NOVPUBAs the sun set in the west, a carriage protected by nearly a hundred soldiers entered Fenggao carrying several carts of gifts.
Looking out the carriage window, Ju Shou gazed upon Fenggao’s towering walls, cobblestone pavements, and straight streets. He observed the endless stream of people, the bustling shops to the left, and the ceaseless flow of merchants. He reminisced about the time when he was an official in Luoyang, and to his surprise, Fenggao now bore a resemblance to the imperial capital.
"They say Mount Tai has the sign of the Dragon Rising, and perhaps it is no baseless claim. Seeing the citizens living and working in peace and the prosperity under this governance, compared to the previous small county town of Fenggao, Liu Xuande truly deserves to be called a Mighty Lord," Ju Shou reflected, comparing Fenggao with Bohai, which he was proud of, and could only heave a long sigh in the end.
"Ju Gong from Jizhou, Hua Zijian is here by order to welcome you," Hua Xiong saluted to Ju Shou’s carriage with a team of elite soldiers and said loudly.
"General Hua, please," Ju Shou stepped out of the carriage and returned the salute to Hua Xiong, "It is an honor to be received by the general."
"You flatter me, Ju Gong," Hua Xiong gestured to Ju Shou with an inviting motion.
"Fenggao is so prosperous, I wonder if there might be some ingenious strategies? As fellow citizens of the Great Han, how can we tolerate comfort in one place while there is displacement elsewhere?" Ju Shou rode beside Hua Xiong, smiling and probing, though he did not expect an answer.
"That is all the Strategist’s responsibility, not something I would know about. Among us military generals, only Zilong could probably figure it out. The rest of us are just toiling away, merely following orders," Hua Xiong casually responded. He could not even harbor jealousy against someone like Zhao Yun, who was handsome, skilled in martial arts, strong, and capable of leading troops. And when it was necessary, he could even mingle with the civil officials.
"Zhao Zilong?" Ju Shou stroked his beard, "One of the world’s renowned generals, I hear he’s been serving as the Tuntian Colonel. I wonder when he will be able to lead the cavalry on the battlefield again? The White Horse Soldiers are among the finest elite."
Hua Xiong always felt that there was more to Ju Shou’s words, but being a bit slow on the uptake, he found them grating without being able to pinpoint the core, leaving him somewhat irritable as he looked at Ju Shou.
"Haha, General, there’s no need for that," Ju Shou laughed heartily, casually turning his head to take in the scenery around him. He had come with the intention of forming an alliance with Liu Bei and gathering intelligence. As for the alliance, both Yuan Shao and Liu Bei knew that it was just a joke; a battle between them was inevitable eventually.
A team of twenty city guards carrying Great Shields and exuding Cloud Qi passed by in front of Ju Shou, who couldn’t help but focus his eyes sharply. Having been a military Strategist and veteran of battlefields, he knew well what these soldiers represented. During the journey to Liu Bei’s residence, Ju Shou encountered ten groups of city guards, each squad with the same quality of equipment and personnel, which he noted silently.
The number of Veteran Soldiers was a crucial indicator of combat power for any Feudal Lord, and clearly, Liu Bei had enough Veteran Soldiers to deploy at least three thousand for defensive duties. This revealed the strength of Liu Bei’s Army and Liu Bei’s concern for the protection of his people and himself.
Ju Shou was stunned by the sight of Liu Bei’s residence, sparkling in the light of the setting sun, and stood at the entrance, motionless.
"Please, Ju Gong," Hua Xiong chuckled inwardly. In his view, Chen Xi had Hua Xiong bring those visiting Strategists and officials to Liu Bei’s new home just to see their reactions. After all, they themselves had been shocked when they first saw Liu Bei’s new residence.
"Is this Governor Liu’s residence?" Ju Shou watched in amazement at the towering building in front of him that nearly blinded his eyes with its radiance.
"Yes, Lord specially ordered the construction of this residence. Lady Zhen estimated that this mansion would be around one billion coins, but that count is far from including the interior decorations; I really don’t know what our Lord was thinking." Hua Xiong said with some resentment, these words were actually prompted by Chen Xi.
"…" Ju Shou was shocked by the building before him. Although he had heard people from Mount Tai say that Liu Bei’s residence was comparable to the Heavenly Palace, he had thought it was a joke. Only after seeing it for himself did Ju Shou truly understand that seeing is believing. What a virtuous and benevolent ruler! With so much money, how many common people could have been saved!
[This mansion must be built with gold! I heard that Liu Bei loved luxury since he was young, enjoyed cockfighting and dog racing, and was certainly no saint. I was wondering why he suddenly changed, but it turns out he’s still the same! A leopard can’t change its spots! I wonder how much military funds were diverted for this house! Fenggao, no matter how prosperous, can’t match Liu Bei’s lavishness!]
When Ju Shou entered, he was greeted with a whiff of a wine fragrance so dense it seemed unresolvable. He hadn’t noticed it from outside, but upon entering, it felt like the fragrance was emanating from the ground itself.
"What’s this smell of wine?" Ju Shou asked curiously.
"Lord loves wine, yet he made a promise not to drink excessively and feared he couldn’t control himself. Therefore, he often buys wine and pours it in the courtyard to ensure that the aroma is present at all times, preventing him from secretly drinking." Hua Xiong said with a grimace in front of Ju Shou, "That’s premium century-old cellar wine, ah!"
Ju Shou couldn’t help but distrust the rich aroma of the wine; one sniff told him it was top-notch. To learn it was all poured away — and the ridiculous reason being that he himself couldn’t drink — how could a Monarch who can’t control his own desires be magnificent and talented? The fine wine that shouldn’t be drunk should be rewarded to his followers! To think it was wasted, completely ignoring the existence of his subordinates and the people he governs, Ju Shou made another mental note against Liu Bei.
The conversation made it hard for Ju Shou not to believe Hua Xiong’s words. The main reason was that the mansion Liu Bei resided in was extravagant to the point of overturning Ju Shou’s senses. With the preconception that Liu Bei adored riches, everything that followed seemed to make perfect sense.
"Ju Gong, it seems that Lord has something to attend to, shall we just go in?" Standing at the main entrance without having seen Liu Bei come to receive them, Hua Xiong said with a wry smile, showing a sense of helplessness.
[No adherence to the proper etiquette of hierarchy and rank.] Ju Shou once again marked Liu Bei with a cross. Looking at the ground covered with a layer, resembling the skin of a white bear but vastly larger than the largest white bear’s hide, he asked curiously, "What is this?"
"Carpet. Lord felt the ground too cold in winter, thus he mobilized merchants from all over to procure all of this year’s produced sheepskin. Only the finest parts were used to make this carpet, which is unparalleled in softness and warmth." Hua Xiong sighed and said, "It’s said that just this carpet covering the entire house likely took no fewer than a hundred thousand fleece sheepskins to produce."
"A hundred thousand?" Ju Shou was taken aback, "How is that possible?"
"There’s nothing impossible about it, Ju Gong. If you’re interested in making one, you can ask any merchant involved in the wool trade up north to see if I’m overstating or understating." Hua Xiong scoffed.
The reality was indeed that over a hundred thousand sheepskins were used for the carpet. If Ju Shou investigated, he would find it to be true. However, for other merchants, the availability of fleece was irrelevant, so Chen Xi was playing with a profit that cost him nothing; at the time of spinning, he would simply hold some back. As for the fleece, all the merchants knew it was incredibly scarce, impossible to obtain in such a large amount!
Ju Shou made a mental note to verify this later and then nodded, following Hua Xiong inside. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion, but stepping on the carpet, he felt lighter in body and warmer (that was indeed an illusion). (To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please vote for it on Qidian [qidian.com]. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
