Xu Wen never expected that the three military towns he had worked so hard to manage, with tens of thousands of troops, would be of no use in the end.
And the chess game that had been planned since the death of Wu Peixian in the seventh year of Yuanyou was constantly deduced and revised according to current events. After countless calculations, in the end, it was still dense and sparse. Two chess pieces appeared out of thin air on the chessboard, one was in the sky. That one is a disciple of Taozu.
There was such a big commotion, and it was impossible for the leader of the Dafeng rebels who had already sat on the throne not to know about it. A subjugated general, who already respected his own troops, had long since become an outsider sleeping soundly beside the emperor's bed. Therefore, the emperor had long wanted to eradicate him. However, due to the fact that the great cause of "unification" had not yet been realized, the territory was completely destroyed. There can be no civil strife, so they haven't taken action yet.
But whoever it is, can't bear this act of kicking the nose and face. You, a little city gate captain, dare to surround and kill the prince privately? Do you think that if you kill first and play later, your merits and demerits will be offset? At present, facing the threat of the Dajing Dynasty, the imperial court is not fully prepared and still needs to rest and catch its breath. If you, Xu Wen, really hold up the head of the Dajing Prince to tell the world today, you will be throwing Dafeng into a pit of fire. Are you forced?
Therefore, after the Dafeng rebel court heard about this incident, everyone was furious. What's more, when they heard that Xu Wen had colluded with the three religions and did not follow the laws of the king, they immediately kowtowed and begged the emperor to send troops to encircle and suppress him immediately.
In the end, His Majesty the Emperor neither answered nor failed to answer.
Because he was sitting on a high dragon chair, and at a glance, those courtiers who were filled with righteous indignation, cursed and criticized, and who regarded Xinjiang as their own flesh and blood, were all famous officials who had served the orthodox royal family of Dafeng.
"Who doesn't want wealth and honor? Once a yellow robe is put on your body, even if you don't want to do it, will you be able to get it?"
During the Eight Kings Rebellion, on the way to Beijing, he wore a yellow robe and was able to sit on this dragon chair, so he understood this truth better than anyone else.
Xu Wen can kill or not. Killing is the last resort. Not killing is the middle policy. Soothing is the best policy. As for the best policy, it is to "accumulate a lot of money, market the land and house, leave children and grandchildren, sing and dance for the rest of the life, there will be no suspicion between the monarch and his ministers, first dismiss the officials, then promote them, favor and favor them, and use the enemies to control them" enemy."
Therefore, after the incident, Xu Wen did not lose his life, but was dismissed from his official position. He was also afraid that he would lead his troops to the enemy, so he was given fertile land, a market house, gold and beauties. In addition, the emperor secretly sent someone to meet with him, and the two parties had a long and unknown conversation.
In Yicheng, at the feet of the emperor, the Zhou family's mansion exploded.
Because the jewel in the Zhou family's eye has been missing for several days, and she is back today.
The mistress, Mrs. Zhang, had been suffering a lot these past few days and almost went crazy. When she saw her daughter come back safe and sound, she burst into tears. Her servants could not persuade her anymore, and she fainted from crying in the end.
The steward quickly called the doctor and sent someone to the palace to bring the news to the head of the family.
So, the head of the Zhou family, who was enduring great grief to praise the emperor, suddenly learned that his daughter had returned safely, and he burst into tears for a moment.
He put down the blurred memorial, stood up, his legs and feet were weak, and hurried out, fearing that he would lose sight of his daughter if he went back a little later.
With his eyes blurred by tears, he couldn't see the road in front of him clearly, so when he crossed the threshold, he bumped into a person who was about to enter the house.
The servants of the Zhou family on the side were almost frightened to death. They knelt down with a plop and begged sadly: "Your Majesty, have mercy on me, Your Majesty, have mercy on me!"
But instead of getting angry, His Majesty the Emperor quickly supported the minister who was about to kneel and said with a smile: "I am a fourth-grade warrior, how can I be so weak? Please forgive me."
The head of the Zhou family quickly wiped away his tears, bowed and saluted, and said: "Your Majesty..."
Before he could finish speaking, the emperor interrupted him, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile: "I know, go ahead."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
When the head of the Zhou family passed by the emperor quickly, he suddenly found a woman with a veil standing next to a pillar not far away. She looked familiar, but she felt like she had seen her before, but couldn't remember.
In the past, this thoughtful courtier would have thought about it carefully, but now he was anxious to go back to see his daughter, so he turned and left without thinking too much.
"I never expected that such a dangerous thing would be done by a girl in the end. Such courage and insight are much better than most men in the world." The emperor sighed with emotion.
The masked woman stood beside him at some point and said: "It is rare to see a lady from a famous family with a character like hers. She is the only one. If it were anyone else who fell into that kind of situation for the first time, It’s impossible not to be afraid of a massive siege.”
The emperor nodded, "Gentle and beautiful, and a hero among women, the Zhou family is really well-educated. If everyone is like this, there will be no chaos. If you follow the great road, the world will be fair."
"The golden mean, which is highly praised by Confucianism, is worthless when you say this."
The emperor smiled and said: "Being virtuous and benevolent, isn't what I'm talking about recommended by Confucianism? Speaking of which, I heard that when Emperor Wen served as the assistant to the late Emperor Bi, he sat in the Tianyi Pavilion for more than thirty years and read all the books. Zibaijia is so knowledgeable that even the big guys from the three religions come to ask for advice. I have only lost once in my life when discussing Taoism."
The woman said calmly: "Losing to Queen Dajing is not a shameful thing. On the chessboard, some people are invincible at the beginning, and some people are invincible at the end, but few people can be extremely good in the middle game. Therefore, In my opinion, Queen Dajing’s chess ability ranks among the top three in the world.”
The emperor nodded and sighed softly: "So many people in the world want her son to die, but they fail every time. It depends not on luck, but on chess skills."
The woman shook her head, "A chess piece that is inherently weak can easily break in the hands of a powerful chess player. That's why the sage said that rotten wood cannot be carved. This is the truth. It cannot be attributed to external objects. .”
"It is rare for the Imperial Master to comment like this."
The emperor suddenly remembered a Taoist event that had been widely circulated in recent days - the Lotus Cave was granted the title of Pardon Spring Official. It is hard to imagine how prosperous a young man in his twenties will be if he rises to a high position and takes charge of many major and minor matters in a cave.
Looking back at myself, I am already halfway through my life. In the first half of his life, he experienced poverty and bitterness, running for scraps of silver, and in the second half of his life, he suddenly became an emperor. He thought he could fulfill his ambitions and leave a name in history. But when he looked around the next day, all he saw was smoke and fire, and people were in ruins, even at any time. He may become the king of subjugation.
There were ups and downs, ups and downs, and gradually, he understood a truth.
When it comes to fate, don't talk about justice.
Just like some children are born into a wealthy family. Their father is a powerful minister with the Purple Seal and Jade Award, and their mother is a royal wife with a noble status. They are protected and can become an official when they grow up.
And some children lost their parents when they were born. They barely grew up on the food of hundreds of families. They traveled around to study and seek official positions. After going through many hardships, they still failed to see the emperor.
So it is not difficult to see that in this world, some people are destined to bear suffering, and some people are destined to symbolize happiness. And for the good of some people, some people have to bear the burden and suffering.
So why can't everyone be equally happy?
The reason is very simple. It is the golden mean advocated by Confucianism. If differences are lost, the world will be a pool of stagnant water.
So is there a way to salvation, a way out of this fate of suffering?
Of course there are. For example, a poor official jumped from the dragon gate and became the first minister of the dynasty. Another example is a poor scholar who can't even afford a pen and inkstone. In the end, he became an inner saint and an outer king, with three thousand disciples.
But these people are only a minority after all. The way to salvation cannot be forced.
And since there is no justice in fate, does it mean that the Taoist saying that "heaven and earth are unkind, and treat all things as stupid dogs" is wrong?
This question had troubled him for a long time, until one night, he accidentally flipped through the Taoist books at hand and found what he thought was the answer.
"The husband's cud dog is not old, so he put it in a basket and spread it, and the scarf is embroidered with Chinese characters. The corpse is fasting and it is very old. The traveler tramples on its head and spine, and the Su one just takes it and picks it up."
A rut dog is used with dignity and dignity, and then discarded like a harem. Nothing in the world is better than this. Therefore, "Heaven and Earth are not benevolent and treat all things as rut dogs." They just let all things go through their own process like a dwe dog.
Whether it is prosperity or poverty, whether it is suffering or symbolizing happiness, the result is the same.
Just like peach blossoms in spring, drizzle in summer, red leaves in autumn, and broken snow in winter, these scenes are found in both rich and poor families, and they are extremely comforting.
"When does the emperor think Dajing will send troops?" the emperor asked.
"Then it depends on when the prince comes. If my guess is correct, the Lord of the Cave Heaven should be his preacher, and most likely his protector. The pardon ceremony has just passed these days, It is very likely that he is preparing to preach. If the prince's understanding is good enough, it may only take a few days. If his understanding is not good, it may take months or even years."
The emperor smiled bitterly and said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on for that long."
"No." The woman shook her head and said: "In fact, there is no need to be so anxious about granting a pardon to Chunguan. He can help you regain your kingdom and then serve as Chunguan. The current situation is so tight, and he dares to do this. Obviously, he has left behind hand."
The emperor smiled and said: "Actually, I feel a lot more relieved now that the Imperial Master is here."
Seeing that she was silent, the emperor quietly asked: "With you here, and the help of the prince and the Dajing Dynasty, what are our chances of winning?"
She did not answer directly, but said: "Xu Wen's collusion with the Yin and Yang family. If I were the rebel leader, not only would I not punish him, but I would use him as a plank to collude with the Yin and Yang family. They want to kill Dajing. Prince, I think all nine states are the same, and we can cooperate with each other and get what we need."
"Of course, it's impossible for me to lose when I play chess with the Queen of Dajing. I just don't know how many games I won. It's possible to win only half a game, or it's possible to win completely."
