Chapter 54: Astrology and Divination Meng Qi Explains

  Next, Zou Taigong asked Ma Chao when he would start storing grain. Ma Chao only said one sentence: "In three years there will be drought, in five years there will be war!"

  Like Hua Tuo, the old fox didn't need to say much, Ma Chao knew that with just one sentence, he would know what to do, and Hua Tuo would naturally be even clearer. Moreover, in doing business, he had a good understanding of himself, and had already told Hua Tuo that he wouldn't participate, he was just waiting for his share.

  To be honest, nowadays Mou Tai Gong is quite trusting of Ma Chao because of the Xuan Lu sword. If he said that the business with Ma Chao was 80% unbelievable before, then now he believes in it 80%. It has to be said that the Xuan Lu sword had a huge impact on him. Since ancient times, no one who possessed the Xuan Lu sword was an ordinary person, and now the owner of the treasure sword is Ma Chao, so naturally Ma Chao won't be an ordinary person either.

  Someone like Ma Chao with great luck, great opportunities and great abilities must be cooperated with. It's not just about getting some credit, but more importantly, when Ma Chao achieves success in the future, he will naturally remember the help given to him by his family.

  Zi Taigong was quite confident about this. Although he had only been with Ma Chao for a short time, based on his decades of experience in observing people, he could see that Ma Chao was absolutely a person who distinguished between gratitude and resentment, and knew how to repay kindness. As for what is the most unbearable thing under the sky, it's not wealth or material things, but human relationships.

  It can be said that I have a good relationship with Ma Chao now, and due to our cooperation, we will naturally have contact in the future. Mi Taigong has made up his mind, and if necessary, he will find opportunities to tie Ma Chao and the Mi family together tightly, so that he can feel more at ease.

  His idea was naturally unknown to Ma Chao, but Ma Chao also had his own ideas. In the midst of chaos, money and grain were indispensable things, and this time in Xuzhou, he unexpectedly made a big deal with a 50% share. As for how much money and grain he could get, he wasn't clear, but what Ma Chao knew was that when the chaotic times came, relying on these family assets at the beginning should be enough, which also temporarily settled one of his heart affairs.

  Ma Chao has always been worried about the issue of money and food, but he just hasn't mentioned it to anyone. The only one following him is Cui An, you can talk to him about martial arts, and eating and drinking are no problem. But as for other things, it's better not to mention them at all, so Ma Chao sometimes doesn't know who to chat with.

  Of course, this is nothing, he has long been used to it. As for the money and food, Guan Hai's mountain stronghold does have some, but those are actually far from enough, and for a few thousand people, they may not be a lot, but in the future when they really need to use them, that little family property will still be insufficient.

  Now it's finally done, the Ma family is not just a wealthy family in Xuzhou, but also a prominent family throughout the Han Dynasty. With their cooperation, Ma Chao felt more confident and had even greater expectations for the future.

  The various matters of cooperation have been discussed, and Mrs. Mi let the servants in the mansion lead Ma Chao and others to the rooms prepared for them. After all, Mrs. Mi was old and not feeling well, and after chatting with Ma Chao for more than two hours, she was extremely tired and needed a good rest.

  Ma Chao also saw it, this old man was tired, of course he wouldn't bother them again.

  The happiest one is still that kid Chui An, he didn't notice anything else, but he knew that they were treated to good food and drink again. To him, this was the best thing ever.

  Then Ma Chao and the others also went to their rooms to rest. During this time, he took out the medical book and astrology divination manual that Nan Hua had left him and reviewed them carefully, so as to use them on Zou Tai Gong later.

  In the evening, Lady Mi sent someone to invite Ma Chao and others to a banquet. Ma Chao and Cui An naturally accepted the invitation.

  Upon arriving at the seat, Zuo Taigong saw that Ma Chao and his men had already arrived, and hastily said: "Young friends, have you rested well?"

  Ma Chao hastily replied, "Very well, thank you for your hospitality, Ta Gong. However, Ta Gong, my courtesy name is Mengqi, so please just call me Mengqi!" He only then remembered that he had not told Ta Gong his courtesy name before, and now that he had, the old man would no longer have to address him as "young friend" all the time.

  "It's good, but although I'm older, in terms of generation, I should be considered your uncle. So you don't have to be too polite, just call me Uncle, and I'll call you Nephew!" Of course, Zhang Fei also wanted to get closer to Ma Chao.

  "Then I'll obey humbly, Uncle!" Ma Chao said with a smile.

  "Good, good! Haha! It should be like this! By the way, these two are my sons, your useless brothers, Lao Da Mian Zhu and Lao Er Mian Fang!" said Mian Gong as he patted the two young men beside him.

  "You two haven't gone to see Meng Qi yet!" said Zou Taigong to the pair.

  The two young men beside him hastily paid their respects to Ma Chao, "Zou Jing (Fang) has seen Mengqi brother!"

  One is fifteen years old this year and the other is twelve years old, both are older than Ma Chao.

  Ma Chao hastily returned the courtesy, "Two elder brothers needn't be so polite, younger brother has seen two elder brothers!"

  Then he introduced Chui An. After everyone had met, they took their seats as host and guest. Only after sitting down did Ma Chao take a closer look at the Mei brothers.

  He looks like a talented and knowledgeable scholar, with a refined and elegant appearance.

  As for Mei Fang, although he can't compare to his older brother in terms of looks, he is also quite dignified. However, he doesn't have the air of a scholar, but rather has some of the aura of a warrior, it seems that these two brothers are indeed one scholarly and one martial.

  After everyone had eaten and drunk well, the wine and dishes were withdrawn. At this time, several people began to chat, first of all was Zou Ji, he asked Ma Chao first.

  "What does Brother Mengqi mean by saying 'there must be a drought every three years and a war every five years'?"

  Mi Zhu's words were actually asking Ma Chao, how did you think that there would be a drought within three years and war within five years? However, he didn't dare ask directly, so he could only say this. Mi Zhu didn't have any other meaning, but after his father told him to cooperate with Ma Chao to store grain, Mi Zhu felt it was better to ask clearly first, thinking that this business was not much different from gambling.

  Mo Tai Gong didn't tell him about the Zhan Lu sword. With Mo Zhuan's knowledge and age, he really had no concept of the Zhan Lu sword. He only knew that it was a famous treasure in the world, but he didn't understand anything else. So Mo Tai Gong temporarily didn't say much to him.

  As for Rong Zuo, although he didn't quite understand why his father insisted on doing this business that was similar to gambling, he knew very well that his father had always been a cautious and meticulous businessman. The decision he made now must have deep meaning behind it, and his father was absolutely a person who only thought of the family's interests; he believed in his father's vision and judgment.

  Mi Zhu was very filial to his father, and he was extremely obedient to Mi Fang. No matter how much Mi Zhu disagreed with him, he wouldn't dare disobey Mi Fang's words. If Mi Fang told him to die, Mi Zhu would immediately draw his sword and cut his throat. So Mi Zhu naturally wouldn't say anything to Mi Fang, but when he saw Ma Chao in person, his desire to ask Ma Chao this question grew stronger.

  The meaning of Ma Chao's words is simple. If Ma Chao can really persuade himself, then he will definitely do his best to make a good deal, and in the future, he will also get close to Ma Chao, because Ma Chao is a very capable person. But if Ma Chao cannot come up with anything, then he can only rely on his father to change his mind. If his father still insists on doing this business, then he must do his best to protect the family's interests and keep more money.

  Ziying considered it quite thoughtful, and for these reasons, he asked Ma Chao this question.

  Ma Chao smiled after hearing Ji Zong's question, he could feel that Ji Zong had no malicious intent, but this matter specifically how he knew about it he couldn't say, so Ma Chao's eyes rolled around and he came up with an excuse.

  "Has General Ma ever heard of astrology?" asked Ma Chao in turn.

  Mo Zhen heard the words and was stunned, astrology? He had indeed heard of this thing, it's a very mysterious and mystical divination technique, but nowadays he hadn't heard of anyone who still practiced this.

  Mo Zhen replied, "This is naturally something I've heard of. It's said that this technique can divine the heavens and the earth, past and future!"

  Ma Chao nodded after hearing this, but he was secretly delighted. He knew that as long as he knew the truth, it would be easy to handle; what he feared most was not knowing. If Zuo Ci said he didn't know, then Ma Chao would really have a hard time dealing with him.

  Ma Chao only wondered why Ma Chao asked himself this, but after hearing Ma Chao's words, he was surprised. He is not like Ma Zai, who is only 15 years old, and has been traveling north and south for over 40 years, whether it is knowledge or experience, that is not what Ma Zai can compare to.

  When he saw Mi Zhu asking Ma Chao, he was a bit dissatisfied and thought to himself: "This kid is looking for trouble." Ma Chao was absolutely not someone to be offended. If you really offend him, our family will suffer greatly. However, Mi Taigong wanted to stop but it was already too late. Fortunately, he saw that Ma Chao didn't mind these things and breathed a sigh of relief.

  However, when he heard Ma Chao mention astrology, he was indeed surprised. Zou Taigong would not be like Zou Zhuo who didn't understand why Ma Chao asked this question, he thought it was surprising that Ma Chao actually knew astrology. But then Zou Taigong thought again, if Ma Chao had the unparalleled treasure sword of Xuan Lu, then knowing astrology wasn't particularly unusual either.

  Maitreya finally understood this time, no wonder Ma Chao was so confident in the cooperative business, it turned out that he was a master. The astrology and divination of those things, they were all within his grasp.

  "What Brother Zan said is not wrong, the art of astrology can predict the heavens and the earth, past and future. I am not talented, I only slightly understand some superficial aspects of this art!"

  Ma Chao said that he only knew a little about the surface, but people with discerning eyes could all see that what he meant was actually saying that he himself understood a lot about astrology and divination! A very arrogant attitude.

  Mao Chao was greatly surprised, he believed it. Because he felt that Ma Chao didn't need to deceive him, and this could also explain why Ma Chao dared to come and discuss business cooperation with his family so confidently. This Ma Chao is really deep and hidden, I will interact with him more in the future, Mao Chao thought.

  It's not clear why Mi Zhu thought Ma Chao was hiding his true abilities, but actually Mi Zhu had this feeling because previously Ma Chao hadn't told him about his knowledge of astrology until he asked, so that's why he felt that way.

  Who would have thought that Ma Chao had previously seen the precious sword with his father, and a single glance at the Jianlu Sword had already won him over, so what's the need to fabricate some astrology and divination?

  Although Ma Chao said he didn't know astrology, that book was indeed in his hands, so Ma Chao's lie wasn't very false.

  "So that's how it is! I never thought Brother Mengqi would know such mysterious skills! I'm truly sorry, sorry!" Zou Zhu hurriedly clasped his fists.

  "No need to be polite, brother. I just happened to obtain this book on astrology, but I still don't understand much of it, which is truly embarrassing!"

  "Brother Meng is being too modest, too modest!"

  He finally muddled through, Ma Chao thought to himself. Fortunately, Zou Jue didn't ask him to demonstrate on the spot, or he would have been exposed for sure. Telling lies isn't easy at all, you also have to worry about being caught by the other party, it's really a test of one's mental quality, he thought.

  This matter can be considered settled now. The big stone in Zao Taigong's heart has also fallen to the ground, he was really afraid that Zao Zhu would stir up some trouble.

  Among the three siblings of the Miao family, the smartest is indeed the youngest daughter Miao Zhen. Unfortunately, she's a girl. She has no problem handling family matters, but in the end, the family can't be handed over to her.

  As for Lao Er, he had no interest in studying at all. As for doing business, it's a bit more interesting than reading books. But as for dancing with swords and guns, that's what he's really interested in. Although he practiced for several years without achieving much success, at least he was interested in something, but the family couldn't possibly entrust him with anything.

  The eldest brother, however, is the one who can truly hold up the beam. Although he may not have a natural talent for studying and doing scholarly work, when it comes to doing business, he has a real gift, and he's able to manage the family affairs in an orderly fashion, making him a fully qualified successor.

  Marquis Mi thought that in the future, the Mi family would be more glorious under the hands of Mi Zou than it was under his own.