The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

Jiang Zhe was quite pleased with himself for reforming Xuchang's commerce and secretly plotting against those aristocratic families.

However, he also felt a little regretful...

"Xianzhang..." Jiang Zhe said listlessly, looking at Li Ru beside him, "Do you think I should sit here if there's nothing else to do?"

"...Yes!" Li Ru had lost count of how many times he had answered Jiang Zhe's question. "It will be three hours before you return to your residence, sir!" Li Ru said the three hours almost through gritted teeth.

"Ah..." Jiang Zhe sighed helplessly, then suddenly turned to Li Ru and said, "Xianzhang, how about we play chess!"

"Play chess?" Li Ru looked Jiang Zhe up and down, then said hesitantly, "Sir, you know chess? Then you might as well have a match with me."

"How about Gomoku?" Jiang Zhe asked tentatively.

"Gomoku?" Ru frowned.

Jiang Zhe then explained the rules of Gomoku to Li Ru, who immediately glared and exclaimed, "This... what kind of game is this? How could there be such a game? It's an insult to the wisdom of our ancestors!"

"Alright!" Jiang Zhe stood up abruptly and said, "Then I'll go back!"

"Wait...wait a minute!" Li Ru was taken aback. He immediately called out to Jiang Zhe, his face full of hesitation. "Then...okay..."

"Come on, come on!" Jiang Zhe chuckled. He pulled out a set of Go boards from under the table. He'd seen it before, but he didn't know how to play. He'd just stared blankly at his only pastime. Then today, it suddenly occurred to him: if he couldn't play Go, he could play Connect Four! And so, the scene described above unfolded.

Li Ru was exceptionally intelligent. After a moment's thought, he grasped the essence of Gomoku. After being outmaneuvered by Jiang Zhe a few times at the beginning, the two began a game of Gomoku with no clear winner.

As Li Ru played, he suddenly had a feeling. This seemingly simple way of playing seemed to hide extraordinary knowledge, somewhat similar to Go. The more pieces there are on the board, the more careful one must be about the subsequent moves. Often, without realizing it, this muddle-headed gentleman would exploit a weakness.

"Hehe. Five already. Sorry, sorry!" Jiang Zhe chuckled. He glanced at Li Ru.

Li Ru blushed. He said in a deep voice, "Again!"

"How about we add some stakes?" Jiang Zhe tempted Li Ru.

"I'm penniless and still working for you, sir. You decide what to do!" Li Ru said to Jiang Zhe in Jiang's style.

Jiang Zhe was speechless for a moment, then remembered that this guy was still freeloading under his command! Frustrated, he thought of something and said curiously, "Xianzhang, I see your learning is exceptional, why didn't you agree when Mengde wanted to appoint you as an aide? Why did you insist on being a scribe under me? Even if I saved your life before, is there any need for such repayment? Now that you're an aide, you should receive a monthly salary, why not take it?"

Li Ru silently removed the white piece from the chessboard, thinking to himself, "Cao Mengde was one of the Guandong armies that besieged my father-in-law earlier. How could I help him? And you..."

Suddenly, Li Ru remembered that Jiang Zhe was one of the culprits who caused his father-in-law Dong Zhuo's death. He was immediately confused. Yes, why should I follow him?

Li Ru raised his head and carefully examined Jiang Zhe.

"Alright! Let's bet on the drinks tonight! If you lose, you have to buy the drinks tonight!" Jiang Zhe looked at Li Ru slyly with a mischievous grin.

"I see..." Li Ru shook his head, smiled slightly, and said, "Sir, don't be so smug! I already know the secret, and I will certainly not lose again!"

"Wow! What a big mouth!" Jiang Zhe curled his lip and said to Li Ru, "Come on! You go first!"

"I'd rather obey than be overly respectful!" Li Ru smiled faintly and placed a piece on the board. Perhaps it was his nature—his lack of desire for fame or fortune, his indifference to everything, and his respect for everyone—that attracted him. Although life in Luoyang was extremely luxurious, it was unhappy. He always had to be wary of this and that, and it was full of deceit and treachery. Life now was good... really good...

"You lost, sir!" Li Ru said with a beaming smile to Jiang Zhe.

"This..." Jiang Zhe stared at the chessboard, coughed, and said, "Looks like I underestimated you... Let's play again!"

"I'll gladly oblige!"

After losing three games in a row, Jiang Zhe became furious. Looking at Li Ru, he thought to himself, "Are those ancient people really that good? How long has it taken for them to defeat me, a high-level Go player?"

"Want to come again?" Li Ru felt he was growing to enjoy seeing Jiang Zhe's expression more and more; this man was truly a rare gem!

"Come on! I don't believe it!" Jiang Zhe snorted.

Suddenly a servant entered and said, "Reporting to Lord Jiang, Lord Qiao is away and wishes to see you!"

"Tell them I'm not here!" Jiang Zhe said, his eyes red.

Li Ru glanced at the door and smiled inwardly. It seemed that Master Qiao had come because of the matter with those aristocratic families last time. How interesting!

The servant hesitated for a moment, then left.

But after a short while, the servant returned, looking distressed, and said to Jiang Zhe, "Sir, I told you Lord Jiang isn't here, but Master Qiao wouldn't believe me and insisted on coming in!"

"What? You don't believe me?" Jiang Zhe, locked in a fierce battle with Li Ru, exclaimed, "Fine! I'll tell that old man myself after I win this round!"

"..." Li Ru was stunned. His hand trembled, and the chess piece fell onto the chessboard.

"Haha!" Jiang Zhe laughed loudly, "You lost!" He looked up and suddenly saw a person standing outside the door. Upon closer inspection, he immediately felt a pang of despair.

"I think I heard Lord Jiang say he wasn't here?" Qiao Xuan walked in with a strange expression. "Did he have to tell me personally?"

The servant quickly ran away.

"Ahem, what are you saying, Master Qiao..." Jiang Zhe stirred the chessboard with his hand. "Misunderstanding, misunderstanding. I meant I would go out and inform Master Qiao personally that I am..."

Qiao Xuan stared intently at Jiang Zhe's face. Seeing that Jiang Zhe showed no embarrassment whatsoever, he was slightly taken aback. This brat certainly has a thick skin!

"Shouyi..." Qiao Xuan walked to a seat and sat down, smiling at Jiang Zhe, "Do you know why I've come today?"

"I don't know!" Jiang Zhe shook his head.

"You don't know?" Qiao Xuan's expression changed drastically. He raised his cane and shouted at Jiang Zhe, "I can tell you know perfectly well! Otherwise, why don't you dare to see me?"

Li Ru chuckled inwardly, thinking to himself, "You've come at the worst possible time..."

Jiang Zhe glanced at the chessboard, nodded, and said, "Then...how would I know?"

"I know..." Qiao Xuan was speechless for a moment, glanced at Jiang Zhe, got up and walked to Jiang Zhe's side. Li Ruqi

.

"Let me ask you this: Why did you scheme against the powerful families of Xuchang?"

"No..." Jiang Zhe looked puzzled and said to Qiao Xuan, "Master Qiao, you saw it too. They were the ones who wanted to buy the land in the west of the city, right? Didn't I force them to buy it? Then I thought that the land price in the west of the city was rising sharply at that time, so I told them to exchange their shops in the east of the city for the land in the west of the city, right?"

"Hmm...that's true, but..."

Jiang Zhe interrupted Qiao Xuan, saying with a serious expression, "I said that day that for every large shop they had in the east of the city, I would give them an equal amount of land in the west of the city. I didn't mistreat them at all, you've misunderstood me!"

"That brat!" Qiao Xuanqi paused, tapping his cane, and said, "Weren't all those decrees you issued just to scheme against those powerful families? If you dare deny it, I'll give you a good beating!"

"Oh dear! This old man has quite a temper!" Jiang stepped aside, coughed, and said, "Yes, yes, yes! But..." He glanced at Qiao Xuan and said in a low voice, "Zhe was only acting selflessly for Xuchang, why has Lord Qiao come to question me?"

"Uh..." Qiao Xuan paused, thinking to himself, "That's right, this kid didn't get any benefits from those merchants either, so it was a bit inappropriate of me to come and question him like this... No, wait!"

"Shouyi!" Qiao Xuan called out to Jiang Zhe, then glanced at Li Ru beside him, and frowned as he looked at Jiang Zhe.

Li Ru smiled slightly and said, "Please take your leave now!"

Qiao Xuan nodded, but Jiang Zhe said, "Xianzhang can stay here without any problem! Mr. Qiao, Xianzhang is a close friend of mine, there's nothing you can't tell him!" He wouldn't let me leave just now, and now you want to run away? You want to leave me here alone? Dream on!

Li Ru couldn't help but feel a warm current in his heart. This long-lost feeling of being trusted made him look at Jiang Zhe with gratitude.

Qiao Xuan looked at him with surprise and said, "Then I will speak frankly! Shouyi, do you know why the powerful families have stood strong for four hundred years of the Han Dynasty? There are reasons for this!"

Jiang Zhe rolled his eyes at Li Ru, who was also glancing sideways.

"I did you a great favor before, and those aristocratic families helped you out of respect for me. But ultimately, it was those aristocratic families who helped you, wasn't it? That's the cause! Now you've issued that decree, changing the commercial tax to... a transaction tax. Who came up with that term? It's really hard to pronounce!"

Li Ru looked at Jiang Zhe, who seemed a little embarrassed, and felt a surge of joy in his heart.

"Shouyi, have you ever considered that those merchants are from various counties in other places? If you really encounter any trouble, do you think they will help you? Only those aristocratic families in Xuchang will come to your aid! I sent them to find you so that you would repay them, but who knew you would use this opportunity to scheme against them? All my arrangements have been in vain!"

Hearing this, Li Ru sneered inwardly, unable to contain himself any longer. He said, "Lord Qiao, it's only natural that powerful families would help Xuchang if it were in trouble, since their wealth and fortunes are all tied to it. They share in the same fate, so why wouldn't they help? But what if someone else offers them even greater benefits? Have you considered what that situation might be?"

Qiao Xuan turned and glanced at Li Ru, then hesitated before saying, "Oh, you're a retainer of the Shouyi Sect. I remember you! Let me ask you, why are you so adamant that aristocratic families are so despicable?"

"Hmph!" Li Ru sneered. "Noble families? In my eyes, all noble families are like this!"

Qiao Xuan frowned and gave Li Ru a deep look. Seeing that Li Ru had bright eyes and an extraordinary temperament, he was secretly amazed that Li Ru was willing to serve as a retainer under Jiang Zhe.

"Shouyi, do you think so too?"

Jiang Zhe tilted his head and thought for a moment before saying, "I haven't met many aristocratic families. There's the Chen family of Xuzhou, the Xuzhou family, and now these families in Xuchang. But the aristocratic families in Xuzhou are alright; they won't raise grain prices and disregard the people. Instead, they'll use the grain to help the people. As for the aristocratic families in Xuchang... well, let's not talk about them!"

Qiao Xuan looked somewhat embarrassed. He knew quite a bit about the sordid affairs of some aristocratic families, but this was the first time someone had said it so directly in front of him.

"Shouyi's comments are... very insightful, very insightful!" Qiao Xuan took an empty teacup, poured himself a cup, and after spending so many days together, he had come to understand Jiang Zhe a little better: that kid was the kind of person who had no sense of propriety and didn't even know to pour an old man a cup of tea!

"Shouyi, you're right...yes, but...you also belong to a prominent family..."

"Me?" Jiang Zhe was taken aback, then said, "I'm all alone, what family background do I have?"

Qiao Xuan smiled and glanced at Jiang Zhe, saying calmly, "You are the nephew-in-law of Situ Wang Yun and the son-in-law of Cai Zhonglang, aren't you also from a prominent family?"

"You're wrong!" Jiang Zhe panicked and hurriedly explained, "Xiu'er and Zhao Ji have married down to me, which is truly fortunate of me, but... old man, I didn't marry into their family..."

Seeing Jiang Zhe address him as "old man," Qiao Xuan glared at him. "Even if you don't consider yourself from a prominent family, what about the world's opinion? Situ Wang Yun, Cai Zhonglang—how resounding are those names!"

Is this old man just trying to cause trouble? Does he have to claim I come from a prestigious family to be satisfied? Is there even one prestigious family? Oh no, I forgot to count Xiu'er and Zhao Ji, it should be three people…

"Shouyi, look, when Mengde raised his army, the Xiahou and Cao families came to help him. These are powerful families... You are valued by Mengde so much now, which is good for now. But if Mengde becomes powerful in the future, there will inevitably be struggles among his followers, and you alone..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhe frowned immediately. He hated these kinds of open and covert struggles the most!

As if seeing through Jiang Zhe's thoughts, Qiao Xuan continued, "In my opinion, Shouyi is also a great talent of our time, a worthy advisor to a king! But one person's strength is too weak..."

"Old man, what exactly are you trying to say?" Jiang Zhe looked at Qiao Xuan with a strange expression.

Qiao Xuan then said in a profound and enigmatic tone, "I have a younger brother who lives in Dantu..."

"Report!" Suddenly, a soldier rushed in, bowed, and said, "Reporting, sir! Empress Dowager Zhang Miao of Chenliu has conspired with Lü Bu, leading 30,000 troops to attack. The situation is extremely urgent! Prefect Chen Gong of Dongjun has also rebelled! He has joined forces with Zhang Miao and Lü Bu and is heading towards Xuchang!"

No wonder Cao Cao couldn't conquer Xuzhou, so that's why... Jiang Zhe was dumbfounded...

P.S.:: Reading the comments these past two days has really dampened my spirits, especially yesterday… I don’t want to say anything more, I’ll just keep writing… It’s snowing here today… This doesn’t count as a word! (To be continued. For more chapters and to support the author, please visit idianm and read the official version!)

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