Zhong Li Kuang heard this and tried to stop him, saying, "I feel the same hatred as your Highness. However, we cannot kill Yang Yuanzhi for this reason. Yang Yuanzhi's students and former officials are all over the world. If we kill him, I don't know how many scholars will be offended. Your Highness is about to ascend the throne and become emperor. I hope you can tolerate him, who is about to be buried."
"Alas!" Zheng Rong sighed, "If the two armies were to confront each other, I would definitely try every possible means to win, and then kill the enemy with my own hands. But... Alas! It turns out that even if I become an emperor, I can't do whatever I want!"
"The one who is as virtuous as the Three Sovereigns and as meritorious as the Five Emperors is an emperor. The people of the world and countless eyes are watching him, so how can the emperor be free? Please pay attention, Your Majesty." Zhongli Kuang changed the subject again and continued, "I have met Qiu Yizhi. He has some fate with Prince Heluo, and he is well-known among the officials in the capital, so we can ask Prince Heluo to speak for us. In addition, Zheng Miao is a gentleman and thoughtful, and his father-in-law Qin Guangyuan is a leader among the scholars. With him assisting Prince Heluo, he should be able to handle this important matter!"
Zheng Rong nodded as he listened, "Mr. Zhongli is really thoughtful. I will send Zheng Miao to the capital to handle the matter. As for Yizhi... there is no rush. You should have a good rest tonight. It won't be too late to come back to the city to talk to my third brother tomorrow morning."
Zhongli Kuang added, "There is a third thing, which is to consider the long-term interests of the Han Dynasty. Today is the winter solstice, and it will be New Year's Eve soon. If the prince wants to take this opportunity to win the support of the people, he must do three things well. First, the enthronement ceremony must be held in a grand and smooth manner, so that the people of the world and the five continents and all nations know the will of heaven. Second, the charity granaries must be opened widely, so that the people of the country can spend the New Year in peace and let them know that only by following the prince wholeheartedly can they have a good life. Third, an additional imperial examination must be held at the beginning of next year, so that the hearts of the scholars of the Han Dynasty can be won."
Zhongli Kuang counted on his fingers as he finished talking about several things, and finally added: "After these things are done, the prince will be able to govern the country calmly and create a prosperous era for the Han Dynasty, so that students can benefit from it."
Zheng Rong was delighted to hear this: "Great! You are indeed a great talent! Please, I have taken note of these matters. Emperor Taizu of our dynasty once said: 'You can conquer the world on horseback, but you cannot rule it on horseback.' Governing a country is thousands of times more difficult than marching to fight a war. The laws of our Han Dynasty have been lax and the administration has been corrupt for a long time. I am going to make great efforts to rectify it. When the time comes, I hope Mr. Zhongli... and Yizhi... can assist me a lot!"
So they talked until the Golden Crow fell to the ground. After having a meal together in Zheng Rong's tent, they returned to the camp to rest.
The next morning, brothers Zheng Xin and Zheng Miao rushed there overnight according to Zheng Rong's instructions.
After Qiu Yizi exchanged greetings with the two of them and paid their respects to his father, he and Zheng Miao, each riding a tall horse, went to Luoyang to do business under the protection of several personal soldiers and attendants.
After the east wall of Luoyang was blasted open by gunpowder, it became precarious. In order to maintain long-term stability, Zheng Rong immediately arranged for personnel to recruit civilians to speed up the repair.
The wages paid by Youyan King Zheng Rong were very generous, and the officials in charge were all chief clerks transferred from Youyan Road to follow the army - they would not deduct wages. In addition, it was the slack season for farming recently, so when the able-bodied men in the capital and nearby heard the news, they all rushed over overnight and started working in the early morning.
Therefore, when Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi arrived at the foot of Luoyang City, the gaps in the city wall that were blown down by gunpowder had gradually closed. But even so, this section of the city wall still looked like a ruin.
Seeing this, Zheng Miao couldn't help but sigh and said, "The capital city of Luoyang is a thousand-year-old capital. After suffering such a heavy blow today, I don't know when it will recover..."
Qiu Yizi continued, "In fact, the old weather in Luoyang City is still there, and there is no damage at all. It's just that the power of gunpowder is too great, far beyond my expectations, so the city wall is indeed blown up in an ugly way, which is why you sigh like this!"
Unexpectedly, Zheng Miao sighed again: "The ancient military strategy says: 'The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities.' If your good strategy for attacking cities spreads, what strong cities and fortresses will be able to defend in the world?"
Qiu Yizi smiled and said, "Brother, you are well-educated and generous. Haven't you heard that 'the sword of the emperor has wise and brave warriors as its tip, honest and upright scholars as its edge, virtuous scholars as its spine, loyal and holy scholars as its hilt, and heroic scholars as its side. This sword has no front when it is straight, no top when it is raised, no bottom when it is pressed, and no side when it is moved. It follows the round sky to follow the three lights; it follows the square earth to follow the four seasons; it harmonizes the people's will to bring peace to the four townships. Once this sword is used, it is like the shock of thunder, and within the four borders, everyone will submit and obey the emperor's orders.' If you only care about the gains and losses of a city or a place, you are too petty. From ancient times to the present, I am afraid that there has never been a city that will never fall!"
(Wrong, the above is taken from "Zhuangzi·On Sword". The above description originally refers to "the sword of the princes", and the author thinks that "the sword of the emperor" is more appropriate. In addition, the author does not like Zhuangzi's writing style very much, and this "On Sword" is the least like Zhuangzi's writing. The author likes Xunzi... )
Zheng Miao replied, "My dear brother, you have such insight. I really admire you. No wonder you are so highly regarded by me. However, these things are all considered by my father. As ministers, we only need to think about how to be the sharp edge and the sharp sword. We should not interfere unless we have no choice!"
Zheng Miao's words involved the way for a minister to preserve himself. Qiu Yizhi couldn't help but be convinced after hearing this. He immediately bowed and said, "I appreciate your advice."
So the two brothers Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi walked and talked, and walked through the streets and alleys to admire the scenery of the capital. Soon they arrived at the residence of Heluo King Zheng Hua.
Zheng Hua is Zheng Rong's biological brother and also the elder of Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi. The two did not dare to act rashly and dismounted from their horses and walked away.
However, he saw many patrolling soldiers standing in front of and near the gate of Zheng Hua's mansion. They looked familiar and were obviously soldiers from Youyan.
Zheng Miao saw this and felt unhappy. He called the leading officer and asked with a stern face, "Who asked you to come here to do this job?"
The officer called by Zheng Miao was a lieutenant. He had met Zheng Miao several times before, but he had never seen the usually gentle and refined Third Prince speak so harshly. He saluted and said, "Your Highness, it was the Second Prince who asked me to be responsible for the public security here. I thought that the Heluo Palace was an important place, so I personally led the troops to patrol here to prevent any accidents."
The so-called "Second Prince" refers to Zheng Rong's second son Zheng Sen. Before the campaign to suppress the rebellion, he had been conferred the title of prince together with his eldest brother Zheng Xin and third brother Zheng Miao.
Zheng Miao said, "You are also a veteran of my Youyan army, how come you don't know how to adapt? The Prince of Heluo is of noble status and likes peace and quiet. Your army is eating and drinking here, isn't it disturbing him? You listen to the order: from today on, the Youyan army is not allowed to approach the Heluo Palace within 50 steps, do you understand?"
The captain nodded quickly and said, "Understood." After that, he turned around and told his soldiers to line up and go deep into the alleys of the street.
Seeing that the captain was quite decisive in leading his troops, Zheng Miao's anger, which was already a small amount in his heart, had mostly subsided. He straightened his clothes and went forward to knock on the door himself.
The old man at the gate came over tremblingly to open the door, but seeing Zheng Miao's gentle appearance, he mustered up the courage to say, "This is the Heluo Palace. I wonder what brings you here, young master?"
Zheng Miao said: "I am Zheng Miao, the third son of King Youyan. I am about to come to pay a visit to my third uncle, Prince Heluo. Please let him pass on the message." After saying that, he handed over a business card of his own.
The doorman took the name card and examined it carefully. Seeing that Zheng Miao was an extraordinary person, he knew that what he said was true, so he bowed respectfully and said, "It turns out that it is your Highness who has come. Your Highness, please wait a moment here. I will be back soon."
But in a moment, the main gate of the Heluo Palace opened, and dozens of servants formed a procession of ceremonial guards. One of them, wearing a plain robe and a Confucian cap, walked up to Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi, bowed slightly and said, "So it's you two princes who have come. I'm sorry for not welcoming you in person!"
Qiu Yizi had met Heluo King Zheng Hua before, so he quickly knelt down and kowtowed twice.
Zheng Miao was also a smart person. Seeing Qiu Yizhi being so respectful, he knew that the person in front of him must be the King of Heluo himself, so he also knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Nephew, I pay my respects to my uncle!"
Zheng Hua waited quietly for Zheng Miao and Qiu Yizi to finish their ceremony before bending down and helping them up.
Qiu Yi had met Zheng Hua before and knew that his intelligence was natural and definitely not that of an ordinary person. She also looked at Zheng Miao carefully and found that although he was young, he had already developed a noble and extraordinary temperament.
This made Zheng Hua couldn't help but exclaim: "To be honest, I only admire two people among all the people I have met. One is my royal grandfather, Emperor Xianzong Zhao, and the other is my second brother. Not to mention that my second brother is as wise and brave as anyone else, just look at the sons he raised, each of them is a dragon among men? And look at the four sons under my knees... Oh! Don't mention it!"
"Well, uncle, you are flattering us by saying that. My brothers are excellent in writing and have learned a lot from my uncle. Therefore, they are well-known throughout the country. Even Mr. Qin from Mount Tai often praises us." Zheng Miao said modestly.
When Qiu Yizi heard Zheng Miao calmly bring up his father-in-law, who was a leader in the literary world, he couldn't help but admire him.
Zheng Hua was delighted and said, "It turns out that my clichés can be appreciated by Mr. Qin. I deserve the credit for my thirty years of hard study!"
While exchanging pleasantries, they walked to the main hall and sat down.
After sipping a cup of tea, Zheng Miao got straight to the point and said, "Please forgive my nephew's arrogance. I have been in the capital for a long time, but I rarely ask about the mundane affairs of the court. I am well-known for being a 'great hermit'. However, now the destiny has changed, Zheng Yao burned himself to death out of fear of crime, and no one in the world can ascend to the throne except my father, Prince Youyan. I wonder what your uncle's plan is?"
Zheng Hua had certainly considered this matter. After a moment's silence, he said, "Who in the world doesn't know that I am the most idle king in the world? To be honest with you two nephews, when I was competing with my second brother, I was still hoping that my second brother would ascend the throne. I never thought that more than a decade later, the supreme throne would eventually belong to my second brother. It's really the cycle of fate, and it's something that mortals like us can't predict!"
Zheng Hua raised his teacup and continued, "To obey the will of heaven and fulfill one's destiny is the blessing of a gentleman. Since my second brother has been chosen by heaven, I will support him with all my strength. My two nephews can report to my second brother in this way." After saying this, he slowly sipped the fragrant tea.
Qiu Yizi was delighted to hear Zheng Hua say this, and turned to look at Zheng Miao, who also had a happy face.
But Zheng Miao said, "My uncle has such insight, I'm sure my father will be very happy. But my father still has something to ask for your help."
Zheng Rong was a little surprised when he heard this, but he immediately calmed down, put down the teacup calmly, and said, "I wonder if there is anything else I can do to help my second brother?" (To be continued)