Second-hand time travel: Liu Bei, the big-eared bandit

Chapter 373 The Hunt of Tigers and Wolves
In August, at the Emperor's temporary palace.

That is, the former Prince Qi's Mansion.

"...This old minister has come to visit Your Majesty...This old minister's family sent some crepe silk and brocade, which I request to present as tribute to Your Majesty..."

The elderly Cao Song stood at the front gate of the main hall, requesting to visit Liu Xie.

Behind him were several attendants carrying boxes, and two little girls holding brocade.

Crepe yarn is a specialty of Qiao County; it is a semi-transparent, extremely thin gauze fabric.

Yuzhou brocade was an official brocade from the Han Dynasty, often used in the robes of the imperial family or officials. The ribbons for official seals were also made of this brocade.

Cao Song was no longer an official, but he was promoted to the rank of Special Advisor and granted a residence in Linzi City. It was normal for him to send some local specialties from his hometown as tribute, which could be considered a reciprocal exchange between an old minister and the emperor.

But Diaochan knew why Cao Song had come to deliver the tribute.

Under normal circumstances, presenting brocade to the emperor was usually for the purpose of sending girls to the palace; there were virtually no exceptions.

When Cao Song said that "crepe silk and brocade were sent from home," he was actually referring to the maidservants he sent from his home, intending to present them as tribute to Liu Xie.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have brought those two girls with him.

Especially now, with Dong Zhuo's granddaughter Dong Bai absent, Fu Shou sent back to Langya, and Liu Xie confined to the palace to recover from his injuries, it is the perfect time to send a girl to take care of Liu Xie.

Dong Zhuo originally intended to send Dong Bai to Linzi, but now that the deadline has been exceeded by more than a year, no matter what the reason, this delay will be regarded as 'divine will', and Dong Bai can no longer enter the palace.

Moreover, Liu Xie was eleven and a half years old, just entering puberty, and was curious about the opposite sex, making it the most suitable time to offer a young girl to him.

Cao Song still seems to want to pave the way for his son.

Diao Chan understood the mindset of an old minister like Cao Song, and for the time being, the Cao family was indeed quite suitable to be an assistant to the emperor.

Both sides had needs, and Cao Cao had always maintained a relatively harmonious relationship with Liu Bei.

However, Diao Chan dared not accept the gift of the girl without Liu Bei's written order.

During this period, many people came to 'visit' the emperor, including Tao Qian who came from Donghai County. Diao Chan has already refused more than a dozen groups of people.

"His Majesty's injuries have not yet healed, and it is not convenient for him to receive guests at the moment. Jinxiu can be sent to the inner palace first, and after His Majesty recovers, he can then seek instruction from Grand Commandant Cao."

Diao Chan politely prevented Cao Song from entering and beckoned Cao Ang, who was serving as a guard, to escort Cao Song back.

Cao Song was rather overweight, and as he got older, he became less mobile and had difficulty walking.

At that moment, the gate suddenly opened, and Cai Yan brought Hua Tuo out.

Liu Xie broke his leg and was put in a splint, so he couldn't get out of bed and had to study while Cai Yan was his teacher.

Hua Tuo was conducting research at Linzi Medical College, which was nearby, and he would visit the hospital every day to check on the injuries, which was like a doctor's rounds.

"Mr. Hua, how is His Majesty's injury?"

Cao Song was also a frequent visitor to the medical school, often getting medicine from Hua Tuo. Upon seeing Hua Tuo come out, he hurriedly inquired about the emperor's injuries.

"Your Majesty will recover in another month or two. It's a minor injury, nothing serious, but you can't walk on the ground."

Hua Tuo bowed, then glanced at the whites of Cao Song's eyes, then at the bulging veins near Cao Song's temples, and frowned: "Grand Commandant Cao, have you been experiencing any anxiety lately? Those who are overweight or obese often suffer from stagnation and blockages in their meridians. If they think too much, they are prone to stroke. You must take good care of yourself..."

Doctors like Hua Tuo are known for their bluntness. Even when they're offering well-intentioned advice, it can sound like they're cursing Cao Song.

Fortunately, Cao Song was quite familiar with Hua Tuo. When Hua Tuo told him that the emperor could not get out of bed, it was indeed inconvenient for him to receive guests. Cao Song nodded in return and said, "Thank you, Mr. Hua," before Cao Ang helped him turn around and slowly go back.

Diao Chan watched Cao Song's retreating figure, then turned and asked, "Mr. Hua, does Grand Commandant Cao have some kind of sudden illness?"

"It's not an acute illness. He has accumulated stagnation in his liver and kidneys due to yin deficiency, and he is also old, weak, and deficient in both qi and blood. However, he is also obese, which has greatly depleted his body... This is a sign of yin and yang imbalance, and he can only be properly recuperated."

Hua Tuo explained, "If one does not concern oneself with worldly affairs and focuses solely on enjoying old age, even with a wealthy family, one can still live a long life. But if one is burdened by worries and hardships, then no one can save one..." This actually refers to a person who is already physically weak, excessively obese, and suffers from fatty liver, arteriosclerosis, endocrine disorders, and other conditions. In any era, such a person can only be treated with recuperation.

If you are happy and carefree, and as long as you don't contract other diseases, given the favorable natural environment and natural food of the Han Dynasty, and the lack of industrial pollution, your body can automatically regulate itself.

But if you overthink or toil all day, then there's definitely no way to overcome it.

Whether you are worried or anxious will affect your health.

The 'thinking environment' of this day is different from that of modern times. Modern people face too much information interference and only have a few fragmented moments, making it difficult to maintain focused thinking for a long time.

In the Han Dynasty, there was not much other information to distract people's attention, and the channels for obtaining information were very limited. Once a major event occurred that might affect them, people would pay attention to that event for a long time.

Cao Song served as a high-ranking official for so many years, and the fact that he was able to leave Luoyang unscathed shows that he had thought things through a lot. This had nothing to do with whether he was smart or not; it was simply a survival instinct.

Moreover, Cao Song lived in Linzi.

Although Liu Bei didn't take him hostage and always went directly to Cao Cao when there was trouble, anyone living under someone else's roof would have a deep sense of crisis and would find it hard to retire and enjoy life in peace.

Diao Chan turned and entered the palace, instructing several matrons to deliver the tribute brought by Cao Song's family to the treasury.

Liu Xie now has his own treasury, but there is no Shaofu (Minister of the Treasury) in Linzi, not even a Shaofu Supervisor. Diao Chan is in charge of all the tribute.

The brocade ribbon sent by Cao Song was a tribute brocade embroidered with the twelve imperial symbols.

This type of emblem could only be used by the emperor.

Diao Chan arranged for several maids to inspect and air out the tribute brocade sent by the Cao family, intending to select some suitable materials to make several new robes for Liu Xie.

……

That evening, the two old women found Diaochan and somewhat uneasily gave her a pair of trousers.

This is the original meaning of '纨绔' (wanku), which refers to ready-made trousers that are very thin and light, tied at the waist with a brocade belt.

Wear it directly when it's hot, and wear it as an inner layer as thermal underwear when it's cold.

The ribbon on these trousers has been removed.

The old woman turned over the inner layer of the brocade ribbon, and there was something inside, which looked like a piece of fine silk.

Actually, waistbands also have this kind of embedded style, but this silk was not used as a waistband. Instead, it was hidden separately in the interlayer and had words on it.

"Was this brought in by Grand Commandant Cao?"

Diao Chan asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it's a finished product."

The old woman answered tremblingly, "I took it out to dry, but I found something strange..."

Diao Chan nodded, took out the fine silk and put it in her bosom, then turned and left the palace gate.

Outside the palace, Cao Ang and Yang Xiu stood at the entrance of the main hall.

Diao Chan, accompanied by several maids and Cao Ang, walked out of the palace gate and headed towards the market street to the east.

"What business does the Cicada Official have with me?"

Cao Ang walked ahead, glanced back at the palace gate, and asked Diao Chan in a low voice.

He seemed a little nervous.

Of course, most teenage boys would get nervous seeing a beauty like Diao Chan.

(End of this chapter)