Snake Tale

Every tenth day is the day when Gongsun Zhuoxin personally listens to the case and inspects the prison.Unlike the dignified, moderate and litigious sons of aristocratic families, Gongsun Zhuoxin respects Guan Zhong the most, who is known as the "Legalist Pioneer".He practiced the standard of "combining leniency and fierceness" for politics, casting punishment tripods, clarifying affairs, following the customs with simplicity of etiquette, and adhering to the law.In the six years since he was in power, he has had a great political voice and is known as the jade of Zheng Guo.

It is said that those who are capable work harder, and it was not until the sun was in the west that Gongsun Zhuoxin returned to his residence on a Jian horse.Seeing that tall figure in front of the house, Gongsun Zhuoxin couldn't help being stunned, he stepped straight out of the car overjoyed, and strode forward to call the other party:

"Junior Brother Shen!" He excitedly held the young man's hand and said with a smile, "You—why are you here?"

Shen Yuzhu smiled and said, "Senior Brother Zhuo Xin, are you safe?"

He confessed that he came here for the Shangsi Festival, passing through Zhengdi, admiring his elder brother's reputation in power, so he came here to listen to him;In fact, Gongsun Zhuoxin is only one or two years older than Shen Yuzhu, but he started school early, and has a very cheerful and mature personality. He has always been the most willing to take care of his classmates, and has always been loved by Shen Yuzhu.The nobleman surnamed Ji has always been polite, Gongsun Zhuoxin greeted him gently and cordially for a long time, looked him up and down with a smile, and said with emotion: "I haven't seen you for many years, and my brother's life has become more and more serious-come on! Our brothers and sisters It’s been a long time since we meet again, so it’s time to talk about it!”

So Gongsun Zhuoxin ordered his servants to set up a banquet.Brothers and sisters drank and sang for rewards, vented their hearts and minds, and talked and discussed freely from all over the world.During the tour after drinking, Shen Yuzhu talked about the "robbery case" that had been talked about in the streets as if on a whim.

"There are such rumors?" Gongsun Zhuoxin smiled indifferently, "Yuzhu, what do you think?"

"There are rumors in the market that chasing monsters and hunting for novelties is unbelievable. I don't want to believe that Senior Sister Yi Zhongli's ingenuity is going to make such a clumsy move? Could it be that the situation in the Qi Kingdom is really in a precarious situation?"

Gongsun Zhuoxin held the wine cup, his expression turned serious, and he said, "If you are in danger, you are walking on thin ice!" He sighed softly, "Yuzhu, if you continue to go east, you will find the appearance of prosperity and ostentation in Qi State." Under the circumstances, what kind of fear and suspicion has reached the level of people-many people are already discussing that the curse that Duke Huan of Qi died before his death may be fulfilled again!"

More than 20 years ago, Duke Huan of Qi, who was seriously ill, was tortured to death by a favored eunuch.In order to compete for the throne, the princes did not mourn for their father for a long time, so that the body of Duke Huan of Qi was left to rot alone in the magnificent palace.In the cold season of October in the lunar calendar, white maggots gnawed Duke Huan's body to the point of being riddled with holes, and swarmed out, directly submerging the alchemy in front of the palace.That horrific scene makes one's hair stand on end when one thinks about it.Duke Huan of Qi's generation of heroic lords has come to such an end, why can't people sigh with regret?If the heroic spirit knew it, how could he not be resentful?Therefore, I don't know when it started, Qi State began to spread a weird rumor, ridiculing that the princes don't need to focus on fighting for the throne.Duke Huan's sons can all be matched with the seven gilt jade crowns, and enjoy the throne--it was not until the princes killed each other one after another that the world understood that behind this "enjoy the throne" is the fact that the glory and wealth turned into a dream in an instant: In a few years, the successor Qi Jun will die tragically at the hands of his compatriots, and he will not end well-this is the beginning of Qi's nearly 20 years of military disasters.

Recalling the war in Qi State a few years ago, the flames of war once spread to the neighboring Zheng State.The mutilated limbs and painful faces of the Qi refugees who fled from Linzi are still vivid.Gongsun Zhuo sighed deeply, shook his head and remained silent.

"I've also heard this rumor." Shen Yuzhu questioned, "But Wu Kui is the last heir of Duke Huan. Shouldn't the chaos in Qi come to an end?"

"About this point, another theory has been circulating in the dark." Gongsun Zhuoxin said in a low voice, "During the civil turmoil in the Qi Palace, when Duke Huan's last wife, Mrs. Zishuo, escaped from the palace, she was already pregnant with Liujia. Years later, she was welcomed back to the Qi Palace alone. Someone asked, but she said that the son she gave birth to had died in exile... If the child hadn't died, he would have been 23 years old by now." He paused , jokingly said in a strange light tone: "It is the age when you are in the prime of life, enough to set off a bloodbath!"

Shen Yuzhu laughed loudly: "Brother, you are joking!" He poured a glass of wine for him, and said in a leisurely manner: "That child back then—if such a child really existed, he has been away from the center of power for more than 20 years. Even if we return to Linzi, how big of a disturbance will it cause?"

"For example, if a spark falls into a lake, it will be extinguished in an instant; but if it falls into a dry autumn forest, it may ignite an unstoppable prairie fire."

Shen Yuzhu murmured: "Senior brother, someone will make a big fuss about this relic of Duke Huan?"

Gongsun Zhuoxin drank the wine slowly: "Junior brother, let's think about it, who is most looking forward to this change in the current state of Qi?"

"Qi State had 20 years of civil strife, and the one who reaped the most profit was Cui Zhu, the prime minister who took advantage of the chaos and seized power. Three years ago, he went to Wei State to welcome the weak-hearted son Wu Kui to return to the country as the king. - Could it be this mentality of using the monarch as a puppet to control the overall situation?"

"That's right. However, there is nothing wrong with being soft on the outside but strong on the inside. With Zhong Lichun's support, he is determined to get rid of the evils and regain the monarchy. The situation in Qi is getting out of his control day by day. Cui Zhu must be secretly annoyed but helpless?" Gongsun Zhuo Xin rubbed his chin and thought, "Thinking about it this way, the lingering sickness without loss, and even the harem's delay in giving birth to a crown prince, maybe it's not just because of God's will."

As a king, he can't even preserve his own lifespan and offspring. No wonder Gongsun Zhuoxin commented on the word "walking on thin ice".Shen Yuzhu thought to himself, even those wanderers who haunted tea and wine shops in various countries and spread the news to slander Zhong Lichun might have something to do with Cui Zhu's party.Thinking about this, he couldn't help sighing softly: "It seems that I will inevitably encounter some ghosts and ghosts during my eastward journey."

Gongsun Zhuoxin looked at him, and said with a smile: "Why, junior brother would rather the 'noble person' of Qi, because he covets junior brother's beauty?"

Shen Yuzhu laughed loudly and said, "Brother, you're good at being funny! How can Yuzhu have any 'beauty'?"

Gongsun Zhuoxin said slowly: "Then you have to ask yourself." He leaned over and held his hand with a smile:

"For the past three years, my junior brother has had to take care of you—Lord Luo!"

"Shen Yuzhu"—or, after Luo Yi disguised himself, Gongsun Zhuoxin suddenly saw through the disguise, and he didn't seem flustered.He pressed his palm on the opponent's hand half to win over, half to intimidate, and said with a smile: "Why did you say that, brother?"

"Your disguise is certainly brilliant," Gongsun Zhuoxin said with a reserved smile, "but 'friendship between gentlemen is as light as water', my senior brothers always have a tacit understanding and understanding of each other's speech and behavior that outsiders can't imitate..."

Luo Yi thought deeply, nodded and said, "So that's how it is."

Gongsun Zhuoxin said again: "What's more, Yuzhu and I just met yesterday."

"..."

Things have come to this point, it is useless to pretend.Gongsun Zhuo said in his heart: "Master Luo, I understand your concerns. However, Guan Zhong has a grudge against Duke Huan, and Duke Huan can still employ people without doubt; Xie Hu has a grudge against Qi Xi, and Qi Xi can still uphold the virtuous. Gentleman The way is loyalty and forgiveness. Regardless of past suspicions, Mr. Luo is so concerned about Yuzhu’s safety and fortune, and is willing to risk all kinds of hardships to accompany him on this dangerous journey. I am really touched by the friendship in this..."

The more Luo Yi listened to it, the more strange he became, and took the opportunity to interject: "Master Gongsun, I'm afraid you have misunderstood—"

Zhuo Xin smiled kindly: "You are willing to call me senior brother Sui Yuzhu, I am very happy, there is no need to change your words."

"..."

Luo Yi didn't know how Shen Yuzhu described the relationship between the two to Gongsun Zhuoxin yesterday, but seeing that Gongsun Zhuoxin was not hostile, he simply avoided talking about this part, and said: "Anyway, thank you for your understanding. However, Shen Yuzhu's disappearance It's very strange, besides the movement of Qi State, can Senior Brother provide other clues?"

Gongsun Zhuoxin summoned Lizheng in the area under his jurisdiction, and investigated the strangers and their whereabouts that appeared in the area in recent days.Luo Yi wrote down one by one.It was getting late at that time, Luo Yi was about to leave, but was called by Gongsun Zhuoxin.

"Yesterday, before Yuzhu left, he gave me a letter, saying that if someone came to him within three days, he would hand over the letter."

Luo Yi asked back, "How did he know I would come?"

Gongsun Zhuoxin blinked: "You will definitely come, won't you?"

"..." Luo Yi didn't know how to refute it, he thought to himself: "You don't know how powerful the Jilin Pill is when it explodes! If it wasn't controlled by it, why should I get involved in the grievances of your Qingyan Mansion!" Look, there is only a piece of thin letter paper inside, and a prescription is being copied.

Luo Yi couldn't believe it, he read it back and forth four or five times, and thought to himself: "What does this mean... Could it be that this is the solution of Jilu Pill?"

The antidote given by Juesu is only enough for him to be safe for a few days, but if the antidote in front of him is true, it can once and for all undo the effects of the Juxie Pill that bound Luo Yi.He was shaken in his heart, full of doubts, and thought: "What is Shen Yuzhu's intention? He was predicting everything in advance, and it seemed that he was "robbed by someone" on the surface. Maybe it was actually a trick he took the initiative to lure the snake out of the hole. How urgent it is! Wouldn’t I be ridiculed by rushing over there? Now that the antidote is in hand, if I don’t leave now, when will I wait? It’s just...just..."

He knows perfectly well that it is the best policy to act out of emotion and reason.But if he really left, it would be very difficult, and he would not be able to make a decision no matter what.He pondered and said: "Shen Yuzhu is full of tricks, how can this prescription be true? He must be planning to test me! Playing the trick of catching cats and mice, and trying to teach me to suffer. Hmph, how can I suffer?" Will he fall into his trap again?"

Thinking about this, I immediately swept away my thoughts, and calmly took out the third kit - the same familiar silk strip, the same familiar four characters, which read leisurely and soothingly:

"Come and save me!"