Your Majesty, please spare Diao Chan; your yang energy is too strong.

If she wasn't Mi Zhen, the third sister of the two Mi brothers, then who was she?

She was Liu Bei's later wife.

However, now that Liu Bei already has Lady Gan, the two Mi brothers are unwilling to let their younger sister become a concubine.

So I just kept this matter buried in my heart.

Now she's just a carefree little girl.

"Oh, it's you, little sister. I was just saying that a merchant gave you a box of gifts, which I hid under the eaves. Now that you're here, you can take it with you."

Mi Zhu spoke with perfect tact and precision.

"Ah, a merchant gave me a gift? I've never met him before, why would he give me a gift?" Mi Zhen blushed.

In this era, the meaning behind a boy giving a girl a gift is quite extraordinary.

Even though the Mi family was a wealthy merchant family with countless merchants coming and going every year.

Yet no one has ever been so presumptuous.

Could it be that they have come to propose marriage?

Otherwise, why would you give me a gift?

But I have never met this person before.

I don't know this person's name, age, marital status, or appearance.

As she thought about it, Mi Zhen's face grew increasingly red.

"Uh..." The two brothers were completely dumbfounded when they saw their little sister's expression. They knew perfectly well that their little sister had already misunderstood.

"Ahem, little sister, it was my brother who spoke without thinking. This person didn't come alone to deliver a gift to you; he had something to ask of you, so he brought one along as well." Mi Fang quickly explained, seeing that the situation was not good.

"Oh..." Mi Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, but for some reason a trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes.

Mi Zhen is still just a little girl, and it's understandable that she's a little flustered when she suddenly hears that someone is giving her a gift.

After all, things were very different in ancient times compared to modern times.

Boys can freely give gifts to girls.

There's only one reason why a boy might give a girl a gift: it's a token of love or a way of proposing marriage.

Naturally, I felt a mix of anticipation and shyness.

"Alright, little sister, now that you know about this, you can take the gift with you. Your second brother and I have some things to discuss."

Mi Zhu was afraid that his younger sister would overthink things, so he did not want to talk about it further.

"Then I won't bother you any longer."

Mi Zhen gave a slight bow and withdrew.

A servant took the box of gifts that Zhou Heng had sent to Mi Zhen's room.

After Mi Zhen left, a ruthless glint flashed in Mi Fang's eyes.

“Brother, since this man is an enemy and not a friend, and he has come here to buy a large amount of grain and weapons, I’m afraid his intentions are not small. Now that we have pledged allegiance to our lord, and Xuzhou is in turmoil, we must prepare for the future. Why not go all the way and bury some axemen under the corridor? When he comes to make the deal, we can capture him and find out what he is up to by asking him.”

“This is not appropriate. This person’s identity is unknown, and he may not be the one I know. Moreover, he is here to make a transaction. If we act like this, who will dare to come to our Mi family in the future? Since this person is coming to make a transaction tomorrow, let me go and investigate first. If he is really planning something bad, it will not be too late to take him down.”

Mi Zhu thought for a moment and said.

You should know that the Mi family is the richest family in Xuzhou, and one of the wealthiest families in the world.

He had to consider not only Liu Bei, but also himself.

If the other party is captured suddenly without any reason, it will cause a huge blow to the reputation of one's family.

When that time comes, I ask the wealthy merchants of the world, who would dare to come to their home?

This is not what he wants to see.

"Alright."

Mi Fang nodded.

...........

On the other side, Mi Zhen had just returned to her room when servants brought in a box.

"A whole box of gold and silver jewelry, that's quite a generous gesture."

The moment the box was opened, Mi Zhen couldn't help but be secretly surprised.

Although the Mi family was the wealthiest family.

But to receive such an extravagant gift on their first meeting, especially since it was a woman's dress, was quite startling.

After all, this box of gold and silver jewelry is worth at least 100,000 coins.

Even if it's just for food, it can yield several thousand bushels.

This was the first time she had ever received such a generous gift.

Then, remembering her earlier wild thoughts, she blushed again.

"Hey, what is this?"

But just as she was lost in thought, she suddenly noticed that there seemed to be a letter under the gold and silver jewelry.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of curiosity.

She gently raised her hand and slowly picked up the letter.

[To Miss Mi Zhen.]

"Written for me? So, this person didn't come specifically to see my elder brother, but specifically to see me? Just using my two brothers as a cover... could it really be..."

Mi Zhen's heart pounded like a deer's.

With a heart full of trepidation, I slowly opened the letter.

Delicate clouds weave patterns, shooting stars convey sorrow, the Milky Way stretches vast and silent. A single meeting in the golden autumn breeze and jade dew surpasses countless encounters in the mortal world. Tender feelings flow like water, the auspicious day is like a dream, how can one bear to look back on the road to the Magpie Bridge? If two hearts are truly bound for eternity, why should they be together every day and night?

The story begins with a love poem that has been famous throughout the ages.

"This word is so straightforward, 'Climbing the Map, a Prodigal Son.'" Mi Zhen's heart pounded like a drum, and her face turned extremely red.

But for some reason, I felt a faint sense of anticipation.

"This person is so reckless; I'm afraid he's not a good man. I'm going to burn this letter..."

Although he said it was burning, his eyes involuntarily looked down.

[Miss Mi Zhen, please forgive Zhou Heng's disrespect. You may not know, but several months ago, a single meeting left me haunted by longing, unable to sleep at night, often waking in the middle of the night to find you in my dreams. A month ago, I learned of your identity and was overjoyed, intending to immediately propose marriage. However, I heard that your two brothers intended to marry you to Liu Bei, which saddened me greatly. Although Liu Bei is known for his benevolence, he is over thirty and already married; marrying him would only make him a concubine, not a good man. My heart is breaking. After much agonizing thought, I cannot bear to see you suffer. Therefore, today, under the guise of a transaction, I have come to see you again, hoping to fulfill my longing and to see you once more, my fairy maiden. Then I will have no regrets in this life…]

It was a lengthy piece of writing, several hundred words long, with an additional sentence added at the end.

[If I cannot marry you in this life, I am no hero. Even if you were the renowned Liu Bei, I would still fight you for my life.]

Signed: [Zhou Heng, Zhou Zixiu]

Although Zhou Heng had seen Mi Zhen before, she was indeed astonishingly beautiful.

But without even a fleeting glimpse, I couldn't sleep at night.

They hadn't met each other even months before; it was only when Zhou Heng was serving as Liu Bei's chief clerk that he met Mi Fang by chance.

After all, just a few months ago, he was still with Cao Cao.

There's no time for me to come to Xuzhou to see Mi Zhen.

However, since he had decided to start a business, the powerful Mi family was naturally his first target to win over.

Otherwise, relying solely on digging up graves and tombs, even if one digs until death, it would be difficult to gather a large force.