As usual, Lu Xuan secretly looked up and saw Emperor Xuanzong of Tang step onto the dragon throne. Immediately afterward, a eunuch beside him stepped forward to explain the situation. Lu Xuan guessed that this eunuch must be the famous Gao Lishi.
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Chapter Twenty-Four: Do you look down on my Great Tang Dynasty?
“Li Fushan (the movie didn’t give him his full name, so I added it myself), you disobeyed military orders and killed your comrades. Your crimes are unforgivable. Do you want to defend yourself?”
In the main hall, Emperor Xuanzong's majestic voice directly confronted Li Xiaowei.
Lieutenant Li offered no explanation.
"I beg Your Majesty to grant me death..." He didn't really have much hope of surviving, so he wouldn't offer any explanation.
“You do deserve to die, but you have also made great contributions in escorting the relics. I heard from Lai Xi that you fought with your life on the way, taking twenty-seven knife wounds, yet you still held on to the end, killing more than thirty Turkic soldiers. With such merits, my beloved ministers can judge for themselves how to deal with him.”
Following Emperor Xuanzong's words, the court officials below murmured amongst themselves. After a few moments, an unnamed minister stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, Li Fushan's crimes are unforgivable. However, the matter of the relics is related to the stability of the Western Regions and is of great benefit to the country. He has made such a great contribution and returned to Chang'an to surrender himself. His attitude is excellent, so he can be given a lighter punishment. It would be better to let his merits and demerits cancel each other out and demote him to a commoner."
Lu Xuan continued to steal glances, but he didn't recognize who this person was. Emperor Xuanzong must have already made his own conclusion, as he readily agreed upon hearing the suggestion. It seemed to be a close advisor; the emperor's intentions were correctly guessed.
After dealing with Li Fushan, the next target was Cui Qi. There's not much to say about him; he was on duty and had beheaded many Turkic soldiers, earning him a promotion. His cavalry unit also received a reward of silver.
Lai Xi was from the Secret Service, not part of the same organization as the others present. He wasn't mentioned in the main hall. So, in the end, it was Lu Xuan's turn.
"Lu Xuan, courtesy name unknown. Born a wanderer from the frontier. In a small town called Damaying on the border of my Great Tang, he made a living as a swordsman and ran a mutton soup restaurant. I am somewhat curious as to why you suddenly decided to risk your life for my Great Tang. I learned about Damaying from Laixi. The people there have no concept of family or country. Why are you different?"
Lu Xuan knew that this question was related to his public image in the Tang Dynasty. Why should a swordsman from the Western Regions risk his life for the Tang Dynasty? Therefore, he had to carefully consider this image.
“Da Ma Camp is in imminent danger; I want to live a peaceful life.”
"Peaceful days, but you don't seem like a peaceful person. I heard from Rachel that he praised you as the strongest warrior he had ever seen. How could such a person possibly settle down?"
"Whether I can settle down or not does not depend on my martial prowess, but on His Majesty's attitude. No matter how good my swordsmanship is, this world belongs to His Majesty. With just one word from His Majesty, I can naturally settle down. Moreover, the Great Tang is peaceful and prosperous, and the people live and work in peace. Once I enter the Great Tang, it will always be a thousand times or ten thousand times better than the Great Horse Camp."
Flattery will get you everywhere. Although Lu Xuan's flattery was somewhat blunt, it also answered Emperor Xuanzong's question. It was a win-win situation.
"Hahahaha." As expected, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang was very pleased with the flattery. He had neglected state affairs for years because he felt the world was at peace and everything was under his control. Lu Xuan's flattery had hit the mark perfectly.
"Your voice is quite different from those rough Western Region swordsmen. Have you ever been to school?"
"Well... I'm not really sure either. Maybe I've read it?"
"How dare you! His Majesty asked you if you have studied. You don't even know that?" The one who spoke was an unknown official, while Li Linfu, whom Lu Xuan had been watching closely, had not uttered a single word from beginning to end.
“Your Majesty, I recognize some characters, so I should have read it, but I can’t remember the specifics. Several years ago, I was robbed in Da Ma Camp. I was injured in the head and almost died. I was unconscious for many days before I barely woke up. Since then, I have had difficulty remembering anything from before.”
"So that's how it is? He's a pitiful man after all. Our Great Tang is peaceful and prosperous, yet there's such a lawless place on the western frontier. Li Linfu, write this down, and have Longyou take action to govern it soon."
"As you command..." Li Linfu noted this down, then fell silent again. It was unclear what he was pondering.
"Lu Xuan, although you are a wanderer from the Western Regions, you have rendered great service by escorting the relics. You also killed many Turkic soldiers along the way, which is also a merit. I ask you, what reward do you want?"
"It is entirely up to Your Majesty to decide." Lu Xuan naturally wouldn't say, "I want a luxurious manor, plus a pile of gold." However, Emperor Xuanzong was in a particularly good mood today and actually played a joke on him.
“It’s not just my decision; that’s not what Lai Xi told me. Gao Lishi, tell everyone what Lu Xuan really wants. Just tell us Lai Xi’s exact words.”
Gao Lishi immediately stepped forward and repeated, suppressing a laugh.
"Your Majesty, Lu Xuan is ill-mannered, has no official rank, and hates trouble. He has asked me to plead with Your Majesty on his behalf. He hopes Your Majesty can grant him a house, and preferably some gold and silver, so that he can settle down in Chang'an. Also, he hopes Your Majesty can help him register his residence in Chang'an. And he instructed me not to let Your Majesty grant him an official position."
"Hahahaha..." As soon as Gao Lishi finished speaking, a burst of cheerful laughter rang out in the hall. It was the laughter of a group of elites of the Tang Dynasty mocking a country bumpkin.
Emperor Xuanzong of Tang also addressed his ministers with a smile.
"Do you all think that this barbarian from beyond the Great Wall has too high or too low demands?"
"Your Majesty, the relics of Shakyamuni can be exchanged for more than ten cities in the Western Regions. Lu Xuan risked his life to protect them and contributed greatly, so this reward is naturally too little. However, all land under heaven belongs to the emperor, and all favors, whether thunder or rain, are the emperor's grace. The amount of the reward depends on Your Majesty's will. How dare this barbarian from beyond the Great Wall bargain with Your Majesty? Isn't that laughable?"
"Hahahaha..." The group of old men cheered again...
Lu Xuan lowered his head, speechless. He had originally thought the emperor would be reserved and simply bestow a small reward. He never expected this fellow to joke with him right there in the hall.
"Lu Xuan, do you know your crime...?" Emperor Xuanzong suddenly roared, startling Lu Xuan. However, Lu Xuan wasn't truly afraid. He merely feigned fear and asked in return.
"I do not know what crime I have committed."
"What crime have you committed? Hmph, my Great Tang Dynasty is awe-inspiring to all corners of the world, with all nations paying tribute. Which good man under heaven does not yearn to serve as an official in my Great Tang? Yet you, a barbarian from beyond the Great Wall, refuse to be granted an official position, clearly showing your contempt for my Great Tang Empire. Today, if you do not give me a satisfactory reason, I will certainly punish you."
Lu Xuan: "......"
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Chapter Twenty-Five: Director of the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau?
Heaven help him! Lu Xuan never expected that his audience with the Emperor would be met with such 'difficulty'. In modern terms, this would probably be considered a joke. But the problem was that this was a feudal dynasty; if you took the Emperor's joke as a joke, you were not far from death.
"Your Majesty, the reason I traveled thousands of miles to the Tang Dynasty in search of a living was because I admired its splendor. But after arriving here, I, a rough man, was overwhelmed by the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty."
Since entering Chang'an, everyone I've met has been smiling happily. Since entering Chang'an, I haven't seen a single beggar. Since entering Chang'an, I've even felt like I'm in a dream, in a celestial realm, in heaven. Such a prosperous and powerful country, every official must be handpicked, the cream of the crop…
Lu Xuan originally wanted to say dragon and phoenix, but fearing it would be taboo, he had to change it to elite at the last minute, which caused the flattery to drop in quality. This drew another round of 'joyful' laughter.
"Hahaha, you call yourself a barbarian from the Western Regions. But the words you speak don't sound like those of a barbarian at all. Just because of your dishonest nature, I absolutely cannot give in to your wishes today. My dear ministers, tell me, what position should I give this barbarian who doesn't want to be an official of our Great Tang?"
The group of old men murmured amongst themselves again. At that moment, a young man stepped forward. Lu Xuan hadn't noticed before that there was a young man in the group. But as soon as the young man spoke, he knew who he was.
“Father, I have also heard of the deeds of this brave man. He was able to build his own fortune in the lawless borderlands, and then travel thousands of miles to escort the relics into Chang'an. Moreover, he offered many strategies and dealt with the Turks along the way. It is clear that although he is not well-versed in literature, he is still brave and resourceful.”
Not long ago, the county magistrate of Wannian County was wounded while apprehending bandits. He has already submitted his resignation. It would be better to appoint Lu Xuan as the county magistrate of Wannian County, responsible for maintaining order and apprehending bandits in the county.