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Chapter 10: Liu Jing Shengs Worries

  Chapter 10: Liu Jing Sheng's Worries

  Liu Jue nodded and followed Sun Qian to the horse-drawn carriage. Liu Bei felt a bit unwell, unable to withstand the cold wind on the river, so he sat back in the carriage.

  The carriage is wide and sturdy, a type of sedan chair also known as a wheelbarrow cart. It was originally used in the palace to carry clothes, because it can be reclined and has windows on both sides, so people who travel long distances are also willing to ride in this kind of carriage.

  This is the carriage of Liu Bei's two wives. Liu Bei, due to his exhaustion from traveling and feeling unwell, was blown by the river wind just now, making him feel even more uncomfortable, with a very pale face. He lay on the thick bedding, visible through the window of the carriage.

  "My dear nephew, I'm afraid I can hardly support myself, and I'm being a bit rude." A slightly hoarse voice came from inside the carriage.

  Liu Jue was seeing Liu Bei for the first time, and his first impression of him was indeed that his ears were bigger, which could be considered one of Liu Bei's trademarks. The rest of him looked ordinary, if he sat in a shop, he would be just an ordinary shopkeeper. However, Liu Bei's smile was very kind and had great affinity, making people easily feel good about him.

  There were also two slender young women sitting in the carriage, who should be Mrs. Mi and Mrs. Gan. Both of them were about twenty years old, looked very delicate, wore the most popular fallen horse bun at the end of the Han Dynasty, wore straight long skirts, one green skirt and one red skirt, one had a white round face, slightly ordinary in appearance, while the other was exceptionally pretty.

  Although Liu Jue did not know who was Gan Furen and who was Mi Furen, he guessed that Liu Bei married Mi Furen in order to obtain financial support from the Mi family, while Gan Furen was just a concubine.

  So the one wearing a green skirt and looking pretty should be Mrs. Gan. When men take concubines, they always look at their appearance first!

  Perhaps it was because the two ladies had been following Liu Bei through thick and thin for a long time, they were also used to being with soldiers and did not avoid them.

  It turns out that Liu Bei and Liu Biao are of the same clan, and he is his elder. On the way, Liu Xun was repeatedly instructed by Wu You on etiquette, such as what a junior should do when meeting an elder, including kneeling and bowing, which made him feel overwhelmed.

  Now the problem arises, Liu Bei is sitting in the carriage, he is standing outside the carriage. If he performs a kneeling and bowing ceremony, his shadow will disappear, which is clearly inappropriate. So Liu Xuan simply makes a long bow as a courtesy.

  "Junior official Liu Xuan pays his respects to Your Imperial Majesty!"

  Liu Bei sat in the carriage, narrowing his eyes to size up Liu Xuan outside. He saw that he was eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a slightly long face shape, with eyebrows like swords and a straight and high nose bridge, looking extraordinary. In Liu Bei's heart, he secretly praised him as a majestic young man.

  Liu Jing-sheng had several nephews, and he had heard of them before. However, the young man in front of him, although tall and handsome, did not have the elegance and refinement that came with a good education. Instead, there was something... something rustic about him.

  Although he thought so, Liu Bei's face was still full of gratitude: "Xian Zhong doesn't have to be polite, I just heard the news about Zi Long and my heart is at ease. Thank you for bringing me the news, I will send someone to visit him immediately. How is his injury now?"

  "He was hit by a poisoned arrow and fortunately did not injure his tendons or bones. After detoxification, he will be able to recover in another month."

  "Oh! My young nephew said that he was pursued and killed by Cao's army all the way, it must have been very thrilling!"

  "All I can say is that we were lucky. Cao Cao personally sent people to search the mountain, but we still managed to escape. It's said that Cao's army has already headed north."

  Liu Xuan spoke lightly of his flight, not wanting to say more. Liu Bei asked anxiously: "Then how did you come to be alone in Runan? What about your parents?"

  Liu Jue's eyes showed a painful expression, "My father died early, and my mother unfortunately passed away last year. My uncle sent someone to pick me up and take me to Jingzhou. There were four of us in the group, riding in an ox cart through Runan, when we unexpectedly encountered Cao Jun's cavalry. My family members and the car driver were killed, but I and Wu Shu Zuo jumped into the water and escaped with difficulty. Later, we were rescued by General Liu Bi and General Zhao Yun."

  At this time, Sun Gan sighed and said, "So you are the son of Liu Wensheng."

  Liu Xuan's heart skipped a beat. Could Sun Qian know something? He hastily asked: "Does Mr. Sun know my father?"

  Sun Qian nodded, "Ten years ago I saw him once, but wasn't very familiar with him, however..."

  Just as Sun Qian was about to speak again, Liu Bei gave him a signal with his eyes, and Sun Qian immediately fell silent.

  Liu Bei sighed, "In these chaotic times, human life is as cheap as grass. If you can escape with your life, it's the blessing of heaven and a stroke of luck!"

  Liu Bei's expression changed and he smiled as he asked: "Noble nephew, are you going to Xiangyang now?"

  "It's just right, if the Emperor Uncle is also going, we can travel together. General Liu and General Zhao have a life-saving kindness to me, I must let Uncle thank the Emperor Uncle properly."

  Liu Bei understood his meaning, smiled and nodded. Actually, when Liu Bei heard Sun Qian say that the person was Liu Biao's nephew, he had an idea - whether to use this young man to improve his relationship with Liu Biao.

  It was just their first meeting, so he couldn't open his mouth, but since this young man had taken the initiative to offer help and was quite reasonable, Liu Bei spoke directly.

  "I plan to go to Xiangyang temporarily to avoid the sharp edge of Cao's army, but I'm also worried that your uncle might not be very convenient, so I'm a bit hesitant..."

  What Liu Bei left unsaid, but he believed that Liu Jiao would understand. Of course, Liu Jiao understood the implication of Liu Bei's words and let himself speak for him. This favor was something he had thought of long ago; after all, historically speaking, Liu Biao would definitely agree.

  What's more important is that he took Liu Bei to Jingzhou, and the weight of his nephew also increased accordingly. What benefit did he not have?

  He bowed deeply and said, "As a senior has entrusted me with this task, Liu Xuan will naturally do his best to assist."

  Liu Xuan went to rest for a while, and at this time, Sun Gan said in a low voice: "Master, if he is the son of Liu Wensheng, then I saw him five years ago. It's just that it doesn't seem quite right. That young master Liu Qi was knowledgeable and refined, but this young master Liu Qi seems to be...".

  Before he finished speaking, Liu Bei waved his hand, "This is normal, after all it's been five years, people will change! Don't think too much about it, we should consider cooperating. Gong Yu, this time when you go to Xiangyang with him, let him help you as much as possible and persuade Liu Jing to keep us."

  After finishing speaking, Liu Bei looked at Sun Qian with a profound gaze, and Sun Qian suddenly understood the deep meaning of Liu Bei's words. Now some things indeed cannot be inquired into deeply.

  .........

  "Dong! Dong! Dong!"

  The melodious bell sound on the city wall awakened this ancient city with a long history, and a wheel of sunrise slowly rose from the east, casting millions of beautiful rays towards this first-class city in Jingzhou, sweeping away the last bit of evening mist that shrouded the city.

  In a grand mansion west of Xiangyang City, a middle-aged man wearing a green flat hat, white brocade robe, and purple sash slowly walked along a long corridor. The morning sun shone through the eaves of the corridor, casting its light on the middle-aged man's body.

  He was eight feet tall, with a sturdy build, a white face and beautiful whiskers, his eyes were deep and piercing, occasionally revealing a hint of sternness, giving people a sense of awe without being angry, but his sleeves were wide and loose, walking with an ethereal air, and in the movement of his hands and feet, there was an indescribable elegance.

  He was Liu Biao, the General Who Guards the South, Marquis of Chengwu and Governor of Jing Province. He had been the master of Jing Province for eleven years, and after eleven years of pacification and conquest, he had transformed from a lone figure entering Jing Province as Liu Taishou to a regional lord with over one million armored soldiers and a territory spanning thousands of miles.

  Liu Biao has been in a bad mood for the past two days due to his wife. His wife is the daughter of Cai from Xiangyang, and they have been married for many years without having any children. A few months ago, she finally became pregnant.

  But just five days ago, his wife suddenly had a stomach ache and invited all the famous doctors in Xiangyang to protect the fetus, but ultimately failed to keep it and lost the child, which made Liu Biao extremely sad.

  The continuation of offspring has always been a big deal in official families, especially for Lady Cai. Her son is likely to become the future master of Jingzhou, which makes Lady Cai's childbirth a major event in the Liu household.

  For two consecutive days, the Liu family was in a state of chaos, and even Liu Biao couldn't attend to his official duties, staying at home for two days to comfort his wife who was in extreme pain.

  He got up early and came to visit his wife, but he didn't know if her mood had improved.

  Liu Bei walked down the steps with his hands behind his back, passing through a delicate stone path, and came to a small courtyard in front of him. Inside the courtyard was a small red building, where his wife lived. The bamboo in the courtyard grew lushly, exceptionally straight and green.

  Liu Biao had just reached the gate when it opened, and a hunchbacked old woman wearing a hemp skirt came out of the courtyard carrying a food box. She looked up and saw Liu Biao, startled, and hastily stepped aside to bow respectfully: "Master!"

  The old woman followed Mrs. Cai to get married, she was actually Mrs. Cai's wet nurse, and had been living in the Cai residence. Because of a miscarriage, Mrs. Cai had her wet nurse come to take care of herself again.

  "How is your wife doing? Has she improved?" Liu Biao asked with concern.

  The old woman sighed and shook her head, "Master, madam is not in good spirits, she..."

  "What's wrong with her?"

  "The lady said she wanted to move back to her parents' home to recuperate."

  "I know, you go ahead!"

  Liu Biao watched as the old woman's hunched back disappeared into the distance, his face suddenly sinking. These past two days, his wife had repeatedly brought up going to her parents' home to recuperate.

  It's normal for a woman to want to go back to her parents' home to rest, but Liu Bei was very clear about the thoughts of his wife. She wanted to turn her guilt towards him into guilt towards the Cai family.

  He married a daughter of the Cai family as his wife also to form an alliance with the Cai family, for political gain. However, Liu Biao still liked this young wife very much and indulged her in everything except that he was somewhat dissatisfied with her attitude towards her natal family.

  Generally speaking, it's normal for a wife to be slightly biased towards her natal family. However, there must be a limit to this, and his wife had not grasped this limit. She was too biased towards the Cai family, even using her pregnancy as an excuse.

  Liu Bei's footsteps, which were about to step into the courtyard, came to a halt. He hesitated for a moment, then turned around and left with his hands behind his back.

  ........

  The government office of the prefecture of Jingzhou is located in the west of Xiangyang City, adjacent to Liu Biao's mansion. This is the political center of the entire Jingzhou region, covering an area of 300 mu, with more than 100 officials and Liu Biao's staff busy in this government office.

  Liu Biao arrived at the government office under the escort of dozens of attendants, riding a horse. As soon as he reached the gate, a clerk came forward to report: "Report to the governor, the envoy of Emperor Liu Xuan's uncle Liu Xuande has arrived and is waiting in the guest hall."

  Liu Biao's face showed a hint of a knowing smile, as if he knew Liu Bei's envoy was coming. He nodded and dismounted his horse. At this time, Shu Shao hesitated for a moment and said: "Also coming with him is the nephew of the provincial governor, Gongzi Xun!"

  Liu Biao was overjoyed, for the past two days he had also heard that a battle had broken out in Ru'nan. Calculating the time, his nephew Liu Xuan happened to be passing through Ru'nan, causing him endless worry, fearing both that he would meet with misfortune and that he would be captured by Cao's army as a hostage.

  Now he finally heard his news, Liu Biao was overjoyed, "Where is he? Take me to see him."

  "Xu Gongzi seems to have arrived with Liu Biao's envoy and is said to have met in Runan."

  Liu Biao hastened to the government office, and just as he arrived at the corridor, an official in a purple robe emerged from behind a pillar, bowing deeply. "Your Excellency, I have something to say."

  He was about forty years old, seven feet five inches tall, with broad shoulders and strong arms. His skin was slightly yellow, his eyes were long and narrow, and his high-bridged nose made him look somewhat treacherous. He was Cai Mao, Liu Biao's brother-in-law and the military advisor of Jingzhou.

  Jingzhou's four great families, Cai, Kuai, Pang and Huang, among them Xiangyang Cai ranked first, and Cai Mao was the head of the Cai family. He held great power in Jingzhou, not only as Liu Biao's number one deputy, participating in military decision-making, but also holding tens of thousands of troops in Xiangyang, having a pivotal position in Jingzhou.

  He waited for a moment and finally waited for Liu Biao, and then said: "The subordinate suggested that the lord should not see the envoy of Liu Bei."

  Liu Biao was somewhat dissatisfied with the Cai family because of his wife's quarrel over the matter of preserving her pregnancy, but he didn't turn against Cai Mao over this small matter.

  He smiled faintly and asked with his hands behind his back: "Is it that the messenger of Liu Bei has a dagger in his bosom and treachery in his heart?"

  He was implicitly telling Cai Mao that he was making a big deal out of nothing and losing his composure. Cai Mao's face turned red as he hastily explained, "The visitor is Sun Qian. It's only natural for the lord to see him. However, Liu Bei is at the end of his rope and will surely come to rely on the lord. He will bring trouble to Jingzhou. If the lord takes in Liu Bei, it will give Cao's army an excuse to attack Jingzhou."

  Liu Biao glanced at Cai Mao and smiled, "Let's see the person first, it seems that my nephew has also arrived. Has the military advisor met him?"

  "Master said it's indeed Young Master Jing! I saw him just now, he looks quite handsome, but..."

  "But what?" Liu Bei looked at him with some surprise.

  Cai Man originally wanted to say that Liu Xuan's body had a lot of brutal and murderous aura, but lacked a bit of the weak and refined appearance, and didn't resemble the other young masters of the Liu family. However, he swallowed his words back and bowed with a smile: "Young Master Xuan seems like a martial practitioner."

  。。。。。。。。。。

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