NOVPUBJu Shou and Li Youu had a very pleasant conversation. In reality, both sides had their own ulterior motives. Ju Shou intended to make Mount Tai, a formidable feudal lord that could threaten Yuan Shao, disintegrate and seize the opportunity to grab vicious gains. Meanwhile, Li Youu plotted to calculate against Yuan Benchu fiercely, looking to secure a period of growth and strengthening for Qingzhou.
After seeing Ju Shou out, Li Youu returned to find the living room already full, with everyone from Chen Xi to Wang Xiu present.
"Wen Ru, you’ve implicated me so deeply, shouldn’t you give me an explanation?" Chen Xi said with a dissatisfied face as soon as Li Youu walked in.
"Who else can attract such firepower if not you?" Li Youu said nonchalantly, "The matter is considered a success. Lord Xuande’s performance was just right, showing both the determination and vigor of a mighty lord hacking his way through difficulties, and the complex mindset of a lower-born monarch newly risen, eager to enjoy wealth but afraid of discontent among his subordinates."
"That’s just you fooling people," Liu Ye laughed loudly, "But the deed is done, and we can’t help but believe it. Zichuan must have thought about using this mansion to set traps for the opposition when he built it, considering how luxurious it is. But Zichuan, let me ask you, how much did this cost?" he inquired, pointing at the cashmere carpet on the floor.
"It cost exactly the price you just asked. It’s the genuine articles that fool people the most. Something mixed as nine true and one false might be seen through, but purely genuine articles don’t risk exposure," Chen Xi casually remarked, knowing someone would question the cost of this carpet.
"…" Liu Ye, Lu Su, Sun Qian, and others made pained expressions as if their hearts were breaking. A single carpet made from tens of thousands of sheepskins, and you don’t know that five black sheepskins can be traded for a Baili Xi?
"Alright, alright, Zichuan was just joking with you," Li Ru said, laughing as he explained to the astonished group, "you don’t need to kill tens of thousands of sheep for this. It’s just the wool from tens of thousands of sheep, specifically the finest and softest down, which aside from its scarcity, isn’t otherwise particularly valuable."
"It is indeed just a carpet made from the fine down of tens of thousands of sheep," Chen Xi added with a smile, "It wouldn’t be so densely soft and delicate if it didn’t require so much. A few hundred sheep’s wool would have sufficed, and next year it would grow back. It’s really not worth much at all."
"The outcome of asking can scare you to death," Fa Zheng foolishly snickered, "I also got quite the shock when I found out. It’s a genuine cashmere that only tens of thousands of sheep could produce..."
Upon hearing this, everyone laughed heartily, feeling confident about putting on an extravagant show when the time came.
"Tomorrow we will perform the rites for the heroic spirits, are all of you prepared?" Chen Xi said solemnly, "I expect quite a few people will come to spy on us. After all, Cao Mengde and Yuan Benchu are still allies, and it is inevitable that they communicate with each other. So, be very careful not to slip up in front of Cao Mengde’s people."
"Possessing the vigor and talent of someone who started from scratch to build an enterprise, and also coveting luxury as well as caring about how one is perceived by others—these two conflicting qualities are entwined in Lord Xuande, and that is the biggest reason we’ve managed to deceive Ju Gongyu," Li Youu sighed, "The truth is always more deceiving than fabrications."
"Kong Beihai probably won’t be able to come in time. Let’s discuss, after we fully conquer Qingzhou next spring, how we should make arrangements for Kong Beihai," Lu Su, clearly a workaholic, relaxed only briefly before diving back into official business.
"Oh Great Confucian Scholar, how about we let him write books and establish theories? Don’t we have many annotated versions of the Analects?" Liu Ye proposed a very pragmatic plan, "Let Kong Beihai study them thoroughly, gather the strengths of various scholars, and produce a genuinely authoritative work of the Kong Family’s Analects. After all, once we’ve completely swallowed up Qingzhou, we can no longer afford to keep people like Kong Rong who merely rely on their fame and lack the capacity to manage a county—taking up a post without contributing is absolutely unacceptable!"
"What’s to be done about Xuzhou? A rift has appeared between us and Tao Gongzu," Lu Su said helplessly, referring to the issue with Yuan Gonglu.
Though Liu Bei never explicitly said he would join the Technique Alliance, both Gongsun Zan and Tao Qian, who had provided the most assistance to Liu Bei, were members of the Alliance. Now, Liu Bei has turned on Yuan Shu, the leader of the Technique Alliance, putting Tao Qian in an awkward position.
"The strong will always be strong; there’s no need to worry about Tao Gongzu. The aristocratic families under his control in Xuzhou are too active. With his mental and physical exertions, his body is not what it used to be, his energy not nearly what it once was. Should things continue smoothly, he may have quite some time left, but if significant setbacks arise, Tao Gongzu’s days could be numbered," Jia Xu said indifferently. "Tao Gongzu’s options are limited to us and Cao Cao, but no matter which he chooses, he will have to make concessions to the Xuzhou aristocratic families. His son is too incompetent."
"The issue of progeny truly is a serious concern..." Li You sighed, after which everyone except Chen Xi let out a collective sigh.
"I wonder when our lord will have a son," Lub Su sighed, then looking at Fa Zheng, added, "If only he could be as wise as Fa Xiaozhi, that would be perfect."
Then, everyone present, including the newly-arrived Chen Chi and Wang Xiu, gave Fa Zheng sighing glances, except for Fa Zheng himself, who looked rather smug.
"What are you all sighing about? There aren’t that many intelligent people in this world. Most people are of average capacity; someone like me could be mass-produced," Chen Xi said contemptuously as he looked at everyone and proceeded to share his thoughts.
At once, everyone fell silent and looked up at the sky, pondering for a while before a voice came through, "If Zichuan himself claims to be of average capacity and can be mass-produced, then when I have a son, I’ll entrust him to Zichuan for upbringing. I don’t ask for much; just bring him up to Zichuan’s current level."
At that, all present took on an expression of schadenfreude as they watched Chen Xi, thinking, Let him boast, and now he’s caught. Still claiming to be of average capacity? If he can produce someone of his own caliber, I’ll believe it.
"Congratulations Zichuan, best wishes to Zichuan," the crowd said with teasing congratulations, bowing their hands. Becoming the teacher of Liu Bei’s son was indeed a good thing, but to educate Liu Bei’s son into a being like Chen Xi, that was a joke. Chen Zichuan’s abilities were well known; without naturally-gifted talent, one could never reach that level in a lifetime. Average capacity, indeed.
"Can I take back what I said?" Chen Xi murmured to himself. Although those like him could indeed be mass-produced if they had this kind of near-photographic memory, in this era, the conditions were simply not there.
"A gentleman’s word!" Liu Bei said with a laugh.
"Is as fast as a swift horse and a whip!" everyone responded in unison.
"Zichuan, be sure not to go back on your word!" Liu Bei laughed.
"Lord Xuande, rest assured, this bunch of us will keep an eye on Zichuan," Lub Su said with a smile.
Since Liu Bei deployed his forces in Yuzhou and inflicted a heavy blow on Yuan Shu, Tao Gongzu in Xuzhou had a thorn in his side regarding Liu Bei. However, now advanced in years and weakened, he lacked the energy to concern himself too much with these matters. All he wanted was to secure a strong support for his son, to prevent the Xuzhou aristocratic families from outmaneuvering him. After many years in Xuzhou, he understood the nature of these families very well.
In Tancheng, Tao Qian looked over the intelligence reports in his hands. Compared to the now internally weakened and declining Technique Alliance, he found the prospering Shao Alliance seemed more promising. Naturally, Cao Cao, whom he had not been too pleased with before, was also now within his consideration. After all, he was getting old; it was now just about finding a backer for his son—as long as the person was decent and powerful enough.
That was precisely why Tao Qian intended to build good relations with Cao Song, while indirectly signaling that he was willing to use the major grain-producing Xuzhou as a bargaining chip to secure a carefree life for his two sons. Liu Bei had made him somewhat uneasy; his years of service had taught him that something seized might be more valued than a freely given gift.
The wealth of Xuzhou was common knowledge. Tao Qian planned to use this as bait to lure Cao Cao and Liu Bei, regardless of the outcome of their struggle. He would grant his domain to whoever satisfied him in the end. As for the Yuan Family in Yuzhou, he had thought they would be a reliable support, only to find out that anyone could take a swipe at them. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
