When the Queen Mother received Duan Ziqian, she first asked three questions according to the rules about the people of Wei, their king, and their country. Duan Ziqian answered them one by one. Then the Queen Mother said: "I heard that the Prince of Qin is in Wei. How is he doing?"
Duan Ziqian didn't expect that the Queen Mother would directly enter the topic of the Crown Prince here, and he suddenly felt difficult to deal with it. He couldn't just say that our family is fine, and then say, "I want to kill your family, right?" After hesitating for a moment, Duan Ziqian said with some seriousness: "It is not the question of the Queen Mother, but I dare not speak. This year, Hedong took the second city of Wei. The city is small, the land is small, and the people are dead. The two cities were lost, and the officials were fierce, and they all said that Qin was back. Wei Yue, I want to do something bad for the crown prince. Minister..."
Before Duan Zigan finished speaking, a scream came from behind the curtain, and the Queen Mother interrupted him sharply, saying: "You want to harm the Crown Prince? You... you will hurt me! I will tell you, Crown Prince, My grandson is the prince of the King of Qin, but if there is any damage, the old woman will definitely go to Daliang to look for the King of Wei... and it will hurt me!"
The empress dowager's passionate words frightened Duan Ziqian into prostrating himself on the ground, not daring to raise his head.
The Empress Dowager continued: "You are entrusting Qin. If you want to sue, will it be detrimental to the prince? Are you going to use the prince to change the two cities? Bah! Qin has captured your two cities. You should go to war, line up in battle, and hold flags with Qin. Fighting is not a bad man! Aren't you ashamed to take a little kid as a hostage?"
After the Queen Mother vented her anger, she finally stopped. Duan Ziqian said tremblingly: "Your Majesty, please calm down and let me say a word."
The Queen Mother reluctantly said: "You can tell me!"
Duan Ziqian said: "I am a Korean, and I am a minister of Wei. I have been favored by the king and can serve on both sides. Qin has captured the two cities of Wei. I, the king, want to ignore the righteousness of our alliance. But it is difficult for everyone to stop, and they all agree that the prince must be punished." Therefore, the king ordered his ministers to go to Xianyang quickly and report to the king of Qin, so that the prince is safe and the two countries are in harmony!"
The Queen Mother said: "If the king is willing, he can send the prince back, and the two countries can go to war again to decide between male and female!"
Duan Ziqian said: "Queen Mother, please calm down. When I leave, the king declares again and again that in the country, Wei and Qin will form an alliance; in private, my sister will return to the crown prince, and the crown prince and the king have a brotherhood. The king ordered the ministers to come. , I dare not break up with the big country, I wish to form an alliance forever, and I swear not to betray each other. Qin but a little bit with Wei, the king can calm down the public anger, not only does the prince have the peace of Mount Tai, Wei also dare not betray Qin, and will always be the protector of the east. The way of Tao leads to no danger."
The Empress Dowager said: "The gains and losses of the land are beyond the reach of this old woman. Qin captured the city of Wei, and Wei captured the city of Qin. Each of them used his ability, and this is the normal state of the country. But Prince, what is attached to the old woman's heart must not be damaged. Wei. But if you are separated from Qin and are willing to send him back, you will be very lucky! As for Taoyi, which is granted by Marquis Rang, if Wei wants to do it, the old woman will not dare to stop him!"
Duan Ziqian felt very helpless. The Queen Mother has a deep love for her, and does not care about national affairs. She will beat whoever you like, as long as she does not hurt the prince. But I can't do this. The key is that Wei wants to attack Qin, but it can't defeat it, so it can only talk about the prince. Duan Ziqian replied: "The Queen Mother loves her children and grandchildren as much as parents in the world. The king also wishes there would be no war. I hope the Queen Mother can speak to the king well, give a little city to the ministers, eliminate troops and eliminate disasters, and form an alliance forever!"
The Empress Dowager said: "Qin is willing to make an alliance with Wei, but the prince is being held hostage to Wei. I have never heard of Wei holding the prince to Qin."
Duan Ziqian said: "The king is also willing to make a good alliance with Qin, but Qin will seize Wei City and it will be difficult to do so!"
The Queen Mother said: "But if you have this intention and discuss it with the King of Qin, everything will be accomplished. If you have any irregularities in your heart, you will be punished by God. Your envoy said, the prince marries the king's daughter, and the prince and the king act like brothers. You are sincere and these words are true. ! I would like to always aspire to it, but don’t carry it away.”
Duan Ziqian said: "I must inherit the Queen Mother's teachings!"
The Empress Dowager said: "The old woman looks to the noble envoy for the prince's affairs."
Duanzi said: "I hope to live up to the Queen Mother's teachings!"
The Empress Dowager said: "If you want Qin to return to the city, why bother to convict Ru'er in vain?"
Duanzi said: "I would like to hear the Queen Mother's teachings!"
The Queen Mother said: "In the past, when the old woman was the king, the king used her thighs to put her body on her body, and she was not tired. He put all the weight on her body, but it was not heavy. Why? It is advantageous to have less. The weight of the two cities is not less. , and those who want Qin to accept it without regrets will surely benefit from it."
Everyone knew what was going on with the Queen Mother's analogy, but when she said these words in the court, everyone present was so embarrassed that they could not even lift their heads. The prince and princess only blushed. Duan Ziqian said awkwardly: "I would like to learn from you!"
The two talked for a while about other unimportant things and ended the meeting.
After Duan Zigan stood up, Prince Chu, who had been silent, sent him down to the hall, called his entourage, and walked him out of the palace gate together, watching them get into the car and leave.
Seeing Duan Ziqian and others leaving, the Queen Mother called out, and a group of female officials immediately came out from behind the screen to help the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother pointed to the princess sitting below and said, "How about the princess?"
The princess bowed her hands and said, "It doesn't matter!"
The Queen Mother said: "There is no one here, please rest for a while, don't get up in a hurry." Several female officials helped the princess lie down on her side and relaxed her almost numb legs. The Queen Mother said distressedly: "They are all bruised, please massage them!" Several female officials gently helped massage them a few times.
The princess said in shame: "I didn't get to serve the Queen Mother, but I made the Queen Mother work hard!"
The Queen Mother said: "If it weren't for etiquette, why would you bother to come out? You can't move the fetal air!"
Those female officials were all experienced and knew how to serve. After a while, they relieved the numbness in their legs and helped the princess up. Seeing that the princess was fine, the Queen Mother also stood up and said: "Don't move lightly, take a slight step first, and then move on!" Seeing that the princess was walking without any serious problems, she felt relieved. When the prince returned from seeing off his guests, the queen mother personally handed the princess to the prince and said: "Fortunately, nothing happened, but I am tired of waiting!"
The prince said: "It is a blessing for me to be close to the Queen Mother and listen to her lessons."
The Queen Mother said: "Fortunately, something has happened. Please return home soon and take good care of your fetus." The Prince and the Princess resigned. The Queen Mother watched them descend the steps, then turned around and went to the back house, muttering softly: "I treat him as my own son, and I hope he will treat my son as my own son!"
When the Queen Mother was taking her lunch break, King Qin sent someone to ask about today's meeting. The female official who was hiding behind the screen during the meeting took out the written records and handed them to the waiter to take away.
At dinner time, the travelers invited Duan Ziqian to Zhangtai Palace, not far from Ganquan Palace. Since the dynasty had been dispersed for a long time, there was no longer a welcoming team of Qin ministers at the entrance of the palace, and it seemed deserted compared to the morning visit to the Queen Mother. However, the people who greeted him at the palace gate were excellent: Lord Jingyang, Lord Gaoling and Lord An Guo, while the one who sang praises in the court was Marquis Rang. Seeing this lineup, Duan Ziqian felt that his trip was worthwhile!
Duan Ziqian met the King of Qin in the main hall, and the King of Qin returned the greeting in his seat. Duan Ziqian naturally sat on the west table, while Ranghou sat on the east seat, and there were three monarchs behind him. After sitting down, Marquis Rang sang in praise: "Let the banquet begin!"
Then music sounded inside and outside the hall, and the dancers performed single, double, and trio dances in front of the hall. The chef presented the tripod and gui, and everyone lined up to have a full table. There were more than just nine tripods and seven guis. Duan Ziqian secretly laughed at the Qin people as barbarians and ignorant of etiquette.
The tripods and Gui were neatly arranged, and the music and dancing stopped. Marquis Rang stood up and praised: "The envoy of Wei will live long for the King of Qin!"
Duan Ziqian respectfully raised his title, avoided the table and saluted, and said: "Wei minister Duan Ziqian, by my Lord's command, I wish to live the life of the King of Qin! The King of Qin will be eternal and live forever!" He drank wine on the ground and stood up to worship again.
Marquis Rang praised again: "The King of Qin will live longer than the King of Wei!"
The King of Qin said: "The king of Anguo is a widower!"
An Guojun also raised his wine to avoid the banquet, and saluted the Wei envoy's seat, saying: "Qin'an Guojun, I would like to take the throne of King Qin as the king of Wei. King Wei's country is peaceful and peaceful, and the weather is good." He poured the wine on the ground and stood up to worship again.
Marquis Rang praised again: "Wei made it a tribute to the King of Qin!"
Duan Ziqian was well prepared and immediately wrote "There is a platform in the south mountain": "There is a platform in the south mountain and a rai in the north mountain. A gentleman is the foundation of a country. A gentleman has a long life. There are mulberry trees in the south mountain and poplars in the north mountain. Music is only a gentleman. A gentleman is the light of a country. A gentleman is happy and has a long life..."
Marquis Rang praised: "The king of Qin answered the poem!"
The King of Qin said: "The answer is based on the poem "There is a Terrace in Nanshan" written by Duanzi."
So the music started again. A group of female musicians sang in unison: "There are qi in the south mountain, and plums in the north mountain. Only gentlemen are happy, and they are the parents of the people. Only gentlemen are happy, and their virtues are endless. There are castanopsis in the southern mountains, and qi in the northern mountains. Only gentlemen are happy, and they have no eyebrows. Longevity. Music is only for a gentleman, and the sound of virtue is luxuriant. There are wolfberry trees in the south mountain, and 楰 in the north mountain. Music is only for a gentleman, and he is not a yellow coward. Music is only for a gentleman, and he protects the queen." While singing and dancing, he sang "There is a Terrace in the South Mountain" again and again. During the singing and dancing, the guests and hosts were honored and sang frequently.
Gradually, the music turned to Zhou Nan, and the female musicians sang "Locust Tree" again: "There are locust trees in the south, and the kudzu and weeds are exhausted. Only a gentleman can enjoy it, and the blessings are in Sui. There are locust trees in the south, and the kudzu and weeds are exhausted. There is only joy. A gentleman will be blessed with good fortune. There are locust trees in the south, and kudzu is lingering around them. A gentleman will be happy, and he will be blessed with good fortune."
Duan Ziqian stood up and worshiped: "Qin and Wei have a good marriage and an alliance. The walls and Zhi, and the ministers of our cities are unable to govern them. Fortunately, thanks to Qin's governance, all the people are nourished, and the widows and widowers all have their homes. Wei Shi praised it." If the king dares to give you back the wall and the gate, Wei Wei will use his power to follow behind and conquer it!"
The King of Qin said: "Marquis Rang has a life span of seventy years. He is in good health and has no disease. He is so beautiful! May Marquis Rang live his life as a blessing to the King of Wei."
Duan Ziqian didn't know what he meant, so he had to stand up and stand aside to receive blessings on behalf of King Wei.
Marquis Rang said: "I wish the king of Wei a long life. Gold and jade are cheap, but people are treasures!"
Duanzi said: "How good!"
King Qin said: "May I wish you again!"
Marquis Rang said: "I wish the King of Wei that he will not be ashamed to learn, and will not be ashamed to ask questions. Wise people will be by his side, and those who advise will win people."
Duanzi said: "How good!"
King Qin said: "May I wish you again!"
Marquis Rang said: "I wish the King of Wei that he will not offend his ministers and people."
Duan Ziqian said: "I heard that the son offended the father, the minister offended the king, but I have not heard that the king offended the minister."
Marquis Rang said: "When a son offends his father, he can be forgiven by his aunts and uncles, and the father can forgive him. When a minister offends the king, he can thank him for his convenience, and the king can forgive him. In the past, Jie offended Tang, and Zhou If you offend King Wu, then the king offends his ministers, so don't thank him, and you still won't forgive him."
The King of Qin said: "May the King of Wei be good at cultivating his way, and come to Suiyuan without losing his virtue, and the country will prosper day by day!"
Duan Ziqian said: "The king of our city may have made mistakes, and I have never heard of him being immoral!"
Lord Jingyang said: "The king's envoy went to Zhi and was expelled by the people. How can he lose his virtue?" Duan Ziqian was shocked when he heard this, but he couldn't think of anything to refute for the moment, and he was so anxious that sweat broke out on his forehead. .
