A thousand-year-old family that began with the Battle of Makino

Chapter 29 Beacon fire plays on the princes

The forty-sixth year of King Xuan's reign
King Xuan of Zhou Dynasty, Jijing, passed away, and his son Ji Gongyan (niè) succeeded to the throne as emperor. The concubine, Empress Shen, was made the queen, and the son of Empress Shen, Ji Yijiu, was made the prince.

Wang Ernian

Many serious natural disasters occurred in the hinterland of the Zhou Dynasty. An earthquake occurred in the capital city of Haojing, causing tremors in the Jing, Wei and Luo rivers.

In the same year, the Jing, Wei, and Luo rivers dried up, and Qishan Mountain collapsed. At the same time, the Emperor of Zhou appointed his uncle Zheng Gong as Situ of the Zhou royal family, in charge of the country's land and household registration.

Wang Sannian

Zhou Dynasty Prison

The wind was blowing, the candlelight was swaying, it was damp and smelly, and I saw a prisoner in the cell with unkempt hair, and the clothes on his body smelled like spoiled food. He had a bracelet on his hand, and his wrist was covered with scars that had been worn by iron. , he was like an old dog curled up in a corner covered with hay.

"Father, the child is here to see you!" A young nobleman grabbed the wooden railing and said to the prisoner inside.

At this time, an elderly noble next to him said to the young noble: "You father and son, let's have a good time reminiscing about the past. I'll wait for you outside!"

"Thank you, Lord Siko, for taking care of me!" The young man bowed to the elderly noble. The elderly nobleman shook his hand and left.

"Father, Dad, I am Hong De!" Bao Hongde shouted softly to the elderly prisoner, as if he was afraid of scaring the prisoner.

The prisoner inside trembled when he heard Bao Hongde's shout, and then slowly raised his head to look at the young nobleman outside the railing. He saw clearly that it was his son. He immediately rolled and climbed to the railing and grabbed Bao Hongde's hand on the railing.

Baoju burst into tears looking at his son whom he hadn't seen for three years, but he could only scream because it turned out that his tongue had been pulled out.

Baojue was the monarch of the Bao Kingdom. Three years ago, when Emperor Zhou first ascended the throne, he offended Emperor Zhou because of his upright advice. Emperor Zhou ordered him to be imprisoned and had his tongue pulled out. Let others learn from it.

Bao Hongde was the son of Bao Jue. When he heard that his father was imprisoned in Bao Kingdom, he quickly brought a large amount of treasure to Hao Jing, the capital of the Zhou Dynasty, hoping to rescue his father. However, after two or three years of troubleshooting, no one dared to help him, and he was not even allowed to come to the prison to visit. It was not until two days ago that Sikou heard about this incident, and out of sympathy, he helped him guard the prison, and then he was able to come. visit.

"Father, why have you become like this!" Bao Hongde looked at his tortured father and couldn't bear it any longer. He cried as he watched his father cry.

Bao Jue burst into tears when he saw Bao Hongde crying, but since he could not speak, he could only wipe Bao Hongde's tears silently, and then gently pat the back of Bao Hongde's head with his hand. Bao Hongde cried even more sadly when he saw this.

After a while, Bao Hongde had run out of energy from crying. He looked at his father and said, "Father, don't worry, I will definitely rescue you. Even if Bao Hongde spends all his property, I will never save you." Let you suffer in this dirty prison." After saying that, he wiped Baoxue's tears and walked firmly out of the prison.

Outside the prison, Sikou was waiting for Bao Hongde to come out. When he saw Bao Hongde coming out, he immediately went to greet him. As soon as Bao Hongde saw Sikou, he immediately knelt down and saluted Sikou. Seeing this, Sikou quickly helped him up and said, "Why is this, my dear nephew?"

Bao Hongde still knelt on the ground and said to Sikou: "Master Sikou, I heard that lambs eat milk while kneeling, and crows will feed old crows when they grow up. All animals know how to repay their parents for their upbringing. The kindness of others, let alone people?

Now that I see my father being hurt like this with my own eyes, how can I remain indifferent? Hong De is stupid and doesn't know how to rescue his father. He also asked Master Sikou to raise his nephew. As long as I praise the country's property, I will definitely find him to repay Master Sikou. "

Sikou looked at Bao Hongde who was kneeling on the ground and refused to get up. He sighed and said, "Well, I do have a solution, but I don't know if you dare to do it. Moreover, it will damage your father's reputation." Ah, your father was imprisoned for admonishing him. If we use this method, I'm afraid your father won't be able to bear it."

After hearing this, Bao Hongde was surprised and said: "I hope Master Sikou will take pity on my nephew. If there is any way, my nephew will definitely be able to do it, so what if he does the next Boyi test?"

Sikou said: "Today's emperor likes beauty and is ordering to recruit beauties from all over the world to enter the palace. If you can find a stunning beauty, then this matter can be easily done. I don't need you to repay me with anything. You just need to be kind." Just think about it carefully.”

Bao Hongde was silent for a long time, and finally said expressionlessly: "My nephew is going to do this. As long as my father can be rescued, I can do anything. Since today's emperor treats my Bao country like this, how can I still do it?" What can you do if you can control the world? Thank you Sir Sikou for your advice, my nephew is very grateful!" He said and gave another big gift to Sikou.

Sikou helped Bao Hongde up and looked at him and let out a long sigh, not knowing whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.

After getting the method, Bao Hongde hurried back to Baoguo and ordered to search for beauties in Baoguo to rescue the king. Soon Bao Hongde found a girl named Si in Bao City, taught her to sing and dance, dressed her up, named her Bao Si, and presented her to King You. To atone for Baojue.

Haojing, Zhou Palace
Emperor Zhou had been pampered since he was a child. After he succeeded to the throne, he only cared about extravagant pleasures and paid no attention to national affairs. He felt that the indulgent life and hordes of beauties in the harem that he had expected when he became emperor were far from the indulgent life he had expected when he was the prince, and he felt very unhappy. At this time, there was a courtier named Guo Shifu who guessed what King You was thinking.

Guo Shi's father said to the Emperor of Zhou: "The maids used by the previous king are now old and yellow. The king should choose another beautiful woman to enjoy."

So Emperor Zhou ordered a search for beauties from all over the world for him to choose from.

On this day, Emperor Zhou was looking at the women collected from all over the world. He looked at them one by one and felt dissatisfied. When he was getting impatient, he saw a woman. She had beautiful eyes, clear eyebrows, red lips, white teeth, and scalloped fingers. The jade is cut, the skin is like gelatin, the hair is pulled up by dark clouds, and the pair of red phoenix eyes are like autumn water. One look at it will make people fascinated.

When Emperor Zhou saw Bao Si, he was immediately astonished and loved her very much. He wanted to make her his concubine on the spot and released Bao Jue at the same time.

In the same year, Bao Si gave birth to a son, Bo Fu, for Emperor Zhou. Emperor Zhou doted on Bao Si very much and loved Ji Bo Fu as well. He even thought about deposing Empress Shen and the Crown Prince, making Bao Si the queen and Bo Fu as the queen. Prince.

Wang eight years

Because Bao Si was very favored by the Emperor of Zhou, Empress Shen was very unhappy. In addition, after Bao Si entered the palace, he was supposed to come to her to salute and greet her, but Bao Si relied on the king's favor and never came. The prince has always been grieving for his mother.

On this day, while Emperor Zhou was out, the prince asked the palace maid to run under the Qiongtai and pick Bao Si's favorite flowers. Bao Si happened to come here at this time. When he heard the palace maid calling Bao Si empress, he became even more angry. He rushed forward and slapped Bao Si several times. Suddenly, Bao Si's face was as beautiful as a flower, leaving a black and blue stain. scars.

In the evening, Emperor Zhou returned to the palace and immediately ran to Bao Si's palace. He saw Bao Si turning her head and refusing to see him. He was very confused, so he forced her face to face and saw Bao Si's face. He immediately said angrily: "What's going on? Who did it?"

The maid next to him quickly told Emperor Zhou what happened under the Qiong Stage. Emperor Zhou looked at Bao Si who was crying so much that he felt distressed and angry. So he immediately ordered the deposed Empress Shen, and at the same time deposed the Crown Prince and exiled him. When he arrived in the Kingdom of Shen, he was not allowed to contact Empress Shen. He made Baosi the queen and Bofu the prince.

When the ministers heard about this, they immediately went to the palace to persuade the Emperor of Zhou, but they were all driven away by the Emperor of Zhou. Reluctantly, the officials could not do anything about it, and thought of Emperor Zhou's usual cruelty, so they dispersed soon after.

Bai Qing, who was in Chaoge, heard about this and said to the young master Bai Xuan:
"The Zhou Dynasty is about to face chaos!"

Bai Xuan said: "How can father see it?"

Bai Qing said: "Do you know whose daughter the Queen Shen is, and whose grandson the Prince is?"

Bai Xuan said: "He is the Marquis of Shen from the Kingdom of Shen! Is there anything wrong? Does the Marquis of Shen dare to raise an army to rebel?" Bai Qing said: "The Marquis of Shen not only has the daughter of Queen Shen, but he is also an in-law of the Quanrong tribe. When King Zhou Xiao wanted to conquer the Quanrong, it was Shenhou who made King Zhou Xiao give up the Western expedition on the condition that his grandson would succeed him as the leader of the Quanrong tribe. From then on, Quanrong had always had a stable relationship with Shenhou.

Think about it, if Marquis Shen knew that his daughter and grandson had been deposed for no reason, he would have no power on his own. What if he contacted Quan Rong? "

Bai Xuan said: "Isn't there still Luo Liushi?"

Bai Qing said: "Luo Sixth Division? After these few years, Luo Sixth Division has ceased to exist in name only, but there are still many princes. If Shen Guo wants to rebel, it will still be very difficult, but just in case, Xuan'er, you have to Go to the military camp more often and train the army well to prevent unexpected events. Fortunately, the current Weijun still has some brains. It seems that it was a wise move to let him be the king in the first place!

If we encounter a foolish king in a time of great strife, we, the Bai family, will feel uncomfortable, just like the king of a complimentary country. "

Wang Jiunian

Bao Si succeeded in becoming the queen, but she couldn't feel happy at all, because the people said that she was a witch who brought disaster to the country and the people. Although Bao Si was as beautiful as a peach and plum, her face was always as cold as ice because of this incident, and she never smiled once.

Seeing this, Emperor Zhou tried his best to win Bao Si's happy smile, but Bao Si never smiled. For this reason, Emperor Zhou actually offered a reward of a thousand taels to anyone who could make Bao Si smile.

When Guo Shi's father heard about this, in order to get the bounty and gain the favor of Emperor Zhou, he came up with an idea for King Zhou You and suggested using a beacon tower to try it.

The beacon fire was originally an emergency military alarm signal when the enemy invaded. From the capital to the border town fortress, beacon towers were set up all along the way. In order to prevent the intrusion of dog soldiers, the Zhou Dynasty built more than 20 beacon towers in the Lishan area near Haojing, one every few miles.

Once the Quanrong attacked, the first sentry found immediately lit a beacon fire on the platform, and nearby beacon towers also lit fires one after another to alert the nearby princes. When the princes saw the beacon fire, they knew that Haojing was in danger and the emperor was in trouble. He had to raise troops to serve the king and come to the rescue.

Emperor Zhou was going crazy trying to make Bao Si laugh. Hearing about this strategy, he didn't care whether it would work or not. So Emperor Zhou adopted Father Guo Shi's suggestion and immediately took Bao Si with him on the board, accompanied by Father Guo Shi. He arrived at the Lishan beacon tower and ordered the guards to light the beacon fire.

For a time, there was smoke everywhere and flames of war rising into the sky.

When the princes from all over the country saw the alarm, they thought that the dog soldiers were coming, and immediately led their troops and horses to rush to the rescue. When we arrived at the foot of Mount Li, there was not even a shadow of the dog soldiers. We could only hear the sound of music and singing on the mountain. When the princes saw it, it turned out to be the Emperor Zhou and Bao Si sitting on the stage drinking and having fun.

At this time, Emperor Zhou sent someone to tell them that thanks to everyone's hard work, there was nothing going on here, it was just the emperor and the queen setting off fireworks for fun.

The princes realized that they had been teased, so they all returned with resentment. And when Bao Si saw thousands of troops and horses summoned and waved away, it was like child's play. She found it very interesting. She also saw various princes coming in the wind and dust, and then leaving with angry faces. She couldn't help but smile. The Emperor of Zhou was overjoyed and immediately rewarded Guo Shi's father with a thousand gold coins.

On the way back to the country, Wei Houhe and Bai Xuan walked on the road together. Marquis Wei said to Bai Xuan: "The emperor is too ridiculous. This kind of thing can be used as a joke. What do we, the princes, think of us? Domestic dogs?"

The more Marquis Wei thought about it, the angrier he became. He came to the roadside and kept whipping the trees on the roadside with his riding crop, as if he was whipping the Emperor Zhou.

At this time, Bai Xuan advised Marquis Wei: "Your Majesty, please calm down. You have to think this way. Fortunately, no dog soldiers came to attack, otherwise we would have suffered a lot of losses. This time we only spent some money, food and energy. You What's the use of being angry now? It will only make your body sick!"

After thinking about it for a while, Marquis Wei had no choice but to think this way, so he mounted his horse and galloped towards Weiguo. Bai Xuan sighed secretly when he saw this.

Three months later
Emperor Zhou took Bao Si to the Lishan beacon tower again and ordered the guards to light the beacon fire. When the princes from all over the country saw the alarm, they thought that this time the dog soldiers were really attacking, and immediately led their troops and horses to rush to the rescue. As a result, when we arrived at the foot of Mount Li, there was not a single sign of the dog soldiers. When they heard the sounds of music and singing on the mountain, the princes knew that the Emperor of Zhou was making fun of them again.

So he had to lead his troops back to the feudal country.

"It's like this again! Does Ji Gongyan think Wei He is easy to bully?" Wei Hou said angrily on the road.

Bai Xuan said quickly: "Your Majesty, people talk too much and don't dare to call the Emperor by his name!"

When Marquis Wei learned that he had made a mistake, he slapped his horse and galloped with an angry look on his face, splashing up a burst of yellow sand.

Wang Jiunian

The Emperor of Zhou once again lit the beacon with Bao Si, and all the princes came to find out and have fun, so many princes vowed not to come again next time, even if the emperor took away their own kingdoms.

Marquis Wei still lost his temper on the road, and Bai Xuan also looked ugly. After all, everyone has a temper.

This year, Emperor Zhou lit the beacon fire three times, and less and less princes came each time. But Bao Si just did this. She felt funny every time the princes came, which made Emperor Zhou never tired of it.

Wang ten years

On the first day of the new year, Emperor Zhou lit the beacon again.

This time, there were only two or three princes named Ji, and Weiguo was one of them.

On the way back to the Kingdom of Wei, Marquis Wei went crazy. He whipped, scolded, and kicked the trees on the roadside. Bai Xuan spoke at this time:

"Your Majesty, we can't come again next time!"

After hearing this, Marquis Wei said in surprise: "You have advised me to put the overall situation first a few times before. What if the Quanrong really comes? Why this time?"

Bai Xuan said with a constipated expression: "I never thought that the emperor really doesn't regard us princes as human beings. Besides, if this happens again, the morale of our army to defend the country will be lost!"

Marquis Wei looked at the soldiers who were marching. They were all listless. Some were even joking with their colleagues. He also understood the seriousness of what Bai Xuan said, so he said to Bai Xuan:

"Since the Emperor does not consider us, the princes of the same clan, as brothers, don't blame us for being rude!"

In the same year, Emperor Zhou lit the beacon fire five times, but none of the princes came. Seeing that these princes were not fooled, Emperor Zhou was no longer in the mood to play.
-
Relying on pampering to gain more freedom, the beacon fire of Lishan plays with the princes. I only know that a smile can conquer a country, but I don’t realize that the jade tower is full of dust.

——"Ode to Epic Praise for the City" by Hu Zeng of the Tang Dynasty
King Mu cleverly held his hand, why did he wander around? To govern the world, what do you ask for?
The evil man is showing off, what is his name in the city? Who will kill Zhou You? How can I get my husband's praise?

——Qu Yuan's "Songs of Chu·Tianwen"

(End of this chapter)