Plan to cut off the nine states

Xu Chu returned to the valley and was welcomed by everyone. The sick old servant struggled to get up from the bed, grabbed Xu Chu's arm and looked up and down, as if they had not seen each other for ten years, and finally said: "Did the emperor give anything to the young master?"

Xu Chu smiled and said: "The emperor's summons is the greatest reward."

"Oh, that's right, how many people have seen the emperor? And my young master is even more amazing, he was invited by the emperor..."

Back in the bedroom, Zhang Shiqing said: "What problem did the emperor give you?"

"Hey, how did you guess it?"

"I saw it. As soon as we met, I knew you were worried. Don't hide it. Let me hear it."

Xu Chu no longer concealed it and roughly repeated the words of the two editors Yan and Lan and the emperor.

After listening to it, Zhang Shiqing's first thought was not how difficult this matter was, "Song Quzhu dared to use anyone, and he also trusted the enemy's subordinates?"

"This is the ability of the emperor."

"Yes. Do you know who killed the queen's father?"

Xu Chu nodded.

"Why not just tell the emperor the truth?"

Xu Chu didn't say anything. Zhang Shiqing waited for a while and suddenly realized, "So... how did you answer?"

Just as Xu Chu was about to speak, three children pushed the door open and ran in. One after another, they hugged Xu Chu's thighs and called him father. The youngest one had no legs to hug, so he jumped to reach his hand.

The older child was seven years old. One was Xu Chu's eldest son Xu Xun, and the other was Tian Shu, the daughter of Tian Jiang and Feng Ju Niang. The two grew up together and were still ignorant of the child marriage. When they saw their parents, they used the same name and often quarreled over who was older by a few days. The youngest one was just four years old, the youngest son Xu Chi, who followed his brother and sister every day and imitated them.

After coaxing the three children away, Xu Chu said to his wife: "I said to the emperor, 'I didn't know it at the time. After more than ten years, the memories of the past are like a thick cloud of fog.'"

"You answered very well, but the emperor won't let you go?"

"Well." Xu Chu sighed.

"What on earth is the emperor thinking? Asking you to prove his innocence? Using you to get rid of Guo Shifeng? Whose people are Yan Wei and Lan Ruofu?" The more Zhang Shiqing thought about it, the more confused he became.

"Wait and see, I want to stay out of it, but I'm afraid it's hard to get what I want."

"As the emperor, what else can't he do? Why do you have to be dragged into it? You have retired for many years and have not participated in the establishment of the Chu Kingdom." Zhang Shiqing complained.

Xu Chu really couldn't stay out of it. On the third day after returning to the valley, someone from Yecheng came and summoned the Xu couple to the city together.

Zhang Shiqing was very puzzled, "I don't know the emperor, why did you summon me?"

When he arrived in Yecheng, he found out that the person who wanted to see Xu Chu's wife was not the emperor, but the favorite concubine brought by the emperor.

In any case, it was a special honor. Although Zhang Shiqing was reluctant, he went to the palace alone.

Xu Chu stayed in Tan Wuwei's mansion and waited.

The emperor stayed for more than ten days, and Tan Wuwei finally had some free time. He happened to be at home that day, so he invited Xu Chu to his study to drink tea and chat, telling him about the great grace of heaven. "There is an old saying that goes, 'When the birds are gone, the good bows are hidden; when the cunning rabbits die, the running dogs are cooked.' But the emperor today is not like that. He values ​​meritorious officials without doubt. Has there been such a wise emperor in all dynasties?"

Xu Chu smiled and shook his head, determined not to persuade him again.

After chatting for a while, Tan Wuwei said: "Although the nine states are unified, there are still people in the world who do not know the current situation and resist stubbornly. Your Majesty will continue to conquer, and ask me to be the general."

"Congratulations, my lord."

"Mr. Xu also thinks this is a good thing?"

"It is a good thing."

Tan Wuwei let out a long breath and smiled: "I like to lead troops to fight, but it is a pity that all the beasts have been eliminated, and only foxes and rats are left. Winning does not show real ability."

"Your Majesty asked you to be a general, I think to ensure that there is no risk."

"That's right. Does General Tang have a new Are you planning to come out of retirement? Although he lost an arm, his reputation is still there. I don't need him to go into battle, just show up in the army. "

"Tang Weitian gave up his military career and turned to literature. He was just starting to make progress, but now he refuses to ride a horse, let alone join the army."

"General Tang actually turned to literature - Mr. Xu is more capable. Since he doesn't want to, forget it. What about Mr. Xu? Are you willing to go with me to enjoy the scenery outside the Great Wall?"

"The people outside the Great Wall still refuse to obey the power of heaven?"

"Haha, Mr. Xu is really oblivious to what's happening outside the window. He Rong's troops suffered a heavy blow more than ten years ago. Now that things have recovered a little, Jin Wang Shen Dan fled to the frontier and married the former Chanyu's wife. He is obsessed with going south to compete for the throne, which is the biggest worry in your majesty's mind. There is also a small country in Liaodong, which holds the banner of Tiancheng and controls the small barbarians, and sometimes has the intention of looking south. Your majesty is worried that the two sides will form an alliance, so in the name of patrolling, he is preparing to secretly send a large army out of the frontier to destroy these two enemies once and for all. "

"The frontier is indeed a big worry, but have other places surrendered to the Great Chu?"

"The Yang family of Xiliang pledged their loyalty but did not send hostages, nor did they allow the court to appoint officials. Alas, I am new to the country. When I led the army for Your Majesty, I was grateful for the help of the Yang family. I hope they can have a good end. Your Majesty also said that the Yang family is not a big problem. As long as they don't have ambitions, they can be kept under control. There is something that Mr. Xu should have heard of, right? "

Xu Chu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, your words are too broad. I don't know what you mean."

"The Jiangshi Army stayed in Liangzhou and became the soldiers of the Yang family."

"This happened many years ago."

"Well, there is also the Golden Saint... Now she is the main wife of Liang Wang Yang Mengjun."

Xu Chu shook his head, "I haven't heard of it."

Seeing Xu Chu's calm expression, Tan Wuwei was relieved, but he did not go into details and said: "Then there is the Yizhou Tie family. Although they have defected to Da Chu very early and have made many achievements, they are very ambitious and will not accept it either." Over the years, the King of Shu has grown older, and the Tie family has become more ambitious. They have repeatedly asked the court for Hanzhou, saying that the Tie family will return to the King of Shu and want to settle down in Hanzhou. This is a headache for your majesty. He has done so much and cannot bear to add more guilt, but I feel that if the Tie family does not restrain themselves, it will be difficult for them to end well."

"The Tie family is indeed a little ignorant of current affairs."

"In addition, there are still small groups of rebels in the Huai and Wu areas. Without your Majesty's concern, the local areas can suppress them."

Xu Chu nodded and almost wanted to say that the King of Yecheng in Jizhou was also one of the emperor's biggest worries.

Tan Wuwei didn't think about himself at all and sighed: "I'm only worried about the Yang family. Although the court can restrain her, after all the troubles are eliminated, Liangzhou will become a thorn in the emperor's side. Mr. Xu is familiar with the King of Liang, so maybe he can Write a letter to persuade..."

Xu Chu shook his head, "I have met the King of Liang several times, but we are not very familiar with each other, and we have not heard from each other for more than ten years. If I write a letter at this time, the King of Liang will definitely think that it is the imperial court's instigation, and he will be suspicious and angry. Chaos."

"That's right. Haha, Mr. Xu is already an outsider. I shouldn't bring you into the world anymore. But there is one thing. I must ask Mr. Xu to do me a favor."

"Your Majesty, please tell me, but I will never refuse anything that is within my power."

"It's definitely within your ability, and you don't need to go out. That's right. I just said that Mr. Xu is an 'outside the world', and that's not an exaggeration. Although Siguo Valley is under the rule of Yecheng, the people in the valley have never been registered. Originally, the people in the valley have not been registered. I think this is not a big deal and there is no need to harass Mr. Xu, but I don’t know who leaked the news and spread it to Kyoto. Some courtiers were quite dissatisfied with it, thinking that the whole world..."

Xu Chu interrupted Tan Wuwei and said with a smile: "It's easy. The king just sends people to naturalize us. There are now forty-seven people in the valley."

"Mr. Xu did me a big favor." Tan Wuwei also smiled and said, "Mr. Xu, please don't worry. Although I am naturalized, I will continue to explain and exempt Si Guogu from all the taxes and servitude. Not to mention forty-seven people, even if it is four hundred Yecheng can afford seventy people."

"Junhou is the one who did me a big favor." Xu Chu thanked him and wondered why Tan Wuwei suddenly became so polite.

After chatting for a while, Tan Wuwei asked cautiously: "Has your Majesty ever mentioned me in front of Mr. Xu?"

It turns out that Tan Wuwei is still not at peace with himself, and he also knows that being a prince with a foreign surname will easily arouse jealousy.

Xu Chu replied: "Leaking out the holy words is a crime of great disrespect, but when Tan Junhou asked about it, I had to answer and could only say 'not a word was mentioned'."

Tan breathed a heavy sigh of relief. For him, this was enough. If he didn't ask any more questions, the rest of the time would be just chatting.

Xu Chu said goodbye and returned to his residence to receive a message from the palace: Mrs. Zhang would stay for two nights and then be sent back to Siguo Valley.

When Xu Chu entered the city, he was just accompanying him and was not summoned again by the emperor.

Xu Chu returned to the valley early the next morning. When others asked about it, he said that the emperor's favorite concubine was Zhang Shiqing's old friend, so he stayed for two more days.

Yecheng officials came that afternoon and registered the people in the valley. From then on, they entered the household registration and were no longer "outsiders".

Xu Chu did not hide anything, but for the sake of caution, he wrote Ma Shi's name as "Xu Shi" and added it to the Xu family.

Another day later, Zhang Shiqing was sent back to the valley on time, accompanied by dozens of carriages. The gifts brought back were so rich and precious that even the well-informed Feng Juniang was surprised, "Half of the palace must have been moved there." ?”

Faced with everyone's inquiries, Zhang Shiqing smiled and did not answer. After returning to the bedroom, he said to Xu Chu: "Mr.

"I can only think of one person."

Zhang Shiqing sighed: "You guessed it again. If I didn't ask, would you have thought of it?"

"If you don't ask, I have three or four candidates in mind. If you ask, there will only be one left."

Zhang Shiqing smiled and said: "Binfen actually became the emperor's favorite concubine. This is really...fortunately I didn't insist on finding her back then."

Binfen was originally Zhang Shiqing's maid. She was captured by the He Rong people in her identity and moved south. Xu Chu entrusted her to Ma Qigu, the wife of Song Tizhu at the time.

"Aren't you... angry?" Xu Chu asked.

"Why am I angry?" Zhang Shiqing asked in surprise, "Because my maid has become an imperial concubine, and I am just a commoner's wife? Well, I am very angry. Go fight for the world and give me the status of a queen, or let me If my two sons work hard, I will be the empress dowager.”

Xu Chu comforted him with a smile, and Zhang Shiqing felt relieved and continued: "I finally asked what's going on. It's really troublesome."

"oh?"

"The queen wants to avenge her father and also wants to kill Guo Shifeng, but he is the leader of hundreds of officials and there is no real evidence, so the matter cannot be done through the judicial department. I don't know who also suggested it, and wanted to use the history to give Guo Shifeng a fatal blow, so It’s implicated on you.”

"Besides killing her father, does the Queen have any grudge against Guo Shifeng?"

"That happened in the early years. Guo Shifeng once urged the emperor to make Yizhou Tiefei the queen."

At the beginning of Song Qizhu's break with King Ning, Yizhou's help was crucial. For this reason, he married the Tie family and married one of Tie Yuan's sisters.

"If I had been with the emperor at that time, I would have supported Guo Shifeng."

"This is the benefit of retreat. Fenfen has something to ask of you."

"Begging me?"

"Binfen has given birth to a prince. He is ten years old this year. He wants to be your disciple. I will send him over tomorrow."

Xu Chu found that things were getting more and more chaotic, and the years of peace seemed to be all an illusion, just waiting for today's opportunity to give him a heavy blow.