The red and purple colors have turned into dust, and the sound of cuckoo is heard in the new season. There are endless mulberry trees on the road, and I realize that I am a man of peace.
In early summer, the manor outside Handan City is full of life, from the chirping of cicadas to the croaking of frogs, from the green trees to the green seedlings. If you can calm down and calm down, it will be a rare and prosperous scene.
However, how can the current situation make people calm down?
After finally inviting Wei Song, the most virtuous and respected Prime Minister of the State of Lu, who was also the most powerful in the country, everyone thought that this leader would be able to succeed immediately and persuade Na Wuxihou. But what happened? They actually replaced Na Wusi in turn.
Li Hou persuaded all the clans in the country to surrender, hand over all their powers, and wipe out all the account books and files, in order to ensure a safe home.
Not angry? Of course not.
However, think about Wei Song's status in the country, and think about Zhao Ping who took the initiative to drag Lu Bin out. To be honest, if these two are so straightforward, then think about the consequences that Wuxi will bring.
Yi Cong, there is really nothing that can be done about this matter.
In other words, the heroic officials of Zhao State were basically in despair.
Therefore, they were basically prepared to follow Wei Song's advice and honestly admit his mistake to the Wuyouhou in public at tonight's banquet, so that their family would be safe.
On this day, Wei Song dismissed his students early and tidied up his house. He also hired a cook, killed two sheep, prepared fruits and vegetables, and wine. Then from the morning, he gave instructions
His son stood in front of the door and began to greet the guests, while he sat with him in the hall... After all, not only the people who had visited the Wei family before were there, but also the Li family and the Qin family who had not shown up, as well as a large number of direct subordinates of King Zhao who stayed away.
The dignitaries also came to the banquet this time, so Wei Song had to pay attention.
In a daze, it seemed that except for Xiang Xu, the prime minister of the country, who was lying high in the official temple in the middle of the country, as well as Zhao Wang Liu Yu and Guofu Han Tuo, who were not allowed to leave the city according to the system, all the powerful people in the Zhao Kingdom had actually arrived at the Wei Manor.
.
And in the evening, when the torches were lit, the tables were arranged, the fruits and vegetables were served, and with the sound of horse hooves coming from far and near, without Wei's guests and servants coming to report, everyone understood one after another that the main event had arrived!
After all, as the winner and a bit young, it was within everyone's expectation to deliberately stall for time and show off his power.
However, even if they were mentally prepared, even if they knew that Gongsun Xun was going to establish his power, when these heroes of the Zhao Kingdom saw with their own eyes hundreds of cavalry, each armed with weapons, surrounding Wuyou with the purple ribbon and golden seal as if they were marching to war.
When Ting Hou arrived proudly, everyone's expressions changed.
And it’s not over yet!
Arriving in front of the manor, Yi Cong rode on horseback and the county soldiers held guns. First, they separated a group of people to surround the manor to the left and right, sealing the front and back of the manor. Then they separated a group of people to enter the courtyard and stand behind the tables. That was it.
No matter what, in the end, a dozen strong men with big muscles and round waists poured into the middle of the courtyard. While these heroes of Zhao were stunned, they set up two wooden frames and a masonry round stove in the middle of the banquet seats...
It was not until this moment that Gongsun Xun led the king's exclusive man and several brave men to appear in everyone's sight.
"What do you mean by this, Lord?" Wei Song pointed to the round stove that was still being set up, his voice trembling... By the way, he is a man who has read many poems and books. What about five pots of food and five pots of food?
There are probably more allusions to this genre than anyone knows.
"Oh!" Gongsun Xun immediately said with a smile from a distance. "I heard that Wei Gong was hosting a banquet, and I was afraid that you wouldn't have enough food here. It just so happened that there were a few people from Xianbei in western Liaoning who were among the banquets. They were good at killing sheep since they were young, so I specially asked people to come from there.
I bought the largest new iron cauldron from the merchant house in Yecheng... which can also be called an iron pot, and then bought two live sheep, also to add some fun to all the heroes of Zhao State."
Wei Song hesitated to speak, but in the end he did not dare to refute.
Next, a large round thin-skinned iron cauldron that they had never seen before, but which they could tell at a glance was the large iron cauldron Gongsun Xun mentioned was neatly placed on top of the round stove.
Water was poured into the top, firewood was added below, and it was lit...
The most terrifying thing is that the two live sheep were actually tied to the two wooden frames next to them! Even the two Xianbei warriors with their buns loosened were really shirtless, and then they were carrying a few
The strange-looking little knife stood beside the two bleating lambs.
At this time, all the heroes of the Zhao Kingdom in the courtyard felt that their steps were a little weak, and they even forgot to salute Gongsun Xun.
"Everyone, I have something to say," Gongsun Xun just raised his voice at this time. "In early summer, I came from Handan City to attend a banquet. Along the way, I saw mulberry trees and hemp trees on the roadside. It was a peaceful scene. Therefore, these days
The pent-up boredom in Xunxian County has also been relieved for a while! According to me, since we are so generously entertained by Duke Wei today, we don’t need to talk about political affairs, just talk about the season and customs... Therefore, you don’t need to be formal, just sit down as you like.
"
After saying that, Gongsun Xun didn't care about anyone else, he just took Wei Song's arm, went straight over the big iron pot that had just started to heat up, and sat down at the top position reserved for him and Wei Song.
The rest of the people were already in a state of confusion. The timid ones just stared at the pot and the live sheep in a daze, while the bold ones were afraid that Gongsun Xun, whom they met for the first time, was a warrior at heart and would cause some big news.
Of course, the few people who are as clear as a mirror in their hearts are not worried about this, because this is the Wei family manor after all. It seems that Wei Song would risk his life not to allow Gongsun Xun to show any new cooking skills here... What if?
In that case, the reputation of the Wei family will be completely ruined!
However, if the Wei family and Gongsun Xun completely fall out, does it mean that there will be two disagreements about the future situation of Zhao State?
Just like that, amid the chaos, everyone hurriedly took their seats according to the previously arranged seats, but they all had their own agendas, and no one said a word for a while.
Gongsun Xun was sitting at the top without making a sound. Behind him stood several confidants. Everyone could clearly see that the bearded one was very easy to identify. He was the one who killed one of the three Shen brothers that day.
That Wang Xiuwang exclusive didn't even sit down, he just stood aside holding a box, not knowing what was in it!
In such a situation, Wei Changwan, who was holding the pot at the side, had to twist it separately.
"Your Majesty, you have come from the county. It has been a hard journey, so please use some wine." After a pause, Wei Song, the host, suddenly raised his head and raised his glass.
In fact, the old Prime Minister of Lu also figured it out. As of now, he, the host of the banquet, is inextricably involved... Whether there are people who want to take risks and risk death, or there are people who are arrogant and domineering and do cruel and cruel things, he will never do it.
Allowed! Because this is his home!
Moreover, things are not as bad as imagined. At present, it seems that Gongsun Xun is just trying to scare people. Therefore, the best situation is to follow what was said before. One party surrenders, the other party releases a way out, and everything ends.
"Wait a minute." Gongsun Xun chuckled and raised his hand to stop Wei Chang from pouring the wine. "The iron pot is no thicker than the cauldron. The water in the pot is already smoking. It's better for my two attendants to kill the sheep now.
, wait until the water boils, just put it in the pot..."
As soon as these words came out, the two big Xianbei men in the middle of the courtyard, one named Duan and the other Mohu, naturally did not dare to neglect. They directly grabbed the bleating lamb with one hand and held out a sharp knife with the other. They even held back.
They kept looking at each other and secretly competing.
"Junhou!" Wei Song was furious. "Young Master is far away from the kitchen...can't you kill a sheep in my backyard?"
Gongsun Xun laughed dumbly and was about to answer when he suddenly saw someone in the table standing up from the corner of the table.
"I have something to say, and I won't say it quickly!" The man shouted sternly, almost breaking his throat. At a glance, it was Zhao Ping, the lieutenant of the State of Zhao! "I hope you and Duke Wei will let me speak!"
Gongsun Xun and Wei Song looked at each other, both knowing that it was not the other party who was trying to bullshit... You wouldn't bullshit someone like him? But Zhao Ping looked red in the face, panting like an ox, as if he was very excited, if he wasn't allowed to
It’s hard to talk, right?
No matter what people say, he was a top powerful figure in the Zhao Kingdom and was Qian Shi's doctor.
"Stop." Gongsun Xun could only wave his hand to stop the two Xianbei subordinates.
"Let Lang Zhongling speak." Wei Song also hurriedly got off the road. "If Lang Zhongling has something to say, speak frankly... Can we not let you speak?"
"Everyone!" Zhao Ping bowed his head, then quickly came to the place between the cauldron and the first seat in the courtyard, and pointed at Gongsun Xun who was sitting at the top. "Do you recognize this person?!"
The huge manor courtyard was filled with dignitaries from the Zhao Kingdom, but no one knew how to respond when they heard this. Even Gongsun Xun only watched everyone's reactions with interest and did not interrupt.
"Zhang Juncheng," seeing no one answering, Zhao Ping simply called his name.
At this time, the person sitting on the right could only laugh and stood up to answer: "Although this is the first time we meet, how can we not know the name of Wuxihou?!"
"You just don't know!" Zhao Ping became angry, pointing his finger at the other person's face and scolding him directly. "If you people really know the details of Wulihou, how dare you despise him so much?! You actually want to do it again and again!
And San's bargaining with Wuxihou?!"
There was silence in the court for a while, even Gongsun Xun was stunned. Only the wood under the iron pot made a slight sound in the fire, and even the two sheep did not dare to call anymore.
"You should know that my clan father was the Huangmen Supervisor and a regular servant of Duke Zhao!" Zhao Ping said, cupping his hands far away in the southwest direction of Luoyang. "And I lived in Luozhong with his old man for a long time!"
Everyone held their breath, waiting for this person's words.
"At that time in Luozhong, my clan father was not yet the Huangmen Supervisor. The last Huangmen Supervisor was none other than the champion, Wang Fu! Have you heard of Wang Fu's power?" Zhao Ping was emotional and said angrily. "It's all.
I have only heard about it and never seen it in person, right? But I have seen it! The most noble person you have ever seen in the country is only King Zhao. However, King Liu Kui of Bohai is the younger brother of the late emperor, but just because
The promised bribe was not given, but Wang Fu was found guilty of treason, and the whole family was killed! After deposing the Queen Song family, she was the mother of a country, and before she was deposed, Wang Fu dared to let her whole family abandon the market.
...That’s the prince, that’s the descendants! Do you bunch of country bumpkins from Zhao know what a prince is and what is a descendant?!”
Everyone in the seat changed their colors.
"There is also Xinfeng County Hou Duanxi, a famous general in Xizhou, and the White Hat Qiang people were almost wiped out by him. He was the one who arrested all the imperial students in the palace case that day! The second time the party was imprisoned, he served as the prefect of Yingchuan, monitoring
Party member... When this man is walking on Luozhong Street, no one dares to take a serious look at his bicycle frame!"
"And the Goguryeo you just heard about... I'm afraid you didn't know what Goguryeo was before, right? Let me tell you, Goguryeo has five cities like Zhao State... but it has a population of 400,000, which is twice that of Zhao State.
!”
"Zhang Juncheng, let me ask you, is the power of all the so-called famous clans in Zhao country as powerful as Wang Fu alone?" Zhao Ping was still furious.
"Of course there is none." Zhang Juncheng said quietly.
"Then you, the heroes of Zhao State here, are you as powerful as Duan Xi?"
Zhang Juncheng lowered his head and did not dare to speak.
"As for Goguryeo, I have already said that it is twice the population of Zhao State. Such a large country has been inherited for nearly two hundred years, which is no shorter than your big clans, but it was wiped out in an instant." When Zhao Pingyan reached this point, he suddenly lost control.
Tears. "You say that with Wang Fu's power, Duan Xi's tyranny, and Goguryeo's depth, they all fell at the hands of Wu Wuhou... Who do you think you are? Just a bunch of country bumpkins who don't understand anything. What?
They don't even know that they are used to being domineering in the country, so they think they are right... Do you know that the strange-shaped short knife in his waist was a gift from Dong Zhongying, the former Bingzhou Fang Bo, and it was made by Cai Bojie himself?
Broken, Xiang Yu's broken blade! Do you know that that day at the Chancellor's Desk, Taiwei Qiaogong personally sighed, saying that this blade is the best in the world! Let me ask you, if you pull out this blade, will you really still be alive?
?!"
At this point, Zhao Ping wiped away his tears with all his strength, and then cried even harder: "If this kind of person wants to take back power, just accept it; if he wants to rectify the officials, just resign;
To curb your arrogance, you just kneel down... Why are you so ignorant, why do you have to repeatedly incite, looking for this and that? And you are looking for others, why do you want to implicate me again and again? Don't I want to live? I have a beautiful concubine at home.
Do you know that there are more than ten people?! Do you think this pot is really used to cook sheep?! When I saw Wang Fu’s body that day, I was so frightened that I vomited it out. I didn’t want to be implicated by you today, even more dead than Wang Fu.
It’s still ugly... I beg you, please admit your mistake to Wu Wuhou and let him take the blame away!"
The courtyard was still silent... There was no way, no one from Gongsun Xun on down knew what to say at the moment.
In fact, after this guy made such a fuss and spoke so thoroughly, most people now figured it out, that is, Gongsun Xun didn't need to engage in any cooking arts at all. His big pot was just a bad idea to scare people.
a bit more.
However, everything has two sides. Zhao Ping was so horrified, but it also gave these heroes of Zhao State and the major famous families in the country a more intuitive and clear understanding of Gongsun Xun.
To put it bluntly, Gongsun Xun arrived too quickly, leaving these people unprepared. Then he left on the second day after arriving, and then the king began to take over power... which really made many people unable to react.
Later, I got a lot of information, but they all had a guilty conscience and felt a bit sad because of the Shen family's affairs, so they had a preset position.
Once a person has preset a position, his mind will easily become unable to change his position.
Of course, even so, didn't they decide to give in after they had some feelings through the changes in Zhao Ping and Wei Song's attitudes?
And today, Zhao Pingping lost control over a pot, which saved many people a lot of trouble.
"I am ignorant!" After thinking for a moment, the county magistrate Zhang Shu, who is also the head of the Zhang clan, sighed, and then immediately knelt down to his superior Gongsun Xun to apologize. "I didn't know the honor of the king before, so I was deceived.
Only then did a lot of friends from the country gather together, and then they came to look for Duke Wei..."
"Did you actually do this situation now?" Gongsun Xun said indifferently.
"Exactly."
"Zhang Juncheng," Gongsun Xun suddenly stood up and walked forward. "You should have guessed by now that after Wei Gong went to see me, he knew that the people were forced by powerful people like you, as if they were in a boiling pot; and the county also
Because of your tyranny and the lawlessness of the officials, there are many unspeakable things. Therefore, he has already reached an agreement with me and is determined to help me clean up this land the size of Handan... In this case, how do you think this matter should be resolved?
"
"In the current situation, I have no other request. I just hope that the monarch can stay in my clan to worship." Zhang Juncheng leaned over and said. "I am willing to resign from this position, and I am also willing to let the clan cooperate with the county in checking the account books and files.
However, if there are any shortcomings, we Zhangs are willing to make up for them, but if there are mistakes, we Zhangs are also willing to be punished. Even if the prince feels that I am the deputy secretary of the country, I am willing to set an example and serve as the prince.
How do you deal with this...what do you think?"
As soon as this statement came out, many famous Zhao clans and prominent officials came out to kneel down, as if they had made the lowest gesture.
And looking at a large group of people kneeling on the ground, starting from Wei Song at the top, to Zhao Ping who still had tears on his face, and then to Wei Chang who was awkwardly holding a wine bottle, they all breathed a sigh of relief... I should have given up on it a long time ago.
Got it?!
However……
"I don't think it's appropriate." Gongsun Xun walked up to Zhang Shu and Zhang Juncheng and actually shook his head and refused the other party's unconditional surrender.
At this moment, everyone in the court changed their expressions. Not to mention that these kneeling people raised their heads in shock and anger, not to mention that Wei Song who was at the head and Zhao Ping who was beside him almost lost their breath... It was Ru Wang
Servant Chen Li, the head of the Li family, the head of the Qin family and other people who were drinking and watching the show also looked unhappy.
After they have surrendered to the end, do they really want to continue to destroy the human race to establish their authority?! Are the warriors in the border counties really so cruel?!
"What do you say, Your Majesty?" Zhang Shu raised his head and asked angrily. "Do we really have to be as close to annihilation as the Shen family to satisfy Your Majesty? Is it possible that our power and ability are not as strong as Wang Fu's, but our guilt is greater than his
Have you updated it?"
"What did Mr. Zhang say?!" Gongsun Xun sighed, and then suddenly leaned over to help him up. "Does Mr. Zhang think that I only know how to draw a sword to kill people? As Zhao Ping said, of course I am holding Xiang Yu's sword.
The blade was called "hard on the outside and tough on the inside" by Duke Qiao, and the sharpest blade was the best in the world. But Zhao Ping never thought that I was also a descendant of Liu Gong, the Taiwei of the dynasty, and a descendant of Lu Gong, a famous scholar in the country... My Gongsun Xun
In addition to the knife in his waist, it is also reasonable. Liu Shikuanren and Lu Shi also learned some superficial rules. Besides, let’s be honest with each other, if we really drive out all the famous families like you in the country, then the whole
Are there still people in Zhao who are worthy of serving as officials? Is there still order in the countryside? I’m afraid there aren’t even many people who can read. When order breaks down, who will be responsible?”
Everyone in the court was speechless, but they were immediately overjoyed.
"Wei Gong," Gongsun Xun supported Zhang Shu, the Prime Minister of Zhao State, and then looked back at Wei Song, the Prime Minister of Lu State. "Do you still remember the geography of Zhao State that we talked about on Mafu Mountain a few days ago?
Is it the one with the stairs?”
"Of course I remember this..." Wei Song was also overjoyed at this time and naturally blurted out.
"That Mr. Zhang." Gongsun Xun supported the other party and asked kindly. "Do you know the geography of your Zhao country? From west to east, there are the Taihang Mountains first, then the hilly land, and finally a flat road, like a staircase.
Laminated layer upon layer.”
"How come you don't know the geography of your hometown?" Zhang Shu was puzzled, but the situation at this time couldn't help him not answering. "Not only me, I'm afraid everyone here knows it very well... What the prince and Wei Gong said is absolutely true."
"That's right." Gongsun Xun looked at the other party and chuckled. "Then let me ask you again, among the Zhao Kingdom, the Wei family, the Handan family, and the Li family are the aristocratic families, and you Zhang, Wang, Lu, and Shen are powerful.
Further down, like the Qin family, they are considered to be big households, and below the big households there are common people, Lu Zuo... What do you think, why do you think that when officials take office, they don't touch the noble families or big households, but instead attack the powerful?"
Zhang Shu remained silent.
Gongsun Xun didn't take it seriously: "I said it's okay, because compared to the aristocratic family, the powerful have no virtue; compared to the big families, the powerful are illegal...right? I let Uncle Wang manage the exclusive county affairs, and he does this
I am a meticulous person and I will never try to get involved in anything. To implicate you so easily can only mean that you are indeed unethical and lawless, right?"
Zhang Shu remained silent.
"However, these officials only know how to attack powerful people, but they have never thought about why powerful people are immoral and lawless." Gongsun Xun was still kind, but he also loosened Zhang Shu's sleeves and raised his voice to everyone in the pavilion.
He said, "To tell you the truth, Duke Wei and I were on Mafu Mountain that day. We saw the clear geography of Zhao State. After discussing with each other, we suddenly gained something..."
Wei Song twirled his beard in confusion and was at a loss for the moment, but everyone listened attentively and no one paid attention to him.
"Have you ever thought about why a family is a family? It's because they have been officials for generations. Since they can be officials for generations, they can naturally cultivate their morals and cultivate their education. But if a powerful family cannot be officials for generations...
So what can they do? They have no choice but to seek local power and economic wealth, so they merge and expand wantonly, and then they are unethical and lawless! So they become powerful! As for the big households... they are suppressed by powerful people and cannot obtain it.
Local powers cannot be annexed on a large scale, otherwise they will become powerful!" At this point, Gongsun Xun suddenly put his hands behind his hands and said with a smile. "You guys, noble families, powerful people, big families... Do you think the geography of Zhao State is like this?
There are layers of stairs, one above the other, with clear barriers between each layer, not giving others a way to survive? And this truth is where Wei Gong and I gained something."
Many people nodded, but Wei Song was horrified.
"Mr. Zhang!" Gongsun Xun suddenly stopped smiling and asked seriously. "Let me ask you, if your descendants could be appointed as filial and honest, would you still indulge your own people in being so lawless and immoral?"
Zhang Shu stared blankly at the monarch in front of him, and suddenly trembled: "If my son can have a future, who would be willing not to practice virtue? If my son can be filial and honest, and then enter the court as a prince, I will definitely
Is it like the Wei family to spread virtue widely in the countryside?! Your Majesty, I..."
"The familiar elder of the Qin clan over there..." Gongsun Xun ignored this person and called another person instead. "I see that Lu Zuo is very poor among you, but you say that there is no one in your clan.
It is an illegal act. Then let me ask you, if one of your descendants could become a meritorious official in the country and take charge of the evaluation of officials in the country, would you still argue with your neighbors?!"
Upon hearing this, the elders of the Qin clan immediately avoided the table and bowed down: "If you can be so kind and kind, you will definitely live up to your expectations!"
On the side, Zhang Shu, Zhang Juncheng, suddenly realized, and he quickly bowed down again: "Your kindness, if my son can have an upright and bright career, the whole Zhang family will be willing to obey you!"
"How can I just point out someone to be Xiaolian?" Gongsun Xun let the other party pull his trousers and laughed again. "It's just that according to what Wei Gong and I discussed on Mafu Mountain, since the situation in Zhao State is special now, so is Xiaolian.
The public recommendation, in this case, is not as good as the Wei, Handan, and Li families. In the next two years, if they do not promote filial piety and integrity, everyone will recommend it among the three clans of Zhang, Wang, and Lu, and then go to find the prime minister to make a decision... Moreover, your county magistrate will also have to resign.
Otherwise, the big families in the other counties will not be angry, and there will be nowhere to go; the illegal things must be compensated and settled, otherwise, let alone me, the king behind me will not be happy either."
"It all depends on your order!" Zhang Shu hurriedly took a few steps back and bowed to him. Then he turned to Wei Song, who was standing above him, and bowed again. "Thank you very much, Lord Wei!"
The Wang and Lu families, as well as the other seven or eight so-called big families in the country like the Qin family, also came out one after another to express their thanks loudly to the emperor for his kindness and the virtue of the Wei family!
The two clan chiefs of the Handan and Li clans looked at Wei Song with puzzled expressions, only to find that the son of the former Guang Luqing, the younger brother of the current Shang Shu Pu She, and the former Prime Minister of the State of Lu, was just sitting on the throne.
, and then he smiled silently at the patriarchs and elders of the more than ten clans below who were thanking him, as well as Wu Wuhou, who was holding the Xiang Yu Broken Blade with his back to him.
————I am the dividing line of dry laughter and speechlessness————
"Therefore, when capable ministers were transferred to other posts, they often asked other people to kill powerful people in prefectures and counties in order to establish their power and punishment." - "Book of the Later Han Dynasty". Biographies of Cruel Officials.
