Li Xiong's eyes fell on the left corner of the case, where Zhang Gui's letter was pressed.
He said in the letter that in the past he felt that the Jin monarch was too embarrassed to take on the important task, so he rebelled. But now that Jin is managed by Zhao Hanzhang and assisted by strong ministers, the world is safe. What should he have to hesitate?
Don’t forget the original intention. Isn’t their original purpose still for the people to live and work in peace and contentment?
Li Xiong clenched his fists, closed his eyes and then opened them again, saying in a deep voice: "I want to see the general and the envoy."
Immediately, a guard went out to spread the word, "Xuan Jin's envoy Zhao Xin comes to see you——"
Li Xiang silently folded the newspaper and presented it to him, then turned his head to look at Fan Changsheng.
Fan Changsheng stood with his eyes lowered and said nothing. He knew that this matter was finally settled. Li Xiang's heart felt empty for a moment. He was very scared. He didn't know what this decision meant for the country and the people of Shu.
Good or bad.
Xin Zhao received the telegram two days ago and has been waiting for the Chengguo court to respond.
When Chengguo's imperial guards came to invite him, he immediately put on his official robe, straightened his clothes, and went to Chengguo's palace in a dignified manner.
Li Xiong and Fan Changsheng saw Xin Zhao, who was calmer and more powerful than before. When they met each other's eyes, they both felt shocked at the same time, feeling that he must know everything.
In the end, this was Zhao Hanzhang's strategizing, and he was so confident that everything was settled before the envoy was sent out;
Or do they have special communication channels that can deliver information faster than him inside and outside Shu?
Li Xiong calmly exchanged glances with Fan Changsheng, and they began the final negotiation with Xin Zhao.
By the time Zhao Xin left the palace, the sun had already set to the west, and he held Cheng Guo's credentials in his hand.
Li Xiang left the palace with him with a stinking look on his face.
When he reached the end of the palace road, Xin Zhao turned to face Li Xiang, smiled and cupped his hands and said: "I'd like to ask Envoy Li to take more care of you after the princess and the consort."
The two sides have agreed that the state of Cheng will claim vassal status over Jin, Li Xiong will be King Cheng and will lose the title of emperor, and Jin will persuade the Jin ministers who are still fighting in Fuling, Bajun and other places to let all the Shu lands south of Guanghan come under the control of the state of Cheng.
.
Hanzhong County and other places still belong to Liangzhou and are directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Chengguo is not allowed to invade the border again.
Chengguo returned Princess Hongnong and her consort.
Of course, in order to confirm the alliance, the Chengdu Congress sent envoys to Luoyang to formally sign the alliance with the Jin court.
Li Xiang was ordered to go on an envoy. Well, he was the deputy envoy, and the chief envoy was Prince Li Ban.
Li Ban had just been established as the crown prince, but many ministers in the court were dissatisfied with him. He needed to perform meritorious service to consolidate his position.
Li Xiong appointed him as an envoy, firstly to let him perform meritorious service; secondly, to make him familiar with Zhao Hanzhang. If there are changes in Shu in the future, he can seek Zhao Hanzhang's help.
It can be seen that Li Xiong was well aware of the bad nature of his sons, and was also afraid that after his death, the National Assembly would cause trouble because of the fight for the heirloom. However, except for transferring a few sons from outside and restricting them from doing evil, he did not use any other methods.
superior.
Those children were well-behaved for a while after Li Ban was made the crown prince, but after discovering that their father had not changed his mind, they revealed their true colors and acted even more arrogantly than before.
Li Xiong once had a heart attack and even had the urge to kill them, but his heart ached as soon as he thought about it, and he finally gave up.
He felt that he had to have more sons, and he had to educate them well from an early age so that they could no longer be like the older ones.
Bringing the subject back to the subject, he appointed Li Xiang as his deputy because he was upright and loyal. Even if he objected to Li Ban becoming the crown prince, he would do his best to assist him and protect him and would not let him be harmed.
Li Xiang had to accept the king's order.
In fact, Xin Zhao really wanted to go back to Luoyang with him, but he still had to go south to persuade various forces and recall all the Jin ministers to Luoyang to implement the alliance, so he couldn't go back for the time being.
Before leaving, he made a special trip to see Princess Hongnong and Fu Xuan and told them, "Sanniang and Tinghan's wedding is coming soon. They have always hoped to pay homage to Gao Tang. I believe this trip will fulfill their mission. Next,
The princess and the prince-in-law have to go on their way."
Fu Xuan agreed and said he would speed up and return to Luoyang before they got married.
Princess Hongnong asked: "Have you reached an agreement? What did the court give us in exchange for it?"
Zhao Xin comforted him and said: "Princess, please feel at ease. King Cheng understands the righteousness and does not want another war to cause the loss of life. Therefore, he is willing to profess his vassal status to Jin and reduce it to a vassal state."
Princess Hongnong was locked in the house, and the news was lagging behind. When she heard this, her eyes widened and she asked: "How did you convince Emperor Cheng?"
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "Xin did not use any force, but the general is kind and kind, and the king likes him, so he is willing to rule the prosperous age with the general."
Princess Hongnong stopped asking questions, but was deeply shocked in her heart.
She had heard a lot about Zhao Hanzhang's deeds before, but because there was no communication between Shu and the Central Plains, a lot of the information had changed after it reached Shu, so she had always been skeptical.
But now, she felt Zhao Hanzhang's power and respect directly, and she was also full of interest in this daughter-in-law whom she had never met.
Xin Zhao left twenty guards with them, who would escort the princess and the consort back to Luoyang.
There was no other way. When Princess Hongnong and the others fled here, they had only three guards and a coachman with them. Although the Chengdu Congress had a delegation to escort them, he was still worried about their safety, so he left twenty people with them.
He took the rest south.
Zhao Xin wrote a letter and asked them to take it back to Zhao Hanzhang. Alas, the telegram was good, but the letter had to be concise and concise, with many requests. It was not as smooth as writing a letter. He really had a lot to say to Zhao Hanzhang.
Two missions set out on the same day, one heading south and one heading north.
Li Xiang rode on the horse and watched Xin Zhao go away. He didn't know whether he was angry with Xin Zhao or with himself. Anyway, he looked at his back and snorted, then turned the horse's head and chose another path, with a hand
After waving, the team set off slowly.
Prince Li Ban lifted the curtain of the car and looked out, feeling very uneasy.
He is still the prince now. When he arrives in Luoyang, he will accept the canonization from the court on behalf of his father. Li Xiong will officially become the king, and he will also change from the prince to the heir apparent.
Although he has grown up like this, he has never been out of Shu, and he doesn't know what Luoyang is like.
It was not far from Picheng out of Hanzhong County to Luoyang. In addition, the team deliberately speeded up their pace. On the evening of the fifth day, they approached Luoyang.
Because it was dark, they could not enter the city overnight, so they would rest one night at a post station outside the city.
Some soldiers ran back to the city to report the arrival of the envoy.
At this time, the city of Luoyang was filled with joy.
The streets and alleys are hung with red lanterns, and some people put happy words on their windows, doors and walls.
Zhao Erlang hurriedly led a group of government officials to the county government office. A young boy was driven out of the house with a stick. He successfully jumped over the threshold, but accidentally tripped on a small stone in front of the door, and his whole body tumbled outward.
flutter……
Zhao Erlang subconsciously reached out and grabbed the man's back collar, barely catching him when his face was close to the ground.
He lifted the person up and put it down. When he saw it was him, he felt disgusted and said, "Fang Dalang? Have you made your mother angry again? You only broke one of your teeth last time. If you break it again, will you still have teeth to eat meat?"