NOVPUBOn the way back to his hometown, Chen Xi calculated the tasks he had to do and eventually realized there were indeed quite a few things on his plate, many of which could not be delegated to Lub Su, such as getting married...
It was agreed that the wedding would take place sometime in May, but the battle with the Yellow Turbans caused a delay; moreover, he had since obtained a marquisate. According to the rank and official position, his status was basically at the ministerial level, so the wedding was postponed again. Regarding this, Chen Xi could only shrug helplessly. The rituals of ancient times were truly troublesome, but since he was living in this era, he had to abide by them.
Latter on, Fan Liang sent word suggesting that when marrying Chen Lan, Fan Jian should be married as well—no, that was the wrong way to phrase it. It was actually that when it was time to marry Fan Jian, Chen Lan should be taken as well, considering Chen Lan was a concubine while Fan Jian was the legal wife.
Finally, after a mess of calculations, Chen Xi helplessly expressed that he probably had to wait until the end of the year to marry Fan Jian, and the "three letters and six ceremonies" also needed to be rearranged. The elders of the Fan Family would have to personally come to Mount Tai by then, as Chen Xi’s current status was no longer the kind that could be brushed off casually.
The wedding could be postponed, but speeding up the construction of the new Library Pavilion and Liu Bei’s new residence was imperative, for time waits for no one.
On top of that, there was the reorganization of household registration, population migration, military adjustments, tax reform, and a myriad of other things to do, leaving Chen Xi utterly overwhelmed. Although he had anticipated how difficult it would be to reach his initial requirements within three years, when these responsibilities actually fell onto his shoulders, Chen Xi still felt on the verge of collapse. However, there was no choice; rapid progress required a solid foundation, so how could it be done without some hardship?
"Zichuan, you’re finally back!" As soon as Chen Xi arrived at Fenggao, Liu Bei appeared outside the carriage.
"Lord Xuande has taken the trouble to come here," Chen Xi said with a wry smile.
"Zichuan seems exceptionally tired!" Liu Bei laughed heartily and turned to Hua Xiong with a smile, "Zijian, lead your troops back to camp. Tonight, I will host a banquet to honor you all."
"Thank you, Lord!" Hua Xiong and the others said, bowing.
"Zichuan, come and see inside the city, it will definitely surprise you!" Liu Bei seemed to recall some sorrowful matter before he then firmly said to Chen Xi, revealing that even though he had returned just ten days earlier than Chen Xi, Liu Bei seemed to have gone through quite a few unpleasant experiences.
"It seems there are many more crenels than before." Chen Xi observed the city walls, remembering clearly that when he left, there were only a sparse number of crenels on the walls of Fenggao City; but now, there seemed to be a crenel every twenty meters.
"Once you go inside, you’ll find even more surprises," Liu Bei said, his complexion appearing somewhat forced, but he still maintained a smiling face.
Seeing the path paved with bluestone and the three massive iron-clad, shining silver gates of the city, Chen Xi felt a pang in his heart.
This ostentatious design could definitely not have been Lub Su’s doing; after all, city gates in this world did not rely on their own defensive power, but like ships, they existed in symbiosis with the City Gate Commander combining the Inner Qi of the soldiers to remain solid. Cladding them in a layer of iron was completely meaningless, a sheer waste.
"Zichuan, you look quite unwell. Are you feeling sick?" Liu Bei’s last shred of hope shattered as he saw that Chen Xi, his only audience, had a very unpleasant expression, similar to Li Youu, Jia Xu, Liu Ye, and others. Yet he still held a sliver of hope...
"Lord Xuande, how much money did you spend?" Chen Xi asked with difficulty.
Liu Bei held up a finger, and Chen Xi let out a sigh of relief, "Alright, that’s not too bad. It was indeed a wise choice for Lord Xuande not to go for major renovations. One hundred million coins is still an affordable loss. I thought as much, with Zijing there, things wouldn’t go terribly wrong."
"Ten billion coins..." Liu Bei said somewhat sheepishly.
"You wouldn’t have paved the entire Fenggao, would you?" Chen Xi asked with a wry smile.
"I paved it all," Liu Bei said in a low voice.
"Wen Ru didn’t stop you?" Chen Xi found it unbelievable.
"I didn’t mention it to Wen Ru; I thought it was a small matter, after all, neither you nor Zijing spent any money building cities," Liu Bei said with a bitter smile.
"Lord Xuande, this statement surprises me yet again, how many times have you said it?" Chen Xi asked helplessly, guessing that Liu Bei must have said it to many others already.
"I said it to every one of them when they returned," Liu Bei said, looking somewhat downcast. He had thought he had done a good deed, for the whole of Fenggao had become much cleaner and tidier, but, to his surprise, every returning strategist had darkly frowned and smiled bitterly.
"Zijing hasn’t been out of his own home, has he? He’s been dealing with government affairs all the time and has no idea what Fenggao has turned into. And by the way, you haven’t paid the bill yet, have you?" Chen Xi asked, covering his forehead, feeling utterly embarrassed.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bei’s face indeed turned much uglier.
"That family is so efficient, to have taken it this far," Chen Xi said speechlessly. "A family that plays with a billion coins, that’s unheard of, right?"
"Lord Xuande, don’t worry about it; it’s only a billion coins, we can afford it. Besides, having Fenggao become clean and tidy is a good thing. Though, if it were up to me, it wouldn’t have cost a single coin," Chen Xi consoled Liu Bei while delivering a heavy blow. But Liu Bei was not the average big-hearted person; accustomed to being struck down, he just gave a wry smile.
"Chen Zichuan, you are still so sharp-tongued. Although I must admit your wisdom," a female voice said from nearby, her tone rich and graceful.
Chen Xi and Liu Bei turned their heads at the same time, only to see an elegant woman in her thirties standing beside an extravagant carriage, her face wearing a soft smile. Although her words targeted Chen Xi, she gracefully greeted Liu Bei with a bow, "Lady Zhen Zhang greets Lord Xuande."
"Lord Xuande, this is the actual head of the Jizhou Zhen Family," Chen Xi immediately understood everything and introduced her to Liu Bei.
"I’ve seen the lady," Liu Bei said, slightly startled, but still courteously greeted her.
Chen Xi felt helpless in his heart; this woman really held a grudge, not even offering him a greeting. No matter what, he was a marquis, and a marquisate of the Han Dynasty was incredibly difficult to attain, completely different from the cheaply valued titles of the Three Kingdoms period.
"Lord Xuande, there’s no need for formalities. My previous blunder was regrettable, and I am here to express my apologies. Fenggao City is indeed the most magnificent and imposing city I have ever seen. I hope Lord Xuande doesn’t mind my overstepping," Zhang Clan’s Lady said humbly, completely lacking her previously haughty demeanor seen in Jizhou.
"I should thank the Zhen Family. Fenggao could only be so clean and tidy thanks to your efforts," Liu Bei said, delighted. Sometimes his mind was slow to catch on, but at other moments, like now, he was quick to grasp the implied meaning. He grew fond of this elegant woman in front of him. Zhang Clan’s Lady had shouldered all the blame for his previous error and placed it upon the Zhen Family.
[Just when I thought no family would have such vast resources and act so swiftly. But the Zhen Family indeed has the means now, with a hold on half of Jizhou’s businesses, whether overtly or covertly. Hmm, it’s interesting how a woman running a household can be easier to manage. A case of reciprocation, perhaps.] As Chen Xi watched the scene before him, this thought crossed his mind involuntarily. (To be continued. If you like this story, feel free to recommend and vote for it on QiDian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
