The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 100 The Liu Clan of Zhuojun, Liu Bei's Two Uncles Arrive (3rd Update)
As the saying goes: A weak mother leads to a merchant career, a strong father to a high-ranking official career, a prosperous family stays in their ancestral home, and a poor family travels far and wide.

While not absolute, for Liu Bei, who came from a poor family: a poor man, if he did not travel ten thousand miles, would have no place to stand.

After being appointed as the magistrate of Anxi during the campaign against the Yellow Turbans, Liu Bei rarely returned to Zhuo County. Even when his mother passed away, she was buried in a foreign land. Not being able to let his mother return to her roots was Liu Bei's regret and also a helpless reality.

Surviving in chaotic times is already incredibly difficult; to expect everything to go smoothly is even harder than climbing to heaven.

The horses' hooves pounded on the main avenue of the city, making a deep, resonant sound.

Meanwhile, some of the local people boldly stood on tiptoe to watch and whispered among themselves.

"Who is this person? Even Governor Yuan is going out of the city to greet him and ride alongside him?"

"You don't know that? That's Liu Bei, Liu Xuande, a disciple of the great Confucian scholar Zigan Gong, a famous figure in Zhuojun more than ten years ago, and now the Left General and Marquis of Yicheng, personally appointed by the Emperor!"

"Surname Liu? Could you be a member of the Liu family of Zhuo County? Are you related to Liu Yuanqi?"

"If I remember correctly, General Zuo should also call Liu Yuanqi his paternal uncle. When General Zuo was young, he often received financial assistance from Liu Yuanqi. Even when he went to study under Zigan Gong, Liu Yuanqi paid for his travel expenses."

"So, Liu Yuanqi is going to become rich? What a loss! If I had known that Liu Yuanqi had such a powerful nephew, I shouldn't have looked down on that kid Liu Deran. Otherwise, I could have even made a marriage alliance with General Zuo."

"Who told you to be a snob and look down on people just because Liu Yuan is down on his luck? You brought it on yourself."

"Does any of you know how old General Zuo's son is?"

"I don't know how old General Zuo's son is, but I do know how old General Zuo's nephew is. Does your daughter want to marry him?"

"."

Meanwhile, in Lousang Village, more than ten miles southeast of the county seat, news of Liu Bei's return to Zhuo County was also spreading like wildfire.

Some even went straight to Liu Bei's former residence, finding the home of Liu Su (Liu Zijing), Liu Bei's uncle, and exclaimed: "Brother Zijing, your nephew has returned to Zhuo County. Your nephew is quite remarkable now. Not only has the Emperor personally appointed him Left General and Marquis of Yicheng, but the Grand General has also appointed him as the Governor of Zhuo County! I heard that Duke Kangcheng also gifted your nephew six thousand scrolls of books, and tens of thousands of scholars and commoners from Xuzhou have followed the Left General north to Zhuo County! You are about to rise to great heights!"

Some people also found Liu Yuanqi and informed him of Liu Bei's return to Zhuo County, hoping to establish some kind of kinship with Liu Bei in the future.

No one asks the poor in the downtown area, and the rich has distant relatives in the mountains.

This has always been the case.

Liu Bei's path of establishing himself through military merit was never favored by his clansmen, and even his own uncle, Liu Su, held a cautious attitude.

After all, Liu Bei's grandfather was a county magistrate recommended for his filial piety and integrity, and Liu Bei's father was also recommended for his filial piety and integrity. However, Liu Bei abandoned the recommendation system for entering officialdom and instead chose to establish his career through military merit. This difference in ideology also prevented Liu Bei from gaining the support of his clansmen.

However, more than a decade has passed, and Liu Su's views have changed.

Now that the world is in chaos, those with strong armies have carved out their own territories and become kings. The Liu family of Zhuo County, which was qualified to be recommended as a filial and incorruptible official more than ten years ago, has gradually declined due to the war. Even Liu Yuanqi, the most influential member of the family, has fallen so low that he was rejected by his fiancé.

Liu Bei, who built his career through military achievements, became the most visionary and accomplished member of the Liu family of Zhuo County.

He was appointed Left General and Marquis of Yicheng by the Emperor himself.

The Grand General appointed him as the Governor of Zhuojun. He was the owner of Zheng Xuan's collection of six thousand volumes of books.

Tens of thousands of people from Xuzhou followed Liu Bei to Zhuo County!
Regardless of which path they take, these are heights that the Liu family of Zhuo County could never reach by entering officialdom through the recommendation system of filial piety and integrity!

"Zijing".

A soft call rang out outside Liu Su's residence; it was Liu Shi, Liu Yuanqi, the cousin who had sponsored Liu Bei years ago.

"Brother Yuanqi, you've heard about it too?"

Liu Su hurriedly welcomed Liu Shi into his residence.

Liu Shi sighed softly, his face filled with worry: "The news has spread like wildfire. Governor Yuan even hosted a banquet ten miles away to welcome Xuande. It's impossible not to hear about it. I didn't want to go out, but my wife insisted that Xuande should repay his kindness and made me go find him. I helped Xuande back then for the sake of our clan, not to seek revenge. Alas—"

When Liu Shi first helped Liu Bei, Liu Shi's wife thought he was crazy, wondering why he would help someone who wasn't family. Now that Liu Bei had prospered and Liu Shi had fallen on hard times, Liu Shi's wife felt that Liu Bei should repay his kindness.

Before his downfall, Liu Shi was a man of considerable standing, so how could he shamelessly seek out Liu Bei to repay his debt of gratitude? Annoyed by Liu Bei's constant urging, he sought peace and quiet by staying with Liu Su.

Liu Su, not wanting to comment on the right or wrong of Liu Shi's family affairs, could only comfort him, saying, "Xuande has always valued loyalty and righteousness. He certainly won't forget the kindness of Brother Yuanqi's assistance back then. However, Xuande has always had lofty ambitions. In his youth, he even pointed at the mulberry tree and shouted, 'I want to ride in this canopy-covered carriage.' Over the years, I have heard many stories about Xuande and have been quite moved. But now the world is in chaos, the emperor is in distress, and those with strong armies have carved out their own territories. I don't know whether Xuande's return is good or bad for our clan."

At Liu Su's age, grand ambitions are meaningless; the survival of his clan and the safety of his family are the most important things.

Liu Shi understood Liu Su's concerns and said, "I share these concerns. If we misjudge him, it could lead to the extermination of our clan. However, the Liu clan of Zhuo County has been declining in recent years, and many members have suffered injustices. Now that Xuande has returned home in glory, every family wants to curry favor with him. Even if you and I wanted to stop him, it would be very difficult. Why don't we find Xuande first, ask him about his true intentions for returning to Zhuo County, and then decide what to do?"

Liu Su agreed with Liu Shi's decision and said, "Let's do as Brother Yuanqi says. When shall we go to see Xuande?"

Liu Shi said, "There's no time like the present. If I go back now, my wife will nag me. I might as well go to the city now and have some peace and quiet."

After discussing it, the two found an oxcart and headed towards Zhuo County.

Upon hearing that Liu Shi and Liu Su were going to Zhuo County to find Liu Bei, several young men from the clan volunteered to drive for them.

The group was lucky and arrived in Zhuo County before the city gates closed at dusk.

If it had been any later, everyone would have had to spend the night outdoors outside the city.

Upon learning that Liu Bei's uncle had arrived, the soldiers on duty at the city gate dared not neglect their duties. They not only told everyone the location of Liu Bei's Left General's residence, but also personally cleared the way for them to prevent any fools in the city from offending Liu Bei's relatives.

This scene filled the young men from the Liu family with both excitement and envy.

In the past, when they entered the city, these soldiers were all arrogant and looked down on the Liu family of Zhuo County. But now, because of Liu Bei, they are very respectful to the Liu family of Zhuo County, and even bow and scrape to curry favor.

Soldiers had already gone to the Left General's residence to inform Liu Bei.

Upon learning that Liu Shi and Liu Su had arrived, Liu Bei was both surprised and delighted: "It turns out that Uncle Zijing and Uncle Yuanqi have come!"

Just as he was about to go out to greet them, Liu Bei ordered his men, "Quickly, invite Military Advisor Zhuge and Chief Clerk Pang to see me!"

　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)