The King of Qin and others ate water chestnuts with the Queen Mother, and then took out the jewelry presented by the King of Chu to appreciate it. Pearl pendant is an ornament made mainly of pearls. Under Zilan's personal supervision, Gongyin did not dare to neglect, and used the latest and best pearls, which were round, lustrous, and sparkling. The shapes of the strings were different, including flowers, birds, fish, and insects. The size of the pearls is appropriately matched, and the priorities are clearly defined. Occasionally, a few grains of cinnabar and turquoise are added to create a unique and colorful look. The queen mother smiled happily, as innocently as a little girl. Finally, he said with a reluctant look: "Each of you, take one...these two are not optional, I will wear them, and you can choose the others!"
When the King of Qin saw that the Queen Mother was happy, he also joked: "The Queen Mother must give the son to the winner!"
The Queen Mother said: "Which one do you think is the best?"
The King of Qin said: "How can I know the victory of the pearl pendant?"
The Queen Mother summoned the other four nobles and said: "The king is powerless, just wait and see who is the most victorious!"
The four nobles came up, each pointed out what he thought was the best, and discussed endlessly. The Queen Mother said: "You guys should stop fighting. Your Majesty has ordered that the winner will return home."
After hearing what the Queen Mother said, the four nobles pointed to Yipei and said: "This one is the best!"
The Queen Mother laughed and scolded: "You will be punished for your crime of deceiving the emperor!"
Huang Xie and the prince couldn't help but smile as they watched this group of old men and women playing and playing around like a bunch of children. Huang Xie sighed in his heart, such a monarch and his ministers...
This group of the most powerful people in Qin State quarreled for a while, each took his own jewelry and returned to his seat. The Queen Mother picked up the jeweled pendant that was unanimously disliked by everyone, handed it to the King of Qin, and said: "If your Majesty does not like anyone, please take an extra pendant to compensate for it!"
King Qin took it and said, "Thank you, Queen Mother, for the extra gift."
The Queen Mother neatly arranged the four beaded pendants in front of her, as if admiring them, and asked casually: "Is Mr. Wu An still dissatisfied?"
Marquis Rang said: "Wu Anjun thinks that if Chu loses the capital of Ying, its power will be difficult to support. If we take advantage of its disadvantages and attack it, we will definitely defeat it."
The Queen Mother casually named him: "Zixie is the master of Chen Xiangyu."
The prince and Huang Xie were shocked. They didn't expect that the group of people who had been lively, laughing and joking just now became serious and cold in an instant, and Huang Xie was suddenly asked to explain how to defend the Qin people. However, Huang Xie had already thought about it, and mentioned it in his letter to the King of Qin a month ago. Now, it makes sense: "From Qin to Chu, there was originally only Wuguan. After Qin entered Ying, the mountains and rivers between Ying and Chen were blocked. There are still few roads, and there are only three major ones: leaving Fangcheng, passing through the borders of Han and Wei and entering Chen; Dao Hebo, passing through Han and entering Chen; Dao Chengyang, crossing the Huaihe River and entering Chen. These three paths are all After entering the enemy's territory for five or six hundred miles, we turned our backs on the enemy and fought with Chu in the suburbs of Chen. I was afraid that the Qin army would not be able to return. Moreover, Chu's territory in Chen was not bordering Qin's territory. How could Qin have such territory? Guess it could win. It has the name of victory, but no actual victory."
The King of Qin said: "I came out of Han Valley and passed through Han and Wei. I came out of Chen. What can I do?"
Huang Xie said: "In the past, Wu believed in Yue, so he attacked Qi. He defeated the Qi people in Ailing, and also served as the king of Yue at Sanzhu Pu. Zhi believed in Han and Wei, so he attacked Zhao and attacked Jinyang City, winning the victory. One day, Han and Wei rebelled against them and killed Zhi Boyao under the chiseled platform. Now the king believes in the good king of Han and Wei in the middle way, which is also true of Wu's belief in Yue. The king of Han and Wei has no virtues that are worthy of the world, and There are generations of grudges. Fathers and sons and brothers from Han and Wei died one after another in the Qin Dynasty for ten generations. Fathers and sons, old and weak, tied up with their hands and tied up in the group of captives, are on the road together. Ghosts and gods are left alone, with no blood to eat. The people are in dire straits, and the races are scattered. , The sea is full of people who have been exiled as servants and concubines. Now the king Zi is going too far to attack Chu!"
Mi Rong said: "The more you follow the water to the north and cross Chengyang, you will find Chu land. Isn't it appropriate to take it as Guangnan County?"
Huang Xie said: "Following the water and the soil to the right, these are vast rivers, great rivers, mountains, forests and valleys. They are uninhabitable lands. Although the king owns them, he does not want to gain the land. Moreover, on the day when the king attacked Chu, the troops of Qin and Chu did not leave. , the Wei family will go out to capture the old Song Dynasty, and the Qi people will attack Chu, and Si will be attacked. This is a land of plains and fertile land. The king defeated Chu, fattened Han and Wei, and strengthened Qi and Wei. And if you look at the details of the officials, one year later, if you become emperor, you may not be able to do so, and you will have more than enough to ban the king from becoming emperor."
Lord Gaoling said: "Huang Gong only said that it is not possible to control the situation, but I would like to hear that it is possible."
Huang Xie replied: "I am concerned about the king, and no one is better than Chu. When Qin and Chu join forces to approach Han, Han will surely hold back his hands and become a marquis in the pass. If the king garrisoned Zheng with one hundred thousand men, the Liang family would be cold-hearted, and Xu and Yanling would Yingcheng, Shangcai and Zhaoling cannot go back and forth. In this way, Wei will also be a marquis in the pass. In this case, Yan and Zhao will not have Qi and Chu, and Qi and Chu will not have Yan and Zhao. The four countries will surrender without waiting for pain."
Hearing this, the Queen Mother said: "Come on, come on, you know everything about astronomy and geography, and I feel sick when I hear this. You will come back to discuss politics, and I will be tired!"
King Qin hurriedly crossed his hands and said, "My son is so stupid, I got carried away for a moment."
The Queen Mother said: "Put away your pearls and pendants. I will go back to bed!"
The female officials behind the screen rushed out and helped the Queen Mother up; several people put the jewelry on the case into the box. The group of people suddenly saw a group of women coming out, and they quickly fell to the ground, not daring to raise their heads. Only King Qin stepped forward, supported the Queen Mother, and moved behind the screen. The remaining people lay on the ground, hearing only the sound of rustling clothes and the faint fragrance gradually fading away, before they dared to raise their heads. Everyone tidied up their clothes a little, and King Qin came back. The King of Qin said: "Zi Heng and Zi Xie have been sent to Qin since today. Zi Heng is my nephew. He has entered Qin and is not living in a foreign country. I would like to hear its laws."
Mi Rong said: "If we talk about it as a son, the official will give him room and board, and he will follow six people. If he talks about it as an eldest son, there will be no merit. But if he lives in his father's house, he will not be allowed to follow others."
Wei Ran said: "I heard Zi Xie's words, I am worthy of being appointed, and I should make a great contribution!"
Mi Rong said: "No way. Zi Xie is a disciple of the left side of Chu. He is a prisoner of Chu. He is still a minister of Chu, but he is not a minister of Qin!"
Huang Xie said: "The prince is a hostage, the Qin and Chu family, the Chu ministers are the same as the Qin ministers."
King Qin's eyes lit up and he said, "How can Zi Xie live in Qin forever?"
Huang Xie said: "I came to Qin with the prince, and I stayed with him from day to day. The prince stayed in Qin for one day, and I stayed for one day, and I didn't dare to leave."
The King of Qin laughed and said, "This is ridiculous! Zi Xie has made great contributions to the country, and for the prince's service as a hostage, he pays special tribute to the guest. He is older than... Zuo Shu."
Lord Jingyang said: "Zixie is a disciple of the Zuo of Chu. He entered the Qin Dynasty but became the chief of the Zuo concubine. This is not the way to respect the virtuous."
The King of Qin thought for a while and said: "Zi Heng is my nephew. Please teach Zi Xie. I will give Zi Xie the post of young master. Is that acceptable?"
Huang Xie said: "I came from Chu to Qin, with fifteen followers and thirty porters, totaling fifty people. According to the law, we will send out in three days, and there will be only five people left. The prince has just reached the crown, and his knowledge is not full. I am willing to get help. Scholars fill in the gap. I’m not familiar with the laws of Qin, but I’m here to listen to you!”
Wei Ran said: "You have no worries. There are five people from Ziheng and five from Zixie, so there are ten followers. The officials of Qin will give them food and lodging. The remaining three or five people exchange news with Chu and are busy on the road. In Xianyang, they are no more than one person." Two people, I will rest and provide for myself."
Huang Xie said: "Is it okay for me to live in Xianyang on my own?"
Mi Rong said: "It's not possible. Anyone who builds a house will get an acre and a common son. He will be naturalized in the village and have famous books in the book. Will the son stop farming? I am willing to pay it with the official, it is much cheaper!"
The King of Qin said: "Since Zixie is older than Zuo Shu, he can be a disciple of ten people. Ziheng is a hostage, and he can be a slave of five people, so he can be a slave of fifteen people. The official will give him food and lodging."
Everyone bowed down and said, "I'm here!"
King Qin's words saved Huang Xie a lot of trouble. Back at Guanyi, Huang Xie reported the news to everyone, and everyone was happy. In the afternoon of the same day, Dian Ke's text arrived at the post office, and the post official informed the prince and Huang Xie: They can have two courtyards, and the food and drinks are provided for one person, one doctor, and fifteen followers. Among them, there are ten Bi Bu Geng and five Bi Li. Due to the large number of them, the supplies in the post office were insufficient, but they were given meat, fuel and fruits every month to cook on their own. The oxen and horses prepared are given according to the rules, and half a stone is given every day. If there are any deficiencies, they will be purchased in Xianyang City.
The King of Qin agreed, but there were two more people than Huang Xie had prepared. These two people left two Chu soldiers in the name of the coachman. Make an appointment to rotate every three months. In the evening, Huang Xie had a long discussion with Prince Fu, Prince Fu Cheng, two Huang family retainers, and the leader Chu Mo Ao, and finally decided that a retainer should return to Chenqiu to report everything here to the King of Chu. Although Prince Fu had a high status, he did not know much about diplomacy, and his body was weak and he could not bear the fatigue. He had suffered more during the journey and almost fell ill. The Prince's Prime Minister is in charge of the daily affairs and financial expenses of both parties. Any money or goods should be managed by the retainers of the Huang Mansion. On the occasion of the rotation of March, I arrived from Chu with money.
After the discussion, a larger courtyard was naturally reserved for the prince. The prince Fu, the prince's prime minister, the companion, the bodyguard, the cook and the coachman all lived there and jointly protected the prince. On Huang Xie's side were naturally his retainers and the three Mang clans. The arrangements were made, Huang Xie took his retainers back to his courtyard, gathered the three Mang clans together, and discussed in detail today's meeting in the palace and the meeting with the Queen Mother.
The process of meeting the palace was very normal, with a sense of routine. The visit to the Empress Dowager in Ganquan Palace was a real confrontation, with the flash of swords, cunning and bullying, and extremely dangerous. While everyone was analyzing the situation and discussing, the rooster sang loudly and the east became white.
After dawn, the postman came to report that today was the third day of feeding fifty people. Not only would there be no food and drink tomorrow, but the house would also have to be cleared. The prince's prime minister and his retainers rushed to Xianyang City to prepare ten days of dry food for the thirty-five Chu soldiers. The dry food of the Qin people was roasted millet, which was not only supplied by the government to the sergeants, but also sold in the market for ten cents per dou. The prince's prime minister discussed with his retainers and decided to buy one stone for each of them. There is nothing to take with you when you go back, so bring plenty of dry food so that if you run out of food, you can give your family something new to try. There are not so many swindlers, so they promise to send them to Guanyi after returning home. The people who bought dry food based on the accent were not from Qin. The people repeatedly warned that fried millet would cause abdominal distension and should not be eaten in excess. It is best to soak the food thoroughly in water before eating and only stop when it is half full to avoid bursting the intestines. The Prince's Chancellor and his retainers nodded in agreement and paid a deposit of 1,000 yuan, which was copper coins exchanged with gold cakes at the market pavilion. The two of them only carried one stone of ready-made fried millet back to Guanyi.
