Jiang Huan Chu was taken aback, just now E Chongyu personally instructed his soldiers to guard it, and no one was allowed to enter, he didn't want this person to be able to come in, and it seemed that he had been eavesdropping on the conversation of the four for a long time.

Ji Chang's eyes suddenly slid through the light, and he glanced thoughtfully at E Chongyu, the convener of this discussion, and slowly narrowed his eyes again, then got up and saluted the visitor with the third marquis: "I have seen King Yue Chitose." ”

It turned out that this person was the eldest brother of the Son of Heaven, Wei Ziqi, after the Son of Heaven ascended the throne, the eldest brother Wei Ziqi was crowned King Yue, and the second brother Wei Ziyan was named King Chen. In fact, this title has another meaning, in the Spring and Autumn Period, although the king of Yue Goujian was defeated by Wu Wangfucha, but he was deeply minded, good at forbearance, and was released back after being captured, and finally the salted fish turned over and destroyed the powerful Wu State, Zhang Zixing opened Weizi as the king of Yue, which is to remind himself that there is a brother behind him who "lies on the salary and tastes the guts", and he can't relax his vigilance at any time.

Wei Ziqi hurriedly returned the salute, and then the two men behind him saluted the four marquis, Jiang Huan Chu recognized that the two were the two sons of the middle doctor Wei Fan Wei Ting and Wei Qi, both of whom had positions, and were secretly surprised, and began to think in his heart.

After everyone sat down, Wei Ziqi said: "Four virtuous uncles, please forgive the lonely king for the uninvited sin, the lonely king just passed by the pond, and heard that the four virtuous uncles are here, so I came here for a while." ”

All of you here are scheming people, and you know that what he said is just an excuse, and there must be a follow-up. Sure enough, I heard Wei Ziqi say: "There are no outsiders here, and the Lone King might as well speak up." The Lonely King is not alarmist, the Son of Heaven's innovation this time, the determination is not trivial, if there is disobedience, it will end up in a bleak end. ”

Jiang Huan Chu heard the words "no outsiders", his heart moved, but he still couldn't figure out the true meaning of Wei Ziqi, and deliberately said: "On the shore of the land, it is not the king's minister, although we are divided into towns and four directions, we are always the ministers of the Son of Heaven, and the Son of Heaven is determined to reform and innovate, how can we be disobedient as courtiers?"

Weizi shook his hands and smiled slightly: "Jiang Xianbo's words are wrong, how can the meaning of the Son of Heaven be a new deal?"

Chonghou Hu showed a wary gaze: "His Royal Highness King Yue, please speak directly if you have something to say." ”

Wei Ziqi replied: "Among the four virtuous uncles, Jiang Xianbo is the father of the queen, Ji Xianbo has a relative of the clan, Chongxian Uncle is deeply used by the Son of Heaven, some words are inconvenient for the lonely king to say, but now the situation is urgent, not only endangering the six-hundred-year foundation of my great business, but also involving the lives of the four people, so the lonely king specially risked his life to discuss the plan with the four virtuous uncles." ”

Ji Chang opened his mouth and said: "Your Highness, although the new policy has a great impact on the princes, the intention of the Son of Heaven is to liberate the bitter slaves and expand agriculture.

At the mention of the wealth of Eastern Qi, Jiang Huanchu's face was inevitably a little gloomy. Dongqi was originally a country of Yi people, living in poverty, after self-system reform, the development of fishing and salt industry, just a few years to surpass his many years of operation of Donglu, now Donglu people continue to secretly move to Dongqi, even if the strict order can not be prohibited. Far from returning these migrants, the Eastern Qi Dynasty took great care of them in the name of the new system of the "Special Zone", causing turmoil in the hearts of the nearby vassal states. Seeing that the development of Dongqi was getting faster and faster, and the constraints on Donglu were getting stronger and stronger, Jiang Huan Chu was worried and had trouble sleeping.

Wei Ziqi sighed: "I still remember that when the ancestor was in power, he was always hesitant to canonize the crown prince. There is a day, but for some reason, suddenly the third king's brother Shouwang was named the crown prince, and then the four sages entered the court to celebrate, the ancestor died of illness, and the new son of heaven ascended the throne. ”

The death of the first emperor and the accession of the Son of Heaven to the throne are the personal experiences of the four princes, so the four of them nodded, and Wei Ziqi said: "Then it is said that the Taishi rebelled against the class teacher, the first monarch feasted the ministers in the Xianqing Palace, and after the Shou King showed the courage of the nine oxen, the first king had secretly summoned my three brothers to the Zhaoxuan Palace to discuss the matter, and at that time, the Shou King was angry with the first monarch because of his words, and was punished by the first monarch to kneel in the palace, and I and the second king Di Yan retired first. Then, the words between King Shou and the first monarch made the first king change his mind, and when he went to the court, he immediately announced that King Shou was crowned the crown prince. Originally, the Lone King never understood that the ministers who supported the Lone King in the court at that time were still in the majority, and the late Shou King angered the first king, why the first king suddenly changed his holy will and decided to establish the Shou King as the crown prince, and then after many inquiries and understandings, he knew the reason - all because of what the late Shou King said to the first king!

E Chongyu asked cooperatively: "Is there such a thing?" May I ask Your Highness, do you know what the Son of Heaven said to the ancestors?"

Wei Ziqi replied: "The first monarch once asked my three brothers how they thought of the situation in the world, and King Gu and King Chen both replied that the world was peaceful, and only Dongyi and Inurong were troubled, and they could rely on four virtuous uncles to help them, and they would lead eight hundred princes in four ways, and they would be able to enjoy peace from now on." ”

When Jiang Huan and Chu heard this, they nodded in unison, only to hear Wei Ziqi's words turn around: "And King Shou's words surprised King Lone, King Shou said, the biggest worry of the Great Shang is not outside, and the biggest internal worry is the eight hundred princes who are divided into various places, especially the four virtuous uncles! If you let it go, let it sit big, and wait for the country to be sent into the hands of others! This is what King Gu and King Chen have heard in the past, if there is vain, discipline King Gu for the rest of his life, and he will not die well!"

The four princes were all shocked, even Chonghou Hu was no exception, Wei Ziqi was very satisfied with the reaction of the four, and continued to break the fierce news: "This is only what the Lone King said when he was present, do you know what the Son of Heaven said to the first king after the Lone King and King Chen left?"

This time, even Jiang Huan Chu couldn't help but ask: "Please make it clear to Your Highness." ”

Wei Zi Kai sighed, "That discussion was very secretive, and I tried my best to find only half a claw. The gist of it is to first develop national strength, and then carry out reforms by force, gradually weakening the power of the princes, and finally eliminating the system of local princes, and turning it into a 'centralized power' rule centered on the Son of Heaven!"

The faces of the four princes changed abruptly when they heard this, Wei Ziqi's words should not be fabricated out of thin air, since the Son of Heaven ascended the throne, he can be described as eloquent, he set up three books, drove the Eastern Expedition, and showed his virtue, and the national strength of Dashang was also advancing by leaps and bounds, and all sides were subdued for a while. And today, when the peace is settled, this new policy reform is suddenly implemented, which makes people panic, but I am afraid that as Wei Ziqi said, after the development of national strength, the power of the princes will be weakened by reform, and the system of the princes will be finally eliminated, so that the big merchants will be completely changed.

This is exactly what the four princes are most worried about, once the Son of Heaven really makes up his mind, then he will definitely take the lead in taking the four people, and with the current military strength of the Great Shang, if he wants to conquer a certain prince alone, I am afraid that no one will be invincible. The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, and they looked at each other for a long time, but they all had gloomy faces and did not speak.

In fact, Wei Ziqi's words still used considerable scheming, in Zhang Zixing's reform plan, even if he had the intention of weakening the power of the princes, it was not as he said to send troops to crusade and conquer the princes by killing, but under the military deterrence, he used the economy as a weapon to gradually change the phenomenon of excessive local power, change the princely system to the county system, and realize the centralization of power.

Wei Ziqi's half-truths and half-truths grasped the psychological weaknesses of the four princes, and they were extremely consistent with the current situation, so the four of them couldn't help believing it.

After a long time, Jiang Huan Chu opened his mouth to break the silence: "His Royal Highness King Yue, what is your intention in saying this to us?"

Wei Ziqi showed emotion: "Although the Son of Heaven is eloquent and strategic, but this reform is extremely inappropriate, especially shaking the foundation of the Qing Shi, ignoring the law of the ancestors, if the Quartet will ambush the princes in the future, the world will be in chaos, the people will be miserable, and the six-hundred-year foundation of our Great Shang will be in jeopardy." The lone king and the son of heaven should not have confided this secret to the wise uncles, but as a clan relative, how could the lone king sit back and watch the foundation of my great business collapse? The lone king dared to come precisely to discuss the great plan with the four wise uncles. ”

This sentence clearly shows Wei Ziqi's wolf ambition. If it weren't for what he said earlier, even if the four marquis had this ambition, they wouldn't dare to show it, and now that the words have come to this point, the four marquis understand the urgency of the situation, so they didn't show a particularly surprised expression.

Ji Chang, who had been silent, suddenly spoke: "Thanks to His Highness's trust, tell me about this, and now I have heard it, and Ji Chang should swear to keep it a secret." But Ji Chang has been favored by the big businessman for generations, and he doesn't dare to have half of his heart to be disobedient to the Son of Heaven, so he will leave. ”

As soon as Ji Chang spoke, Jiang Huan Chu and Chonghou Hu also expressed their gratitude to Wei Ziqi for the reminder, but they didn't want to get involved in a certain struggle - even if the Son of Heaven had such a plan, everyone had their own plans and ways to deal with it, and Wei Ziqi's intention to come to the post house at this time was nothing more than to take this opportunity to drag the four princes into the water together and do that great rebellion, the three of them were all scheming people, how could they easily agree.

Wei Ziqi and E Chongyu glanced at each other, as if they had expected the three marquis to be like this, and sneered at the moment: "The three virtuous uncles should think that they can be alone in this way, the lonely king is jealous of the Son of Heaven, and your every move is under the strict supervision of the Son of Heaven, if the Son of Heaven knows about our meeting today, he will be even more suspicious, and I am afraid that you will still have great trouble." ”

Jiang Huan Chu Huo Ran turned his head, looked at Wei Ziqi coldly, and said, "Is His Royal Highness King Yue threatening us?"

"Jiang Xian Boxiu wants to misunderstand, the lonely king does not mean this. Wei Ziqi shook his head and clapped his hands, only to see a woman in colorful clothes suddenly appear out of thin air, carrying two men in Xuanyi in her hands, both of whom were unconscious.

"These two people are shadow agents who are monitoring you, and they have been hiding in the post house with the art of concealment, fortunately, this Luo Fairy has great powers and subdued the two, otherwise the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

The woman in the colorful clothes did not salute either, pointed in the direction, and said, "There are five people lurking fifty steps away here, do you want to take them down?"

"No need!" Chonghou Hu hurriedly said: "That's my personal guard, who is hiding in the shadows to be on guard. ”

This time, no one doubted the woman's ability, the woman in colorful clothes nodded, smiled at Weizi, grabbed the two of them lightly, twisted her body, and then disappeared.

Wei Ziqi took advantage of the situation and said: "What you see is believing, the lonely king is not a lie, the Son of Heaven is afraid of the four, it is not the day, the four are ......"

Chonghou Hu interjected: "His Royal Highness the King of Yue, it is difficult for us to be strong, we have been ordered by the Son of Heaven to come from afar, and we have not brought soldiers and horses, even if we have the heart to help, we can't do anything." ”

Wei Ziqi smiled: "Actually, the Lone King is not asking you to take any risks, but I just want to get a promise from the four. If the Lone King is lucky enough to succeed and risk the world's disapproval to reverse the crisis of the Great Business, and ask the four to support the Lone King's move, if the Lone King fails, the four virtuous men can stand by and watch, and it is none of their business, how about it?"

Although "turning the big business crisis around" is vague, the four marquis all understand the meaning. To put it bluntly, Wei Ziqi just wants to usurp the throne, if he succeeds, he wants the four marquis to support him as the emperor, if the Son of Heaven really dies, and there are four princes to support him, even if an old minister like Wen Zhong opposes it, he is powerless, and if he fails, it has nothing to do with the four marquis.

This condition sounds very tempting on the surface, but an old fox like Ji Chang knows that once he agrees, it will be equivalent to getting on Wei Ziqi's thief ship, and if the matter is revealed, God knows if Wei Ziqi will drag them to death together?

Wei Ziqi said again: "If the lonely king really succeeds, he will restore the system of his ancestors, rely on the four as his arms, and share the peace of the four generations forever." If you don't do that, be a fan!"

The ancients have always attached great importance to oaths, and Weizi Qijin said that he made two vows in a row, one to see his sincerity, and the other to see his urgency. In fact, Wei Ziqi has been low-key all these years, and he has endured very hard, but since Zhang Zixing was the Son of Heaven, he has been virtuous in the world, and he has been subdued by all sides, far better than the first emperor Emperor Yi, in desperation, Wei Ziqi's ambition has also weakened day by day, but he has not completely died, and now he has finally waited for this opportunity, naturally his heart has rekindled, and he can't hold it.

E Chongyu and Wei Ziqi had already colluded, and immediately took the lead in saluting: "Thanks to the trust of His Royal Highness King Yue, Nanbohou E Chongyu is willing to listen to His Royal Highness." ”

Chonghou Hu saw that E Chongyu was the first to show his loyalty, and he also stepped forward and saluted: "Even so, I, Chonghou Hu, can't refuse His Highness's kindness, I don't know what His Highness's good plan is?"

Wei Ziqi showed a mysterious look and said: "Thank you two virtuous uncles for their righteousness! ”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the two princes who had not yet expressed their attitude, Jiang Huan Chu frowned and said: "I, the Jiang family, live in Donglu, am loyal to the great merchants, and have never disobeyed. If Your Highness succeeds, the princes of my East Road should support it, and if it doesn't work, Your Highness will not blame me for standing by and watching. ”

Wei Ziqi knew that this was also a statement, and said sincerely: "Jiang Xianbo rest assured, if the lonely king succeeds, he will return Wenhuan Xiandi to Donglu and inherit the title." What's more, the lone king is also the orthodox clan of the Great Shang, even if it succeeds, Jiang Xianbo is not disloyal to the Great Shang. ”

When Jiang Huan Chu heard this promise, he nodded immediately and remained silent. Seeing that the three of them had expressed their attitudes, it was not good to be alone, and he also smiled and agreed with Weizi Qi's head.

Seeing that the four princes had expressed their support, Weizi was overjoyed and made countless promises before leaving happily.

(To be continued)