316 BC, Korea.

In the capital city of Xinzheng, Yanguo Pavilion Station.

There is a young man with a special identity living here.

Childe was eight feet tall, with heroic eyebrows and hair hanging down to the ground, and he was only nineteen years old at the time.

Gongzi is the biological son of Yan Wang, the monarch of today's Yan Kingdom, surnamed Ji, Yan, and named Zhi.

Yan Guo is a country with the same surname as the Zhou Dynasty, and the monarch of Yan Guo is naturally surnamed Ji, so the son can be called Ji Zhi.

But it can also be a surname, and it is not impossible to call it Yanzhi.

The son-in-law is not a son-in-law, but the king of Yan. It has been several years since he was sent to Korea by the Yan Kingdom to serve as a hostage.

When he came to Korea, he usually stayed in the building, and he couldn't go out casually. This is because his every move, word and deed is under the surveillance, whether covert or overt, by relevant South Korean personnel.

In Xinzheng, South Korea, although the prince has no worries about food and clothing, has servants to serve him in his residence, and has a chariot and horse entourage when he travels, he is a hostage in another country, which is like house arrest.

The son's job is not free, and he misses his parents in his homeland, and for several years, only he knows the bitterness in his heart.

The matter of protons is an ancient practice.

In order to reach a certain alliance or a certain intention between the two countries, in order to show sincerity, the monarch sent his own son to the other country.

This position and mission are relatively important, but they are also dangerous.

If there is a change in the situation in the world, which leads to a bad relationship between the two countries, the hostages will be killed.

Throughout the ages, it is not uncommon for protons to be killed in history.

Therefore, protons generally do not use the prince, because the prince is the prince of the country, unless it is to show special sincerity. Generally, it is more common to use sons-in-law and concubines other than the eldest son.

During the Zhou Dynasty, there were more than 800 large and small princes in the world. It is a very common phenomenon for vassal states to send protons to each other.

But one of the benefits of proton is that it can exercise qualifications and improve status after returning home.

In other words, those who have been hostages in other countries, have this experience, and then have a very significant capital after returning to China.

And after the proton returned to the country, there are no longer a few who will become the king, such as the father and son of Jin Huigong, and the later Qin King Yingzheng.

Gongzi's biological mother has a humble status, so although he is the biological son of King Yan and was born in a royal family, it is rare for his father to value and favor. Fate is not on its own.

The prince and grandson were also born to be used by the royal family of the country.

Ji Zhi's fate is also tied to the fate of Yan Guo.

Yan is located in a remote area, located in the north, and has never been able to compete with the big countries of the Central Plains. By the Warring States Period, although he was one of the Seven Heroes, his strength should be ranked last.

In order to protect itself, Yan sought an alliance. In order to avoid being invaded by Qin, Qi and other major powers, they formed alliances with South Korea and Zhao to keep warm. According to the ancient law, hostages were sent to each other.

And Yan itself is weak, and South Korea, which is also relatively weak, has also become the target of Yan Guo's curry-eye. No, in order to make friends with South Korea and show sincerity, Yan Wang took the initiative to unilaterally send protons.

And who to send? Although the sons are all biological, the palms and backs of the hands are all meat, but after all, there are concubines, the prince is already the prince, and he went to the country of Qi as a hostage, this country of Qi is a big country, and the king of Yan can't afford to provoke it, so in order to show his sincerity, he had to send the prince away.

South Korea also needs to send hostages, whose status is too low to be important, and too high for anyone to send. So this father, who doesn't love his brother and doesn't hurt his son, was naturally sent to South Korea as the most suitable hostage.

When Gongzi left Yan Kingdom, he was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and he was only a teenager.

On the day Gongzi set off for Korea, he went to the palace to thank his father and brothers. The attitude of the father and brother was not lukewarm, Yan Wang Hao just waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, be careful on the road." So he buried his head in looking at the bamboo slips on the case.

Gongzi went to bid farewell to his mother, and his mother wept incessantly, and personally went out of the palace to send Ji Zhi outside the city. Thinking about his departure, the future is uncertain, and I don't know when I will be able to return.

couldn't bear the separation of mother and son, hugged the head of Ji Zhi, and cried sadly.

The carriages and horses bound for South Korea have stopped on the side of the road, ready to go, and the messengers are already urging them to hit the road.

Although Gongzi is young, he already understands things, and when he saw his mother so sad, he comforted: "Mother rest assured, the child went to Korea as a hostage, and it is for Yan to marry South Korea." Now that Yan and South Korea are reconciled, there is nothing else to do, and the child will definitely be safe when he goes, just a few years later, the child can complete the mission and return to Yan Kingdom, and he can serve by his mother's side again. ”

His mother put away her tears and told her again and again: "Your parents are thousands of miles away, and it is difficult for them to take care of you." When you go to South Korea, you must take care of yourself. For a mother, I don't ask for hope, I just hope that you can return safely, and it is enough to be a mother. ”

Ji Zhi took the promise, thanked his mother again, and got in the car and left.

The messenger gave the order to depart, and the coachman sounded the whip, and the chariot went on the road.

The mountain loop turned, the carriages and horses had gone away, only on the avenue, leaving a little smoke and dust.

Gongzi sat in the car, looking at the reckless mountains and rivers in front of him, the land of the hidden swallows, and the momentum was majestic.

And he saw people plowing in the fields by the wayside, and begonia trees were planted beside the roadside.

Seeing things and thinking about people, seeing this Gantang tree, Gongzi couldn't help but chant the national style "Gantang" in his heart:

Cover the gantang, don't cut down, call the uncle.

Cover Gantang, don't be defeated, call the uncle.

Cover Gantang, don't worship, call Bo said.

And this poem of Gantang was made by later generations to commemorate and commemorate the political achievements and benevolence of the ancestor of Yan Guo, Zhaogong, and was later included in the Book of Poetry.

Since the prince is after summoning the prince, he is naturally familiar with the story of the ancestor of the Yan Kingdom.

What is the meaning of this four-word poem? It turned out that when Zhao Gong was governing the West, he governed properly, made remarkable achievements, and the people were harmonious and stable. Later, Zhao Gong died, and the people of the Zhou Dynasty missed him and could not bear to cut down the Gantang tree planted by Zhao Gong. The poet lamented this incident, so he composed this poem to commemorate and remember Zhaogong, and express his feelings of remembrance and praise.

Who is Zhao Gong? He is the descendant of King Wen, King Wu, and the elder brother of the Duke of Zhou, assisting King Wu to destroy Yin Shang, and was enshrined in Yan, the ancestor of Yan State, so Yan State is the country with the same surname as Ji.

Although Zhao Gong was enshrined in Yan, he, like Zhou Gong, did not give up the title, but only sent his own son to go, Zhou Gong sent his son Bo Yu to Lu State, and Zhao Gong sent his son Ji Ke to Yan State. And he stayed in the Western Zhou Hojing to assist King Wu.

From the east of Shaanxi, the Duke of Zhou presided over the governance, and from the west of Shaanxi, the Duke of Zhao presided over the governance.

After the Yan Kingdom established itself, it has been passed to the Yan Dynasty for more than 30 generations, and it has lasted for nearly 800 years.

Gongzi is the son of Yan Wang, and he has the blood of Zhaogong in his body. Although Zhao Gong had never been to the land of Youyan, he left his bloodline here.

After being a summoner, he was proud of his sonship.

But although he was a child of the clan in Yan Kingdom, he was only a concubine and was snubbed by his father. According to the patriarchal ritual system, the status of the concubine is far inferior to that of the concubine. Not only does he have no share in inheriting the throne, but if he encounters something tricky, the concubine also has to obey the king's orders and act as a sacrifice, without the slightest choice.

This status of a concubine who is not embarrassed or embarrassed is the same as the situation of Gongzi himself. In China, except for his mother, no one has loved him since he was a child. The father was snubbed, the brothers were excluded and despised, and even the ministers of the Yan Kingdom were estranged from the son-in-law for some reasons.

This kind of growth experience has created the forbearance and tenacity of the child's job and the strong spirit.