NOVPUBZhang Clan nodded in agreement with Chen Xi’s statement. While other merchants were still discussing whether Liu Xuande intended to hike the price at the last minute, Zhang Clan had already received astonishing intelligence from the Strategists of Fenggao: North First Street was not under official control.
Not being under official control, Zhang Clan’s first thought was of Chen Xi. Unlike others who would need to think it through, Zhang trusted her intuition more. Ever since learning about Chen Xi’s almost demonic performance, whenever Zhang came across something she couldn’t figure out, she would attribute it to Chen Xi—it was just a matter of following his lead.
"It’s right here," Chen Xi said with a smile, pointing to the wooden box. "The storefronts on North First Street are mostly right here. When Fenggao was first established, we had already acquired them. Does Lord Xuande remember what he said back then?"
Liu Bei would be surprised if he could remember a casual remark he made. He laughed it off and glanced at Chen Xi. It would be strange if he could recall what he had said a year and a half ago when Fenggao hadn’t even been built yet. He gestured for Chen Xi to take the initiative, since he believed that Chen Xi wouldn’t set him up.
Zhang Clan’s beautiful eyes sparkled. The box of land deeds was comparable to the entire Zhen Family fortune. Indeed, it was in Chen Xi’s hands. "Since Zichuan has taken them out, I assume he plans to sell these shops. In that case, would it be possible for my Zhen Family to make a selection first? You should know that the places we currently occupy do not have land deeds. It wouldn’t be good if someone else took an interest in them later on."
Chen Xi rolled his eyes. Women sometimes have quite an advantage. Such words of asking to make a selection first could certainly not be said by Mi Zhu, given that this kind of request inherently breaks the rules. But when it comes to Zhang Clan, there was no helping it. Women are born with certain privileges—to be wilful, to challenge rules, all these must be in their nature.
"Madam, please wait just a moment longer. After all, these land deeds are still unclaimed. I have prepared them for this moment, waiting for the day. Xuande, if you please," Chen Xi said with a smile as he pushed the wooden box towards Liu Bei. These were the ones he gathered while building Fenggao, while simultaneously bolstering Liu Bei’s reputation for kindness and gathering funds and land. Although he hadn’t signed his name to them, they could be considered his property, not to be taken advantage of by others.
Liu Bei opened the wooden box with a smile, revealing the slightly yellowed, somewhat coarse parchment inside. These papers were made by Chen Xi in the early days; the technology had improved much since then.
Looking at the land deeds one by one, Liu Bei was entirely different from the homebody Fan Jian. Although his mind was not on politics, he was aware of the recent skyrocketing land prices in several areas. He knew what was inside the box from Chen Xi’s previous words, but he was still shocked when he saw them with his own eyes. Chen Xi had indeed planned everything so early on.
As Liu Bei held a land deed, he continuously marveled in his mind, "Truly worthy of Zichuan, his foresight always astonishes people. He had planned everything so early, no wonder I’ve never seen him flustered by governmental affairs."
Looking at the blank space for ownership on the land deeds, Liu Bei set down the deed he was holding. He was well aware that if Chen Xi brought them out, it meant he wouldn’t take them back; these were prepared by Chen Xi for him.
"Zichuan, I will keep these items. However, you will need to handle the subsequent matters. When it comes to business, probably no one is more skilled than you. Or to put it another way, no one handles governmental affairs better than you," Liu Bei sighed and placed the land deed back, speaking solemnly.
"Although I feel it’s a bit much, I still happily accepted it," Chen Xi said with a smile, completely devoid of his previous indifference. Sometimes he thought that Liu Bei, who seemed to care about nothing, was the real good guy...
"..." Zhang Clan silently turned her head away. She too had seen what was up with the land deeds in Liu Bei’s hands, the fact that not a single name had been filled in—obviously, by that time, Chen Xi had already thought of how to distribute bonuses and annual rewards to those military generals and valiant generals for their hard work...
It’s better to make merry with others than to rejoice alone. If Chen Xi were to monopolize North First Street by himself, he would definitely be viewed with hostility; the same would probably be true for Liu Bei, after all, such greed did indeed look unsightly.
But now, with Chen Xi withholding the parts he needed for himself as a reward for his toils, and the other storefronts being acquired earlier in Liu Bei’s name, supposedly as future rewards, everyone was overjoyed in an instant.
As for Liu Bei, whether he saw it as a hardship reward, labor payment, or annual bonus, whatever it was, as long as he distributed it, it was a substantial reward, and instantly, Liu Bei’s bond with his subordinates became much tighter.
This was not an award distributed by the national government, but money taken genuinely from Liu Bei’s personal coffers, worlds apart from relying on national support and being generous at others’ expense. At the very least, it held sincerity. As for where the money came from, as long as it was not obtained through deception, coercion, fraud, or theft, but legally and with a clear conscience, it was all right. In any case, by passing through Liu Bei’s hands, this money instantly became a prime technique for consolidating loyalty.
Zhang Clan understood this as well, which is why she didn’t speak up anymore. At least you should let Liu Bei finish handling the personal favors before talking. The fact that Chen Xi and Liu Bei could show you these things so calmly meant they didn’t regard you as an outsider. Once the land deeds were given out as rewards to those civil officials and valiant generals, anyone with a reasonable mind would definitely not seek out a buyer on their own!
Even if they were too embarrassed to approach Chen Xi over previous issues, following the crowd is human nature, and the military generals would surely give their land deeds to Chen Xi to handle. With the military generals setting the example, these matters were bound to end up in Chen Xi’s hands eventually, after going full circle, but without any resentment from everyone.
Regarding the division of money, Zhang Clan was well aware that Chen Xi probably didn’t care much about it. Chen Xi had too many schemes and simply did not need to worry about such things; and for Liu Bei, this money was, in essence, a windfall. Besides, what importance did money have compared to the loyalty of good ministers and valiant generals? So for both of them, this was not an issue!
"Worthy indeed of the foresighted Chen Zichuan, who has calculated every step ahead of time. Lord Xuande need not worry about these matters at all," Zhang Clan sighed. With the current mutual understanding between sovereign and minister, Ju Shou may gain much fame, but Liu Bei simply didn’t buy into that.
"Hahaha, my Zichuan is truly a blessing from heaven, a clear sign that the Han Dynasty is not yet in decline," Liu Bei was very proud. He was still proud of stumbling upon a top strategist like Chen Xi on the road. Back then, who could have imagined that Chen Xi, who tagged along behind the Feudal Lords for a meal, would have such talent—only he, Liu Xuande, had the discerning eye to discover Chen Xi.
Chen Xi turned his head uncomfortably. He always felt that Liu Bei got a bit too excited when mentioning him in front of others. Sometimes when they were alone, and Liu Bei talked about how he had not reprimanded Chen Xi for snooping around the camp but instead brought him along, it felt like a reflection of the Mandate of Heaven...(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it, your monthly vote, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please go to m.qidian.com to continue reading.)
