Chapter 36

It is said that a normal human brain can remember a considerable amount of data, but if it is not frequently retrieved or reviewed, much of the content will be deemed useless and deleted, or sink into the subconscious, making it difficult to retrieve.

In his previous life, Shi Xun, out of personal interest, would often review certain ancient poems, such as "Selected Poems of Tao Yuanming" and "Selected Poems of the Three Cao." These books were always placed on the golden spot of his bookshelf, at eye level, easily within reach. However, after coming to this world, he no longer had the opportunity to review those poems through reading... Of course, Tao Qian had not yet been born, and perhaps only two of the Three Cao had been born, and most of their works had not yet been created, let alone compiled into books.

While still a slave in the Le Lang family, he would occasionally recite some of the poems in his mind during the quiet, idle hours of the night. It was only after he decided to impersonate someone else and take their place that he began to review and even modify the poems purposefully. Unfortunately, much of the information, due to lack of timely retrieval, had already fragmented and scattered into the void of his consciousness. The poems he could still recite were less than a third of what he could before he crossed over, and they often had omissions and damages.

Therefore, when he copied poems, he always had a pre-planned strategy and could never spontaneously recite them in response to certain situations. Many authors of穿越 (time-travel) novels lack knowledge of ancient poetry. They occasionally write a poem that doesn't even follow the rules of tone and rhyme, yet they make their protagonists copy poems in large quantities, and it seems that every poem fits the context perfectly, as if they have a poetry machine or search engine in their brains... Shi Xun admitted he didn't have such a shameless special ability.

So when Shi Kuan said he wanted to discuss poetry with him today, his head ached, and he immediately put Shi Kuan on the top of his list of people to avoid. However, in this world, how could one avoid trouble? Given the current environment and circumstances, he couldn't really keep Shi Kuan at a distance. He still had no foundation or property. If one day he could be independent—say, by joining Cao Cao or Liu Bei or some other warlord and getting a position—would he still bother with Shi Kuan?

So when he heard Shi Kuan knocking on the door late at night, he felt cold sweat on his back and in his palms, his legs trembled a bit, and his face felt hot. But there was no way out. Since he hadn't gone to bed, he had to get up, open the door, and welcome him with a smile. Besides, in this era, the most important thing was to respect the hierarchy. Even if he had already gone to bed, could he not quickly get up and greet his elder brother when he came to visit?

Fortunately, he had been traveling all day, which could serve as an excuse. He would say he was extremely tired and his mind was a mess, and for any questions Shi Kuan asked, he would say he was unclear, didn't know, or didn't understand, and thus would not respond.

When Shi Kuan entered, the two brothers first exchanged formal greetings and then sat down facing each other. Yue'er served them two cups of warm water. Shi Xun let Shi Kuan drink, and after a few pleasantries, they finally got to the main topic—

"I only heard from my younger sister and the servants that Hongfu had returned from Le Lang when I arrived in Zhu County. I regret not being able to see you sooner. Just now, I inquired about Hongfu's situation from my eldest brother and fourth brother, and they all spoke highly of you..." At this point, Shi Kuan smiled slightly, "My eldest brother and fourth brother have very different interests. Among our peers, what my eldest brother values, my fourth brother often considers as a pedant, and what my fourth brother praises, my eldest brother often considers as a vulgar person. The only two people who can be praised by both of them are probably you and I."

"The elder brothers are too kind," Shi Xun said, bowing his head, looking at his nose, and then at his heart, while trying to flatter the other's enthusiasm and being wary of his words, fearing that there might be some hidden trap.

Shi Kuan took another sip of water and then put down the cup, saying, "Hongfu, you will have to work hard. Tomorrow morning, you and I will go to Tan County together..."

Shi Xun was taken aback, "Why are we going to Tan County?"

"Since Cao Shuyuan is an official in the state, he naturally resides in Tan County. Our family's future in Xu Province will depend on his assistance and support. Now that Shuyuan is favored by Governor Tao of Xu Province, as long as he is willing to help, buying dozens or even hundreds of hectares of land and building a few manors here will not be difficult."

Shi Xun fully understood the meaning, but he did not want to travel with Shi Kuan. If they talked about poetry on the way... no, it was almost certain that they would talk about poetry, and it would be extremely difficult to get out of it then. So he hurriedly said, "This matter should be handled by my fourth brother..."

Shi Kuan sighed lightly, "My eldest brother is unreliable... Wen Tong has to go to Linyi tomorrow to visit the Wang family. We discussed it and think it's best for him to marry the Wang girl as soon as possible, so our family will have a foundation in Langya." As he spoke, he stood up and gently patted Shi Xun's shoulder, "Although we haven't been in touch for a long time, we are still brothers of the same ancestor. Don't consider yourself an outsider. Get some rest, we will set off early tomorrow."

And just like that, without giving Shi Xun any chance to refuse—honestly, Shi Xun couldn't find any reason to refuse—Shi Kuan decided his future plans. For a long time after he left, Shi Xun sat on the mat, his mind full of circles, unable to find a good solution. In the end, he gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, "Well, well, there will always be a way when the car reaches the mountain, and there will always be a Toyota when there is a road..." After all, they were nominal brothers. If he exposed himself, he could just say that an old man taught him a few poems in a dream... No, it would be better to say he met a hermit in the mountains... Family shame should not be publicized. Could Shi Kuan really go around telling everyone he was a fraud?!

Anyway, poetry was just a bonus. He never intended to rely solely on copying to advance his career...

Although he had made up his mind to take it as it comes, he still tossed and turned all night, so agitated that he couldn't sleep. The next morning, his eyes were dark, almost like a panda's. When Shi Kuan saw him, he pressed his pulse and asked, "Why does Hongfu look so haggard? Have you caught a cold?"

Shi Xun had to pretend to rub his eyes, "I couldn't sleep because I was worried about Uncle and my eighth brother, who are still in Beihai, and I don't know what will happen to them..."

"Relax," Shi Kuan comforted him, "As long as we can establish a foundation in Xu Province, we can bring Father and Zigao here... I heard that Yuan Ji of Ji Province and Gongsun Bai Ma are increasingly at odds, and there will likely be a conflict within one or two years. At that time, Qing Province will inevitably suffer from war. Last night, I discussed with Wen Tong, and we don't want Father to stay in our hometown for long."

Shi Xun thought to himself, "You can see that Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan will definitely have a conflict, but why can't you see that Tao Qian is an ally of Gongsun Zan, and Xu Province will also be drawn into the conflict? Do you still want to establish a foundation in Xu Province? The more stable the foundation, the harder it will be to leave when the time comes."

Of course, he couldn't say this to Shi Kuan. The saying "a scholar doesn't need to leave his house to know what's happening in the world" is just a literary exaggeration. He was a young man from a remote area who had just come to the Central Plains and had almost never left Beihai. He couldn't compare to Shi Kuan, who had traveled widely. If he could clearly analyze the situation, he would be too extraordinary. Well, take it one step at a time. He would follow Shi Kuan to Tan County and see what kind of person General Cao Bao, who would be speared by Zhang Liao in the future, was.

From Zhu County to Tan County, the journey was long, about five or six hundred miles. Shi Xun estimated that he would have to travel with Shi Kuan for at least six or seven days, which made him extremely anxious. However, his understanding was a bit off. Originally, Shi Yu was going to Linyi and would travel with them for a while. The two brothers, who had been apart for a long time, had a lot to talk about, and Shi Xun, riding a horse, followed behind. Shi Kuan had no chance to discuss poetry with him.

They only parted ways near Yangdu. Shi Yu turned west to Linyi, while Shi Kuan and Shi Xun continued southwest toward the capital of Langya, Kaiyang.

Shi Kuan waved to Shi Xun several times, inviting him to join him in the carriage, but Shi Xun always declined, saying he was not used to riding in carriages. Shi Kuan asked, "In Le Lang, do scholars not ride in carriages?" Shi Xun didn't answer immediately but asked, "Has Third Brother ever been to Youzhou?" Shi Kuan shook his head lightly, "When I left home, I first went to Luoyang and then to Jingzhou, and I never went north." Shi Xun thought, "It's better that you haven't been there," and then answered, "In remote areas, there are few roads, and it's inconvenient to travel by carriage, so people are used to riding horses and not used to riding in carriages."

"Is that so?" Shi Kuan actually believed him, "No wonder the knights of You, Bing, and Liang provinces are the best in the world. It must be because they are used to riding horses."

Shi Xun thought, "Since it's just the two of us now (of course, there are many servants, but they don't count), the journey is long, and we can't avoid chatting. It's better to bring up another topic before you mention poetry." He asked, "Did Third Brother encounter Dong Zhuo's entry into the capital when you went to Luoyang?"

Shi Kuan nodded, "When Dong Zhuo entered the capital, his troops from Guanxi numbered more than ten thousand, with thousands entering the city every day..." Shi Xun thought, "That was Dong Zhuo's trick, sneaking a few thousand troops out of the city at night and bringing them back in during the day. This trick even fooled Yuan Shao, so you couldn't see through it." He heard Shi Kuan continue, "Therefore, the people in the capital were in a panic, and thousands of people fled every day. I left with a few friends on the third day of Dong Zhuo's entry..."

Shi Xun didn't let him finish and quickly asked, "I would like to hear more details."

He seized every detail in Shi Kuan's description and asked about the causes and effects in detail. As the "King of Gossip," his skill in extracting information was unparalleled. At first, it seemed that the two were having a very enthusiastic conversation, but in fact, Shi Kuan was providing all the facts, while Shi Xun was full of empty words. Shi Kuan thought this young cousin had little experience and shallow knowledge, so he was eager to learn about his experiences. Shi Kuan himself was deeply moved by that period, so once he started talking, he couldn't stop, seemingly forgetting all about poetry.

For several days, he just listened to Shi Kuan recite his memoirs. Under Shi Xun's questioning, the progress was extremely slow. By the time they reached the walls of Tan County, Shi Kuan had just entered Hanshou and just met the Inspector of Jingzhou, Wang Rui. The group entered the city with a large entourage, and Shi Xun wiped the sweat from his forehead, thinking, "What a hard day, finally made it through another one."

The two brothers went to visit the Cao family. Soon, a servant led them into the hall. He heard a cough, and a person walked out from behind a screen. Shi Xun looked up—oh, so this is Cao Bao?

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