Chapter 139: Time to Part

Inside the Mi mansion, Yuan Xi was sitting opposite Chen Deng.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that Chen Deng was a man who knew how to advance and retreat. To avoid suspicion, he only appeared after Yuan and Liu joined forces.

He picked up his teacup and said, "Sir, you are a clever man. I, this young man, will use tea in place of wine to toast you."

Chen Deng returned the courtesy, "You are too kind, young master."

He raised his head and drank the wine in his cup, thinking that this Yuan family son was quite vigilant. He had heard that during his time in Xu Province, he was extremely resistant to drinking, obviously very cautious.

He casually picked up a piece of fish sashimi and swallowed it, saying, "Deng is here to ask for guidance. Can Deng meet the expert you mentioned, young master?"

Yuan Xi listened to Chen Deng's self-reference and couldn't help but laugh. He tried hard to maintain his image and said seriously, "I also met that expert by chance. When he talked about the heroes of the world, he mentioned Mr. Yuanlong."

Chen Deng smiled when he heard this, "A hero of the world? You think too highly of Deng, don't you?"

Yuan Xi wanted to say that all names with 'Deng' were talented people, but Chen Deng definitely wouldn't understand this modern internet meme, so he had to give up.

He said with a serious face, "The people take food as their heaven. In my opinion, Mr. Yuanlong's strengths definitely qualify him to be called a hero."

Chen Deng was quite touched when he heard this, because the Diannong Xiaowei (Agricultural Commandant) in the late Han Dynasty was, in reality, not a highly valued position.

He said, "Thank you for your appreciation, young master, but what is the matter with the hidden illness that the expert mentioned?"

"Why does that expert know about my illness?"

"You should know that the sudden change in complexion can be noticed by the people around me, but I have never shown my irritability and depression."

Hearing this, Yuan Xi pointed to the plate of fish sashimi in front of Chen Deng and said, "The root of Mr. Yuanlong's illness lies in this plate of food."

Hearing this, Chen Deng picked up a piece of fish sashimi with his chopsticks and smiled, "What's wrong with this?"

Yuan Xi said, "Fish sashimi has countless parasites. If you eat it, they will live in your body, causing physical discomfort."

"Over time, it will become a major problem sooner or later."

Chen Deng said in disbelief, "Parasites?"

He held the fish sashimi high, and the fish sashimi presented a white, translucent state in the sunlight, plump and lustrous, like flower petals, making people's index fingers move.

Chen Deng smiled and said, "This thing is so clean, how can there be a single parasite?"

Yuan Xi knew that it was difficult to explain clearly to the ancients, so he had to say, "It's just because the parasites are too small, so they are difficult to see with the naked eye."

He raised a cup of tea: "When water is not boiled, even if it is a clear spring in a deep well, there are countless small insects, all of which can cause disease."

"So if you want to get sick less, you should eat less raw food and drink less raw water, and it is best to cook it thoroughly."

"In ancient times, our ancestors ate raw meat and drank blood, and their lifespans were extremely short, which was also related to this."

Chen Deng listened and pondered, "What you said, young master, sounds a bit absurd, but on closer inspection, it seems to make some sense."

"If that's the case, doesn't that mean that my body is already full of parasites?"

Yuan Xi said, "So if you want to live a long life, sir, you must give up the habit of eating fish sashimi and immediately seek medical treatment from a brilliant doctor."

"A brilliant doctor? Who is it?"

"Hua Tuo."

Chen Deng listened and pondered, "I have heard of this person, he is indeed very famous. I heard that he is in the Yu Province area."

"Alright, I will trust you this once, young master, and find someone to invite Hua Tuo."

Then he sighed, "But if I quit eating fish sashimi, it will be so boring."

Yuan Xi had to comfort him, "There will be fewer parasites in sea fish. If you can't bear it, sir, you can use it as a substitute."

Seeing that Yuan Xi didn't seem to be talking nonsense, Chen Deng said in surprise, "It's really strange. I have always heard that the Yuan family is well-versed in the Book of Changes of Mencius, but why are you so interested in the School of Logicians?"

At this time, the scholar-officials regarded the essentials of Confucian classics as the most important, and they relatively looked down on other schools of thought.

Yuan Xi smiled, "Isn't sir also well-versed in agricultural studies? I'm afraid you have also studied military strategy?"

Chen Deng said in surprise, "How does the young master know?"

"Did that expert also say it?"

He had never told anyone about his private study of military strategy!

Yuan Xi thought to himself, if you hadn't studied military strategy, how could you have defeated even Lu Bu and Sun Ce?

He straightened his clothes and bowed to Chen Deng, "I have a word, young man, and I would like to ask sir to enlighten me."

"Now, the scholars of the world are all studying Confucian classics, and they are very exclusive to other schools of thought. Do you think this is a good thing, sir?"

Chen Deng listened and remained silent.

After a long time, he slowly said, "What do you want to do, young master?"

Yuan Xi said sternly, "I think there is a big problem with the way the world selects talents now."

"The recommended filial and incorrupt officials are mostly unworthy of their names, and only Confucianism remains among the various schools of thought."

"If scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants all have specialized knowledge, and everyone can use their talents to the fullest, wouldn't this world be better if everyone specialized in their own field?"

Chen Deng said in a deep voice, "Let's not talk about what you think, young master. Now you are just a son of a concubine of the Yuan family. I'm afraid the Governor of Yuan Province will not agree with what you want to do, right?"

Yuan Xi bowed, "If one day I occupy a piece of land and start this precedent, I would like to ask you to be my advisor, would you be willing?"

Chen Deng said decisively, "Lord Xuande has treated me kindly. Are you trying to put me in a dilemma with this statement?"

Yuan Xi bowed again, "The world is unpredictable. I hope that if one day, sir, you are in a dilemma, you can think of me first."

"I guarantee that you will be able to display your talents to the fullest."

"You are a hero of this era. If you lose your life because of fish sashimi, it will be a loss to the world."

"That's why I told you about your hidden illness. Heaven and earth can bear witness to this sincerity."

Chen Deng listened and nodded, "I will trust you this once, young master, and seek medical treatment from Hua Tuo. We will see then."

"If it is as you said, young master, then Deng will owe you a favor and will never forget it."

Yuan Xi listened and said in a deep voice, "Thank you, sir."

He was delighted. Although Chen Deng hadn't given a commitment, it was enough!

Chen Deng and his father, Chen Gui, were both loyal to the Han Dynasty. When Yuan Shu captured Chen Gui's two sons to coerce him, Chen Gui preferred to sacrifice his sons' lives rather than yield to Yuan Shu, who had declared himself emperor.

Chen Deng's allegiance to Tao Qian, then Liu Bei, and later his betrayal of Lu Bu for Cao Cao, and his rejection of Yuan Shu and Sun Ce, were all based on the interests of the Han Dynasty.

However, Yuan Xi vaguely felt that Chen Deng's ambition seemed to go beyond that.

The unification of the world!

If he started with this aspect, recruiting Chen Deng in the future might not be impossible.

In addition, Yuan Xi was also very curious about the legendary Hua Tuo and what he was capable of. If he had the opportunity, he would like to see him in person.

Hua Tuo's first treatment of Chen Deng involved making him vomit dozens of basins of worms, saying that he could be cured in three years. But when Chen Deng went back after three years, he couldn't find him and died of the disease.

Yuan Xi thought to himself that with the medical level of this era, it was unbelievable. This was very likely liver fluke disease. Could Hua Tuo really cure it?

Yuan Xi speculated with malice, wondering if Hua Tuo felt he couldn't cure it, so he lied to Chen Deng and ran away?

After seeing Chen Deng off, Yuan Xi returned to the house and instructed Tai Shi Ci to pack their luggage, preparing to return to Ye City.

The matter here was over. Yuan Shao had gained Liu Bei's allegiance. Liu Bei was now the governor of Yu Province and concurrently the governor of Xu Province, which could nominally suppress Cao Cao, which could be considered Yuan Shao's plan of checks and balances.

Holding two provinces concurrently violated the Han system, but in this chaotic world, who still cared about the Han court controlled by Li Jue and Guo Si?

However, news had recently arrived that Chang'an was in turmoil.

Since Li Jue and Guo Si kidnapped Emperor Liu Xie and moved the capital to Chang'an from Luoyang, frictions had been occurring frequently among their forces.

Although Li Jue and Guo Si were both generals from Liang Province and were good at fighting, they were politically incompetent. Even with Jia Xu in charge, they didn't know how to utilize the Han Emperor, which was like guarding a golden rice bowl and begging for food.

Of course, the reasons for this were multi-layered.

First, the scholars of the world looked down on the generals from Bing and Liang Provinces, so they took the opportunity to join the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance and went to Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's side. The remaining talents were also divided up by the various warlords.

Second, Jia Xu's attitude was ambiguous and he didn't wholeheartedly assist Li Jue and Guo Si, but rather focused on self-preservation.

Third, Li Jue and Guo Si were bad at management, which led to the decline of the people's livelihood in the Chang'an area. In addition, frequent famines and disasters broke out, and not only were the soldiers and civilians short of food, but even Emperor Liu Xie often didn't have enough to eat, causing panic from top to bottom.

Against this background, the conflict between Li Jue and Guo Si finally broke out.

First, Li Jue killed Fan Chou, and then he and Guo Si attacked each other. The situation escalated and Chang'an fell into turmoil.

When Yuan Xi reached an agreement with Liu Bei, news from Chang'an just arrived. He knew it was time for him to go back.

The great changes in the world would also affect Yuan's next plan. Yuan Xi still wanted to have a good talk with Yuan Shao about what to do next year.

He and Tai Shi Ci walked out of the house and saw Guan Yu and Zhang Fei already waiting outside. When Guan Yu saw them coming out, he cupped his fist. His movements were not hindered at all, indicating that the injury on his arm had healed.

Yuan Xi walked forward and cupped his fist, saying, "General is brave. I had to do my best in the previous battle, and I apologize for any offense caused."

He personally admired Guan Yu very much, but unfortunately, the ironclad relationship between Liu, Guan, and Zhang was unbreakable, and he could not poach them. He only hoped that the time when the two sides became mortal enemies would be later.

Guan Yu's expression softened slightly, and he stroked his beard, saying, "On the battlefield, everyone serves their own master. The young master has done nothing wrong."

"Now that the two sides are joining hands, we should be of one mind, but if we become enemies in the future, Guan will not show any mercy. Young master, be careful of your head."

Yuan Xi laughed, "General's words, Xi has remembered."

He thought to himself, 'Damn it, don't scare me like that, okay? My legs are getting weak!'

Zhang Fei looked left at Guan Yu and right at Yuan Xi, hesitated for a moment, and roared, "Me too!"

In a small building in the distance, Mi Fang saw Yuan Xi and Guan Zhang chatting happily, and gritted his teeth at Mi Zhen beside him, "Sure enough, they are together again. This Second Young Master Yuan can't get rid of Guan Yu, which is really disappointing."

Mi Zhen sighed, "Why does brother hate General Guan so much? After all, he and elder brother are both officials under Governor Liu."

"I heard from elder brother that you will also be granted an official position in a few days. At that time, you will be an official, so you must not offend people again."

Mi Fang said sullenly, "I don't know why, but I just don't like that Guan Yu. That person's eyes are always looking up at the sky, I don't know where he gets such a big air from."

Seeing Yuan Xi and Guan Zhang walking out of the Mi residence, he suddenly slapped his head, "I suddenly forgot that the gift my elder brother asked me to send hasn't been taken out yet. I'll go down first!"

Watching Mi Fang rush downstairs in a hurry, Mi Zhen shook her head. Her elder brother was honest and kind, and her second brother was reckless, neither of whom were suitable to be officials.

As for herself, in the future, she would just be a floating duckweed in someone's house.

Mi Zhen was a little disappointed. She stretched out her hand and wanted to close the window, but she saw Yuan Xi turn his head in the distance and wave to her.

She was immediately frightened and shrank back her head. Her heart was pounding. It wasn't until a long time later that she poked her head out and found that everyone had already left the mansion and disappeared.

Mi Zhen felt lost. The encounter a few days ago was like a wave in her life, only stirring up a few ripples in her heart. As time went by, it would gradually calm down, as if it had never happened?

She probably wouldn't see him again.