In fact, the Nanzhao Kingdom no longer exists. Now it is divided into four county towns, which has long been based on some rules of the Tang Dynasty. However, the people below said they are used to it, and this habit cannot be changed by administrative orders. As time goes by, the name of the Nanzhao Kingdom will soon become history. Li Xiang did not deliberately ask his subordinates. After all, it would seem a bit guilty to say this with an administrative order. It is better to let the people choose for themselves. They have the right to choose.
"Change clothes."
After Li Xiang finished speaking, Miss Huaihua quickly found her bright yellow clothing. Since she was going to meet with high-ranking officials from the Nanzhao Kingdom, she had to bring out her best clothes. This represented the reputation of the Tang Empire, not to mention that the King of Nanzhao was her father-in-law...
Thinking of her father, Miss Huaihua also wanted to have such glory, but finally shook her head. Her father was just a farmer near Chang'an City. Because she entered the Eastern Palace, he was rewarded with fifty acres of land, and the whole family lived a good life. When she set out from Chang'an City, the prince rewarded another fifty acres of land, and the lives of her two brothers became even better. All of this was earned by herself, and sometimes she didn't know whether to be happy or sad.
"I pay my respects to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty."
When they arrived at the original border, in addition to the royal family members of Nanzhao Kingdom, the local officials were also staying here. Li Xiang came all the way from Chang'an and did not meet with local officials from various places. This was also to save time. If he was delayed for one day when he arrived at a place, he might not reach the front line in three months. This was completely different from Li Xiang's temperament. If an impatient person acted like this, he would be suffocated to death.
"My father-in-law looks good. It seems that he has been recuperating well these days."
Li Xiang took a few quick steps and helped the former King of Nanzhao up. Now everyone still calls him His Majesty the King, but starting from the next generation, this title will no longer exist. According to the rules of the court, the royal family of Nanzhao can have the title of a prince, but they do not have much real power. They will still be stationed here on behalf of the court, but the person who inherits the title of prince must go to Chang'an to study and come back to inherit the throne after he reaches adulthood.
Apart from the hundreds of guards under its command, the Nanzhao Royal Palace cannot have too many armed forces. It can still operate outside for now, but in the future it will only be a symbolic ruling force, representing that the Tang Dynasty has not forgotten the contributions of their ancestors.
Many people in the Nanzhao royal family were dissatisfied. They believed that the Tang Dynasty had snatched away their rights. However, after touring the Tang Dynasty for a long time, they acquiesced to this matter. If they stood up to resist, not only would they lose their heads, but the surviving royal family members would also become ordinary people.
Just look at the countries surrounding the Tang Dynasty and you will know. Nanzhao lived a good life. At least you could still retain an honorary title, and when you met with court officials, you were all from the Nanzhao royal palace. This was much better than other countries. Look at the royal families of Goguryeo and Fuso. The next generation directly became ordinary people. Aren’t they more at a disadvantage?
"Thanks to Your Highness's great blessing, the weather has warmed up these days, and I'm feeling much better now. Your Highness has become thinner than before."
The King of Nanzhao had been in poor health for some time, purely because of the issue of conferring the title of Prince of a County. He originally thought that he would at least have the title of Prince. You must know that the Tang Dynasty court is different from other places. If the first generation is a prince, then the next generation will become a Prince of a County, and each generation is lower than the previous one. This is also the royal reform promoted by Li Xiang.
Of course, this has not yet been implemented on the princes of the Tang Dynasty, but the newly enthroned princes are all subject to this standard. This is also done to avoid the political pressure in the late Ming Dynasty. When Li Xiang told Li Shimin about this, Li Shimin was a little reluctant to implement it, but after Li Xiang did the math for Li Shimin, Li Shimin finally nodded in agreement.
You can't let the support of the Tang imperial family ultimately lead to a financial crisis for the entire court. If that were to happen, even if you wanted to, you wouldn't have the chance to regret it. The people would think that the Tang imperial family were rats, eating up the fruits of the nation's labor. How could they still support your rule? It's good enough if you don't rise up in rebellion.
The King of Nanzhao was unlucky, and his next generation started from the rank of Prince. If he could have started from the rank of Prince, it could have been passed on for at least one more generation. Of course, people like them would still be taken care of, and when it came to the rank of Marquis, the title would no longer be downgraded.
The King of Nanzhao himself also thought that in a hundred years at most, after two generations, the Nanzhao Palace would become the Nanzhao Marquisate. But it was also good this way. Compared with other countries, we have already gotten a lot. If we continue to ask for more, it would be unreasonable.
When he saw his son-in-law today, the King of Nanzhao wanted to say a few more words, but when he thought of Li Xiang's cruelty in the past and how the entire Nanzhao was at random in Li Xiang's hands, he finally kept the words in his stomach. Although the person in front of him was his son-in-law, if he caused everything to turn around, he would eventually be the sinner of this land.
The Queen Mother of Nanzhao had passed away, perhaps because of the country's fall, or perhaps because of health reasons. Li Xiang was in Chang'an City at the time, so he asked Princess Yongning and her sister to come back to attend the funeral. Now Li Xiang should also go to pay his respects. This is also a courtesy, after all, she is his daughter-in-law's grandmother.
The King of Nanzhao also deliberately publicized this matter in order to let local officials understand that although I am no longer the king here, my son-in-law will be the future emperor of the Tang Dynasty, and our princess still has a very high status in Chang'an City. If you don't value us, you will suffer in the future.
Li Xiang was a very smart man, and of course he knew what his father-in-law was thinking. So when he was paying homage to the Queen Mother, he gave this guy enough face. However, the court had a law that said you can burn an extra stick of incense, but you must never bend your knees.
The Tang Dynasty court stipulated that no matter who the relative was, no one except the ancestors of the Li clan could make the Tang Dynasty royal family kneel down. Li Xiang could not break this rule, after all, so many royal men were watching...
