NOVPUBAfter Chen Xi returned home, Butler Chen presented him with a letter and a jade pendant. "Master, today a scholar came by, claiming to be a distant relative of yours. He was passing through and, upon learning of your impending marriage, left behind a jade pendant. The rest, he said, you would understand upon reading the letter."
Chen Xi, puzzled, took the bamboo container, broke the wax seal, and poured out the silk cloth. It was surprising to find he had a distant relative of whom he was unaware. Moreover, why would such a relative leave in such a hurry? According to the norms of the time, it was considered rude not to stay for at least three months.
"Uncle, do you recognize that man? Why didn’t you ask him to stay longer?" Chen Xi asked without looking at the letter, turning his head to inquire.
He casually picked up the jade pendant. Being in this world had improved his understanding of the value of jade significantly. This pendant could be worth no less than ten thousand coins. Its owner, who could leave behind such an item, was certainly no ordinary figure.
"The man did bear some resemblance to the master, but I have never seen him before," the old butler pondered before speaking. "I repeatedly asked him to stay, yet he seemed in a hurry, leaving behind the letter before driving away in his carriage."
"Oh, I see," Chen Xi said, somewhat helplessly. "Well, let’s treat him when we meet in the future. Let’s see what the letter says."
"Zichuan, my brother, I am Sima Boda from the Sima family of Henei. Although we have never met, the Sima family of Henei and the Yingchuan Chen Family are old acquaintances, our ancestors being..." Reading the start of the letter, Chen Xi was shocked. Sima Boda was a well-known figure, and even more famous was his younger brother Sima Zhongda—a man who played a role in the demise of Zhuge Liang.
In a flash, Chen Xi connected all the dots and, without hesitation, rushed outside. However, after running a few steps, he stopped, overcome with annoyance. [I was too careless, only focusing on Sima Yi being too young, while forgetting that Sima Yi could have his brother come forward. Damn it!]
Chen Xi’s face was full of frustration. He had just missed an encounter with the Sima brothers and was utterly dejected. [Damn it, it looks like the Sima brothers were just passing through without a long stay. It definitely wasn’t more than ten days; otherwise, in two more days, when the mid-month is over, the guest records from various restaurants with ’Sima’ and ’Zhuge’ surnames should have reached me. Is this forcing me to list all those nearly ten years old and able to wander everywhere, so they could be reported immediately upon appearance on the record?]
Chen Xi was agonizingly conflicted—it wasn’t an issue of waiting passively for something to happen. At the end of the Han Dynasty, renowned ministers and valiant generals were usually itinerant, their whereabouts unpredictable. Like knowing Pang Tong was a member of the Pang family, he had Jian Yong and Liu Yan help with inquiries in Jingzhou, but who knew where Pang Tong was at that time? Certainly not at the Pang family home!
"Forget it, bad luck, Chen Bo, help me notify Mi Zizhong and ask him to bring me the guest list of this past ten-day period," Chen Xi said with a dejected face. He was now suspecting whether the previous mass mishap was caused by Sima Yi who had left immediately afterward. Thinking about the timing, it fit just right! This thought made Chen Xi even more upset.
[Speechless! Who would think of that demon if he didn’t appear before your eyes? Can’t a person have a little fun anymore!] Chen Xi felt a bit crazy. Capturing Sima Yi to transform his life’s goals and reestablish his values was something Chen Xi had always fantasized about, yet the opportunity had just slipped away, leaving him deeply frustrated.
"Master, are you alright?" Butler Chen saw that Chen Xi’s complexion had fluctuated between red and black ever since he opened the silk cloth, and he couldn’t help but express his concern—Chen Xi was the pillar of the New Chen Family, after all!
"It’s okay, it’s okay. Have Jian’er fetch some paper and pen for me first, and then go find Zizhong. I need to check the list of names. Tell Zizhong this time I want not only the lists of people from both the Zhuge and the Sima batches but all the existing lists of names from this ten-day period. Tell him I’m not going to find it troublesome this time!" Chen Xi waved his hand with a look of exasperation on his face.
"Yes, Master." Butler Chen bowed and withdrew.
"[Forget it, forget it, it’s all in the past.]" Chen Xi pulled at the corners of his mouth to comfort himself, "[But who would have thought I’d turn out to be a distant relative of Sima Yi? Sending an invitation by letter, they should at least show some courtesy in response, right?]"
With this thought, Chen Xi felt somewhat relieved. However, after that unpleasant incident, he had no intention of covering things up anymore. He planned to write down the names of all the famous ministers and valiant generals who were above the age of ten and capable of getting around.
It wasn’t about making the roll call well-known, but at least the core servants in the Mi Family’s possession, namely the managers of various stores, must remember everyone. If they found someone, they were to report it immediately. Now, regardless of whether Pang Tong was in Jingzhou or not, even if he fled to Yizhou, as long as he stayed at a Mi Family restaurant, they were to drag him to Fenggao by force if needed. Chen Xi absolutely did not want a repeat of such incidents.
Not long after Fan Jian brought over the paper and pen, Chen Xi hadn’t written much before Mi Zhu pulled over a pile of bamboo slips in a cart.
Chen Xi looked at the cart filled with bamboo slips and felt his head swell; this was just the list of guests who had stayed at the Mi Family restaurants in Fenggao during this ten-day period. If one were to consider the entire Great Han Dynasty, the sheer number would be maddening. Yet this showed just how much money the Mi Family made from their business—it’s no wonder they were among the Five Great Merchants...
"Zichuan, all check-ins and some unintended dining guests’ lists from this ten-day period until today are here," said Mi Zhu, pointing at the cart full of letters.
"Help me pick out the travelers with the surnames Sima and Zhuge. So many, it’s just ridiculous; you hurried to deliver them, but didn’t sort them out first? It’s seriously frustrating!" Chen Xi said helplessly. In the previous months, even when he received the most names every ten days, it was just over a hundred, with their check-in times included, but not a single one that he remembered.
"I picked them out a long time ago. All of Fenggao’s restaurants, including the ones my family doesn’t own, would send me the lists of occupants with these two surnames daily. Then they would accumulate over the ten-day period. All Mi Family-owned restaurants in Mount Tai and some willing helpers would send the slips over by the tenth day. Every month, the lists from all over Qingzhou would be delivered, and then I would hand them to you," Mi Zhu said proudly, taking out the unsorted bamboo slips from the side.
In an instant, Chen Xi felt as if struck by lightning. He had vastly underestimated Mi Zhu’s efficacy. Now that he thought about it, it seemed there weren’t that many people with the surnames Zhuge and Sima. To receive a dozen or so every ten days and over a hundred at the end of the month was rather bizarre. Why hadn’t he given it more thought at the time?
"Just read them, read them to me, that will do. I really was foolish before. If I had known your efficiency was this great, I would have had you come in and report to me every day. It’s such a pitfall!" Chen Xi said, resting his head in his hands with a look of helplessness. What a mess! (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
