Just as Tian Cong was getting ready to go to Qin as an envoy on behalf of Qi, in the next few days, the Qi court received several messages one after another.
The first one was the news that Ying Zheng had been assassinated. As the news reached the Qi State Court, all the civil and military officials in the Qi State Court were shocked. No one expected that the Young Master Dan of Yan State would be so bold as to send an assassin. As an envoy of Yan, he went to assassinate Ying Zheng.
Before the civil and military officials could recover from the first news, the envoys of the State of Qin rushed to Qi State with a letter from the King of Qin and gave it to the King of Qi. The content of this letter was unknown to the officials of the State of Qi. , but after Wei believed, he replaced Tian Cong, who was originally going to go to Qin as an envoy, on the next day. He bluntly said that the matter was very important, and Tian Ding, headed by his clan, went to Qin as an envoy on behalf of Qi.
Asking Tian Ding, headed by a relative of the King of Qi, to send an envoy to Qin, this undoubtedly shocked all the officials again. Tian Ding's position in Qi was very important, so Tian Ding was asked to go to Qin personally as an envoy. All civil and military officials were not stupid, and they were all aware of the matter. the severity of.
It also caused many officials to secretly discuss in private whether Tian Ding was involved in Yan Dan's plan to assassinate Ying Zheng.
Many officials are worried that if Tian Ding is really involved, it will definitely be a catastrophe for Qi State, which will plunge Qi State, which has been without war for decades, into war again.
Baiguan did have reasons to worry. After all, as long as he has been an official in the Qi State for a few years and has eyes, he will know that in the entire Qi State, Tian Ding is a faction that resists Qin, and he is also the largest official among them. Tian Ding has influence, voice, and real power in the Qi State. , are of great importance to Qi State.
Therefore, Tian Ding really had a reason and motive to participate in this assassination plan. However, what surprised the civil and military officials the most was that Prime Minister Hou Sheng, who had always been the least confrontational with Tian Ding, exceeded expectations and did not take the opportunity to attack Tian Ding. He even did not bother to dispatch the King of Qi when he investigated whether Tian Ding was involved in the assassination. Involve your own confidants.
When the news came on the third day, it was not at the Qi court. On the contrary, the news came from merchants from Qin and Qi.
This news instantly shocked the entire Linzi City. On the streets of Linzi City.
"Have you heard? General Bai Yan of the Qin State was given a fiefdom by Ying Zheng!"
"Hi~! A fiefdom! Real or fake? I heard that Bai Yan is young, isn't he? How old is he! How come he suddenly said he got a fiefdom?"
"I've heard about it too. It seems that Yan Dan of Yan State assassinated Qin King Ying Zheng, and behind him was Bai Yan who blocked the assassin's assassination!"
"Brother, I heard that Bai Yan's fiefdom is still in Luoyin. I don't know if it's true!" On the street, pedestrians passing by were talking to each other, and their words were full of the latest news from Qin.
The speed of this spread can only be compared to the times when Han and Zhao were subjugated. Unofficial channels, in fact, as long as the general matter is large enough, the speed of spread can even be as fast as that of specially dispatched spies from various countries.
After all, spies in their own country have access orders and can travel unhindered, but in other vassal states, the procedures are much more troublesome, but merchants are not like that. They pass them on one by one. The merchants who originally learned the news and were on their way went to the next city and happened to meet them. Other merchants on the road spread the news as they spoke, and the speed of spread was often ten times or a hundred times.
This is why in the blink of an eye, when the news of Ying Zheng’s assassination and Bai Yan’s acquisition of the fief reached Linzi of Qi State, the speed was as fast as the official channels of Qi State, and the speed of spread in Linzi was even more jaw-dropping. , in less than half a day, the news spread throughout the streets and alleys of Linzi, a city with a population of hundreds of thousands.
"Buy millet cakes! Fragrant millet cakes! Come and have a look!" At the corner of a street and alley, a small stall stood at the entrance of the alley. A middle-aged man yelled hard, and a middle-aged woman shouted People were waiting eagerly at the stalls.
"Bring me three millet cakes!" The three men in Confucian uniforms heard the man's shouting and felt hungry. They looked at each other and followed the middle-aged man to the stall.
"Okay!" When the middle-aged man saw that there were buyers, and they were obviously three scholars, he immediately showed a flattering smile, led the three men to the stall, and motioned to his wife to bring three corn cakes. .
"Gentleman, this is a millet cake, half the money!" After the middle-aged man took the millet cake from his wife, he handed the millet cake to the three men and also took the money from the man's hand.
"Hey~! When can we be like that Qin general Bai Yan? We don't seek to dominate the battlefield, but we also hope to be famous all over the world and hold a high position of power!"
"It's hard to get a high-ranking official, but it's hard to find a fiefdom!"
"No, after all, he is one of the most talented people in the world. How many people can get a fief!" While waiting for change, the three men chatted first, their voices full of envy for Bai Yan, and they also Not ordinary envy.
After watching the vendors find money, the three men took the millet cakes and left. When they left, they were still talking about the slaves that Bai Yan had received as a reward from King Qin Yingzheng in addition to the fiefdom, and two more. More than ten beauties.
The entrance to the alley. The middle-aged man watched the three people leave, looked at the scorching sun in the sky, wiped his sweaty forehead, turned to look at the pavement, looked at his wife, and smiled.
"Tidy up and go see Shou'er later! That boy Shou'er is going to be a father soon." The middle-aged man is the eldest brother of the Shi family, Bai Yan's eldest uncle, Shi Ma, and the woman is Kima's wife, Ying, is also Bai Yan's aunt.
"Okay! My dear, please take a rest first!" The young Ying looked at his man and nodded in response, and asked Matama to take a rest.
Although her family didn't have much money, Ying didn't complain about her man. From the time she married Kaimata to the time when she was a peddler, until now, Kaimata has never asked her to shout at him once. He only works in the stalls. Do some easy work.
As a hawker, shouting is the most strenuous job that hurts the throat. When Katama is not in good health, his throat will be so sore that he can't eat at the end of the day.
Every time Ying feels distressed, he wants to help, but Kaima is unwilling to do anything. In Kaimata's words, her mother had told her very early on that after they lost their father, there would be nothing left in the family. When she got married, she would be his wife in the future. She would be the only person she would stay with until old age in her life. If you don’t endure hardship, you must not suffer. There are many, many words that I don’t remember clearly.
But in short, just remember to be nice to your wife.
"Mom is not in good health, and the sun is too strong today. I'll just let you stay at home later!" Katama sat down on the ground, breathed a sigh of relief, and said to his wife.
"Yes!" Ying heard what Kaimata said and nodded while clearing the stall. Yesterday, I planned to go to Shuicun to visit the Shi family today, so I didn't make many corn cakes early in the morning and put them away quickly.
I heard from an acquaintance that Junhan was pregnant. When my mother found out, she secretly bought some delicious food and said she would give it to Shui Shou.
"My dear, have you heard? Just now they said that Qin general Bai Yan actually got a fief!" Ying took some leaves and dipped them in water, and turned to look at Kimata while wiping the pavement.
When I heard what those people said just now, I was thinking about it. I couldn't even imagine such a scene. What a fiefdom! How big is that!
"Fief! It's the adults in our family who work for that mansion. Their ancestors were so powerful, but they never got a fief!" Ying panted slightly and said softly.
Kaimata nodded after hearing his wife's words.
"Yes! A fiefdom!" Kaimata exclaimed and shook his head with emotion. He took the water in the barrel next to him and reached out to scoop it up and take a sip.
"How big is that fiefdom? Can you spend all the money collected from taxes every year? With so many people paying taxes, my dear, how much do you think the fiefdom will have in a year?" Ying was working and turned to look at Kaimata asked.
Seeing the curious look on his wife's face, Kaimata couldn't help but laugh.
"How do I know? I guess not many people know this. There should be hundreds of gold or a thousand gold!" After thinking about it for a while, he finally figured out a number. Regarding this number, he didn't know whether it was right or wrong. Anyway, for common people like them, it is completely out of reach.
It would be great if they could pay the money every year and have a full meal in the second half of the year. If they could have some leftover to buy something for their family, that would be a great blessing. They would have to send more sacrifices to God.
Fiefdom kind of thing! They dare not think about it, nor can they imagine it.
"Hi~! Qian Jin! How much is that! I don't know what it looks like!" Ying sighed softly when he heard Qian Jin, his face suddenly blurred.
After a long time. After finally coming back to his senses, Ying continued working, but he also asked a question.
"My dear, have you ever seen the mansion where our son works?" Ying thought of his son and the mansion where his son worked. The owner of the mansion was a county in Qi State. Belongs to a doctor.
Qi State is different from other countries. The system established by Guan Zhong, except for Linzi, Jimo and Ju, other small places are all three townships gathered together to form towns and counties, which are determined by their size. The counties have county commanders. , below the county commander is the doctor.
So before, every time her son came back, he would brag to his family about how grand he was as a doctor, and how his family was doing, and she had always taken it seriously.
Although the doctor's status is far inferior to that of Qin General Bai Yan, to the couple, the doctor is already a big shot that the couple can't reach in their lifetime.
"Qian Jin must have never seen it, but Bai Jin should have seen it. Last time that boy came back, he even boasted to us with a proud look on his face. Have you forgotten?" Matama returned.
After getting up, he patted his butt, put away the bucket, and helped his wife push the pavement back toward home.
Two hours later. Water village. At the entrance of Shuicun Village, the people were able to breathe a sigh of relief as they had finished their spring plowing. In the same way, under the scorching sun, many people would gather under the old trees at the entrance of the village and chat together.
"I want to be Bai Yan!"
"I'm Bai Yan!"
"I want to be Bai Yan, and you should be Yan~!"
"I don't want to whine!" Some urchins were playing and playing nearby with some small wooden sticks. The sounds of quarreling and crying also attracted some women's attention.
But what is surprising is that the woman does not object to the children's quarrels. Instead, one of the women became angry when she learned that her child was going to play tricks. The other women also quickly reprimanded their children and patiently taught them that playing around is just playing around, but they must never let others play around. , this is insulting.
"Have you heard? The Qin general Bai Yan was awarded a fief by the King of Qin!"
"manor?"
"Hiss~Fiefdom? Real or fake?" A dozen white-haired old men were chatting under the shadow of the tree. Some young men and some teenagers gathered around.
After farming, my family was poor, so naturally there weren’t many things to do. If I wanted to marry a wife, I would have to work hard for several years, and be lucky enough to save some money. Activities like restaurants and hunting, no matter where I was. Everywhere belongs only to rich people and the children of powerful people.
After being so busy, being able to take some time to gather under the shade of a tree and talk is what normal men enjoy in their free time.
at the moment. When the villagers who came back from Qi State Linzi talked about what they had seen in Qi State Linzi City, the villagers under the shade of the trees, no matter men, women, old or young, all looked at each other and started making noises. Everyone looked shocked and dumbfounded. Look at each other.
Fiefdom! He was originally a general of the Qin State, a newly famous general who was famous all over the world, but now he has obtained a fiefdom. Is this okay?
Many young men are thinking instinctively. I'm afraid that Qin general Bai Yan is like those white-skinned and beautiful women they saw in the city, beauties that they can't touch in this life. As long as Bai Yan opens his mouth, it is estimated that all those women will be willing to marry Bai Yan.
And a status they can’t even imagine!
"Fiefdom, I remember, the last person to be treated like this by a king was Li Mu!"
"Indeed, Bai Yan is the second person in the Qin Kingdom after Li Mu! When I heard about Qin Shangjun Gao Nu, I had a hunch that Bai Yan is not an ordinary general! It is indeed not what I expected!"
"It's too late for you. When I heard the name of Bai Yanqi, I learned in my dream that Bai Yan had received the teachings from his ancestor Bai Qi and that he would be granted a land sooner or later! Do you still remember Bai Qi? When you first grew up, After a peaceful war, no one from the six countries will dare to fight Bai Qi!"
"You...hum, then why didn't you talk about that Yan in our village?"
"You! You come out and gesticulate with me!" Some old men in the village with white hair and long beards wanted to express themselves when talking, but in the end no one was convinced. After all, everyone wanted to be known as having great vision and insight. Know people.
But when it came to Yan, an old man seemed to feel humiliated. He couldn't help but stand up and pointed tremblingly at the old man who had just spoken, preparing to fight to the death.
See this. There were more than thirty men, women, and children around, all of whom couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahaha!" Everyone, regardless of gender, couldn't help laughing. They had all heard about the Qin general Bai Yan, and they were all shocked and amazed by his deeds. However, as a villager in the water village, they knew Yan even more.
A difference of one surname is a world of difference in their eyes. Just like there was a man named Xi in the village next door to them, he was an honest old man with sons and daughters at home, but in Yan State, the king of Yan was also named Xi. The difference between these two people was that one did not have a surname, but the other was Ji. One is a villager, the other is the king of Yan.
Regarding Na Yan, whenever people in the village talked about it, they couldn't help but laugh at him with contempt. This is the concept of Yan that all villagers have in mind since childhood. Not everyone was like this at first, but just like those urchins, if you don't think so, it will be difficult to join the group.
As time goes by, more and more people, even everyone in the village except a few households, deeply believe it.
A year ago, I learned that after Na Yan left home, he often sent money to his family. At that time, it made people look at him with suspicion. However, until news came from his uncle's house that Yan was not in Yicheng at all, everyone suddenly changed their minds about him. A collapse.
So it got worse. More and more rumors spread in the village, and some people speculated mockingly that the useless Yan in the village had probably secretly sold himself so that he could provide money to his family.
Some people also said that Yan must have been crippled by someone. The person who crippled Yan was kind-hearted and an adult, so he often gave Yan some money, so that Yan had the money to send someone back home.
There are all kinds of speculations. But without exception, no one is good, and there is only ridicule.
It's not like no one has thought about other additions, but without exception they have been rejected by others. As for all good things, why does Na Yan still dare not come back even though his family has money? Is it because he can't come back or is he too embarrassed to come back?
No one can refute this. In the end, this was what everyone was thinking. Na Yan probably had no shame in coming back, otherwise why wouldn't even the eldest brother's relatives, and even the stubborn old woman who loved him so much since childhood, not come back to visit.
"Isn't that Kaimata and his wife?"
"It seems that we are going to see the Shui Shou family again!" Some young men suddenly noticed the figures of Katama and his wife on the road outside the village, and they talked to each other.
And the chatter of these young men reached the ears of the old people, women and children who were arguing and laughing, and everyone immediately stopped arguing and laughing.
Although they had laughed at Yan and the old woman before, after all, those two were old and weak, which was different from Katama. Katama had been working since he was a child and had taken care of the family at a young age. With his strength, ordinary people could not beat her. .
Even the men in the village did not dare to make fun of Namata to his face, and compared to Nimata, many people had a shadow of his brother Nimagu. When they were young, Nakagu was the person they feared the most, with a bad temper. , as long as he hears someone laughing at his mother, he will beat him directly, and he will beat him to death, even if he has a bloody head, he will fight back to death. One time, three people took advantage of the situation and beat one of them. I originally thought that After beating Kogu to a semi-mutilation, he never thought that two people behind him would not be able to return home and almost died on the way. If it hadn't happened to be close to the village and one of them ran back to the village, the other two would have been dead by the next day.
So far, no one dared to laugh at his mother in front of Kugu, no one, no matter the old man or the woman.
After a while. The people standing at the entrance of the village watched Katama walking away with his wife, and started talking again.
"You still remember, I heard that Shui Shou offended an adult, so his legs were broken!"
"I heard that, if that master knows that Shui Shou is still alive, huh, then I'm afraid I'll be implicated too!"
"That's right!" Many young men commented with great displeasure. After saying this, they seemed to feel much happier.
And in a small garden. The busy Yanfu family was full of joy when they saw the arrival of Kimata. Kaimata watched Sui Shou walking out of the shadow of his disability, a hearty smile appeared on his face again, and he was relieved in his heart. It seemed that his wife's pregnancy made Sui Shou look away a lot.
With the sunset. After dinner, while chatting with Shui Shou's mother-in-law, Xian Lai, Ying accidentally mentioned things in the city. When she was excited, she accidentally mentioned the Qin General Bai Yan's acquisition of the fiefdom. Ying's original intention was to share and talk about this incident that shocked the whole Linzi, but he accidentally forgot that the word Yan is now a sad thing for the Xiao family.
Because Zhong Yan’s whereabouts have been unknown since he learned that Zhong Yan was not in Yicheng. Although some people still say that Zhong Yan asked him to take the money home, no one, including the Xiao family, Yan's father, and even Shui Shou believed Zhong Yan's explanation of where he was.
Now in their eyes. Unless they saw Zhong Yan with their own eyes, they would not believe anyone who said that Zhong Yan was fine.
"Maybe Yan'er is really fine, don't worry now!" After seeing his wife making a mistake, Kima looked at him with a guilty look on his face, and quickly comforted his little sister. However, when he said this, even Kima himself Don't believe it.
Fortunately, Kaimata gave Shui Shou a look. Shui Shou suppressed his sadness and looked at his aunt with a forced smile.
"Auntie, how about Bai Yan, the legend in Linzi City? Tell Shou, Shou has always admired Bai Yan and other famous generals! Because of my inconvenience, I can only let my aunt tell me!" Shui Shou said softly, missing his brother Rang in his heart. Shui Shou's eyes were red, but after experiencing a huge blow, Shui Shou hoped that his parents would be happy. Because he had joined the army, served at the lowest level in the army, and also worked as a doorman, he had always been concerned about that. Shui Shou also admired Qin General Bai Yan for his deeds that spread throughout the world.
How could a man not be so excited about such a famous general in the world? How could he not think about the fact that one day, he could take a look from a distance and see that famous general whose reputation spread all over the world!
"Oh, Shou'er, that Qin general Bai Yan, he, ah, got a fief!" Ying looked guilty. After hearing Shui Shou's words, she glanced at her husband, Kima, and after receiving permission, she quickly explained.
In the dark garden. Yan's father, Ji's family, the pregnant Yunhan, and Shui Shou, who had disabled legs and feet, were all listening quietly to Ying talking about the world-famous Qin general who was now sensationalizing the entire Linzi City.
at the same time. In Linzi City of Qi State. In the palace of King Qi, as night fell, a young beauty wearing silk clothes and jade ornaments with a hairpin quietly came to the corridor and stepped forward to hug the fifty-two-year-old King Jian of Qi.
"Your Majesty~!" The beauty's charming voice sounded close to her. However, the old Qi Wangjian didn't care. Looking at the moonlight, Qi Wangjian couldn't help but sigh.
"Is Your Majesty worried about Lord Tian's mission to Qin?" the beauty asked softly with concern.
When Qi Wangjian heard this, he couldn't help but nodded.
"Yes! I'm so depressed!" Qi Wangjian didn't hide it. Apart from Li Fei's young age and charming appearance, the most useful thing to Qi Wangjian was Li Fei's intelligence and considerateness, which was very similar to that of Concubine Li who had been dead for many years. 's mother.
The same is true. King Qi Jian did not hide many things from Concubine Li.
"Tian Ding is my elder brother. Although the King of Qin said that he would send a rare treasure to me, I still feel a little ashamed of my elder brother!" Qi Wangjian explained.
"Why should your Majesty be troubled? Mr. Tian is worried about the country. This time he is sent to Qin to share your worries. The assassination of King Qin is a major event in the world. Just imagine, your Majesty, if this happens to your Majesty, you will be angry and learn that Qin The minister is implicated, but are you still willing to give rare treasures?" Concubine Li chuckled lightly and persuaded with a smile.
Concubine Li knew that King Qi was not really feeling guilty about Tian Ding now. Part of the reason was because King Qin's request was a bit rude. After all, King Qi was both a king, so why would any king ask the king for this.
This will naturally damage King Qi's face.
"Yes! Hahaha! That King of Qin is really broad-minded! This move is quite sincere, hahaha, not bad, not bad!" After hearing Concubine Li's words, Qi Wangjian's old wrinkled face instantly improved a lot, and he smiled.
Indeed, Concubine Li's words are not unreasonable, and it is rude for the king to ask the king. However, Ying Zheng personally sent a rare treasure. This kind of sincerity is rare. If it were spread to the world, everyone in the world would see King Qin's sincerity and would not understand. Tell him how the King of Qi is doing.
Thinking of this, Qi Wangjian's mood instantly improved a lot.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Tian is the same. Mr. Tian asked the king to break the alliance with Qin many times before, but he didn't think about the king's intention. Look at the people of Qin and then the people of Qi under the king's rule. This is clear at a glance. Mr. Tian is determined to break with the Qin State, so why not recruit some great talents for the king? One day, when both the Qin State and the other countries will suffer defeat..." In her words, Concubine Li complained about Tian Ding, but He didn't dare to really blame him, and even after he finished speaking, he looked sideways at Qi Wangjian.
"Your Majesty will definitely take advantage of this opportunity to conquer the world!" Concubine Li looked at King Qi and said playfully, looking very flattering.
When Qi Wangjian saw this, he immediately laughed out loud again, shook his head repeatedly, and looked at Concubine Li's eyes, Ai Wu Ji Wu.
In the eyes of King Jian of Qi, except for his most respected mother and queen, only Concubine Li knew him best. All the countries in the world only knew that he, Qi, sat idly by and allowed Qin to send troops to destroy other countries, but he did not want to think about his Qi. In fact, the king was secretly cultivating virtuous ministers and generals.
He, the King of Qi, also hoped that one day he would be able to have as many generals and famous generals as Qin did.
"Beloved, please don't break your promise. My brother Tian Ding also worked hard for Qi State, cultivating talents for Qi State, and recruiting sages from all over the world. I know this. Don't say such words again in the future." Wang Jian looked at Concubine Li and said, his words were all scolding, but the doting in his tone was not hidden at all.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Li Fei responded delicately, nodded obediently, and then looked meaningfully at this man who was older than her father.
King Qi Jianshe understood this deeply, raised the corners of his mouth, turned around and walked towards the room.
