Chinese New Year

Chapter 599 Giving Gifts
The vast mansion was filled with mourning clothes.

It was obvious that the family was holding a funeral.

There were a bunch of carriages parked outside the gate, and countless "filial sons and grandchildren" were smart enough to want to come in and mourn, but they were stopped by the servants.

Inside the back house of the Zhu Mansion, Zhu Shuo, the chief clerk of the Jun Mansion, looked at several funerary objects on the table, slightly distracted.

If for no other reason, jade materials are hard to come by.

During the reign of Wang Mang, Yanqi killed the Han envoys, and the road between the Central Plains and the Western Regions was cut off.

During the Later Han Dynasty and the Wei and Jin Dynasties, although Khotan offered tribute of white jade, the amount was small. In addition, there were many small countries in the Western Regions, and the number of merchants and travelers had greatly decreased compared to the Early Han Dynasty.

In the past twenty years or so, there has been a long period of war in Guanxi, banditry has been rampant, and trade routes have become unsustainable, so Khotan jade has become increasingly scarce.

But what was now in front of Zhu Shuo was all Khotan white jade, and there was even Jiaozhou white jade, Wakoku blue jade, and Buyeo red jade - of course, Nanyang white jade was the most abundant.

Zhu Shuo picked up a jade pig, looked at it for a long time, and sighed: "This is the five-color jade from Yushan. It is said that the black one is the best and is used by the immortals."

The jade pig is a funeral ritual object. The pig is in a crouching position, representing prosperity and wealth. It is usually made into a jade grip and held in the hands of the dead, implying that the person can still grasp the wealth after death.

After putting down the jade pig, Zhu Shuo picked up a huge jade disk with valley patterns.

This is a jade ornament hanging in the tomb. It is white in texture and finely polished. It must have been made by a famous artist. I immediately fell in love with it and didn't even want to be buried with me.

Lu Shen and Xu Shi looked at each other and saw the smile in each other's eyes.

It's good to be greedy for money, what's worse is that you are not greedy for money.

Xu Shi opened a box, inside of which were two agate seals, with Zhu Shuo's name already engraved on them.

"Emperor Wen of Wei wrote in his poem Agate that agate is of the jade family, with strange patterns and colors, and the spirit of gold, 'it is what a gentleman should wear.'" Xu Shi gently pushed the brocade box in front of Zhu Shuo and said with a smile, "Mr. Zhu likes calligraphy and painting. After appreciating them, you can engrave your private seal on it and play with it often."

After that, he took out the white jade handle dust tail and said: "This thing has a beautiful appearance and is good for talking about profound things. When Zhu Gong holds it, he will be able to speak witty words in conversation, as if he were assisted by a god."

After introducing this, Xu Shi took out the jade ruyi and said, "This is the jade ruyi used by the prime minister Wang Junchong (Wang Rong)."

Zhu Shuo picked up each one, played with them for a while, and was delighted.

After a long time, he withdrew his gaze, looked at Xu Shi and asked, "Ancestor Yi has given me a treasure, so I must have something to ask for."

Xu Shi did not answer directly, but only said: "I wonder what Mr. Zhu thinks about the general situation in Hebei."

When Zhu Shuo heard this, he had an idea in his mind.

He was just greedy for money, but he was a shrewd man. He narrowed his eyes when he heard this and asked, "Are you two coming from Yecheng?"

Xu Shi and Lu Shen smiled without saying anything, obviously agreeing.

Zhu Shuo stood up suddenly and wanted to say something, but when he caught a glimpse of the treasures out of the corner of his eye, he stopped.

He walked back and forth at the table with his hands behind his back, obviously not at peace.

Xu Shi and Lu Shen waited patiently without saying anything. When fighting with smart people, the worst thing to do is to be too smart, because it is likely to cause resentment.

"Yi Zu." Zhu Shuo suddenly stopped and asked, "You are not just looking for me, right?"

"Your name is well known in Beizhou, so naturally we should look for Mr. Zhu first." Xu Shi said.

Zhu Shuo didn't believe it and said directly: "The You brothers, one is the chief priest of the West Pavilion, the other is the Sima, and the governor of Zhao County is also a You family member. Yizu, don't lie to me, have you come to my house?"

Xu Shi didn't answer, but just looked at him with a smile.

Zhu Shuo stared at him for a long time, then sighed, returned to his seat, and said, "Mr. Chen fought a great battle with the Xiongnu in Jizhou. Anyone who is not blind or deaf knows about it. I heard that Liu Yao also came and fought a battle with Mr. Chen's favorite general Jin Zheng in Zhongshan, but the outcome was inconclusive. And Li Zhong led his magnificent army north to Zhending, and was impeccable. These two armies are as powerful as mountains, and their chances of winning are very high. I am in the state, and I often pay attention to them."

Perhaps it was just that Governor Wang was confused and had no idea about the external situation.

Xu Shi and Lu Shen looked at each other again.

Now that the matter has been brought to light, the next step will be easier. Xu Shi then said, "Since Lord Zhu knows the general situation of the world, have you ever considered the future? To put it bluntly, even if Lord Chen fails in the battle and retreats to Yecheng, Liu Yao and Shi Le have gathered so many troops, won't they be able to attack Youzhou?"

Zhu Shuo was silent for a moment, and finally sighed: "I didn't expect that Lord Chen would end up like this. If we take over Ji and You states, the emperor will be in our hands, and the day of abdication is not far away."

"Mr. Zhu is nostalgic for Sima Jin?" Xu Shi asked.

Zhu Shuo shook his head and laughed, then asked, "If you don't want to stay with the Sima family, can't you join the Liu family?"

"Barbarians are not worthy of being kings." Xu Shi said.

Zhu Shuo was speechless.

"Barbarians are not qualified to be kings" is a very popular theory. It has not been proposed for a long time, but it has become an important theory to maintain the royal rule in the late Jin Dynasty.

Liu Kun once persuaded Shi Le to surrender, and his argument was: "Since ancient times, there has been no Rong people who became emperors, but there have been famous ministers who have made great achievements."

What it means is that there has never been a Hu person who became an emperor. The Xiongnu Liu family will not last long, so you should not work for them. It is better for you to become a minister of the Jin Dynasty and make achievements. This is not uncommon in history.

Shi Le answered directly: "I am a barbarian, so it is difficult for me to serve you." I am a barbarian and I will not serve the Han dynasty.

Shi Le, who emerged from the chaotic times, certainly would not believe in these things, but that did not stop him from using them - historically, he used the theory that "there have been genuine Hu people who became famous ministers since ancient times, but there has never been an emperor" to paralyze Wang Jun. He called himself "Little Hu" and persuaded Wang Jun to ascend the throne and become emperor to save the people. He was willing to serve him as a vassal.

This shows that this theory still has a certain market, at least some people believe in it.

When Xu Shi raised this question, Zhu Shuo didn't know how to answer for a moment.

He had been in the political arena for most of his life, so of course he would not easily believe in theories invented by the court to persuade the chieftains of the Hu people to surrender. But how to say it, considering the current situation, he had some doubts in his heart.

A few years ago, the Xiongnu were at their peak, besieging Luoyang several times, plundering Henan, and conquering Hebei, and no one could stop them. But Shao Xun gradually rose to power, and after a few years of stalemate, he actually turned the situation around bit by bit.

Is there really destiny?

Then he recalled the prophecy that caused a sensation seven or eight years ago: "When the Luo River stops flowing, the immortal will appear," and he became more and more confused.

Shao Xun's ancestors for three generations were all illiterate soldier slaves, so how come his generation had outstanding martial arts, unparalleled military strategy, and was also good at politics? Could it be that the spirit of Taibai Star was reincarnated?

The more he thought about it, the more dizzy and confused he became. He even wanted to run out of the house, climb a high mountain, observe the sky at night, and tell his fortune.

"You Tong is the Sima of the shogunate. Some time ago, he recruited thousands of miscellaneous Hu cavalry and stationed them on the north bank of Yishui River southwest of Fan Yang. Is that you..." Zhu Shuo said while looking at the expressions of the two men.

Sorry, I didn't see anything.

The two just looked at him and smiled without saying anything.

"Yi Zu!" Zhu Shuo lost his composure and raised his voice, saying, "What kind of relationship do we have? Why are you still trying to hide things and not telling the truth?"

Xu Shi bowed and said with a smile: "Why do you need to ask the truth, Qiu Bo? You might as well ask yourself, is there anyone in Jun Mansion who is willing to die for Wang Pengzu?"

"Of course there are some, otherwise he wouldn't be able to keep his position." Zhu Shuo said, "But there really aren't many, there aren't many left."

Some people's words were unpleasant to hear, but they were truly for Wang Jun's own good. Unfortunately, they were all killed or expelled.

Zhu Shuo also made great contributions to these "persecutions of loyal and good people" and was the source of many slanders.

"Qiu Bo, what are you still hesitating about?" Xu Shi asked, "If no one cares about Youzhou, Wang Pengzu's broken house can still hold on. But if someone cares about it, maybe they will kick it and the house will collapse directly. You have accumulated wealth for half a lifetime and have many children and grandchildren. Do you want to be buried with Wang Pengzu?"

Zhu Shuo frowned, these words hit the nail on the head.

After half a lifetime of flattery, he has made so much money. If he is caught, can he keep it?
No matter whether Liu Yao or Shao Xun freed up their hands to attack Youzhou, Wang Pengzu had no chance of winning, as few people would fight for him - just because he refused to provide a single grain of food for disaster relief when the flood broke out, he was finished.

As Wang Pengzu's confidant, Zhu Qiubo's reputation in Youzhou is not very good. He is the same as Zao Song, both of whom are people who stab others behind their backs.

If the newcomer kills them, no one will plead for mercy. If that happens, he will lose his land, property, money, wife and daughter, which is unspeakably tragic.

The only way is to jump ship in time and work for the new master, perhaps to maintain the current wealth and status.

"Zao Taichan has been to Yecheng, right?" Zhu Shuo already had a tendency in his mind and asked again.

This time Xu Shi did not avoid the question, but nodded heavily.

Zhu Shuo seemed like a deflated ball and remained speechless for a long time.

After a long while, he smiled bitterly and said, "The Chief Secretary rebelled, the Minister of War rebelled, and the Chief Clerk rebelled. If I, the Chief Clerk, rebel again, Wang Pengzu will not only be unable to mobilize troops and raise food, but also have no place to raise food. His every move will be known to outsiders. How can he win?"

"Forget it, forget it." Zhu Shuo said listlessly, "I just want to be a rich man. If Mr. Chen agrees, Youzhou can be conquered without bloodshed. In this way, the people will be at peace, and Mr. Chen will also have fewer casualties."

"It will be as Mr. Zhu wishes." This time it was Lu Shen who came forward to guarantee.

Zhu Shuo stared at him blankly, feeling somewhat uneasy, but in the end he could only sigh.

He doesn't really have a choice, does he?

It was impossible to die for Wang Jun, so what about surrendering to the Xiongnu? Their situation in Hebei was not very good.

Moreover, there has indeed been no Hu people who have become emperors since ancient times. Shao Xun is the incarnation of the Taibai Star Spirit, who is wise and powerful. It seems that voting for him is a better choice.

Besides, they gave me gifts.

Accepting gifts without doing anything is not Zhu Qiubo's style. He will be accused of being untrustworthy.

"What does Mr. Chen plan to do?" After making up his mind, Zhu Shuo went all out and asked directly.

"Come closer and listen." Xu Shi waved his hand and said.

Zhu Shuo stood up and moved closer, listening silently.

After a moment, he exclaimed in surprise: "What a calculated plan, so cruel!"

Xu Shi laughed out loud.

Zhu Shuo's face was uncertain, and he sighed repeatedly in his heart, which made him more determined to join Mr. Chen.

(End of this chapter)