NOVPUBAmong the group, Zhuge Liang was indeed fatigued to the point of illness, and Chen Xi had overexerted himself in military campaigns, while others more or less all needed to take some medicine, then find a good chef to nourish themselves well. No one was saying anymore that Chen Xi shouldn’t have come—all knew that anyone would be somewhat panicked if their unintentional behaviors were pointed out and they were told what those behaviors meant.
"Everyone should go back and follow Physician Hua’s instructions to take your medicine properly. As for Fengxiao, Zijing, and Xiaozhi, I will inform Lord Xuande about your conditions. I think Lord Xuande will take this matter very seriously. And by the way, Fengxiao, I’m confiscating your gold card, and for the next few months, I’ll hold onto your stipend. I’ll also inform all the shops and restaurants in Fenggao City that you will come to my house for meals on time every day," said Chen Xi with a smile, shaking the money bag, the wine gourd, and the gold card of Fragrance Pavilion he had taken from Guo Jia.
You see, the charming and free-spirited Guo Fengxiao, although deeply moved by Hua Tuo’s words, reverted back to his own ways once he left, not taking his own life seriously at all. To him, perhaps life was just about living carefreely.
Helpless, Chen Xi had no choice but to employ this final measure, as even Hua Tuo had mentioned that if only drinking, lechery, and Five-Stone Powder were quit for three months and one were well-regulated during this time, afterwards at least alcohol and pleasure could be indulged in without apprehension.
Chen Xi reckoned that with his own capabilities, confining Guo Jia in Fenggao City for three months and getting him to quit alcohol, lechery, and Five-Stone Powder was barely achievable.
"No, not that!" Guo Jia wailed miserably, which for someone who valued living a carefree life, was an unbearable agony.
"It’s not up for discussion. You don’t have a wife, so as a friend, I will help you treat yourself," Chen Xi said, completely ignoring Guo Jia’s wails, "I’ll seal off your house later, and for the next three months, I want you to quietly quit drinking, quit lechery, and quit Five-Stone Powder!"
"Ah!" Guo Jia clutched at his chest and collapsed onto Fa Xiaozhi.
"And you, Fa Xiaozhi, if I catch you randomly consuming pills again, I’ll strip you of your official position, and you can start all over!" Chen Xi said angrily.
The position of Prime Minister of Qi State was extremely important to Fa Zheng. Although he had never visited Qi State, his posture grew much straighter full of confidence when he wrote a letter to his father about this title before his father’s arrival at Mount Tai!
After all, from ancient times to the present, it is common for parents to hope their sons will turn into dragons and their daughters into phoenixes. Now, Fa Zheng’s situation was akin to smoke billowing from his family’s ancestral tomb; how arrogant could a sixteen-year-old Prime Minister of Qi State be?
Upon hearing Chen Xi’s words, Fa Zheng immediately swore to heaven that he would never consume pills again and tossed away the entire bottle of Precious Pills that had cost him a lot of money.
The rebellious young Fa Zheng had not easily managed to secure the position of Prime Minister of Qi State, which allowed him to stand tall and speak confidently in front of his father. Excitedly he had written a letter to bring his father from Fufeng to Mount Tai to show filial piety. He couldn’t accept that just for a pill, after his father arrived he might have to act timidly again—a prospect difficult for the recently thrill-seeking Fa Zheng to bear!
"Zijing..." As Chen Xi saw Fa Zheng’s frantic expression, he knew that Fa Zheng would absolutely never touch those things again, so he turned to Lub Su.
"I understand. I didn’t know this thing was poisonous before, but now that I do, I won’t take it anymore. I used it just to stay alert," said Lub Su with a smile and an indifferent manner.
Three people, three different reactions, three different attitudes towards life: Guo Jia’s carefree attiude in face of life and death, Fa Zheng’s dutifulness beneath his rebellion, and Lub Su’s nonchalance amid his easy-going nature.
"Alright, I am very reassured about you. When the time comes, help keep an eye on Fengxiao and don’t let him be reckless. Wen He, Ziyang, Boning, Kongming, you all should also be vigilant about Fengxiao and prevent him from acting rashly," Chen Xi said, turning to address the group.
"I won’t act rashly; leave me alone!" Guo Jia protested strongly.
"Objection overruled; there’s no use resisting," Chen Xi glanced over and said, "You are too carefree. Don’t you want to see the great undertaking you started with your own hands?"
Guo Jia fell silent. In this world, if anything could bind Guo Jia, besides life and death, it was probably only his own dreams.
Without a response, that was acceptance. Chen Xi understood this very well. As long as their group had no physical issues, their unity was strong enough to stand against any of the Feudal Lords. This was the puzzle he had chosen initially; each piece might not be the best, but combined, they were definitely the strongest group of strategists in the world.
In Lub Kingdom, at the border of Xuzhou and Yuzhou, fluttering snowflakes began to fall at this moment, forcing Cao Song and his party to camp at a dilapidated earth god temple.
"Sigh, covering only twenty li in a day is indeed too slow. I originally intended to personally inform my son about Tao Gongzu’s message. But after dozens of days, we’ve only managed a few hundred li, and still half the distance remains to Chenliu, where my son is," Cao Song said somewhat helplessly as he drank a cup of warm wine to warm his body.
"Father, why worry so much? Earlier or later, what does it matter? My brother’s grand talent and vision surely won’t mind this short delay," Cao De said, bringing the meat over to console, "I’m sure when my brother receives this message from you, he will be overjoyed with double happiness."
"Hahaha," Cao Song laughed heartily, "My son speaks the truth. However, it’s best to inform Meng De of such an important matter sooner. Originally, I planned to tell him in person, but it seems now I should send someone to inform him instead and let Meng De prepare early. Fetch some paper and grind some ink; I will write down the affairs of Xuzhou and inform Meng De."
Cao De entered the room and brought out all the stationery needed. Cao Song caressed the blank paper and sighed, "This Liu Weishuo indeed has great talent; the inheritance of his family’s learning is certainly not without this precious item."
"What father says is true," Cao De also spoke with a tinge of emotion.
Soon, Cao Song finished writing the letter to his eldest son Cao Cao, stating Tao Qian’s thoughts on the matter, as well as his own speculations. Overall, he believed that with his son’s talent and brilliance, upon receiving the letter, he would know how to secure Xuzhou.
"Cao Lie, take this letter and deliver it quickly to Meng De in Chenliu," Cao Song looked around at the guards and chose the most loyal and brave, Cao Lie, to lead a ten-man escort team to Chenliu. As for the dangers of doing so, Cao Song did not pay the slightest attention, confident in the protection of the hundreds of soldiers led by Zhang Kai.
"At your command!" Cao Lie bowed, took the letter, wrapped it up carefully, concealed it against his chest, and picked ten guards to immediately set off on horseback.
Outside the earth god temple, a group of people squatted by a fire. As they saw Cao Lie leave with his men, a guardian dressed unlike a typical soldier signalled Zhang Kai with his eyes. Zhang Kai slightly nodded, and more than thirty soldiers carefully retreated, then vanished into the wind and snow. Subsequently, the sound of hooves galloping could be heard amidst the wind. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
