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Although Chen Xi felt that spending a billion money to pave the entire Fenggao was indeed a bit too wasteful, since the money didn’t come from him, Chen Xi thought it was better to act as if he hadn’t seen anything.
Of course, this matter also gave Chen Xi a wake-up call: Liu Bei’s wealth and the wealth of his entire domain must be separated. Otherwise, if Liu Bei accidentally made this kind of mistake, even with good intentions, it would still cause resentment among his subordinates, as a billion money is not a small sum. It is enough to maintain a strong army, and to just pave it onto Fenggao is indeed wasteful.
After separating the properties, if Liu Bei was extravagant and wasteful, that would be Liu Bei spending his own money. No one would have the right to comment, and Chen Xi even felt it necessary to allocate more to Liu Bei and then teach him how to spend money, so that he wouldn’t do unnecessary things.
"When I see Zijing and others, I’ll discuss with them about how to handle this matter. The National Treasury and the private treasury should never be mixed together." Chen Xi couldn’t help but think, which was also a way to slightly restrict the power of the supreme ruler. Moreover, the timing was not bad. If it were left until later, when Liu Bei’s power had overwhelmed the world, it would be far more difficult to implement, and there would probably be too many people citing classics and discussing the Imperial Family’s concept of home and country.
"Zichuan, you’re lost in thought again," Liu Bei said with a smile, clearly relieved of the burden of a billion money.
"Ah, I was just thinking that there are quite a few matters that need to be handled. I hope Lord and Madame Zhang won’t take offense," Chen Xi said with a light smile, his expression serene, not feeling the least bit embarrassed about being caught distracted.
"Zichuan is also very busy," Liu Bei laughed, while Madame Zhang covered half of her smiling face with a fur fan, everyone knew of Chen Xi’s leisureliness.
"It’s just taxing to the mind," Chen Xi said solemnly, and immediately both Liu Bei and Madame Zhang were taken aback, no longer laughing at Chen Xi’s earlier words. The situations in Mount Tai and Qingzhou were enough to show the investment of Chen Xi’s efforts.
Especially since Liu Bei had seen Chen Xi’s plan when he was returning to Qingzhou from Hulao Pass, and considering the current situation, although many unexpected events had arisen, the overall situation was still moving forward step by step, exactly according to Chen Xi’s initial predictions.
"It is indeed Heaven’s grace that Bei has Zichuan’s aid. Heaven has not abandoned our Han Dynasty!" Liu Bei stopped walking and bowed to Chen Xi, while Madame Zhang’s eyes showed continuous admiration.
"Lord Xuande..." Chen Xi said with a wry smile, having already been through this routine several times. What should he say this time?
"Zichuan, come on, I’m treating you to beef," Liu Bei said, not at all allowing Chen Xi to express his own opinion, and uncommonly prepared to treat Chen Xi to beef.
"There’s always one or two unruly cows. Ah, with the busy summer plowing over, the disobedient cows indeed should be eaten," Chen Xi said helplessly. He remembered that Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping had once brought cattle from the North at low prices. After piercing their noses, they could be used for plowing. Adding to the motley cattle previously acquired, sending out four or five thousand heads for summer plowing had also helped win over the hearts of the people...
Now, those cattle suitable for plowing fields, the disobedient ones being butchered was proper. In the Central Plains, eating draft cattle is a crime, but eating pastoral cattle that can plow fields is not an issue. Hence, Liu Bei was quite generous...
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"Madame should join us as well; although the Zhen Family is wealthy and lacks for nothing, Mount Tai doesn’t have much to offer by way of hospitality, but it is still within the duties of a host to extend a proper welcome." Liu Bei truly had not yet adapted to his own status.
It used to be that when Liu Bei had no money, he was very conscious of his low status as a poor man. Now that he has become affluent, Liu Bei doesn’t care at all that he once engaged in the humble work of weaving mats and selling shoes—in fact, he is somewhat proud of it. After all, didn’t the founder of the Liu Family, though of humble Qingpi origin and with a ruffian’s air, ascend to become an emperor?
Going back to the topic, Liu Bei’s breadth of vision and spirit now are entirely incomparable to the former days of struggle. At least now, if someone mentions ’that peddler child’ in front of Liu Bei, he just laughs it off and doesn’t take it to heart at all. In the past, this might have been something Liu Bei would have borne a grudge over for a lifetime.
If in a few more years, once Liu Bei ascends to the throne and surpasses all his ancestors, someone mentions ’that peddler child,’ he might even dare to boast about how he compares to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, concluding that selling shoes is no great matter. If only he can provide the people with a good life and they hail him as a Wise Lord, a Holy Lord, then even if he sells shoes, he does so with glory.
This represents the greatest change in Liu Bei over the past two years. When Liu Bei attended the alliance at Hulao Pass, he might still have held the other Feudal Lords in awe, but now he has taken a more relaxed view of them; most of them aren’t doing as well as he is, so who would he fear? Let them come at him if they dare.
With this kind of confidence, although there are still some traces of a commoner’s thoughts in Liu Bei, his entire bearing and character have changed greatly, enough to attract some beautiful women...
"If Governor Liu extends an invitation, how could I decline?" Madame Zhang curtsied with a light laugh, clearly expressing her admiration for Liu Bei.
Chen Xi, feeling his gaze was a bit improper, decided it was better not to stay any longer, excused himself, and slipped away without giving Liu Bei a chance to detain him.
Walking through Fenggao City, although the cobblestones pained Chen Xi, he had to admit that Madame Zhang’s aesthetic sense was impeccable. Or to put it another way, this lady’s perspective was completely different from Chen Xi’s and Lub Su’s.
Indeed, the cleanliness of Fenggao now compels everyone there not to litter or dump dirty water, making the whole city much cleaner as a result.
[Indeed, some tasks are better suited to women. When Zijing and I were handling things before, we were indeed a bit too rough. Hmm, sometimes it’s better to ask Miss Mi to draw up some designs. I’ve heard the girl is quite good at painting, so let her play with designing the city...]
Looking at the vistas of the city, Chen Xi also realized why a billion in Money and Grain had been spent—not only for the paving with cobblestones but also for demolishing some buildings to make the city layout much more rational. Most importantly, Fenggao City now is completely devoid of thatched cottages; they have been replaced by uniform adobe houses, each with its own front yard garden randomly planted with flowers, trees, and fruits...
Indeed, such tasks would have been completely overlooked by Lub Su and Chen Xi, who would have settled merely for an adobe house at best, without any concept of the other aspects.
[It seems that we need to hire some female officials. We have already gone through the toughest times, and now we have a good supply of Money and Grain. If female officers were to manage things like Fenggao’s cultural atmosphere and living environment, they would likely achieve perfection. And as for the extra spending...] A sly smile appeared on Chen Xi’s face. With such a fine environment and cultural atmosphere, it was only natural for the land prices to surge! (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
