The capital of Chu is Yingdu, the main hall of the royal palace.

Some time ago, I received a battle report from Dou Shen, saying that the newly formed water wolf team not only showed off their strength on the border of Wu this time, but also beat the Wu State Navy Division to lose their armor. The key is that he also captured the flagship of the Wu State Naval Division, the "Yonghuang", which greatly fought for the Chu State. This hard-won victory made King Chuping's depressed mood brighten.

King Chu said: "Xiangguo's plan is very good, and this time Doushen was able to make contributions, thanks to Xiangguo's foresight. Now the new city has been built, but the treasury of the country is empty, and it is really overwhelmed. I don't know if Zhong Aiqing has a good plan? ”

Xiang Guo sang out of the class and said: "The old minister thinks that our country has been using troops continuously for many years, resulting in a waste of financial resources and an empty treasury. However, there are many vassal states in our country, and in this troubled season, it is better for the king to send envoys to all the vassal states to explain the practical difficulties of our country at present, and let the vassal states pay more tribute, and then when our country is stable and recovers, he will double the return. ”

Zuo Yin (Zuo Prime Minister) said: "In the last battle of the chicken father, the subject country has been ordered by the king to dispatch soldiers and horses, and bring their own grain and grass to help in the war. Later, although Yuanyue was defeated, the troops and horses sent by various subject countries were basically lost, and they did their best. Now it is said that the worship has been added, and the ministers are afraid that they will lose the hearts of the people and provoke the anger of the public. The minister thought that the current situation should be temporarily recuperated and the people should be raised. ”

The king of Chu was silent, and was groaning. At this time, the guards of the main hall came to report, saying that there was a front-line battle report flying into the capital.

The king of Chu hurriedly ordered the messenger to enter the palace, but the man was exhausted, took the letter from his back, and was speechless at this time, and prostrate on the ground.

The king of Chu had some apprehension in his heart, so he sent the Yanshi down to the palace and took the battle report and read it out in the hall.

Yanshi unfolded the military report, thinking that it was Doushen's good news, and originally wanted to read it out loud, but when he looked closely, it was a hundred thousand urgent letters from the Chaocheng guard, Duoju, who played the imperial court.

Yanshi lost color and said, "King, it's not good! Doushen underestimated the enemy and died in Liangshan. My water wolf division fell into the plan of the Wu army, and was also destroyed by Ji Guang in Liangshan. The Wu army captured Chaocheng and Zhongli in our country. Now Chen Bing is on the border of our country, and more than 100,000 people are urgently sending letters for help. ”

Everyone was shocked. The king of Chu slowly stood up, and the palace eunuch on the side came up to support him. The King of Chu waved his hand weakly and signaled to retreat.

At this time, Zuo Sima Shen Yinshu stepped forward and played, and his voice was like a bell: "The king is slow, now the border war is extensive, the Wu division is pressing the border, and the border generals are in a hurry." The minister is in charge of the soldiers and horses of the Chu State, and he also asks the king to agree on a strategy to deal with the enemy and then retreat from the dynasty! ”

The king of Chu said weakly: "The war between the north and the state of Wu will be handled by Xiangguo and Sima." The widow is a little tired, so Aiqing can report to the widow after doing a good job of planning. After the king of Chu finished speaking, he staggered all the way back to the palace.

The king of Chu returned to the harb/palace and has since suffered from heart palpitations. At night, I often have inexplicable palpitations and cold sweat. Coupled with the fact that people are old and frail, they gradually show the situation of the next life.

Shen Yinshu consulted with Nangwa and decided to send troops to the border of Zhongli and Chaocheng to confront Wu Shi. Because Wu Gongzi Ji Guang saw that the state of Chu was prepared, he went back to Meili and did not mention it.

Because the king of Chu was getting sicker and worse, he couldn't handle state affairs at all. Seeing that the time had come, Xiangguo Nangwa began to gradually control the government, suppress other subordinates, and weaken Fei Wuji's power. That Fei Wuji did not have the support of the King of Chu, and gradually lost his momentum. The authority of the state of Chu gradually fell into his own hands under the operation and planning of Nangwa.

At this time, it was the fourth year of King Jing of Zhou, in February of 516 BC. The king of Chu knew that his time was short, so he summoned his eldest son, Zixi and Xiangguo, into the palace.

The king of Chu couldn't say much, just gasped for air. beckoned Meng Huan and Prince Zhen, and entrusted the two of them: "The widow lost his morality, and killed three brothers to seize the throne." When he got old, he abandoned the government and caused the government to be sluggish and the country's strength to decline. Now our country is in an eventful autumn, the prince is young, and he still needs the assistance of Xiangguo and Zixi to live up to the trust of the widow today. ”

The king of Chu paused for a long time and continued: "Although the prince is young, according to the widow, the prince is extremely intelligent, benevolent, and knowledgeable, and can be a king. As long as Xiangguo teaches it well, he will be able to prosper in the future. Besides, Qin Jun, the prince's foreign family, has risen to the Western Regions, and if Chu has a big difficulty, he can also rely on it. He sighed, burst into tears, and closed his eyes.

It was night, and King Chuping was driving.

Nangwa returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion and summoned Zuo Yin Yanwan to discuss. Nangwa said: "Prince Zhen is young, and his mother Meng Huan was originally hired by the abolished prince Jian, which is not right!" As the saying goes, 'the son is more precious than the mother', and if the mother is not right, I want to abolish it. ”

But Wan said: "But the ancestor has a life first." The crown prince is the prince of the country, and according to the ancestral family law, he should be succeeded by the prince. If Xiangguo abolishes the establishment without authorization because of one person's likes and dislikes, the lower officials dare not agree. ”

Nangwa was a little displeased: "Although Zixi is the eldest son, he is old, strong, friendly, and benevolent, and can be a king." The older ones are thoughtful and able to judge state affairs. At a time when the country is sluggish and a strong enemy is pressing, Lizixi is the right choice to be strong. According to the words of the ancestors, I am afraid that the monarch is young and the queen is in the prime of life, if the queen interferes in politics, my Chu country will fall into an even more dangerous situation! ”

But Wan Wan saw that the intention of Nangwa was very resolute, and he couldn't refute it, so he had to leave Nangwa and go to find Zixi.

And the king of Chu has already been driven, and the medical officer has finished the funeral, but the person who mourns has not been selected. When Queen Meng Huan saw this, she knew that something was wrong.

Meng Huan instructed Xu Yudao: "The first monarch is driving, and the prince should be mourned." At this time, the ministers did not act according to reason, and there were profound changes. Send a confidant to inquire about the reason. This matter is very urgent, and it must be done immediately. ”

Xu Yu said: "Now that Xiangguo is in charge of the government, the Taishi has gone and cannot be relied on." And the first king entrusted the prince to Xiangguo and Gongzixi, if Gongzixi has the heart to covet the throne, the prince will be in danger. Now I don't know if it was Xiangguo or Zixi's idea, and he wanted to disobey the order of the previous king. At present, the only way to do this is to send the Yanshi out of the palace to visit and then make plans. ”

Yanshi was ordered by the queen to sneak out of the palace and go to find out the news.

But he saw Zixi and told all the Jihua of Nangwa: "Xiangguo means that the prince is young and unworthy of being a king." If you want to serve Gongzi as the king of Chu, I don't know what Gongzi wants? ”

After hearing this, Zixi was furious and said: "Does this old man want to trap me in a situation of unfilial piety and injustice? Xiangguo and I were ordered to serve the crown prince as kings in front of the bed of the ancestors, who doesn't know? If the crown prince is abolished, won't it show the filthy deeds of the ancestors? Now that Mrs. Qin is the queen, what is wrong with making the crown prince justifiable? Xiangguo harms me with benefits, if he dares to talk nonsense again, I will kill him to serve the orders of the ancestors! ”

But Wan relayed Zixi's words to Nangwa, who was so afraid in her heart that she didn't dare to mention it again. So he summoned the courtiers and wanted to mourn the crown prince.

Queen Meng Huan was rewarded by Yanshi, saying that Xiangguo had the intention of abolishing the prince, and now because the prince did not obey the west, Xiangguo has decided to follow the last words of the former king and mourn the prince Zhen. Meng Huan was relieved, and since then, she has a mustard in her heart and Nangwa, and she has the heart of Tunanwa.

On the same day, Prince Zhen succeeded to the throne as King Chu Zhao. Nangwa is still Xiangguo, but Wan is the left Yin, Yan Jiangshi is the right Yin, and Fei Wuji is in charge of the national government because of the old grace of the master.

Xiong Ren, the king of Chu Zhao, succeeded to the throne and changed his name to Zhen, at this time he was still young, less than 8 years old, and he could not take care of himself. So when he was in the last dynasty, he was accompanied by Queen Meng Huan. King Chu Zhao sat on the majestic throne in the main hall, and Meng Huan hid behind the seat and listened to state affairs. As long as the state affairs discussed by the ministers of the court and China need to be decided by King Zhao, Meng Huan asked King Zhao to give such an edict: "Because the widow is young, he needs to think carefully, and this matter will be judged tomorrow." ”

After the dispersal of the dynasty, Meng Huan secretly summoned Juwan and Zixi into the palace to make decisions on state affairs during the day, and then formed a resolution. Meng Huan taught King Zhao and asked him to summon him in the court on the second day.

The state of Chu gradually got on the right track under the management of the new power structure. With the support of important ministers such as Xiangguo Nangwa, Gongzizixi, Zuo Yin Xuanwan, Zuo Sima Shen Yinshu, and under the personal teaching of Queen Meng Huan, King Chu Zhao gradually grew up from an ignorant teenager.

In this way, there are bags and tiles above the court, and there are Meng Huan and Qi Wan, Zixi and other auxiliary Zhao kings in the palace, Fei Wuji lost his power, hated Meng Huan for being ruthless, and the king of Chu kicked himself out of the center of power after driving, and Wuji has always been indignant in his heart. However, when the state affairs were initially decided, he was alone, so he had to temporarily retire from illness and wait for an opportunity to make a comeback.

Gossip, and said that the news of King Chuping's drive reached Wu State, and the court was very excited, only saying that Chu State had a new young monarch, and the throne was unstable, which was a good time for Wu to expand its strategic living space.

When the soldiers heard the news, they beat their chests and cried. Gongzi Jiguang was very strange: "Mr.'s enemy destroyed himself today, Mr. should be happy, why is he so sad?" ”

The soldier wept and said: "Since I fled, I have been trying to slash the head of the King of Chu every day. I didn't cry for the king of Chu, I cried for myself not to take revenge! Now that the enemy has forgotten, how can I take revenge? So cry. ”

Ji Guang sighed and said: "Although Mr. can't take revenge on the King of Chu, but the State of Chu is on the side, and the ancestral hall of the King of Chu is all for revenge, but Mr. can't do it." ”

The soldier put back his tears and said: "The state of Chu is now the prime minister, this person is a bastard, he has no intelligence, and he lacks assertiveness, and he is not a capable minister. He grasped the authority of the state of Chu and gave us a very good opportunity. At this time, the king of Chu is newly mourned, and there are no unscrupulous ministers in the court, and now he takes the opportunity to cut it down, and he will be able to break Chu! ”

Ji Guang frowned and said, "Sir! Although the attack on Chu is beneficial to the state of Wu, I have fought for many years and contributed countless efforts to the royal bureaucracy, but I am just making wedding clothes for others. The king has been the king for ten years, and the people's hearts are stable, and it is even more difficult for me to try it. Sir's plan the day before yesterday, I don't know when it will be feasible? ”

Wu Yuan said: "Wait for me to go back and sort out the clues, and then return to my son after thinking of a good plan." It's just that as soon as Wu has a conquest, the prince will be sent by the king. But I made an appointment with my son today, I helped my son get a big position, and my son must help me take revenge. Can? ”

Ji Guang nodded in agreement. The soldiers returned to Yangshan Home and thought about the king's strategy.