Chapter 410 This trip to Pei County was a complete success
Pei County is very small, but its city wall is not small.
The soldiers on duty nearby all went to serve Old Man Liu, and no one noticed Guiguzi and Ying Chengjiao who had climbed to the top of the city wall at some point.
Guiguzi climbed to the top of the city wall and looked down, then turned his head to glance at the farce that was happening not far away.
The worst son of the Liu family in Pei County was full of energy and showed off in front of others. In front of his old father who had always educated him as the second son, he proved that he was the most promising one in the Liu family!
Guiguzi was very interested.
"So, Your Majesty summoned two thousand Qin troops just to let this guy show off?"
"...My Lord, please be careful with your words and don't always say strange words, especially in front of me."
"Haha, I just want you to hear some local accents to relieve your loneliness. Apart from me, who else in this world can understand you?"
"This kind of tacit understanding between the two of us will only make me want to kill the prince."
"That's good..."
Ying Chengjiao didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"There's no need to fight so hard. There are countless people in this world who are decisive in killing. One more person won't make a difference."
Guiguzi climbed up the city wall with his hands and feet, stood up carefully, and finally stood up straight. He put his hands behind his back and looked back and said:
“Your Majesty, with this original intention, was able to win the hearts of Xunzi, Han Fei, scientists, Yue Nu, Gai Nie, Gou Jian, Lu Buwei and other capable people, and make these people who were dissatisfied with the emperor willing to work for him.
"Times have changed. Now this original intention is no longer to help the monarch, but to imprison the monarch. You wanted to kill Xu but didn't. This character is the monarch's weakness. The tyranny is there, but it is not complete.
"Give me a push, and your ambition to rule the country will be in your hands. No one in the world can stop you from doing whatever you want to do."
If Guiguzi took another step back, he would fall three feet and fall outside the city.
If you kill one person unjustly, you can kill a group of people unjustly. You will change from a modern person with a bottom line to a thoroughgoing ancient aristocrat.
Among the ancient nobles, no one was more noble than being a king, and there was no noble who did not want to be a king.
Ying Chengjiao laughed and waved his hand.
"If the prince wants to dance fast, I will not accompany him."
Turn around and leave.
If I sit in that position, it would be good if the reform succeeds, but what if it fails?
The world has changed hands, and Ying Chengjiao, the remnant of the previous dynasty who caused the turmoil, will definitely be hunted down and killed.
It’s not like now. Even if the reform fails, my brother will back me up. The worst result is that I will have to go back to be the Lord of Chang’an.
A broken throne is something that only you ancient people want. It is nothing compared to being free and at ease and doing whatever you want. Freedom is not about doing whatever you want, but about not doing what you don’t want!
"Sir, I really jumped! I died for you!"
Guiguzi called out to Ying Chengjiao's back several times, but he couldn't even get him to turn around. His four moles were shaking with anger.
What kind of world will the future be like? What kind of education can teach an ordinary person to look down on the throne? It's really weird!
"Hey, wait a minute, my Lord, my Lord!"
Wang Xu jumped down the city wall swiftly, like a completely different person from the one who climbed up the wall with great effort, and rushed to the side of Ying Chengjiao.
"Is a mere wretch worthy of Your Majesty's great efforts?"
The cavalry outside the city was getting closer, and they could vaguely see ritual music and bells. It turned out that these were not ordinary Qin troops, but ceremonial troops that only appeared during grand festivals!
Is it necessary for the Lord of Chang'an of the great Qin Empire to give such a grand ceremony to a thug from Pei County as his retainer?
"Is a mere brat worth the prince's efforts?"
You, Wang Xu, whose honored name is Guiguzi, also traveled through mountains and rivers and ran here happily, didn’t you?
"That day at the restaurant, the king asked Liu Ji to talk alone. I don't know what they talked about, but this boy bowed down to him."
"The prince summoned wind and rain at night. He is a strange man in the world. He can tell this little thing with just a click of his fingers."
"Looking at how respectful Zhao Gongming is to His Majesty, he must have known all the details of the corpse technique. Now that Your Majesty knows the truth, there is no point in continuing to talk like this."
"I find it very interesting."
Damn it! It was intentional! The weather forecast was so exaggerated that the book "Corpse" deliberately omitted the basic principles!
"This boy has severed his own ties with his family. It seems that the things that the Lord said in secret have frightened him greatly."
"Your corpse-reading skills were not very accurate this time. Liu Bang is a colder person than you think. Only three-tenths of his decision was out of fear of bringing disaster to his family, and seven-tenths was for himself. This person has a similar temperament to the Yue King Gou Jian whom you met, but their actions are opposite. As the saying goes, people are similar in nature, but different in habits."
Guiguzi sighed.
"People are similar in nature, but their habits make them different. This is from the Analects. It means that people's natures are the same, but their habits are very different due to the influence of the acquired environment. Your Majesty is distorting the classics. If two people have the same nature, their styles of behavior must be very similar, not opposite. I see that this boy is cold inside but warm outside. He is completely different from the heartless King Gou Jian of Yue, and his behavior is completely opposite."
As they were talking, the two were getting closer and closer to Liu Ji. They could hear Liu Ji's rough and unpleasant singing, which was the same sentence over and over again.
"The wind rises and the clouds fly!"
Ying Chengjiao suddenly stopped and said with a smile:
"How about a bet between you and me?"
Guiguzi stopped and shook his head.
"No."
"I have not yet told you how to bet, nor have I mentioned the stakes, so why do you refuse, my Lord?"
"Your Majesty was very happy to refuse me before, and I don't want to let Your Majesty get what he wants."
"Hahaha! I advise you not to act on impulse. The bet I offer is what you have always dreamed of."
"I have lived for so long, and I can't believe there is anything left to care about in this world."
"If I lose, I will give up my original intention. How about that?"
Guiguzi's hands hidden in his sleeves suddenly trembled violently!
"Okay! I'll make the bet! Your Majesty, tell me how to bet!"
"Let's bet on his character."
Ying Chengjiao pointed at Liu Bang.
"If I set up a large cauldron and wanted to cook his father and mother to death in front of him, what do you think he would do?"
If you really had the courage, I wouldn't have to bother making a bet with you.
Guiguzi thought in his heart and shook his head:
"This bet can't be made."
Ying Chengjiao looked up in confusion.
"Although my Lord and I have different views on this boy's temperament, we agree on his actions. You and I both believe that he will do his best to stop us. We have the same idea, so how can we make this bet?"
After spending so much time in Pei County, Guiguzi saw with his own eyes that Liu Jilian would rather be looked down upon than sit with his two poor brothers at his father's banquet.
If you can be so kind to your friends, how can you be so bad to your family?
A few years ago, I traveled through mountains and rivers to Daliang, dreaming of becoming a disciple of Xinling Lord Wei Wuji. But today, I refuse to be recruited by Chang'an Lord Ying Chengjiao, which must be for the Liu family.
Today, Ying Chengjiao's power and status are matched only by the emperor, and he is also famous for treating his retainers well.
For someone like Liu Bang who wanted to accomplish something great, the three words "Chang'an Jun" were much more attractive than "Xinling Jun" at the time.
He could not refuse Ying Chengjiao, and was willing to sever the family line even at the cost of his own degradation. How could such a Chidi watch his father and mother die before his eyes?
"Alas, I do think so. But since the prince said it first, in order to let the bet go on, I have no choice but to bet that this boy will not care. If the prince loses, I will ask the prince for another ten years of his time and invite the prince to serve as an official in Qin for ten years. How about that?"
Guiguzi had not expected the situation to develop in this way. After a moment of hesitation, he said:
"Your Majesty, please prepare to take the throne."
A group of Qin soldiers in bright armor and with extraordinary might rushed up to the city wall. Two hundred fierce soldiers were divided into two teams to welcome Liu Bang down from the city wall.
Everyone in Pei County was dumbfounded.
The magistrate of Pei County was invited to dismount and walk from a long distance, looking trembling with fear at the majestic 1,800 Qin cavalrymen on the street.
The ceremonial guards are also an army. Their combat effectiveness is weaker than that of the Langguan, but compared with the garrison of Pei County, they are extremely strong and can easily massacre the entire Pei County. The magistrate of Pei County has no choice but to be afraid.
After the respectful negotiation, the county magistrate stood still and did not dare to move. He was even more unbearable than those brave people who sat in the street restaurants and wine shops to watch the excitement.
When Liu Bang walked down the city wall with his head held high, the people of Pei County were all secretly amazed.
My goodness, isn't this the emperor's guard? How did Liu San get to this position? Could he really be a member of the royal family?
The famous widow Cao stood on the street, holding a big dog with its tongue hanging out, with tears in her eyes and her hands covering her mouth in disbelief.
"Ha ha!"
Liu Bang ran over like a gust of wind and kissed Widow Cao on the face in front of everyone. The big dog that chased Liu Bang all over the street lay obediently on the ground.
"So what! Nai Gong said it! I am her man! This is my woman! You just don't believe it! Believe it now!"
Fan Kuai and Lu Wan looked at each other.
No, you are serious...
Widow Cao had been secretly having sex with Liu Bang for a long time, and she became pregnant a few days ago.
He has a very hot-tempered personality. If Liu Bang had done the same thing in the past, he would have slapped him in the face and cursed him.
Liu Bang did not give her a legitimate status and could not marry her. Although she was a widow, she did not allow Liu Bang to be his concubine.
But today he buried his head in Liu Bang's arms, obviously agreeing.
"Look up! Chang'an Jun sent them to me to recruit me as his retainer. They are not ordinary Qin troops, but the ceremonial guards used only by the emperor!"
Liu Bang pulled the widow Cao from the Qin army holding spears to the Qin army holding drums, and grabbed the widow Cao's hand to touch the bell and the drum.
The Qin army stood still like a mountain, and no one tried to stop them.
Old Man Liu had a complicated expression, Mother Liu cried with joy, and the people of Pei County were all dumbfounded.
Liu San has really become rich!
Liu Bang showed off among the people of Pei County and vented all the humiliation he had suffered over the years!
He took Widow Cao and made a big circle among the 2,000 Qin soldiers at close range. Not satisfied yet, he called his friends to make a second circle, and they had only made half of the second circle.
"Liu Bang!"
Liu Bang trembled all over. There was only one person in Pei County who could be called by this name.
He turned his head and saw Ying Chengjiao, who had arrived at some point thirty meters away, standing side by side with Guiguzi, who had four fleshy moles on his head.
He left everyone behind and ran to Ying Chengjiao in two steps, grinning and looking excited.
"Your Majesty."
While speaking, he looked curiously at the large bronze tripod next to him, which was supposed to be erected in the courtyard of his ancestral temple. He wondered what Chang'an Jun had brought this thing for.
The large bronze tripod is copper-green all over. It is a round tripod with three legs, each two feet high. The tripod is 11 feet high and 13 feet wide. It is often used to worship the ancestors of the Liu family.
There was half a pot of water in the cauldron, and a flame was blazing underneath, but people were constantly adding firewood to the fire.
Ying Chengjiao smiled faintly and said:
"Is this enough limelight? Is it fun?"
Liu Bang nodded repeatedly, covered his mouth with his hand and whispered:
"Your Majesty, are you in a hurry to leave? If not, let me show off for a while."
He hasn't shown off enough.
"I am not in a hurry to leave, but there is something I must do first. Qin Jun, listen up! Capture this man, this man, and this man! Silence them!"
Ying Chengjiao pointed at Old Man Liu, Mother Liu, and Widow Cao.
"only!"
The two thousand Qin soldiers responded in unison, as if they were one person, and all the onlookers in Pei County were frightened.
The Qin army, who were like sculptures just now and never retaliated no matter how others touched them, were awakened. The three men's arms were tied up, their mouths were stuffed with cloth strips, and they were sent to Ying Chengjiao.
“Your Majesty, this is…”
Liu Bang stammered, pointing his fingers at his father, mother, and Widow Cao. His eyes kept wandering around, and he looked confused and at a loss.
"You once had the heart to rebel, and I should have exterminated your entire clan, but considering your great ability, I will give you a chance today. I heard that Wu Qi killed his wife to get an official position, and today I don't want you to do it yourself, that would be too cruel. Just stand here and watch me cook and kill your father, mother, and this beautiful widow, and I will trust you."
Liu Ang, his mother, and Widow Cao all lost color in an instant!
They struggled hard, but were helpless in the hands of the powerful Qin army. They whimpered in their throats, but could not speak because of the cloth stuffed in their mouths.
Liu Bang turned pale instantly, looked at the smiling Ying Chengjiao, and retreated five steps.
Ying Chengjiao spoke in a low voice, and the people of Pei County had no idea what he said.
But when he saw that at his command, the head of the Liu family, the most aristocratic family in Pei County, was arrested, Liu San, who had been unusually brilliant just now, looked dazed, he knew that this change must not be a good thing for the Liu family.
They all held their breath and watched intently , not knowing what they were expecting.
Ying Chengjiao sighed lightly.
"Looking at you like this, I can't bear to leave. It turns out that what you did today was just a show in front of me. In that case, then..."
Plop~
Liu Bang knelt on the ground with his back straight, facing Ying Chengjiao and said loudly:
"Wu Qi killed his wife for fame, so why should Bang be stingy with his father, mother and wife? I am willing to throw the tripod myself to correct this heart!"
This is impossible! How could I be wrong! Chang'an Jun's plan is far-reaching, but he has never been to Pei County. I have been with Chidi in Pei County for several months... Guiguzi pulled off his beard, his face showed no surprise, and the waves in his heart surged to the sky.
Liu's mother and widow Cao both looked at Liu Bang in disbelief, unable to believe that this was their son and husband!
Old Master Liu closed his eyes and sighed imperceptibly.
Ying Chengjiao pulled Liu Bang up and brushed the dust off his knees.
"You are indeed a smart man. I was not wrong about you. If you beg for mercy today, the Liu family will be wiped out. Since loyalty comes before filial piety, I will grant Pei County to your Liu family, and your father can be called Pei Gong."
Old Man Liu suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes filled with unexpected ecstasy.
Liu's mother and the widow Cao went from disbelief to disbelief, and were certain that Liu Bang was their son and husband.
"Just play, there's no hurry to leave."
Ying Chengjiao patted Liu Bang on the shoulder and gave orders to the Qin army.
"Everyone cooperate well."
"only!"
No longer caring about how Liu Bang acted, Ying Chengjiao left leisurely, and Guiguzi followed him silently.
Ying Chengjiao let out a long sigh of satisfaction and said with a smile:
"What kind of official position does the prince want to hold?"
"… Lord Pei."
"Hahaha, don't be so stingy, Your Majesty. Victory and defeat are common in the military, and the same is true for betting."
Ying Chengjiao smiled happily. This trip to Pei County was a complete success.
