When Bai Yan captured Fucheng and the cities near Qufu, he had just received news from Yao Jia. On the other hand, Jiuding had already arrived outside Luoyang City.
Being able to get there so quickly required the efforts of Qin officials from all the cities along the way, and even less had to encounter major obstacles. The only major obstacle was the bandits encountered when they were in Wei, but those bandits even
They were all wiped out without stopping them for more than a day. After receiving the news, Lord Changping even ordered officials from all the cities along the way to lead the city officials and defenders to protect Jiuding.
Inside Luoyang City.
Jiuding has not yet arrived at the city gate. Countless people have already gathered inside and outside the city. As the ancient capital of Xia, Shang, Western Zhou, and Eastern Zhou, the prosperous Luoyang City has never lacked merchants, nobles, and descendants of some countries.
Inside a mansion.
A man ran quickly, from the corridor to the courtyard, and finally entered the main hall, and came to a group of men. Among the many men, there were five or six old men with gray hair on their temples.
"Sir, Jiuding is about to arrive in Luoyang!"
While the man was breathing heavily, he raised his hands to the man above the main hall and reported the report.
The leading man heard the words and nodded slowly, looking at the other men in the main hall who were also nodding, and finally looked at the six white-haired old men.
"Wei Lao, Zhu Lao, Tian Lao, Chen Lao... Now that the fake tripod has been sent to Luoyang, Bai Yan has deceived the heavens and deceived all living beings. Please tear off his face and don't shame the treasure that has been passed down since ancient times!"
The leader of the man is named Kuang Jing, and he belongs to the famous Kuang family in Qi State.
After receiving the news from Qi State, Kuangjing waited for these old men in Xianyang, gathered all his connections, and waited for Bai Yan to send the fake Jiuding.
"We were once lucky enough to see Jiuding. Now that Bai Yan has used a fake tripod to deceive the world, we are naturally obliged to do so. Kuangjun is at ease. Tomorrow, we will go to Luoyang with the fake tripod!"
"We must expose Bai Yan. The Zhou family does not exist today, and the Qi State has declined. However, the Jiuzhou Tripod is not something that the Qin State can obtain. Bai Yan cannot use it to deceive others. That Ying Zheng has a false tripod.
It will definitely not be accepted by Heaven!"
One by one, the gray-haired old men said loudly on their old faces.
These people are all elders from the Qi Kingdom. They have all seen the Jiuding with their own eyes, and they have been proud of it for decades after the Jiuding was lost.
Now that they heard that Bai Yan was going to use the fake tripod to deceive the people of the world, how could they agree? If the fake tripod was used by the Qin State to deceive the people of the world, it would not only be an insult to the Jiuzhou tripod, but also an insult to their lifelong reputation.
Jiuzhou Ding is Jiuzhou Ding! It is the best in the world and cannot be replaced by any tripod.
"I heard news from Chu State yesterday that Bai Yan came up with the idea of making a fake tripod because of Wei Shi Wei Pang's words. For this reason, Bai Yan did not hesitate to massacre all the people in Shiliting and the Song family, framed the fault and took the tripod of the Song family.
Pretending to be Jiuding..."
Kuangjing saw the appearance of those old men, nodded slowly, and then informed everyone in the main hall of the news he learned from Chu.
"Is this actually happening?"
"Then Bai Yan is so violent?"
Hearing Kuang Jing's words, not only the white-haired old men, but also other men also frowned in surprise.
"This matter is absolutely true. Song Jin, the only remaining member of the Song family, saw with his own eyes that the Qin people massacred his clan, took away his nine tripods, and then placed the nine tripods in Si River. Now that he heard about Song and Jin, he fled to Chu.
Shouchun, he just escaped from the disaster and is still in Shouchun City."
Kuang Jing explained.
As Kuang Jing finished speaking, almost instantly, a man punched the table angrily and stood up.
"How can it be unreasonable to assume that Bai Yan holds his Zhanlu? How can such an unkind and unjust person be worthy of the sword of benevolence and righteousness!!!"
Just when the man said his words, under Kuangjing's look, the man sneered knowingly.
"How can people who flood the beams be benevolent and righteous?"
The man shook his head.
As soon as the questions and answers were asked, almost all the men in the lobby immediately felt the same indignation. The old men with white hair looked at each other angrily, with determination in their eyes.
"Sir, Jiuding has entered Luoyang!"
At this time, another guard suddenly hurried into the main hall to report.
When Kuang Jing saw this, he stood up quickly and held his hands in front of everyone.
"Please don't spread the word about what happened today. Let's go! Everyone, let's go together and see what the 'Nine Cauldrons' Bai Yan found looks like!"
Kuang Jing said.
Kuangjing told the story of Song and Jin in the hope that these scholars would spread the word. He had already asked people not to tell it, but Kuangjing knew very well that once Jiuding left Luoyang, once he, Chen Lao, Tian Lao and others went to Xianyang
, he is not here, sooner or later the news cannot be concealed.
At that time, they had already arrived in Xianyang, and people in Xianyang would spread the news about the Song family and Song Ding in Xianyang one day in advance.
"Walk!"
"Go and see that Song Ding!"
Seeing Kuang Jing's invitation, the others were already itching to refuse. So they stood up one after another, bowed their hands to Kuang Jing in return, and motioned to go together.
A scene like this happened in other places in Luoyang City. Some old people who had seen Jiuding gathered in Luoyin City from various places.
And on the streets of Luoyin.
At this time, all the people in Luoyin were looking at the big black cauldron in the distance. It took about thirty people to carry it with giant trees.
This scene made countless people take a breath.
"It's so big! Is that Jiuding?"
"It's so big! It's a pity that we can't see the rumored Kyushu map!"
"Don't think about it. Bai Yan dedicated the Jiuzhou Cauldron to Qin King Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng hasn't seen it yet, so how can the world see it!"
Amidst the noisy discussion, looking at the cavalry soldiers holding long swords and swords along the way, as well as the city officials and Qin soldiers, everyone gave way one after another, not daring to stop them.
Looking at the shockingly large cauldron, almost everyone exclaimed in surprise.
soon.
Some people on the second and third floors of the building frowned when they saw the size of the cauldron, but fortunately these people seemed to know something, so they tolerated the surprise in their hearts.
However, in the eyes of some old people, they looked at each other in surprise. They seemed not to have expected that the cauldron under the black cloth with the word Qin was not small. Unfortunately, it seemed that the cauldron should be wrapped with hay or the like to prevent collisions on the way. This made them
It is impossible to see the specific edges and corners as well as the body and legs of the tripod.
However, when thinking about Shiliting and the Song family, every old man felt angry and looked at the fake tripod wrapped in black cloth with the word "Qin" on the street.
A fake tripod will always be a fake tripod!!!
Inside Luoyang City.
Xun Shuo and Jiu followed Ran Wu to the mansion.
Uncle Bai, Bai Yan, and Bai Ping were all in the courtyard at this time. When they saw Xun Shuo and Jiu, Uncle Bai and others bowed their hands in greetings.
After Ran Wu's introduction, Xun Shuo learned that these people in front of him were all members of the Bai clan.
"Xunshi, Xunshuo, I have met you all!"
Xun Shuo bowed his hands and said.
As soon as the words came out, not only Bai Ping, but also Uncle Bai and Bai Yan all looked startled. After looking at each other, they looked at Xun Shuo and bowed their hands in a serious manner.
They had learned about Xun Shuo from Bai Yan's letters a long time ago, and now that they met, even the Bai family, Uncle Bai and Bai Yan did not dare to look down upon him in the slightest.
The Bai family of Pingyang is famous because of Bai Qi, Lord of Wu'an, and Bai Qi is a military general, while the Xun family is famous because of Confucianism, a great integrator. In the eyes of the world's scholars, their status is extraordinary, and they are now favored by Ying Zheng.
Li Si, the Tingwei who trusted and was in charge of the laws and regulations of the Qin State, was his disciple.
Therefore, when looking at the origins of Xun Shuo, Bai Bo, and Bai Yan, compared with Xun Shuo, it is really hard to tell.
"When we heard about Jiuding, we will wait here, please!"
Uncle Bai spoke first.
In fact, when they came to Luoyang, it was not Jiuding's matter at the beginning. As for Jiuding, they originally planned to wait with Bai Yu in Xianyang. They never thought that under the arrangements of Feng and his father Bai Zhong, Bai Ping's matter would finally come to an end.
result.
Bai Ping went to Luoyang and served as the chief official!
Compared with county magistrate, county lieutenant and other important positions, the chief official seems to have a lower status, but this is Luoyang, and the chief official is in charge of the advancement and retreat of the group of officials. It can be said that Bai Ping's official position may not seem high, but his real power is great.
Moreover, it can not only win people's hearts and manage the relationship between Luoyang nobles and clans, but also lay the foundation for future promotion.
Therefore, everyone in the Bai family was very satisfied when they learned about this position. Uncle Bai and Bai Yan personally sent Bai Ping to take up the post, and also met Ran Wu by the way.
"please!"
When Xun Shuo saw Uncle Bai's invitation, he thought about it and extended his hand to signal.
……………………
Qi State Linzi.
As the news of the assassination of Qin Prime Minister Wei Zhuang spread in the city, it involved the diplomatic relations between Qi and Qin, and a slight mistake would lead to war. Therefore, martial law was enforced everywhere in the city, and soldiers of Qi could be seen on the streets everywhere.
, the figure searching everywhere.
Anyone whose background cannot be told or who is suspicious will be investigated by Qi soldiers. If they cannot be found out, they will be arrested directly.
The same is true at the city gate.
Due to the tight security, under the city gate that used to be easily accessible, more than thirty Qi soldiers were carefully searching the pedestrians entering and exiting. Looking from the bottom up, it was the Qi soldiers stationed in the city road above the city.
The number of soldiers in the country is also several times greater than in the past.
Many nobles and officials riding in the carriages could not help but complain, but in the face of searches and martial law, everyone had to endure it.
After all, it was the Prime Minister of Qin who was assassinated. No one wanted to have anything to do with such a serious matter. When the time came, the person who would be used as the scapegoat would have no place to complain.
There are exceptions, however.
An exquisite carriage, escorted by Qi Qi, quickly arrived at the city gate. Facing the search, a fat middle-aged man walked out of the carriage.
If Shui Shou were here, he would definitely tremble with fear when he saw this man, because this man was actually Tianjia who had ordered his legs to be broken before.
"Get out of the way! I am the royal family, do you want to search?"
Tian Jiu was getting fatter than before, and he obviously ate and drank a lot. However, Tian Jiu's face was full of impatience at this moment. It was obvious that if Qin Xiang had not been assassinated, Tian Jiu would not have rushed back to Linzi in such a hurry.
It's so nice to be in your own fiefdom, with beautiful women and good wine, and it's mostly comfortable.
"Don't dare!"
The soldiers guarding the city gate gave way one after another wherever they dared to block Tianjia. Other people also stepped aside, for fear of offending this powerful man who they could never afford to offend in this life.
not far away.
A middle-aged man waiting patiently on a carriage also saw this scene, but he was accustomed to it and patiently followed other carriages and waited.
"Zhan'er, how long will it take before we can enter the city?"
An old man's voice came from the carriage. Gongyang Zhan listened to his mother's words and quickly comforted her. There was still a while.
Looking at Linzi City in front of him, Gongyang Zhan also knew clearly that his mother was homesick and wanted to enter the city earlier to see places she had seen before and meet old friends.
Gongyang Zhan could understand his mother's thoughts, so he asked his brother Zhong to take his family to Dongyang first, while he took his mother to Linzi.
Thinking of what happened in the past, Gongyang Zhan's eyes were still full of horror when he looked at Linzi City.
Bai Yan!
Qin general Bai Yan was actually the grandson of his mother's old friend.
If he hadn't seen this with his own eyes, Gongyang Zhan would never believe that his Gongyang clan could actually be related to Bai Yan, a powerful minister of the Qin State and a favored minister of Yingzheng.
Inside Linzi City.
In the alley, in the dilapidated courtyard, Kaimata had just walked back to the courtyard when he saw his mother and wife looking at him inquiringly.
Seeing this, Kaima could only shake his head helplessly.
"The city is still heavily guarded, and checks are being carried out everywhere. Many shops have found it difficult to make a living, and many other traders have been arrested. They are still unable to sell goods today."
Kasama walked into the yard and whispered softly. Looking at his mother's white hair, and then looking at his wife, Kasama was also a little worried.
So much time has passed, and I don’t know when it will end.
"It will pass!"
Kaimata nodded after hearing his mother's comforting words.
But at this time, there was suddenly the sound of heavy footsteps outside. Out of curiosity, Katama came to the door to look. Then he saw many soldiers holding long swords and swords, searching from house to house.
"Get away! Anyone who dares to block it will be arrested!"
"sit down!!"
Kima looked at the residents in the alley being driven out of their homes. Under the scolding of the soldiers, they knelt on the ground and did not dare to move.
At this time, Kaimata also saw the leading general and several of his soldiers walking towards here.
Worried about his mother, and not daring to stop the soldiers, Kasama quickly opened the door and let the soldiers in to search.
"Search!"
The leading general, who was in his thirties, took a brief look at Katama. When he saw the white-haired old woman and the frightened woman, he looked at the house and whispered an order.
However, compared with the residents outside, whether they are generals or other soldiers, they are much more polite and kind, and they do not throw everything around like outside, either kicking or throwing.
When Bai Yan's grandmother saw this, she didn't know why. It must be Yan'er who gave instructions to the servants of Tian Mansion.
The Prime Minister of the Qin State was assassinated, and everyone was worried about being implicated. Once implicated, not even the Tian Mansion would be in good stead, so when she saw Yan'er, she still worried about it, and her grandmother also looked guilty.
At this age and with this body, I always feel that I am dragging down others everywhere, not only the eldest son, but also Yan'er who has always been worried.
"Walk!"
There were not many things in the house, so the soldiers left quickly after checking them.
Seeing this, Kasama breathed a sigh of relief and looked at his wife. The wife hurriedly walked towards the room. When she saw the small bag containing dozens of coins in the corner of the coin, she was relieved.
"Mom, what's wrong?"
When Kaimata saw his wife coming out, he nodded and was about to speak. Suddenly he noticed that his mother looked disappointed, and he was worried about her, so he quickly asked.
"fine!"
The grandmother shook her head slightly at her eldest son. She seemed a little tired. She slowly came to a firewood and picked up the firewood that had just been knocked down. The old figure looked at the old figure, full of worry.
At this time, the sound of footsteps suddenly seemed to be heard outside. Kaimata thought that the soldiers had forgotten something, and he suddenly became nervous again.
However, this time, what surprised Yamata was that a man about his own age supported an old woman and slowly came to the small courtyard. These two people had never met and did not know each other at all.