Chen Xi, accompanied by Xuu Chu, walked through several streets to arrive at the restaurant opened by the Mi Family, where the moment the Shop Assistant saw Chen Xi, he hurriedly notified the manager.
"Greetings to Marquis Chen, and greetings to General Xuu. What would you like to eat? We have private rooms upstairs," said the manager with a bow.
"Hmm, Lord Xuande will probably come after a while, so prepare a couple more dishes. And yes, boil a big bucket of water; I need to scrub this guy clean," Chen Xi waved his hand, signaling the other party could leave, then seemed to remember something and pointed at the little devil being held up by Xuu Chu as he spoke.
The little devil now being held up by Xuu Chu didn’t struggle much anymore, probably realizing he couldn’t escape from Xuu Chu’s grasp, hanging from Xuu Chu’s hand dejectedly.
"Certainly," the manager assured, noticing the kid who looked like a mud monkey, and nodded, "Shop Assistant, take him to get cleaned up and change his clothes."
"Change what clothes? Turn up the heat and boil him into Tangg for me. Remember to cook him thoroughly and add some spices!" Chen Xi turned his head to stare fiercely at the little devil.
"No, no, I don’t want to become Tangg—I don’t taste good!" The previously dejected little devil instantly screamed in alarm, then started flailing in Chen Xi’s direction.
"Well, Marquis Chen, we do not offer this kind of service at our restaurant," the manager, wiping the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, said bluntly. Although he knew it was a joke, suggesting to cook a living person into Tangg was bad for business—after all, we aren’t a shady establishment!
"Just joking," Chen Xi gave the flailing little devil a knock on the head to settle him down, "This little brat managed to avoid capture by three or five of my trusted aides, and it’s highly likely he would slip away from you as well, so Zhongkang, take care of him for me, and prepare a set of clothes for him. I haven’t seen many kids this tough at twelve or thirteen years old."
"Of course, of course." The manager relaxed, content that as long as it wasn’t about boiling someone alive in plain water—a ghastly job—he believed their restaurant could handle it.
The ragamuffin that Xuu Chu was holding felt relieved upon hearing Chen Xi’s words, struggling frantically no more, only looking pitifully at Chen Xi, "Marquis Chen, let me go. It wasn’t intentional, and I have many younger brothers and sisters to take care of. I will pay you back when I have money, can you let me go, please?"
"Who wants your repayment? Go on, Zhongkang, and make sure to use a wire brush to scrub him clean," Chen Xi said fiercely.
Having been homeless for many years, the little beggar knew how to read the room, and it was clear Chen Xi bore no real malice towards him, despite the harsh words. However, Xuu Chu’s response sent the beggar straight to hell, "I’ll remember to thoroughly scrub him with a wire brush."
"No, please, spare me! I can wash myself..." As Xuu Chu carried the beggar towards the backyard, the kid’s wretched screams were just like those of a child who didn’t want to bathe but was being forcibly taken to wash. After all, children around ten years old who roll in the dirt every day, whether beggars or not, don’t look much different—all grimy and grubby...
"Sorry for disturbing your business," Chen Xi apologized to the manager after Xuu Chu took the little rascal away.
"There’s no need for Marquis Chen to be so polite, please," said the manager, gesturing with a ’please’ for Chen Xi to head upstairs.
Chen Xi was sitting in a second-floor chair by the window, eating a boiled meat dish, uncertain if it was mutton or something else. After all, it was still uncertain whether Liu Bei would come or not.
"Click!" The door to the second floor opened, and Liu Bei strode in, with Li Youu wearing an expression of helplessness as he looked at Chen Xi, who leaned against the window, gazing into the distance.
"Lord Xuande," Chen Xi greeted with a smile, placing his chopsticks on his own small plate and cupping his hands in salute.
"Zichuan, how could you make my residence so extravagant!" Liu Bei had no intention of giving Chen Xi a friendly face, bombarding him with questions as soon as he entered.
"Spending one’s own money to build a hometown for others and still getting criticized, this indeed is not good news. It’s like buttering someone up only to hit their hoof instead," Chen Xi responded calmly, seemingly indifferent to Liu Bei’s tone.
"Lord Xuande, please take a seat. Some things are better discussed while sitting," Li Youu said with a smile, pushing Liu Bei to the foremost seat on the left hand, the so-called seat of honor.
After sitting down, Liu Bei started to grumble again, glaring at Chen Xi, "Zichuan, do you not know the meaning of simplicity? Such a large building will make everyone think that I, Liu Xuande, am marked as one who admires luxury. What are you laughing at? You can’t escape this either."
"Alright, alright, we can’t escape either..." Chen Xi said indifferently, "Lord Xuande, just live in it. There’s no need to worry about these things. That building and the other two structures are the symbols of Fenggao, and Lord Xuande himself is the symbol of Fenggao. It’s only natural for you to live in a symbolic building, there’s nothing wrong with that. As for expenditures, let me ask just one question—has your rule seen any improvement compared to before?"
"Quibble!" Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi with disdain. Having known Chen Xi for a long time, he knew how to deal with such sophistry.
"Then let’s put it another way. Actually, I built this structure to commemorate Lord Xuande’s great achievements and virtues. ’Virtue is supported by the common people,’ so it’s fitting for you to live in such a building," Chen Xi casually said as he pulled up a shield to parry Liu Bei’s objections.
Scooping up a piece of meat with a big spoon, he placed it in his own little dish, then gestured to Li Youu to eat and drink, indicating that he would see how Chen Xi would persuade Liu Bei. Liu Bei was just bothered by the extreme luxury of his residence, rather than not wanting to live there; this could be said to be a case where moral quality supersedes desire. From this perspective, Liu Bei’s morals were quite good.
"The problem is that the people of the world have not yet been saved. Not to speak of anything else, more than half of Qingzhou hasn’t been saved yet," Liu Bei said helplessly, feeling he was still far from reaching the point of his virtues being supported by all the common people.
"So, I built such a palace to remind Lord Xuande. Look, only those whose virtue is supported by the common people can reside here. And since you now live in it, you cannot be complacent. To feel at ease, you must follow in the footsteps of our sagacious predecessors. The old saying goes, ’When poor, one focuses on personal integrity; when successful, one aids the whole world.’ Now, what you, Lord Xuande, should focus on is aiding the whole world, finding ways to extend the wealth you have experienced to the people under your rule," Chen Xi continued his sophistry, well aware that Liu Bei would never out-argue him.
"But..." Liu Bei began to argue, feeling this was all a stretch.
"There are no buts. The greater the luxury you enjoy, the broader your vision becomes. Just as a pauper dreams of His Majesty eating plain buns and wielding a Golden Hoe. The more luxury you experience, the heavier the burden you must carry. Ensuring everyone is clothed and fed is extremely difficult; through thousands of years, few wise monarchs and ministers have managed to achieve it," Chen Xi continued to twist the argument, having successfully diverted the original issue from Liu Bei’s personal luxury to the broader ideal of aiding the whole world...(To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)