The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 245 These are all loyal and virtuous ministers who died for their principles.
The following day, Miwei galloped to Zhixian, upstream of the Yu River.

Li Hong, Sun Lang, and others had been waiting there for a long time, and everyone looked excited.

As soon as Miwei entered, he asked:

"Did you offend Yang Gong?"

Li Hong stepped forward and whispered:

"Sun Sima did not appear directly, but instead asked a local strongman to arrest the man."

"Afterwards, he stepped forward to redeem the people in his capacity as the Grand General's Separate Commander."

"Upon closer examination, he was actually a benefactor of the Yang family!"

Upon hearing this, Miwei glanced at Sun Lang.

His eyes held expectation, yet he hesitated to speak due to his low rank, creating a comical sense of helplessness.

Mi Weiwan'er:

"I never expected that Sun Sima would be so resourceful!"

Sun Lang said:
"This matter was entirely due to the skillful coordination of Zhuge and Li Bocao. I was merely fortunate to be there at the right time, and that's how we managed to succeed. How dare I take credit for it?"

It just so happens...

Upon hearing that familiar tone, Miwei raised an eyebrow:
"Who taught you to talk like that?"

Sun Lang blushed:
"I've heard from others that Your Excellency is fond of the virtue of humility..."

Mi Wei glanced at Li Hong beside him.

The latter quickly began to explain:
“Sun Sima was worried that the magistrate would blame him for retaliating against Hu Jushi, so he intended to give up the credit.”

"However, Your Excellency's humility is already well-known in Jingzhou, and it is certainly not due to my private instigation!"

Miwei had no intention of blaming Sunlang.

Yang Biao, a top figure of our time, certainly needs to be treated with caution.

As for Hu Kongming... how many divisions did he have?

Could they also invent the Yuanrong crossbow?

However, upon hearing Li Hong's explanation, he suddenly realized a word:
What works first and what works next.

Now that he is a powerful shepherd, his every word and action is under the watchful eyes of everyone.

We must be more cautious in our words and actions than in the past.

He then said calmly:

"Sima Sun is very kind."

Sun Lang hurriedly bowed and said:
"How could I not be diligent in serving you, my lord!"

Mi Wei nodded and said to Zhuge Qiao:
"Prepare a memorial for me, praising Li Bocao and Sun Biebu for their meritorious service in rescuing the national hero, and for their accumulated merits, recommending them for the title of Marquis within the Pass."

Upon hearing this, the crowd was filled with envy, and both Li and Sun were overjoyed, repeatedly expressing their gratitude.

Although the Marquis of Guannei was the lowest rank among marquises, he did not have a fiefdom, but only a stipend.

But in the end, it was a title of nobility.

Normally, someone of Sun Lang's background would have very little chance of being granted a noble title.

For a moment, the man was so excited that he became incoherent, saying that he was willing to serve the king faithfully, even at the cost of his life.

It's probably a story I heard from some military officer, and I'm just applying it here.

It's fair to say that the pace of print book adoption is quite encouraging.

Mi Wei wouldn't hold it against him and told Li Hong to lead the way quickly.

Move to the rear courtyard.

An elderly man with thinning white hair was sitting upright under the tree.

Behind them was a boy whose hair was still unbound, staring wide-eyed as he looked around.

Upon seeing the elk approaching, the young man tried to rise and pay his respects, but the old man pressed him down.

He glanced coldly at the insignia at his waist and uttered four words:
"A monkey wearing a hat is not worthy of being called a gentleman."

Upon hearing this, everyone around Mi Wei turned pale with anger.

But because Mi Wei had given them instructions beforehand, they dared not speak out against their anger.

Miwei told everyone to wait where they were.

Then he personally went up to pay his respects to the old man.

His manners were extremely respectful, leaving no room for criticism.

After bowing, Mi Wei also sat down under the tree.

Speaking casually:
“Years ago in Sichuan, I heard Minister Xu Wenxiu recount past events, saying that Minister Yang had recruited his cousin Xu Shao, Xu Zijiang, on two separate occasions based on the criteria of ‘uprightness’ and ‘honesty’.”

"But Xu Zijiang said that the world was in the hands of petty men and that the royal family was about to fall into chaos, so he refused the appointment twice and later went into hiding in Huainan."

At this point, Mi Wei looked at the old man:
"If Xu Zijiang were alive today, I wonder if he would still refuse Yang Gong's offer of service?"

The old man, Yang Biao, sneered and put his hands behind his back upon hearing this. His grandson, Yang Xiao, however, seeing that Mi Wei was young and easy to talk to, couldn't help but speak up:
"Xu Zijiang was single-mindedly trying to avoid the chaos. Although he did not have the name of a hermit, he was in fact a hermit."

"The world is now divided into three parts, and war has not yet ended. If he were alive, he would still only think about avoiding the chaos."

“That’s true.” Mi Wei nodded.

Suddenly he laughed:
"It turns out that people have misunderstood Master Yang."

"Everyone says that Yang Gong upheld the integrity of a Han official, which is why he repeatedly refused Cao Pi's invitation to serve as one of the Three Dukes."

"In truth, what did Master Yang care about whether the emperor's surname was Liu or Cao?"

"It's nothing more than imitating Xu Zijiang of old, becoming a nameless hermit hidden in the court!"

"Just like that layman Hu, who claimed to be seeking refuge but actually came to Luoyang to escape the chaos... No wonder Master Yang took to him as old friends at first sight!"

Upon hearing the first few sentences, Yang Biao, as usual, sneered and remained silent.

It wasn't until Mi Wei mentioned Hu Zhao that he glared and puffed out his beard, saying:

"Shameless traitor from Shu, why did you kill my friend!"

Mi Wei feigned surprise:

"The one who killed Layman Hu was a bandit from Xiong'er Mountain. If it weren't for my men risking their lives to save him, Master Yang and his grandson would have been in grave danger... Why did Master Yang repay kindness with enmity?"

After saying that, he summoned Sun Lang and asked him to give this "Master Yang" a proper explanation.

But Yang Biao ignored Sun Lang completely, and glared coldly at Mi Wei:

"Hu Kongming is a reclusive sage who always treats others with kindness and is revered in the village. How could the bandits of Xiong'er Mountain possibly harm him?"

"Though I am old, my eyes are not blind, and my mind is not dull!"

"But your lord Liu Bei, when the emperor was trapped in Xuchang, did not come to his rescue. It was not until Cao Pi usurped the throne that he hastily held a funeral and then presumptuously seized the imperial regalia."

"Isn't this just deceiving the world and stealing a reputation?"

"No wonder his subordinates are all hypocrites like you."

"One who stays near vermilion gets stained red, and one who stays near ink gets stained black; you are a perfect example of this!"

Sun Lang, who had been left standing aside, was flushed and his Adam's apple bobbed a few times. He wanted to explain that Hu Zhao had betrayed him first.

But when he heard the other party insult both the emperor and the Deer Lord, he felt that it didn't matter whether he argued or not.

He simply stood respectfully behind Mi Wei with his hands at his sides.

When Yang Biao pointed at Mi Wei's spine and berated him, Mi Wei not only didn't get angry, but instead clapped his hands and chuckled.

The laughter sounded particularly clear in the quiet courtyard:

"Even in his time of hardship, Lord Yang did not forget his former master; he is truly a loyal and virtuous man!"

"Compared to Yang Gong, all officials in the world are petty and greedy men, not worth mentioning!"

He then turned to his subordinates who were standing silently in the distance and said:
"Did you see that, you two or three guys?"

"I told you long ago, Lord Yang was a loyal and virtuous minister of the Han Dynasty who died for his country. How could Yang Dezu, Lord Yang's son, truly serve Cao Cao?"

"It's clearly a deliberate attempt to incite Cao Cao's sons to fight amongst themselves, so that the Cao family will repeat the mistakes of the Yuan family in Ji Province!"

"The world has misunderstood Yang Gong and his son!"

"I think Yang Dezu was also a loyal and virtuous man of the Han Dynasty. Although he was defeated, he was still honorable!"

"Master Yang's methods of educating his son are truly admirable!"

After saying this, he bowed to Yang Biao again.

Zhuge Qiao, Li Hong, and other quick-witted people immediately understood and followed Mi Wei in bowing down, praising the Yang family for their loyalty and integrity, calling them role models for the times.

When Yang Biao and his grandson heard this, they were completely dumbfounded.

Young Yang Xiao even subconsciously looked at his grandfather to verify if it was true.

Yang Biao was stunned for a full thirty or forty breaths before he slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

However, just as the words of cursing were about to come out of his mouth, the image of his son's voice and smile involuntarily appeared in his mind.

Yang Xiu, a man of exceptional talent and promising future, should have been the greatest source of pride in his life.

Because of Cao Cao's jealousy.

He died at the prime of his life, a time when many scholars and officials were in their most virtuous.

When did I completely lose interest in the world, the court, and fame and fortune?

It was probably about five years ago, the moment I saw Yang Xiu's body.

Thinking back on the past, Yang Biao's anger, which had been suppressed for many days, suddenly cooled down.

After a moment of silence, Yang Biao sat down again.

Facing Mi Wei's enigmatic smile, he calmly asked:

"You and your lord have lived in Shu for a long time, how did you know that my son had remained loyal to the Han dynasty?"

(End of this chapter)