Chapter 63: The Night Banquet (Part 2)

  This big-bearded scholar looks quite robust, and his age appears to be around 40 or 50 years old. At this age in the Great Han Dynasty, being slightly diligent would make him a grandfatherly figure to Qin Xu.

  Qin Xu's one sentence "Big Brother" title, instantly provoked this person's eyebrows to wrinkle, and with Qin Xu slightly raising his eyebrows, the posture of sitting on the ground was also quite unrefined, causing a hint of disgust to flash in this person's eyes.

  Qin Xu didn't want to take the lead, but being able to make a name for himself under Cao's leadership as a strategist was no easy feat. None of them were pushovers. But this person's words had already crossed into the realm of publicly slapping someone in the face. Lü Bu's fame spread far and wide, with both praise and criticism, that's a fact. However, even so, speaking like this in front of so many people, especially when Lü Bu was present, was too much, it was as if he didn't take General Left Lu Wenhou seriously at all.

  "When I hear what you said, a gentleman is as warm and smooth as jade, diligent and frugal in his own conduct, so he can establish great ambitions. Elder brother, your skills in governing the country and pacifying the world are not bad at all, little brother thinks highly of you!" Qin Xu smiled lazily.

  "Huh?" Qin Xu's words were not loud, but they made both Cao and Lü's civil and military officials quiet down.

  "You young man indeed have some insight, I just heard that you are the chief clerk, presumably having read a few volumes of books, able to be heavily used under General Lyu's command, not bad not bad!" Big-bearded Wen Shi nodded slightly in response to Qin Xu's "flattery".

  Due to the congenital deficiencies of birth and reputation, Lü Bu's army had no civil officials or strategists from the beginning. The position of chief clerk held by Qin Xu, at most, could only be considered a minor civil official. Big Beard Scholar's words seemed to be praising Qin Xu, but in fact, he was ridiculing that Lü Bu's army actually trusted and promoted a young man who had only read a few books, and even brought him to the banquet where the two armies met, implying that there was no one else available.

  Lü Bu seemed fine, but after hearing Qin Xu speak, he appeared not to have heard him, his eyes slightly closed as if troubled by the wine. He seemed oblivious to the veiled sarcasm in the bearded scholar's later words. However, Zhang Liao, standing behind Lü Bu, looked at Qin Xu with a gaze full of doubt and confusion. The scholar's words were quite disrespectful to Lü Bu, so why was Qin Xu still flattering him like this? But Lü Bu didn't say anything, and since Zhang Liao wasn't close friends with Qin Xu, he suppressed his anger and didn't respond.

  Cao Jun also looked at Qin Xu with a strange gaze, could it be that this little kid who dared to sit beside Lü Bu wanted to "jump ship"? Otherwise, why after Lord Lü Bu was humiliated, not only did he not immediately counterattack, but instead had a flattering appearance? Almost all the civil and military officials of Cao's side looked at Cao Cao, who sat alongside Lü Bu on the main seat.

  "Pffft!" A soft laugh suddenly rang out, breaking the eerie atmosphere and drawing everyone's gaze to its source.

  Among the seats of Cao's military officers and strategists, a young man with disheveled clothes and a flushed face full of wine, was lying on the wine table under Xun Yu, with a dazed expression and a lingering smile at the corner of his mouth.

  "What makes Master Xi laugh?" Zhang Mao was still thinking about Lü Bu. Seeing Lü Bu being squeezed by the scholars and strategists on Cao's side, he was secretly anxious but couldn't find a good solution. Both sides were friends, and Zhang Mao wanted to be a peacemaker, but had no way to start. After all, he was a civil official of Cao's army, and Cao Cao pretended to be drunk. As the governor of Chenliu, where Cao Cao started his career, although he was one of Cao Cao's closest friends, he didn't have much right to speak in front of Cao's military officials. At this time, everyone was confused by Qin Xu's sudden change in attitude, thinking that he was trying to please Cao's army. However, Xi Zhicai, a young strategist who was trusted by Cao Cao, was different from the others. Zhang Mao hurriedly asked.

  "Qin Xiaoge, you're so eloquent! Cheng Yu, this old good-for-nothing was scolded by you and still looks pleased with himself. Not bad, not bad, I like it!" Xi Zhicai's face, full of drunkenness, revealed an exaggerated smile as he raised his wine cup in a toast to Qin Xuan.

  Is this a joke?

  Qin Xu carefully measured this wise and capable individual who was trusted by Cao Cao, recommended by Xun Yu, and could be mentioned in the same breath as Guo Jia, the number one ghost talent of the Three Kingdoms. At around thirty years old, he had a full face of wine color, with a frail and weak appearance, no wonder historical records show that he died young.

  After listening to Xi Zhicai's words, a buzz suddenly erupted among the military and civilian officials at the banquet. Cheng Yu had always been straightforward and never got along with the unruly Xi Zhicai, who had often teased him for his intelligence and wisdom. Unexpectedly, Xi Zhicai was at it again this time, and Cheng Yu's originally ruddy face turned somewhat purple.

  Just as Cao Jun's civil and military officials thought that Xi Zhicai was just teasing Cheng Yu again with Qin Xu's words, Xun Yu, a strategist of Cao Jun, suddenly sighed, looked at Qin Xu and Xi Zhicai with a helpless expression, shook his head and smiled bitterly without speaking.

  What's the expression on Mr. Xun's face? Is it true what Mr. Yu said just now, that the little main book of Lü Bu's army was actually making a sarcastic remark about Cheng Yu? Almost everyone in Cao Jun's Wenwu had such an idea, and even the gaze towards Qin Xu was filled with probing meaning.

  Xu Zhi and Xun Yu were in the front, while Cheng Yu's face suddenly changed in the back. Among Cao's army officials and strategists, there were also many talented scholars who gradually realized the key point, covering their mouths and laughing without speaking.

  Under the "fool" of Xi Zhicai, someone has already understood the meaning, and Qin Xu also showed a hint of embarrassment. This sentence is actually not very pleasant to hear. I thought no one would understand it, just secretly giving Lv Bu an outlet for his emotions, but it was recognized by Xi Zhicai. This was originally a phrase that Qin Xu had heard from a young female colleague in the office in later generations. At the time, he only smiled after hearing it, but didn't think he would use it here.

  "This sentence comes from the later 'Li Ji University', the full text is 'Cultivate oneself, put one's house in order, govern the country and bring peace to the world'. When Qin Xu said the last two sentences, almost everyone thought that Qin Xu had just heard these two sentences somewhere and used them to flatter Cheng Yu, only Xi Zhi understood the implication of Qin Xu's words."

  Investigate things, and then know them. Know them, and then be sincere with them. Be sincere with them, and then cultivate your mind. Cultivate your mind, and then make your body at ease. Make your body at ease, and then regulate your family. Regulate your family, and then govern the state. Govern the state, and then bring peace to the world.

  Qin Xu said that Cheng Yu's words were just a pretext, and it was okay to govern the country. In the late Han Dynasty, the county and prefecture systems coexisted, and Cheng Yu had just been recruited by Cao Cao and appointed as the magistrate of Dongping, with good governance; it was also possible to say that he was pacifying the world, which was Cao Cao's idea at the time, to sweep away the chaos and revive the Han Dynasty. However, in Qin Xu's words, before and after, first, he talked about a gentleman's behavior, then self-reflection, and being warm and elegant like jade, but deliberately didn't mention it later, actually implying that Cheng Yu was not upright, did not cultivate himself, his family was not in order, and if translated into modern language, it would be scolding Cheng Yu for relying on his seniority to sell his old age, having a wicked heart, being an unscrupulous old man who didn't cultivate himself, with the women in his household frequently having improper relationships with others, while Cheng Yu was unaware of it.

  Extremely venomous!

  Qin Xu didn't want to bother with this historical old lunatic, but since Cheng Yu almost slapped Lü Boss's face in front of Cao Cao, Qin Xu couldn't bear it anymore. With so many people taking turns bullying him, he decided to strike a fatal blow!

  It's just that if everyone couldn't understand it anyway, Qin Xu would have cursed to his heart's content and been secretly pleased.

  Cheng Yu hadn't yet caught his breath, but he still managed to offer some encouraging words to Qin Xu with a self-satisfied expression.

  "Good boy! Good boy! Old man... uh!" Cheng Yu covered his chest, pointing at Qin Xu, unable to speak.

  Cheng Yu's face turned purple with rage, his big beard trembling uncontrollably, his chest heaving violently, making Qin Xu wonder if this old fellow would suddenly suffer a heart attack like Zhou Yu and Wang Lang in the novel.

  "Zhang De is drunk, quickly help him down to rest, don't lose face in front of Wen Hou!" Cao Cao saw that his civil and military officials had strange expressions on their faces, unable to cry or laugh, and also felt that it didn't look good for his reputation. He couldn't bear to pretend to be drunk anymore, so he hastily ordered. Originally, he wanted to give Lü Bu a few "small performances", but unexpectedly, his own trusted strategist was defeated by a young main clerk.

  "I never thought that Qin's chief clerk was so young, yet he has read extensively and is well-versed in many subjects. It's truly enviable for Wen Hou to have such a talented young assistant. I, Cao, am filled with admiration." Cao Cao's slightly gloomy expression flashed by in an instant, as if the previous events had never occurred, and he spoke to Lü Bu with a friendly smile.

  Lü Bu's gaze swept across Qin Xu's eyes, flashing a hint of surprise after seeing Cheng Yu's miserable state, but the smile on his face was unmistakable to anyone that Lü Bu was in a good mood. Zhang Liao also relaxed his grip on the hilt, looking at Qin Xu with kind intentions.

  Cao Cao's words about Lü Bu being like Qin Hui were not entirely false. Although Confucianism dominated the mainstream at the end of the Han dynasty, because the main writing method was still bamboo slips, it was inconvenient to spread, and books were mostly controlled by aristocratic families. A book of "Liji" with over 5,000 words would be only a few thin pages in later generations, but now it is indeed a big cart full of books that may not be able to hold. Moreover, such books are often the foundation of aristocratic families, and external transmission is impossible.

  "When I was in Luoyang, I had a friendship with Boji. When Boji encountered difficulties, I was really worried about him. Hearing that Boji's father and daughter were rescued by Wen Hou, it truly relieved my mind. When I have the chance, I will definitely go to see them!" Cao Cao is indeed a master of controlling the scene, turning around the awkward atmosphere at the banquet with just a few words, no longer pretending to be drunk, and enthusiastically urging Lü Bu to drink.

  "It was all done by this young man and Boji's daughter, Bu Shi dare not take credit for it!" Lü Bu didn't know what to think, after hearing Cao Cao's words, he immediately shifted the topic to Qin Xu.

  "Oh? Boji's daughter? Qin Zhongbo is actually familiar with Yanyan?" Cao Cao showed a hint of surprise, and even a middle-aged man in the Cao army revealed a strange expression.

  Yan Er? Why so familiar?

  It turns out that Cao Cao had a crush on Cai Yan in history, but because of the generation gap or fear of Cai Yan's other identity, he didn't make a move. Some unofficial histories even say that Cai Yan was actually Cao Cao's first love and so on.

  Regardless of the true or false rumors, although Lü Bu and his wife often mentioned matching Qin Xu and Lü Lingqi in their conversations, they did not oppose Cai Yan and Qin Xu because Lü Lingqi was too young. Qin Xu had done so many things and almost "died nine times" to finally get close to Cai Yan, and he was working hard to get rid of the title of deputy officer as soon as possible. Now, he suddenly sensed something unusual from Cao Cao's words, how could it not make Qin Xu raise his vigilance?

  "My brother's wife is actually in Wen Houjun?" Before Qin Xu could answer Cao Cao's words, the scholar suddenly frowned and asked.

  Qin Xu was suddenly interrupted and felt annoyed. Why do these people under Cao's command like this tone? If it were in Lü Bu's army, whoever dared to interrupt Lü Bu when he was handling official business would have been dragged out and executed.

  The man in front of him had a thin face with three long beards, and although he was dressed as a scholar, he did not sit with Cao Cao's civil officials. His gaze towards Qin Xu was also full of vigilance and hostility.

  Who are you? Did I provoke you? Why do you look at me with a face like someone who has had their wife stolen? Don't tell me you have some special hobby? Qin Xu felt a bit annoyed by this person's gaze, and he saluted Cao Cao, asking: "General Cao, who is this 'strong soldier'?"

  Before Cao Cao could respond, the middle-aged scholar glared at Qin Xu with a scowl and said: "I am Wei Que! Wei Bo Dao!"

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