The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 11 Observations at the Governor's Office

"How dare you secretly meet with Guan Yu's daughter!"

"That's Guan Yu's daughter... Are you out of your mind?!"

Mi Fang sprang up with a whoosh.

It really bounced up.

The reed mat bounced right onto Miwei's forehead.

It can only be said that this uncle's fear of Guan Yu was more exaggerated than he had imagined.

That would be even better.

"Why not?"

"As the saying goes, a fair maiden is the object of a gentleman's affections."

"Our Mi clan was once incredibly wealthy in Xuzhou. We could even marry a woman from the governor's family, right?"

“It’s not that I’m saying I won’t marry anyone but a girl from the Guan family.”

"Such a beautiful woman is so close at hand, wouldn't it be a pity if we didn't even dare to ask her for a matchmaking service?"

"I don't want my name to be like yours for the rest of my life—something I can't have, something I long for day and night!"

As she spoke, she raised her hand to wipe her eyes and leaned forward:
"Uncle Zhong!"

"Now my father is far away in Shu, and I only have my uncle as an elder to rely on. I beg my uncle to grant me my wish!"

"This, this, this..."

Mi Fang spoke as she backed away.

"Did you know that even when Sun Quan asked for a wife on behalf of his son, he was insulted by Guan Yu?"

"What merit do I have to ask for a matchmaker on your behalf?"

Ha, he addresses Guan Yu by his given name directly, but he addresses Sun Quan with great respect.

Mi Wei asked, knowing the answer already:
"It can't be that bad. Your father is the governor of a prefecture, a high-ranking official with a salary of two thousand shi (a unit of grain), and he is a high-ranking official who governs a region for the King of Hanzhong. He must give you face, right?"

"You, you... sigh!"

Mi Fang stamped her foot and said:

"You followed your father to Shu when you were young and are unaware of the current situation in Jingzhou... In short, this is absolutely impossible!"

"If I had known this would happen, I would have risked offending Guan Yu to find a warship to send you away!"

After saying this, Mi Fang shook her head, sighed, and left.

Miwei continued to wail, "Uncle, Uncle!"

Only after Zhan Sifu reported that the horses were ready did he wipe his not-so-damp eyes and calmly go out.

Another beautiful day!
……

Guan Xing was busy today, so Mi Wei only took Zhan Sifu and others out of the city to hunt and continue their training.

Guan Xing was right; with a major battle looming, it was indeed time to recover one's health as soon as possible.

Otherwise, you won't be able to run fast enough to escape.

After riding and shooting for half a day, I felt my physical strength had recovered considerably.

As soon as he returned to the city, he ran into Guan Xing, who had a worried look on his face.

"Guan Jun, is something not going well?"

Guan Xing, seeing it was Mi Wei, forced a smile and said:
"As expected."

"Everyone seems easy to talk to on the surface, but when it comes to providing able-bodied men, they all have their own excuses. I've been busy for most of the day, and I still haven't managed to gather even half a group of men!"

"Could it be as Master Fei said, that my father has been too disrespectful to the literati, thus losing the hearts of the gentry in Jingzhou?"

What, you actually doubted that?

Mi Wei couldn't help but complain inwardly, but on the surface he still comforted her:

Didn't Fei Gong tell you to go find Pan Zhizhong?

"He is renowned throughout Jingzhou and is also a high-ranking official in the prefecture. With him in charge, no one will dare to disobey him!"

Guan Xing nodded:
"That's exactly what I was thinking. I'm just worried that Pan Zhizhong won't see me."

"By the way, I've heard that General Anhan and Pan Zhizhong have a past relationship. Why don't you come with me, Mi Jun?"

Mi Wei wasn't actually sure if his father had any connection with Pan Jun.

But he believes in the power of money.

So he readily nodded.

The main thing is that the big shots took the initiative to ask for help. Even if you can't help, you can't lose points in the impression!
Pan Jun, as the chief official appointed by Liu Bei to oversee the state, resided in the original governor's mansion.

Mi Wei followed Guan Xing's horse caravan and discovered that one of the horses was carrying not only a large box of gifts but also a bundle of dried cured meat.

He remembered that this thing was called "shuxiu".

Because of the story of Confucius accepting disciples, it was often used as a ceremony for formally becoming a disciple in the Han Dynasty.

"Guan Jun, are you planning to become Pan Zhizhong's apprentice?" Guan Xing turned around and asked.
"Fei Gong told me to bow down to Pan Zhizhong. After thinking it over, I realized that this was the most suitable way."

“Pan Zhizhong once studied under Song Zhongzi, a great Confucian scholar from Jingzhou, and is well-versed in the classics. If we, as a junior, visit him to seek his teachings, it will not only show our sincerity but also save face for my master.”

"However, there's one thing that Mr. Deer guessed wrong."

“Strategist Zhuge has already arranged a master for me, so this apprenticeship gift is prepared for Ji Ji.”

What?
Just her?

That high school girl who does nothing but eat and play?

"Guan Jun, isn't this inappropriate?"

Mi Wei didn't think there was anything wrong with women studying the classics.

After all, there was the outstanding example of Cai Wenji (Zhao Ji) before them.

Although the Han Dynasty did not have the strict etiquette towards women that later generations practiced, basic separation between men and women still existed.

Therefore, noblewomen mostly learned from their family elders and rarely went out to learn from masters.

"She's just going to ask for the title of disciple; we don't really expect her to become a scholar of the Five Classics."

"And..." Guan Xing smiled mysteriously.

"There's another wonderful reason why Ji Ji became Pan Zhizhong's apprentice!"

Miwei: "What is it?"

Guan Xingdao:
“I have heard that Yin Mo, Yin Siqian, the official in charge of promoting education in Yizhou, is well-versed in the Zuo Zhuan of the Spring and Autumn Annals. Your Majesty intends to appoint him as the tutor of the Crown Prince Chan.”

“When Yin Quanxue was young, he traveled to Jingzhou to study and also studied under Song Zhongzi.”

"If my sister could become Pan Zhizhong's apprentice, she and Prince Chan would be considered to be from the same school, wouldn't that make them a more suitable match?"

Oh, so it's to network with highly educated people to make it easier to marry into the royal family!

Miwei understood now.

Then he felt that the name "Song Zhongzi" sounded familiar.

It seems to be related to a major historical event.

But I can't recall the specific details right now, so I'll have to wait until I'm done with this matter before I go back and ask.

Soon, the two arrived at the governor's mansion, briefly explained their purpose to the gatekeeper, and handed over their visiting cards.

Miwei had expected to wait outside the door.

Unexpectedly, the gatekeeper not only politely invited the two to wait in the eaves behind the gate, but also provided them with a folding chair and fruit and snacks to rest.

Only after asking did I learn that this gatekeeper with a full head of white hair was once a veteran under Liu Bei.

Because he was too old to follow Liu Bei into Shu, he simply stayed in the governor's office as a sinecure.

After eating and drinking for a while, crying and commotion suddenly came from outside the door.

Out of curiosity, Miwei stepped forward and saw a ragged man being beaten in the street.

"This man is a runaway slave from one of the Pan family's estates."

The gatekeeper offered a casual explanation.

“He claimed to be a law-abiding citizen with registered land, but two years ago he left his hometown to escape a major epidemic. When he returned, his family’s land had been seized by powerful local magistrates.”

As a person from later generations, Mi Wei naturally couldn't stand this scene.

But I also know that I can't listen to only one side of the story.

He then asked, "If this person is not lying, then the government should have a register of his family's origins, right?"

The gatekeeper shook his head:

“He is from Changsha County, which now belongs to the Sun family of Jiangdong. How could he be registered here?”

"Even if we did, we couldn't give the land back to him!"

Miwei was speechless for a moment.

What else could he say?

There are definitely instances of the powerful bullying the weak.

But the root cause was the decline of the Han Dynasty, with local warlords acting independently, and plagues breaking out from time to time. So-called natural disasters compounded by man-made calamities... it was simply impossible to manage them all.

The only way to solve the problem at its root is to reunify the Nine Provinces.

They either had to restore the Han dynasty or start anew.

From his current position, his priority should be to help Liu Bei and Guan Yu protect Jiangling.

To protect Jiangling, the immediate priority is to utilize the surplus manpower and resources of the Jingzhou gentry.

Where do these surplus human and material resources come from?

Isn't it precisely by exploiting these stateless or displaced vagrants?
Once he understood the logic behind it, he had even less to say.

(End of this chapter)