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When Fei Qian left Cai Yong's residence, he was still in a daze.
Just a few days ago, he had been troubled by how to leave Luoyang. Now, although he had unexpectedly received a letter of recommendation from Cai Yong, which meant he could leave Luoyang smoothly, he felt as if he had lost something.
He was too insignificant, and his words carried little weight.
It was like in later generations, when people suffered various injustices, they would go home, drink a bottle of erguotou, two bottles of Tsingtao beer, and three bottles of Snow beer, then vent their frustrations recklessly or curse wildly. But alas, that was all they could do—no one would listen, and there was no one to turn to...
Should he tell Cai Yong and Cai Yan about the fate that awaited them? First of all, would they even believe him? And more importantly, how could Fei Qian explain how he knew these things? Premonition? Prophecy? A dream? Divine revelation?
Don't be ridiculous. Without solid evidence, who would believe such things? But if he left like this, doing nothing, he would feel deeply uneasy. Not to mention Cai Yan, Cai Yong had truly treated Fei Qian like his own child. Even while facing danger, he still considered Fei Qian's future and paved the way for him. With the influence of Liu Biao and Pang Shangchang, either of them could ensure that an ordinary person would live comfortably for a considerable period. Such kindness was truly hard to repay.
Fei Qian thought about it and decided that he couldn't just leave like this. At the very least, before leaving, he should see what he could do to help Cai Yong and Cai Yan.
After careful consideration, Fei Qian went to the market and bought two jars of good wine. He hired a porter to carry them and headed to Lü Bu's residence.
Lü Bu happened to be at home. When he heard that Fei Qian had arrived, he came out to greet him. Seeing the two jars of wine Fei Qian had brought, Lü Bu was somewhat displeased and said, "Ziyuan, do you think the wine in my house is not good enough? Why did you bring your own?"
Fei Qian smiled and said, "Not at all. These two jars are no match for the wine in your house, Marquis Wen. It's just that I will be leaving Luoyang in a few days, and I don't know when I'll see you again. I came specifically to share a drink with you, and I was afraid we might run out of wine, so I brought two extra jars."
"What? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?" Lü Bu immediately set aside the matter of the wine and grabbed Fei Qian, asking urgently.
"My teacher said that no matter how much I study, it's just book learning. I need to see more of the Han Dynasty's territory and its people, to understand the lives of the common folk. So he's sending me out to travel and study." Of course, Fei Qian couldn't tell Lü Bu the truth, so he casually used Cai Yong's respectable name as an excuse.
"I see..." Lü Bu nodded. He himself had traveled briefly when he was young, so he knew that scholars often went on study trips. "In that case, today we'll drink until we drop, as a farewell for Ziyuan!"
Lü Bu dragged Fei Qian inside, loudly ordering the servants to prepare food and wine, and shouting for someone to fetch Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, saying that today they would drink until they were lying flat on the ground...
It seemed that Lü Bu often drank, as the servants in his residence were very efficient. In no time, a feast was prepared.
Zhang Liao, being closer in the city, arrived quickly. As soon as he saw Fei Qian, he also asked why he was leaving. After hearing the explanation, he finally understood.
Lü Bu shooed away the maids, saying that today was about brotherhood and that unnecessary people should stay out of sight. He personally poured wine and cut meat to toast Fei Qian.
The three of them raised their bowls, toasted each other, and downed the wine in one go.
Fei Qian asked Zhang Liao, "Wenyuan, did you find anything when you checked the accounts the other day?"
Zhang Liao grinned and nodded, "I was just about to bring that up. Thanks to the clever method you taught me, I found over ten instances of corruption, traced it back to two clerks, and after reporting it, I had them executed in front of the entire camp..."
Zhang Liao made a cutting motion with his hand and continued, "...Only then did those parasites realize how serious I am! Haha!" With that, he downed another bowl of wine.
Zhang Liao had indeed vented his frustration and resolved a troubling matter. With this move, he could be relatively at ease, as those corrupt clerks would not dare to cause trouble again for a long time.
It wasn't that Zhang Liao was cruel or bloodthirsty, but the laws of the Han Dynasty, while slightly more lenient than those of the Qin Dynasty, were still harsh, especially in the military. Executions were common.
For example, Zhang Liao's act of executing the corrupt clerks in front of the entire army was a normal practice in the Han Dynasty. The crime of corruption in the military was called "failing the army's needs." If those responsible for logistics were found guilty of corruption or other major mistakes that led to shortages in military supplies, they could be sentenced to death under military law—not just beheading, but being cut in half at the waist.
Beheading was quick, but being cut in half meant a slower, more painful death, which served as a stronger warning to other officials who might consider embezzlement.
Unfortunately, in later generations, such practices were criticized by so-called experts and scholars as inhumane and a violation of human rights. But in reality, if Zhang Liao hadn't uncovered the corruption, he would have been the one to suffer, either losing his position or facing death himself.
Lü Bu, curious about the details, clapped his hands in approval after hearing the story. As a military man primarily focused on leading troops, Lü Bu was most annoyed and worried about logistical issues. He had faced similar problems himself, so he could relate to Zhang Liao's experience.
Then Lü Bu turned to Fei Qian, blinking his eyes, his face slightly awkward, as if he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to bring it up.
Fei Qian found it amusing and said, "Marquis Wen, if you want to learn, just ask Wenyuan. Why are you looking at me?"
Lü Bu was overjoyed and grabbed Fei Qian's shoulders, saying, "Brother, are you serious?"
"Of course," Fei Qian thought. It wasn't a big deal. Since he had already taught Zhang Liao the four-pillar accounting method, there was no harm in teaching Lü Bu as well.
In fact, Fei Qian didn't realize that such techniques were quite advanced in the Han Dynasty and were usually kept secret, only passed down to disciples or close relatives.
That's why Zhang Liao had said that he wouldn't teach it to anyone without Fei Qian's permission, even if Lü Bu wanted to learn.
Lü Bu laughed heartily and slapped Fei Qian on the shoulder, almost knocking him to the ground...
At that moment, Gao Shun arrived from outside the city. As soon as he entered, he saw the scene before him and heard the three of them laughing together. He asked curiously, "Uh, what's going on here? Isn't this a farewell for Ziyuan?" Farewell drinks were supposed to be somber and melancholic, but this completely overturned Gao Shun's understanding...