Upon learning of Yin Fan's arrival, the chief eunuch Zhao Yan, who was resting in his house in the city, rode his horse immediately to meet Yin Fan at the foot of the city wall.
"Hahaha, Shuping, how are you?" Zhao Yan's face was full of joy. After getting off the horse, he flicked his sleeves and strode over:
"It's been three months. It's been three months." Zhao Yan came closer and looked Yin Fan up and down. "I thought Shuping would stay in Wu for a few more years, but I didn't expect him to come back in March. Is he here to persuade Sun Quan to surrender?"
Yin Fan bowed, his face showing joy that he could not hide: "Didn't Wu send Zheng Zhi just now? He went back and told me General Niu's excuse. I explained it for Sun Quan, and he was able to come again."
"Okay, okay." Zhao Yan patted Yin Fan's shoulder, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes as if he was looking at his own nephew.
Niu Jin, who was standing by, asked anxiously, "Did Shuping gain anything in the three months he was in Wu?"
Yin Fan thought for a moment and said, "I will write down a brief account of the military intelligence I have gathered, and I would like to ask Lord Zhao and General Niu to be my witnesses."
"Okay." Zhao Yan nodded.
"I'll send someone to get the seal," Niu Jin said, "Shu Ping will write first!"
As Yin Fan wrote quickly, Zhao Yan looked at him with increasing admiration. He had just returned to Wei City, but he was still so cautious and prudent, not spouting out everything he knew. He was a man who could accomplish great things.
The soldier who took the seal for Niu Jin ran back quickly, and Yin Fan also put down the ink pen in his hand. On the paper, Yin Fan divided the official system, military system, military situation, and usurping the throne into four categories, and listed them in detail, but did not write the specific details and names.
Zhao Yan took the paper and looked at it for a moment, then took out the seal from his bosom and carefully stamped it. Seeing Zhao Yan stamping the seal, Niu Jin also came over and pressed it under Zhao Yan's seal.
Zhao Yan and Niu Jin, one is a governor of the Wei Dynasty, and the other is a veteran general who has been in the army for a long time. The information on Yin Fan's paper is too important. Even if they are in person, they may not be high enough to know all the information.
This kind of thing should be sent to the Luoyang court, to the West Pavilion and the East Pavilion for handling.
Zhao Yan was a man of understanding. Seeing that Yin Fan did not speak up, he did not ask about official positions, military system, etc. Instead, he asked:
"Shu Ping, is Sun Quan really going to become emperor?"
Yin Fan pursed his lips in a helpless manner: "Mr. Zhao is right. If we had not taken advantage of the overflow of the Han River to send troops to Xiangyang, today would have been the day Sun Quan had originally planned to proclaim himself emperor. When I was in Wuchang before, Jiang Gongyan of Shu came to Wuchang as an envoy and said that Liu Chan of Shu was willing to share the world with Sun Quan and form an eternal alliance."
"These thieves!" Niu Jin was furious when he heard Yin Fan's words, and swung his scabbard to chop at the city wall: "The country has not been unified yet. We have been fighting for more than 20 years, all because of the separatist rebellion of the Sun and Liu thieves!"
"If it weren't for these people, the world would have been peaceful long ago! Why would we have to work so hard?"
"Wait a minute, don't we need to repair the broken city wall?" Zhao Yan glanced at Niu Jin, and then asked Yin Fan, "Let's not talk about Sun Quan's attempt to usurp the throne, how many troops does the Wu army have this time?"
"Seventy thousand." Yin Fan bowed and recounted in detail the military situation he knew.
Zhao Yan sighed, "This is a troubled time! Your Majesty just won a great victory in Liaodong, and Sun Quan invaded Xiangyang again. This year, there was a severe drought in Guanzhong and Hedong, and there were floods in Yuzhou, Jingzhou, and Sili. How come it happened all in one year? It's really going to be hard."
Yin Fan looked at Zhao Yan, who was frowning and stroking his beard, and added, "Jiang Gongyan has already returned to Yizhou from Wuchang in advance, and Zhuge Liang of Shu will also send troops north to respond to Sun Quan."
Zhao Yan was stunned for a moment, then shook his head.
Niu Jin asked a crucial question at this moment: "Uncle Cai has made such a great contribution to the country, what should we do now? Should we stay in the city, or go back to Sun Quan's place under the city?"
Yin Fan bowed and said, "I have returned to the city of Wei. I have learned everything I should know. What is the point of returning to Sun Quan's side?"
Niu Jin nodded and said, "Very good, very good. Let Sun Quan get angry outside the city. Shu Ping will be safe once he enters the city."
Yin Fan laughed and said, "If I never come back, Sun Quan will be furious. In the future, the people of Wei will pretend to surrender and investigate the military situation of Wu. This way will be over."
"I have a plan, please help me, General Niu."
Niu Jin nodded and said with emotion: "Shu Ping is 22 years old and so wise. He may be one of the Three Dukes in the future. Please tell me how to help me. I hope that Shu Ping can help our younger generation in the future."
Yin Fan just smiled and bowed without saying anything more. Zhao Yan on the side started to scold him: "You are a military general who made friends with court officials. Do you think I didn't see it? If Shu Ping asked you to help, you should help."
Niu Jin was not angry and just smiled at Zhao Yan.
Yin Fan said, "Please ask General Niu to choose a man of similar stature to me, put on my clothes and serve me, let his hair down, put a few arrows on his body, sprinkle some blood on him, and pretend to be hanged on the top of the city wall."
"It will also prevent Sun Quan from getting too angry. If he attacks the city hastily in a rage, that would be bad."
Niu Jin nodded: "This is easy, Shu Ping, wait a moment."
Zhao Yan said: "If Shuping 'dies' in Xiangyang, Sun Quan will only be angry. If he knew that Shuping had returned to Wei with military intelligence, I am afraid that for the sake of face, he would rush to attack the city at all costs. How the war will go by then is beyond our knowledge." "That's exactly what I mean." Yin Fan smiled and nodded: "Although Sun Quan was friendly to me, he is a traitor to the country. I am doing this only for national affairs. I cannot coexist with him. It is definitely not for personal reasons."
"Don't worry Shuping, I know the pros and cons, just do it this way."
"Thank you, Lord Zhao." Yin Fan bowed.
After a long time, Sun Quan, who was resting with his eyes closed in the cabin of the ship, was startled by the sound of footsteps on the wooden floor outside. After opening his eyes, Hu Zong walked in anxiously:
"Your Majesty, something happened in Xiangyang." Hu Zong said softly.
"What's the matter?"
"Yin Shuping is dead. He was hanged on the top of Xiangyang City by the Wei army, with several arrows piercing his chest." Hu Zong took out a piece of silk from his sleeve and said with a look of pity: "This is a letter shot by the Wei army from the top of the city with a powerful crossbow. Your Majesty, please take a look."
Sun Quan took the bloody silk in a daze, and wanted to start reading but stopped. After a long while, he pressed it back into Hu Zong's hand:
"This is the blood of a loyal minister. I cannot bear to look at it. Please tell me about it, Wei Ze."
Hu Zong sighed softly, "Niu Jin said Zheng Zhi persuaded Chen to surrender and explained the Mandate of Heaven, and he accepted it. But the Supreme Lord sent a Wei man into the city to persuade him to surrender. His words were full of sarcasm and ridicule, which made him unbearable, so he shot him to death with a bow and arrow."
Hu Zong paused: "He also said that people who grew up in Qi would not steal, but would steal when they entered Chu..."
"Enough!" Sun Quan stood up suddenly. "Niu Jin, a warrior, is also using literary skills in front of me. Killing my envoy is too much of an insult to me. I swear to kill this beast!"
Niu Jinxu would not use so many words. This letter was written by Zhao Yan.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, when Yan Zi, the prime minister of Qi, was on a mission to Chu, the king of Chu ordered a minor official to bring a criminal from Qi to Yan Zi in order to humiliate him. After Yan Zi said the famous sentence "Oranges grown in the south of the Huai River are oranges, while those grown in the north of the Huai River are bitter oranges", he said the sentence in Niu Jin's letter.
But the State of Wu was located in the territory of Chu, and Yin Fan was born in Beihai County, which was the territory of Qi!
Hu Zong was a little hesitant, not understanding what Sun Quan meant: "Your Majesty, should we send more troops outside Xiangyang? I'm afraid that General Zuo's troops are not strong enough to attack the city."
"Don't attack Xiangyang, but attack Fancheng!" Sun Quan said coldly, "Although I am angry, I still know the priorities. Xiangyang is cut off by the Han River and is of no importance. The opportunity for battle lies in the north, not in the south."
"Yes." Hu Zong nodded and responded.
"Oh, there is one more thing that Wei Ze can do for me." Sun Quan narrowed his eyes as he stood on the ship, looking towards the top of Xiangyang City. "Recruit a brave man from the army, and exchange him for Shu Ping's body with a hundred pieces of silk and a thousand gold coins. Go quickly!"
"Yes, sir." Hu Zong replied, feeling desolate as he left.
……
Luoyang, Changle Palace.
In the absence of the emperor, Empress Dowager Guo was the largest palace in the entire Luoyang North Palace. The sisters Cai Zhaoji and Cai Zhenji, who lived in Luoyang, also accepted the invitation of the Empress Dowager to attend the banquet in the palace.
Officials have their own circles, and women have their own circles. If a woman in a family can get along with the queen mother, she will be looked up to in Luoyang.
However, Zhaoji and Zhenji did not have to consider these things at all. Cai Zhaoji was already fifty-six, and her husbands had died three times. She lived in her sister's house in Luozhong. Zhenji was also in her early fifties, and her husband, Yang Xin, the governor of Shangdang, was also in Bingzhou, so there was no one to supervise her family.
They are all people who come at any time.
Feng Yuan sat on a small chair in the hall, playing the Hujia with great concentration. After the song was finished, Cai Zhaoji also gave some instructions:
"When playing the Eighteen Beats with a Hujia and a Guqin, the techniques and syllables are different. Guqin plays with the main tune of Zheng, but the Hujia has a different timbre, and there are a few places where the modified Zheng tone can be used..."
Watching Cai Zhaoji instructing Feng Yuan on her skills, Queen Mother Guo smiled and said to Zhenji, "Lord Cai is very good at music, and his family has a long tradition of learning it. Zhaoji has also become a master of music. By the way, I remember that you also have a daughter in your family. Has she ever learned music?"
Cai Zhenji smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Queen Mother. My daughter Hui Yusu is not good at music, but she prefers reading. She reads the Five Classics, poetry, and miscellaneous books. If she were a boy, she should be sent to the Imperial College to learn well."
Empress Dowager Guo nodded and said, "The Imperial Academy is for men only. After all, women cannot become officials after studying. They are good for supporting their husbands and raising children, but they are not very useful outside the home."
"Since you are so good at studying, has your family prepared a marriage for Huiyu?"
Cai Zhenji shook her head and said, "We haven't prepared the engagement yet. Her father is not in Luoyang, but in Shangdang, Bingzhou, and it's not easy for a woman like me to arrange it for her. Besides, no one has come to propose marriage, so let's put it aside for now."
"But you are still young, there is no rush."
Queen Mother Guo looked at Cai Zhenji with a smile: "Since there is no engagement, I do have an idea. How about letting your Hui Yu enter the palace? I am selecting a concubine for the emperor." (End of this chapter)
