The appearance of Wu Zixu suddenly made the atmosphere in the entire venue weird.
No one could guess what Qingji's intention was.
Zi Xi, who was standing aside, couldn't help but feel puzzled!
Although Wu Zixu was a native of Chu, his father and brother were both executed by King Ping of Chu and his entire family was executed because of the slander of the treacherous minister Fei Wuji.
Therefore, Wu Zixu hated the State of Chu very much and fled abroad for many years, waiting for an opportunity to take revenge on the State of Chu!
But Wu Zixu is a rare talent!
Zi Xi was very afraid of such a person and wanted to persuade Qing Ji to immediately order the execution of Wu Zixu, but he didn't know how to start.
"My friends, I believe you all know that the main culprit for the death of my father, the former King Liao, was Ji Guang, and the assassin was Zhuan Zhu, who was recommended by Wu Yuan."
"Therefore, the death of the previous king is closely related to Wu Yuan!"
The death of King Liao of Wu is not only related to Wu Zixu?
Wu Zixu is the accomplice!
Wu Zixu knew that Helu, had ambitions to kill King Liao of Wu and establish himself as king, but he could not reveal this to him, so he recommended the brave warrior Zhuan Zhu to Helu.
Helü was very happy and made Wu Zixu his retainer.
On the surface, Wu Zixu retired to the countryside to engage in farming, waiting for Zhuan Zhu's assassination!
Finally, in 515 BC (the 12th year of King Liao of Wu), Helü ambushed soldiers in the basement and then hosted a banquet for King Liao of Wu .
When King Liao of Wu was unprepared, Zhuan Zhu took out the Yuchang sword hidden in the belly of the fish and stabbed King Liao to death with one sword.
Zhuan Zhu was then chopped into pieces, allowing Helu to successfully usurp the throne.
In order to appease the people, the first thing Helü did after he ascended the throne was to bury the body of King Liao of Wu according to the specifications for a king, and posthumously named him King Wu of Wu.
It is worth mentioning that the Wu State began to have posthumous titles starting with Shoumeng.
King Shoumeng of Wu was the King of Wuxing. "Xing" means that the Wu Kingdom began to prosper from him.
Next, his three sons were: Prince Shun, Prince An, and Prince Du, which probably means everything went smoothly and safely!
Then there is King Liao of Wu, also known as King Wu, the king of Wu who was best at using military force.
Starting from King Liao of Wu, the State of Wu dared to challenge the State of Chu, dared to use military force against the people of Chu, and did not lose in large-scale battles!
Therefore, King Liao of Wu was highly respected in the State of Wu.
Helü only dared to use Zhuan Zhu to assassinate King Liao and usurp the throne because he himself was afraid of King Liao's popularity!
"My dear fellows, how do you think I should deal with Wu Zixu?"
As soon as Qingji finished speaking, all the ministers and officials stood up and spoke.
"Your Majesty, Wu Yuan is a sinister and treacherous man who helped Ji Guang kill the king and usurp the throne. He is not a minister or a son. He should be torn to pieces and his body thrown into the streets!"
"I second the motion! Your Majesty, Wu Yuan cannot be kept here!"
"Please execute Wu Yuan to comfort the late king's spirit in heaven!"
Just as Qingji had expected, all the ministers were filled with righteous indignation and requested that he execute Wu Zixu.
Fortunately, Qingji was well prepared!
He clapped his hands and asked Xiong Zidan to bring a few bamboo slips. Then he said slowly, "My friends, this is Wu Yuan's strategy for governing the country and the army. It is very much in line with my opinion, which shows his talent!"
"Wu Yuan has great talent, and is indispensable to the Wu State. I love him very much and cherish him very much. But why did he help the thieves to commit atrocities and offer advice to Ji Guang to kill the former king? His crime is the greatest!"
After a pause, Qingji continued, "When I first raised the righteous army to fight against the traitor Ji Guang, I made it clear. In this battle, only the ringleader will be executed, and the rest will not be pursued be decided based on the circumstances!"
"I have thought about it again and again, and I don't know what to do with Wu Yuan?"
The hatred for killing one's father is irreconcilable!
Although Wu Zixu was not the mastermind behind the murder of King Liao of Wu, he was also an accomplice. Whether Wu Zixu's crime can be forgiven is Qingji's own business.
However, the adverse effects caused by this were unacceptable to Qingji!
As a king with great prestige, Qingji could make arbitrary decisions and decide life and death. However, he simply killed Wu Zixu and pardoned his crimes , which was probably unpopular!
As the saying goes, it is more difficult to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against the river.
Yaoli, whom Qingji had let go before, is not the same as Wu Zixu today.
The former was just an assassin, and the person who assassinated was Qingji himself.
Therefore, if Qingji let Yaoli go, he could still earn a reputation for being benevolent and righteous!
But Wu Zixu was different.
Wu Zixu aided the enemy in committing atrocities and murdering the king and usurping the throne. Qingji let Wu Zixu go for fear that he would be criticized by the people of the country and then become alienated from Qingji.
This is not a joke!
Killing the king and usurping the throne, even if Wu Zixu was just an accomplice and the one who gave the advice, his crime is extremely serious.
Qingji pointed at the sky and said loudly, "So, regarding Wu Yuan's life or death, let the spirit of the late king, the heavens, and the gods decide!"
Upon hearing this, everyone present was stunned.
Qingji, isn’t this nonsense?
King Liao of Wu is dead, God or the gods?
How could they decide Wu Zixu's life or death?
Qingji then turned his gaze to Wu Zixu and asked sternly, "Wu Yuan, are you afraid of death?"
Wu Zixu knew that Qingji wanted to save him, so although he was not clear about Qingji's intention, he was able to react immediately and bowed to Qingji and said, "Your Majesty, Wu Yuan's death is not a pity!"
"But if Wu Yuan can survive, I will definitely serve the king and die for the Kingdom of Wu!"
"good!"
Qingji nodded, took out another orange from the table, and said, "Come here, give this orange to Wu Yuan."
Afterwards, Qingji asked Wu Zixu to retreat to a distance of 150 steps.
Qingji picked up a specially made hard bow and an arrow, walked to the flat ground on one side, pointed at Wu Zixu who was holding an orange in both hands, and said to his left and right: "Look, from where I am to where Wu Yuan is standing, it is a full 150 steps!"
"If I can shoot that orange, the late king, heaven and the gods will clearly indicate that I will forgive Wu Yuan's sins and allow him to make meritorious contributions to serve the Wu Kingdom."
"If I miss the orange, it's fate. I'll be torn to pieces and my body thrown in the streets!"
Upon hearing this, the people around couldn't help but nod slightly in agreement.
Hitting an orange with a hard bow and arrow from a distance of one hundred and fifty steps. In everyone's opinion, it was impossible for Qingji to do that unless it was a miracle!
Wu Zixu, who was standing opposite, felt extremely complicated after hearing what Qingji said.
Life and death are determined by fate, wealth and honor are determined by God!
He was already a criminal and might be about to die. This gamble might really allow Wu Zixu to save his life.
At this time, a handsome young man beside Sun Wu saw this scene and was curious. He couldn't help but whisper to Sun Wu: "Brother, can the king really shoot that orange?"
“It’s hard to say.”
Sun Wu shook his head and said, "I know that Your Majesty is extremely brave and has superb archery skills."
"But being able to shoot an orange from a distance of 150 steps is truly shocking. Even the famous archer Yang Youji from the Chu State might not be able to do it!"
"Hey, isn't Wu Zixu in danger?"
The young man blinked in surprise.
"At least, he still has a glimmer of hope. But from what I know about the King, he never does anything without confidence. I think the King must have his own ideas..."