[bookid=3280030,bookname="Immortal Three Kingdoms"]
With such a guarantee secured, Chen Xi was so thrilled that he almost burst into a mad laughter. He only had to make plans, while the actual execution relied entirely on his subordinates to fill in the gaps, and the most reliable among his subordinates was Magistrate Lub Su who could help with anything. He had already planned up to next autumn—ho ho ho—he could finally take a nice long holiday.
"Seeing such happy expressions on your faces, I suppose all government affairs are handled. Come on, I’ve got fresh mutton tofu just out of the pot, eat some to warm up," said Liu Bei with a smile, not taking Guo Jia’s previous behavior to heart and simply moving past it.
"Lord Xuande, you’ve got it wrong. It’s not that we’ve finished, but we’ve even completed all of this year’s work," Lub Su stood up and said cheerfully, though his voice obviously trembled a bit.
Liu Bei was immediately shocked and turned to look at Liu Ye and Lub Su, finding that they were both staring solemnly at Chen Xi—that is, the gentleman standing in the middle had indeed finished a whole year’s worth of governance tasks.
"Ahem, why are you all looking at me like that?" Chen Xi coughed twice and realized no one reacted, then said with an assertive face, "Let’s go, go, go, eat the meat, freshly cooked mutton tofu, tasty and refreshing, I’m heading there first."
Tofu had been around since the Western Han, but it was poor in quality. The type Chen Xi was enjoying now was an improved version. After all, with so many Chinese people, as long as you are willing to invest, there will always be someone who can refine the product you want, even come up with innovations—as long as it is not too unrealistic, with investment and the right people, naturally, it can be done!
As for Chen Xi, he was now too lazy to look for craftsmen to help. His requirements for various items were quite diverse, and finding craftsmen was not easy, so he had learned to be smart. As a Prefectural Governor, he just needed to issue orders, post an announcement, and naturally, someone would get the job done. Once it was done, he would simply reward them based on the outcome.
Of course, in the beginning, Lub Su tried to prevent such embarrassing actions from taking place, but later on, Chen Xi ignored him and issued announcements under the pretext of establishing government credibility. Which of his subordinates would dare to block that?
Afterwards, Chen Xi began to issue announcements every now and then. At first, others were somewhat distrustful of such announcements, which were clearly for indulgence, but once someone completed a task and got paid, disbelief turned into belief.
Just as Chen Xi said about establishing government credibility, it really was a success. Now, when it came to the government’s announcements, the People of Mount Tai had one approach: no matter how absurd, whatever was written on the announcement, that was it! Truly earning public trust!
Seeing such an outcome, Lub Su didn’t know what expression to use when looking at Chen Xi; his eyes always held a mix of helplessness and bewilderment, and he really wanted to open up Chen Xi’s brain to see what was inside.
Why had no one thought of such a simple method before? Lub Su asked Chen Xi, who replied that this had been done before; Shang Yang did it a long time ago. However, historical records mentioned that ’where there’s a heavy reward, there will be brave men,’ not that he was earning public trust. But according to the actual effect, it was earning public trust, and he was just doing the same thing.
Having formed the habit, Chen Xi already had certain tendencies to issue notices impulsively. Fortunately, no notice would be trusted unless it passed through Chen Xi’s hands and bore his seal.
Recently, the contents of the notices Chen Xi had posted were about sending people to Youzhou to collect some ginseng. In these times, ginseng seemed to be as cheap as vegetables—not even as costly as radishes, which were considered a rarity. Ginseng, on the other hand, was still classified as a wild plant.
Thus, under the pretext of helping the people of Mount Tai earn some extra money, Chen Xi encouraged them to dig up ginseng—a single wet specimen weighing over a jin would suffice. Chen Xi himself felt a bit thick-skinned about this but continued unabated. To find a plant you’ve cultivated yourself in this era, that would be a skill...
However, the amount they brought back was overwhelming. Even the locals started to feel guilty about it as they delivered bag after bag to Chen Xi. It was obvious that even if one considered ginseng as a vegetable, it was impossible to consume it all. Yet Chen Xi accepted all of it nonetheless.
Whether he could use it now or not didn’t matter. He would wait to meet Hua Tuo and have him research it thoroughly. Such wild herbs, which cause nosebleeds when consumed—although Shennong’s Materia Medica mentioned them as medicinal—weren’t commonly used. Well, it was still an act that benefited the people. However, to avoid overharvesting, Chen Xi had stopped collecting. For this reason, many people from Mount Tai, who were free from farming duties, beat their chests in regret. That was all money!
Cabbage leaves cooked with tofu and lamb sounded so tempting that Lub Su made his way forward with quick steps, warming up as he ate. As for Chen Xi, he would probably just sip the soup. He wanted to eat beef, but admitting it would be embarrassing—it wasn’t about being unable to afford it, but rather it was unnecessary. He would wait until Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang, those two unlucky chaps, brought cattle and sheep back from the North.
Although Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang had been swindled half to death, Liu Bei hadn’t abandoned them. Instead, he offered them additional comfort and expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the Zhen Family, denouncing them intensely.
Following that, Liu Bei declared the loss of money was insignificant and he would no longer conduct business in Jizhou. He still had salt, and he planned to sell it in the North. Sooner or later, he intended to make the Zhen Family pay back their gains with interest. Concerning his wives, concubines, and servants, the Zhen Family had shown some consideration, but as the saying goes, ’when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter,’—naturally, not many followed him.
Zhang and Su, who had been anxious, were moved to tears by Liu Bei’s generosity. They vented all their grievances and swore by the heavens to be loyal to Liu Bei for life, hoping he would take them in as retainers and that they would strive for him forever.
Liu Bei pondered for a moment and declined. After all, these two were among the earliest businessmen to support them, and their current plight was partly his fault. It was only right to lend a hand, but taking them as retainers was not just feasible—it was a matter of face. Thus, he rejected the idea, gave them enough capital to make a comeback, and an equivalent amount of refined salt, then instructed them to resume what they did best—trading the cattle, sheep, and horses of the North.
Zhang Shiping and Su Shuang were eternally grateful. Then, leading a new caravan, they headed north where they had strong connections. Although their previous venture had failed, this time, with money paving the way and a debt of gratitude fueling their efforts, they diligently gathered a herd of cattle and horses. They were probably still rounding up the livestock in Bingzhou on their way to Mount Tai. Considering the difficulty of transporting so many animals back, it truly showed that every trade requires its own expertise.
After Liu Bei pushed open the door to his living room, he found it in complete disarray. Guan Yu was gnawing on a lamb leg, Zhang Fei was engaged in a drinking contest with Taishi Ci, and Zhao Yun, displaying impeccable manners, cut the sheep meat into strips, dipped them in sauce, and shared with Jian Yong. The pot which had been full of stewed mutton was almost emptied by the group, leaving just a few cabbage leaves. A cold wind blew through, and Lub Su felt even colder. Where was the mutton soup that could have warmed him up?