For Li Chengqian, ever since the instructions given that day in Taiji Hall, the opportunities to see his father had grown fewer.
At the same time, he himself had become increasingly busy.
When the Crown Prince traveled, the Eastern Palace would accompany him. Yet because his father had ordered that this journey must absolutely not burden the people or waste public resources, the entire Eastern Palace had been agonizing over what should be brought and how much should be brought. Because of this, Li Chengqian discovered for the first time just how many matters required him personally to make the decisions.
Before those matters were even finished, the Right Vice Director of the Department of State Affairs and concurrently Minister of Personnel, Du Ruhui, came to summon him, saying that the Persian monk of Jingjiao had arrived.
Thus he could only hurriedly put on his ceremonial robe, which he had worn only a few times before, and quickly followed the palace attendants toward the Office for Guest Reception under the Court of State Ceremonial.
Sitting in the carriage, Li Chengqian even drifted into a moment of distraction. He remembered that his father had once mentioned the divine general named Xue Rengui. When Xue Rengui had first come to Chang'an, he had temporarily been received at this very place.
Now Xue Rengui had gained great fame in the Western Regions. It was said he had already befriended a Turkic khagan and had submitted a report to his father proposing to influence the lands north of the desert from afar, restraining the increasingly ambitious Xueyantuo.
His father had even said that when Li Chengqian eventually went to the Western Regions, he would fight side by side with Xue Rengui and Su Dingfang.
What kind of men were those two generals, whom his father valued so highly?
Besides that, the envoy from Wa had also been received here previously. His father had praised Pei Shiqing for understanding the hearts of the people of Wa. His influence, he said, was even greater than the fleet commanded by Li Shiji. His tone had been rather relieved, saying that if the events concerning Wa mentioned by later generations had not been known, they might nearly have ruined this sharp blade.
In just two short years, this Office for Guest Reception had become extremely important.
Should he perhaps suggest to his father that the Court of State Ceremonial be given greater attention?
While such idle thoughts drifted through his mind, Li Chengqian suddenly felt the carriage jolt. Instinctively he prepared to step down.
"Have we arrived at the Court of State Ceremonial?"
But when he stepped out, the person he saw was Qingque, holding Zhinu in his arms.
"Elder Brother, Zhinu kept insisting he wanted to see you. I told him you were busy, but he wouldn't listen."
Li Chengqian was now fourteen. Li Tai was only one year younger than he was, so he understood quite a bit about affairs in the palace. But Li Zhi was only five years old and clearly knew nothing of such matters. At that most lively and restless age, Li Tai could hardly restrain him.
"Elder Brother, carry me."
Li Chengqian laughed and tried to lift his younger brother into his arms. This eased Li Tai's awkwardness somewhat. He simply turned his head and said,
"If that is the case, then come along with me."
Once they boarded the carriage, Li Tai ignored his younger brother, who sat there happily swinging his legs with a foolish grin, and said somewhat worriedly,
"Will this be appropriate?"
Li Chengqian reassured him.
"That envoy of Jingjiao is neither an official envoy nor a subject of another state. Why worry about so much?"
Indeed, matters turned out exactly as Li Chengqian had expected.
When Du Ruhui saw the Crown Prince holding one child in his arms and leading another by the hand, his beard merely twitched slightly.
Li Chengqian's expression remained calm, even somewhat curious.
"Minister Du, I have never witnessed the reception of envoys before. Later…"
Du Ruhui looked relaxed.
"Your Highness is unfamiliar with the rites of receiving envoys. Later, this minister will handle everything."
That was only natural. Li Chengqian nodded and agreed.
Soon after, he witnessed what the rites of receiving envoys truly looked like.
Led by the Assistant Director of Guest Affairs, the group entered a room prepared by the Court of State Ceremonial.
Only then did Li Chengqian finally see the Persian monk who had drawn a bit of his father's attention.
He wore a robe very different from those of the Central Plains. His build was not especially tall. At the very least, he could not compare with Li Chengqian's father or Minister Du.
His hair was black but carried a strange curl to it. The most striking feature was his nose. It was high and narrow, and the narrowed nostrils curved outward at the tip into a clear hook.
Li Chengqian merely glanced at him briefly before withdrawing his gaze.
Then he noticed his younger brother Li Zhi stretching his head forward, staring fixedly at that hooked nose.
The Persian monk showed no anger at all. He even leaned his head forward voluntarily so Li Zhi could see it more clearly. This caused the Prince of Jin of the Great Tang to burst into giggles.
But immediately afterward, attendants of the Court of State Ceremonial stepped forward and blocked the monk, their attitude clearly indicating that he should withdraw.
Once both sides had taken their seats, Du Ruhui tapped the table.
In fact, he did not even need to speak.
Beside him, an extremely young official opened his mouth and spoke in a rather stiff and formal language.
"Our Emperor has already learned of your intentions. However, within the territory of Great Tang, to speak of spirits and gods without imperial permission is considered an act of misleading the people."
Li Chengqian remembered this official.
He was Ma Zhou, the recent champion of the imperial examination. His father seemed very concerned about the man's health.
But the Persian monk actually understood the refined speech?
Li Chengqian saw that the monk listened attentively. Soon, a trace of displeasure appeared on his face. The reason was naturally Ma Zhou's dry and blunt words, for there was nothing subtle in their meaning.
First, Ma Zhou accused him of spreading deceptive teachings without the Emperor's permission. According to the law, this offense was punishable by strangulation. However, because the Emperor was magnanimous and recognized that foreigners might not know the law, he would show leniency.
If the monk merely agreed to bring certain Western scriptures to Great Tang, the matter would be forgiven.
As expected, an argument quickly broke out.
Unexpectedly, the Persian monk spoke the refined language quite fluently. He argued vigorously that Great Tang's treatment was discourteous. He had come in goodwill to pay respects to the Heavenly Khagan, yet had suddenly been accused of a crime.
"If that is the case," he argued, "would I not have been safer had I never come at all?"
To his surprise, Ma Zhou responded with remarkable decisiveness.
He waved his hand and ordered the Imperial Guards outside to enter and arrest the man, and at the same time told them to prepare the strangling rope.
Seeing that this did not appear to be a bluff, the Persian monk immediately changed his expression and said that perhaps the matter could still be discussed.
Li Zhi continued staring curiously at the swinging hooked nose.
Meanwhile Li Chengqian and Li Tai exchanged glances.
What was happening here was rather different from what the Confucian tutors had taught him.
The Imperial Guards withdrew for the moment. Li Chengqian did not know whether they had truly gone to prepare the rope. But when he looked again at Ma Zhou, the man's attitude had already become rather aggressive.
According to Ma Zhou, agreeing to collect scriptures would only allow the monk to escape punishment thanks to the Emperor's magnanimity.
If he wished to preach his religion within Great Tang, he would need to offer more in exchange.
For example, he might provide information about the surrounding states of Persia, their political situations, and their military strength.
The Persian monk frowned again and cautiously tried to describe how powerful Persia was.
But Ma Zhou only smiled faintly and asked a single question.
"If Persia is so powerful, then when it fought Rome, why did it still fail even after seeking aid from the Western Turks?"
At those words, the Persian monk's expression changed dramatically.
Still struggling to maintain composure, he said,
"That Rome…"
Ma Zhou smiled and tapped his forehead.
"Ah, I nearly forgot. The various dynasties before Tang used many names for Rome. Some called it Fulin, some Pulang, some Fuluoni."
"But now our Emperor has given it a proper name."
"He calls it the State of Rome."
The Persian monk finally cried out in shock.
"How do you know…?"
The wars between Persia and its ancient rival had turned from victory to defeat only within the past decade. Considering the great distances involved and the difficulty of transmitting news, this information was still extremely fresh.
To this Persian, it was profoundly shocking.
After all, he himself had only learned this news two or three months ago.
How could this official of Great Tang casually bring it up and even use it as a bargaining chip in negotiation?
Ma Zhou, however, silently let out a breath of relief.
Good.
It seemed that the inference he and Minister Du had made from the fragments of information left by later generations was completely correct.
This Jingjiao religion could, for the moment, serve as an aid in the strategy to advance into the Western Regions.