Shangguan Wenruo nodded and said: "The King of Wu's move seems to want the King to recognize Wu's status as a separate country in the south of the Yangtze River, but there are some things that we still have to guard against."
He then added: "Although Baize has always been a place where princes have gathered for alliance, I suggest that the king should send more masters from the capital guard camp during this trip. It is best to have Qing Yi Wei Yang Zhao accompany him."
"It doesn't matter, since the Tiger Marquis is here, I have nothing to worry about." Xiao Yuan smiled.
He agreed to King Wu's invitation, and then made some simple arrangements before setting off with Xu Hu, Liang Yuan, a group of elite guardsmen, and several civil servants such as Yan Sui.
The reason for bringing Yan Sui is because at this gathering of the four kings, there will probably be some verbal quarrels. Yan Sui was the first debater of the Xuan Kingdom at the time. Not only was he outstanding in talent, but he also had the backbone of a debater.
After the fusion of Qin Xuan, he was also very important to Xiao Yuan in the Qin State.
It was extraordinary to be able to follow the king and accompany him on his travels. The latter was also very happy. Along the way, he also analyzed the current situation of Wu State to Xiao Yuan.
A few days later, Bai Ze.
I don’t know how many princes have made alliances here and held swearing-in meetings here.
The high platform is still there, and the bronze cauldron is still on it.
Because it is not a war matter, the four kings do not lead troops. If you bring a large combat force, others will definitely bring it. This will make it even more troublesome, so everyone understands this tacitly.
Of course, the Four Kings were accompanied by some of their country's elite masters, and were also guarded by tiger generals.
Xiao Yuan was dressed in brocade clothes, with a brocade belt around his waist and a jade hairpin. King Ling was similar to him and was also dressed in casual clothes. On the other hand, King Wu and King Chu were both wearing royal robes and crowns. After all, the two of them were going to make some scenes. ceremonial.
After the four kings met, they naturally exchanged greetings with each other.
The Spirit King smiled and cupped his hands and said: "Brother King Qin, I haven't seen you for a long time, but you still have the same style."
"Wherever, brother Ling Wang is becoming more and more majestic, even more than before..." Xiao Yuan was equally polite.
"Haha!" King Ling smiled heartily, and after meeting the two kings Wu and Chu, he said straight to the point: "Since you two are invited to watch the ceremony, then please do so."
When King Wu heard this, he first looked at King Chu, then faced Xiao Yuan and King Ling and said, "Thank you two kings for accepting the invitation. I want to join King Wu Xing, and King Chu wants to join King Chu Xiang. So, do you two have no objection?"
There are only four countries left in the world. Under this situation, what opinions are there at this time? Even if King Wu wants to proclaim himself emperor, Xiao Yuan will probably strongly agree with it!
So he said: "Of course, King Wu doesn't have to be too modest, please."
King Wu nodded, and then came the complicated etiquette. The grand horn sounded. The two kings of Wu and Chu, both wearing royal crowns and nine strings of jade beads on their foreheads, began to walk up the steps to accept the title...
Below, King Ling and Xiao Yuan stood side by side. While watching the ceremony, they also chuckled and asked, "What do you think, Brother Qin?"
Xiao Yuan raised his eyebrows pretending to be suspicious: "I wonder what Brother Ling Wang means?"
"Haha." King Ling smiled and stared at the high platform: "King Wu has just succeeded to the throne, and he acted like this, which shows that he is young and energetic. In addition, I also remember that the titles of princes are not allowed without the emperor's edict. Enter the lordship."
In fact, Wang Jue can no longer enter. If he takes a step further, he will become an emperor. The title is just a lie.
Xiao Yuan also smiled and said: "Huh? The emperor is no longer here, and the king of Wu is just and right, so it should be like this."
"Haha, what King Qin said makes sense." King Ling said, and then changed the topic: "But the two countries of Wu and Chu have always been closely related, and they are together in war and war. With the new king taking the throne, Brother Qin has nothing to worry about. Where?"
Hearing this, Xiao Yuan couldn't help but glance at him, and said with a slight curl of his lips: "As long as Lingguo has good relations with Qin, my wish is enough."
"Of course, of course, brother King Qin, you can rest assured that Lingguo and Qin will never meet at war with each other, and I am willing to be friendly forever." King Ling said repeatedly, but in fact, of course that was not what he thought in his heart.
How could Xiao Yuan not understand what the old fox was thinking, which was that the snipe and the clam would fight and the fisherman would benefit.
Xiao Yuan sneered in his heart, but in front of his face, Xiao Yuan continued to chat.
This viewing ceremony lasted for a long time. When everything was over, the four kings naturally started to have a banquet and drink together.
The four people are of equal status. In the hall, there is a case in front of each person, and no one is sitting in the seat directly above them.
When the food and wine were served, Xiao Yuan and King Ling also said some congratulatory words in unison.
The two kings of Wu and Chu returned the favor politely. Then, the king of Chu sighed softly and said: "Well, if this king of Chu Xiang was granted a title by the emperor, he would be the best. But now, there is no one in the world, so I can only It’s up to the sky.”
After hearing this, King Wu said in time: "The emperor of Shang family is the common ruler of the world. He originally lived in the Qin Palace. How could he unexpectedly die and cause the empire to collapse for hundreds of years?"
At this point, he also looked at Xiao Yuan and said casually: "The King of Qin saved the emperor from thousands of miles back, welcomed the emperor back to Qin, and helped the country in danger. We feel ashamed of ourselves. But today, I dare to ask the King of Qin, what do you think of the king of Qin?" What do you think about the emperor?"
This was obviously a pretext. Xiao Yuan was too lazy to answer the question and gave Yan Sui a look.
The latter understood and immediately said: "Your Highness King Wu, the emperor's death was an accident. Our country's original intention was to escort the emperor back to the capital after the imperial palace had been decorated and perfected. The waterway was particularly convenient. Unexpectedly, on the Hanjiang River, There were many dangers, and there were strong winds and huge waves, which caused the ship to capsize. When my king learned about it, he was very sad."
"Haha, what a sudden storm." King Wu chuckled. Of course he wouldn't believe it, but on the surface, it was hard to say anything. He could only find another way: "In this case, Qin will be responsible for escorting the emperor. If there is an accident, should I be held accountable?"
"Of course, our king has ordered severe punishment for Mr. Yang Zhaoyang who was in charge of escorting him. If not for the queen's intercession, he would have been beheaded in public." Yan Sui said.
"Oh? Really?" King Wu continued: "The escort is responsible, but King Qin is not responsible? He is the emperor of the empire, and he will die as soon as he says he will."
He was totally looking for trouble, but it was also an excellent excuse.
Xiao Yuan frowned secretly, looked at him, and said in a calm voice: "What does King Wu want?"
"I don't dare to think about it, but I am one of the kings of the Central Plains, and my ancestors also received the emperor's favor and granted him the title of Wu. Now, I only ask the King of Qin to drink three cups of wine as a penalty to show his self-blame." King Wu said.
Hearing this, Yan Sui was about to say something, but Xiao Yuan raised his hand to stop him and said: "Yes, I did not take responsibility for the death of the emperor."
As he spoke, he also picked up the bronze cup in front of him, covered his mouth with his sleeve, and drank the wine.
Then the second cup, and the third cup.
His original intention was not to get involved in this matter, but when King Wu saw this, he raised his voice and said:
"Historian, please remember that today, at the meeting in Baize, King Xing ordered King Qin to punish himself. King Qin took three cups of wine and did not dare to disobey..."
