“Hold this, don’t get cold.”

The wife handed the hot water pot to her son as the father and son talked.

“Thank you, mother.”

The lady smiled kindly. The atmosphere around the family was a harmonious one.

The young man touched the hot water pot and felt it coax some warmth into his ice-cold hands. He remembered something, and said with a smile, “It’s lucky that Liu Xi provided sufficient bamboo paper, otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to bring my babies with me. I would have had no choice but to leave them… ”

The middle-aged man said, “Even if I left you, as a father, I would not leave what has been my baby for the latter half of my life.”

The young man had no response to that.

Indeed, only his father would ever talk like this!

The young man thought of the grievances that he had suffered recently and felt depressed.

“Father, what kind of person is Liu Xi?” The young man grasped the hot water pot in one hand and propped his chin on his other hand as he expressed his doubts. “Liu Xi is just a county magistrate, but now that he has captured the entirety of Wanzhou, one can see at a glance how ambitious he is. What’s the difference between him and Huang Song’s ilk? Great uncle is helping Huang Song. Will Liu Xi be more reliable than Huang Song? He came to Xiangyang County from so far away. It’s freezing there too…”

The middle-aged man raised his brows before scrunching them in a frown.

“How are they the same?”

When the young man heard this, he tensed up subconsciously, fearing that he would be reprimanded by his father.

The middle-aged man was taciturn to outsiders, but he was never stingy with words when talking to family.

“You are only looking at Liu Xi as an individual, you forget that he has another identity, the son of Liu She. Liu Xi only has Wanzhou, but Liu She has Chongzhou and Hu County. How can we underestimate this father and son?” The middle-aged man looked down and stroked his beard. He said, “Indeed, Huang Song is not bad. But I don’t like his temperament. Furthermore, Liu Xi has saved my life. Whether it’s from an emotional point of view or a logical point of view, he is the right choice. Who else should I choose if not him?”

The middle-aged man was Cheng Cheng. In a particular year gone by, he had been rushing to the capital with his wife when they were pursued by strange enemies on the road. Both husband and wife were nearly killed.

By coincidence, Jiang Pengji had been nearby and rescued the couple in passing. Hence, good karma was born between the two families.

Cheng Cheng was bringing his wife and children to Xiangyang County to seek shelter with Jiang Pengji. This was an action born from helplessness.

He’d originally been the magistrate of Sui’an County under Fufeng County in Haozhou, but he was never promoted because he loathed the politics of bureaucracy.

He had encountered an upsetting and troublesome matter not long ago.

Cheng Cheng had an uncle who was younger than him. Cheng Jing, whose courtesy name was “Youmo,” was the great uncle the youth had mentioned.

Cheng Jing was loyal to Huang Song. Huang Song had tried to use Sui’an County as a springboard to get his finger into the pie that was Fufeng County.

He was not concerned if this was the case. As long as he didn’t hurt the people under his administration, he could resign, retire, and surrender Sui’an County.

After all, in the current situation, he couldn’t protect and keep the territory as a mere county magistrate.

But after sounding out the matter a few times, Cheng Cheng had found that it was impossible to resign and leave.

He would be forced to join the group when Huang Song captured Fufeng County.

How could he be okay with that!

When Cheng Cheng had received a secret letter from his uncle, Cheng Jing, he had considered it carefully for a long time. Then, he’d decisively packed up the family’s belongings and prepared to run away with his entire family.

To save Cheng Jing’s face, Cheng Cheng had handed Sui’an County to Huang Song, hoping that he would treat the people kindly.

Cheng Cheng didn’t consider returning to the rest of the Cheng family in Langya because Langya County was a must-have place in the eyes of military strategists, who would certainly fight over it. Now that the world was in chaos, that place was even more unsafe. No matter how much he thought about it, Cheng Cheng had his eyes locked on the biggest power in the north – the Liu family – and immediately gave the final verdict to seek shelter with Liu Xi.

Firstly, he and Liu Xi were friends who had kept up a correspondence with each other for several years. It was a friendship between gentlemen. He trusted the Liu family.

Secondly, Dongqing was disintegrating from the inside with all the big and small forces rising within it. The Liu family stayed low-key had the strongest overall strength. Seeking shelter with the Liu family gave him a sense of security.

Thirdly, Liu Xi had done them the favor by saving the lives of both husband and wife. Following the principle of “benefits should not be left to outsiders,” the Liu family was of course, given priority.

And if one was to ask him why didn’t he seek shelter with Liu She?

Liu She and Liu Xi were father and son, it was the same no matter who they went to. So of course, they chose the nearest one.

The young man listened to Cheng Cheng’s words and muttered, “I think that anyone who is viewed favorably by great uncle will not be inferior in any way.”

Cheng Cheng’s brows scrunched together in a frown when he thought about Cheng Jing.

Frankly speaking, he was still rather disgruntled by Huang Song’s background as a court eunuch. He really couldn’t figure out why Cheng Jing had chosen such a lord for himself.

It was not long before they drew close to Xiangyang County.

Cheng Cheng’s fleet consisted of a dozen carriages. They were lined up in a formidable manner, looking grandiose.

Without any concern for their welfare, they were stopped by the guards at the gate who requested to check their things.

Cheng Cheng was very cooperative and led his wife and children to alight from the carriage.

The guard opened the curtains of the carriage for inspection and he was aghast. The carriage contained bamboo slips and bamboo paper bound books that filled the interior to the brim… It was no wonder that the horses pulled the carriage with such strenuous steps. The carriage was extremely heavy!

The guards were not inexperienced people who could not read the situation. Those who could afford to be educated came from a background that was mostly well off.

With such a huge collection of books, this family must belong to the higher class of landowning families.

Cheng Cheng reported his family clan. When the guards heard it, they did not dare to slight them in the least and quickly sent someone to notify the highest person in the government office.

“He claims to be from the Cheng family of Langya and that his name is Cheng Cheng.”

Xu Ke had been busy working overnight. His eyes were swollen and bruised. He very much looked as if he had worn himself out indulging in a night of debauchery.

He wanted to make up for the previous night by taking a nap before waking up to fight again, but the messenger told him that Cheng Cheng had arrived.

Qiguan Rang was astonished. “Who is this person?”

He had never heard of him.

Xu Ke knew Cheng Cheng. Although he hadn’t had many interactions with Cheng Cheng, he greatly admired Cheng Cheng’s unflinching righteousness. Xu Ke had a quiet respect for him. “Although he has little fame, he is a respectable scholar. Our lord will be very happy to know that he is here.”

Hearing Xu Ke’s words, Qiguan Rang became interested. He wanted to see this literati who had the high praise of Xu Ke.

Xu Ke said, “It’s just… I don’t know what Master Cheng’s purpose is in being here. Why has he come to Xiangyang County at this time?”

When he saw Cheng Cheng’s fleet and his babies, his expression almost cracked.

This gentleman had character. He liked to carry his treasured books with him whenever he went out. He never forgot to bring them with him no matter where he went.

Qiguan Rang’s eyes brightened instantly. It was as if he was seeing countless fairies descending from the heavens.

For scholars who were eager to learn, what could be more attractive than tens of thousands of books?

Jiang Pengji was not in Xiangyang County, so the task of receiving Cheng Cheng fell to Xu Ke.

He first needed to understand Cheng Cheng’s purpose.

Cheng Cheng didn’t try to hide anything. He confessed his situation, causing Xu Ke and Qiguan Rang to feel flattered beyond expectation.

What a sudden and unexpected windfall!

Leaving aside Cheng Cheng’s capabilities, the tens of thousands of books that he’d brought with him were an endless treasure.

Since Jiang Pengji was not here, Xu Ke and Qiguan Rang held a discussion. They arranged for Cheng Cheng’s family to stay in the best house in the district.

These two were not stupid. The talents who came to their domain were their people. Was there anyone who would not take good care of such a resource?

Stupid? It was Huang Song who had been unexpectedly shot in the knee.

Cheng Cheng kindly accepted the offer. At ease now, he brought his wife and children to stay at the house. Xu Ke turned around and sent an urgent letter to Jiang Pengji.

Cheng Cheng was not an employee who could be squeezed, but he could help Jiang Pengji to cultivate employees who could be squeezed!

Thinking about how busy this period had been, Xu Ke wanted his lord to grow wings and fly back to them right now.

He believed that with his lord’s formidable personality, he could get Cheng Cheng to willingly help their cause.