the northeast 195tects the Border. He was presented with 1000 objects and “ordered”
in turn to marry the Princess of Ku-an (T’ung-tien 200:48a; Chiu T’ang
shu 199B:8b). In China, a man could not marry a widowed sister-in-
law. That was a custom prevalent in Central and North Asia. Hsüan-
tsung therefore merely accepted a marriage which surely already had
taken place.
On his return, Li Lu-su barely survived a conspiracy against him
by a party in support of the Turks. But the resourceful Princess of
Ku-an invited the plotters to a banquet and had them killed (T’ung-
tien 200:48a).
In the 2nd month (March) of 724, a Hsi mission of ten men arrived
at the court. The envoys returned to their homeland with 50 bolts of
silk. In the 5th month (May/June) of the same year, the Jao-lo Area
Command, i.e. the Hsi, presented musk (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5028).
On Feb.10, 726,^4 Hsüan-tsung entitled Li Lu-su as King Who
Upholds Sincerity and appointed him Supernumerary General of
the Army of the [Feathered] Forest of the Right (Chiu T’ang shu 8:
14a; 199B:8b-9a; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6770).
The Princess of Ku-an had meanwhile fallen victim to an intrigue.
The legal wife of her father, the imperial princess, claimed that the
Princess of Ku-an was not her daughter, i.e. had been born by a con-
cubine, and proposed (in vain) that her own daughter be married to
Li Lu-su. Hsüan-tsung “ordered” Lu-su to divorce his wife, enfeoffed
a daughter of a daughter of Emperor Chung-tsung, the Lady Wei, as
Princess of Tung-kuang, and sent her to Li Lu-su (T’ung-tien 200:48a;
Chiu T’ang shu 199B:8b; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6770). Nothing is known
about the fate of Princess of Ku-an.
In the 11th month (Nov./Dec.) of 726, Hsi envoys were received
at the T’ang court (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5028).
In the 5th month (May/June) of 730, the Hsi were under attack
by the Turks. Li Lu-su and the Princess of Tung-kuang fled to T’ang
(Chiu T’ang shu 8:17a; 199B:9a; Tzu-chih t’ung-chien p.6789). In the fall
of the same year, the Chinese used the opportunity to attack the Hsi
themselves (Chiu T’ang shu 199B:9a).
In the 11th month (Dec./Jan., 731) of the Chinese year 730, Hsi
envoys offered gifts (Ts’e-fu yüan-kuei p.5028).
(^4) Chiu T’ang shu 8:14a has 1st month, kuei-hai, which date did not exist. Tzu-chih
t’ung-chien p.6770 has 1st month, kuei-wei = Feb.10.