Chapter 56: How to Fall Asleep

  On the same night, Liu Zhang sat on the edge of Liu Xun's bed.

  Watching Liu Xun finally fall asleep, Yiniang Lianhua let out a sigh of relief and whispered: "He's finally asleep. In the past, Master would always coax him to sleep, but since Master left for Chengdu, Young Master has been having trouble sleeping. Now that Master is busy with official duties, I don't know how things will be in the future."

  Liu Zhang sighed and stroked Liu Xun's small face, saying: "Xun'er has been without a mother since birth, so it's natural that he's a bit dependent. But can't the wet nurse who fed him milk, or you maids who have always attended to him, coax him to sleep?"

  Lotus shook her head, but suddenly her eyes lit up and she said: "However, there is one person, the young master has told me several times that he likes you."

  "Who?"

  "It's Huang Yue, the young lady. When she was here, the young master was very happy and went to bed early after writing his letters. But since she left, he has been having trouble sleeping again. Why not invite Huang Yue to come and live in our manor?"

  The lotus flower looked at Liu Zhang expectantly, although Liu Xun was not a prodigy, he was a well-behaved child. She had watched him grow up as his personal maid and saw how hard it was for him to fall asleep every night.

  Liu Zhang stood up, slowly shook his head, and thought of that dusk on Yu Shu Street. He knew those two words would hurt Huang Yue, but he had an unspeakable bitter intention. It was hard enough to let her leave, why provoke her again and make her suffer even more.

  Just then, Wang Xi suddenly appeared at the door. Liu Zhang glanced at Liu Xun who was fast asleep and walked out.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Master, there is someone outside who wants to see you."

  "Who?"

  "Huang Yue Huang Niang."

  "What? Hasn't she left yet?"

  Liu Zhang's eyebrows furrowed as he entered the courtyard, and under the lantern light, Huang Yue's appearance startled him. She was covered in dirt and grime, her hair wet with sweat and clinging to her shoulders, her clothes stuck to her body. As soon as she saw Liu Zhang, Huang Yue hurried over, her legs trembling from riding horseback for too long.

  "Xiao Huang, what's wrong?" Liu Zhang supported Xiao Huang with one hand.

  "My lord, something is amiss. Pang Xi has colluded with Zhang Lu and won over the aristocratic families of northern Shu. At the latest by the Double Ninth Festival, they will rebel. My lord, you must make preparations early."

  Huang Yue was panting, and it wasn't a good time to call Yiniang either. Liu Zhang supported Huang Yue into the main hall, saw that his face was as white as snow, and ordered a soldier to bring over a bowl of thin porridge.

  When Huang Yue's condition was slightly better, Liu Zhang asked: "How did you know?"

  "One of my clansmen is a general in the Brazilian army, and Pang Xi ordered him to win over my brother. The clansman found me and I agreed on the surface, then rode a horse all night to Chengdu. Sir, according to what that clansman said, this time Han Zhong will start with an army of 100,000, plus more than 150,000 Brazilian troops, and almost all the big tribes in Shu North are connected with Pang Xi, with countless money and grain. Sir, you should make early preparations, otherwise Western Sichuan will be in great chaos."

  "Thanks for the news, Miss Huang." Liu Zhang thought for a moment, Zhang Lu's army had less than 700,000 soldiers, and the Bazhou army only had 200,000. They could muster an army of one million at most, so Huang Yue's claim of 1.5 million was probably exaggerated.

  But even if there were 100,000, it would be difficult to deal with. Xiguan now has less than 50,000 troops that can be mobilized. Bashan is the gateway of Xiguan, and Pang Xi's betrayal will make the 100,000 enemy soldiers as easy to defeat as a flat plain. Yizhou will surely fall into great chaos, and the local warlords will surely take advantage of the situation to rise up. He himself will probably die without even a burial place.

  No, it must be resolved before the Double Ninth Festival, and it must be taken down quickly before Zhang Lu reacts. Otherwise, once the Han army enters Bazhou, it will be too late for regrets.

  Liu Zhang clenched his fists and said to Huang Yue: "Miss Huang, if you hadn't come to report, Xichuan would have been doomed forever, and I, Liu Zhang, would have died without a place to bury my body. Your kindness is something that Liu Zhang will never forget, but I dare to ask Miss Huang for another favor."

  "Please give your orders."

  Liu Zhang whispered a few words in Huang Yue's ear, and Huang Yue listened, nodding slowly.

  Huang Yue ate some food, and with a tired body, she rode her horse back to Langzhong overnight. Liu Zhang looked at Huang Yue's back as she left, sighed, and thought that he owed her a lot now. If this girl opened up to him again, could he still use two words to clear up their relationship like he did that evening?

  Liu Zhang leaned against the door, and Wang Xi walked forward and said: "Sir, is the matter really that urgent?"

  Liu Zhang shook his head: "Things are urgent, but we can't rush it, let's wait until the four departments finish their work before talking about it."

  After two days of examination, the four subjects finally came to an end. Most candidates have got their results, leaving only a few elite who are still undergoing the final selection.

  But the so-called elite, in the literary examination item, what's left is not much better. The sons of aristocratic families are too few to come, and the talents from humble backgrounds are even fewer than those from aristocratic families. The few "elites" who emerged from the literary examination are really mediocre.

  But even so, Liu Zhang still came to the literary examination venue first. In a chaotic world, literature and martial arts are equally important, and for Yi State without aristocratic support, scholars are more important than generals.

  There were six scholars left in the examination hall, divided into two groups for the final debate. The topic was whether agriculture should be valued over commerce.

  Three people in the square, two with their heads down, complaining about how they ended up on this side. They clearly knew that the provincial governor was promoting commerce, but they still had to defend the heavy agriculture and suppress commerce, wasn't this just looking for trouble? It would be strange if they got good results. Only one man in his thirties, thin and gaunt, with a calm expression, seeing that the other two were not speaking, stood up and said loudly:

  "I have heard that throughout the ages, wise rulers have distanced themselves from the ways of cunning and cleverness, promoted virtuous conduct, emphasized agriculture while suppressing commerce, controlled the people's pursuit of trivial profits, and preserved the pure and simple customs of the people. Now, in Yi Province, workshops are being established, commercial signs are being put up, competing with the people for profit, eroding the virtues of the Shu people, cultivating greedy and base customs, which is something that sages would not condone."

  "This man actually openly opposes the lord's decree, I'll take him right away." Wang Xi said and was about to rush onto the stage, but Liu Zhang pulled him down and glared at him saying: "What are you doing? This is a debate, each side says what they think, why are you interfering?"

  Fa smiled and said, "This man is indeed bold to speak of the importance of agriculture and the suppression of commerce in front of our master, he has some courage."

  Liu Zhang nodded and asked Wang Fu: "What is this man's name?"

  Wang Fu said, "This man's name is Qin Hui, a renowned talent in Shu, who has been repeatedly recommended for office but declined due to illness. I didn't expect him to participate in the Imperial Examination this time, it's quite unexpected."

  At this point, the middle-aged man finished speaking. A fifty-year-old old man from the opposing side stood up, shaking his robe and saying loudly: "Today, the world is in great chaos, heroes are competing for dominance, Han Zhong Zhang Lu is my sworn enemy, Jingzhou Liu Biao often harasses me, while Cao Cao holds the emperor hostage and acts as a usurper. My western Sichuan has strong enemies to the north, evil neighbors to the east, and barbarians to the south. I should repair and build barriers, prepare troops and weapons, and re-establish beacons."

  "The expenses for the border areas are enormous, and they must be supplemented by commerce. If agriculture is emphasized at the expense of commerce, the treasury will be empty, the border defenses will be neglected, and the soldiers will suffer from hunger and cold - how can we support them? Therefore, we should promote commercial industries, open workshops, set up merchant companies, and facilitate trade to supplement what is lacking with what is abundant..."

  Liu Zhang looked at the speaker who was dressed very luxuriously, with a tone that carried a hint of arrogance, and asked Wang Fu: "Who is this person?"

  "This is Xu Jing, from Jiao State, the elder brother of the famous scholar Xu Shao. He has a great reputation in the aristocratic families. Xu Jing was originally an official under Dong Zhuo, but later escaped and served under Kong Rong, Chen Gui, Xu Gong, and Wang Lang. After Wang Lang, the governor of Kuaiji, was defeated by Sun Ce, he entered Jiao State and heard that we were holding the four categories of civil service examinations, so he came to Shu."

  "In the past, this person's exams were all empty words, but because of his family background and great reputation, if he had quit early, it would have chilled the hearts of the sons of aristocratic families. So I gave him some preferential treatment, but unexpectedly what he said now is quite insightful."

  "Is there any insight?" Liu Zhang looked at Xu Jing on the stage with a passionate and stirring tone: "But I think this person is still as empty as ever."

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