Chapter 326 Loyalty and Filial Piety
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 adds a bit of comfort.
Zhong Yao took a sip and immediately tasted that it was zhejiang.
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 carefully, Xu Xiang spoke.
And the most important thing was asked immediately:
"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, the 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 fate of the Han Dynasty will surely come. 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 traitors, our Henan family actually wants to commit rebellion 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 enough time to relax, rolled up his sleeves and said seriously:
"Not really."
Zhong Yao preached:
"Since Wang Mang disrupted famous religions, there have been disputes between ancient and modern times in the world. Due to different meanings of each classic, the disputes and confrontations have made the people of the world confused and unable to agree on one thing. That's why Emperor Zhang had the White Tiger Temple to redefine the classics and talk about the similarities and differences of the Five Classics."< br>
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 up and down, 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 politeness:
"The so-called Three Cardinal Guidelines and Six Disciplines 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 that being a father is more important than being a father. There is no such thing as being a king and being a 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 receives orders from heaven, and scholars receive orders from the king. The emperor, 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 calmly:
"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, Xu Xiang understood what Zhong Yao was going to say.
But this time, Xu Xiang, who was talking endlessly, fell silent.
Loyal or disloyal, this kid is obviously asking him whether he will surrender or not.
Since Prime Minister Xu was abandoned by Liu Hong, he had no way out. Failure to surrender would be a dead end. Now I'm just trying to make a fuss about it, just to get a good price.
But as soon as he surrendered, wouldn't the principle of loyalty and filial piety he just said become a joke? It made him a little embarrassed. But it is a bit embarrassing. Xu Xiang can achieve this position, and his personal honor and disgrace can serve his purpose at any time.
The terrible thing is that if he directly confesses that he is disloyal, then his political life as prime minister will be over. Who would accept a disloyal minister?
So this problem is neither surrender nor surrender. It only makes people in a dilemma. But fortunately, Mr. Xu had quick wits and quickly found a countermeasure.
I saw Xu Xiang laughing loudly and said:
"Loyalty, of course, is loyalty. Not only am I loyal, but all the gentlemen in Henan are also loyal. After all, the king is immoral, so we ministers naturally have the duty to remonstrate with the king. As the saying goes, 'The emperor has seven critics, although he has no Tao, don't 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. And you, the princes of Henan, hold three-foot troops to Qingjun's side. This is military remonstrance, although the way is different. , but they are all loyal and sincere. Who can say anything about disloyalty?”
These words made Zhong Yao shout "What a good guy".
This old man is really cunning and cunning, and he can make some sense, and this sense 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.
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 imitate Yin Huo's story 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, what Xu Xiang said before was nothing more than an irritating statement to test the plans of the Henan aristocratic families outside the city. Is it a change of dynasty? Or just establish a new king. Xu Xiang asked this again and again because it was a big issue related to his future. If he just establishes a new king, then he will have a good future if he joins 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 Dukes and the Han Dynasty both prospered and suffered losses. When the time comes, the Han Dynasty will be gone, what value will he still have?
Now that he heard the accurate news from Zhong Yao, Xu Xiang felt relieved a lot.
But not long before they felt relieved, Zhong Yao said something else. I saw the person saying 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 orders on Wu, but Wu did not accept it, and eventually Yue Jia swallowed Wu. This is a disaster that God does not take, and everyone is to blame.”
As he spoke, Zhong Yao stared at Xiang Xu 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 entirely on whether they think Han has any moral character. Is that virtuous? Isn’t it just another word?
At this moment, Xu Xiang realized that in the end, we were still fighting for each other. 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 controlled 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. Where are you?”
Sure enough, in the absence of grandson, Xu Xiang asked so nakedly. This Xu Xiang is really shameless.
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, I am the one who can represent the DPRK and control the situation in Kyoto, and the Grand Lieutenant Zhang Yan is the other. If two of me can be given the position of Three Lords, that would be good. But if there is only one, I think it is me. It's more appropriate. After all, Zhang Yan is from Hanoi, and I am from Runan, so it is more appropriate for me to be a member of the same family. Yuan Chang, do you think this is true?"
Although Zhong Yao mocked Xu Xiang in his heart for looking ugly, he betrayed his comrades. But Zhong Yao had to admit the fact that if Prime Minister Xu surrendered, he might still remain in the position of Third Duke. If not for anything else, just because he is from the Xu family in Runan.
So Zhong Yao could only nod, 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 asked, Xu Xiang said:
"Here, I can control the thousands of people in Henan Yinna. The former Henan Yin was He Miao, and this person has fled westward with the puppet emperor, so I have the thousands of soldiers in my hands. And then there are the ministers' tribes. The two thousand people were summoned by me, so they can also be dispatched by me. Only the predecessors of Nangong belong to different sects in Kyoto and are not under each other's control. But they can't 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 gentlemen of the Qing Dynasty have done a very good job. But it is a pity that the false emperor escaped after all. Later, I am worried that the false emperor will send troops to escape after fleeing to Chang'an. You must be on guard!"
"One more thing, I guess you will have to establish a new king later. How to choose this new king? Should he 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, it will be the same for everyone. This sword is 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, Liang, and Yi, will fall 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 destroyed, and even the Central Plains has been in continuous wars, and its strength has been severely 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 then you can discuss it with them. I only care about peace talks."
Who knows, after Zhong Yao finished speaking, Xu Xiang stopped bending. He straightened up and said lightly:
"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 expression changed drastically, obviously realizing that something big had happened to the peace talks. Then he heard Xu Xiangdao:
"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 also mortals who do not understand the general situation and underestimate the basics. They will not be immune to 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 ruin the reputation of my family, Yuan Chang, do you think this is true?"
Now, Zhong Yao panicked and was about to speak again. I heard Xu Xiangdao:
"You come in, 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!
(End of chapter)