Mu Ji saw that Qin Mugong was busy with his own affairs all day long and did not take what she said to heart at all, so she couldn't help but complain. One day, she complained:
"You just recruit people all day long, and you never take what I say to heart."
"What's wrong with you that I don't care about?"
"This is about the Jin Kingdom. I told you last year. You said you wanted to recruit Baili Xi. Now Baili Xi has also been recruited. It's been more than a year. It's time for you to fulfill your promise, right?"
"What did I say? What promise?"
"You said you wanted to help a group of Jin people." Mu Ji said: "After my father died, Jin State has never had a king. How can you say that you are also the son-in-law of Jin State, can you just ignore it? Now Chong'er and Yiwu are on the run.
, they are both your brothers-in-law. You can choose one of them to help Jin establish a king. This request is okay, right?"
Duke Mu of Qin had no choice but to agree. So he sent Prince Jue to find out about the situation of the two young masters in the name of condolences.
Prince Jue first went to the territory of the Di people and found Prince Chong'er. He expressed his condolences and then said: "Your ancestor has been dead for so long, and you have been staying in the territory of the Di people. The throne in the country is vacant. How can you do it?"
Why don’t you take this opportunity to make some plans?”
Young Master Chong'er said: "After the death of the late king, I, as a son, only feel sad in my heart. How can I dare to have any wrong thoughts?"
Young Master Jie saw Chong'er's sad expression and couldn't figure out whether he had an idea or whether he really had no idea because of sadness. Chong'er was unwilling to say anything more.
Gongzijie was originally here to test him, so he didn't say much.
Prince Ji went to the Liang Kingdom to meet Prince Yi Wu again. He told Yi Wu what he had said to Chong'er. Yi Wu's behavior was completely different from Chong'er's. He was not sad, and even showed joy.
Yi Wu said: "Both the officials of Jin, Rick and Pizheng, promised to help me. I also gave them my promise."
Gongzijie asked: "What benefit do you give them?"
Yi Wu said: "If these two people help me get the throne, I promise to give Rick one million acres of farmland and Pi Zheng 700,000 acres of farmland."
Young Master Jie sighed: "Young Master Yiwu is so courageous."
Yi Wu said: "If your king helps me return to Jin and sit on the throne, I will give you five cities in the east of Hedong as a thank you. In addition, I will also give you forty-two yi of gold (one yi is equivalent to twenty
Four taels), six pairs of pure white jade pendants. These are specially given to you. Of course, this is a small thing, I don’t dare to embarrass myself in front of you, the young master, so I only ask the young master to take it to send away the errands below."
Young Master Jie cupped his hands and said, "Whether the matter can be done or not is not my say. However, I have seen Young Master Yiwu's majestic momentum today, and I am very impressed. I will go back and report to the lord. I won't say much, so let's leave."
After saying that, he cupped his hands and walked out.
Prince Ji returned to Qin and reported to Qin Mugong about his meeting with Chong'er and Yi Wu. Finally, he made an evaluation: "Chong'er is a loyal man. He neither expressed his position nor made any promises. But Yi Wu boasted about Haikou, which is obviously a
A cunning person."
Duke Mu of Qin said: "Then, which one do you think is suitable to be the king?"
Prince Jie said: "Chong'er is a good man, but compared with him, Yiwu is a bad man. I think that if we want to establish something bad, we should establish something bad. If we establish something bad, he will definitely mess up Jin in the future. This is more beneficial to us."
."
Duke Mu of Qin laughed heartily and said, "What you said makes sense. Let's make a bad one."
The monarchs and ministers of the Qin State had just made an agreement, and news came that Duke Huan of Qi also planned to establish a son, Yi Wu. Duke Mugong of Qin thought that it was just a favor for the State of Qi. So he sent Baili Xi and Gongsun Zhi to lead troops to the State of Liang to pick up the son Yi Wu.
, escorted him back to Jin to ascend the throne.
In 551 BC, the Qin army arrived in Jin. It happened that Duke Huan of Qi also sent Xi Peng to lead troops. When the two sides met, they quickly decided to jointly support Yiwu's ascension to the throne. After intensive preparations, in Qi,
Under the protection of the soldiers and horses of Qin and Qin, the prince Yiwu ascended to the throne of Jin and became Duke Hui of Jin.
Duke Hui of Jin thanked the soldiers of Qi and Qin and sent people to escort the troops of the two countries out of the country.
When the Qin army left, Baili Xi came up with an idea. He asked Gongsun Zhi to stay and ask Yiwu, Duke Hui of Jin, for the five cities originally promised to Qin.
Duke Hui of Jin held a court meeting on this matter. He said: "In order to come back, I gave them those promises. Every city in the Jin Kingdom was obtained by the bloodshed of the ancestors. As a king, it is the responsibility of guarding the land.
, how can I give my territory to others for nothing?”
Minister Rick said: "My lord has just ascended the throne, and it is time for him to win the trust of the world. How can he break his trust?"
General Cherui had always been at odds with Rick. He came out to object and said: "Dr. Rick, this is wrong. Our ancestors fought bloody battles and just conquered a few cities. Now they have given away five cities. How many times can the Jin Kingdom give away
?”
The military generals from Cherui's faction all followed suit, and the civil and military officials from Rick's faction also immediately attacked. There was a commotion in the court.
Duke Hui of Jin waved his hand to stop them, and then said: "You can't argue, so is there any way to get the best of both worlds?"
Rick still wanted to speak, but Pi Zheng pulled him gently, and he stopped talking. Some of the generals also wanted to speak, but Jin Huigong stopped him with gestures. He glanced at the ministers and said: "Today's court meeting
Let’s stop the discussion here and disperse the court.”
In fact, Duke Hui of Jin convened a court meeting just as a formality. He had already had an idea. After the ministers retired, he wrote a letter to Duke Mu of Qin to the effect:
"Yiwu was grateful for Uncle Qin's help, and wanted to offer five cities outside the river as soon as possible. However, during the court meeting, the ministers objected. Yiwu had just ascended the throne and did not dare to have his own way. Therefore, Yiwu sincerely requested Uncle Qin not to take the five cities as his own.
Think about it. Let’s wait until the time has passed and discuss it later.”
After the letter was written, he sent Pi Zheng as an envoy to the State of Qin.
After Qin Mugong read the letter, he was naturally very angry. He cursed: "Yiwu is really untrustworthy. Such a person is not worthy of being a king."
Pi Zheng took the opportunity to say: "Yi Wu's reputation is not good to begin with. The people of Jin really support not him, but Chong'er. Your country has established Yi Wu as king, and the people of Jin will inevitably be disappointed. Of course, Yi Wu broke his promise this time, mainly because he listened.
Lu Sheng and Cherui are bewitching us. Foreign Minister Pi Zheng is willing to ask Uncle Qin to help us think of a solution for the sake of the people of Jin."
Duke Mu of Qin was angry and nodded to express his approval. Pi Zheng bowed and retreated. Duke Mu of Qin wrote a reply to the effect:
"Jin and Qin are relatives, and there should be no distinction between them. The city belongs to Jin, just like it was in Qin. The officials of Jin cherish their city, which is really loyal. Loyalty is commendable. I want to fulfill it and live up to everyone's expectations. If you can be of the same mind as king and minister, please do it for yourself.
I am also honored. I have heard that the officials Lu Sheng and Cherui are quite talented, and I would like to beg them to come to Qin and teach them so that they can listen."
Duke Mu of Qin handed the letter to minister Lingzhi and sent him as an envoy to the state of Jin. Lingzhi made some preparations and went to the state of Jin with Pizheng.
A few days later, they arrived at the border of Jin. Suddenly they received news: Rick had been killed by Duke Hui of Jin.
Pi Zheng was shocked. He knew that in the eyes of Jin people, he and Rick were of the same faction. Rick's death meant that he was also in danger. Pi Zheng hesitated for a while, and finally decided to continue walking to the capital. When he arrived near the capital, He stopped, intending to explore the news before entering the city.
That night, Gonghua, the official of the Jin Dynasty, went out of the city to do business, and happened to meet Pi Zheng in the post house. Pi Zheng hurriedly asked Gonghua why Rick was killed. Gonghua told him that Rick openly opposed the new king and Cherui in court. Duke Hui of Jin was so angry that he ordered Cherui to kill him.
Pi Zheng asked: "What is the crime?"
Gonghua said: "My lord said to Rick, 'If you don't kill Xi Qi, Zhuo Zi and Xun Xi, I won't be able to be the king. I will not forget your merits. But you killed two kings and also killed a minister. .I feel really uneasy about being your king.’ That’s the reason.”
Pi Zheng opened his eyes wide and asked, "Is this the reason?"
Gonghua said: "That's the reason."
Pi Zheng was stunned for a long time and said: "He used this reason to kill Rick. Then it would be a matter of time for me. I think I'd better escape to Qin."
Gonghua said: "I don't think you need to run away. The master only killed Rick and didn't touch anyone in Rick's group. If you run away, you will be regarded as Chong'er's accomplice. That's unclear."
Pizheng thought that his family was still in the city and escaping would be a problem, so he bravely entered the capital with Gonghua.
On the second day, Lingzhi submitted a letter from Duke Mu of Qin to Duke Hui of Jin. After reading it, Duke Hui of Jin asked Lu Sheng to read it out again. All the officials in Jin said that Duke Mu of Qin was magnanimous.
After the dynasty dispersed, Lu Sheng said to Que Rui privately: "Uncle Qin asked us both to go to Qin. This must be the fault of Pi Zheng. Pi Zheng and Rick have always been together. I guess there must be no one here." An is kind-hearted. You have to be careful."
Que Rui said: "I also feel that the matter is strange. Let's discuss it with the lord."
Lu Sheng and Qerui told Duke Hui of Jin their concerns about their concerns. Duke Hui of Jin called Lingzhi, the Qin envoy, and said to him: "What happened to Rick in our country has made people panic and not yet stable." . Lu Sheng and Qi Rui are the humerus ministers of our country, and they cannot escape for a while. When the situation stabilizes, I will send them to visit your country. Please go back and tell Doctor Ling to tell Uncle Qin to thank him for his kindness."
After sending Lingzhi away, Duke Hui of Jin ordered Lu Province to send people to monitor Pi Zheng.
Pi Zheng felt that his situation was precarious. He remembered the things he had done with Rick. He decided not to hide or escape, but to repeat the killing of Xi Qi and Zhuo Zi. So he secretly contacted Eight ministers were preparing to drive away Yi Wu and welcome Chong'er back as king.
Pi Zheng's actions have long been under Lu Sheng's surveillance, but he himself didn't know it.
One night, a minister named Tu Anyi knocked on Pi Zheng's door and said that he had something important to see. Pi Zheng felt strange and sent someone to evade, saying: "It's late at night. Doctor Pi has gone to bed. We'll talk about it tomorrow if we have anything to do."
Tu Anyi said: "It's a very important matter. Since Dr. Pi couldn't get up, I've been waiting outside the door."
Tu Anyi was not joking. As expected, he had been waiting outside the door. Late at night, he still didn't leave. Where could Pi Zheng sleep? Although he knew that Tu Anyi was Qerui's man, he still decided to meet him.
When Tu Anyi saw Pi Zheng, he immediately knelt down and shouted: "Doctor Pi, save me."
Pi Zheng invited Tu Anyi in, closed the doors and windows, and then lowered his voice and asked: "Doctor Tu Anyi, what is so urgent?"
Tu Anyi said: "My lord blamed me for helping Rick kill Zhuo Zi, but now he wants to kill me."
Pi Zheng said: "Aren't you close to Lu Sheng and Qerui now? Why don't you ask them for help?"
Tu Anyi paused and sighed and said: "Hey, they were the same ones who helped Rick kill Xi Qi and Zhuo Zi, but now these two people have become popular people in front of the new king. They just think that I am biased towards Chong'er. This is also the idea of killing me. It was caused by two people. How dare I go to them?"
Pi Zheng shook his head, looked at Tu Anyi's face, and said nothing for a long time. He thought: This Tu Anyi has always been a "fool on the wall", maybe he was sent by Lu Province and others to set him up. Thinking of this, he said : "Doctor Tu'an, what do you think we should do?"
Tu Anyi said: "Yiwu has offended Qin. Chong'er is supported by everyone. If we join forces and use the troops of Qin and Di people to drive away Yiwu, kill Lu Sheng and Qorui, and support Chong'er on the throne, this will not only help If you save me, you can also eliminate harm to the people of Jin. If you write a letter, I will send it to Chong'er immediately."
Pi Zheng sneered and said, "Who taught you this? You don't even think about it, can I believe it?"
Tu Anyi frowned, bit his middle finger, raised a bloody finger, and swore to God, "If Tu Anyi tells any half-truths, God will punish me."
It can be said that Tu Anyi has a talent for acting, and Pi Zheng really believed in him. Pi Zheng smiled and said: "It's not me who doesn't believe you, but it's because Lu Sheng and the others are pushing too hard, so I have to guard against it. Well, tonight's conversation is limited to you." Me. Come back tomorrow night and we will discuss the specific matters."
Late at night the next day, Tu Anyi sneaked into the Pizheng Mansion alone. As soon as he entered the door, he saw ten ministers already here. After some greetings, everyone began to discuss. The theme was to ask Qin to send troops to drive away Yiwu. , supported Chong'er. After the agreement, Pi Zheng wrote a letter, which was signed by everyone attending the meeting.
Pi Zheng handed the letter to Tu Anyi and warned: "This letter is related to everyone's lives. Be careful. Please send Doctor Tu An to Chong'er as soon as possible." Tu Anyi agreed repeatedly, took the letter, kept it close to him, and told everyone After saying goodbye, leave first.
The ten ministers each went home and took a nap. It was already dawn. Then they dressed up and rushed to court.
The morning court meeting on this day was the same as in the past. After Lu Sheng, Querui, Pi Zheng, Tu Anyi and others met, they bowed to each other in a peaceful manner. After a while, Duke Hui of Jin came to the palace, and the court hall suddenly fell into silence.
Duke Hui of Jin seemed to be full of emotions. He glanced at the ministers, then fixed his eyes on Pi Zheng's face, and said coldly: "Pi Zheng, I just want to ask you, what is so good about Chong'er, and why do you insist on accepting it?" Is he coming back?"
There was a bang in Pi Zheng's head, and he couldn't help but glance at Tu Anyi. He saw the guy shrinking his neck and looking calm, as if everything had been expected by him. Pi Zheng knew that it was over and he had been fooled.
At this time, Que Rui stood up. He took out a roll of bamboo slips from his arms and shook it open with a clatter. When Pi Zheng took a look, wasn't this the letter he had given to Tu Anyi last night? He saw Que Rui signing the letter. They were read out one by one. There was silence in the court hall, only Que Rui's voice echoed. Everyone who heard their names trembled. Of course, the only one who was missed was Tu Anyi.
Just as Que Rui finished reading, Duke Hui of Jin waved his hand, and the warriors on both sides rushed forward and tied up all eleven people including Pi Zheng.
Pi Zheng and ten ministers were killed at the same time. Tu Anyi made great achievements and was promoted to one level.
Pi Zheng's son Pi Bao fled to Qin. He cried and told Duke Mu of Qin what had happened, and asked Duke Mu of Qin to send troops to attack Jin. Duke Mu of Qin asked this question to the ministers: "What do you think we should do about this matter?"
Uncle Jian said: "My lord, let's understand the situation first. It would be rash to start a war with Jin just based on Pi Bao's words."
Baili Xi said: "If Yi and Wu continue to make trouble like this, they will definitely lose the support of the people. Sooner or later, Jin will change. Lord, we can wait and see what happens, and only use troops when the time is right."
Duke Mu of Qin thought it was reasonable. So he asked Pi Bao to be the doctor of the Qin State, and comforted Pi Bao by saying: "You can't ignore the affairs of the Jin State. When the time is right, I will definitely help you get revenge."