When Liu Qi returned to Xiangyang, the people lined the streets to welcome him. After he was promoted again, Liu Biao completely delegated power and everything was back on track.
With Kuai Yue and Liu Xian taking the lead in implementing the new policy, although the major powerful families were somewhat reluctant to cooperate, they had no choice but to accept it as the Cai family was executed and the Kuai, Huang, Xi and other families all fully supported it.
With Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and Pang Tong as the coordinators, they had their hands on all the movements in the world. With just a little analysis, these three of them could get a pretty accurate picture of the movements everywhere.
In the government office, all the civil and military officials were in high spirits. When they asked about Liu Qi's assassination, they sighed. Except for Zhang Fei and a few others who clamored for revenge, Zhuge Liang and others believed that it was handled properly and was a blessing in disguise.
Xu Shu suggested letting Shi A serve as the guard. This man came from a green forest, had great martial arts skills, and was good at lurking and hiding. He was the most suitable person to protect in secret. The other candidates still needed to be selected.
With the lessons learned from the past, Liu Qi did not dare to be careless. In addition to the personal guards of the central army, he let Shi A lead a team alone to be responsible for secret guarding.
Now he was appointed General of Chariots and Cavalry and was in charge of the government. Liu Qi appointed Liu Ba as Sizhi, in charge of supervising officials in counties and prefectures, and also concurrently as Jincao of Jingzhou, in charge of the overall management of the monetary economy, mainly focusing on supporting caravans.
With the help of Jingzhou's geographical advantages, as long as ten businesses with capital of over 100 million yuan are cultivated in the country, with Jingzhou's current foundation, it can definitely become the first in the country.
Liu Qi only said one sentence: If the currency does not circulate, it will be worthless if it is hidden in the treasury, like rotten wood and stone.
Liu Ba strongly agreed with this, and the two felt that they had a common understanding in terms of business and currency reform, which was one of the reasons why Liu Ba decided to follow Liu Qi.
Secondly, in the general's office, Jiang Wan was the chief clerk, Yi Ji was the chief secretary who presided over government affairs, Liu Pan was the military secretary, and Liu Xian was the military secretary who commanded the troops.
Although Yi Ji had secretly helped Liu Bei several times before, it was because he was dissatisfied with the hegemony of the Cai family. He and Liu Biao were both from the same hometown and school, and had a deep relationship. Now he was even more loyal to Liu Qi.
Liu Qi was promoted, and all the other generals were also promoted, mainly based on their merits in the Battle of Nanyang. The military and civilians of Jingzhou were happy, and it was a prosperous scene.
In a blink of an eye, it was Zhang Fei's wedding date. Although he was getting married because of pregnancy, he and Lady Xiahou were very excited to get the approval of her family. The city of Xiangyang was decorated with lights and was bustling with activity.
Half a month ago, Cao's army paid two million in money and grain and took away Cao Ren and Xiahou Dun. The war in Huainan was still in a stalemate, and it was the time to use people, so Cao Cao couldn't wait too long.
Moreover, Cao Cao felt very uneasy when he heard that Yu Jin, Li Dian and others had been persuaded to surrender by Liu Qi.
Although these two are relatives, human hearts are unpredictable. If one of them betrays the enemy, not only will Cao Mengde become a laughing stock, but the morale of Cao's army will also be greatly affected.
In order to avoid further trouble, Cao Cao had to hand over the money and food to stabilize the current situation and then avenge his previous humiliation.
The front reported that the wedding procession had crossed the river and was about to arrive in Xiangyang. Liu Qi personally led the civil and military officials to entertain the guests. Guan Yu was guarding Jiangxia and sent Guan Ping to come and congratulate them.
Zhang Fei was wearing a bright red outfit, which made his dark face look slightly purple. Next to him was Zhang Bao, who was only eight years old. The little guy had a chubby face and an excited look on his face.
Soon the carriages and horses arrived outside the city, where colorful flags were waving and a long team with no end in sight. The Xiahou family lived up to their promise this time and put on a grand display.
According to the information reported by Zhao Yun, there were 500 people in the wedding procession. Except for two maids, the rest were all from the Xiahou family.
The team was headed by Xiahou Ba, the eldest son of Xiahou Yuan. It was naturally impossible for Xiahou Yuan to come to send off the bride, so letting his eldest son take his place was already the highest possible gesture.
Seeing the people in the front row dismounting and coming, Zhang Fei was so excited that he rubbed his hands and even retreated shyly.
Huang Zhong joked, "Yide was so generous when he tried to seize the Xiahou clan. Why is he hesitating today?"
Zhang Fei scratched his head and smiled foolishly, "At that time, I felt sorry for the firewood-collecting woman and was worried that she would be robbed by bandits, so I took her back to the city..."
As he was speaking, Xiahou Ba strode over. He was a young man in his early twenties, in the prime of his life, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a sense of pride between his brows.
"I am Xiahou Ba, and I am here to escort the bride on my father's orders!"
Xiahou Ba behaved calmly and spoke in a loud voice. He looked at Liu Qi from time to time while speaking. As they were of the same age, they naturally compared themselves with each other secretly.
Liu Qi clasped his fists and said, "General Xiahou is indeed as good as his word. It is a great honor for General Zhang that you can come to Xiangyang in person."
Huang Zhong pushed Zhang Fei, who was a little embarrassed, but Zhang Fei pushed his son in front of him and said, "Call me uncle!"
"Uncle—" Zhang Bao called out timidly, looking up at the heroic Xiahou Ba.
Xiahou Ba nodded slightly, then clasped his fists and saluted Zhang Fei: "Hello, brother-in-law!"
Xiahou Dun, who should be held accountable, had already settled accounts with Zhang Fei, so Xiahou Ba had no choice but to complete his mission and meet the heroes of Jingchu.
Zhang Fei returned the greeting and said, "You are welcome, my dear brother. I hope you will take good care of me in the future."
"How dare I!" Xiahou Ba curled his lips in an undetectable manner. With Zhang Fei's ability and reputation, he would be lucky if he could take care of him in the future.
After the greeting, a band was already at the city gate, beating gongs and drums, welcoming Xiahou Ba and his party into the city.
The people of Xiangyang crowded the streets, cheering for Zhang Fei. Although the two got married because of pregnancy, they each served their own masters, and the fact that they could have such a good marriage became a good story.
Zhang Fei returned home first, while Xiahou Ba went to the government office to pick up Xiahou and put her in the sedan chair. Then the group sent her to the mansion, and they got married in the hall, which officially completed the wedding.
The palace was extremely lively that day. Even though Zhang Fei had an amazing alcohol tolerance, he could not resist the urging of others to drink. He got drunk and burst into tears at the door of the hall.
I kept thinking of Liu Bei and Guan Yu, and thanked Liu Qi. At this point, I finally untied all the knots in my heart and had no regrets anymore.
Liu Qi comforted Zhang Fei and sent him to the back hall to rest. The rest of the guests also left one after another.
Liu Xian was responsible for receiving Xiahou Ba and his entourage and arranged them in the east of the city. He also secretly sent people to monitor them to prevent them from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.
In the inn, Xiahou Ba discovered that he was being watched, so he returned to his room without making a sound. Several of his clan members were drinking tea to sober up, so he asked everyone to rest early, leaving only Xiahou Dun's son Xiahou Mao and Cao Ren's son Cao Tai to discuss matters.
Xiahou Ba said: "We came to Xiangyang this time not only to escort the bride, but also to gather intelligence. The Prime Minister is unwilling to entrust us with important tasks because of our young age. You and I must go all out and make a splash."
Cao Tai on the left nodded and said, "Brother, you are right. Liu Qi is only 18 years old, but he is already in charge of Jingzhou and is famous all over the world. We are not inferior to him, but we were born at the wrong time. This is a God-given opportunity, how can we miss it?"
Xiahou Ba sighed, "Just now I was patrolling the mansion and found someone secretly watching us from outside. It seems that Liu Qi doesn't completely trust us. What should I do?"
Xiahou Mao stroked his mustache and said, "I have a plan that will surely make the three of us famous throughout the world."
Xiahou Ba and Cao Tai were overjoyed and asked at the same time, "What's the plan?"
Xiahou Mao smiled mysteriously, motioned the two men to come closer, and whispered: "Tomorrow, invite Liu Qi to the inn to express his gratitude, and then ambush the swordsmen and kill him. Wouldn't that make him famous forever?"