Plan to cut off the nine states

(Please collect and recommend)

"I'm going on a trip and will return to Beijing in about half a month." Lou Chu told his good friend Ma Wei about his decision. For him, this trip was inevitable.

"What are you going to do?" Ma Wei had just listened to Lou Chu's story about Guangpu Temple, with a teasing smile on his face.

"Traveling around, visiting people's customs, and seeing what people's lives are like will not go too far. The emperor is right. I can't just rely on one article to say that he is acting too hastily. You have to open your eyes and see the real situation. "

Ma Wei was stunned for a while, "That Princess Huanyan really convinced you?"

Lou Chu thought for a while, "It's not all because of her. I had already come to this conclusion when I was arguing with Prince Duan. If the emperor were right in front of me, I could argue with him over and over again, and I was even 80 percent sure that I could silence him. I am speechless, but the emperor’s question has not been answered after all, and I am just talking on paper anyway.”

Ma Wei showed a strange smile, as if he had heard a complicated joke, but he never understood the meaning, "First, we are scholars. Although many of the books we have read are not classics of sages, we are still scholars. Over the years, we have What we learn is to know the subtleties of work, and what we learn is to follow the name and be responsible for the reality..."

“Traveling is ‘responsibility’.”

"But you have lost your sense of being a scholar. If you have to do everything yourself, what is the use of reading? There are thousands of truths in the book, can you test every one? You want to understand the situation of the people Yes, you can go to the Provincial Government to read the memorials sent by officials from various places. In three days, you can understand the details of the entire world, but you cannot see the general trend. The general trend is in the books and in the heart. This is the skill of a scholar. The value of scholars. The emperor does not understand this, so he is not worthy of being an emperor and should become a planner in the Ministry of Revenue."

Lou Chu smiled, "What I want to see is not the details, nor the general trend, but... the feelings."

"Whose feelings?"

"The feelings of the people, my feelings, the feelings of the world."

Ma Wei shook his head helplessly, "Forget it, I won't argue with you, there is another more important thing." Ma Wei grabbed an arm of the building foundation, his expression was more serious than ever before, "Our plan does not include convincing the emperor. , The emperor cannot be persuaded, brother Chu should know it well. "

After hearing the words "knowingly", Lou Chu took out a lock of hair from his arms and put it in Ma Wei's hand.

"What is this?" Ma Wei didn't understand what he meant.

"A 'gift' given to me by Master Hong."

"Black-haired dog's hair?" Ma Wei showed disgust.

"Zhou Lu's concubine."

Ma Wei was stunned, lowered his head and sniffed, and said with a smile: "Sure enough, there is a trace of fragrance." He threw his hair on the table aside and wiped his hands, "Brother Chu, you think Hong Daohui is not available? Haha, Guo Shifeng is really self-defeating. It's his fault for showing up to him." I swear that you have been completely convinced by him."

"When I go out to travel, Brother Ma can find a more suitable assassin."

"Of course, this is not a big problem." Ma Wei had no intention of arguing about Hong Daohui's ability and sighed softly, "Brother Chu, have you made up your mind?"

"Well, I'll set off early tomorrow morning. Prince Duan will send someone to guide me."

"What else can I say?" Ma Wei sighed again, "I just hope that Brother Chu really wants to travel."

"Of course I mean it. Does Brother Ma think I'm taking this opportunity to escape?"

"Haha, I'm afraid that my brother, the hero, will be sad at the beauty level."

"Princess Huanyan? She is the daughter of the King of Eastern Hunan and is loved by the two emperors, but I just...not to mention that we didn't meet at all and only had a few simple conversations. When I agreed to travel and see the situation of the people with my own eyes, The conversation is over, Prince Duan and the eldest princess come in, and everyone talks for a while, I will tell you everything."

"Brother Chu is too young." Ma Wei sighed.

"What does this have to do with youth?" Lou Chu was still confused.

"I am a person who has experienced it, and I would like to remind you: not all the truth in this world is in books. Some things have happened over and over again from ancient times to the present, but no one can correct them. The love between men and women is one of them. From ancient times to the present, Nowadays, everyone makes mistakes.”

Lou Chu still didn't quite understand, "What's the mistake you're talking about? Forgetting one's righteousness because of lust? Indulging in lust?"

Ma Wei smiled and said: "It seems that I have thought too much, and I haven't made a mistake yet."

Lou Chi was even more surprised, "Brother Ma made a mistake?"

"I have made a mistake, and it was a big mistake, but don't worry, I have passed that age. My wife and children are like passers-by to me, and I will never do anything bad because of them."

Lou Chu smiled. In fact, this was not the answer he wanted to get. He held his hands and said, "Goodbye. See you in half a month."

"Where is the general? What if he wants to send you to the emperor again?"

"For half a month, he can wait."

Ma Wei knew that he could not persuade Lou Chu, so he had to hand over his hand and said: "For half a month, I hope that after brother Chu comes back, he will not suddenly become a loyal minister. He only wants to persuade the emperor to be a good emperor."

"I am traveling this time just to resolve the doubts in my mind. No matter what I see or hear, it will not change my view of the emperor: The emperor is unconvincable. In the end, the plans of Prince Tuan and others are just drawing water from a bamboo basket."

"Then I'll be relieved." Ma Wei sent Lou Chu out, "Brother Chu, do you need to bring some expenses?"

"I have enough money at home. This trip is not for fun, so there shouldn't be much money to spend. Moreover, Crown Prince Duan will get me an official letter from the Yushitai. If necessary, I can use it to check into the official post. "

"Haha, that's it. Brother Chu is on a mission."

"Don't use it as much as possible." Lou Chu didn't dare to say anything. He had never traveled far and he didn't know if the little money saved at home would be enough.

Lou Chu went home to prepare. The old servant couldn't take care of the young master. He was greatly relieved when he heard that he didn't have to follow him.

While Lou Chu was packing his luggage, Ma Wei was also busy and immediately sent someone to invite Guo Shifeng.

"This Young Master Lou is young, but he is a bit pedantic. Can Mr. Ma get it right? He won't ruin our plan, right?" Guo Shifeng was not familiar with Lou Chu, and he didn't trust him that much.

"No, I have known Lou Chu for many years. He is a very thoughtful person. No matter what he learns, he has to be slow. He often has to think over and over again. He can think what others don't think, but once he has made up his mind, he will never change easily."

"That's good, but he's gone for half a month - it's too long. I'm afraid of long nights and dreams, so we can't wait that long."

"He wants to leave, and I can't stop him. This is the trouble." Ma Wei took out the lock of hair.

"Is this the hair that Hong Daxia cut?"

"Yes, but it does not belong to Zhou Lv, but Zhou Lv's concubine. Hong Daohui got the wrong target." Ma Wei's face didn't look good.

"It must have been too dark at night, so Hong DaXia couldn't light a lamp, so he had to capture whoever's hair was his. It's a trivial matter. At least Hong DaXia's skills of flying over walls and flying over walls were right."

Ma Wei said coldly: "Assassination is no different from other things. A little negligence can lead to big mistakes. Hong Daohui cuts his hair wrong, which shows that he is not reliable. This is what I am worried about."

"As long as you plan carefully in advance, Hong Daxia won't be a problem."

Ma Wei was relieved, "Lou Chu thought Hong Daohui was the person I found, but you brought him from Jiangdong..."

"Master Ma Hou, please believe me." Guo Shifeng said with a smile.

"Of course I can trust you, but Hong Daohui - there is no other choice?"

"There is no way to openly find someone for this kind of thing. Hong Daxia has already made the best choice. I believe that the plans of you and me can make up for the assassin's small negligence. The real problem is to find out the emperor's specific whereabouts as soon as possible." The promotion is unreliable, and it takes half a month after the foundation of the building is removed. This is really..."

"There is another way."

Guo Shifeng immediately smiled and said, "I knew Lord Mahou would be prepared."

"This road is more risky. The person I'm looking for may be of great help, or he may betray us together."

"Wealth can be gained through danger. How can we achieve great things without taking extraordinary risks?"

"On the left side of the palace, Sima Huangfu steps."

Guo Shifeng was really surprised, "Huangfu Jie is a well-known sycophant around the emperor, how could Master Mahou think of him?"

"Huangfujie's father, Huangfukai, guarded Jizhou. He led his troops deep into Mobei three times to pursue He Rong's cavalry. Once he got lost and returned without success, once he returned with a big defeat, and once he made some slight gains."

"Well, hundreds of people were beheaded, and I don't know who they were. Huangfu Kai claimed credit from the imperial court for this, and even encouraged the emperor to go on a personal expedition - but as far as I know, Huangfu Kai is still one of the emperor's most trusted ministers."

"Not necessarily. Lou Chu gave me a reminder. The emperor is holding back now. The more trust he seems on the surface, the more fearful he may be in his heart. Moreover, the emperor does not tolerate pettiness. Huangfu Kai frequently harms soldiers, and He Rongbu is getting more and more under his nose. The emperor cannot help being angry. I heard Lou Chu talk about the emperor's attitude towards Huangfu Jie, and he obviously did not regard him as the son of a general."

"Lou Jian is not regarded as the son of a general."

"It's different. Lou has no ambitions. As long as his position is stable, he can endure any humiliation. I asked about Huangfujie specifically. On the surface, he laughs and curses, and doesn't stick to trivial matters. In fact, he must retaliate. He is kind-hearted and has a grudge against the emperor. anger."

"That's enough. To put it bluntly, counselors like us persuade people half by words and half by looking at people. If we see that the person is persuasive, more than half of the problem will be solved. It is said that it is difficult to see people but easy to persuade them. , Mr. Mahou has finished the hard work, and it is my turn to do the easy part - I go to Huangfujie, first to inquire, and secondly to persuade. If I can really get the news from him, there will be no need for the foundation of the building. "

"Well, what can you promise the Huangfu family?"

"At least one place in Jizhou, and the rest must be decided according to the situation."

Ma Wei handed over his hand and said, "It's not because I don't want to show up. It's because I have a special status. I have been classmates with Lou Chu for many years and can still talk to him. I have no friendship with the Huangfu family."

"I understand, I understand. No need to say more, Master Mahou. Just sit at home and wait for my news." Guo Shifeng stood up and prepared to leave.

Ma Wei also stood up, feeling still not at ease, "That Hong Daohui..."

"Unless Mr. Ma has a better choice, otherwise, it can only be him."

Ma Wei sighed heavily, "Well, for matters like assassination, swordsmanship comes second. Stability in times of danger is more important. Hong Daohui at least has the courage."

"Yes, there may be swordsmen and swordsmen in the world who are more capable, but let alone assassination, just hearing these two words will scare the hell out of them. Hong Daxia can't do it, and his parents, wife and children are all in the hands of King Guangling , never dare to betray."

Ma Wei couldn't think of a better candidate and nodded, "That's him. Maybe the big thing will be done before Lou Chu comes back."