According to King Wei Hui's will, Prince Ang abandoned Shaoliang, Linjinguan and other important towns in the west of Hexi, withdrew to Hedong, burned the pontoon bridge by himself, and confronted the Qin army across the river. Lieutenant General Che Ying received the news and urgently said: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, General Wei's son Ang has withdrawn from Hedong. Except for the isolated city of Yinjin, which is still guarded by Wei generals Zhang Meng and Gongsun Yan, there are no Wei people in the whole territory of Hexi!" Yingqian was overjoyed, stepped forward and said: "My brother thinks that I can take advantage of the victory to conquer Yinjin and seize Hangu Fortress!"

Seeing the rare opportunity, Qin Xiaogong's thoughts were also moved, and he couldn't help turning his head to Gongsun Yang: "How about Ai Qing?" "My minister thinks it's impossible!" Gongsun Yang replied, "As the saying goes, the poor should not pursue, and the mourning soldiers should not be forced. The people of Wei were greatly weakened and had no power to dominate. Yin and Jin have become isolated cities, and it will be a matter of time before they can be recovered. Why today and tomorrow?" Yingqian laughed a few times, and said sarcastically, "Da Liang's farewell is to make people frightened in the middle of the night, afraid of him, Gongsun Yan, right?"

Gongsun Yang didn't have time to respond, Qin Xiaogong gave Yingqian a blank look, and made a decision on the spot: "There is no need to discuss the matter of the Yin and Jin Dynasties, just follow Gongsun Aiqing's play!" "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!" Gongsun Yang obviously had plans for the next step, "The battle in Hexi is over, and I thought that the following should be the Crown Princess. Since the world is full of chaos, there must be an end!" Qin Xiaogong pondered for a while, and shouted loudly: "Listen to the decree quickly in Chuli!"

Xi Liji took a step forward: "My minister is here!" "Prepare the bride price again, and go to Zhou's room to hire relatives!" "The humble minister obeys the order!" Qin Xiaogong turned to Sima Cuo: "General Sima!" "The end is here!" "You take 30,000 paces and ride through the Han territory to escort Dr. Xili to the Zhou family to hire relatives. After the week, you must tell the widow's sincerity to His Majesty the Emperor of Zhou!" "The general obeys orders!" Ji Xue was very excited when she learned of Qin's great victory in Hexi, she lay down on the embroidered couch and wept heartily.After crying enough, Ji Xue wiped away her tears, got up and went to Jing'an Palace.

Although the queen was not sick, she was much weaker after being bedridden for a long time, and she was out of breath after walking a few steps.In addition to the matter of pretending to be sick, although it is an act, the taste must be sufficient, so even though the Wei and Qin envoys are all gone, the queen still spends most of her time on the phoenix couch, allowing the jade body to slowly "recover". Ji Xue walked into the palace, knelt down in front of the queen's bed slowly, with tears streaming down her face, choked up and said: "Mother——" The queen's eyes were also full of tears, she stroked Ji Xue's hair and said, "Xue'er, the queen mother knows that marrying Duke Yan has wronged you, the queen mother—"

"My mother, Wei Guo has suffered a defeat, and the people of Wei dare not force marriage. Mother's queen, Xue'er—" The queen knew what Ji Xue was thinking, and sighed softly: "Oh, Xue'er, Yu'er has already told her mother about your thoughts, but—but we women have nothing to do with marriage matters!" Ji Xue bowed again, crying: "Xue'er knows that she can't be on her own, Xue'er begs the queen mother to beg the father, and begs him to make Xue'er come true!" The queen hugged her daughter tightly: "Xueer——" Mother and daughter hug each other and cry.The two were sad for a while, Ji Xue said goodbye, the queen thought about it, turned over and went to bed, summoned Gong Zheng, and asked him to help him slowly walk out of the palace gate.Not long after, the queen came to the imperial study, and the inner minister came out after hearing the sound and knocked on the ground to welcome her.

The queen asked, "Is Your Majesty here?" Nei Zai kowtowed: "Your Majesty, wait a moment, this old servant will report to you!" Nei Zai got up, opened the door and went in, and saw King Xian taking a nap on the couch.Nei Zai hesitated for a while, and called softly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty is here!" King Xian was taken aback, and just about to get up, the queen came in by herself, stepped forward and kowtowed: "My concubine kowtows to Your Majesty!" King Xian hurriedly got up and helped her up with his own hands: "My concubine, you—how can you get up?"

The queen smiled: "The concubine feels a little better today, and really wants to go out for a walk. When I got out, before I knew it, I went to His Majesty's study!" King Xian took the queen to his soft couch, helped her to lie down, and said happily: "The widow was still talking about my concubine just now, but I was going to see you, but I got confused again. Come on, concubine, please sit down!" " King Xian helped the queen to sit down, and turned to the minister: "Make tea for your empress!" Nei Zai served the tea, the queen took a sip and said with a sweet smile, "I thank you, Your Majesty, for the fragrant tea!"

The queen took one concubine at a time, and the inner servant knew what was going on, so she hurriedly withdrew and closed the door behind her. Seeing that there was no one else, the queen slowly got up and knelt down in front of King Xian.King Xian was stunned for a while, before he said: "My concubine, you—you are—" The queen sobbed for a while, and then said: "The concubine is here to beg His Majesty!" King Xian came to his senses, helped her up, and said angrily, "My concubine, why do you ask for words between you and the widow? What's the matter with you, just say it!"

"The concubine has nothing else to do, it's Xue'er—Your Majesty, Duke Yan is an old man after all, Xue'er—" The queen couldn't continue, and she shed tears. Hearing that it was about Ji Xue, King Xian's face turned gloomy, he slowly let go of the queen with both hands, staggered back a few steps, and fell down on the mat.The queen raised her tearful eyes and looked at King Xian earnestly. Deathly silence. The queen noticed that two drops of full tears slowly overflowed King Xian's eyes.After a long time, King Xian let out a long sigh and shook his head lightly.

Ji Xue returned to her dorm full of worries, and saw Ji Yu and her maid Chunmei dressed as village girls, each carrying a mulberry-picking bamboo basket, about to go out excitedly. Seeing Ji Xue's gloomy face, Ji Yu stopped and asked with concern, "Sister, what's wrong with you?" Ji Xue forced a smile: "It's nothing, I have a headache. Yu'er, look at your appearance, are you going out again?" Ji Yu whispered in her ear for a while, and Ji Xue was surprised: "What? Go find Mr. Guigu?" "Hmm!" Ji Yu was not without excitement. "Why are you looking for him?" "The luthier said he was a harp saint who surpassed Boya, and the queen mother said he was an omnipotent god. Sister, tell me, is there such a god in the world? Yu'er just doesn't believe it!" Ji Xue said anxiously: "The luthier said he is far away in Ghost Valley, how do you find him?" "To tell you the truth, sister, this person is currently in Luoyang." Ji Xue was startled: "Luoyang? Where is Luoyang?" "At the market! Yu'er not only knows that he is at the market, but also knows that he is a fortune teller. As for whether his fortune-telling is accurate or not, Yu'er is about to test it." Ji Xue hesitated for a while, and reprimanded softly: "Yu'er, my daughter's family shouldn't show their faces like this, if the king or queen find out about this—" Ji Yu giggled, cupped her hands and said, "Don't worry, sister, Yu'er will come back as soon as she goes. If they ask, please cover up." "This... well, you go and come back quickly, don't let sister worry." Ji Yu agreed, and hurried out of the door with Chunmei. After a while, the two rushed to the market and walked again to the T-junction they had been to before.Looking from a distance, the boy was still standing on the side of the street with the banner on his shoulders. Ji Yu walked slowly in front of Guiguzi and squatted down slowly.Guiguzi closed his eyes and sat upright on the ground. "Sir!" Ji Yu called out in a low voice. Guiguzi didn't seem to hear it, and still sat firmly on the ground. Ji Yu raised her voice: "Sir!" Guiguzi still didn't respond. Chunmei tugged at Ji Yu's clothes, and whispered, "Princess, sir, I think he's asleep." Suddenly, the boy's smirk came: "Hey, you just fell asleep! Teacher, this is called meditation." Ji Yu looked up at the boy, and smiled sweetly: "Sister wants to ask Mr. for a hexagram, please ask Mr. Ding." The boy smiled back at her, continued to hold the flagpole, and stood upright under the banner.Ji Yu glanced at Chunmei, frowned a few times, and was about to get up when Guiguzi said slowly, "What do you want, Miss?" Ji Yu was overjoyed and hurriedly motioned to Chunmei.Chunmei took out a piece of gold, Ji Yu took it, held it in both hands, Zheng reset in front of Guiguzi, and said softly: "Little girl, if you want to know about the future, I beg you to enlighten me." Guiguzi still closed his eyes slightly: "The old man can predict the fortune of the world, the middle can predict the fortune of the country, and the young can predict the fortune of the family. I don't know what the girl wants to know?" Ji Yu thought about it for a moment: "The country is not what the little girl wants, and the world is not what the little girl wants. What the little girl wants to know is only about her wealth. I hope you will show me." Guiguzi nodded slightly, and said slowly: "A girl's fortune can be known by divination, face, palm, pulse, bone, heart, and so on. I know it by words. How do you know the girl's wishes?" "The little girl wants her husband to explain her words." "Unraveling characters also decomposes shapes and meanings. Does the girl want to understand the shape or the meaning?" Ji Yu said without hesitation, "Excuse me." "Let's talk!" Guiguzi smiled slightly, "What word do you want to understand?" Without even thinking about it, Ji Yu reached out and took out the milk-colored jade cicada from her bra: "Just explain two words, 'Yu Chan'." Guiguzi opened his eyes, looking straight at Ji Yu like a sharp sword, scanning her up and down, and landed on the jade cicada.After gazing for a while, Guiguzi nodded slightly: "What a jade cicada!" He closed his eyes, as if he was in samadhi again. Ji Yu waited anxiously, and was about to ask a question, when Guiguzi calmed down and said, "Jade is formed from the essence of heaven and earth, and its character is noble; cicadas live on nectar, and their character is elegant. After pondering the jade scriptures, it becomes a cicada, a weapon of the royal family. But ——" He hesitated to speak. Hearing the word "but", Ji Yu was startled: "Sir, it's okay to say." "Although jade is noble, it is the object pursued by ordinary people. Although cicadas are elegant, they are difficult to fly high, and they have to climb branches and leaves to survive." Ji Yu's heart skipped a beat, but her face remained calm. In order to further test Guiguzi, she deliberately refused to admit it: "Although what Mr. said is reasonable, it has nothing to do with the little girl." Guiguzi didn't hear it, and said to himself: "The jade made from this mountain has long been the prey of the world; the tree attached to this cicada has long since rotted its roots and body!" Ji Yu gasped.God, Guiguzi not only sees through her life experience, but also sees through her situation. It seems that everything about her is under his control! Ji Yuyuan opened her almond eyes and stared straight at Guiguzi, seeing that his eyes were still slightly closed, as if what he was talking about had nothing to do with the present moment or the girl in front of him. "Sir, I just figured it out," Ji Yu'er rolled her eyes several times, "it's just the word Yuchan. My little girl, please tell me, what will happen to the situation of Yuchan that the little girl showed?" "Someone is weaving a web to make her a plaything in a cage." Ji Yu's heart trembled, and she said in shock, "Then——sir, how should she, her, how should she deal with it?" "Fly, doesn't she have wings?" Ji Yu hurriedly asked: "Sir, there are nets everywhere in the world, even if this cicada wants to fly, it has only weak wings, and I don't know where to fly." Guiguzi opened his eyes suddenly, looked at Ji Yu again, and paused every word: "Cicadas are born in the soil, attached to trees, and obtained from the forest. If this cicada wants to save itself, it should fly to the depths of the mountains, where thousands of trees grow." middle." Hearing this, Ji Yu felt relieved, let out a long breath, and looked at Guiguzi, which happened to meet Guiguzi's piercing eyes.Ji Yu felt that the old man's eyes were kind and kind, with an indescribable penetrating power, as if he knew her well, and also seemed to have tacit approval for her. With a firm mind, Ji Yu bowed to Guiguzi three times in a row: "Little girl, thank you sir for this jade cicada." Guiguzi stopped his gaze and closed his eyes: "Young lady, let's go." Ji Yu turned around and walked for a few steps, shuddered, then turned around and asked: "If the little girl wants to ask for advice again, where can I go to find the master?" "In the Xuanyuan Temple in the east of the city." The people of Qin passed through the Han territory and wanted to forcefully hire the princess of the Zhou family. Some Koreans who sympathized with the Zhou family had already sent the news to the Zhou family. Grand Master Yan got the report, and rushed into the palace to kowtow to King Xian: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, Qin Minister Sima wrongly sent 30,000 soldiers, and came to Luoyang by way of Yiyang in Han!" King Zhou Xian was taken aback: "Qin, what's the matter with Qin people here?" "Employment!" King Xian frowned: "Didn't you hire him before? Why do you want to hire a relative?" Grand Master Yan lowered his head. King Xian's face became gloomy: "How can this be done? I have already told the nations to betroth the eldest princess to Duke Yan. If I go back on my word now, how can I save my face?" "Your Majesty," Grand Master Yan raised his head, "The people of Qin defeated the people of Wei ten days ago and took back Hexi. The Duke of Qin took advantage of the victory to hire a relative for his own sake! This time, we are pressing each other with soldiers, it seems that we are determined to win!" "This..." King Xian was anxious. "Qin was originally a country of tigers and wolves, but now it is coming here again by victory. If His Majesty insists on not allowing it, the people of Qin will surely come to the city, and the consequences will be disastrous!" King Zhou Xian's face was pale, and he said for a while, "Ai Qing is saying that the widow has to bow to the people of Qin this time?" "Your Majesty," Grand Master Yan shook his head and sighed, "I think it's no longer a matter of bowing your head or not!" King Zhou Xian was startled: "Oh?" "Wei Jing's defeat means that even though he no longer dominates, he still does not lose the great power in the world. Qin Jing's victory, although powerful enough to shock all countries, is still not powerful enough to dominate the world. There are two passes, Wei and Han, in the west of Luoyang, and in the north. With the natural danger of the Yellow River, no matter how powerful the Qin people are, they are beyond our reach in the Great Zhou Dynasty. The addition of strong troops is nothing more than a way to take advantage of the Korean border. On the other hand, the Wei people are close at hand, like a crouching tiger beside a couch. If Your Majesty remarries the eldest princess to a Qin man, and he breaks his promise, Wei Yu will also hold grudges, and will even remember the shame of Hexi on the head of the Zhou family!" After Grand Master Yan said something, King Zhou Xian broke out in cold sweat and was stunned for a while, before he said: "Does Aiqing have a good plan?" "The meaning of this humble minister is that Your Majesty should marry off the eldest princess before the arrival of the Qin envoy. When the Qin envoy arrives, it will be done, and the people of Qin will have nothing to do." King Zhou Xian thought for a while, then nodded slowly: "In Aiqing's opinion, when is the proper date to get married?" "According to Weichen's knowledge, the arrival of the people of Qin in Yiyang will take two days later, or one day sooner. The princess's marriage cannot be delayed beyond tomorrow." "Tomorrow?" Zhou Xianwang seemed to be startled, looking at Grand Master Yan, his eyes were both consulting and discussing, "Isn't it too urgent, besides, whether tomorrow is Jiazi Day, whether it is auspicious or not, is still subject to divination—— " "Your Majesty," Grand Master Yan had no room for negotiation, obviously he had already considered all the possibilities, "I have asked the big divination, and said that the time is auspicious, and marriage is possible!" "In this case, you can do it." "The dowry has already been prepared. Yan's envoy Chunyu Kun is there, and this official has informed him. Only the princess is here, and this official is worried about her—" "Oh," King Zhou Xian sighed softly, "Got it, go to work!" "The humble minister leads the decree!" Taishi Yan resigned after bowing again.King Xian was startled for a moment, got up slowly, and walked towards Jing'an Palace together with Nei Zai.When the queen heard the palace man's report, she rushed to the door and knelt down to meet her.King Xian helped her up, and the two walked into the palace arm in arm. After sitting down, the queen stared at King Xian for a while, and asked with concern: "Your Majesty's complexion is not good, is there something important?" King Xian nodded: "Well, the people of Qin are here to force a kiss again!" "Forcing to marry Xue'er?" King Xian nodded again. The queen pondered for a long time, and said: "Since the Qin people are relentless and hard-pressed, and Xue'er is willing to marry the Qin people, why don't your majesty—why don't you make this happen?" "My dear concubine," Xian Wang sighed, "It's not that I don't want to fulfill my wish, but it's that I can't fulfill it!" The queen asked anxiously, "Why not?" "Don't ask any more! Grand Master Yan is already preparing for the wedding. Tomorrow, Xue'er...Xue'er must get married!" "Tomorrow's hour?" The queen was shocked, "This, this is too urgent, Xue'er..." "It's too urgent!" King Xian bit his lips, pondered for a while, and looked at the queen, "This is why the widow came to woo my concubine. After thinking about it, I should let the concubine talk about Xue'er. You have to tell Xue'er, just say that I can't stand her, whether you resent her or hate her, I..." Tears welled up, and she took out a silk scarf to wipe away her tears. The queen also burst into tears: "Your Majesty, stop talking. Xueer is a sensible child who understands everything. This concubine knows that Xueer will not blame you, she will not blame you!" King Xian sighed again, got up slowly, and walked out of the palace with heavy steps. Perhaps it was because the queen's body and mind had not yet adapted to this unexpected event. After watching King Xian go away, she was about to get up to look for Xue'er, when she suddenly felt dizzy, and hurried back to the couch, lay down, and whispered: " Come on." Gong Zheng heard the sound and walked in. "Call Xueer!" Gong Zheng responded and led Ji Xue in after a while.The queen waved her hand, Gong Zheng exited, and closed the palace door smoothly.Ji Xue realized that something important was going on, and walked slowly to the queen's bed, knelt down and kowtowed: "Xue'er kowtowed to see the queen!" The queen glanced at her, and a smile appeared on her pale face: "Xue'er, come, sit beside the queen mother." Ji Xue got up, sat next to the queen, and looked at the queen anxiously.The queen stretched out her hand, gently stroked Ji Xue's face, and said slowly: "Xue'er, come, let the queen mother take a good look at you and touch you." When stroking Ji Xue, the queen's fingers trembled slightly, and tears filled her eyes.Ji Xue seemed to have a premonition, she put her head on the Queen's chest, and cried, "Queen Mother, no matter what happens, just talk about it." The queen cried: "Xue'er, at the time of tomorrow, you...you are going to marry far, far away." Ji Xue was stunned for a long while, unable to utter a word.When she understood, her whole body trembled suddenly, and she cried bitterly: "Mother——" The queen hugged her daughter tightly, weeping uncontrollably.The mother and daughter cried together, and after a while, Ji Xue let go of the queen, took a step back, slowly knelt down in front of the couch, bowed to the queen three times, and said in a trembling voice: "Mother, Xueer is not filial and cannot serve you anymore!" The queen was choked with sobs: "Xue'er, you, if you go, the queen mother is afraid, afraid that she will never see you again!" Ji Xue tried her best to hold back her tears: "Queen, Xueer will miss you every day, Xueer, please, ask Queen Mother to report to King Father, that Xueer will miss him too..." The Queen couldn't bear it anymore, turned over and lay down on the bed, and hugged Ji Xue, mother and daughter embraced and wept again.When Ji Xue walked out of Jing'an Palace, everyone in the palace knew that she was going to get married on the day of Jiazi. Ji Yuzi knew it too.She pursed her lips tightly and stood guard outside the bedroom, seeing Ji Xue approaching from a distance, she eagerly greeted her.The two sisters stood a few steps apart, staring at each other. After a while, Ji Xue nodded to Ji Yu, and then walked back to the bedroom.Ji Yu silently followed behind without saying a word.When the two returned to the palace, Ji Xue began to rummage through the box. After a while, she took out her favorite violet gauze dress from the box and put it on her body. She picked up a sandalwood violin case, walked out of the palace slowly, and walked all the way to the courtyard. by the lotus pond. The sky is dark, there is no moon, only the sky is full of stars.There was no wind, the air was damp and stuffy, and the atmosphere was oppressive.Ji Xue opened the piano case, set up the piano stand, carefully placed the crested lyre she had played since she was a child on the piano stand, sat down on her knees, wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeves, stretched out her slender fingers Brushing the long hair on his forehead, he called out to Ji Yu softly, "Yu'er!" Ji Yu came over and stared at her silently.Candlelight shines through the window lattice, reflecting mottledly on the two of them. Ji Xue's fingers quickly slid across the strings, making a series of hasty and crisp sounds.Ji Xue listened to the sound of the piano, tightened one of the strings a little, slipped again, felt that the tone was right, then looked at Ji Yu, and said softly: "Yu'er, at this time tomorrow, sister is going to Yan On the way to the earth, when will our sisters meet again, only God knows!" Ji Yu's eyes were filled with tears, and she cried, "Sister——" Ji Xue slid her hand on the string again, her voice was still soft: "Bring your sword, sister will play a song for you." Ji Yu went into the room, took the sword from the wall, went back to the courtyard, and drew the sword out of its sheath. Ji Xue played the piano, Ji Yu's favorite "High Mountain".The sound of the piano was soft and slow. Ji Yu held the sword in her hand, her expression was numb, her steps were sluggish, and she danced with the sound of the piano like a puppet. Ji Xue's piano sound became softer and slower, until finally she was whimpering.Two lines of tears silently slid down Ji Xue's face and dripped onto the strings, one drop after another. Where can Ji Yu dance?She threw the sword on the ground with a slap, rushed over, hugged Ji Xue and cried loudly: "Sister——" The two sisters hugged each other and cried.After crying for a while, Ji Yu suddenly raised her head and said excitedly, "Sister, don't marry that old man! Let's run away, there is time now!" Ji Xue was startled suddenly, raised her tearful eyes to look at Ji Yu, and said for a while, "Escape? Where are you going?" "Yunmeng Mountain! Sister, Yu'er met Mr. Guigu just now. He is really a fairy, and he has expected everything. He said that the big week's luck has come, and he also said, you and I are two autumn Cicada, either live in the forest, or become someone else's cage plaything!" Ji Xue pondered for a while, smiled bitterly, and shook her head slightly. "Sister," Ji Yu cried anxiously, "You are just like the queen mother, even if you are useless to death, you can-" Ji Xue took out a silk handkerchief, wiped away her tears, and smiled miserably: "Yu'er, sister, that's all for the rest of her life. The queen mother is right, the daughter's family should know the fate of heaven!" "I-I'd rather die—" Ji Xue smiled again: "Yu'er, don't say stupid things! This day, sister has figured it out. Marrying Duke Yan is not necessarily a bad thing. Although Duke Yan is old, he is upright. The country of Yan is neighbors. , Zhao, if my sister assists Duke Yan, it may make Yan strong. If the country of Yan is strong, Duke Yan may influence Duke Qi and Marquis Zhao. With Duke Yan, Duke Qi and Marquis Zhao working together to protect the House of Zhou, no matter Wei or Qin How savage, I dare not act rashly against my Great Zhou royal family!" Hearing this, Ji Yu became even more sad, and said in a trembling voice, "Sister, you, you are like a mantis turning into a cart, a gnat shaking a tree!" Ji Xue let out a long sigh and lowered her head. Ji Yu also felt that the words were too heavy, and persuaded: "Sister, how can there be no eggs under the nest, how can you, a weak woman, survive?" Ji Xue pondered for a while, and then let out a long sigh: "Oh, Yu'er, you are right, sister is dreaming, and sister also knows that sister is dreaming. But sister has no choice but to accept her fate! Accept your fate, accept your fate..." The more he spoke, the lower he spoke, and he was so choked up that he couldn't continue. Ji Yu moved her shoulder and shook it vigorously: "Sister—let's go, if you don't go, you will regret it forever!" Ji Xue was unmoved: "Yu'er, sister has nothing to ask of you, I just hope that one day in the future, you can go to Yandi to see—to see your sister..." Ji Yu hugged Ji Xue and cried bitterly: "Sister——" Ji Xue gently stroked Ji Yu's soft hair, her voice was almost whispering: "Yu'er, Yandi is far away, I'm afraid it will be difficult for my sister to come back here. When sister misses you, she will give her heart to you." Wild geese, wild geese are the most trustworthy, and they will definitely tell you exactly what my sister said. Yu'er, when autumn comes, as long as you see wild geese flying south, you have to listen carefully." Ji Yu hugged her sister and cried loudly.After crying for a while, Ji Xue took the qin, put it in a sandalwood box, and turned to Ji Yu: "Sister, there is nothing more precious. This piano has been with Sister for twelve years, and it is Sister's heart. Ah Sister gave it to you, if you are happy, it will be happy with you; if you are sad, it...it will cry too!" Ji Yu hugged Ji Xue tightly, crying even more sadly.Footsteps came from outside the courtyard, and when Ji Yu heard that it was Chunmei, her personal maid, she quickly stopped crying and called out, "Chunmei!" Chunmei stepped forward and knelt down in front of the two of them. Ji Yu said to Ji Xue: "Sister, Yu'er has no treasure to give you, let Chunmei go with you. These years, Chunmei and Yu'er have been inseparable. Seeing her, sister is like seeing Yu'er." !" Turning to Chunmei, "Chunmei, from now on, you must serve Sister well, and you must not violate her!" Chunmei kowtowed and cried, "Your servant obeys!" There is an alley near Taixue, called Guirenju, with inns on both sides.In the Spring and Autumn Period, Taixue was busy, and this alley was full of students from all over the world.Now that the Zhou Dynasty is declining and the Taixue is barren, there are few inns here from Yemen, and the business has plummeted. Therefore, Zhang Yi didn't spend much money, and rented a small courtyard in the most magnificent inn in Noble House.The small courtyard is a typical Zhou-style courtyard house, with a gorgeous appearance and carved beams and painted buildings inside, which is extremely luxurious, but it is a pity that they are all old.Anything in the room is an antique when taken out. Zhang Yi naturally occupies the upper room, the east wing belongs to Xiao Shun'er, and Su Qin lives in the remaining two west wing rooms. Since that day when all the students rioted in the academy and forced Su Qin to carry his sword, the luthier entered the palace to play the piano for the queen every day, and no one was in charge of the academy.All the students were happy, and either went back home or wandered around in Luoyang City. A few days ago, the battle in Hexi became more intense day by day. Zhang Yi missed his mother very much. He wanted to go home to visit him, but he received three letters from his family.Zhangyi is still thirty miles away from Shaoliang, and it is not a military fortress. Since his mother said so, Zhang Yi felt relieved and just spent his days in Luoyang City. After meeting Su Qin, Zhang Yi's life has added a lot of fun, not to mention anything else, just teasing Su Qin is a great enjoyment.Because of stuttering, Su Qin easily refused to speak. Once he opened his mouth, the more anxious he stuttered, the more he stuttered, the more fun he was.What's more, a person like Su Qin who came from a lowly background and lacked congenital status has a higher heart than the sky, daydreams, and sooner or later he only thinks about the respect of his relatives, and even his gestures and actions are very different from ordinary people.For Zhang Yi, who is curious by nature, what could be more interesting than getting along with a strange person day and night? Zhang Yixiang had the habit of going to bed early and getting up early. After dinner, he would tease Su Qinle for a while, then went to the upper room and lay down on the couch. That night, it happened to be hot and muggy.Zhang Yi lay down for a while, sweating profusely all over her body.Zhang Yi tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she sat up and casually reached out to touch the wooden couch, but the whole reed mat was wet. Zhang Yi picked up the reed mat, walked out of the door, walked to the courtyard, threw the reed mat on the ground with a "slap", lay down on the mat, and shouted to the west wing, "Master Qing, are you asleep?" How can Su Qin sleep in this weather?After a while, he also took the reed mat, went to the courtyard, spread the mat beside Zhang Yi, and lay down. "This terrible weather," Zhang Yi started talking, "It's so hot! Your Excellency, you have a lot of experience, have you ever seen such a boring day?" "Return-return to the scholar, Su-Su Qin see-saw it!" "Oh?" What Zhang Yi wanted was to listen to him, and she said anxiously, "Tell me, why are you bored?" "Just - like this - this!" Zhang Yi said anxiously: "Isn't this nonsense? I'm going to ask you how you are bored, that is, this, just to talk about it specifically, how boring is it?" Su Qin thought for a while: "It's like steaming - steaming - steaming - steaming..." Su Qin got stuck on the word "steam", which was exactly the effect Zhang Yi wanted. After listening to him steaming for a long time, he laughed and said, "My lord, is there a word 'cage' behind it?" "exactly!" "Well," Zhang Yi agreed, "Master Qing really described it, this kind of ghostly weather is really like a steamer!" Lie down for a while, "Master Qing!" Su Qin didn't respond.Zhang Yi was taken aback, then turned to look at Su Qin, and saw that he was staring at the night sky intently.Zhang Yi felt curious and stared at him.For a quarter of an hour, Su Qin still looked up at the sky, and only looked at one place. Zhang Yi couldn't hold back any longer, and called out, "My lord, what are you looking at?" Su Qin raised his arm and pointed to the sky: "Zhang--Zhangzi, look--see that, that star? It--it--it is--under--down!" Zhang Yi looked in the direction Su Qin was pointing at, and saw the sky full of stars, but he didn't know which one he was pointing at, so he immediately asked, "My lord, which one is it?" "Just, right on the left bank of Tianhe River, there are three-three-three stars next to it, square, square!" Zhang Yi looked for it carefully, and after a while, he saw four stars arranged in a square on the left bank of the Tianhe River. He said happily, "I found it. May I ask which one is Lord Qing?" "North—the one in the North Point!" Zhang Yi stared at it for a while, then laughed and said: "Master Qing, this one is not bright, let's see!" Zhang Yi chose for a while, and said loudly, "I want the one opposite, the one facing Prime Minister Qing!" Su Qin admired: "It-it is really-really bright!" Zhang Yi laughed complacently and said, "Since choosing a star, of course you must choose a bright one! A man can't be as obscure as an ordinary man while he is alive, don't you think so, Your Excellency?" "Scholar—what the scholar said—very true!" Zhang Yi looked at Su Qin's star again, pointed at it, and asked puzzledly: "Since it is so true, why did Mr. Qing choose a small star for himself?" "I-I don't know, I'm playing-I like it when I was young-I like it!" "But it's too dark! Look, if you don't look carefully, you really can't find it!" "It--someday it--it--it will light--light!" Zhang Yi laughed again: "I said, Mr. Qing, you are really weird. There are so many bright stars and big stars in the sky. You don't choose the brightest and biggest ones, but the small and dark ones. This is understandable, after all, everyone has their own aspirations. But since you chose the small and dark one, but expect it to be bigger and brighter, I really don’t understand what you think?" "Alas," Su Qin sighed softly, "in this day—in the sky, the brightest—the shooting star is the meteor, and the biggest is the broom star." Zhang Yi was stunned, and was weighing his words, when footsteps came from outside the door, Xiao Shun'er ran back from the outside excitedly, before he entered the courtyard, he yelled: "Young master, young master—" Zhang Yi smiled at Su Qin: "Okay, you are Mrs. Qing, I don't want to fight!" Sitting up straight, seeing Xiao Shun'er flying into the door, almost stepping on them, he yelled, "You boy, you want to die you!" Xiao Shun'er was taken aback, seeing that the two of them were sleeping in the courtyard, she quickly stopped, panting: "Master—" "Hmph, my young master is looking for you! Tell me, where have you been all this time?" Xiao Shun'er giggled twice, and said softly: "Returning to the young master, the weather was sweltering just now, and the villain jumped into the moat and took a small bath!" Hearing that he went down to the river to take a bath alone, Zhang Yi scolded immediately: "Well, you boy, you have such a beautiful thing, and you can enjoy it alone, let me suffer in this steamer!" Xiao Shun'er giggled again: "To tell you the truth, young master, the villain originally invited you, but once he thought of the river being haunted by ghosts, he dared not do anything wrong!" Zhang Yi said angrily: "You dare to fool me? Since it is haunted, why do you dare to go?" Xiao Shun'er laughed and said: "It's a female ghost, the villain's life is cheap, that ghost doesn't look down on her, don't come to provoke her!" Zhang Yi got up and was about to beat him up, but Xiao Shun'er hurriedly knelt down and slapped himself: "It's a poor man, young master—" Zhang Yi kicked him hard on the ass, and cursed angrily: "You boy, since you left Zhangyi, you have no discipline, and the dog is getting more and more courageous!" Xiao Shun'er didn't worry about it, she knelt on her knees, moved towards Zhang Yi, lowered her voice, and said mysteriously: "Young Master, don't worry about it, I'm going here, I've found a big deal!" "You kid, let the fart go, what's the deal?" "Master, on the way back, the villain found out that tomorrow, the eldest princess of Emperor Zhou is going to marry Yan!" Zhang Yi and Su Qin glanced at each other, both shocked.Before he could ask a question, a bright light suddenly flashed across the sky, and after a while, there was a muffled thunder in the distance, and the treetops in the courtyard trembled.Looking up at that day again, a large black cloud was rolling in from the western sky, and the stars disappeared suddenly wherever they passed. The rain in summer comes as soon as it is said.It didn't take a while, but seeing dark clouds overwhelming, strong winds, lightning and thunder, and raindrops as big as pearls, falling straight down, all the sweltering heat was swept away without a trace in an instant.Zhang Yi and Su Qin hurriedly rolled up the reed mat and went back to their rooms. The heavy rain lasted from the first half of the night to the second half of the night, and it stopped at dawn, and gradually became smaller. At the time of the hour, there were only wisps of rain, just like the lingering autumn rain. As the sky brightened, Su Qin and Zhang Yi walked out of the room and saw that the place where they were lying on the ground looking at the stars last night had already been rained down on their calves.Walking out of the courtyard gate, the street is full of ocean. The water in the low-lying places is waist deep. Many people are scolding their mothers while blocking the doors with sandbags, bricks and earth, etc. Men, women, old and young are all busy with utensils Scoop water out. Zhang Yi put on a coir raincoat, Xiao Shun'er wore a straw hat, and Su Qin had nothing to borrow, so he picked up a big plantain fan and put it on his head, and they rushed to the street in the rain.The three of them walked into a small shop and ordered three bowls of porridge, three pastries and a small plate of pickles.After drinking the porridge and eating the pastry, firecrackers sounded suddenly from the direction of the palace, followed by gongs and drums, and after a while, the princess's wedding carriage walked out of the palace gate and galloped along the main street to the east gate. The princess's marriage is a great joy, but in the past, the royal city would definitely be turned upside down.However, the time of day is not right, not to mention the overcast rain, every household is flooded, and everyone is busy bailing out water. How can I have the time to watch the princess's spectacle? The stagnant water has receded, the depth is knee-deep, and the shallow part is up to the ankles. Thirty-six carts, floats, dowry carts, etc. are coming slowly, splashing water on the street. Perhaps because of the drizzle, the sound of drums and gongs was far less loud than in the past.There were almost no pedestrians on the street, and the palace people who saw them off in the palace were also afraid of the rain, and most of them turned back at the gate of the palace.Except for the slightly dull sound of gongs and drums, the scene of seeing off the bride was very deserted.Lenovo Qin and Wei Pinqin were full of bustling streets during that time, which is really awe-inspiring! The first ones were blowers and drummers, followed by guards and ceremonial guards, and then a bronze chariot, in which sat Chunyu Kun, an envoy of the state of Yan with a bright head, followed by a chariot On the top is Yan Taishi with silver hair.Grand Master Yan closed his eyes slightly, with a sad face, it seemed that he was not seeing off his relatives, but funeral.After Yan Taishi is the eight-si gorgeous float of the eldest princess Ji Xue.After the floats, there is a row of dowry carts, and behind the carts are guards.前呼后拥，队伍拖有一里多长。 见车队渐渐走近，张仪三人扔下饽饽，急急走到街上。苏秦第一次观看天子嫁女，满心的好奇自是不必说的，两只大眼目不转睛地盯牢这等官家排场。 直到彩车经过门口，舀水的周人这才放下水具，弯腰深揖，向公主致意，送行。屋橼下，几个老太太拿衣袖抹泪。 许是还想最后看一眼这个生她育她的美丽都市，彩车的车帘突然打开，一身新夫人打扮的姬雪从车帘里探出头来，眼中噙泪，向大街两旁向她鞠躬的百姓轻轻挥手。 也在哈腰站着的苏秦无意中抬头，一下子看到车中的新人，看清是谁后失声叫道：“姬——姬——姬——姬姑娘！” 紧接着，好似一股巨大的能量突然爆发似的，苏秦疯了般站直身子，不顾一切地一头扎进雨幕，迎上彩车，大叫：“姬——姬——姬——姬姑娘——” 姬雪听到喊声，扭头见是苏秦，一下子愣在那儿！好一会儿，她如傻了一般，目光一刻儿也未离开苏秦，似要把他刻在心中。 苏秦也如痴呆一般回应她的目光，两眼涌出泪水。车子缓缓移动过来，从苏秦的身边辚辚辗过。姬雪将半个身子探出车外，随着车子的移动而缓缓转动，似乎在将她的一切所有全部凝聚在两道目光里，一股脑儿射与苏秦。苏秦没了魂似的跟着车子移动脚步，也似要跟上她走到燕国。 突然，苏秦似乎想到什么，以不可思议的迅捷从肩上解下木剑，急奔几步，冲到彩车前面，猛然跪地，双手捧剑，高高举过头顶。 所有人都吓呆了，以为他要行刺公主。大家尚未反应过来，姬雪已经喝叫停车。苏秦见车停下，跪行几步，一直跪到彩车下面，依旧将剑捧在头顶。车门打开，春梅跳下大车，伸手接过木剑，复跳上去，双手呈与姬雪。姬雪接过，泪如泉涌，猛然拉上车帘，传令起驾。苏秦听到，车帘后面传出她的啜泣声。 车辆缓缓起动，车轮滚滚前行。苏秦依旧跪在地上，纳头泣拜，口中却只结巴一个字：“姬——姬——姬——姬——姬——” 张仪完全看傻了。纵使他上天入地，无所不敢，却也做不出这等动作，更无法相信身份高贵的天下第一美女，竟然喝叫停车，收下一个身份低贱的结巴的怪异礼物。 送亲队伍渐去渐远，苏秦仍旧跪在地上，口中不断地结巴那个“姬”字。张仪回过神来，几步跨到他的跟前，朝他肩上猛拍一掌：“嗨，花痴呀你！” 苏秦见是张仪，这也回过神来，喃喃说道：“天哪，她——她——她是大周天子的公——公——公主！” 张仪敛住笑，朝他打一揖道：“喂，卿相大人，还甭说，你倒真有一股胆气，在下服了！” 苏秦起身，腼腆地笑了。 张仪半开玩笑、半是认真道：“卿相大人，说起此事，你真还艳福不浅呢！在下敢说，学宫里那些王八羔子，哪一个都愿出十金去买公主一笑！至于公主的眼泪，一滴少说也值百金！方才公主为你流下那么多泪，还收下你的赠物，直看得在下两眼发直，心中泛醋！看得出来，卿相大人的确不是凡俗之才，要让公主去选婿，她中意的说不定就是大人您呢！” 苏秦满脸涨红：“张——张士子，开——开啥玩——玩——玩笑！在——在下——” 张仪扑哧笑道：“玩笑话，又不是当真！不过，话也说回来，她一个，再一个是她的那个妹妹，也就是那日痛骂那帮王八羔子的小妞儿，真还是天下绝色。卿相大人既然看中这个姐姐，那个妹妹就是在下的喽。” 苏秦不无气恼地凝视张仪：“人——人家生——生离死——死别，远——远嫁他乡，士——士子却——却寻开——开心，于心何——何——何忍！” 张仪赶忙赔笑：“好喽，好喽，算在下嘴贫！走，在下请大人小酌一爵，算是赔罪！” 颜太师护送雪公主径出王城东门，准备取道韩境，经赵境至燕。车队行至洛水，小雨停歇，河水暴涨。送亲队伍耽搁两个时辰，费尽周折，总算过了洛水。洛水以东是东周公的封地巩邑，按照约定，雪公主由东周公送至韩境。颜太师吁出一口长气，在洛水岸边别过公主，叮嘱淳于髡几句，打转车头，回王城复命。 淳于髡、姬雪一行走有一刻，忽闻前面马蹄声疾，迎面驰来一支轻骑。远远望去，黑乎乎的净是马头，看样子，少说也在五千人以上。 这队轻骑如疾风般卷来，待到近处，淳于髡方才看清打的是秦国黑旗，上写“聘”“秦”“樗里”“司马”等字号。原来，是樗里疾、司马错带五千骑兵先一步赶到了。 正是冤家路窄！淳于髡陡吃一惊，因无退路，只好喝令乐手敲打起来，硬着头皮一车当先，竟迎上去。 两支队伍各距五十步停下。 见是老对手樗里疾一马当先，淳于髡抱拳揖道：“燕国迎亲特使淳于髡见过樗里大夫！” 樗里疾亦还一揖：“秦国五大夫见过燕国特使！” “燕公迎娶新人，樗里大夫别是特来贺喜的吧？” 司马错怒气冲天，策马欲出，樗里疾摆手拦住，朗声回道：“正是！樗里疾贺喜燕公，贺喜燕国夫人！”转对司马错，“司马将军，为燕国夫人让路！”言讫，拨马避至道边。 司马错急道：“樗里兄……” 樗里疾却似毫无商量余地，果断吩咐：“让路！” 司马错只好避向道旁，朝身后喝道：“传令，为燕国夫人让路！” 秦国骑兵纷纷避向大道两侧。 淳于髡朝樗里疾、司马错抱拳又是一揖：“燕国夫人、燕公特使谢樗里大夫、司马将军让路！”朝身后招招手，驱车率先驰去。 鼓乐声再次响起，迎亲车马在五千秦国铁骑的夹道中缓缓驰过。眼见迎亲人马渐去渐远，司马错不无懊恼地“咦”出一声，大声问道：“樗里兄，你我奉旨聘亲，长公主却嫁与他人，我等如何向君上交待？” 樗里疾似是自语，又似是对司马错道：“这个周王，动作倒是挺快！” 司马错急插一句：“樗里大夫，动手吧，眼下抢回公主，来得及！” “司马将军，抢不得！” “为何抢不得？” “周室早已明诏天下，将公主嫁与燕公，燕公明媒正娶，堂堂正正，将军若是抢亲，就如强贼一般无二，只能在列国传为笑柄。再说，此举亦必引发邦交争端，有违君上聘亲初衷！” “什么邦交争端？”司马错怒道，“燕国弱而偏远，燕公老朽一个，敢奈我何？” 樗里疾白他一眼：“燕国离我虽远，离齐、赵却近。我若制齐、赵，就须结好燕国！若是大良造在此，见事已至此，非但不会抢亲，不定还要重礼相赠呢！” 司马错沉思有顷，也似明白过来：“嗯，此言有理。只是我们兴师动众，大张旗鼓，却是白跑一趟，如何收场呢？两手空空回去，又如何回禀君上？” 樗里疾阴阴一笑：“司马将军放心，在下已有主张！” “哦，是何妙计？” “周天子只想嫁走雪公主了事，却忘记还有一个雨公主呢！我们此来聘娶雨公主，不但合情，而且合礼，看周天子还有何说？” 司马错朗声喝彩：“妙哉！”朝身后的军尉大声喝叫，“传令，涉水过河，在洛水对岸安营下寨！” 对王后来说，这日比她当年嫁往周室还要伤心。自辰时开始，王后就谁也不见，连姬雪进宫向她诀别，她也没有睁眼。姬雪剪下一绺头发，轻轻放在她的榻边，跪地三拜，又在她的额头上印一记深吻。 王后始终未说一句话，只是呆着两眼，坐在榻上。姬雪不忍面对母后伤心欲绝的样子，毅然转身，两手捂脸，啜泣着退去。没过多久，宫门处传来爆竹声，再后是锣鼓声和丝竹声。王后依旧未动，竟如痴呆一般。 所有的宫人都在送别姬雪，除她之外，偌大的宫室空无一人，连宫正也不在身边。王后就如一尊雕塑，面无血色地呆坐在榻上，听着锣鼓声渐去渐远，再听着宫人们陆续回返。 起初，宫人们没有在意，以为她是伤心过度，待会儿就好了。及至中午，见王后仍是这般动也不动地坐在榻上，任谁喊她，她也不应，这才急了。宫正使人急禀陛下，不一会儿，周显王就在内宰搀扶下跌跌撞撞地急步过来。 看到王后的可怕样子，显王大急，趋前捉住她的两手，柔声叫道：“子童，子童，你这是怎么了？你说话呀！子童，你——你说话呀！” 经他这么一唤，王后总算有了反应，眼眶中盈出泪水。显王坐到榻上，轻轻搂住王后，像哄婴儿一般，又摇又拍。在显王的爱抚下，王后的泪水这才如山泉般涌出，结结实实地哭叫一声：“雪儿——” 显王将王后又抱一会儿，感觉好些了，方才让她躺下，将她的头放在枕上，自己守在榻边，拿湿巾轻轻拂拭她的泪水，柔声劝道：“子童，不要再为雪儿伤心了。寡人也想明白了，燕国虽说偏远，却是少有战乱，雪儿或能一生平安！” 王后凝视显王，信任地点点头，伸出纤手，紧紧握住显王。恰在此时，内宰惊慌趋入，正欲禀报，见此情景，赶忙打住。 周显王缓缓问道：“又有何事？” 内臣缓了一下心神，轻声奏道：“陛下，秦使求见！” 周显王心中一凛：“知道了。安排他们暂住驿馆，明日上朝觐见！” "This--" 周显王一怔：“怎么了？” 内臣犹疑有顷，小声禀道：“西周公、颜太师、御史皆在候旨，陛下——” 周显王似也感到情势严重，急走过来。内臣耳语有顷，周显王神色立变，看一眼王后，小声吩咐：“传旨，宣他们偏殿觐见！” "The old slave leads the order!" 周显王慌慌张张地赶到偏殿时，西周公、颜太师、御史三人已与秦使樗里疾在偏厅守候。看到显王进殿，众人一齐叩迎。显王径直进殿，在龙椅上坐下。西周公、颜太师、御史各就其位，显王摆手：“宣秦使！” 樗里疾趋进，叩道：“秦使樗里疾叩拜大周天子陛下，祝陛下万寿无疆，龙体健康！” 周显王冷冷说道：“秦使免礼！” “谢陛下！”樗里疾起身，击掌，十几名秦国兵丁抬着聘礼鱼贯而入，将一长串礼箱放在殿中，缓缓退出。 周显王莫名其妙，看着樗里疾道：“此为何故？” 樗里疾再叩：“秦公实意攀亲陛下，再托微臣求聘周室，望陛下恩准！” 周显王看一眼颜太师，颜太师缓缓说道：“秦使听好，长公主姬雪早已许配燕室，并于今日辰时远嫁燕邦了！” “颜太师误会了！”樗里疾冲颜太师微微抱拳，“陛下嫁走的是雪公主，秦公此次聘娶的是雨公主！” 此言一出，众皆惊骇，无不面面相觑。即使西周公，也是始料不及，诧异的目光直望樗里疾。 周显王面色惨白，半晌说不出话来。倒是颜太师历事多，还算沉着，缓缓应道：“请秦使回去，转奏秦公，秦公美意，周室领了。只是雨公主眼下尚幼，待及笄之后，再行婚聘不迟！” 樗里疾朗声应道：“雨公主年逾十四，及笄在即。秦公旨意，鉴于前有几家争聘之事，此番先行纳彩，将公主载至秦室，待公主及笄之后，另择吉日成婚！” 颜太师急道：“这——不合礼制！” “好，”樗里疾冷笑一声，两眼直逼颜太师，“老太师既然提及礼制，在下也就说一说礼制！据在下所知，淳于髡不过是个周游士子，既不是燕室大夫，也不是聘亲使臣。在下已经查明，此人其实早来洛阳，是奔了太师您来的，一直寄住在太师府中。然而，一个游说士子竟然摇身一变，成为聘亲使臣，大周礼数何在？这且不说，即使民女出嫁，也需挑选黄道吉日，雪公主出嫁，却是匆匆忙忙。按照习俗，今日不宜婚嫁，老太师却视天子嫁女为儿戏，硬是辩称辰时宜嫁，将雪公主匆匆打发！在下使人问过，直至前日，公主出嫁之日仍未定下，请问太师，公主如此草草出嫁，合的又是哪路礼制？” 樗里疾一席话有理有据，颜太师哑口无言，老脸涨红，不无羞惭地垂下头去。樗里疾转对周显王，再次叩道：“秦公诚意求亲，望陛下成全！” 周显王气结：“如此说来，秦公是执意为难寡人了！” 樗里疾再拜，侃侃说道：“陛下言过了！据微臣所知，秦公从未为难陛下，也无意为难陛下，倒是陛下自设障篱，曲解秦公之意。孟津之会，秦公忖知魏侯居心莫测，执意不去赴会。果不其然，前后不出一月，魏侯贼心毕现，自于逢泽称王。就在天下震恐之时，秦公又以天下大义为重，不畏强敌，毅然起兵征讨魏贼，大破魏寇于河西。这桩桩件件，都说明秦公非但没有逆心，且又心念周室，诚恳结亲陛下，一意卫护周室社稷。秦公此心天地可知，日月可鉴，望陛下垂顾！” 周显王驳道：“秦公既有卫护周室之心，为何又以大兵压境，胁迫寡人？” “陛下又曲解了！前番聘亲，未料魏人作梗，惊扰圣驾。秦公听闻此事，甚为不安。此番聘亲，秦公为防不测，亲点司马将军率兵三万护驾，两万步卒屯于宜阳之野，一万轻骑屯于洛水岸边。秦公别无他意，只为防备魏寇，安抚周室民心！秦公诚心如此，还望陛下三思！” 强盗也有强理。樗里疾一张铁嘴左来左挡，右来右堵，解说得滴水不漏，似乎秦公对大周王室真还存着一副赤胆忠肠。 周显王哪里肯信，思忖有顷，缓缓说道：“秦公好意，寡人领了。只是小女貌丑性倔，难配秦公虎子，还请樗里先生禀明秦公，请他另择贤惠之女！” 周显王此话，无疑是断然拒绝。樗里疾一愣，旋即阴下脸来，再拜道：“秦国太子嬴驷年少英俊，风流倜傥，文功武略无所不知，无论何处均胜老迈的燕公！再说，秦公与王室同宗，七百年前就已血肉相连，两家姻亲，并未辱及王室血脉，望陛下莫再推三阻四！”言讫，再次顿首。 面对如此强硬的聘亲，周显王气得说不出话来：“你——你——” 樗里疾目视西周公，连连示意。西周公长叹一声，劝慰道：“陛下，就依季叔，允准此事吧。秦室聘亲之事闹得沸沸扬扬，天下皆知，若是没有一个结局，秦公的面子往哪儿搁？再说雨儿，老朽屈指算来，再过数月及笄，照理也该嫁——” 西周公的“人”字尚未说出，一眼瞥见显王脸色煞白，全身颤抖，赶忙打住。 “陛下——”樗里疾却是不依不饶。 周显王双肩震颤，面容扭曲，两眼似要射出火来。御史目视颜太师，见老太师依旧勾头，似是仍未缓过神来，心中焦急，放缓语气，冲樗里疾抱拳说道：“秦使听在下一言！聘亲之事关乎社稷宗法，不宜速图。陛下今日刚嫁爱女，心绪尚未收回，此事改日再议如何？” 樗里疾自也不能将话逼死了，沉思有顷，点头说道：“也好。”从袖中摸出聘书和礼单，“此为聘书和纳彩礼单，望陛下笑纳！樗里疾在洛水大营恭候佳音！” 言讫，樗里疾陡然起身，将聘书和礼单“啪”地甩与御史，昂首