Three Kingdoms: I rely on system loopholes to survive

Chapter 187 Farce in front of the house

Wei Zhong still misjudged the speed of the river. When the ship was anchored outside Xiangyang City, the blood-red setting sun was still reflecting on the water. The river shone with fine scale-like waves, half river rustling and half river red.

There were already people waiting on the shore, wrapped in heavy cloaks and fur coats.

"Is this Taishi Zhong?"

Zhongping stood on the bow of the boat and bowed to the visitor: "Exactly."

At first, the two of them were far away, and neither could see each other's face clearly. Now that the ceremony was over, they raised their eyes and saw each other's face clearly.

The person who came had a long and thin face, and very lively eyes. He had two long beards on his upper lip, the ends of which were already showing a bit of gray. The clothes on his body were mostly plain colors, making him look clean and simple.

Zhongping initially guessed that the person in front of him might just be a minor official in the government, and he couldn't help but wonder about Liu Biao's intention.

He didn't show anything on his face. He just took the opportunity of landing to take a closer look at the visitor's clothes. He saw that although the fabric was a single color, it was bright and smooth, and he immediately started to think a little:

This kind of clothing is luxurious and restrained, not something ordinary nobles can have... I wonder which family this person is from Huang, Cai, Kuai, or Pang?

While Zhong Ping was thinking about it, the person responsible for welcoming him was also surprised. He sighed secretly: "I have heard for a long time that this kind of Taishi is a young talent, but I didn't expect him to be so young! There is such a person in the world, you really deserve to kill me."

"Jingzhou Pang family, Pang Ji, and Pangshan people have met Taishi."

Pang Jitong said his name and saluted again.

Zhongpei couldn't help but feel surprised.

He remembered that Zhuge Liang's eldest sister was married to Pang Shanmin.

The person in front of me looks like she is thirty or forty years old, and Zhuge Jin is only nineteen years old this year. From this, it is speculated that Mrs. Pang should be only about twenty years old...

"It turns out to be Mr. Mountain Man."

Zhong Ping laughed loudly, rolled up his sleeves and cupped his hands: "Ping, I'm sorry, I should call you brother. I wonder if Mrs. Sister-in-law is okay?"

Pang Ji was stunned when he heard this.

When he interacted with people in the past, the other person would often say something like "I've heard the name of Lord Pang De for a long time" after he mentioned his name... Zhongping was the first one to call him brother upon meeting him.

Not to mention anything else, with the age gap between the two of them, Zhongping could even call him "uncle".

But that’s not how relationships work!

This is really unreasonable.

Pang Ji waited for a while before he asked in confusion: "Zhuojing is fine, but the people in the mountain know little about it. I wonder why Taishi said this?"

Zhong Ping said with a smile: "Ping is friendly with Zhuge Kongming. Since Mr. Ping is the brother of Kongming's wife, Ping should naturally be treated as an elder brother."

Pang Ji finally knew that there was such a reason. Although he also knew that Zhong Ping entered Jingzhou to rob food, and that the closeness was partly for the convenience of doing things in Jingzhou, he still had to be restrained and elegant.

He couldn't help but relax his guard when the other party said "brother", and it became more and more real to him.

The two had a lively chat along the way. On the surface, Pang Ji was introducing Zhongping to the customs and customs of Jingzhou, but in fact, he had a thorough understanding of the relationships between several aristocratic families in Jingzhou.

Zhongpei listened carefully.

To sum up, both the Huang and Pang clans wanted the Zhuge family to have in-laws. If something happened to Zhong Ping, these two clans would be more or less willing to sell their favors and help secretly.

The Kuai family kept a low profile. Kuai Yue and Liu Biao once served as officials under General He Jin. When Liu Biao rode into Jingzhou, the Kuai brothers had many assistants. It was almost impossible to attack these two brothers.

As for the Cai family... don't mention it.

Having said this, Pang Ji did not hide Zhong Ping and said frankly: "To be honest with Tai Shi, the robbery of Cao Gong's food and grass is indeed my fault in Jingzhou, but it was not my Lord's intention to provoke me. In fact, my Lord only found out about it yesterday." I'm so angry that I'm bedridden and can't cope with it!"

Zhongping looked surprised and looked at Wei Zhong: "Why is this?"

Pang Ji sneered: "Of course the person who committed this matter had a guilty conscience and deliberately withheld the news to deceive my lord."

Zhong Ping understood clearly after hearing this, which confirmed his previous guess that the Cai brothers were probably behind Liu Biao's back.

I just don’t know how these two people could be so bold, even daring to plunder Cao Cao’s food and grass.

"I didn't know Liu Jingzhou was seriously ill. I guess this matter has nothing to do with Liu Jingzhou."

Zhong Ping looked apologetic: "Oh, it's really a mistake. How can I disturb Liu Jingzhou's cultivation by coming here in such a hasty way? What do you think Zhong Ren thinks if I go to the inn first and visit Liu Jingzhou after he recovers?"

"How could it be such a coincidence that I got sick at this time? Are you really being deceived, or are you just pretending not to know?" Wei Zhong seemed to be dissatisfied with the meaning of "excusing" Liu Biao in Pang Ji's words, and snorted coldly.

"What benefit will this move bring to Jingzhou?"

Pang Ji did not give in, and said with anger: "My lord Liu Jingzhou, a hero of the world, can he do such a despicable thing? Is our Jingzhou so short of food?"

He paused and said to Zhong Ping: "Don't worry, Taishi, although my lord is ill, he is far from being unable to summon Taishi..."

Zhong Ping heard some meaning and looked at Wei Zhong again.

"Oh?"

Wei Zhong received Zhong Ping's look with a mocking look on his face: "Liu Jingsheng was indeed a hero back then, but now that hero is in his twilight years, he is not as good as an ordinary old man. He is even so sick that his eyes and ears are blocked."

"Shu Zian dares to insult my lord?!"

Pang Ji was furious and immediately drew his sword.

At this time, the group had arrived in front of Liu Biao's mansion. Seeing Pang Ji draw his sword, the soldiers immediately surrounded Zhong Ping and Wei Zhong.

Hu Zi had already stood in front of Zhong Ping when Pang Ji put his hand on the hilt of the sword. He and his attendants also raised their Huanshou swords to confront the soldiers.

Seeing that the two sides were about to fight, a young man in rich clothes hurriedly walked out of the mansion, followed by an old man dressed as a scribe and two men who looked like generals and had quite similar looks.

"Stop! Stop!"

When the young man saw the scene in front of him, he turned pale with fright and shouted repeatedly.

When Pang Ji saw the young man, he immediately put his sword back, and the other soldiers also put down their weapons and guarded the young man's left and right.

"If you offend Taishi, don't blame Taishi."

The young man hurriedly dismissed the soldiers around him and stepped forward to accuse him: "Young man Liu Qi, please pay homage to the angel."

"You don't need to be polite, eldest son."

Zhong Ping looked worried and sighed: "This fact is Ping's fault. How can Liu Jingzhou be troubled by his illness? It is Ping's men who made rude remarks first. It is Ping who should apologize to the young master."

When Liu Qi heard that Zhong Ping said that Liu Biao was seriously ill, he couldn't help frowning and secretly glanced at the Cai brothers beside him.

"My father occasionally felt sick. I think my mother was worried about my father's health, so she exaggerated a little."

"That's it."

Zhong Ping breathed a sigh of relief and seemed to miss Liu Biao's health very much. He was happy for Liu Biao from the bottom of his heart: "I have heard for a long time that Liu Jingzhou and his wife Qin Se are harmonious. When we meet today, it is even better than the rumors!"

Liu Qi smiled a little reluctantly, stopped continuing the topic, and introduced the people around him.

"This is Mr. Zirou, who currently serves as the chief clerk under my father."

Zhongpei bowed to the old man, with a clear smile unique to young people on his face.

"These two..."

As soon as Liu Qi finished speaking, the two men interrupted him, with a hint of hostility in their eyes.

"Cai Mao."

"Cai He."

Wei Zhong looked surprised, these two people were too rude.

Zhongping smiled as usual, but he was thinking in his heart: I didn't expect these two brothers to be so arrogant at this time... Could it be that these two people are really reckless and robbed the food and grass on impulse?

Before meeting the Cai brothers, Zhongping would have been a little doubtful whether these two people had also been tricked, but now that he saw them, Zhongping only felt...

Maybe this is really something these two brothers can do.

(End of this chapter)