Chapter 63: Strange Goods Can Be Sold

  Liu Yu's slender figure wore a half-old Confucian robe, his head lowered, his eyelids half-drooping, and he hadn't spoken for half the day. His thin face flickered in the dim light of the lamp. Liu He sat opposite him, looking at him with some concern. He had just told Liu Yu about what he saw at Zhang Fei's house, including the words that Wen Hui had passed on to him. Judging from Liu Xiu's actions, it seemed that Lu Min's trip to Shanggu was inevitable.

  What made things even more difficult for him was the appearance of Huo Yuhao and Cloud, with Zhang Fei at the forefront. The group of young people were now excited, stirred up by Liu Su's words "Famous generals are forged in battle". They loudly demanded to follow Lu Min to observe and prepare for future battles on the battlefield.

  "Father, these people are lawless and have been causing trouble in Zhuo County. They never know when to stop. If they were to go to Shanggu and clash with the Hu people, what would happen then?"

  Liu Yu raised his head and glanced at Liu He's tense face, a hint of a helpless smile flashing across his face.

  "What's the big deal? When have Han and Hu people not been in conflict?"

  Liu was stunned and didn't know what to say for a moment.

  Liu Yu let out a soft sigh: "This Liu Xiu, although young, is steady in his actions and knows to list out topics, it's clear he has made some preparations. Lu Zhi taking him as a disciple, seems to have high expectations for him, I shouldn't stop him anymore." He fell silent for a moment, then asked with some doubt: "Such a young man, why haven't I heard of him before?"

  Liu was taken aback, shaking his head with a bitter smile: "I heard it's outside the city of Zhuo County. His father Liu Yuanqi has some wealth but not much learning. Li Ding originally had his eye on not him, but his cousin Liu Bei. I don't know how this time when he came to Taoyuan to study under Lu Jun, Liu Bei didn't make any special impression, but instead this Liu Xiu suddenly burst forth with exceptional talent, not only defeating Yan Rou but also being taken in by Lu Jun as a disciple. Among the dozens of students at Taoyuan, now he's the most outstanding."

  Liu Yu nodded as if he had suddenly understood something, and said somewhat wistfully: "That Liu Bei, I've also heard Li Ding mention him a few times. He says that although this young man is still young, he has quite a bit of ambition, and is naturally open-minded, with a breadth of vision unlike ordinary people. It's just that I think he's too young, so I was thinking of waiting for him to read for another two years before appointing him as an assistant officer. Ah, you've met Liu Bei, what do you think of him?"

  Liu furrowed his brow, thinking for a long time before saying: "As for Liu Bei, although his family background can't be compared to Zhang Fei's, his character is indeed not much different from what Li Ding said. If it weren't for that Liu Xiu by his side, he would also be considered a hero among those young masters, but now all the attention has been stolen by Liu Xiu, so he doesn't stand out as much...

  Liu Hehua stopped halfway, looked at Liu Yu tentatively, and saw that he was taken aback. With a hint of displeasure, Liu Yu said, "If you have something to say, just say it. What's the point of being so hesitant?"

  "This... Liu Bei's family background is not very good, it is said that when he went to Taogu to study, the money was still given by Liu Xu, but I think he is not frugal, not only fond of wine, but also has some lust, it is said that he has taken a fancy to one of Zhang's beautiful maidservants, if Liu Xu had not disagreed, he would have asked for her from the Zhang family."

  "Is that so?" Liu Yu's face sank, somewhat annoyed, and he didn't say another word. He had some doubts about Li Ding recommending Liu Bei to him, thinking it might not be because of Liu Bei's talent, but because of his family background and their past connections, taking care of the younger generation out of consideration for old colleagues.

  However, Liu Yu didn't think too much about this matter because he had seen such things too many times. Not only did he encounter them, but basically all officials encountered the problem of local powerful families holding power. As outsiders unfamiliar with local conditions, except for those well-known figures, they usually weren't clear about recommending talents to the imperial court, and naturally it was up to these local powerful families to decide.

  However, this time Liu Yu had his own thoughts. He felt that Liu Xiu handled things steadily and had a good method, he was a rare talent among people of the same age. If possible, bringing him to his side or even recommending him to the capital would be a good choice. Of course, before that, he still wanted to observe and see if Liu Xiu was really worth refusing Li Ding.

  "You also go to Shanggu Valley." Liu Yu's mind was made up, and he said to Liu He: "Look more and talk less on the way, and then come back and tell me about it. Lu Min is not a problem, Lu Zhi has been in office for three years, and he can be appointed as Lang, entering official career. This Liu Xiu's family background is ordinary, and his opportunities to become an official are limited. If he is really a talented person, I might give him a chance, which is also a way to seek talent for the country."

  Liu He nodded, his thoughts were similar to Liu Yu's, thinking that Liu Xiu was indeed not bad, and if he could absorb him as a disciple, it would be a good choice. Wen Hui didn't say anything, but he had already sensed that Wen Hui might suggest to his father to summon Liu Xiu to the governor's mansion. According to the Han Dynasty's custom, the relationship between the recommender and the recommended person was an extremely important one, being able to absorb a true talent would also be of great help to the recommender's own future official career.

  Liu Xiu was unaware that he had become the subject of Liu Yu's investigation. He had been busy for the past two days, preparing two large sheets of paper with questions and pestering Yan Rou until midnight, finally producing a record of three to four thousand words. However, he was still not satisfied - although Yan Rou was knowledgeable and experienced, his individual footprint was limited, and it was impossible for him to cover everything on the vast grasslands. For example, he didn't know much about the situation with the Wuhuan people outside the Great Wall, only that they were now closely tied to the Xianbei people, receiving annual rewards from the Great Han as their affiliates but not being obedient. The Wuhuan people often assisted the Xianbei people in their raids on the border, and were familiar with the situation in the Great Han.

  Yan Rou had less contact with the Wuhuan people in recent years, and the information he knew was somewhat outdated. He suggested that Liu Xiu go to those merchants who frequently went to the Wuhuan Mountains to do business to gather information. He recommended two horse traders from Zhongshan, one named Zhang Shipei and the other named Su Shuang, saying they were more familiar with the situation of the Wuhuan people.

  Liu Xiu was somewhat familiar with the two names, but he couldn't recall where he had heard them before. However, his reputation has been rising lately, and his confidence has increased greatly, so he is no longer as reluctant to interact with strangers. With Liu Bei and Zhang Fei accompanying him, and carrying Yan Ruo's banner, he went to pay a visit in a grand manner.

  Zhang Shiping was not in Zhuo County, but Su Shuang was. He was very surprised by Liu Xiu's visit. After listening to Liu Xiu's intentions and mentioning the names of Lu Zhi and Yan Rou, Su Shuang became very enthusiastic and introduced Liu Xiu to the situation of the Wuhuan people he knew in detail. Then he recommended some other merchants to him.

  Liu Xiu was overjoyed and made a detailed record, then he went to visit the people recommended by Su Shuang one by one. For those who were in Zhuo County, he politely asked for their advice. For those who were not in Zhuo County, he tried his best to find out when they might come to Zhuo County and planned to visit them at that time.

  After returning to the government, Liu Xiu reorganized the collected information, categorized and summarized it, and wrote a thick draft. He couldn't copy it by himself, so he had to get Liu Bei and Zhang Fei to help him, making them exhausted and complaining. One was sighing and the other was frowning, looking like they were in mourning. Liu Xiu had no choice but to promise that after completing the task, Liu Bei could enjoy the beauty's tenderness, and then explain some basic painting skills to Zhang Fei, which finally boosted their morale, and they managed to finish it before Lu Mian returned.

  Lu Min returned with a not-so-good complexion, but as soon as he saw that thick volume of records, his spirits lifted.

  "Did you write this?" Lu Min said in surprise while flipping through it.

  "It was the three of us who sorted it out together." Liu said humbly: "If Zhang's family hadn't come forward to invite guests, I wouldn't have been able to do this. From listing the topics to taking notes and then sorting out the writing, it was all done by the three of us together."

  Lu Min raised his head and glanced at Liu Bei and Zhang Fei standing beside him, nodded in satisfaction, and quickly lowered his head again to read the text. His face was filled with joy, and it took him a long time to finish reading it hastily. He let out a sigh of relief: "Well, with this information, we haven't been busy for nothing."

  "What's wrong?" Liu Xiu listened and felt that something was off. He looked at Lu Min's face again and asked worriedly, "Sir... don't you agree?"

  "He didn't say he disagreed." Lu Min said somewhat dejectedly, "He just reminded me not to force others to do something they can't do."