After the Turks had finished speaking, it was naturally the turn of the Tibetans. Gar Tongtsen said, "Your Majesty, the Heavenly Khan, the memorial from Tubo requesting to buy woolen sweaters was submitted several days ago. May I ask if Your Majesty has made a decision?"
They were truly covetous of those woolen sweaters. They were novel items that could also protect against the harsh winter cold. Tubo had a high altitude, and many people froze to death in winter.
Of course, for the time being, these sweaters would not reach the common people. Only after the aristocrats had bought enough and got tired of wearing them would a few pieces trickle down to the civilians.
"Alright, but the wool production in the Tang Dynasty is insufficient. Our own people in the Tang Dynasty can't even have one sweater each, let alone selling them. It may take two or three years before it's Tubo's turn. And the price will have to be much higher."
As Li Shimin spoke, he didn't even glance at Gar Tongtsen. Instead, he looked at Li Jingyun and asked, "Hongxuan, what do you think?"
"If you buy them, the price will be ten times the price in the Tang territory."
Li Jingyun held up ten fingers and waved them in front of their eyes. Her sweet childish voice made their hearts sink.
She remembered that she had heard either her father or elder brother say that those who were not of their own kind would surely have different intentions. She felt no guilt at all for extorting them.
She originally wanted to raise the price to five times, but the Turks had just insisted on having Princess Xinxing marry into their tribe. Wouldn't that turn her nightmare into reality?
She immediately came to her senses and decided to ask for more. The extra money could be used to pay the female workers more.
Hearing this, Empress Zhangsun nodded in satisfaction. Li Jingyun could ask for twenty times the price and it wouldn't matter. They could just brush it off as the words of a naive child. Although they were her parents, the woolen sweater business belonged solely to Li Jingyun, and they had no say in it.
"Your Highness's words really put this humble official in a difficult position," Gar Tongtsen said through gritted teeth.
This little princess was really asking for the sky! Ten times the price!
Wasn't this an obvious case of double - standards?
"If you're in a difficult position, go and ask your Zanpu! Such a major matter can't be decided by you alone!" Li Ke couldn't hold back any longer. As soon as he opened his mouth, he left no face for Gar Tongtsen.
"Yes, Your Highness the Prince of Wu is quite right," Gar Tongtsen lowered his head.
Seeing Gar Tongtsen looking so meek and submissive, Sangpuza felt helpless and amused. How could such a person even dream of overpowering him?
He was a bully of the weak and a coward in the face of the strong. He couldn't even express himself clearly and was being led around by a few underage princes and princesses of the Tang Dynasty. Sangpuza was afraid that if word got out, people would laugh their heads off.
"Your Majesty, the Heavenly Khan of the Tang Dynasty, the Turks are asking for your own daughter to marry into their tribe, making you suffer the pain of parting from your own flesh and blood. We in Tubo only want to buy woolen sweaters so that our people don't have to endure the harsh winter cold. Please consider which is more important, Your Majesty," Sangpuza stepped forward and said.
Li Shimin laughed. "Aren't Tubo and the Turks allied? Why are you saying this?"
The Turks were still present, and he was openly dissing them in front of them?
At this moment, Zhenzhu Tongqijin felt a dull pain in his lower abdomen, and his thoughts began to wander. They had also heard of woolen sweaters but had never seen them. They must go and take a look when the woolen sweater shop opened in a few days.
Tubo had a cold winter, and wasn't it the same for the Turks?
If possible, he wanted to take the skilled craftsmen from the Tang Dynasty back to the Turks. They had no shortage of wool in the Turks. Then they could be self - sufficient and wouldn't have to look at the Tang's face.
Since a princess was going to marry into their tribe, it was reasonable for them to take some dowry, right?
Li Chengqian added fuel to the fire. "It seems that your alliance is useless. You're just putting on a show for us in the Tang Dynasty."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince's words are too much!" Gar Tongtsen, with his hot temper, immediately flared up upon hearing this.
Sangpuza quickly held him down to prevent him from saying anything more stupid.
In an exquisitely decorated courtyard of the Boling Cui family, Cui Renshi, Cui Gan, and Censor Zheng Min were sitting together, each holding a bowl of milk tea.
As the temperature was getting lower and lower, drinking milk tea had become a new fashion in Chang'an. If you didn't hold a bowl of milk tea while walking on the street, you could hardly be considered a prominent and powerful figure in Chang'an.
"Elder Brother Renshi, you've just returned from Henan Circuit. Why don't you hold a grand feast to celebrate your return?" Zheng Min had the lowest official rank and felt a bit uneasy in front of the two from the Boling Cui family.
Cui Renshi sighed. "Our Boling Cui family has offended the royal family, especially Princess Chengyang. Cui Xian died, and several of the girls in our family have a bad reputation. It's difficult for them to get married. Naturally, we have to be more cautious and keep a low profile."
"Elder Brother, you're overstating the matter. Princess Chengyang is a bit smart, but so what? She's just a princess and will get married sooner or later," Zheng Min said with a smile. "Moreover, His Majesty values her so much that he even lets her be present when discussing the marriage alliance with the envoys of the two countries."
"What do you mean, Brother?"
Cui Gan, who had been silent all this time, changed his expression and sat up straight.
"Over - relying on her may not be a good thing. Chancellor Tang Jian owes her a favor, Minister Yan of the Ministry of Works has a connection with her, the beloved daughter of the Duke of Fan serves as a military officer by her side, and even Su Gui has a bright future..." Zheng Min said up to this point. Naturally, Cui Gan and Cui Renshi understood his implication.
Cui Gan suddenly burst out laughing. "She's so young. Your words are a bit alarmist, Brother."
At this point, they didn't think that Zheng Min meant that Li Jingyun could become the empress. They simply thought that Li Jingyun's influence was expanding quietly, which would make the Crown Prince Li Chengqian jealous.
Thinking of this, they found it even more amusing. Li Tai, the fourth prince who had been devoted to studying the Four Books and Five Classics, should have been the most powerful contender for the crown prince position. Why did he have less influence in the court than his naive little sister?
At this moment, a servant came to report. "Gentlemen, news from the imperial city says that the Turks specifically asked for Princess Xinxing to marry into their tribe. His Majesty said directly that he hadn't agreed to the Turks' request for a princess yet. They were just discussing it."
"Was Princess Chengyang present?"
"Yes. She mocked both the Turks and the Tibetans. Later, when the Tibetans wanted to buy woolen sweaters, Princess Chengyang asked for ten times the current price and said that they would have to wait two or three years for the goods to be available for Tubo."
The servant had a good memory and repeated the words exactly as they were.
These things were not really confidential, and there was no intention to hide them, so they all knew about them.
"Princess Chengyang is young but has a big mouth," Zheng Min sighed.
Cui Renshi thought of the court session the next day. "Tomorrow, His Majesty will surely ask for our opinions. It's a matter that could be solved by just marrying off a princess and giving a few woolen sweaters. Why make it so complicated? His Majesty indulges the little princess to be so tough. Does he want to go to war again?"
"It's only been a few years since we defeated Khan Jieli. How can the Tang Dynasty withstand a war against both the Turks and Tubo? His Majesty must be losing his mind," Cui Gan echoed. "Tomorrow, we must persuade His Majesty properly and ask him to change his mind. Instead of preparing for a war with Tubo and the Turks, it's better to prepare the dowry for Princess Xinxing."
"Of course. It's our duty to give straightforward advice," Zheng Min nodded repeatedly, looking in full agreement.