The little ant went into the Chu Palace to pay homage to the King of Chu. Xiao Yi saluted and looked at King Chu: "Your Majesty, today Xiao Yi is here to say goodbye to you." King Chu stood up and walked up, looked at Xiao Yi, and said: "Sir, you are leaving Widow Chong, why? Widow Chong did it. Isn't it good enough?" Xiao Yi said: "Your Majesty, you have done a good job in honoring your corporal. But Xiao Yi is determined to travel around the world, giving lectures and spreading Master's Confucianism. There is no such thing as a banquet in the world. I hope your Majesty can understand Xiao Yi." Chu The king asked again: "Where do you plan to go after you leave the Kingdom of Chu?" Xiao Yi said: "Luoyi, the capital of Zhou." King Chu said: "Okay, you can go." Xiao Yi bowed and said: " Your Majesty, Xiao Yi will say goodbye." King Chu and Xiao Yi turned their backs, waved their hands and said: "Let's go, let's go." Xiao Yi exited Chu Palace, turned around and left slowly. Walking briskly on the bluestone, even the walking was carried by the wind, and I felt much more relaxed.
The King of Chu stood at the door of the Chu Palace, watching the leaving figure of Xiao Yi. At this time, Zheng Ji walked out from behind the curtain and asked, "Your Majesty, sir, it's gone." King Chu looked outside the palace, his eyes never leaving, and said, "Yes, sir, it's gone. We have left the Kingdom of Chu." Zheng Ji then looked over and said, "It is better for me to let my concubine see off your husband." King Chu said, "Go ahead, I will treat you as teacher and student."
Xiao Yi drove away from here, followed by many disciples. Driving out of Shouchun, the capital of Chu State. Zheng Ji stood on the city tower and looked forward. She saw Xiao Yi driving out of the city and calling: "Sir, sir." Xiao Yi drove the car and stopped in front of the city gate and saw Zheng Ji standing on the city gate. Xiao Yi stood up, kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty." Zheng Ji walked down slowly, walked out of the city and stood in front of Xiao Yi. She kept looking into Xiao Ant's eyes and said, "Sir, are you leaving the Kingdom of Chu? "Xiao Yi replied: "Yes." Zheng Ji looked at Xiao Yi affectionately and said: "After Mr. leaves Chu State, Zheng Ji doesn't know when she will be able to see Mr.?" Xiao Yi said: "If there is a fate, I can still Yes. Madam, just let everything happen." Zheng Ji immediately said: "Okay, Zheng Ji believes in this fate. Zheng Ji is waiting for her husband to come back in the capital of Chu State." Xiao Yi bowed and stepped back, saying: "Little Yi, I'll take my leave now." He turned around and got into the carriage parked behind him, and slowly walked away with the other disciples. Zheng Ji immediately climbed up the tower, stood on the tower and looked away.
At that time, the state of Qin fought with the state of Chu, and the state of Chu was defeated. The prince was sent as a hostage to the state of Qin to sue for peace, in exchange for a few years of peace between the states of Qin and Chu. Now that the King of Chu is old, he plays with Zheng Ji in the harem and is not interested in government affairs, causing his power to fall away. Ling Yin was extremely powerful in the court, covering the sky with one hand, and he was amassing wealth in Chu State. The people dared to be angry but dared not speak out against him. Ling Yin is a representative of the strength of the nobility and has great wealth. Enclosure became the norm in Chu State. People had no land to cultivate and were forced to work as coolies for them. Therefore, the fate of Chu State was controlled by these nobles. Since the Warring States Period, this is also the fundamental reason why Chu State has been unable to recover the great achievements of King Zhuang. The old patriarchal system has been eroding the edifice of Chu State. The edifice will collapse like a terminally ill old insect. It is hopeless. There is only prosperity on the surface, but who knows that after the prosperity, it will be riddled with holes. After Xiao Yi arrived in Chu State and saw this, he could not change the current situation of Chu State and had no choice but to leave Chu State. General Qu Zhi is the younger brother of the patriotic poet Qu Ping. After Qu Ping was demoted to death in a foreign land, he became the only pillar of the Chu State and was often worried about the future of the Chu State. Today, the King of Chu is old and can still suppress the situation in the court. He is also looking for opportunities for change. Chu State is different from Qin State, Wei State, and Zhao State. What it lacks is a strong and arbitrary king. The strength of the nobility is so intricate and deep-rooted in the Chu State that it cannot be shaken for a while. Change is a powerful medicine. If it changes, it will turn the world upside down and shake the foundation of Chu State. The changes implemented by the kings of the past dynasties in the Chu State were only improvements, not thorough. Only then did these nobles have the opportunity to gradually grow bigger. Internal and external troubles have always been a worry for the Chu State. I think back then, when Qu Zhi's brother Qu Ping was talking about changes in the court, this was the so-called good government of Chu State. Because they offended the nobles or shaken their status, these nobles wanted to keep their positions in Chu State. status, they came to the former king to slander him one after another, and Qu Ping was demoted, which led to the failure of the reform. Change in the Chu State did not happen overnight. It needed to be taken into account the national conditions of the Chu State and be planned slowly. It required the hard work of several generations of kings. However, the subjects of the Chu State are living in peace and contentment. Who can guarantee that all the kings of the Chu State will be rulers of the world? Now the King of Chu is old. Once the King of Chu dies, the Chu State will fall into civil strife that lasts for decades like the Qi State.
At this time, Qu Zhi thought of the prince who was still in the state of Qin as a hostage. Only by taking the prince back could he prevent a civil strife in the state of Chu. When Qu Zhi thought of this, he immediately stood up and said, "I'm going to the State of Qin." The diners kneeling on both sides looked confused, thinking in their hearts, why are you going to the State of Qin? Qin is a country of tigers and wolves and has no credibility at all. Recall that when the late king went to Qin to negotiate peace, he was directly detained in Xianyang by the King of Qin. He sent troops to attack Yingdu, the capital of Chu, which caused the fall of Yingdu. The late king never returned to Chu until his death. The thought of this also makes them tremble with fear. Isn't this death in vain? Qu Zhi faced these disciples and said, "I am going to the State of Qin to pick up the prince who is still in Qin as a hostage. If the king dies, the State of Chu will fall into civil strife. This is something we don't want to see." Some disciples came up to him. The front man said: "Let's go to Qin with the general." Qu Zhi said: "You don't have to worry, I will find a way to escape after entering Qin."
Qu Zhi entered Qin alone with a swordsman. After the prince of Chu entered Qin, his life was not very satisfactory like that of other hostages from other countries. Once a war breaks out between the two countries, they are likely to be a shield. On the outskirts of Xianyang City, there is a thatched house with only two or three rooms for his food and daily life. His life is no different from that of ordinary people. They don't have the same freedom as ordinary people. They are monitored by the king, and they are not as good as ordinary people. Life was restricted, and the prince of Chu suffered a lot in Qin. He was not welcomed by other nobles, and his life was even more difficult. He was reduced to begging on the streets, and his life was even more embarrassing. Who would have thought that it was the prince of Chu? It was very different from when he first came to Qin, and he was extravagant. After arriving in the Qin State, his only hobby was gambling. He often went to various casinos, big and small, with a tight air, and was followed by many younger brothers. Now its life is unsustainable, and its little brothers have left it. Now it's all squandered. If it hadn't been for a little help from the Prime Minister, it might have starved to death on the streets. The Prime Minister also had a purpose in sponsoring him. He must still be the crown prince of Chu State.
After General Qu Zhi entered Xianyang, the capital of Qin, he first visited the prince. General Qu Zhi stood outside Chaimen and said to himself: "It turns out that the prince lives in a place like this." A feeling came to his heart, and he ordered the swordsman who followed him, "You go to the market to buy some food. ." The swordsman retreated. General Qu Zhi pushed open the wood door and walked in. The garden was overgrown with weeds, and no insects had taken care of it for a long time. Looking around the surrounding environment, it gives the insect a dirty and messy feeling. General Qu Zhi walked up slowly and opened the door. Seeing the prince lying on the grass couch covered in slovenly clothes, he called out: "Prince." The prince was startled immediately, pulled out his dagger and said, "Who are you?" Qu Zhi stood at the door and said: "Prince, I am from the state of Chu. How humiliating!" Prince Xiong Chong brushed his disheveled hair, and after looking at it, he burst into tears, ran up and knelt down, and said: "I have been waiting for you for ten years, and Chong has finally come to our Chu country. It’s been ten years, General! Do you know how I got here these ten years? Life is worse than death! I don’t want to stay in Qin anymore, I’m going crazy. General, please, save me I’ll go back to Chu State.”
The swordsman went to the market and bought a roast chicken. He went back into the thatched house and put the roast chicken on the table. Qu Zhi looked at the roast chicken on the tables and said, "Prince, you must have not eaten for a long time. Eat it quickly." The prince kept looking at the roast chicken on the tables with a blank expression, and he was filled with greed. saliva. Sit down and start eating in front of a few tables. The prince had indeed not eaten for a long time, and his stomach was so hungry that his chest was pressed against his back. Faced with the temptation of this delicious food, he ate it with big mouthfuls. His mouth was full of oil. Sometimes he licked his fallen hair and said: " I haven't eaten such delicious food for a long time." General Qu Zhi sat aside and looked at the prince's eating appearance. He couldn't bear it and said, "I will go to see Prime Minister Qin and let you go back to the country." The prince nodded hurriedly and said "Okay, okay." Qu Zhi stood up and walked out. The prince caught up with him and called out, "General." General Qu Zhi turned around and said, "Prince, is there anything else you can do?" The prince said, "If I can really return to the country, I will inherit the throne." As for the throne of my father, you are my king of Chu." Qu Zhi said "good" and ran towards the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Qu Zhi stood in front of the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, looking up at the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion. When he walked forward, he was blocked by several guards, who asked, "Who are you? Why did you come to see my Prime Minister?" General Qu Zhi said, "Just say. Qu Zhi, the envoy of the Chu State, came to see the Prime Minister of Qin." The guard went to report first, and then Qu Zhi entered the Prime Minister's Mansion, clasped his hands in front of him and saluted: "Prime Minister Qin." Prime Minister Qin sat in front of several cases, looked up and said, "You are the one. General Qu Zhi, the foreign envoy." Qu Zhi replied, "Exactly." Qin Xiang said again, "Envoy from Chu, please sit down." After Qu Zhi thanked him, he sat aside. Prime Minister Qin asked again, "Why did the envoy from Chu come to my country, Qin Dynasty?" What?" Qu Zhi said: "Take the prince back to the country." Qin Xiang asked again: "Why?" Qu Zhi said: "The king is critically ill, and the prince is the king's only heir. I hope the prime minister will be more accommodating." Qin Xiang said thoughtfully: "If the prince is allowed to return to the country, what good will it do to our country, Qin?" Qu Zhi said: "If the prince returns to the Chu country to inherit the throne, the whole country of Chu will be grateful for your kindness, and will be reconciled with your Qin country from generation to generation, and will connect the Qi country with the Qin country. Aren’t the strategies of other vassal states to unite themselves without attack? We, the State of Chu, ceded the land in central Guizhou to Qin State as a token of reconciliation between Chu and Qin. I wonder what Prime Minister Qin thinks?" Qin Lianlian continued. He nodded and said: "Okay, this requires the truth to be reported to the king." Qu straightened up and stepped forward and said: "I will just wait for the good news from Prime Minister Qin." Then he withdrew.
Qu Zhi entered the thatched hut where the prince lived. The prince hurriedly stepped forward and said, "General, how did you go about entering the prime minister's palace?" General Qu Zhi said, "I have convinced the prime minister of Qin, and the prime minister of Qin immediately went to the palace to meet the king of Qin. "The prince clapped his hands and applauded, and said: "Okay! I can finally return to Chu. I, Xiong Chong, have recorded the general's achievements." Qu Zhi said with some worry: "Prince, don't be happy too early. I heard that King Qin He is suspicious and jealous by nature, so he may not let the prince return to Chu." After hearing this, the prince became anxious and paced, "What should we do? What should we do?" Then he faced General Qu Zhi and said, "General, do you want to Think of a way." Seeing that Qu Zhi was deep in thought and silent, he immediately knelt down and said, "General, I, Xiong Chong, beg you." Qu Zhi immediately helped the prince up and said, "Prince, get up." Qu Zhi was deep in thought. After a long time, he said: "Yes, the prince can take my carriage and leave the city immediately. As long as the prince leaves Xianyang, the prince will be safe."
