NOVPUBXi Zhicai’s words were watertight, and as he conversed idly, he delved into Zhuge Liang’s Spiritual Talent. It turned out Xi was more interested in the youth named Zhuge Liang than Zhuge Jin was. Fortunately, Cai Yan truly believed that Cao Cao had sent Xi Zhicai to find her, so she didn’t guard herself much against him. They quickly became acquainted, and Xi smoothly elicited Cai Yan’s identity.
"Miss Cai, speaking of which, I still don’t know how you came to reside on Mount Tai. I recall my lord mentioning that Miss Cai should have already married into the Hedong Wei Family," Xi Zhicai said with some embarrassment. After all, he had just been mentioning how his own lord was missing Cai Yan, yet here she was, already a married woman...
"My father died because of the Dong Zhuo incident. I mourned him for three years, hence I never joined the Wei Family. Besides, Zhongdao is already deceased, so it seems I will not be able to marry into the Hedong Wei Family after all," said Cai Yan, her expression tinged with a trace of sorrow.
"However, luckily, my father left behind many old friends when he was alive. Uncle Li took me with him when he left Chang’an and settled me here on Mount Tai, and now I serve as the manager of the Book Pavilion of Mount Tai." Cai Yan thought of Li Youu, who didn’t show up often, but would always take care of anything that was needed. This cheered her up quite a bit, "Therefore, there isn’t really anything missing. I wonder how my brother has been in recent years."
Xi Zhicai had no reason to doubt that someone had taken Cai Yan out of the city. After all, Cai Yong, a noted scholar, made friends all over the world, and it was nothing unusual for him to have one or two exceptionally capable friends.
However, Xi Zhicai silently took note of Cai Yan’s previous actions, seeing her clear affection for Cao Cao.
Xi Zhicai didn’t chat with Cai Yan for long, as, after all, aside from the guard named Yangg Lian brought by Second Miss Cai, there were only maids at Cai Yan’s residence. It was not appropriate for him, a stranger, to stay there for too long.
During their conversation, Xi Zhicai also inquired about whether Cai Yan felt safe living there. She merely smiled and said, "There are no male servants in my house, but there are twenty teams of city guards patrolling around the outside, and if there’s trouble, a whistle will quickly bring even more city guards."
In truth, Cai Yan knew that these were not her own personal guards. Even if Li Youu was using his power for personal gain, he wouldn’t dare go to such an extent—more than five teams would require signing a document with Mann Chong.
The reason Cai Yan was enjoying this privilege was simple—Liu Bei, Chen Xi, and Lub Su were all living nearby. Li Youu’s hand simply trembled while outlining the highly alert zones around Fenggao, and as a result, Cai Yan naturally also enjoyed this benefit. Coupled with the Book Pavilion’s inherent security, it wasn’t an easy task for anyone to intrude into Cai Yan’s place, which was as secure as a fortress.
Although Xi Zhicai did not have extensive interactions with Cai Yan, he had to praise her, as much of what he conveyed from Cao Cao was understood by Cai Yan immediately. This made him acknowledge that this widely acclaimed talented woman was indeed genuine. Moreover, many of her ideas startled Xi, who found them not necessarily agreeable, but definitely thought-provoking! It was said that Cai Yan, who never forgot everything she read, had perused every single one of Chen Xi’s subversive books and had naturally been influenced by them.
This made Xi Zhicai reflect that if Cai Yan had been born male, she might well have been a renowned statesman of her generation. Unfortunately, she was a woman. Nonetheless, since Cai Yan was well-acquainted with his lord, Xi couldn’t help but ponder on the matter—after all, a woman as graceful and talented as Cai Yan seemed ideal to be a matriarch, in Xi’s eyes. Based on his current knowledge, the potential for affection was mutual between her and his lord, and thus the likelihood of successfully bringing them together was high.
However, what troubled Xi Zhicai was the ominous "widower-maker" label attached to her. Precisely because of this, he considered for a long time and ultimately did not extend an invitation to Cai Yan. He planned to report the day’s happenings to Cao Cao and let the lord decide. Though talented, her ominous reputation was undeniable, and Xi understood why Cai Yan was living alone on Mount Tai.
Xi Zhicai did not linger when it was time to leave, and Cai Yan did not attempt to detain him. As a widow, she had always been chaste and proper. It was exactly because of this that she would never allow any man, who was not her elder, to be alone with her—like today, if it were not for the presence of her sister, Cai Yan would have definitely not allowed Xi Zhicai to enter. Even knowing that he was a subordinate of Cao Mengde, she would not have permitted his entry.
After Xi Zhicai had left, Second Miss Cai followed behind Cai Yan, sneakily giggling, "Sister, Brother Cao still has you on his mind."
"Ouch!" Before she finished her sentence, Second Miss Cai received a rap on her head and looked up at her sister with misty eyes. "Hmph, I told you before that Weii Zhongdao was unreliable, but father insisted on marrying you off to that consumptive ghost. Now look how miserable you are. Really."
Cai Yan looked impassively at her muttering sister without saying anything, which made her think back to the days when Cai Yong was still alive. She realized that had she struggled or even emulated Sima Xiangru and Zhuo Wenjun, things wouldn’t have ended up as they are now. Every time she thought of this, Cai Yan felt somewhat envious of her sister.
It should be noted that Second Miss Cai and Yangg Dao had eloped. She was not even of age yet when she was spirited away by Yangg Dao, and later, to avoid losing face, Cai Yong had no choice but to marry off Second Miss Cai to him with a dowry. Now, she was properly established.
This was also the reason why, despite being daughters of Cai Yong and equally intelligent, and although Second Miss Cai even produced a demon like Yangg Hu, she was not widely recorded in history. It was due to the practice of Historians to glorify the respected and conceal the shameful!
Originally, Cai Yong had intended to marry his second daughter to one of his five disciples. Yet, Second Miss Cai thought Wang Can was too mature, Gu Yong dull, Ruan Yu conservative, and Lu Cui overbearing. As for Cao Cao, Second Miss Cai did not want to be a replacement for her sister and so, without much discussion, she packed a bundle and ran away, quickly getting along with Yangg Dao. Cai Yong was so angry he could have killed someone, which is why Second Miss Cai married at the tender age of not even fifteen.
On the other side, Xi Zhicai frowned as he looked towards the location he felt the Spiritual Talent emanating from. The four characters "General of the East" clued Xi Zhicai in an instant to whom the house belonged.
[It seems that even if this person is not a subordinate of Liu Bei, he has a deep connection with Liu Bei. Otherwise, how could he live here?] Xi Zhicai thought helplessly.
[Well, since I’m here, I might as well take care of the business thoroughly.] No sooner had he thought this than he stepped forward, but just as he intended to take another step, he was blocked by someone. So, Xi Zhicai bowed to the guard, "Please, inform Governor Liu that Xi Zhicai, a subordinate of the Governor of Yanzhou, Cao Mengde, has come to visit."
The two Xuu family guards at the door were taken aback, then returned a bow to Xi Zhicai, "Sir, please wait a moment while I convey the message."
Very soon, the guard returned and saluted with a clenched fist toward Xi Zhicai, "Lord invites you to enter."
The moment Xi Zhicai entered, he was taken aback by a wall standing right in the middle of the road. He turned to look at Dian Wei following behind him—who was just as hideous and robust—could they be brothers? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
