Li Ran also raised his hands and said:
"I've heard the name of the prince for a long time, and I'm lucky enough to meet you today. I would like to invite the prince to sit down."
So, the two of them sat down in meditation. Fan Li waited respectfully on the side and brought two glasses of water. Prince Tu took it with both hands, but did not drink it, but put it on the table first.
Before Li Ran could speak, he raised his head and looked at him carefully. I saw that although he was not as good as the weak crown, his face was quite heroic.
Those eyes were full of energy and high-spirited, quite a bit like the demeanor of Prince Ye of the Lu Kingdom back then!
"Since His Royal Highness is the Crown Prince of the East Palace, he is here today to ask questions on behalf of the Marquis of Qi, right?"
When Prince Tu heard this, he shook his head and said with a slight smile:
"Haha, sir, I'm afraid you have misunderstood. I'm not here to ask questions, but I'm here especially for you!"
Although Li Ran vaguely guessed something from his words, he still pretended not to know:
"Oh? Master, please speak clearly."
Prince Tu replied rather excitedly:
"Your Majesty is famous all over the world. Although I have never been out of Qi, I still know your name very well! Since Duke Huan of our Qi Kingdom, we have united all the princes to bring order to the world! And I, the prince, have followed the example of my ancestor day and night, and We want to revive the hegemony of our ancestors! But in recent years, the state of Jin has declined, and the day when the state of Qi will regain its hegemony is just around the corner."
"As far as I know, your husband has nothing to do with our country of Qi. Moreover, he has lived in a small country for a long time and his ambitions are difficult to achieve. Why don't you come to our country of Qi and show your great ambitions?"
Li Ran looked at his sincere expression, sighed secretly, and said:
"I apologize that I don't have this intention. Li Ran is now the Taishi of the Zhou Dynasty, and he is just a guest in the Lu Kingdom..."
Prince Tu eagerly interrupted Li Ran:
"Sir, why do you need to hide it? Although you are a guest in Lu State, you are actually thinking about Lu State. Since you are the Taishi of the Zhou Dynasty, why do you prefer one to another? Please understand the desire of the emperor to seek talents! "
After hearing this, Li Ran couldn't help but smile bitterly.
"Young Master may not know something. The reason why Li Ran is a guest in the Lu State is simply because the family of the deceased wife Ji's family has been living in the Lu State since they fled. And Li is also a guest in the Lu State for his own safety." Lu State."
"Li lives in Xinglin. Now he is just idle. Please don't force me to do anything."
Li Ran bowed his hands, then picked up a cup of water in front of him and took a few sips.
Prince Tu saw that Li Ran did not accept his invitation, but he was not angry. He just smiled and asked:
"In that case, I have indeed said too much. Then... I dare to ask Mr. Ziming, why did you come to our country of Qi today?"
When Li Ran heard this, he immediately put down the water cup, bowed and said:
"Because of the chaos in the Lu State, Li Ran could not have peace in the Lu State. Now the Qi State took advantage of the opportunity of the Lu State to conquer the three capitals. This matter is probably against the justice of the world! This time, the Qi and Lu families are specially killed. The soldiers are coming!"
Prince Tu heard this, but he didn't take it seriously:
"Haha, sir, what you said is wrong! The great virtues of ancient times all belong to the strong. The reason why the strong are strong is just the weather, geography, and people! Now there is a gap in the Lu State. If our Qi State does not take it, how can we Isn’t it contrary to the law of heaven? If our country of Qi had not taken advantage of the internal gap in the country of Lu, would we have to wait for the country of Lu to stabilize before trying to take advantage of it? Mr. Ziming has been in the world for so many years, doesn’t he not understand these principles? "
"If our country of Qi wants to revive its hegemony, we must first carry out our ambitions! The reason why I, Duke Huan, was able to rectify the world in the past, was not because the three generations of ancestors successively destroyed the small states of Ji, Zhou, Tan, and Sui, so that I could achieve my power?"
"And when you were assisting King Chu Ling before, didn't you destroy the kingdoms of Chen, Cai, and Zhongli? Therefore, I beg your pardon that I cannot agree with the righteousness of what you said!"
Li Ran couldn't help but squinted his eyes, and suddenly felt that this guy was really not simple.
"Haha, what the young master said is true, but after all, the State of Lu is a state with the surname Ji, not a small state. Moreover, Qi and Lu have always been in-laws to each other in the early years, and have been for several generations. So, is the State of Lu really Qi? Can the country plot something?"
When Prince Tu heard this, he smiled slightly:
"What Mr. Sir said is a common thing for people! But for the country, it is not necessarily true! In the past, the country was named Jiang. My late emperor Xianggong did not care about his family members and destroyed them. However, everyone in the world thinks that they are virtuous. . Why? Everyone in the world knows that my ancestor Ai Gong was cooked and killed because of his discipline. I, Qi Huan, destroyed his discipline to avenge him!"
"Haha, what a secret! From my point of view, it's just a matter of strength and weakness."
"Therefore, the relationship between countries cannot be determined by closeness or distance. Only strength and weakness can determine the relationship!"
"Now the state of Lu, under the rule of Kong Zhongni, has restrained the power of the three Huan states and selected talents. It can be said that the government is well-organized and people-friendly. If things go on like this, it will also become a trouble for our state of Qi! If we don't take action early, will we wait for the state of Lu? Is it powerful enough to counter our Qi State?"
When Li Ran heard this, he had to give him a thumbs up secretly, and couldn't help but admire Prince Tu's judgment ability.
However, Li Ran couldn't show it like this on the spot, so he still said calmly:
"Haha, His Highness the Crown Prince is indeed wise! No wonder the Marquis of Qi thinks so highly of His Highness, but does His Highness the Crown Prince really only think that the disasters caused by the Three Huans of the Lu State are unique to the Lu State?"
Of course Prince Tu knew that Li Ran's arrow was now pointing directly at Tian Qi.
Prince Tu couldn't help but be overjoyed after hearing this. He suddenly stood up and said eagerly:
"Oh! Sir, you really have a sharp eye! In this case, sir, are you willing to help our Qi country solve Tian Qi's serious problem?!"
Li Ran couldn't help but shook his head secretly when he saw that Prince Tu was so excited for a moment.
I just feel that this prince Tu looks at the problem really well, but he is also too restless.
"Your Highness, please don't get excited! Mr. Tian has an excellent reputation in Qi State, how can he easily act on it? If it is reckless, let alone success, even if it succeeds, the entire Qi State will be in turmoil!"
Prince Tu was startled. He looked towards the door and saw a tall, strong man standing there, facing outside, it was Chu Dang.
Prince Tu sat down again:
"Please sir... give me some advice!"
Li Ran saw his sudden change of words and knew that he had been dragged into the jar by his words.
Li Ran picked up the tea cup again, took another sip, and said:
"Haha, if Your Highness is interested, you might as well listen and talk to Your Highness about the general trend of the world! What do you think?"
When Prince Tu heard this, he didn't know what Li Ran was trying to do, but he could only agree:
"Please sir, give me a try on my behalf."
Then, I heard Li Ran speak slowly:
"The general situation in the world is that the Jin State is in decline, and the six ministers are not in harmony. The Chu State has been in a state of decline since the King Ping, and now there are powerful enemies on its side! The current situation in the world is probably only in the Qi State!"
"But now, Qi wants to fight with Lu. It's really a big mistake! As everyone knows, Jin has lost the hearts of the people for a long time. If Qi doesn't win the hearts of the people with its benevolence, how long will it last?"
"Besides, the power of the Wu State has been on the rise in recent years! It is inevitable that the Central Plains will not respond to its threat! Especially the Qi State. When the Wu State goes north, it will border the Qi State. Although the Wu State now only aims at Chu country, but isn’t Qi State afraid that one day it will be in trouble?”
"So, I think that the ambition of the Qi State should be borne by the righteousness of the world. Only in this way can we uphold the ambition of Duke Huan!"
When Prince Tu heard this, he couldn't help but said:
"Sir, I am enlightened by what I have said. To be honest, sir, I am also determined to inherit your father's ambition and lead our Qi country to compete in the world!"
Li Ran said:
"Young Master's ambition is admirable. But please also ask Your Highness to learn to endure shame and humiliation. Only in this way can you be a model for the world in the future!"
Prince Tu Baoquan bowed and quickly responded:
"So, please sir, come out and help me! If you are willing, sir, we can accomplish great things in Qi! Please don't refuse, sir!"
