Three Kingdoms, Myth

Although Chen Xi felt that spending ten million coins to pave the entire Fenggao City was indeed somewhat wasteful, since the money didn't come from his pocket, he decided to just pretend he hadn't seen anything.

This incident, however, served as a reminder to Chen Xi that Liu Bei's personal finances and the state treasury must be kept separate. Otherwise, if Liu Bei inadvertently made a costly decision like this again, even with good intentions, it could lead to resentment among his subordinates. Ten million coins was no small sum—enough to support a strong army—so spending it on paving Fenggao was indeed a bit extravagant.

Once their finances were separated, any lavish spending Liu Bei indulged in would be with his own money, and no one would have the right to criticize him. In fact, Chen Xi thought it might be necessary to allocate more resources to Liu Bei and teach him how to spend money wisely, preventing him from engaging in unnecessary projects.

"I'll discuss this with Zijing and the others when I see them. We must ensure that the state treasury and private funds are never mixed." Chen Xi thought to himself. It was a small step to limit the power of the highest authority, and the timing was appropriate. If they waited until Liu Bei had control over the entire country, it would be much more difficult to implement, with many people likely citing precedents about the relationship between the royal family and the state.

"Zichuan, you're lost in thought again," Liu Bei said with a smile, looking visibly relieved after being freed from the burden of that ten-million-coin expense.

"Ah, I just remembered there are a lot of things that need to be dealt with. Please don't take offense, my lord, Madam Zhang," Chen Xi responded with a gentle smile, his demeanor calm, showing no embarrassment at being caught daydreaming.

"Zichuan, you certainly have a lot on your plate," Liu Bei laughed, and Zhang Shi (Madam Zhang) hid her smile behind a silk fan. Everyone knew how "busy" Chen Xi was.

"It's just a lot of mental work," Chen Xi said with a serious expression. Liu Bei and Zhang Shi were taken aback, quickly realizing that the current situation in Taishan and Qingzhou was indeed the result of Chen Xi's hard work.

Liu Bei had once seen Chen Xi's strategic plans during their return to Qingzhou after the Battle of Hulao Pass. Reflecting on the current situation, though many unexpected events had occurred, the overall direction had steadily followed Chen Xi's earlier projections.

"To have Zichuan's assistance is indeed a blessing from heaven. Heaven has not forsaken our Han dynasty!" Liu Bei paused and respectfully bowed to Chen Xi, while Zhang Shi's eyes flashed with admiration.

"Xuande Gong…" Chen Xi sighed, having been through this ritual many times before. What should he say this time?

"Zichuan, let's go. I'll treat you to some beef," Liu Bei said, not giving Chen Xi a chance to respond, and rarely offered to treat him to beef.

"There's always one or two unruly cattle. Sigh, now that the summer planting is done, it's time to eat the disobedient ones," Chen Xi said, resigned. He remembered when Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping brought back cheap cattle from the northern territories. After being domesticated, they were used as draft animals. Combined with other cattle they had scrounged up, the four or five thousand head of cattle distributed for summer farming had helped win the people's favor.

Now that the cattle had served their purpose, it made sense that the unruly ones would be eaten. In the Central Plains, eating draft animals was a crime, but eating cattle used for farming was permissible. So, Liu Bei had decided to be generous…

"Madam, please join us. Although the Zhen family's wealth means you can get anything you want, and we in Taishan may not have much to offer, it's only proper to extend our hospitality as the hosts," Liu Bei said, still not quite accustomed to his elevated status.

Back when Liu Bei was poor, he was quite sensitive about his humble origins. Now that he was wealthy, he no longer cared about having once woven mats and sold shoes. In fact, he even took some pride in it, thinking that if his ancestor had risen to the throne despite his rough beginnings, then his own humble origins were nothing to be ashamed of.

Reflecting on it, Liu Bei's mindset and demeanor had changed drastically over the past two years. He was no longer the struggling man from before. Now, if someone called him a mere cobbler, Liu Bei would laugh it off, something that would have embittered him in the past.

Given more time, after surpassing all his ancestors and reaching the pinnacle of power, Liu Bei might even respond to such taunts by boasting of his achievements and claiming that even selling shoes could be honorable as long as he governed well and was seen as a wise and benevolent ruler.

This was the biggest change in Liu Bei over the past two years. During the alliance at Hulao Pass, he might have held some reverence for the other warlords. Now, he viewed them with detachment, confident in his own position. Most of them were not even as successful as he was—there was no need to fear them. If anyone dared challenge him, he was ready.

With this newfound confidence, Liu Bei retained some traits from his humble beginnings, but his overall demeanor had matured, making him more appealing, even to women…

"How could I decline the invitation of Liu Shijun (Governor Liu)?" Zhang Shi replied with a soft smile, bowing gracefully. It was clear she held Liu Bei in high regard.

Feeling that his presence was somewhat awkward, Chen Xi made his excuses and slipped away before Liu Bei could rope him into anything.

As Chen Xi walked through Fenggao City, though the stone-paved streets made his heart ache a bit, he had to admit that Zhang Shi's aesthetic sense was impeccable. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that her perspective differed from that of Chen Xi and Lu Su.

The cleanliness of Fenggao now was enough to pressure the residents into not littering or dumping dirty water in the streets. The city had become significantly cleaner as a result.

"Indeed, some tasks are better suited for women. When Lu Su and I were in charge, the result was a bit too rough. Hmm, maybe I should ask Lady Mi (Mi Zhu's sister) to help with city planning. I heard she's good at painting—maybe she could design the city layout."

As Chen Xi took in the sight of the city, he realized why it had cost ten million coins. It wasn't just about paving the streets with stone; some buildings had been demolished, making the city layout much more reasonable. Most importantly, there were no thatched huts left in Fenggao. All the homes were now uniform earthen houses, each with a small courtyard garden where flowers, trees, and vegetables were planted…

Indeed, if this had been left to Lu Su and Chen Xi, they wouldn't have given it much thought. Providing earthen houses was already the best they could do—anything beyond that wasn't even on their radar.

"It seems we need to recruit some female officials. We've already passed the most difficult period, and with ample resources now, it's time to focus on improving the cultural atmosphere and living environment in Fenggao. Women in these roles might be more meticulous, even if it costs a bit more." Chen Xi thought with a sly grin. With such a good environment and cultural atmosphere, it was only natural that land prices would skyrocket.