Chapter Thirty-Nine: Ah Si

After parting ways in Yizhou, Zhuge Liang accompanied Zhuge Xuan to Jingzhou to seek refuge with Liu Biao, while Sima Yi returned to Hebei with his father, Sima Fang.

Their meeting in Yizhou had stirred small ripples in both their worlds. Though it had occurred in the corner of a tavern on an otherwise unremarkable evening, the two were already, unknowingly, being drawn into a much greater upheaval.

Since the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Dong Zhuo’s usurpation of power, public resentment had boiled over across the land. Countless regional governors had amassed private armies, each attempting to carve out their own territory. Although the central government possessed the threat of Liu Xie, supported by tens of thousands of Xiliang heavy cavalry and the central army, it appeared somewhat insufficient in the eyes of the provinces.

Liu Biao of Jingzhou, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu of Hebei, Sun Jian of Jiangdong, Liu Yan of Yizhou, Cao Cao of Shandong, Gongsun Zan of Liaodong... Each was a warlord of the late Han era, possessing intelligence and ambition far beyond that of ordinary men. While they nominally obeyed the central government, each commanded tens of thousands of troops and partitioned the land as they pleased. Had it not been for Liu Xie’s sudden and powerful rise, the two Yuan brothers would likely have seized control of the imperial court by now.

The world left behind after the demise of Emperor Ling was a mess, and it was only through surviving desperate situations that Liu Xie had managed to keep the empire alive. Although Liu Xie possessed memories of his previous life and a clear understanding of how history would unfold, he soon realized a critical issue: with every move he made, the timeline and the historical trajectory of this world shifted accordingly.

In short, the situation was treacherous and ever-changing; the historical knowledge Liu Xie held from his past life was largely useless.

Liu Xie sat in his carriage, wrestling with this realization. He dared to make such an assessment because he had discovered that the story of this world had diverged significantly from his previous life. Upon careful deduction, he frustratingly discovered that the root cause was himself. This was not entirely his fault; as the legitimate Emperor of the Han, every command he issued altered the course of history. Yet, if he did nothing, he would be walking toward a dead end with no hope of survival.

It was not that Liu Xie did not want to change history, but rather that he refused to live as a puppet. He wanted to master his own destiny, which forced him to take actions to ensure he would not be devoured by these political sharks.

Sitting in the carriage, Liu Xie could not help but sigh. Rubbing his temples in distress, he cursed the heavens in his heart. "Damn these treacherous heavens!"

"Knock, knock..."

"Sir, your midnight snack is ready!"

The sound of knocking and the waiter’s voice interrupted Liu Xie’s contemplation. Beside him, Qin Yu quietly vanished into the shadows.

"Very well, come in."

A waiter entered carrying food and wine. He efficiently tidied the table and set the dishes down one by one.

"Please rest early, sir. If you need anything else, just let me know," the waiter said with a smile.

"Wait a moment, what is your name?" Liu Xie, seemingly recalling something, suddenly stopped him.

The waiter, who had been about to turn and leave, halted.

"You can call me Little Liu. Do you have any instructions?"

Liu Xie nodded. He remembered "Ah Si" from earlier that day. The two had seemed quite familiar, and perhaps he could learn about the city garrison through this waiter. He asked, "Is your proprietor here? I would like to speak with him."

"I’m afraid you won’t be able to see him tonight, sir."

"Oh? Why is that?" Liu Xie asked, puzzled.

"The proprietor went home tonight with Fourth Brother to look after the proprietor’s younger sister."

"Fourth Brother? Do you mean the soldier, Ah Si, who brought us here today?" Liu Xie raised an eyebrow.

"Yes."

The waiter’s explanation, coupled with the idle chatter he had overheard between Old Wang and Ah Si while heading upstairs, piqued Liu Xie’s curiosity. "What happened to your proprietor’s sister?"

The waiter sighed upon hearing this. "My proprietor’s sister is named Wang Peiling. In her day, she was a renowned beauty here in Chengdu. The beauty of the Fengxian Pavilion proprietor’s sister was legendary; everyone in Chengdu knew of her. Back then, Fourth Brother had not yet joined the army; he was a young master of a wealthy family, a famous playboy in Chengdu, and one of the many young men pursuing Miss Peiling. But unfortunately, later... *sigh*!"

"What happened later?"

Liu Xie’s curiosity was fully aroused. How did such a playboy end up joining the army, and how did a beauty known throughout Chengdu come to be bedridden by illness?

Little Liu first turned to the door, peeked suspiciously outside to ensure no one was there, and then quietly closed the door. He sat down before Liu Xie.

"Since you wish to hear it, sir, I will sit and tell you the story properly. I might as well take a break, hehe!"

Liu Xie sat opposite him with interest and poured him a cup of tea. Little Liu did not stand on ceremony; he took a sip to moisten his throat and began to recount their story.

The tale of those two went back a long time. Ah Si was not actually called Ah Si; people used to call him the Fourth Young Master, or the Fourth Young Master of the Qiao family in Chengdu. Many might still remember the Qiao family of Chengdu, though only in memory. Back then, the true Qiao family practically controlled Chengdu with an iron grip.

The Fourth Young Master of the Qiao family, named Qiao Yue, was a well-known wastrel in Chengdu. The Qiao family had always been kind-hearted, frequently helping the poor. Whenever disaster struck, they were the first to provide relief, earning them great respect from the locals. Yet, whenever people mentioned the Fourth Young Master, they would shake their heads and sigh. Everyone in Chengdu knew the Qiao family had produced a good-for-nothing son.

From a young age, the Fourth Young Master would consort with older playboys, frequenting brothels and indulging in every vice imaginable. Under his father’s strict discipline, tutors were hired to teach him, but he barely read a single book, while the tutors were replaced time and again. Each time a tutor left, they would tell the head of the Qiao family, "I am incompetent; your son is beyond my teaching. Please, hire someone else!"

The old master was both angry and helpless. He had beaten him and scolded him, yet the son remained incorrigible. Eventually, the old master gave up. The Qiao family was wealthy, and with an elder brother, a second brother, and an elder sister ahead of him, they could easily afford to support one playboy. They simply cleaned up after him whenever he caused trouble.

The Fourth Young Master knew he was a failure, but his