Chapter 314: Why Didn't You Mention Your Efficiency Earlier?

After returning home, Chen Xi's steward presented him with a letter and a jade pendant. "Master, today a scholar came by, claiming to be a distant relative of yours. He learned of your upcoming marriage while passing through and left this jade pendant. He said that the rest of the details are in this letter."

Chen Xi took the bamboo tube, opened the wax seal, and pulled out the silk cloth. He was puzzled. A distant relative he didn't even know about? And why did they leave in such a hurry? According to the etiquette of this era, if a relative visited, they should stay for at least three months, or it would be considered disrespectful.

"Uncle Chen, do you recognize this person? Why didn't you insist on them staying?" Chen Xi hadn't read the letter yet and asked with some confusion.

The steward thought for a moment before responding, "The man did resemble you somewhat, but I hadn't seen him before today. I did try to persuade him to stay, but he seemed in a hurry. After leaving the letter, he immediately left in a carriage."

"Oh, I see," Chen Xi replied, a bit helpless. "Well, if we see him again, we'll host him properly. Let me read the letter."

"To my younger brother Zichuan, I am Sima Boda of the Sima family in Henei. Although we have not met, our families are old acquaintances, our ancestors shared close ties..." Chen Xi's eyes widened in shock after reading just the opening lines. Sima Boda—this name was well known, and even more famous was his younger brother, Sima Zhongda, who later became the formidable figure who outlasted Zhuge Liang.

Connecting the dots quickly, Chen Xi rushed out of the house, but after a few steps, he stopped in frustration.

He had just missed Sima Yi and his brother, which was incredibly frustrating.

Chen Xi was deeply troubled. It wasn't just about waiting for opportunities; during the late Han period, famous ministers and generals were always on the move, so it was hard to predict where they might be. It was like when he knew that Pang Tong was a member of the Pang family, and sent Jian Yong and Liu Yan to Jingzhou with instructions to "grab him if possible." But who knew where Pang Tong was at that time? He certainly wasn't with the Pang family!

"Forget it, forget it. Bad luck," Chen Xi muttered, feeling dejected. "Uncle Chen, could you notify Mi Zizhong for me? I need the guest lists from the past ten days."

"Yes, Master," the steward replied, bowing as he left to carry out the task.

Chen Xi shook his head, trying to cheer himself up.

Feeling a bit more at ease, Chen Xi decided that from now on, he wouldn't take any chances. He planned to write down the names of all the famous ministers and generals over the age of ten who might still be wandering around.

He wasn't going to make the list public, but at least the core staff in Mi's establishments—like the shopkeepers—had to memorize it. They would need to report any such individuals they encountered. Whether Pang Tong was in Jingzhou or had wandered off to Yizhou, as long as he stayed in a Mi family's inn, they'd find him. Chen Xi had no intention of missing another opportunity like this.

Before long, the steward returned with the paper and brush, and shortly after, Mi Zhu arrived with a cart full of bamboo slips.

Chen Xi stared at the pile of bamboo slips in disbelief. This was just the record of people staying at Mi's inns in Fenggao for the past ten days. If he considered all of Han China, the number would be overwhelming. No wonder Mi Zhu's business was so profitable—this was a reminder of how much wealth was generated by the five major merchant families.

"Zichuan, these are the guest lists for the current ten-day period, along with some records of those who dined at our establishments," Mi Zhu said as he pointed to the cart.

"Could you help me pick out the people with the surnames Sima and Zhuge from this mess? This is ridiculous—so much information, and in such a hurry too!" Chen Xi sighed. In previous months, the ten-day reports had only contained a few dozen names, and none of them were familiar to him.

"We've already sorted them out," Mi Zhu said with a smug smile. "Every day, all inns in Fenggao—whether owned by our family or others—send us the names of anyone with those surnames. At the end of every ten-day period, we compile the lists. The records from the entire Taishan area are also gathered and sent to me. At the end of each month, I receive the complete list for all of Qing Province, which I then pass on to you."

Chen Xi was stunned as if struck by lightning. He had clearly underestimated Mi Zhu's efficiency. Now that he thought about it, there weren't many people with the surnames Sima and Zhuge. Each ten-day period yielded only a handful of names, and by the end of the month, there were only about a hundred. How had he not realized this earlier?

"Just read them to me—reading them out loud will be faster. I can't believe I underestimated your efficiency. If I had known you were this effective, I would've asked for daily reports!" Chen Xi groaned, resting his head in his hands. This situation was beyond frustrating.