Fan Ju returned to the state of Wei fearlessly. Just when he hoped that Xu Jia could strongly recommend him and make him prosperous, Xu Jia actually went to the office of Wei Qi, the prime minister of the state of Wei. Wei Qi was a mediocre man and had always trusted Xu Jia. Under Xu Jia's jealous narrative, Wei Qi hated Fan Ju.
Wei Qi believed that the reason why he sent Fan Ju as an envoy to Qi was to show his trust in him. Now he found out that Fan Ju did not repay his kindness and instead betrayed his country for glory. Of course he was very angry. So, he hurriedly sent people to arrest Fan Ju.
At the same time, Wei Qi immediately summoned all officials and guests to hold a grand banquet, with the purpose of forcing Fan Ju to confess in front of them, so as to serve as a warning to the monkeys. When Fan Ju was first arrested, he didn't know why, but when he saw the strange look on Xu Jia's face in the hall, he knew it. Looking back on what he had done, there was no omission, but when he was on a mission to Qi, Xu Jia was dissatisfied with him. He expected that Xu Jia must have slandered the Prime Minister Wei Qi, and Wei Qi treated him like this. Unexpectedly, before Fan Ju could argue, Wei Qi asked his soldiers to hold him down. In an instant, the sticks came down, causing pain to Fan Ju's bones. But Fan Ju believed that he was not at fault, so there was nothing to be done with him. Once he was forced to admit the evidence of Tongqi's crimes that Wei Qi and others wanted, what awaited him would only be the confiscation of his family and the annihilation of his family.
Therefore, no matter how Wei Qi tortured him, he just kept silent. But in his heart he must be filled with resentment and unexplainable sorrow for being unfairly wronged. After a hundred strokes, Fan Ju was already a bloody mess. However, Wei Qi did not let Fan Ju go. He asked the jailer to come and splash cold water on him to wake him up and continue beating him until he took the attack. This night was Fan Ju's lifelong nightmare. He suffered unimaginable pain, but the jailer, Wei Qi, Xu Jia and others did not soften their hearts. When they were tired of watching, Wei Qi and Xu Jia went to rest; when they were tired of beating, the jailers took a sip of wine and sprayed it on Fan Ju's body.
Fan Ju fainted and woke up several times in the severe pain, as if he had walked on the road to hell several times, and turned around countless times before the gate of hell. It was worse than death.
The next day, Fan Ju's ribs were broken, his teeth fell out, and his flesh and blood were blurred after being beaten all night. The jailer told Wei Qi that Fan Ju was dead.
Wei Qi laughed loudly after hearing this, and then said that such people deserved to die, and they could not escape the blame for ten thousand deaths. He believed that this was the only way to scare the monkeys and let others know the consequences of betraying Wei. However, Fan Ju never confessed his crime from beginning to end, and the "conspiracy" between him and Qi will be buried in the earth forever.
However, Wei Qi would not even let Fan Juyong's wish to be buried in the loess come true. Since he didn't have nine tribes to kill, Wei Qi could only work on Fan Ju's body. So Wei Qi ordered the jailers to wrap Fan Ju's body in a straw mat and throw it into the pit. His intention is obvious, that is, he wants everyone to leave filth on him, so that he will be infamous for thousands of years after his death. In the evening that day, a gust of breeze blew through the toilet, and Fan Ju woke up and turned around. He groaned under the severe pain.
Unfortunately, the sound was discovered by the guard outside the toilet. As a result, the soldier walked over cautiously and tremblingly, thinking to himself: Could it be that the soul of the person who had just died was possessed? Or is his ghost returning to avenge Fan Ju?
The guard was shocked when he saw Fan Ju alive. But he soon understood that Fan Ju was not dead, but was seriously injured.
Although Fan Ju was already furious, he immediately had a clear understanding of his situation: He could not return home by himself now, and if he delayed for another moment and a half, he would definitely die; the guard came over Either go and report your situation, and you will definitely not be able to escape. So Fan Ju decided to take advantage of people's greed and compassion.
Fan Ju's life should not be cut off. He told the guard that he was now a useless person and no longer a threat to anyone. If he could let him go and send him back home so that he could return to his roots, As a ghost himself, he would definitely be grateful for the guard's great kindness. All the gold and silver treasures in the family will be given to the guard as a token of gratitude, which should be repaid with a spring of water.
The guard thought to himself that even if he reported the news that Fan Ju did not die immediately, the superior would receive the credit for his merit. What's more, Fan Ju might die on the way, and then he would be charged with lying. This Fan Ju was also pitiful. He was thrown into a manure pit after his death, so they simply sent him back. Fan Ju is still a state official, and his family will definitely have a lot of treasures. As long as he is sent back, he will definitely get some benefits.
So, Fan Ju's plan succeeded. The guard asked Fan Ju to pretend to be dead, and then sent him back when it was dark. The guard was also smart. In order to send Fan Ju back smoothly, he actually told the superiors directly that Fan Ju had begun to rot in the toilet and the stench was really unbearable. Wei Qi heard this and said directly, since Fan Ju is dead, leaving him in the toilet will affect people's enjoyment of going to the toilet. Instead of letting him rot, it is better for the guards to throw him into the wilderness, and let the hungry people A hungry wolf can have a feast.
So, when the sky darkened, the jailer picked up Wei Xi and Fan Ju together and sent them to Fan Ju's home. When Fan Ju's wife saw him, she was immediately shocked and gave the jailer a few taels of gold to let him go. But halfway there, the jailer suddenly realized that the reed mat had not been taken away. So he rushed to Fan Ju's house without stopping, took the reed mat and threw it into the wilderness. Only in this way can everything be guaranteed to be foolproof.
Fan Ju finally relied on his composure, wit and decisiveness to gain a chance of survival in a certain death situation. However, he is not out of danger yet, because he is still in the Wei State, and Wei Qi, the Prime Minister of Wei State, has eyes and ears all over Daliang City. To escape, he needs to make careful planning.
Fan Ju's wife couldn't help but feel sad when she saw that Fan Ju had been beaten into a human shape.
Seeing this, Fan Ju stretched out his right hand to stop his wife's crying. Because he is already a dead person in name, he must not alarm others. So, his wife hurriedly cleaned up the dirty Fan Ju, and at the same time wiped away the traces in the house. In order not to reveal the hidden treasure, I can't go out to ask the doctor yet.
Seeing that his wife was anxious, Fan Ju told her two things:
The first thing is how to properly arrange Fan Ju's affairs. For this purpose, no strangers can be relied on, and acquaintances also need life-and-death friendships to ensure safety. It just so happened that Fan Ju had a sworn brother named Zheng Anping in the Ximen Alley, which could be a temporary place for him to stay.
The second thing is to deal with what happened after he left. If his wife turns a blind eye to the news of his death, it will inevitably arouse others' suspicion. Therefore, Fan Ju's wife had to perform two scenes the next day: the first scene was to go and ask for the body. Obviously Wei Qi and others thought that Fan Ju had been thrown into the wilderness and naturally could not hand it over. In this way, Wei Qi's suspicions can be calmed; in the second scene, the mourning ceremony is held at home and the mourning is carried out, and the mourning process can be strengthened to enhance the effect of concealment.
Fan Ju's wife immediately understood what Fan Ju meant, so she sent Fan Ju to the home of his good brother Zheng Anping all night.
After returning home, Fan Ju's wife did everything as Fan Ju said. The next day, she pulled a cart and went to Wei Qi's place to ask for the body. When Wei Qi heard the news, he blocked her with disdain, saying that he had not seen the body of this person and that it might have been picked up by a wild wolf. So Fan Ju's wife cried and made a fuss outside Wei Qi's place, and was eventually driven away. When she returned home, she set up mourning hall again and wore sackcloth and mourning. In this way, Fan Ju's death had turned from false to true.
Fan Ju arrived at Zheng Anping's house, and Zheng Anping invited a doctor he could trust and know well to treat his injuries and prolong his life. Hard work paid off, and soon after, Fan Ju's injury took a turn for the better. Half a month passed, the noise in the city gradually dissipated, and Fan Ju recovered as before.
Although Zheng Anping is not a high-ranking official, he has one advantage: he is very loyal. In order to save Fan Ju, he abandoned his family and went directly to Juci Mountain (now southwest of Xinzheng, Henan) with Fan Ju to find a hiding place for Fan Ju. Of course, Fan Ju at this time is no longer the original Fan Ju. He already had a suspicion towards the Kingdom of Wei in his heart, and he no longer longed for the King of Wei's important use as before, hoping to make contributions to the Kingdom of Wei. At this time, Fan Ju had changed his name to Zhang Lu.
At this time, Fan Ju was very confused about the future. The State of Wei is no longer his habitat. Even if he is full of talent and unrestrained, he will not be reused by the State of Wei. Qi State is a place to go. The King of Qi made a promise to him at the beginning. As long as he can go to Qi State, he will be awarded a high official and a generous salary. However, although the Qi State at this time was restored due to Tian Dan's efforts, its strength was not as good as before. Its national power had been greatly damaged, and it could only compete with the Qin State in terms of economic strength. Qi State has fallen from its status as a powerful country, and there is only one hegemon left in the entire Warring States Period - Qin State. In addition, the King of Qi once invited Fan Ju to join the Qi State when he was in full swing, but Fan Ju refused. If Fan Ju goes again at this time, he will really have a hard time with his face. Even if the King of Qi is very happy, Fan Ju cannot disregard propriety, justice and shame for the sake of his future. His subordinates will definitely look down on him.
Considering these factors, Fan Ju could only find another way out.
In the forty-fourth year of King Nan of Zhou Dynasty (271 BC), King Zhaoxiang of Qin sent envoy Wang Ji to visit Wei. At this time, Wei State no longer had much threat in the eyes of Qin State. Before the Battle of Huayang, the State of Wei had already lost many troops and generals. If the State of Qin wanted to destroy the State of Wei, it would be as easy as searching a bag to get something.
However, although Wei's situation was over, the strength of Chu and Zhao still existed. Intimidated by their power, Qin could not immediately destroy Wei. In order to protect its own security, the State of Wei adopted the strategy of ceding territory and seeking peace. Therefore, the State of Qin took advantage of the situation and made good relations with the State of Wei in order to temporarily stabilize it.
Wei's strength is obviously weaker than Qin's, and diplomacy has always been a game for the strong, so the person Qin sent to Wei as an envoy was not a high-ranking official, but an unknown figure. But this little-known Wang Ji became a key figure in changing the history of Qin due to this trip.
All of this is due to the historical tradition of Qin.
Since Qin Xiaogong and Shang Yang's reforms, Qin has gradually realized the national ideal of making the country rich and powerful. Through the unremitting efforts of several generations of King Huiwen, King Wu, and King Zhao, Qin became increasingly powerful and gradually became a country superior to the six eastern countries. Since Duke Xiao of Qin, the State of Qin has recognized the importance of talents, and has gradually formed a traditional policy: those who recommend virtuous people will receive the same rewards as virtuous people, while those who recommend unworthy people will also receive the same punishment as unworthy people. Under the guidance of this policy, the wise men of Qin always paid attention and visited talents.
The turning point happened at this time.
Zheng Anping knew Fan Ju's talents best and admired him very much. He also hoped that one day his sworn brother would be able to achieve great success, and that he would also be able to "achieve the Tao alone and ascend to heaven".
Before that, Fan Ju had told his sworn brother that in today's world, only Qin could allow him to display his talents, and no other country was advisable. There are three reasons for this: first, among the seven heroes of the Warring States Period, the Qin State was the most powerful; second, although the Queen Mother Xuan is in charge of the Qin State now, King Zhaoxiang of Qin Ying Ji will definitely have the desire to rule personally. Timing; thirdly, the employment system of Qin State is the most flexible, and officials can be appointed in an eclectic way. As long as they are talented, they will be reused. However, how to reach Qin and be appreciated by the rulers of Qin was the biggest problem Fan Ju faced.
While Zheng Anping and Fan Ju were both worrying about their future, the arrival of a man gave them hope. This man was Wang Ji, the envoy of the State of Qin.
Fan Ju and Zheng Anping discussed that although Wang Ji was an envoy of the State of Qin, the security of his residence was not very strict. Therefore, it is entirely possible for them to find an opportunity to sneak in, arrive in front of Wang Ji, and introduce themselves.
Just when the two of them came to Wang Ji's house the next day, they were ready to take the opportunity to sneak in. They discovered that there was a notice posted at the door. The content was roughly that the Qin envoy had just arrived and the embassy needed to be cleaned. Hereby, we were recruiting handymen from the residents of Wei.
Seeing this, Fan Ju smiled bitterly and shook his head. Although he was not a high-ranking official in the Wei State, he was still a talented person with many talents. How could he be demeaned and do such a vulgar job? However, for the sake of his own future, he had to do this. Only by enduring hardship can one become a master. What does it mean to suffer this humiliation? Compared to being beaten half to death and thrown into a latrine, this humiliation pales in comparison.
Just when he decided to sign up as a handyman, Zheng Anping stopped him. Zheng Anping told him that he would be able to display his talents once he had the opportunity, and he would definitely be a high-ranking official in the future, so he should not do what a slave should do. Even if he doesn't care, he will be laughed at in the future. It's better to let him, a brother, go ahead with such a thing.
Fan Ju couldn't defeat Zheng Anping, so he could only watch him apply, feeling deeply moved in his heart.
Therefore, Zheng Anping naturally became a slave of Wang Ji's house. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at Wang Ji's house, he became a waiter around Wang Ji and could see Wang Ji sooner or later. Zheng Anping advanced and retreated in a controlled manner, and his words and deeds did not look like a vulgar handyman, so among the many handymen, he quickly stood out.
Wang Ji noticed him soon. Seeing this, Zheng Anping worked even harder, which made Wang Ji feel relieved every time. Gradually, Zheng Anping gained the right to talk to Wang Ji.
One sunny afternoon, Wang Ji called someone to send a message and asked Zheng Anping to come over immediately and discuss something with him. At this time, Zheng Anping also felt that the time was ripe. He was going to come to Zheng Anping's room and talk to him on an excuse to recommend Fan Ju.
When Zheng Anping approached Wang Ji, Wang Ji asked him if he would like to return to Qin with him. Zheng Anping did not answer. Because he didn't know why Wang Ji asked this. After a while, Wang Ji asked him to sit down, and then asked: "Do you know if there are wise people in Wei who are willing to come to Qin with me to develop?" Zheng Anping was overjoyed when he heard this. He knew that he and Fan Ju After waiting for a long time, the clouds finally cleared and the sun finally appeared, showing that the Emperor and Heaven had paid off. So he hurriedly replied: "Sir, I asked the common people if there were any wise men in Wei. In the past, the merchant kings of Qin also came from Wei. It can be seen that most of the capable people in the world came from Wei. Mr. Meng favored him. Consulting with the people, they will naturally recommend someone who is no worse than Lord Shang. This person is Mr. Zhang Lu from Caomin Township. He has admired your name for a long time and knows your virtues, so he wants to visit the envoy to discuss the rise and fall of the world. . The common people know that Mr. Zhang must be confused as to why Zhang Lu came to visit him in such a dishonest manner during the day. This is because he has enemies here, so he can only wait until night to come." When Wang Ji heard that there was a wise man, he naturally would not criticize him harshly. Come at night or during the day, it doesn't even matter if he is a sinner of Wei State. In the past, wasn't Shang Yang also hunted by Wei and fled to Qin where he was reused? So Wang Ji quickly said: "You are welcome. Since you are a capable person, you can come here at night. If it is true, I will not treat you badly."
Zheng Anping was overjoyed when he heard this, so he asked Wang Ji for leave and returned to his hometown that day. When Fan Ju heard that the Qin envoy was so courteous to the virtuous corporal, he could not help but become more determined to go to Qin to show his ambitions.
