After bidding farewell to Lu Houchou, Li Ran and Ji Le reluctantly returned to Guanyi, still escorted by Zhong You all the way. When he arrived at the post house, Li Ran quickly gave way to Zi Lu to escort the doctor. Taking advantage of the darkness, he went to Lu Houchou's hiding place and diagnosed Lu Houchou inside and out. Lan
Zilu was also physically strong, running back and forth without getting tired.
Yihe didn't stop and just followed Zi Lu.
Afterwards, Li Ran immediately summoned Sun Wu, Confucius and others to discuss what to do next. Just because Ji Le was also very concerned about Lu Houchou's safety, he also discussed with them...
Not long after the discussion, Yihe also rushed back.
Li Ran immediately asked:
"How is the situation with Marquis Lu?"
Yihe hesitated for a moment, seeing that there were many people talking in this area, so he seemed to be hiding something and replied: "Lan"
"Fortunately, it's nothing serious. I've already written a prescription for Marquis Lu. Just remember to take it on time and you'll be fine..."
Li Ran always felt that Yi He didn't explain his words, but since Ji Le was beside him, he didn't ask too detailed questions.
"Okay, then here's Mr. Lao."
Yihe bowed and bowed in return:
"This is a matter of medical practice, and it should be taken for granted."
At this moment, Sun Wu spoke again:
"Since the Marquis of Lu is fine, the only thing that needs to be solved now is Ji Sun Yiru! Sir, Ziyu once told Wu that the current troubles of the Lu country are all concentrated on Ji Sun Yiru. As long as Ji Sun Yiru dies, everything will The disaster can be easily solved!" Lan
In fact, Guan Cong had already proposed this proposal to Li Ran at that time, but he had already rejected the proposal at that time.
What's more, after having a heart-to-heart talk with Yi He, how could he fail to recognize the real root cause of the Lu State? How could it be as simple as Ji Sun Yiru?
Confucius also disagreed with this:
"Qiu believes that the matter is not that simple. The Ji family has now controlled the government of the Lu State for three generations. As early as the time of Ji Wenzi and Ji Wuzi, the Ji family had become entrenched in the Lu State and was difficult to leave. point!"
"And now, the Ji family has already tied themselves to the fate of the Lu State. This is why the Shusun family and the Meng family had to support him in the first place. If Ji Sun Yiru is touched rashly, even if The Ji family has been unable to recover since then, but I am afraid that the Lu State will also suffer greater disasters by then!"
Confucius was born in the State of Lu and worked under the Ji family. Although he couldn't stand the Ji family, he had to admit this fact - the Ji family and the Lu State had already become a country where both prospered and suffered losses. damaged status.
Therefore, if you want to properly resolve Ji Sun Yiru, you must first properly handle the affairs of the Lu Kingdom! Lan
Li Ran also quite agreed with Confucius' words:
"What Zhong Ni said is true! Although Ji Sun Yiru needs to be solved, he must stabilize the government before he can slowly do anything about it!"
After Li Ran finished speaking, he couldn't help but take another look at Ji Le sitting next to him, and continued:
"Although Ji Sun Yiru is not easy to solve at the moment, the matter of sending Lu Hou back to his country cannot be delayed without delay."
According to Li Ran's idea, he would first use external forces to let Marquis Lu return to his country. After his name is justified, he will contact all the forces that Ji's family cannot deal with to work together to check and balance Ji Sun Yiru.
Hearing this, Ji Le also nodded:
"Husband, I have considered it carefully and just follow your wishes!" Lan
Li Ran then lowered his head and thought for a while, and moved his index finger and thumb over and over again in a symbolic manner:
"Hmm...I'm afraid we have to start with the Jin State for this matter! The Marquis of Lu ran away. As the leader of the world, the Jin State did nothing before, which is really wrong. I recently heard that Jin Qinggong passed away not long ago. However, because the Marquis of Lu is away from home, he has not sent anyone to Jin to express his condolences."
"In that case, why don't we go to pay our respects in the name of Marquis Lu, and wait for the opportunity when we get to Jin."
Li Ran said this, and Zhong You, who was waiting outside the door, couldn't help but said loudly:
"Honored Master, Senior Brother Boniu has sent a secret report!"
Confucius said hurriedly:
"Oh? Is Ran Geng here? In that case, please invite him in quickly." Lan
The door creaked open, and a young man, less than twenty years old, came in. When he saw Confucius, he knelt down and worshiped on the ground.
"Disciple Ran Geng, I have met your respected master!"
Confucius asked him to stand up and gave a brief introduction to the people present. It turned out that this Ran Geng was a new disciple whom Confucius recruited not long ago, named Boniu.
This person is gentle and gentle in his words and deeds, and he is also quite decent and generous in dealing with others. It gives people a feeling of spring breeze.
He was seen saluting everyone, while Li Ran and others returned the salute.
Afterwards, Ran Geng said to everyone:
"Honored Master, there seems to be military intelligence on Ji's side!" Lan
"Oh? What kind of military situation is this? There are no outsiders here, but it doesn't matter."
Confucius saw that he had some doubts, apparently because he didn't know whether he should talk about it in front of so many people.
So Confucius just let him say it.
"When Ji Sun Yiru learned that the Marquis of Lu was now hiding in Yunyi, he invited the Meng family to join them. On the pretext that the Meng family would regain their lost territory, he sent his family's chief minister Yang Hu and Meng Sun He Ji to prepare troops to attack Yunyi! However, Ji Sun Yiru In order to become famous as a disciple, documents have also been sent to Jin, Qi and other countries. Therefore, it may still take some time!"
Yunyi was originally the territory of the Meng family of the Lu State, but Qi State took it over forcibly in order to help the Marquis of Lu. Now Ji Sun Yiru came to attack on the pretext of claiming the lost land for the Meng family, which was justified.
Li Ran knew very well that the chaos in the Prince Dynasty had just settled down, and the Chu Kingdom in the south was weak. The power of the dark gangs now spread all over the world could be said to have reached its peak.
Ji Sun Yiru must take advantage of this opportunity to think about how to get rid of Lu Houchou to avoid future troubles. Lan
The situation is urgent. There are not many garrison troops in Yunyi now, only three or four thousand can survive, and most of them belong to Qi State. Even if you include Lu Hou's personal soldiers and Li Ran's private soldiers, the total is just over five thousand.
Li Ran made a prompt decision and was prepared.
On the one hand, it is necessary to strictly defend Yunyi and protect Lu Houchou. On the other hand, it is necessary to go to the Jin State to act as a lobbyist, to get the Jin State to come forward as soon as possible, and to allow the Marquis of Lu to return to the country.
Regarding going to Jin, Li Ran decided to go in person. Before Li Ran left, he had to persuade Gongsun Qing, the guard of Yunyi, to fulfill his duty of protecting Lu Houchou.
Gongsun Qing, the son of Duke Sheng of Qi State, named Zishi, was the grandson of Duke Qing of Qi State. Speaking of which, he is the same generation as the current Qi Hou Chujiu.
It also happened that Ran Geng was quite familiar with Gongsun Qing when he was in Qi State. So Ran Geng recommended himself and came to see Gongsun Qing together with Li Ran and Sun Wu.
Gongsun Qing was also very enthusiastic when he saw his friend Ran Geng, and he had long heard of the reputations of Li Ran and Sun Wu. Lan
So, a banquet was held immediately, and after three drinks, Gongsun Qing kept playing with the wine cup in his hand.
"Mr. Ziming, as soon as you arrived in Yunyi, Qing already knew about it. To be honest, although Qing was ordered by the prince to station here for the safety of Marquis Baolu, but the prince later We were ordered to withdraw again and again. Now there are only three or four thousand people instead of nearly ten thousand at the beginning. I am afraid that I have long since lost my mind to protect Luhou."
"Before, Marquis Lu was repeatedly assassinated, and we also sent people to help guard him. However, it was really beyond our power, so we simply stopped caring about where Marquis Lu lived. And this move actually It may not be a kind of protection, at least it will not be so easy for those assassins to find Marquis Lu!"
——
Chapter 505_The past events of Gongsun Qing and Wei Guo
Hearing Qi Guard General Gongsun Qing say this, Ran Geng, who was standing aside, replied respectfully:
"Lord Zishi, there is no need to blame yourself. We all know that this is a helpless act." Lan
Gongsun Qing waved his hand and sighed:
"Hey... Qing should have treated Luhou with courtesy when this happened, but it's a pity that Qing couldn't do more. It's really shameful!"
When Ran Geng heard this, he said leisurely:
"Lord Zishi is indeed thoughtful, but compared to how he treated Wei Hou in the past, I'm afraid it's still not as good as before. Lord Zishi, you can't help but be a little too favoring!"
Gongsun Qing couldn't help but be startled by Ran Geng's words.
It turns out that what Ran Geng mentioned was another past incident between Gongsun Qing and Wei Guo.
At that time, Qi and Wei were planning to marry, and Gongsun Qing was appointed by the emperor to hire him. However, when they arrived in Weiguo, they found that there was civil strife in Weiguo. Qi Bao, the senior official of Weiguo, and others conspired to murder Weihou's brother Gong Mengjie. Lan
At that time, Wei Houyuan had no choice but to escape from the capital and come to the place of Death Bird, just like the current Luhou.
After hearing the news, Gongsun Qing rushed all the way to Dead Bird and asked Wei Houyuan for a betrothal gift.
Wei Houyuan, also known as Wei Linggong in later generations, was only a young man under twenty years old at this time.
At that time, Wei Houyuan was still living in exile in the wilderness, so he refused on the grounds that there was no place to pay the betrothal gift. (Wei Linggong said: The deceased is not a sycophant. He has lost his country and is getting more and more in the grass. My son has nothing to disgrace the emperor's order.)
But Gongsun Qing still insisted again and again, so the young and energetic Wei Houyuan argued with him without getting tired of it:
"If the envoy of Qi insists on hiring me, please send me back to Diqiu!" (Wei Linggong said: "If you take good care of your ancestors, take care of your city, and control your country, then your ancestor will be here.") ")
When Wei Houyuan said this, he actually felt that Gongsun Qing was really a bit out of touch and a bit too ignorant. Lan
Don't you see that I am in trouble now? This stupid young man is so stupid!
Since you stupid young man wants to "fulfill your mission" so much, fine, then you should help me return home first!
The implication of Wei Houyuan's words was to ask Qi to help him reset. But Gongsun Qing had not received the emperor's order and did not dare to answer the question, so he had to give up and continue the betrothal gift.
However, he also gave his good horse as a gift to Wei Houyuan to serve as his charioteer when he was in trouble.
Although Gongsun Qing did not dare to agree to help Wei Houyuan recover the country without authorization, he ordered people to protect Wei Houyuan's safety at all times, and he himself did not dare to neglect it day and night.
When Wei Houyuan saw him like this, he couldn't help but feel a little moved. He said that you don't have to guard him here. He is living here now, and his life and death are left to God.
At that time, Gongsun Qing thought that since he was hired by the Marquis of Qi, and since Wei Houyuan was still in the Wei Kingdom, he was still the king of the Wei Kingdom, so he also had the responsibility to protect him. Wei Houyuan's safety. Lan
So Gongsun Qing personally held the priesthood and never closed his eyes all night long.
Gongsun Qing's move was indeed righteous, and Wei Houyuan finally returned to the capital smoothly, so he was naturally grateful to Gongsun Qing.
…
When Gongsun Qing saw Ran Geng mentioning this past incident of his, he couldn't help but sigh:
"Hey...it's just an old story, so don't mention it..."
"Does Master Zishi still have concerns?"
"To be honest, I don't care much about the Marquis of Lu anymore. If one day Ji Sun Yiru really raises his troops to invade, I'm afraid I won't send any more troops to help..." Lan
At this moment, Gongsun Qing had not received the news that Ji Sun Yiru wanted to attack Yunyi, so he said this.
After hearing this, Li Ran couldn't help but smile:
"In the beginning, Mr. Zishi acted with righteousness, but as he grew older, did he become less aware of righteousness?"
Hearing this, Gongsun Qing couldn't help but narrowed his eyes again:
"Feiqing is really powerless if he doesn't do anything. Today is different from the past, not to mention that the Marquis of Lu is not the Marquis of Wei!"
Li Ran said calmly again:
"In that case, I would like to ask Lord Zishi to make it clear whether he intends to protect Marquis Lu Zhouquan?" Lan
Gongsun Qing thought for a moment and responded:
"That's natural. Even if the prince doesn't care about him, as long as Qing is still stationed in Yunyi, he will naturally do his best to protect Marquis Lu from any accident!"
Li Ran couldn't help but nodded when he heard this.
"With Master Zishi's words, I can rest assured. If Master Zishi really has this intention, can all the Qi soldiers under your command be led by General Sun next to me?"
Gongsun Qing was obviously stunned when he heard this.
"Isn't this... probably very inconvenient?"
"In that case, Li Ran should come to terms with Lord Zishi. Now that the Ji family of Lu State is planning to conquer Yunyi, it can be said that the Marquis of Lu is in danger! The life of the Marquis of Lu depends on Zishi. It’s just a thought from my lord!” Lan
Gongsun Qing hesitated for a long time and didn't reply. He just drank the wine in one go.
"If Lord Zishi is worried about being punished by the Marquis of Qi in the future, he has no other choice. He can simply ask the Lord to personally send the body of the Marquis of Lu back to Qi at that time. Alas, it is a pity that the king of a country is actually It is truly deplorable to be reduced to such a state!”
】
Obviously, Li Ran said this on purpose. In fact, Gongsun Qing's words and his past experience clearly show his respect for the official office.
As expected, when Gongsun Qing heard what Li Ran said, he simply gritted his teeth and said fiercely:
"Forget it! In that case, Qing is willing to hand over the military power and let Sun Changqing take full command. Qing is willing to help from the side to protect the Marquis of Lu!"
After hearing this, Li Ran couldn't help but clasped his hands and laughed:
"Good! Mr. Zishi is indeed a man of great righteousness, and Li Ran sincerely admires him!" Lan
Li Ran's words were not polite. In today's world, it is rare to have such a person.
In this way, Sun Wu took over the defense of Yunyi, took Lu Houchou out of the abandoned post station, and arranged it properly. Ji Le naturally wanted to stay in Yunyi, so he could spend more time with Lu Houchou.
There are nearly five thousand soldiers and horses in Yunyi, and Marquis Lu is accompanied by Zi Jiaji, Sun Wu, Chu Dang and others, so his safety is guaranteed. Lu Houchou's mood improved a lot from this.
On the other side, Li Ran and Ji Le were about to separate again, and they were a little reluctant to leave.
It was night, Ji Le hugged Li Ran and couldn't bear to let go for a long time.
Li Ran took this opportunity to tell Ji Le:
"Le'er, you should take the decoction on time every day without any omissions. In addition, you must listen to the doctor's advice. My husband will go to Jin this time and nothing will happen to him. Le'er just don't worry." Lan
In fact, Ji Le didn't really understand the grudges between Li Ran and Jin State. Now that he heard what Li Ran said, he no longer worried. He just nodded slightly and said softly:
"Le'er understands. My husband will leave early and come back early. By the way, why don't you take Chu Dang with you on this trip? It would be nice to have someone to take care of you along the way."
"No need, Ji's army will attack soon. It's better for Chu Dang to stay and assist Chang Qing! It's the same with Zhong You, a disciple of Zhong Ni, following him! On the contrary, it's you and Ah Chou, remember to be good Please pay attention to your health! You know?"
Ji Le also knew that Zhong You was very brave, so he felt relieved:
"Le'er understands!"
…
The next day, everyone saw Li Ran off together. Lan
On the way, Li Ran found Yihe again. After asking him to take good care of Ji Le and Lu Hou, he finally asked him in a low voice:
"What's wrong with Marquis Lu's illness?"
Yi He was stunned for a moment, then he just sighed, shook his head and said:
"The key to Marquis Lu's illness lies in the knot in his heart. If he can untie this knot, he will be fine, but if he cannot untie it..."
The doctor hadn't finished speaking, but Li Ran had already understood that Lu Houchou's condition was actually caused by his heart.
He was originally the king of a country, but now he has abandoned his ancestral country and is living abroad. Even in a remote place, hiding here and there, this kind of gap is probably intolerable to anyone.
And just when Li Ran and Yi He were talking privately. Confucius also deliberately took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Sun Wu with his own hands: Lan
"Chang Qing, this is a letter left by Qiu to Meng Sunheji, the leader of the Meng family. If you have the opportunity, you can hand it to him in front of the battle. If he still has some kind of pure heart, he will know how to do it. !”
Sun Wu took the letter, nodded and said:
"Brother Zhongni, don't worry, Sun Wu will definitely bring him!"
We haven’t seen each other for several years. Meng Sun He Ji is now an adult, but he is still a disciple of Confucius in name.
Although there was no contact during these days, Confucius was after all the master he worshiped when he was a child. Confucius also knew Meng Sun He Ji's character. Although Meng Sun He Ji was a little timid and cowardly, under his influence, he still understood the righteousness of the monarch and his ministers.
So Confucius thought that maybe his letter could still make a difference at a critical moment.
