The look in Wang Zi Qiji's eyes before leaving was indeed intriguing. Others may not know it, but Li Ran was very clear about his intention.
Prince Qiji was hostile to the plan he had given to King Chu, and at the same time he was warning himself not to cause trouble for himself.
But even with this, Li Ran didn't seem to care.
After all, he had no intention of living in Chu State permanently.
Closer to home, after the King of Chu issued the order, he quickly ordered his people to prepare a dowry gift and prepare to leave for the Kingdom of Jin soon.
Before leaving, the King of Chu went to see Prince Qiji in person. The scene was more grand than when Li Ran and Sun Wu returned from Chaoyi after their victory.
Obviously, the King of Chu's solemn attitude towards this matter and his trust in his own brother have reached an extremely high level.
However, what puzzled Li Ran was what exactly was going through King Chu's mind?
After all, your good brother has seen all the things you Xiong Wei have done. If you are so good to him now, aren't you afraid that he will do the same to you secretly in the future?
Feng shui is changing. Since you are in the first year of junior high school, can others not be able to be in the fifteenth year?
Why can a smart person like King Xiong Wei of Chu not understand this level?
While Li Ran was still thinking, he turned his head, but Prince Qiji had already bid farewell to Brother Wang and finally set off.
And when the prince abandoned his illness and went to Jin State, he was bound to pass by Zheng State.
Therefore, not long after, when the people of Zheng State heard that Prince Qiji was coming, they immediately prepared a very grand banquet to entertain Prince Qiji and his party.
Why?
it's actually really easy.
It's just a matter of courtesy.
As a rule, when envoys from other countries pass by your country, they should be treated well, regardless of whether they are important envoys or not.
As for whether it is necessary for the monarch to welcome him personally, it depends on the identity and importance of the other party.
However, the relationship between Zheng and Chu was very delicate. Therefore, for Zheng Guo, Chu State was an ancestor that did not dare to neglect.
Then this courtesy is naturally inevitable.
However, what Zheng Ren did not expect was that although they were forced to obey the etiquette, the prince Qiji actually knew "etiquette" better than them.
As soon as he heard that Zheng Guo had set up a banquet to entertain him, Prince Qiji immediately sent someone to go and politely refused.
But the so-called refusal is actually just playing hard to get.
In other words – don’t just do it.
Why do you say that?
Because even after he declined, he was afraid that the lie would become true, so he immediately sent someone to Zheng Yi to request to enter the city to see Uncle Zheng.
What does this mean?
Obviously, that is: I am humble when you give it to me, but you cannot take it seriously when I am polite to you!
Yes, when Wang Zi Qiji played these tricks, his IQ simply rose by several levels. Even if Li Ran knew it, he would still be impressed.
Zheng Bo first met the first envoy in the suburbs. This envoy came to refuse. Everyone in the Zheng Kingdom originally thought that the prince's abandonment was because of the sensitivity between Zheng and Chu, so he was unwilling to accept his hospitality.
But who knew that he would send another envoy to ask for an audience.
At this moment, everyone in Zheng Guo completely understood.
Therefore, Uncle Zheng and his entourage set up their battle formation outside Zheng Yi as before, and entertained the prince in the countryside.
Not long after that, everyone in the Zheng Kingdom saw Prince Qiji's convoy coming slowly towards Zheng Yi outside the city.
However, as his motorcade got closer and closer to them, they were surprised to find that the carriage where Prince Qiji was sitting was empty!
Yes, he did not ride in a carriage. At least after entering Zheng Ren's sight, he immediately got off the carriage and chose to come on foot.
This level of respect and etiquette is obviously much higher than that of Prince Wei Wenzhi.
"Chu Qing abandoned his illness and paid homage to Uncle Zheng!"
"Foreign ministers came unexpectedly and made a lot of noise. A small courtesy is not enough to show respect."
Before Prince Qiji finished speaking, his guards immediately brought in an eight-horse carriage.
According to Zhou etiquette, there are strict regulations on what kind of people should ride in what kind of carriage.
The eight-horse carriage is obviously a guard of honor for the king of a country.
I saw that the bicycle frame presented by Prince Qiji was inlaid with gold and silver, carved with dragons and phoenixes. Its level of luxury could be compared to Uncle Zheng's original bicycle frame. It was immediately clear that he was spending a lot of money.
But it's not over yet.
"I have seen Zipi being in charge of the country."
After seeing Han Hu, Prince Qiji immediately gave him a six-horse carriage. Although it was not as luxurious as the carriage given to Uncle Zheng, the six-horse carriage was still quite arrogant, at least as good as that of Han Hu. Compared with the carriages they were riding in, this carriage could only be called shabby.
Han Hu never expected that the dignified prince of Chu would actually prepare a generous gift for himself. So I was smiling from ear to ear for a while and accepted all the gifts.
Then, Prince Qiji met with the ruling minister Zichan and gave him a carriage with four horses. He met You Ji and gave him a carriage with two horses.
What kind of person deserves what kind of gift? In terms of etiquette, Wang Zi Qiji can be said to have directly crushed Wang Ziwei who came to Zheng Yi to hire him.
At least in terms of gift-giving, Prince Qiji's recognition of Zhou rites is unique among the Chu royal family.
As for Zheng Guo, whether it was Uncle Zheng, Han Hu, Zi Chan, or You Ji, they all had a favorable impression of the prince Qi Ji.
But it's not over yet!
Of course, Jiao Lao's hospitality was only temporary, and as a sign of sincerity, the entire Zheng State hoped that Prince Qiji could stay in Zheng Yi for a while, which was considered a courtesy.
Prince Qiji saw that Zheng Guo was so enthusiastic, so he immediately agreed.
So, in front of Zheng Guo's people, he strictly ordered his guards on the spot not to cut grass, graze, pick or chop firewood, nor to enter farmland, nor to cut down trees in private gardens, nor to harvest from farmland. Do not demolish the houses or take the fruits by force.
Then, he personally swore: If anyone violates the order, he will be removed from his position as an official and the common people will be reduced to slaves.
What is this called?
This is called establishing rules, or following Zhou etiquette. Of course, more of it is just a show.
In an instant, Prince Qiji's "wiseness" and "virtue" were fully reflected in Zheng Yi.
During the period when Prince Qiji stayed in Zhengyi, neither a single atrocity nor any transgression occurred.
Everything he comes and goes follows the rules he has set, whether it is himself or his subordinates and guards.
So when Zheng's rare tiger Zichan saw this situation, he also understood in his heart:
"I'm afraid, this person has the ambition of being the King of Chu!"
Yes, why did Prince Qiji whitewash himself so much?
And why did you try your best to follow Zhou etiquette to please the people of Zheng?
Isn't it just to show that he is completely different from his brother?
You must know that when Prince Qiji came to Zheng Yi to hire someone, he was extremely arrogant and domineering.
Although he was passing by Zhengyi at this time, his etiquette was completely in line with the Zhou rites of the Central Plains. Wouldn't this be contrary to his domineering brother?
What does this mean?
Doesn't this mean that he has a completely different approach from his brother?
And doesn't this also imply that once he becomes the king of Chu, won't he be able to pull Chu back from the "misguided path" of not following Zhou rituals?
Conspiracy.
In this regard, Wang Zi Qiji is indeed as good as Wang Ziwei back then.
"This person is so smart, why hasn't Zi Ming mentioned it before?"
"Is it possible that Ziming didn't notice this man's strange behavior when he was in Chu State?"
Zichan felt very puzzled and immediately wrote a letter to the State of Chu to ask Li Ran about the prince's abandonment of illness.
After all, all the big and small events in Chu State may affect Zheng State. As the ruling minister of the Zheng Kingdom, Zichan naturally knew all the important matters in detail.
——
Chapter 270_Prince Chu abandoned his illness and hired Jin
In this way, after Prince Qiji stayed in Zheng for a while, he set off for Jin again.
As for Prince Qiji, since he had already shown his etiquette style in Zheng State, he naturally needed to show it again when he went to other countries.
Since it's a show, of course it has to be complete.
Ten days later, he arrived at the border of Jin and sent people to Jiangcheng to request an audience with the Marquis of Jin.
When Jin Hou Biao heard that King Xiong Wei of Chu had actually sent Prince Qiji to hire him, he frowned.
From the bottom of his heart, he didn't want to meet him.
The reason is very simple. In the Battle of Chaoyi, Chu State killed Wu King Zhufan, an ally of Jin State, and the relationship between Jin and Chu fell to a freezing point.
What's more, Chu State has been stepping up its attack on Zhongli recently, and its ambition is obvious. So as a Marquis of Jin, what reason did he have to receive the Chu envoys?
As for Han Qi, he himself is an unprofitable master. At this time, Prince Qiji had not "said hello" to him in advance, and he had not even revised a letter, so he was naturally a troublemaker. It doesn't matter what I'm worried about.
In this way, the only one left with the same right to speak as Han Qi in the Jin court was Yang Tongue.
Although he is not the Sixth Minister, his status and right to speak cannot be underestimated in the Jin Kingdom.
In fact, he had received a letter from Li Ran a few days ago, asking him to come forward to mediate the marriage between Jin and Chu.
However, he was originally extremely dissatisfied with Li Ran's surrender to Chu, helping the Chu people to defeat the Wu army, and killing the king of Wu.
He even wrote a letter specifically for this matter, sent it to Chu State, and severely criticized Li Ran.
Therefore, he originally did not agree with the marriage between Jin and Chu.
However, another important thing Li Ran mentioned in the letter also made him hesitate a little.
"Ji Sun Yiru of the Lu State is now also connected with Qing Feng of the Zhongli State. If Qing Feng can be captured, many unresolved truths can be revealed. This is related to the safety of the world, so please think twice, doctor."
Of course, Sheeptongue is also a sensible person.
Regarding Li Ran's aid to Chu and the killing of Zhu Fan, he also knew that this was definitely not Li Ran's wish and must have had his own reasons.
What's more, Li Ran had already expressed his apology to him regarding this matter, and he still believed in Li Ran's character.
At the same time, he also knew that the Ji family of Lu State and the Hua family of Song State helped to occupy Zhongli's Qi State Qingfeng, and the reasons behind it were certainly not simple.
After all, he still clearly remembers that during the famine in the Wei Kingdom, the Ji family, Shu Niu and the Qi people behind them colluded with each other, and they used the stolen armor from his house to severely punish them. Together with myself.
At that time, if Yan Ying of Qi State had not clearly understood the situation and worked hard to mediate for him in Qi State, his reputation as a sheep-tongued man would have been ruined long ago.
Therefore, if Li Ran's operations in Chu State can be used to find out what forces behind the Ji family of Lu State are secretly disrupting the situation, it will indeed be a good thing for him and the entire world.
Of course, another point is that the marriage between Jin and Chu is not a bad thing in itself. At least from the overall perspective, the marriage between Jin and Chu is indeed of extremely important significance for maintaining the peace and stability of various countries.
What's more, only the Jin people themselves know about the current state of Jin. Is it possible for Jin to compete with Chu?
Sheep's tongue is very clear.
So, after much deliberation, Yang Tongui finally agreed to Li Ran's request and lobbied the Marquis of Jin on his behalf.
The next day, in the court hall, Yang Tonguji advised the Marquis of Jin:
"Your Majesty, the State of Chu is a barbarian state, and our Jin State is an authentic surname of Ji. Now, since the King of Chu wants to get close to our Jin State, why don't we agree? But why do we want to imitate the behavior of the barbarians?"
"The Book of Songs says: 'You have taught me, and the people will follow your example.' We only need to do our own duties well. Where is the need to learn other people's dishonest behaviors?"
"The Book of Documents also says: 'The Holy Works Rule.' Since we claim to be a great country, we should be guided by good deeds. Should we also take unfair practices as our guideline? If a common man does good deeds, the common people will If we have to take his behavior as a guideline, how much more should it be the king’s?”
The subtext of this statement is: Regardless of whether others follow Zhou etiquette or not, we in Jin must abide by it, and we must use this as a guideline to set an example for the princes of the world.
The effect this sentence can have is naturally obvious.
Can the Marquis of Jin disobey the Zhou rites?
Obviously not.
Even if he was no longer interested in Chu, according to Zhou etiquette and the code of conduct for a king, he would still have to receive him.
Therefore, after hearing what Yang Yangui said, the Marquis of Jin also knew that since Yang Yangui said this, there must be some truth. Therefore, they immediately sent people to meet Prince Qiji and his party.
Then, Prince Qiji naturally proposed the marriage between Jin and Chu in the Jin court.
When the Marquis of Jin married his daughter to the King of Chu, the Marquis of Jin became the father-in-law of the King of Chu. In terms of seniority, the Marquis of Jin became the elder of the King of Chu. For the Jin State, this was considered a status advantage.
Therefore, there was basically no objection to this matter from the Jin State. Anyway, he is not marrying his own daughter, so if he wants to feel bad, he can't feel bad for them.
Prince Qiji was not idle either. After getting the exact answer from the Marquis of Jin, he once again showed his kind-hearted, self-restraint and propriety side. And took this opportunity to completely whitewash himself into a Chu man who was well versed in Zhou Li's governance.
Just like the kings and ministers of the Zheng Kingdom, Prince Qiji's show also made everyone in the Jin Kingdom look at him with admiration.
…
After the court meeting, Han Qi just felt strange. He knew the attitude of the Marquis of Jin, and logically it was impossible for him to agree to the marriage.
Now that the Marquis of Jin actually agreed to it, it was obvious that Yang Yangui must have said something to the Marquis of Jin in advance.
And he was also very curious, why did Yang Tongui persuade the Marquis of Jin to agree to come down?
So he found Yang Tongue again privately to inquire. After all, he was the minister in power now, and there were some things he should have known.
Yang Tongue did not shy away from him. He knew that Han Qi was greedy, but he was still decent. So, he told him what Li Ran said in the letter.
"What? There is such a thing?"
After hearing this, Han Qi also acted surprised, with a look of disbelief on his face.
Sheeptongue had no doubt that he was there, and said slowly:
"Li Ziming has actually been secretly investigating the forces behind various countries over the years. If King Chu had not insisted on beating Zhongli this time, I am afraid that the Ji family of Lu State would not have exposed his feet so quickly. In this case, why don't we just follow the trend? , help him again?"
"It's just that now that Li Ziming is in the Chu Kingdom, it is inconvenient for him to tell us many things clearly. Therefore, the Chinese army must be careful when sending relatives to the Chu Kingdom in the future."
It was one thing for Yang Yangui to trust Li Ran, but after all, many things in Chu State were not under his control.
The obvious meaning of his words was to ask Han Qi to make some insinuations to determine whether Li Ran was "treasonous".
"Well, what my uncle said is absolutely true!"
Han Qi is also a sensible person. At least in terms of maintaining the dignity of a great country, he still has a sense of honor as a Jin man.
It's just that this sense of honor doesn't seem to last long for them.
After the two reached an agreement, Han Qi stood up and left.
After Han Qi left, Yang Shiji immediately picked up his pen and wrote another letter to Li Ranshi.
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
original:
After passing Zheng, Zheng Hanhu, Gongsun Qiao, and You Ji came from Zheng Bo to work on all the rivers. I don't dare to see him, but I will definitely ask him to see him. Seeing him is like seeing a king, with his eight horses and his private face. Seeing that Zipi is like a minister, he has six horses. Seeing that the child was born, he gave birth to four horses. Seeing my uncle, I have two horses. It is forbidden to cull herds, collect wood, enter fields, cut trees, collect plows, clear out houses, and force beggars. He swore an oath: "If someone violates his destiny, the gentleman will be deposed and the villain will surrender." He will not do violence, and the master will not insult his guests. Such is the case. Zheng Sanqing knew that he would be the king.
The prince abandons his illness and reaches Jin Jing, and the generals of the marquis of Jin also fail to rebel. Shuxiang said: "I am determined to conquer Chu, how can I use it? "Poetry" said: "Your teachings are enough, and the people can follow them." It's just for me, how can I use others' innovations? "Book" said: "Sheng Zuoze" .'Would it be better to take good people as a rule, and then punish others? If an ordinary man is good, and the people follow it, how about the king of the country?" The Marquis of Jin said, it is contrary to this. ——"Zuo Zhuan·The Sixth Year of Zhaogong"
