Zhou Gongji stepped into the threshold of the dormitory under the guidance of the palace lamp, and her heart was cold. He has read countless people in his life, and when he saw King Zhou Xiao's sallow face, sunken eyes, especially the always tall nose, he understood in his heart: King Xiao has run out of oil, and he is afraid that the deadline will be tonight.

Thinking of the love of the monarch and the ministers working together for many years, Ji Ding couldn't help but feel sad, and rushed to the bed of King Xiao and cried bitterly: "King, I haven't seen you for a day, why are you so haggard?" ”

King Zhou Xiao gestured with difficulty to help him sit up reluctantly, and comforted: "Life and death have their own destiny, and Aiqing should not be sad." ------'ve heard all about it, right? ”

Zhou Gongding raised his head in shame: "The minister already knows." It was all a mistake by the minister, who originally thought of using the main sacrifice as a bait to lure the snake out of the hole, so that Gongzi Xie couldn't hold it back and did something wrong. didn't think about it, it turned out that Wang Zihui couldn't hold it back, so that the success was lost, which is sad and sad! Wechen has no last resort in his life, and this time he has met an opponent! He thumped his hand on the ground in frustration.

"It is up to man to plan things, and it is up to heaven to make things happen. You have done your best, and since Providence is like this, it is not something that can be undone by man. For example, more than half of the princes today are all focused on Ji Xie, and after Gu Xue, he will be able to ascend to the throne. Aiqing had to plan ahead! ”

"Qi country, we still have Qi country! There are also hundreds of lords and clansmen in Wangji, who have not clearly expressed their support for Ji Xie, and things may have a turnaround! King! Ji Ding shouted unwillingly.

King Zhou Xiao waved his hand weakly: "It's useless, forget it!" Which of those people in Wangji is not the grass on the wall that sees the wind and steers the rudder? As for Qi Guo, it is difficult to speak alone, it would be good to be able to take in Hui'er, what else can you expect? Aiqing, I didn't call you here for this, the lonely king sees that the deadline is approaching, and he really has something important to entrust! ”

Zhou Gongding kowtowed: "The minister has been deeply favored by the king for many years, but if he is invited, he will all be broken and repay him with all his might!" ”

King Zhou Xiao took a breath and tried his best to make his words clear: "After the lonely leaves, you will definitely advocate for the funeral of Gongzi Xie." Only in this way can you keep your position as a generation of ministers and keep the descendants of the orphan king safe! ”

Zhou Gongding bowed his head to the ground and couldn't cry: "The minister understands the deep meaning of the king, and he must do his best!" There is a minister for a day, and the descendants of the great prince of Dingbao will continue to live forever in Hojing! ”

"In this way, loneliness is at ease!" King Zhou Xiao seemed to have exhausted his last strength, and lay down weakly, a teardrop rolling down from the corner of his cloudy eye.

At dawn, the sky was just a little white, and a loud bell came from the direction of the Hojing Palace, becoming more and more urgent. The sound of the bell wakes up the still sleeping people, who hurriedly fasten their belts and run out into the streets to inquire about the news.

"What's wrong? Why did you ring the bell again? ”

A column of more than a dozen riders galloped away from the city gates in the direction of the palace gate, shouting loudly as they ran: "The king is gone!" The common people avoid! ”

People were so frightened that they rushed to the sides of the market, and although the news of the Son of Heaven being seriously ill had been circulating since the beginning of autumn, when the boots finally landed, people still felt a little sudden. The death of the Son of Heaven is a major event, not only the princes of the Quartet must gather in the capital to mourn and witness the new king's accession to the throne, although the people do not have to wear linen and filial piety, they must also ban alcohol and play during the mourning period, the taverns must be closed, and the advocates must also be unemployed.

"Squeak ya-", the door of the pickaxe capital city opened, and the riders galloped on horseback, running in all directions with the obituary of the death of King Zhou, whether it was in the Wangji region, or the Central Plains outside the Hangu Pass, or the Jianghan region in the south, the obituary must be delivered without exception. All the princes under the jurisdiction of the Zhou Dynasty, whether they were dukes, uncles, or just vassals like Qin, had to come to mourn. Of course, there are exceptions, the state of Chu has been claiming to be the king for several generations, and it claims that "I am a barbarian, and I do not share the name with the Central Plains", so naturally there is no contact.

At dawn, an even more shocking news spread in the capital city of Ho - Wang Zihui had absconded from the city by sending a dead soldier to assassinate Gongzi Xie last night, but in vain. The people of Hokyo, who had been restricted from all entertainment activities, naturally talked about it more vigorously as if they had been beaten with chicken blood.

Some said: "I have already said that the prince will not give up, and he will definitely cause trouble." No, it's been fulfilled, right? If he escapes, the throne must be his son-in-law's! ”

"Say what? The father died and the son succeeded, and the throne should have been sat on by Gongzi Xie! Our king is just covering him for the time being, and don't you want to return it in the end? It's a pity, after six years of hard work, it hasn't been passed back to my nephew's son in the end? ”

"It's clear, look! Zhao Gong and Gongzi Xie will not just forget it, Wang Zihui's wife, children, henchmen, and brothers are still in the city! Can you let them go? Wait and see! ”

Two days passed, several days passed, and half a month passed, both Zhao Bohu and Gongzi Xie were silent, except for the beheading of the captured assassin and the heads of the other two hanging at the city gate, there was no sound. On the contrary, the princes of the Quartet drove like a cloud and came to the royal capital one after another. The public pavilion can't live anymore, and the inns in the high-end points in the city are also full.

Gongzie's mansion was not quiet outside, and several princes asked to see him every day, but they all blocked back with "Gongzi's funeral is not suitable for guests". The princes returned disappointed, but they also had to give a thumbs up and praise Gongzi for strictly abiding by the "Zhou Rites" and having a gentlemanly demeanor.

Does Ji Xie really not want to see these princes? No. In the backyard, he was pacing anxiously, glancing at his wife Fanji from time to time, and asked, "Is it really possible to see no one like this?" What if I annoy the princes and they don't support me? ”

"Childe, don't be impatient, you need to know quickly, you can't reach it. Now that the situation is clear, Childe has the chance to win, and all he needs to do is two words - wait. Fanji unhurriedly arranged the silk threads in the basket.

"Wait? What are you waiting for? ”

"Don't be confused, the two most important ministers in the Great Zhou Dynasty haven't expressed their stance yet? What is Childe anxious about? ”

"You mean------" Ji Xie had a look of sudden realization on his face.

"Zhou Gong arrives——, summons Gong Gong!" The doorkeepers shouted one by one, Ji Xie was stunned, Fan Ji looked happy, and shouted: "Childe, go and meet the guest!" You've finally waited for this moment! ”

Zhou Gongding walked on the road of Gongzi's mansion, with mixed feelings in his heart. He and Zhaogong had just come out of the spiritual meeting in front of the palace, and there was only one theme - who would mourn for the king of Zhou? Generally speaking, the person who mourns is the one who inherits the throne, but King Xiao of Zhou does not have a crown prince, so it has to be decided by the two ministers and the courtiers and princes.

As soon as the meeting began, the second duke of Yu Yu proposed that Ji Xie should be the main mourner, and the Jianghan Zhuji overwhelmingly supported it, and most of the princes of the Central Plains agreed. The lords and princes of Wangji all looked at Zhou Zhao's second duke, he gritted his teeth and seconded the proposal, and Zhaogong seemed to be a little surprised at that time, but immediately expressed his support. At this time, the princes of the world almost undoubtedly agreed to Ji Xie as the only candidate for the main funeral. What else is there to say? I had to come together and invite each other in person to show grandeur.

No matter how reluctant he is, it is an indisputable fact that the era that belongs to King Xiao of Zhou is over, and the era that belongs to King Yi of Zhou is coming.