Qu Xiaocang approached Qi Ning and asked softly: "Master Marquis, the emperor has issued a decree for you to review secretly. I wonder... do you need to be humble and obey the orders?"
Qi Ning said: "Actually, the emperor just asked me to have a casual chat with Prince Yu. If Lieutenant Qu is busy with official duties, he can go on errands first."
Qu Xiaocang was so smart that he naturally understood Qi Ning's meaning and said: "Master Hou, I am waiting on the other side of Jiugong Pond." Without saying much, he left and went to the other side.
Qi Ning then turned to the door of the house, pushed it open gently, and entered the house. The house was simple and simple. Qi Ning looked at Prince Yu, approached him and cupped his hands, "Your Majesty!"
Prince Yu then turned his head and glanced at Qining, but he seemed calm and composed, and said with a smile: "I have been waiting here for many days, but no one has come to interrogate me. Today, someone finally came." Putting the hand in his hand. The book was carefully closed, and it looked like a book lover. It was placed on the table next to the rocking chair. Then he stood up and said: "There is tea on the table, and the brocade clothes can be poured out by themselves. I am a prisoner under the stairs. I am here." I am not the master here, so I don’t think I am neglecting the guests.”
Qi Ning smiled and said, "The prince doesn't seem to have suffered too much injustice here."
"It doesn't matter whether you feel aggrieved or not." Prince Yu was dressed in casual clothes and looked very relaxed. He walked to the bookshelf and put his hands behind his back as if he was checking the collection of books: "Jin Yihou, did the returning emperor ask you to bring you a decree? I don't know how to express it. king."
"Your Majesty, you are worrying too much." Qi Ning sat down on the chair. "Actually, the Emperor was worried that Your Majesty would not adapt well here, so he sent me to visit."
"Visit?" Prince Yu turned around, stroked his long beard, and said with a smile: "The poetry ritual of the Southern Kingdom has not disappeared." He walked slowly to a chair opposite Qi Ning, sat down slowly, and then said: " I wonder when your country will send troops? The people of Dong Qi want to take advantage of the situation, but unfortunately they are not so courageous, so they naturally want to drag you, Southern Chu, to join the army."
Qi Ning was startled, then smiled and said: "When does the prince think we should send troops?"
"The people of Dong Qi naturally think that the sooner the better." Prince Yu said with a faint smile: "As long as Maling Mountain is in the hands of my big man, they will not be able to live in peace." He leaned on the chair and stroked his beard and said: "But If your emperor is smart, he may not rush to send troops."
"Oh?" Qining stood up, went over to take the teacup, picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea. He walked up to Prince Yu with the teacup in both hands and handed the cup over. Prince Yu was startled, and soon a smile appeared in his eyes. , but he took it with both hands, Qining turned around and sat down, and then said: "Why does the prince say this?"
"You and I have been fighting for three years. We have killed a thousand enemies and suffered eight hundred losses. Neither I, the big man, nor you, Nan Chu, have taken advantage." Prince Yu took a sip of tea, then put it down and said: " In the past three years, both countries have spent a lot of manpower and material resources. Jin Yihou, your country's treasury must be somewhat stretched, right?"
Qi Ning smiled and said: "The same seems to be true of Han State."
Prince Yu sighed: "That's true. Maybe without this civil strife, my country's treasury wouldn't be as good as yours in Southern Chu." He smiled slightly and said, "Jin Yihou, your Chu country's current treasury can no longer withstand a protracted war. .”
"Your Majesty, do you think the war will be protracted?"
Prince Yu smiled lightly and said: "Although the Han Kingdom was in chaos, Zhongli'ao and his tens of thousands of soldiers were not in chaos. Qi Jing is no longer in it. It is unknown whether Yue Huanshan, the commander of the Qinhuai Army, can compete with Zhongli'ao. No one else knows how difficult it is to break through Han's defense line. You are a member of the Jinyi Qi family, so you should know the details."
"Your Majesty has forgotten that when the princes of your country fight for the throne, they must fight hard." Qi Ning said: "The Eastern Qi must use all their strength to send troops. Although there are defenders in Maling Mountain, the current Han army in Maling Mountain is The strength shouldn’t be enough to withstand Dong Qi’s all-out attack, right? Once Maling Mountain is breached and Zhongli Ao is attacked from both sides, the prince thinks Zhongli Ao can still handle it.”
"If the Qi army can quickly break through Maling Mountain, and the Chu army can break through Zhong Li'ao's defense line in a very short time, the Han Dynasty will indeed be in danger." Prince Yu said calmly: "It's just that the Marquis thinks that this will really be the case. Smooth? Once the progress is not smooth, it will immediately fall into a stalemate. The battle for the throne in Han Dynasty may also be temporarily stopped because of this war." He said, "You are from a military family. You should know that once the war starts, , It’s not just a matter of stopping, if Chu State doesn’t want to fight at that time, it won’t be possible.”
The scent of lotus wafting in from the window was refreshing. Qining sighed softly: "The prince seems to be persuading us not to act rashly."
"Don't get me wrong, Lord Marquis, I don't mean this." Prince Yu said with a smile: "The prisoners below are unable to protect themselves, so how can they influence your country's national policy? Moreover, I believe that your country has already prepared countermeasures for this matter. The king is just here to show off his rhetoric."
Qi Ning laughed and said: "Your Majesty is admirable for his subtle knowledge." He shook his head and sighed: "It's a pity that the emperor of the Han Dynasty was blind and had treasures but didn't know how to cherish them. As far as I know, although your Majesty has a noble status, But it seems that it was not reused in Han Dynasty."
Prince Yu's expression remained unchanged and he smiled and said, "Jin Yihou, are you ready to sow discord?"
"Your Majesty, you think I am sowing discord?" Qining sighed: "Now that things have happened, what benefit will sowing discord have to our Chu country?"
Prince Yu smiled and said: "Since I am useless in the Han Dynasty, why does your country imprison me here? As long as the emperor of your country gives an order, my head will be separated from my body." He raised his hand and said: "Jin Yihou is the One of the four hereditary princes of the Chu Kingdom, the important task of being envoy to the Eastern Qi also fell on Jin Yihou. This shows that the emperor of your country attaches great importance to the marquis. Logically speaking, the marquis should be busy with official duties, so why would he come to visit him in person? This old good-for-nothing Wang."
Qi Ning thought that Prince Yu was knowledgeable about the past and present. He was a man of outstanding literary talent and his eloquence was indeed not weak.
"The room that I live in is very elegant, so it cannot be a prison." Prince Yu said, "The previous owner of this room was certainly not of low status. Placing this king here is really unexpected. As expected by my king, today the Emperor of Chu's trusted ministers came to visit me in person. I am flattered." Leaning on the chair, Yun Danfengqing said with a smile: "Jin Yihou, your country is so courteous, so naturally I won't I have nothing to ask for, but I don’t know what else in this old man like me is worthy of your country’s trouble.”
Qi Ning sighed: "Your Majesty is really thoughtful." He sat upright and said: "Your Majesty is so direct, so I can speak directly. As far as I know, when your Majesty was in Han Dynasty, he presided over an important project. Things, in my opinion, what the prince did has blessed the world and can be said to be of immeasurable merit."
Prince Yu stroked his beard and nodded and said: "I understand, I understand, it is exactly what I expected." He stood up and said with a smile: "Jin Yihou, there is something I want you to report to the emperor of your country."
"Your Majesty, please speak!"
"Although this place is not bad, I am really not used to it." Prince Yu said: "You still have to lock me in your heavenly prison. It's really not possible. The next edict will be to kill me." He smiled bitterly and said: "I I have been timid since I was a child, and I don’t dare to commit suicide, so it would be best for you to help me.”
Qi Ning frowned and said, "Why did the prince say this?"
"Jin Yihou is also a smart man." Prince Yu said, "There are some questions that you don't need to ask, you should know the answers." He shook his head and said, "The emperor of your country is too young, so it's no wonder he would do such a confused thing. , he wants to get the map of the universe from me, Jin Yihou, do you think I will hand it over to you?"
"Your Majesty, this is not confusing." Qi Ning said solemnly: "Your Majesty understands better than anyone else that if you can really come up with a map of the world, our country of Chu will certainly send you back home."
Prince Yu laughed and said: "Jinyihou, no matter how stupid I am, I will not send the map of the universe just because I am old and withered. Moreover, I and Beitang Feng left Dongqi, and Luoyang will naturally I tried my best to make Beitang Feng a rebel. Since I am with Beitang Feng, I will naturally become a rebel. Do you think I will end up well when I return to China at this time?"
"There is no conclusion yet on who is the leader in the Han Kingdom." Qining said: "Beitang Feng has gone to Xianyang. The person in charge of Xianyang is Beitang Feng's uncle Qu Yuangu. Qu Yuangu has a lot of troops in his hands. Once he has The banner of Beitang Feng may not be lost to other princes. Since the prince has a good relationship with Beitang Feng, if Beitang Feng wins the throne and the prince returns to the Han Dynasty, he will naturally be of great use."
Prince Yu's expression turned serious, while Qi Ning remained calm. This was the first time that Prince Yu's face changed after he entered the room.
"The spies of the Chu State are really good." Prince Yu sighed softly: "So you know that Beitang Feng went to Xianyang."
Qi Ning smiled and said: "My lord, this is naturally good news for you. If nothing else happens, Beitang Feng has safely left the Chu Kingdom and will arrive in Xianyang soon."
If Beitang Feng had an accident on the way and was captured by the Chu State, news would definitely be sent to the capital. Qining is a close minister of Longtai, so he would naturally get the news. There is no news about Beitang Feng now, which proves that Beitang Feng has gone there. Xianyang was quite successful.
"You know Beitangfeng's whereabouts so well, could it be that...?" Prince Yu frowned.
Qi Ning already knew what he was going to say next, and nodded: "Beitang Feng has entered the Chu Kingdom, and he is right under the nose of the Shenhou Mansion. If we hadn't let him go intentionally, the prince thinks he would have left like that. smoothly?"
In fact, Beitangfeng did escape from Xiangyang under the nose of Shenhou Mansion. Qining thought that what I said could be regarded as helping Shenhou Mansion save some face. Shenhou Mansion owed me another favor. Looking back If Ximen Zhanying marries me, it will be considered as repayment.
Prince Yu was convinced of this, nodded slightly, and said: "What a good move to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and let go of the wind in Beitang, which will inevitably cause civil strife in the Han Dynasty, and you, the Chu State, can reap the benefits of the fishermen."