King Zhao didn't take Zhuang Xun's expression of loyalty seriously, because there were too many people expressing loyalty to him every day, and Zhuang Xun was just one of them.
"King Xiayou said something serious. It is also King Xiayou who is benevolent and righteous and can be recognized by everyone. What does King Xiayou think of our Zhao country?"
The sedan chair was carried by everyone, courtesy was exchanged, and Zhuang Xun expressed his loyalty. In this cordial atmosphere, King Zhao did not hit anyone with a smile.
Dongcheng is an aristocratic city, with row upon row of buildings, pavilions and pavilions decorated with colored glaze. It looks neat, comfortable, elegant and refined.
With the attitude of a master, he generously showed his country to Zhuang Xun. This city really made him proud.
"It's so beautiful that it deserves to be a big country in the Central Plains. It's a prosperous scene that small countries on the edge of our country have never seen before."
The humility shown was not only because Zhuang Xun had something in his heart now, but also because at this moment he clearly knew that he was a piece of meat on Zhao Guo's chopping board.
Xuannv was protecting herself, but Xuannv was in seclusion, so Shang discussed dealing with Zhao Guo first. After all, escaping from Zhao Guo still needed to be explored, and he could not make a hasty decision.
"After unifying the world, King Xia can live here in the future. I can build a separate palace for King Xia so that King Xia can also enjoy the prosperity of Zhao Kingdom."
Zhuang Xun's words satisfied King Zhao's vanity. He laughed and spoke boldly, as if the world was in his hands and he was proud of the prosperity of Zhao.
Even when he calls Zhuang Xun, he no longer calls him King Xia You, but King Xia. The two-character king is not as good as the one-character king. This can be regarded as his promise to Zhuang Xun to cooperate well with the Zhao State. When the Zhao State unifies the world, Zhuang Xun Asked if he could enjoy the treatment of a king after surrendering in the future.
"Of course, if King Xia misses his homeland and wants to seal the land, I will not stop him at that time, so that King Xia can be free."
Drawing a pie, in order not to offend Zhuang Xun, King Zhao added that it didn't cost anything to draw a pie anyway, so he didn't have to worry about these petty profits when he conquered the world.
"Thank you for your mercy, Your Majesty. My little king comes from a humble background. He is extremely lucky to be able to settle down in the Kingdom of Zhao. When I was humble, I once wanted to come to the Kingdom of Zhao to seek a life. Now I can live in a palace. Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty."
Zhuang Xun naturally agreed with his mouth, his expression was excited and joyful, and he kept thanking him, because he didn't want to argue with King Zhao. Under the sword of others, he could only express gratitude.
"King Xia was joking. King Xia said that he would soon be my relative. It would be nice to live in Jinyang by then, so that we can be closer to the whole family."
King Zhao expected to say that he felt that Jinyang was the most perfect capital of the country. He also felt that although Zhuang Xun was half-compliment, he was still honest. He felt very comfortable after hearing this, and naturally became very close to him and became relatives.
"Xiao Wangzheng doesn't know how to tell His Majesty. It's also a private matter and I can't speak." Zhuang Xun shook his head pretending to be embarrassed.
"Human nature is romantic and elegant." King Zhao smiled brightly, with a hint of snickering.
When he first heard the news, he was so shocked that he stood up directly. Queen Mother Jiang said that Zhuang Xun asked to marry her. King Zhao couldn't believe it, but he thought it was reasonable.
My mother Fu Rong is beautiful, has a noble and extraordinary temperament, her skin is like a flower, and she is just like a concubine descending from heaven. Isn't it normal to be loved and pursued by others?
But he objected on the spot. After all, it was unjustifiable for the mother of Queen Zhao to marry, and it was a slap in the face.
Earth, my mother has found a man younger than me, and most people can't stand it, let alone Zhao Guo, who has some etiquette teachings.
If this was really the case, King Zhao would put his face on his face and be speechless, so he immediately asked unwillingly: "Queen mother, do you want to marry him? Do you like him too? I don't agree."
"How is it possible? The Ai family only sees him as a destined person and a koi carp. I am telling you that they want to ask you for a princess title."
Empress Dowager Jiang's thoughts have been made very clear, so she won't elaborate further. From her perspective, marrying Lan Qiu to Zhuang Xun is already a blessing.
She did not regard Zhuang Xun as a rival for world supremacy, but as a minister to control in the future. Her natural thought was to let Lan Qiu marry him, so it was natural.
After all, Zhuang Xun's appearance and easy-going personality don't seem to have any ambition to dominate the world, and there is no threat.
"In the name of the princess?" King Zhao was also in a situation where the window paper was not broken.
"The Ai family wants to marry Lan Qiu to him, to serve as our spy in the Xia Kingdom, and to be the nail in the coffin that the Xia Kingdom cannot betray us. After all, the Xia Kingdom is capricious and does not deserve too much trust."
"The Ai family lied to the outside world that she is a cousin of the Ai family, so Lan Qiu should be given the status of a princess, so that the married woman can match her status."
Mrs. Jiang's abacus was ringing. At least in her opinion, this was a plan that couldn't be more perfect.
When Mrs. Jiang's words came out, King Zhao immediately understood what they meant. He felt a little uncomfortable: "Would King Xia You think that we deceived him?"
"As long as the layout of the Three Kingdoms of Jizhou is completed, he will swallow it if he knows that he was cheated. After all, he has no other choice but to seek refuge with us. The opportunity will never come again. What's more, Lan Qiu short-changed him? It's the princess of Zhao again, and he is with the Ai family again. It matters, don’t you want Ai Jia to marry him personally?”
"Besides, the marriage is just an excuse to delay him in Zhao State. You still expect us to use his life as a guarantee to prevent Xia State from interfering with Yu Guoguo. This is something that makes him happy."
"Since you are all going to be angry, why should you care about the impact of this kind of deception? Besides, Mrs. Jiang did marry him. From now on, Lan Qiu will be Mrs. Jiang, and Mrs. Jiang will always be Lan Qiu."
"As long as the triangle in Jizhou is maintained and he relies on us, there is no need to betray us. Besides, these are all trivial matters. There is no need to care about them. They are all old foxes engaged in politics. He should know that he is already biased enough."
"After that, I will reveal the identity of the Ai family to him privately, so that he will know the difference between the identity of the Ai family and the limitations of the Ai family. He should be able to understand it if he knows the true identity of the Ai family. It is impossible for the Ai family to use the identity of the Queen Mother. Marry him, otherwise it will be Zhao or Xia that is conquered."
Queen Mother Jiang glanced at King Zhao and said angrily, maybe she was laughing at King Zhao's naivety. King Zhao generally understood after hearing this.
So now the look in Zhuang Xun's eyes is a bit pitiful and funny. After all, Zhuang Xun's request is destined to be fishing for the moon in the water, and in the end he can only catch a fake.
"Because Mrs. Jiang really takes good care of me, I have this desire to repay you, become better, and manage my subordinates well so that I can be worthy of my wife."
Zhuang Xun said with a pure heart that this could be regarded as the truth and that this was also what Xuannv said. He half believed it and now used it as an excuse.
"My cousin must be very happy, and I also wish King Xia to win my cousin's heart and bring her beauty home." He is an old actor, and there are few real expressions on his face. King Zhao pretends to be happy, and maybe there are some parts that he really finds funny. .
I feel that Zhuang Xun is an idiot. His reaction and various aspects make me feel that he is falling into a trap, a kind of overlooking and superiority from God's perspective.
It is indeed very refreshing to not consider personality or situation, simply observe the world from a superior perspective, develop in the direction you think, and follow people's tricks.
"With your majesty's good words, Xiao Wang will definitely take Mrs. Jiang home. At least for now, Mrs. Jiang is quite satisfied with Xiao Wang's rule."
Zhuang Xun still has some confidence in his humility. He feels that his rule is not as magnificent and prosperous as Jinyang. He feels that there is gold everywhere, but at least he is not naked. He is still working hard to make everyone eat. Full meal.
"King Xia has worked hard, what is the situation below now? Under King Xia's rule, there must be a big city that is not inferior to Jinyang." King Zhao knew the truth and wanted to compare, because Zhuang Xun was recognized by Mrs. Jiang.
Mrs. Jiang maintained her identity and had no intention of marrying Zhuang Xun, but she greatly praised Zhuang Xun's policies, but she knew that was not in line with Zhao Guo.
The Hengdu where Zhuang Xun was located was still relatively depressed. After all, there were wars and so on, and Zhuang Xun was killing opposing aristocratic families everywhere. How could there be a big city that was not inferior to the capital of Zhao State.
"Jizhou is a bitter cold land with poor products. How can there be a city like Jinyang? Jinyang is also the largest city in Kyushu. Your Majesty, please don't laugh at Xiao Wang."
Decisively giving up, Zhuang Xun glanced sideways at the high-spirited and smug King Zhao, feeling a little disgusted in his heart. What else could he be proud of in a city built by sucking blood?
Fifty steps can lead to a hundred steps of laughter. Zhuang Xun just feels that he has made progress and takes foot binding as an example.
Modern people think that footbinding is a heinous crime, but ancient people didn't think so. Maybe some people felt sympathy for it.
Similarly, kings and even gods are used to seeing the bottom of society naked and have become accustomed to it. Even occasional sympathy cannot change the views of the world.
Zhuang Xun will not use his own moral values to force others to restrain others. He just needs to do it himself. Without such a big city, there would be no such thing. Anyway, he feels that he is overlording the Zhao State, and he is a progressive who does not bind feet.
"Yes, the world will be unified. When the time comes, King Xia will let you govern Jizhou, and you will definitely build a city like Jinyang."
Satisfied, King Zhao began to draw a pie and promised to entrust Jizhou to him in the future. Zhuang Xun pretended to be flattered and said flatteringly:
"Jinyang will be even bigger by then, and it will never catch up. After all, the gap between the emperor and the king is like the bright moon and the stars. Your Majesty is the bright moon in the sky, and the little king is just a broken star, just to protect your Majesty."
Zhuang Xun's flattery to King Zhao has been heard by many people, but Zhuang Xun is the koi recognized by Empress Dowager Jiang, and he also likes to hear what he says.
The two chatted happily, and soon the carriage arrived at the palace, entered the middle gate, took a detour through the middle gate, and went straight to the Tai Chi Hall where the meeting was held.
"We have arrived at the palace. King Xia and I will meet with the ministers." After arriving at the palace with bright walls and bright tiles, under the majestic main hall, King Zhao invited Zhuang Xun and said.
"As ordered." Zhuang Xun got out of the car first, opened the curtain for King Zhao, and regarded himself as a minister of Zhao State, riding in front and behind the horse.
Zhuang Xun felt that he could not be as forbearing as Gou Jian, but he was quite willing to act stupid and pretend to be loyal. After all, he could only escape if King Zhao did not guard against him. If he showed great ambition, Zhao Doesn’t the king keep an eye on him all the time?
It reflects the innocence of King Zhao who has grown up in the palace. Seeing Zhuang Xun's attentiveness, he really thought that Zhuang Xun had eaten the big cake. There was a strange feeling that one person was willing to draw and the other was willing to eat, but King Zhao couldn't notice it.
Who would have thought that the person who has decided to come to you has other thoughts in mind, even though Empress Dowager Jiang has reminded him that Zhuang Xun is very hesitant about forming an alliance.
It was actually a welcome banquet, with delicious food and fine wine. It tasted very good, but Zhuang Xun ate and drank less. His wine taste was not good, and he was afraid of revealing his true feelings.
On the surface, there were complaints from the middle and lower nobles about Zhuang Xun's surrender, but several important ministers still expressed their congratulations and long-lasting friendship.
Zhuang Xun looked confused, indifferent to this hostility, as if he didn't notice it, and was grateful for the toasts from the prime minister and the lieutenant, looking like a country boy who had never seen the world.
Zhuang Xun pretended to be a political novice, and when asked about the affairs of the Xia State, he gave superficial answers. If he couldn't answer, he said he didn't know. Finally, a minister asked him why he didn't know so much about the Xia State.
"It's all done by Gu's wife, how could Gu know this." Zhuang Xun made everyone laugh even more when he said this.
No matter how thick-skinned Zhuang Xun was, he lowered his head in embarrassment and was embarrassed by the laughter. It was partly staged and partly real.
"Okay, let's not talk about state affairs today. You can enjoy singing and dancing to celebrate King Xia's coming to our country to form an alliance. Our two countries will always be friends."
King Zhao also felt that Zhuang Xun was unstoppable. When he came into contact with him, he was a fool who didn't understand anything and could only say flattering words, but he still came to Zhuang Xun's rescue.
Zhuang Xun's arrival was to create momentum and let people know that the implicit alliance between Zhuang Xun and Li Pingyuan was broken. This was considered a mobilization technique.
After all, the State of Zhao had formed an alliance with Zhuang Xun, and Li Pingyuan had wiped out a partial division of the State of Zhao, and there was basically no communication with them. They defaulted to the fact that they were all enemies. Zhuang Xun's behavior also represented a break with Li Pingyuan.
At the same time, this matter was bypassed by the Yu State. In this way, Zhuang Xun was considered to have betrayed the country. After all, he was still a minister of the Yu State in name. He went to other countries to form an alliance without permission, and it was difficult for the King of Yu to cover it up.
The dances of the beauties are like dancing clouds and immortals. Their gorgeous and colorful costumes and bold and unrestrained dance steps are quite in line with the current environment of Zhao State, which pursues pleasure and enjoyment.
Zhuang Xun lowered his head to eat, while being persuaded to drink by King Zhao and the ministers. After drinking the wine offered by the three ministers and nine ministers, he felt a little confused and wanted to fall down and pretend to sleep.
"King Xia, have you seen such a dancing girl in Jizhou? I'm watching the king of Xia and you don't watch the dance. Are you unhappy?" Zhuang Xun had already turned his head. Suddenly King Zhao asked him, and he almost lost his temper for a moment.
He pretended to be sleepy and half-enviously replied: "How can there be such a skilled dancer in a poor and remote country? She can step on the stage like water and be as beautiful as a swimming dragon. The little king is too drunk and seems to be sleeping soundly, so he doesn't watch."
"I didn't consider this. Come, please ask King Xia to rest in the palace. If King Xia is short of dancers, this team of dancers will be sent to King Xia."
King Zhao said generously and considerately. The ministers below all showed envious expressions, and it seemed that the reward was very valuable.
"I'm afraid the little king can't afford to support these dancers. I hope your majesty will take back his life."
(End of chapter)
