On the 9th day after Chang Sunze left, it was finally Li Xiang's turn to leave. The Guest House had been unusually quiet for the past few days, but it became lively again starting this morning.
All the famous dignitaries in Nanzhao Kingdom came to Li Xiang to see him off at this time. They did not ask Li Xiang to recognize them, but just wanted to make him familiar with them. As for whether he could help them in the future, that depended entirely on fate.
As for the Prince of Zhennan, Li Xiang also noticed that ever since he became involved with Zhangsun Wuji, this old guy has been estranged from this side. His old housekeeper used to be in cahoots with Qian Ping, and would always ask Qian Ping if there was anything wrong.
Now this guy has run off to somewhere and doesn't take this place seriously at all. However, Li Xiang didn't take it to heart. As long as it doesn't exceed the scope he set, you guys can do whatever you want. If you force these people to come back, it will not be a good thing for Li Xiang.
The palace also sent people to deliver gifts one after another. Princess Yongning was quite popular in the palace. When people heard that Princess Yongning was going back to the north, both Hou Fei and the princesses and princes from all walks of life kept sending some specialties of Nanzhao Kingdom.
The Queen Mother watched everything coldly. Except for meeting the Queen Mother on the first day, Li Xiang had no chance to meet her at other times. Of course, Li Xiang did not think about having any dealings with the Queen Mother. This person could be said to see things very clearly, so it would be safer for him to stay away from such people.
Finally, it was the day before departure. Li Xiang held a banquet at the Guest House to entertain relatives and friends who had come to see him off in the past few days, including the King of Nanzhao and the King of Zhennan. Everyone had their last meal here. Li Xiang was ready to set off early the next day.
Because Li Xiang was the host today, he sat in the main seat. On his right was the King of Nanzhao, on his left was the King of Zhennan of Nanzhao, and the rest were some princes of Nanzhao.
This arrangement seemed somewhat uncomfortable, especially for some of the younger generation within Nanzhao. They felt that Li Xiang should not sit in the main seat, but the king and the princes had no objections. Was it their turn to speak out? These people could only privately express their disapproval. Including their fathers, everyone thought this arrangement was fine.
The Tang Dynasty was their suzerain state and was very powerful. If Li Xiang was not allowed to sit in such a position, would the King of Nanzhao dare to sit in it?
"Duan Hai has some things to do at home, so he won't be coming today. Yongping will be traveling with His Highness tomorrow with the children, so there are many things that need to be packed."
The last seat at the main table should have been Duan Hai's, but it was empty at the moment, so Li Xiang looked at it with an inquiring look. The King of Nanzhao was familiar with this and immediately explained it to Li Xiang.
The other seat belonged to Master Jinghong, but as a high-ranking Buddhist monk, how could he attend such an occasion casually? Moreover, after he arrived, he kept chanting "Amitabha", which made everyone really unwilling to pick up their chopsticks. So Master Jinghong sent his eldest disciple to meet with Li Xiang, and then went back.
It can also be seen from here that although this country advocates Buddhism, it is still inappropriate for monks to appear in certain occasions. For example, at a banquet like this, if monks were to sit here, everyone would feel a certain restraint. No matter what your attitude is usually, you would not dare to drink freely now, just like wearing a mask.
Neither Master Jinghong nor his apprentice showed up, which was a relief for everyone. Although these people didn't say it out loud, they were very happy in their hearts. After all, there were not many opportunities to drink the Tang Dynasty's Tianniang, especially the opportunity to drink it openly. Li Xiang sent people to bring several large carts from the capital, so today these people could satisfy their cravings.
This place is different from the Western Regions. The Western Regions and the Tang Dynasty have had exchanges for a long time, so many goods that have been seized can go directly to the Western Regions, and the nobles in the Western Regions can enjoy them. The road from Nanzhao to the capital is blocked by the four chieftains, so there are too few goods coming here. Although it has been opened now, Tang Tianniang is a rare thing in Chang'an. How can it be opened to supply here?
Li Xiang was also drinking happily with others at this moment, but it was different at the Duan family.
Starting from the last two days, Duan Hai's attitude has been a bit bad. He would beat people at home at any time. In addition to his younger brothers, including some old servants in the house, Duan Hai would immediately get angry if there was something slightly wrong.
Everyone in the mansion understood that if only the young master went to Chang'an, the master would not be angry, and would even feel very happy. After all, the young master was being taken care of by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty, which was unique in the entire Nanzhao Kingdom. If our lady and Princess Yongning were not sisters, they probably would not have received such treatment.
It is precisely because of such things that in the past half month, the Duan family seems to have regained its former glory. Regardless of whether they are related or not, these people all find opportunities to come to the mansion and visit, and they all bring valuable gifts.
Duan Hai was very happy at first, after all, this represented an improvement in the family's status. However, as Li Xiang and He Chang'an's visit was getting closer, Duan Hai thought that Princess Yongping would also have to go with them. Duan Hai was not a broad-minded person. He usually suspected Princess Yongping of all kinds of things. Now that they were in Chang'an thousands of miles away, he would probably be even more suspicious.
But he couldn't say these words out loud. If he said these words out loud, not only would Princess Yongping be looked down upon, but even the servants in the mansion would probably look down upon him. So he could only vent his anger at these people, and it was a vicious anger.
"You're going to grow up in the blink of an eye. If your mother isn't around to take care of you, who will you learn all the rules from? Otherwise, you should talk to your father and find someone else to take your brother over."
Princess Yongping looked at her eldest daughter and said, "She will soon grow up, and there are many rules that her mother has to teach her personally. If it were someone else, she would inevitably feel a little worried." Duan Hai didn't say anything at this moment, but just listened outside the door. Princess Yongping said this because she knew this.
