We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1166 The Tibetan Princess, Is She Beautiful?

Tears and snot instantly streamed down his face, and Chisang Yangdun no longer cared about the decorum of an envoy.

The rest of the attendants and envoys also knelt down and wept with Chisang Yangdun.

Li Che's face turned completely cold as he looked at the mournful appearance of the Tibetans before him.

"What? I am willing to be the 'father' of the Zanpu and protect Tibet, and you feel wronged? Do you think I am unworthy?"

"No! No!" Chisang Yangdun was terrified, kowtowing repeatedly until blood appeared on his forehead. "Your Majesty is the embodiment of the heavens and the sun, your power extends throughout the four seas. To be Your Majesty's son is the highest honor! But... but..."

His mind raced; in this life-or-death situation, his brain was working at an unprecedented speed.

Suddenly, he remembered the king's instructions before he left—a marriage alliance!

Yes, throughout history, the Central Plains dynasties often made peace with their neighboring countries by addressing each other as brothers or uncles and nephews, perhaps to offset the humiliation!

He grasped at the last straw and said urgently, "But this will cause a problem with the generational order!"

"Oh?" Li Che asked curiously, "What went wrong?"

Chisang Yangdun hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, please allow me to report. The Zanpu has an elder sister named Princess Zhuoma, who is young and beautiful, gentle and virtuous, and has long admired the culture of the Central Plains!"

"In order to strengthen the good relations between the two countries and to establish a lasting kinship through marriage, the Zanpu has long been sincere in his intention to present the princess to His Majesty so that she may serve at his side."

"If the princess is fortunate enough to marry His Majesty, then discussing the relationship between father and son might lead to disagreements regarding etiquette and seniority!"

There was a moment of silence inside the tent.

Even Lu Dongzan couldn't help but glance at Chisang Yangdun with some surprise.

This idiot has always lacked common sense, but it's quite remarkable that he's been forced to use such quick wit.

It seems that human potential is limitless, and we still need to push it a bit.

Li Che raised an eyebrow, then pondered with some surprise, "A marriage alliance?"

He seemed to hesitate: "Isn't this a bad idea?"

"If I were to lead a massive army on a long campaign, only to return to marry a woman, how would the people of Daqing and the soldiers in the army view me? This proposal... is inappropriate, inappropriate."

Seeing that he did not refuse outright, a glimmer of hope ignited in Chisang Yangdun's heart.

He quickly replied, "Your Majesty is wise! Her Highness is indeed a pearl of Tibet, intelligent and elegant, and has long admired Your Majesty's divine and heroic bearing!"

"This is truly a match made in heaven. If it can be accomplished, our two countries will be related by marriage, connected by blood, and naturally our friendship will be even deeper, far surpassing mere formalities!"

Li Che remained noncommittal, seemingly still hesitant.

The generals also stole glances at their emperor with smiles in their eyes. Those who knew Li Che naturally knew that he was already tempted.

As for Li Che marrying the Tibetan princess, will the generals object?

What a joke! The generals would only think that the Tibetan princess was not good enough for their emperor; she was marrying above her station!

With just a word from His Majesty, countless people would be willing to snatch up beauties from all over the world for him, including the Queen of Russia.

Li Che's eyes darted around. He didn't believe Chi Sang Yangdun's words. Who would say something bad about their daughter when she got married?

Although Tibetan beauties are exotic, what if this princess is an ugly woman who can't get married? Even if I marry her and keep her in the harem, wouldn't that be a nuisance?

He turned to look at the silent Lu Dongzan and asked naturally, "My dear minister, you have been in Tibet for a long time, so you must know about this Princess Zhuoma."

Lu Dongzan cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, we have met several times."

Li Che asked frankly, "What does he look like?"

Lu Dongzan's lips twitched almost imperceptibly.

Even though he had experienced many ups and downs, he still felt that His Majesty's behavior of asking about the princess's appearance in public was rather unseemly.

Isn't it said that people from the Central Plains are reserved? How come this emperor is even more... forthright than the people from the grasslands?

But he quickly composed himself, cupped his hands and replied truthfully, "Your Majesty, Princess Zhuoma is the eldest daughter of the late Tsangpo, the elder sister of the Tsangpo, and of noble status."

"She was gentle yet resilient, intelligent and studious, truly an outstanding woman among Tibetan noblewomen; as for her appearance..."

He paused, then carefully chose his words: "In my opinion, even by the standards of Central Plains aesthetics, Her Highness the Princess is exceptionally beautiful and has an extraordinary demeanor."

"Oh?" Li Che's face showed little emotion upon hearing this.

After a moment, he looked up at the anxiously waiting Chisang Yangdun and said calmly, "If this proposal is followed, the two countries will become relatives by marriage after the marriage alliance."

"As for the relationship between ruler and subject... let's establish them as brotherly states, with Daqing as the elder brother and Tubo as the younger brother."

"Erzanpu submitted a memorial proposing that I be addressed as 'Brother Emperor,' and he himself as 'Younger King.' What do you think?"

Chisang Yangdun was stunned at first, then felt as if he had escaped death, and was overjoyed.

Although the brotherly kingdoms are still a step below, they are worlds apart from the suffocating "father and son" and "puppet emperor" systems.

At least, it preserved a modicum of dignity for the Zanpu (Tibetan king) and Tibet.

"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty! Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty!" He kowtowed again, his voice already choked with emotion.

Li Che's actions were not solely driven by lust; at least, lust was not the only reason.

Marrying a Tibetan princess is not just about having another concubine in the harem.

The princess's identity means that her future offspring will have direct blood from the Tibetan royal family.

This bloodline, both legally and traditionally, grants them the right to claim the Tibetan throne.

The Tibetan king is now young, and the country's political situation will inevitably be unstable after such a major defeat.

If the king has no heir or if there is internal strife within the royal family, this right of claim could become a pretext for Daqing to intervene in Tibetan affairs.

What? What if Tibet has no problem?

That's simple, if there's no problem, just create one!

Before Chisang Yangdun could even catch his breath, Li Che's voice rang out again.

"Now that this matter is settled, you should no longer make excuses for these remaining trivial matters and delay my work."

No... there's more?!

Chisang Yangdun's heart sank.

Li Che gave him no time to react, throwing out one condition after another:

"Firstly, from now on, if any Tibetan people voluntarily come to Daqing, the Tibetan government shall not obstruct, harass, or arrest them for any reason!"

"Secondly, the Tibetan standing army is limited to the number of people currently registered, and no soldiers may be added without the permission of Daqing."

"Thirdly, along the newly established border between Tibet and Daqing, no city defenses, fortresses, or large outposts shall be built. Existing old fortifications shall be reported for their location and size. No additions or reinforcements shall be made except for defense against bandits."

"Fourth, merchants from Daqing can freely enter and exit the entire territory of Tibet with their travel permits. No local area in Tibet may arbitrarily impose additional commercial taxes or set up checkpoints to exploit them. Their personal safety and the safety of their goods must be guaranteed."

"Fifth, a plot of land within Lhasa should be designated for Daqing to build an embassy, ​​where envoys and their staff will be stationed. To protect the envoys and traveling merchants, the embassy can house 500 soldiers, and all provisions will be supplied by Tibet as usual."

"Sixth..."

One after another.

There were no excessive demands, and each item seemed harmless.

But the more Chisang Yangdun listened, the more he felt something was wrong. He felt a chill run up from his tailbone to the top of his head, and his scalp tingled.

These terms are like a net woven from countless fine threads, seemingly soft, yet they gradually entangle and tighten the Tibetan Empire from military, economic, and demographic perspectives.

Ultimately, this made it impossible for them to break free, leaving them completely dependent on Daqing and losing their foundation of independence.

Li Che didn't expect the other party to agree to everything, but he couldn't leave it unmentioned.

If the other party disagrees, just have your subordinates negotiate with them; even if they agree to one thing, it's still a gain.

In any case, Li Che had already made up his mind that this time he would make Tibet bleed a lot.

After Li Che's voice fell silent, Chi Sang Yangdun opened his mouth, his voice as bitter as if he had swallowed gall: "Your Majesty... these clauses are all related to the foundation of the nation. This humble subject... this humble subject truly..."

Li Che's gaze swept over them: "What's wrong? Are you having trouble?"

Chisang Yangdun trembled, the words "I'm sorry I can't comply" stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter them.

He had no doubt that if he dared to say "no," the emperor in front of him, who could change his mind faster than turning the pages of a book, would immediately turn all the agreements they had just reached into nothing.

“No… I wouldn’t dare.” Chisang Yangdun swallowed hard, choosing the safest and most helpless answer, “It’s just… such a significant clause far exceeds the authority of a foreign official.”

"I humbly request Your Majesty to grant me some time so that I may rush back to Lhasa overnight to present my report to the Zanpu and the leaders of the various tribes, so that the Zanpu may make his decision."

Chisang Yangdun knew perfectly well that if he, a mere envoy, signed such a treasonous treaty, he would face certain death upon returning home, his head likely to be chopped off.

If they're going to sign, the Zanpu (Khanpu) and those high-ranking nobles should sign it themselves.

If we have to bear eternal infamy, let's all bear it together!

Fortunately, although Emperor Qing was extremely harsh, at least he did not directly demand Tibet's military, diplomatic, or taxation rights.

At least they managed to leave a last fig leaf, preventing Tibet from becoming a province of Daqing.

Now, all we can do is take this hot potato back intact and let the people of Lhasa suffer the same headache.

Li Che also seemed to feel that forcing the messenger to his death was not very meaningful.

So he nodded and said, "Very well, then you should go and return quickly, my patience is limited."

Chisang Yangdun felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty! This humble subject will certainly report to you as soon as possible!"

"As for Gar Tongtsen Yulsung, your Zanpu dislikes him, but I like him very much." Li Che changed the subject and looked at his former adversary who was standing quietly to the side. "He will stay here with me. Since he is now a minister of Daqing, it is inconvenient for his family to stay in Tibet."

Lu Dongzan felt a warmth in his heart and quickly clasped his hands in thanks.

Li Che nodded and looked at Chisang Yangdun: "After you go back, immediately send his family and clan members here, ensuring that none of them are missing and unharmed."

"If there is even the slightest mistake..." He didn't finish his sentence, but simply tapped the armrest lightly.

Chisang Yangdun felt another pang of bitterness in his heart, but could only repeatedly agree: "Yes, yes, Your Majesty understands, and will certainly handle it properly and send his family here safely."

"Go ahead." Li Che waved his hand, ending the long and agonizing negotiation.