The Three Kingdoms: Home Travel

Xiu'er, who had just become Mrs. Jiang, had just lost her virginity, so walking was naturally a bit inconvenient. At this time, Jiang Zhe simply regarded Xiu'er as his most precious treasure. He was afraid that she would freeze if he held her in his palm or melt if he held her in his arms. Even when he went out, he would hold Xiu'er's hand tightly.

Xiuer had no choice but to find a loose-fitting garment for herself and Jiang Zhe to wear, so that their holding hands wouldn't be so conspicuous.

Originally, Xiu'er thought that a scholar like her husband probably wouldn't go out more than a few times a year, but... she underestimated Jiang Zhe's level of "staying at home".

As they approached the market, Jiang Zhe suddenly looked as if he had seen something extraordinary, appearing adorably silly.

The row of vendors was naturally much more orderly than in later generations. However, Jiang Zhe looked at the items for sale with a straw stuck in them and asked Xiu'er quietly what it meant.

Xiuer blinked and looked at her husband for a long time, then covered her mouth and laughed, "This is the 'mark,' otherwise how would others know what you're selling?"

So that's how it is! This straw was a "mark"! Suddenly, Jiang Zhe understood the meaning of the idiom: "to mark someone's head and sell their head."

Seeing Jiang Zhe's sudden realization, Xiu'er chuckled and shook her head, tugging at Jiang Zhe's sleeve with her right hand (her left hand was being held by Jiang Zhe), "Husband, let's go take a look over there..."

"Great!" Jiang Zhe looked at the vendors who didn't shout out their wares and found it very novel. How could a business be good if you didn't shout out your wares?

In the end, Jiang Zhe and Xiu'er still bought a whole basket of groceries. Who would carry it? Jiang Zhe probably wouldn't have the heart to let Xiu'er carry the things.

"Huh?" Xiuer exclaimed softly.

Jiang Zhe turned his head and saw that girl. He immediately looked helpless. What was this girl doing here?

"Sister Xiuer..." Mi Zhen skipped over and greeted Xiuer, then glared at Jiang Zhe resentfully.

Xiuer found it amusing and replied with a smile, "What brings you here, sister?"

"Me?" Mi Zhen blinked and said, "Because of what happened last time, my older brother wanted to confine me, so I secretly ran away..."

"What if your older brother finds out that your sister isn't..." Xiu'er said with some worry.

"That's right, that's right!" Jiang Zhe chimed in. "Girl, you'd better hurry home so your older brother won't worry. Hurry up, hurry up..."

"Hmph!" Mi Zhen glared at Jiang Zhe with a tense face. "I finally got out, I don't want to go back!"

Xiuer gently tugged at Jiang Zhe and said with a smile to Mi Zhen, "Since that's the case, why don't you come to my house for a while, sister? Husband, please go to the Mi family and give them a message for Zhen'er... so that her family won't worry..."

"What…" Jiang Zhe pointed. This girl actually wants me to go and let her know she's safe after she comes out? No way, absolutely not…

"Okay, okay!" Jiang Zhe finally gave in to Xiu'er's pleading gaze. "I'll go in a bit!" He glared at Mi Zhen resentfully, but Mi Zhen ignored him completely and kept chatting with Xiu'er.

"That wretched girl!" Half an hour later, Jiang Zhe muttered to himself as he walked toward the Mi family.

"Take care, teacher..."

"Huh?" Jiang Zhe turned around in surprise and saw Chen Deng running towards him, panting.

"Yuanlong, when did you become so impatient?"

"Teacher... this is great news! Incredibly good news!" Chen Deng exclaimed anxiously. "Yesterday, my father received news that Zhang Jiao... Zhang Jiao seems to be dead!"

"Dead...dead?" Jiang Zhe was immediately shocked. How could he have died so quickly? In history...

"How did he die?"

"Uh..." Chen Deng said with a strange expression, "It seems he went against the will of Heaven and died from the lightning tribulation..."

"Wait... Could such a great man as Zhang Jiao have been struck by lightning and died? Or perhaps he was sheltering from the rain under a big tree?" Jiang Zhe frowned, deep in thought.

"Teacher?" Chen Deng looked at Jiang Zhe strangely, thinking that this should be good news, so why did the teacher look so thoughtful? Could there be something wrong?

"Huh?" Jiang Zhe glanced at Chen Deng and said, puzzled, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"..." Chen Deng was speechless, and said with a wry smile, "When I brought you the good news, you didn't seem pleased at all. Instead, you looked deep in thought. Could it be that something is wrong...?"

I'm just guessing whether Zhang Jiao was struck by lightning and killed while trying to take shelter from the rain...

"Ahem!" Jiang Zhe coughed, blurting out, "Of course, that would be extremely inappropriate!" He recalled history for a moment, then looked at Chen Deng and said, "If Zhang Jiao dies... it would be fine if the morale of his troops were greatly reduced, but what if a capable person under him took advantage of their distress to directly attack Luoyang?"

"If Luoyang falls... the world will be in turmoil!" Chen Deng continued in a deep voice.

"That's it!" Jiang Zhe clapped his hands and said, "The Yellow Turbans are only capable of fighting Yu. Their success or failure depends entirely on whether they can take Luoyang. If they lose, there will be no place for them to hide, no matter how vast the world is!"

"Teacher's few words are indeed profound... Excellent!" Chen Deng nodded in agreement, but he glanced at his teacher with some curiosity and wondered why his teacher didn't even look at the Yellow Turbans and didn't refer to them as thieves. Suddenly, he remembered Jiang Zhe's words and sighed inwardly, "The Yellow Turbans are all suffering people."

"In your opinion, what is the current situation of the Han Dynasty?" Chen Deng asked cautiously, voicing the question his father had asked him to inquire about Jiang Zhe.

"Although the Yellow Turbans are powerful, their foundation is unstable. Moreover, with Zhang Jiao dead, the remaining forces are unlikely to shake the foundation of the Eastern Han Dynasty... Alas, the foundation of the Han Dynasty... However, once this rebellion sets a precedent, it will be difficult to control in the future. This is one reason!"

"Indeed!" Chen Deng thought to himself in amazement. His teacher was only about the same age as him, yet his words were exactly like those of his father. Was he truly born with knowledge?

"Back then, in order to resist the Yellow Turbans, the Emperor... cough! The current Emperor issued an edict ordering various places to recruit soldiers for self-defense, but now it seems to have become an uncontrollable situation, with the master weak and the servants strong..."

"A great calamity is surely brewing!" Chen Deng couldn't help but interject. "So, isn't the Han Dynasty now in grave danger?"

Why are you so agitated? Jiang Zhe looked at Chen Deng strangely.

"Alas! Such a talented teacher, yet he remains idle here... while those good-for-nothings hold high positions in the court. This is truly a loss for the Han Dynasty... a loss for the world..."

Becoming an official? Jiang Zhe suddenly felt a little elated. He wondered what it was like to be an official in ancient times. Hmm... But being an official was too dangerous. It would be much more comfortable to hug Xiu'er and go to the Chen family to buy soy sauce every day.

"Just kidding, just kidding!" Jiang Zhe quickly waved his hand.

"These are my heartfelt words. With your talents, it would be a great waste for you to be relegated to the accounting office in my residence! Even the position of city gatekeeper would not be enough to allow you to fully utilize your abilities..."

That hat seems a bit too high... but it sounds quite comfortable though...

"Therefore, I humbly recommend you, sir, to Lord Tao for the position of Attendant in Xuzhou..."

"Wait...wait a minute..." Jiang Zhe interrupted Chen Deng. "You really want me to be an official? Actually, I don't know anything..."

"With your talent, teacher, you are more than capable of handling this position... but please don't be concerned about the smallness of the official rank, for we are all just ordinary people of Xuzhou..."

"..." Jiang Zhe chuckled awkwardly, "Yes...yes...it's all for the people of Xuzhou..."

"If teachers could think this way, it would be a blessing for Xuzhou, a blessing for the whole world..."

"So, it seems like being an official wouldn't be so bad?" Jiang Zhe agreed to Chen Deng in a daze, but he hadn't forgotten about Xiu'er. "But there's no rush. We can discuss it after the New Year when Xiu'er and I go to pay respects to her parents..."

"Very good..." Chen Deng was also satisfied. Seeing his teacher bowing down in his own accounting room, he, as a student, was naturally very anxious. Little did he know that a great talent would become disheartened and lose interest in his work if given a small task!

Little did he know... Jiang Zhe's accountant had been living a very comfortable life lately... but those comfortable days... were probably over...

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