When the people around heard that Hedong asked for grain support, they all looked disdainful. Although it was not obvious, Zheng Anping saw it. I thought, Huang Xie was right!
After going to court, Zheng Anping stood outside the palace for about half an hour. Nothing happened, and then the court was dismissed. What the big shots discussed and made in the palace were unknown to people outside. Nothing is known.
After the dynasty ended, Zheng Anping returned to Guanyi, had breakfast, and then went to Xianyang Palace. This time, the minister accepted the document delivered by Zheng Anping. After giving the receipt, Zheng Anping returned to the post. When the post official saw Zheng Anping coming back, he reported: "The Prince of Chu said that if the doctor comes back, he would like to see him." Zheng Anping had nothing else to do, so he didn't go back to his room and went directly to the backyard. Knocking on Huang Xie's door, Mang Shen came to greet him. Seeing that it was Zheng Anping, he hurriedly welcomed him in. Huang Xie and Prince Fu were teaching the prince. When they heard that Zheng Anping was visiting, they all got up to greet him. After Zheng Anping greeted each other one by one, the guests and hosts took their seats.
Huang Xie asked: "The document has arrived from Hedong. I hope there will be no news for a few days. There is nothing to do today. I am waiting for you in the east. The doctor will go to my room with you."
Zheng Anping said: "The prince's palace cannot be entered by humble ministers."
Huang Xie said: "That's not what you said. Doctor, I am a guest of yours. As the Prime Minister of Hedong, I have the honor to visit my house. How honored is the prince!" Although the journey was not far, he also prepared his carriage and horses and crossed the river from the bridge. To the palace built for the prince.
The palace built for the prince's wedding is next to Ganquan Palace. The building structure has been completed, and now daily necessities and ceremonial items such as quilts, quilts, tripods, curtains, curtains, lamps, candles, and mirrors are being mobilized from the Chu State. Since all items are transported via Wuguan land route, the volume of transportation is not very large each time. All delicate and fragile items are carried on shoulders. After being transported several times, they are not ready yet. The people of Qin were almost amateurs in the use and assembly of these things, and they specially invited craftsmen from Chu for interior decoration. This palace imitates the style of the Chu Palace in appearance, and the interior decoration is even more gorgeous. It stands out among the plain Qin Palaces.
The front door is guarded by Qin army halberds, and its specifications are almost the same as those of the Ganquan Palace next to it. The prince and Huang Xie were both acquaintances and the owners of this place, so they naturally entered the palace without any hindrance.
Unlike the palaces in the Central Plains, which are built with multiple courtyards, the palaces in Chu State tend to be developed high into the sky. In the Central Plains, nine steps were already the emperor's standard. In Chu State, the nine steps can only be considered the starting point, and the "nine-story platform", which is the eighty-one steps, can be considered the high platform.
Although it is modeled after the Chu State's architecture, it cannot be built that high. The front hall is built on a rammed earth platform with five steps, but the two floors rising here and there still show the unique style of Chu. The harem is built on a higher rammed earth platform. From the front hall, you have to go up 18 steps to enter the harem. The area saved by high-altitude development was contributed to an artificial lake, with several pavilions built on it and a few lotus flowers floating on the water. From design to construction, Chu craftsmen are responsible for everything here, and the core part is also constructed by Chu craftsmen.
To build a Chu style building, it also needs to be decorated with Chu style. The most important part of decoration in Chu State is painting. The paint of Chu State is divided into nine colors, mainly red and black, followed by yellow, blue and green, and occasionally filled with gold and silver. If the Chu State came up with the plan for the construction and the Qin State hired the people, then this kind of decoration was completely left to the Chu people. The King of Qin recruited craftsmen from Nanjun (Ying) and Nanyang, the old land of Chu, while the King of Chu sent the best designers from Chen. So now except for the guards who are from Qin, everyone else in the palace is from Chu, and all communication between them uses Chu accent.
Looking at the gorgeous decorations in the palace, Zheng Anping was speechless except for praising them. Everywhere Huang Xie went, he would have serious discussions with the supervisor and give some instructions. The prince listened carefully.
Amidst the noise on one side, Huang Xie seemed to casually say to Zheng Anping, "Young Master Zhen shall be crowned the King of An!"
Zheng Anping asked almost subconsciously: "What contribution?"
Huang Xie said: "It is his meritorious service to lead the army back to Zhao as an envoy."
Zheng Anping suddenly thought of Hu Yang: the whole war was commanded by Hu Yang. He worked so hard and risked his life. In the end, he only got a "tie" without reward or punishment; while Gongzi Zhen was just because he was a member of the Zhao State. After working as a spy for half a year, he became the leader for a few days at the last moment and was named king! But then I thought about it, Lord Jingyang and Lord Gaoling may not have worked as hard as Lord An Guo, aren't they also kings? He is a disciple of King Qin, and he is born to be a prince. And I, working hard all my life, my highest ideal is to achieve meritorious service and become a marquis!
He shook his head to clear the thoughts from his mind. Then I heard Huang Xie say: "Being a hostage to a foreign country is a great achievement! The prince is a hostage to Wei, and he has the position of crown prince."
Zheng Anping asked with some surprise: "The prince is the heir apparent. Is it better to have meritorious service?"
Huang Xie said with a smile: "If you regard your relatives as the prince, you may not be able to win over the masses; if you regard your merit as the prince, everyone will be convinced. The prince of Qin is a hostage to Wei, and the prince of Chu is a hostage to Qin. They are both princes. In the past, King Wu died in Luoyang. , all the princes of Qin were in Xianyang, but the king was pledged to Yan. Among those in Qin, the prince was the longest and most powerful. However, even if Hui Wen helped him, he could not stand in the end, so what? He was not pledged to another country. If Gai is used as a pledge to other countries, his achievements will be extremely great!"
Zheng Anping knew that Huang Xie had a deep meaning in almost every word he said, and he would not say useless words; words like this that were said carelessly had a profound meaning. But Huang Xie didn't say anything, so Zheng Anping could only make wild guesses on his own, but he felt that the matter was a bit far away from him and had no intention of exploring it further. Ask Zhang Lu again after you return to Hedong!
When they returned to the post, the post official held out a festival talisman and said: "Marquis Rang has summoned the doctor. I hope the doctor will go early."
Zheng Anping was shocked. I thought it would take a day before there would be any news after the paperwork was submitted, but I didn't expect the results to come out so soon. What's even worse is that I went out with Prince Chu and Huang Xie. Time was running out, so he hurriedly said goodbye to the prince and Huang Xie, and then hurried to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
There were many people in the courtyard and wing of the Prime Minister's Mansion, all officials from various departments who came to do business. Zheng Anping presented the festival talisman, and the receptionist in the room took a look at it and said, "Your Majesty, you are waiting for me. I'll go as soon as you wish!" He led Zheng Anping to the hall.
Today happened to be Wei Ran's time to deal with government affairs. The various Cao Cao officials kept writing in the hall and handed the processed documents to Wei Ran for review. Wei Ran usually marked the word "yes" with a red pen, and it was done immediately; After approving the "Draft", it must be reported to the King of Qin for final approval; if the handling is not satisfactory, Wei Ran will express his opinions and let the envoy redraft it.
The person in charge of the reception made a decision in the hall and reported: "Hedong Prime Minister Zheng Shi Anping paid an audience!"
There was a "pass" sound from above, signaling Zheng Anping to come to court. Zheng Anping went up the steps, bowed his head and crossed his hands, entered the door, and announced: "I have an audience with you, Zheng Anping!" An employee in the hall pointed to the inner room to indicate where Wei Ran was. Zheng Anping called again in front of the room, and heard a "Incoming!" Zheng Anping opened the door and came in.
Wei Ran was sitting in front of the desk, and there were two officers next to him reporting the incident. Wei Ran motioned to Zheng Anping to sit down, finish approving the documents for the two people working on them, and let them go out without letting anyone in. Then he turned to Zheng Anping and said: "Zhang Qing guards the east of the river, so the land of Wei is also in charge of the world. In the past, Qin and Wei fought over Hexi and Hedong for more than a hundred years, and Qin was mostly trapped. Now that it has been conquered, the Qin State Everyone is lucky. Zhang Qing holds the power of the world as a king and assistant. Everyone who knows it thinks that Anyi will be prosperous, Qin will be strong, and the Wei family will be destroyed. This is the time to make contributions and establish a career! The official Su Zuo Zhang Qing, minister I have heard about life and death in the wilderness, so I dare to tell each other with bold words."
Zheng Anping had never dealt with Wei Ran at close range before. He knew that Wei Ran was strict in managing the army and decisive in killing. He was a ruthless man. Now that I heard his warm words, I didn't know the good or bad luck, so I bowed down and said, "I am short-sighted and ignorant of the affairs of the country. I would like to listen to the teachings of your princes!"
Wei Ran said: "Every time a general goes out for an expedition, he prepares his troops and food. If the soldiers are no longer recruited and the food is no longer in the country, and he is victorious and gains rank, it is his merits. Now Zhang Qing is guarding the east of the river. He has land and people, and he has killed ten thousand people. The road has not yet been established. The road has not been passed, the land has not been settled, the people have not been at peace, and the religion has not been established. They want to reestablish themselves in the country, which is the same as defeat! The official may have heard less of Qin's law, so he should say it. If I approve his book now, As soon as the grain comes out, Zhang Qing has no merits and demerits, so he would rather not make the world laugh! May you think of him well!"
When Zheng Anping heard this, he felt as if five thunders were striking his head. He bowed down and said, "Young ministers have heard of Qin's laws and don't know its politics. If you dare to enthrone your lord, what should be done to save him?"
Wei Ran said: "I have obtained the book, but it has not been made public to the public. I hope that you can take advantage of this small mistake and ask for it! I will give you the book in return. I don't know its meaning, but it is a mistake!"
Zheng Anping said: "Rong Chen sue Zhang Qing!"
Wei Ran said: "It will take several days to go back and forth from Xianyang to Hedong. Don't go with the book today. I will discuss it with the princes and tell the king. Whether you have food or not, your defeat is already done!"
Zheng Anping heard this. Not only was he not allowed to report to Zhang Lu, he had to make decisions himself, and he had to do it quickly, otherwise he would be reported! His heart skipped a beat and he said: "It is a mistake of a sincere minister. His book is not the one written by the guardian."
Wei Ran picked out the document that Zheng Anping handed over in the morning from the case, handed it back to Zheng Anping, then handed him a talisman and said: "Qin Law, the official made a mistake in passing the document, and he will be flogged twenty times. You are the leader of the sect." Of!"
Now Zheng Anping was dumbfounded. He had taken the document back according to Marquis Rang's advice, so why did he still have to face trouble?
Wei Ran saw Zheng Anping's eyes wandering and said, "You have made a mistake and you should be punished. Since the Prime Minister and Shou are involved in life and death, how can you say a small punishment! In the future, the achievements will be recorded in history, and they will never start with a whipping!" He waved his hand to Zheng. Go down in peace.
Zheng Anping picked up the document, held the grounding talisman, and said with a heartbeat: "I sincerely follow the advice of the emperor!" He bowed out with polite words. When he went out, he gave the festival talisman to Xing Cao, who then gave it to Gong Cao. The meritorious officer sang loudly: "He Dongcheng made an error in his report, and he will be beaten twenty times!" Two people came over and took Zheng Anping to the steps below the hall. One person held down Zheng Anping's head, and the other held down Zheng Anping's feet, and raised his head. The other two men each held a bamboo stick and started beating her hard.
