The prince was newly mourned and his coffin was placed in the Ancestral Temple.
Young Master Chou would never have imagined that his brother's body would eventually enter the Ancestral Temple unharmed.
This time, no one will let his body disappear for no reason, because "its" mission has been completed.
And this also completely allowed Ji Sunsu to see clearly Li Ran's strategy.
That day when the prince was assassinated, Li Ran immediately thought of sending someone to snatch the prince's body back, and then find someone to pretend to be the prince, so as to frighten the enemy with the illusion of "surviving the catastrophe".
Then he used the second assassination that was made out of nothing to completely involve the Ji family in it. In addition, the assassin who assassinated him had been caught before. Once the testimonies of the two parties were revealed, even if the Ji family had established a deep roots, it could not stop the hearts of the courtiers and the people. suspicion.
As a result, what originally seemed like a good situation has subtly become perilous.
Being able to think of this move to turn against the guest in such a short period of time, and being able to execute it so flawlessly, Li Ran's quick wit has been proven.
This is why Ji Sunsu wants to win over Li Ran.
However, what Ji Sunsu might not have expected is that from the moment he decided to assassinate Tai Ziye, he would no longer have any possibility of recruiting Li Ran.
The body of the true prince was placed in front of the mourning hall of the Ancestral Temple. As the first heir, Prince Chou naturally had to go to the funeral to pay homage.
But who would have thought that after he only walked around the mourning hall, he was indifferent and walked out of it swaggeringly. The courtiers who were crouching outside the palace were dumbfounded, and they all commented on his stupidity, ignorance of etiquette, and inability to bear the heavy responsibility.
But although Ji's and Meng's accomplices talked like this, they understood it very well in their hearts. Because the more crazy a prince takes the throne, the more likely their master will be to vacate the throne in the future.
So during the prince's funeral, the question of which prince could ascend to the throne was put on the agenda.
A country cannot live without a king for a day, so naturally this kind of thing must be done as quickly as possible.
…
In the Jishi Villa, Gongzichou sat casually on the steps, looking at the brilliant flower garden in front of him, his eyes seemed empty.
Now, he has naturally become the center of public opinion because he is the first in line to succeed.
"The Ji family and the Meng family have already exerted their strength in the court, and they seem to be extremely determined about your accession to the throne. The position of king now seems to belong to you. And all of this is due to your previous clumsy behavior. Na!"
Li Ran was standing next to him, with his hands crossed on his chest, and a hint of encouragement seemed to appear on his face.
He had naturally expected this result. Otherwise, he would not have reminded Shusun Bao early on to always maintain a strong opposition to this matter.
"Do I have to be this king?"
Since the funeral at the Ancestral Temple, Gongzi Chou has been living in seclusion for the past few days and has not gone out much.
On the one hand, it was because he was worried that he would also be assassinated, and on the other hand, it was also because he had always been indifferent to the situation in the entire Lu Kingdom.
At this time, Li Ran pushed him to the forefront, and he found it difficult to adapt. The thought of being timid and not wanting to take on such a heavy responsibility continued to spread in my mind.
"Now, if you give up, the Lu Kingdom will no longer have an official office! This is by no means alarmist."
Li Ran made it very clear that the only person who can save the Lu State House now is his son Chu. If he also gives up, the Lu State House will no longer have the possibility of prosperity.
"Ji's ambition is well known to everyone on the road. As a foreign aid, the Marquis of Jin cannot protect himself. He can only intervene in the affairs of the Lu State for a while. That Ji Sun Yiru is definitely not a kind person. If you give up now, this person will definitely be punished in the future. Above the official position. But don’t forget that the Ji family is also of the lineage of Duke Huan."
Li Ran's words were indeed not alarmist. In such turbulent times, small sects destroyed large sects from time to time. For example, in the early years of the Jin Dynasty, Quwo's lineage destroyed most of the sects and usurped the throne, and then became the lineage of Duke Wu, Duke Xian and Duke Wen that continue to this day.
Therefore, this kind of thing has already been done a hundred years ago, not to mention that this precedent is the most powerful Jin State today.
After finishing his words, Li Ran turned his gaze to the distant sky, with a hint of reminiscence between his brows.
"Although I don't know your late father, I can see his shadow in your brother. The terrain of the Lu country is dangerous, and it is connected between the two big countries of Jin and Qi. If Qi gets Lu, Jin will be in danger; if Jin gets Lu, then Qi Wow, this is a unique endowment. If you can gain hegemony in one day, you can prosper for a hundred years! ... But at the same time, Lu Zhongzhong also has a long way to go. Today, there are big powers around, like tigers in the neighborhood. If you just stick to one corner, you will only be able to do it. It will bring about disaster."
At this point, Li Ran turned his eyes to Gong Zichou again and said in a very stern tone:
"Our victory in this game today is an excellent start. Master, you should cheer up your spirit. Today, you should not give up easily! Moreover, you are now... the hope of the people of Lu!"
Although Li Ran also knew that revitalizing the office was a bit heavy for Gongzi Chou, he had no other choice.
This is Tai Ziye's last wish, and it is indeed the hope of the people of Lu.
Obviously, if no one can check and balance the Ji family, what kind of life will it be like for the people under its rule? Waving the banner of the monarch, but doing things that only benefit oneself, and squeezing the people's power, that is the inevitable result.
Gongzichou was silent, looking down at the ants on the ground. In such a sultry weather, they were still carrying it tirelessly.
His eyes were very focused and his expression was very peaceful for a long time.
It wasn't until Ji Le came in from the other side of the yard that he raised his head and showed his white teeth and bright smile towards Ji Le.
"Huh? What's wrong with you?"
Ji Le looked at Gong Zichou's sudden smile towards him. He didn't understand the situation for a moment, and immediately asked in surprise.
Young Master Chou turned his head, and his originally calm eyes suddenly showed traces of excitement. He stared at Li Ran and said:
"Then please sir, lend me a helping hand."
He was finally willing to take on this burden.
Yes, he has no reason to retreat or any excuse to continue to escape. He must face it all bravely. Even if he embarks on this path, he will most likely be like his father and brother.
But being born into such a family and having such an origin meant that he was destined to not have a smooth life. He can only choose to give it a try, whether it is using all means or all the mechanisms.
Seeing the suddenly sensible Gongzi Chou, Ji Le's beautiful face also showed a rare smile of relief. She stepped forward and touched Gongzi Chou's head, smiling and jokingly:
"Oh, then my sister will have to look at your performance from now on?"
"By the way, what's our next plan?"
She arranged for Tai Ziye's corpse to be sent to the Ancestral Temple without permission. The funeral must also be held as scheduled, and everything is proceeding step by step.
On the other hand, the debate about the successor in the court is still continuing. At present, it seems that the attitudes of Ji and Meng are quite firm. For them, that's the best thing.
But Ji Le was still a little worried, worried about what would happen if the Ji family and the Meng family saw that the young master Chou was pretending to be stupid?
"For now, the young master should continue to pretend to be stupid and pretend as much as possible. He cannot show any sense of resistance."
"Only in this way will the Ji family and the Meng family not doubt you, and we will have the opportunity and time to operate and continue to weaken their strength."
"Remember, never mention your father and brother unless absolutely necessary. In your eyes, they are just passers-by. To you, their death is just the passing of the breeze and cannot leave any traces. .”
Pretending to be stupid is Gongzichou's special ability.
After hearing this, he nodded slightly, thinking that he had quite a lot of experience in this kind of thing, and there was no need for Li Ran to teach him.
Li Ran continued:
"The enthronement will be decided soon. During this period, you should not come here again, so as not to arouse suspicion."
After hearing this, Young Master Chou stood up, then bowed respectfully to Li Ran and said:
"Thank you sir for your help. Your kindness will never be forgotten."
Li Ran bowed and said as a matter of course:
"Assisting the young master to succeed is for the sake of the people of the Lu country, and also to fulfill the long-cherished wish of the late prince. If the young master can take charge of his own work and revitalize the Lu country in the future, he will definitely be happy to know what he knows."
In fact, Li Ran has no utilitarianism. He has always had the mentality of winning the world by lying flat.
It's just that this time he was passively involved in the fight between Lu Guoguo's office, and he had to fight back. The reason why Xiang assisted Prince Ye and Gongzi Chou was because he didn't want to see the Ji family and the Meng family covering the sky with just one hand.
A high-ranking official and a generous salary are not what he wants. His current wish is still in line with the common saying: stars, sea, poetry and distance.
Seeing Gongzi Chou's leaving figure, Ji Le suddenly felt some sympathy for this little brother, and couldn't help but sigh with Li Ran beside him:
"He has never participated in these things. Isn't it a bit cruel for us to let him do this?"
Li Ran looked indifferent and replied quite calmly:
"With his status, if he wants to survive in this chaotic era, how can he do it if he doesn't know some means? This is just the beginning. His future road will be far more difficult than now. At this time, he is cruel and cruel. It's too early."
Hearing the sound, Ji Le turned her head, a faint doubt appeared in her big black and bright eyes. She looked at Li Ran and said:
"Li Ran, why do I feel like you have changed?"
"What has changed?"
Li Ran frowned and hurriedly looked up and down at himself.
Unexpectedly, Ji Le smiled mysteriously, and a grimace suddenly appeared on his delicate face:
"Well...it seems to have become a bit more chic."
Li Ran's face turned dark immediately.
It is impossible to be cool and unrestrained. He is just trying to make himself less worried as much as possible.
Only by looking at everything with an indifferent attitude can one clearly analyze the pros and cons. This was his greatest insight into living a peaceful life.
