Chapter 99

It is often said that in ancient China, polygamy was practiced, but this is actually a misconception. Apart from a few rare exceptions, the general rule was a system of one husband, one wife, and multiple concubines. Especially before the Song Dynasty, the status of the wife, or the main wife, was very high, second only to the husband and above all the children—the saying "after the husband's death, follow the son" only emerged later. As for concubines, they were not considered legally protected spouses but rather public lovers. The children born to concubines had a much lower status compared to those born to the main wife.

Therefore, at that time, especially for scholars, marrying a wife was a major life event, with a whole set of formal rituals to follow, and a marriage contract had to be signed and registered with the government—just like two thousand years later, this contract was an important document for registering your son (the legitimate son) and for inheriting titles and property. However, taking a concubine was much simpler; Wu Zhi told Shi Xun that to take a concubine, one only needed to sign a contract, and there was no need to register it with the government.

Surprisingly, taking a concubine was even simpler than adopting a son or having a child through a surrogate, as it did not require registration or official documentation. But upon further thought, it made sense—sons were related to the inheritance of titles and property, while concubines had nothing to do with these matters. The government did not care who you took as a concubine. Thinking about this, a faint sadness welled up in Shi Xun's heart—Si, Si, I can't have you walk through the door in a wedding dress, holding a bouquet of flowers; I really feel guilty towards you...

How wonderful!

Even formal marriage should be this simple. Back in Tancheng, Xuzhou, before the final step, there were so many preliminary steps like the presentation of gifts and the inquiry of names. Even though many of these steps did not require personal participation, just listening to the elders' discussions made him dizzy. This time, going back to Xuzhou, it seemed he couldn't avoid the wedding ceremony. If he had to go through all this again a month or two earlier in Yanzhou, he would go crazy! Ultimately, feelings and rituals are two different things. Si, Si, I truly like you, so let's not bother with all the formalities.

Shi Xun asked Wu Zhi to help write a contract for taking a concubine, and he invited Taishi Ci to be the witness. They each signed it—Guan Hai, Si's father, who couldn't write, only pressed his fingerprint. After the contract was signed, Shi Xun looked at it from all angles, and it felt like he was buying a daughter...

He showed the contract to Guan Si, saying, "See, there's a contract as proof. From now on, you are part of my family." Guan Si pouted her lips: "I was already yours, I've seen your... But you have to let me continue to take care of my father." Shi Xun was moved and embraced her slender... shoulders, but to hug her waist, he had to bend down, which was too tiring—"Don't worry, your father is still your father, and a concubine's father is still a father. From now on, your father is my father, and I will take good care of him. But I have been ordered by Lord Cao to leave for a while..."

Guan Si's mood was clearly low: "I know, you still have to go to Xuzhou to marry a wife." Shi Xun quickly comforted her: "I've only met the Cao family girl once, and I don't know her character or her interests at all. Unlike you and me, we have a true bond of shared hardships..." Guan Si looked up at him: "You said you would only be good to me, you must keep your word." Shi Xun was about to raise his hand to swear, but Guan Si hugged his neck and whispered, "I'll believe you once the seal is stamped."

They secretly stamped the seal for a while, until Shi Xun felt he couldn't resist any longer—after all, it was broad daylight, and a servant might pass by. If they were caught, it would be even worse. Reluctantly, he broke away from her fiery lips.

The next day, they packed their luggage and set off. Under the protection of Li Dian and five hundred soldiers, with a large group of servants and many vehicles, they left Juancheng and headed south, passing through Chengshi, Chengwu, and Danfu, then turning east, passing through Fengxian and Peixian, and entering the territory of Pengcheng in Xuzhou. The next day, they entered Donghai Commandery, passed through Yiping, and headed for Xiangben.

As soon as they entered Xiangben, a group of scouts galloped towards them, each one on high alert, drawing their bows and knives, and forming a line to greet them. Shi Xun rode forward and greeted them: "I am a messenger from Yanzhou, sent to present these gifts to Governor Tao." The lead officer raised his hand: "If that is the case, please stop for a moment and present your credentials so we can report to the county office."

Shi Xun handed over the document proving his identity to the officer, who passed it to a rider behind him, who then galloped away. Shi Xun observed that this group of soldiers was quite impressive, each one spirited and battle-hardened, though their equipment was not very advanced. According to his knowledge, in Xuzhou, only the thousands of Danyang soldiers that Tao Qian brought from his hometown had similar qualities, but the Danyang soldiers were Tao Qian's lifeline, and their equipment would not be so poor, nor would they be stationed in Xiangben.

So he casually asked, "Who is your superior?" The officer replied with a bow: "Our lord is the former Governor of Pingyuan, Lord Liu." Former, former Governor of Pingyuan! Shi Xun almost fell off his horse—damn, Liu Bei had indeed joined Tao Qian and was stationed in Xiangben, so close to Tancheng!

The communication in this era was truly frustrating... He thought Liu Bei was still in Langya, lingering on the border waiting for Tao Qian's recruitment. If there were telegrams or telephones, as soon as they heard about Liu Bei's southward movement, Cao's army could have set out from Taishan Commandery and surrounded him, preventing him from contacting Tao Qian!

But thinking about how Yuan Shao's second son did it, where did he get the homing pigeons? When did the Chinese start using pigeons to send messages? Shi Xun didn't know, but he remembered that ancient Egyptians and Romans used them around the time of Christ. Moreover, when Cao De heard about using homing pigeons, he didn't find it strange or surprising, indicating that this technology had already been introduced to China or was independently invented.

But when he asked Cao Cao about it in Juancheng, Cao Cao shook his head and said, "It's not something ordinary people can train." Training homing pigeons required specialized talent, and such talent was rarer than papermaking, and he didn't have it. Shi Xun had to give up—this technology, though existing, was not yet widespread. He would have to ask Cao Hong and others when he had the chance.

But now, thinking about these things was meaningless. He needed to figure out how to remedy the situation. The best way would be to use Cao Hong and Chen Deng to speak ill of Liu Bei to Tao Qian, ensuring that Tao Qian did not like Liu Bei and that the scholars of Xuzhou did not form any special ties with him. As he was pondering this, three riders came from the east—leading them was Liu Bei!

Liu Bei saw Shi Xun from a distance and called out, "It's Mr. Hongfu, long time no see!" Shi Xun was surprised and quickly bowed: "Does Lord Liu still remember me?" He thought that during the last trip to Pingyuan to seek reinforcements, Taishi Ci was the main character, and he was just a follower, not as noticeable as Zhai Yu, but Liu Bei had a good memory. Liu Bei rode closer, his face without a smile but naturally exuding a sense of warmth, and he said loudly, "Mr. Hongfu, who persuaded a million Yellow Turbans to surrender to Cao Mengde, I am honored to have met you, how could I forget?"

Shi Xun looked behind Liu Bei and recognized one of them, Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang, and another—round face, bulbous nose, thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a wide mouth always open, looking like a grown-up boy—his beard was sparse, as if he had just started growing. "Who is this?" After greeting Guan Yu, Shi Xun asked about the boy. The boy bowed: "I am Zhang Fei from Yan, styled Yide."

Shi Xun had suspected it was Zhang Fei, though he looked very different from the descriptions in legends and novels—not a rough, bearded man but a baby-faced one. But his eyes were large, and if he had small, squinty eyes like Cao Cao, no one would be afraid of his glare at Changban Bridge. Now, hearing Zhang Fei's voice, Shi Xun was even more convinced—while others had a voice like a bell, Zhang Fei's was like thunder, and his ordinary words almost deafened him. If he shouted at the bridge, it would truly scare everyone to the point of trembling, and no one would dare to approach!

He greeted Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu asked, "I heard that Taishi Ziyi defeated Lu Bu in battle, is that true?" Shi Xun nodded and said it was. Guan Yu regretted, "I wish I could have competed with Ziyi to see who was better." Shi Xun smiled and said, "A general's strength lies in strategy, not just bravery. It's not just about battle, but also about archery and horsemanship. Ziyi defeating a brute is not something to boast about." Liu Bei clapped his hands and said, "Mr. Hongfu is right. With your assistance, Cao Mengde will surely drive away Lu Bu and secure Yanzhou."

His words were polite, but he then cited his duty to protect the land and the lack of orders from Tao Qian, requiring Li Dian to temporarily settle his troops, servants, and supplies outside Xiangben until Shi Xun had met Tao Qian. Shi Xun thought, "I'm not just entering Xuzhou; the previous towns didn't have so many issues. Are you holding back the troops and supplies because you have other plans?"

But he didn't dare to force his way in, as Liu Bei had a significant number of troops in Xiangben. If they fought, it would not only damage the alliance between Xuzhou and Yanzhou but also leave them with no chance of winning.

So he had to follow Liu Bei into Xiangben. Liu Bei then set up a banquet to entertain Shi Xun, inviting him to stay overnight and continue the journey to Tancheng the next day. Shi Xun wasn't in a hurry and wanted to use this opportunity to interact with Liu Bei—partly out of curiosity about a historical figure, and partly because he might have to consider Liu Bei as a major enemy, and knowing one's enemy was crucial for success.

Liu Bei, as a guest general in Xiangben, did not stay in the county office—where would the county magistrate go?—but in a luxurious mansion in the north of the city. That day, in the hall, Liu Bei sat in the main seat facing west, while Shi Xun sat in the guest seat facing south. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei sat facing north, leaving the east-facing seat for a secondary guest, but it was unclear who it was for.

Shi Xun was puzzled when he heard a cough from outside, and a man entered, not very tall, about 1.6 meters, wearing a leather robe and a headband. He bowed to Liu Bei and greeted Shi Xun, then took off his shoes and slouched into the secondary guest seat.

Who is this guy? So rude!

----------------- I am the anxious divider -----------------

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