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

Chapter 250 Lord Ye's Love of Dragons
The imperial carriage departed from Ye County in the east, traveling down the Li River, and crossed a tributary on the south bank called Shaocheshui.

Because of the river's unusual name, Mi Wei even asked the accompanying official about it.

It is said that the place got its name because a large number of Mang army chariots were burned here during the Battle of Kunyang.

Miwei immediately became interested and kept looking around.

Unfortunately, the legendary meteorite crater was not found, which was disappointing.

Not long after crossing the river, the carriage arrived at Ye Gong Temple, located on the south bank of the Li River.

The so-called "Lord Ye" refers to Shen Zhuliang, a minister of Ye during the reign of King Zhao of Chu in the pre-Qin period.

He was granted a fief in Ye County due to his father's merits and was known as Lord Ye.

The story of "Lord Ye's love of dragons" comes from him.

The reason Mi Wei knew so much detail was because there was a Ye Gong Stele in front of the temple that recorded his life story, which was easy to understand at a glance.

However, of all the temples, only this stele is worth seeing.

Other areas are mostly ruins.

In particular, the two stone gate towers in front of the gate have been broken down to just two pieces of the base.

It is said to have been destroyed during the Yellow Turban Rebellion.

After quickly glancing at the inscription, a guard came to report that the guest had arrived.

Miwei took the initiative to step forward to greet him.

Before long, the bus stopped, and a middle-aged scholar, supported by a beautiful young woman, slowly got off the bus.

Mi Wei and his wife stepped forward to pay their respects and said:
"Last year, I parted ways with Master Xu in haste at the foot of Kunyang City, and I have been thinking of him dearly. Today, I am so fortunate to finally see my old friend again!"

The visitor was none other than Xu Miao, the former Director of Agriculture of Yingchuan.

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao immediately returned the greeting and calmly said:

"Since the Battle of Kunyang, I have resigned from my official post and retired to seclusion. I am now just a recluse in the mountains and fields, and I am unworthy of such a courtesy from Governor Mi!"

Miwei immediately said:
"There is no Lord Mi today, only Lord Xu and Mi Wei. This is the courtesy of a junior to an elder."

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao stared intently for a few moments, then turned to his daughter, Madam Xu, and said:

"I've heard that Lord Mi has a virtuous wife. You don't usually cultivate feminine virtues, so why not take this opportunity to learn from her and emulate her virtues?"

Xu immediately agreed, then looked expectantly at Guan Linghui, who was tall and voluptuous, standing next to Mi Wei.

Upon seeing Mi Wei nod, the latter warmly greeted her, led Xu Shi into his own carriage with curtains for shelter from the wind, and they went off to whisper to each other.

Mi Wei then stepped forward to welcome Xu Miao into the temple courtyard.

The servants had already cleaned up, set out the tables and wine, and lit the stove.

The two sides took their seats as host and guest, and enjoyed wine and fruit.

While the wine was warming, Mi Wei casually asked:

"Master Xu once governed Xiangcheng, which is not far from Ye County. Have you ever heard of any stories about this place?"

Xu Miao casually replied:
"Since we're talking about Ye County, we have to mention the 'Ye Gong Temple' and the 'Ye Jun Ancestral Hall'."

"Lord Ye was Shen Zhuliang, a feudal lord of Chu."

"The person named Ye Jun was Wang Qiao, the magistrate of Ye County during the reign of Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty."

"But I wonder which figure's story Your Excellency wishes to discuss?"

"It is acceptable for Master Xu to address me by my courtesy name, 'Shishan'."

As Mi Wei spoke, he raised his hand and placed it above the bronze cauldron used for boiling wine, feeling that the wine was not yet warm.

Then he said:
"While the story of Wang Qiao is interesting, it is superstitious and illogical, and the wise will not accept it."

"On the contrary, the story of Lord Ye is quite credible because there are inscriptions on the monument to prove it."

Xu Miao nodded slightly, it was unclear whether he agreed or disagreed.

Mi Wei: "Before I came here today, I had only heard the story of 'Lord Ye did not love dragons, but loved those that resembled dragons but were not dragons.' This is a satire of those who are hypocritical."

"Even today, when I came to the temple to view the stele, I saw that all the events recorded in the text were detailed, but the saying 'Lord Ye loved dragons' was nowhere to be found. Why is that?"

Xu Miao chuckled and said:
"This passage is also a superstitious and bizarre tale; why should Master Shan take it so seriously?"

Mi Wei shook his head and said:

"To be honest, before I met Master Xu, I thought it was all just superstition and laughed it off."

"But after meeting you, sir, and recalling the past year I've heard of your past achievements and reputation in the prefectures and counties, I was suddenly moved." Xu Miao's smile faltered slightly.

Mi Wei, however, took his time to fetch a wooden spoon and a cup, and personally served wine to everyone.

He continued while scooping:

"According to the inscription on this temple stele, not long after Shen Zhuliang was enfeoffed in Ye County, the local area suffered from floods, and the people were all affected, just like what you and I saw last year."

"Lord Ye could not bear to see the people suffer from the disaster, so he resolved to control the floods."

"But the Wan and Ying regions have many rivers and streams, with tributaries and canals intertwined. How easy is it to manage them? We must be familiar with the water conditions of each river, have an overall plan, and then gradually dredge the rivers according to local conditions."

"And for an overall plan, the first step is naturally to draw up a map."

As he spoke, Mi Wei took a piece of Mi's paper wrapped with fresh dates, ate a date, and waved the rest of the paper.

"But in the pre-Qin period, there was no paper as convenient as paper, so how inconvenient it was to draw on bamboo slips and wooden tablets!"

Therefore, I dare to guess that Lord Ye was drawing the diagram on his own wall so that he could study and proofread it day and night.

"The winding river, the grass-like pattern, looks like a dragon but is not a dragon."

"The visiting guests and officials did not understand his meaning, and then the rumors spread, saying that Lord Ye's dragon painting was not like a dragon, and that a good dragon was not a real one."

Upon hearing this, the crowd either marveled or had strange expressions.

Yang Xi, the clerk in the chief secretary's office, silently recited it once, intending to write it down when he got home that night.

Clearly, no one expected Miwei's ideas to be so unique.

Apart from Xu Miao.

He pursed his lips as soon as he heard the words "water control".

Hearing the last part, he was completely stunned.

After a long while, only when Mi Wei personally brought the warm wine to his table did he speak:

"Lord Ye controlled the floods and spoke out for the people, but he was later rumored to be a two-faced villain. Isn't that tragic?"

Miwei sat down, looked around the temple, and said:
"If later generations truly considered Lord Ye a villain, why would they build a temple and erect a stele in his honor, and offer sacrifices to him in all four seasons?"

"Isn't it because the locals are grateful for their kindness and therefore dare not forget it?"

"As for the saying 'Lord Ye loved dragons,' it's nothing more than a few pedantic literati forcibly using the past to satirize the present."

"Actually, upon closer examination, it may not be a bad thing."

"After all, the blessings of a virtuous person last only five generations. Lord Ye's virtue in controlling the floods could only save the people of his time, but not the people of future generations. So when the Yellow Turban Army came, the temple was ruined. Last year, when the war broke out, even the incense for sacrifices was cut off."

"It is precisely because of the pedantic literati's claims that Lord Ye's reputation has spread widely. People like you and me, with a little inquiry, can uncover the truth of history."

"In that case, are you still worried that Lord Ye's temple will not be repaired and his reputation will not be restored?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Miao fell silent again.

Meanwhile, Mi Wei took the opportunity to drink some wine to moisten his throat, remaining calm and composed.

It wasn't until he heard a woman's light, melodious laughter coming from outside the temple that Xu Miao came to his senses and drank the cooled wine in his cup in one gulp.

He exhaled a puff of white breath and said:
"The virtues of the ancient sages are such that people today can only look up to them from behind, and dare not compare themselves to them."

Mi Wei then poured more wine and continued:
"Without 'people of today,' how can there be 'sages of the past'? The ancestors themselves came from people of today."

"Perhaps when Lord Ye was controlling the floods back then, he also felt ashamed that he was not as good as Yu the Great."

"If Xu Gong has the heart to speak out for the people, why should he hesitate and look back? He should just do his best to fulfill his wishes and desires."

At this point, Miwei had practically revealed his hand.

Xu Miao was a shrewd and perceptive person; how could he not understand the meaning behind the invitation?
Then he followed suit and said:
"Xu was favored by Cao Cao and served as a minister of Wei for a long time. If he were to rebel, even if ten more temples were built, he would still be condemned by later generations as a fickle villain and his temples would be demolished as heretical and licentious shrines."

"Xu is ultimately a person who is greedy for fame, and he can only be a villain in the writings of pedantic literati."

Miwei did not give up:

"If Lord Xu is unwilling to serve in the imperial court, our Yuzhou Prefecture is still short of a Prefectural Assistant. Would Lord Xu be willing to accept such a position?"

"When I govern Yuzhou in the future, I will rely on the assistance of wise and virtuous elders!"

Xu Miao chuckled upon hearing this:

"Who in the world doesn't know that Shi Shan is a trusted advisor to the Han emperor? Even if you serve him, what difference is there between that and surrendering to the Han? It's nothing but self-deception."

(End of this chapter)