eurekapd Chapter 1168 The Bet with the Princess
Chapter 1168 The Bet with the Princess
This Tibetan princess was nearly as beautiful as Yelü Xian, or perhaps she was just a different kind of beauty.
These royal women are quite beautiful, which is probably due to genetics; the longer a family has a long line of members, the more attractive they tend to be.
But Li Che only admired it for a while before speaking calmly: "This gyrfalcon has been with me since I was made a king. It has made many contributions. It is my family member and has nothing to do with the gods of Tibet."
Zhuoma reacted quickly, smiling slightly: "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, and being with Your Majesty naturally brings divine favor and spiritual energy. In that case, it is also a member of the gods."
Upon hearing Zhuoma's words, Li Che's eyebrows twitched slightly.
He gently placed the gyrfalcon back on the golden stand beside him. The little gyrfalcon obediently folded its wings, its eyes still fixed intently on the woman inside the tent.
Li Che then looked at Zhuoma: "Lu Dongzan said that the princess is well-versed in the classics of the Central Plains and is knowledgeable and reasonable."
"But today, the princess disguised herself and infiltrated the delegation, barging into the military camp. This seems to be far removed from the principles of 'propriety'?"
Zhuoma met his gaze calmly, bowed again, and said sincerely, "Your Majesty is wise. I have lived in the deep palace for a long time and have long admired Your Majesty's might."
“However, my brother… the king, citing many concerns, forbade me from coming.”
"This humble servant admires Your Majesty's demeanor and longs to see Your Majesty in person. I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. I humbly beg Your Majesty's forgiveness."
Li Che found this woman even more intriguing and deliberately asked, "Oh? What is the princess doing going to such lengths?"
Zhuoma took a deep breath, her expression becoming solemn: "I have heard that the two countries are discussing a marriage alliance, and His Majesty intends to marry me?"
"There have indeed been discussions," Li Che said without hesitation, "but no final decision has been made yet."
Zhuoma said with burning eyes, "When I was in Lhasa, I saw my brother arguing with the court officials day and night, but I was powerless to help him."
"If a marriage alliance can end the war, I am willing to serve Your Majesty."
Her voice lowered, carrying a hint of pleading: "I only beg Your Majesty to consider the innocence of the Tibetan people, withdraw those overly harsh terms, and leave Tibet a way out."
There was a moment of silence inside the tent.
Looking at the sincerity on her face, Li Che suddenly chuckled softly.
He realized that the young king probably hadn't explained things clearly to the woman at all.
She naively believed that her value was enough to offset those terms, little did she know that her worth was only enough to elevate Tibet from a 'puppet emperor' to a 'brother emperor'.
Those terms are another matter, and have nothing to do with her personally.
"I appreciate the princess's sincerity." Li Che stopped laughing, his tone softening. "How about we make a bet?"
Zhuoma's beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of doubt: "What does Your Majesty want to bet on?"
"It's simple. When you get back, you can tell your brother that I don't plan to marry you anymore, and that all the agreements that have already been negotiated are null and void. Guess what his reaction will be?"
Zhuoma was taken aback at first, then frowned and said in confusion, "This... of course my brother will agree. This is a great thing for Tibet!"
"But..." A look of disappointment immediately appeared in her eyes, "Does His Majesty truly not wish to marry me?"
The Tibetan princess lacked the reserve of women from the Central Plains; her direct approach stirred something in Li Che's heart.
But he was not a tyrannical ruler blinded by lust, and his smile remained unchanged: "It's just a bet. His answer cannot change my will. Does the princess dare to bet?"
Zhuoma stared at him for a moment, but she saw no mockery in his eyes, which made her feel even more complicated.
She was overjoyed that she could still marry Li Che, but saddened that Tibet could not escape its fate.
So he bit his lip and said, "Since it's a gamble, there must be a stake. What will happen if Your Majesty loses?"
“If your brother agrees,” Li Che said slowly, “then I will make concessions on the specific details of this treaty to give Tibet some breathing room.”
"What if he doesn't agree?" Zhuoma quickly asked.
“If he doesn’t agree,” Li Che said calmly, “then the princess should no longer get involved in the treaty between the two countries and wait patiently for further arrangements, how about that?”
Zhuoma did not hesitate at all; in her view, she was certain to win this bet.
How could the younger brother possibly refuse to cancel those harsh terms?
As for the marriage alliance, she did have some affection for Li Che, but more importantly, she felt a sense of responsibility as a princess.
If he could exchange himself for the treaty to be nullified, his younger brother would be overjoyed, since he never wanted her to marry the Emperor of Daqing in the first place.
“Alright, Your Majesty, I'll take the bet!” she replied crisply.
"Very good." Li Che nodded and leaned back on the couch. "Then I will send someone to escort the princess back. The princess can have a good discussion with your brother."
Princess Zhuoma was full of doubts and couldn't understand why Li Che would make such a bet that he was bound to lose.
She gave Li Che a deep look, and seeing that he would not say anything more, she bowed respectfully and left the command tent with a belly full of questions.
. . . . . .
Lhasa, deep within the Red Palace.
The young king sat alone on a low couch in a side hall, pressing his fingers hard against his throbbing temples, trying to dispel the lingering echoes of the argument in his mind.
The imperial meeting just now ended in discord once again.
He wanted to facilitate peace talks, but Li Che's conditions were like poisoned blades, cutting into the vital points of different people.
He could grit his teeth and accept the terms of opening the borders, not hindering migrants, reducing military equipment, and prohibiting the construction of fortresses, but they touched upon the fundamental interests of those nobles.
Others, such as allowing merchants from Daqing to travel extensively and stationing embassies and soldiers in Lhasa...
These terms, though seemingly not directly cutting into the lives of the nobles, sent chills down his spine and made him instinctively resist.
However, some short-sighted ministers thought these things were harmless and instead forced him to agree.
The king felt utterly exhausted. For the first time, he clearly realized how fragile the king's authority was.
Everyone is focused only on their own little corner of the world, and in the face of self-interest, even loyalty becomes something that can be discarded.
The temple door was gently pushed open, and Droma walked in.
"Sister Wang?" Zanpu looked up when he heard the voice and forced a smile.
He was always more gentle with his older sister who had always supported him.
“Brother.” Zhuoma sat down next to him. “Today I went to the Qing army camp and met the Emperor of Daqing.”
"What?!" The king sat bolt upright, shocked and furious. "How could you go there without permission! That's a den of dragons and tigers! What if..."
“The emperor was very gracious.” Zhuoma interrupted him, gently patting the back of his hand to comfort him. “He didn’t make things difficult for me; on the contrary… he talked with me for a long time.”
Zanpu breathed a slight sigh of relief, but his brow remained furrowed: "What did he talk to you about? Did he bring up those harsh conditions again?"
Zhuoma shook her head, a genuine smile appearing on her face: "No, quite the opposite, he said he was willing to make concessions."
She paused, observing her brother's expression, and continued, "He said he could cancel the marriage alliance with me, and also void all the treaties we had previously agreed to, as long as you agree."
As soon as he finished speaking, the expression on the emperor's face froze.
At first I was bewildered, then a surge of joy welled up inside me.
The treaty is null and void! And the only price is not to arrange a marriage alliance?
This was like a godsend, a miraculous escape from a desperate situation!
However, this ecstasy lasted only a moment.
The next second, his face turned deathly pale, all color drained from his face.
He then remembered what his default bottom line in negotiations was.
The purpose was to marry Droma into a brotherly kingdom in exchange for the title of "brotherly kingdom" and avoid the terrible title of "puppet emperor"!
If the marriage alliance is cancelled... then the basis for Emperor Qing's previous concessions will no longer exist, and he can completely revert to that most humiliating condition!
"No!" Zanpu almost shouted, "Absolutely not! I don't agree!"
Zhuoma was taken aback by his strong reaction, and the smile on her face froze: "Why not? Brother, haven't you been worrying about those clauses and arguing with the ministers all these days?"
“You previously said that those ministers wanted to use me for a marriage alliance to avoid a worse outcome, but you refused.”
"Now that's great, the Emperor of Daqing has taken the initiative to cancel the marriage alliance and also canceled the terms. Isn't this a win-win situation?"
"You don't understand!" Zanpu interrupted her roughly, his chest heaving and his eyes bloodshot. "He's not being kind at all! He's forcing me! He's toying with us!"
Zhuoma was even more confused: "I didn't see it that way. He clearly offered a better option..."
The king gave a bitter laugh, a laugh that was more painful than crying.
Looking into his sister's clear eyes, he knew he could no longer hide it from her.
Rather than letting her find out from elsewhere, it's better to tell her myself; at least I can control how I explain it.
He slumped back onto the couch, covered his face with his hands, and his voice came out muffledly through his fingers: "Sister Wang, do you think your value as a bride is enough to compensate for those terms of ceding territory, paying reparations, and relinquishing rights?"
Zhuoma was taken aback by what she heard.
The king lowered his hand, revealing a pale and pained face.
He dared not look into Zhuoma's eyes and whispered, "In the conditions that Chisang Yangdun brought back, the Daqing Emperor initially wanted a 'father-son kingdom,' and he wanted me to be his 'son emperor.' This is how the Tubo people have referred to themselves in their official documents for generations!"
Zhuoma's eyes suddenly widened.
“It was your marriage alliance,” the king’s voice was hoarse, “that made him reluctantly agree to change it to a ‘brotherly kingdom,’ where I am the ‘younger brother’ and he is the ‘older brother.’”
"Although he is still inferior to him, it is still a million times better than 'father and son' or 'puppet emperor'!"
He finally raised his eyes to look at Zhuoma, his eyes filled with deep pleading: "Sister Wang, do you understand now?"
"If we don't make peace through marriage, what awaits Tibet and me is the ultimate humiliation!"
“What Tibet cannot bear is not giving up some rights and interests, but having its dignity trampled into the mud forever. I absolutely cannot accept that!”
Zhuoma listened quietly, the color draining from her face little by little, and the light in her eyes gradually cooling.
So this is the truth.