Chapter 11: A Tongue Fight with Cai Mao

  As the saying goes, "no one knows a lord as well as his servant", Cai Mao and Liu Biao had worked together for many years and were very familiar with Liu Biao's temperament. Although Liu Biao repeatedly said that he wanted to balance civil and military affairs, in reality he valued civil officials over military officers.

  Cai Mao didn't need to say anything bad about Liu Xuan, one sentence "He is a martial arts practitioner" planted a seed of disappointment in Liu Biao's heart.

  Liu Biao was extremely fond of his younger brother Liu Ping. Liu Ping had been weak and sickly since childhood, and after marrying for five years, he did not have any children. Later, he gave birth to a son named Liu Xuan. When Liu Biao in the capital heard that his younger brother had a child, he was overjoyed and specially gave the character "Jing" from his own name to his nephew, naming him Liu Xuan.

  Cai Mao said that his nephew was a martial arts practitioner, although it did not change Liu Biao's fondness for his nephew, but in Liu Biao's heart, he cast a faint shadow.

  "Let's go take a look!" Liu Biao waved his long sleeve and quickly walked along the corridor towards the guest hall.

  Most buildings in the Qin and Han dynasties were a combination of rammed earth and wooden frame structures, generally using the platform construction method. A prominent feature is that they are spacious and grandiose, not only imperial palaces but also local government offices such as state and county governments.

  There are a pair of que in the square. Que is also a kind of square-shaped watchtower, which represents hierarchy and dignity, and was more common in Qin and Han architecture.

  The main hall was extremely spacious, with pillars on all sides. On both sides were hung huge satin tapestry curtains. Sun Gan and Liu Jing had been waiting in the main hall for a long time. The two men sat on a wooden couch each, with soft mats laid out on top of the couches, and a small table placed beside them, on which was a plate of fresh seasonal fruit and a cup of freshly brewed clear tea.

  During the Qin, Han and Three Kingdoms periods, tea was mainly popular among the upper class in the south, while people in the north did not drink tea. In northern areas, the main beverages for entertaining guests were 'zhāng' (a type of millet or fruit juice).

  The Jing-Xiang region is famous for its tea production, and the custom of brewing tea is also prevalent. Many scholars who fled from the north have gradually developed the habit of tasting and brewing tea.

  The tea on the small table beside Sun Quan had not been touched, not because he didn't drink tea, but because he was a bit distracted. Earlier, they had chatted with Cai Mao for a few sentences, and although the words were not many, it was clear that they felt Cai Mao's hostility.

  "Xuan Gongzi just noticed that there wasn't."

  Sun Qian whispered to Liu Xuan: "Just now, Cai Mao's tone seemed to be very resistant. It seems that the Jingzhou aristocracy does not welcome the arrival of Huang Shu."

  Liu Xuan was also a little uneasy, his unease was not Cai Mao's hostility towards Liu Bei, at this time he didn't care about Liu Bei, he was thinking of his own fate.

  Just now, Cai Mao's attitude towards him was a bit strange. He seemed to care more about himself than Liu Bei, and it was unclear what Cai Mao meant by the look in his eyes earlier - surprise, puzzlement, and even a kind of disappointment that he couldn't quite hide. What did he have to be disappointed about with him?

  Liu Jue vaguely acknowledged a sentence, "I heard that Cai Mao is pro-Cao faction, he has hostility is certain, the key depends on my uncle."

  Sun Qian nodded, he actually understood the power structure of Jingzhou, Liu Biao was above everything, making the final decisions, but his attitude was influenced by the four major families.

  The Cai and Kuai families were pro-Cao, the Pang family was relatively neutral, while the Huang family, led by Huang Zu, the governor of Jiangxia, was firmly anti-Cao. Among the four major families, the Cai family had the strongest influence and deepest impact on Liu Biao.

  Although Cai's family hostility made Sun Qian feel uneasy, Liu Jue's words gave him hope again, the key is to look at Liu Biao's attitude.

  At this time, a guard at the gate shouted loudly: "The Governor of Jingzhou, the Marquis of Chengwu, and the General of Southern Conquest has arrived!"

  This is Liu Biao, Sun Qian and Liu Xun hastily stood up, only to see a tall middle-aged man with a high crown walking quickly into the main hall, followed by Cai Mao, and another middle-aged man, who looked heroic and elegant, although his appearance was not extraordinary, but this person seemed very low-key, deliberately walking in Liu Biao's shadow, not too noticeable.

  Sun Qian met Liu Biao and recognized him at a glance as the master of Jingzhou, Liu Jing.

  He hastily stepped forward and bowed deeply, "Sun Qian, a subordinate of the Left General of the Han Emperor, pays his respects to the General who Pacifies the South!"

  "It's Gong Yu, we haven't seen each other for many years."

  Liu Biao smiled extremely politely, his gaze shifted and fell on Liu Xuan, with a few more affectionate glances.

  He had met Liu Xuan only once when he was three years old, and after more than a decade, he had already forgotten the appearance of young Liu Xuan.

  At this time, he saw Liu Jiao's height was about eight feet tall, with broad shoulders, a slightly long face shape, eyebrows like swords, a straight and high nose bridge, and a dignified appearance. Liu Bei liked him at first sight and secretly praised him in his heart, "He is indeed my nephew!"

  Liu Xuan hastily stepped forward two steps, knelt down on both knees, sat back on his heels, straightened his waist, and placed his hands on the ground to either side of him, shoulder-width apart. His body slightly inclined forward as he deeply bowed, "Nephew pays respects to uncle!"

  This courtesy is called a bow, also known as a hand bow, generally used by juniors to seniors or subordinates to superiors.

  A woman's bow is called a "sukūbai", which means that her hands don't need to touch the ground, and she can just slightly bend her body and lower her head.

  For one's parents or teachers, in addition to bowing with the hands together, one must also kowtow.

  While a long bow is only used among peers or people who are not very familiar with each other, even subordinates using it to superiors is a kind of contempt, such as Yuan Shao's horizontal sword and long bow towards Dong Zhuo made everyone lose face.

  Sun Qian's courtesy was also a long bow. On the one hand, Sun Qian was not Liu Biao's subordinate, and on the other hand, he came as a representative of Liu Bei, so in some sense, he was equal to Liu Biao, hence the use of the long bow ceremony.

  Liu Jue had to perform the courtesy of bowing, because Liu Biao was his elder, but he did not have to kowtow, indicating that there was still a distinction between Liu Biao and his parents or teachers.

  Liu Xuan has been in this era for only a few days and doesn't understand what etiquette is, thanks to Wu Xiuxiu's tireless teaching. Although this person is despicable and ungrateful, it can't be denied that he helped Liu Xuan a lot in disguising his identity. Just based on this point, Liu Xuan also decided to take care of his wife and children in the future.

  Liu Biao smiled and helped Liu Xuan up, then took a closer look at him. Although Liu Xuan was handsome and impressive, which he liked very much, there was indeed something lacking in his elegance and refinement, leaving Liu Biao with a slight tinge of disappointment amidst his admiration.

  He smiled slightly and asked again: "Jing'er has been through a lot on the way, where is Wu Shu Zuo?"

  Liu Jue said with a gloomy expression: "In Ru'nan, I encountered the chaotic cavalry of Cao's army. My family members and Wu Shu Zuo were unfortunately killed. My younger nephew escaped by swimming in the river and was fortunately rescued by Liu Xuan De."

  Sun Gan was taken aback, how did he end up being rescued by his lord? He quickly realized that Liu Xuan was speaking kindly of him to their lord, so he smiled and remained silent, going along with what Liu Xuan had said.

  Liu Biao secretly sighed, this was exactly what he had been worried about, and unexpectedly it came true. Thanks to Liu Bei's rescue on the way, his attitude towards Sun Qian also changed obviously.

  " Gong Yu has been working hard all the way, please take a seat!"

  Everyone took their seats as host and guest, and the attendants served them tea. Liu Jue presented the letter, Yu Jian, and the token to Liu Bei, which were things that had to be brought out, the sooner the better.

  Liu Biao glanced at these things and didn't have any suspicions. He smiled at Cai Mao and said, "What does the military advisor think of my nephew?"

  Cai Man smiled and said, "Gongzi Xing is indeed a talented young man with great prospects, no wonder he's the nephew of our master."

  He thought for a moment and then smiled and asked: "Master Jing, why does your accent sound a bit different?"

  It's still Liu Xuan's accent problem, this is an unavoidable obstacle. Even Liu Biao looked at Liu Xuan with a puzzled expression, he also detected that Liu Xuan was not speaking in his native dialect earlier.

  Generally speaking, adolescence is a person's formative period. Appearance, personality, and even accent are all formed during this time, and once formed, they are difficult to change.

  So, Liu Xuan and Wu Xi had discussed this issue specially and had a countermeasure. Liu Xuan smiled and said: "I studied at the foot of Mount Tai, followed my master to travel all over the world for six years, traveled ten thousand miles, and read ten thousand volumes."

  Cai Mao, however, would not let him off and feigned surprise, asking: "I wonder who your master is?"

  Liu Jue originally thought that an unknown scholar was not worth mentioning, but there were still loopholes in this. What if Liu Biao became interested and tested his knowledge? He would be exposed. Liu Jue couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

  Before Liu Xuan could speak, Sun Gan smiled and said: "I know this one, Master Xuan paid respects to Wu Xiang, a famous scholar of Mount Tai, as his teacher. Wu Xiang was an old friend of mine, unfortunately he was a talented person who fell ill and died last year, what a pity!"

  Sun Qian and Liu Xuan came over, knowing that Liu Xuan had no knowledge of Confucius or Mencius in his belly. He took the initiative to explain for Liu Xuan, obviously to repay Liu Xuan's praise for Liu Bei earlier.

  Tai Shan's celebrity Wu Xiang Liu Biao also had some hearsay, was a famous person who disliked reading the books of sages and worthies, known as the Ghost Genius of Tai Shan, specializing in studying earthwork tools.

  Liu Biao heard that his nephew had actually taken Wu Xiang as his master, and he was somewhat unhappy in his heart. However, this also solved Liu Xuan's accent problem once and for all.

  Liu Jue is a family matter, but Sun Qian is a national affair. At this time, Liu Biao was more concerned about the situation of Liu Bei. He leaned forward slightly and asked: "I don't know where my brother Xuan De is now?"

  Cai Mao's eyes also tensed up, staring at Sun Qian. Liu Bei's arrival was related to the future of Jingzhou, and he couldn't help but be concerned.

  Liu Xuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, fortunately he had come with Sun Qian, which diverted Liu Bei's attention and that of Cai Mao, his biggest concern about the accent issue was thus glossed over, it couldn't be said to be a stroke of luck.

  But in his heart, there was another kind of unease, had Sun Qian guessed something?

  Sun Qian slightly bowed and said: "The Emperor's uncle has been defeated in battle, now he is by the river, Liu Xuande wants to surrender to the Governor of the state, I don't know if the Governor will accept him?"

  Sun Gan said it very calmly and directly. In major matters, one must speak clearly and straightforwardly, without giving the other party any ambiguous attitude.

  Before Liu Biao could speak, Cai Mao's face changed greatly, and he hastily said: "My lord must not do this. Liu Bei first surrendered to Tao Qian, but Tao Qian died of illness. Then he followed Lü Bu, but Lü Bu was killed at the White Gate Tower. After that, he followed Cao Cao, which led to the disaster of the imperial edict, and Dong Cheng and other officials were executed. Finally, he surrendered to Yuan Shao, but Yuan Shao was defeated at Guandu. This shows that he is a man who brings calamity to his lord. If we accept him, Cao Cao will surely attack Jingzhou, and great disaster will not be far off. I hope my lord will clearly see this."

  At this time, Liu Xuan said from the side: "Uncle, may I have a word?"

  Liu Bei smiled and nodded, "I'd like to hear Xun Yu's opinion."

  Liu Xuan had originally made up his mind to remain silent, but he took the opportunity to reveal a glimpse of his insight, allowing Liu Bei to have a preconceived good impression of him. In his previous life, Liu Xuan had rich social experience and was very aware of the importance of making a good first impression.

  Just like a piece of white paper, he first drew an excellent picture on the paper. Even if the calligraphy that followed was not good, it would not affect Liu Bei's impression of him, and thus everything was perfect.

  This is actually a career strategy, if you want to get your boss's appreciation, the key is what kind of first impression do you give to your boss?

  At the same time, he also wanted to repay Sun Qian for his help earlier.

  Liu Jue stood up and bowed to Liu Biao, then nodded slightly towards Cai Mao before speaking calmly: "Although Cao Cao has dispatched troops to Ru Nan, it doesn't necessarily mean he will head south to Jing Zhou. Although Cao's army defeated Yuan Shao twice, Yuan still controls four states and remains powerful. At this time, Cao's attention should still be on Yuan Shao - a dying insect can still struggle for life. It would take at least five or six years for Cao to completely eliminate Yuan Shao. With the north still unstable, how could he head south? During this period, Cao's army won't attack Jing and Xiang, so Governor Cai doesn't need to worry about Cao launching an attack on Jing Zhou because of Liu Xian De. And if Cao really wanted to take Jing and Xiang, why didn't he pursue and kill them all the way here?"

  Just as Cai Mao was about to refute, Liu Xun continued: "Even if Cao Cao wants to plot against Jingzhou in the future, Liu Xuande is just an excuse. Can he really hand over Liu Xuande and make Cao Cao retreat and live in peace with Jingzhou? Mr. Cai also underestimates Cao Cao's ambition too much. A tiger has the intention of biting people, how can it be released because of someone's kindness? By accepting Liu Xuande, not only can we add to our uncle's reputation, but also increase our strength to resist Cao's army. Why not do it? I beg my uncle to think thrice!"

  Cai Mao's face turned iron-green with rage, but he couldn't refute it. He opposed accepting Liu Bei, actually fearing that Liu Bei's arrival would harm the interests of the Jingzhou Shi family. He had a private heart, but his private heart couldn't be explicitly stated, and for a moment, he was speechless.

  Sun Qian secretly praised him, originally he wanted to say that Liu Bei was a hero who single-handedly supported the Han Dynasty and was admired by the world, using righteousness to move Liu Biao. Now it seems that even Liu Xun's analysis of interests is more realistic, no wonder the lord insisted on letting himself and Liu Xun come together, the lord indeed has insight!

  At this moment, the eyes of the three men turned to Liu Biao, awaiting his final decision.