Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

Liu Cong was staring at the reeds in the water in a daze. He had heard that his elder brother could catch a perch weighing two or three pounds using only reeds without adding bait. If that elder brother were here now, perhaps his father's advisers would be more obedient?
"Wu-Jin'er, why are you alone by the water, and no one is watching you?"

When Liu Cong was born, there was a small black mark on his chin, which disappeared after several hours. Therefore, Mrs. Cai gave him the nickname "Wu Chin'er".

As soon as he heard the name, Liu Cong knew that the person was Zhang Yun. The two of them had always been close. In today's Jingzhou, Zhang Yun was the only person besides Madam Cai who would call him by this nickname.

Liu Cong looked at the water fort on the river, his face full of worry: "My brother persuaded Liu Bei of Jiaozhou to send an envoy to Jiaozhou to discuss reinforcements. There are already many rumors about my youngest son taking the throne. If my brother really borrows soldiers to save Nanjun from the dire situation, I am afraid that the position that mother has worked so hard to obtain for me will be returned to its original owner."

"If there is really no other way, it is not a bad idea to abandon Nanjun and flee. Lu Bu just caught us off guard. Wouldn't the reinforcements from other counties be much faster than Liu Bei who is far away in Jiaozhou?"

Zhang Yun had already decided to keep Liu Qi's life in Nanjun. He had finally relied on Liu Cong to get his current position. How could he let go so easily? Moreover, Liu Qi's rise to power would inevitably bring up old scores. He was inseparable from the Cai family and would certainly not escape blame. It would be better to kill Liu Qi. Liu Biao only left these two young princes. Could those clans still nominate someone else to control Jingzhou?
"My uncle is right." Liu Cong straightened his sleeves and stood beside Zhang Yun. "But the envoy this time is Zhong Ping, I'm afraid..."

Zhang Yun didn't remember who Zhong Ping was for a moment, and after a while he smiled and said, "This man is just relying on his father's protection. Wasn't his reputation in the past only earned by his father's side? After Yanzhou, I haven't heard of him doing anything. He is not worth worrying about."

Liu Cong glanced at Zhang Yun with a strange look and said nothing more. He just felt a headache from the wind from the river. He silently called his followers and turned back to find Madam Cai.

Zhang Yun followed for a few steps, and when he saw that Liu Cong did not ask him to go with him, he began to wonder. He stopped by the river and thought for a while, then decided to find Kuai Yue to see what was different about this envoy.

Today, Kuai Yue's door is full of guests and friends. After all, the eldest son Liu Qi is leading his troops back to Jingzhou, and many clans are ready to make a move and want to inquire about some information from Kuai Yue.

"Who is here again? They said I was busy receiving the envoys and couldn't entertain guests!"

Another stack of visiting cards was brought in. Kuai Yue didn't even look at them. He just threw them on the table and waved his hand to signal the servants to go out and refuse the guests.

"My Lord, these are the envoys and the eldest son from Jiaozhou."

The servant replied cautiously and quickly cleared the clutter on the table.

"Huh? So fast?"

Kuai Yue was a little surprised. He had expected that it would take another three or four days for Liu Qi to reach Nanjun.

A group of maids filed in. Kuai Yue washed his hands, looked at himself in the mirror, and confirmed that his clothes and hair were meticulously dressed. The maids brought him perfume and jade to decorate him. The servants had clear division of labor. Some swept the fallen leaves in front of the courtyard, while others dispersed the guests from various families gathered outside. They opened the door and stood on both sides to welcome the envoys from Jiaozhou.

When Zhong Pingfu saw Kuai Yue standing in front of the door, he was a little unable to recognize him. Although it was Kuai Liang who was responsible for receiving him when he came to Jingzhou last time, he had seen Kuai Yue several times before, and his appearance was very different from what it was now.

"Mr. Yidu!"

Instead, Liu Qi took three or two steps forward and held Kuai Yue's arm with tears in his eyes, looking like a wanderer meeting his relatives in his hometown.

"Oh my! Why has the eldest son become so thin?" Kuai Yue was surprised, his face was full of pity and emotion, and tears fell in an instant, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back! With the eldest son, Jingzhou has a backbone!"

As he spoke, he glanced behind Liu Qi and saw a tall man holding a knife, guarded by several soldiers wearing white furs on their waists. He had a rough idea in his mind and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief.

"This must be the envoy from Jiaozhou, right? He is truly a young talent. There is tea in the room. Why don't you come in and have a chat?"

Liu Qi glanced at Zhong Ping and saw that Zhong Ping showed no abnormality before he followed him into the guest room. Kuai Yue secretly paid attention to the order in which the two entered the room, frowned for a moment, and soon returned to normal.

"Mr. Yidu, please call me by my courtesy name 'Boheng'. I was once an envoy from Cao Yanzhou to Jingzhou. You may not remember it, but I was once taken care of by Mr. Zirou. So I came to visit you first to repay your kindness."

Zhong Ping was very polite and asked the soldier beside him to take out a scroll of silk book and presented it with both hands: "I heard that you are good at horse appraisal books. I have a rubbing of the ancient "Horse Appraisal Classic" here. It is very old and I don't know how many errors there are in it. I would like to ask you to leave it to correct the errors and re-edit it into a book. If it is fortunate enough to be circulated, it will also spread your name."

Kuai Yue's gaze involuntarily shifted to the ancient silk book. Zhong Ping unfolded the silk book at the right time and placed it flat on the table.

"As expected of Mr. Bo Ji's disciple."

He raised his eyebrows. Knowing that the person in charge of this trip was Zhong Pinghou, Kuai Yue's focus of the conversation smoothly shifted to Liu Bei: "I wonder how much Envoy Liu wants to borrow the troops this time?"

The maid lit the incense in the lotus-shaped Boshan incense burner.

In the sunlight, the smoke curled up, slightly emitting a radiant purple color, and the fragrance was mild and sweet, as if emanating from the fruits hanging on the branches from the brocade screen of flowers and birds.

On the small table next to the screen stood a narrow-mouthed ceramic vase, in which were placed three or four crabapple branches tied with silk cloth, the stamens of the flowers being decorated with pearls.

Zhong Ping admired the silk flowers and felt that the quality of the pearls was very different from those produced in the South China Sea.

"Your Excellency is known for your benevolence. Jingzhou is a close neighbor of Jiaozhou. It is only right for us to send troops to help. Sir, you are worrying too much."

Kuai Yue laughed when he heard this and said, "Doesn't Bo Heng know about Zigong's redemption? If the envoy sends troops to rescue us this time and we in Jingzhou remain indifferent, I'm afraid it will be difficult to get help when we encounter danger again. We can't always rely on the envoy, can we?"

He waved his hand and whispered a few words, and immediately a delicate maid brought in a row of lacquer boxes. In the boxes were the silk flowers that Zhong Pingduo had just looked at. They were brightly colored, lifelike, and decorated with pearls and jade, and looked dazzling.

"I heard that Boheng likes to play with these small items. Fresh flowers wilt easily, but these silk flowers can be enjoyed all year round. They can barely add a little interest. Boheng should not refuse."

The flowers in the box are different and have a subtle fragrance.

If it were made into a hairpin, it would be very suitable...

For some reason, he suddenly thought of Cai Yan, and picked a pink and purple peony flower from among the silk flowers and put it into his sleeve.

The smile on Kuai Yue's face grew even wider. Just as he was about to speak again, he heard a voice interrupting him.

"Young Master, why didn't you go visit Madam first when you returned to Jingzhou?"

When Liu Qi heard this, he turned around and saw that the person coming was Zhang Yun.

(End of this chapter)