Wei and Jin did not submit to Zhou

Chapter 78 Human Hearts Are Like Flowing Water (Part 2)
Inside a grand mansion in Fenggao County, Taishan Prefecture, a lavish banquet was held as scheduled, its extravagance almost blinding Li Wan.

Although she wore a ruqun made of Shu brocade, which, combined with her handsome and beautiful face, made her resemble a blooming white magnolia at the banquet, she attracted attention from all sides.

But no one came up to greet her; the women of official families almost all treated her as if she were invisible.

The gatherings of the women seemed even more snobbish than ordinary banquets for officials. One could tell from the fact that Yang Huiyu was surrounded by all sorts of young ladies and wives.

An air of sycophancy and opportunism is palpable.

As for the host, Yang Huiyu, he managed to arrange the banquet in an orderly manner and chatted and laughed with the women coming and going in front of him with ease.

There's an indescribable air of authority and self-confidence.

The banquet was set up in the courtyard, with dozens of tables, almost like a continuous banquet. There were dozens of kinds of dishes, each served in many small dishes, so you could eat and play at the same time.

The dishes were delicious and visually appealing, but Li Wan couldn't name many of them.

If it's just a banquet, it's not anything special.

The key point is that Yang Huiyu actually organized the women to play a game of "floating wine cups on a winding stream" and "guessing riddles to win treasures" in the stream in the courtyard.

Women who are not from official families simply cannot appreciate the elegance involved, and they don't even know how to enjoy it!
Li Wan had only heard of him before; this was the first time she had ever met him.

"How is your cousin feeling?"

Seeing Li Wan lost in thought, Yang Huiyu stepped forward and asked her what was wrong. Not far away, the plump Madam Liang was wolfing down her food. She was the only one eating so voraciously, making her seem utterly out of place.

This person seemed to be naturally different from the women around him, somewhat like... someone who had never seen the world.

Yang Huiyu glanced at Madam Liang, sighed, and said to Li Wan, "You and Shi Langjun look like a married couple, and Madam Liang also looks like Prefect Liang."

The sarcasm in her words was palpable, and Li Wan glanced at Madam Liang, almost bursting out laughing.

From these words, we can tell that Prefect Liang of Taishan County is probably a bloated and conceited man.

At least that's how it's been since he took office.

Yang Huiyu has a sharp eye and keen observation skills. Her views on outsiders are also incisive and merciless.

The only difference is whether she will say it to his face.

Just then, the somewhat "plump" Mrs. Liang seemed to choke on a date. Her entire face suddenly turned bluish-purple, her eyes widened, and she clutched her throat, desperately trying to breathe, but she couldn't inhale or exhale.

Xu Ying rushed to Yang Huiyu's side and reported in a panic, "Madam Yu, Madam Liang's throat is blocked when she eats, and she can't breathe. Should we ask the physician to come and take a look?"

Hearing this, Yang Huiyu was also a little flustered. She had never encountered such a situation before. In the places she had been before, no one had ever overeaten and been unable to breathe.

Why did such a weirdo suddenly appear today?

"Lady Yu, we must save the person now! By the time the physician arrives, the person will be dead!"

Li Wan mentioned it to Yang Huiyu, then stepped forward and stood behind Madam Liang, spreading the woman's thick legs to form a triangle. Li Wan then wrapped her arms around Madam Liang from behind, placing her hands on the plump woman's abdomen.

She clenched her fists, palms facing inward and upward, and pressed hard on Madam Liang's abdomen.

This woman is really fat; Li Wan's arms aren't long enough, and she almost couldn't reach her.

Soon, with Li Wan's "squeezing," Madam Liang coughed violently, and a date pit flew out like a stone shot from a slingshot, falling to the ground.

Madam Liang coughed desperately, vomiting as she coughed, and it took a long time for her complexion to return to normal.

Yang Huiyu and Xu Ying, who had been holding their breath in tension, finally breathed a sigh of relief. If Prefect Liang's wife had died at the banquet, the matter would have been truly difficult to explain.

Even though the Taishan clan was like a local tyrant in Taishan County, they still had to give an explanation to Prefect Liang.

However, the prefect's wife had made a complete fool of herself at such an important banquet today, and naturally had no face to stay there any longer. After recovering, she stepped forward to thank Li Wan, exchanged a few polite words with Yang Huiyu, and then hurriedly left the residence under the escort of her servants.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they slunk away in disgrace.

As soon as she left, Li Wan immediately became the focus of the entire banquet, with people coming up to greet her in droves.

Yang Huiyu glanced thoughtfully at Li Wan, who was busy socializing with others, and seemed to understand why Shi Shouxin was so infatuated with this young woman.

"I must say, Sima Yan was indeed quite discerning; no wonder he couldn't forget him."

Yang Huiyu put her hands behind her back and looked at Li Wan, talking to herself.

……

When Shi Shouxin entered the commander's tent, Zhong Hui was reading a book. Seeing him enter, Zhong Hui handed him the bamboo slips in his hand and said, "This article is quite interesting; why don't you take a look?"

The fact that Zhong Hui actually wanted to discuss "literature" with Shi Shouxin shows that he now clearly thinks more highly of Shi Shouxin, and his attitude is no longer as arrogant as before.

Of course, the latter was completely oblivious to Zhong Hui's ulterior motives. A man destined to die is not worth befriending or advising.

"Qiao Zhou's 'On Hatred of the State'?"

Shi Shouxin picked up the bamboo slips and discovered that they were actually famous works.

However, he had read this article a long time ago. After all, Qiao Zhou had written it several years ago, and it was widely circulated. Moreover, he had read it in his previous life as well.

This article presents a clear viewpoint, and people's opinions on it are polarized and clearly divided.

"It seems you've read it before, right? What did you think of it?"

Zhong Hui laughed, looking very casual.

"I have indeed read it. The people of Shu have lost all support. As long as the Wei army enters Shu, Liu Shan will surely surrender."

Shi Shouxin said with absolute certainty.

Zhong Hui immediately looked curious. He pointed to the cushion in front of him and said, "Sit down and talk. I'd really like to hear your profound insights."

"Since the establishment of the Shu Kingdom, it did not recognize the Wei Kingdom as the legitimate successor, so it was imperative to launch a northern expedition, which could not be delayed for even a moment."

Qiao Zhou openly stated that the Northern Expedition would be a drain on manpower and resources, yet he was not punished. This clearly shows that many people shared his sentiments but were simply unwilling to be the first to speak out.

Even if Liu Shan killed one Qiao Zhou, there would be many more Qiao Zhous; he could never kill them all.

This shows that the Shu Kingdom was exhausted, and the people's discontent was boiling over, making it unable to fight any longer.

The people's hearts are like water, and the ruler is like a boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

It now seems that the ship of Shu is about to capsize.

Shi Shouxin said with a solemn expression, without a trace of joking.

Zhong Hui nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. But in his heart, he still agreed with the saying, "Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it."

It seems I misjudged him before; this Shi Shouxin is not to be underestimated!
Zhong Hui thought to himself, "By the way, what did Shao Ti just say to you?"

Zhong Hui suddenly asked a question, changing the topic very abruptly, almost catching people off guard.

"Reporting to the Grand Commander, Shao Ti frankly stated that the Grand Commander intends to rebel. He instructed me to keep an eye on things and to inform the General immediately if anything happens."

Shi Shouxin answered in a low voice with a humble and cautious expression.

Zhong Hui showed no surprise and simply nodded without saying anything.

In fact, Shao Ti was Sima Zhao's confidant and had served in the General's Mansion for many years. It was obvious why he was here.

Just then, Zhong Hui clapped his hands twice, and two burly bodyguards walked in through the back door of the military tent.

"Search them thoroughly, but don't be rough."

Zhong Hui calmly gave the order, turning his back on the matter without any prior warning.

The two fierce-looking guards stepped forward and immediately searched Shi Shouxin's body, placing everything they found on Zhong Hui's table for the Grand Commander to observe.

There weren't many things on the table, and they were all inconspicuous little objects. However, there was a stack of papers with something interesting drawn on them, which looked like a sketch of some object.

Although it is unknown what the sketch is for, it is far from what Zhong Hui expected.

In short, all these things on the table were "boring stuff" and not what Zhong Hui was looking for at all.

"Did you search thoroughly?"

Zhong Hui asked in a deep voice, and the two guards bowed and saluted in unison, immediately breaking out in a cold sweat.

Zhong Hui waved his hand, signaling the two men to leave the military tent.

"Sima Zhao wields immense power, and in accordance with Empress Dowager Guo's dying wish, I, Zhong, am now undertaking a matter that could cost me my head."

You can understand this caution, right?

Zhong Hui looked at Shi Shouxin and asked.

"I am fine, but I have already searched myself. That should prove my innocence, right?"

Shi Shouxin, neither humble nor arrogant, countered with a question.

"Of course, I was just doing it as a precaution, please don't mind."

Zhong Hui nodded, seemingly taking everything for granted. In his view, Shi Shouxin sympathized with the Cao family, and since he had presented Empress Dowager Guo's dying wish, the other party should obey unconditionally.

Shi Shouxin felt that the outrageous female-oriented online novels of later generations were not unfounded, and there were people who thought this way, such as Zhong Hui in front of him.

"Now it all depends on whether Deng Ai can break through Jiangyou Pass. If he cannot enter Shu, my more than 100,000 troops will have to return to Hanzhong to make further plans. If the army returns to Hanzhong and acts hastily, the consequences may be unpredictable."

Zhong Hui sighed, his expression quite subtle.

"If the army returns empty-handed, how should Empress Dowager Guo's dying wish be carried out?"

Shi Shouxin asked in confusion, determined to understand Zhong Hui's intentions.

"What else can we do but raise the banner of righteousness in Hanzhong and call upon righteous men from all over the land to serve the emperor? These 100,000-plus soldiers are not made of clay!"

Zhong Hui said seriously, looking very confident.

He was confident one moment and timid the next, making it hard to understand what he was thinking.

Shi Shouxin didn't think much of Zhong Hui's neuroticism, but on the surface he was very respectful in his greetings.

It was clear that Zhong Hui was actually a little panicked, but he usually kept his emotions hidden very well. Zhong Hui was now uncertain whether Sima Zhao would turn against him if the Wei army failed to enter Shu and returned to Chang'an.

After all, everything is being done in secret right now.

Sima Zhao neither explicitly stated his intentions towards Zhong Hui, nor did Zhong Hui openly raise the banner of rebellion. Both were still in the stage of scheming against each other, far from the point of revealing their true intentions.

Zhong Hui knew that Sima Zhao wanted to kill him, and Sima Zhao also knew that Zhong Hui knew. Both sides kept their intentions to themselves, but on the surface, they maintained a harmonious relationship as ruler and subject.

"Du Yu's troops will be under your command. Adding Liu Qin's troops, who were originally under your control, there should be two or three thousand men in total."

"Once we enter Shu, you will obey my orders. This concerns Empress Dowager Guo's dying wish; there can be no mishap."

Zhong Hui patted Shi Shouxin on the shoulder and said with a serious expression.

"Understood. These troops are going to do something important after entering Shu."

"Please rest assured, Grand Commander, I, Shi, will obey your orders and will not act rashly."

Shi Shouxin nodded and solemnly pledged his loyalty.

Zhong Hui was very satisfied with his tact and quick thinking. Perhaps because his early life had been too smooth and he had not experienced any major setbacks, he lacked empathy for those struggling in the lower classes, or perhaps he didn't know how those people lived their lives and didn't care what they thought.

"If we are caught off guard by their intentions, our chances of winning are very high. The people you control are the key to victory or defeat."

As Zhong Hui spoke, he handed Shi Shouxin a military order, which read: "Because Du Yu has returned to Luoyang to recuperate, Shi, the military supervisor (acting as commander), is hereby appointed to temporarily lead the army and, together with Liu Qin's troops, be placed under his command and stationed together."

Then he wrote another order, instructing Shi Shouxin to guard Baishui Pass and not allow any troops to pass through. No matter who was passing through, even if it was Sima Zhao coming, Shi Shouxin had to send someone to report immediately and not allow them to pass directly.

This appointment is incredibly important!

Baishui Pass is strategically located, bordering Yang'an Pass to the east, Yinping to the north, and Hanshou to the west.

If this place is blocked, the Wei troops from Hanzhong and Longyou will not be able to get through.

"Listen carefully, these men under your command are only temporarily under your orders, so don't be soft-hearted."

When necessary, the army must be controlled with swift and decisive action; there is no need to hesitate to kill.

Zhong Hui coldly gave instructions to Shi Shouxin.

The troops currently under Shi Shouxin's control include those under Du Yu's command and those from Weixing County, namely Liu Qin's group.

These two or three thousand men were divided into two groups, which were not under each other's command and were unfamiliar with each other.

Zhong Hui was not worried at all about Shi Shouxin betraying him, because Shi Shouxin's prestige alone was far from enough to betray the Grand Commander.

The enemy is already struggling to control two armies, so how could they possibly have time to cause trouble?

"Please rest assured, Grand Commander, I will set off immediately."

Shi Shouxin bowed to Zhong Hui and then left with the letter of appointment.

(End of this chapter)