Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Wei Qin forced the royal family, Guiguzi went out to meet Su Qin

Under Chen Zhen's deliberate arrangement, when the envoys hired by the state of Qin arrived at Xiaoguan, they were made things difficult by the Wei soldiers and were delayed for several days.When they arrived in Luoyang, Wei's mission had also arrived.Maybe it was a coincidence, maybe it was Chen Zhen's intention, the two teams arrived in Luoyang almost at the same time.The state of Qin hired relatives and horses to enter through the west gate, and the state of Wei entered through the north gate, both with banners waving and gongs and drums blaring. Over the years, due to the seldom pilgrimage of princes, Luoyang Royal City has been almost forgotten by the world. Has it ever seen such a bustling scene?For a while, the people all over the city were chasing and watching, especially after they found out that both the two families came to marry the princess, there were more onlookers, and the two main streets of Luoyang were completely blocked.

When the princes come to the court, they are usually arranged in the Wanbang Posthouse.The Wanbang Post House is divided into two buildings, the Gong and the Marquis, which are located on both sides of the Confucian Temple, and receive the Duke and Marquis respectively.In addition to the public and marquis halls, there is another royal hall, which was prepared especially for Chu, because the state of Chu is not of the same clan as the Zhou family, nor is it a vassal state of the Great Zhou. The Zhou family has recognized its kingdom status as early as the Spring and Autumn Period. . According to the rules of pilgrimage, the Principality lives on the left side of the Confucian Temple, and the Hou State lives on the right side of the Confucian Temple.Qin is the Principality, and should live on the left side, Wei is the Hou State, and should live on the right side.However, when Chen Zhen's delegation went to the Guoyi Pavilion, they neither entered the Marquis Pavilion nor the Mansion. Instead, they regarded themselves as an independent kingdom and went straight to the King Pavilion.

Wei Envoy's Yueli behavior scared the big pedestrians and the master of ceremonies in the country post hall. The two were dumbfounded, neither stopping nor persuading them. They watched them enter the hall, unload their luggage by themselves, and each chose a room to settle down. down.Since the posthouse was unoccupied for a long time, the room had not been cleaned for a long time, and it was very messy.Chen Zhen asked the entourage to divide into two groups, one for carrying and the other for tidying up the building. After giving the instructions, seeing that the weather was too hot, Chen Zhen took a banana fan, walked out of the embassy while shaking it, walked to the front of the embassy, ​​leaned on a camphor tree, and watched from a distance that the Qin embassy was also there. Arrange the premises in an orderly manner and move items.

Chi Liji, who was busy at work, saw Chen Zhen at a glance, hurriedly put down the box in his hand, strode forward, put on a smiling face from a distance, arched his hands, walked up to him, bent his waist at a right angle, and bowed a big gift: "Qin Make Chu Liji meet Lord Shangqing!" Chen Zhen was angry in his heart, he didn't put down the fan in his hand, he just arched his hands slightly as a return, and said in a haughty tone, "Wei envoy Chen Zhen has seen Dr. Chuli!" Chi Liji didn't mind either, and said with a hearty smile, "Before I made Wei with Daliang, thanks to Shangqing's care, I finally fulfilled my mission. After Daliang returned to Qin, he often missed Shangqing and told me several times that no matter what time When I see Shangqing, I must pay my respects on his behalf! I originally wanted to go to Anyi in my spare time, especially to convey Daliangzao's greetings to Shangqing, but I didn't want to meet here, what a coincidence!"

Xi Liji brought up the matter of Anyi again at this time, which was tantamount to exposing Chen Zhen's face.Chen Zhen's face flushed, and he wanted to say something in return, but he couldn't find the right words for a while.It wasn't until Hexi was attacked that Chen Zhen realized that Gongsun Yang was playing him and Young Master Ang like a monkey, and regretted that his chest hurt for several days.It was also because of this that King Wei's trust in him was greatly reduced, and the sight of seeing his hand gradually faded away.Fortunately, his brain turned quickly, and he pulled back a round on the extremely critical election, otherwise, years of hard work would be ruined, and he would just let Zhu Wei and Gongsun Yan's wishes come true.

After all, Chen Zhen was still Chen Zhen, after a moment of embarrassment, his face quickly returned to his original state, a sneer appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he followed up with Chi Liji's words: "I thank Daliang Zao for taking care of me! I also ask the fifth doctor to forward to Daliang Zao, just say I have long forgotten the head he owed me, so I don't have to worry about it. Also, I would like to remind Daliang to make a sentence, and I would like to ask the fifth doctor to pass it on: If a similar incident happens next time, even if I want to, I'm afraid. I can't help you anymore!"

Xi Lijiu chuckled: "The next generation of Daliang thanked Shangqing for his kindness. However, I also want to remind Shangqing that similar incidents will never happen again!" The conversation changed, "I heard that Shangqing came here to recruit for His Majesty the King of Wei. For the crown princess, dare I ask who is hired?" Chen Zhen shook the fan in his hand a few times: "I heard that the five senior officials came here to select and hire the crown princess for Duke Qin. I don't know who they hired?" "Duke Qin hired Princess Jixue, the head of the Zhou family!"

Chen Zhen laughed loudly, and shook the fan in his hand a few times: "Coincidentally, His Majesty the Great Wei hired Princess Ji Xue, the head of the Zhou family!" Although Xi Liji had already figured out the purpose of Wei envoy's visit, he still had a thump in his heart, and immediately burst into a smile: "It's really a hero who sees the same thing!" Chen Zhen also let out a long laugh: "Yes, yes! But it's a good show, whoever wins!" Xi Liji nodded slightly, and said with a deep smile: "Well, there will indeed be a good show!" The two families of Qin and Wei were ready to settle down, and they respectively submitted letters of appointment to the Zhou room, which was responsible for receiving the great pedestrians from all over the world.Da Xingren was ranked as a Chinese doctor, and after receiving the letter of appointment, he did not dare to neglect, and immediately asked to see the censor.

Qin and Wei's engagement of relatives caused a lot of uproar in the city. Yu Shi had heard about it for a long time, and was trying to figure out whether it was true in the mansion.While presenting the letter of appointment, the big pedestrian recounted in detail the brutal behavior of Wei envoy Yueli who forcibly occupied the King's Palace of Chu.The rites and music had long since disappeared, and the censor frowned slightly after listening to this, and unfolded the letter of engagement casually, looking at it, he was shocked, because the two families wrote the same person in the letter of appointment: the eldest princess Ji Xue!

Big trouble now!Without hesitation, the censor rushed to the palace and rushed to the front hall, but His Majesty was not there.The censor thought for a while, and went straight to the censor's study, and saw that the door was closed tightly, and the internal minister was guarding the door. The censor bowed and said: "Please turn to your majesty, the minister, and I have something urgent to see you!" Nei Zai shook his head slowly: "Your Majesty has an order, and no one will be seen!" The censor took out the letter of appointment and the betrothal gift list of the envoys of Qin and Wei from his sleeve: "This—"

The neizai didn't even look at it, Gu Zi said: "Your Majesty has an order, you can ask the Grand Master about foreign affairs, and you can ask the two Dukes of Zhou about internal affairs!" Yu Shi let out a long sigh, and was about to say something more, but his lips moved a few times, but he stopped. Yu Shi stepped out of the palace gate, pondered for a while, and drove to Taishi's mansion.When the disciples saw that it was the censor, they also saw that he was in a panic. Knowing that there was something important, they hurriedly reported it.After a while, the old slaughterer greeted him. The censor bowed and said: "I have urgent matters to see the grand master, please report to the elders!" The old butcher returned the courtesy and said: "The grand master is receiving guests, please come back another day!" The censor said urgently: "This--this matter--I implore the elders--" Before the censor finished speaking, the old housekeeper saw that the matter was of great importance, nodded anxiously and said: "My lord, wait a moment, the old slave will report it!" Turning around and entering the mansion, after a while, he hurried out, "Master Yushi, the grand master has Please." The censor walked into the mansion with the steward, and he saw a person sitting in the hall, about fifty years old, with a shiny bald head.Yan Taishi, a veteran of the three dynasties with white beard and hair, who is more than seventy years old, sits at the main seat and is chatting with the guests. The censor kowtowed on the ground and said, "I kowtow to see the Grand Master!" "Get up, get up!" Grand Master Yan chuckled, called Yushi to stand up, and pointed to the guests, "This is Mr. Jixia Chunyu Kun (kun), who is well-known all over the world, come here, let's get to know each other!" The censor got up and bowed deeply to the guests: "I have met Chunyuzi! Sir, I have heard about your name for a long time!" Chunyu Kun bowed his hands and saluted, raised his finger to point at his bald head, and said cheerfully, "Yes, this bald head is known to everyone in the world!" The censor had no intention of joking, and hurriedly turned to Grand Master Yan: "To the Grand Master, can I take a step to speak?" Chunyu Kun heard this, and got up quickly: "You guys tell me here, the weather is fine today, I'm going out for a walk!" When the voice fell, the person had already walked outside the door. The housekeeper followed behind, walking towards the courtyard together with Chunyu Kun.Grand Master Yan watched his expression, knowing that the matter was serious, held his breath, and looked at Yushi. "The big thing is not good!" Yu Shi said anxiously, "Wei and Qin families have come to accept the lottery, and the officials rushed to greet His Majesty, but Your Majesty——ah!" Grand Master Yan seemed to have known about accepting the lottery a long time ago, so he said leisurely: "Both Qin and Wei came to envoys to accept the lottery, what's wrong?" "They're not a lottery, they're—" Grand Master Yan waved his hand, pointing to the seat left by Chunyu Kun: "My lord, sit down and speak slowly!" The censor realized that he was too eager, so he sat down cross-legged in the guest seat, briefly stated the marriage proposals of the two countries, and took out the letters of engagement and the gift list of the two families from his sleeve: "Please look at it, Grand Master!" Grand Master Yan took it without looking at it, threw it on the table, sighed softly, and said slowly: "Oh, it was the meeting of Meng Jin who harmed His Majesty! What is the seven hundred year ceremony of King Wu's defeat of Zhou? What is the pilgrimage of the princes of the world?" Son of Heaven? Who is that Wei Fu? What is the situation in Fang today? The princes really want to be the king, why don’t they come to Luoyang? Alas, these are all clear! Listen. Your Majesty didn’t see through it! Your Majesty’s heart is not dead! Your Majesty is determined to cheer yourself up, this is all right! Since Mengjin came back, all court affairs have been abolished. How often has Your Majesty been here? This old man wanted to persuade him again, but he thought about it, alas, what can this old man do to persuade him?" As he spoke, he picked up the letter of appointment and the list of gifts again, and slowly put them into his sleeves , Shaking his head and sighing again, "Oh, these princes, lords, let them mess up the whole world, but they are still not satisfied, even the emperor is not spared!" The censor knew the grand master well, and if he started chatting, he would chatter endlessly, so he said anxiously: "Teacher, you—you're talking too far, now—what should we do now?" "It's far away, it's far away," Grand Master Yan stood up slowly, and walked towards the door tremblingly, "Oh, far away! Miss me, the princess of the heavenly kingdom, but was sent by two vassal states The doctor forcibly robbed, this-this-this-this-what is the world!" Grand Master Yan walked slowly into the courtyard, and seeing the old housekeeper walking with Chunyu Kun, he told him, "Prepare the car!" In the afternoon of this day, as usual, King Xian plunged into the imperial study room after lunch, even the nei Zai was driven out by him, he only locked the door and enjoyed a quiet time all to himself. But in fact, for King Xian, the word "Qing Jing" may not exist in the world at all.Just as Grand Master Yan said, after the Mengjin meeting, Emperor Xianwang Jibian of the Great Zhou Dynasty was really upset. Ji Bian is less than 40 years old, and as a man, he is at the age where he can do a lot.Ever since Ji Bian could remember, the world of the Zhou family was only in name.At the age of twenty-three, Ji Bian succeeded to the throne. On the day of his coronation, he solemnly swore in front of the tablets of his ancestors that he would revive the Zhou family in his lifetime. However, in the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed. Instead of showing signs of recovery, the Zhou family has gone from bad to worse under his rule. Only Lu, Wei, Cai and other countries have come to the court, and the princes of great powers have long since abandoned him. To cloud nine.A few years before he succeeded to the throne, he also intended to cheer up, but the Zhou family was only a tiny place, less than a hundred miles away, and it was not as good as Cai Guoda in Sishang.Even if this bit of soil was divided into two in the hands of his late father, he was entrusted to two uncles respectively, leaving only a small royal city for him. lonely. After more than ten years, his ambition to rise to the clouds has long been worn down to the point where there is not much left.But at this time, Wei Hou agreed that the princes and princes Meng Jinchao would be king, which really made him very happy.Who would have thought that at the Mengjin meeting, as the dignified emperor, he would become the target of Weihou's teasing! King Xian sat in a daze a few days ago, he couldn't help but think about the matter of Mengjin from the beginning again, and his heart was full of anger.The anger was overwhelming, King Xian felt very uncomfortable, he reluctantly stood up, and paced back and forth in the hall to relieve himself.While walking, King Xian accidentally caught a glimpse of a sword hanging on the wall, walked over, held it in his hand, and watched it carefully. What stands out is a line of small characters on the hilt of the sword: "I will use this sword to achieve what the previous kings have not accomplished!" King Xian clearly remembered that this line of small characters was carved by himself on the day he ascended the throne.Today, the sword is still there, and the handwriting is still there.King Xian of Zhou couldn't help crying when he saw the hurt. King Xian was feeling sad when there was a knock on the door. He hurriedly hung the sword back on the wall and sat down a few days ago.After a while, Nei Zai opened the door and came in, kowtowing to the ground: "Your Majesty Qi Zuo, Your Majesty is here to invite you!" "Oh, what's the matter?" "The two princesses have made great progress in their piano skills since learning the piano with the piano master. Your Majesty is in a sudden mood today, and specially invites the piano master to enter the palace to evaluate the princess's piano skills in the piano room, and invites His Majesty to judge!" Hearing the empress and the two princesses, King Xian's face softened, showing kindness, and nodded slightly: "Refer to empress, and say that the widow will go right away!" King Xian walked into the dressing room, finished grooming, changed into plain clothes, and went to the piano room together with Nei Zai.When the two arrived, the piano room was already full of voices. The queen had already sat down in the accompanying seat, the luthier sat in the guest seat, and a qin and a kite were placed in the center of the hall. Several eunuchs and the maids in front of the queen and princess stood In the hatchback, full of people.The two princesses sat cross-legged on the ground, their faces were reddish, apparently a little nervous. Seeing King Xian walk in, everyone in the piano room stood up and kowtowed.King Xian went to the queen, helped her up, walked to the main seat with his hand, motioned the queen to sit down in the accompanying seat, and sat down in the main seat himself, and waved his hands to tell everyone to sit down. The queen looked at King Xian with a smile, saw King Xian nodded, and turned to the luthier: "Sir, you can start!" The luthier looked cordially at the eldest princess Ji Xue.Ji Xue, who was dressed in purple gauze, nodded slightly, stood up gracefully, walked to King Xian and Queen, bowed three times each, and bowed three times to the qin master, and then walked to the qin, sat down, played the qin with both hands, and looked like Peach Blossom, looking forward with two eyes, is like a fairy descending to earth, truly a peerless beauty.A yellow golden cicada dangled in front of the just-developed chest, which added a bit of nobility to her. The hall was silent, and all eyes were on Ji Xue.Ji Xue looked at the luthier, who nodded and said, "Princess Snow, please play Yu Boya's "High Mountain"!" Ji Xue received the order, her eyes were slightly closed, her arms were raised high, her fingers were gently lowered, and the piano room was filled with the sound of the piano and the fragrance of birds and flowers.Ji Xue was noisy and confused, and she played a piece of "High Mountain" back to the end, without leaking any water. After the song was played, everyone cheered in unison.Ji Xue smiled shyly, stood up and bowed deeply to the crowd, and bowed three times in front of King Xian, Queen, and Mr. Xian, returned to her original position, and sat down cross-legged. Compared with Princess Ji Xue, the second princess Ji Yu, who was dressed in white gauze, had a different style.Without waiting for the qin master to invite, Ji Yu got up on her own, bowed a few times as Ji Xue did, strode to the zither, sat down on the ground, stretched out her immature chest slightly, and stretched out her hand to swing her chest up. A milk-colored jade cicada that swung away grabbed it, stuffed it into the bodice, stretched out its arms, and coughed several times, as if about to sing, making everyone laugh out loud.King Xian showed great love and affection, and looked at the queen, who responded with a bright smile: "Look at this child—" Again without waiting for the qin master to speak, Ji Yu slapped down her fingers, and where the zither strings sounded was Yu Boya's "Flowing Water". "High Mountain" and "Flowing Water" are extremely difficult to play.If the skills are not good, they will never dare to move their fingers, especially in front of musicians like King Xian and Queen, even if there is a slight flaw, there is no place to hide. After Ji Yu crackled, there was another burst of applause in the piano room.Ji Yu thanked her, walked up to her sister with a smile, hugged her neck and sat down. Next, the most important thing is the judgment of the emperor.King Xian, who had been listening quietly with his eyes closed, opened his eyes and looked at the piano master with a smile on his face: "Xue'er and Yu'er are great at playing the piano, sir, you deserve a lot of credit!" The luthier stood up and kowtowed: "The grass-roots thank you for your praise! The two princesses are born with natural talents, and they can understand with one click. How dare the grass-roots take credit for it?" King Zhou Xian turned his head to the queen, and the queen smiled and said, "It's been a long time since I heard the master's elegant performance, can I trouble the master to play one too?" The luthier kowtowed again: "Caomin thank you for your love! I don't know what song my lady wants to hear?" "It's what Xue'er and Yu'er just played. Mister only plays the first and last bars!" "The grass-roots are making a fool of themselves!" The luthier got up, walked to the side of the piano, closed his eyes slightly, and after a period of silence, he raised his fingers suddenly, which was really extraordinary. After the luthier finished playing, the queen nodded repeatedly, turned to Ji Xue and Ji Yu and said, "Xue'er, Yu'er, come here!" The two sisters walked slowly, snuggling on the left and right sides of the queen.The queen stroked one of her daughters with one hand, and said softly: "Have you heard, this is "High Mountain" and "Flowing Water". Playing the piano is in the heart, not in the hand." Ji Xue and Ji Yu each nodded. The Queen was about to speak, when Nei Zai walked in and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, the Grand Master is begging to see you!" "Yan Aiqing?" King Zhou Xian pondered for a while, then nodded slightly, "Announce him to see you in his study!" When King Zhou Xian returned to the imperial study, Grand Master Yan was already kneeling at the door.King Xian came over, helped him up, led him into the hall, and sat down with master and servant. Seeing the gloomy expression on the old grand master's face, King Xian knew that there was a major event in the court, and it was not a good one, so he sighed softly and asked, "Old Aiqing, tell me, what's the matter?" "Your Majesty, both the Duke of Qin and the Marquis of Wei have come to envoys, and each of them has issued a letter of engagement and a dowry gift, asking for employment from Your Majesty!" Hearing that it was Marquis Wei again, King Xian said angrily, "Ask for employment? The widow has nothing. What is he asking for?" Grand Master Yan said slowly: "Your Majesty, it's them, Duke Qin and Marquis Wei, who want to hire the Eldest Princess as the Crown Princess!" King Xian was slightly taken aback: "You mean—Xue'er?" "Exactly!" King Xian pondered for a while, but he still didn't seem to fully understand, and asked slowly, "Which family is it?" "Reporting to Your Majesty, there are two families!" King Xian's eyes widened: "Two families? You mean Marquis Wei and Duke Qin?" Grand Master Yan replied slowly: "Exactly! The envoys of the two factions issued letters of appointment and gifts, and they all asked to hire Princess Xue as the crown princess." He took out the letter of appointment and the list of gifts from his sleeve, and put them on the table "Here is their letter of appointment and gift list." Everything seemed incredible.King Xian was stunned for a moment, then he began to understand a little bit, and then he became more and more aware.King Xian stretched out his hand, and unconsciously touched the jade tube with the vermilion pen on the table. His breathing became short of breath, his chest rose and fell violently, and his body trembled slightly with the rise and fall of his chest. Grand Master Yan noticed that although King Xian tried his best to keep calm on his face, the jade tube was being squeezed tighter and tighter by him, as if it was about to be crushed by him.Grand Master Yan knew what he was thinking, so he played softly, "Your Majesty—" King Zhou Xian was taken aback, and seemed to be more conscious. He gradually loosened his grip on the jade tube, and smiled faintly at Grand Master Chaoyan: "Oh, it's a good thing that the princes are seeking employment. But—the two families are competing for employment." , the widow only has Xueer, what should I do?" Grand Master Yan pondered for a while: "It's a national matter, but also a family matter for the princes to hire the princess. Your Majesty can call the two uncles to inquire, or there may be a good idea!" King Zhou Xian nodded slightly: "Well, what Ai Qing said is true," he turned to Nei Zai, "Tell the two uncles to see you!" Nei Zai agreed and walked out the door. King Zhou Xian's two uncles are both younger brothers of Zhou Lie Wang Xi, one is the second younger brother and the other is the third younger brother. They are both uncles of King Xian in terms of seniority.Before the death of King Lie, the third younger brother was enfeoffed in Henan in the western suburbs, with a food town of thirty miles, known as the Duke of Western Zhou in history;After the death of King Lie, it was said that he was located in Ji Bian, and two Dukes of Zhou were assisted in the administration.The Zhou family was originally seventy miles away, and the two uncles each took thirty miles. The rest for King Xian was only ten miles away from Luoyang Wangcheng and its suburbs. As far as tendencies are concerned, the Duke of Western Zhou was pro-Qin, and the Duke of Eastern Zhou was pro-Wei.Therefore, after Chen Zhen and Chi Liji submitted their letters of appointment, the first thing they did was to ask the two Dukes of Zhou for help.When King Xian of Zhou summoned them, Chen Zhen and Chi Liji were still visiting, and the Duke of Eastern Zhou even drove into the king's city in Chen Zhen's chariot. King Zhou Xian arranged for the two Dukes of Zhou to have an audience at Wan'an Hall, and at the same time called Taishi Yan to participate in the decision on this important event. After being seated, under the instruction of King Zhou Xian, Grand Master Yan gave a brief introduction to the recruitment of envoys from Marquis Wei and Qin.Dukes of Eastern and Western Zhou, who had already known about Duandi, stroked their beards and looked straight at King Xian. King Xian looked back at the two uncles and said bluntly: "Both Qin and Wei sent envoys to welcome Xue'er, but there is only one Xue'er, whether she will marry Qin or Wei. I dare not preside over it, and I really want to hear it." Listen to the opinions of the two uncles." The Duke of Eastern Zhou decided to take a sip of tea, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, in Uncle Zhong's opinion, it is appropriate for Xue'er to marry the Wei family. In today's world, Wei is the strongest. The previous meeting of Mengjin, the world is for it." Shocking. If the Zhou family can marry the Wei family, they will definitely command the world!" When the Duke of Eastern Zhou came up, he immediately mentioned the meeting of Mengjin, which was a big taboo.Although King Zhou Xian didn't show it on his face, he felt chills in his heart, and turned his eyes to Duke Xi Zhou: "What do you think of Uncle Ji?" The Duke of the Western Zhou Dynasty gave the Duke of the Eastern Zhou a glance, and retorted loudly: "Your Majesty must not listen to this statement, which is harmful to the country! According to Uncle Ji, Xue'er should marry the Qin family. Qin reformed the law and reformed the country. Only by marrying with the Qin family can we ensure the millennium foundation!" The Duke of Eastern Zhou and the Duke of Western Zhou have always been at odds, and the two families often get angry over trifles. In the first few years, although they were at odds, they were able to get along on the surface. In recent years, they even lost face. Noisy when meeting.Grand Master Yan was well aware of this, and the reason why he suggested King Xian to ask the two of them was because of this.No matter what happens, as long as the two live treasures are present, an agreement can never be reached, let alone a solution.As for the current difficulty, the best solution is to have no solution, and the best solution is not to solve it. Sure enough, when the Duke of Eastern Zhou heard that the Duke of Western Zhou was contradicting, he was shocked and said: "The people of Qin are originally a country of tigers and wolves, and they have never learned the teachings of the Central Plains. The Duke of Qin is also famous for his violence. The origin of the way is different. If the Zhou family married the Qin people, wouldn't it be married to the tiger and wolf?" The Duke of Western Zhou sneered and retorted loudly: "When it comes to violence, how can the Qin family compare with the Wei family? The Wei family was originally a doctor with a foreign surname, who killed the king and committed crimes, and began to disrupt the world. The previous kings made him a lord, intending to blame him for repentance and reform. Marquis Wei didn't want to repent, but went further and further. The previous appointment with the princes of Mengjin Dynasty was false, and it was his heart to plot the world! Sure enough, within a few months before and after, Marquis Wei had already shown his original shape, calling himself king, and the king Zhou is divided into courts and courts. I should punish such a rebellious minister and traitor, how can I marry him?" The Duke of Western Zhou's eloquent speeches hit the nail on the head. The Duke of Eastern Zhou got angry for a while and took a few breaths before he found the words: "Your Majesty, the collapse of rituals and music in the world did not start with the Wei Dynasty. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, hundreds of battles have been fought. , Hundreds of countries have been destroyed, how can there be righteous words in the world? How can there be polite words? Now that people's hearts are bad, how can we blame a Wei family?" The justice of the Western Zhou Dynasty wanted to refute it, but suddenly saw King Zhou Xian stretch out his hands and slowly cover his ears.The Duke of Western Zhou was quite knowledgeable, so he gave Duke Dong a bitter look, and stopped talking.The Duke of Eastern Zhou also took a look back, and turned to King Zhou Xian again. King Zhou Xian saw that the two of them were no longer arguing, so he let go of both hands, looked up at Grand Master Yan, and said slowly: "The two uncles can't settle down, can Lao Aiqing have a solution for both?" Grand Master Yan pondered for a while, then slowly said: "The humble minister is incompetent, and there is no way to get the best of both worlds right now!" King Zhou Xian nodded his head and glanced at the ministers: "Since you lovers are arguing endlessly and can't come to a conclusion, we will discuss the matter of Xue'er later. What else do you have to say?" The three old ministers looked at each other and kowtowed together: "Resignation, my humble minister!" The three of them retreated to the door, and King Xian suddenly said, "Yan Aiqing stay!" Grand Master Yan stopped, stepped forward and kowtowed: "What orders does Your Majesty have?" Seeing that the eastern and western Dukes of Zhou had gone far away, King Zhou Xian pointed to the guest seat in front of him, and said slowly: "Old Aiqing, please sit down!" There is a good strategy, and now we can talk about it.” Grand Master Yan gave a wry smile, shook his head and said: "Your Majesty, the old minister really has no good strategy. Qin and Wei came here, it is false to invite relatives, and it is true to compete for fame. The old minister thinks that whether it is Qin or Wei, both are tigers and wolves. Zhibang, in our Great Zhou Heavenly Kingdom, no one can be offended. Since neither of them can be offended, why doesn't Your Majesty find another good son-in-law?" King Zhou Xian was confused: "Find another good son-in-law?" Grand Master Yan nodded solemnly. King Zhou Xian pondered for a while, then shook his head lightly: "Excluding Qin and Wei, there are no princes who come to invite relatives, how can I find another one?" "Madam Yan has passed away for three years, and now the mourning period has passed, and I heard that Duke Yan has not remarried. The old minister thinks that if His Majesty is in trouble, why not take advantage of the situation and marry Princess Xue to Duke Yan!" King Zhou Xian's heart sank, he closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, then raised his head to look at Grand Master Yan: "This——does Duke Yan have such intentions?" "Duke Yan and the Zhou family are originally of the same surname, and they are related by blood. If His Majesty bestows a marriage, Duke Yan will have no objection!" "No!" King Zhou Xian shook his head resolutely, "If you marry Duke Yan, how will Qin and Wei respond?" "It's not difficult!" Grand Master Yan seemed to have a plan in advance, and said slowly, "Chunyu Kun, a well-known scholar in the world, is in Zhou recently, and now he is staying at the old minister's house. If His Majesty wants this, the old minister can entrust Chunyu Zi as a matchmaker. It was rumored to the outside world that Chunyuzi also came here to accept the lottery. As for the ritual utensils needed for accepting the lottery, an old official prepared it. At the same time, the old official quickly informed Duke Yan and explained the secrets in detail. Duke Yan understands the righteousness and will definitely obey his orders!" King Zhou Xian lowered his head again, and after a while, he got up slowly and walked towards the screen with heavy weight.Just as he was hiding behind the screen, King Xian looked back at Grand Master Yan: "Temporarily let Chunyuzi move to the post house, and wait for the gift of a minister!" "The old minister obeys the order!" This day was settled, and the post houses of various countries on both sides of the Luoyang Taimiao became noisy again.The sound of gongs and drums and firecrackers.Qin and Wei embassy staff heard the sound and hurried out to watch.After a while, the crowd lit torches, and saw from a distance that the guests from the Zhou family led several carriages to the nearby legation, with the banners of "Yan", "Pin", "Chunyu" and so on. More than a dozen "Yan people" hurriedly carried the dowry gifts from the car to the building.Chunyu Kun waved his big fan, got out of the carriage slowly with the support of two servants, and staggered towards the building with his bare head held high. Chen Zhen and Chi Liji were surprised to see another family coming to invite relatives.The two looked at each other for a while, and at the same time they took a few steps forward to meet Chunyu Kun. Chen Zhen bowed first: "The envoy is Chunyu Zi, Mr. Jixia? Chen Zhen, who is born late, is being polite!" Chunyu Kun put away his fan, and bowed his hand to return the salute: "Oh, it's Chen Zhen. The old man Chunyu Kun is here to greet you!" He glanced at Chi Liji, "This is——" Chi Liji also saluted and said, "The envoy of Qin, Chi Liji, has seen Chunyuzi!" "Ailment in Chili?" Chunyu Kun bowed back, nodded and said, "Well, I heard that there is a surname of Chili among the people of Qin, and I met him today! Old man Chunyu Kun is here to greet you!" Chen Zhen raised his eyes and looked at the banner in front of the car, and said in confusion, "I heard that Chunyuzi was giving lectures in Jixia, so why—" Chunyu Kun let out a long laugh, and cut off the conversation: "Hahaha, this old man was bored in Jixia, so he wanted to come out for a walk. As the saying goes, eat people's drinks and run errands for others! Old Yan Gong had been drinking for several days, so he had to run errands for him. No, this trip is specially for Yan Gong to hire relatives!" Xi Li was startled and said, "You are hiring a relative for Duke Yan? Are you also hiring a princess?" "No, no!" Chunyu Kun shook his head again and again, "If it's a princess concubine, why does Old Yan Gong ask the old man to come forward?" Chen Zhen was also very surprised: "Mister is——" "To tell you the truth, Mrs. Yan has passed away for three years. Mr. Yan intends to get married to the Zhou family. This old man is here to fulfill this purpose!" Chi Li chuckled and said, "Duke Yan is over half a hundred years old, and his ambition is not old. May I ask Chunyuzi, this is the old Yan Gong who is hiring a relative, who is he hiring?" "Who else?" Chunyu Kun shook his bright head, "Of course it's the eldest princess of Emperor Zhou!" Chen Zhen and Chi Liji were all taken aback: "Elder Princess! But Princess Snow?" Chunyu Kun thought for a while, then patted his forehead: "That's right, that's right, I almost forgot, it's this woman!" Chen Zhen and Chi Liji were all horrified, they looked at each other in dismay: "Ji Xue? Old Yan Gong?" After a while, the two finally came back to their senses, pointing their fingers at Chun Yukun, and both of them leaned forward and back together with a smile. After leaving Yunmeng Mountain with Chaozi and his disciple Song Jian, they traveled overnight at Xiaoxing along the way, and arrived in Luoyang in less than ten days.It was the first time for Song Jian to come to the feet of the Son of Heaven, so he was very curious, his eyes rolled around, as if the houses, houses, people and things here were different from those in other places. Following Chaozi's guidance, Song Jian turned around a few streets, stopped at a relatively prosperous T-shaped intersection next to Wangcheng, and walked into a tea shop.Sui Chaozi asked for two bowls of boiling water, took out three dry buns from the bag on his shoulders, handed two to Song Jian, took one for himself, and ate with boiling water. Three merchants had already sat down in the tea shop, listening to the accent, one was from Qi, one was from Chu, and the other was from Korea.The three of them were talking nonsense while drinking tea. The person who was talking was from the state of Qi, speaking in Linzi dialect: "The Qin and Wei families hired relatives at the same time, and they were all hired by the eldest princess. Tell me, there is only one eldest princess, and the emperor of Zhou Who will be betrothed to?" The merchant from the state of Chu replied: "I heard that the Qin family hired relatives first, and the Wei family hired relatives last. The emperor should marry the Qin family according to the order of precedence!" The Korean immediately retorted: "What a pedantic opinion, the Son of Heaven is not as stupid as you! Besides, I saw with my own eyes two city gates entering at the same time yesterday, one entering the west gate and the other entering the north gate. Can you eat it right?" The people of Chu State took a sip of tea and said softly, "According to my brother's insight, who should the emperor marry the princess to?" The Korean coughed, and replied firmly, "I believe that the emperor will marry the eldest princess to the Wei family. Wei Wangxiong dominates the world, and the soldiers of the great Wei sweep the world. The emperor married the princess to the Qin family in the morning. Wei Wu will enter the king's city in a short while!" The Chu people laughed again: "My dear brother, why are you blind? The soldiers of the Great Wei Dynasty are all in Hexi to support the Qin people. Even if they want to come to question the crimes, I'm afraid they will be too far away." "Alas," the merchant from Qi State sighed, "Thinking about it, it's really hard to be the emperor for this role." The Chu people laughed and said, "My dear brother, you are just worrying and sad! Think about it, dear brother, a girl from a poor family, and two rich families competing for employment, the emperor of Zhou may be so happy from ear to ear, how can he be sad?" ?” The merchant from the State of Qi sighed again: "Oh, my dear brother, I really don't feel pain in my back when I stand and talk! Let's put it this way, compare your heart with your heart, and assume that this girl is yours. Today, two strong men come to invite a relative, one is a robber who murders and robs, One is holding a knife in the other, the other is a burglar with a gun in his hand, and you only have one daughter, marry this one, and the other will not obey, marry that, this one will not forgive, my dear friend, can you be so happy from ear to ear ?" The merchant from Chu State blushed, opened his mouth several times, but was speechless, held back for a long while, and then sighed: "Oh, I'm talking about my two brothers, let's not talk about this, let's change the topic to something lighter, I heard... ..." Song Jian thought he was very hungry, and he swallowed a dry bun in just a few mouthfuls. Gu Gu was drinking water by himself, when he suddenly saw Sui Chaozi's eyes shining, his brows trembling slightly, he put down the dry bun in his hand, and closed his eyes. Looking at it thoughtfully, it seems that I have forgotten that I am eating. Song Jian guessed that Mr. must have made up his mind.Thinking that there must be a big event in Luoyang, Song Jian immediately put down the water bowl, stared at his husband, and waited for orders. Sure enough, Sui Chaozi put the steamed buns in his hand into the bag, picked up the water bowl and drank it, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve, took out a cloth coin and put it on the table, stood up and said, "Song Jian, Let's go, let's buy you some clothes for the teacher!" The two walked to the door, but they were stopped by Xiaoer.The two stopped in their tracks, seeing Xiao Er pick up the cloth coin and chase it out: "Old man, your money!" Song Jian said in a daze, "We drank boiled water, this is water money!" Xiaoer replied: "The boiled water is free, no money!" Sui Chaozi took the cloth coin, thanked Xiao Er, turned to Song Jian and said, "You see, this is the foot of the Son of Heaven!" Song Jian nodded, followed the nest for another distance, and turned into a tailor shop.Follow the nest to pick left and right, choose a set of clothes that looks really weird, and guide the store to make further changes, and then pass it to Song Jian, asking him to try it on.Song Jian didn't know what to do, put it on in a daze, and looked left and right in the mirror, feeling very awkward.After looking up, down, left, and right with the nest, he asked the shopkeeper to change another place, and after paying for the clothes, he dragged Song Jian to the street. Song Jian was walking on the street in a strange costume, looking at Sui Chaozi blankly: "Sir, this—" Sui Chaozi looked at it again in the sun, and nodded with satisfaction: "Well, I look like a Cai!" Song Jian was not without surprise: "Cai people? Wasn't Cai Guo destroyed by Chu State long ago?" "Although Cai Guo is not here, the people of Cai are. Putting on this suit, you will be able to meet the Queen of Heaven!" Song Jian was even more confused: "Queen of Heaven?" Sui Nest nodded. "The giant wants the disciple to meet the queen, is there something important?" "Help the emperor through a big hurdle!" Song Jian's eyes widened: "Pass a big hurdle? What big hurdle is it?" Sui Chaozi took out a brocade pouch from his sleeve, handed it to Song Jian, and said with a slight smile, "Don't ask any more, you just enter the palace and present this brocade pouch to the queen!" Song Jian took the kit suspiciously, turned around and walked towards the palace. Zhou Tianzi came out of the Wan'an Hall, went back to the imperial study and sat alone for a while, the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he became.The dignified son of heaven, there is no one to discuss when encountering problems.Having two uncles is equal to having nothing, which will only add to the trouble.Although Grand Master Yan's idea is feasible, it is a bad idea.Among other things, just thinking of marrying Xue'er to Old Yan Gong made him feel uncomfortable.Alas, thinking about Grand Master Yan is also helpless.It's hard enough for the old grand master to make the Great Zhou Dynasty to the present situation. Feeling bored, King Xian naturally thought of the queen.After sitting for a while, he called Shang Nei Zai, and moved towards Jing'an Palace step by step. Hearing that the emperor had arrived, the queen and all the maids kowtowed to the ground.周显王扶起王后，对内宰、宫正及众宫女摆了摆手。众人知趣，叩首退出。 宫中只余二人时，周显王却又想不出如何开口，阴沉起脸，在厅内来回踱步。王后看出他有心事，先出声道：“陛下心神不宁，可为雪儿之事？” 显然，她已尽知内情。周显王的步子更加沉重，呼吸也粗放许多。 王后缓缓起身：“陛下，瓜熟蒂落，雪儿去岁及笄，也该出嫁了！” 周显王停住步子，面现怒容：“雪儿是该出嫁，可秦、魏哪儿是来聘亲？他们是来——是来——”越说越气，顺手抄起窗台上的玉瓶，猛然摔在砖地上。 “啪”一声脆响，玉瓶应声而碎。 玉瓶是王后的陪嫁之物，也是王后的至爱。显王陡发雷霆之怒，玉瓶于顷刻间成为一堆碎片，王后自是承受不起，心中一阵绞痛，泪水盈出。她拼力噙住，缓缓走到窗前，跪于地上，一声不响地捡拾碎片。 周显王这才意识到自己做得过了，急至王后跟前，伸出手颤抖着抱住他，不无沮丧地说：“子童你说，寡人算什么？寡人是什么！？” 王后也缓过神来，一边捡拾碎片，一边柔声说道：“陛下，您是天子，是大周天子。” 周显王凄然哂笑：“什么大周天子？大周何在？诗曰，'普天之下，莫非王土，率土之滨，莫非王臣。'可如今，王土何在？王臣何在？寡人不过是他们枪头下的缨子，剑柄上的珠子——寡人——寡人心里，窝囊啊！” 王后听得难心，缓缓放下碎玉，伸出纤手捉住显王的大手：“陛下，天下又不是只有魏、秦两家，陛下若是不称心，就为雪儿另择一家。” 显王的脑海里立即闪过颜太师的主意，轻轻摇头：“另择何人？天下公侯，弱国敢怒而不敢言，强国哪一家知道礼义廉耻？哪一家顾念周室尊荣？魏、秦不说了，楚人向来不服周，庄王时居然兴兵问鼎；赵、韩本是大夫篡政，与魏是一丘之貉；齐自桓公之后，再无君子，到田氏代姜，齐人也就不知何人了。老燕人虽说尚存正气，可燕公老迈，燕室弱而偏远，无济于事！” 王后轻声安慰：“这些事儿又不是一日两日了，陛下有志振作，亦当徐徐图之。” 显王凄然说道：“你叫寡人如何振作？先前寡人尚存一丝振作之心，孟津会上，这点心思也就随风而去了。子童呀，寡人是眼睁睁地看着先祖的基业土崩瓦解，眼睁睁啊！” 显王说得难心，泪水不由自主地顺腮流淌下来，滴落在砖地上。 一阵沉默之后，王后轻叹一声，抬头说道：“陛下，若是一时三刻寻不到合适人家，雪儿的婚事何不拖上一拖？” 周显王轻轻摇头：“若是能拖，寡人就不会如此烦心了。眼下不是嫁与不嫁之事，而是嫁也不可，不嫁也不可。嫁，不知嫁予谁家；不嫁，谁家也不会善罢甘休！寡人思来想去，左右皆是个难。适才请来两位叔公商议，两个老糊涂又各执一端，吵得寡人的耳朵生疼。唉，寡人一肚子的苦，堂堂周室，竟无一人可诉！” 王后抱过显王，将他轻轻揽在怀中，似是在安抚一个不知所措的孩子：“天底下没有过不去的坎儿，陛下万不可过于忧心，伤及龙体……至于雪儿之事，容臣妾三思，或能想出一个万全之策。” 周显王眼睛微闭，许久，抬头问道：“雪儿可知此事？” 王后点了点头：“王城谁都知道了，怎能瞒过雪儿！” 周显王长叹一声：“唉，雪儿不会知道，王城里谁也不会知道，寡人心里，多少苦啊！”说完，复叹一声，摇头起身，拖着沉重的步子走出宫门。 听着显王渐去渐远，王后一下子呆在那儿。她开始明白过来，眼下的难题，还真不是嫁与不嫁雪儿之事。 公主闺房前的水池边，碧水如镜，水中漂着一簇簇睡莲，几朵莲花盛开，又有几个打着苞儿的，将水池装点得分外娇娆。 一身英武的姬雪手拿宝剑，在池边舞剑。舞有一会儿，姬雪的动作越来越慢，似是在想心事。 慢慢地，姬雪放下宝剑，走至围栏边，半倚在栏杆上，凝视着水池中的倒影。 池水中陡然落进一粒石子，池水荡出一圈圈涟漪，将姬雪的倒影扭曲开去。姬雪回头一看，见是姬雨不知何时闪在身后，倚在一根亭柱上，歪头凝视着她：“阿姐，你这么出神，在想什么呢？” 姬雪轻叹一声：“唉，如果此生是个男儿身，该有多好？” 姬雨一声哂笑，一串话语如连珠炮一般：“男儿身？男儿身有什么好？你看看满朝文武，哪一个不是男儿身？再看看太学里的贵族少爷，哪一个不是男儿身？再往远处看，列国公侯，还有数不清的太子、世子和公子，哪一个不是男儿身？可你数数看，在这些男儿身当中，有几个是有出息的？有点才具的，脸上莫不写着虚伪，心里莫不藏着贪婪；没有才具的，不是行尸走肉，就是禽兽不如！” 姬雪抬头看一眼姬雨，摇头道：“雨儿，你总是爱钻牛角尖。如果阿姐是男儿身，我就——我就——” 姬雨学着姬雪的口吻接道：“我就重振先祖基业，恢复大周祖制，使天下万民乐业，再无征伐！” 姬雪嗔道：“你又取笑阿姐了！” 姬雨走过来，靠在姬雪肩头：“那——阿姐你说，如果你是男儿身，想做什么？” 姬雪沉思有顷，回望姬雨：“我是姐，你是妹，照理得我先问你。雨儿，如果你是男儿身，此生欲做什么？” 姬雨不假思索：“我压根儿就不想做男儿！” 姬雪奇道：“哦？雨儿不愿做男儿，那是愿做女人了？” 姬雨轻轻摇头。 姬雪惊讶了：“那——那你想做什么？” 姬雨从胸襟里掏出那只如羊脂般的乳色玉蝉儿，轻轻抚弄：“我呀，就想做一只自由自在的蝉儿，想飞就飞，想唱就唱。” 姬雪笑道：“要是人人都像妹妹，天下岂不更乱了？” 姬雨不无认真地说：“要是人人能像雨儿，天下再也不会乱了。” 姬雪又是一笑：“好好好，阿姐不与你贫嘴，阿姐问一句实心的。雨儿，依你的眼力，秦国太子和魏国太子，哪一个更有可取之处？” 姬雨扑哧一笑：“说来说去，阿姐原来不是想做男人，而是想嫁人呢！” 姬雪面色羞红，再次嗔道：“你——又来了！” 姬雨抿嘴笑道：“好好好，阿姐说的这两位太子，依雨儿之见，没有一个好东西！” 姬雪急忙辩解：“阿姐指的不是他们两个人！” 姬雨不无诧异：“那——阿姐指的又是什么？” “阿姐是想问你，秦国和魏国，从长远处看，哪一国更——更有利于重振大周？” 姬雨一下子怔了。好半晌，她才明白姬雪的心事，轻叹一声：“唉，阿姐，雨儿说句不该说的，天下早已没有大周了。你看看父王，你看看父王身边的哀哀诸公，你再看看列国诸侯……” 姬雪的脸色转阴，泪水缓缓流出，似是自语，又似是说予姬雨：“天下大势，阿姐早就看清楚了。可阿姐不甘心，阿姐相信大周仍有希望！这个希望哪怕只有一点点儿，阿姐也要奔着它去。雨儿，近几日来，阿姐反复思量，魏国貌似强大，可失道寡助，定不久长。秦人虽说荒蛮，却有后发之力。阿姐若能成为秦国的太子妃，有朝一日太子当政，阿姐或可影响未来秦公，大则重振大周，小则为父王分忧！” 姬雨的泪水夺眶而出：“阿姐——” 姬雪轻叹一声：“唉，阿姐的这份心思，却又说与谁知？” 姬雨抹去泪水：“阿姐放心，雨儿这就告知母后去！” 惊诧的姬雪不及拦阻，姬雨已是飞奔而去。姬雨一气跑至靖安宫，正欲进门，远远看到一名军尉领着衣装怪异的宋趼快步走来。 姬雨的好奇心陡起，隐于一棵树后，待他们走近，斜刺里冲出，拦住军尉，指着宋趼道：“请问军尉，他是何人？” 军尉冷不丁吃此一惊，退后两步，见是二公主，赶忙拱手：“回二公主的话，此人是从蔡国来的，说有要事，求见娘娘。” 姬雨将宋趼上下打量一番，点头道：“嗯，是蔡人衣装！”转对军尉，“你们在此候着，我去禀报娘娘。” 姬雨走进宫里，见王后独自跪在窗前，正在一动不动地注视着什么。宫正和两个宫女各垂脑袋，不吱一声，远远候在一侧。 姬雨快步走到王后身后，见王后全神贯注凝视着的，正是那只被显王摔碎了的玉瓶。 姬雨轻声叫道：“母后！” 王后正自冥思，见是姬雨，指着旁边的砖地：“雨儿，坐吧。” 姬雨两腿一弯，在王后旁边跪下。 王后手指玉瓶：“雨儿，母后问你，可有物什将玉瓶胶合起来？” 姬雨的眼睛望向玉瓶。所有碎块都被王后找到并拼接在原位，上面的道道裂痕醒目地显出，它们只是被暂时拼装在一起，稍一震动，就会再次成为一堆碎片。 姬雨深知玉瓶对母后的意义，轻声问道：“母后，它——它怎么碎的？” “唉，”王后轻叹一声，“怎么碎的不重要了，雨儿，母后问你，可有物什将它们胶合起来？” 姬雨沉思有顷，摇了摇头。王后的泪水夺眶而出，缓缓站起。 姬雨陡然明白过来，王后所指并不是碎了的玉瓶。玉瓶代表王权，是象征，王后的伤感不在玉瓶，而在玉瓶之外的东西。 姬雨心里一动，跟着站起来，缓缓说道：“母后，雨儿——雨儿有话要说！” 王后顿住步子，回头望着姬雨。 “这些碎片，阿姐或有办法粘合，母后可否让她试试？” “是吗？”王后思忖有顷，“她有胶？” 姬雨点了点头：“方才，雨儿听阿姐说，她能寻到胶！” “哪儿寻去？” “秦国！阿姐愿去秦国，阿姐说，那儿或有胶，可粘此瓶！” 王后又是一番沉思，回头再看一眼玉瓶，轻叹道：“唉，算了吧。碎了就是碎了，胶起来，它也是碎了。” “可阿姐——”姬雨急了。 “雨儿，”王后显得甚是疲惫，“要是没有别的事儿，母后要休息一会儿。” 姬雨点了点头，正欲出门，忽又想起门外之事，回身禀道：“母后，方才雨儿看到军尉引领一人，说是求见母后。” “哦？”王后略感惊异，“他是何人？” “说是打蔡地来的，一身蔡服，想是——”姬雨顿住话头。 王后思忖有顷，吩咐宫女悬下珠帘，端坐于几前，对宫正道：“宣蔡人觐见！” 宫正走至门外，朗声唱道：“娘娘有旨，宣蔡人觐见！” 宋趼走进，隔珠帘叩道：“草民叩见天国娘娘，祝娘娘千岁，千岁，千千岁！” 王后缓缓说道：“观你衣饰，似是蔡人。听你言语，却非蔡人！请问高士何人？” 宋趼再拜道：“娘娘圣明！草民确非蔡人，这身衣饰是家师特为草民缝制的，说是这样可以觐见娘娘。” 王后略吃一惊，再次发问：“你家先生所为何事？” “家师要草民捎书一封，呈送娘娘御览。”宋趼说完，从袖中掏出随巢子的锦囊，宫正接过，掀起珠帘，进去递予王后。 王后拆开一看，急急问道：“你家先生现在何处？” “家师昨日尚在王城，今日不知去向。” “你家先生尊姓大名？” “家师嘱咐草民转奏娘娘，家师是乡野一叟，娘娘不必记挂。” 王后沉思有顷，微微点头，转对宫正：“赏高士金五十、绸缎十匹。” 宋趼赶忙拜谢：“草民谢娘娘恩赐！草民恳请娘娘收回成命，没有家师嘱托，草民不敢受礼。娘娘万安，草民告退。”接着再拜三拜，缓缓退出。 王后转对姬雨：“雨儿，送送这位先生。” 姬雨答应一声，追出门外。 看到姬雨走远，王后再次打开宋趼捎来的锦囊，细读几行偈语：“欲过此关，可服赤丹；昏睡半月，续服青玄；欲除病根，鬼谷求仙。” 王后思忖有顷，闭目祈祷一阵，焚去书信，取出一小块羊皮，咬破手指，将血挤入砚里，伏案草成血书一封。书毕，端详一阵，寻到一个锦囊，将羊皮卷起来，塞进锦囊，仔细缝好，轻声叫道：“来人！” 宫正趋进：“娘娘有何吩咐？” 王后指了指案上的锦囊：“你马上动身，去云梦山一趟，务必寻到鬼谷，将此锦囊转呈谷中一位白眉仙人。” “白眉仙人？他可有名号？” “仙人长居鬼谷，自号鬼谷子！去吧，快去快回，不可张扬！” 宫正拿起锦囊，纳入袖中：“老奴遵旨！” 宫正走后，王后闷坐有顷，从随巢子的锦囊里倒出两粒药丸，一粒赤丹，一粒青玄，拿过丹丸，以温水服下，将另外一粒收藏起来。 王后服毕，端坐几前，微闭双目。不多一时，药力发作，王后大叫一声，倒在地上。众宫女听到声响，疾步进来，陡见王后口吐白沫，昏迷不醒，顿时惊叫起来。 一时间，后宫大乱。 王后突患怪病，宫中御医尽皆不能诊治。 此事迅速传至馆驿，魏国副使匆匆走进陈轸院落，急禀陈轸：“禀报上卿，周王后突患紧病，冷热无常，昏睡不醒，周室正在全力救治。颜太