ps: "Spring and Autumn Zuo Chuan Du Annotation": In the country of Yun, in Jiangxia, there is Yuncheng in the southeast of Yundu County.

"Notes on the Classic of Water": Yunshui passes through the west of Anlu City, so it is also the state of Yun.

...

"These two lamps are exactly the same as the ones this old man saw on Zhang Huatai. Could it be that the king gave them to Ling Yin?"

Zhong Jian went into Lingyin's mansion today to meet Zixi. Naturally, he had something to do, but he didn't explain his purpose first, but was amazed at the two bronze lamps in the hall. Zixi was simple in nature, similar to Ling Yin Ziwen. He couldn't even find anything luxurious at home. The most valuable thing was probably this bronze lamp.

Ling Yin Zixi, whose hair was mostly white, looked back and said with a smile, "That's right, it was the king who took pity on me for being old and dazzling, and even looked at the bamboo slips every day, and gave it to me specially."

The minds of the people of Chu are smart and elegant, and their ingenuity has penetrated into their utensils through the hands of hundreds of craftsmen.

The two bronze lamps are six feet high and look like a big tree. Fifteen branches are divided on the top in turn, and lamp panels with different shapes are installed on the branches, or there are phoenixes perching, or dragons coiling, or five monkeys playing. The whole lamp is full of vitality of the mountains and forests, as if returning to the time when the people of Chu people "did the road and blue threads to open up the mountains and forests".

It's a pity that the flame of the wick the size of a bean is flickering, just like Yin Zixi's life, time is short...

As Ling Yin of Chu State, Zixi's life can be described as rich and colorful. He experienced Wu State's destruction, difficult exile and restoration, and the death of King Zhao of Chu. Decades of political experience have made Zixi understand a truth: the whole world is going through a big change, far greater than that of the Yin, Zhou, and Yi Dynasties, and the state of Chu is no exception. Changes will come sooner or later!

However, as a representative of the public clan, he is full of fear of change. As Zhong Jian said that day: "There is no fault in imitating the law, and there is no deviation in following the old ritual." And once he tries to change the system, he will definitely generate turmoil.

So six years ago, when Bai Gongsheng stated that the state of Chu must reform the law, Zixi was surprised and delighted. He was happy that he was not the only one who saw the ills and problems in the state of Chu. The country is broken.

So on the one hand, he agreed to the reform, and on the other hand, he cut off the clauses that might cause the aristocratic family to react, and asked Bai Gong to go to the local experiment first.

Six years later, Baigong's experiments have achieved great results, Huainan is thriving, Baigong is like a child, and he shows these results to Zixi, which makes the old commander Yin Ran's heart beat.

Although the State of Wu was destroyed, Zhao was ten times more terrifying than the State of Wu. For Chu State, it was a heavy persecution. It is no longer the era when nobles drive chariots more heroically than others. The war between nations is becoming more and more intense. Under such pressure, any country that wants to be protected from Zhao Wuxi's strong soldiers must concentrate its military power. , to be able to compete with it. Otherwise, before the battle of the two armies, the armed forces of the public clans and county magistrates had selfish intentions and only cared about preserving their strength, then the defeat of the war was inevitable, and the tragedy of Wu Shi's entry into Ying would be staged again.

Zixi didn't want to see that scene again, so he finally couldn't sit still. He reached a tacit understanding with the young King of Chu and Sima Ziqi, and let Duke Bai serve as Zuo Yin and began to carry out reform matters. Many powers were handed over to Duke Bai, allowing him to act cheaply.

In Zixi, after six years of experience in Huainan, Bai Gongsheng should be worthy of entrustment, and he can retire with peace of mind.

However, the progress of the matter was a little different from what they thought before. Bai Gong screwed up and stabbed the big basket. Even if he said that he was sick and could not go out, Zixi could still hear that the nobles and county magistrates outside the door were dissatisfied with the new law. 's voice.

Just when Zixi was hesitating, whether to continue trusting Duke Bai and let him then use violent means to integrate Chu State, or to take action immediately, when the situation was unstable, Zhong Jian, the representative of the conservative faction, came to meet at just the right time, while two bronze lamps Candle, opened today's topic.

"Although the Great King is young, he has the demeanor of a virtuous monarch. This is the blessing of the state of Chu... When I say this, I can't help but think of the former king."

Zhong Jian said: "Ling Yin still remembers, when the king was still alive, he used a lamp stand to make a metaphor. He said that the royal family is the branch, while the county magistrate and clan surnamed Mi are the branches and leaves, and the trunk does not leave the branches and leaves. , the branches and leaves are also inseparable from the trunk, the branches are stagnant, and the same breath, this is the glory and strength of the Chu Kingdom for hundreds of years..."

"That's true." Zixi understood the purpose of Zhong Jian's coming here today, but he didn't make it clear. He also wanted to know how the public clan viewed the reform through him, and whether this method could still be implemented.

Sure enough, Zhong Jian changed his color and said, "But now, someone wants to chop off the branches and leaves of the whole tree with an axe!"

Zixi was silent, and after a long time he said: "Although Bai Gong's handling of Yun Gong's affairs is a bit inappropriate, it is not enough..."

Seeing this, Zhong Jian fell to the ground, took a few steps in front of his knees, and said in a mournful voice, "It's not because Zhong Jian is going to disturb you that Yin is sick at home, but after Zuo Yin Baigong was in charge of state affairs, Yingdu and Jianghan are already together. A mess!"

"Although Douhuai has made mistakes, he is a meritorious official in the country after all, so how could he be humiliated to death. Not to mention that this incident caused Yunxian to rebel against Yingdu. Now Yingdu is in a dilemma, and it is not a matter of suppressing it or letting it go. , All of this must be attributed to Duke Bai and the new law!"

Zixi opened his eyes slightly, glanced at Zhong Jian, and spoke for Duke Bai: "The matter of Douhuai was an accident, and Duke Bai agreed to these actions by the old man. Now is a world of great contention, as long as Zhao is pacified. Chen Heng in the north may go south to Chu and Yue at any time and annex us. Since Qin and Yue have both benefited from imitating Zhao’s reform, then Chu must not fall behind…”

Zhong Jian slowed down his tone and said, "We all understand this principle. Actually, checking the household registrations of the county and public territories and increasing the payment of military duties are all trivial matters. As long as Ling Yin gives an order, who would dare not obey? It's not that they don't want to change the law or that the country of Chu is strong, but to see how to change and who will change."

"Although Duke Bai is the grandson of the king, he has been abroad all the year round, and he has no idea about the state of Chu at all. People who have just succeeded Zuo Yin will always visit the elders in the office and the elders of Li Lu, but Duke Bai has no idea of ​​etiquette. Since taking office, he has offended many people. People? Such a person, how can he support the state affairs. Instead of reflecting on himself, he wants the county magistrate of Chu to abolish the title and territory after three generations and move to a remote place in the south of the Yangtze River. This is too much! Being tortured and exiled? Duke Bai has no idea what the Dukes of the clan and counties mean to the state of Chu.

Zhong Jian's wickedness was timid, and he boldly guessed: "If the officials and wealth of the world are abolished, and those lowly poor commoners and wanderers of other countries are elevated to high positions, those people will have no family and no fief, and naturally there will be no courtesy. Honesty. They will not be loyal to the king at all, but will be loyal to Bai Gongsheng. He will wait to be killed, and he will definitely attack Baigong and his party, and the state of Chu will be in chaos, which runs counter to Ling Yin's original intention of making the state of Chu strong. Ling Yin, have you forgotten the great turmoil in the last years of King Ling of Chu? ?"

These words hit Zhongzixi's heart, he was silent for a long time, Fang said with difficulty: "Perhaps Le Yin is right, this time the reform is a bit hasty, whether it is saved or not, let the old man carefully consider it, he will definitely Give it to Le Yin, to the clan, and to the county officials outside..."

...

After Zhong Jian left contentedly, the room fell into silence again.

Zixi sat for a long time, and suddenly sighed: "Sheng, you are still too young..."

Although Mr. Bai is in his forties, in Zixi's eyes, he is still a child who will never grow up, and what he does is full of childishness...

Thinking of this, Zixi felt his chest tight. After a violent cough, he let go of his palm and saw the thick phlegm in the palm of his hand, mixed with bright red bloodshots...

"I'm afraid I won't have a good life in a few years." Zixi was terminally ill, and the monarch was still young. He desperately needed to find the next Ling Yin for Chu.

Zixi's son Gongsunning was young and had no qualifications and prestige. Sima Ziqi's son Gongsun Kuan was brave but too immature. They might have to wait ten or twenty years before they could become the pillars of the Chu state.

Originally, Zixi had high hopes for Bai Gongsheng. Chu really needed an enterprising Ling Yin, so he thought of letting him try to take charge of the state, but everything that happened in this short half year made Zixi full of disappointment. During the probationary period, he was completely unqualified.

"Zhong Jian is right. If Bai Gongsheng is allowed to use his temper again, this reform will not only not be strong, but will cause chaos..."

As the candles flickered, Zixi made up her mind.

The next day, he had Bai Gongsheng summoned into the mansion and had a long talk with him. According to Zixi’s son Gongsunning, during the whole conversation, Bai Gongsheng stood up excitedly three times, and sat down three times in frustration...

Before Bai Gongsheng left, Zixi also preached to him earnestly: "Sheng, you have been in government for a short time, and you don't know the truth that governing a big country is like cooking a small fish. The most important thing for a politician to stand in the court is not Do things, but be a person, be kind to others, and have less grudges, so you can't be maverick everywhere, but persuade others to stand with you. If you can get the support of most important officials in the court and the county magistrates in the country, no matter what you do It is easy to succeed, otherwise, you will fail everywhere. On this point, it is better to learn more from Ye Gongxue, and say this..."

Without a word, Duke Bai said goodbye heavily, got in the car and went back. When he got back to the mansion and got off the car, his trusted friend Gao She came over and saw that a palm mark had been pinched on the wooden handrail of the carriage.

"Master, what happened?" Gao She knew in his heart, but asked cautiously.

With a gloomy face, Duke Bai didn't answer, until he entered Zuo Yin's house, and said angrily: "Ling Yin said that the reform of the law, the opposition of the Yingdu clan and Jianghan county magistrates is too loud, in order not to provoke unrest, We should take a long-term view and implement it slowly..."

His teeth rattled: "What's more, Ling Yin has already taken back the power to issue decrees and the power to direct state affairs from my hands. Why is this? Just to fight the old dog? Just to be in the palace. Dozens of old noble relatives who barked before? Or because of the villain’s slander? How could the reform have been smooth, without cutting off the branches and leaves that gave birth to insects, and the trunk of the tree will be riddled with holes and broken in the strong wind!”

As he was talking~lightnovelpub.net~ Bai Gongsheng's anger suddenly erupted, he pulled out the long sword from his waist, and slashed at the utensils in the room, and at the same time shouted hysterically: "Uncle, uncle, you This is not a long-term plan, it is clearly to scrap the new law and let my nephew's hard work be ruined!"

Gao Amnesty was at the back, watching Bai Gongsheng's crazy actions at this moment, he couldn't help but think of someone in the north's evaluation of Xiong Sheng:

"You have to remember that when this person's ambition is disillusioned, it is the time when Chu State is destroyed!"

So Gao She kept silent and let Duke Bai's anger and unwillingness ferment, when his anger reached the extreme, he said lightly: "My lord, although the time for this minister to come to Chu is short, but I know a Chu The unwritten rules of the imperial court..."

Bai Gong turned his head, his eyes were blood red: "What rules!?"

Gao She said coldly: "The political struggle in the state of Chu is cruel. No matter how high and powerful a minister in the court was, as long as he makes a mistake and is knocked down by his opponent, he will always be beaten to the bottom of the water, and there will be no turning over again. Day! Either you are forced to commit suicide, or you are persecuted to death by political enemies. Very few people can die peacefully. Your Majesty, you have been given up by Ling Yin, and your current situation is as dangerous as eggs!"