Tibet

The negotiations were held in the political hall. The layout of the political hall in Luoyang was similar to that in Chang'an. It was a tall building, a majestic hall, and a row of large tables in the middle.

There were nine people negotiating on both sides, including the chief official, two assistants, and six staff. The chief official of the court was Pei Zunqing, the right prime minister, and the two assistants were Shangshu Youcheng Wei Yuanfu, and the Minister of War Liu Hun. There were also six staff from the six ministries. There are doctors from all departments, and the lineup is neat.

The chief negotiator of Longyou is still Liu Yan, the Minister of Rites and Rites of the school. In Longyou, he is also the second-ranking figure after Chang Shi Li Mi. His two assistants are Deputy Sima and Guanzhong Interviewer Yan Quanming, and the other one is also Deputy Sima and Worker. The chief officer of the department, Li Chenzhou, and the six employees were also from Liucao.

Although in terms of official position and status, the imperial court was obviously superior to Long You, in terms of military strength, the imperial court was obviously weaker than Long You. Facing the strong eastward advance of Long You, the imperial court seemed very passive.

The two sides exchanged a few words, and Pei Zunqing opened a memorandum of negotiations on Longyou and said with a smile: "Master Wei negotiated with Liu Shangshu for several rounds in Longyou, and the two sides reached an agreement on the ownership of Jingxiang and other six states. As compensation, we are also willing to hand over the governance of Anxi, Beiting, Hezhong and Hanzhong to Longyou. This has been confirmed by both parties and the memorandum has been signed. I don’t think we need to talk about this part anymore. What does Liu Shangshu think? ?”

Liu Yan smiled and nodded, "There is really no need to waste any more time."

Pei Zunqing took out another negotiation minutes, "This is the negotiation about Guanzhong. According to the original plan, the Guanzhong issue was discussed together with Jingxiang, but for some reason, it became a separate issue, but since the emperor It has been admitted that Guanzhong and Jingxiang are being discussed separately, so it is now a separate issue, and we will mainly talk about this issue in this negotiation, about Guanzhong.”

Liu Yan said slowly: "Actually, there is also the issue of garrisoning troops at Longshan Pass. With the greatest sincerity, we basically have no garrison at Xiaoguan Pass and Yanzhou Pass. However, we found that the imperial court has garrisoned troops at Dazhen Pass, Zhisheng Pass, Liupan Pass and Five thousand troops were stationed in each of Longshan Pass, seriously threatening Qinzhou and Huizhou.

We are all soldiers of the Tang Dynasty, a family. There is no need to take such precautions. In fact, we cannot take precautions. We hope that the imperial court can withdraw troops from various passes and put the troops in Hebei and Huaixi. "

Pei Zunqing smiled lightly and said: "The garrison problem on the Guannei Road is just a continuation of the Guanzhong problem. Once the Guanzhong problem is solved, the problem on the Guannei Road will no longer be a problem."

Liu Yan nodded, "The key to the Guanzhong issue is Chang'an. His Highness King Qi believes that Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty, alongside Luoyang, with a high status and a symbol of the imperial power of the Tang Dynasty. Does Xiangguo Pei agree?"

Pei Zunqing smiled and said, "I completely agree!"

Liu Yan said solemnly: "His Royal Highness the King of Qi also believes that the country of the Tang Dynasty does not only belong to the emperor, but also belongs to the clan of the Tang Dynasty, including the past emperors, the living clan royal family, and even all civil and military officials. The emperor only has the largest share. That’s all. May I ask if Xiangguo Pei agrees?”

"this."

Pei Zunqing couldn't answer for a while. He felt that there was a trap here.

After pondering for a while, Pei Zunqing smiled and said: "This topic is huge, and everyone has different opinions. Although I personally appreciate His Highness King Qi's thinking, I can't give an official answer now, but Liu Shangshu can talk about this. I can convey the conclusion drawn from this topic to the Emperor."

Liu Yan shook his head and said: "Let me correct you, this is not His Highness the King of Qi's personal thinking, but the consensus of all of us in the Longyou Clan."

"It doesn't matter, I'm willing to listen!"

Liu Yan said slowly: "If the emperor is sitting in Chang'an, we have no objections or ideas, but now that the emperor is sitting in Luoyang, we believe that Chang'an cannot be abandoned like this, and the Tang Dynasty must continue to be in charge. If the Tang Dynasty has a crown prince, Then the crown prince should be in charge, but currently there is no crown prince in the Tang Dynasty, so the King of Qi should be in charge."

"In this case, the emperor can also arrange for elder princes to sit in charge, such as the Ningwang family, Xuewang family, Qiwang family, etc. or the emperor's brothers and others."

Liu Yan shook his head, "Can their contribution to the Tang Dynasty surpass that of King Qi? If the 400,000 Helong soldiers cannot be convinced, then it is best not to make a hasty decision!"

Wei Yuanfu, the right minister of Shangshu, said angrily: "Is Liu Shangshu threatening the imperial court?"

Liu Yan stared at the other party and said coldly: "I'm just stating the facts. If you don't even have the most basic understanding, then what's the point of this negotiation?"

Liu Hun, the Minister of War, was also dissatisfied and said: "Excuse me, what cognition is Liu Shangshu referring to? I'm sorry I can't understand."

Liu Yan sneered, "We are sitting here to negotiate with our strength. Otherwise, as a Sima of Jiedu Prefecture, what qualifications do I have to negotiate face to face with the right prime minister of the Tang Dynasty?"

Everyone was silent. We no longer talked about legality, but about strength.

Wei Yuanfu gritted his teeth and said: "Anlushan also uses its strength to compete with the imperial court. Does His Highness King Qi want to become the second in Anlushan?"

Liu Yan shook his head, "We and An Lushan are not the same thing. An Lushan is a rebel, but we are qualified to get Chang'an. We are fighting for our legitimate rights and interests. We are negotiating here today just because of our disrespect for the imperial court and the emperor." Just respect."

"I wonder what your qualifications are?" Pei Zunqing asked.

"His Royal Highness the King of Qi has an edict from the Supreme Emperor. The Supreme Emperor has made it clear that His Highness the King of Qi is qualified to inherit the throne of the Tang Dynasty and to take over Chang'an. I have a copy here. The original is in the hands of His Highness the King of Qi. Gao Lishi can testify."

Li Chenzhou quickly took out a copy from the box and handed it to Pei Zunqing.

Pei Zunqing looked at the decree, laughed dryly and said, "Take a rest first and drink some tea. Let's talk again in half an hour!"

Liu Yan and his men were invited to the rest room, and Pei Zunqing hurried to the back hall to report to the emperor who was waiting here.

Emperor Li Heng was reading the shorthand negotiation minutes, which contained records of the negotiation exchanges between the two sides.

Li Heng received the copy of the Emperor's imperial edict, and his face suddenly became extremely ugly. He never dreamed that the Emperor would admit that King Li Ye of Qi had the legitimate right to inherit the throne.

He also knew this was true because Li Lin had the same will.

Li Heng always thought that his father only issued two edicts on the succession of the throne, one for himself and one for Li Lin.

He never expected that there would be a third edict.

No wonder Li Ye was willing to hand the jade seal back to him. It turned out that he had a secret weapon in his hand.

"Your Majesty, would you like to invite Gao Lishi to ask if there is such an edict?" Pei Zunqing asked in a low voice.

Li Heng sighed and said: "The Emperor is old and confused. He wants to win over King Qi to serve him. It is entirely possible that he makes some unreasonable promises. Just like Li Zhen, didn't the Emperor also grant him the position of emperor? I think this kind of edict is meaningless. !”

Li Heng did not want to admit the existence of this edict, but these prime ministers were unambiguous. This was not a drunken joke, this was the edict of the Supreme Emperor. After reading the copy, everyone felt that it was true.

Pei Zunqing bowed and said: "Your Majesty, even if Li Ye has an edict, he is not required to inherit the throne, but it is a major matter of succession to the throne and may lead to a war. It is best to confirm the authenticity first."

Du Hongjian next to him also advised: "Your Majesty, this matter is important, so you should ask!"

"Your Majesty, this matter is indeed of great importance, and I also recommend that you confirm it clearly." Cui Huan and Yuan Zai also advised.

Li Heng had no choice but to tell the eunuch beside him, and the eunuch immediately rushed to the Sanqing Hall in the palace to find Gao Lishi.