Chapter 35 war of words

In the Shu Palace in Chengdu, Xiao Yan finally met Meng Chang, King of Shu.Meng Chang's meeting with Xiao Yan was very informal, it was only arranged in the Zhengchong side hall, and there were not many ministers present. Before Xiao Yan presented the envoy gift, explained the purpose of the trip, and finished the official papers, Meng Chang asked him three questions with a serious face. "Are you here sent by Yuanzong or someone else suggested?" This is the first question. Xiao Yan was taken aback for a moment, because it was indeed Han Xizai, Lord Han who suggested that Emperor Yuanzong send him to Xishu to make friends, and then asked about the mysteries contained in the three calligraphy and paintings of the Faceless Immortal.But how did the King of Shu know about this?Could it be that there are eyes and ears of Shu on the imperial palace of the Southern Tang Dynasty?But even if he had eyes and ears, Xiao Yan could not admit that this matter was true.So first came a series of rhetoric and witty remarks, all of which were flattering to Meng Chang, and finally explained that Yuanzong appreciated Meng Chang's chest and intelligence, so he sent himself to Xishu to pay homage to the Shu emperor.

Hearing Xiao Yan's remarks, Meng Chang showed a little irritability on his face. "Is there a personal matter here?" Meng Chang's second question was still to the point, as if he knew something about calligraphy and painting. Xiao Yan immediately confessed and clarified.He felt that Han Xizai secretly sent him to bring calligraphy and painting to solve the problem. This matter was handed over more secretly than in the emperor's palace, and no outsiders would know.So Meng Chang must have asked this question in response to his visits to Taoist priests and Gu Zijing.But all his explanations and excuses just made Meng Chang frown.

"Could someone bring another letter or message?" Xiao Yan didn't think about it, and replied firmly: "No". From Meng Chang's expression, it can be seen that he has completely lost interest in Xiao Yan's trip.Because Meng Chang had a completely different meaning, he hoped that Xiao Yan's arrival had something to do with his good friend Li Hongji. So Wu Zhaoyi, Zhao Chongzhe and Xiao Yan will conduct inquiries and exchanges in the next step.However, as the left and right pillars of the two Shu kingdoms pursued more and more detailed questions, Xiao Yan began to feel that this kind of communication did not look like a foreign envoy, but rather like interrogating a prisoner in a court.

Xiao Yan is a shrewd person. He has been an official in front of Yuanzong for so many years, and he is well versed in the key points of officialdom diplomacy.But even he, a veteran in the officialdom, couldn't hear the specific intentions from Wu Zhaoyi and Zhao Chongzuo's questioning.So so far, they can only behave submissively, answering questions immediately, and following the words of the two important ministers of the Shu Kingdom. At first, Xiao Yan had the feeling that he and Gu Zijing were busy in Chengdu these days: either visiting various officials, wandering around the market, and then climbing up to Taoist Shen through various channels.Such actions may cause misunderstanding and suspicion of Shu Emperor Meng Chang and Shu officials, who feel that their trip actually has ulterior motives.But now it seems that Meng Chang and Wu Zhaoyi didn't care about what happened after they arrived in Chengdu, but instead focused on the movements of their envoy team after they entered Shu.

However, the Southern Tang mission team has been acting as a whole after entering the territory of Shu, and is led by the army of Shu.Therefore, Xiao Yan was very confident in the questioning of Wu Zhaoyi and Zhao Chongzuo in this regard, and his words contradicted each other without revealing any flaws. Wu Zhaoyi is a more shrewd person, he has already seen that Xiao Yan is a veteran in the officialdom, and his words and diction are impeccable.If you keep asking like this, you will definitely get nothing, so you must change a questioning method.First straighten the vital points, and then peel off the layers.This is called "letting gossip" in the occasions of government court trials and envoy negotiations.In fact, this "set" has the same meaning as the "hurdle" in the hidden weapon of the mechanism, the "pocket" in the assassin's job, the "array" in the military strategist, and the "game" in the tricks of the rivers and lakes.The method is to set up traps, and the purpose is to make the opponent fall for it carelessly.It's just like the technique of "concealing words to lure words" in Lihengu's seduction, the difference is that "covering words to lure words" is also assisted by sound, rhythm, and breath, while the official's rhetoric is purely verbal. trick.

After Wu Zhaoyi made up his mind, he winked at Zhao Chongzuo.Then Zhao Chongzuo immediately understood, and suddenly changed the subject, and asked a very direct question: "Master Xiao, why did you bring so many masters of the rivers and lakes with you when you sent me as an envoy to Shu?" Without waiting for Xiao Yan to answer, Zhao Chongzuo asked again: "And according to our observations these days, it seems that the duty of those masters of the rivers and lakes is not to protect Mr. Xiao. It seems that they have a more important task than protecting the special envoy sent by the royal family." , what will this mission be?"

Xiao Yan was a little dazed, he didn't expect the other party to mention this question at all, and the phenomenon and key points he grasped were very accurate.Xiao Yan's mind was spinning, he was thinking about how to answer. The time for consideration was very short, and everyone was staring at Xiao Yan waiting for an answer. Although the time was short, Xiao Yan made a decisive decision, to be honest!Now I don't know how much Shu knows about the situation of his team, so the most correct way to deal with it is to tell the truth.Tell the truth, so that the other party will not point out the lie or misunderstand the lie, and eventually self-defeating.But to tell the truth, there is no need to tell the whole story. A real situation can often cover up many more real purposes, and some truths can even transfer responsibility and conflicts to the other party or others.Even if the other party continues to bring up the situation that he has already grasped, he can still excuse himself with the excuse that he did not expect it or thought that there is no need for these unverifiable lies.

"My emperor attaches great importance to my mission to the Kingdom of Shu, so the deputy appointed for me is Gu Zijing, the internal affairs counselor. Mr. Gu was previously the inspector of the household department in Tanzhou, and was attacked by an assassin. Fortunately, he got the news in advance. Only escaped one catastrophe. Although the assassin escaped at that time, all the signs of action and the artifacts left behind indicated that the assassin should be from the Kingdom of Shu. I heard that in the Jianghu assassination, if one stab fails, there will be two stabs and three stabs until the target is reached. Killed. That’s why Mr. Gu was afraid of being sent to Shu, so he paid for privately hired Jianghu masters to protect him, otherwise he would not dare to take the risk of this errand.” What Xiao Yan said was basically the truth, and he also took this opportunity to use Dun Yimao counterattacked Zhao Chongzuo, implying that Shu sent assassins to assassinate Gu Zijing.

"Are you talking about Gu Zijing, the internal counselor next to Emperor Yuanzong of your country? That is, the one who tried to raise taxes in Canzhou and facilitated the increase of taxes on imported and exported goods in the Southern Tang Dynasty?" Wu Zhaoyi immediately grasped the key point and asked.This was a situation he did not expect. There was such an important figure in the Southern Tang envoys.But he was not mentioned in the envoy's meeting essay, and he was not mentioned in the Shu palace to meet the Shu emperor.What kind of deputy is this, he is simply mixing in the envoy team to find another job.It seems that the method of "letting go of things" has worked. The purpose of the Southern Tang mission team's trip is by no means as simple as they said.

Xiao Yan had another thought at this time, just as he mentioned Gu Zijing, Wu Zhaoyi had such a big reaction.And from his words, it could be heard that they knew Gu Zijing's situation very well.Sejong arranged for Gu Zijing to go to Tangzhou to confirm the tax increase. In fact, it was a decision only known to the upper echelons of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but now it seems that the Western Shu side fully grasped the details.As for Gu Zijing, Yuanzong Li Jing's internal reference, he usually does not appear in public with any official position, and what he does is also secret.However, the officials of the Shu Kingdom knew him so well. It is obvious that they had very reliable sources of information in the Southern Tang Dynasty.And judging from the degree of understanding, it is very likely that their insiders have penetrated into the higher-level officials of the Southern Tang Dynasty.Therefore, combining all these phenomena and careful consideration, it can be seen that Gu Zijing's assassination in Tangzhou was really possible, as Gu Zijing himself speculated, was done by the officials of the Shu Kingdom.

"My lord Wu is right. This Gu Zijing is exactly that Gu Zijing. But he is just an official with an idle job in the internal affairs. He was arranged to be my deputy just to remind me not to lose manners in the details of this trip. But I don't know where my lord got it from. His?" After thinking for a while, Xiao Yan asked in time to seize the opportunity. Wu Zhaoyi frowned slightly, because Xiao Yan's question was really hard to answer.No matter whether it is explained from the perspective of Gu Zijing's internal affairs counselor, or from the perspective of his role as the head of the household department in Tangzhou to promote tax increases, it is suspected of trying to cover up.It will make the other party feel that the court of Shu Kingdom is paying close attention to the details of the court of Southern Tang Dynasty, and even make the other party misunderstand that the assassination of Gu Zijing was planned by the officials of Shu Kingdom. Speaking of this, many officials in the court of Shu Kingdom have already realized that this Xiao Yan is not a kind person.Although he looks submissive and ready to answer every question on the outside, every sentence is calm and counterattacked.Although he was not as arrogant as the envoys of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he was steady at every step and never backed down. "The internal affairs officials are doing foreign missions. I'm afraid it's not just as simple as supervising etiquette. Moreover, after Mr. Xiao and Mr. Gu arrived in Shudu, they were busy with communication and investigation. Knowing the two adults, how did they know about these people?" Wu Zhaoyi answered calmly.This is a diplomatic method. When you encounter a question that is inconvenient to answer, you can skip it directly, and use the question to make the other party tired. Finally asked about the situation in Chengdu these few days, but at this time Xiao Yan had already figured out his words, and responded calmly and calmly: "There are three things for officials to do when they are envoys. Goodwill, friendship between the two countries. Take advantage of the convenience of the mission, do three things in private, visit relatives and friends, appreciate the local customs, and visit the beautiful mountains and rivers. All adults should know this common practice, and those who have experience in missions will have more personal experience The actions of my Southern Tang envoys after they arrived in Shu State were in line with this customary practice, but they were interrogated by two adults. However, the Great Zhou envoy who lived with me in the same station completely violated the conventions. I don’t live in the house, but I don’t know if the adults have analyzed their motives in detail?” Xiao Yan not only spoke as round as a ball, but also kicked the ball back at the end, and at the same time hung up the envoy of Da Zhou It was as if Wu Zhaoyi had been hit with triple waves in succession. "Hehe, each country has its own practice, and others have their own reasons why they don't know what to do. You and I don't seem to be qualified to pursue it." Wu Zhaoyi replied decisively. "Every country has its own customs, but it is wrong to adopt different attitudes towards envoys from different countries. A wise man has no strength, and a righteous man has no right or wrong. May I ask Mr. Wu, whether the envoys of the Zhou Kingdom were in the court hall two days ago, did they also agree with you?" Will I be confronted with such a question next time?" "The envoys of the State of Zhou were assassinated by unknown persons after they entered the territory of Shu. The intention seems to be to prevent them from seeing the Emperor of Shu. The incident happened in the territory of our State of Shu, so we want to investigate clearly who should be responsible for this matter. Let the envoy of the country explain." Zhao Chongzuo said in a deep voice, and then shifted the conflict between the Southern Tang Dynasty and the Great Zhou Dynasty. "Master Zhao is indeed a conscientious person, and he never sticks to formalities in the affairs of his subordinates. I admire him. It just so happened that Master Gu Zijing who came with me was assassinated in Tanzhou. Can Master Zhao also investigate this matter and give us a plausible explanation?” Xiao Yan did not change direction with Zhao Chongzuo at all, but kept his eyes on the Kingdom of Shu. Just when the two sides were confronting each other, suddenly there was a report from outside that the eunuch shouted: "There is a messenger from the Southern Tang Dynasty asking to see him, will my emperor allow it?" Meng Chang allowed Xiao Yan to have a verbal battle with Wu Zhaoyi and Zhao Chongzuo because he had something in his heart and his thoughts drifted away.He suddenly heard a report from outside that there was a messenger from the Southern Tang Dynasty begging to see him, and he suddenly came to his senses. He first quickly turned sideways and whispered to the eunuch next to him: "Take the messenger to the imperial study." Then he stood up and said to the ministers below: "It was a great pleasure to meet Tang envoy Xiao today. It is a great fortune for the Kingdom of Shu that Zong generously made friends with me. I should have had a chat with Mr. Xiao in person and discussed long-term interests, but I am not feeling well and cannot try my best. So I entrusted Mr. Wu to hold a banquet in the Hexiang Hall for me. You must treat Master Xiao well." After speaking, he waved his sleeves to signal to retreat, then turned around and walked towards the back of the hall. Xiao Yan didn't pay attention to what Meng Chang said, since the report that "there is a messenger from the Southern Tang Dynasty asking for an interview" just now, his mind has been entangled like glue and he can't solve it.I am obviously an envoy sent by Yuan Zong, and I am in the capital of Shu Kingdom. If there is anything related to writing, I should hand it over to myself first, and then I will hand it over to the Emperor of Shu.How could there be a letter bypassing him and sending it directly to the Emperor of Shu?It was only because of some urgent matter that he would go to Shu Palace to submit it in the most direct way.But even if this is the case, then the emperor of Shu should meet the messenger in front of him, why should he avoid himself?There is also a possibility that this letter is not an official document of the Southern Tang Dynasty, but a private letter of someone.The person who sent the messenger who could make the emperor of Shu retreat to meet privately was by no means ordinary people, and the letters he sent were by no means ordinary letters.By the way, is this related to the things I have to do during this trip?Thinking of this, Xiao Yan's heart trembled slightly. While thinking about it, Na Wu Zhaoyi and a group of ministers had come over and politely invited Xiao Yan to move to the Hexiang Hall to have a drink together.But at this time, Xiao Yan couldn't be in such a mood, but due to etiquette, he could only perfunctory his face.As soon as the banquet was over, he immediately left Shu Palace.