Chapter 1016 Ge Gong

Chapter 1016 Ge Gong

Chapter 1016 Ge Gong (Not)
Jin Crown Prince Sima Fei hesitated for a long time, but finally crossed the river and headed north.

On the fifth day of the intercalary month (May), the day after Shao Xun received the news, Langya King Sima Chong was hosting a banquet in his mansion.

There were two people with the highest status among those present. One of them was Sima Wuji, who had recently inherited the title of King of Qiao. He led a part of the imperial guards as a cavalry captain and stationed in Shitou City to guard the safety of the west side of Jianye.

The second is Zhuge Hui.

This man was Sima Rui's confidant at the beginning. He served as the chief clerk of the shogunate and later as the magistrate of Jiangning County, paving the way for Sima Rui's march south.

As a Langya noble family and a native of Sima Rui, he was highly trusted. After Sima Rui crossed the river to the south, he was stationed in Danyang. At the same time, he wanted to extend his influence to the more populous and relatively wealthy Kuaiji County, so he sent Zhuge Hui to serve as the governor.

To be fair, Zhuge Hui was still quite capable and did a good job in Kuaiji County, so he returned to the court to serve as an official.

However, he was unlucky. He mourned his mother for more than two years and fell seriously ill, so he was dismissed from office twice in a row.

He made a comeback a few years ago and was gradually promoted to Shizhong.

Because of the strong pressure from the north, Sima Rui ordered him to go to Jingkou and take charge of the 20,000 local soldiers as the Shizhong to protect the safety of the east side of Jianye.

Below Sima and Zhuge, there was also the Chief Censor Xiong Yuan.

He is from Nanchang, Yuzhang, and is very inspiring.

His father and grandfather were both Shi Chong's slaves (cangtou), and they were relatively trusted, so Xiong Yuan received education from a young age. In terms of personal dependence, even if Shi Chong freed Xiong Yuan from slavery, the Shi family color on him could never be washed away.

A while ago, Sima Rui wanted to make Shi the empress, but was dissuaded by Wang Dao, who thought it was against etiquette. Now the result is out: Sima Rui has given in, and he does not plan to make Shi the empress. He confers the title of Shi Jieyushi as Shi Guipin, and orders his sons to serve her as a mother.

Concubine Shi was born into the Leling Shi clan, and was a relative of the Bohai Shi clan (the clan of Shi Chong and Shi Chao), but they had separated.

When Ji Sang started the rebellion, the former Chief Justice Shi Qian retreated to his hometown of Yanci. His manor was attacked and he and his eldest son Shi Ding Shi Shugong and his youngest sons Shi Mai and Shi Shukun all died. The Shi family of Leling suffered a severe blow and its population was extremely small. Only Shi Qian's elder brother Shi Lou and his son Shi Yuan and Shi Shuzu survived - they lived in Luoyang at that time.

In the second year of Yongjia (308), Shi Yuan first went to Leling to attend the funeral and collect the remains of his clansmen. Then he took his family to Yingchuan to seek refuge with his cousin Shi Lingxiu (daughter of Shi Qian, who married into the Chen family of Yingchuan). Then, together with the Chen family and some members of his wife's family, they crossed the river to Jianye via Xuzhou. Shi Yuan's wife Xun Rou was the daughter of the former Secretary of the Central Secretariat Xun Yue.

Shi Guipin is Shi Yuan's youngest and only sister.

Shi Yuan had no children, and died of illness a few years after arriving in Jiangdong. This was quite tragic, as the Shi family had no one to rely on.

Should Shi Chong use his slaves? Yes!

Do the family members of my aunt Zhuge Nanjie (Shi Wei's wife) need it? Yes!
Do you want to use my cousin Shi Lingxiu's disciples (Chen family of Yingchuan)? Yes!

Do my sister-in-law Xun's family members need it? Yes!
Zhuge Hui and Xiong Yuan present today had a close relationship with Shi Guipin, and were typical examples of those who were appointed - of course, Zhuge Hui did not need to rely on this relationship with Shi Guipin, not to mention that Shi Guipin was introduced to Sima Rui by Zhuge Hui in the third year of Yongjia (309).

However, the relationship between the Zhuge and Shi families does not end there.

Zhuge Hui's eldest daughter, Zhuge Wenbiao, married Shi Guipin's son, Sima Chong, King of Langya, and they got married this year.

In Jianye, the Zhuge family was definitely considered a prominent family.

At this time, Zhuge Hui spoke in a loud voice: "There is news from Jiangbei that the rebel general Zhang Shuo has stationed troops in Yingkou and has been training non-stop. I don't think the prince would dare to go to Hefei, let alone Shouchun!"

As they were talking, a group of beautiful girls came in a line and served food to everyone.

These maids were all dressed in silk and satin, holding glass food vessels filled with stewed pork, which filled the air with fragrance.

From this detail, it can be seen that the economic situation of Langya King Sima Chong is much better than that of Crown Prince Sima Fei.

Looking at the furnishings in the mansion, there are many gold, silver and jade artifacts, which are much better than the outdated furniture in the East Palace.

Ultimately, it all depends on the person.

The prince may not necessarily be unable to get money, but the King of Langya is really high-profile.

Zhuge Hui turned a blind eye to this, as he himself was not a low-key person.

In order to save face, even Prime Minister Wang Dao dared to confront him. What are these things compared to?
At this moment, he just waited for a while, and after the maids left, he bowed to Langya King Sima Chong who was sitting at the top, and said, "Your Highness, this is a good opportunity."

"Oh?" Sima Chong put down his wine glass, couldn't help coughing twice, and asked, "Where does this come from?"

Zhuge Hui frowned secretly.

This is the bad thing about Prince Langya. He is too weak and looks sickly. He coughs after drinking a little bit of alcohol. How ridiculous!

However, he did not show it, and only said: "Your Highness, please listen to what I have to say."

"Everything that Mr. Ge said was right. I am listening here." Sima Chong stretched out his hand and said. Zhuge Hui bowed again, then looked at everyone and said, "You should keep a close eye on the prince's movements and impeach him when you have the chance. Xiaowen, you are the Chief Censor, so please be careful."

"Yes, sir." Xiong Yuan stood up, bowed and replied.

Xiong Yuan and Xiong Xiaowen were probably the only high-ranking officials in the Jin and Liang countries whose birth was lower than Shao Xun. As the son of a slave, he was even lower than a scholar, so he felt very inferior and was always cautious and polite.

A few years ago, Wang Dun and Wang Chuzhong, two loyal ministers of the Jin Dynasty who were posthumously named "Lie", heard that he had talent and were displeased. They wanted to transfer him to be the chief secretary. Xiong Yuan did not dare to go and was spared by begging for mercy.

With such a weak foundation, he could only nod and agree to whatever Zhuge Hui said.

"I heard that you have made friends with several officials from Jiangzhou. You can work together with them. The times now are different from the past. Officials from Wu now account for half of the court. The emperor also values ​​the ideas of scholars from Wu very much. Who knows, it may have miraculous effects." Zhuge Hui did not let Xiong Yuan go and continued to instruct him.

"Yes." Xiong Yuan replied.

"Xiao Wen, I heard that your ancestors were able to escape slavery and return to their hometown thanks to the persuasion of Pan Yue and Pan Anren. Now that Liang Guo Taibao Pan Tao is still alive, have you had any contact with him?" Sima Wuji suddenly said.

Xiong Yuan was angry when he heard this.

He was cautious and prudent, but as a censor, how could he be a pure good man? Even a clay man can have temper.

He admitted that the county had summoned him to be Gongcao, the county had appointed him as a literary official, and even as an examiner for filial piety and incorruptibility, and that Shi was his benefactor. However, he had also worked very hard over the years and had spent countless efforts to gain the trust of the emperor. How come everyone failed to see his talents and instead focused on the trivial things that happened in the past, making fun of him and even slandering him?
"The public birthday is over." Zhuge Hui waved his hand and said, "The important things to do now are important."

"Gong Shou was just joking, Xiaowen, don't take it to heart." Sima Chong also said.

Sima Wuji smiled, looked at Zhuge Hui, and asked, "Mr. Ge, do you know what kind of person Zhang Shuo is?"

"He has some talent." Zhuge Hui said, "He should be quite proficient in war. To be honest, the students that Shao taught were all very good. Wang Que'er, Jin Zheng, and Hou Feihu all shone brightly and were famous generals of the time. Zhang Shuo, Jiang Ke, Xu Yu, Zhao Wei and others were also good choices at the time. What a pity! Wang Maohong said that this boy had the look of a wolf - uh, a look of disloyalty, and should be executed. But the Concubine always spoke well of him, alas."

The others sighed.

The Concubine Dowager not only spoke well of Shao, but also gave birth to four children for him, three sons and one daughter.

"Forget it, let's not talk about the past." Zhuge Hui said: "Let's just talk about Zhang Shuo——"

Zhuge Hui pondered for a moment and said, "After Shao the thief went west, he went south to Yingkou, probably to prevent the royal army from going north. Seeing Jin Zheng and others making great achievements, how could Zhang Shuo not be anxious? If there is a chance, he will definitely try to go south. Even if he doesn't have a large group of people, it is possible that he will send a small group of cavalry to spy."

"Although the prince is a filial man, he is not a man of courage and bravery. He may not dare to go west when he hears that Shao's troops are heading south. The emperor will surely be very disappointed when he hears this."

At this point, he smiled slightly, looked at his son-in-law Sima Chong, and said: "The foundation - is shaken step by step like this."

Sima Chong was delighted at first, but then he became a little worried. He said, "Your Majesty has been ill for several times since he ascended the throne. If the illness continues for a long time..."

"Your Highness, don't rush into important matters." Zhuge Hui said with a serious face, "If you try to do something wrong, it will only make things worse."

Sima Chong said "oh" and said nothing more.

Their whole family, from the father Sima Rui to his sons, have one thing in common: "respectful, yielding and humble."

Whatever the ministers say is what it is, and they will never block the way for talented people.

Of course, among the four fathers and sons, some are truly respectful, but some may not be.

Seeing that Sima Chong's attitude was not bad, Zhuge Hui nodded with satisfaction and said, "We can't just rely on the Crown Prince to make mistakes. Your Highness must also make some achievements."

"Please speak clearly, Mr. Ge." Sima Chong said earnestly.

"Langya State has no real land, and there are many northerners living in Jianye, among whom there are no less than a thousand officials and civilians from Langya. Your Highness may wish to submit a petition to establish a foreign county and a foreign county." Zhuge Hui said, "We can find a place in Danyang County to establish Langya State and Linyi County to settle the refugees. In this way, Your Highness will have a fiefdom and real land, and the people will have a place to rely on. The emperor will certainly be very happy to hear this."

"Mr. Ge's words make sense." Sima Chong nodded repeatedly and said, "I will submit a memorial today."

Zhuge Hui nodded with satisfaction.

He is also going back to Jingkou today. It has been a long time since he came to Jianye, so naturally he wants to do things well.

He also wanted to sit in the position of Wang Dao, and everything depended on whether he could help the King of Langya to the throne - the emperor had appointed a crown prince, and with the King of Langya, deep down in his heart, he might not be unwilling to see his sons fight for it, it had nothing to do with anything else, and it didn't mean that he didn't love his children, it was just instinct.

The banquet lasted until nightfall.

When the moon was above the willows, Zhuge Hui said goodbye to everyone, hurriedly got on the carriage, and rushed to Jingkou overnight.

On the afternoon of the sixth day, Zhuge Hui arrived in Jingkou. At this time, news came from Guangling, across the river: Crown Prince Sima Fei was in Guangling investigating talented people, counting refugees, and had sent a group of envoys to the capital.

Zhuge Hui's heart skipped a beat. What kind of trick is this?
(End of this chapter)