Although the King of Chu called himself a barbarian, in terms of political system, it was the most vassal state that followed the Zhou system. Each generation of the King of Chu would grant fiefs to his sons. After the granting of fiefs, the descendants of the royal family would use the fief as their surname.
There are hundreds of clans of the descendants of the surname Mi. These hundreds of clans laid the foundation for the feudal system of the Chu nobles. The huge Chu State was indeed a smaller version of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.
Since most of the feudal lords were descendants of the Mi family, it was very difficult for the Chu State to weaken the old nobles. Therefore, the kings of Chu in successive generations supported several leaders among the descendants of the Mi family, and used one faction to fight another to maintain their position as "leaders", otherwise the land of the Chu State would not be enough for the feudal lords.
In the early Western Zhou Dynasty, the leaders of the feudal lords of the State of Chu were the Dou, Qu, Cheng and Bi clans. In order to consolidate his power, King Zhuang of Chu, one of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn Period, destroyed the Dou and Cheng clans, and the Qu and Bi clans became equals. King Ling of Chu severely damaged the Bi clan, and his successor supported the upstart Xin clan to fight against the Qu clan. The Xin clan declined, and the Qu clan was also seriously damaged.
Until the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the Jing family and the Zhao family rose up while the Qu family was weakened. When the Warring States Period came, Chu became the "Three Chu Families", with the Jing, Zhao and Qu families in a tripartite relationship.
When the King of Chu summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures against the rebellion of the feudal lords, Lin Zhi also crossed his legs, cracked roasted pumpkin seeds, and talked about how he had used the Qu family.
"I originally thought, like Zhu Xiang, that if given the chance, the Jing, Zhao, and Qu clans would all want to establish themselves. But after going to Chu and doing some careful research, I discovered that the Qu clan currently does not have the strength to establish itself."
Lin Zhi peeled a pumpkin seed and threw it into the small plate in front of Ying Xiaozheng, then peeled another pumpkin seed and put it into his mouth.
Ying Xiaozheng peeled the pumpkin seeds and ate them by himself. When the pumpkin seeds peeled by Lin Zhi in front of him accumulated into a small pile, he grabbed the kernels and threw them all into his mouth, which made Zichu frown.
In the past, they were not together often, so Zichu only saw the good side of Ying Xiaozheng. Now that they are together day and night, Zichu finds that Ying Xiaozheng has a lot of strange habits because he is spoiled.
Ying Xiaozheng noticed that Zichu was staring at him.
He lowered his head to look at the melon seeds in front of him, then turned to Zhu Xiang and said, "Uncle, my father asked you to peel the melon seeds for him."
Zhu Xiang held a pumpkin seed in his mouth and said incoherently, "Ah?"
Zhu Xiang looked at Zichu, who said speechlessly, "I didn't."
Zhu Xiang understood and said, "Zheng'er, your father wants you to give him half of the peeled melon seeds."
Now it was Ying Xiaozheng's turn to exclaim "Ah".
However, Ying Xiaozheng was not a stingy person. He immediately and generously gave half of it to Zichu.
Lin Zhi was dissatisfied: "Your Majesty, you are so old, and you are still fighting with your son for food."
Zichu defended himself: "I didn't! I blamed you for being too pampering to him!"
Lin Zhi said, "What's so pampering about peeling melon seeds? Zhu Xiang, you peel the melon seeds for the Lord."
"Oh." Zhu Xiang peeled the melon seeds quickly, and a small pile of melon seeds accumulated in front of Zichu.
Zichu was speechless again.
Cai Ze was even more speechless. He held his forehead and said, "We are discussing government affairs, not chatting after dinner. Can you be more serious and not interrupt us?"
Lin Zhi continued to throw melon seeds in front of Ying Xiaozheng: "Oh, I'll continue. After the defeat of the Qu family and the Yan family, they were suppressed by the newly rising Jing family and Zhao family. In order to maintain their status, the Qu family chose to rely on the King of Chu and became the most powerful noble supporting the King of Chu. During the reign of King Huai of Chu..."
When Lin Zhi said the three words "King Huai of Chu", he and Zichu both smiled.
Zhu Xiang was speechless. What were these two people laughing at? Did they remember some hellish joke
Instead of feeling ashamed of the immoral things done by the old King of Qin, you are proud of them, right
Cai Ze didn't wait for Lin Zhi to change the subject again, and quickly asked: "Are you trying to say that the Qu family is the most supportive force of King Huai of Chu?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Yes. When King Huai of Chu attacked Qin and entered Qin, Qu Yuan and Zhao Sui, who were in charge of the court of Chu at that time, strongly opposed it. But the Qu family still obeyed the order of King Huai of Chu and fought a serious battle with Qin. However, the Zhao family joined forces with the Jing family to deliberately miss the opportunity to fight, causing Chu to go from victory to defeat, and most of the Qu family's forces were defeated on the battlefield."
Zichu said: "Even without these two families holding us back, Qin would still win."
Lin Zhi gave Zichu a cold look.
Zichu coughed dryly and added, "But it won't be so easy to win. Fighting for power and profit on the battlefield is really despicable."
Cai Ze said: "The feudal lords only fight for their own fiefdoms and interests. There are many such cases."
Zhu Xiang nodded: "There are also some in Qin."
Zichu wanted to refute, but then he remembered that the feudal lords during the reign of King Zhaoxiang of Qin seemed to have done the same thing, so he unhappily grabbed all the melon seeds that Zhu Xiang had peeled and put them into his mouth.
Zhu Xiang continued to peel melon seeds for Zichu and laughed at him: "Your habits are similar to Zheng'er's, and you still have the nerve to say that Zheng'er is spoiled."
Ying Xiaozheng nodded in his heart, that’s right.
Cai Ze quickly continued the topic before it went off track again: "The person in charge of the Qu family at that time should be Qu Yuan who committed suicide by drowning?"
Lin Zhi said, "Yes. The Qu family still feels sorry for Qu Yuan. After King Huai of Chu, King Qingxiang of Chu abandoned the Qu family, which had been greatly weakened. Now the Qu family only has the name of one of the three major clans in Chu, but its actual power and status are far inferior to those of the Jing and Zhao families. The Jing and Zhao families have become the only two powerful families in Chu."
Zichu drank a sip of tea and swallowed the melon seeds that were bulging in his mouth. Abandoning loyal people and joining the cunning villain, is the King of Chu incompetent or shameless
He wiped his mouth and asked, "Does Qu hate Jing and Zhao?"
Lin Zhi smiled: "They act very close to the Jing and Zhao families. After all, they were one family hundreds of years ago. As a family, there is definitely no hatred."
Hundreds of years ago, they were one family... All three of them smiled and shook their heads.
Ying Xiaozheng didn't laugh. He frowned and put down the melon seeds in his hand: "If the Qu family is given a chance, they will definitely want to suppress the Jing family and the Zhao family again? But how can they be sure that they will suppress these two families instead of failing completely themselves?"
Lin Zhi pointed at himself proudly and said: "This depends on the white-haired old man in Chu who is as great as Lord Changping."
Zhu Xiang clapped his hands. Cai Ze, Zichu, and Ying Xiaozheng all looked at him with doubtful eyes.
Zhu Xiang was also confused: "Shouldn't we applaud and cheer for Lin Li at this time?"
Three people: “…”
Zichu said to Ying Xiaozheng very seriously: "There are some behaviors of your uncle that you are not allowed to imitate."
Ying Xiaozheng's mouth twitched slightly: "I won't learn it."
Cai Ze pressed his temple and sighed: "Zhu Xiang, do you think you are listening to a storyteller now... Be serious."
Lin Zhi said: "Why are you so serious? I also think we should have some applause at this time."
Cai Ze gnashed his teeth and cursed: "Shut up!"
Lin Zhi laughed: "Okay, I'll shut up. Now that I'm shut up, are you still going to listen to me continue reporting on the events of the Chu State?"
Cai Ze said: "Report well, don't interrupt. Zhu Xiang, stop nodding your head, you too!"
Zichu gave Zhu Xiang a mocking look.
Zhu Xiang threw a pile of melon seed shells to Zichu.
Cai Ze stared.
Zhu Xiang and Zichu sat up straight.
Cai Ze sighed again in his heart and said, "Keep talking, and finish it in one breath this time."
Lin Zhi said: "There is nothing more to say next."
The Qu family represented the oldest noble family of the Mi clan in Chu State, Chunshen Jun represented the new nobles of Chu State, and Lin Zhi also connected the Xiang family, a family of generals in Chu State, to create the most "perfect" group for the King of Chu.
The Xiang family, a general family of the Chu State, was from the Ji family. In the Spring and Autumn Period, they were granted the Xiang State, which was later destroyed by the Lu State. The Xiang nobles fled south to the Chu State, took the state as their surname, and served as generals in the Chu State for generations. The King of Chu granted them fiefs, also known as "Xiangdi", to continue the sacrifices.
Although the Xiang family had been rooted in the State of Chu for a long time, as the State of Chu had been enfeoffing the Mi clan from generation to generation, it was almost impossible for nobles from other clans to hold high positions in the State of Chu.
When the Chu State sent out troops, it was Mi's feudal lord who was the commander-in-chief, and he sent other feudal lords to charge into battle. He had long been accumulating a lot of dissatisfaction.
The Xiang family is not only a feudal lord, but also a military family, making them the perfect representatives of this group.
"I met a young man named Xiang Yan from the Xiang family. He has good qualifications. He should be the next head of the Xiang family." Lin Zhi said, "Talented people are often arrogant. I only talked to him about the many defeats suffered by the King of Qin from King Huai of Chu to the current King of Chu, and he joined the game and cursed the commander-in-chief for his incompetence. He angrily said that if he were the commander-in-chief, he would definitely be able to fight against the Qin State."
Ying Xiaozheng said unhappily, "Oh? Fighting against Lord Bai? So powerful? I'll go talk to Lord Bai right now."
Cai Ze glanced at Ying Xiaozheng. Ying Xiaozheng, who interrupted in the middle of the conversation, immediately picked up the teacup to cover his mouth.
Lin Zhi said: "Whether he is powerful or not depends on whether he can help the King of Chu to quell the rebellion this time."
Zichu asked, "What if he is really powerful and helps the King of Chu put down the rebellion?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "What I want is for him to help the King of Chu quell the rebellion. In this way, Li Mu and Wang Jian will put pressure on them and they will negotiate. Subverting Chu will not benefit Qin. Qin cannot swallow up so much territory now, and the other five countries will take advantage of it for nothing. Chu must be allowed to maintain its current territory, but fall into division, which is more in line with your majesty's wishes."
Zichu thought about it and smiled, "Indeed. Zhu Xiang, what do you think?"
Zhu Xiang, who was peeling melon seeds, looked up and said, "I'm not thinking about anything."
Everyone: “…”
Zichu slammed the table and said, "Think about it now!"
"Oh." Zhu Xiang patted the melon seed crumbs on his hands. "Li Mu will probably send cavalry to disturb the State of Chu. Even if the Qu family, the Xiang family and Chunshen Jun support the King of Chu in suppressing the rebellion, if something happens to their own fiefdoms, they will give priority to protecting their own fiefdoms. If someone persuades them to negotiate peace at this time, they will definitely agree. But who are you going to send? I'm afraid the Qin people can't do it."
Zichu said mischievously, "You are not a good thinker. Lin Li, since you have proposed this plan, you should have thought of who to ask to persuade the King of Chu. But will the King of Chu really agree to establish another country from Chu?"
Lin Zhi said: "The King of Chu will not agree, but others who want to be the King of Chu will agree. When the King of Chu was a hostage in Qin, didn't he give birth to his eldest son? Now this eldest son has grown up."
Ying Xiaozheng's eyelids twitched and the corners of his mouth turned down.
Changping Jun Xiong Qi.
Although Xiong Qi has not yet been conferred the title of Lord Changping, he has already made a name for himself in the army.
He was the child of the King of Chu and a daughter of the Qin royal family. After the King of Chu left, he was raised like a Qin royal family member, and the people of Qin also treated him like a Qin royal family member. That's why the Great Ying Zheng in the dream treated him as an elder, and even if he showed dissatisfaction with Qin's attack on Chu, he would only demote him.
As a result, Emperor Ying Zheng's tolerance resulted in Changping Jun Xiong Qi cutting off Li Xin's retreat route to attack Chu, causing Li Xin to suffer a great defeat.
Ying Xiaozheng recalled the "memories" he had gotten from his dream. It seemed that the Chu general who defeated Li Xin was called Xiang Yan? Uncle Lin was indeed good at judging people.
"Let Xiong Qi return to Chu?" Zichu hesitated. "Xiong Qi's heart is with Qin, and he is not close to Chu."
Lin Zhi said, "Your Majesty, this has nothing to do with which country he is attached to. He returned to his country to be the King of Chu."
Zhu Xiang interrupted, "How could you ask such a question? You should be able to understand his feelings."
Zichu said, "Oh, you mean how I felt when I was a hostage? That's right. As a discarded son abandoned by my father and king, it would be a great honor for me to return to my country and become the king."
Zichu paused and said, "I am indeed very proud now."
Zhu Xiang patted Zichu's shoulder and tried to comfort him without saying a word.
Lin Zhi said: "Of course, let Master Qi escape back."
Zichu raised his eyebrows: "Another rare commodity?"
Lin Zhi said: "Isn't this great?"
Cai Ze said: "Mr. Qi is living a good life now, he may not be eager to escape back."
Lin Zhi said proudly: "The White-headed Man's followers asked him to go back and save the State of Chu?"
Everyone was silent for a while, and then Zichu took the lead in applauding Lin Zhi.
Cai Ze sighed and cooperated slowly.
The King of Qin had been led astray by Zhu Xiang, what could he do? He couldn't just resign and retire.
"The King of Chu now has only one young son by his side. If something unexpected happens, Chu will surely fall into civil strife." A Chu man knelt down and cried bitterly, "You are the eldest son of the King of Chu and the only adult son of the King of Chu. Please return to Chu!"
Others also knelt down and cried, "Please, Master, return to Chu!"
Xiong Qi clenched his hands, paced back and forth, then sighed and said, "Even if I want to return to Chu, how can I return to Chu? This is Qin State. Even Shang Jun wanted to escape back then but failed."
The leader kowtowed heavily and said, "I have a plan. I have found someone who looks like you, and I can have him pretend to be you, sick in bed. You can use his identity to leave Chu!"
Xiong Qi still hesitated.
Qin laws were strict. If he was caught, even his identity as Master Chu might not be able to save his life.
But now the Chu State was in turmoil, and he would definitely be made the crown prince by the King of Chu after returning home. This temptation was hard for him to refuse.
Xiong Qi said: "Let me think about it. The King of Qin is in Xianyang now, I dare not leave easily."
While Xiong Qi was hesitating, although Prince Chu of Qin had not yet finished his mourning period, he still traveled around Qin to appease the people, so that they would know that their lives would not change even if the King of Qin was replaced.
King Chu of Qin also brought new land laws, urging Qin to reform its land laws, distribute more land to the people of Qin, and implement a policy that would ensure that the families of Qin soldiers would have something to rely on after they died on the battlefield.
When the young King of Qin went on his first tour, he took away Prime Minister Cai Ze, Chancellor Lin Zhi, and Lord of Changping Zhu Xiang, leaving only the young crown prince to govern the country with the assistance of Xunzi.
Perhaps because Zichu was born a hostage, he was particularly particular about ostentation after becoming rich.
When he went on tour, he took most of the guards in Xianyang City with him.
Those who asked Xiong Qi to return to Chu once again asked Xiong Qi to seize this opportunity and return to Chu as soon as possible.
"My lord, please read this. This is a letter from the patriarchs of the Xiang and Qu families to you." The Chu man said, "They all support you to return to Chu and become the crown prince of Chu! You are the daughter of a Qin clan and the son of the King of Chu, and you are the bearer of the friendship between Qin and Chu. If you become the King of Chu in the future, perhaps Qin will not be the first to attack Chu. My lord! Please return to Chu!"
Xiong Qi saw that the time had come and thought that this was God's will. He sighed and said, "I'm sorry, mother."
He could not bring his mother with him when he secretly returned to Chu. Since his mother was a princess of the Qin State, it should be fine even if he secretly returned to Chu.
When he became the King of Chu, he ordered people to bring his mother back from Qin to be the Queen Mother.
Xiong Qi was a decisive person. After he made up his mind, he immediately left in disguise without taking any property with him, which was quite decisive.
When Zichu and others learned of this, they couldn't help but sigh that this boy's character might be more suitable for being the King of Chu than the current King of Chu.
"I'm not going to let the tiger go back to the mountains, am I?" Zichu said, "He looks okay."
Lin Zhi said, "Your Majesty, you have us by your side, and there are Li Mu and Wang Jian on the border of Chu. Is this letting the tiger go back to the mountain? This is letting the tiger go back to the cage."
Zichu laughed: "This is a good analogy."
Zhu Xiang said: "He is indeed courageous and decisive. If he is given some time, he may be able to reverse the decline of Chu. But now Chu has no time."
Lin Zhi said: "Not necessarily, if the king suddenly becomes incompetent."
Cai Ze punched him: "Shut up!"
He bowed to Zichu and apologized: "Your Majesty, Lin Zhi is outspoken, please punish him!"
Zichu said, "Well... punish him by having only porridge for his next meal. Okay, continue. I am the King of Qin, and I will not give him a chance."
Zhu Xiang said: "King Qin, it would be more impressive if you call yourself the widow now."
Zichu stood with his hands behind his back, raised his head and said: "As long as I am in Qin, Chu will perish!"
Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi clapped their hands for Zichu, while Cai Ze sighed silently on the side.
He wanted to ask Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi had said before that from now on, the King of Qin would be the King of Qin, and no longer Xia Tong. He needed to be cautious when dealing with the King of Qin, and there was a difference between the monarch and the minister.
But now, am I the only one who is different from the King of Qin? Lin Zhi, have you forgotten what you said
Although Cai Ze was speechless in his heart, he still followed the distinction between the monarch and his subjects with Zichu, and from time to time he would pull Lin Zhi and Zhu Xiang back when they crossed the line.
Especially Zhu Xiang.
Is it really okay for you to practice swordplay with the King of Qin every day? Even if you say you are helping the King of Qin exercise, it is not okay!
Cai Ze was tired.
Zichu had no idea how exhausted his prime minister was. He smiled and said, "Now Xiong Qi has returned to Chu to compete for the position of crown prince. Chunshen Jun must be having a headache. I remember that the mother of the crown prince of the King of Chu was the one Chunshen Jun offered to her?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Of course he has a headache. But there is nothing he can do about it, Gongzi Qi is the eldest son."
Zhu Xiang said, "Not necessarily. Prince Qi's mother was a daughter of the Qin clan. Perhaps he will use this as an excuse to stop the King of Chu from changing the crown prince."
Lin Zhi shook his head: "No, he won't. Because now the State of Chu needs a prince who has grown up."
Everyone was silent for a while. Zichu said calmly, "If he doesn't stop the King of Chu from changing the crown prince, I will look up to him."
Cai Ze nodded: "He deserves the name of Chunshen Jun."
Zhu Xiang thought, if Chunshen Jun did not stop the King of Chu from changing the crown prince, would Xiong Qi treat him well after he succeeded to the throne in the future
I'm afraid it's hard to say.
Xiong Qi returned to Chu quickly, with almost no setbacks along the way.
He probably looked too much like the person imitating him, so no one recognized him.
Although the Qin State had prevented merchants from going to the Chu State to do business, the profits were there and there would always be people who would take risks.
There were many smuggling caravans on the border of Qin State. When these caravans encountered the Chu Army, the Chu Army would turn a blind eye and let them enter Chu State.
Because the feudal lords above them are waiting for the goods from these merchants.
Xiong Qi joined the smuggling caravan and successfully arrived at the capital of Chu.
The King of Chu originally wanted to move the capital to Shouchun, and the city of Shouchun was almost completed. But now the Chu State was in civil strife, which disrupted the King of Chu's plan. Xiong Qi still came to Chendu, which was not too far from the border of Qin.
After Xiong Qi entered the capital of Chu, the first person he met was not the Xiang and Qu clans who supported him, but Chunshen Jun himself.
When Xiong Qi saw Chunshen Jun blocking the road, his heart tightened.
He knew that the current Crown Prince of Chu was a member of Chunshen Jun's army, and that Chunshen Jun was probably his enemy in his quest to become Crown Prince. Now that Chunshen Jun was leading his troops to block his way, he was afraid that he would be in danger.
Chunshen Jun looked at Xiong Qi quietly and asked, "Is that Master Qi in the carriage?"
Xiong Qi gritted his teeth and got off the driveway: "Yes."
Chunshen Jun sighed and said, "Prince Qi is very courageous."
Xiong Qi said: "I dare to return to Chu from Qin, so I must be very brave."
Chunshen Jun looked at Xiong Qi for a while, then smiled with relief: "It's the same as it was back then, Your Majesty."
He bowed and said, "Please return to the palace, Master Qi."
Xiong Qi looked at Chunshen Jun who was bowing, and did not answer.
Chunshen Jun said again: "Please return to the palace, Prince Qi. The king is waiting for you in the palace."
Xiong Qi still didn't move.
Chunshen Jun sighed, took off his sword, knelt on the ground, and handed it to Xiong Qi with both hands.
"Please return to the palace, the State of Chu needs you." Chunshen Jun raised his head and said, "I am Chunshen Jun of the State of Chu, please rest assured."
Xiong Qi looked at Chunshen Jun deeply, took Chunshen Jun's sword, put it on one side of his waist, and then helped Chunshen Jun up with both hands: "Chunshen Jun, please stand up."
Chunshen Jun stood up and escorted Xiong Qi into a large carriage.
In the closed carriage, he had already placed Master Chu's clothes, and there were servants helping Xiong Qi change his clothes and wash up.
Chunshen Jun personally drove the car for Xiong Qi. People along the road were eager to discuss it.
Someone told them that this was the return of the prince of Chu who was held hostage in Qin. Their king had a grown-up son.
The people of Chu all looked relieved.
Although the King of Chu is in good health now, there is civil unrest in Chu. It is always worrying if the King of Chu does not have an adult heir.
"Based on my understanding of Chunshen Jun, I'm afraid he will indeed compromise." Zhu Xiang said, "But even if he wants to retreat, will the people behind him let him retreat?"
The King of Chu had an adult son born to a Qin princess, and that son Qi returned to Chu from Qin with his courage and wisdom. No matter how you look at it, Prince Qi was the undisputed crown prince of Chu.
Chunshen Jun's plan to continue his wealth and prosperity as well as that of the new Chu nobles who respected him by controlling the next King of Chu was completely unsuccessful.
Can the people behind him accept such a failure
"Of course they won't accept it." Lin Zhi said, "Not everyone in the Xiang family and the Qu family wants to see a capable King of Chu emerge. They support the King of Chu, but not for the King of Chu."
Cai Ze said: "Prince Qi's return to Chu may seem like an extra layer of protection for the King of Chu, but in fact, it brings more disputes."
Zichu stretched his body, moved his neck and shoulders, and said, "Let's go back to Xianyang."
Although the rebellion in the State of Chu has not yet been settled, it has actually been settled.
It's time to go back to the palace.
(End of this chapter)