Five days have passed, ten days have passed, fifteen days have passed.
Intelligence from all over the place is constantly flowing into Xianyang, everything is normal, and there is no news that is not conducive to the trap.
The snare that had temporarily stopped moving started to move again, and everything went smoothly. At the same time, Zhao Gao personally arranged for people to conduct careful tests in the Chu area.
This careful exploration revealed clues that something was wrong, ruling out the possibility that Xiong Qi and Tian Guang knew nothing about the purpose of Luo Sheng, and confirmed that Xiong Qi and Tian Guang knew the truth and had actually sent undercover agents to Luo Sheng.
The news quickly spread back to Xianyang, and was first known to Cheng Qiao, and later to Zhi Ri and Zhao Gao.
Since the person in charge of Luowen is Chengqiao's personal eunuch, any more important news will be sent to Chengqiao first, then to Luowen headquarters, and finally to the palace.
Therefore, except for some top-secret information, the order of knowing is generally Cheng Qiao, Zhi Ri, and Zhao Gao.
The people below will be selectively informed, and the top secret information will go directly into Cheng Qiao's hands. The leader of the underground network cannot open it without authorization. Cheng Qiao can only selectively inform the people below.
After getting the news, Zhan Ri felt complicated. Because he had been tipped off by Zhao Gao, he felt a sense of crisis about his status.
Although Zhao Gao was the last to receive the news, he was obviously the happiest. After confirming the news, he not only had a foregone conclusion, but he would also be able to serve the King of Qin personally after he took over. His future was bright and promising.
When the speculation turned into reality, Cheng Qiao confirmed his judgment and also confirmed that Zhao's talent was higher than human nature.
"The Romance of Fairy Wood"
Decided to really give Zhao Gao real power consistent with his status, so that he can legitimately work for himself...!
At the same time, Xiong Qi's mischief also made Cheng Qiao very unhappy, so he decided to take revenge on Xiong Qi. He would give Xiong Qi an appetizer first, and then give Xiong Qi a revenge that hit his most painful points!
Cheng Qiao personally went to Lu Buwei's residence to visit Lu Buwei with the gifts, and told Lu Buwei some of Xiong Qi's small actions starting from the Changsheng Chamber of Commerce and his own speculations.
Although Cheng Qiao has not found any evidence for the time being, this is not a trial of criminals. There is no need for evidence at all, only suspicion.
Although Lu Buwei didn't completely believe it after hearing this, he was a little wary of Xiong Qi, who was usually harmless to humans and animals, polite and capable.
In fact, Lu Buwei was already wary of the Chu forces behind Xiong Qi, but Xiong Qi knew how to behave in front of Lu Buwei. He followed Lu Buwei's lead and never disobeyed Lu Buwei's orders. Furthermore, for the sake of the Empress Dowager Huayang and Mrs. Qing in the palace,
That's why he didn't take action to suppress Xiong Qi.
Historically, in the anime, Xiong Qi was able to survive safely during the period when Lu Buwei was in power and eventually replaced him, mainly because of his "forbearance", and secondly because of the face of the Queen Mother Huayang and other nobles in the palace.
This time Cheng Qiao paid a personal visit, which gave Lu Buwei enough respect. In addition, he was indeed wary of Xiong Qi, so Lu Buwei readily agreed to take action to suppress Xiong Qi.
As for how to suppress, Cheng Qiao didn't have any advice on what to do. In terms of political maturity, understanding of officialdom, and proficient use of official methods, Lu Buwei was naturally stronger than him.
Facts have proved that this is indeed the case. A few days later, Lu Buwei took advantage of the situation and adjusted Xiong Qi's official position. He was promoted openly and secretly, but the reason he gave was so fair and honest that it was difficult to refute it.
In the officialdom, the greater the official position, the higher the official position does not necessarily mean the greater the power.
For example, among the six subjects of the Ming Dynasty, the lowest is the seventh rank and the highest is the fifth rank. They cannot wear the scarlet robe that represents the threshold of high-ranking officials. However, even if they are replaced by the fourth-rank magistrate of Shangfu, and they are promoted several levels in a row, the six subjects will be able to serve.
In the middle, he is always acting like a fool, and he is unwilling to be promoted.
In the Ming Dynasty, there was a saying that "when an official is promoted to one level, his power will be greatly reduced" for the six subjects and the censor of the Metropolitan Procuratorate.
Naturally, among the official positions in the Qin State, there are official positions that can be used for promotion and demotion, and there are quite a few.
Xiong Qi couldn't understand why he had offended Lu Buwei, and he suddenly acted like this. He was obviously quite kind to him the last time they met, but his mood suddenly became quite depressed...
But he couldn't bother bothering the Queen Mother Huayang and others with this matter, and he also had to take the initiative to prevent the Queen Mother Huayang and others from putting pressure on Lu Buwei.
After all, it is a promotion, but the new official position is less powerful than the old official position, but it is not considered a bench, but the scope of jurisdiction is not that important.
Once Lu Buwei is under pressure, if Lu Buwei cannot withstand it, even if he offends Lu Buwei more deeply, he will still gain something and it will not be in vain.
If Lu Buwei withstands the pressure, then double the pressure will return to Xiong Qi. He can't help the noble Queen Mother and Madam in the inner palace, but can't he help you, Xiong Qi in the outer court?
More powerful blows will definitely follow. Xiong Qi thinks that Lu Buwei's qualifications, status, and power can probably withstand it.
As the Prime Minister, who is under one person and above ten thousand people, and the head of hundreds of officials, and who also holds the title of Marquis of Che with a fiefdom of 100,000 households, he is determined.
Not to mention Empress Dowager Huayang, even Empress Dowager Zhao Ji, who legitimately holds the power to supervise the country, can withstand it. At certain times, she can fight against the royal power on her own, or even suppress the royal power.
Power has nothing to do with official documents and seals, but depends on how many people it can personally influence. The so-called official position is given by the above, but prestige has to be created by oneself.
Even if you are the emperor who has been granted imperial power by nature, you still have to create your own prestige. It does not mean that you have all the power of the seat you sit in. You only have the minimum power at most.
Therefore, Xiong Qi could only eat Coptis chinensis dumbly, knocked out his teeth and swallowed it in his stomach, folded his arms and hid them in his sleeves, continued to use his "forbearance" magic skill, and waited for the opportunity.
…
After the appetizers were finished, it was time to serve the main course.
Cheng Qiao directly summoned Zhao Gao and Zhanri, but he did not issue the mission at the beginning. Instead, he first inquired about the progress of the attack on the Iron Blood Alliance.
After learning that the Iron-Blooded Alliance of Wei had been captured and was infiltrating like the Iron-Blooded Alliance of Chu, and preparations had been made to transfer property, Qi, Yan and Zhao also started taking action, and it was estimated that they would be able to capture them all within three months at most.
After asking, Cheng Qiao didn't say much. He didn't care what plans Zhao Gao and Zhanri had or what methods they used. He only cared about whether they could succeed in the end. If they succeeded, they would be rewarded. If they failed, they would be punished. That's all.
"Li Yuan, do you know?"
Cheng Qiao Dama Jin Dao sat on the top chair and said with a calm expression.
Zhao Gaohe Zhenri looked puzzled and shook his head slightly in unison.
This name is really unfamiliar. There is no one with this name among the dignitaries in either Qin or the Six Kingdoms. If there is, it is impossible for them to not remember him. Who is he?
Cheng Qiao is not surprised by the attitude of the two people. They may not know each other now, but in the next year, the name Li Yuan will be famous and will be heard like thunder.
By then, everyone in the world who has some status will know this person.
"This person is the imperial magistrate of Chu State and a close attendant of Chunshen Lord Huang Xie. His sister Li Yanyan is Huang Xie's favorite concubine."
"Bianri, I want you to go to Chu State in person and contact him on my behalf."
After hearing Cheng Qiao's words, Zhao Gao and Zhan Ri looked shocked, and their calm aura became a little choppy.
The two of them were naturally not shocked by Li Yuan's identity. Li Yuan's identity was already considered prominent to the people of Guizhou, but to them, it was just that. Instead, they were shocked that Cheng Qiao valued this person so much.
Not only did he send Zhi Ri in the middle of dealing with the Iron-Blooded Alliance, but he even let Zhi Ri represent him. What this means really makes people think a lot...
"Master Hou, what do you mean?" Zhan Ri asked cautiously.
"Support him, support him no matter what he wants to do. To this end, we can mobilize all the resources of Luo Wang in Chu State. If necessary, we can also mobilize more power."
Cheng Qiao spoke categorically and resolutely, but his expression was quite playful.
"My subordinate understands, but I wonder what the Marquis wants?"
Zhan Ri will naturally not believe that Cheng Qiao has a kind heart. This Li Yuan must be of great use value, although he still doesn't understand what value this Li Yuan has that warrants such a heavy bet...
"Now all you need to do is ask him for money and allow him to pay on credit. The more money you ask for, the better. The base price is 50,000 gold a year."
Now?
It seems that in the future, besides money, this Li Garden will have great value. If you want to take it, you must give it first. The Marquis seems to be fishing.
In this way, for the benefit of the future, it is necessary to seize the opponent's handle. Tong Qin is undoubtedly an important handle. After meeting with Li Yuan, it seems that a good plan is needed.
Zhanri is obviously not a simple character. He understands the leader's intention and leads very accurately. Cheng Qiao just wants Li Yuan to get involved with the Qin State. He does not want to completely tie Li Yuan to the Qin State's ship. He just wants to let Li Yuan have a chance.
Just worry about it.
With this scruple, there are many things that can be done using Li Yuan or using Li Yuan's name.
"My subordinate understands. Please rest assured, Mr. Marquis, I will definitely complete the task!"
Zhanri stood up and bowed his hands, saying firmly and confidently.
"I naturally believe in you. You have never let me down, and this time will definitely be no exception."
"I have no choice but to ask you to go out in person this time. Zhao Gao is the chief internal official beside my mother and cannot leave the palace for too long. Others cannot represent me, and I am not at ease."
"By the way, you can arrange the affairs of the Iron Blood Alliance before heading to Chu State Shouchun. The matter of Li Yuan can be settled by the end of this year. There is no rush."
Zhanri breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this. Although it was gratifying and reassuring to see his boss take him seriously, it would definitely affect his rivalry with Zhao Gao. Now it was best to have the best of both worlds.
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for taking this seriously. Please rest assured, Lord Marquis, that my subordinates will handle both matters well."
Cheng Qiao nodded with satisfaction, raised his head and pressed down, signaling Zhan Ri to sit down. Then he turned to look at Zhao Gao and shouted in a deep voice: "Zhao Gao."
"My slave is here."
Although he was wondering about the role of Li Yuan, he did not relax at all when told by the outside world. After hearing this, Zhao Gao immediately stood up and bowed his hands.
"Even if you win the contest between the two of you, you must not hold back on Li Yuan's matter. You must work together and handle it as a top-level task."
"Please rest assured, Lord Marquis, the superiors and subordinates will not be involved in big matters." Zhao Gao's pale and sinister face was full of seriousness, and his tone was serious.
Cheng Qiao almost couldn't help laughing when he heard this. Are you, Zhao Gao, someone who doesn't care about big issues?
People who are on the opposite side are pretty much the same. Self-interest is more important than anything else, but it is still necessary to give some face to the right-hand man and it is difficult to expose them.
Villains also have their own role, as long as they are used in appropriate ways and can be controlled.
In fact, Cheng Qiao didn't hold it back completely, he just turned his laughter into a smile and sent out the invitation.
"It's almost time for dinner, you two don't leave. Come and have a meal with me."
"Thank you, Lord Marquis, for the meal."
…
After finishing lunch, Cheng Qiao went to have some fun in a very happy mood.
The reason why he was in a very happy mood was that supporting Li Yuan was a plan to draw out the firepower. As long as he succeeded, even if Xiong Qi betrayed the Qin State, the Chu State would have no way out for him.
I want to rely on my merits to return to the Chu Kingdom and become the last King of Chu. It is a wishful thinking!
The second reason is that you can act cool in front of Zhao Gao and Zhan Ri, making Zhao Gao and Zhan Ri more in awe and not daring to make mistakes.
This guy Li Yuan was the one who wiped out Chun Shenjun Huang Xie's entire family and replaced Huang Xie as the imperial magistrate of Chu State. He was not an economical person.
This man offered his sister Li Yanyan to Huang Xie, who was several decades old, as a concubine. Li Yanyan was also called Li Huan.
When Li Yanyan became pregnant, she conspired with her sister to take advantage of King Chu Kaolie's childlessness and instigated Lord Chunsheng Huang Xie to give the pregnant Li Yanyan to King Chu Kaolie for his favor.
The key is that Li Yanyan also agreed with her brother Li Yuan's plan, and personally came forward to encourage Huang Xie, telling Huang Xie the truth that after the death of King Chu Kaolie and his brother's succession, Huang Xie would definitely take Yin's position and the fiefdom would not be guaranteed.
.
Huang Xie could not accept the threat of losing power and losing his fiefdom, nor could he stand the temptation of his son to replace others and become the king of Chu, so he agreed to the proposal of Li Yuan and his sister.
It can be seen that these two brothers and sisters are not fuel-efficient lamps!
Later, Huang Xie's retainer Zhu Ying persuaded Huang Xie to kill Li Yuan in advance, otherwise Li Yuan would definitely kill him. However, Huang Xie didn't believe it and thought that he was very good to Li Yuan and that Li Yuan was a weak person.
No matter what, it wouldn't be like this, so I didn't take action in advance.
When Zhu Ying learned about it, he was afraid of harm to himself, so he escaped early. Later, there was an incident in the Thorn Gate Palace, and Li Yuan sent assassins to kill Huang Xie, and then sent officials to kill Huang Xie's entire family.
As a result, Li Yuan's nephew became the King of Chu, Li Yuan's sister became the Queen Mother, and Li Yuan himself became Ling Yin.
Speaking of which, Li Yuan was really ruthless. He killed his nephew's biological father, his sister's husband, his brother-in-law, and wiped out his entire family.
In fact, the Li Yuan brothers and sisters were taking advantage of Chunsheng Lord Huang Xie from the beginning to the end, treating Huang Xie as a step into his career and a pure tool without any emotional kindness at all.
Of course, Chun Shenjun Huang Xie was definitely kind to the Li Yuan brothers and sisters, but they just repaid their kindness with hatred.
Huang Xie, Lord of Chunshen, is naturally not stupid. A fool cannot achieve the position of the Prime Minister of Chu, and he has been there for more than 20 years. It's just that the Li Yuan brothers are too good at pretending.
His acting skills are at their peak, to the point where he can deceive himself. It is not surprising that he deceived Huang Xie. To put it bluntly, the character is well established.
From the beginning, Li Yuan was very respectful and cowardly in front of Huang Xie. Even though his sister became the queen of Chu and the son he gave birth to became the prince of Chu, King Kaolie of Chu allowed Li Yuan to participate in the government affairs and gained a certain amount of power, but he still treated Huang Xie.
Chunshenjun Huang Xie looked up with his horse's head.
He was so deceptive that he didn't reveal his true face until the most critical moment, catching Chunshen Lord Huang Xie off guard and killing Huang Xie and Manmen.
Li Yuan's sister and nephew are not considered Huang Xie's family members. Although they are indeed Huang Xie's concubines and sons, the tool man's concubines and sons are not considered family members.
In fact, Xiong Wan, King of Chu Kaolie, did not really have no heirs. Xiong Qi, Lord of Changping, was the son of King Chu Kaolie, and he was also his legitimate son.
It's just that this son was born in Qin, grew up in Qin, and was a high-ranking official in Qin. He was excluded from the beginning and had no inheritance rights at all.
In addition to the legitimate son Xiong Qi of Changping, King Chu Kaolie also had concubines. These concubines were in a different situation than Xiong Qi, but they still had no inheritance rights.
The succession priority of brothers is higher than that of bastards. When there is a legitimate son, there is no problem for a bastard.
Reincarnation is really a technical job. In ancient times, if you became a bastard, without extraordinary talents and appropriate opportunities, you would never be able to turn around in your life.
The first son born to Li Yanyan was named Xiong Han, who was the King of Chu You. When he died, he still had no sons. The older brother and younger brother succeeded him, and Li Yanyan's second son Xiong You succeeded him as the King of Chu Ai.
Xiong You, King of Chu Ai, only reigned for two months when he was killed by King Xiong Wan's concubine of King Chu Kaolie and a retainer of his half-brother, Xiong Chu. The reason was that Xiong You was not King Chu Kaolie's biological son.
In fact, Xiong You is indeed the biological son of King Chu Kaolie. However, because it has been confirmed that Xiong Han is not the biological son of King Chu Kaolie, and it has been widely spread, being implicated is naturally very suspicious and easy for people to believe.
It is impossible for the aristocratic officials of Chu State to allow a person with doubtful bloodline to inherit the throne of Chu State. It is normal for him to be deposed or killed.
Therefore, the concubine Fu Chu killed Xiong You, the Queen Mother Li Yanyan and the Li Yuanman family established themselves as kings of Chu. They encountered little opposition and became the kings of Chu naturally.
As the saying goes, the way of heaven is reincarnation, who will be spared by heaven, the Li Yuan brother and sister who repaid kindness with revenge were killed. Huang Xie slowly, he was also wiped out by others in almost the same way.
At the end of the Warring States Period, the world was in chaos, and the palaces of the seven kingdoms were also in chaos. Palace coups occurred one after another, and the state of Chu was especially chaotic. Palace coups were as common as eating and drinking, and this happened every now and then.
The system of the Chu State was too special, with insufficient centralization of power. Even if a king with superb skills could control the power and situation.
If he is not capable enough, he is almost like a puppet and does not have much real power. The real power is in the hands of high-ranking officials and nobles such as Ling Yin. Being an official in Chu State depends on his bloodline.
A big noble is a big official, and a small noble is basically a small official. Although there are opportunities for advancement, they are not great. The big nobles are basically bound to high officials.
For example, the three clans of Qu, Jing, and Zhao basically monopolized the high-ranking official positions in Chu State. If no outstanding person appeared, the position of Ling Yin was also theirs.
Unfortunately, the fief also had military power. Although there were restrictions, having an army meant having an army. Regardless of the number, it provided the basis for a coup d'état.
I really don’t know what there is to be proud of in such a country. In the final analysis, the Qin State has too many hidden dangers, but it still seeks its own death and is given too many opportunities. Otherwise, the prophecy of "Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die" will not come true.
real.
Besides, the overthrow of the Qin State was not only due to the old nobles of the Chu State. Others shared a lot of firepower, otherwise it would have been extinguished long ago.
There were three reasons why Li Yuan was destroyed. The first was that the foundation was not deep enough, because it was impossible for people with a deep background to become Huang Xie's disciples.
Secondly, there is a problem with one's own abilities, and thirdly, the position is incorrect and unpopular.
The combination of these three reasons resulted in Li Yuan holding the power of the Chu Kingdom for nearly ten years. He still did not have enough supporters, was still unable to overwhelm the Chu Kingdom's nobles, and was still not powerful enough to suppress the situation.
All kinds of reasons combined, in the final analysis, the power is still not enough.
If he has enough strength to make people fear, once Li Yuan dies, Chu will be in civil strife. He may not dare to take the wrong approach and use retainers to assassinate him. You must know that the Qin State is watching from the outside...
Except for the core forces, other forces are superficial and have not penetrated their own influence at all. As long as others offer slightly more benefits, they will sacrifice their lives without hesitation.
Chun Shenjun Huang Xie was able to control the situation in Chu State before the fifth joint attack on Qin failed. However, after the failure, his influence declined rapidly. In less than a year, he ended up dying at the hands of an assassin.
.
However, it is precisely because Li Yuan has such shortcomings that he is the best target to take advantage of. He is not the same as what he looks like, and repaying kindness with enmity does not matter.
Cheng Qiao doesn't like such people, but that doesn't prevent him from cooperating with them. He just needs to be careful of being bitten back.
With him, the snare, and the support of some of Qin's strength, if Li Yuan cannot stand firm, he can really hang himself.
That's right, it's just to gain a foothold, not to really let Li Yuan control the situation in Chu State. Chu State is the biggest stumbling block for Qin State to unify the world. The most fundamental conflict of interests cannot be reconciled at all.
Moreover, the reason why the sword is effective is that the threat still exists. In short, it is to support the self-respect of the invaders, so that Li Yuan must rely on the weapon of the snare and the Qin State.
On the eve of the start of the battle to destroy Chu, they directly released the news that Xiong Han and Xiong You were not the biological son of King Chu Kaolie.
This is the ideal time. Although a slightly earlier or slightly later time will have a great effect, it cannot be regarded as being utilized to the extreme.
At that time, the nobles of the Chu State will be extremely dissatisfied and cannot accept it at all. For the sake of saving face, they will never give up with Li Yuan. The two sides will definitely beat each other to the point of bleeding and even fight to the death.
Li Yuan, who was unable to completely suppress the situation, could not suppress the situation in a short time. He would definitely ask Luo Sheng and even the Qin State for help. Cheng Qiao could definitely take this opportunity to mess up the Chu State.
When the chaos in the Chu State reaches its peak and both sides fight with real fire, the Qin State will send a large army to conquer the Chu State, and they will definitely be able to destroy the scattered Chu State in one fell swoop!
The price paid will also be reduced to the minimum, which can be said to be the maximum result at the minimum cost!
If Li Yuan's opponents want to compete with Li Yuan, they must withdraw from a brand name in order to be justified.
As long as Xiong Qi is not allowed to make great contributions to the Chu State, it is impossible for Xiong Qi, who has an extremely shallow foundation in the Chu State, to gain the support of the Chu State's nobility.
As a result, if you return to the Chu Kingdom, you will not be able to ascend the throne of Chu King, and if you return to the Chu Kingdom, you will most likely become a thorn in the side of the nobles of the Chu Kingdom and a thorn in the flesh.
At the same time, he would become a thorn in Li Yuan's side and a thorn in his flesh, because as a disciple of King Chu Kaolie, he would have a much higher inheritance position than those concubines.
Even if Xiong Qi replaced the signboard established by the Chu nobles with his own ability and charisma, he would not be able to convince the public without any foundation or sufficient achievements. He was just a new puppet.
It is difficult for a puppet to control the large and small aristocrats of Chu State who have different ideas and interests under the control of internal and external troubles!
Xiong Qi didn't really have the aura of a domineering king. The tiger's body shook, and the aura of a domineering king emanated, and the nobles of Chu State bowed their heads and worshiped him. He was not the chosen one.
As a result, whether it was during the period when Li Yuan was in power or during the period of civil strife in Chu, it would be difficult for Xiong Qi to do anything. There was a high probability that he could only watch the Chu Kingdom fall and perish...
In anime, in history, Xiong Qi tried his best to fight for a long time, and fought to the end. Looking at his life, it can be said that he was defeated even though he was defeated!
In this life, Cheng Qiao did not intend to give Xiong Qi a chance to win even though he was defeated. Not only did he target the enemy directly, but he also wanted to kill someone.
…
Killing people also kills... heart?
So scary...ah! (Grinding teeth, fearful face)
This chapter has been completed!