Chang Sun Chong's brain works slowly, but that doesn't mean he is a fool. He also thinks what Li Xiang said makes sense.
No matter how good Zakert is to us, he is still a Tuyuhun person. He is entrenched hundreds of miles away from Yizhou. No matter whether he is the son-in-law of the Tang Dynasty or not, we still need to arrange troops to keep an eye on him.
But what if the imperial army was stationed in Tuyuhun?
Those are all our own people.
Do you still need someone to watch over you?
Everyone knows that Tuyuhun's land is a strategic location. It can attack the Tang Dynasty in the north and Tubo in the south. In peacetime, it can be used as a relay station for the trade of goods between the two countries. Not only can it collect enough taxes, but it can also make enough profits from the price difference.
If we conquer this place, then Tang goods can go directly to Tubo, eliminating the middleman who makes the profit, and all the tax revenue will go to us. Why would we need a middleman? And we'd lose a princess for nothing.
The more Chang Sun Chong thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong. After the marriage, we would have to send troops to watch him, which would cost a lot of money. The most important thing was that this guy might not have the same ideas as us and might turn to Tubo at any time.
Instead of spending so much money to find such a son-in-law, why not try your best to take over his place?
Li Xiang was looking at the expressions of the three people from the Changsun family. Even someone like Changsun Chong could understand it, let alone the cunning father and daughter.
Changsun Wuji thought about some recent changes in Li Shimin. Could it be that the emperor thought the same?
After all, in the past, whenever someone asked to marry the princess, Li Shimin would agree, but Zackert had lived in Chang'an for so long and still had not allowed it.
It seems that the Emperor...
"Pour the wine, let's continue eating, don't put down your chopsticks because of other things."
Changsun Wuji didn't comment on this matter, but instead pointed to his own cup. Li Xiang trotted over to pour the wine. Although he didn't declare his victory, couldn't he understand the current situation? Only fools seek real victory. Smart people only care about benefits, and that false reputation is not important.
Seeing Li Xiang pouring wine for him, Changsun Wuji nodded. The pouring of wine at the beginning could be said to be acting, but now it has reached seven or eight cups, and Li Xiang's movements are the same as before, without the slightest sign of fatigue.
Maybe this isn't acting, maybe he really respects her.
Of course, Changsun Wuji is not so easy to fool. In Changsun Wuji's heart, even if Li Xiang is acting, he has to keep acting. The continuation of the Changsun family's power is the most important thing. In the power change of the royal family, this is also what Changsun Wuji considers most.
Li Xiang certainly understood this. Family ties were only one aspect of the alliance. If the two sides were to stand together permanently, it could only be for the sake of interests.
After pouring the wine, Li Xiang looked towards the door. It should be about time, so why hasn't he come yet?
"Is there something wrong with Xiang'er?"
Changsun Wuji felt unhappy when he saw Li Xiang constantly looking at the door. You came to visit me with such fanfare, do you have other things to do as well?
Just as Li Xiang was about to answer, he heard hurried footsteps at the door and the heavy breathing of Hunliba.
"Master, Qian Ping, the chief eunuch of the Eastern Palace, has arrived and said that this is the wine brewed by His Royal Highness the Grandson of the Emperor."
The chief steward of the Changsun family pointed to the courtyard gate in the distance and said, Qian Ping came in with a few strong men from the East Palace carrying a large jar.
Among the previous rewards from the system was a wine-making method, which Li Xiang had already asked someone to make yesterday. However, because the materials were all outside the city, he told his subordinates the method and asked them to go outside the city to brew it as soon as possible. Although the time was still short, compared with the current wines, it was still considered a fine wine.
"I thought it was something amazing. Is the wine you brew good? This is a decades-old fine wine from my uncle's house."
Li Tai said with disdain, and Changsun Wuji's face also looked a little unhappy. Changsun Wuji usually liked to drink a few sips, so he often studied the art of brewing wine in his own house. Li Xiang was just a little kid, could the wine he brewed be better than his own?
In front of Changsun Wuji, Li Xiang naturally had to praise the Changsun family's wine for being more delicious, but he really pinched his nose when he drank it just now. Not only was it sour and astringent, but it also had a hint of horse urine. If this was considered a good wine? Then this jar of his was definitely the nectar of the Queen Mother.
"Don't worry, uncle. I just stumbled upon a brewing method. I'd like to invite you all to taste it today. If it's not good, I'll drink three cups myself as punishment."
Li Tai became amused when he heard this. Li Xiang always made him look bad. If he drank three cups, he would definitely look bad too. After all, Li Xiang was just a kid and couldn't drink much.
"Well said. If your wine is good, my uncle's bird-announced jade pendant may not be as good as the Nine Dragons, but it's also a top-grade piece. I'll give it to you today. But if the wine isn't good, I'll give you three more cups."
Li Tai almost lost the Nine Dragon Jade Pendant, the symbol of the Prince of Wei's Palace, in the court last time. This time he learned his lesson and changed it when he met Li Xiang. He saw Li Xiang's greed for the Nine Dragon Jade Pendant in his eyes, but as he said, this jade pendant with the bird announcing good news was indeed a fine product.
Because the system has given a price, it is worth three thousand strings of cash.
In today's era, the annual tax revenue of the Tang Dynasty is only more than 10 million strings of cash, and the monthly income of Changsun Wuji from his title and official position is only 100 strings of cash. These 3,000 strings of cash are equal to Changsun Wuji's surface income for two years. Of course, his secret income is hard to say.
When Li Xiang was studying the system, he found a bug. He could not resell the gifts given by everyone. If he resold them, everyone would inevitably be unhappy when they knew about it. However, the system could collect these things and give Li Xiang cash. When Li Xiang had enough money, he could pay a little service fee and exchange the things. It was like a temporary pawnshop.
This can also help Li Xiang a lot. After all, there are many things that don't need to be seen by others.
"Then it's a deal. Bring it up."
Li Xiang said happily, if you are willing to give me money, I will never refuse it.
If it were something else, Changsun Wuji would have stopped playing with these juniors long ago, but when it comes to wine, Changsun Wuji is a little greedy. Changsun Wuji loves all the fine wines in the world, and his family also runs liquor businesses in many prefectures, counties and districts. This is not just a hobby, but also a source of finance for the Changsun family.
If Li Xiang could really make fine wine, like the wine from the Western Regions when it was first introduced to Chang'an, the profit...