Ziying was no stranger to the south. Three years ago, as the fifth official, he accompanied Qin Shihuang on his eastward tour. On his return trip, the emperor came to Dongting and Xiangshan Mountains for sightseeing.
But unlike the original history, the Dongting Lake was sunny and sunny that day, and Qin Shihuang was in a good mood. He did not send criminals to cut down all the trees in Xiangshan Mountain, but also asked Ziying to offer sacrifices to Lord Xiang and Mrs. Xiang on his behalf...
Three years later, Ziying came to the south again, but as the deputy supervisor.
The ship docked at Xiangshan Mountain, and the rest of the journey had to rely on carriages. They went up the Xiang River and rushed to Changsha. The general of the Southern Expedition, Changnan Hou Heifu, made an agreement with Ziying to meet there on March 15th.
There is no horse racing road in Changsha County. The carriages go and stop on the muddy path, and they have to be pushed by soldiers and prisoners. With such a road, it is conceivable that transporting grain from Nan County will not be fast. No wonder Heifu will have a new expedition.
The army was stationed in Wuchang but was not brought to Changsha.
Ziying was very patient and just closed her eyes and thought about what Gongzicheng said to her when they were in Jiangling...
As a real supervisor of the army, a veteran of the clan who had high hopes from Emperor Qin Shi Huang, Prince Chengwu of Marquis Changwu arrived at Jiangling and refused to leave.
"I am an old man, how can I go to the hot and humid places in the south to suffer again, and die of illness like Yang Duanhe, which will make things worse. Anyway, at least half of the food for the Southern Army has to pass through Jiangling, so I will stay here to supervise the food!
"
With that said, Marquis Changwu occupied a former palace of Chu State, drank honey juice inside, attracted the Chu people to recommend him, and became free and happy.
But the poor little baby has to continue on the road and fulfill his duties.
Ten days ago, when Ziying left Jiangling, Marquis Changwu called him mysteriously, stood aside, and spoke to him "from the bottom of his heart."
"Ying, I have watched you grow up. You should know that thirty years ago, when your father rebelled against Qin, Lu Buwei, Lao Ai used this as an excuse to kill 736 rebels in Tunliu. According to the law
, the whole family of Lord Chang'an is also a member of the clan, but His Majesty resisted all opinions and pardoned your crime and spared your life, do you know why?"
Ziying knelt down and said, "It's because of your majesty's generosity and my great-grandfather's admonishment that I saved my life."
"Of course."
Young Master Cheng nodded and said: "Your Majesty is wise and wise. How could you not know that Lao Ai forced Chang'an to go to the country? Lao Ai actually took advantage of this and made him a Marquis of Changxin, and made Taiyuan in Hexi a fiefdom. Your Majesty was not in charge of the government at that time.
I tolerated it for a while, but after a few years, I finally eliminated this official!"
"Although there is a reason, treason is treason after all. Chang'an Lord stayed in Zhao, and your Majesty sent Gan Luo to persuade him several times, but he never returned and was alienated from Qin. Therefore, your Majesty can only be lukewarm or lukewarm towards you.
You are granted the title of king, but you are not given an inch of land. You are the grandson of King Zhuang Xiang, but you can only start from the common people."
This is the miserable life of Ziying. His father Chengqi is the younger brother of Qin Shihuang. He is the nephew of the emperor and the elder brother of Fusu and Hu Hai.
But throughout Ziying's childhood, his identity has always been very embarrassing and sensitive. He is more like a prisoner than a royal grandson.
"Ying, do you have any grudge against His Majesty?"
As soon as these words came out, Ziying was shocked and bowed again:
"I can only survive because of His Majesty's kindness. For more than ten years, Your Majesty has found excuses to confer on me a few ranks of knights every few years, allowing me to become a fifth-level official. Recently, I have been made a concubine of the left. I have no merit.
As you are in the rank of ministers, it is too late for you to be grateful, so how can you dare to complain?"
Young Master Cheng smiled and said: "Sure enough, as I said to His Majesty, you can distinguish your likes and dislikes. You have been diligent and honest in your work in the Zongzheng Department these years, so Your Majesty gave you this opportunity to be the deputy supervisor of the army.
.”
"The so-called supervision of the army is nothing more than supervising two things, one is food, and the other is people."
While Gong Zicheng was eating Nanjun’s pastries, he pointed out to Zi Ying:
"The army will perish if it has no food. If you keep the vitality of the supplies and food and withhold the accumulation, the general will not dare to have any dissent. And by keeping an eye on the person and reporting back at all times, your majesty in Xianyang will be informed of the frontline deployment, the progress of the military situation, and the progress of the army."
This is to put an end to those who support the troops with self-respect and support the bandits to prepare for chaos... If they have a different intention, they can issue an edict at any time to withdraw the tiger talisman!"
The Qin army recognized talismans but not people. Bai Qi, the king of Wu'an who was conquering the world, could only commit suicide alone under the death edict of King Zhaoxiang without any chance of counterattack.
"I will stay in Jiangling to supervise the grain supply, while you will stay with the Marquis of Changnan!"
Young Master Cheng lowered his voice: "The Marquis of Changnan is young. Although his military skills are as stable as those of General Wang, his heart is like that of Wang Jian, and he is content with being a marquis? Could it be that Chenzhuang of Qin and Zhuzhuang of Chu
You don't know, so you must take it as a warning. Therefore, you must write down every move he makes and report it to me every month, and I will forward it to Your Majesty..."
Ziying knows that it is easy to supervise food but difficult to supervise people. This old prince is very picky, but after all, he is junior and is his deputy. Whatever Young Master Cheng says, he has to do what he says. He can only respond.
:
"Keep this in mind, baby!"
Prince Cheng also encouraged that if Ziying did well, he would be able to completely wash away the humiliation of his family, and later he would be promoted to a higher rank, and he might even be able to regain the title of king that should have been passed down to him.
But after setting out on the road, Ziying was more worried than expected.
Ziying's temperament is cautious and sensitive. When he was in the court, he had good relations with the Meng brothers, had a relationship with Zhao Gao, drank with Li Si's sons, played Liubo with Feng Jie, and was promoted to Fusu as the emperor.
He treated him like an elder brother, and Hu Hai also liked to ask him to go hunting. In short, he could talk to everyone.
This is not because Ziying has any ambition, but to protect himself. He will always linger on the edge of power without taking a step forward. He is good at dancing and poses no threat to anyone. In everyone's mind, he is a good old man.
This is the principle of Ziying's survival. At present, he has to serve as the emperor's informant around Changnanhou, reporting to Xianyang at all times. If the emperor has any dissatisfaction, he must convey it to Hei Fu...
"This is an offending job."
Ziying sighed secretly, and he could also see that as Qin Shihuang became increasingly arrogant and fought endlessly on the frontiers, while the major projects in Guanzhong were started one after another, and Guizhou's head was busy on the road, the world was already unstable.
But he was embarrassed and did not dare to say anything in front of the emperor. After all, this time, even Fusu and Mao Jiao did not say a word. After returning to Xianyang, Fusu took over the responsibility of managing the clan and recommended young clan members.
As Lang Wei, the imperial censor Mao Jiao recruited capable and good officials from all over the country, saying that he wanted to rectify the administration of officials and establish profit and loss laws...
None of them came forward, and Ziying was even less able to come forward.
He thought that by leaving the court, he would be able to avoid the intrigues, but the front lines in the army were equally complicated, making it impossible for him to be alone. Ziying only felt a headache.
At this moment, the attendant shouted from outside the car:
"Chief Zuo Shu, the Miluo River has arrived!"
…
"Is this the Miluo River?"
Ziying got off the car and looked far away from the ferry. He saw a wide river flowing from the east and merging into the Xiang River. It was as beautiful as the rivers in the south. Mallards were swimming on it in groups looking for food. On the shore
On the side, there are fishermen shouting about fishing. When the wind blows, there are still some waves.
Legend has it that decades ago, Qu Yuan was freed and swam in the rivers and lakes, and then learned that the capital of Ying, which is now Jiangling in Nanjun County, was captured by the Qin army. In despair, he drowned in this river and died...
Ziying also heard that before Qu Yuan jumped into the water, he had a classic conversation with a fisherman.
Qu Yuan said, "The whole world is turbid and I alone am pure. Everyone is drunk and I alone am awake. This is how I see freedom."
However, the fisherman was very tolerant and persuaded Qu Yuan that it was right to move with the world. The world was full of mud, so why not clear the mud and make waves?
But who kind of person could Qu Yuan be able to be as white as the sun and be covered in the dust of the world? He would rather go to the Xiang River and be buried in the belly of a river fish than join the current.
Like Qu Yuan, they were both members of the same clan, and they were at a point where they needed to make choices at any time. Ziying sighed with emotion for a long time, but finally smiled and said:
"I don't obey Doctor Sanlv."
"I follow the fisherman!"
He figured it out, felt relieved for a moment, laughed a few times, ignored the dissuasion of his entourage, took off his shoes, threw away his socks, stepped into the clean water, let them wash his feet, and took a handful of clean water to pour on his feet.
on top of one's head.
"The water in Canglang is clear, so I can wash my tassel; the water in Canglang is turbid, so I can wash my feet!"
He chanted loudly. This is the philosophy of the fisherman and the way of survival for Ziying!
"Your Majesty is not King Huai of Chu, there is no Zi Lan in the court, there is no Zhuang Qi on the front line, and I, Zi Ying, will never be like Qu Yuan!"
…
A few days later, Ziying arrived in Changsha City. Heifu, the general of the Southern Expedition, gave him extremely high treatment and welcomed him at the gate of the barracks.
Ziying knew that his position was unworthy, so he immediately walked over and bowed:
"The Marquis of Changnan, whom I haven't seen for several years, has been granted the title of Marquis and worshiped as a general. My great wish has been fulfilled and I am becoming more and more courageous!"
Hei Fu's outfit, which resembles a general's figurine, is indeed more majestic than the county governor's official uniform. He also handed over to Ziying: "Zuo Shu has been working hard for a long time. I heard that you are the deputy supervisor and will go with me. I am really overjoyed. Mr. Zuo Shu
Not only are you the eldest son and nephew of Your Majesty, but you are also very knowledgeable about the general situation. With you supervising the army, I will definitely be able to make great achievements this time!"
After the two exchanged pleasantries, Heifu introduced Ziying to several officials from the Changsha Camp of the Southern Expeditionary Army. Most of them were former Tu Sui troops, but one of them was an old acquaintance of Heifu.
"This is the imperial physician Chen Wujiu. He used to seek medical treatment in the south. A year ago, the army was blocked and an epidemic broke out, causing countless casualties. Your Majesty sent him here for treatment."
Chen Wujiu was also old, in his forties. He stepped forward to greet Ziying, but his eyes were fixed on the small rash on the skin of Ziying's sleeves.
Ziying noticed Chen Wujiu's gaze, but didn't care. He smiled and said, "Maybe I'm not used to the southern climate. I only noticed some rash when I was resting in the library yesterday. It's not a problem, it's not a problem..."
Before he finished speaking, Chen Wujiu couldn't help but come closer, grabbed Ziying's sleeves, and pulled him up!
Ziying was feeling confused. When he lowered his head and looked down, he saw that there were many red spots on his arms, and some even expanded into red papules...
"What...what's going on?"
Zi Ying also discovered it and thought it was him who scratched it, but Chen Wu Jiu's expression changed drastically, he took a step back and said to Hei Fu:
"Your Majesty, you can't be wrong, it's water poisonous! Zuo Shu has been infected with water poisonous disease!"
