NOVPUBLub Su had no choice, although it was somewhat inappropriate for Chen Xi to start pestering him with administrative affairs right after returning from a significant victory, he knew that with Chen Xi’s current childishly obstinate character, there was at least no chance of getting any help today. However, the purpose of his visit today was to remind Chen Xi that, if nothing unexpected happened, Chen Xi would be heading to the Political Office tomorrow to take over the troubles of Qingzhou.
At dinner, under the light, Chen Xi stared at Fan Jian and Chen Lan’s expressions and finally confirmed something—not that he hadn’t paid attention before, but there really wasn’t anything similar. So, with a resigned wry smile, he picked up his bowl and began to eat. It seemed it wasn’t a problem with his eyesight after all.
"Ran’er, why do you think our husband keeps staring at us?" After Chen Xi finished dinner and left, Fan Jian asked Chen Lan with a somewhat peculiar look.
"I don’t know," Chen Lan shook her head blankly; she was still immersed in the sudden change of becoming a young lady of the Chen Family.
"You’re not even paying attention to the changes in our husband," Fan Jian sighed, "Ran’er, you must remember, no matter how your status changes, in the end, it’s our husband you rely on. Without him, you’re nothing." Fan Jian saw that Chen Lan was not focusing on Chen Xi at the moment, so she slightly furrowed her brows, thought for a moment, and still decided to give a word of caution, whether it’s heeded or not was not Fan Jian’s concern.
When Chen Xi left, he did not deliberately eavesdrop on the conversation between his wives and concubines, but what caught his attention was that there seemed to be an increase in the number of singers in his household, birds of different feathers flocking together, which looked pleasant but was ultimately something he was unaccustomed to. And among them were even two literate thirteen or fourteen-year-old girls—where did these rare items come from? Did the Yellow Turbans produce them?
Chen Xi didn’t ponder deeply; it was nothing more than the usual few methods. Even if he asked the Maids, it would only be uncovering the scars of others. It was better to pretend ignorance. Since it was a gift from Liu Bei, he would just accept it. As for the other aspects, it was best not to involve the brain.
The next day, Chen Xi sauntered into the Political Office long after the sun was three poles high, and this time, Lub Su, Liu Ye, Guo Jia who was drunk as a lord, Mann Chong, Jian Yong, Sunx Qian, and Liu Yan were all waiting there.
"Wow, you all came quite early," Chen Xi greeted with a wave, "And everyone is here, what’s the occasion?"
"We were just waiting for you," Guo Jia said, his breath reeking of alcohol.
"I was looking for you too. Lord Xuande came to pick me up yesterday, and you had the cheek to send a message saying you were dead drunk and couldn’t come! Have you no shame?" Chen Xi glared at Guo Jia angrily, as the fellow had recently been excessively indulging in wine and dreams.
"Good wine, you should try it too!" Guo Jia said with a grin, revealing today actually had nothing to do with him; he was just dragged along by Lub Su to make up the numbers, and when that’s the case, there’s no need for formalities. 𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑝𝘶𝘣.𝑐𝘰𝘮
"This liquor of yours..." Chen Xi took a whiff and immediately, his temper flared up, "You dare to steal even the strong spirits I use for disinfection! Don’t you know this kind of drink can kill people?"
"Huh?" Guo Jia, somewhat uncoordinated, dug at his ear with his right hand, "This strong spirit, eh? I mixed in some juice from your home, and it tastes really, really good!" he said, pushing Chen Xi’s hand away and promptly slumped over into a heap, collapsing onto the chair and continued to gulp down the alcohol from the jug.
"..." Chen Xi was speechless. However, Guo Jia still knew to add something to it, and drinking it this way, though he seemed completely inebriated, at least it wouldn’t cost him his life.
"Zichuan, please take the main seat; Lord Xuande was here too, but he had to leave earlier due to other matters," Lub Su said with a smile, pointing to the chair at the head of the table, indicating for Chen Xi to sit in the round-back armchair. For all these people, using a chair wasn’t against etiquette; they favored comfort when possible, and this type of raised seating was also rather good for the legs.
Chen Xi no longer dwelt on Guo Jia’s issue, reasoning that if Guo Jia could pass out drunk here, it meant that military affairs were not involved, merely civil administration; however, what kind of civil administration required such a gathering of people, all on high alert.
Casually sitting at the head of the table, he reclaimed the prefectural governor’s seal ribbon, then picked up the document Lub Su handed over and glanced through it. As expected, trouble had arisen—after defeating the Yellow Turbans, there were not enough people to govern, and everything had descended into chaos!
"Summon the minor officials!" Chen Xi pressed the stack of papers onto the newly invented desk.
"We simply don’t have that many scholars, to be precise, not even enough literate people, let alone enough willing to deal with the Yellow Turbans." Liu Ye said with a wry smile, lamenting the lack of literate individuals.
"There aren’t even many cats, big or small, at your Academy of Mount Tai, so how can we draft anyone? Can boys of twelve or thirteen, even if capable, handle the tasks?" Mann Chong asked with a dark expression.
"Even if we sent all the students from the Academy of Mount Tai to Qingzhou, and on top of that, counted the scholars brought in by Weishuo, we’d still be short by more than a thousand people. According to our calculations, in this situation one person needs to take on several duties. We really can’t manage too many people; one person overseeing a thousand is already the extreme limit," Lub Su said helplessly.
No matter how capable you are, you still need people below to carry out the tasks. When Chen Xi was managing Mount Tai, he relied on nearly a hundred students who had come from Yingchuan to build the framework. Afterwards, the ordinary students recruited through the Talent Recruitment Order were all sent to various parts of Mount Tai by Liu Bei. It was because of this that Mount Tai was able to develop steadily. Otherwise, relying solely on the few people sitting here, they may have the talent, but without subordinates, they would run themselves to death achieving nothing.
"Let’s have military governance, I think military governance is the best choice," Liu Yan suggested excitedly, having found this method to be the best way to deal with internal turmoil since he encountered it.
The crowd glared at him, and Jian Yong, sitting beside him, directly addressed Liu Yan, the handsome general, "You’d better go quickly spread the word about Mount Tai’s situation. You can just listen in on these kinds of matters..."
Upon hearing this, Liu Yan was not annoyed; he simply fanned himself twice with his folding fan and tossed his hair, showing off his good looks.
Chen Xi smiled at Liu Yan. This noted scholar had been recruited by Liu Bei during his talent scouting. Historical records portrayed him as inept in governance and planning, but Liu Bei liked him, and he reciprocated that fondness, so he stayed.
As for this former rumormonger, Lub Su and the others felt that just feeding him was enough, but Chen Xi thought differently. This man, despite his limited capabilities, was one of the four civil officials who loyally followed Liu Bei through thick and thin in the histories. Although lacking in ability, his loyalty was commendable. Didn’t history note that after Liu Bei rose to power, he didn’t forget to ennoble him? Such loyalty shouldn’t go to waste!
Chen Xi believed that even toilet paper had its use, so he tasked Liu Yan, in consideration of his loyalty, with a job: propaganda, embellishing the truth. Yes, that meant boasting. Providing him with a significant budget for activities, he had Liu Yan connect with his friends daily, play the zither, listen to music, watch dances, write prose, and then boast about Liu Xuande of Mount Tai...
The results were so impressive that even Lub Su was astonished. With the powerful advocacy of a noted scholar like Liu Yan promoting how exceptional Mount Tai was, soon enough, a large number of scholars in the north began extolling the virtues of Liu Bei’s benevolence. Then, as Chen Xi pressed on towards Jizhou, Liu Bei was fervently proclaimed the indisputable choice to restore the Han Dynasty.
His fame soared rapidly, and even Liu Bei himself felt somewhat embarrassed, though his demeanor betrayed a sense of pride. Now, it wasn’t to say that he was renowned throughout the world, but at least Liu Xuande of Mount Tai had become quite famous in the Central Plains. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)
