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The Three Elegant Banquet was indeed brutal. By the end, Fei Qian had no idea how many people had passed out before him.
The first one to fall was probably Deng Xi, but who was next?
Fei Qian sat dazedly in the main room of his inn, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to recall the events of the previous day. But no matter how hard he thought, his memory was a complete blank. From yesterday to today, it was as if nothing had happened. He couldn't remember what had been said or done, and his head was still buzzing.
The Golden Nectar Wine might have been sweet and delicious, but it couldn't withstand the relentless refilling of the Three Elegant Cups by a group of crazed drinkers. Fei Qian couldn't even remember whether the Ji Ya Cup had been emptied or not by the end…
His head was pounding…
Fei Qian held his head, lost in thought for a long time before finally regaining some clarity.
Uncle Fu brought him a bowl of millet porridge and urged him to drink it while it was still hot. With a hint of concern, he said, "Young master, wine is good, but you should drink in moderation…"
Fei Qian forced a bitter smile. He thought to himself, 'Uncle Fu, you have no idea what happened yesterday. I really had no choice but to drink.' But out loud, he simply said, "I understand, Uncle Fu. It's fine…"
Seeing that Fei Qian was still somewhat listless, Uncle Fu tidied up the bowls and chopsticks while urging him to rest a bit more.
Fei Qian nodded and was about to return to his bedroom for a nap when a servant arrived at the door, announcing that the Registrar of Xiangyang, Yi Ji, had come to visit…
Registrar Yi? Was it Yi Ji? Was there anyone else in Xiangyang with the surname Yi?
Fei Qian's brain was still foggy from the alcohol, and his mental processing speed had slowed significantly. Even his memory of Yi Ji's official title from the previous day was hazy.
By the time Fei Qian had changed his clothes and gone to the inn's main hall to greet his guest, he confirmed that it was indeed Yi Ji.
However, compared to Yi Ji's graceful and radiant appearance, Fei Qian's current state was far from impressive. If Yi Ji was like a superstar who captivated everyone's attention, Fei Qian was more like the assistant standing next to the star—a mere extra…
Fei Qian had thought his alcohol tolerance was decent, but it seemed there was always someone better. Yi Ji showed no signs of being affected by the previous day's drinking, looking full of energy. He was truly a battle-hardened warrior when it came to alcohol, and his stamina was unmatched.
After exchanging greetings, Fei Qian invited Yi Ji to sit in the main room of his guest quarters and asked the inn's servant to bring some honey water to serve as refreshments.
Once seated, Yi Ji looked around and said, "Inspector's Aide Fei, you're staying in such a humble place? It's far too crude."
"Boji, you're too kind. Just call me Ziyuan. I've only just arrived in Xiangyang and haven't found a proper residence yet." Fei Qian didn't want Yi Ji to address him by his official title. While it wasn't wrong, it felt odd for a middle-aged man who had followed Liu Biao from afar to address a young newcomer as his superior without any reservations.
Yi Ji smiled and said, "In that case, I'll take the liberty of calling you Ziyuan. I happen to have a small courtyard. It's simple, but it's quiet and elegant. If you don't mind, I'd like to offer it to you."
Offering me a house is a nice gesture, but Yi Ji and I have no prior relationship. Why would he be so generous right from the start?
Fei Qian replied, "I cannot accept such a gift without having done anything to deserve it. But if you have something to discuss, please feel free to speak openly."
Yi Ji said, "Well… fine. To be honest, our lord has tasked me with the role of Registrar of Xiangyang and wants to 'restore order to Xiangyang.' But after much thought, I'm not sure where to start. That's why I've come to seek your advice…"
Isn't this simple? Whether in ancient times or modern times, the approach is the same. When a new leader takes over, they always clean up the place, change slogans, put up new posters, and make sure everyone knows there's a new boss in town…
Fei Qian was about to say this, but when he saw Yi Ji's smile, he suddenly sensed something hidden behind it. He closed his mouth and instead invited Yi Ji to drink some honey water.
The phrase "restore order to Xiangyang" was something Fei Qian had suggested to Liu Biao during their private discussion. At the time, only Fei Qian and Liu Biao were present. Afterward, they had the Three Elegant Banquet. While Fei Qian had drunk a lot, so had Liu Biao and Yi Ji.
Did Liu Biao mention this to Yi Ji during the banquet?
The scene had been chaotic, so it wasn't impossible, but logically speaking, it would have been inconvenient to discuss such matters in front of so many people. Therefore, Liu Biao must have informed Yi Ji today, meaning he had done so while sober. This raised a question—
If a leader assigns a task one-on-one, and the subordinate doesn't understand how to proceed, would they not ask the leader for clarification on the spot but instead seek advice from a colleague who wasn't present?
Even a rookie in the workplace wouldn't make such a mistake, let alone Yi Ji, who had followed Liu Biao for years.
If it were someone from another faction, Liu Biao might have been deliberately making things difficult. But to suggest that Liu Biao was intentionally causing trouble for his own people, unless he had been drunk to the point of alcohol poisoning, didn't make sense.
Another possibility was that neither Yi Ji nor Liu Biao understood the task, which was why they were asking Fei Qian for advice. But was that likely? Neither of them seemed to have such a low IQ…
Considering that Yi Ji, this middle-aged charmer, had historically spent most of his time as an envoy to other warlords, essentially playing the role of a 007 in the Eastern Han Dynasty…
After much thought, Fei Qian concluded that there was only one possibility—
So Fei Qian said, "…I truly don't know what 'restoring order to Xiangyang' means."
Yi Ji's eyes flickered, and he asked again, "Are you sure you've never heard of this?"
"This is the first time I'm hearing about it." Fei Qian, seeing Yi Ji's expression, became even more convinced of his theory. It was exactly as he had guessed. This Liu Biao…
No wonder he commanded an army of 100,000 but ended up being controlled by his wife.
Fei Qian had originally planned to stay in Xiangyang temporarily, not intending to tie his fate to Liu Biao. Now, seeing Liu Biao's true nature—
No wonder Liu Biao had been praising the Kuai brothers' strategies as "Yong Ji's wisdom" and "Jiu Fan's strategy." It turned out Liu Biao wasn't really complimenting the Kuai brothers but was implying that he himself was the great Duke Wen of Jin…
Who was Duke Wen of Jin? One of the Five Hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period!
Haha, no wonder Yi Ji had been cozying up to Liu Bei, exchanging flirtatious glances. With a lord like this, who wouldn't have some ulterior motives?
Fortunately, I've lived in the modern era. Otherwise, I might have been led astray.
Fei Qian and Yi Ji exchanged a glance and couldn't help but laugh.
Yi Ji said, "In that case, I'll have to figure it out on my own. But if you come up with any good ideas, please don't hesitate to share them."
Fei Qian understood the underlying meaning in Yi Ji's words and replied, "Boji, don't worry. Just relax."
Yi Ji, clearly picking up on Fei Qian's implied message, laughed heartily and stood up to take his leave.
As he was about to leave, Yi Ji suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "I was so drunk yesterday that I almost forgot an important matter. How careless of me! Our lord asked me to inform you that tomorrow at 7:45 a.m., he will officially confer upon you the seal and ribbon of Inspector's Aide at the Governor's residence. Please don't be late!"
Fei Qian naturally expressed his gratitude, but inwardly he grumbled, 'Hmph! Were you really not clear-headed just now? If I had answered differently, you probably would have 'forgotten' this matter entirely…'