In Mi Mansion, Yuan Xizheng and Chen Deng were sitting across from each other.
Yuan Xi thought to himself that Chen Deng knew how to advance and retreat. In order to avoid suspicion, he did not appear until Yuan and Liu joined forces.
He picked up the tea bowl and said: "Sir is a smart man. I would like to drink tea instead of wine. I would like to propose a toast to you."
Chen Deng also returned the greeting and said, "Young master, you're welcome."
He raised his head and drank the wine in the cup, thinking that the Yuan family was quite alert. I heard that during the time he came to Xuzhou, he was extremely resistant to drinking, and he was obviously very cautious.
He picked up a piece of fish skin and swallowed it, and said: "Deng is here to ask for advice this time. Can Deng meet the master that the young master mentioned?"
Yuan Xi always wanted to laugh when he heard Chen Deng calling himself. He tried hard to maintain his image and said seriously: "I also met that master by chance. When he talked about the heroes of the world, he mentioned Mr. Yuan Long."
After Chen Deng heard this, he laughed and said: "A hero in this world? You can also look up to Deng, right?"
Yuan Xi wanted to say that all those whose names were mentioned were talented people, but Chen Deng, a later-generation bastard, would not understand, so he had to give up.
He said sternly: "Food is the most important thing for the people. Mr. Yuanlong's strengths, in my opinion, definitely qualify him to be called a hero."
Chen Deng was touched after hearing this, because the title of Diannong Xiaowei in the late Han Dynasty was actually not a very valued official position.
He said: "Thank you for your favor, but what about the hidden disease that the master mentioned?"
"Why can that expert know about my illness?"
"You know, people around me are aware of my sudden change in complexion, but I have never shown it in my irritable mood or depression."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi pointed to the plate of fish and meat in front of Chen Deng and said, "The root of Mr. Yuanlong's illness lies on this plate."
When Chen Deng heard this, he picked up a pair of chopsticks and said with a smile, "What's wrong with this thing?"
Yuan Xi said: "There are countless diseases and insects in fish clams. If you eat them, they will be lodged in your body, causing you to feel uncomfortable."
"As time goes by, it will become a serious problem sooner or later."
Chen Deng said in disbelief: "Are there insects?"
He raised the fish meat high. The fish meat appeared white and translucent in the sunlight, and its plumpness looked like petals, making people move their index fingers.
Chen Deng smiled and said: "This thing is so clean, how can there be a bug?"
Yuan Xi knew that it was difficult to explain clearly to the ancients, so he had to say: "It's just because the insects are so tiny that they are difficult to see with the naked eye."
He raised a cup of tea and said: "When the water is not boiled, even in clear springs and deep wells, there are countless small insects that can cause illness."
"So if you want to get sick less often, you should eat less raw food and less raw water, and it's better to boil them."
"In ancient times, our ancestors drank hair and drank blood, and their life span was extremely short. This is also related to this reason."
After hearing this, Chen Deng thought deeply: "Although what the young master said sounds a bit ridiculous, if you think about it carefully, it seems to make some sense."
"If that's true, wouldn't my body already be full of bugs?"
Yuan Xi said: "So if you want to live a long life, sir, you must give up the habit of eating fish and meat and seek medical treatment from a wise man immediately."
"Smart doctor? Who is it?"
"Hua Tuo."
Chen Deng listened and thought deeply: "I have heard of this person. He is indeed very famous. I heard that he is in the Yuzhou area."
"Forget it, I will trust you once and find someone to invite Hua Tuo."
Then he sighed: "But if you give up eating fish and shrimps, it will be boring."
Yuan Xi could only comfort him and said: "There will be fewer bugs in the sea fish. If sir, you can't bear it, you can use it instead."
Seeing that Yuan Xi didn't seem to be talking nonsense, Chen Deng said in surprise: "It's really strange. I've always heard that the Yuan family all studied Meng's Yi very well, but why is the young master so interested in the Za family?"
At this time, the gentry focused on the essentials of Confucian classics and looked down upon other schools of thought.
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Sir, you haven't studied farming theory intensively. I'm afraid you have also studied military theory?"
Chen Deng was surprised and said: "How do you know, Master?"
"Is that what the expert said?"
He studied the art of war in private and never told anyone!
Yuan Xi thought to himself, if you had never learned the art of war, how could you even defeat Lu Bu and Sun Ce?
He dressed solemnly and paid homage to Chen Deng: "Young man has something to say. Please help me clarify my doubts."
"Nowadays, all the scholars study Confucianism and are very repulsive to other schools of thought. Does that sound good to you, sir?"
Chen Deng listened and remained silent.
After a long time, he slowly said: "What do you want to do, Master?"
Yuan Xi said seriously: "I think there is a problem in selecting scholars in the world now."
"Most of the people who are filial, honest and talented are not worthy of their reputation. There are hundreds of schools of thought, but Confucianism is the only one left."
"If able men, farmers, industry and commerce all have specialized knowledge, and all people can be put to use, and their skills are specialized, will the world become a better place?"
Chen Deng said in a deep voice: "Not to mention the young master's thoughts, now the young master is just a concubine of the Yuan family. I'm afraid Yuan Zhoumu won't agree with what he wants to do, right?"
Yuan Xi paid homage and said, "If one day I occupy a small area of a radius and set a precedent, I would like to ask you to be your counselor. Is that okay?"
Chen Deng said flatly: "Mr. Xuande treats me well. With these words, do you want to trap me into injustice?"
Yuan Xi paid his respects again: "Everything in the world is unpredictable. I hope that if one day, sir, you are in a dilemma, you can think of me first."
"I guarantee that you, sir, will be able to show your talents."
"Sir is a hero of the world. If his life is shortened because of fish meat, it will be a loss for the whole world."
"That's why I told you about my husband's hidden illness. My sincerity can be learned from the world."
After hearing this, Chen Deng nodded and said, "I will trust you once and seek treatment from Hua Tuo. I will see for myself when the time comes."
"If it is true as the young master said, Deng owes the young master a favor and will never forget it."
After hearing this, Yuan Xi said in a deep voice: "Thank you sir."
He was happy in his heart. Although Chen Deng did not make a promise, it was enough!
Chen Deng and his father Chen Gui were both loyal to the Han Dynasty. Chen Gui's two sons were captured and threatened by Yuan Shu. Chen Gui would rather give up his son's life than compromise with Yuan Shu who proclaimed himself emperor.
Chen Deng carried Tao Qian and attached himself to Liu Bei, and later he carried Lu Bu and attached himself to Cao Cao, and rejected Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, all of which were based on the Han Dynasty.
But Yuan Xi had a vague feeling that Chen Deng's ambition seemed to be even higher than this.
The world is unified!
If we start in this regard and recruit Chen Deng in the future, it may not be impossible.
In addition, Yuan Xi is also very curious about what the legendary Hua Tuo is capable of. If there is a chance, he would like to see it with his own eyes.
Hua Tuo treated Chen Deng for the first time and made him vomit out dozens of pots of worms, saying that the disease would be cured in three years. However, Chen Deng went back three years later but could not find any, so he died of the illness.
Yuan Xi thought that it was incredible given the medical skills of this era. This was probably liver fluke disease. Can Hua Tuo really cure it?
Yuan Xi maliciously wondered whether Hua Tuo thought that there was no cure, so he deceived Chen Deng and ran away.
After seeing off Chen Deng, Yuan Xi returned to the house and asked Taishi Ci to pack his bags and prepare to return to Yecheng.
At this point, the matter has been settled, and Yuan Shao has gained the support of Liu Bei. Liu Bei now leads the governor of Yuzhou and is also the pastor of Xuzhou. He can suppress Cao Cao in name, which can be considered as a check and balance plan for Yuan Shao.
Although holding two states concurrently goes against the Han system, in troubled times, who cares about the Han court controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si?
However, news recently came that Chang'an has begun to be in turmoil.
Ever since Li Jue and Guo Bin took Han Emperor Liu Xie hostage and left Luoyang and moved the capital to Chang'an, there have been conflicts among the forces under his command from time to time.
Although Li Jue and Guo Si were both Liangzhou military generals and were good at fighting, they were not good at politics. Even with Jia Xu in charge, they did not know how to take advantage of the Han emperor, which was equivalent to begging for food from the golden rice bowl.
Of course, the reasons are multi-layered.
First, all the scholars in the world looked down upon Bing Liang's generals, so they took advantage of the opportunity to join the anti-Dong coalition and went to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu. The remaining talents were divided among the various princes.
Second, Jia Xu's attitude was ambiguous, and he did not fully assist Li Jue and Guo Si. Instead, his priority was to be wise and protect himself.
Third, Li Jue and Guo Si did not manage well, which led to the decline of people's livelihood in the Chang'an area. Coupled with frequent famine disasters, not only the soldiers and the people were short of food, but even Han Emperor Liu Xie often did not have enough to eat, and everyone from top to bottom was panicked.
It was against this background that the conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si finally broke out.
First, Li Jue killed Fan Chou, and then attacked Guo Si. The situation became more and more intense, and Chang'an fell into turmoil.
When Yuan Xi reached an agreement with Liu Bei, news about Chang'an came and he knew it was time to go back.
The great changes in the world will also affect the Yuan family's next plan. Yuan Xi still wants to have a good talk with Yuan Shao about how to do it in the coming year.
He and Tai Shici walked out of the house and saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei waiting outside in advance. When Guan Yu saw them coming out, he cupped his hands and moved without hesitation. It seemed that the injury on his arm had healed.
Yuan Xi walked forward, cupped his hands and said: "The general is brave, so he had to go all out in the previous battlefield, and many people were offended."
He personally admired Guan Yu, but Liu, Guan, and Zhang had such an iron-clad relationship that it was impossible to poach them. He only hoped that it would be later before the two sides became mortal enemies in the future.
Guan Yu's face softened a little, and he stroked his beard and said: "Everyone is his own master on the battlefield, and the young master has no fault."
"Now that the two sides are joining forces, they should work together, but if they become enemies again in the future, Guan will not show mercy. The young master will be careful to be killed by that time."
Yuan Xi laughed: "Xi has taken note of the general's words."
He thought to himself, what a bastard, please don’t scare me like this, my legs are weak!
Zhang Fei looked from left to Guan Yu and from right to Yuan Xi, hesitated for a moment, then roared: "Me too!"
In the small building in the distance, Mi Fang saw Yuan Xi and Guan Zhang chatting happily. She gritted her teeth and said to Mi Zhen beside her: "Sure enough, they are getting together again. This second young master Yuan can't get rid of Guan Yu. I'm really disappointed."
Mi Zhen sighed: "Brother, why do you hate General Guan so much? After all, he and his eldest brother both served as officials under Liu Zhoumu."
"I heard from my eldest brother that you will also be awarded an official position in a few days. Then you will be an official. You must not offend anyone again."
Mi Fang said angrily: "I don't know why, but I just don't like that Guan Yu. His eyes seem to reach to the sky all day long. I don't know where he got such big airs."
When he saw Yuan Xi and Guan Zhang walking outside the Mi Mansion, he suddenly slapped his head: "I suddenly forgot that the gift my eldest brother asked me to give hasn't been taken out yet, so I'm going down first!"
Watching Mi Fang rush downstairs in a hurry, Mi Zhen shook her head. Her eldest brother was kind and her second brother was reckless, so neither of them were suitable for officialdom.
As for myself, I will be nothing more than a duckweed falling into someone else’s family in the future.
Mi Zhen was a little disinterested. She stretched out her hand to close the window, but she saw Yuan Xi turning his head in the distance and waving to her.
She quickly turned back in fright, her heart pounding. It was not until a while later that she poked her head out and found that everyone had already left the mansion and was no longer seen.
Mi Zhen felt a sense of loss in her heart. The chance encounter in the past few days was like a wave in life, which only caused a few ripples in her heart. As time goes by, it will gradually calm down, as if it never happened, right?