First Meeting, May I Ask Your Ambitions, Lord?

Chapter 21: First Meeting, May I Ask the Lord's Ambition?

After Zhong Bo departed, Cai Yan looked at Qin Tian and asked, "Is my husband feeling unwell?"

Seeing that Qin Tian had chosen not to meet the guests, her first reaction was not to ask why, but to worry that he was truly suffering from some ailment.

However, as soon as these words left her lips, she was met with a look of disdain from Cai Yao: "It is no wonder brother-in-law once said that the wise do not fall into the river of love; how has sister become so dull-witted?"

"Brother-in-law is like this not because he is unwell, but clearly because he does not wish to see the person accompanying Xu Shu!"

Cai Yan had a gentle temperament; facing the mockery, she did not grow angry, but instead looked at Qin Tian and asked, "Husband, is the matter truly as Zhenji says?"

Seeing this, Qin Tian grinned and laughed, "To have such a wife, what more could a husband ask for!"

"It is indeed as Zhenji says; it is not that I am unwilling to see Yuanzhi, but that I am unwilling to see the person accompanying him!"

Listening to the adults speak, Suier also raised her head and asked, "Daddy, who is the person accompanying Uncle Xu, and why won't you see them?"

Seeing his daughter ask, Qin Tian smiled affectionately, "The man is called Liu Bei, courtesy name Xuande, and he is a great hero!"

Suier did not understand what a great hero was, but she bit her finger and nodded as if she understood.

Upon hearing this, Cai Yan became even more puzzled, "Husband has not stepped outside, so how do you know for certain that Lord Liu has come?"

"That's right, brother-in-law, why won't you see Liu Bei?"

Cai Yao was more direct, voicing her own confusion.

Watching the two of them look so perplexed, Qin Tian shook his head and said, "Liu Bei is an ambitious warlord!"

"Xu Yuanzhi came to Xiaopei this time specifically to join Liu Bei."

"Since he has not come for several days, it is clear that Yuanzhi has already achieved his wish."

"But he has come again today, and with a companion; it is highly likely that Xu Yuanzhi has recommended me to Liu Bei."

"Liu Bei is a man of great ambition; knowing I am here, he would surely come to visit in person."

"Therefore, I do not need to go out to know that it must be Liu Bei and his party outside the gate."

"However, the time is not yet right, so I cannot meet him lightly!"

"I must wait a few days and observe how things develop!"

Having said this, Qin Tian fell silent.

The primary reason he refused to see Liu Bei was to test the man's patience!

After all, the current point in time was not the eve of the Red Cliffs.

At that time, Liu Bei had been tossed about by fate and had achieved nothing, his sharp edges long since worn away.

Thus, when Zhuge Liang emerged from seclusion, he and Liu Bei were like fish in water, complementing each other perfectly.

But at this current point in time, although Liu Bei had suffered several setbacks, the nature of his temperament remained to be seen.

One must know that the real Liu Bei was not a man who conquered the world with tears.

The real Liu Bei had a rather explosive temper!

This volatility was not about being violent toward others, but rather that he was easily ignited.

Not to mention the whipping of the inspector or his lone-army rescue of Xuzhou.

Take the later Hanzhong campaign: because the city could not be taken after a long siege, Liu Bei braved a rain of arrows to lead the charge himself.

If not for Fa Zheng's desperate intervention, a stray arrow might well have sent old Liu to his grave.

In Qin Tian's view, an explosive temper was not a fatal flaw.

But whether Liu Bei could be as still as a virgin and as swift as a hare, just as he would be in Xinye, was of vital importance!

If he could not achieve this, then old Liu had not yet successfully transformed into a true warlord.

As he pondered, a plan already formed in his mind.

On the other side, Zhong Bo walked out of the estate and apologized to Xu Shu, "My master is unwell today and is not in a condition to receive guests; I ask that you all please forgive him!"

Hearing this, Zhang Fei said with dissatisfaction, "This Qin Tian is truly rude! My eldest brother has come in person; even if he is unwell, why be so stingy with a meeting?"

"Hey, Yide, show some respect!"

Liu Bei frowned upon hearing this and said:

"The gentleman did not know we were coming; it is our own fault!"

Seeing this, Guan Yu stepped forward and said to Zhong Bo:

"I trouble you, old man, to announce us once more. Tell him that the Governor of Yu Province, Liu Bei, General Who Pacifies the East, and Marquis of Yicheng requests an audience!"

Liu Bei hurriedly stopped Guan Yu's movement, saying:

"Since the gentleman is unwell, why must we pressure him with titles?"

As he spoke, he looked at Xu Shu and asked:

"Yuanzhi, are you certain the gentleman resides here?"

"It is definitely this place!"

Xu Shu looked at Zhong Bo and said leisurely:

"Very well. Since Zixuan is unwell today, we shall naturally seek him out another day!"

He had already guessed Qin Tian's intentions, but he offered no hints, choosing instead to observe Liu Bei's reaction.

Hearing this, Liu Bei hesitated for a moment before nodding:

"That is all we can do!"

After a moment's thought, he turned to the soldiers carrying the gifts and said:

"You all, carry these gifts into the estate."

Having said that, he added to Zhong Bo:

"I hope you will convey this message: tell him that Liu Bei, having heard of the gentleman's reputation, came specifically to seek an audience and prepared these meager gifts. Since the gentleman is unwell, we shall meet another day."

"These are but small tokens to express my sincerity. I hope the gentleman recovers soon, and I shall come to pay my respects again!"

Seeing this, Zhong Bo nodded in agreement.

Once the group had departed, he had the servants bring the items into the courtyard and recounted the reactions of Liu Bei and his men one by one.

Upon hearing of Liu Bei's conduct, Cai Yan could not help but look surprised:

"This Lord Liu is truly a loyal and honest man!"

"Though he holds a high position, he does not use his status to pressure others. He is truly a benevolent person!"

Cai Yao looked at the two bolts of purple silk Liu Bei had sent and nodded quickly:

"He is not bad. Brother-in-law, why not meet him?"

Qin Tian, seeing this, nodded to himself.

Liu Bei's reaction went without saying; although Zhang Fei was hot-tempered, he was not incapable of listening to reason, and Guan Yu's performance was quite impressive—arrogant, yes, but at least capable of rational conversation.

Thinking of this, he turned to Cai Yan and smiled:

"I haven't been out for many days, and the weather has cleared up recently. Would you like to go out and enjoy the plum blossoms in a few days, my lady?"

As a couple of one heart, Cai Yan knew this was Qin Tian's way of saying he intended to go out and meet Liu Bei, so she nodded happily and smiled:

"Take Xiao Sui'er and Zhenji along with us!"

Cai Yao muttered a few words upon hearing this but did not reply, while Xiao Sui'er clapped her hands in celebration.

And so, a few days later, when the weather happened to be clear, Qin Tian took his whole family and left the city early in the morning.

The news of Qin Tian's departure naturally could not be hidden from Liu Bei.

Hearing that Qin Tian had recovered and left the city, Liu Bei immediately took Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Xu Shu, and others, leading several dozen horsemen toward the outskirts of the city.

They traveled as far as the old site of Niesang south of the city, also known as Caisang, the place where the feudal lords once met Zhang Yi; hundreds of years had passed, and the scenery remained beautiful.

Seeing Qin Tian heading up the mountain with his family, Xu Shu hurriedly spurred his horse forward and laughed:

"Where is Zixuan heading?"

Seeing Xu Shu chasing after him, Qin Tian felt his anger flare up:

"A fine Xu Yuanzhi you are! I treated you like a brother, and you sold me out in the blink of an eye?"

Xu Shu, knowing Qin Tian was dissatisfied with his unauthorized recommendation, laughed:

"It is truly my fault, but I knew Zixuan was unwilling to serve, so I had to force the issue!"

"Enough idle talk; first, pay your respects to my lord, Liu Bei!"

As they spoke, Liu Bei had already spurred his horse forward, arriving before Qin Tian. He rolled off his saddle, dismounted, and bowed:

"It is no easy task for the gentleman to brave the cold. Yuanzhi acted out of devotion to the public good; I hope the gentleman will forgive us!"

"Forgive my abruptness, but I have long heard of the gentleman's great name—it is like thunder in my ears. A few days ago, the gentleman was unwell, and I could not see you."

"Now that I hear the gentleman has recovered, I have come specifically to seek an audience. I hope the gentleman will grant me your instruction!"

Seeing this, Qin Tian merely sighed in feigned helplessness and said to Cai Yan:

"My lady, pray go ahead and wait for your husband a short while!"

Cai Yan nodded, offered a graceful bow to Liu Bei, and departed with Cai Yao and Suier.

Once his family had left, Qin Tian finally bowed to Liu Bei and said:

"As a man of leisure, my manners are lacking, and I have caused you the trouble of coming here in person. I hope you will forgive my offense!"

Seeing that Qin Tian stood eight feet tall with sword-like brows, bright eyes, and a topknot, possessing a heroic and extraordinary appearance, Liu Bei could not help but praise him inwardly and hurried forward to say:

"It was I who was impolite first, Sir; what offense could you possibly have committed?"

Hearing this, Qin Tian looked up, finally seeing Liu Bei's true likeness.

Counting back, he had seen Liu Bei during the campaign against Dong Zhuo.

Regrettably, the two had no opportunity to interact back then, only catching a glimpse from afar.

Today was their first formal meeting, and in truth, Liu Bei's appearance was not as exaggerated as the history books claimed; his hands and earlobes were a bit long, but his hands did not reach past his knees, nor did his ears touch his shoulders.

On the contrary, Liu Bei's overall appearance was quite upright and possessed a great deal of presence.

After the two sides exchanged greetings, Qin Tian simply smiled and asked:

"You wished to seek counsel just now, but I do not know what it is you wish to ask?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei replied without a moment's hesitation:

"I wish to inquire about the great affairs of the world!"

"I hope you will clear my confusion, Sir! Please, do not withhold your guidance!"

Having said this, he bowed deeply until his back was parallel to the ground, offering Qin Tian a gesture of great respect.

Seeing this, Qin Tian turned around with his hands behind his back and asked:

"May I ask what is your ambition, Envoy?"