NOVPUB"Zizhong, don’t think that I’m just humoring you; this is truly Zichuan’s assessment. If you don’t believe me, you can wait for Zichuan to return and ask him yourself," Lub Su laughed heartily as he saw through Mi Zhu’s awkwardness.
"Well said, well said." Hearing these words, Mi Zhu’s spirits lifted. His younger brother, Mi Fang, receiving such praise from Chen Xi—there might indeed be things he was unaware of.
Chen Xi didn’t speak idly; Mi Fang, who had followed Liu Bei in his most destitute times and had not wavered even when Cao Cao admired him and appointed him as Pengcheng Prime Minister, clearly had a sense of loyalty worth mentioning—even surpassing many others.
Furthermore, Liu Bei remained in a state of displacement for over a decade, and Mi Fang stayed by his side without fail. From this point of view, his endurance and unwavering loyalty were beyond question.
However, the incident in Jingzhou undoubtedly lowered Mi Fang’s score. Historical records indicate that he and Guan Yu did not get along, but looking back at how Guan Yu treated Mi Fang, one can see that it had little to do with Guan Yu not communicating with him.
Considering Guan Yu’s sense of righteousness, he would have surely been brotherly to those from the Elder Faction who stayed by Liu Bei’s side. Historical records state that Mi Fang failed to fulfill military provisions and accidentally burned the collected supplies. How should one judge such a fault? On anyone else, it would definitely warrant execution. An army marches on its stomach, and that is no laughing matter, yet the official history recorded that Guan Yu only scolded him, telling Mi Fang to go back and continue procuring provisions.
It’s worth noting that at the time, Mi Fang was both the Logistics Officer and the Grand Administrator of South Commandery. Anyone who has seen a map knows where South Commandery is; it’s a major rear base. Guan Yu placing him there might also have been an act to protect him. After all, nobody could have anticipated Jiangxia County’s sudden demise, with South Commandery being beset...
Firstly, the role of Logistics Officer is always a lucrative one, especially when one has powerful backing; for someone like Mi Fang, it was indeed a cushy job. Despite the grave mistake Mi Fang made, Guan Yu only gave him a nominal rebuke. If Guan Yu had been true to his usual methods, it would definitely have led to an execution.
From this perspective, Guan Yu was actually showing considerable regard for past loyalty, but the problem was that Guan Yu was not one for words, with an extremely imposing demeanor. Mi Fang, already intimidated by Guan Yu’s authority, seldom interacted with him. Naturally, he was frightened by the scolding and, in his fear, was swayed by Doctor Ren’s treasonous advice when he found himself trapped and outmatched, leading him to surrender.
In short, it was a tragedy caused by a series of misunderstandings and accidents.
Precisely because of these factors, Chen Xi thought that Mi Fang was indeed redeemable. For instance, if he changed his leader—for an idiot like Gan Ning, who often did things no sane person would do, and wasn’t smuggling on sea ships part of the crew’s natural gift? Such as using ballast...
Most importantly, Gan Ning was neither imposing nor domineering, often acted foolishly, and would get along well with a rich second generation like Mi Fang. After all, Gan Ning was not one to look down on others, easily integrating with an Aristocratic Family Member like Mi Fang, who could connect with even river bandits; that’s truly imposing.
"Does this mean Zichuan already has plans?" Mi Zhu relaxed somewhat.
"Zichuan means to send Zifang to report to Gan Xingba. After all, Gan Xingba needs to conduct business with the indigenous people and is also known for his generosity. Though Zifang may not be skilled in merchant dealings for you, he has been exposed to the business for many years, so dealing with the indigenous people should be easy for him. Additionally, he knows a bit about literary matters and has some martial skills, which are exactly what the Navy needs." Lub Su said with a smile, assuming, just as Chen Xi had said, that Mi Fang would not be needed in a major naval battle.
"Gan Xingba." Mi Zhu thought for a moment; that robust man was indeed a general and also the sole commander of the Navy. He was generous and easy to get along with. Truly, as Lub Su said, it would be a good placement. "That would be fine. I’ll inform my brother and have him report to Gan Xingba’s Navy. He’s always causing trouble at home, and it’s about time he settled down and started a career."
"How will your family cope with this?" Lub Su inquired. Unlike other aristocratic families, the Mi family had only risen to prominence over three generations. Moreover, in Mi Zhu’s father’s generation, they were just average merchants. It wasn’t until Mi Zhu took over that the family’s fortune soared to the level of the Five Great Merchants. With three siblings in the family and Mi Zhu engaged in trade, if Mi Fang were to take to the sea routes, only Mi Zhen would be left at home.
"I’ll send her to the Great Scholar Cai to learn music, chess, calligraphy and painting, poetry and essays, needlework, and the art of tea. Haven’t the two girls from the Zhen Family also been studying with Great Scholar Cai recently? Sending her there would also give her companionship." It was obvious that Mi Zhu had already figured out how to handle Mi Zhen’s situation.
"Oh, you’ll be the one to speak to them at that time," Lub Su said, making it clear that he did not want to get involved in adding more people to Cai Wenji’s circle, as if he were Li Youu.
"No need to trouble Zijing with this matter," Mi Zhu said with a smile. "My sister Zhen’er has a very good relationship with Second Miss Cai. When Zifang and I leave, she will surely kick up a fuss and end up staying with Second Miss Cai."
Mi Zhu knew his sister’s personality better than anyone else: a good girl in front of others and a completely different person behind their backs. Having lost their parents at a young age, she grew up relying solely on her elder brother’s care, and in an upbringing where she received whatever she desired, it was a miracle she hadn’t turned out worse, truly a blessing from the ancestors of the Mi family.
"You’d better keep an eye on Yang Dao. He’s got a history," Lub Su warned, seeing Yang Dao, the man who had eloped with Second Miss Cai, as nothing but trouble.
"How could it be so!" Mi Zhu’s eyes blazed with fire, showing how fondly he doted on his sister. However, it was clear that there had been issues with his previous approach to her education; otherwise, Mi Zhu wouldn’t be so concerned.
"As you wish. I remember Zichuan mentioning starting a school for girls, with Cai Zhaoji providing some guidance, but that has not yet been scheduled. As you know, other girls can just go to the Fragrance Pavilion to learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but obviously, our daughters and sisters cannot. That’s why Zichuan suggested it," Lub Su said, looking up at the beam.
"No problem, it’s just a little bit of money." As long as he could educate his sister to be like Cai Zhaoji—skilled in poetry and literature, manners, and the Four Arts—Mi Zhu wouldn’t mind investing. For someone her age to still act like a little girl, sometimes Mi Zhu worried about how his sister would ever marry.
At the New Year, Mi Zhu had taken Mi Zhen to be a lady-in-waiting, not without the intention of finding her a match. From the way Liu Bei looked at her, like a fond uncle, Mi Zhu knew that his sister likely needed a few more years. Others her age were already married, but Mi Zhen, at her age, still had an unsettled temperament, which worried Mi Zhu a lot.
"Then it’s all up to your sister now," Lub Su said, passing off the trouble Chen Xi had given him to Mi Zhu without a second thought; he really didn’t fancy interacting too much with Cai Yan. "By the way, Lady Chen has been in contact with Cai Zhaoji quite often lately. What do you think about that?" (To be continued. If you like this book, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
