The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

At this moment, in Bohai Commandery.

The salt brought from Zhuojun by the Liu family has been sold off entirely.

One portion was given to local salt merchants, while the other portion was given to his trusted confidants.

This is the custom between outsiders and local merchants. The Liu family is willing to share the profits, which is why their business has spread all over the world and they are very popular in all walks of life.

People who follow the rules are more likely to be accepted.

The group packed their bags and began preparing to return home.

Just then, I saw an old man with a sullen face, with a dense line of scratches running from his forehead to his left cheek.

He was holding a struggling little brat in his hand, his face flushed and his eyes filled with hatred.

Zhao Yun, who was eating dry rations, saw this scene and subconsciously stood up and clenched his fist, but then relaxed it. Remembering his current identity, he followed closely behind.

The righteous men in the group could not hide their disappointment when they saw this.

"General, this little fellow was just trying to poison the porridge."

"Please dispose of it, General."

Old Yi picked up the bandit's child and threw him in front of Liu Hong. After saying his piece, he bowed and stepped aside.

When Zhao Yun arrived, he also heard these words and froze on the spot, at a loss for what to do.

Liu Zongran stopped eating his dry rations, put the rest into the pack behind him, and waved.

Soon someone brought him the poisoned porridge.

Liu Zongran glanced at Zhao Yun, then squatted down and walked over to the child: "Did you poison this porridge?"

Liu Zongran had expected to have to go through a lot of trouble, perhaps even interrogation and torture, but to his surprise, the boy in front of him was quite frank, his hatred undisguised, and he said directly, "You killed my father, and I want to avenge him. A life for a life is a matter of course, and I'm going to poison you all."

Liu Zongran showed no reaction whatsoever upon hearing this, remaining unmoved, as did the servants beside him.

He then stepped back and beckoned to Zhao Yun: "Zilong, what do you suggest we do now?"

As he spoke, he threw the dagger forward, landing it in front of the child.

Without a second thought, the child grabbed the dagger, and then pointed the gleaming blade directly at the Liu family members beside him.

Seeing that Zhao Yun remained silent, Liu Zongran narrowed his eyes and knew that he couldn't get anything out of him, so he could only target the child in front of him.

It's easy to make a choice between an outsider and an insider.

"My memory of what happened before is still good. If I remember correctly, the person who killed your father was this pale-faced boy. Now, take this knife and kill him, and you can avenge your father."

As he spoke, Liu Zongran took out a small packet of silver coins and threw it next to the child, then added, "Kill him, and these are yours. No one will lay a hand on you."

"A word spoken by this general is as good as his bond. With the remaining money, you can find a job and make a living."

"Didn't you want revenge? Now no one's stopping you."

Liu Zongran raised his hand, and some of the righteous men around him tried to speak, but others covered their mouths and shook their heads.

Then all the followers retreated outside, and Liu Zongran also left. For a moment, there were truly only the two of them left in the courtyard.

"You can't beat me. You should leave."

Zhao Yun still softened his heart, "Take this money and go back to your business."

Zhao Yun closed his eyes, but what he got in return was not the child's forgiveness.

He could never forgive his father's killer.

This is what a normal person should do and how they should react.

The child, holding the razor-sharp dagger, stabbed fiercely at Zhao Yun's throat.

But Zhao Yun was not about to sit and wait for death. With a swing of his silver spear, he easily knocked the dagger away.

The child, though frightened, still picked up the dagger that had been thrown and refused to leave: "I can't escape. If I don't kill you, that general won't let me go."

"I know you're a good person, but you're the one who killed my father."

Children still have some humanity.

Zhao Yun closed his eyes in anguish: "Your father was a bandit who went up the mountain and became an outlaw, committing all sorts of evil deeds, and deserved to die."

"But that's my dad."

The child shouted again, "That's my dad! I don't care about anything else. You killed my dad, so you have to pay for it with your life!"

With a clang, the dagger was knocked away again.

Zhao Yun tried to persuade him, "You're still young and don't understand now. You'll understand when you grow up."

"What if your father were murdered?"

A child's innocent words caused Zhao Yun's idealistic and unworldly heart to tremble violently.

At this point, he no longer had the right to offer any further advice.

……

After an unknown amount of time, the Liu family's army set sail again on the official road outside Bohai County. Laughter and cheers filled the air once more, and Zhao Yun once again mingled with the loyal followers beside him.

Even General Liu Zongran's impression of him changed drastically.

Gone was the previous isolation; instead, he spoke earnestly as always, saying, "It's better to bet on someone's wickedness than on their kindness. Zilong, that's just how things are in this world. Everyone has their own difficulties, and many things are like that."

"If you don't want to make things difficult for others, you'll have to make things difficult for yourself."

"Understood, General."

Zhao Yun smiled brightly, as if he had really grown a lot after going through this experience, becoming more adapted to this era and everything else.

……

Several days have passed!

Liu Hong, serving as the Inspector of Zhuojun, visited various counties along the way and finally arrived at Fenggu County.

He inspected the county and made a few notes in his records: "Fenggu County's performance can be described as top-notch."

"Thank you, Inspector."

The magistrate of Fenggu County hurriedly cupped his hands in a smile and then presented a considerable amount of tribute.

Liu Hong did not offer any money as a token of filial piety.

The two clerks beside him were quick-witted and nimble-fingered, their movements fluid and natural as they caught the gold-embroidered purses and they vanished without a trace.

Suddenly, Liu Hong's heart stirred slightly, and he summoned the panel to take a look.

Then it became clear that one of the columns had changed.

It wasn't his; it was Zhao Yun, the general Liu Hong had been looking forward to, who had already been listed on the panel.

Name: Zhao Yun

Age: Sixteen

[Official Rank: Righteous Follower]

[Aura: Gold]

[Destiny: Harmonious and unassuming, with a long and prosperous military career, possessing wisdom and resourcefulness, and a loyal and courageous heart]

……

The lone star that once shone brightly has now become one with the world.

It seems.

This Zhao Zilong of Changshan, whom Liu Hong remembered, might be of some use, and his golden aura finally found a place to be put to good use.

After his post as inspector ended, Liu Hong did not stay in Fenggu County for very long.

The group began their return journey.

About half a month later, they returned to Zhuojun.

At this time.

Near Bohai Commandery, Cai Yong and his daughter Cai Wenji, who had previously been exiled to Shuofang but had now temporarily returned to the Central Plains, were in a rather ordinary situation.

A great Confucian scholar of his generation, he was repeatedly hunted down and forced to flee to various places, barely managing to save his life.

Ultimately, it all stemmed from offending those in power at court.