The room was so hot from the hot tub that even Zhong Yao, even in his undressed clothes, felt extremely hot.
After a while, several graceful concubines each carried a pot of honey water and placed it in front of everyone.
These honeys are stored in bronze ice cubes, and the flavor is even better. Drinking them in this greenhouse makes it even more enjoyable.
Zhong Yao took a sip and immediately tasted that it was zhe jelly.
The so-called zhejiang is the sweet water squeezed from sugar cane unique to Lingnan. At this time, there are still tributes from Lingnan, and its luxury is really unimaginable.
While Zhong Yao was tasting it attentively, Prime Minister Xu spoke over there.
And the most important thing was asked right away:
"What happened and why did this happen?"
Xu Xiangzhen was puzzled by this question. After all, the Han army in Henan was doing well in Hebei, so why did they suddenly attack Qingjun's side? This turn was too sudden.
Zhong Yao thought carefully about this question from Prime Minister Xu and replied:
"The fault lies with the country and the fault lies with the eunuchs."
Xu Xiang squinted as he listened to Zhong Yao's rebellious words and asked:
"Why?"
Zhong Yao said respectfully:
"The world should not be like this. Nowadays, capable gentry children are excluded due to the chaos of the party. However, those eunuchs occupy the key points of the world, constantly preying on the people and lining their own pockets. If this continues, the destiny of the Han Dynasty will surely be
Our generation is over. So we rise up to bring order to the chaos and eradicate all the eunuchs."
When Xu Xiang heard this, he pretended to be confused and said:
"Hasn't this party ban been cancelled? Won't all the wise men and gentlemen be able to enter the court soon?"
Zhong Yao still replied seriously:
"Situ, your position has long been stolen by the eunuchs. Even if the ban on the party is lifted, what position do the party members have? Only by eradicating all the eunuchs in both the government and the public can the government be prosperous!"
As soon as these words came out, Xu Xiang smiled and said with a smile:
"Oh, I dare to ask Yuan Chang. Have these eunuchs been eradicated now?"
Zhong Yao shook his head and said frankly:
"No. I know what Situ is going to say. You think that under the guise of weeding out traitors and sycophants, our Henan family is actually committing disobedience and rebellion."
Xu Xiang suddenly pointed his halberd at Zhong Yao and said angrily:
"Isn't it? Where is the Holy One now? What have you done? Isn't this rebellion?"
No one expected Xu Xianghui to be so angry. Xu Xuan trembled in one corner, and the atmosphere immediately became tense.
But Zhong Yao still had time to relax, rolled up his sleeves, and said seriously:
"Not really."
Zhong Yao said:
"Since Wang Mang disrupted famous religions, there have been disputes between ancient and modern times in the world. The disputes and confrontations between various classics and canons caused confusion and confusion among the people of the world. That is why Emperor Zhang came up with the White Tiger Temple to redefine the classics and talk about the similarities and differences of the Five Classics."
Xu Xiang frowned and said doubtfully:
"My family is also a doctor of classics. Do you know about the White Tiger Monastery? Why are you telling me this?"
Zhong Yao ignored Xiang Xu and continued:
"Everyone in the world thinks that this meeting is a set of prophecies, but I think it is a set of teachings. Among them, the Three Cardinal Guidelines and the Sixth Discipline are the most important. They organize the rules from top to bottom, order the way of humanity, and make the One Guidelines and Disciplines spread the net all over the world."
After hearing this, Mr. Xu seemed to have heard a big joke and said scornfully:
"You also know the Three Cardinal Principles and the Six Disciplines? If you only follow the principle that the king should serve his ministers, you are treasonous. Yes, I know that you have grievances. You have suffered a lot of grievances due to the two party imprisonments. Some of your seniors, fathers and brothers died because of this.
But do you know what loyalty is and what filial piety is?"
Prime Minister Xu must give a good lesson to a late learner like Zhong Yao this time. Don't think that you can argue with him after reading two scriptures.
So, Xu Xiang taught him a lesson without any politeness:
"The so-called Three Cardinal Guidelines and Sixth Discipline are the most important two points. One is the monarch and his ministers, and the other is the father and son. The former is loyalty, and the latter is filial piety. It is naturally good to have both loyalty and filial piety, but it is difficult to have both loyalty and filial piety. You must sacrifice filial piety and be loyal. Why?
Or? It’s just because serving the king is like father and is greater than father. There is only the principle of being a father and rejecting the king, but there is no principle of serving the king and rejecting the father.”
As he spoke, Xu Xiang pointed at Zhong Yao:
"You are rebellious and want to drive away your father just because you have suffered a little grievance. Are you not an animal? You must know that thunder and rain are all the kindness of the king. Only the emperor is ordered by heaven, and the soldiers are ordered by the king. The king, the minister, the minister, the father, the son, the son. This is
It is the way of heaven and man, and it is also the way of human relations.”
When Xu Xiang taught Zhong Yao a lesson, Zhong Yao kept his head down. But after Xu Xiang finished speaking, Zhong Yao raised his head, staring at Xu Xiang with his mysterious eyes, and said indifferently:
"Then is Situ loyal or disloyal?"
As soon as these words came out, Xu Xiang was stunned for a moment:
"What did you say?"
But immediately, Mr. Xu understood what Zhong Yao was going to say.
But this time, Xu Xiang, who had been talking endlessly, fell silent.
Loyal or disloyal, this guy is obviously asking him whether he will surrender or not.
Ever since Xu Xiang was abandoned by Liu Hong, he had no way out. If he didn't surrender, he would be dead. Now he's just trying to make a fuss about it, just to get a good price.
But as soon as he surrendered, didn't the principle of loyalty and filial piety he just said become a joke? It made him a little embarrassed. But it was also a little embarrassed. Xu Xiang could achieve this position, and his personal honor and disgrace could serve his purpose at any time.
The terrible thing is that if he directly admits that he is disloyal, then his political life as prime minister will be over. Who would accept a disloyal minister?
Therefore, this problem is neither to surrender nor to surrender. It only makes people in a dilemma. Fortunately, Xiang Xiang was quick-witted and quickly found a way to deal with it.
I saw Mr. Xu laughing loudly and saying:
"Loyalty, of course, is loyalty. Not only am I loyal, but all the gentlemen in Henan are also loyal. After all, the emperor is immoral, and we ministers naturally have the duty to admonish the emperor. As the saying goes, 'The emperor has seven critics, but even though he has no
If you follow the Tao, you will not lose the world.' This is the truth."
"As for this remonstrance, there are two types: literary remonstrance and military remonstrance. Before, I did not avoid death and urged the country to take the lead in the war. This is literary remonstrance. But you, the princes of Henan, hold three-foot troops at Qingjun's side. This is military remonstrance, although the way is different.
, but they are all loyal and sincere. Who can say anything disloyal?"
These words made Zhong Yao shout, "What a good guy."
This old man is really cunning and cunning, and he can explain some truths, and this truth will definitely be welcomed by the Henan aristocratic families. This Xu Xiang is indeed able to move between the eunuchs and the party members with ease.
of.
Zhong Yao felt contemptuous in his heart and changed the topic directly:
"Didn't Situ say before that we wanted to rebel? I honestly told Situ that we had no such intention. It's just because the destiny of the Han Dynasty still exists and the destiny of the Han Dynasty still exists. Therefore, our Henan family can only follow the story of Yin Huo and only want to make people
The world is back on track."
Zhong Yao's words made Xu Xiang nod frequently, and also made the latter breathe a sigh of relief.
In fact, the previous words were nothing more than irritating remarks by Mr. Xu, to test the plans of the Henan aristocratic families outside the city. Is it to change the dynasty? Or is it just to establish a new king.
Prime Minister Xu asked this question again and again because it was a big issue related to his future. If he just established a new king, then he would have a good future if Prime Minister Xu joined the alliance later. After all, stabilizing the situation in Luoyang is inseparable from him.
But if there is a change of dynasty, then he will be worried. Because the three princes and the Han Dynasty will both prosper and lose. When the time comes, the Han Dynasty will be gone, what value will he have?
Now that he heard the accurate news from Zhong Yao, Xu Xiang felt relieved a lot.
But not long before they felt reassured, Zhong Yao said something else. He said leisurely:
"But destiny and destiny are not always unchanged. If the Han Dynasty does not accept it, this destiny will naturally shift. In the past, heaven sent disasters to Yue and placed it under Wu, but Wu did not accept it, and eventually Yue Jia swallowed Wu.
This is the calamity that God does not take, and everyone suffers the consequences."
As he spoke, Zhong Yao stared at Xiang Xiang and said word by word:
"Does Situ understand this?"
At this time, Xu Xiang really paid attention to the young man in front of him. Looking at this man's sharp eyes, Xu Xiang subconsciously said:
"I understand, I understand."
Can he not understand? What they mean is that whether they will rebel later depends on whether they think Han has virtue. Whether he has virtue or not is just a matter of words, isn't it?
At this moment, Xu Xiang realized that after all, he was still fighting for his own good. With tens of thousands of troops outside the city, his outcome was already doomed.
He was the only one who was still complacent about having pinched Zhong Yao before, but he didn't know that he was just teasing him.
Feeling that his face had been lost, Xu Xiang asked his grandson Xu Xuan to retreat.
Then only Xu Xiang and Zhong Yao were left in the clean room, and now they could talk about something practical.
After the rhythm was completely controlled by Zhong Yao, Prime Minister Xu no longer acted like a high official. He bent down and said with a smile:
"Since this great change is due to mediocre people occupying high positions, if the wise and gentlemen can be allowed to return to high positions, the world will soon be clear and peaceful. I just don't know if people like me will still have positions after this great change.
here I am?"
Sure enough, when the grandson was not here, Xu Xiang asked so nakedly. This Xu Xiang was really embarrassed.
Zhong Yao nodded and replied honestly:
"The position must be there, but it is still not the Three Lords. You gentlemen have not discussed it. So I can't say anything."
Xu Xiang nodded excitedly. After confirming his future, he still wanted to continue to fight for it. He said with a flattering smile:
"Currently, the one person who can represent the DPRK and control the situation in Kyoto is me, and the Grand Lieutenant Zhang Yan is the other. If two of the Three Dukes can be given to me, that would be good. But if there is only one, I think it should be me.
It's more appropriate. After all, Zhang Yan is from Hanoi, so he's from the north. And I'm from Runan, and I'm a family member with you gentlemen. It's naturally more appropriate. Yuan Chang, do you think this is true?"
Although Zhong Yao secretly ridiculed Xiang Xiang for his ugly appearance, thus betraying his comrades. But Zhong Yao had to admit the fact that if Xiang Xu surrendered, he might really remain in the position of the Three Lords. For no other reason.
Yes, because he is from the Xu family in Runan.
So Zhong Yao could only nod his head, indicating that what you said, Situ, made perfect sense.
Now that he had given the guarantee, Zhong Yao did not want to talk more about this issue. Instead, he asked about the current situation in Luoyang. After all, whether Xiang Xu could control Luoyang and how far he could control it, Zhong Yao also wanted to know clearly.
of.
So he asked:
"What kind of soldiers and horses are there in Kyoto now?"
Knowing that it was time to get down to business, Mr. Xu immediately said:
"There are about 5,000 soldiers and horses in the city now. There are 1,000 soldiers in Henan Yin, and there are about 1,000 Sili Xiaowei. The rest are the 1,000 soldiers of the Southern Army in Nangong, and the 2,000 slaves from the Qu family gathered by the ministers.
people."
Then, before Zhong Yao could ask, Prime Minister Xu said:
"Here, I can control thousands of people in Henan Yinna. Previously, Henan Yin was He Miao, and this person has fled westward with the puppet emperor, so I have those thousand soldiers in my hands. And then there are all the ministers' tribes.
The two thousand people, because they were summoned by me, can also be dispatched by me. Only the predecessors of Nangong belong to various sects in Kyoto and do not belong to each other, so they are not under control now. But they cannot fight, so there is no need to worry.
.”
Zhong Yao listened and thought about it, and felt that there should be nothing wrong with what Xu Xiang said.
"but……"
Saying that, Xu Xiang said sadly.
"But what?"
Xu Xiang frowned and expressed his worries.
"This time the Qing emperor sided with you. You gentlemen did a very good job. But it is a pity that the pseudo-emperor escaped after all. I am worried that the pseudo-emperor will send troops out after fleeing to Chang'an. You must be on guard!"
"One more thing, I guess you will also have to establish a new king later. How to choose this new king? Should you choose from the descendants of the false emperor, or choose another person from the clan? If this is not handled well, it will greatly harm us.
Prestige."
Zhong Yao didn't take it seriously and said:
"As long as there are tens of thousands of troops outside the city, no matter who is standing, this sword will be prestige."
Hearing Zhong Yao's Legalist words, Prime Minister Xu frowned even deeper. He advised:
"The sword can only be powerful for a while, but not for the future. Now the moth thieves in Hebei are powerful, and you only have the support of Henan. If you can't establish the prestige of the Han Dynasty, how can the states in the south fall to us?"
?”
Zhong Yao listened carefully, and there was some truth in what Xu Xiang said.
So Xu Xiang continued:
"Since the puppet emperor moves west, the obvious situation will be that with Hangu Pass as the boundary, the Kansai states to the west, such as Yong, Bing, and Liang, will increasingly turn to the puppet emperor. And what about the east? The original Kanto region
The large number of people in Guangzhou can naturally overwhelm the west, but now Qingzhou has fallen, Hebei has been broken, and even the Central Plains has been in constant war, and its strength has been greatly damaged. Therefore, the key to the struggle is how to bring Jing, Xu, and Yang into power, otherwise I am afraid of trouble.
What about in the future?”
The more Zhong Yao listened, the more uncomfortable he became, and he said directly:
"Situ, these are not what we want to discuss now. Just wait until the gentlemen in the army enter the city and you can discuss it with them. I will only deal with the peace talks."
Who would have known that after Zhong Yao finished speaking, Xu Xiang stopped bending his waist. He straightened up and said calmly:
"Yuan Chang, you are indeed smart, but old horses also have their own ways. Today, for the sake of your late father, I will give you another lesson."
Zhong Yao's face changed drastically, obviously realizing that something big had happened to the peace talks. Then he heard Xu Xiang said:
"Although mortals have ears and eyes, they are actually deaf and blind, and cannot see the subtle origins of things. If there is a fire, mortals will be grateful to those who participated in putting out the fire, but they cannot be grateful to those who can stamp out the flames in advance. This is the stupidity of mortals
, have no foresight, and see things before they happen, so even with Wang Mang’s authority, Gongsun Long’s wisdom, and Dongfang Shuo’s wisdom, they are still ordinary people who do not understand the general situation and value the inferior and underestimate the basic, and they will not be able to avoid disaster."
"But I, Mr. Xu, admit that I am not a mortal, and I also know the principle of one or two foresights. You think that dedicating a city and establishing a king are two different things, but I tell you, this is the same thing. If, I know that you will last forever
No, then why should I offer the city? In the end, I will die together with you, and it will also stain the name of my family, the Xu family in Runan. Yuan Chang, do you think this is true?"
Now, Zhong Yao panicked and was about to speak again when he heard Xu Xiang said:
"You guys come in. If the guests are tired, send them to the side compartment to rest."
As soon as he finished speaking, a group of tough armored soldiers came in from outside the door and dragged Zhong Yao away without any explanation.
Since then, the peace talks have collapsed and the situation has completely reversed.
After all, Zhong Yao thought he was the one with the sword, but he didn't know that the sword was outside the city. Inside the city, the one with the sword was Xu Xiang!