Chapter 34: Help the Prince to ascend to the throne
King Cheng of Chu and the envoys of Duke Huan of Qi arrived in Luoyi one after another. King Hui of Zhou was as happy as if he had drank eighteen bowls of good wine, because the main income of the Eastern Zhou royal family came from tribute from the princes, but in recent years, the princes who came to pay tribute
It's really pitiful.
Qu Wan, the envoy of Chu, came first. He pulled two carts of good corngrass and bowed respectfully like all the people who came to pay tribute in the past. King Zhou Hui instantly found a rare feeling of experiencing the emperor. He
He held a special sacrifice and filtered the wine with Baomao. After the ceremony, he distributed a portion of the sacrificial meat to the Chu State and ordered Qu Wan to take it back. He also asked Qu Wan to convey his will and asked King Chu Cheng to guard the southern territory.
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After Qu finished leaving, Xi Peng, the envoy of Duke Huan of Qi, arrived. His mission was to report to the emperor on the conquest of Chu. Xi Peng was the overlord's envoy, and King Zhou Hui paid special attention to it and gave him a high-level reception. Xi Peng's
The treatment attracted the prince's attention.
That night, Prince Zheng, son of King Hui of Zhou (surnamed Ji, also known as Ji Zheng), came alone to the State Guesthouse where Xi Peng was staying and told Xi Peng what was on his mind.
Prince Zheng told Xi Peng that his mother died early, and King Hui of Zhou married another wife, who is now Empress Hui. Empress Hui gave birth to a son named Gongzidai. King Hui of Zhou wanted to depose him as crown prince because he favored Empress Hui.
, made the young master the crown prince. He came to Xi Peng because he wanted Xi Peng to use his respected status to help him speak in front of King Hui of Zhou Dynasty. Xi Peng agreed.
The next day, King Hui of Zhou hosted a banquet for Xi Peng. During the banquet, Xi Peng proposed that he would like to meet the prince. This request was not too much. It is also common for princes to enter the court, meet with the emperor, and then meet with the prince.
But King Zhou Hui felt in a dilemma because he didn't want Prince Zheng to show up at all. But Xi Peng was the messenger of the overlord, so he had to give Duke Huan of Qi some face, so King Hui of Zhou came up with an idea to call Prince Zheng He the Young Master.
Bring them out to see Xi Peng. His intention is very clear. Both sons may inherit the throne in the future.
When Xi Peng saw this situation, he understood in his heart. He returned to Linzi, told Duke Huan of Qi about King Hui of Zhou's family affairs, and proposed that he hope that Duke Huan of Qi would help a group of princes Zheng. Duke Huan of Qi asked Guan Zhong for some advice.
Guan Zhong said: "Since the King of Heaven has not deposed Prince Zheng, let us help Prince Zheng make cooked rice from raw rice. My lord can write a memorial saying that the princes of the countries want to see the prince. As long as the King of Heaven agrees that the prince comes out to meet the princes of the countries,
The princes paid homage to Prince Zheng. Then, Prince Zheng's identity will be made public and his status will be consolidated. I think King Zhou Tian will not ignore his reputation or the feelings of the princes. When the time comes,
, even if he wants to go back on his word, there is not much room for him."
Duke Huan of Qi said: "Guan Zhong's idea is good. Let's do it this way."
In May 655 BC, Qi, Song, Lu, Wei, Zheng, Chen, Cao, and Xu held a general meeting in the first place of Wei State (south of Suixian County, Henan Province today). The meeting formally issued a request to King Zhou Hui, hoping that King Zhou Hui would send
Prince Zheng came to attend the meeting.
In view of the strength of Qi State and the legitimate request of the princes to see the prince, King Hui of Zhou sent Prince Zheng to attend the first meeting.
When the meeting of princes began, Duke Huan of Qi placed Prince Zheng in the chairman's seat, and then led the princes to perform the grand ceremony of three kowtows and nine bows. Prince Zheng did not dare to accept it and repeatedly declined.
Duke Huan of Qi said: "When Xiaobai and others see the prince, it is as if they are meeting the emperor. How can we not worship him with great ceremony? Prince, please do not refuse."
Prince Ji Zheng had no choice but to sit on it and accepted the bows from the princes.
That night, Prince Zheng came to Qi Huangong's residence and told Qi Huangong about his precarious situation. He asked Qi Huangong to help him find a way to reverse the crisis.
Duke Huan of Qi said: "To tell you the truth, we are meeting in Shouzhi this time mainly to help you, the prince. I plan to ask the princes to make a covenant to jointly assist the prince. Please rest assured, prince. You will stay with us in the capital.
Stop here, wait until the time is right, and everything will become clear."
Prince Zheng thanked him profusely and stopped at the head.
From here on, the princes of the eight countries took turns to sit in the palace and invite the prince to the banquet. After one round, there was another round. Prince Zheng drank until he was dizzy every day. In a flash, more than a month passed. Prince Zheng saw that the meeting was not held, so he just drank.
, worried that over time, his father, King Zhou Hui, would suspect that he was colluding with the princes for evil purposes, so he proposed to return to Luoyi.
Duke Huan of Qi comforted him and said: "I am waiting for the princes to do this just to show the king how much the princes in the world love the prince. Everyone is reluctant to leave you. The weather is hot now, so the prince might as well live in peace and wait until the autumn weather is clear before going back.
.”
The so-called kindness is hard to refuse. Prince Zheng continued to stay. The princes all listened to Duke Huan of Qi. No one dared to leave unless he said so. Duke Huan of Qi planned to hold a meeting in early August and wrote a special article in the covenant: support the crown prince.
Throughout the summer, Prince Zheng stayed at Shouzhi with the princes of the eight countries.
King Hui of Zhou Dynasty became more and more uneasy when he saw that the prince Zheng never came back. He was worried that the prince would be detained by the princes, and he was also worried that the prince Zheng was not detained, but was getting along well with the princes.
During this period, Empress Hui and Gongzi Dai seized the opportunity when Prince Zheng was not in Luoyi and put pressure on him from time to time. Empress Hui often made trouble with him, demanding that Prince Zheng be deposed and Gongzi Dai be established. King Zhou Hui was very irritated.
Gradually it became unbearable.
King Zhou Hui called Zai Kong (also known as Zhou Gong Kong) and said to him: "Xiaobai has been holding the prince captive for several months. He simply doesn't take me seriously. I see that he is so arrogant and powerful."
It's not going well, so I need to find someone to restrain him. Last time, Xiaobai led a large group of princes to attack the Chu State, but when he arrived at the Chu State, he didn't dare to fight. This shows that the strength of the Chu State is enough to check and balance the Qi State. Now the Chu State pays tribute to Bao Bao.
Mao, obey the royal family. I think we can use the Chu State to compete with the Qi State and combat Xiaobai's arrogance."
Zhou Gongkong said: "The Chu State's tribute to Baomao is entirely up to Xiaobai. Xiaobai respects the royal family. Why does the King of Heaven abandon the princes of the Central Plains and rely on the 'Southern Barbarians'? The Chu State has no faith, and I'm afraid they are unreliable."
King Zhou Hui said: "Who else can we rely on besides Chu? Is there any prince in the world who can compete with Qi?"
Zhou Gongkong said: "Hasn't Xiaobai always been supportive of the royal family? I don't see anything wrong with him."
King Zhou Hui said: "Just because he detained the prince, what is his motive? I won't say more. Go and inform Zheng Bojie and ask him to secretly contact Chu State and let Chu State deal with Qi State. Let's do it."
After King Zhou Hui finished speaking, he took out a letter he had already written and asked Zhou Gong Kong to give it to Zheng Wengong privately. Knowing that King Zhou Hui had made up his mind, Zhou Gong Kong stopped talking. After he came out, he immediately sent
A messenger sent a letter from King Zhou Hui to the first destination and secretly handed it over to Zheng Wengongjie.
After Zheng Wengong received the letter, he opened the bamboo slip and read it, and it said: "Prince Ji Zheng disobeyed his parents, formed cliques for selfish interests, and was not worthy of his position. I was disgusted with him and wanted to depose him and replace him with a prince. Zheng Bo was the minister for three generations.
He is loyal, brave and trustworthy, so he has been entrusted to me. If you join the Chu State to assist the royal family, I will entrust you to the imperial court."
In the letter, King Hui of Zhou commended him and granted him an official position. Zheng Wengong was in high spirits. He said to his ministers: "Three generations of my family have been ministers of the imperial court. Starting from my ancestor Zheng Boyu, to Duke Wu and Duke Zhuang, they have all served for me."
The imperial court is in charge of affairs and the princes are ordered to obey. Especially Zhuang Gong, who does not say that he is the overlord? It is a pity that after Zhuang Gong, the country has weakened. Now, the emperor wants to use me again. Just wait and see, the glory of Zheng will return soon.
"
Uncle Kong, the doctor of the state of Zheng, read the letter and said: "The state of Chu always beats us, and the state of Qi always helps us. Those who beat us, the lord will be close; those who help us, the lord will stay away. Is this dangerous?"
Zheng Wengong said: "This is wrong. Which family of Zheng, Qi, and Chu is not paying tribute? Which family is not obeying their orders? Then again, it is better to listen to the King of Heaven than to listen to the Marquis of Qi."
Marquis Shen, the doctor of Zheng (this Marquis of Shen is not a Marquis of the State of Shen) said: "The Lord's words are reasonable. The king's order has to be followed. We can leave first under the pretense that there is something going on in the country. As long as we leave, it doesn't matter whether they make an alliance or not."
Duke Wen of Zheng accepted Marquis Shen's opinion. He sent people to spread the news, claiming that something had happened in the country of Zheng. Then he left without saying goodbye.
Duke Huan of Qi heard that Zheng Wengong was gone and wanted to send someone to chase him. Guan Zhong said: "Uncle Zheng is not that bold. It's not possible. This is the fault of the King of Heaven. Let's make a covenant as soon as possible and deal with this important matter first."
Let’s find a way to deal with them.”
At the beginning of August, Duke Huan of Qi summoned the remaining seven princes to make an alliance. A special clause was written in the alliance: "We will share the same respect for the royal family and jointly assist the prince."
The seven princes of Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Chen, Cao, and Xu swore an alliance with heaven and pledged their blood to form an alliance.
As soon as the first meeting was over, the princes of the seven countries each sent a small number of military vehicles, under the banner of their own national flag, to form a United Nations army to escort the prince Zheng back to Luoyi. They swaggered along the way, as if announcing to the world that the princes were all princelings.
Let’s talk about Zheng Wengong. After he returned to China, he sent Marquis Shen to contact Chu. Chu and Qi were already in conflict, so Zheng’s request was in line with Chu’s wishes. But in this way, he offended Qi. From then on
, the state of Zheng became a rat in the bellows. The state of Qi attacked it and asked Chu for help; the state of Chu attacked it and asked Qi for help.
In 652 BC, Duke Huan of Qi attacked Zheng again. This time, Chu did not come to rescue him.
In order to relieve the siege of the Zheng State, someone suggested to Zheng Wengong: "Back then, Uncle Kong opposed the alliance with Chu, and the Marquis of Shen encouraged the lord to betray the Qi State. The lord was deceived by the Marquis of Shen, causing the Zheng State to fall into a situation of attack from two sides. Now, the Qi State troops are pressing the border.
, only by killing the Marquis of Shen, apologizing to the people of the country, and then asking for peace from the Marquis of Qi, can the crisis be resolved."
At this time, Zheng Wengong regretted and had no choice, so he killed Shenhou, sent people into the Qi army camp to apologize to Qihou, and asked for an alliance with Qi. Qi Huangong accepted this condition.
When the covenant was made, Duke Wen of Zheng was too embarrassed to show up, so he sent the prince, Prince Hua, to take his place.
After Gongzi Hua signed an alliance with the State of Qi, he did not go back immediately. Instead, he made a request to Duke Huan of Qi in private. He said: "The state of Zheng is in this state because of Uncle Kong, Uncle Shi, and Uncle Zhan."
They control the government. My father trusts them. When the first stop was made, it was Uncle Kong’s idea that my father left first. These three people were favored by Chu and favored the country of Chu. With the three of them here, Qi
, it will be difficult for Zheng State to have long-term relations. If the Marquis of Qi can help me get rid of these three people, I will definitely become your foreign minister when I succeed to the throne."
Duke Huan of Qi thought it was an advantage, so he agreed.
After Guan Zhong heard about it, he said to Duke Huan: "Young Master Hua is deceiving your lord. As far as I know, Uncle Kong, Uncle Shi, and Uncle Zhan are famous virtuous ministers in Zheng State, known as the 'Three Goods'. They are by no means the ones that Young Master Hua calls others."
Villain."
Qi Huangong asked: "Then why does Mr. Hua want to get rid of them?"
Guan Zhong said: "I heard that Gongzi Hua had a brother named Gongzi Lan. Zheng Bojie liked this younger son and intended to depose Gongzi Hua and make Gongzi Lan the crown prince. Gongzi Hua always wanted to deal with Gongzi Lan because of Uncle Kong.
, Uncle Master, and Uncle Zhan are here, so he doesn’t dare to take action.”
Duke Huan of Qi said: "Thankfully, the Prime Minister reminded me, otherwise I would have been deceived by Gongzi Hua. Send someone to convey Gongzi Hua's words to Uncle Zheng, and let Uncle Zheng handle it himself."
Gongzihua returned to Zhengguo with great joy, thinking that he had accomplished a great thing. Unexpectedly, he was detained by Zheng Wengong as soon as he returned to Zhengguo. After interrogation, Gongzihua confessed his crime. Zheng Wengong killed him without mercy.
Got him.
For this, Duke Wen of Zheng was very grateful to Duke Huan of Qi. He sent Uncle Kong as an envoy to see Duke Huan of Qi with generous gifts, and renewed the alliance with Qi.
In the winter of 652 BC, King Hui of Zhou died.
In the spring of the next year, Duke Huan of Qi convened a meeting of eight princes from Lu, Song, Zheng, Wei, Cao, Chen, Xu, and himself in Taocheng, Cao State, to discuss the matter of supporting Prince Zheng as the throne. The meeting unanimously agreed with Duke Huan of Qi.
Supported Prince Zheng as the new emperor of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
At the beginning of March, Prince Zheng offered sacrifices to the Ancestral Temple and officially ascended the throne as King Xiang of Zhou.