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As the embassy departed, it was already spring in the fifteenth year of the Zhenguan era. Due to a previous incident where envoys from another country were dissatisfied with the alliance between Tubo and the Tang Dynasty and sent someone to secretly harm Li Zhenyao, the Emperor not only ordered Prince Li Daozong of Jiangxia County to personally escort his daughter to Tubo, but also dispatched a large entourage for protection along the way.
Li Zhenyao, dressed in a red wedding gown, sat in the spacious carriage, listening to the deafening sound of gongs and drums and the surrounding chatter. She recalled the day Lu Dongzan entered the capital, when she first saw him among the crowd. It felt as if she had swallowed a pound of bitter lotus root, leaving her unable to speak.
To this day, she still did not understand why Lu Dongzan had fortuitously come to her rescue that time.
Since then, she and Lu Dongzan had never been alone together again.
She knew he was avoiding her. She also understood that there was no real reason for them to grow close.
However, as they drew nearer to Tubo, her heart became increasingly anxious.
"Princess!" Suddenly, Lu Dongzan's voice came from outside the carriage—distant yet familiar, almost like an illusion.
Li Zhenyao lifted the curtain of the window to look outside and was stunned to see Lu Dongzan standing there.
"I just received a message from Zanpu's envoy. Zanpu will be waiting to welcome you and Lord Shangshu in Qinghai!" His voice was as deep as ever. When he looked at Li Zhenyao, he noticed that since leaving the capital, she had lost weight; her once round chin had become sharper, adding an air of delicate beauty that tugged at his heart.
"I understand!" Li Zhenyao nodded and let down the curtain before retreating back into her seat. Suddenly feeling warmth on her hand, she realized she was crying.
Unable to contain herself, she grabbed a nearby Redwood Lacquer Box and opened the curtain again. To her surprise, Lu Dongzan was still standing there, clearly startled when he saw her.
"Lu Dongzan!" Her voice trembled with emotion, her eyes filled with hope as she raised the small box in her hand. "Do you remember when we first met? I said I wanted to steal money from the embassy and run away? This box contains all the silver I could gather—enough for me to escape to the ends of the earth and live in seclusion for a lifetime..."
"Princess!" Lu Dongzan clenched his fists, looking at the tears on her face. He took a step forward but ultimately remained in place. "I'm sorry..."
"Don't overthink it; I mean no harm," Li Zhenyao forced a smile, but the tears continued to flow down her cheeks. "Lu Dongzan, I know what I carry on my shoulders. I am the Princess of Alliance of the Great Tang! What can I ask for? I can't just disregard the Han-Tibetan Relations and demand you let me go and take me away, can I? Can I?"
As she spoke, her hand slipped, and a small lacquer box fell to the ground. Tears streamed down her face, yet she still wore a nonchalant smile. "You can leave now, Great Minister!"
She called him "Great Minister" for the first time, so earnestly addressing him as such!
From this moment on, she understood deeply that there was no other path for her but to move forward. And to do so, the only thing she could do was regard this man as a subject!
The girl named Li Zhenyao had finally become desolate upon stepping into Tibetan lands!
Now sitting in the palanquin was Princess Wencheng, representing the Great Tang in extending goodwill to Tubo!
In the first year of Yonghui (650 AD), after Songzan Ganbu passed away (his son Gong Song Gong Zan had died earlier), the throne of Tubo was succeeded by his grandson Mang Song Mang Zan, with Great Minister Lu Dongzan acting as regent overseeing military and political affairs.
Eight years later, Lu Dongzan led an army of 120,000 to attack the Bai Lan the following year.
At the age of forty-three, Lu Dongzan was severely injured and fell into a coma for over a month.
Li Zhenyao personally visited the front lines to boost morale and also check on Great Minister's injuries.
In the quiet command tent, she trembled as she gently stroked Lu Dongzan's thick brows. "Do you know? All these years, whenever I felt homesick or sad, I always remembered what you said back in the palace about this vast grassland. You said the sky is high and the clouds are wide here; you said it allows one to feel free in body and mind."
"But I only know that this is the place where you grew up and have always existed, the place closest to you..."
As she spoke, her voice choked with emotion. "Lu Dongzan, if you truly love this place and care so much for your Zanpu, then you must not die. Otherwise, I cannot guarantee that I can continue to do so well. What does it matter if there is Potala Palace? You have always known where my heart lies..."
In his unconscious state, Lu Dongzan's index finger twitched, and two lines of tears gently slid into his hair.
Seventeen years ago, he had sent her to Tibet. That day, she had presented her small box, saying it contained all her savings, enough for her to escape and live in seclusion for a lifetime.
He knew she wanted him to take her away.
But he could not give her any promises.
In his heart, he told himself: in this life, he would be the eagle guarding her, standing behind her, repaying the escape he owed her with the rest of his life.
In the first year of Yifeng (676 AD), Lu Dongzan passed away due to a neck abscess.
Two years later, Princess Wencheng suddenly died at Potala Palace. In her final moments, she tightly held onto a worn redwood box.
Princess Wencheng had been in Tibet for forty years and had no descendants with Songzan Ganbu.
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