〖In the twenty-fourth year of Wuwei's reign, the emperor issued an imperial edict, ordering His Majesty the Prince Andai to offer sacrifices to the Taimiao Temple and be worshipped by hundreds of officials in the Wenhua Hall. King Yong was frightened. , the emperor did not allow it, so he was replaced by the son of the next generation, and then King Yong told him that he was ill and exempted from the court, and the emperor agreed to him.
- "Yong Shi · Taizong Chronicle"
In the first year of Tongtai in Southern Chu, in the first year of Jiaxu, the Marquis of Zhenyuan led a hundred officials to support the third son of the king, Long as the lord of the country, changed to Tongtai of Yuan, and respected King Yang as the Supreme, and made Concubine Shang as the Queen Mother. , ordered Jin to seal a letter as Duke of Zhenyuan, sent envoy Dayong, and paid tribute to him as a minister.
— "The History of Chu in the Southern Dynasties: The Biography of King Chu Min"〗
In the midst of singing the praises of virtue and singing and dancing, the New Year's Day is here. It's a busy day. First, the great court. The officials first went to the Taiji Hall to pay homage to Emperor Yong Li Yuan, and then went to the Wenhua Hall of the East Palace to pay homage to the Prince. Although the Prince was in the Imperial City He has his own mansion, but the East Palace, which symbolizes the authority of the Crown Prince, has never been able to live in it. It was not until this year that because of all kinds of support, Li An officially entered the East Palace and took a firm seat. When King Yong, as the head of the hundred officials, went to the East Palace to pay homage to the crown prince, and did two kneels and six kowtows, in the eyes of the world, Li An was already a veritable prince. Seeing the Yong King Li Zhi, who has always made himself ashamed, bowing in front of him, Li Anxin was filled with monstrous joy.
After that, Li An completed the ceremony of offering sacrifices to the Taimiao on behalf of the emperor. At this moment, Li An was completely intoxicated with the joy of surrendering to the world.
In comparison, King Yong Li Zhi's expression is inevitably a little cold. Given his status as a monarch and minister, it is no wonder that he is like this. No one thought that Li Zhi could only admire Jiang Zhe's strategy at this time. He could see that Li An was already flying high. Now, the joy that completely overwhelmed him made him almost make mistakes several times, so as long as he planned properly, he could save the prince from redemption. It is easier said than done, but to be able to devise such a bold strategy is really courageous. Ah, until now, Li Zhi didn't know Jiang Zhe's specific plans, or even Jiang Zhe's intentions. I just feel that Jiang Zhe's plan seems to be intertwined, and Li An is the butterfly that gradually fell into the net.
After the ceremony was made to the Taimiao Temple, Li Yuan passed an order to hold a banquet in the Ganlu Hall, a feast for the ministers. I followed King Yong to the banquet, and King Yong was naturally busy exchanging cups with the ministers. Shi Yu and I sat in the corner, He guided me in a low voice to the important people in the court.
Shi Yu said in a low voice, "The chief of the civil service is the Prime Minister Zhongshu Ling Wei Guan. He is the emperor's assistant. At that time, the emperor and Yongwang were both fighting abroad, and the crown prince was in charge of the country, but the actual government affairs depended on him. Yili presides over, has a deep mind, and knows how to serve the king very well. Therefore, he has been in the center for many years and has been favored. However, in recent years, he has also gotten older, and the competition between the DPRK and China is very chaotic, so he is wise to protect himself. He doesn't express his opinion very much, but as far as we know, he is more inclined to the prince, because after all, he has worked with the prince for many years, but this person will not really intervene in the dispute. If we succeed, he will not have any objection, Your Highness. I mean, it's enough to keep him steady, but you can't rely on him for help. The official in the fifth seat below him is Shizhong Zheng Xia, who is loyal and dares to remonstrate. When King Qing assassinated Concubine Ji, many people made demands on the table. Executing King Qing to punish the crime of stabbing his mother against the law, this person rebuked him face to face, saying that although it was inappropriate for His Royal Highness to assassinate a noble concubine, it was also to avenge his biological mother, regardless of whether the revenge should be avenged or not, and he did not do so. The principle of punishing crimes, if they are guilty, it is not against the morality, because Concubine Ji is not the first mother, and the emperor also apologized to King Qing, so he sent King Qing to the outside world. I am afraid that this person will be against us in the future, but His Royal Highness Said that if he can persuade him with righteousness, then this person is a rare famous official."
When I looked at Wei Guan, he had a plain appearance, with star-frosted temples. What was rare was his graceful demeanor. That Zheng Xia has big ears and eyes like cold stars, but in his thirties, his every move has a faint majesty. Just looking at these two people compares those officials in Nanchu, and Dayong became the overlord of the Central Plains, of course.
Shi Yu said again: "The one next to the prince is the prince's young master Lu Jingzhong. Although this person is plain in appearance, he is very proficient in writing and writing, so he has become a young master. However, this person is loyal in appearance and treacherous in heart. We have suffered a lot from him as the first adviser under the prince."
I looked at Lu Jingzhong. This man is my worst enemy at the moment. His appearance is really ordinary, but his complexion is a little too fair. His eyes are always half-open and half-closed, and he seems to be unable to sleep. , Lu Jingzhong seemed to be aware of it, his eyes were open, and the cold light was like electricity, looking at me, I quickly lowered my head, and felt the cold and harsh eyes flashing over me.
Shi Yu smiled back, but Lu Jingzhong saw that it was Shi Yu, and seemed relieved. Both drank.
When Lu Jingzhong looked away, I said softly, "This person is really extraordinary, thank you Brother Shi for helping me out."
Shi Yu said lightly: "He and I are old rivals, so he won't pay attention to you. Look, the one who toasted His Majesty is the Duke of Wei, Cheng Shu. This person once saved the emperor's life, and it is normal for military strategy. However, he is a lucky general. If he wins every battle, he will be victorious. If he loses, he will always be able to retreat. Moreover, he has a personality that values wealth and justice, and loves to make friends. King Yong, but the person closest to him is Cheng Shu. If he wants to do anything, he doesn't need any documents from the Ministry of War, just a letter. I'm afraid no one will buy it. He values His Highness very much. He didn't buy it much, but he was friendly and the emperor favored him, so the crown prince had no way to take him. This man was also loyal to the emperor, and it might not be possible for him to help His Highness, but if His Highness ascended the throne, he must be optimistic. "
I looked at the general with a lazy demeanor and a bit rude, but his body was full of affinity. Although he had reached the age of knowing destiny, his beard and hair were black, and there was no trace of fatigue in his expression. Seeing him toast, Li Yuan raised his hand with a smile. Cups, the monarch and ministers are happy and harmonious, and they are indeed not ordinary people.
Shi Yu added: "My Dayong military actually has four major factions. The 450,000 army under His Royal Highness King Yong is the most powerful. Many of the current military's famous generals are under His Highness's command, but now basically They are all guarding outside, so you didn't see it. In addition, King Qi's 200,000 and King Qing's 100,000, although these troops are not as good as King Yong's soldiers, they are also elite. Another major faction is the Qin Cheng faction. , Fuyuan General Qin Yi and Wei State Duke Cheng Shu jointly control 150,000 forbidden troops and 200,000 frontier troops. In other words, they are the emperor's most trusted generals and the emperor's amulet to suppress the princes. Now the three princes, Qing The king has no ability to compete for the reserve, and the king of Qi and His Highness are incompatible with each other. With Qin Cheng's 350,000 army, the emperor can be as stable as Mount Tai."
I looked at General Qin, who was the head of the generals. His appearance was gentle and handsome, his beard was gray, and he looked like a literati and Confucian scholar, but I saw that he was hale and hearty and talked and laughed.
At this time Shi Yu said: "Suiyun, look, although that person is not well-known, you have to remember that he is Qin Wuqi, the servant of Zhongshu, who is only devoted to his duties on weekdays, but he actually stayed in Zhongshu Province. In the ninth year, six or seven of His Majesty's edicts were written by him, and as you remember, Qin Zheng, Princess Qi, was his eldest daughter."
I froze in my heart, looked at the gentle Confucian student, and said lightly, "Could it be that this person has something to do with Fengyi Sect."
Shi Yu smiled and said, "Suiyun is really shrewd. It is said that this person received the great kindness of Fengyi's sect master when he was young, so he has always been grateful for the pictures."
I took this person in my heart, and then said lightly: "I have seen everyone I want to see, so it's a worthwhile trip, Brother Shi, after the banquet is over, I will take a step first, and in the next few days, I will Rest well, how about you?"
Shi Yu said with a mysterious expression: "I'm afraid you won't be able to rest well. Have you had a good show since the second day of junior high?"
I was slightly taken aback and looked at Shi Yu. He smiled and said: "The emperor is in good spirits this year. After the luncheon, he ordered a martial arts competition outside the Suzaku Gate. All officials of the fourth grade of Dayong or above or children of noble families, and all young people under the age of 30, can sign up to participate in the martial arts performance. To win, Your Majesty will award a lot of rewards. I heard that there are three kinds of competitions. The first is horse racing, the second is arrow competition, and the third is boxing and sword competition. How can you not go and see the grand occasion."
I smiled and said, "It turns out that there is such a good thing, I really want to see it, but unfortunately I am not good at riding and shooting martial arts, so there is no possibility of participating in the competition?"
Shi Yu said with a smile: "This matter has been spread long ago, it seems that you don't hear anything out of the window. This time the officials of the DPRK, middle and large officials, and the people of Chang'an have already opened gambling games, and the registration list has long been around the world. We all know that General Cheng, even Guogong Wei, is still in the house, and he is the most fair. Of course, several major casinos in Chang'an also open gambling."
I smiled bitterly and said, "Although I can press the bet, I am not proficient in martial arts, riding and archery, and I am also very unfamiliar with those who compete on the field."
Shi Yu smiled and said, "What are you afraid of? If you are concerned about your understanding of these contestants, I am afraid that if Prince Yong's Mansion recognizes the second place and doesn't dare to recognize the first place, you will not be compensated. This time there are three people who are popular candidates. One is Wei Ying, the fourth son of Prime Minister Wei, who is now the Minister of Officials. It is said that he will be promoted to the Minister of Officials this year. Although he is a civil official, he is good at equestrianism. The most likely one is Qin Qing, the second son of General Fuyuan, who was Dayong's Huwei General. He taught himself the tradition of riding and archery, and was second to none among the young generals of Dayong. The last one was Xiahou Yuanfeng, son of Xia Houlan, Minister of Rites. He is known as the most beautiful man in Chang'an, has the beauty of Pan An and Song Yu, and has strong martial arts. Now he is the second-rank imperial guard with a sword, the deputy general manager of the inner court, and the emperor's favorite guard. It is said that this person's martial arts is unfathomable. He is the number one master among the young guards in the big inner circle, and his division is unknown."
I said indifferently, "There are quite a few of Dayong Junjie."
Seeing that I was a little displeased, Shi Yu stopped for no apparent reason. After thinking about it, he knew that I must be thinking of Nan Chu Wen Tian Wu Xi, but he knew it was impossible to explain, so he just changed the subject and introduced me to some other officials. .
While we were whispering, a low-pitched warning came from the side. I looked up and saw that His Royal Highness King Qi was walking over with a young official. Shi Yu and I quickly stood up, and Li Xian walked up to me and said: " The ministers are enjoying a feast, and they are toasting each other now, why are the two of them secretly talking here?"
Shi Yu calmly said: "His Royal Highness, Jiang Sima has just come to Dayong, and he is not clear about the affairs of the court, so this minister will give him a brief introduction, and our official position is small, how dare we be presumptuous, Master Wei, this is Jiang Zhe Jiang Suiyun, the new Sima of the Tiance Commander, Suiyun, Wei Ying, Mr. Wei is the champion of Xin Weike in the 21st year of Dayong, and he is currently the leader of the Ministry of Personnel."
I take the ceremony calmly, I saw Wei Ying about twenty-five or six years of age, similar to me, this person has a good-looking appearance, elegant appearance, and there is an air of out of the ordinary in his demeanor, although he is the son of a wealthy family , is young and noble again, but without a trace of arrogance, which makes people feel good at first sight.
Wei Ying originally heard from King Qi that Jiang Zhejiang Suiyun had surrendered to Dayong, and now he is also in the Ganlu Palace, so he was curious for a while and asked King Qi to introduce him. People say that if you talk about the splendid articles, you can also count the figures in the south of the Yangtze River, and the most important of them is Jiang Zhe, the champion of Dingmao Ke in the 16th year of Xiande of Nanchu (the 17th year of Wuwei of Dayong), this man is very talented, and ranks first in Southern Chu. "Feelings under the Moon" is famous all over the world. The song "Broken Time" forced the king of Shu to death. He was long known as the first talent in Southern Chu. It was only after the attack on Shu that he seemed to fall ill, and his poems were gradually rare outside. Wei Ying once The poems and articles that I could collect were transcribed, and I couldn't put it down. When I saw Jiang Zhe today, Wei Ying felt that his reputation was well-deserved. Although this young man was a year or two older than himself, although he was a little thin and his appearance was not as handsome as himself, he was calm. The calm, gentle and indifferent temperament makes Wei Ying feel sympathetic to each other.
Wei Ying stepped forward and saluted: "I've heard for a long time that Brother Jiang's talent is the best in the contemporary era. How fortunate it was when I saw it today, I came back to Wei Ying and met Mr.
My expression moved a little, but I didn't expect that the prime minister was really as humble as his appearance, so he returned the courtesy again: "A living person, don't dare to be the courtesy of Lord Wei, since the Lord is the number one scholar in Dayong, his talents are naturally extraordinary. Ask the adults for advice."
Wei Ying said happily: "If brother Jiang is willing to teach me, Wei Ying is very grateful. When I have time in the future, Ying should come to visit."
Li Xianke was impatient to listen to each other's humility between you and me. He originally wanted to treat the literati, but if Wei Ying came over, he would inevitably mock Jiang Zhe. Unexpectedly, the two hit it off. This is not good, he thought. Ning Xing immediately called out, "Qin Qing, come here."
A young general came over in response. I looked carefully. The young general looked somewhat similar to Qin Yi, but with broad shoulders and long legs, a handsome figure, not like his father's Confucian general style. He seemed to be very familiar with King Qi. He smiled and said, "What is your Highness looking for from me?"
The King of Qi pointed at me and said, "This is Jiang Zhe Jiang Suiyun who killed the King of Shu, didn't you say you want to see and see?"
Qin Qing glanced at me, a trace of sarcasm flashed in his eyes, and suddenly said loudly: "In the past, Lord Jiang forced the King of Shu to death in a short time. I don't think he thought he would surrender today, right?" His voice was very loud, The Ganlu Temple suddenly fell silent, and all eyes focused on it.
The expressions of Shi Yu and Wei Ying both changed, but in the eyes of everyone, they couldn't say anything to help each other, but I looked calm and said in a clear voice: "The king of Shu lost his country and lost his country, so it is also right to sacrifice each other with death. The king of Shu was ashamed, so this story became a story. The lord of Southern Chu is His Majesty's beloved son-in-law, and he is as kind as a father and son. I have never heard of a father punishing him and his son committing suicide. Besides, as a minister, he has been reprimanded for repeatedly adhering to his loyal words. Since ancient times, only Qu Yuan has been able to die for the king’s family. Not to mention that the lord of Southern Chu is still alive, even if the lord of the kingdom died. King Huai of Chu, for the humiliation of the monarch, and the honoring of ministers and festivals, is not what I did. Besides, if my lord is King Huai, wouldn't the general see His Majesty as King Hui of Qin, and the second generation of Qin died, I don't know what the general hoped How many generations has Dayong passed on?"
When I said these words, Qin Qing's face was ashen, Wei Ying's face was full of amazement, Shi Yu lowered his head and smiled, but Li Xian's eyes were full of jealousy and envy. We froze here, but someone applauded loudly.
Everyone looked at the sound, but saw that Li Yuan was applauding and applauding, and immediately felt relieved, King Yong was beside the emperor, and said with a smile: "Qin Qing, you have suffered a loss, Father Huang, this is Jiang Zhe, the first talent of Southern Chu. , Jiang Zhe, have not come to meet His Majesty."
I stepped forward and bowed calmly, neither humble nor arrogant, Li Yuan smiled and said: "Okay, I have heard about your talent and name a long time ago, you can abandon the dark and turn to the light, I like it very much, I heard from King Yong that you are not in good health, and you are always in bed. If not, I still want you to go to Zhongshu Province to be a benefactor and to make a decree on my behalf."
I said lightly: "My physique was very weak when I was young, and I was infected with a disease when I joined the army in the past. Although I recovered, the root cause of the disease is still very much. His Royal Highness King Yong thought that the subject was weak and stayed by his side to support him. This is His Highness's kindness and also a subject. honor."
Li Yuan was even more happy and said: "Okay, this is also a good story. You must not be discouraged by General Qin's words. Do things well, and I, Dayong, will never treat the wise men of the Quartet badly."
I thank you again. Li Yuan waved me off, and King Yong also said goodbye. King Yong took me to Qin Qing's side, and said, "General Qin, Jiang Sima, you are both young heroes, and you can't have any quarrels with each other. Let this king be the master, and the two of you can reconcile."
Qin Qing's face was red, but when King Yong persuaded him, he took the opportunity to step down and apologized to me. I was also polite.
At this time, someone laughed behind me and said, "Okay, I finally let me see Brother Qin softened."
We turned our heads to look, but it was a handsome young man in brocade clothes. This young man was only twenty-two or three years old, and his appearance was incomparably delicate and handsome, as straight as Song Yupan An, and also slender, like a jade tree in the wind. It looks like a delicate statue of a jade man. The man smiled before saying a word, and said, "What a genius of Southern Chu, I really admire Xiahou Yuanfeng." After saying that, he stepped forward and gave a deep salute, and I returned the salute without being humble or arrogant, smiling without saying a word.
At this time, almost all the eyes of the audience were concentrated. King Yong, King Qi, Wei Ying, Qin Qing, and Xiahou Yuanfeng were all characters who were enough to attract everyone's attention. The light is concentrated here. What caught the attention of those ministers was that Jiang Zhe, who stood beside these great Yong Junjies, had neither prominent identity, nor outstanding appearance, nor a compelling demeanor, but it was a miracle that left a deep impression in their hearts. The deep traces are a kind of existence like green mountains and green waters, no matter how strong the light of other people is, they can't hide the calmness and elegance of the clear spring in the forest.