After King Ling of Chu lost power, Yingdu suddenly had three masters: Wang Zibi, Wang Zihei, and Wang Ziji.All three are the sons of King Gong of Chu and the younger brother of King Ling of Chu. In terms of blood, any one of them may become the new king of Chu.In terms of age, the prince is the oldest; in terms of strength, it is natural to abandon his illness and be tyrannical, with the help of Chen and Cai outside, and the support of all civil and military officials of Chu State inside, he has the highest voice to win the championship. Qiji has always had a good reputation.As early as 536 BC, he was sent to the state of Jin by the order of King Ling of Chu. He passed through the state of Zheng, and was warmly received by Zheng Jiangong, Han Hu, Zichan, Zi Dashu and other ministers.Qiji's knowledge and rationality left a deep impression on Zheng Guojun and his ministers.Hearing that Mr. Zheng Jian personally invited him to the banquet, he immediately stated that he was passing through the border as Doctor Qing and dared not accept it.Zheng Guoren insisted again and again, and he reluctantly accepted.When seeing Zheng Jiangong, abandoning his illness, he will give a big gift from the emperor and his ministers, and give Zheng Jiangong eight horses; Give two horses.The missions and guards of the State of Chu are stationed in the State of Zheng, and it is forbidden to graze and cut firewood at will, not to enter the farmland, not to enter the vegetable garden, not to destroy the houses, and not to harass the residents.Qiji also swore to the sky: "If anyone dares to disobey the order, they will all be dismissed and investigated!" At that time, Han Hu and others discussed that this prince Qiji might be the king of Chu sooner or later.

Guan Cong (son of Doctor Chu Guanqi) has a clear understanding of Qiji's strength.He privately said to Wang Zibi: "If you want to achieve great things, then take advantage of Caigong (Prince Qiji)'s unpreparedness and find an opportunity to kill him! Otherwise, even if you become a king, he can drive you away." Step down." Wang Zibi's answer to this was: "I can't bear it!" Guan Cong couldn't laugh or cry: "Just because you can't bear to deal with others, doesn't mean they won't have the heart to deal with you either." "Impossible." Prince Bi repeatedly shook his head and said, "Qiji is a loyal man, and everyone knows it. How could he do anything to his brother?"

Guan Cong said, "You may have forgotten that the King of Chu is also his elder brother." Unexpectedly, these words hit Wang Zibi's sore spot, his face flushed immediately, and he said: "We raised troops against the king of Chu to save the state of Chu, not for our own self-interest. It was you who faked abandonment from the very beginning. The letter deceived us back, and used us to coerce us into giving up. Now that the life and death of the King of Chu is uncertain, what is your intention to sow discord between our brothers?" The more he talked, the more excited he became, and the saliva almost sprayed on Guan Cong's face superior.

Guan Cong let out a long sigh, raised his sleeves and wiped his face, and said, "I just can't bear to see your end, what's the purpose? That's all, since you don't trust me, it's unnecessary for me to stay here, please allow me I bid farewell." Wang Zibi said, "Please do what you want." Guan Cong backed away silently.That night, he packed his bags and left Yingdu. Does Wang Zibi really have the heart to attack Qiji?Judging from the situation at the time, maybe it was due to temperament, maybe it was forced by the situation.The objective fact is: the life and death of King Ling of Chu was uncertain at that time, and the situation was not clear. If King Ling of Chu was killed and returned to Yingdu, Fei Qiji would not be enough to contend with him.It is obviously unwise to get rid of Qiji at this time.

At that time, the ruling and opposition parties of the Chu State were generally skeptical about whether the "troika" of Wang Zibi, Wang Zihei, and Wang Ziji could control the situation.The residents of Yingdu were even more panic-stricken, fearing that King Ling of Chu would make a comeback and settle accounts after the fall. People are disturbed, and there are evildoers.One night, some lost souls appeared from nowhere, ran to the street and screamed, "The king is back!" The first reaction of most people is: "Do you want to massacre the city?" King Ling of Chu has a reputation for brutality, and if he learned that his son had been killed, he would probably slaughter the city as a matter of course.

Everyone in the city was trembling and unable to sleep.After tossing like this all night, when I woke up the next morning, everyone's eyes were red, and they looked listless.They inquired each other about King Ling of Chu, but it turned out to be nothing. "It turned out to be a rumor!" Everyone seemed relieved, but the stone in their hearts became heavier. A few days later, the same thing happened again, causing no less confusion than the previous one.Fear permeated every corner of Yingdu, which also made Wang Zibi and Wang Ziheiji restless. "Fortunately, I didn't follow the advice of the audience." Wang Zibi thought to himself.He even began to regret why he was so easily fooled by Shangguan, and ran back from Jin to fight for the throne.Isn't it good to stay honestly in the state of Jin as an apartment, and live a life without worrying about food and clothing?

One night not long after, there was a sudden commotion in the city.This time, not just a few people, but hundreds of people were running and shouting in the streets—— "The king is back!" "The striker has arrived outside the east gate!" "Your Majesty has ordered that the soldiers and civilians of Yingdu quickly open the city to welcome them, otherwise the whole city will be slaughtered the day the city breaks!" "Let the chaotic party shoot and kill, and leave no one behind!" When Wang Zibi heard it, he didn't even put on his clothes neatly, so he ran to Wang Ziheiji's mansion to discuss countermeasures.

"Brother, do you think he will kill us?" Heiji was also anxious like ants on a hot pan, at a loss for what to do.Compared with the prince, he seemed more restless. "Probably not. After all, we are also brothers." Wang Zibi replied, but found that he couldn't even convince himself. Heiji said, "But we killed his son!" Wang Zibi said: "That was done by the Qiji Sect, it has nothing to do with us..." "Brother!" Heiji interrupted him, "Do you think he will believe it? Even if we have the opportunity to defend ourselves in front of him, do you think he will believe it?"

"I'm afraid not." Wang Zibi's face turned ashen immediately, he pondered for a long time, and said, "The current plan is to go to Qiji to discuss it quickly, and invite him to fight with him, maybe there is still a chance of winning." "Yes, go find him!" The two panicked and were about to set off when they heard the commotion outside the door and saw Dou Chengran, Qiji's confidant, driving the carriage alone, ignoring the guards' obstruction, and broke into the front yard angrily. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is back. The people are afraid of massacring the city, so they have already opened the city gate!" Dou Chengran said, almost rolled off the carriage, and knelt down in front of the two of them.

Wang Zibi and Wang Ziheiji looked at each other in dismay, although it was winter, sweat dripped from their foreheads.Wang Zibi hurriedly asked: "Where is Qiji? Where is Qiji now?" "Cai Gong...Cai Gong has been killed! The people are afraid of massacring the city, and they want to take your heads to meet the king. They broke into Cai Gong's mansion, killed everyone they saw, and robbed everything they saw. As soon as Cai Gong showed up, they..." Dou Cheng Ran didn't say anything, he was already crying. Wang Zibi and Wang Ziheiji opened their mouths wide open, unable to speak for a long time.

"They will come here soon, you two run away quickly, don't be caught by the mob." Dou Chengran choked up, as if recalling a terrible scene, he couldn't help shaking his head, "It's too miserable , It's too tragic, the dignified prince of Chu died without a whole body!" Just as he was talking, the flames outside the door burst into the sky, and people shouted from front and back: "Open the door quickly, open the door quickly!" Then he heard the sound of heavy objects hitting the door, mixed with various voices, Wang Zibi heard the most vividly Yes—"Don't let the traitor go!" "It's over." Dou Chengran said dejectedly, "It's too late!" "Brother, what should we do now?" Heiji looked at Wang Zibi. "What else can I do? You and I are the dignified princes of Chu. If we die, we must die decently. We can't fall into the hands of these untouchables. I regret it. I believed in Guan Cong's tricks and ran back from Jin to do these stupid things. As Wang Zibi said, he pulled out the sword in his waist and wiped it on his neck, blood spattered all over the ground. Prince Heiji hesitated for a moment, then drew his sword and killed himself. Dou Chengran watched the two fall down, and before he had time to wipe away the tears on his face, a sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. "Spring and Autumn" records: "Chu Gongzi Qiji kills Gongzi Bi." To put it clearly, the suicide of the two brothers Wang Zibi and Wang Zihei was a good show directed by Qiji.He made full use of the two people's ignorance of the situation, and with a little trick, he forced them to draw their swords to commit suicide, paving the way for his rise to power. Looking back, when Wang Zibi set off from Jin to return to Chu, Han Qi once asked Shu Xiang: "Do you think Zigan (Prince Bi Zigan) can accomplish great things here?" "Difficult." Uncle Xiang said without thinking. Han Qi was puzzled: "Pursuing the same evil is like a businessman chasing profit. How can it be difficult?" It means that King Ling of Chu offended too many people and has become a public enemy of the whole people. Everyone united to resist him, just like Businessmen are as conscious as chasing profits, and success should not be difficult. Shu Xiang said: "If there are no likes and dislikes, how can there be likes and dislikes?" What Shu Xiang meant was that it is true that everyone hates King Chu Ling, but hating King Chu Ling does not mean that he likes Prince Bi.Therefore, even if King Ling of Chu is overthrown, Wang Zibi may not be able to "achieve great things". "If you ask me whether Wang Zibi can obtain the state of Chu, I can tell you the truth. It is very difficult to obtain a state if there are the following five situations. There are sages who help each other without strong internal support, the third is internal support without strategy, the fourth is strategy without popular support, and the fifth is public support without good character.” Shu Xiang continued, “Think about it. It has been thirteen years since Ziqian came to the state of Jin. Among those who followed him, no matter whether they were from the state of Chu or the state of Jin, there was not a single famous person. If you betrayed him, you have no internal response; if you have not figured out the situation, you havetily returned to the country, which is reckless; after thirteen years in the country, people have almost forgotten him, which is unpopular; if you are forced to flee, But no one sympathizes with him, which shows that his character is not very good. In contrast, although the current king of Chu is tyrannical, he is still quite a gentleman, at least he can tolerate those who dare to speak out. Zigan is useless , but wants to replace him, do you think he can get the state of Chu?" "Then in your opinion, who will the state of Chu fall into in the end?" "Prince Qiji." Uncle Xiang said, "As Cai Gong, and with the help of Chen Ren, this man is powerful, and he has never heard of any bad deeds. Under his rule, thieves are not happy, the people have no complaints, and his prestige is very high. Since ancient times , the Chu royal family was in turmoil, and the youngest son always wins, and I think this time is no exception." Han Qi said: "That being said, Duke Huan of Qi and Duke Wen of Jin were both exiled abroad, and later became not only kings, but also overlords. You can't generalize everything. Maybe Zigan has such a blessing?" "How can Zigan compare with them? Duke Huan of Qi was favored by Duke Xi when he was young. Although he fled abroad, there are still famous people such as Bao Shuya, Bin Xuwu, and Xi Peng who follow him. He has Ju and Wei as his backing." , as well as Guo and Gao Ershi as internal responses. He himself is good, dignified, not greedy for money, not indulging in lust, and willing to do good. Isn't it a matter of course for such a person to be the king of the country? The first king, Jin Wengong, was the son of Hu Ji, who was favored Yu Jin Xiangong was eager to learn since he was a child. When he was seventeen years old, there were sages around him. He is backed by great powers such as Qin, Qin, and Chu, and he is supported by Luan Zhi, Xihu, Hu Tu, and Xian Zhen. Although he has been in exile for nineteen years, these people will never leave him. God will let him The state of Jin is prosperous, so who would you choose if you don’t choose him? Let me tell you, Zigan is incomparable to these two. You see, no one saw him off when he left the state of Jin, and no one greeted him when he returned to the state of Chu. Such a person Wanting to be a king is just a dream!" So, when Wang Zibi and Prince Heiji committed suicide, where was the real King Ling of Chu? It turned out that as soon as Qi Ji entered Yingdu, he sent a large number of spies to the army of King Chu Ling to spread the news of the fall of Yingdu, and announced that as long as he left the army on his own, he would forget the past.King Ling of Chu was shocked when he heard the news, and hurriedly led his troops back to Yingdu.Unexpectedly, the soldiers deserted all the way to Zi (zi) Liang (now in Xinyang, Henan), and there were not many troops left.Just at this time, the news of the death of Da Zilu and Gongzi Badi also spread to the army. Suffering the pain of bereavement and the betrayal of relatives, King Ling of Chu was devastated and did not want to return to Yingdu.So the people around him quickly disappeared, and he was left alone to go south along the Han River.Shen Hai (the son of the doctor Shen Wuyu, who was forgiven twice by King Ling of Chu) who had received Wang En twice found him in the reed field of Thorny Gate (place name) and secretly took him home. A month later, King Ling of Chu hanged himself in Shen Hai's house. Giving up is not a waste of time.The day after Wang Zibi and Prince Heiji committed suicide, he ascended the throne and became the King of Chuping in history. Prince Bi was buried in zi (zi) (in today's Henan Province), and had a special title-Zi Ao.As mentioned earlier, Ao is a dialect of Chu, which means that although he has ascended the throne, he has not fulfilled his responsibilities as a monarch.In the history of the state of Chu, Ruo Ao, Du Ao, and Jia (Jia) Ao have already been recorded, and Wang Zibi is listed with them, so it can be regarded as having a title. People in Yingdu City are still panicking.King Ping of Chu used King Ling of Chu to scare his two elder brothers to death, and also scared the people of Yingdu to death.Most of the officials took a wait-and-see attitude towards the new regime, and some even said that they would not go to court because of their illness, so as to leave a way out for themselves. But this did not trouble King Ping of Chu. Not long after, the body of King Ling of Chu was found in Hanshui.His face has rotted beyond recognition, and his identity can only be determined from his clothing.King Ping of Chu ordered people to take the body to Yingdu, and held a grand funeral for him in front of the people of the country. So, everyone was completely at ease. Embarrassingly, after several years, Shen Hai finally reported the real cause of King Chu Ling's death to the government and handed over his coffin.It doesn't matter, at this time King Ping of Chu's rule has been stabilized, he said lightly, "It turned out to be a mistake", ordered people to dig out the original body, and held a funeral for the real King Ling of Chu. Dou Chengran made meritorious service and was appointed as Ling Yin, under one man and above ten thousand, in charge of the military and political affairs of Chu State.It turned out that King Ling of Chu abused the power of the people and bullied the princes, but now everything is under the arrangement of King Chu Ping and Dou Chengran. Chen and Cai regained their independence.Back then, King Ling of Chu annexed the Kingdom of Chen under the banner of escorting Gongsun Wu back to the country. King Chu Ping found Gongsun Wu and made him Marquis of Chen, which is the Duke of Chen Hui in history.The eldest son of Cai Guoyou was sacrificed to the mountain god by King Ling of Chu, so King Ping of Chu granted the eldest son Youyou's son, Gongsun Lu, the Marquis of Cai, which was the Marquis of Cai Ping in history.King Ling of Chu used large-scale "replacement of people and land" to cut off the people's desire to restore the country in the occupied areas, and King Ping of Chu allowed these displaced people to return to their homeland. In China, King Ping of Chu rewarded meritorious ministers, donated money and food to the people, pardoned the guilty, and selected virtuous men... In short, when the new official took office, he burned all the ones that should be burned, and won applause from all the halls.Guan Cong once persuaded Prince Bi to kill King Ping of Chu. After leaving Prince Bi, he lived in seclusion in Cai State. King Chu Ping didn't mind, so he sent someone to bring him back and said, "I will agree to whatever you want." Guan Cong's answer was very tactful: "The ancestor of the subject used to be the assistant of the divination master." King Ping of Chu then appointed Guan Cong as a divination master and let him be in charge of the divination affairs in the palace. In order to establish a brand-new image in front of the princes, King Ping of Chu also sent a senior official Zhiru (surname) Zigong to the state of Zheng to return Ji and Li, which were forcibly occupied by King Ling of Chu.Zhi Ruzi bowed to his orders and left, but did not complete his mission when he came back.It is said that when this gentleman arrived in the state of Zheng, he chatted with the king and ministers of the state of Zheng, and never mentioned the matter of returning the land.It was Zheng Guoren who lost his temper and asked him: "I heard that the king of Chu is going to return the lands of Ji and Li. Is there such a thing?" "I didn't hear such an order." Zhi Ruzigong said casually. It is not easy for Zheng Guoren to ask further questions. Back in Yingdu, King Ping of Chu asked him how the matter was going. Zhi Ruzi took off his hat, took off his shirt, kowtowed and said, "I disobeyed the king's order. This matter cannot be done. Please punish me." Servant!" "Oh why?" "Ji and Li are important towns in the north of our country. It is not an exaggeration to regard them as the gates of the country. Although the former monarch came here by force, it is not wise to hand them over easily, so I dared to defy your request. order, willing to be punished." King Ping of Chu was very moved, took him by the hand and said, "Put on your clothes quickly and go home. I will ask you to help me next time I have something important to do." Bugu is what the princes call themselves, and they are more humble than "widows".If Zhi Ruzi failed to fulfill his mission, he should be punished; however, his patriotism is really commendable!King Ping of Chu asked him to go home and rest without reward or punishment, which not only maintained his authority, but also did not cool the hearts of his loyal ministers. It was a wise way to deal with it. In October 528 BC, Wu State captured the vassal state of Chu State.Ling Yin Douchengran asked to crusade against the state of Wu, but King Ping of Chu refused: "I have not appeased the people, served the ghosts and gods, completed the defense, and stabilized the country. If I use force at this time, there is no medicine to regret if I fail. Zhoulai is in the state of Wu , no different from being in Chu State, you can come back anytime.” No crusade does not mean no action.In the summer of the second year, King Ping of Chu sent Randan to inspect the troops in the western region in Zongqiu (now in Zigui County, Hubei Province), and sent Qu Ba to inspect the troops in the eastern region in Zhaoling. , Take in homeless people, exempt orphans and widows from taxes, and select local talented people.A series of recuperation policies made Chu look completely new.What is particularly rare is that this recuperation policy has been persisted for five years.Until 523 BC, the state of Chu did not build cities or use soldiers, and the common people lived a peaceful life for five years.