Chapter 25

When they came down from Mount Fuzheng that day, Shijun had once asked, "Seventh Brother said to Guan Hai, 'Your sister!' I wonder what he meant by that?"

Shixun could only make up a lie on the spot, "It's a curse from the Eastern Yi. I was so angry at the time that I blurted it out."

Who would have thought that after that, Shijun would learn this phrase and start shouting it everywhere, both inside and outside the house. Shixun couldn't stop him, and he never imagined that in just a few short months, even Shizhuo and Shiyu would have learned it. Shiyu was one thing, but Shizhuo didn't seem like the type to spout such harsh words.

He hurried over to try to mediate and only then understood that they weren't cursing. They were indeed saying "your sister" — referring to the second miss of the Shi family. It turned out that Yi had entrusted his daughter's marriage to his two sons, asking them to find a suitable family first and then come to him to discuss it. Shizhuo, upon hearing that Zheng Yicai had recently lost his wife, planned to marry his sister to Zheng Yicai as a second wife. Shiyu disagreed; he had his eye on Wang Zhong and Wang Zichun. Thus, the two brothers began to argue.

When Shixun returned, the two brothers pulled him in to arbitrate — although Shijun was their blood brother, in such important matters, they had no intention of listening to his opinion.

Shizhuo said, "Although there are no officials in Zheng Yicai's family, Mr. Kangcheng is a great scholar of our time. Yicai is loyal and honest, and he will surely be a good match for my sister." Shixun found this reasonable and asked Shiyu, "Why does Fourth Brother not agree? Is it because Yicai has been married before?"

He was wrong. In those days, there was no discrimination against second marriages. For noble families, as long as the daughter was a proper wife and not a concubine, it wouldn't affect the family's reputation. Shiyu's reason was, "Zheng Yicai is indeed an honest gentleman, but he is too simple and lacks adaptability. In these chaotic times, he may not even be able to protect himself, let alone my sister. Wang Zichun is practical and clever; he is the only one who can be a good match for my sister."

In other words, the bookish Shizhuo wanted to find a bookish brother-in-law, while the more experienced Shiyu wanted to entrust his sister to someone who could survive in the chaos. Shixun initially thought that if he could become Zheng Xuan's nephew-in-law, it would be easier to enter Master Zheng's school. But after hearing Shiyu's words, he reconsidered. It seemed that Zheng Yicai indeed didn't have a good end, while the Wang family, though unclear, seemed to be well-regarded based on observations from Mount Fuzheng. For the Shi family and the second miss, it might be more suitable.

He couldn't help but picture the second miss's graceful figure and beautiful appearance... Unfortunately, he had only met her once, and the more he recalled, the more blurred the memory became. He couldn't make up his mind and asked the Shi brothers, "Have you asked your sister's opinion?"

"What sister? Your sister!" Shiyu's words almost made Shixun fall over. "Why be so formal?" At that time, most scholars lived in clans, and the relationship between cousins and even more distant relatives was not much different from that of blood siblings. So since Shixun had returned to live with them, he could directly recognize the second miss as his sister.

Shizhuo said, "A woman should marry according to her father's wishes. If the father is not around, the eldest brother is the father. Why should we listen to her opinion?" Shiyu was dissatisfied, "Although you are the eldest brother, this matter was entrusted to both of us by our father. How can you decide alone?" The implication was that he should listen to his brother's opinion, and the sister's wishes... well, they didn't matter much.

Shixun couldn't help but sigh, feeling sad for the fate of women in this era. Although the gender hierarchy in the Han Dynasty was not as distorted as in later times, and chastity was not highly valued, peaceful breakups and widow remarriage were common, the patriarchal system was already very strict, so women's marriages were not under their control... Actually, upon further reflection, men's marriages were also rarely autonomous. In the end, Shixun resolved the conflict between the two brothers with a patriarchal argument: "Since you both have different opinions, report both candidates to our uncle and let him decide." The implication was that their father, Yi, was still alive, and in a daughter's marriage, they only had the right to suggest, while the final decision was his. Why argue here?

The Shi brothers had no choice but to pause their argument. But then Shizhuo glanced at Shixun, "Since Hongfu has already come of age, he should also consider marriage."

Shixun was taken aback. He was only seventeen, still in high school, how could he get married? He quickly waved his hands, "Third Brother and Fourth Brother are not yet married, how can it be my turn?"

Shiyu said, "Third Brother is still wandering, and I have already chosen a family. Hongfu should also consider a match — I heard that the daughter of Ping Shouting is of a similar age to Hongfu. I don't know if she is already betrothed, but we can inquire."

Shizhuo opposed, "There are good matches within the county; why look in neighboring counties? Moreover, the position of Tingyuan is too low to match our family. The niece of the county magistrate of Kuang County is a good match for Hongfu."

The two brothers almost argued again over this. Shixun had no choice but to dodge the issue, asking if they had chosen their own matches or if it was the result of family discussions. "Perhaps Uncle has already made a decision; let him decide." He kicked the ball to Yi.

He didn't believe that Yi had ever considered his marriage, and with Yi as busy as a dog, he probably didn't have the time to think about it. He decided to drag it out day by day... As a soul from two thousand years later, he really disliked arranged marriages, although he knew he would eventually fall into that trap...

Back in his room, Yue came to greet him, helping him take off his dusty coat and change into home clothes. Shixun, still thinking about marriage, couldn't help but glance at Yue a few more times — hey, the little girl had become even more beautiful in just a few months... The main wife would definitely be chosen by the elders, but could he choose his own concubine? Would he need the main wife's approval to take a concubine? If so, it would be better to do it before he had a main wife...

Thinking about it, his eyes wandered, and he couldn't help but reach out to touch the round buttocks of the young girl. Unexpectedly, Yue seemed prepared, laughing lightly and twisting her waist to avoid him, then quickly left the room, saying, "I'll fetch water for you to wash your face."

This little vixen, she's quite agile... Shixun couldn't help but think of another young girl who was not only agile but also terrifying. He touched his shoulder and thigh, cursing inwardly, "There are scars, how could she be so ruthless!"

He didn't know that Guan Hai had only chosen the lightest arrow, with a narrow tip, and it was new and not rusty. Otherwise, he would have suffered even more, and the risk of infection would have been over 70%.

"Both are cute young girls," Shixun sighed, "I'm not a pervert, I really can't do it... No, I can't do it with one, and I dare not do it with the other..."

He stayed in Yingling for another two months, reading and listening to gossip — since he could now speak and ask questions, the gossip was more efficient. Occasionally, he would visit Zheng Yicai and Wang Zhong, but he never sought out Shen Yuan. The guy was too despicable, and although he didn't need to confront him like he did with Zheng Yicai and Wang Zhong, it was best to keep his distance.

In the eighth month of autumn, the situation suddenly became precarious. It turned out that Liu Bei, the magistrate of Pingyuan, had been appointed as the governor of Pingyuan, with a larger jurisdiction and more troops, and his campaign against the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou was more intense. The Yellow Turbans, taking advantage of the approaching harvest, left the border area between Pingyuan and Dong Commandery, crossed the Yellow River, and returned to their home in Qingzhou.

They first plundered the state of Jibei, then entered the state of Qi, looting all the ripe and unripe crops and gathering most of the landless and hungry refugees. By the time they reached the capital of Qi, Linzi, they had gathered a force of over 500,000.

Linzi was also the capital of Qingzhou, and the governor, Jiao He, had a strong army and ample supplies. However, he was so terrified by the overwhelming Yellow Turbans that he closed the city gates and refused to fight. After just ten days of siege, Jiao He could no longer hold out and sent messengers to Guan Hai, offering over 100,000 dan of grain to persuade the Yellow Turbans to lift the siege and leave.

The Yellow Turbans left Linzi and entered the state of Beihai, first breaking into Dong'anping, killing the county magistrate and the county chief, and then heading straight for the capital, Ju County. When the news reached Yingling, the Shi brothers became restless, packing their things to flee. Shixun advised them, "The capital is still nearly a hundred miles from Yingling. The more Yellow Turbans there are, the slower their advance. Moreover, they hate the governor of Qi and are unlikely to come here until they break the capital. Don't panic and flee. Besides, where do you plan to go?"

Shizhuo stomped his feet, "Since they are coming from the west, we should flee east."

Shijun, the "worldly demon," was more decisive, "We should go south. In recent years, most scholars from Qingzhou have fled to Langya in Xu Province, and Mr. Kangcheng is also in Langya. Yicai plans to go there, and we can travel with him."

What's the rush to pack when we haven't even decided on a direction? Shixun was also a bit flustered, but he felt that the city walls provided some protection, and outside the city, they would be completely vulnerable. If they encountered the Yellow Turbans, they would be in grave danger. Finally, he turned to the most reliable of the brothers, Shiyu, who pondered for a while and finally said, "We must load the food and valuables onto carts and leave immediately, heading south. We will not leave yet..."

Shizhuo was anxious, "We fear the Yellow Turbans may arrive at any moment. If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"

Shiyu glared at him, "Our father is still in the capital. How can you abandon him and run away?"

Those words completely deflated Shizhuo.

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They say that being on the homepage ad should get hundreds or thousands of more favorites. Why is mine so far off? Is it that rumors are unreliable, or is it that I'm not sincere enough, so the readers won't favor me? I'll bow deeply and ask for your favorites and recommendations again... Also, it's not that I'm greedy, but writing needs motivation, inspiration, and constant improvement. I also need your comments, including corrections for typos. If you see any, please point them out, and I will definitely fix them.