Plan to cut off the nine states

(Two points to note: 1. This article is an imaginary history. For the convenience of writing, the characters have names but not words, and the titles are relatively simple. The official positions are close to those of the Southern and Northern Dynasties. 2. The state is still recovering. I can only write one chapter a day. I will adjust it as soon as possible. Come here, please forgive me.)

one

The rain pattered outside the window. Half asleep and half awake, Xu Baoxin returned to his homeland in a trance.

She liked the sound of raindrops since she was a child, so her father built an exquisite installation for her outside the boudoir, using a large number of bamboo tubes of different thicknesses, covered with patches of flowers and plants. Whenever she was depressed and the weather was sunny, the rain would sound. The sound would sound, sometimes urgent and sometimes slow, soothing her mood. She couldn't tell whether the rain followed her heart or the rain followed her heart.

This device has a name, called "Yu Shen Tong", and Xu Baoxin prefers to call it "Yu'er".

When General Lou Wen came to the house for the first time, he was very interested in the "Rain Power". He looked it over carefully, then laughed wildly and said to everyone: "Those who subjugate their country must do something to subjugate it. This is true." . The Kingdom of Wu deserves to die in my hands."

The soldiers were ordered to dismantle the "Rain Magic Power" completely. The general climbed up the stairs with his knife, walked straight into the boudoir, stood at the door and looked at Xu Baoxin for a while, and sighed: "Those who have subjugated their country will have the appearance of subjugating their country, you little princess." , I’m determined, no one can try to rob me, not even the emperor!”

That year, Princess Xu Baoxin of the Kingdom of Wu had just turned sixteen. She had already chosen her consort and was not yet married. She had never suffered any hardship since she was a child. Apart from her father, she had never seen any other adult men, and she had never been stared at rudely. Overlooked.

That year, General Lou Wen of the Cheng Kingdom was forty-three years old. He had fought in the north and south for more than twenty years, and had gone through more than a hundred battles without losing a single victory. Under his gaze, even the emperor had to look away.

Xu Baoxin forgot whether there was anyone else around at that time. She only remembered that she was in grief. She wanted to commit suicide and kill the intruder, but she failed to do anything in the end. She seemed to be frozen, and everything she saw in her eyes was a blur. Her belly, which was only covered by armor, was so huge that the whole room was filled, and the sound seemed to come from her belly. This was almost her entire impression of the general. Even though they slept together in the same bed for many years in the future, not much else was added. .

Xu Baoxin was put on a car that day and rushed to Luoyang, the eastern capital of the Dacheng Dynasty. From then on, he was far away from his homeland and could only go back in his dreams.

"Princess..." The voice was soft and submissive, exactly the same as before. Xu Baoxin fell deeper into his dream, a smile appeared on his lips, and he refused to get up.

"Princess." The voice was still soft, but a little more firm.

Xu Baoxin understood that this was not Jiangdong Wu Kingdom, but Luoyang. Here, she was an adult, a prisoner of war, a maid and a mother, and was not qualified to stay in bed.

It had been nearly eight years since she opened her eyes. Every time she woke up, her heart was still stuck in the deepest part of her dream, feeling empty but unable to accommodate the reality in front of her.

two

General Lou Wen summoned all his wives and concubines, which was a common occurrence for him. No matter what their origins, the women in the mansion were "trophies" and were worth showing off.

Lou Wen ran the family just like running the army, assigning military positions to each of his more than 370 wives and concubines. His wife was a general, his concubines were partial generals, assistant generals, and staff generals, and the rest were captains, captains, and team leaders. .

At every gathering, everyone has a fixed position, and those who stand in the wrong position will be demoted or even whipped. Therefore, although there are many concubines in the general's mansion, they are not scattered, and they are quite orderly.

Lou Wen was proud of this and once boasted: "If I put some effort into training you, even though you are a generation of women, you will not lose to the same number of men."

Fortunately, the general has never really worried about this. He will not really let his women meet men outside, let alone have a life-and-death fight.

Xu Baoxin was an exception. She was not entrusted with a "military position." She was still the "Princess of Wu" in the palace. Everyone, including the general, called her that.

Princess Wu - the word "Wu" is never omitted to avoid confusion with the real Princess Dacheng. The word "princess" is often deliberately emphasized, coupled with various weird expressions, as if they understand each other tacitly. Pass on secrets.

Xu Baoxin has no secrets. She rarely even hides her hatred for her husband Lou Wen and Emperor Dacheng. However, the general is very fond of this trick. In his own words: "What I have done in my life is to destroy the country and steal women. Princess Wu Hate me? Let her hate me. What can a little woman do to me if she is full of hatred? Haha, I just like her temperament."

That said, apart from Xu Baoxin, no other woman in the mansion dared to show any hatred in front of the general.

Many concubines were lined up neatly in the courtyard. Xu Baoxin stood alone in front of the queue on the right. This was her position. It was different but meaningless. She was still a subjugated princess, helpless and powerless. .

Today's call was a bit weird. Firstly, it was still early, not yet noon. Usually at this time, the general was either hungover or going to the official office to do business. Secondly, the general looked too serious. He stood under the corridor with his belly bigger than his head. He is usually more plump, and shorter people can barely see his head.

The madam also showed up, standing next to the general, which was a rare thing. The madam's maiden name was Lan, her family was prominent, and she was a close relative of the Lou family. Although she was awarded the title of "general", she rarely attended such gatherings.

Mrs. Lan's expression was equally serious and a little sad.

The general coughed lightly and said in a softer voice than ever before: "The Emperor... The Emperor passed away, and the whole country was saddened by the great success."

Everyone was surprised that the current emperor, who was just over fifty years old and had never been reported to be seriously ill, suddenly abandoned his subjects.

Mrs. Lan sobbed softly. Her sister was the queen, and the death of the emperor made her feel more bereavement.

"Ahem..." Lou Wen showed a hint of trepidation, as if he was reading out an imperial edict full of uncommon words, "Soon...I will enter the palace...to receive the late emperor's last edict. You...all have to put on mourning clothes. The better the funeral, the more you cry. Whoever sheds more tears will be rewarded. Also, whoever among you was a native of Wu, Shu, Liang, or Jin, especially those who cry more miserably, will be punished if they do not meet the requirements. Damn it, don’t talk about me..."

"Pfft." Suddenly someone laughed.

Even in ordinary times, interrupting the general with laughter is an unforgivable sin, let alone a day when the whole country is in sorrow? The concubines lowered their heads and did not dare to look around, knowing in their hearts that only one person would be so courageous.

Lou Wen glanced at Princess Wu and planned to forgive her once. After all, he had forgiven her many times.

But his belly was too big, and neither this glance nor the message in his eyes could be conveyed.

Xu Baoxin also lowered her head in order to hide her smile, but she couldn't help it. Her laughter changed from "puff" to "hehe". Before the general could stop him, the laughter turned into an indulgent "haha" ".

Lou Wen tightened his stomach, his face full of surprise. He was still immersed in deep grief and didn't even get angry.

Xu Bao Voice.

"You... hold it back!" General Lou Wen finally came to his senses and scolded him sternly.

Xu Baoxin couldn't hold it back, she pressed her lower abdomen with both hands and kept laughing. Even if the knife fell on her head at this time, there would be a smile on her face.

The general really drew his sword out of its sheath. He could allow Princess Wu to have some minor problems, but he could not accept such an open provocation.

Mrs. Lan stretched out her hand to stop her husband, "She's afraid she's crazy."

"Madmen must also abide by the rules." The general retracted the half-drawn sword, laboriously stepped down the steps, and strode in front of Princess Wu. The hand that originally held the handle of the sword instead grabbed the princess's thin wrist, "Today It’s no different than usual. You are from the Wu Kingdom. You’d better be honest and wait until I come back from the palace... Hey, there’s no guarantee whether you’ll live or die.”

Xu Baoxin did not struggle. She had already given up meaningless resistance, but in her heart she never gave up hatred and said loudly: "How did he die?"

"Huh?" Lou Wen didn't understand.

"How did your emperor die?"

Lou Wen's face changed color and he held his hands tighter, "You really don't want to live anymore?"

The pain in his wrist was excruciating. Xu Baoxin did not cry out in pain, but his voice was louder, "When I was left by the emperor for a month, you don't want to know the details?"

Lou Wen roared angrily and threw Princess Wu more than ten steps away.

Xu Baoxin's words broke the taboo. Many years ago, when she was sent to Luoyang, the eastern capital, she was sent to the palace before getting off the bus. It was a full month later that she was transferred to the general's palace.

Lou Wen once uttered wild words, claiming that even the emperor could not compete with him for women. Facts have proved that the emperor can still compete with him.

All this time, Lou Wen never mentioned this matter, and Xu Baoxin also obediently avoided this experience. Until today, she suddenly didn't want to pretend to be confused anymore.

Lou Wen was getting older, but his hand strength had not weakened much. Xu Baoxin fell heavily to the ground, and her whole body ached. She still laughed, "Emperor Dacheng did not die a good death, and the crime will fall on the people of the Five Kingdoms again..."

Liang, Jin, Jing, Shu, and Wu are the five kingdoms. The day of destruction may be more than twenty years ago or less than ten years ago. All the noble families of the clan have entered Luoyang. Every time the Dacheng court is moved early, it will take five Chinese people have surgery.

Lou Wen strode forward, put his foot on Princess Wu's chest, stretched out his hand to draw the knife, "I'll kill you little bitch first, so as not to cause trouble to my Lou family..."

When the general is angry, someone must persuade him, otherwise he will be even more angry afterwards and vent his anger on everyone present at the time.

Mrs. Lan had been following her husband, and she reached out to stop her in time, admonishing: "Why should you pay attention to her, a person who has subjugated her country? General, please enter the palace quickly. Don't stay at home at this critical moment."

Lou Wen didn't really want to kill someone, so he let go and moved his feet. He let out a bitter sigh and said to his wife: "Discipline these women severely, and I will enter the palace immediately."

"Remember the most important thing." Mrs. Lan reminded.

"Remember, Queen, no, I am the Queen Mother now. I will definitely take you into the palace before dark." Lou Wen said impatiently, and was about to leave, but suddenly stopped, adjusted his emotions, and made sure that he could cry at any time. , then strode away.

three

Mrs. Lan watched her husband leave, turned around and faced the concubines, "Change into mourning clothes and cry."

The maids in the mansion had already prepared linen clothes, and hundreds of concubines were changing in the courtyard. No one dared to say no.

Mrs. Lan walked up to Princess Wu and stared at her for a while.

Xu Baoxin was still lying on the ground, smiling earnestly facing down.

Mrs. Lan sighed softly. She didn't like this woman because her husband loved the so-called Princess Wu too much, but she didn't particularly hate her because no matter how much her husband loved her, she was just a person who had subjugated her country.

"It's the general's fault. You shouldn't be allowed to call you 'Princess Wu'. If you call me 'Princess Wu', you'll take it seriously and you won't be able to distinguish your current status."

Xu Baoxin raised his head, with a smile on his face, "The emperor was killed by people from Wu, right?"

Mrs. Lan frowned slightly, "With nothing to do all day long, you people have been raised crazy." There was a cry from behind, and Mrs. Lan was not satisfied. She turned around and said: "Your Majesty has raised all the people. You must be as sad as if you lost your father." cry."

The cries immediately boiled over.

Mrs. Lan turned to Princess Wu. She still couldn't see the sadness that she should have on her face. "Your Majesty suffered a serious illness a few days ago... Why am I telling you this? Today is just a demonstration. I will wait until the official funeral." , or cry, or die, it’s your choice.”

Xu Baoxin put away the last bit of his smile and stood up with force, "Let me see him once, just once. I am grateful for Madam's kindness. I hate Emperor Dacheng and the general, but I will always be grateful for Madam's kindness."

Mrs. Lan understood, and pondered for a moment, "Go back to your room."

Four

"He" is a child, just six years old. He has been living with many brothers. He calls Mrs. Lan "mother". He occasionally meets Princess Wu, but doesn't know how to call her. He usually stands silently. There, watching her cry and listening to her nagging, I felt both sympathy and boredom.

Today was an exception. Princess Wu actually had a smile on her face, "Chu'er, you have grown taller. How many words have you learned? Can you write your own name? Are you eating well? Has anyone bullied you?"

Six-year-old Lou Chu responded, hoping to end the meeting as soon as possible.

Xu Baoxin said a lot, but she had to finish until the maid at the door urged her. She held her reluctant face in her hands and whispered: "You are my son. Your surname is not Lou, but Xu. I am the Princess of Wu, and you are the grandson of the Emperor of Wu..."

Lou Chu broke free from his hand and said loudly: "My surname is Lou, not Xu, I..." Before he could finish his words, he turned around and ran away. He didn't want to be the son of this strange woman. As far as he knew, "Princess Wu" It was just a nickname, a joke. One of his brothers did marry a real princess. He had seen it from a distance, and she was completely different from the woman behind him.

"We are all Wu people, forever!" Xu Baoxin shouted to the door, her disappointment evident. Soon, she cheered up again, "He will understand. Even if he is confused, the Cheng people will make him understand. of."

Xu Baoxin drove away the maid, closed the door, and sat on the bedside alone. She found that some things were harder to do than to think. After a quarter of an hour, she finally made up her mind that she would never shed a tear at the funeral of Emperor Dacheng.

five

Lu Ji was very annoyed. He has short legs but can run very fast. Not long after he left the house, he got rid of the maid who was following him and entered the garden all the way.

The General's Mansion occupies a large area, but it is not a place for freedom and leisure. Even at the age of six, Lou Chi knows where he can go and where he cannot go. For example, the big garden is absolutely forbidden. If someone discovers it, it will really hurt. You will be beaten, but you can enter the small garden at the other end. It is overgrown with flowers and plants and is neglected. It is a paradise for boys.

Lou Chu was angry and confused. He always felt that he had done something wrong, but he was unwilling to admit it clearly.

Seven or eight children suddenly jumped out of the grass in front of them. The oldest was ten years old and the youngest was five or six years old. They were all holding wooden swords and guns, and their clothes were tangled in a mess, imitating the armor of soldiers.

"Stop!" shouted the eldest child.

Lou Chu paused, turned around and ran away again. He would not stand still obediently. These children were all his brothers. At least in front of adults, they called each other brothers, but in private there was no feeling of friendship at all.

Lou Chu was always the one who escaped, and he was always the one who couldn't escape. It didn't take long for him to be thrown to the ground.

The eldest child pointed the wooden knife at the nose of the building foundation, "You are a bold traitor, you dare to break into the military camp without permission, and you will be served by military law!"

No one knows what "military law" is exactly, but it's just a matter of suppressing it.

Louji stopped struggling, raised his face covered with dirt, and said loudly: "I am not a traitor, I am... a messenger."

"Sending a letter? What letter?" The eldest child was very interested and took back the wooden knife.

"The emperor is dead."

The eldest child slapped the roof on the head with a wooden knife and said, "Dare to tell such a lie, you will be punished by death."

"It's not a lie. I heard what you said, the general has entered the palace." The children in the house are used to calling their father "general" with reverence and pride.

The children stood up one after another, with a bit of confusion on their faces. They also stood up on the floor and dusted off their clothes, guessing that they had escaped another disaster.

"The emperor...will die too?" a child asked.

"Don't say death, it means death." The eldest child corrected, scratching his head and looking happy, "When the general enters the palace, he must be to assist the new emperor. I will soon be able to become a real general."

The other children also showed joy, but no one understood the true impact of the emperor's death.

"You all have to follow me as envoys, captains, or join the army...you can't." The eldest child pointed the knife at the foundation of the building, thinking about that word, and after a while he added: "You are imprisoned. "

"What is confinement?" one child asked.

"Confinement means... that you cannot be an official for the rest of your life." The eldest child gave a simple but accurate explanation, "We can all be officials when we grow up, but he can't."

Lou Chu had no particular desire to be an official, but he couldn't accept the word "can't" and blushed, "I can be an official if I want to!"

The oldest child laughed out loud, "You don't know what imprisonment is yet? Haha, you are the son of the Princess of Wu. The court has set a rule that people like you are not allowed to be officials, because the people of Wu are the worst, so the children of Wu are also bad."

"I am not..." Lou Chu blushed again, but he was not sure whether he was born of the "Princess of Wu". He did not want to dwell on this issue, so he changed his words and said, "You can't be a general."

The oldest child hit Lou Chu's head with a knife again, "I am not the son of the Wu people. If you want to be a general, then be a general."

Lou Chu took two steps back, "Our Lou family does not lack generals. The general sent you to the best school. This is to make you a civil servant."

This time it was the oldest child who blushed. In the eyes of the children of the Lou family, civil servants are more or less cowardly, and generals are the best choice.

While the brothers were stunned, Lou Chu took advantage of the opportunity to escape. This time he chose a small path in the bushes and tried to hide his body.

The argument ended there, and the other children followed, not caring about the civil officials or military generals, but simply enjoying the fun of chasing.

This day was June 13, the summer of the 14th year of Yuanheng in the Dacheng Dynasty. The news of the emperor's death was spreading rapidly to all directions of the empire. The sun was scorching in the sky, and a group of children chased each other in the small garden, trampling on countless flowers and plants and shedding countless sweat.

It was getting dark, and they hid their weapons and lined up to leave the small garden. Louchu was the last one to leave. Their bodies and faces were dirtier than others, but they had as much fun as their brothers.

June

As soon as they returned to their residence, all the children were called together, changed into ugly and uncomfortable clothes, and were sent to a room without having dinner. The adults asked them to kneel down and cry.

At first, everyone thought it was a punishment for them, but slowly they understood from the adults' words that the emperor had really passed away.

A middle-aged woman took Lou Chu aside and wiped the dust and tears from his face with a silk handkerchief, and whispered: "You should cry more, Xu Ji... passed away."

There was a cry in the hall, Lou Chu sobbed and stared at the woman blankly, not understanding her words at all.

"Xu Ji is the Princess of Wu and your biological mother. She is dead. Madam thinks you should know this news." The woman gently stroked the child's head and took off two pieces of straw, "Go cry."

Lou Chu still had a blank look on his face. He returned to the brothers and knelt on the ground. He couldn't cry no matter how hard he tried. He tried to recall what the Princess of Wu looked like and what she said during the day. She was obviously a living person, how could she die just like that? But the harder he tried, the more his memories were occupied by the chase scene in the small garden. The Princess of Wu was hidden behind and became illusory.

From that day on, six-year-old Lou Chu did not cry or speak. No matter the adults scolded him or his brothers chased him, he could not utter a word or shed a tear. Basically, he would only speak when he was eating, and he was always absent-minded.

The adults in the mansion suspected that the child had become mute, and his brothers called him "little fool".

The general was very busy, and he did not notice the abnormality until half a year later, "Why don't you speak? Speak immediately."

Someone came over and whispered the situation. Lou Wen said, and suddenly thought of the Princess of Wu. "Alas, your mother also has a strange temper. I didn't say anything. The court wanted to deal with the people of Wu, but with me here, it would not be traced to her. Why did she commit suicide out of fear? Stupid, really stupid. A stupid mother has a stupid son. It's a good thing that you become dumb. Maybe you will avoid a lot of trouble because of this."

Lou Chu did not become mute. Soon someone discovered that he would actually mumble when he was alone, but no one could hear what he was saying.

Seven

Another half a year passed in a flash. The general gained the trust of the new emperor and his position was stable. So he retreated to wine and women to enjoy himself, make friends, and hold banquets almost every day.

There was only one guest on this day. He had no official position in the court, but he was the distinguished guest that all the dignitaries competed to invite. Even the general waited for many days before finally inviting him into the mansion.

Zhongnan fortune teller Liu Youzhong had fortune-tellered countless people in his life, and all of them were accurate. Before he left his hometown, his reputation had spread all over the world.

The general was a high-ranking official and didn't care much about his fortune, but he felt weak recently and began to care about the future of his children and grandchildren, so he summoned them all one by one and asked Liu Youzhong to take a look.

The Lou family was full of children and grandchildren. More than a hundred people entered in batches, respectfully saluted their father and the guests, and then stood aside to listen to their predictions.

After three rounds of drinking, Liu Youzhong began to look at the children and grandchildren of the Lou family, either saying a few words or nodding and smiling, without interrupting the drinking and eating. In less than an hour, he finished his comments, and everyone was satisfied, especially the general himself, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Does my third child really have a promising future?"

"He is gentle enough to make many friends, and strong enough to control his subordinates. He inherits the influence of his ancestors, relies on his brothers, and is the nephew of the empress dowager. His future is limitless. There is only one thing, be careful not to make friends carelessly..."

The third child is the biological son of the legitimate wife Lan. He smiled at his father and only cared about the words "promising future".

The children who came in were getting younger and younger, and Liu Youzhong's comments became simpler. He often just said "hmm" and said "good", without commenting. Lou Wen didn't care too much. Among the hundreds of children and grandchildren, as long as seven or eight of them became talented, the Lou family's building would not collapse.

Lou Chu and several brothers were the third to last to enter the hall. They had waited outside for too long and were hungry. Seeing the table full of food and wine, they all secretly swallowed their saliva and had to bow properly.

Liu Youzhong made a brief comment as usual, and suddenly his eyes returned to a child, "This is..."

Lou Wen looked at the followers around him. He had too many sons and he couldn't remember their names and rankings.

"Seventeenth Young Master, named Chu." The follower whispered.

"Oh, it's the 'Bu Yan Young Master'." Liu Youzhong showed some interest.

"Hey, my son's reputation has spread outside?" Lou Wen laughed. He had almost forgotten this son and the Princess of Wu.

"I've heard a little about it. Please ask the Seventeenth Young Master to come forward and let me take a closer look."

Lou Chu walked up to the fortune teller and looked up at him.

Liu Youzhong smiled and nodded. After a long look, he said, "Open your mouth."

Lou Chu's lips closed even tighter.

Lou Wen was a little annoyed. Among so many children and grandchildren, only this kid was disobedient. He was about to scold him, but Liu Youzhong changed his mind, "Forget it, please leave."

After the fortune-telling, the wine and food were removed and replaced with new ones. The guests and hosts were very happy and the banquet was really over at midnight.

Lou Wen was drunk, but he still insisted on sending Liu Xiangshi out of the house. Several older sons were busy. He put his arm around Liu Youzhong's shoulders and whispered in a low voice: "Old Liu, you still have something to say, don't hide it from me, I can see it."

Liu Youzhong laughed, his thin body could not bear the fat body of the general, and his legs and feet became more and more unstable.

"I treat you as a friend, what do you treat me as?" Lou Wen questioned.

"That 'Bu Yan Gongzi'..."

"What's wrong with him? Is there a problem?" Lou Wen was stunned. He didn't expect that Liu Youzhong cared about this son.

"There are many rumors outside that the people of Wu are still unwilling to give up..."

"So what? He is my son. Can he rebel with outsiders? Besides, how old is he?" Lou Wen really didn't know his son's age.

Liu Youzhong shook his head, indicating that he did not mean that. After thinking for a long time, he saw that his car had arrived at the door and said to the general in a serious tone: "Although this young man is young, he seems to have lofty ambitions and a good face. If I ask you, it's better for this boy to keep his mouth shut, but if he opens his mouth, he will be in trouble."

"What do you mean? If he dares to talk nonsense, I will tear his mouth apart."

Liu Youzhong still shook his head, "If this boy can keep his mouth shut, he will be a good man in the world. Once he opens his mouth, I am afraid he will become a hero in troubled times. The general does not need to worry too much. Everyone has his own destiny, which can only be determined by heaven. Mortals cannot force it."

The general let go of the fortune teller and said loudly: "I have destroyed all the enemy countries in the world and killed countless people. I have never seen people and things that cannot be forced."

Liu Youzhong laughed and said, "The general is not an ordinary person, and he is not within the scope of physiognomy. This boy was born in the general's mansion, which must be destined by fate."

Lou Wen liked to hear such words. He smiled and sent the fortune teller away, went back to the room to sleep, and woke up the next day, having forgotten Liu Youzhong's words completely.

8

But the rumor still spread, and many people regarded it as a joke. They would always say to Lou Chu: "If you keep your mouth shut, you will be a virtuous person in a peaceful world. If you open your mouth, you will be a tyrant in a chaotic world. Open your mouth and let us see what a tyrant looks like."

The seven-year-old Lou Chu was still the same as when he was six. Except for eating, he never spoke. No matter how the other party teased or provoked him, he remained silent, and even his face would not change, which made the other party very bored.

The rumor gradually dissipated and was eventually forgotten by most people, but Lou Chu heard it a lot and engraved it deeply in his heart. When he finally opened his mouth at the age of thirteen to recite the classics of sages with everyone, he still thought of those two sentences from time to time.

Keep your mouth shut to rule the world, open your mouth to cause chaos. He opened his mouth, but the chaotic world did not come immediately, and he had to wait for another five years.