For the following five consecutive days, Li Jingyun either went to the new villa or stayed in the Taihe Hall, listening to her father and mother discuss the marriages of her two elder sisters.
Of course, they weren't going to marry into the Turkic Khanate. Instead, they were to choose from the sons of Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Chu Suiliang and others.
The Li family was protective of their own. Moreover, the Turkic Khanate and Tubo had ill intentions. Even if their own princesses were really married there, it might not ensure peace between the two sides. They would only suffer and waste their whole lives.
No matter how you looked at it, this deal was not worth it.
Li Jingyun had a great time playing for five days, waiting for the sweater shop to open and attract the Turkic people so that they would stop eyeing her elder sisters. However, on the day before the sweater shop opened, the envoys from the Turkic Khanate and Tubo came to pay a visit to Li Shimin together.
When the news came, Li Jingyun was still in the sweater shop, eating grapes, drinking milk tea and surrounded by all kinds of snacks. She was having fun with Su Gui and Duan Jia.
As soon as Shi An delivered the message, Li Jingyun led them and rushed back from outside the imperial city in a hurry.
Even so, Li Jingyun still remembered to stuff a sweater for Shi An to reward him for his hard work.
Shi An had sneaked out just to help Li You gain more favor from Li Jingyun.
The journey that usually took half an hour, Li Jingyun managed to finish in just a quarter of an hour. She didn't know why she had been feeling so uneasy all the time. Everything had been arranged properly, but she still felt panicked when facing the envoys from Tubo and the Turkic Khanate coming together.
The Turkic people had just lost face to Princess Xinxing and Princess Gaoyang. How dared they come to pick a fight again?
"Your Highness, slow down! Don't fall!"
Seeing Li Jingyun coming in a hurry, Xiao Neishi Cong Gai from the Taiji Hall quickly stepped forward to greet her.
Li Jingyun walked directly through the main entrance. The voices inside suddenly stopped, and everyone's eyes were on her.
"Princess Chengyang is here!" In order to remind the two groups of envoys, Wang De deliberately shouted.
Who in the imperial city didn't recognize Li Jingyun anyway?
"Greetings to Your Highness."
Lu Dongzan was the first to salute, and Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin and the others followed suit.
Lu Dongzan was okay, but when Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin and the others looked up, they really gave Li Jingyun a shock. They didn't look like this a few days ago!
After just five days, not only had they lost a lot of weight, but their spirits were also not good. The old man Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin at the head looked like he might not last much longer.
He couldn't die in Chang'an City. It would be so inauspicious!
Maybe Li Jingyun's expression was too obvious. Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin sighed in his heart. He never thought he would be so seriously ill. He always thought he was in good health and didn't get sick easily. In fact, his body was so depleted that he couldn't even get sick properly.
Fortunately, that young doctor had appeared in time. He had sent someone to inquire and found out that the young doctor was a disciple of the divine doctor Sun Simiao. Could such medical skills not be trusted?
"Rise." Li Jingyun looked around. Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Tang Jian and a group of other officials were all there. Her father, mother and elder brother were also there. Everyone was present.
Empress Zhangsun waved at her. Li Jingyun jumped over happily and sat next to her on the same chair.
One sentence from Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin stunned Li Jingyun. "Respected Tian Khan, Princess Xinxing is virtuous, brave and resourceful, and of the right age. Therefore, we hope to marry Princess Xinxing."
"You want to marry my elder sister Xinxing?"
Li Jingyun immediately flew into a rage. Didn't the last incident teach them a lesson? How dare they still come here brazenly to ask for Princess Xinxing's hand in marriage?
"Exactly. What does Your Highness think of this marriage?" Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin asked with a smile, teasing Li Jingyun.
They all said that the little princess was intelligent, but why did she still look like a reckless girl?
"Humph! It's not good at all! Lu Dongzan and his men were defeated by my bodyguard Duan Jia and his more than twenty men less than twenty li away from the Turkic city of Yan!
Didn't you ally with Tubo? Why didn't anyone come to rescue the Tubo people? Such incompetent people. If my elder sister marries into your place, will you be able to protect her?"
After the clear childish voice finished speaking, there was a "bang" sound, which really startled Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin.
Li Jingyun imitated her father. When she was angry, she liked to slap the table.
Thanks to her father sending Duan Jia to her side. Otherwise, she wouldn't have known there were so many inside stories about this incident.
Lu Dongzan and the others didn't look too good either. Li Jingyun kept bringing up this incident in front of so many people. It was like pouring salt on their already fragile hearts.
"Princess Chengyang is right!"
When everyone was still in a daze, Wang Gui, the best helper, stepped forward.
"It was your Turkic Khanate that took the initiative to ask for the hand of our Tang Dynasty princess. You can't be so brazen as to ask our Tang Dynasty soldiers to escort the princess into the Turkic Khanate, right? You've always boasted about your powerful national strength and brave soldiers. Who knows if it's true or false?"
Changsun Wuji glared and started to scold. Picking up from Li Jingyun's words, he belittled them to nothing.
Li Shimin was shocked. His little daughter could actually say such a well - reasoned speech. It seemed that when faced with difficulties, people would really be forced to grow.
His daughter had performed so well. It was worth all his painstaking efforts in teaching her!
Empress Zhangsun was not very happy, though. It was precisely because Princess Xinxing and Princess Gaoyang were so outstanding that the Turkic people had directly asked to marry Princess Xinxing. She was worried that someone would set their eyes on Hong Xuan because of this.
The tree that stands out in the forest will be the first to be struck by the wind.
Whether it was the sweater business, the printing workshop or the ice and warm pavilions, she had a share in all of them. All in all, it was a great fortune.
In short, Empress Zhangsun was worried that her cute, sensible, obedient and smart little daughter would be deceived by some glib - tongued barbarians when she was still young.
Su Gui, who had been standing there like a wall painting, suddenly felt a chill on his back. Why did it seem like someone was staring at him?
Had he done something wrong these days? No, right?
"Of course it's true! The bravery of our Turkic warriors is beyond doubt! Tian Khan, please issue an imperial edict to grant the marriage!" Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin said sonorously. Maybe he had spoken too loudly, because he started coughing violently after he finished speaking.
This made his words just now seem less intimidating and rather ridiculous.
Li Shimin had just shifted his gaze away from Li Jingyun when his eyes immediately turned cold. "I've never promised to marry a princess to the Turkic Khanate. The national letter only said that the two sides should discuss it. Why are you so aggressive?"
His face was as calm as water and his tone was also very calm, but there was still a strong sense of oppression. Zhenzhu Tongsi Jijin and the others quickly knelt down to plead for mercy. "Tian Khan, please calm your anger. It was our rudeness. Marrying a princess is a major event. Of course, we should discuss it carefully."
Li Jingyun looked at Empress Zhangsun in confusion. Empress Zhangsun nodded. It was all just a delaying tactic. They had never agreed to marry a princess at all.
The main reason for allowing the Turkic envoys to enter Chang'an was the sweater trade.
To a certain extent, both the Tang Dynasty and the Turkic Khanate had their own agendas. One side had put it on the table, while the other side was still hiding it.
Li Jingyun listened from the side, feeling dizzy.
Her father and mother's attitude was so clear. Did it mean that her elder sister Xinxing didn't have to marry?
When would be a good time to bring up the matter of the sweater trade?
Was it too easy for them to just let them take the sweaters and leave? They had to think of a way to teach them a good lesson.