My younger brother Zhuge Liang

Chapter 415 Cai Mao: Sir, you can't go to Liu Bei's place! This is for your own good!
While Cao Cao was working on Liu Bei's apparent promotion and secret demolition in the Xudu court,
In Xiangyang City of Jingzhou, the envoy sent by Liu Bei to visit Liu Biao has arrived safely and started to carry out his work smoothly.

The envoy Liu Bei sent to Xiangyang this time was Zhuge Jun.

There was another group of envoys sent to Chengdu, led by Sun Shao - yes, the same Sun Shao who was the first prime minister of the Wu Kingdom after Sun Quan became emperor in history, and who initially served as the deputy governor of Yangzhou for Liu Yao.

Liu Bei's choice of Zhuge Jun and Sun Shao instead of Sun Qian and Jian Yong, who had worked as envoys for many years, obviously had a profound meaning.

Sun Qian and Jian Yong have been powerful governors for several years now. They have done a good job in internal affairs and are also Yuan Cong's confidants. There is no need for them to show up in public.

As for Liu Biao, after all, Liu Biao and Huang Chengyan were brothers-in-law, and Zhuge Liang was Huang Chengyan's son-in-law, so this in-law relationship could not be erased. So Liu Biao would definitely not let Zhuge Jun suffer any loss by giving the young man a chance to go on the mission.

As for Liu Zhang, his relationship with Liu Bei was not harmonious. Moreover, Liu Bei was powerful, and after he occupied Yidao County in Wuling Commandery, the gateway to Shu from southern Jing, there were many people in Yizhou who were suspicious of Liu Bei. So if he sent another trusted confidant over there, Liu Bei would be distressed if something went wrong.

After all, there are no eternal friends in this world, only eternal interests. In history, Liu Zhang thought Liu Bei was good, but that was based on the premise that Zhang Lu put too much pressure on him, and Liu Bei only had the four counties of Jingnan plus Jiangling, seemed harmless and had a good reputation.

Liu Bei in this life is much stronger than his historical counterparts. It can be said that he is at least three times stronger than when Liu Zhang invited Liu Bei to Sichuan. Anyone would be worried if such a behemoth lived next door to you.

So they let Sun Shao go. It would be respectable, and they wouldn't have to feel bad if something happened to him. It was the best of both worlds. Sun Shao's position as the governor of Yangzhou had been inherited from the time of Liu Yao. After Liu Yao's death, Liu Bei took over Liu Yao's official position, as well as Taishi Ci and Sun Shao.

Before he broke off relations with Cao Cao, Liu Bei had asked Sun Shao to run errands whenever he sent people to Xu Du. Now letting Sun Shao go to Chengdu would definitely give Liu Zhang enough face and he could not find any fault with him.

……

After Zhuge Jun arrived in Xiangyang, he delivered the letter written by Zhuge Liang on behalf of Liu Bei the next day.

However, Liu Biao was old and sick, and many things could not be dealt with immediately. As usual, he let Zhuge Jun eat and drink and rest for a few days in the inn.

Considering Liu Biao's age, this is understandable. The top leaders of Jingzhou also took this opportunity to discuss behind closed doors how to respond to Liu Bei's invitation.

The task of entertaining Zhuge Jun naturally fell on Yi Ji as usual.

Yi Ji attached great importance to this and personally took care of his daily life.

At the dinner that day, he specially prepared roasted turtle and bear goiter and ate and drank with Zhuge Jun.

People in Chu have loved eating bear guts since ancient times. In the Han Dynasty, they added a lot of old ginger and pepper to the traditional stewed bear guts to remove the fishy smell, and even stewed old turtles for several days to make a soup.

Turtle shell and bear gall are both rich in collagen. After stewing, just let it warm up slightly. It doesn't need to cool down completely. When frozen, it will be several times more chewy than the "Bouncing Turtle Soup" in Chinese Cooking Master Boy, and even chewier than the "Technology and Hard Life" with a lot of gelatin added.

Zhuge Jun has been living a life of luxury in the past five or six years. His second brother does not live a luxurious life, but his eldest brother is willing to spend money. He wants good food and drink, and is also good to his family. Zhuge Jun has benefited from this and can be said to have seen it all.

But the roasted turtle and bear viscera soup that Yi Ji had people prepare still opened his eyes and made him exclaim that it was delicious:
"I've had many soups that are springy and refreshing after being frozen. But this is the first time I've seen a soup that is still warm and springy, yet not greasy. Brother Yi is a person who never tires of fine food."

Seeing that he was satisfied, Yi Ji was also quite pleased: "I have heard for a long time that the princes are also good at enjoying themselves. I have followed you for many years, but I have never seen such a thing."

Zhuge Jun chewed a few more mouthfuls, his mouth dripping with oil as he said, "I haven't been around big brother much in the past few years, and I don't see him often after I started my career."

Yi Ji also followed up his words and said: "Although the life is hard, it is a blessing that ordinary people dare not think of to be employed by the General of Chariots and Cavalry. My dear brother, you have become the deputy governor of Xuzhou at the age of twenty. Isn't it earlier than Mi Zizhong in his youth?"

When Liu Bei took over Xuzhou from Tao Qian, Mi Zhu was appointed as the deputy governor of Xuzhou. Later, Mi Zhu was given another important task. After Liu Bei completely recovered the entire territory of Xuzhou this year, he also asked Guan Yu, the governor of Xuzhou, to appoint a new deputy governor of Xuzhou, Zhuge Jun, and then sent Zhuge Jun on a diplomatic mission.

Therefore, the two envoys sent by Liu Bei this time were the Beijia of Yangzhou and the Beijia of Xuzhou respectively.

Zhuge Jun has been in office for less than two years. It will be two years after the New Year, and it is only the end of November now.

With such a short career history, this young man, who was only twenty years old in two months, had risen from a county magistrate to a deputy driver, officially in charge of external liaison work. It has to be said that Zhuge Jun benefited greatly from his elder and second brothers.

Even if they go far away, they just treat it as a public-funded trip, and the other party will treat him to good food and drinks and take him with them wherever they go.

There was no need for him to argue, the other party had already discussed the result internally, so they could reply as they wanted, and he was just running errands and delivering a message. Fortunately, Zhuge Jun was quite self-aware, and whenever he was reminded that he had benefited from his elder and second brothers, he did not get angry, but was content with the status quo.

At this moment, he did not mind holding the edge of the turtle shell with both hands and chewing it. The turtle shell was wide and his face was covered with glue. He laughed at himself while chewing: "I know how capable I am. The saying of early success and late success is all given by my eldest brother. Brother Yi is not an outsider, so I will not tell you those empty words."

Yi Ji couldn't help laughing when he saw him eating, so he drank another cup with him and chatted about some personal matters. Then he waved his hand to the attendants beside him and said, "You guys should leave. Mr. Zhuge is a famous scholar, and he is very elegant. You see, he is not enjoying his meal."

Originally, when Yi Ji accompanied foreign guests, he was also monitored. The servants in the post station had spies of Liu Biao and Cai Mao, and they would listen to what they said.

But seeing that Zhuge Jun was so ungentlemanly and looked like a dandy boy, the attendants also understood the situation and knew that they should not laugh at the envoy, so they withdrew after a moment's hesitation.

After the annoying person left, the two sides chatted more casually. At first, they just talked about trivial matters. As they drank more and their voices became lower, they gradually talked about serious matters.

Zhuge Jun also knew that Yi Ji was inclined to follow Liu Bei's footsteps, so he asked sincerely in a low voice:
"Brother Ji Bo, I wonder what obstacles Liu Jingzhou has in my mission that require such a closed-door discussion? My master only asked Liu Jingzhou to send an envoy to observe the ceremony and be a witness, not to let him travel to Pei County in person.

This kind of thing can be decided in one word, why hesitate? If you are worried about changes, just send someone who is not valued - such as Han Song?"

Yi Ji subconsciously glanced around, then kept his expression as if he was telling a dirty joke, lowered his voice and spoke from the bottom of his heart: "My dear brother, you misunderstood. Actually, after reading the letter, my master decided to send someone to Pei County, and he did not hesitate on this point.

The General of Chariots and Cavalry and my lord are like brothers, and we have also made an alliance to obey the imperial edict together. How could he be hesitant?
The reason for the delay is that after your letter was delivered last night, something happened to the eldest son. He took the initiative to request to go to Pei County with the envoys to show my master's sincerity.

Besides, the eldest son is also a relative of the Han Dynasty. If my lord sends his legitimate son to rebuild the tomb of King Xiao of Liang and to offer sacrifices to condemn Cao Cao for destroying the tombs of the previous kings of the Han Dynasty, it will also be good for my lord's reputation. That's why I am hesitant. I am not hesitating whether to send someone, but whether to let the eldest son go with me. "

Zhuge Jun was also more excited after hearing this: "This is a good thing. It's rare for the eldest son to be so loyal and filial. It's really a blessing for Liu Jingzhou. Why should we hesitate?"

Yi Ji sighed, "The bad thing is that after the eldest son left, Kuai Yue and Cai Mao took the opportunity to speak up, saying that the eldest son was kind, filial, and pure, and didn't know that people's hearts were treacherous. They were afraid that the eldest son would be detained by the generals of chariots and cavalry to threaten the lord...

Alas, my dear brother also knows that at this time, after all, I am your fellow Shanyang native and an old friend. It is not easy for me to speak for the general openly and guarantee that he will not detain the eldest son. Therefore, I can only give the master some time to let him figure it out slowly. "

Zhuge Jun could not help but feel a little angry: "Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are talking nonsense! My lord is benevolent and righteous. He has a brotherly relationship with Liu Jingzhou. The eldest son is his nephew. How could my lord detain his own nephew? You are judging others by your own standards!

My master wouldn't even detain Yuan Tan, let alone your son! Brother Ji Bo, you know that in the past two years, Yuan Tan asked my master for help, and my master almost always responded to his requests. Even so, he didn't take the opportunity to threaten Yuan Tan.

If my Lord had not sent General Taishi and Zhou Zhonglang to lead the troops to help, Yuan Tan would not be able to defend Nanpi, and even Qingzhou would probably be taken away by Cao Cao! Don't you see that Yuan Shang was more powerful than Yuan Tan at the beginning, but now? He, Yuan Xi, and Gao Gan have all become ghosts under the knife of Cao Cao!
Therefore, among the four sons and nephews of General Yuan, only the eldest son Yuan survived, all thanks to my master. Although the eldest son Yuan is from another family, he respects my master as a nephew, so my master will not hesitate to help him. What's more, your eldest son is a member of the royal family with the same surname?"

After listening to Zhuge Jun's indignant words which lacked any diplomatic skills, Yi Ji suddenly opened up a new perspective.

Yes, why didn't I think of hinting from this angle... No, I can't say this myself, but I can teach the eldest son and let him tell the lord himself, telling him not to worry.

Thinking of this, Yi Ji couldn't help but look at Zhuge Jun with a new respect.

I didn't expect that this dandy boy, who had no skills but was purely emotional, could also speak touching words.

After all, it was because Zhuge Jun spoke the truth.

"Don't worry, my dear brother. I have already thought of it. I will go to meet the eldest master tomorrow. When the time comes, let the eldest master say this to the lord himself."

Zhuge Jun didn't expect that his casual outburst would actually help solve some problems. He couldn't help but feel a little proud and sighed:

"I really didn't expect that the eldest son is so loyal and filial. It's obviously a hard and tiring job, but he is willing to take risks. Cai Mao and Kuai Yue are usually not loyal to the eldest son, but now they care about him."

Upon hearing this, Yi Ji's face also showed a trace of sadness: "Cai Mao is not kind at all, it's because the Second Young Master just married his daughter this year, which has caused the Cai, Kuai and other clans to be more inclined towards the Second Young Master.

The eldest son felt the crisis, so he wanted to take the initiative to go on a diplomatic mission to seek foreign aid and consolidate his position. However, Cai Mao was afraid that the eldest son would get close to the general of chariots and cavalry, so he used the excuse of caring about the eldest son's safety to obstruct him in every possible way.

But don't worry, my dear brother. The eldest son has learned your words. When the time is right, he will explain the truth to the lord in a subtle way. The lord will surely wake up and let the eldest son go with me to Pei County."

(End of this chapter)