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墨書 Inktalez
The Imperial Command has always been seen as the will of Heaven, representing the Son of Heaven who patrols on behalf of the divine. There is no room for negotiation; this is the source of the ruler's unbreakable words. When the Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period arrived, various feudal lords stepped onto the historical stage. In their eyes, they too could act as representatives of Heaven, even if they dared not say it outright; at least they believed so in their hearts.
This so-called collapse of rites refers more to the fact that the feudal lords no longer revered the Zhou Tianzi, while many noble ministers were waiting for an opportunity to seize royal power, hoping to act on behalf of Heaven when the time was ripe.
However, this does not mean that there was no longer a sense of reverence; Heaven still held ultimate authority. Regardless of how much power one possesses, it is ultimately granted by Heaven. Thus, representing the Heavenly Will remains unquestionable, and no one dares to claim authority over the land in the name of their own family.
The royal authority of King Jian of Qi was also inherited, so he acknowledged it as the will of Heaven. Beyond that, his words naturally represented divine intent. Whoever he commanded had to obey unconditionally. Even if he ordered someone to go outside and commit suicide, that unfortunate individual would have no choice but to comply.
Similarly, even if someone sits Above with a knife at their throat, if they do not allow you to save yourself, you must still listen. Who would dare defy such orders? The consequences could involve a complete extermination of one's family—this is no idle threat.
Understanding this principle, Luzi heard King Jian of Qi issue an eviction order from his throne and immediately expressed his understanding. Since he was not allowed to speak, he chose to remain silent. He then knelt before the Sovereign to pay his respects and slowly rose, clasping his hands to show he bore no weapons. He retreated step by step, leaving this place of conflict.
Once Luzi exited the side hall, King Jian of Qi suddenly turned and said, "He has left; come out!" His voice echoed through the grand hall as a robust young lord from the Warring States emerged from behind.
Looking at Wei Guo Gongzi Wu Ji, King Jian of Qi felt an inexplicable sigh within him. If it weren't for the Empress Dowager's Imperial Decree, he wouldn't be dealing with this young lord who lacked both military power and personal virtue!
Alas! Our Luzi always thinks of me, understanding how hard-won peace is for our Qi State! Such loyalty is rare! Once I send this young lord away, I can summon him back into the palace for further discussion.
King Jian of Qi had never held a good impression of Wei Wujie, and there were reasons for this. He believed that if this man were his brother and capable enough, then naturally he would be the commander leading the Qi Army into battle.
In reality, however, Wei Wujie, as the brother of Wei Wang An, could only stay home managing a group of retainers for appearances! If there were any embarrassing secrets that couldn't be known by outsiders within that group, how could King Wei ever entrust military power to someone else!?
Seeing that Wei Wujie didn't even wear armor like a general, King Jian of Qi was filled with frustration. You see! The state of Zhao is out there fighting wars while you, a young master from Wei Country, come here to discuss what? Alliance and Diplomacy!
What does this battle have to do with you? What does it have to do with my Great Qi?
According to the intelligence reports received from Wei, it shows that King Wei can mobilize no less than four hundred fifty thousand troops. If King Wei truly trusts you, why would he need us to join in the excitement? Just your family sending troops is enough!
King Jian of Qi thought for a moment and let out a heavy hum but did not mock Wei Wujie. After all, there was still face to be kept; King Jian of Qi did not want to ruin their relationship. In any case, this person was also the brother of the ruler of Wei Kingdom!
Since the Three Families Divide Jin, the divided Jin State has turned into three Feudal States. Wei Wenhou received the title from Zhou Weilie Wang and has established his nation for one hundred twenty-seven years. By the time of Wei Anxi Wang, it had already been seven generations of Sovereigns in Wei Kingdom.
In that era where justice was not in people's hearts, speaking based on strength was an undeniable fact. For this reason, both Wei Wujie standing in front of the prince and King Jian of Qi sitting on the throne did not feel anything wrong with this meeting. Nevertheless, Wei Wujie still felt that his family was more legitimate than Tian Qi at this time, after all, Wei Kingdom was established nearly forty years before Tian Qi received its fief.
What does forty years really mean? At least it is the time a Lord reigns! If we calculate based on the years of establishing a nation from a fief, your Tian Family is at least one generation behind our Wei Family!
The proud Wei Wujie turned to look at the entrance of the hall and snorted coldly upon hearing movement above.
"Your Majesty! This person has indeed come! What did I just say? Luzi is a genuine spy from Qin State! As soon as we make a move here, he arrives right after! If he is not here to persuade for Qin State, I would rather die by crashing my head against this!"
King Jian of Qi felt even more displeased as he saw Wei Wujie speaking almost with his back turned to him. After all, you are merely a Young Master of Wei Country; I am a Lord of the Nation who holds dominion over Qi State! Such disrespect is simply unreasonable!
King Jian of Qi gritted his teeth but managed to hold back his anger. "Since Young Master Wei is so certain, what evidence do you have?"
Oblivious to his own rudeness, Wei Wujie laughed heartily and said, "Is there even a need for evidence? Where are our troops from Qi State heading? Of course, we are going to Shangdang to fight against Qin Army! That Luzi came all the way to your Qi State intending to stop us from deploying troops; isn't it just so they can establish a foothold in Shangdang?"
"We..." King Jian of Qi let out a heavy hum and fell silent.
As a Lord of the Nation, one of the greatest taboos is to have someone share his vassal state with him. King Jian of Qi naturally could not escape this predicament. At this moment, the Qi State, formerly known by the surname Lü, felt a sense of discomfort when he heard someone refer to "our Qi State," which made him both angry and amused.
"It seems that Wuji Young Master doesn't consider himself an outsider! Haha!"
In fact, the earlier remarks were unintentional words from Wei Wujie, which can also be understood as two groups of people coming together to discuss matters. Each spoke of their own affairs, leading to inevitable irreconcilable contradictions.
The previous text mentioned that Wei Wujie had not been granted military power due to the ruler of Wei Kingdom's jealousy. However, he did not want to sink into obscurity and decided to emulate Meng Shangjun of Qi State by gathering retainers to expand his own strength. Although he already had three thousand followers, there was an undeniable fact that remained.
Retainers are primarily composed of those who harbor resentment for not being appreciated by the Sovereign. Most of them lack experience in officialdom, so they tend to approach life using the rough-and-tumble methods typical of the underworld.
It is precisely for this reason that a large group of Wanderers gathered around Wei Wujie. As the composition of his circle became more complex, he inadvertently began to learn from it. Consequently, his manner of speaking became more aligned with the boldness typical of the underworld and distanced from many taboos of officialdom.
If one were to describe it, navigating officialdom is akin to speaking with a loud voice while pinching one's nose. When it's time to express opinions, sometimes one cannot say anything at all. In contrast, mingling in the underworld means speaking freely and competing over who can shout the loudest.
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