Han Dang is stronger

Chapter 514 A Kindness

According to Zhao Xie's order, Zhao et al., Zhao Han and other cronies went to the side hall to continue discussing how to raise troops to rebel the next day. Only the eunuch Ling Xu Xiang was left in the back hall to accompany Zhao Xie to meet Shaoping. After a while, Shi Shaoping, the censor of Handan County directly appointed by the Han court, was led into the apse by Zhao Palace guards and brought before Zhao Xie.

As reported by Xiao Huangmen, Shao Ping was indeed wearing plain clothes and white shoes and filial piety. When he saw Zhao Xie, he would bow down and cry in front of Zhao Xie. Zhao Xie, who had a personal relationship with Shao Ping, did not. Dare to be negligent, hurriedly got up and came to help Shao Ping personally, and said kindly: "Shao Yushi doesn't need to be so polite, please hurry up, I don't know why Shao Yushi dresses up like this, could it be that some relative died at home?"

"Thank you, Your Majesty." The elegant Shao Ping wiped away his tears, and said in tears, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but your Majesty misunderstood, and no one in your family has died."

"Then why did Shao Yushi dress up like this?" Zhao Xie was a little confused, and then misunderstood again, saying: "Could it be that Shao Yushi's relatives, friends and elders died, so he dressed like this?"

"No." Shao Ping shook his head again, crying and said: "Your Majesty still misunderstood. It's not that any relatives, friends or elders of this subject have died. It's because a close friend of this subject is about to die soon. This subject is sad, so I wear it." Now that it’s done, I’m going to pay tribute to my friend in advance.”

"Mourning for a friend in advance?" Zhao Xie was dumbfounded, and said to himself that it's good to have a friend like you. Before he died, you had already dressed him like this to mourn for him in advance. Wishing that your friend would die sooner?Are you still ready to play some small money at your friend's mourning hall?
Out of courtesy and curiosity, Zhao Xie asked Shao Ping again: "I didn't expect Shao Yushi to value friendship so much. I don't know the name of your friend who is about to pass away, Shao Yushi? Where does he live? Do you want to be widowed?" Give Shao Yushi a few days off, let Shao Yushi visit his home?"

"Don't bother your majesty to grant leave." Shao Ping cried even more sadly, wailing and said: "I have already seen this friend who is about to pass away, my majesty, please take care of yourself, and you will be under the Nine Springs soon, please Your Majesty must bring a good one for the ancestors of the Zhao Kingdom. Please rest assured, Your Majesty, that every year when your death day comes, your servants will definitely set up a coffin at home and offer wine and meat to your Majesty, and you will never forget it..."

Before Shao Ping finished speaking, Zhao Xie was of course completely dizzy, but Xu Xiang next to him was furious and couldn't help but roared: "Shut up! Shao Ping, you are so brave, you actually Dare to curse that our king is about to pass away?"

"Eunuch Xu, isn't that the case?" Shao Ping cried and retorted, "Your Majesty is already terminally ill, there is no cure, and he will die soon, and he is doomed to die without a place to bury him. Your Majesty Meng Don't give up, being treated as a friend by the king, heart hurts, and coming early to mourn the king, how can it be regarded as a curse?"

Unexpectedly, Shao Ping would answer so directly and confidently. Xu Xiang couldn't help being a little dumbfounded. He couldn't think of anything to refute Shao Ping for a while. Zhao Xie, who had recovered, was angry and confused, and said angrily: "Shut up!" Don’t think that you, Shao Ping, are an official appointed by the imperial court, so you can speak wildly in front of the widow! The widow asks you, what disease is the widow already terminally ill? How can there be no cure?”

"My lord, it seems that your illness is more serious than I expected!" Shao Ping cried even more when he heard this, beating his chest exaggeratedly and said: "My lord, you have a disease of stupidity! Your lord, you are so stupid, so stupid!" When it comes time to seek your own death, bring your own death, and implicate your whole family to accompany you to death, it is completely hopeless!"

"Shut up!" Zhao Xie's anger could no longer be tolerated, he pushed Shao Ping to a stagger, and roared: "Come on, let me take down this crazy man!"

The guards in the hall sang promises, and immediately rushed forward to arrest him, but Shao Ping said loudly without fear, "Wait a minute! If you dare to ask your majesty, why did you ask the guards to take you down because I came here to pay tribute to you?"

"You curse the widow, why can't the widow take you?" Zhao Xie asked angrily.

"How did I curse you, Your Majesty?" Shao Ping asked with a strange expression, "Are you not confused, Your Majesty? If you are not confused, Your Majesty, why did you seek your own death for no reason and replace Li Junzun, the governor of Handan who has worked so hard? And why do you have to hold meetings one after another in the palace to gather your cronies to discuss important matters?"

Before Shao Ping finished speaking, Zhao Xie's expression changed drastically, and he blurted out and asked, "How did you know?"

"If you don't want others to know, you have to do nothing about it." Shao Ping replied very directly, "Your Majesty, you have summoned your cronies in the harem for two consecutive days to discuss important matters secretly. Not only your subordinates know this, but many people also know it. It also includes Xia Xiangguo and Li Junzun who has just been taken away by you, Your Majesty."

Zhao Xie's complexion changed even more, and he couldn't help but secretly glanced at Xu Xiang on the other side, seeing that Xu Xiang's face was ashen and sweating profusely, Zhao Xie inevitably became more flustered, and hurriedly said: "So what? The widow is the King of Zhao, and it is only right and proper to summon his ministers to discuss state affairs. What’s wrong? Also, Handan County is our land in Zhao State, so whoever I want to be the governor of Handan is my freedom, who can interfere?”

"Your Majesty, don't you think that there are not enough people who have falsely accused you of planning to rebel?" Shao Ping asked calmly, and then asked, "Your Majesty, do you know how many people have secretly reported to the court in the past few years, falsely accusing you of plotting rebellion and preparing to rebel against the court?" ?”

"There is such a thing? Why don't the widows know? Why did they do this?" Zhao Xie asked in shock.

"You don't know, Your Majesty, that's because they are indeed false accusations. Our Emperor is wise and wise, and he doesn't want to add crimes to you, Your Majesty, so he didn't say anything, and he didn't let you know."

Shao Ping answered very directly, and then said: "As for why those shameless villains did this, there are many reasons. Some of them randomly speculate on the thoughts of the emperor and the court, thinking that his majesty intends to cut off the king with a different surname, in order to ask for credit and reward, and to please the emperor's promotion. To make a fortune, so I intentionally fabricate crimes to falsely accuse you, Your Majesty. There are also some who have enmity with you, Your Majesty, and want to take private revenge; , framing out of thin air, harming others and benefiting oneself. In short, if it were not for the benevolence and generosity of our emperor, the court would have had countless excuses to take you down."

Speaking of this, Shao Ping smiled wryly again, and said: "It's ridiculous that you don't know anything about these situations, you don't know how to restrain your edge, and decide to get out early. Holding real power, even taking control of military power, giving people a handle, actively provoking the suspicion of the emperor and the court, that's why the ministers said today that your ignorant disease is terminally ill, and there is no cure, and you will be decapitated in a short time. Follow the mistakes of Linjiang Wang Yingbu."

Zhao Xie's face became even paler, and he said after a while, "Just because the widow replaced Li Yuan, Your Majesty is going to kill me?"

"My lord, if you are in the position of His Majesty the Emperor, do you think the Emperor will kill you?" Shao Ping asked back, and then said: "Your Majesty, your throne was won by Zhang Er and Chen Yu, not our Emperor. Feng, the relationship with the emperor is unfamiliar, and he did not make any contribution during the Chu-Han War. His Majesty the Emperor allowed you to continue to be the King of Zhao. The sheriff, taking over the power, at the same time convened the cronies to discuss important matters one after another. If you were in the position of the emperor and heard the news, would you dare to sleep with peace of mind? Would you give birth to the idea of ​​"strike first and be strong once and for all"? Thinking about it?"

When Shao Ping asked a question, Zhao Xie's face turned pale, and when Shao Ping finished asking, Zhao Xie's face became even paler than that of white silk. Shao Ping observed Zhao Xie's fear to the extreme, and said again: " Your Majesty, don’t think that the mountains are high and the emperor is far away. You can do whatever you want in Handan. It’s true that you are King Zhao, and it’s true that you have the support of many Zhao clans. But don’t forget that Zhang Er and Chen Yu are in power. During this period, you, the king of Zhao, were like a puppet, with almost no real power. After the imperial army defeated the giant deer, they returned a lot of power to you, but the military power has always been controlled by Zhao Xiangxia. People from Xiangguo are people from the imperial court, if you dare to make any moves, I am afraid that Zhao Guo’s army will take you directly without the imperial court’s action!"

Of course what Shao Ping said was the truth, and because of this, Zhao Xie was sweating profusely and his heart trembled when he heard it. He whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty, don't listen to this idiot's nonsense. At least the palace guards are still under our control. If we attack suddenly, we may not have a chance of winning! Moreover, Julu is only more than 100 miles away from Handan. You have been operating there for many years, it is really impossible , we can immediately withdraw to Julu and join Zhao Junzun."

As if hearing Xu Xiang's whisper, Shao Ping in the distance suddenly spoke again, and said, "Your Majesty, if you want to struggle to the death, I can assure you that it will be absolutely useless. Xia Xiangguo deliberately asked for leave today and did not enter the palace to attend the court meeting. It is already ironclad proof that all the garrisons outside Handan City are controlled by him, as long as he gives an order, the troops outside the city can immediately enter the city and take over the city defense."

"Also." Shao Ping added: "Even if you have a good foundation in Julu and escaped outside the city by chance, it is destined to be difficult to get to Julu to meet Zhao Hui and Junzun Zhao. Because you don't want to Forget, between Julu and Handan, there is also a Quliang stationed with troops, and the army there is also controlled by Xia Xiang. Since Xia Xiangguo has already taken precautions, how could he forget not to give Quliang Say hello to the garrison?"

Now even Xu Xiang, who was the most stubborn, had nothing to say, and Shao Ping said again: "Your Majesty, I have the courage to remind you as a friend. The royal family is not monolithic either. After Zhao Wuling, the ancestor of the Zhao Kingdom, gave the throne to Zhao Huiwang, because of the power struggle between father and son, son Cheng beheaded his elder brother son Zhang, surrounded the palace in the dunes, and brought Zhao Wang Wuling alive under the secret instruction of Zhao Huiwang. Starved to death, father and son fratricide each other, if you dare to make any changes, my lord, or if you are greedy for glory and wealth, or for your life, there may not be people in the Zhao family who will follow the example of son Cheng and Zhao Huiwang son He Dayi to kill relatives, Yin Jian It's not far away, and I hope the king will never forget it."

Recalling the hesitant attitude of several of his cronies when they decided to start an incident, and the beautiful things that his ancestors did before, Zhao Xie, who had already made up his mind, was shaken again, and couldn't help but slowly walked back to his throne Sitting down slowly, he tremblingly said after a long time: "So, the widow must die? At this time, even if the widow makes Li Junzun the governor of Handan again, the emperor and the court will not tolerate the widow anymore?"

"Of course I can't tolerate it." Shao Ping shattered Zhao Xie's last hope with one sentence, and said, "My lord, just stand in the position of the emperor and think about it, will you still tolerate someone who has already given birth to rebellion?" You yourself? Also, there is no impenetrable wall in the world, the matter that you discussed in secret these days, my lord, no matter how you kill people to silence it, I am afraid that sooner or later it will reach the ears of the emperor."

Zhao Xie's face was completely pale, and Xu Xiang who was beside him hurriedly stepped forward two steps, wanting to take this opportunity to encourage Zhao Xie to fight to the death, but he didn't think about Shao Ping, but rushed to say: "But, if the king wants to survive, he wants to To keep the glory and wealth, of course, there is no way. I am grateful for the kindness of the king, and this time I went to the palace to pay homage, and I brought you something that can save your life, the king."

"What?" Zhao Xie raised his head subconsciously.

Shao Ping didn't answer, but just stretched his hand into his bosom, and took out a slip of slips from his bosom. Seeing this, Zhao Xie was anxious, and pushed away Xu Xiang who was about to go forward to take the slips for him, and rushed directly in front of Shao Ping. After receiving the slips, Zhao Xie was dumbfounded when he unfolded the slips for a closer look. It turned out that the slips were actually a family of people from the state of Zhao who accused Zhao Xie's only son, Zhao Jia, of indulging the diners and killing their family members. instruments.

"Shao Yushi, how can this thing save the life of the widow?" Zhao Xie asked strangely: "The son of the widow indulged the disciples, killed the false assistant of the Si Kou official temple who corrected their wrongdoing, and then relied on the power of the widow to give Si Kou a slap in the face afterwards." Suppression, forcing Si Kou Guansi not to pursue this matter, this is adding to the crime of the widow, how can the life of the widow be saved?"

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will definitely be able to save you." Shao Ping replied in a deep voice: "At tomorrow's court meeting, Your Majesty, you only need to make this slip public, take down your crown prince for questioning, and then present it to the court. Please take the initiative to ask His Majesty the Emperor to punish your son for being lax and to abolish your princely title, so that your subordinates can guarantee that you will escape alive and keep your glory and wealth, so that you can enjoy it endlessly for generations to come!"

"What do you mean?" Zhao Xie finally understood what Shao Ping meant, and said, "Let the widow exchange the king's title in exchange for the emperor and the imperial court's extrajudicial favor to the widow without capital punishment?"

Shao Ping nodded calmly, and Xu Xiang, who had to rely on Zhao Xie to enjoy the glory and wealth, became anxious when he heard that, and hurriedly bowed down to Zhao Xie, and said repeatedly: "My lord, you must not do this! You must not do this! Your lord You are the queen of Zhao's royal family, and your ancestor's country is not easy to come by. Your Majesty, don't listen to the shameless words of this despicable villain, and give up Zhao's country!"

"My lord, forgive me for speaking bluntly, the state of Zhao is indeed hard-won, but are you qualified to sit in this state?"

Shao Ping didn't bother to argue with Xu Xiang, so he just said directly to Zhao Xie: "You must be very clear about yourself, the king, Zhang Er and Chen Yu. The banner bought the hearts of Zhao Guo, and I didn’t really respect you as a king at all. Later, the two traitors were arrested, and it was the imperial army who contributed money and effort. During your stay, you not only did not make any achievements, but also sat back and watched the traitors repeat themselves several times Impermanence, betraying the emperor and falling to Western Chu, how can the people of Zhao State sincerely support you as king in Zhao State? How can your meritorious deeds and reputation be worthy of the title of King Zhao? Since virtue is not worthy, It might as well hand it over by yourself."

"Shut up! You lackey sent by the court! Shut up your mouth! Come on! Come on! Take this bastard down! Take it down!"

Xu Xiang couldn't take it anymore, and yelled loudly to force the guards on the hall to take Shao Ping down, but because Zhao Xie didn't speak, the guards on the hall didn't dare to take any action, they just looked at Zhao Xie who was hesitant and waited for his order.Shao Ping also knew that Zhao Xie was at war with heaven and man at the moment, so he said again: "My lord, there is still time to rein in the precipice, life or death is already in your mind, this is all I have to say, please make a decision. If you If you are really determined to fight to the death, please take this minister down now. I have already made up my mind not to go back. If you are willing to rein in the precipice, please make this slip public at the court meeting tomorrow, and then Take the initiative to ask the court to abolish your prince. I estimate that with the generosity and kindness of our emperor, at the very least, he will leave you a Marquis and a few county towns, so that you can spend your life happily."

"Graceful and merciful?" Zhao Xie laughed outright, and said, "It is indeed magnanimous and merciful. Otherwise, why would His Majesty try to put you next to the widow? Waiting for this opportunity to say these words to the widow?"

"If the emperor is not generous and benevolent, how can he let the ministers come to your side?" Shao Ping replied more directly, saying: "This is the retreat route that the emperor kindly arranged for you, my king. As for your majesty, would you like it?" Taking this path depends on whether you are willing to accept the kindness of His Majesty the Emperor."

Zhao Xie lowered his head with a gray face, and after a while he said weakly: "You go back first, let the widow think about it overnight, and make a decision tomorrow."

Shao Ping clapped his hands and agreed, but Xu Xiang next to him became anxious, and hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you can't let this bastard go. As long as he leaves the palace, just leak what he just said, and some people will make preparations in advance!"

"If you don't let him go, some people won't make preparations in advance?" Zhao Xie smiled bitterly, then waved his hand weakly to Shaoping, and said, "Go, no matter what the future holds, I will lead you!" Thank you for your kindness.”

Shao saluted, and then went straight out of the apse without looking back, leaving Zhao Xie in the apse with a pale face in silence, and Xu Xiang prostrated at Zhao Xie's feet, crying loudly, desperately begging Zhao Xie not to take the initiative Surrender the throne.Unknowingly, Zhao et al., Zhao Han and several other cronies also returned to the apse together, all with their heads down, with different expressions, without saying a word.

"Did you all hear it?"

Zhao Xie asked, seeing several cronies nodding together, Zhao Xie asked again: "Then what do you think the widow should do?"

Those who answered Zhao Xie were a few confidants who were silent for a long time. Zhao Xie was even more desperate when he saw it, so he said: "Then you all go back and rest, let the widow think carefully, and the widow must also think carefully."

(End of this chapter)