Chapter 25 Some People Are Happy While Others Worry

  Liu Biao gazed at Kuai Yue for a moment, and he sensed that Kuai Yue's words were not sincere. However, since Kuai Yue was unwilling to speak clearly, Liu Biao did not ask further questions either. He ordered the guard: "Invite Lord Guan to come and converse."

  Before long, the attendant led Liu Bei into the government office. As soon as he entered, Liu Bei bowed and smiled: "I have come especially to congratulate my elder brother on obtaining a worthy son."

  "Hey! Don't praise him to the skies, it's just a fencing match. If you mention this again, brother, I'll have to leave." Liu Biao said, making as if to walk away.

  Liu Bei repeatedly waved his hand exaggeratedly, "Alright! I admit it's for another matter that I came here, and it has nothing to do with Brother Jing. Big brother must not escape."

  The two men exchanged a glance and burst out laughing. Liu Biao invited Liu Bei to sit down in the room, and he also greeted Kuai Yue with courtesy. As expected, Liu Bei did not mention the matter of Liu Xun again, nor did he mention the rebellion of Jiangxia Chen Sun and Zhang Wu.

  "It's been a month since I arrived in Jingzhou. I've received your brotherly warm hospitality, and there has been no lack of food or supplies. I'm deeply grateful for everything. Today, I came especially to bid you farewell."

  "This news gave Liu Bei a shock, 'Younger brother, where are you going?'"

  Liu Bei sighed and said, "I have an old relationship with Ma Chao, I plan to go to Xiliang to rely on him."

  Ma Shoucheng is also known as Ma Teng of Xiliang. When Liu Biao heard that Liu Bei was going to surrender to Ma Teng, his eyebrows furrowed involuntarily. Kuai Yue asked on the side: "Jingzhou is separated from Xiliang by Hanzhong and Guanzhong, how can the Imperial Uncle get there?"

  "I plan to borrow a road through Bashu, go north from Wengun to Xiqiang, and then detour to Liangzhou."

  It's simply nonsense. Liu Bei was somewhat dissatisfied in his heart, but still expressionless: "Is there someone secretly harming my brother from behind? Forcing my brother to resort to such a inferior strategy."

  "No, no one is plotting against you."

  "Is it because I didn't take good care of you and gave you too little rice?"

  Liu Bei shook his head again, "My elder brother has treated me with great kindness, and the grain is more than enough, how can I bear to complain that my elder brother's care is not thorough?"

  "Why must you leave Jingzhou and abandon me, noble brother?" Liu Biao's eyes gleamed with a fierce light, his expression as if he would summon the troops to interrogate him.

  Liu Bei sighed, "I didn't want to leave Jingzhou, but I have been receiving a salary without achieving anything, and I feel deeply uneasy about it."

  Before Liu Bei could finish, Liu Biao suddenly realized and burst out laughing, pointing at Liu Bei and sighing: "Younger brother! How can you make me say it? Can't you just speak directly? Why must you beat around the bush and make me think I've offended you? Just speak plainly! What do you want to do?"

  Liu Bei's roundabout way of speaking was not redundant. If he had entered the house and directly said that he wanted to fight Zhang Wu and Chen Sun, Liu Biao might not have agreed, thinking that Liu Bei had ulterior motives. But by beating around the bush like this, there was room for negotiation.

  Actually, anything is like this. Being too straightforward and sincere can make one's attitude seem stiff, leaving others unprepared and resistant to the idea, ultimately making things harder to accomplish.

  Being round and gentle, things will often become easier to handle. In interpersonal relationships, this is also called "being tactful". Being tactful is not a bad thing, it also means being gentle and considerate. It's a way of interacting with others, where "round" implies subtlety and "gentle" implies time. With subtlety and time, giving others some space to think, it's easier for people to get along and eliminate misunderstandings.

  Liu Bei is old and worldly, how could he not understand this principle? He doesn't mention going to rely on Liu Zhang, but says he's going to rely on Ma Teng, making his idea absurd. There must be a reason for the absurdity, and if we investigate further, things can be discussed. If he said he was going to rely on Liu Zhang, Liu Biao would probably have other ideas.

  Now that things have been made clear, Liu Bei also stopped beating around the bush and directly stated his own requirements: "I heard that Chen Sun and Zhang Wu of Jiangxia are rebelling, I am willing to share my brother's worries."

  Jiangxia Chen Sun and Zhang Wu's rebellion, Liu Biao was still discussing with his subordinates and had not made a decision. Since Liu Bei took the initiative to propose it, Liu Biao thought for a moment and agreed happily, "Since my brother has a mind, I'll entrust it to you. However, the troops of Jingzhou have just returned from Jiaozhou and are exhausted, so I can only give you 20,000 soldiers. Don't worry about food and supplies, and I'll let General Wang Wei be your deputy general to assist you in suppressing the rebels."

  Liu Biao agreed to let Liu Bei go on the expedition, but in principle, there was no ambiguity, and the army would not be given more, nor would military power be handed over to Liu Bei.

  This was within Liu Bei's expectations, and he smiled slightly, "Everything will be done according to brother's arrangements."

  At this time, Kuai Yue, who had been silent all along, suddenly smiled and said: "I propose that we let Lord Jing follow Xuande on his expedition to temper his abilities."

  Kuai Yue originally wanted to suggest not letting Liu Xuan and Liu Bei interact too much, but some things, without in-depth understanding, are unknown whether they are beneficial or harmful. Whether Liu Xuan's interaction with Liu Bei is beneficial or harmful, Kuai Yue decided to observe for a year or two before making a decision.

  Actually, there is a deeper meaning to this. Today's sword fight can be seen as pushing Liu Xuan to the opposing side of the Cai family. I heard that Liu Xuan's martial arts skills were taught by Zhao Yun, so can we also push Liu Bei to the opposing side of the Cai family?

  Liu Biao did not object to this proposal. He had high hopes for Liu Xun and more importantly, he also knew that staying indoors would not produce a good general. Since there was an opportunity to go on a campaign, letting Liu Xun gain experience outside was by no means a bad thing.

  Liu Biao hesitated for a moment before smiling and saying: "I'll entrust that foolish brother's nephew to you as well, younger brother."

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  In a sickroom in the backyard of the Cai residence, the window curtains were drawn, blocking out the afternoon sunlight and making the room somewhat dim. A strong medicinal smell wafted through the air. Cai Jin lay on the bed, his face sallow, his spirit weak and listless, completely lacking the decisive courage he usually possessed.

  Two medical workers had just changed his medicine, Cai Jin's younger brother Cai Hong sat beside the couch, carefully feeding him the medicine. At this time, someone at the door said in a low voice: "The master is here!"

  Cai Tai walked into the room with his hands behind his back, his face gloomy. Today's Cai Tai was indeed in a bad mood, not just because Cai Jin lost the sword fight and tarnished the Cai family's reputation.

  Moreover, he had just received news that Lord Cao had agreed to let Liu Bei lead the army to quell the rebellion of Zhang Wu and Chen Sun in Jiangxia, such an important matter was not even discussed with him, Cai Mao.

  Cai Mao had originally planned to recommend his cousin Cai Zhong to lead the army to suppress the rebellion of Zhang Wu and Chen Sun. On one hand, this would redeem Cai Zhong's crime of being defeated by Gan Ning last year; on the other hand, it would allow the military power of the Cai family to break into Jiangxia, which was firmly controlled by Huang Zu, a two-for-one deal.

  It turned out that Lord Cao unexpectedly let Liu Bei lead the army to go forward, completely destroying his plan, making Cai Mao extremely depressed.

  Cai Man walked into the room, Cai Hong hastily knelt down and paid his respects, "Greetings, master of the house!"

  Cai Man nodded, standing in front of the bed and gazing coldly at Cai Jin. As the saying goes, "The winner is king, the loser is a bandit." Although this phrase is a bit exaggerated when used here, the meaning is roughly the same.

  Cai Jin's defeat this time made Cai Mao extremely disappointed. He had pinned too much hope on defeating Liu Xuan, to the point of mobilizing family resources to promote this sword fight, but in the end, the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

  The master's cold face made Cai Jin feel uneasy in his heart, and he stammered: "Nephew has failed to live up to the master's expectations, willing to accept punishment."

  "We'll talk about punishment later!"

  Cai Man asked Cai Hong beside him, "How is his injury?"

  "Reporting back to the master of the house, Third Brother's injury is nothing serious, and he didn't suffer any internal damage or harm to his tendons and bones. The doctor said that with one or two months of rest, he'll be fine."

  Cai Jin is the younger brother of Cai Mao and the son of Cai Yan. At that time, Cai Yan was serving as the governor of Ba County and was not in Xiangyang, so he entrusted his son to Cai Mao. When he was injured, Cai Mao found it difficult to explain to his brother, so he came to ask about it. Upon hearing that the injury was not serious, his expression slightly eased, and then asked Cai Jin, "Why did you fail this time?"

  Cai Jin's eyes revealed a painful expression, and after the event, his master told him that in fact, his martial arts skills were more solid than Liu Xuan's, more comprehensive, but he still lost, the reason was because of his underestimation of the enemy.

  "Nephew... didn't expect him to be so experienced, nephew... underestimated him."

  "Experience?"

  Cai Man's eyes were filled with doubt, "What experience could he possibly have?"

  "Master said he has... rich combat experience."

  Cai Man's heart was even more puzzled, "How can the young master's nephew have experience in fighting and killing, this is indeed puzzling."

  But the idea had just risen in Cai Mao's mind when it was interrupted by his daughter, who burst into the room wearing a red warrior suit. Cai Shao Yu rushed in and shouted: "Third brother, I have decided to lead the brave warriors of the Cai family tonight to kill that bastard and avenge you."

  Cai Man turned back and glared at his daughter, "What are you talking about?"

  Cai Shaoyou didn't expect her father to be in the hospital room too, and was so startled that she trembled, lowering her head, "N-no... nothing?"

  Cai Man's heart grew more and more indignant, frustrated in his official career, and at home his juniors did not let him have his way, even his daughter had become a troublemaker.

  Cai Man heavily hummed and turned to leave, walking to the door before turning back to warn his daughter, "I'm warning you now, Liu Xuan will be your husband in the future. If you hurt him, you'll spend the rest of your life waiting by the gate!"

  No!

  Tsai shouted in terror, "Daddy, I don't want to marry him."

  "This is none of your business."

  Cai Man threw out a cruel remark and quickly walked away. Cai Shao Yu chased after him for several steps, "Father! Father!"

  But Cai Ma ignored her and walked away quickly. Cai Shao Yu looked at the back of her father who had left decisively, feeling wronged to the point of tears welling up in her eyes. She wiped away her tears, gritted her teeth, "I absolutely will not marry that rough bastard!"

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  At dusk, a sturdy horse-drawn carriage slowly stopped in front of the Liu Mansion. A young man wearing a white brocade robe got out of the carriage and quickly walked up the steps, slightly bowing to the gatekeeper, "I am Kuai Qi, on behalf of my father, I bring an invitation for Master Jing, please pass it on."

  After finishing speaking, he took out a silk scroll and handed it to the doorman. The doorman was a bit dizzy, as the door was the place where gifts were received, and he was very familiar with various rituals.

  Commoners invite guests, and they will send a young servant to verbally convey the message. Middle-class families are slightly more particular and will send a bamboo card to show respect and formality. Large households will use hemp paper to write formal invitations when inviting guests.

  Only when treating extremely honored guests would one use brocade invitations. When Kua Gong entertained guests, not only did he send his sons and nephews to receive them, but also sent over brocade invitations; such treatment was extraordinary.

  The gatekeeper of the Liu Biao mansion was in charge of the main gate, and he had seen a lot. He didn't care about Jin Shu himself, but Qu Yue's attitude towards Xuan Gongzi surprised him. A duel with swords, and Xuan Gongzi's reputation had actually risen to this extent?

  "Kuai Gongzi, please wait!"

  The housekeeper rushed eastward, and soon Liu Xuan hurried out of the mansion, dressed neatly. He had been waiting for a while.

  Kuai Qi also watched today's sword fight, recognized Liu Xuan, and hastily bowed to pay his respects. "Liu Gongzi has waited for a long time, I am Kuai Qi, and I have come to welcome Liu Gongzi on the orders of my family's elder."

  Liu Jiong had originally planned to go to Kua's mansion himself, but he hadn't expected that Kua Yue would be so solemn, not only sending over a silk letter, but also dispatching his nephew to personally welcome him. The grandeur of the etiquette left him somewhat flattered and surprised - after all, this was the Kua family, the second most prominent aristocratic household in Jing Xiang!

  Only when entertaining big shots like Liu Biao and Cai Mao would he receive such courtesy, but now, as a small nephew of Liu Biao, he was also treated with such grandeur, which moved Liu Xun's heart somewhat.

  "It's too much trouble for your esteemed household; Liu Xuan is ashamed and doesn't dare accept it."

  Kuai Qi smiled slightly, "Young Master Jing has defeated Cai Jin today and is already a young man admired by the people of Jing Xiang. The Kuai family is honored to be the first to invite Young Master Jing, please get on the carriage."

  He made a polite gesture, his elegant and composed demeanor inspired Liu Xuan's respect, and he was indeed a refined and elegant young master of a noble family, with a dignified and majestic bearing that changed his biased impression of the sons of aristocratic families due to the Cai family.

  The two of them sat in the carriage, which sped up and galloped towards the Kui family's mansion located in the south of the city.

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