On that day, Sun Deng held a banquet in the East Palace to welcome Zhuge Ke and wash away his dust.
All the guests from the East Palace arrived and everyone drank together.
After drinking and drinking, Prince Sun Deng looked a little drunk and asked the guests at the banquet:
“How does this far inferior achievement compare with Feng Mingwen’s strategy of establishing Nanzhong?”
At that moment, someone burst out laughing:
"If we talk about the way of writing, we can't say much. But if we talk about the way of governing barbarians, how can Feng Mingwen be as good as Yuan Xun?"
The prince took a closer look and found that it was his guest Xie Jing.
He suddenly beamed:
"Uncle Fa has nothing to say, but please tell me."
If it were in the past, Sun Deng would naturally not be so dissolute, but at this time, he was drunk, where could he still have his usual humility?
Hearing Xie Jing's words, it was like scratching an itch in his heart, urging him to come forward.
Xie Jing drank the remaining wine in the cup and then said loudly:
"I see that Feng Mingwen's policy of pinging Nanzhong is called Ping, but it is actually slaughter. Among the people in Nanzhong, men will be frightened when they hear it, women will hide their faces after hearing it, and children will not dare to cry at night after hearing it."
"Now his name in Nanzhong is like an evil ghost, and the people are disgusted with him. This kind of practice is easy to deal with, but difficult to cure!"
Then he looked at Zhuge Ke and continued:
"It's completely different when you're far away from the plains and over the mountains. You use threats to force them, and you use benefits to lure them. You use kindness and power at the same time. All the people in the mountains are convinced, and they come out from the deep mountains, old and young."
“This approach not only quells the rebellion in the mountains and rivers, but also adds more soldiers to the army and more people to our great Wu. It is really the rule of kings.”
“Comparing the two, we can distinguish between superior and inferior, so why say more?”
Although Zhuge Ke was just over 30 years old, his figure was already fat and he couldn't bear to sit on his knees for too long.
Fortunately, the prince loves talents and scholars, and gives preferential treatment to guests and staff. In addition, it is already halfway through the banquet and everyone is half drunk, so how can they care about etiquette?
But seeing Zhuge Ke move his body and change his sitting posture, trying to make himself sit more comfortably, he then smiled and said:
“Uncle has given me too much praise...”
"Huh! Why should you be humble when you are far inferior? We all know your talents. In the past, Yuan Xun was not in the right time, but now you have been granted a title and become a general. Your Majesty will definitely be of great use in the future."
"When the time comes, you will make new achievements and show your ambition. Who dares to say that you are not as good as Feng Mingwen? How can you say that you are not as good as you?"
This statement was immediately approved by everyone present:
"That's right! I think that Feng Mingwen is ruthless in his methods and has mixed reputations and reputations. He may not be able to compare with Yuan Xun..."
…
The prince felt very happy when he heard everyone talking like this.
Although he did not recognize Feng Mingwen, he never forgot to compare him with him.
the reason is simple.
At that time, Guan Yu said, "How can a tiger girl match a dog?" The name of the Guan family's tiger girl became famous in the world.
But at the same time, the title of "dog son" also fell on himself.
Because Sun Deng’s growth process is actually somewhat tortuous:
The biological mother was humble, and was raised by Sun Quanjiao and Mrs. Xu. Later, Mrs. Xu was sent back to her hometown by Sun Quan.
This experience not only created Sun Deng’s character of loving others, loving kindness, being humble and respectful, but it also made him somewhat sensitive deep down in his heart.
Hence Guan Yu’s evaluation, in the opinion of Sun Deng, the person involved, the more famous the tiger girl’s name is, the more people in the world will know her name as “dog son”.
If the tiger girl finally marries herself, that will naturally be the best ending.
That means what Guan Yu said is wrong.
If she had not married herself, then marrying an unknown person would be barely acceptable.
After all, there are probably not too many people in this world who can rival the reputation of Prince Wu.
If...
Well, now we have encountered the worst situation.
The tiger girl finally married a man who was famous all over the world at a young age.
Moreover, he is the kind of person who started from being unknown and became known to the world step by step.
The more famous Feng Mingwen became, the more Sun Deng felt a little confused.
This has nothing to do with being open-minded, it is purely a matter of male psychology, or the instinct engraved in male genes.
You don’t have to marry me, but I will prove that your choice is wrong.
However, the reality is cruel. So far, the choice of the Guan family tiger girl is extremely correct:
People all over the world know that Feng Ming has many articles, and his articles are said by Cao Zijian to have created a generation of literary style. His military achievements are comparable to those of the generals, and he became a general in the Shu army by his own efforts.
Although we know that Sun Tzu is superior, it is mostly because he is the crown prince of Wu.
Of course, more importantly, it is precisely because he is the crown prince of Wu that he has to pay more attention to Feng Mingwen.
Unsurprisingly, Wu Guo’s time dealing with this person will most likely last for decades in the future.
Therefore, among his contemporaries in Wu State, there was a Zhuge Ke who could be compared with Feng Mingwen, and he was one of the guests in the East Palace, and he was recommended to His Majesty by himself.
How could Sun Deng be unhappy?
In addition, since I was half drunk, I was a little forgetful, which is understandable.
After all, Liu Bei, who was very forbearing at that time, planned to kill Yang Huai and Gao Pei, and held a banquet in Fucheng. After getting drunk during the banquet, he once said: "Today's meeting is really fun!"
Then he was criticized by Pang Tong: "It is not a benevolent soldier to attack the country of others for the sake of joy."
There was naturally no Pang Tong at this time, but there were people who learned from Pang Tong.
Seeing that the prince was losing his composure, someone interrupted the compliments and loudly said:
“There are seven counties in Nanzhong, and there are no less than one million barbarians. Feng Ming wrote a plan for Nanzhong, and it will be pacified in three years.”
“Danyang was no more than a county, and the people in the mountains were no more than 100,000. Even Zhuge Yuanxun managed to level it in three years.”
“Comparing one county to seven counties, comparing one hundred thousand to one million, I still dare to say that Feng Mingwen is not as good as Zhuge Yuanxun.”
“If this statement is known to the world, everyone in the East Palace, including His Royal Highness, will become a joke!”
After saying these words, a basin of cold water was poured down, causing the chatter and laughter of everyone present to stop abruptly.
The dining room suddenly became silent.
Sun Deng, who was a little dazed at first, immediately woke up. He looked closely and found that this person was Yang Di, the concubine of the prince.
He couldn't help but secretly thought that it was him, and at the same time he felt a little ashamed.
But before Sun Deng could say anything, Xie Jing, who was the first to demote Feng and promote Zhuge, was already angry and said:
"There are millions of Yi people in Nanzhong, how many bones are buried in Hanzhong? If we only talk about the number of people killed, Feng Mingwen really wins by a lot!"
No wonder Xie Jing had such a big reaction.
Because Sun Quan proclaimed himself emperor and made Sun Deng the crown prince.
Zhuge Ke was the Zuofu Commander, Zhang Xiu was the Right Bi Commander, Gu Tan was the Assistant and Zheng Commander, and Chen Biao was the Yizheng Commander, and they were called the "Four Friends of the Prince".
Xie Jing, Fan Shen, Diao Xuan, and Yang Fu were named the "Four Little Friends".
At that time, the East Palace was known to be filled with famous people.
Hu Zong was appointed as the guest:
The person who surpasses others is Zhuge Ke. The person who understands the timing carefully, understands the subtleties and studies the subtleties, then studies Tan. The person who concentrates on the broad and profound and can explain knots with words is Xie Jing. The person who studies the subtleties and travels in the same discipline in Xia Dynasty is Fan Shen.
But Yang Di dismissed these comments: Zhuge Ke was talented but sparse, Gu Tan was refined but ruthless, Xie Jing was critical but superficial, and Fan Shen was deep but narrow.
Most of the guests in the East Palace were evil people, and they often joined forces to ostracize him.
However, Sun Deng knew very well that the way to be a king is to be able to accommodate others.
Therefore, although he valued the "Four Friends", he did not deliberately neglect Yang Di.
Moreover, Yang Xi is indeed a man of true talent and learning.
Back then, Yinfan was ordered by Cao Rui to enter the Wu Kingdom and work carefully. At that time, the powerful and powerful people were vying to associate with him.
Even married Sun Luban's Quan Cong and Sun Luyu's Zhu Ji, and the two sons-in-law were also among them.
(Readers who complained at the beginning about the two-character names given to women in this book came out and gave the author a whip to kill. Most men in the Three Kingdoms had single names, but women were given two-character names everywhere.)
Especially Zhu Zhi, said that Yinfan had the talents of a royal assistant and was very friendly with him.
Yang Di was one of the few people who did the opposite, which was strange to people at the time.
Later, Yinfan was punished for his rebellion and implicated the ministers of the court. Haopu, the Tingwei, was forced to commit suicide. Zhu Ju was banned from his home and has not been reactivated until now.
The world has no choice but to admire Yang Di’s ability to recognize people.
So even if Yang Di is not pleasing to the eyes on weekdays, in order to maintain the reputation of the East Palace, Sun Deng must treat Yang Di with courtesy.
Yang Di also knew that he was not liked by everyone in the East Palace, so at banquets like this, he usually found a corner to sit by himself and did not crowd with others.
Only this time, when he heard that everyone was belittling Feng and promoting Zhuge, but the prince took it seriously, he couldn't bear it anymore.
As a human minister, how could he watch the prince listen and believe without saying a word even though he received a salary from the Eastern Palace?
Seeing Yang Di standing up suddenly, he sneered in response:
“Although I don’t know how many bones are buried in Hanzhong, I know the prosperity of Hanzhong today. The prosperity of Hanzhong will change the decline of the people of Shu.”
“Feng Mingwen entered Nanzhong and the Yi people were afraid of him; he left Xiaoguan and the Wei people were afraid of him; he entered Liangzhou and the Hu people were subdued. He contributed greatly to the prosperity of Shu today.”
“Now that Zhuge Yuanxun has stood out, you say he is inferior to Feng Mingwen. May I ask how his achievements compare with Feng Mingwen?”
What to say, let alone asking Xie Jing, I don’t know what to say.
Even the topical figure Zhuge Ke’s face was red, and he didn’t know whether it was because he was drunk or something.
Sun Deng saw it and quickly stood up and said:
“Sir, please sit down. I don’t know the depth, so it’s really my fault to speak like this!”
This was able to suppress the two sides who had started to get angry.
Yang Di raised his hands and said:
"Your Highness, the world is abuzz today, and there are countless people who want to make great contributions. How can Your Highness underestimate the heroes of the world?"
Sun Deng quickly said yes.
Then Yang Di saluted Zhuge Ke again and continued:
"I just made a mistake, so I asked General Zhuge to send a large number of people. Don't be surprised. However, the patients in the country today are not just Danyang Shanyue, but the northern bandits."
“The great danger of our country lies outside but not within. If you have great talents at one step, you should go north to kill the thieves. How can you conquer hundreds of thousands of mountains and gain satisfaction?”
Zhuge Ke Fenran said:
“When I return this time, I will ask Your Majesty to go to Beijiang to fight against the bandits.”
“In this case, we will wait for the good news that the general defeated the thieves.”
No one noticed that when Sun Deng heard Yang Di's words, "The great dangers of the motherland are outside but not inside", there was a flash of worry in Sun Deng's eyes.
With Yang Di's interruption, the atmosphere of the banquet lost its enthusiasm, so soon after, the banquet dispersed and everyone left one after another.
Only Zhuge Ke was left alone by Sun Deng and asked to go to another quiet room.
This time, since it is not a formal occasion, there is no need to kneel down.
Zhuge Ke sat on the chair handed over from Shu and let out a comfortable sigh.
After drinking the tea, the drunkenness dissipated a little, and then Sun Deng opened his mouth and said:
"Yuan Xun, you said at the banquet just now that you wanted to invite yourself to cross the river to fight against the thieves. Was it just a moment of anger, or did you really mean it?"
“How can there be any reason to joke in public?” Zhuge Ke looked at Sun Deng, “Your Highness, do you have something to say to me?”
Sun Deng nodded, with a little worry on his face:
"I just heard what the Yangzi said and felt something in my heart, so I have something to say to you."
“Your Highness, please speak.”
Sun Deng sighed:
"In the three years since you left Jianye, Your Majesty has trusted Lu Yi more and more. Now he is in charge of all affairs of the imperial court and local states and counties."
“This man is a cruel man. In the past, he only complained about minor faults, and chose minor mistakes among ministers to report to His Majesty. He often tried to trap others in order to gain fame and fortune.”
"Now that I am gradually gaining power, I dare to openly frame people who are not guilty, and then subject them to severe punishments. All the ministers dare to be angry but dare not speak out."
“I, General Shanglu, Pan Taichang and others have repeatedly written letters to advise Your Majesty, but His Majesty has remained unmoved. Alas..."
Zhuge Ke also frowned when he heard this.
Although he has been in Danyang in the past three years, he has often exchanged letters with the prince, so he naturally knows a little about the major events in the court.
Without any evidence, Lu Yi framed Prime Minister Gu Yong and forced him to stay at home.
At the same time, because of his false accusation, Sun Quan was furious and considered replacing the prime minister.
Fortunately, Xie You, the Huangmen Minister at the time, went to Lu Yi to inquire about the situation: "How does Your Majesty plan to deal with the Prime Minister's matter?"
Lv Yi said: "It can't be better."
means that the situation is not good.
Xie You asked again: "If the Duke retires, who will take his place?"
Lv Yi said nothing.
Xie You asked again: "Did Mrs. Pan get it often?"
Lu Yi replied: "The king's words are close."
It means almost the same.
Then Xie You threw out a big killer weapon: "Mrs. Pan often gnashes her teeth at you, but there is no reason for the long journey. Today, I am acting for Duke Gu, but I am afraid that I will attack you tomorrow."
Pan Taichang, also known as Pan Jun, Chijie and Lu Daiping defeated Wuxi Man, and is now stationed in Wuchang to assist Lu Xun.
After hearing about Lu Yi's incident in the imperial court, when he returned to Jianye, he pretended to hold a banquet for the ministers and planned to kill Lu Yi himself.
Fortunately, Lu Yi heard the news and did not go there, so he escaped.
So when Lu Yi heard Xie You mention this matter, he quickly persuaded Sun Quan not to pursue Gu Yong again.
And another thing aroused Sun Deng's nerves even more.
That was Lv Yi who falsely accused Jiangxia Governor Diao Jia of "slandering the state affairs". The people sitting there were afraid of Lv Yi's methods and they all said against their will that Diao Jia was really like this.
Only Shi Zhong and Zhong Zhong Enforcement Shi Yi insisted that they had never heard of it.
Sun Quan issued orders for several days to question him harshly, but none of the ministers dared to speak.
Shi Yi said to him: "Now that the sword is on my neck, how dare I hide my secrets and bring about my own destruction? I am a disloyal ghost!"
In the end, because there was no solid evidence, Diao Jia and Shiyi escaped.
“Lü Yi seems to be framed by Shi Yi and Diao Jia, but in fact, his intentions are against me.”
At this time, Sun Deng no longer had the humility of the past, and his face had become a little gloomy.
When he was guarding Wuchang, Diao Jia, the governor of Jiangxia, helped him.
Yi was a servant and law enforcer, and was an important figure who was left in Wuchang by Sun Quan to assist the prince.
Lu Xun and Shiyi, both civil and military, could be regarded as Sun Deng's right-hand men in guarding Wuchang.
Later, Sun Deng returned to Jianye, and Lu Xun stayed in Wuchang, but Yize followed Sun Deng back.
He can be regarded as a die-hard princeling.
If these two people were targeted by Lu Yi for no reason, then Sun Deng would have been the crown prince for so many years in vain.
“Although I don’t know if there is someone else behind Lu Yi’s frame-up of these two people, I definitely can’t keep this person anymore.”
Sun Deng looked at Zhuge Ke and said sincerely, "Yuan Xun, the guests in the East Palace, with you as the leader, please help me."
