt depressed and passed away in just over a year.

At the beginning of the first year of Tongguang Dynasty, Pei Xiuyi suddenly fell ill and passed away.

At that time, the saint was still fighting, so these positions became vacant. After returning, Daxing conferred titles, making the Chu family the noble concubine, the Zhong family as the Zhaoyi family, the Shulu family as the Xiuyi family, and the Jiang family as the Chongyuan family.

The Lian family had given birth to a prince, and she was still pregnant with one, so she was given the title Jieyu, as it should have been.

The Meng family, the Hao family, and the Adie family were also granted the title.

As a result, the harem was once again enriched, and there were currently twenty-three concubines in total—but, according to Shao Shude's private words, "less than half are suitable for use."

"As for the court invitation, the saint has important matters to explain." Han Zhi said.

Dunyu glanced at Pijia with a gloating look, straightened his robes, and said, "I'll go right away."

Pijia didn't want to tidy up his robe at first, but he thought of leaving a good impression on his mother, so he tidied it up a little.

The three of them left quickly.

During the banquet, the officials exchanged glasses of wine, chatted and laughed happily, enjoying the peaceful and prosperous scene. No one noticed Dunyu and Pijia who quietly left in the corner.

In this world, there are winners and losers, triumphant ones and lonely ones, that’s how it is.

****

"I hope you can tidy up and leave the capital after the Lantern Festival." Shao Shude said in the Chengxiang Hall of the Daming Palace.

As soon as he entered the hall, Pijia did not expect that the saint's attention was actually on Dunyu. He only glanced at him with his peripheral vision and then concentrated on talking to Dunyu.

His mother, Lian, next to him, waved to him to come over.

Looking at his mother's obviously protruding belly, Pijia felt mixed emotions.

He had originally imagined how he would feel: anger, plus a little bit of indescribable emotions brought about by shame. But when he saw the saint sitting there, he was like a mouse seeing a cat. All courage disappeared, and his whole body I had goosebumps, and even had an uncontrollable feeling of trembling.

Many people like to brag about how heroic and masculine they are, but when they actually face the threat of death, their true performance will be unimaginable.

Why are you so cowardly?

"Mother." Pijia moved to face Mrs. Lian and felt a little better.

Mrs. Lian sighed lightly and whispered: "Marry another bride."

Pijia lowered his head and said nothing.

On the other side, Shao Shude continued: "As my envoy, please go back to Suiye and visit your father."

Dun Yu's mind is full of questions. Just for this matter, let me go back? Is it worth it?

To be honest, during the time I came to Chang'an, I was given a house by a saint, got a bride, and saw a lot of things. I was so excited that I didn't want to go back at all.

Shao Shude coughed.

Han Zhi understood, walked to Dun Yu, and whispered a few words.

Dun Yu suddenly realized.

It turned out that I wanted my father to go to the palace and ask the saint to give him the title of "Supreme Emperor Jianwen, Shenwu, Emperor".

That's right, the sage can only hint at this matter and cannot make it explicit.

Think about it, if you send an imperial envoy over and openly ask people to report, it won't sound good if you tell them. This matter can only be hinted in private.

Dunyu now knew his mission: to go to Suiye, Yinli, and Rehai to convey the saint's message privately.

There is another important thing: contact with the tribes in the west, mainly the Oghuz, Khazar Uighurs (not Beiting, Altai Khazar Uighurs) and even the Burials.

If the Oghuz Uighurs are willing to surrender, they can be canonized.

The Khazar Uighurs and Burials mainly made contact first to strengthen trade.

"I obey the decree." Dunyu responded immediately.

Although he didn't want to leave Chang'an, it was good to do something. He could see that the saint attached great importance to this matter, not just for the sake of good looks, but also for the deeper political significance behind it.

"Your father reported last year that the Geluolu tribe coveted the Khan's throne and intended to mutiny. After the failure, they defected to Persia." Shao Shude said again: "I don't know what is going on now. Don't take anything with you on this trip to the west. I will order everyone to

Prepare your horse at the inn, please go back quickly."

"According to the order." Dun Yu was startled.

He knew that his father's performance in the past few years had been very poor and had been despised by many people. If it had not been for the canonization of Daxia, the Geluolu people would have jumped out and rebelled long ago. Being able to tolerate it until now is a blessing - in his father's heart

They should be aware of it, otherwise they would not be able to see through the conspiracy of the Ge Luo Lu people.

After finishing the explanation with Dunyu, Shao Shude summoned Pijia again.

"Sit." Shao Shude pointed to a rope chair and said.

Pijia plopped down and knelt down. When he heard the word "sit", he secretly cursed himself for being dizzy, so he took a bite of his head and sat down on the chair.

Everyone in the palace covered their mouths.

Shao Shude couldn't help but smile and said, "Lian Jieyu has told you, right?"

"I obey." Pijia stood up quickly, his voice trembling slightly.

Shao Shude waved his hand, asked him to sit down, and said: "This matter is not very urgent. It will be done in March and April."

Pijia responded again.

Shao Shude suddenly felt a little bored and said: "Now that you understand, just step back."

I rarely wanted to give Pijia something to do, so that he could be an official in this dynasty and have a future with peace of mind, but I didn't expect it to be so unbearable.

His only advantage is probably that his wife is wonderful.

Although Shao Shude is old, he has practiced martial arts for many years and is good at archery, so he has developed a pair of iron hands.

These hands are not only strong and strong, but also very flexible. They are also covered with a layer of rough calluses, so they can do anything.

The palace ladies in Yeting always wash their sheets several times a month, and you can see obvious splashes of water every time.
To be continued...