Chapter 67

As Yue'er finished rubbing Shixun's back and rinsed off the mud on his spine, she covered her mouth and laughed, "Master, you have... a large red patch on your back..."

Shixun smiled bitterly and pursed his lips, thinking to himself that it was fortunate that it was only the first time. If Guan Si had really rubbed his back for the entire session, the effect would have been the same as "being flayed and questioned."

So he couldn't help but ask, "Didn't I ask you to help me rub my back? Why did Guan Si come in instead?"

Yue'er smiled lightly, "I was just about to enter when Sister Guan asked what I was going to do. I told her I was going to rub Master's back, and she immediately glared and said that from now on, she would be the one to do it... But it seems she isn't used to it yet."

Shixun waved his hand, signaling Yue'er to leave. As she passed by him, he couldn't resist and reached out, lightly patting her firm, small buttocks.

Yue'er laughed lightly and fled, leaving Shixun alone in the bathtub, lost in thought. He and Guan Si had already privately pledged their lives to each other... No, it wasn't private; since her father didn't object, it was officially settled. He had clearly told Guan Si that he was still in mourning and couldn't bring her into his home yet, and they would have to wait for two more years...

Actually, whether he was in mourning or not, Shixun didn't really care. After all, Si Yi, that deadbeat, wasn't really his father. But with his soul from two thousand years later, he simply wasn't used to talking about marriage before he turned twenty. Early love was beautiful, hands could be held, buttocks could be touched, and even a kiss could be tried, but consummating the marriage... it seemed that starting sexual life too early was not good for physical development. Besides, Guan Si was only fifteen in actual age, still a minor, a young girl! Even if in this era, girls as young as twelve or thirteen could get married without legal or moral condemnation, he couldn't get over the mental barrier!

If Guan Si were a bit taller and more developed, like the Cao family's daughter, who was even taller than him, he might have pretended to take her to bed... But she was so petite and delicate, just thinking about it made him feel guilty! Even Yue'er, who hadn't grown much in nearly half a year, had shown signs of growth. Why hadn't Guan Si grown at all? Was she going to be a little girl forever, with a little girl's face and body? The little girl's face was fine, but the little girl's body...

Shixun couldn't help but shiver in the hot water.

After finally finishing his bath, he dried himself, put on clean clothes, and left the room, his mind full of worries. He was about to call the servants to clean up the bathtub when he noticed someone standing silently in the shadows by the door, making him jump. Upon closer inspection, it was Guan Si—what was she doing here, was the little girl coming to apologize?

But the next moment was completely unexpected. Guan Si glared at him and raised her right hand—this time, she wasn't holding a towel but a sharp, large ringed knife. "W-What are you going to do?" Before he could finish his sentence, the little girl raised the knife: "Which hand did you use to touch this girl's buttocks just now?!"

Shixun took a step back into the room. He thought the little girl would be scared by his hidden weapon and run back to her room, but she quickly adjusted her mindset and even sneaked to the door to eavesdrop... No, she was outright spying—damn, this little girl had some serious mental fortitude!

Before he could think of how to explain, Guan Si, with a cold face, raised the knife and pursued him into the room, "Don't worry, I'll only cut off that unruly hand. I'll be quick, and you might not even feel the pain..."

Shixun was terrified, truly at a loss for words... Which hand did he use just now, it was... it was his right hand! Damn, when he crossed the sea from Lelang, why did he choose such a fake name that clashed with "Dugu Xingfeng"? He never thought the retribution would come like this!

Of course, Guan Si didn't really cut off Shixun's right hand to make him a "Dugu Xingfeng." That night, Shixun had to put in a lot of effort to finally make the little girl stop crying and smile. In the conversation, he also planted many seeds, trying to brainwash the little girl—having multiple wives and concubines was common, as men were animals that thought with their lower halves, so... I won't touch that little girl anymore, okay? I won't touch any little girls, okay? Why are you raising the knife again? Please, let's be civilized and talk, not fight!

As a result, the next morning, he couldn't even get an erection, and Shixun was really worried about the psychological trauma and its impact on his normal physiological functions... Just as he was worrying, a servant came to report that Cao Cao had sent someone to ask the master to go to Juancheng for a meeting.

Shixun thought, what urgent matter could there be? He still had two days of leave left. But since Cao Cao had summoned him, he couldn't be negligent, so he quickly dressed and rode straight to Juancheng. His estate was not far from Juancheng, and he arrived at the state office by the time it was the hour of Si. He met Cao Cao, who held his hand and said, "Hongfu, I called you here because someone wants to borrow you."

Shixun was puzzled—could a living person really be borrowed? How would they use him? As he was pondering, he heard a familiar voice, "This time, I really need to rely on Hongfu's great talent."

Shixun instinctively took a step back, thinking, here you come again—this hall isn't that big, where were you hiding just now, and why didn't I see you... He quickly bowed, "Quji, how have you been?"

The person who greeted him was, of course, the "stone hat boy" Cao De, Cao Quji. Cao Cao and Cao De then explained the situation. It turned out that last year, the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou had ravaged Yanzhou, and the governor Liu Dai was killed in battle. As a result, many prefects and magistrates either abandoned their cities, died in the chaos, or fled, such as the governor of Jiyin, Dongmen Huan. After Cao Cao completely pacified the Yellow Turbans in Qingzhou, he appointed his brother Cao De as the governor of Jiyin.

However, when Cao De enthusiastically went to Dingtao to take office, he found that the former governor Dongmen Huan hadn't left empty-handed but had taken a large group of his own appointed officials and all the assets of the government, loading them onto carts and leaving. When Cao De arrived, there was no one and no money, making him a completely "naked" governor.

Money wasn't a problem, as his brother Cao Cao could provide it, but without any officials, how could he handle the administration? Cao De went through great efforts, begging and borrowing from Cao Cao's camp and hiring some from the local area, finally forming a makeshift team, but it was still insufficient. So this time, he came directly to Juancheng, specifically asking for Shixun to help.

Shixun was a bit stunned—his goal in coming to Yanzhou was to join Cao Cao, not Cao De. Following the top leader and the second-in-command were worlds apart in terms of current status and future prospects—let alone that Cao De wasn't even the second-in-command in Cao Cao's camp. Cao De, being perceptive, immediately understood Shixun's hesitation and quickly explained, "I'm not asking you to leave your brother and become my subordinate, just a temporary loan."

It turned out that Cao De had finally formed the leadership team for the entire prefecture, assigned roles, and was ready to roll up his sleeves and work hard. Suddenly, an official reminded him that spring plowing was approaching, and it was time to prepare for "xingxian" (county inspection). Cao De was immediately stumped—things in the city hadn't even settled down, how could he have the time to go on a county inspection?

The "xingxian" or "xingbu" was a system passed down from the Western Han, where the governors and prefects, who also had the authority to supervise local affairs, had to leave their headquarters and inspect the counties under their jurisdiction during the spring planting season to promptly identify and resolve issues. Even if the governors and prefects were negligent, they could treat the tradition as a joke. For example, during the Xin Dynasty, the Grand Prefect (Governor) Cui Zhan refused to go on a county inspection for three years, citing illness as an excuse to protest against Wang Mang's rule. Moreover, even if Cao De were negligent and didn't go on a county inspection, with his brother Cao Cao's support, who would dare to impeach him in Yanzhou? And outside Yanzhou, even if someone impeached him, no one would care.

However, although Cao De lacked presence, he still had some integrity. He thought it was a good opportunity to assess the situation in the counties under his jurisdiction. If there were corrupt or tyrannical officials, or those who were just occupying positions without doing anything, he could remove them early to clear the way for his future governance. But with spring plowing approaching, he needed to distribute seeds, reclaim wasteland, and encourage farming, and he really didn't have the time for a county inspection. What could he do?

Actually, the solution was right there—appoint a supervisor to help with the inspection. During the Western Han, the famous official Han Yanshou, when serving as the Left Fengyi, refused to go on a county inspection, but it wasn't out of negligence or protest. His reason was, "All the counties have capable magistrates, and the supervisors can clearly distinguish good from bad. Going on a county inspection would be of no benefit and would only add to the burden of the local areas."

So, taking advantage of the free time before the spring planting, Cao De rushed to Juancheng to ask his brother for help, saying that his people were all busy, and he needed someone to serve as a temporary supervisor. Cao Cao said, "Sure, who do you want?" Cao De replied, "Your subordinates are either in important positions and can't leave, or I'm not familiar with them and it's inconvenient to borrow them. I heard that Hongfu usually handles some paperwork and is idle, so let's have him."

When Cao Cao mentioned this to Shixun, Shixun was hesitant, saying, "I can't refuse to help Quji, but I've never done this before. What if I don't know how to do it?"

Cao Cao smiled and asked, "So, apart from reading and being a diplomat, what else has Hongfu done? Quji is also a first-time governor, did he know how to do it from the start?"

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