Chapter 30 Public anger is hard to offend, but the demise of the Que clan
It is difficult to simply draw a "good" or "bad" conclusion for the "Three Ques", and it is even difficult to give them a generally positive or negative conclusion.As mentioned earlier, these three human rights are bold and domineering. They have robbed other people's wives, killed other people's husbands, fought for land with the emperor, and grabbed the limelight with the leaders. They have offended many people at home and abroad. Not too much.However, in addition to this, the "Three Ques" also have their own advantages, especially Quezhi, who has remarkable performances both on diplomatic occasions and on the battlefield.The victory of the Battle of Yanling was due to the contribution of the children of the Que family, which is also seen by everyone.
After the Battle of Yanling, Duke Li of the Jin Dynasty went to Luoyi to announce the good news to the Emperor of Zhou.This is a good opportunity to show off, and it can also be regarded as Duke Li's praise for Quezhi's performance in the Battle of Yanling.As the representative of the victor, Quezhi received a warm reception in Luoyi, and all the royal officials scrambled to curry favor with him and invited him to the house as a guest.When Quezhi told the story on the battlefield vividly, the white-haired master put down his chopsticks and listened intently, sometimes smiling knowingly, sometimes dumbfounded, as if every bit of the battlefield happened before his eyes; Hiding behind the curtain to eavesdrop, there were also young ladies who boldly stuck their heads out at the risk of being rude, wanting to see what kind of dignity this Jin warrior wearing fiery red armor on the battlefield looked like.
It's a pity, but he was neither handsome nor chic, he was a little fatter, and there was a shallow scar on his face.After he finished telling the story of the Battle of Yanling, he never forgot to add: "Without me, Jin would not have won this battle! The Chu army has six fatal weaknesses, but the Jin army didn't know how to take advantage of them. I strongly advocate that they are reluctant to fight against the Chu army."
In a sense, this is true.However, the victory in the war was won by the blood of thousands of soldiers, and it was also obtained by the command of the generals. How can you take all the credit for yourself?In fact, it was Jin Ligong himself who was in command of the battle of Yanling, followed by Luan Shu and Shi Xie. No matter how great the contribution was, the role of the coach should not be obliterated, and the coach should not be said to be so incompetent!
What's more terrible is that he never concealed his desire for power. During his visit to Luoyi, he publicly declared many times: "People like me who are brave, courteous, and benevolent are in charge of the Jin regime. The allies of the country must belong to Jin!"
Duke Shao Huan, a member of the royal family, was a perplexed person. He discussed the matter and said to Quezhi: "Of course you are very capable. However, the promotion of Zhengqing in Jin has always been gradual and step-by-step. I am worried that the regime may not necessarily fall. It's on your head." The implication is that among the eight ministers of the Jin Kingdom, you are only the last one. Even if you are reused, it may be difficult to become the chief executive officer overnight.
"How can there be any order?" But he said quickly, "Back then, Zhao Dun was promoted from deputy commander of the Chinese army to marshal of the Chinese army without any military achievements. Shu was also promoted from Marshal of the Lower Army to Marshal of the Central Army, all three were appointed by leapfrogging, and I am no worse than any of them, why can't I be the fourth?"
Shan Xianggong, a member of the royal family, heard Quezhi's words and couldn't help shaking his head and sighing: "You don't know you're dead when the knife rests on your neck, so you're talking about Quezhi!"
But he didn't realize the danger was approaching at all.Not only him, but members of the entire Que family have never doubted their own fate.After the Battle of Yanling, the power of the Que family was further enhanced. As the marshal of the new army, Que Ji was appointed by Duke Li of Jin to preside over the affairs of the Eastern princes.If Quezhi's problem is only arrogance, then Queji has attracted domestic and international criticism for his arrogance, rudeness and greed.
As mentioned earlier, at the end of the Battle of Yanling, the troops of the State of Lu who were supposed to come to participate in the battle were still lingering in Badai near Qufu, and missed the opportunity to participate in the battle.
The reason why Lu Chenggong missed the opportunity was mainly because of some problems at home.
It's hard to talk about it, but Mu Jiang, the "Mother of the Country" of the State of Lu, the mother of Duke Lu Cheng, couldn't bear the loneliness of being a widow for many years, and had an affair with her uncle, grandson Qiaoru, one of the "Three Huans".Whether this underground love affair was due to physical needs or emotional emptiness, or both, is now impossible to verify, but what is certain is that Mu Jiang did have true feelings for Uncle Sun Qiaoru, and Uncle Sun Qiaoru It is likely that they just want to use Mu Jiang's special status to achieve their own political goals.
He made a request to Mu Jiang: help him get rid of Jisun Xingfu and Zhongsun Mie, turn "Three Huan" into "Yihuan", and let him take sole control of the Lu State.This request was no small matter, but Mu Jiang agreed without even thinking about it.In other words, if Shu Sun Qiaoru wanted the stars, she would not give him the moon—from ancient times to the present, women in love may have been a little crazy.
When Duke Cheng of Lu was about to leave for Yanling, Mu Jiang went to see him off, which was unprecedented.While Lu Chenggong was grateful, he had a premonition that something special would happen.Sure enough, Mu Jiang directly proposed to him: expel Jisun Xingfu and Zhongsun Mie from the state of Lu, and transfer all their property and land to Shusun Qiaoru.
When Mu Jiang said these words, his expression was calm, as relaxed as La Jiachang.When Lu Chenggong heard this, he felt very uncomfortable: You slept with Shusun Qiaoru, and I just turned a blind eye to it, but you actually made such a request for him?What about "expelling Jisun Xingfu and Zhongsun Mie from the state of Lu", do you think it would be as simple as sending two old hens to Uncle Sunqiao to make up for his body?Taking a ten thousand step back, even if this can be done, what good will it do for the office to drive these two people out of the country of Lu?You must know that the "three Huan" specialize in Lu, after all, they can still check and balance each other; if only "one Huan" is left, the life of the office will be even more difficult.
But Lu Chenggong did not dare to object to Mu Jiang clearly, so he could only say to Mu Jiang on the grounds of the military emergency: "This matter is not trivial, please wait until I come back to discuss it."
When Mu Jiang heard this, his face turned black on the spot.It happened that Lu Chenggong’s half-brothers, Gongzi Yan and Gongzi Biao, were also in the crowd, so Mu Jiang pointed at them and threatened Lu Chenggong, saying: “If you don’t agree to me, those two people can take you at any time.” Instead!"
Lu Chenggong was taken aback, he couldn't believe it was what his biological mother said.He led the troops to Badui, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, so he stopped and sent Zhongsun Mie back to Qufu to strengthen the guard in the palace, and set up guards everywhere to prevent Shusun Qiaoru and Mu Jiang from suddenly attacking him while he was away.After arranging all these properly, he continued to move forward, but he missed the battle of Yanling.
In the autumn of the same year, Duke Li of Jin once again convened a meeting of princes in Shasui (place name) of Song State to discuss the major event of crusade against Zheng State.Duke Cheng of Lu did not dare to be negligent. After receiving the notice of the meeting, he set off from Qufu and went straight to Shasui.According to the "Spring and Autumn" records, the participants in this meeting included Duke Li of Jin, Duke Ling of Qi (Duke Qing of Qi had passed away seven years ago), Duke Cheng of Lu, Duke Xian of Wei, Youshi Huayuan of Song State, and Duke of Zhu State. Doctor (unnamed), but on the day of the official meeting, Lu Chenggong was turned away and sat on the bench outside the venue for a whole day.
The problem lies with Que Ji, the Minister of Jin who is in charge of the affairs of the Eastern princes. "Zuo Zhuan" records that before Sha Sui Huimeng, Shusun Qiaoru sent an envoy to Jin State and said to Queji: "Do you know why the troops of Lu State failed to catch up with Yanling Huimeng? That's because Lu Hou was suspicious, so he deliberately stayed on the sidelines in Badui, and threw himself into the arms of whoever won."
"Really?" Que Ji remained calm, spread out his palms, and made an empty-handed gesture, "Speaking without proof!"
The messenger understood it, took out a gift list from his sleeve, and said: "This is a modest gift from my master. Although it is not a respect, please accept it with a smile."
But Ji smiled, put the list on the table, and said nothing more.Early the next morning, he went into the palace to report the situation to Duke Li of Jin, and sued Duke Cheng of Lu with embellishments.Duke Li of Jin originally had a lot of complaints about the failure of the Lu army to participate in the Battle of Yanling, and his heart was full of speculation and suspicion. Cheng Gong sat on the bench.
In July of the same year, the coalition forces of the princes launched an attack on the state of Zheng.Lu Chenggong went into battle again, hoping to obtain the understanding of Jin State with practical actions.When the troops set off, Mu Jiang came to see him off again, and repeated the request he had made to Lu Chenggong last time, and put on a gesture of not giving up until the goal was achieved.Lu Chenggong still adopted the method of "delaying". He neither agreed nor refused to Mu Jiang's request, and after a few vague words, he boarded the car and drove away.Same as last time, Duke Cheng of Lu only brought Jisun Xingfu to the expedition, and at the same time ordered Zhongsun Mie to stay in Qufu and guard the palace to prevent accidents.
At that time, the Jin army was stationed in the west of Zheng State, and the Lu army was stationed in Du Yang (place name) in the east of Zheng State.Lu Chenggong didn't have much experience in war, and he was worried about the fire in the backyard, so he didn't dare to rush through Zheng's territory to join the Jin army.Gongsun Yingqi sent Shusun Qiaoru's younger brother Shusunbao to invite the Jin army to join him. He did not eat or drink, and waited for four days at the border of Zheng State, and did not eat until he saw the Jin army's banner.
After the armies of the princes converged, they moved to Zhitian (the place name of Zheng State) in the northeast of Xinzheng, waiting for the fighter.Xun Yu led part of the lower army of the Jin State, and united with the armies of some princes to invade the State of Chen, and then invaded the State of Cai.Xun Yu's troops hadn't returned yet, and the main force of the coalition forces moved to Yingshang (the place name of Zheng Guo).Prince Xi, a famous general of the State of Zheng, took the initiative to attack and attacked the camp of the allied forces at night, defeating the armies of Song, Qi, and Wei.
Lu Chenggong and Jisun Xingfu were fighting on the front line, and Mu Jiang and Uncle Sun Qiaoru were not idle in the country.Uncle Sun Qiaoru carefully prepared a set of arguments, and sent people to Jin again to find Que Ji, saying: "Jisun Xingfu and Zhongsun Mie of Lu are like Luan Shu and Shi Xie of Jin. It came out from them. Now these two people are conspiring together, saying, "Jin Guozheng has many schools, I don't know who to listen to, I would rather obey the leadership of Qi or Chu, even if the country is subjugated, I will no longer follow Jin." .If you want to do something to the State of Lu, you can arrest and kill Ji Sun Xingfu while he is in the army; and I will kill Zhongsun Mie in the State of Lu. As long as I control the political power of the State of Lu, I will ensure that The State of Lu has no ambiguity towards the State of Jin. The State of Lu has no ambiguity, and other small countries will naturally obey the leadership of the State of Jin. Otherwise, betrayal will happen sooner or later."
But Ji is the kind of person who "follows the orders once the power is in his hands".Since Duke Li of Jin wanted him to preside over the affairs of the Eastern princes, he was determined to maximize the power of this job and maximize his personal interests.In September of the same year, Que Ji brought people to the army of the State of Lu, arrested Jisun Xingfu in front of Duke Cheng, and took him away.
For Lu Chenggong, who was repeatedly bullied by Jin people, this insult was nothing.After the disbandment of the coalition forces, he did not return to China immediately, but stationed his troops in Yuncheng, and calmly sent Gongsun Yingqi to negotiate with Que Ji.
For Que Ji, the word "benefit" is by no means as simple as a list of gifts listed.Like most conspirators, he is thick-skinned, dark-hearted, daring and imaginative.When Gongsun Yingqi saw Queji, he couldn't say a word, but Queji interrupted him and made an unimaginable suggestion: "You go back to the country and kill Zhongsunmie, and I will detain Jisun Xingfu, and you will be the leader of the Lu family. As the chief executive officer of the country, I can guarantee that Jin will support you more than support Luhou."
This suggestion is actually a copy of Shusun Qiaoru's conspiracy, but it's just that he made his own decision and changed the protagonist from Shusun Qiaoru to Gongsun Yingqi.The reason is simple: first, he doesn't trust Shusun Qiaoru; second, he thinks that Gongsun Yingqi is his own, so it is easy to control.
When did Gongsun Yingqi get in touch with Queji and become his "person of his own"?Don't forget, Gongsun Yingqi's half-sister, the former Mrs. Shi, is currently being taken over by Que Ji.Because of this relationship, Qieji thought wishfully that maybe he should call Gongsun Yingqi a brother-in-law.
Uncle Sun Qiaoru's conspiracy, Gongsun Yingqi can imagine.But he didn't expect that Queji, the new marshal of the Jin State and the seventh person among the Eight Ministers of the Jin State, would also have the idea of the Lu State, wanting to cultivate his own power in the Lu State, and regard himself as a Made a training object.He couldn't help lamenting inwardly, the state of Lu was really in a lot of trouble!
Seeing that Gongsun Yingqi was silent, but Ji thought he was weighing the pros and cons, and revealed a top-secret information to him: "Because Uncle Sun Qiaoru's request was not met, Lu Hou's mother, Jiang Shi, has already had a crush on Lu Hou. I am dissatisfied, and I am planning to replace Luhou with Gongzi Yan. If you become the chief executive officer of the Lu State, and Luhou is against you, that’s okay. We will help you launch a coup and support Gongzi Yan as the king. There At that time, you have the Jiang family to support you inside, and the Jin country to support you outside, what else can't be done?"
Gongsun Yingqi broke out in a cold sweat.At this time, if he made a careless word, he would become Queji's accomplice, and he would not be able to clean himself up by jumping into the Yellow River.He quickly calmed himself down, cleared his throat, and said to Queji: "You are well aware of Shusun Qiaoru's conspiracy. He has an affair with Jiang, and he wants to get rid of Jisun Xingfu." He and Zhongsun Mie are in charge of the state of Lu on their own. If you really get rid of those two people, you will really abandon the state of Lu completely, and you will be punished by the widow. Thanks to the Duke of Zhou, if you don’t really want to do this , but let the widowed monarch still have the honor to serve the Jinjun, then please keep those two people for the Lu State, because they are the ministers of the Lu State, and if they are killed in the morning, the Lu State will perish at night. If it perishes, Jin will lose a loyal ally and gain an enemy, I'm afraid you will regret it later!"
These words clearly told Qi Ji: Don’t think that I will cooperate with you to do something that is sorry to the Lu State. You should hand over Ji Sun Xingfu, otherwise, the State of Lu will definitely turn against the State of Jin because of this incident. Use at your own risk.
"Since that's the case," Que Ji was still stubborn, "I'll make a request to Marquis Lu, how about asking him to seal up some more land for you?" The temptation of wealth.
Gongsun Yingqi laughed: "Oh, you really care about me. I, Yingqi, am just a lowly minister. How dare I rely on the power of a big country to seek benefits for myself? Today, I was ordered to intercede for Ji Sun Xingfu. If you agree Me, it is already a great gift to me, is there any other request?"
But Ji said impatiently: "Ji Sun Xingfu is disrespectful to the state of Jin, I can't take charge of what you said." He got up and walked away, leaving Gongsun Yingqi alone there.
When Shi Xie heard the news, he privately said to Luan Shu: "Ji Sun Xingfu has been the elder of the two dynasties in the state of Lu. It is said that he lived a frugal life and did not dare to wear silk clothes for concubines or feed food to horses. Such people are rare in this world. If we listen to the words of villains and kill Zhongliang, the princes will inevitably have criticism."
Luan Shu nodded and said: "You are right. The Gongsun Yingqi who is here now is loyal to his mission, unmoved by interests, and only thinks about the safety of the country. If we let him go away empty-handed, then we will abandon the good man That's it. Let's do this, at tomorrow's court meeting, you proposed to release Jisun Xingfu, and I agree, and we will do a good deed for Jin."
In the winter of 575 BC, under the intervention of Luan Shu and Shi Xie, Ji Sun Xingfu, who had been imprisoned by the Jin State for several months, finally returned to Qufu from Xintian.Uncle Sun Qiaoru's treasonous conspiracy was made public.This time, no matter how much Mu Jiang cries and makes trouble, he can't keep him.Duke Cheng of Lu took decisive measures to expel Shusun Qiaoru's family to the state of Qi. At the same time, he sent someone to assassinate Prince Yan to warn Mu Jiang not to make a new king.
As a failed conspirator, Shusun Qiaoru's fate is not tragic.In order to show his magnanimity and to keep the "three Huans" in check, Lu Chenggong sent someone to recall Shusun Qiaoru's younger brother, Shusunbao, from the state of Qi, and inherited his uncle's family business. .
Uncle Sun Qiaoru's life in Qi State was not bad at all, neither lacking in care nor lacking in women.According to "Zuo Zhuan", Qi Linggong's mother said that Mencius was in the age of tigers and wolves. When she saw her uncle Sun Qiaoru, she immediately became upset and sent him to the palace.
As mentioned earlier, in the Spring and Autumn Period, the relationship between men and women was actually relatively open.Uncle Sun Qiaoru had committed adultery with Mu Jiang in the State of Lu, and with Mencius in the State of Qi, and had slept with two "mothers of the country", which was not a particularly big scandal at the time.The fat and water don't flow to outsiders' fields. Since Uncle Sun Qiaoru slept with Qi Linggong's mother, in order to balance the relationship, he dedicated his daughter to Qi Linggong.This woman and Qi Linggong had a group of children, and one of the sons later inherited the throne of Qi State, that is, Qi Jinggong in history.
It is certain that Shu Sun Qiaoru is very good at serving widows.Soon after, Sheng Mengzi's attachment to his uncle, Sun Qiaoru, reached the point where it could not be added.Women always hope that the man they love will be more promising, and Sheng Mencius is no less than Mu Jiang in this regard. She made a ridiculous request to Qi Linggong: Feng Shusun Qiaoru as a high minister, with the country , Gao Ershi are on equal footing.
Duke Ling of Qi was astonished. The Guo and Gao Er clans were originally hereditary Shangqing granted by the emperor to the Qi State. Back then, even a hero like Guan Zhong dared not try to keep pace with them. Once a woman is comfortable, do she want to join the ranks of the most noble families in Qi?
Facts have proved that this matter was not Shusun Qiaoru's own idea, but a surprise that Mencius wanted to give to Shusun Qiaoru.Because Uncle Sun Qiaoru heard the news, he took his family and fled to Weiguo that night.On the letter left to Sheng Mencius, there are words like "I can't make the same mistake twice".
This, is it not a kind of comprehension.
By the way, the conspirator Shu Sun Qiaoru seems to have a good life in Weiguo, and the people of Weiguo also let him hold the post of minister. People don't know if they are like ducks in water.
In the spring of 574 BC, in order to retaliate against the invasion of the coalition forces of the princes last year, the people of Zheng Guo went against the trend and launched a counter-offensive.Under the leadership of Gongzi Wei, Zheng's army invaded Xu and Hua in the state of Jin and obtained a large amount of spoils of war.
In May of the same year, the relationship between Zheng State and Chu State was further strengthened.Zheng Chenggong sent his eldest son Kun Wan and his senior official Hou Ru to the state of Chu as hostages, while the king of the Communist Party of Chu sent his senior official son Cheng and his son Yin to lead troops to Zheng State, stationed near Xinzheng, and helped Zheng people guard the capital.
In June of the same year, Duke Li of Jin once again convened an alliance of princes under the banner of the Son of Heaven, and organized the coalition forces of Jin, Qi, Lu, Song, Wei, Cao, and Zhu to attack Zheng. Quwei (wei, place name).The king of the Communist Party of Chu faithfully fulfilled his responsibilities as an ally, personally led troops to rescue, and drove the coalition forces out of Zheng.
Soon after this war, Shi Xie, the second-ranking figure in the Jin army and the deputy commander of the Chinese army, passed away.
Regarding Shi Xie's death, many people in history believe that he committed suicide.After the Battle of Yanling, Shi Xie became more and more worried about the situation in Jin.It is said that he once ordered Zhu Zong (the priest in charge of family sacrifices) of his family to pray that he would die soon, and said to Zhu Zong: "The monarch is arrogant and extravagant, but he won the battle in Yanling again. Difficulties are about to befall Jin. If you are doing my best, find a way to make me die quickly, and don’t wait until the disaster befalls, this is the family’s blessing!" From this, it can be seen that Shi Xie probably wanted to pass the death penalty. Come to wake up Duke Li of Jin, there is the possibility of suicide.
Was the victory in the Battle of Yanling really as Shi Xie expected, although the victory was still a defeat, it intensified the domestic conflicts in Jin and made the political situation more turbulent?
The answer is yes.
According to "Zuo Zhuan", Duke Li of Jin had an extravagant style and was "extraordinary".The so-called waiyan, Sima Qian's understanding is "a woman outside the palace", that is, a mistress, or a concubine without a status.But more people think that a foreigner is a male favorite.Because Duke Jin Li has homosexual tendencies, the senior officials Xutong, Yiyang Wu, Chang Yujiao and others fell in love with him and took the initiative to throw themselves into his arms. They were favored by Duke Jin Li and became his concubine.
Before the Battle of Yanling, Shi Xie predicted that once the war was won, Duke Li of Jin would definitely show off his military achievements, improve the treatment of his close favorites, and increase the fields for the women he liked.Facts have proved that Shi Xie is prescient.After the Battle of Yanling, Duke Li of Jin believed that he had made great achievements, even compared with Duke Wen of Jin, Duke Jin Xiang, and Duke Jin Jing. political treatment.
Among the Eight Ministers, the Que family, which occupied three positions, became the main target of the attack.The reason is very simple, but the family has offended too many people.
First, Xu Tong is the son of Xu Ke.The Xu family was originally a well-known family in the state of Jin. In 601 BC, Que Ke succeeded Zhao Dun as the marshal of the Chinese army. The deputy commander of the lower army.The Xu family turned to decline, but the Qie and Xu families became enemies because of this.
Second, Yiyangwu once had a dispute with Queqi over the ownership of the land.On the issue of land ownership, the Que family would not even give in to the emperor, let alone a little doctor?Even if Yi Yangwu dedicated his ass to Duke Li of Jin, he couldn't compete with Queqi, so he could only watch as Queqi snatched the land away.
Third, there was a dispute between Changyujiaoye and Queqi over the ownership of the land.Que Qi not only robbed him of his land, but also tied him and his parents, wife and children to the shaft of a chariot for public display.Long Yu corrected it as a great shame and humiliation.
Fourth, in addition to Duke Li of Jin's concubine, the ministers of the court also had a lot of dissatisfaction with the Que family.Luan Shu, Marshal of the Chinese Army, was especially annoyed when he arrived.
Luan Shu's resentment came, which explained Shi Xie's wisdom from one side.
During the Battle of Yanling, Luan Shu advocated sticking to it, but Shi Xie's son Shi Gai proposed proactive strategies such as blocking wells, razing military stoves, and setting up formations in the military camp. out.Shi Xie's actions were actually for Luan Shu to see, and his intention was obvious: children are ignorant, so don't argue with him.At that time, he was watching from the sidelines, but he didn't understand Shi Xie's sophistication, and then he proposed to Jin Ligong that the Chu army had six flaws, and this battle must be fought, and he must take the initiative to attack.The war was finally won, and Luan Shu was already very shameless, but he publicized his achievements in Luoyi, describing Luan Shu as a timid coward. The victory or defeat of the battle is still difficult to predict - no, it is not that the victory or defeat is unpredictable, but that it is inevitable.Because of these things, Luan Shu fell in love with him, and it could be said that he hated him to the bone.
During the Battle of Yanling, Prince Fa, a senior official of the Chu State, was captured by the Jin army.In the winter of 574 A.D., Luan Shu sent someone to contact Prince Fa secretly, and instigated Prince Fa to frame Quezhi in front of Duke Li of Jin: "Go and tell the Marquis of Jin, 'The Battle of Yanling was actually launched by Quezhi, the king of Chu. Before the reinforcements from Qi, Wei, and Lu came, he notified the Chu army to launch an attack, and said that if the Marquis of Jin died in battle, he would make Sun Zhou king and ensure that Jin would submit to the leadership of Chu. At that time, if he hadn’t deliberately let the King of Chu go, he might have become a prisoner of the Jin army!’ If you say so, I will let you go back to Chu.”
Who is Sun Zhou?Sun Zhou's father was called Gongsun Tan, and his grandfather was called Gongzi Jie, who was the youngest son of Duke Xiang of Jin.Therefore, Sun Zhou is the great-grandson of Duke Xiang of Jin, and he and Duke Li of Jin are brothers of the same generation.
As mentioned earlier, Jin has a tradition of expelling "group princes" since Jin Xiangong. Except for the eldest son, those sons and grandsons were sent to other countries to make a living.Gongsun Tan came to the royal city of Luoyi in the reign of Duke Ling of Jin Dynasty and became the retainer of the royal minister Shan Xianggong. Sun Zhou was born in Luoyi, so he was named "Zhou".Among the people of the same clan, Sun Zhou is famous for his maturity and stability. Shan Xianggong believed that Sun Zhou possessed the eight virtues of respect, loyalty, faith, righteousness, teaching, filial piety, benevolence, and lenient. His son let go of the airs of the young master and served Sun Zhou instead.It can be seen from this that Sun Zhou is a potentially dangerous person to Duke Li of Jin.
According to Luan Shu's request, Young Master Fa reported Quezhi in front of Duke Li of Jin.Duke Li of Jin was skeptical, so he asked Luan Shu to verify.
"This matter..." Luan Shu pinched his beard and thought for a moment, "I think it's not groundless, it's true in all likelihood."
"how do I say this?"
"Think about it, on the battlefield that day, didn't the King of Chu send an envoy to contact Quezhi and give him a bow?"
"There is such a thing, but he doesn't seem to accept it?"
"This...it doesn't matter whether you accept it or not. Why didn't the king of Chu give it to someone else, but why did he give it to him? I heard that he rushed to the king's pawns of Chu at least three times, and withdrew three times. Avoid the King of Chu. This is a war! We killed and wounded so many soldiers, isn’t it just to defeat the King of Chu? If he has no problem, why would he do this?”
Duke Li of Jin took a look at Luan Shu and seemed to believe it.
"And I also heard that he let Zheng Bo go too." Luan Shu strikes while the iron is hot, shaking out another burden.
Duke Li of Jin was still thinking deeply.
"Well, if you are afraid of wronging him, you might as well send him to the royal family to see if he will go to see Sun Zhou, and then you will know the truth of the matter." Luan Shu finally resorted to his trump card.
"Okay." Jin Li was fair.
A few days later, Quezhi was indeed ordered to visit Luoyi.He didn't know that Duke Li of Jin had secretly sent his cronies to follow him, and he didn't know that Luan Shu had sent someone to visit Sun Zhou first.
"The envoy sent by the state of Jin is versatile in both civil and military affairs. You might as well talk to him to learn about the situation in the state of Jin." The man pretended to be chatting, intentionally or unconsciously said to Sun Zhou.
Sun Zhou didn't realize it was a trap either.He had heard of Quezhi's name a long time ago, and he thought it would be no harm to meet him.So, as soon as Quezhi arrived in Luoyi, he took the initiative to visit Quezhi.
All of this was naturally seen by Duke Jin Li's cronies.
As soon as he went back to report, Duke Li of Jin believed what Young Master Fa said, and decided that Quezhi was indeed related to Sun Zhou, and wanted to support Sun Zhou as king.
After this incident, the Que family has actually sat on the powder keg.Counting them in detail, over the years, they have offended the Shi family of Lu State, the emperor, Ji Sun Xingfu, Luan Shu, and Duke Li of Jin's group of outsiders. The crime offended Duke Li of Jin.The strange thing is that the "Three Ques" have been immersed in the officialdom for many years, but they have not yet felt the danger is approaching, their behavior is still coquettish, and their style is still aggressive.
In the autumn of 574 BC, Duke Li of Jin organized a large-scale hunting activity.According to the regulations of Zhou Rites, people in the harem should not participate in the hunting of the monarch and ministers.However, Jin Ligong not only brought a group of wives and concubines with him, but also ordered them to shoot arrows with him, and then let the officials shoot and kill their prey freely, which was a joke at the time.
But he finally hit a wild boar, and excitedly carrying the prey, he wanted to dedicate it to Duke Jin Li. Unexpectedly, Cheng Yaojin was killed on the way——Meng Zhang, the eunuch favored by Duke Jin Li, suddenly rushed out, picked up the wild boar and took it away. run.
"Granny!" Que Zhi yelled, and he had already set his arrow on the bowstring, "Give me back the wild boar, or you will see me!"
For Meng Zhang, maybe he did this for fun, maybe it was to show his common hatred for the Que family in front of Duke Jin Li, so where would he stop?Just as he was about to run to Duke Jin Li's car, he suddenly fell to the ground.
A long arrow was firmly nailed to his back.
The women of Duke Jin Li were so frightened that their faces turned pale and they screamed.Duke Li of Jin stood up slowly from the car, his face livid, looked at Que Zhi, gritted his teeth and said four words: "It's too much to bully!"
There is no turning back when you open the bow.From the moment Que shot that arrow, the fate of the Que family was like a huge stone pushed off a cliff, and it could no longer be saved.That night, Duke Li of Jin brought Xu Tong over and asked him to plan something against the Que family.Xu Tong said: "Let's start with San Que first. The Que family is very popular and has caused a lot of trouble. Get rid of the Que family, the office can breathe a sigh of relief, and the public opinion will be on your side."
At the same time, the "Three Ques" also realized the seriousness of the problem, and gathered together for a meeting to study the situation.
"The situation is very bad. I think the monarch will attack us soon. As the saying goes, the first to attack is the strong, and the latter will suffer. We should take the initiative and immediately send troops to attack the palace, kill the monarch and establish a new one. "The patriarch Queqi said.
"That's right." Que Ji echoed Que Qi's opinion, "Even if you die, you have to fight to the death, and you can't just catch him with nothing."
Among the "Three Ques", Quezhi has the lowest seniority, but the weight of his words is the heaviest.After pondering for a moment, he asked Queji and Queqi a question: "What is the reason why people can live and work in this world?"
Both Queji and Queqi shook their heads, not understanding what he meant.
"It is because of faith, wisdom and courage. People with faith will not betray the monarch; people with wisdom will not harm the people; people with courage will not dare to make trouble. If these three virtues are lost, who will continue to support What about us? What is the point of adding new resentments if we cannot escape death? The ruler wants his ministers to die, and the ministers have to die. If we are guilty and die now, we have lived a few years longer; sin, but the monarch killed us, that is his responsibility, and he will not end well. We enjoy the political treatment given by the monarch, so we can unite a group of people, but in turn use this group of people to rebel, and Is there a greater sin than this?"
It may be difficult for modern people to understand the Chinese in the Spring and Autumn Period. Their thinking was as erratic as fog, their actions were as swift as the wind, they ignored all consequences when they were wicked, and they behaved as pure and pedantic as saints at critical moments.Regardless of whether they are good guys or bad guys, among all their uncertain ethos, the most touching thing is their detached attitude towards fate - people are inherently mortal, so what's the benefit of avoiding it?
In the early morning of December 26, 574 BC, "San Que" sat down in the main hall of the lecture hall as usual, ready to start a day's work.There was a sudden noise outside the door, and two strong men broke in, tearing each other apart despite the obstruction of the guards.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out that it was Chang Yujiao and Jin Ligong's trusted guard, Qingbou (tui). They held long daggers, their clothes were tangled up, and they were arguing red-faced, looking for "Three Ques" to uphold justice.
"If you have something to say, don't be violent in the martial arts hall." Que Qi and Que Ji stepped forward to persuade them to fight.Seeing them approaching, Chang Yujiao suddenly let go of the clear boiling gun, swung his long spear, and swept towards them.The incident happened suddenly, but Que Qi and Que Ji couldn't avoid it and were killed on the spot.But seeing that the situation was not good, he jumped into a carriage parked at the door and wanted to escape.Chang Yu moved nimbly, quickly chased after him, and killed Quezhi on the car.
At the same time, Xu Tong took Luan Shu and Xun Yan hostage with 800 soldiers and imprisoned them in the palace.
Seeing the corpses of "Three Que" lying side by side in the court hall, Luan Shu suddenly felt a trace of regret: If he hadn't deliberately planned to kill Quezhi, how could Wai Yan find the opportunity to attack the ministers, and how could he fall into the trap? To such a field?
Obviously, the "Three Quests" are just a breakthrough for Waiyan, and their real purpose is to wipe out the eight ministers of Jin State so that they can take power.
In a daze, I heard Chang Yujiao saying to Duke Li of Jin: "If you don't kill these two people, you will have endless troubles." Suddenly, I felt a chill rise.
Duke Li of Jin frowned, remained silent for a long time, and finally said something that made Luan Shu heave a sigh of relief: "In one day, three nobles were buried in the court hall. I can't bear to have two more!"
Chang Yu stomped his feet and said, "You don't have the heart to kill them, but they will have the heart to deal with you. Just wait and see!" After speaking, he turned and left.That night, Chang Yu pretended not to say goodbye and fled to the place where Di Ren lived.
Duke Li of Jin finally let Luan Shu and Xun Yan go.
"The third one is arrogant, the sky is angry and the people are complaining. The widow killed them all, and you are also humiliated by imprisonment. Now please go back to your respective posts to work and serve the Jin country well!"
Luan Shu and Xun Yan were so grateful that they prostrated themselves on the court for a long time: "You saved us from death by attacking the guilty, it is because of your magnanimity. Even if we die, we will never forget your kindness. "
However, just a few days after this happened, the situation in Jin State changed dramatically again.Duke Li of Jin, who thought that the world would be peaceful from now on, took a group of harem beauties and wives to visit the garden of Li’s family, a doctor and craftsman in Yicheng. Xu Tong and others arrested him.
栾书派人给士匄送了一封信，要他到翼城来商议国家大事，被士匄谢绝了。又派人邀请韩厥，韩厥说：“当年我深受赵家的恩惠，大伙对赵家群起而攻之的时候，我就没有参加。古人说，耕田的牛老了，没用了，也不忍心杀它，何况是国君啊！你们几位既然不能侍奉君主，还将我韩厥拉下水做什么？”
晋厉公在翼城被囚禁了整整三个月。公元前573年春天，栾书等人杀死了胥童，然后又派部将程滑杀死了晋厉公。作为曾经带领晋军在鄢陵打败楚军的风云人物，晋厉公的后事单薄得令人唏嘘：他被草草埋葬于翼城东门之外的乱葬岗中，送葬的车辆也仅有一乘，远远没有达到“诸侯葬车七乘”的标准。
不过，这一切对于晋厉公来说已经不重要了。他死了，晋国的太阳还是照常升起，人们很快将目光聚焦在了空缺的君位上面。栾书和荀偃该如何处理才能保证权力的平稳过渡，并且在不引起贵族和国人反感的前提下巩固自身的势力呢？
当然，麻烦还不只这么点，面对晋国忽然的政变，一直虎视眈眈的楚共王会不会趁虚而入再次挑起一次大规模的会战？整个国际形势又会发生怎样的变化？
这一切，都让我们拭目以待吧……