My son, how could you be Lü Bu?!

Chapter 54 Submitting a Memorial to the Throne Requesting Merit

It was just past noon.

As summer begins, the air is already filled with wisps of heat.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

Several oxcarts rolled over the bluestone slabs and headed towards the Lü family's courtyard.

On the oxcart was Shen Pei, who had just finished tallying the list of the wandering knights who had come to help the night before, and had hurriedly brought the money and goods to be distributed.

Since the Lü family courtyard was specially selected by Shen Pei and arranged for Lü Ping after the Zheng family's property was confiscated, it was particularly convenient to find.

The Lü family's courtyard was just ahead.

The minor officials, sensing the danger, quickly tightened the reins, and the oxcart came to a steady stop.

Shen Pei got out of the carriage and glanced at a carriage that was already parked outside. Curious, he straightened his clothes and went up to knock on the door.

only...

Before his hand even touched the wooden door, he heard a furious shout suddenly come from inside.

"Nonsense!"

"Lu Zizhi, you're talking complete bullshit!"

"Let me tell you, I've seen Cai Lun's paper too! It's so thin and brittle that it's unusable even for writing on, let alone using it to make books!"

"Even if you could improve Cai Lun's paper, making it durable and usable for writing, you'd still need to hire scholars to write each character on it one by one. How could that be done quickly?!"

"In my opinion, you're just after my vast collection of books! You want to trick me into giving you more!"

"Give me back these volumes of the Spring and Autumn Annals that I just gave you! Giving them to you is a waste!"

"I'm not going to talk to you anymore!"

talking.

Inside the house, the sounds of clothes rustling and being snatched could be heard again.

Followed by.

The wooden door was suddenly pushed open.

A strong smell of alcohol wafted out.

Startled, Shen Pei, who was standing outside the door "eavesdropping," trembled and quickly stepped back, standing timidly to one side, afraid that people would think she was eavesdropping.

The old man Cai Yong, his face flushed, was holding seven or eight bamboo scrolls in his arms. Like a child, he was angry and his two tufts of beard were trembling slightly as he strode towards the carriage that was already waiting outside.

Because of excessive anger.

He didn't even glance at Shen Pei standing at the door, and went straight to the carriage.

Right behind this little old man, Cai Yong.

Standing at five feet five inches tall, only reaching Shen Pei's waist, Xiao Cai Yan struggled to hold the remaining five or six bamboo scrolls, her little face scrunched up as she followed closely behind Cai Yong.

As she walked, Cai Yan turned her head and whispered words of apology to the Lü family father and son who were protecting her from falling.

The two, one big and one small, got into the carriage.

They watched as the carriage drove away and disappeared from everyone's sight.

With a face full of confusion and bewilderment, Shen Pei and Shen Zhengnan finally turned their gaze to Lü Ping, who was standing beside them with a helpless expression.

Seeing Lü Ping's expression, he couldn't help but chuckle.

"Zizhi, how did you manage to offend Cai Bojie this time?"

"It seems Cai Bojie came here today specifically to thank you, doesn't he? His sincerity is quite evident!"

"I just heard him say that he was originally going to give you the entire Spring and Autumn Annals!"

"As a master of the New Text School of Confucianism, Cai Bojie also presided over the compilation of the Xiping Stone Classics a couple of years ago. His copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals must be without any errors!"

"Ordinary people, or rather, most powerful families, would probably treasure this copy of the *Spring and Autumn Annals* given to them by Cai Bojie as a family heirloom!"

"After all, this is something that can teach them to join a prestigious family! It's worth a fortune!"

"If it weren't for anything else, just because he gave you this copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals, wouldn't you have tried to catch up and persuade him to stay?"

Hearing Shen Pei explain in a low voice the value of the copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals that Cai Bojie had given him, he was subtly reminding himself to lower his head and at least trick Cai Bojie into giving him a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals.

Lu Ping's face flushed red, and his bitter smile deepened.

He slowly shook his head, pulled Shen Pei along, and walked into the courtyard to sit down. There were some wines on the table in the courtyard.

"Come in, Zheng Nan, and we'll talk then."

After seated.

The two sat facing each other.

Knowing the situation, Lü Bu and his men did not stay in the courtyard. Instead, they walked outside and asked the accompanying officials to help them unload the money and goods they had brought from their oxcarts and place them in the open space in the courtyard.

Before the curious Shen Zhengnan could ask any questions, Lü Ping spoke first.

"This time, Ping made a mistake in displeasing Cai Bojie."

"What did Zizhi do?" Shen Pei asked curiously.

"Didn't I buy some Cai Lun paper when we were arresting the Zheng brothers a while ago?"

"When I was recruiting soldiers a few days ago, the bamboo slips I was using were too cumbersome and heavy. Each bamboo slip could only hold twenty or thirty characters. So I thought, since Cai Lun's paper can be used for writing, why not use it to make books?"

Shen Pei nodded slightly in response to Lü Ping's idea.

"Yes! The better quality Cai Lun paper can indeed be used to make books."

"When I was in Luoyang, I saw my wife, Chen, use Cai Lun's paper books, which were bestowed by the emperor. However, they were quite troublesome, expensive, and difficult to promote or preserve."

"but..."

"Logically speaking, if that were really the case, Cai Bojie shouldn't be so angry, right?"

"Zizhi, what exactly did you say to Cai Yong?"

Lü Ping hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

"I..."

"Tell me quickly!" Shen Pei became increasingly curious.

Lü Ping then explained.

"When Cai Bojie came, he not only brought a copy of the Spring and Autumn Annals, but also a lot of wine he brought from Luoyang!"

"There is some rice wine he brewed himself, and some wine made from rare grape varieties that were said to have been brought by Zhang Qian, a court official, when he was sent to the Western Regions a hundred years ago."

"Ping was in a good mood and couldn't help but drink some with Cai Bojie."

"After drinking too much, Cai Yong, also known as Cai Bojie, began to boast about his collection of ten thousand volumes of books, all in Luoyang. He said that if they were to be transported by cart, it would probably take dozens of oxcarts to carry them all, and he was full of pride."

"Ping also got a little carried away, feeling that ten thousand volumes of books were not enough. If written on bamboo slips, it would only amount to a few million words at most. But with paper books, Ping could read tens of millions of words a year."

"Cai Bojie didn't believe it, so the two of us argued about whether his collection of ten thousand volumes was really that many."

"Isn't Zizhi from a poor family? Where did you get these books? How can you read millions of words in a year?" Shen Pei caught on to the blind spot and asked curiously.

"That's not important."

Lu Ping felt a little guilty and waved his hands repeatedly.

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't drunk wine in a long time, and he wasn't in a good mood, and it wasn't on an empty stomach, the wine mixed with rice wine, although not very strong, would have made him drink too much.

Otherwise, how could he have chatted with Cai Yong and Cai Bojie about things from their past lives?

"The important thing is that I made a bet with Cai Bojie that if I can improve Cai Lun paper and quickly make books from it, making them of good quality and inexpensive, so that scholars can buy and circulate them."

"He, Cai Bojie, then acknowledged me as his master! Furthermore, he gifted me all his ten thousand volumes of books! If that's not enough, I'll become Cai Bojie's disciple, serving him hand and foot!"

Upon hearing this...

When Shen Pei was asked to take a look, he was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Zizhi".

"How is it possible for you two to make such a bet?"

"If Cai Lun's papermaking techniques were easy to improve, those craftsmen would have done it long ago! Why would they have waited for you?!"

"Why don't you wait until you sober up, then take the initiative to apologize to Cai Yong, take back that copy of 'Zuo Zhuan,' and then compensate Cai Yong with Fengxian."

"Anyway...didn't we agree that we'd teach Fengxian to be his disciple?"

"What Fang Bo said is true. In a couple of days, when he has some free time, he will personally take Feng Xian and bring a tuition fee to find Cai Bojie to become his apprentice."

Faced with Shen Pei's suggestion, Lü Ping shook his head, a rare occurrence. Fueled by alcohol, he leaned over and took Shen Pei Shen Zhengnan's hands, speaking earnestly.

"Fengxian naturally wants to become his disciple."

"However... I also want those ten thousand volumes of books." His eyes flickered, and he spoke with a slightly determined look.

"I know how to improve Cai Lun's paper. As for methods to quickly produce books without much manpower, I also know a little bit about them, but I lack manpower and financial resources."

"I beg Zheng Nan for your help."

Hearing Lü Zizhi's firm words, which didn't sound like a joke at all, Shen Pei's smile suddenly faltered.

He composed himself and looked at Lü Ping intently.

"Zizhi, can you really improve Cai Lun's paper? Transform the heavy bamboo slips into a high-quality, inexpensive paper book where a single page can record hundreds of words?"

Lu Ping nodded emphatically.

"able!"

This time.

Shen Pei and Shen Zhengnan, who were well aware of the impact that improving Cai Lun's paper and producing high-quality, inexpensive paper books would have on scholars, were quite dizzy with envy.

......

After rescuing Cai Yong, Lü Ping, who had barely slept, drank the wine that Cai Yong had brought and boasted for a long time, was already overworked.

After Shen Pei left with a hesitant expression, seemingly wanting to say something but unable to, Lü Ping almost immediately fell asleep and slept straight until the next morning.

The chirping of sparrows echoed in the courtyard.

The sparrows that flew away yesterday have returned today, carrying pebbles and twigs to build a nest in a corner of the Lü family's courtyard.

Lu Ping, Lu Bu, and Cheng Lian rented a carriage and distributed the money and goods that had been handed over to the wandering knights who had fought alongside them the day before.

These wandering knights, who were always dissolute, were naturally overjoyed. With the money and goods in hand, they wanted to show them off to their families.

only...

Lu Bu and Cheng Lian were willing to distribute money and goods to the surviving wandering knights, but when it came to the homes of the last three or four wandering knights who had died in the battle, Lu Bu and Cheng Lian remained silent and dared not step forward.

In the end, Lü Ping could only listen carefully to the commotion in the courtyard, go up and knock on the door, and hand over the considerable amount of compensation he had put in to the homes of the wandering knights who were either crying or happy.

Look at the reactions of these families.

When faced with someone crying at home, Lü Ping remained silent, only able to whisper words of comfort; when faced with someone who didn't care about their child's death and just happily accepted the money and goods, Lü Ping was even more speechless. After handing over the money and goods, he turned and left.

For every general's success, countless lives are lost.

......

After distributing money and goods to more than a dozen households, it was almost evening.

Lu Ping gently instructed Cheng Lian to keep a close eye on Lu Bu and prevent him from causing any more trouble before setting off again for the government office.

After all... he hadn't recruited soldiers for almost two days, and at the previous pace, he should have recruited about five hundred soldiers.

His figure had barely appeared in the government office when someone spotted him.

"It's been two days, and Uncle Lü has finally arrived!"

"Uncle Lü has done a truly remarkable thing! Uncle Lü, do you know how famous you've become in the city lately! From the most prestigious families to the lowest commoners, who doesn't know your name?!"

"That's right! That's right! These past two days while I've been on duty, I've seen children playing with bamboo horses by the roadside, all vying to be Uncle Lu! They refuse to be thieves!"

"..."

The petty officials, who had previously glared at him for the villagers outside the city spreading his fame, now surrounded him with excitement.

Facing this group of minor officials, Lü Ping simply smiled faintly, casually exchanged a few words, and then took another step towards Qian Zhao and Qian Zijing, who were standing deep inside organizing files.

Before he could even ask a question.

When the man with the tassel saw him approaching, he spoke first, his face full of emotion.

"Zizhi truly deserves to be recruited by the governor based on his bravery and strength! If it were a different method, he certainly wouldn't have been able to achieve such a great victory over hundreds of bandits!"

"Yesterday, Fangbo asked me to write a memorial requesting your commendation, which is to be sent to Luoyang."

"Does Zizhi know what merit the governor requested from you?!"

Upon hearing Qian Zhaoqianzi's words, Lü Ping was taken aback and curiously guessed.

"It's probably just a request for rewards, like giving out more money or goods, right?"

"After all... when we decisively defeated those bandits two days ago, it was the county troops that Zheng Nan summoned. He was the commander-in-chief, so logically, he should be credited with the greatest merit."

"No!" The man with the chariot shook his head with a look of deep emotion.

"Since Shen Zhengnan had not been stained with blood, he voluntarily resigned, placing Zizhi as the one who had made the greatest contribution!"

"Huh?!" Lu Ping's eyes widened slightly.

Before he could finish speaking about the "Tracing the Path to Childbirth," he spoke again, his face showing a hint of envy.

"The governor, citing the fact that the prefecture had recently recruited five hundred soldiers and was still short of a garrison commander, requested on behalf of Zizhi that he temporarily serve as a garrison commander of six hundred shi (a unit of grain), and could command the five hundred soldiers!"

"Once the Ministry of Personnel approves, Zizhi can directly assume the concurrent post."

"In other words, the soldiers we've recruited these past few days were all recruited for Zizhi!"

It should be noted that in this era before the collapse of the Han Dynasty's order, an official with a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain measure) was already considered a mid-to-high-ranking official.

In a county town, the highest-ranking official, the county magistrate who could act like a local tyrant, only had a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain).

Even if a group of minor officials with no family background, no connections, and no education in the classics spent their entire lives, they would find it difficult to break through the barrier of 600 shi (a unit of grain measure).

To know.

Even Wang Yun, who was serving as the governor at this time, although he held great power, only had a salary of 600 shi (a unit of grain measure)!

If it weren't for the fact that military merit was the only hard currency in the Han Dynasty, and with Wang Yun's strong support, someone like Lü Ping, who came from humble origins and had no connections or family background, would have had an extremely difficult time reaching the level of 600 shi (a unit of grain measure).

Of course, being promoted to 600 shi is certainly a good thing.

However, if Lü Ping were to accept Wang Yun's recommendation and become the acting commander of Qu County, then according to the dual monarchy of the Han Dynasty, Lü Ping would most likely be bound to Wang Yun.

But that's a story for another time.

Seeing that Lü Ping, who was about to be promoted to the position of Acting Military Marquis, was slightly stunned, Qian Zhaoqianzijing seemed to remember something and spoke hesitantly.

"Oh, right."

"Zizhi, do you know that the powerful figures in the city have recently given you a nickname?"

"Huh?" Lu Ping came to his senses, his face full of confusion.

"What nickname?!"

The invitation has not yet been made.

Upon hearing of Lü Ping's return, Hu Chuquan, who clearly knew the details of the bandits' actions the day before, rushed over and shouted loudly before Qian Zhao could react.

"Brother Lü, those sons of bitches, they want you to be a ruthless troublemaker!"

That's all.

Hu Chuquan walked briskly toward Lü Ping with a smile on his face, carrying a small wooden box in his hand.

Approaching Lü Ping, he handed him the wooden box with a broad smile, completely unlike his previous confrontational demeanor when they met.

"Brother Lü."

"Look at this! Good stuff!"