The time goes back to around May. At this time, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu had just died in Pingyu County. In Luoyang, the capital of Wei State, Wei King Zhao Run also received bad news, that is, Du, the Minister of the Inner Dynasty and the former Minister of Rites,
Your illness is serious and difficult to cure, and you will die soon.
This incident happened on April 27, when King Zhao Run of Wei was testing Prince Zhao Wei's governance skills. Du Lan, the eldest son of Du You, the official of the Ministry of Rites, reported to the inner chamber supervisor that his old father was weak in recent days.
If you have a weak Qi, you may die soon.
When the eunuch Gao He learned about this, he did not dare to neglect it and immediately reported it to King Zhao Run of Wei.
After hearing the bad news from Gao He, Wei King Zhao Run immediately took his fifteen or sixteen-year-old crown prince Zhao Wei to Du You's house to see the old minister one last time.
Du You had two sons, the eldest son Du Lan, who served as a Langguan in the Ministry of Rites, and the second son Du Zhang, who served as an editor in the Imperial Academy. They were both talented people with both political integrity and talent.
Perhaps they had guessed that Wei King Zhao Run would come immediately. His elder brother Du Lan was waiting in front of his old father's bed, while his younger brother Du Zhang was waiting for the emperor outside the palace gate.
Not long after, a group of tiger guards blocked the street, and Du Zhang immediately cheered up.
Sure enough, just a moment later, Wei Wang Zhao Run and Prince Zhao Wei each rode a horse and came to the gate of Du Mansion under the protection of a group of tiger guards.
Before Zhao Run could stand up and dismount, Du Zhang immediately stepped forward to greet him, bowed his hands and said, "Your Majesty, Du Zhang, pay my respects to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"You don't have to be polite."
Zhao Run turned over and dismounted, waved his hand to signal Du Zhang not to be formal, and immediately asked: "How is the situation of Lao Aiqing?"
When asked about his old father's condition, Du Zhang's face was full of sorrow and he said bitterly: "It was fine some time ago, but recently, my father always complained of chest tightness and ate less and less every day.
For three days, my father said he had no appetite no matter what he ate. Even though my brother personally cooked some meat porridge for my father, my father only tasted a few bites... Well, maybe the time limit is really approaching."
Zhao Run frowned and walked towards the house.
Du Mansion was no stranger to him. Even without his talent for photographic memory, he had visited Du You countless times since he fell ill. He was already familiar with the road and there was no need for Du Zhang to lead the way.
The entire Du Mansion consists of the main residence and two other mansions on the east and west sides. The main residence is Du You's residence. It was given to the Du family by Zhao Run, the acting king of Wei, after the royal capital Luoyang was built.
In fact, the imperial court also rewarded Du Lan at that time, and the two brothers Du Zhang each had a mansion, but the two sons did not want to leave their father. After all, Du You's main wife was deceased, and only his concubine Du Zhang took care of her husband.
Therefore, the two brothers later lived in the east and west courtyards of Du Mansion respectively. It is worth mentioning that although they lived in their old father's mansion, the two brothers believed that they were not qualified to enter and exit from the main entrance, so they each lived in the east courtyard and the west courtyard of Du Mansion.
A small gate was built in the two villas. One was hung with a plaque with the words "Mansion of Du Mansion, Langguan of the Ministry of Rites", and the other was hung with a plaque of "Du Mansion of Hanlin Scholar". Every day, the elder brother entered and exited through the east small gate, and the younger brother came in and out from the west.
There is a small door for entry and exit, but Du You himself only goes through the main entrance of the main house.
In the words of the Du family, this is called etiquette that cannot be overstepped.
When Zhao Run learned about this, he laughed loudly and said, "Like father, like son." I am stubborn and pedantic, and my son is also stubborn and pedantic.
This story of "Du Family's One Mansion and Three Gates" is quite famous in this street and even in the whole of Luoyang.
Arriving in the north room of the main house, Zhao Run led the prince Zhao Wei to Du You's bedroom. Soon he arrived at the bedroom and saw Du Lan, the official of the Ministry of Rites, kneeling in front of his father's bed, looking worriedly.
The father seemed to be sleeping on the bed.
"His Majesty."
Perhaps because he saw Zhao Run, Du Lan immediately stood up and bowed his hands in salute.
"Shh."
Zhao Run put a finger on his lips and made a few silent gestures. Then he walked forward gently and looked at the old man lying on the bed.
When he first met Du You, Zhao Run was only fourteen years old. At that time, Du You, even though he was nearly forty years old, still looked heroic. He was indeed a humble and courteous handsome man. However, those who knew Du You knew that this
Although Mr. Du was the Minister of Rites, his strong character was better than that of Li Huan, the Minister of the Ministry of War at that time. He was a gentleman-type figure who "repayed kindness with kindness and repaid evil with directness."
"One person is only one foot long." Therefore, this gentleman was sometimes humble and courteous to the common people, but sometimes, even foreign envoys were insulted and embarrassed by him.
I remember that when the arrogant and domineering Lord Guling, Xiong Wu, was on a mission to Wei, he once ridiculed the wine in the Wei court as "tasting like horse urine." Du You, who was the Minister of Rites at the time, immediately said, "Maybe it's because of the aftertaste left in the mouth of the monarch."
, so angry that Gulingjun Xiong Wu’s face turned red.
It can be seen from this that Mr. Du is by no means an ordinary good man, and he can be very vicious when he scolds others.
However, the Du You he saw today no longer had the same charm as before. In fact, when Zhao Run saw the old man with a haggard face on the bed, it was hard to imagine that it was the Du You Du Shangshu.
"well……"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zhao Run sighed secretly.
Although Du You's illness was mainly caused by old age and frailty, Zhao Run also had an unshirkable responsibility. Who allowed him to form an inner dynasty just to be lazy and leave all government affairs that should have been signed by him to the inner dynasty?
Woolen cloth.
The rest of the ministers in the inner dynasty were fine, but Du You was indeed the chief minister of the inner dynasty and actually performed the duties of prime minister. It would be strange if he didn't collapse after doing this for many years.
Every time he thought about this matter, Zhao Run felt very guilty towards Du You and even the ministers in the Inner Dynasty. This was also the reason why after Du You fell ill, he would visit him in person or send people to visit him every now and then. This was also the reason why Zhao Run often reminded the ministers in the Inner Dynasty.
Reasons to take care of yourself.
Perhaps because he saw the monarch of the Wei Kingdom sitting on the edge of the bed for a while, while his old father was still asleep on the bed, Du You's eldest son Du Lan stepped forward and called softly: "Father, your Majesty is here."
Zhao Run was unable to stop him.
I don't know if Du You heard the word "Your Majesty" while he was falling asleep. His eyelids moved slightly, but he actually slowly opened his eyes.
At first, his eyes seemed rather cloudy and lackluster. It was not until he looked directly at Zhao Run for a moment that his eyes gradually became brighter.
"His Majesty?"
In Zhao Run's surprised eyes, Du You actually struggled to get up. Shocked, Zhao Run quickly pressed the old man's chest gently and gently, and at the same time said: "Old love, please lie down."
But in the end, with the help of his two sons, Du You forced himself to sit up and lay on the couch leaning against the backrest of the bed.
Immediately, he shouted to his two sons: "Shuzi, who asked you two to disturb His Majesty?"
These words frightened his two sons and quickly knelt down in front of the bed. Thanks to Zhao Run's intercession, Du You drove the two sons out of the dormitory with a straight face.
After watching his two sons leave, Du You cursed "Shuzi" in a low voice, and then said to Zhao Run sternly: "Your Majesty is laughing."
Zhao Run smiled and waved his hand. Although just now, Du Lan and Du Zhang, two ministers who were already in their forties, knelt down in front of their father with a bang. The scene was indeed quite interesting, but it was actually a sign of filial piety.
How could Zhao Run laugh at his performance?
"Your Majesty, I have been away from state affairs for many days, but I don't know what is the current situation of our great Wei Dynasty?"
Du You's first sentence asked him about the current situation of Wei State.
"Ai Qing refers to military affairs, right?" Zhao Run asked.
Du You nodded. After all, his two sons would tell him from time to time about domestic affairs, and his servants would also tell him. However, the situation of Wei's foreign wars was not something his two sons could know in time.
, after all, Du Lan and Du Zhang do not work in Tiance Mansion.
"Ai Qing must have learned that the Wei Dynasty has launched a war against Chu, right?"
Zhao Run said something, and when Du You nodded, he continued: "In general, good news keeps coming. Although the Chu State has trained hundreds of thousands of troops with that stupid military training strategy in the past two years, its foundation is not
Stable, once the Qi State is destroyed, the Chu State will not have much time... What's more, the troops going out to fight will
Among the good generals, such as Yun, Shen Yu, Le Yi, Tian Dan, Sima Shang, Xu Li, Huan Hu, etc., they can actually all stand alone. On the other hand, looking at Chu State, since Xiang Mo killed Yongqiu in the battle, there has been no outstanding general in the country.
He is so handsome, Jingyun and Xiangpei are first-class, but compared to Jingshe and Xiangmo, they are far behind."
Du You nodded happily, and a blush gradually appeared on his originally sallow face, which made Zhao Run secretly scream.
"Then... where is the Qin State?" Du You asked again.
Zhao Run hesitated for a moment, and finally decided to reveal the truth to the old minister: "On the Qin side, the focus of its strategy is currently mainly on the Shu country. However, it seems that the Qin country is also preparing to use troops against the Wei Dynasty.
A few months ago, Gongsun Wuxinhou of Qin State
I have set up troops in "Huayin" and "Gaoling", I am afraid that I want to respond to the Chu State and relieve some of the pressure on the Chu State... However, I have ordered Sima An, Wei Ji, Lian Pio and King Huan to always be alert to Qin's movements.
Even if there is any movement in the Qin State, I, the Wei Dynasty, will know about it immediately."
After a pause, Zhao Run saw that Du You still had a worried look on his face, and said with relief: "We, the Wei Dynasty, are now fully capable of fighting on both sides, fighting Chu and Qin at the same time, and in my opinion, Chu State
Struggling to death, or unable to hold on for a long time, maybe
Before the end of this year, our army of the Wei Dynasty can occupy all the Chu land north of the river. When we cross the river to attack Chu again next year, we may be able to destroy it. At that time, we can mobilize the victorious divisions to attack Qin again, and Qin will
We must not be able to stop our army’s victory.”
Listening to Zhao Run's words, Du You nodded repeatedly and said with a longing look on his face: "Annexing all the countries and unifying the Central Plains...the grand hegemony that was once so far out of reach that I didn't even dare to think about it, I, the Wei Dynasty, will
Actually take it seriously...take it seriously..."
At this point, his tone became choked with sobs, and words such as "ancestors of past kings" and "ancestors of ancestors" could be vaguely heard.
Seeing this, Zhao Run quickly spoke to comfort him. After all, elderly people are most taboo about excessive mood swings, let alone a terminally ill old man like Du You.
After about half a cup of tea, I saw Du You taking a few deep breaths and gradually calming down his excitement.
Immediately, I heard him say with both longing and regret: "I'm afraid I won't be able to see the great hegemony of the Wei Dynasty..."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Run was shocked and said quickly: "What did Lao Aiqing say..."
Du You waved his hand, with a bit of bitterness and regret, and said with a smile: "Old minister, I really want to survive this old bone, but this time I really can't... Although I didn't have the opportunity to see my Wei Dynasty at its strongest moment.
, but old
I am already satisfied." After a pause, he added: "In the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Jin is a reliable person. As for the internal dynasty, Mr. Jie Zi has already been able to take charge of his own affairs. I really have nothing to worry about..."
"..." Zhao Run stopped talking.
Although he wanted to say a few words of persuasion, Du You was also a smart man. How could he not know his own physical condition?
Whatever you say at this time is just deceiving yourself and others.
Thinking of this, Zhao Run held Du You's hand that was as dry as firewood and said solemnly: "Old Ai Qing has made indispensable contributions to our great Wei Dynasty!"
Du You was shocked when he heard this, his expression was moved, and there were even a few tears in his eyes.
However, he immediately turned his head and said to Zhao Run in a slightly choked tone: "Those who are about to die do not dare to dirty your Majesty's eyes. Let us bid farewell to each other here." After saying this, he cupped his hands and looked serious.
Said: "Old minister, I wish your majesty in advance to be crowned the co-lord of the world, and I wish the Wei Dynasty prosperity forever!"
"Well!...I will take my old love's good advice."
Zhao Run squeezed Du You's hand tightly, stood up immediately, and walked out of the house.
Next to him, Prince Zhao Wei, who was standing quietly, bowed deeply to Du You who was lying on the couch, and followed his father to leave.
Looking deeply at the departing figures of Wei Wang Zhao Run and Prince Zhao Wei, Du You seemed to have had all his strength drained from his body. He raised his head and leaned on the cushion behind him. He looked at the beam with a dull look and murmured in his mouth.
He murmured: "What a grand plan for hegemony, it's so good, so good..."
Not long after, brothers Du Lan and Du Zhang walked into the house timidly and looked at their father with fear.
Glancing at the two brothers, Du You cheered up again and said in a gentle voice: "You two come forward, my father has asked you to wait for something..."
The two brothers looked at each other, as if they had guessed something, with sad expressions on their faces.
"Yes, father..."
Two days later, on April 29, the ninth year of Zhaowu, Du You, an important official of Wei State, died at the age of sixty-five.
After Wei Wang Zhao Run learned about this, he wrote the words "Wang Zuo's Scholar" in his own handwriting and gave it to the Du family in recognition of Du You's contribution to Wei.
So far, among the tributes personally inscribed by King Zhao Run of Wei, Du You is the only one who has the highest praise.
Of course, Du You also deserves this evaluation.
The Zhaowu period was not only a period of prosperity when the Wei State rose up to annex other countries and unify the Central Plains, but it was also a sad period. People who Zhao Run once knew and were familiar with died one after another.
For example, in the past few years, Li Huan, the former minister of the Ministry of War, who wished that he would die early in order to get a farewell message from the monarch, also passed away in the autumn of the sixth year of Zhaowu. Zhao Run thought about it for a long time and finally wrote for him "Be careful and have no regrets."
"The four words indicate that Li Huan has been dedicated to the state of Wei throughout his life. Although he did not have any dazzling achievements, he has never done anything detrimental to the interests of the country. Therefore, in general, it is still a quite commendable inscription.
Another example is Zhao Run's younger uncle Zhao Laituo. This elder of the uncle generation also passed away in the seventh year of Zhaowu. So far, all the elders of the Zhao family who have the "Lai" generation have passed away.
In the spring of the eighth year of Zhaowu, Zhao Run's second uncle, Zongzheng Zhao Yuanyan, also passed away, which made Zhao Run feel quite unhappy.
After all, ever since he was a child, the elder he respected the most was this young and stubborn second uncle.
In late May, Zhao Run received a battle report from Shen Yu and learned that the Wei army on the west route had captured Pingyu and the Runan area.
Logically speaking, this should have been a cause for celebration, but Zhao Run couldn't laugh. The reason was that in this war, Lord Pingyu Xiong Hu died.
To be honest, Zhao Run, Xiong Hu, and Xiong Tuo's cousins are really entangled in a bad relationship.
The reason for the intersection between the two sides was initially because Xiong Tuo and Xiong Hu led their troops to attack the Wei State and massacred the Wei people. At that time, Zhao Run hated the two cousins with itch.
But the fundamental reason for Xiong Tuo's attack on Wei is that Zhao Run's father, Zhao Si, once joined forces with Xiong Tuo to attack the Song Dynasty. As a result, Xiong Tuo defeated the Song Dynasty for Wei in vain. After all, the Wei army crossed the river and demolished the bridge and killed them for a while. The eldest son and second son of Ruyin Lord Xiang Gong were killed in this battle. Xiong Tuo did not dare to face the then Xiong Hu for nearly ten years. The king of Yi who supports him the most.
If it were just this, it wouldn't be a bad fate. The most important thing is the appearance of Mi Jiang. The appearance of the future Queen of Wei made Zhao Run, Xiong Tuo, and Xiong Hu, who were regarded as enemies, have a close relationship. It has changed a lot. From being enemies to each other, they have become a marriage force that helps each other.
Shangshui County, Zhao Run's initial foundation, also developed rapidly through the smuggling trade with Xiong Tuo.
Without Mi Jiang's appearance, Zhao Run, Xiong Tuo, and Xiong Hu would probably have been enemies of each other throughout their lives. However, after Mi Jiang's appearance, the two parties finally had the opportunity to ease their relationship and understand each other. Or rather, room.
After getting to know each other, Zhao Run learned that Xiong Tuo and Xiong Hu were not murderous and greedy people. On the contrary, these two were much nobler than most of the Xiong nobles in the eastern part of Chu at that time.
In the blink of an eye, more than twenty years have passed.
"Xiong Hu actually died in battle?"
Similar to the reactions of Xinyang Lord Xiang Pei, Chu King Xiong Tuo and others, Wei King Zhao Run was also quite stunned after learning about this incident.
In his opinion, no matter who died in the battle between Wei and Chu, it would not be Xiong Hu. This guy was most greedy for life and afraid of death. He thought that when Xiong Hu was chased away by Wu Ji and fled, Zhao Run once teased Xiong Hu as "Baili Li". Hu", implying that Xiong Hu was so frightened by Wu Ji that he ran away for more than a hundred miles in one day.
This guy actually killed Pingyu in battle. This is really like the sun rising in the west.
Around mid-June, Queen Mi Jiang returned to Luoyang with Zhang Qigong, Mi Rui, and the children of Ba Qi, the king of Ba, and Xiong Hu, the king of Pingyu, who had surrendered to Wei.
At this time, Zhao Run was able to confirm that "Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu died in battle", and couldn't help but feel silent.
To be honest, there were not many friends who could make friends with his peers at that time. Han Wangran counted one, Wei Gongziyu counted one, Chu King Xiong Tuo counted one, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu counted one, and after that, there were not many left. Already.
But now, Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu has passed away, and Zhao Run has lost one of his few remaining friends.
Under the recommendation of Queen Mi Jiang, Zhao Run summoned the three sons of Pingyu Lord Xiong Hu, namely the three brothers Xiong Miao, Xiong Ze and Xiong Yi.
Zhao Run naturally understood what Mi Jiang meant. He just wanted to find a fortune for these three nephews. This was just a small matter for Zhao Run, who now owned most of the Central Plains.
But Zhao Run did not do that, because he felt that even if he gave the three brothers wealth, the three brothers might not be able to maintain the family business. Therefore, instead of rewarding the three brothers with money and a mansion, Zhao Run felt that it would be better to cultivate the three brothers on behalf of Xiong Hu. People, as the saying goes, it is better to teach people to fish than to teach them to fish.
Therefore, after appeasing the three Xiong brothers, Zhao Run arranged for the three Xiong brothers to study at a national school in Luoyang City. When they were successful in their studies, they were then assigned to the Imperial Academy, where they were promised a wealthy and official career step by step. This will not cause criticism from the government and the public, and prevent the three Xiongs from being targeted. After all, there are many people in Wei who hate Chu, let alone the Xiong family.
Fortunately, Xiong Miao, Xiong Ze, and Xiong Yi were not stupid. Although they were a little disappointed that Zhao Run, the 'uncle', did not promise them high official positions and generous salaries, they also understood that this uncle was paving the way for them, so they were disappointed. Not in a hurry either.
To be honest, there is really nothing to be anxious about. With the power of my uncle and aunt in the Wei State, the Pingyu Xiong family will be able to prosper in the Wei State sooner or later.
In the blink of an eye, another two or three months passed, and the three armies of the Wei State marched forward all the way, singing triumphant songs, and defeated the Chu State.
Around late autumn, the Wei army led by Shen Yu, Huan Hu, Sima Shang, Le Yi, Tian Dan, Tian Wu, Xu Li, Yan Kui and others had basically captured all the land north of the Chu River.
During this period of time that should have been worthy of celebration, Zhao Run received another piece of bad news: the former Southern Liang King Zhao Yuanzuo died.
After receiving the news that day, Zhao Run asked the eunuch Gao He in shock: "Why didn't you report it in advance?"
It was not until the chief eunuch Gao He explained that Zhao Run was relieved. It turned out that Zhao Yuanzuo and Zhao Hongxin had not informed the eunuch.
Why don't you report it to the eunuch, and why don't you report it to him?
After Zhao Run frowned and thought for a moment, he couldn't help but laugh.
Yes, why did Zhao Yuanzuo notify him in advance? Although the two are uncles and nephews, in fact, the relationship between Zhao Yuanzuo and Zhao Run is only slightly better than that of strangers; even Zhao Hongxin, I can't say that I'm that close to Zhao Run.
"...According to the slave's inquiry, Zhao Yuanzuo only informed Zhao Xin, and only allowed Zhao Xin and his son to watch him die." The eunuch Gao He added from the side: "In addition, it is said that the King of Nanliang died with a smile on his face."
"Did you pass away with a smile on your face?"
Zhao Run shook his head with a half-smile.
But if you think about it carefully, Zhao Yuanzuo probably died with a smile on his face: the late king Zhao Si, who was a "life-long enemy", died before him, and before his death, he and Zhao Xin resolved the old grudge, making Zhao Xinxin willing to die for his uncle. , I believe that Zhao Yuanzuo really should have nothing else to ask for.
Again, Zhao Run never really understood this third uncle.
God knows what this third uncle was thinking. He came here for revenge, but he helped the Wei Kingdom escape from disaster one after another. Even the anti-rebellion army that he had worked so hard to form was abandoned because he hoped to resolve the old grudge with Zhao Xin. The power was returned to Zhao Run and to Tiance Mansion.
Even when he passed away, he just wanted to pass away quietly, with only Xin Zhao by his side, whom he regarded as his adopted son, and to pass away quietly without anyone noticing.
This open-mindedness made Zhao Run realize that maybe Zhao Yuanzuo was not a pure evil person, but was destined to be like this. It was God's will that made him have an affair with the brothers Zhao Si, the late king, and Zhao Ke, the king of Yu, and fight in the same room.
In any case, the death of Zhao Yuanzuo means that in the main family of the Zhao family, all the elders who are senior to Zhao Run have passed away.
Before he knew it, Zhao Run himself had become the elder of the Zhao family.
To be honest, this made Zhao Run feel a little uncomfortable.
At this time, he already felt a faint sense of loneliness.