Chương 37: Conversation between Father and Daughter

"Alright, stop arguing."

Zhen Yi finally spoke, his voice a little hoarse, but with an undeniable determination.

"If you don't place your bets now, and they become powerful enough to make you complain even when you bring them mountains of gold and silver!"

He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said:

"Investing now is like providing timely help in a crisis; the future looks promising!"

He suddenly lowered his voice.

"Besides... why do the Yellow Turban rebels specifically target our shops? They have no one backing them up in court; the Zhen family is just easy prey!"

Zhen Yi raised his head, the candlelight illuminating the wrinkles around his eyes, making him appear somewhat tired, yet his eyes shone brightly as he said:

"At the banquet today, I noticed the way General Liu looked at Jiang'er and the others. Although he only glanced at them, the way he looked at them was different."

"Besides, if he were truly impatient, he wouldn't have accepted our invitation today, let alone sat for several hours. What our Zhen family cares about is security and survival, not face."

As he spoke, he reached for a piece of paper, then picked up a pen and dipped it in the inkstone.

"I'll write the invitations now, make them very sincere, and have the butler deliver them before dawn tomorrow."

Zhen Yan watched his father's hand as he wrote, and said nothing more. He knew that once his father made up his mind, nothing could change it. Zhen Yao breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhen Yi's hands were trembling as he handed the invitation to the butler, silently chanting in his mind:

"Liu Ce, Liu Ce, don't think that our Zhen family is rushing to offer themselves up. In this chaotic world, finding a reliable backer is more important than anything else!"

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the military camp outside Wuji County was already bustling with activity.

The soldiers, clad in armor, stood in formation on the open ground, their battle cries shaking the distant grass.

Inside the central command tent, however, there was a calm atmosphere.

Liu Ce was dressed in a brocade robe but not in armor, which made him appear more approachable than he did on the battlefield.

Beside it, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Dian Wei, Qin Qiong, and Cheng Yaojin surrounded the map, each of them burly and imposing.

At that moment, the tent flap was flung open with a "whoosh," and a guard strode in, carrying a red brocade box. He bowed and said:

"My lord, the Zhen family has sent another invitation and is waiting outside the tent."

"The Zhen family?"

Liu Ce was stunned for a moment, then reached out and took the brocade box.

Upon opening it, he found an invitation. The handwriting was neat and the wording was sincere. The gist of it was that he wanted to invite him to his home this afternoon to renew their friendship.

Liu Ce looked at the invitation and couldn't help but laugh out loud:

"The Zhen family is really interesting. They just invited us yesterday afternoon, and they're here again today."

"What, are you afraid I'll forget their good wine, or is there something else?"

Guan Yu stood to the side, stroked his long beard, and smiled:

"Brother, in my opinion, the Zhen family wants to curry favor with us. They have money and grain, but no soldiers or power. In this chaotic world, how can they survive without finding a backer?"

Liu Ce nodded, understanding perfectly. He put the invitation back in the brocade box and said to the guard:

"Go tell the messenger that I will arrive on time tonight."

The guard responded with a "Yes," turned around, and quickly walked out.

After Guan Yu and his four companions dispersed, Liu Ce secretly asked Zhao Yun:

"Zilong, do you really think all five daughters of the Zhen family would be interested in me?"

Zhao Yun suppressed a laugh: "Brother is brave and mighty, and besides, the Zhen family desperately needs a powerful backer right now."

Liu Ce smugly smoothed his hair: "That's true, after all, I'm quite good-looking!"

Meanwhile, things were already bustling at the Zhen residence.

Zhen Yi summoned the steward to his study early in the morning and instructed him to call all five of his daughters.

The butler dared not delay and quickly walked through the corridor towards the backyard.

The five Zhen sisters lived in the "Tingxuexuan" in the backyard, and at this moment they were gathered in the pavilion in the courtyard doing needlework.

The eldest sister, Zhen Jiang, was holding an embroidery needle and embroidering flowers on a piece of pink silk.

The second sister held a book in her hand but had no interest in reading it. The third sister, Zhen Dao, the fourth sister, Zhen Rong, and the fifth sister, Zhen Mi, surrounded Zhen Jiang, watching her embroider and occasionally whispering among themselves.

"Big sister, do you think that General Liu from yesterday was really like what they say, able to take on ten people at once?"

Zhen Mi is only fifteen years old this year, an age when she loves to dream. Her voice is soft and full of curiosity.

Zhen Jiang paused in her needlework, her cheeks flushing slightly. She remembered that at the luncheon yesterday afternoon, while her father and brothers were talking to Liu Ce, they had secretly glanced at him.

The young general sat there, tall and straight, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes. When he smiled, there was a hint of wickedness in his eyes, but he was not at all unpleasant.

Especially when he talked about fighting the Yellow Turbans, his eyes shone like stars, making her heart beat faster.

"Don't ask such questions, you're just a kid."

Zhen Jiang lowered her head, trying to appear calm, and continued embroidering, but the needle in her hand almost pricked her finger.

Zhen Tuo couldn't help but laugh: "Big sister, you're talking about Mi'er, but who dragged us to secretly go see her yesterday?"

Just then, the butler's voice came over:

"Miss, Second Miss, Third Miss, Fourth Miss, Fifth Miss, Master requests your presence in the study."

The five sisters were all stunned for a moment. Zhen Jiang put down her embroidery needle, stood up, and said:

"Okay, we'll go right away."

All the way there, the five sisters were filled with trepidation. Zhen Rong whispered:

"Did Father suddenly call us to his study because he knows we secretly went to see General Liu yesterday?"

Zhen Dao was a little flustered: "What if Father gets angry? Will he punish us by making us copy books?"

Zhen Jiang took a deep breath and turned to her sisters, saying:

"Don't panic. If Father asks, just say that I took you there, and that it has nothing to do with you."

As the five sisters were talking, they arrived at the study door. Zhen Jiang stepped forward and gently knocked on the door:

"Father, we've arrived."

"Come in."

Zhen Yi's voice came from inside.

The five sisters pushed open the door and went in, bowing in unison to Zhen Yi and calling out:

"I have met my father."

Zhen Yi sat in the chair, looking at his five daughters.

Zhen Jiang was dignified and graceful, Zhen Tuo was elegant and beautiful, Zhen Dao was heroic and bright, Zhen Rong was charming and sweet, and Zhen Mi was beautiful and graceful. Each of them was beautiful, and he felt both proud and a little reluctant to part with them.

He smiled and pointed to a pink embroidered purse on the table:

"Jiang'er, is this yours? At yesterday's banquet, you were hiding behind the screen watching General Liu, and you didn't even notice your purse fell out?"

Zhen Jiang's face flushed bright red instantly. She quickly stepped forward, lowered her head, and said:

"Father, I'm sorry, we... we didn't mean to, it's my fault, I shouldn't have dragged my sisters to secretly go see..."

"And me, Father, it's me who wants to go see them," Zhen Tuo quickly said.

"Father, I want to go too."

"Me too."

The four sisters all spoke up, each wanting to take the blame upon themselves.

Seeing her daughters' nervous expressions, Zhen Yi couldn't help but smile.

"What are you panicking about? When did I say I was going to punish you?"

The five sisters were stunned, looking up at Zhen Yi with their eyes full of doubt.

"The fact that you went to see it secretly shows that you have good taste."

Zhen Yi picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said slowly:

"I ask you, what did you think of General Liu after you saw him yesterday?"