Chapter 42: Persuading the King to Kill His Son
Luo Cheng didn't expect that he would meet his ancestor like this.
"Ah Cheng."
"Ancestor!"
"You are the first person to see me after Asu. You are really outstanding, beyond my imagination."
Asu?
"Old Ancestor, is it our ancestor Wengong?"
"It's him."
Luo Cheng's body couldn't help but tremble. King Su was a god, whom all the descendants of Luo family had to worship, while Duke Wen was the target that the descendants of Luo family should follow.
Ji Zhao took him away, and he followed closely. This world was illusory and beautiful, full of a sacred atmosphere.
Maybe it’s Haotian’s residence, Luo Cheng thought to himself.
Then he saw rows of towering bookshelves with countless bamboo slips arranged on them. When he looked at the labels, he found that it was the history of the Luo family.
"Ancestor, could this be?"
Ji Zhao took a look and said, "You are right. The life histories of all the Luo family members are here, and every moment is recorded."
In fact, there are not only the life stories of the Luo family members, but also many other records. This inhuman power made Luo Cheng inexplicably shocked.
"Ah Cheng, if everything you do and strive for now will eventually vanish into thin air, will you still work so hard?"
Luo Cheng was silent, and Ji Zhao was not in a hurry either. He just enjoyed watching the beautiful scenery that changed every moment.
"Destiny changes, dynasties will eventually fall, and human power is sometimes exhausted, so we must forge ahead. I can't see the future, I just want to do my best in the present."
"Ah Cheng, you are really good. Go back and do what you want. Don't regret it."
Ji Zhao looked at the dark clouds in the sky and frowned. This dark cloud was originally filled with evil spirit twenty years ago, but after the bloodshed in Yingxu and Luoguo, it dissipated a lot.
During the past few years when Luo Cheng was in power, although the area of the black clouds continued to grow, the evil spirit was greatly reduced.
…
At the confluence of the Yi River and the Luo River, Luoyi stands quietly in the vast plain.
Luo Cheng has been serving as the Prime Minister of Heaven for twenty years. During these twenty years, he has devoted all his energy and taken care of everything personally.
The situation in the Zhou Dynasty was getting better and better, and the strength of Luo State began to recover little by little, but the population of the royal family had not yet recovered, which was a considerable hidden danger.
Luo Cheng put down the tribute book presented by the princes, looking very satisfied.
As the royal domain prospered, the princes became more respectful toward the royal family; even the Duke of Jin and the Duke of Zheng slowly began to face up to their own identities.
The quality of tributes from the princes also improved, and this virtuous cycle allowed the royal family's apparent strength to recover rapidly.
Although its war potential is not great due to limitations on land area and population, its ability to fight is very strong.
Luo Cheng formed an alliance with the State of Chu through marriage with the royal family, won over the State of Qi through the Ji-Jiang alliance, and then formed a confrontation between the princes of the Ji clan and the princes of other surnames through the Jin-Luo-Zheng alliance.
All the princes must unite around the royal family to ensure that they will not be attacked by the crowd.
Over the years, except for the Fenghao area which was still ravaged by war, the Xia people and the Rong people were constantly fighting.
The entire Hangu Pass to the east gradually calmed down, and there was even a hint of peace in the atmosphere.
As long as they can maintain this momentum and wait until the strength of the six armies is restored, they will be able to contact the princes, enter the land of Fenghao, and retake Haojing.
"Lord Luo, the State of Chu has conquered more than a dozen Huaiyi tribes. The Marquis of Chu sent you a letter and sent you his regards. Now there are no Huaiyi tribes south of the State of Xi."
The royal family bypassed the Hanyang states and rewarded the Chu State with land, so the Chu State stopped attacking the Shen Sui area and turned to expand westward, southward and eastward.
Especially since Huaiyi had never recovered from the great defeat twenty years ago, they were a good piece of fat meat for the State of Chu.
In recent years, the State of Chu, the State of Ying established on the lands of the former States of Ying and Xu, and the State of Wu and Yue have been constantly squeezing the living space of the entire Huaiyi tribe.
Ji Fu did not have many descendants, and only had two princes over the years. However, the queen who was born in the State of Chu gave birth to Prince Jin for Ji Fu, who was also Ji Fu's only legitimate son. His throne was guaranteed by the States of Chu, Luo, and Jin at the same time. It can be said that under normal circumstances, it was as stable as Mount Tai.
The only thing that made Luo Cheng feel a little regretful was that Qin Ying, the daughter of Qin Bo, failed to give birth to a prince for Ji Fu, which made him lose a card to balance the power of Qin.
"Lord Luo, this is the document that Jin State just sent."
The messenger came up to the hall, and Luo Cheng took the bamboo slips and unfolded them. First of all, there was a long greeting from Duke Jin, expressing his admiration for Luo Cheng's hard work over the years.
"Over the years, I've received more and more compliments." Luo Cheng sighed slightly. As his power grew, even many princes were cautious when speaking to him.
The Duke of Jin wrote in brief words about the results of his war against the barbarians living between the cities.
In the past, the princes would never report these matters to the royal capital, but now all matters related to the war, no matter how big or small, must be reported to the royal capital.
This is proof of the king's power.
The areas controlled by the various vassal states of the Zhou Dynasty were mainly cities and the circles around the cities, and then the cities were connected by roads.
But between the cities, where roads are not covered, there are vacuum zones, and many barbarians live there.
Therefore, the barbarians do not necessarily come from the border, but are right next to us. These barbarians are not as powerful as the Huaiyi in the past, but some small countries still cannot cope with them.
Because their numbers are so large, they hide in the mountains and forests near water sources, and they would come to rob from time to time.
What the various countries in the Xia Dynasty are doing now is to eliminate these barbarians bit by bit, and then build towns and reclaim land on new lands.
The royal family's support for Jin State in recent years has been very effective, especially at critical moments, when it severely cracked down on the usurpation of small clans in Jin State and prevented civil strife in Jin State.
This made Duke Jin feel grateful and ashamed. Luo Cheng had given him special instructions back then, but he didn't expect that such a thing would still happen.
Within twenty years, the land actually controlled by Jin State more than doubled, the number of barbarians between cities continued to decrease, while the number of Jin State's people and slaves increased rapidly. For nearly ten years, no barbarians had actively harassed Jin State's land.
Under such circumstances, the State of Jin gave the royal family generous rewards. Over the years, three layers of the royal tribute were presented by the State of Jin.
Luo Cheng picked up his pen to reply.
"Duke Jin, I have received your letter.
To wipe out the barbarians is the noble and righteous way of the Zhou Dynasty. Your Majesty and I are very pleased that you can follow this way.
Keep clearing them out, don't relax for a moment. The barbarians are like weeds on the roadside. If you don't pay attention, they will grow stronger. Don't give them any chances."
After writing the letter and sealing it in a bamboo slip, he was about to call the maid over.
Suddenly, I felt a pain in my chest, and then everything went black. I instantly fell straight down beside the table.
The maid screamed and the guards rushed over to check the situation. These people were the most loyal and brave warriors that Luo Cheng brought from Luo State.
Luo Cheng panted heavily, grabbed the hand of the chief guard and said intermittently: "Go find the emperor, go find the emperor!"
He felt that he might not be able to hold on any longer. He did not expect that the accident would come so soon. He had to tell the emperor some things immediately, especially the most important thing which only the emperor could do.
"Yes, my Lord."
Luo Cheng's sudden fainting made the entire palace boil in an instant, just like adding a basin of water into a boiling oil pan.
Just a moment later, Ji Fu came hurriedly. As soon as he came in, he saw Luo Cheng lying on the bed, gasping for breath. His face was sallow and he no longer had the spirit of the past. He was a truly kind person. Thinking back to Luo Cheng's sincere teachings in the past, he actually burst into tears.
[Your family's political reputation has increased.]
"Lord Luo!"
Hearing Ji Fu's voice, Luo Cheng forced himself to open his eyes and tremblingly grasped Ji Fu's hand. The others all stepped back.
His sallow face suddenly showed some spirit, and he forced a smile and said, "Your Majesty, I have to go to see King Su. I can no longer assist you. The world is difficult, and you will have to go on your own in the future."
These words made Ji Fu burst into tears. Luo Cheng was someone who protected him from the wind and rain like his father.
She choked up and said, "Lord Luo, you have saved the country of Zhou for a long time. It is for this that my kingdom has fallen to this point today. I really don't know how to repay you."
Ji Fu once wanted to upgrade Luo State to a duchy, but was rejected by Luo Cheng.
Luo Cheng said in a weak voice: "Your Majesty, the past cannot be retrieved. I am leaving now. Before I die, there are a few things you should remember. They are all related to the state and the country.
Luo State is now weak and has no power to assist the royal family. Jin State and Qi State are the fate of the royal family. If these two states are destroyed, Zhou State will also be destroyed.
The key to Fenghao lies in Hangu Pass. As long as the pass is in your hands, you don't have to worry about the western countries. It's a pity that Qin Ying failed to give birth to a prince for you.
The State of Chu is your ally now, but they have great potential, so you still have to be on guard against them. The key to balancing the State of Chu lies in Bashu and Ying. The other states, such as Shen and Sui, are just dead bones in the graves and are no match for the State of Chu.
These things are crucial but not important. When Luo Ren arrives in Luoyi, he will do them. The most important thing I haven't had time to do yet, Your Majesty, please listen closely and don't let the news leak out."
Ji Fu leaned over and whispered, "Lord Luo, please speak. I am listening."
Luo Cheng said softly: “Wang Zi’an appears to be humble on the surface, but in fact he is keen on power and has a venomous heart. He has recruited talented people over the years, and I’m afraid he has ulterior motives.
I had originally wanted to enfeoff him in the land of Wu and Yue when he came of age, but I didn't expect that his body would collapse so soon.
When you leave here today, you must kill Prince An or exile him immediately, otherwise he will become the source of trouble for the royal family.
Only when Crown Prince Jin ascends the throne can the alliance between the royal family and the State of Chu be consolidated. There are too many and too important interests tied to Crown Prince Jin, so you must not take it lightly.
Coordinating the states and suppressing the barbarians is our national policy and we cannot afford to make any mistakes."
Luo Cheng had been pondering since he came back from his ancestor. He believed that his ancestor would not suddenly ask this question. What could possibly make everything he had done vanish into thin air?
There are many possibilities, but the most common one is internal strife, which is enough to destroy a prosperous dynasty forever, so he has always paid close attention to this aspect.
Letting his father kill his son was something he shouldn't have told Ji Fu, even though he and Ji Fu had a deep relationship. But when he was dying, he couldn't help it after all.
Ji Fu was naturally shocked by what Luo Cheng said. Wang Zian was also his son. How could a father kill his son who did not make any mistakes?
If anyone else said this, he would definitely get angry even with his good temper.
But looking at Luo Cheng's serious expression, he nodded and said, "Lord Luo, I understand, just like he had done in the past twenty years."
After explaining this matter, Luo Cheng felt relieved. He took off the ring and handed it to his wife Luo Jiang, saying, "I can no longer return to Luo Country alive. This ring is a token of the Luo family's master. I will give it to Ren'er.
Ren'er assists the emperor, Yan'er assists the Marquis of Chu, the Marquis of Qi is a relative of the Ji clan, the Marquis of Jin is a clan relative of the Ji clan, and Zhongshu guards Yingdi and Xudi. With these five people, the country will surely be stable."
Luo Cheng was not worried about losing the ring. This ring was a divine object, and asking Luo Jiang to send it back was just a cover-up.
There are countless books stored in the ring, not only history books and genealogies of various countries, but also the crystallization of wisdom written by the people in the royal palace over the years. These are all things that can enhance the foundation.
Ji Zhao came to his bedside to see his descendant off.
"Ancestor!"
Luo Cheng was very excited. His father died unwillingly, and he just wanted to get a good evaluation from the ancestor when he saw him.
He had no regrets in his life. He believed that he had done everything he could. He had a glimmer of hope, hoping that his ancestors would praise him.
Ji Zhao smiled and praised: "Ah Cheng, you are very good.
What you have done has exceeded my expectations of you. After Asu, you are the most outstanding head of the Luo family."
This was Ji Zhao's sincere praise.
With Luo Cheng's talent, he is just a paperhanger. It is already very difficult for him to maintain the operation of Bang Zhou.
Unexpectedly, Luo Cheng could create the current situation through a series of operations, and even help him get a top-level unique Xuan-level item.
It also greatly enhanced the family's political credibility, and the family's prestige reached an unprecedented level during his tenure.
【Family Reputation:
①Royal family: respect; ②Royal clan: respect; ③Princes: respect; ④Army: respect; ⑤Countrymen: respect. 】
Moreover, when the system calculates his life's fortune, he might be able to get a Xuan-level item, plus a large amount of luck points. This result really exceeded Ji Zhao's expectations by a large margin.
However, the price he paid was also very high. Not only is his body now exhausted, but the Luo Kingdom also suffered a great disaster, and an entire generation of royal family members died in the war.
In recent years, the Luo State began to shrink and gave up large tracts of land. It turned a blind eye and let the princes from all directions occupy the land. It was also something it could not help.
Hearing the praise from the ancestor, Luo Cheng smiled happily. One word of praise from the ancestor was better than thousands of words in history books.
Ji Zhao was also very happy. A top-notch descendant with excellent qualifications had surpassed his limits and achieved achievements that he could hardly imagine. This was something worth celebrating.
Although destiny is hard to defy, the fact that the Luo family's disciples continue to advance one after another and accumulate luck, isn't this reversing destiny little by little?
When he succeeds, he will be able to use the power of the 3,000-year-old Luo clan to change the world.
Luo Cheng coughed heavily twice, smiled, and his arms fell limply, with no breath left.
[Luo Cheng passed away. The calculation of Luo Cheng’s life achievements began. He was not the son of destiny and had no blessing from his ancestors. He exceeded the limit and is being corrected.
You have obtained the Xuan-level item, Passerby Card. 】
[Xuan-level Passerby Card (Become a Passerby!): You can activate the Passerby Card on anyone, and his presence will be greatly weakened, and even people who are familiar with him will not be able to notice him. ]
Luo Cheng is not a son of destiny, so there will be some discounts on his achievements, but he has exceeded his limits before, which is also worthy of rewards, so the final settlement of his achievements is quite good.
The effect of this card was so strong that Ji Zhao was a little surprised. It was equivalent to directly erasing a person's existence.
Then Ji Zhao's attention was attracted by the black cloud. As soon as Luo Cheng died, the black cloud began to move strangely.
The historian inscribed on the bamboo slips, "Grand Master, Chief of the Heavenly Officials, Luo Hou Cheng, died in the 20th year. The king is deeply saddened!"
Luo Jiang burst into tears, Ji Fu also cried loudly, everyone burst into tears, and the atmosphere of sadness filled everyone's heart.
Luo Cheng was posthumously named "Xuan".
The funeral held for him by Ji Fu was very grand. He was truly powerful. Not to mention his ability, just in terms of power, he was greater than his ancestor Luo Su in the later period.
Luo Su only served as regent for five years, but Luo Cheng, due to Ji Fu's incompetence, ruled for twenty years and always held power.
What no one expected was that Ji Fu caught a cold due to excessive grief, and he became seriously ill and collapsed.
Wang Zian, whom Luo Cheng had entrusted before his death, was not killed!
…
Duke Xuan of Luo inherited the merits of King Su and the virtues of Duke Wen. King Yi treated him like a father and the princes looked up to him as a master. His virtue and prestige spread far and wide. He defeated the Rong people and revived the Xia people. He made many alliances. In twenty years, the country was restored to light after darkness. His unprecedented achievements are hard to describe in words. - "Records of the Grand Historian: The Family of Luo"
Suddenly I thought of what Guan Zhong told Duke Huan of Qi before his death, but Duke Huan of Qi didn't listen. It seems that these monarchs all like this. The words said before death are the most important, but they just don't listen.
(End of this chapter)
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