My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 22 Visiting Mi Zhu
At the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the climate became extremely arid with little rain, natural disasters occurred frequently, and summers were short and winters were long.

According to later accounts, this marked the beginning of a new Little Ice Age.

That afternoon, Mi Zhu and Mi Zizhong, who should have been resting at home, actually stood outside their own gate, waiting for someone in the biting cold wind, despite their high status as the Prefect of Xuzhou.

This scene, witnessed by those with a keen eye, caused quite a stir.

Mi Zhu, however, remained calm and indifferent, showing no concern whatsoever.

But hidden beneath his serene expression was a strong sense of surprise.

He was still thinking about how to get in touch with Liu Feng, but he didn't expect Liu Feng to take the initiative to come to him.

I longed to rely on the mountain, but it was too late; yet the mountain came to rely on me.

Mi Zhu had only one thought in his mind: How could such a good thing happen?

Liu Feng didn't keep Mi Zhu waiting long; soon his carriage appeared at the entrance of the street.

Liu Feng always traveled light and simply, but Liu Bei was worried about his safety, so he specially assigned twenty armored soldiers under the command of Pan Zhang to protect Liu Feng.

Soon, the group approached the Mi residence.

Mi Zhu straightened his clothes and adjusted his headdress, preparing to greet him.

Unexpectedly, the carriage suddenly stopped, and Liu Feng got off the carriage and walked quickly towards Mi Zhu.

Mi Zhu was startled and hurriedly went to greet him, but Liu Feng had already paid his respects with great ceremony.

"I have long admired your reputation, Your Excellency, and came to pay you a visit. I did not expect to disturb you and have come out to greet me. I am deeply apprehensive and apologize for this. I hope Your Excellency will forgive me."

Mi Zhu paused for a moment, then a smile crept onto his lips.

This little guy is really Fang Bo's offspring; his methods of winning people over and getting them on their nerves are almost identical.

The thought flashed through my mind, but my hands didn't stop moving.

Mi Zhu quickly stepped forward to help Liu Feng up: "Young Master, I am so ashamed. I was overjoyed to receive your invitation. It is difficult to sit still when such an honored guest arrives, so I simply came out to greet him. Why do you feel so guilty?"

Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Feng grasped Mi Zhu's hand and said with emotion, "Your Excellency is my father's right-hand man and an important official in the state. If Your Excellency does not mind, you can treat me as a junior."

Mi Zhu's eyes twitched, and he thought to himself that he couldn't take it anymore. This boy's voice was so vivid and sincere, that he might even surpass his teacher.

Despite Mi Zhu's repeated refusals, he could not resist Liu Feng's burning enthusiasm.

Realizing he could no longer perform the push-pull act outside the gate, Mi Zhu had no choice but to agree, and only then did he enter the Mi residence with Liu Feng.

Mi Zhu attached great importance to Liu Feng's visit, and specially prepared a lavish banquet and gifts, and personally checked them several times to ensure that everything was in order.

Mi Zhu led Liu Feng to the main hall, where the two sat down as host and guest, respectively.

Mi Zhu only declined briefly this time. After realizing Liu Feng's firm attitude, he stopped hesitating and directly took the main seat.

"Your presence is an honor to my humble abode, and I am deeply grateful."

Liu Feng replied politely, "Your Excellency is too modest. I had heard of your great name when I was far away in Zhuo County. The Mi family of Haidong travels the world as merchants and boasts of their wealth in Xuzhou."

Mi Zhu understood somewhat; it turned out they wanted money.

It's no wonder that Mi Zhu had such a misunderstanding; his family was simply too wealthy.

The Mi family has been in business for generations, with roots in Xuzhou. Since his great-grandfather's generation, they have been the wealthiest family in Xuzhou.

The Mi family simply kept a low profile, disliked standing out, and was generous to their hometown, cultivating relationships with local gentry and powerful families in Xuzhou. This is how they were able to survive for generations.

This demonstrates the Mi family's considerable skill and ability. One of their strongest tactics was the principle of sharing wealth with friends.

To take a recent example, from the time Tao Qian took office as the governor of Xuzhou, he continuously embezzled from the Mi family.

When Tao Qian first arrived in Xuzhou, the expenses for supporting the Danyang troops, using Chen Deng to cultivate land, and winning over local warlords such as Zang Ba and Que Xuan were partially, or even mostly, reimbursed by Mi Zhu.

Putting aside other things, just for the land reclamation project alone, Mi Zhu lent Tao Qian 10,000 shi of grain, as well as seeds, farming tools, clothing and other resources.

In addition, as the eldest son of a leading family of gentry in Xuzhou, Chen Deng also had the gentry and powerful families contribute their share.

Without these things, Tao Qian, an outsider governor, could have succeeded simply by shouting "I want to establish military farms" without a penny to his name.

Mi Zhu naturally assumed that Liu Feng was also there to freeload.

He was not offended at all; on the contrary, he was very happy because he had long intended to invest in Liu Feng.

After thinking for a moment, Mi Zhu said to Liu Feng with a serious expression, "My family has been merchants in Xuzhou for generations. With the support of the people in our hometown and the assistance of the prefecture and county, we have finally achieved success. My grandfather and father have repeatedly admonished me to be kind to others, to be tolerant for the sake of the country, not to bully the weak, and not to be arrogant, extravagant, or licentious."

I am of average talent, and it is already a blessing from heaven that I have been able to preserve my family business. I dare not ask for more.

In the past, when Cao Cao invaded Xuzhou, the war raged on and the people of dozens of cities suffered terribly. Fortunately, you, my lord, were not afraid of the strong and violent, and rushed to the aid of Xuzhou, and finally repelled Cao Cao's forces. This is a great favor you have done for Xuzhou.

I am deeply grateful to Your Excellency for not disdaining my talent and dullness, and for appointing me as your assistant. I have long harbored the desire to repay Your Excellency, but I regret that I have not been able to use your talents.

"If you have any instructions for me today, please speak freely. I will not hesitate to do so!"

Mi Zhu's words boiled down to one thing: name your price, Brother Feng. Whatever you want, I'll give you, no discounts whatsoever.

Mi Zhu's intentions were very sincere. He was so optimistic about Liu Bei and Liu Feng that he was naturally not afraid to invest more. Moreover, the greater the investment, the greater the return.

Moreover, Liu Bei was in a low period at this time, but after taking control of Xuzhou, he would definitely usher in a period of rise.

As a wealthy merchant, how could Mi Zhu not understand the principle of buying low and selling high?

In addition, Mi Zhu was also testing Liu Feng. Although he analyzed from the intelligence he had gathered that Liu Feng was exceptionally capable, seeing is believing.

Mi Zhu naturally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to test Liu Feng to see if he was as outstanding as he had guessed.

If so, then Mi Zhu will naturally go all out and increase investment.

If not, then the gift given today can be considered a gift given out of respect for Liu Bei, an additional investment in Liu Bei himself, and the Mi family will not lose out.

From the inside out, the Mi family is guaranteed to win.

Liu Feng was stunned for a moment; he was taken aback by Mi Zhu's imposing manner.

I was clearly planning to cooperate, but why did the other party act like a spoiled rich kid who just casually asked for things?

After a moment's thought, Liu Feng began to understand.

It seems that the Mi family, represented by Mi Zhu, truly believes in their father and is considering increasing their stake.

Realizing this, Liu Feng decisively decided to change his tactics in order to maximize his profits.

"You are too modest, Lord Mi."

Liu Feng launched a barrage of flattery: "Lord Mi has shown benevolence and righteousness to his fellow villagers and forged bonds of kindness and loyalty with the prefectures and counties. His virtuous reputation has spread far and wide."

"Tao Gong's military farming in Xuzhou was a great success, and Chen Gongcao deserves the most credit for it. However, without your generous donations, providing a large amount of food, seeds, farm tools, clothing, and even oxen, Chen Gongcao, no matter how talented, would not have been able to accomplish this."

Mi Zhu clicked his tongue, guessing the reason why Liu Feng had come to visit this time.

(End of this chapter)