Chapter 23: A Candlelit Night Conversation

  Cui Yan hastily made way, extending his hand and said: "I didn't know General Ao came to visit in the middle of the night, I'm afraid I didn't welcome you from afar, please come in quickly." Ao Lie smiled and said: "Brother Ji Kui, I respect you as an elder brother, but you keep addressing me as 'General', isn't this a bit unfair?" As he spoke, he walked into Cui Yan's room.

  Cui Yan was taken aback, then smiled and said: "I wanted to call General Xiao a virtuous younger brother, but I didn't know what his courtesy name was." One sentence left Ao Lie speechless. According to the Eastern Han custom, men would have a coming-of-age ceremony at the age of 20, where they would be given a courtesy name by their elders. Some people had courtesy names earlier, but they still had to wait until they got married, so that the bride's family could address them conveniently. Ao Lie was only ten years old now, he hadn't reached the age for coming-of-age ceremony and hadn't married Cui Yan, where did his courtesy name come from?

  "Alright, General Jie, whatever you call me is fine." Ao Lie said with a hint of frustration after being defeated by Cui Yan. Cui Yan looked at Ao Lie's expression and couldn't help but chuckle: "General, you achieved greatness at a young age, before even reaching adulthood, you already have such great fame, everyone calls you the 'Little Overlord', and the Emperor himself issued an edict to personally confer upon you the title of Weiyuan General, what is there for you to be worried about?"

  Ao Lie's heart stirred as he listened, and he spoke seriously: "I have come to visit you in the middle of the night because I am troubled by something. I hope Brother Ji Kui can enlighten me." Cui Yan had originally been joking, but seeing Ao Lie become serious, he couldn't help but say: "General, please speak freely." Ao Lie gestured for Cui Yan to sit down, then sat across from him and collected his thoughts before speaking: "Brother Ji Kui is a renowned scholar of the world. I want to ask you something. In today's world, chaos has already appeared. The Yellow Turban Rebellion has not yet been pacified, and remnants are holding out in various places; the western regions are again plagued by war, with Bian Zhang and Han Sui using arms to establish themselves, their hearts can be executed; the northern border has suffered from the invasion of the Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Xianbei for many years, and the people have already reached the point of unbearable suffering. In the imperial court, the emperor is being deceived by the external relatives and eunuchs, and the sacred ears are not reached; furthermore, the external relatives and eunuchs are infighting without end, and most loyal ministers and generals are disheartened and avoiding the world, hiding in the mountains and forests. I dare to ask Brother Ji Kui, how can our great Han dynasty's prosperity be restored under such circumstances?"

  Cui Yan's eyebrows furrowed together after hearing Ao Lie's words, and his brow revealed a look of worry. Sighing, Cui Yan said: "To be honest with the general, every deep night, I too have thought deeply about how to revive the imperial court and restore the glory of our great Han dynasty. But no matter how much I think, alas, this is a difficult task!"

  "Indeed it is. As a great Han citizen and a member of the imperial clan, although I have changed my surname to an external one, I still have the bloodline passed down from my ancestors in my body. Even if I were to be torn apart, I would shed every last drop of blood for the sake of the Han dynasty's precarious existence!" Cui Yan was moved and praised: "General, you indeed have a noble ambition! You indeed have a heroic spirit!"

  "Someone thinks that to defeat the external enemies, we must first stabilize the internal situation. Taking Youzhou as an example, after my father took office, he successively issued policies that benefited the people, accepted more than 100,000 refugees from Qingzhou, encouraged production, reduced taxes and labor, and so on. I guarantee that within three years, Youzhou will be completely renewed, the people will live in peace and prosperity, the soldiers will be strong and brave, and only then can we use our military strength against the barbarians."

  Cui Yan listened to Ao Lie's plan, and his emotions surged. He couldn't help but praise: "General, your vision is extraordinary, your air and insight are unmatched! I, Cui Yan, am deeply impressed!"

  The topic suddenly changed, and Ao Lie continued: "It's a pity that Lie is still young and can't enter the court as a general like some of my brothers, serving by the emperor's side. If I have the opportunity to enter the court as an official in the future, I will definitely do my best to support the Han dynasty."

  At this point, the two people in the house couldn't help but fall silent. In today's world, those with abilities are excluded and cannot enter the core circle of imperial power. On the contrary, flatterers who seek fame and fortune hold high positions. Even a few capable and insightful loyal ministers are not favored by Emperor Ling, and their constructive proposals are all vetoed by Emperor Ling under the deception of the Ten Eunuchs.

  After a long silence, Ao Lie said: "Forget it, Lie Ren's words are light, with only a belly full of hot blood, what use is that?" Cui Yan also shook his head sadly and said: "We are Han ministers, but we cannot help the great Han to solve its worries and difficulties, I am ashamed in my heart."

  Ao Lie suddenly lifted his head, staring intently at Cui Yan, and slowly said: "This time I came to visit in the dead of night, actually, there is only one meaning. Lie requests that Brother Ji Kui, if in the future Lie encounters difficulties on the journey of supporting the Han dynasty, he hopes that Brother Ji Kui will lend a helping hand."

  "Hmm? Cui Yan carefully savored the meaning of Ao Lie's words, was this an invitation or a probe? For now, Cui Yan asked calmly: "General, what do you mean by these words?" Ao Lie said: "I observe that the Great Han will soon be plagued by turmoil, the struggle between the imperial relatives and eunuchs will eventually have to produce a winner. If this conflict can be resolved within the court, it would not be a bad opportunity to revitalize the dynasty. However, once both sides become deadlocked in their struggle, I fear neither side will be willing to wait for death, and at that time, this turmoil will likely engulf the entire Great Han." It must be said, having the perspective of over two thousand years later is extremely beneficial to Ao Lie. In history, General He Jin was during this period when he invited Dong Zhuo from Xiliang into the capital, which led to Dong Zhuo deposing the emperor and dominating the court. Ultimately, this led to various lords taking up arms and becoming powerful in their own right, causing great chaos throughout the land."

  At this moment, Cui Yan carefully deduced it in his heart and the conclusion he came up with was surprisingly consistent with what Ao Lie said! Although Cui Yan is good at internal affairs, he is not completely ignorant of political struggles. It's not difficult to deduce the situation afterwards according to the direction Ao Lie put forward.

  Seeing Cui Yan speechless for a long time, Ao Lie knew that Cui Yan had already anticipated the outcome, but this result was really hard for him to accept as he was loyal to the Han dynasty. Ao Lie said straightforwardly: "Brother Ji Kui, I indeed have the intention to recruit you, but I also know that I don't have the capital yet. Therefore, I hope Brother Ji Kui can lend me a helping hand at an appropriate time in the future."

  Watching the sincere Ao Lie, Cui Yan was moved. In terms of official position, he was higher than Ao Lie, and in terms of age, he was older than Ao Lie. Therefore, Ao Lie did not directly ask him to join his ranks, but instead asked him to come out of retirement and assist him when he had the capital to support the Han dynasty. Cui Yan stood up and bowed to Ao Lie: "General, your ambition is known to me. If it comes to pass as you say, and the Great Han faces a time of division and collapse, then when you raise your arm and call out, that will be the day I bring my whole family to join you."

  Ao Lie grasped Cui Yan's hands excitedly and said loudly: "A gentleman's word!" Cui Yan looked at Ao Lie deeply, then said: "It's hard to chase after a team of six horses!"

  Ao Lie saw that his goal had been achieved, so he bid farewell to Cui Yan. Cui Yan thought for a moment and suddenly said: "General, although I, Yan, cannot follow you now, but I deeply feel your great ambition. I have an old friend who has the talent of governing the world, and I am willing to write a letter to let this old friend join your army."

  "May I ask, brother Qī Guī's old friend, what is your honorable surname and name?" replied Cuī Yǎn: "My friend is a man from Yǐng Chuān, surnamed Xún named Yù, styled Wén Ruò. In Yǐng Chuān, he also has some reputation. However, he refuses to serve as an official and remains a commoner." Awèi Lì was shocked again - who? Xún Yù? That future famous talent Xún Yù? At that time, Awèi Lì was overjoyed and hastily thanked Cuī Yǎn. Cuī Yǎn didn't know why Awèi Lì was so enthusiastic about Xún Yù, thinking it was just Awèi Lì showing respect to a talented person, so he also wrote down Awèi Lì's enthusiasm in the letter. It was precisely because of Cuī Yǎn's casual writing that Xún Yù became curious and came to Yōu Province, searching among the people and confirming that Awèi Lì had the potential to be a wise ruler before joining Awèi Lì's side. This is a later story.

  Farewell to Cui Yan, Ao Lie's mood was great, didn't expect that originally just thinking of persuading Cui Yan, but unexpectedly pulled out the talented Wang Zuo and Xun Yu. Returning to her room, Ao Lie saw that Frost had already brought a basin of water, preparing to serve herself for washing up. With Ao Lie in high spirits, she couldn't help but come up with a mischievous idea, so she quietly came up behind Frost, covered Frost's eyes with her hands and said in a hoarse voice: "Frost sister, guess who I am?"

  Xu'er's body began to struggle violently when her eyes were covered, but after hearing Ao Lie's words, she stopped struggling and burst out laughing. Ao Lie was puzzled in his heart and continued to speak in a hoarse voice: "Don't laugh! Otherwise, I'll tie you up!" Xu'er laughed even harder, giggling and saying: "Second Master, your disguise is not convincing at all."

  Ao Lie heard this and loosened his grip, asking strangely: "Feng Er sister, how did you discover me?" Feng Er covered her mouth and laughed: "It's the way you call me 'Feng Er sister' that gives it away. Others wouldn't call me that." Ao Lie suddenly realized, not expecting himself to make such a low-level mistake.

  Awkwardly smiling, Ao Lie tried to extricate himself from the current predicament: "Uh, Frost Sister, how have gold thread leaves been selling lately?" Frost stopped her playful laughter and thought seriously for a moment before saying: "In these few months, I've turned all the fragrant soil from Jiuyuan into gold thread leaves. They're almost all sold out now, and I've probably earned over 500,000 coins. As for the gold thread leaves that Elder took to Jiangdong, they were sold at a price equivalent to gold, but as for exactly how much was earned, I'm not too clear on that."

  Originally, Ao Lie only asked casually, but after hearing Shuang Er's answer, he was shocked. He didn't expect that the golden silk leaf would sell so well, and in just a few months, they had earned more than 50,000 yuan. This doesn't even include the part that his grandfather took to Jiangdong. It seems that they need to increase the production scale of the golden silk leaf. This is a very profitable craft, and they should find some trustworthy people to participate. They can turn the money into military equipment and arm the troops. What is war about? It's about financial power! Whoever has more capital and resources will have the most chance of winning in the end. If they have advanced technology, why not expand the scale and make a fortune quietly? Isn't there a famous saying that "science and technology are the primary productive forces"?

  After some thought, Ao Lie asked Xue Er: "Xue Er sister, I remember you said that in your hometown of Youbei Ping, there are a lot of wild fragrances that can be used to make golden silk leaves, right?" Xue Er nodded without hesitation: "That's right, I still remember the slopes where those wild fragrances grew most luxuriantly." Ao Lie bowed his head and thought for a while, getting a rough outline in mind, then asked Xue Er again: "Is there anyone around you who is trustworthy and familiar with wild fragrances?"

  Fang'er thought for a moment and said, "There are many people in my hometown who know Tuxiang, but I don't know if they still live there. The northern barbarians often come to attack, so it's possible that they moved away. As for the people around me, there's Wan'er, Yuzhu, Hehua, and Xiaoyan. That's all."

  "Can they be trusted?" Ao Lie asked.

  Feng Er patted her chest and said, "They are all good sisters who came out with me from our hometown, I believe in them just like you trust me, young master!"

  Because of Feng Er's action, the two budding peaks on her chest shook violently several times, but she herself was completely unaware. Ao Lie almost bit his own tongue as he watched.

  He rubbed his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and then continued to say: "Alright, in two days, bring the four of them to my room. I have something for them to do." Xue Er responded with a loud "yes", then turned around to fetch a basin of water, wanting to attend to Ao Lie's washing up. As she bent down, her slender figure was fully exposed, her plump buttocks directly facing Ao Lie, causing his heart to skip another beat.

  Hurriedly turning his head, Ao Lie's heart strongly defended himself: No wonder people in ancient times got married so early, it was clearly a physiological need! Guarding the beautiful maidens every day, how many people could hold on? Fortunately, his brother was a man of strong will.

  Finally, Ao Lie didn't forget to praise himself, completely forgetting how embarrassed he was when he saw Shuang Er's jade-like breasts and buttocks earlier.