The Cai Residence was a prestigious family in Luoyang.
The head of the family, Cai Yong, was well-educated and had a wide range of friends. He had a high reputation in the court and among the people.
It was just that some time ago, Cai Yong was promoted to the position of Chancellor by Dong Zhuo and was thought to have become a henchman of Dong Zhuo. Even though he resigned later, he did not get everyone's forgiveness.
On this day, Jiang Chen received Cai Yong's invitation to gather at the residence.
Other than him, he had also invited Wang Yun, Yuan Kui, Yang Biao, and several other ministers, as well as outstanding scions from aristocratic families.
Since he had nothing to do, Jiang Chen agreed and followed the servant who delivered the letter to the Cai Residence.
In ancient times, especially before the Sui and Tang Dynasties, not everyone could read and write. This was only the patent of a few people.
Although paper had already been made during the Han Dynasty, it was far from being popularized.
The vast majority of books still relied on bamboo slips to record.
The art of printing was only invented during the Tang Dynasty. Before that, all books were copied or carved by hand, which was time-consuming and laborious.
Books at this time could be compared to luxury goods in the future. Ordinary people could not come into contact with them at all.
Only those aristocratic families with a hundred years of history had them.
They had books, which was equivalent to having the key to open the door to knowledge.
It was impossible for ordinary people to rely on their studies to make a name for themselves.
And reality proved this point.
The strategists of the Three Kingdoms period were all from aristocratic families, almost without exception.
Among them, there were indeed some who were not too rich, and some were even poor. They were known as strategists from poor families.
For example, Li Ru, Guo Jia, Chen Qun, and so on.
However, the Humble Class here did not refer to ordinary people, but to fallen aristocratic families.
A fallen aristocratic family was still an aristocratic family.
Cai Yong, on the other hand, had countless books, up to 10,000 volumes.
Even the imperial palace didn't have as many books as Cai Yong.
As for the other aristocratic families, there was no need to mention them.
Even the collection of all the noble families in the world combined might not be comparable to Cai Yong's.
At this moment, Jiang Chen had already arrived at the Cai Residence's main gate under the guidance of the Cai Residence's servants.
A middle-aged man who looked like a butler walked over quickly and bent over. He said softly,"You must be General Jiang Chen of the West. My master is waiting for you inside!”
"Yes." Jiang Chen nodded." Quickly lead the way."”
The housekeeper of the Cai Residence calmly welcomed Jiang Chen into the residence.
Unlike the solemn atmosphere of Situ Wang Yun's mansion, Cai Yong's mansion was obviously elegant.
Layers of pavilions, fake mountains, lakes, and colorful gardens…
There were so many things that it was a feast for the eyes.
At this moment, a faint sound of a zither came from not far away.
It was like a small stream flowing in the mountain stream, like the sound of a mountain stream spring, like the sound of a ring bell, like the sound of spring water, like the sound of a horse shaking a bell.
Jiang Chen looked in the direction of the voice.
A young girl in a light green dress was sitting in a pavilion by the lake, playing the piano.
The woman did not look old, and her long hair fell over her shoulders.
Her skin was as white as snow and her eyes were like clear water. When she looked around, she had an elegant and noble temperament.
There was a spiritual aura that was different from that of a mortal woman between her eyebrows, and her entire body exuded an elegant and classical aura.
"That is our family's young miss, Cai Yan, also known as Zhao Ji.”
The butler had a smug look on his face as he introduced her," Although she's young and is still a girl, when it comes to reading and composing poems, even the sons of so many aristocratic families in Luoyang City can't compare to her!”
Jiang Chen nodded slightly.
Cai Zhaoji, also known as Cai Wenji in later generations, was renamed Wenji in order to avoid Sima Zhao's taboo during the Jin Dynasty.
She was a famous talented woman in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. Jiang Chen had naturally heard of her.
In ancient times, there were not many women who studied, and only a few could become talented women.
And Cai Yan was one of the best. He was proficient in literature, music, and calligraphy.
Even Jiang Chen was filled with admiration for such an extraordinary woman.
As if sensing that someone was watching, the zither suddenly stopped.
Cai Yan raised his eyes and looked into the distance.
After seeing that it was an unfamiliar man, she picked up her violin and left in a hurry.
"General, my master is just ahead.”
the butler urged softly.
Jiang Chen responded," Lead the way quickly."”
"Here."
The butler quickened his pace and walked towards the courtyard ahead.
Jiang Chen followed behind him unhurriedly.
Not long after, he saw the white-haired Cai Yong sitting in the courtyard with a lonely expression.
It was only when Jiang Chen walked closer that his face regained some of its luster. He forced a smile and said,"General, you have come from afar. I hope you don't blame me for not welcoming you!”
Jiang Chen cupped his fists." Greetings, Lord Cai."”
"General, there's no need to be so polite."
"This old man has already resigned and is no longer an official of the court.”
Cai Yong looked lonely.
He pulled Jiang Chen with one hand and brought him into the room.
The room was filled with good wine and delicacies.
"Lord Situ and the others haven't arrived yet?" Jiang Chen asked.”
"Yes." Cai Yong nodded and sighed," They won't come!”
"How could this be?" Jiang Chen asked.
"I used to work for Dong Zhuo and was despised by the world. Many of my good friends alienated me because of this. Even Wang Yun did not come because he was afraid of other people's rumors.”
Cai Yong looked sad.
He didn't expect that he would end up in a situation where everyone deserted him.
He sat down at the table and said to Jiang Chen,""General, please take a seat.”
Jiang Chen nodded and sat opposite Cai Yong. He said angrily,""Uncle Cai only worked for Dong Zhuo because he didn't recognize his true colors.”
"The world is actually so ignorant!"
Cai Yong forced a smile." Unfortunately, not everyone is like General!”
"I only exchanged a few letters with Dong Zhuo.”
"He's in Liangzhou, and I'm in Luoyang. We're thousands of miles apart, and we've only met a few times.”
He sighed.
"However, even though Dong Zhuo was cruel and heartless, he didn't care about the law.”
"I resigned and he didn't make things difficult for me and let me leave.”
"But it is also because of this that the world is suspicious of us.”
"They think that I only resigned on the surface and that I still have contact with Dong Zhuo behind the scenes.”
Cai Yong had a bitter look on his face as he poured himself a cup of wine and downed it.
Dong Zhuo naturally had his own methods to become a formidable figure of his generation.
When he was young, he was both wise and brave, and he made many good friends.
That was why He Jin would summon him to lead troops to Luoyang and not anyone else.
After monopolizing Luoyang, he had indeed swelled up a lot. He looked unreasonable and cruel, but that was all against his enemies.
When he treated the people around him, he always gave them the fullest trust and support, and he was not stingy with money.
This was also the reason why Li Ru, Lu Bu, and the others were willing to follow him.
However, it was also for this reason that Cai Yong was misunderstood by the world, leading to the current situation.
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