The sacrifice at Lingxiaotian ended, documents were sent to all nine states in the world, West Antarctica was pacified, the Kingdom of Zhao was established, and Marquis Wu'an was named King of Zhao, which shocked the world.
During the Great Zhou Dynasty, four Wuhou and one were granted the title of king. This was a prosperous period in the past three hundred years. Although there were also new titles of Wuhou during this period, the scale was not comparable to this one. As for the title of king? More There is none.
After leaving Lingxiaotian and returning to Yuehuatian, Shen Zhui began to move to a larger marquis mansion. The level and specifications were naturally more than one level higher than the previous temporary mansion.
On the tenth day of May, when the sacrifices were over, Shen Zhui, on the advice of King Zhao and the Seventh Prince Ji Chen, visited the civil and military ministers, celebrities and nobles who had sent invitations one by one.
"My father is enlightened in his governance and has a broad mind. Therefore, from the 33rd level of the capital, there are many people who can directly reach the heavens and submit their opinions to my father's case. Whether it is criticizing the corruption of the government or providing suggestions for people's livelihood. Even Whether it is scolding the royal disciples, or even more extreme, criticizing the emperor's crazy life, my father just laughs it off."
"But... the number of people who can truly influence my father's decision can be counted on one hand."
"And when it comes to the important matter of Princess Anle's marriage, there are even fewer people who can speak."
"So from the tenth day of May to your eighteenth birthday, you will mainly be invited to visit that small group of people. If there are no invitations sent to you, I will introduce them to you."
Shen Zhui nodded, and Ji Chen thought very carefully. The Emperor of the Zhou Dynasty was enlightened in his governance, arrogant, and broad-minded. He was a wise king of his generation. All wise kings have the same characteristic, that is, they listen to and accept advice. Tyrants who have lost their country all have the same shortcoming, that is, they listen to others and believe only what they believe.
Shen Zhui was most afraid of meeting a headstrong monarch who would not listen to any advice. That meant that the Human Emperor would definitely marry Princess Ji Zixuan of the South China Sea to the Fan family. After all, the Human Emperor had already intended this matter. Moreover, the Fan family has proposed marriage twice.
But now that he heard what Ji Chen said, he felt a little relieved.
"At the Ministry of War, your teachers, King Zhao and King Jianhuang, will personally lobby for you. On the night of the birthday banquet, at least four princes will stand on your behalf!"
Ji Chen put the fingertips of his left hand on the table and moved them subconsciously. Shen Zhui knew that this was a sign of deep thought. "Although the Fan family is a descendant of King Wu, in the past eight hundred years, there have only been two crown princes. , one of them still inherited the title of King of Wu."
"Since Shenwu Marquis Liu Ruqin gave up the title of king and became a civil servant, the elders of that generation have rarely been active in the court. The Fan family's power in the Ministry of War is not particularly strong.
"Perhaps my fourth brother will help them, but he has lost his way. Your intention has not been exposed yet, and his relationship with me is also extremely secretive. Based on my understanding of the fourth brother, he will not be sure of anything at all. He will go to war over the matter. Even if he knows your thoughts, I'm afraid his first thought is to win over you and try to resolve the grievances between you and Fan Hongyi. When he really notices it, he will try to get a seal from the military. I’m afraid it’s too late for the king to intercede.”
Shen Zhui nodded. The fourth prince Ji Dan had clearly shown his kindness to him before. Although the Fan family would take it seriously, they might not take it seriously. They immediately asked the fourth prince Ji Dan to contact the king and start a war. To put it another way, even if the fourth prince Ji Dan knew his intention to marry Zixuan, he might not take any action.
Why? Because Ji Dan also had to consider whether it was worth offending several Wuhou and a king in West Antarctica, and if he didn't want to offend, what level of effort would be appropriate?
I just need to pretend to think about it for a while, and at least I can delay it for a while.
Therefore, the Ministry of War and the military do not have a big problem.
"The focus is on the Six Ministries and the Central Committee." Ji Chen said. "Two generations of the Fan family have been prime ministers, and there are many great Confucians. Moreover, they have been in officialdom for eight hundred years and have disciples all over the Six Ministries. Many important positions in the court have officials from the Fan family or those who are grateful to the Fan family. "
"The royal marriage of a daughter is a family matter and a state matter. Since it is a state matter, there is room for negotiation."
"The four crowned kings, the matchmaker from the Ministry of War said that the marriage is enough, but too much is not enough."
Shen Zhui nodded. He was seeking to marry the princess, not to force her to marry him. Four kings were enough. Any more would be counterproductive.
Ji Chen saw that no matter what he said, Shen Zhui could quickly understand it, and his thoughts became smoother: "For the civil servants, the candidates I gave are the four families of Liu, Wei, Kou, and Yang. As for the Li family, forget it. Li Qingzheng is my fourth brother's teacher. The Lin family is not suitable either. Mr. Lin Zhizhong has been upright in his life and will not get involved in such things."
"Your Yuehua Banquet has become famous in one fell swoop. Many great scholars now have a favorable impression of you. It is most appropriate to pay you a visit at this time."
"Will the Yang family..." Shen Zhui frowned slightly.
"As long as I'm here, you don't have to worry." Ji Chen said with a smile. "Maybe Mrs. Yang really wants to meet you."
"Huh?" Shen Zhui was slightly stunned. He could clearly see the narrow smile in Ji Chen's eyes. But he really couldn't figure out what was so funny about this?
Shaking his head, Shen Zhui quickly put the matter aside.
"As for the harem, I will ask my eldest sister to go to Xuanyue Immortal Palace from time to time. At critical times, my mother will also come forward."
"Ji Chen's eldest sister should be Princess Anping." Shen Zhui also showed a smile, but he has not forgotten that the seventh prince Ji Chen, whose mother's family is not as powerful as him, is the daughter of the Golden Snake King of the Northern Continent. After marrying into the palace, she was named Yuan Fei.
"I hope everything goes as planned." Shen Zhui thought to himself.
…………
After the plan was finalized, the first place Shen Zhui went to visit was the Liu family.
Liu Ruqin was Wenzong, and he had made great military exploits and was a Marquis of Shenwu. His title has always been retained. One person holds the titles of Wenzong and Wuhou. It can be said that no other person can be found in the entire Zhou Dynasty.
Although this big man has rarely appeared in public over the years, focusing on studying knowledge, his status in the hearts of scholars has never diminished.
What's more, the great scholar Liu Haoran personally invited him to the Yuehua Banquet, so Shen Zhui should visit Liu Mansion first, both logically and emotionally.
Since Ji Chen said that Wei, Yang, Liu and Kou were the best candidates, it was not without reason.
Liu Haoran was Ji Chen's teacher, and he admired Shen Zhui very much. During his second visit, he readily agreed to be a matchmaker for Shen Zhui, and allowed Shen Zhui to stay at Liu Mansion for two days to teach him about poetry and poetry.
With the great scholar Liu Haoran setting an example in front of him, and the spread of four sacred poems, Shen Zhui's Xinhou Mansion was bustling with traffic and packed with guests every day, even more lively than King Zhao's mansion!
It is rumored that although he has no wings, he can fly faster than those with wings. Shen Zhui's actions still aroused the vigilance of interested people, especially at the Yuehua tail banquet, Princess Anle composed the music for Shen Zhui's "National Sorrow", and the champion Hou Shen Zhui The song "Guan Ju" was sent back, which makes people think even more.
Everyone is speculating that this champion Hou Mo is going to rise to the top and become a relative of the emperor?
What surprised even more interested people was that the Fan family seemed to take this rumor as true. They also began to visit various mansions and began to reiterate the proposal for Fan Hongyi to marry Princess Anle Ji Zixuan.
On May 13th, after Shen Zhui left the Liu Mansion, he went to the Yang Mansion. Originally, people thought that the Yang Mansion might give Shen Zhui a rejection, but unexpectedly, Shen Zhui received the warm hospitality of the Yang Mansion again, and even Yang Mansion The old lady personally received her.
At this time, Shen Zhui made a special trip to pay homage to Yang An's cemetery on his way to Beijing, defeated Yang Lin, caused the Nine-clawed Golden Dragon to move, and observed Lingyun's Broken Blade, which was also discovered.
After receiving the title of Champion, he went to pay homage to Yang An's grave first, which greatly won the favor of the Yang family's senior officials. And then Yang Lin was defeated by Zhengda Guangming, which completely convinced the younger generation of disciples.
All of this seemed to have been planned in advance, and it was not like a mere champion could go on so smoothly.
Finally, Fan Hongyi, who was extremely arrogant and had never taken Shen Zhui seriously, could no longer sit still. He rushed to the 30th heaven overnight, found the fourth prince Ji Dan and said seriously:
"Brother Wang, I am afraid that if you pursue this person, you have already taken refuge with the Seventh Prince Ji Chen. Judging from his experiences along the way, the rumors that this son wants to marry the princess are not groundless! Once he succeeds, not only will It is our Fan Mansion that has lost face, and the Seventh Prince will definitely take advantage of the situation and take control of the forces in the South China Sea Islands... We must do something!"
"Yes, Gu also felt it." There was a hint of gloom in Ji Dan's eyebrows. He invited Shen Zhui twice, but although the other party accepted the invitation, he only came in person. Secondly, he pretended to be deaf and dumb to his solicitation hints. It was obvious that he was Most of it was prevarication. But it was impossible for him to tell Fan Hongyi this part. He just agreed with the Fan family's idea of moving.
But before Fan Hongyi and Ji Dan had time to take action, an old case of the "Guo Guogong" that had been gathering dust for a long time was quickly uncovered by the Supervision Department, and the four major kings were killed in a row!
…………
On May 14, the Supervision Department and the Criminal Department jointly dispatched the eight great kings from the True King's Secret Realm and quietly went to the Sicha Kingdom and the Lunnan Kingdom in the Southern Continent, the Zhongshan Kingdom in the Northern Continent, and the Qi Kingdom in the Eastern Continent.
On the charge of framing and murdering the Duke 149 years ago, these four kings were beheaded in public. Except for King Lunnan who had been secretly executed by King Zhao, the other three kings were all on May 10th. He was beheaded on the fourth day and announced to the world that all descendants of the Shen family were innocent. Shen Yin was restored to the title of Lord Protector Shen Yin and returned to the altar of the Tianzi Temple to enjoy worship.
Any descendants of the Shen family who are on the run, if they are within the fourth generation, can be replaced by the Duke of Huguo. If the original heirs enjoy the salary of the imperial title, they will also be restored.
At the same time, the news that Shen Zhui was the fifth-generation descendant of Lord Protector was also officially announced.
However, since the Protector is not hereditary, but is merely hereditary, after four generations, as a rule, Shen Kangwei can only get one viscount, and Shen Zhui can only get one baron. Therefore, the court only compensates Shen Kang as a viscount. The idle marquis - the loyal marquis.
Once the case was overturned, the whole world was shocked. Since the founding of the Zhou Dynasty, this can be regarded as a shocking injustice. Many people still remember the old story of Duke Shen, and they have rebuilt spiritual tablets and temples in their houses to commemorate this injustice. The dead prince.
Shen Zhui, as the direct descendant of the Protector Shen Yin, and the fact that he was awarded the title of Champion Marquis, once again became a hotly discussed figure in the Thirty-Third Heaven.
…………
There were constant disturbances from the outside world, but Shen Zhui unswervingly carried out his plan of lobbying and wooing.
The benefit of this news was that Shen Zhui received great courtesy when he visited some family ministers who were not very close to Ji Chen or King Zhao.
The long time will erase the memories of many people, but for those venerables and true gods, one hundred and forty-nine years is just a slightly longer retreat. Back then, General Shen Yin led the rear of Dongfang Continent to provide supplies for the conquest of the three armies. He was the first prime minister of the Zhou Dynasty to provide supplies and support, and due to the special period, he could be called the "wartime prime minister" with the greatest power. Shen Yin was wise and loyal, so naturally he had many old friends who were grateful for his kindness. Now Shen Yin He died unjustly and Shen Kang was crazy. All these kindnesses were repaid to Shen Zhui, the fifth-generation heir and champion.
Originally, the Wei and Kou families were not enthusiastic about Shen Zhui's visit, but after the case was uncovered, they quickly changed their attitude and actively invited Shen Zhui to visit them a second time.
…………
Wei Family, Wei Mansion Hongzhai.
Shen Zhui sat in the main hall, slowly drinking tea and waiting quietly.
What he wants to see now is none other than Wei Xuancheng, the ancestor of the Wei family, a great scholar of the time who served as the right minister of the Zhou Dynasty for more than a hundred years. In terms of status in the literary world, he is even one point higher than Liu Haoran.
However, due to his policy of "destroying ancestral clans and abandoning temples", he was involved in a turmoil, which made all the princes and states in the world complain. He had to take the blame and resign. He was replaced by Yang Wenguang as the right prime minister.
Logically speaking, it is time for the Wei family to hibernate, but after hearing that Shen Zhui was a descendant of Shen Yin, they had this meeting.
The sound of steady footsteps gradually became clearer, and Shen Zhui quickly looked towards the screen at the back of the main hall.
I saw an old man with gray hair on his temples, an immortal spirit, and a rosy complexion slowly walking towards him.
"Junior, I have met Mr. Wei." Shen Zhui quickly raised his hands and saluted.
"There's no need to be so polite." Wei Xuancheng smiled slightly and asked Shen Zhui to sit down. "Speaking of which, I should be considered your master-uncle."
"Uncle Master?" Shen Zhui was slightly stunned. He looked at the old man in front of him who was wearing a plain robe and gave off an extremely friendly feeling.
"Your ancestor is my teacher." Wei Xuancheng said softly.
"What?!" Shen Zhui was shocked and extremely surprised.
No wonder that as soon as he heard that he was a descendant of the Shen family, the Wei family immediately approached him, and it was not the head of the family who received him, but the ancestor.
However, when Shen Yin fell, Wei Xuancheng was only the chief priest of the temple and the deputy dean of the academy, and was not implicated. Later, he rose to the top and became the right minister. This also shows the enlightenment of Emperor Tianming.
"Then... my uncle has known my identity for a long time?" Shen Zhui asked, and a kit appeared in his hand. It was the ordinary kit that could not be opened.
"Yes, I sensed it after you left Daxia Academy, and sent Wei Tianlong to give you a life-saving bag, but it is useless to you now." Wei Xuancheng sighed softly. "Sir, I am wronged, but I You can't protect yourself at all, and you can't stop it at all, so you can only do things secretly. Every time your biological father Shen Kangwei secretly returns to the world, most of the time, people from my Wei family are secretly watching over you."
"Junior, thank you very much, uncle." Shen Zhui stood up and bowed.
"You don't have to be so polite. Speaking of which, it's fate that you and Wen He know each other."
After a pause, Wei Xuancheng changed the subject and said, "I heard that you intend to marry the princess?"
Shen Zhui didn't expect that the old gentleman would be so straightforward. He revealed his purpose of coming in one sentence. He immediately stopped covering up and nodded: "Yes."
"Is this your own intention, or is it the intention of King Zhao? Or is it the intention of the Seventh Prince?" Wei Xuancheng looked at Shen Zhui indifferently. There seemed to be an invisible force in his eyes, which made Shen Zhui feel that everything was exposed.
The other party knew this, so the pressure in Shen Zhui's heart doubled, and he immediately secretly used the merit barrier, and the feeling slowly faded away.
There was a strange look in Wei Xuancheng's eyes, but he didn't explain anything, just waiting for Shen Zhui's answer.
"It's my own wish. Zixuan and I are in love." Shen Zhui looked directly into Wei Xuancheng's eyes and said firmly.
After looking at Shen Zhui for a moment, Wei Xuancheng smiled and nodded: "Since you are willing, then I, an annoying old guy, might as well go to the palace birthday banquet."
…………
On May 17, three highly respected civil servants and scholars from the Liu, Yang, Wei, and Kou families were willing to side with Shen Zhui.
Only the Kou family is left.
It is also the family that the Seventh Prince Ji Chen finds most difficult to persuade, and even has no hope.
Kou Xun, the ancestor of the Kou family, was a founding hero and the fifth among the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai.
This great Confucian was originally an old minister of the Li Dynasty. After the Li Dynasty declined and wars broke out, he took refuge with Ji Fa, the great emperor of destiny at that time.
Before the rise of Shen Yin, Kou Xun was originally the prime minister of the Great Zhou Dynasty, a military advisor who was good at managing government affairs.
He also had a widely circulated allusion of "harmony between generals and prime ministers" with the first champion Hou Yangan.
When Kou Xun was the king of Yongzhou, he had one of Yang An's subordinates executed to enforce strict military discipline. Yang An, who had repeatedly made military exploits, was extremely angry when he found out about it, thinking that Kou Xun was deliberately trying to embarrass him. He angrily expressed that he wanted to fight with Kou Xun. The situation is irreconcilable.
In order to avoid conflicts, Kou Xun decided not to meet Yang An. He also treated Yang An's subordinates with special preferential treatment. He always tolerated and obeyed to avoid intensifying conflicts. In order to seek reconciliation, he took great pains.
Finally, Emperor Tianming came forward in person and held a banquet to mediate. He expressed his great righteousness to Yang Anxiao and asked him to put the overall situation first. He said: "The world is not yet settled, how can two tigers fight privately?" After the persuasion of Emperor Tianming, Yang An finally changed his mind and stopped. He still harbored grudges. In the end, he shook hands with Kou Xun and made peace with him. They worked together to help the Zhou Dynasty.
Even when Yang An later conquered West Antarctica, Kou Xun was the military advisor of the West Route Army. With his assistance to Yang An, the West Route Army was the fastest among the three armies to conquer.
It's a pity that Yang An died in the battle, and Kou Xun, who was most expected to become the right prime minister alongside Shen Yin, was also seriously injured and was in a coma for nearly twenty years. He also suffered from hidden injuries since then, and was finally awarded the title of Yongnuhou.
Although he was only the Marquis of Wu, the Yongnu Marquis ranked fifth among the twenty-eight generals of Yuntai. He was highly trusted by the Emperor of the People and was later granted the title of Duke of Yong Guo. His status was not low.
The reason why Ji Chen said that Shen Zhui had no hope of convincing Kou Xun was actually very simple, because Ji Chen got the news that the matchmaker for the Fan family's third marriage proposal was none other than the founding hero Kou Xun, and there was news that the other party Already agreed.
The Liu family and the Yang family were engaged in an exchange of interests. In addition to Ji Chen's identity, Shen Zhui also agreed to exchange many unpublished poems, so he was able to persuade them smoothly.
But according to Shen Zhui's understanding, Kou Xun didn't care about these. On the contrary, he loved practical strategies and classic meanings, and didn't like poetry filled with flashy rhetoric.
Then why did Ji Chen let himself come to Kou's house? Could it be that he could make this big shot change his mind?
Just when Shen Zhui lowered his head and thought wildly, a deep voice suddenly came from his ears: "Are you Shen Zhui?"
Shen Zhui looked up and immediately saw a majestic and solemn face. He was not wearing regular clothes, but a battle armor and military uniform. It seemed that he had just finished practicing.
"That's right, junior Shen Zhui is here to meet Duke Yong Guo." Shen Zhui saluted.
"I heard that you went to the Extreme Flame Forbidden Land, but did you learn the invincible sword technique?" Kou Xun asked.
Shen Zhui was slightly stunned, then subconsciously nodded and said, "I barely understood a few moves."
"Oh?" Kou Xun's eyes flashed with excitement. "Show it to me."