Liu Bei: My younger brother is a deity.

Chapter 91 Encountering Guan Yu

Betting on the future?

Mi Zhu pondered.

Father actually thinks highly of the Ho family.

He then remembered something and looked up, saying, "Father, why is the He family targeting the Dong family? The Dong family is the emperor's maternal family, and the He family is the emperor's wife's family; they are both related by marriage, and they should keep to themselves. Why is the He family, who are doing just fine, trying to disrupt the Dong family's plans?"

Mi An shook his head and said, "Zhu'er, look at our Han Dynasty. Since Emperor Zhang, the Dou family, the Deng family, the Yan family, the Liang family... which of these maternal relatives wasn't once powerful and influential? But what was the result? Dou Xian was put to death, Deng Zhi went on a hunger strike, Yan Xian was killed, and Liang Ji's entire family was wiped out. From the emperor to the officials, everyone in the court stared at the maternal relatives with wide eyes."

He paused, tapping his fingers on the table: "This emperor, though young, is as shrewd as a mirror. He can use the maternal relatives, but he can't let them get too powerful. The positions they can hold and the benefits they can reap are limited. If the Dong family takes a bigger slice, the He family takes a smaller one. Tell me, isn't He Jin anxious?"

Mi Zhu suddenly realized: "So the He family wants to squeeze out the Dong family's business, firstly to make money, and secondly to cut off one of the Dong family's sources of income."

"That's not all," Mi An said. "Empress Dowager Dong is in the palace, while the Dong family is outside. They rely on their seniority to suppress the He family. Even if Consort He gives birth to a prince, she still has to call Empress Dowager Dong 'mother-in-law.' If He Jin wants to rise to prominence, he must suppress the Dong family. Otherwise, his position as Tiger General will forever remain just that of a Tiger General."

"He Jin asked the Mi family to deal with the Dong family's paper-selling business, not only for money, but more so to see the Dong family's reaction."

"What did you see in the Dong family's reaction?" Mi Zhu pondered.

He murmured, "From Empress Dowager Dong to Dong Zhong and Dong Cheng, the Dong family are all greedy people. It is said that the idea of ​​the emperor selling official positions came from Empress Dowager Dong, and she even profited from it. I wonder if it is true or not?"

Mi An, whose information network was better than his son's, nodded and said, "It's true. Since Empress Dowager Dou Miao passed away in the first year of the Xiping era, Lady Dong has become Empress Dowager and has begun to interfere in court affairs, inciting His Majesty to sell official positions and collect money."

He then asked, "Zhu'er, have you heard the nursery rhyme about the Dong family in Luoyang?"

Mi Zhu recalled for a moment and said, "Father, are you referring to the lines, 'The carts are making their way into Hejian. In Hejian, young women are counting money, using money as their rooms and gold as their halls, pounding millet on stones with a gentle pounding. Under the beam hangs a drum, and I want to strike it, but the minister is angry'?"

"Exactly! Do you understand what it means?"

"Father, please enlighten me?"

Mi An lowered his voice further and whispered, "'The procession of carriages entering Hejian' refers to the people of the court going to Hejian to welcome the current emperor to the throne."

The phrase "The young women of Hejian count money, using money as their rooms and gold as their halls" is an allusion to Empress Dowager Dong's greed.

"The story of 'pounding millet on a stone' refers to Empress Dowager Dong's stinginess. Although she amassed wealth, she was never satisfied, to the point that she made people pound millet to eat."

"The phrase 'There is a drum hanging under the beam, and I want to strike it, but the ministers are angry' means that under the influence of Empress Dowager Dong, His Majesty is also very greedy and sells official positions. The upright people of the world beat the drum to protest, but the ministers in power are afraid of damaging their vested interests and do not allow people to speak out."

Mi Zhu gasped. "Such a nursery rhyme is like a prophecy. Is the Dong family just going to let it circulate?"

Mi An said, "What else can we do but let them have their way? The Dong family was far too flamboyant during their time in Luoyang, offending many powerful families. Now, who are their enemies? Who can they possibly control?"

Mi Zhu exclaimed in surprise, "Father means that this nursery rhyme is—"

"Father didn't say anything," Mi An interrupted his son with a smile. "Father was just guessing. Zhu'er, you should know to see through things but not say it out loud."

Just as Mi An was imparting his teachings to Mi Zhu, a caravan was being attacked by bandits two or three miles ahead of the Mi family's caravan.

Before long, a scout rushed up on horseback, "Master, a caravan ahead has encountered bandits. There are quite a few bandits, over a hundred. Should we take a detour?"

Businessmen always prefer to avoid trouble, and Mi An was about to suggest taking a detour when Mi Zhu suddenly spoke up: "How many guards does that caravan have? Can they hold out?"

The guard said, "The caravan has about twenty guards who are fighting the bandits and are still holding on."

Upon hearing this, Mi Zhu immediately turned to Mi An and asked, "Father, do you remember what the Liu brothers said last year?"

Mi An was taken aback, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Zhu'er, do whatever you want to do."

Mi Zhu was overjoyed. He climbed out of the carriage, mounted a fine horse, and, brandishing his sword, shouted to his guards, "Follow me to rescue them!"

Master Mi had probably learned his lesson from last time, so this time he brought over a hundred guards, all of them elite soldiers, each with a horse, and the group sped off.

Mi An gazed in the direction his son had gone, then suddenly remembered something: "Those Liu brothers claimed to be from the Liu family of Zhuo County, and Lou Sang Village is also in Zhuo County, also inhabited by the Liu family. Could it be such a coincidence?"

Meanwhile, Mi Zhu led his guards to rescue the trapped caravan.

When he arrived, the bandits had already been defeated by another group of men, led by a red-faced man.

Seeing Mi Zhu leading a group of cavalry approaching, the red-faced man warily rode forward to meet them. "I am Guan Yu, a military clerk under the command of the Military Affairs Officer of Youzhou. Who goes there?"

Why did the Youzhou government react so quickly?

How could a minor official be so diligent?

Mi Zhu was surprised.

"My surname is Mi. I am a merchant traveling here. I came to help because I saw some thieves robbing people," he replied loudly.

The red-faced man's expression softened slightly, but he remained vigilant. "Young Master Mi, thank you. However, the thieves have already been defeated by Guan, and we don't need anyone here anymore. Please return!"

Seeing the red-faced official standing guard with his sword drawn, Mi Zhu was not angry at all. On the contrary, he felt that the official was very dutiful and secretly admired him.

He smiled and said, "In that case, I'll take my leave."

Just as he was about to lead his men back, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Brother Guan, since you are an official in Youzhou, do you know the brothers Liu Bei and Liu Quan from Zhuo County?"

Guan Yu raised an eyebrow slightly: "Liu Bei is my superior and also my elder brother. Liu Quan is also my brother. And you are?"

Mi Zhu was overjoyed. He dismounted, clasped his hands, and said, "I am Mi Zhu from the East Sea, courtesy name Zizhong. I have received great kindness from the two elder brothers of the Liu family. I have come to Youzhou to do business, precisely to meet my two benefactors. I wonder if Brother Guan could take me to meet them?"

Guan Yu tightened the reins, glanced at Mi Zhu from head to toe, and seeing that the man was neatly dressed, spoke sincerely, and had about a hundred guards standing obediently behind him without making any unusual moves, he sheathed his sword and said calmly:

"Since you are an old friend of my brother, I, Guan, will certainly introduce you. However—" He glanced at the corpses of the bandits, "let me clean this place up first."

Mi Zhu hurriedly said, "Brother Guan, please go ahead with your work. I have nothing to do, so I'll just wait here."

Guan Yu didn't stand on ceremony. He turned around and ordered his men to count the dead and wounded, bind the survivors, and send out scouts in all directions to prevent the bandits from returning.

Mi Zhu also sent someone to inform his father of the situation.

About half an hour later, the Mi family's caravan arrived.

After a while, Guan Yu finished his work.

Mi Zhu then brought his father to see Guan Yu.

Guan Yu nodded slightly and said, "Let's go. My brother has been in Lousang Village these past few days, which is only about thirty li from here."

Mi An hurriedly asked, "Could it be that the two young men of the Liu family are from the Liu family of Lousang Village?"

Guan Yu: "Not bad!"