Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 178 Changing Names is Like Changing a Sword
Shi Shouxin was never one to sit idly by and wait for his fate; he had his own judgment regarding Wei Guan's suggestion.

If Wei Guan was truly a master strategist, then why was it Shi Shouxin, rather than Wei Guan, who quelled Zhong Hui's rebellion?

So the next morning, while Wei Xiu was still sleeping like a pig, he got up before dawn, called a few of his personal guards, and went out.

However, just as he stepped out of the path in front of his house, he saw a figure standing still in the family cemetery. The figure was dressed in white robes and looked like a ghost.

Buried here are Yang, Shi Shouxin's former concubine, and deceased relatives of the family's tenants. Shi Shouxin asked his guards to wait a moment, while he himself stepped forward to greet the stranger.

He was a handsome young man in his early twenties.

"I heard that Chun Tao has been sent to Shi Shouxin's residence. How come she already has a grave after only one day?"

The young man looked at Shi Shouxin and asked, pointing to the tombstone of "Chuntao's Tomb".

His tone carried a hint of barely perceptible anger.

“She was turned into a human pig by Shi Chong. When she was brought here, she was on the verge of death, so I saw her off.”

Shi Shouxin sighed softly.

There's no need to make up lies about this kind of thing.

The young man slumped to the ground, unable to get up for a long time, looking completely lost and dejected.

"Please accept my condolences. Your older sister has been thinking of you."

Shi Shouxin left a message and turned to leave. But the man called out to him, "Chuntao's younger brother drowned two days ago. I came here to tell her about it. I never imagined that the siblings' fates would be intertwined."

Ok?
Shi Shouxin turned around and looked at the other person, his heart filled with doubt.

Since you're not Chuntao's brother, then who are you?

"Fine, take me to your home, I want to repay your kindness."

The man stood up, a hint of arrogance on his face.

Shi Shouxin ignored him, but the man grabbed his arm and stared intently at Shi Shouxin's face.

"Huh? That's strange, really strange. How could you..."

The young man in white scratched his head, his arrogance fading, and continued, "Take me to your house. I'll be gone in no time. It's no trouble."

Today, Shi Shouxin had to go to Luoyang on business. Not wanting to cause any unpleasantness so early in the morning, he went home and woke up Huiniang and the others, asking them to wait in the main hall.

Once everyone had arrived, Shi Shouxin looked at the young man and said, "You just wanted to show off your face reading skills, right? Now you can begin your performance. However, all the face readers I've met have white hair, so I hope you won't disappoint me."

He gave the other party plenty of face. If this person didn't know what was good for them, their family cemetery could be used to bury not only the dead but also the living!

"Hmph, capable people are not necessarily old. I originally thought Shi Shouxin was a young hero, but I didn't expect him to be so pedantic."

The man retorted to Shi Shouxin, then looked at Hui Niang.

"Tsk tsk, it's incredibly expensive, incredibly expensive indeed."

The young man in the white robe revealed a strange smile as he looked at Shi Shouxin, with a hint of schadenfreude.

"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." If something is too good, holding onto it may not be a blessing.

However, he couldn't possibly explain it to Shi Shouxin.

The young man in white robes looked at Feng Niang again.

"Huh? This..."

He was getting a little uneasy. Was this just a coincidence?
He looked again at Wei Xiu, who was still asleep and dozing off, but didn't say anything for a long time, his brows furrowed.

"It is strange that there are things in this world that defy fate and bring back to life even withered trees.

"Could it be that my skills are lacking? Why do these people have such strange appearances?"

Seeing the young man in white robes muttering to himself, Zhao Xiangfeng impatiently urged, "Have you finished looking? I still need to chop wood!"

Her words startled the other person.

The young man in the white robe looked at Zhao Xiangfeng, and within seconds his expression changed drastically, as if he had seen a ghost. He was so frightened that he scrambled out of the courtyard gate and left without looking back.

"If they were scammers, they wouldn't just run away without taking the money, would they?"

Shi Shouxin crossed his arms and looked in the direction the person had fled, still not understanding what had happened.

"Ah Lang, don't bring these shady people home anymore. What if I get angry and kill them?"

Zhao Xiangfeng complained to Shi Shouxin, but something just didn't feel right about what he said.

"Alright, alright, we're not going to stay here for more than a few days anyway."

"Once we get to Qingzhou, we'll buy you a house, and you can do whatever you want then."

Shi Shouxin patted Zhao Xiangfeng's head to comfort her. This "wild child" seemed to respond well to this, immediately calming down from her restlessness.

He had other things to do, so he said goodbye to everyone and left in a hurry.

However, less than an hour after Shi Shouxin left home, a major incident occurred at his home.

At noon, a group of soldiers arrived in front of the Shi family's gate. Their attire was different from that of the Imperial Guards, and it was unclear where they came from.

The leader was a boy about 1.5 meters tall. Beside him was an "advisor," dressed in the same military uniform but exuding an air of nobility; this person was... Yang Xiu!
Upon discovering that something was wrong at home, Zhao Xiangfeng immediately summoned the fifty retainers of the Zhao family's fortified village who lived in the farm, and they donned armor and lined up to block the entrance!
The number of people on both sides was roughly equal, but the Imperial Guards were clearly better equipped, and the Zhao clan's troops were also more imposing, instantly overwhelming the uninvited guests.

Yang Xiu calmly suggested to the boy in the lead, "Shi Shouxin isn't home, so we should leave first."

The man's facial features were noticeably more robust, and Yang Xiu, being a general who had personally participated in the war to destroy Shu, possessed a keen eye for detail.

Seeing that they couldn't defeat the other side, if they didn't leave now, when would they?
A wise man never suffers a loss in front of him!

"Withdraw? Withdraw what?"

Wouldn't it be better if Shi Shouxin wasn't home?

"Guards! Tie up all those women and take them back to me as my concubines!"

The boy pointed to Wei Xiu and the others who were looking around in the distance.

What?
Yang Xiu was stunned when she heard this.

Sima Yan sent him to help out, to put pressure on Shi Shouxin, not to steal his woman!
"Young Master Wang, the enemy has a strong and well-equipped force; it would be inappropriate to take action."

It would be better to deliver the message and then leave. These troops your father sent are just there to give us a show of force and boost our morale.

Yang Xiu patiently reminded him.

"What's there to be afraid of? My father has 100,000 elite troops in Jiangbei. What is Shi Shouxin compared to him!"

Young Master Wang rebuked Yang Xiu with a displeased expression.

This boy, who is not yet grown up, is Wang Shen's only son, Wang Jun. He came today to show off and humiliate Wang Shen.

However, when he saw the women in Shi Shouxin's household, he was completely captivated. Since he was already there, he was determined to take all these beautiful women with him.

Eat the big ones today, and raise the small ones for a few years until they are plump and healthy before eating them.

Nice to think about.

Although Wang Jun had not yet undergone his coming-of-age ceremony, he already knew what women were like and was extremely lustful.

"Young Master Wang, this is not appropriate. A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. It would be better to go back and discuss it before making a decision."

Yang Xiu was somewhat angry, but Sima Yan was so eager to win over Wang Shenzhi that Yang Xiu could only suppress her anger.

If it were up to his temper, anyone who dared to talk to him like that would have been kicked in the face long ago!
This little bastard has endured ten years of hardship, and suddenly he's rich and pampered, so he's become so arrogant that he doesn't even know who he is!
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was arrogant and disdainful of everyone.

They came here today only to dampen Shi Shouxin's arrogance and to show him Wei Xiu's marriage certificate.

The next step was for Sima Yan to personally go and take Wei Xiu away. The purpose was to make Shi Shouxin understand the meaning of hierarchy!

I never expected that a conflict would break out before I even had a chance to speak.

What a terrible teammate!

"Please make yourself at home, Young Master Wang. I have other matters to attend to, to serve the Crown Prince of Jin, so I will not keep you company."

"Just go home when you're done."

Yang Xiu glanced at Wang Jun, tossed out a remark, and prepared to go back and explain to Sima Yan. "Trying to show off, huh? Go ahead and show off with Shi Shouxin, but don't come near me."

Yang Xiu didn't stop for a moment, running faster than a rabbit. Some people from the border towns are so arrogant and don't know their own limitations. Letting them experience some harsh realities isn't a bad thing.

Wang Jun, still a teenager, didn't take Yang Xiu's departure seriously at all.

He is the only son of the Wang family. His father, Wang Shen, is a powerful figure in Jiangbei who holds absolute power.

There aren't many people in this world who can frighten him!

"These people are all spies from Eastern Wu. Kill them all! Keep the women for interrogation!"

Although Wang Jun has not been in office for long, he has a set of military orders!

"kill!"

The words were spoken so loudly that the soldiers on both sides heard them and instantly began to fight!
Soon, someone was slashed to the ground, and blood splattered far and wide.

……

At the gate of the Pei residence, Shi Shouxin explained his purpose to the servants on duty.

Actually, even if he couldn't get in, he had already achieved his goal. But Pei Xiu was surprisingly generous and didn't make up any excuse to avoid guests. He directly let Shi Shouxin into the mansion and had a servant lead him to the study.

After the two sat down, Pei Xiu said with a smile, "Young and promising, Sima Shi, why do you come to visit an old and decrepit man like me?"

He was very polite, and even made a self-deprecating remark.

Shi Shouxin smiled and bowed to Pei Xiu, saying, "Lord Pei, you are overthinking it. I only have a small request to make."

Pei Xiu's smile vanished, and he said seriously, "Please speak!"

"Shi was not of high birth, and he also benefited from his adoptive father's reputation."

Now he is considered the governor of a prefecture, and without prestige, he might not be able to deter petty villains.

There is a common saying in the world: a person has a name, one character is noble, two characters are lowly.

Shi's double-character name was inherently lowly. Although he didn't care about other people's opinions, he was worried about delaying the court's decrees.

I have heard that Master Pei is well-versed in Yin-Yang numerology, and is not only good at judging people by their appearance, but also skilled in divination.

"I wonder if Lord Pei could bestow a name upon me?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a smile, without mentioning the time when the other party had tripped him up.

Upon hearing this, Pei Xiu's tense expression relaxed slightly. He stroked his beard and nodded slightly to indicate that he understood the purpose of the visit.

"This is easy, please wait a moment."

Pei Xiu smiled and nodded, then took out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. After grinding the ink, he handed the brush to Shi Shouxin and said, "Please write a character for divination. Any character will do."

Shi Shouxin thought for a moment and said, "My name was originally bestowed by the Prince of Jin, so let's use this name to interpret it."

So he wrote the character "信" (letter) on the paper.

Pei Xiu glanced at it and laughed heartily, "Sima Shi's calligraphy is exceptionally vigorous. As for the character '信' (xin), if you break it down, it becomes '人言' (renyan). Since '人言猛如虎' (renyan mengru hu, meaning 'human speech') is the best word to follow, let's call him Shi Hu (Shi Hu, meaning 'Stone Tiger')!"

Upon hearing this, Shi Shouxin was speechless for a long time!
Tiger is a good name.

During the late Northern and Southern Dynasties period, in the Three Kingdoms era, there was Li Hu. His descendant, Li Yuan, established the famous Tang Dynasty.

However, the combination of the surname Shi and the character Hu (tiger) evokes images of an indescribable monster.

"Um, Master Pei, may I have another character analyzed?"

Shi Shouxin asked with a helpless expression, clearly indicating that he didn't like the name "Shi Hu".

Pei Xiu, being good-natured, didn't take it to heart and gestured for Shi Shouxin to proceed.

Shi Shouxin thought for a moment and said, "My courtesy name is Gan Dang, so let's test the character Gan."

After saying that, he wrote the character "Dare" on the paper.

Pei Xiu laughed heartily and said, "Dare means courage and boldness! The so-called tiger's courage and dragon's might, Shi Sima is destined to be associated with tigers. In my opinion, Shi Hu is none other than you."

Shi Shouxin was speechless.

Shi Nima's tiger, can't you just speak properly?
He wanted to say more, but Pei Xiu put away his smile and said seriously, "There is a saying that things should not be done more than three times. Once or twice is acceptable, but not a second time. Both characters mean 'tiger,' so Shi Sima is Shi Hu. Even if we test it a hundred times, I, Pei, will still say the same thing!"

It seems that if they test again, Pei Xiu will turn hostile.

Even a fortune teller like him has dignity. The biggest taboo in fortune telling and character analysis is repeated calculations!

"It was my oversight, Lord Pei, please don't take offense."

Shi Shouxin quickly bowed and apologized.

What else can be said after all this has been said?

Either he would bear the name Shi Hu and then tell everyone that it was bestowed upon him by Pei Xiu.

If nothing happens today, and the name Shi Shouxin is still used, then the name Shi Shouxin will remain.

He was about to take his leave when he heard Pei Xiu say:

"I, Pei, am a scholar of Yin-Yang numerology and am most wary of making things up. The matter concerning Wei Jiaxianniang was also calculated and not fabricated out of thin air."

However, the results of numerology are fixed and difficult to change. But how to understand and interpret them is a matter of individual interpretation.

As a military strategist, you must understand the art of deception and deception. The same tactic can be used in various ways, from direct to indirect, with boundless creativity and complete freedom.

"Now that I've said that, you should understand, right?"

Shi Shouxin nodded and said, "I understand."

He didn't say much, because there was no need to say more.

Pei Xiu meant that he would say whatever he had foreseen. However, how outsiders interpreted or used the results was their business, not his.

Take the meteor showers that are common in this era, for example. Some say it means the heavens are unpredictable and the emperor will change; some say it means a calamity is about to descend and the world will be in chaos; and some say it means the evil spirits of the country have died and the world will prosper.

The same statement can be interpreted in completely different ways. The key question is, what kind of article is the person making an issue of this trying to write?
Pei Xiu's hint was too obvious; it was practically an open declaration.

Returning home with a heavy heart, Shi Shouxin found the courtyard filled with rows of neatly arranged corpses.

There were fifty of them!

Several wounded members of the Zhao clan were sitting in a corner, panting.

Wei Fan arrived long ago and has been treating the wounded. He's been so busy that he's seeing double.

Shi Shouxin stared blankly at everything, completely bewildered as to how his home had become like this after he had only been gone for a morning.

"How is this going?"

Shi Shouxin looked at Huiniang and asked, since she was the oldest among them.

"Ah Lang, it's really a long story."

Hui Niang led him to the woodshed. As soon as she opened the door, she saw a boy who was tied up, with a rag stuffed in his mouth. He was glaring angrily at Shi Shouxin and struggling desperately.

"Who is this?"

Shi Shouxin asked, as he didn't recognize the young man in front of him at all.

"My lord, I also want to know who he is. This man led a troop of soldiers early this morning, intending to abduct me and Wei Xiu and the others."

Fortunately, Zhao's retainers were here, otherwise things would have really gone wrong.

Hui Niang said with lingering fear.

"I see. Then kill them all."

Shi Shouxin gave the order in a cold tone.

The bound boy's eyes showed terror, and cold sweat streamed down his face.

(End of this chapter)