NOVPUBEveryone quietly turned their heads to look at Fa Zheng.
Liu Yan followed everyone’s gaze and stared over, "Well, Fa Xiaozhi, you’re actually coming up with such a tricky idea, as expected, without Fengxiao, you start to mess around. Eh, who is this kid? Why do we have another child in our Political Office? He looks even younger than Xiaozhi." Liu Yan looked at Zhuge Liang’s youthful face with a trace of curiosity.
"Don’t just call him a child; age doesn’t define ambition. Although he looks young, he’s in no way inferior to Gan Luo." Chen Xi responded with slight dissatisfaction, then turned to Zhuge Liang and said, "Kongming, don’t mind him; he’s just frank. He’s a good person. If you need help finding someone or something, you can ask for his help. His friends are spread across the Five Lakes and Four Seas..."
"Liu Yan, Liu Weishuo, to be praised by Zichuan like this, I guess you must be more capable than us." Liu Yan was not at all displeased with Chen Xi’s evaluation; instead, he smiled smugly, then his expression became serious, "I hope the young Mr. Kongming will forgive me."
Liu Yan always knew his place, never meddling in things he wasn’t good at, and he got along very well with Chen Xi and his group. Since he was kind-hearted, the group tended to turn a blind eye to his bluntness, and as they were acquaintances, it didn’t matter much as long as it didn’t leave a bad impression in public.
"Xuzhou Langya Zhuge Kongming pays respects to Brother Weishuo." Zhuge Liang bowed solemnly to Liu Yan.
Perhaps Zhuge Liang was unknown to others present, but in the world, any scholar who could read had likely heard of Liu Yan, a man whose good reputation was widely known. The papermaking technique—this halo now rested upon Liu Yan’s head. Even without any other political achievements, this alone would secure his fame for eternity.
Moreover, Liu Yan was known for his generosity and enjoyed making friends with heroes from all over the land. He was also known for his integrity and self-awareness, never commenting on matters he was unfamiliar with, which contributed to his excellent reputation among noted scholars.
On this matter, Chen Xi felt it necessary to speak up. How much could you possibly spend just by playing the zither, listening to music, watching dances, and drinking wine? And now, if you want to see dances and operas, talents are emerging from Mount Tai!
This was all part of Chen Xi’s cultural atmosphere. When Liu Yan entertained noted scholars, he naturally didn’t need to spend money. In fact, with a little effort, he could even bring famous performers to his own home for private shows. This convenient condition might seem like he was spending a lot, but the Great Master of Fragrance Pavilion was none other than Chen Xi himself, wholeheartedly supporting Liu Yan in his enjoyment. Even some operas that had not been performed publicly were shown directly to Liu Yan first.
In conclusion, a significant portion of Liu Yan’s expenses was on acts of generosity—helping a friend one day, assisting another the next. Mainly, the expenditure was in making connections with heroes far and wide.
"No need to mention it, no need to mention it." Liu Yan laughed heartily, then glanced around at everyone, "What are you up to over here? Who are you planning to fight this time?"
"No, we’re just looking at how to push forward into Qingzhou," said Chen Xi nonchalantly, "Xianhe hasn’t returned from the south yet, and you’re back so soon."
"There’s war in many places in the south, so naturally, it’s not easy for Xianhe. In the north, I just need to meet Yuan Benchu, Gongsun Bogui, and then on my way to Yongzhou, I stop by any Prefectural Governor’s territory and send a visiting card as I pass through. Ah, Mount Tai is really the best. Oh right, I’ve run out of money." Liu Yan compared his situation with that of Jian Yong and briefly mentioned his own circumstances.
"Zijing." Chen Xi turned his head to address Lu Su. Recently, Lu Su and Liu Ye had been doing the year-end accounting, and of course, Chen Xi no longer had the authority to use the Government Treasury without going through Lu Su and Liu Ye.
"Turn around and name a figure, and I’ll approve it for you. However, I remember I sent you thirty million coins before," Lub Su didn’t ask much and then recalled the funds he had previously allocated to Liu Yan, asking with some curiosity.
"On the road, I always ran into some refugees, and I gave away all the money. When leaving, I gave them some money and asked them to come to Mount Tai. I don’t know how many will come," Liu Yan thought about what he had seen and heard along the way and sighed, the Great Han Dynasty under the rule of Feudal Lords had become utterly corrupted due to their constant warfare.
"Really adding to our burden," Fa Zheng hit his head on the table directly and said, "I was wondering why there have been so many refugees recently. In the past month, the number of refugees reported from border management has already exceeded seventeen thousand. Fortunately, there’s construction going on everywhere, and they’ve filled those jobs."
"This is a good thing," Chen Xi nodded and said, "Weishuo is doing well. I’ll allocate more funds for your activities in the future. By the way, you looked rushed just now. Is there something you need to report?"
Liu Ye also looked at Liu Yan and said, "Did you find that important person? Zheng Hun, Chai Yu, Hua Tuo, Pu Yuan, Ma Jun?" Liu Yan himself had a style resembling a noted scholar. Usually, he presented himself as an elegant gentleman through the troubled times. His clearly haggard appearance indicated some important news for reporting.
"Who did you find?" These people were notoriously nomadic, finding any one of them was troublesome.
"Hua Tuo, Hua Yuanhua. Truly a miracle doctor," Liu Yan said proudly.
"Brought to Mount Tai?" Elation flashed across Chen Xi’s face.
"He’s here, right now at the station!"
"Take him to the Strategic Reserve Warehouse, to the medicine warehouse, and tell him that as long as he’s willing to teach medicine at the Academy of Mount Tai, he can help himself to any of the medicinal materials there," Chen Xi laughed heartily, as the preparations he had made before could finally be put to use. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝒸ℴ𝓶
"Tell Physician Hua that as long as he agrees to teach the disciples and mentors a group of over one hundred qualified physicians, Mount Tai is willing to print his pharmacopoeia for free. Moreover, if there are any medicinal materials he needs, the official Mount Tai will collect them for him without him having to venture into dangerous places. We can even procure the experimental materials he needs for him."
Lub Su flipped through his paper bag, pulled out a sheet regarding the arrangements for Hua Tuo, skimmed through the important points, then waved for Chen Xi’s stamp of the Regional Inspector to seal it, and handed it to Liu Yan.
"Weishuo, if Physician Hua has any dissatisfaction after reading this, let him propose his amendments and we can continue to revise it," Lub Su said before setting down the paper bag again, unaware that Zhuge Liang’s eyes were shining as he watched, very much in line with Zhuge Liang’s nature—such easy-going, well-prepared actions.
"You are really capable, having everything prepared," Liu Yan took the document, quickly glanced over it, and put it away.
"Zichuan, are you sure that doctor is that important?" Fa Zheng looked at Chen Xi with some confusion, and similarly, Zhuge Liang also gazed at Chen Xi. Aside from Liu Ye, the others also had some doubts. Allowing someone access to strategic reserves was no ordinary privilege.
(To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
