Chapter 214: A consensus is reached, Longzhong changes At the same time, just as Cai Mao was being scolded by Cai Feng, Zhuge Liang had already returned to the inn to reply. Hearing that Cai Feng was going to meet him at night, Qin Zhen smiled and said to Zhuge Liang: "From this we can see that having an old person in the family is like having a treasure!" "Although Cai Degui is not wise, I have seen that Mr. Cai is decisive." "With such a man in charge, it's no wonder that the Cai family is so prosperous!" Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang smiled and said: "Compared to Lord Cai, although Lord Cai is old, he is also a mature man who can govern the country!" "Even my father-in-law, Mr. Huang, was full of praise for Mr. Cai when he mentioned him." Hearing him say this, Qin Zhen's irrepressible curiosity was aroused again. If we talk about the people he most wanted to see during this trip to Jingzhou, besides Zhou Buzhi, it would be Kong Ming's wife Huang.

After all, according to the "Records of Elders in Xiangyang", his father said that he was ugly, had yellow hair and dark skin, and his talent was comparable to that of Kong Ming. There is also a proverb circulating in the countryside: "Don't be like Kong Ming in choosing a wife, or you will end up with an ugly girl like A Cheng." He was very curious about what Huang looked like. You must know that Huang's biological mother is Cai Mao's eldest sister. According to her genes, she shouldn't be ugly! Thinking of this, he smiled at Kong Ming and said: "Speaking of which, Mr. Huang is also a famous scholar in Miannan. I should go and visit him. I wonder where he lives now?" Zhuge Liang had no idea what Qin Zhen was thinking, and thought that he really wanted to visit his father-in-law, so he said: "My father-in-law now lives in the west of Xiangyang City. It is said that Mr. Pang's family also lives here." "If you're interested in meeting me, maybe you can meet Shi Yuan on the way!" "It's better this way, so I don't have to run around everywhere!" Qin Zhen thought, since they were all gathered together, he might as well meet them all. Also bring Pang Tong, Shi Tao, Meng Jian, Cui Jun and others to see it. Even if they are unwilling to surrender now, they can be recruited and employed in the future! As the two talked, it was already night. That night, the Cai Mansion was decorated with lights and lanterns. When they arrived at the place, Cai Feng came down the steps to greet them and led Qin Zhen into his home. When he arrived at the hall, he saw Cai Mao coming to greet him. He personally arranged the cushion for Qin Zhen and invited Qin Zhen to take a seat. Seeing Cai Mao like this, Qin Zhen guessed that Cai Feng had probably said something to Cai Mao again, so he said with a smile: "Since I entered Xiangyang City, Brother Cai has been entertaining me for days. It's really hard work. I feel really ashamed!" When Cai Mao heard this, he knew that Qin Zhen was teasing him, so he smiled and said: "Just as you said, my sister-in-law's surname is Cai, and mine is also Cai. Five hundred years ago, we were one family!" "What a coincidence! I heard that your sister-in-law's name is Yan, and I have a brother whose name is also Yan!"

"There are so many coincidences in the world. Isn't it possible that our two families are destined to be together?" "Oh? Is there such a coincidence?" Qin Zhen was also surprised when he heard this, although there were many people with the same name in the late Han Dynasty. But this was the first time he knew of someone with the same name as his wife Cai Yan. But seeing Cai Mao taking the initiative to seek kinship, he looked at Cai Feng and said with a smile: "It's a coincidence, but there's a reason for it." "I heard that the ancestor of the Cai family was called Cai Shu, who was once granted a fief in Lu State. In the pre-Qin period, the surname Cai of Jiyang was established." "If we talk about my father-in-law Master Cai, he comes from this lineage." "The Xiangyang Cai family also originated from this, and now they have the same name, which means they have come to the same destination through different paths, so we should be considered one family!" Cai Feng saw that he was making a very clear point, so he couldn't help but stroke his beard and smiled: "Zixuan's knowledge is indeed extraordinary. If we talk about our Cai family's ancestors, he is actually from the same family as Cai Zhonglang." "But the descendants have branched out and lost contact." "So when I saw Zixuan coming, I smiled and said to Degui, 'My Cai family's perfect son-in-law has arrived!'" "I didn't expect this boy to say such words as those of an official within or outside the country!" "I have been thinking that although you are serving in two places, you are all Han officials. How can you talk about internal and external affairs?" "Besides, Zixuan is the son-in-law of my Cai family, not an outsider, so why should we care about those empty formalities?" "So I gave him a scolding and specially asked him to serve tea to Zixuan." "I also want to let him know that although the country is big, the family rules cannot be abolished!" "When family members come from afar, it's time to help them. We can't turn them away!" When Qin Zhen heard this, he secretly thought that this old man Cai Feng was quite capable, and immediately nodded and smiled: "Mr. Cai's words are the same as mine, so I came here this time to borrow the help of my in-laws!" "Because the emperor has issued an edict to fight against the rebels, I have been ordered to come and make contact." "I am thinking about this state affair, and I think it is appropriate to promote the virtuous, not to avoid relatives. I ask Mr. Cai to help urge you to send troops." "If the two families work together to defeat the enemy, I can fulfill my mission and keep your reputation. What do you think, Mr. Cai?" When Cai Feng saw that he came straight to the point and called himself his son-in-law, he couldn't help but nod secretly, thinking that this kid was trying to take advantage of the situation and was very cunning. In comparison, his son was much more rigid and lacked such spirituality. If Qin Zhen had not already married Cai Yan, he would really like to accept him as his son-in-law! Thinking of this, he looked at Cai Mao and asked: "Zixuan's intention has been made clear. I wonder what Liu Jingsheng means now?" When Cai Mao heard this, he said directly: "Father, this is a bit unfortunate, because the situation in Jiangnan is still unsettled, so the envoy has no intention of sending troops for the time being." "Although the king has given his order and Liu Yuzhou is from the same clan as the envoy, he is still not strong enough and may not be able to accomplish his mission!" Cai Feng nodded after hearing this, looked at Qin Zhen and sighed:

"Zixuan has also heard that I have long since retired and do not care about state affairs." "Even though I'm an elder, it's hard for me to do this!" "I would also be very happy if Zixuan came, but I am afraid I am unable to do it." Qin Zhen narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the father and son cooperate with each other, thinking, is there anything in Jingzhou that your Cai family can't handle? Not to mention urging Liu Biao to send troops, even if he made a military remonstrance now, there would be no problem at all. Judging from Cai Feng’s attitude, the Cai family is definitely interested in establishing good relations with them. Otherwise, Cai Mao would never change his attitude and become so proactive and approachable. Practicing Tai Chi now means that the Cai family still has conditions that have not been stated. But he couldn't take the initiative to explore this condition. He had to let the Cai family say it first so that he could better deal with it. Thinking of this, he winked at Zhuge Liang beside him. Zhuge Liang was also very smart. When he saw Qin Zhen looking at him, he said to Cai Feng: "Although Lord Cai has retired, my uncle is still in the army." "Even if persuasion fails, please think of a solution. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to report back after we return!" Cai Feng saw the two of them like this, and then he looked at Cai Mao again and said: "Kong Ming is right. Degui, you are an elder after all, and Zhaoji's brother. Come up with a solution quickly!" "Don't make things difficult for Zixuan and Kongming!" Seeing this, Cai Mao pretended to be embarrassed and thought for a long time before saying: "If you want to talk about solutions, there are solutions!" "Because our army is in a real difficulty right now, it is difficult for you to spare any effort." "But if I can marry the envoy, then maybe I can persuade him!" "I heard that Lord Xuande has no children to date. I wonder if this is true?" When Qin Zhen heard this, he immediately smiled. It turned out that the Cai family was planning to take action against Liu Bei! First marry Liu Biao, then marry Liu Bei, with the Cai family acting as the middleman. No matter who falls in the future, the Cai family will not decline. This is a good calculation! But Liu Bei cannot marry this daughter of the Cai family! Because the Cai family’s power in Jingzhou is already large enough, they will still need to use the Cai family when they take Jingzhou in the future! Right now he is close to the Cai family, plus he has a relationship with Kong Ming. This will lead to the Cai family's power expanding rapidly in the future, to the point of destroying the balance under their command. At that time, who would dare to touch the Cai family? Who would dare to touch the Cai family! Once the Cai girl gives birth to a child, there will be another power struggle. After thinking about it for a while, he shook his head and smiled: "Brother Degui, you may not know that both wives of my lord Liu Yuzhou are pregnant." "Although I don't have a child now, maybe I will have one next year!" Cai Mao was stunned for a moment when he heard this. He had originally wanted to use Liu Bei's statement that he had no children to persuade him to get married. I didn't expect Qin Zhen to reply like this. Could it be that he doesn't want Cai and Liu Bei to marry? After hesitating for a moment, he sighed tentatively: "I see. I thought my sister was getting married." "If Liu Yuzhou has no son, he may marry into the Cai family." "The two armies will become relatives, and the two lords will become brothers-in-law. Perhaps we can persuade Lord Liu with this!"

"If it weren't for this, I would have found it difficult to persuade you, Lord!" As he spoke, he glanced at Qin Zhen, who pretended to sigh and said: "I see. If you have this intention, it is a good intention." "But my Lord may not agree to this!" "Besides, I see that Liu Mu is quite afraid of our army. I am afraid that even if I bring up this matter, it will cause Liu Mu to be disgusted!" "How about this? I'll go back and write a letter and go to Huainan to ask about it." "Brother, you can also go and test Liu Mu's opinion, but with the permission of the two gentlemen, this matter may be accomplished." "But correspondence does take some time." "You must know that it is almost the time for autumn harvest. Whether Liu Mu is sending troops or our army is sending troops, we cannot delay any further!" "I hope Brother Cai will bear with me and think of a solution for our army. Don't sacrifice public interests for personal ones!" He would not agree to Cai Mao's request, but he would not refuse it either. Anyway, Cai has already been tempted, and he doesn't believe that if the marriage is not concluded, Cai will turn against him. It's just a matter of time! After hearing his words, Cai Mao could not come to an agreement on this matter for the time being, so he could only smile and say: "Zixuan is absolutely right. Just tell me not to say anything. I should do my best as your brother!" Just like that, the two of them smiled at each other, and vaguely reached some kind of consensus, without the strong smell of gunpowder like yesterday. After the banquet, Qin Zhen and Zhuge Liang left Cai's mansion. Before leaving, Qin Zhen gave Cai Feng some gifts, such as Huaishu and reading glasses. This pair of reading glasses was made by Qin Zhen using glass formed in a glass workshop. It is roughly divided into three age groups: forty-five, fifty and sixty years old. Although it is difficult to determine the degree, the thickness of the lens can be adjusted through trial and error. After several months of polishing, it can already be sold as a commodity. Cai Feng was already old and his eyesight was poor. When he saw that the lenses were crystal clear and could enable him to see things clearly, he was overjoyed. He also asked someone to take out more than ten taels of gold as a thank-you gift and gave it back to Qin Zhen. Qin Zhen accepted this with a smile, and then took Zhuge Liang back to the inn. The next morning, seeing that Liu Biao had not yet responded, Qin Zhen, under the leadership of Zhuge Liang, came to Longzhong with Chen Dao, Wei Yan and others as escorts. Although Zhuge Liang stated in his Memorial to the Emperor on Starting the War that he worked as a farmer in Nanyang, in fact, Longzhong was located southwest of Xiangyang City. This place is backed by Mount Xian and faces the Mian River to the north, making it a Feng Shui treasure land. As the group walked out of the city, they saw stretches of golden rice fields.

The autumn wind blew, and the rice straw swayed, revealing that many old farmers were working in the fields. Seeing this, Qin Zhen couldn't help but smile at Zhuge Liang and said: "I heard this place is called Longzhong, I think the Ge family's residence is also here!" "I wonder where Tzuyu is now?" When Zhuge Liang heard this, he said to Qin Zhen: "My home is in Longshang, Wolonggang." "It's about four or five miles from here. Yesterday I wrote to you saying that you have arrived." "Most people should wait at home now." "Before you go home, you can go to Mr. Huang's house first, and then to Mr. Pang De's house, and then you can see my brother!" Hearing that he had already made arrangements, Qin Zhen nodded and smiled. He secretly thought that Kong Ming's abilities were really impeccable, whether he was in charge of government or as a secretary, he was an expert at it. After saying this, everyone headed towards Longshang. All the way into the forest, they suddenly came across a dense bamboo forest. Under the sunlight, the shadows of the bamboos are intertwined, and a thatched house can be vaguely seen standing in the distance. When he got here, Zhuge Liang's steps became much lighter, and he smiled to Qin Zhen: "Sir, that thatched cottage is where Mr. Huang lives!" Qin Zhen squinted his eyes and was secretly surprised. It was indeed a thatched house with yellow earth walls on all sides and a single room covered with thatch. He thought to himself that Huang Chengyan was such a famous scholar, yet his family was so poor! Just as he was thinking about it, he suddenly heard the sound of leaves hitting the forest, and then with a whoosh, an arrow shot out from the forest. Before Qin Zhen could react, Wei Yan, Chen Dao and others shouted: "There's an assassin, quickly escort the military advisor!" In an instant, dozens of guards came forward and surrounded Qin Zhen and Zhuge Liang. (End of this chapter)