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

Chapter 105 When Liu Bei visited three times to invite him, even Ju Shou had to bow his head (3rd update)
"Lord Ju, wait!"

When they saw that Ju Shou was really going to go out and scold Liu Bei, all the officials were so frightened that they knelt down to stop him.

"How dare you stop me?"

With a whistle and a glare, Ju Shou frightened all the officials so much that they dared not utter a sound.

They couldn't stop them, and they couldn't leave them alone either; the officials were both frustrated and helpless.

"Hmph!" Seeing the officials trembling with fear, Ju Shou finally couldn't bear it. He turned around, flicked his sleeves, and ordered, "Go tell Liu Bei that I am ill today and cannot see him!"

All officials are granted a general amnesty.

After a while.

A minor official returned and said, "General Zuo left behind ten cartloads of books and departed. He also asked me to tell Lord Ju to rest assured and recover from his illness, and that he will visit again on another day!"

Seeing that Ju Shou remained silent, the clerk cautiously inquired again, "Lord Ju, should those ten cartloads of books be returned to the Left General?"

"Liu Bei gave it to us willingly, why should it be returned?" Ju Shou blurted out, then realized his mistake and changed his words in a deep voice: "These ten cartloads of books are all for the poor scholars of Youzhou. I am in charge of education in Youzhou, how can I let personal matters interfere with public duties?"

The minor official's mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

He thought to himself: It's best for lowly officials like me to stay out of the business of important people.

The ten cartloads of books were quickly moved into the literary museum. Ju Shou inspected the thousands of books on the carts one by one, and his mood became complicated.

With Ju Shou's wisdom, he could naturally guess Liu Bei's intentions.

Comparing Liu Bei with Yuan Xi, Ju Shou's mood became depressed again.

Liu Bei, who had a past grudge against Ju Shou, was able to condescend to invite Ju Shou for the sake of his great ambitions; Yuan Xi, as Yuan Shao's son and the current governor of Youzhou, distanced himself from Ju Shou because of a few slanderous words.

Why is there such a huge difference between people?
"A notice was posted, stating that Liu Bei, the Prefect of Zhuojun, pitied the many wars in the prefectures and counties, and that although scholars had the desire to follow the rites, they had no books to read. Therefore, he took one thousand volumes of books annotated by Kang Cheng Gong and made them available for scholars from all directions to copy and read."

Ju Shou's words left the officials puzzled.

Just a moment ago he was cursing and swearing, wishing he could fight Liu Bei, but now he's defending Liu Bei?
Ju Shou frowned and glanced at the officials, then shouted, "Do you all think I, Ju Shou, am a petty person who would abandon public duty for private gain? I am not doing this for Liu Bei, but for scholars from all over the country who have a thirst for knowledge! Anyone who makes any further unfounded speculations will be punished without mercy!"

Having intimidated the officials, Ju Shou was secretly annoyed: Why was it Liu Bei who came to visit today, not Yuan Xi?

The Left General's Residence.

Liu Bei also saw the notice posted by Ju Shou and couldn't help but admire him: "Although Ju Shou hates me, he is clear about the distinction between public and private matters, which is admirable. Yuan Shao and his son know his talent but cannot use it, and know his nature but cannot tolerate him. How foolish they are!"

There was a pause.

Liu Bei then looked at Zhuge Liang and asked, "Does the strategist have a good plan to make Ju Shou truly work for me?"

Zhuge Liang smiled, fanning himself, confident: "As Zhuangzi said, 'Sincerity is the ultimate expression of earnestness. Without earnestness and sincerity, one cannot move others.' If you wish to win over Ju Shou, you only need to treat him with sincerity, and things will naturally fall into place. If one visit fails, visit him again; if two visits fail, visit him a third time. If you visit him a third time, even the most hard-hearted person will be moved by your sincerity!"

As he spoke, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but recall the events of Longzhong from his memories, and a sense of melancholy welled up within him. "Of all those in the world who thirst for talent, none can surpass General Zuo!"
Liu Bei nodded and said, "The strategist's plan is excellent and suits my needs perfectly. I will look after those tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians once I have settled them."

Liu Bei had considered settling tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians before making his second visit to Ju Shou.

Seeking talent is like cooking a small fish; you can't be too hasty, or it will backfire. In addition, Ju Shou is a person who puts the overall situation first and does not let personal matters interfere with public duty. It is easier to get closer to Ju Shou by settling tens of thousands of people in the shortest possible time.

With the support of various clans in Zhuo County, the overall management by scholars such as Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong, Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Cao Xuan, and Chen Zhen, and the cooperation of Han Heng, the resettlement of tens of thousands of people in Zhuo County went very smoothly.

In less than ten days, the busy autumn planting season began.

Liu Bei also found some free time to visit Ju Shou again.

This time, Liu Bei also brought ten cartloads of books to visit Ju Shou.

In fact, regardless of whether he visited Ju Shou or not, Liu Bei would use the books he obtained from Chen Deng and Zheng Xuan to attract scholars from all directions who were eager to learn.

Just then, Liu Bei wanted to recruit Ju Shou, and Ju Shou happened to have been transferred by Yuan Xi to serve as a literary official. This was a golden opportunity, and he couldn't let it slip by.

This time, Ju Shou did not throw a tantrum and curse Liu Bei as "a weasel paying respects to a chicken," but he also did not go out to see Liu Bei. Instead, he silently had a minor official take over the ten cartloads of books and still claimed to be ill and refused to see him.

Liu Bei did not press the matter, but simply instructed a minor official to tell Ju Shou to "rest and recover, and visit again on another day."

Upon learning that Liu Bei was coming again, Ju Shou's feelings became even more complicated.

After Liu Bei entered Zhuojun, Ju Shou saw everything he did. It is no exaggeration to describe Liu Bei as "promoting benevolent governance and seeking benefits for the people"!

The more popular Liu Bei became in Zhuo County, the more conflicted Ju Shou became.

They worried that Liu Bei's growing fame would make him a major enemy of Yuan Shao, yet they also had to admit that Liu Bei was bringing benefits to the region.

What kept Ju Shou up at night the most was Liu Bei's plan to conquer the six counties of Youzhou.

Ju Shou was not afraid that Liu Bei would lose; what he feared was that Liu Bei would win. If Liu Bei won, he could hold onto the seven counties of Youzhou and become a more threatening force than Gongsun Zan!

However, Ju Shou was unable to stop Liu Bei from conquering the six counties of Youzhou.

The more conflicted Ju Shou became, the more dissatisfied he was with Yuan Xi. If only Yuan Xi had shown some backbone and listened to advice, Liu Bei wouldn't have gotten the upper hand.

Perhaps it was due to too much worry that he developed an illness.

Ju Shou, who had been lying about being sick, actually became sick!
"Ju Shou is seriously ill and bedridden?"

Upon hearing this news, Liu Bei was startled and stood up abruptly, finding it hard to believe.

Ju Shou was a heroic scholar who could ride a horse to supervise the army and command respect from all three armies. He was usually healthy and energetic, and was not someone who would easily fall ill.
At that moment, Pang Tong was reporting to Liu Bei on matters, and immediately asserted: "This is a heart ailment."

Liu Bei was surprised: "How do you know?"

Pang Tong laughed and said, “Ordinary reclusive talents, if invited twice by the general, even the most hard-hearted would be moved by the general’s sincerity; however, Ju Shou is different. He has received great favor and courtesy from Yuan Shao, and the lives of his relatives are in the hands of the Yuan family. The more sincere the general is, the more difficult it is for Ju Shou. If he obeys the general, he will be indebted to the Yuan family; if he follows the Yuan family, he will be indebted to the general’s kindness. Caught in this dilemma, how can he not fall ill with worries and anxieties in his heart?”

Liu Bei was greatly alarmed: "Because of my mistake, Ju Shou has fallen seriously ill and is bedridden. Does the Chief Clerk have a good plan to remedy this?"

Pang Tong had already planned ahead: "Since it is a genuine illness, General, you should personally visit him. But remember, never mention the matter of recruitment again! General, you can say something like this: 'I had a grudge against you in Liyang in the past, and I fear that you might hinder my campaign against the six commanderies because of this old grudge. Therefore, I have repeatedly extended my greetings in hopes of resolving the conflict.' Ju Shou is wise and insightful, and he will surely see through your true intentions. The situation is still uncertain, and there is plenty of time in the future."

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(End of this chapter)