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

Chapter 8: The Banquet at the General's Mansion, the Majesty of Han Officials

Furthermore, among the various departments under the prefectural government, the one with the highest position was the Chief Clerk.

Prefect Mi Fang is no longer in charge of affairs, so it is only natural that the senior officials of the prefecture should receive Liu Bei's envoy.

But what about those two inspectors?
Or rather, why did James Sifu specifically emphasize this point to himself?
The first question that came to his mind was the position of Inspector-General.

Although the title of Inspector-General of Posts contains the word "post," he may actually have also handled some postal affairs.

But its primary responsibility is still "supervision".

That is, the inspectors representing the prefect in supervising the subordinate counties.

To put it bluntly, they were the governor's eyes and ears, his henchmen.

Therefore, although his rank was less than 100 shi, he was a typical example of someone with a low position but great power.

"My uncle, who's not really going to the banquet himself, sent two spies with him..."

"Could it be that Guan Xing's actions these past two days have made him uneasy?"

"Was Zhan Sifu's initiative to remind me a gesture of goodwill?"

Although Mi Wei had intended to win over Zhan Sifu, he would not immediately trust him.

Apart from Guan Xing and his sister, who were certain they would not betray Guan Yu, and Fei Shi, who was about to be "tested by history," he dared not easily trust anyone now.

Let's wait and see how it goes.

However, we should be extra careful around those two inspectors.

While he was pondering, he was led to the banquet hall by a servant from the Guan residence.

As the host of the banquet, Guan Xing was clearly dressed up carefully tonight.

He wore a dark blue robe, a three-colored black sash, an official seal pouch, and carried a book knife and a long sword.

Pair it with a pair of exquisitely crafted silk shoes.

It can be said that, apart from having to simply tie his hair up because he was too young, Guan Xing had almost all the standard attire of a Han Dynasty scholar-official.

This gave Mi Wei a sense of déjà vu, like watching the old version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in a past life.

He himself was just an extra who accidentally appeared in the shot.

After all, he was still a "child," and his dressing style was always quite casual, and no one corrected him.

No, that's not right.

What I call the spirit of the Wei and Jin dynasties is all about being free-spirited and unrestrained.

A version ahead of its time!
"Lord Deer, this way please!"

Guan Xing's eyes lit up when he saw Mi Wei.

"Lord Guan, I heard that two inspectors from my uncle's entourage have also come to the banquet?"

"Yes. I can't hide the fact that I'm mobilizing troops outside the city from the inspector. Rather than letting them search everywhere, I might as well invite them to my home openly."

"Once they get to the General's Mansion, what they see and hear will be out of their control!"

Seeing Guan Xing's confidence, Mi Wei said nothing more.

Shortly after, a commotion arose outside the door.

A middle-aged man with a square face and broad forehead strolled over, surrounded by a crowd.

This person was also dressed in a deep robe and silk shoes.

Seal, ribbon, knife, and sword are all prepared.

But compared to Guan Xing, he also wore a black gauze hat.

The Jinxian crown was one of the crowns commonly worn by Han Dynasty Confucian scholars.

The hat has pillars at the front and back, with beams hanging from the pillars, hence it is also called a "beam crown".

Ordinary Confucian scholars could only hang one beam on the top of their hats.

Han officials with a salary of 2,000 shi or less, but with a salary of 600 shi or more, were assigned to two different positions.

The man was wearing the Erliang Jinxian crown.

Her aura instantly improved.

If Guan Xing is a youthful version of the Han Dynasty scholar-official.

The middle-aged Han official in front of them was the standard version.

And Miwei... Miwei thought to himself, I am the future warrior.

"It is an honor to have Mr. Fei grace my humble abode with his presence!"

Guan Xing, as the host, was the first to go forward.

The middle-aged Han official was none other than Liu Bei's envoy, Fei Shi, the former commander of the Yi Province!

Miwei followed closely behind:

"This time, the boy was able to cure the strange disease entirely thanks to Mr. Fei, who braved the hardships of the journey and took me on a long and arduous trip to seek medical treatment."

"I cannot express my gratitude. Tonight, please allow me to stay at the table with you and serve you meat and wine!"

Fei Shi did not respond immediately upon hearing this. Instead, she carefully examined Mi Wei from head to toe before speaking: "A great shaman in Yizhou once said that you were possessed by an evil spirit... Are you really the Mi family's Awei that I know?"

Mi Wei was startled upon hearing this.

Was the soul-swapping and possession discovered?
But he soon realized that the belief in witchcraft was still very common in this era.

This kind of argument is so common that "the wise do not adopt it."

So he feigned contempt and said:
"How absurd are those sorcerers' words! How could the boy be possessed by evil spirits?"

"It is clear that the previous emperors of the Han Dynasty saw my extraordinary talent and specially summoned me into their dreams to impart to me the method of establishing lasting peace, so that I may assist Your Majesty in restoring the Han Dynasty and the world!"

Fei Shi was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then burst into laughter.

"Very well, very well, judging by your boastful manner, you must have truly been cured!"

After speaking, he walked towards his seat.

Miwei followed closely behind.

Guan Xing then took the opportunity to order his servants to move a set of seats next to Fei Shi as Mi Wei's special seat for the night.

The host and the guest of honor took their seats, and the banquet began.

While pouring wine for Fei Shi, Mi Wei kept an eye on the reactions of the other guests.

The county clerk was an elderly Confucian scholar who discussed the local customs and culture of Nanjun with Fei Shi, displaying the demeanor of an elder.

Occasionally, it would exchange a few words with its owner, Guan Xing, but it didn't pay much attention to it.

On the contrary, the two inspectors, although they seemed to be very respectful to everyone, frequently toasted Fei Shi, which seemed rather deliberate.

It was clear that they didn't want Guan Xing and Fei Shi to have a chance to talk alone.

Even Miwei couldn't find a suitable opportunity to interject.

If this continues, either Fei Shi will be unable to hold his liquor and leave, or he will completely pass out drunk here.

All of this would be a waste of the night.

Unfortunately, Fei Shi knew nothing about this.

Guan Xing, constrained by social obligations, had no choice but to look to Mi Wei for help.

Although he is the owner of this place, he is still too young.

Even in the military, one can still act based on the authority of one's father or elder brother.

However, in formal social settings for Han Dynasty literati, he was not much stronger than Mi Wei.

They're all "youngsters" anyway.

but.

Mi Wei finally managed to get on the good side of the Guan family, and now it seems he can get on the good side of another family, Fei Shi.

How could he miss this opportunity?

He immediately racked his brains for a way to break the deadlock.

When his gaze fell upon a Han Dynasty JK (high school girl) who was fiercely battling with a pork knuckle, it really reminded him of something.

"Master Fei!"

"Guan Jun once made a bet with someone that you could persuade General Guan to be appointed as a general."

"Although it's just a child's joke, it really makes people curious!"

Upon hearing this, Guan Xing, though unaware of Mi Wei's intentions, immediately joined in the commotion.

Other guests also cast curious glances their way.

Fei Shi calmly took a sip of wine before saying:
"Your Majesty and General Guan have a deep and abiding friendship; there's no need for me to persuade them. I'm merely offering a gentle reminder!"

This was a routine, polite remark, which everyone ignored, waiting to hear what came next.

“I told General Guan that Emperor Gaozu (Liu Bang) had been close friends with Xiao He and Cao Can since childhood, while Han Xin and Chen Ping joined him later in life and came from humble backgrounds.”

"Later, when the country was settled and the order of the officials was discussed, Han Xin came out on top, but Xiao He and Cao Cao had no complaints."

"What became of these people is something I need not elaborate on, given your knowledge."

"Now Your Majesty is rewarding Huang Hansheng (Huang Zhong's courtesy name) generously for his military achievements, just as Emperor Gaozu promoted Han Xin in the past. However, this does not mean that Your Majesty is no longer close to Xiao He and Cao Cao."

"If General Guan abandons his close relationship with the King for the sake of a momentary argument and instead pursues Han Xin's high position, I'm afraid he will regret it in the future!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately praised Fei Shi for his skillful use of classical allusions and for grasping the essence of people's hearts, declaring him a first-rate debater of the time.

Only Miwei shook his head repeatedly, deliberately singing a dissenting tune loudly:

"How utterly absurd you all are!"

"If we disregard personal relationships and only consider talent, General Guan should have the talent of Han Xin to command a million troops, while Lord Fei should have the ability of Xiao He to pacify the rear."

"This time, Fei Gong has lived up to his mission, winning the heartfelt admiration of General Guan, comparable to Xiao He chasing Han Xin under the moon in the past."

"How can you regard such a man as a mere debater, a contemporary Xiao He?"

Upon hearing this, the entire room burst into laughter.

(End of this chapter)