Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Lu Su felt helpless. Although it wasn’t appropriate to bother Chen Xi with governmental affairs immediately after his victory, seeing Chen Xi act so stubbornly, Lu Su knew there was no chance of getting help today. Today was just a reminder; Chen Xi would likely take over the current troublesome affairs of Qingzhou at the government office tomorrow.

During dinner, Chen Xi observed Fan Jian and Chen Lan’s expressions under the lamp. He concluded that it wasn’t a matter of him not noticing before; they genuinely didn’t resemble each other. Smiling wryly, he resumed eating, realizing that it wasn’t a matter of similar looks.

“Lan’er, why do you think our husband keeps staring at us?” Fan Jian asked curiously after Chen Xi left the table.

“I don’t know,” Chen Lan replied, shaking her head in confusion, still lost in the sudden change of becoming a lady of the Chen family.

“You’re not paying attention to our husband’s changes,” Fan Jian sighed. “Lan’er, remember, no matter how your status changes, you still depend on our husband. Without him, you are nothing.” Seeing Chen Lan’s mind wasn’t on Chen Xi, Fan Jian frowned and decided to give her a piece of advice. Whether she listened or not was up to her.

Chen Xi didn’t intentionally eavesdrop on his wives’ conversation, but he did notice that his home now had many songstresses. While it looked pleasant, it felt a bit unusual to him. Among them were two literate girls of about thirteen or fourteen, rare in those times. Where did they come from? Did the Yellow Turbans produce such talents?

Chen Xi didn’t delve into it further. He figured it came about through one of several means, and asking the maids would only open old wounds. Since Liu Bei sent them, accepting it without overthinking was the best approach.

The next day, Chen Xi arrived at the government office around noon, where Lu Su, Liu Ye, a drunken Guo Jia, Man Chong, Jian Yong, Sun Qian, and Liu Yan were all waiting for him.

“Hey, everyone’s here early,” Chen Xi greeted, raising his hand. “What’s the occasion?”

“We were waiting for you,” Guo Jia said, reeking of alcohol.“I’ve been looking for you. Yesterday, Xuande personally came to receive me, and you sent word that you were drunk and didn’t show up! How shameless!” Chen Xi scolded Guo Jia, who had been indulging excessively lately.

“Good wine. Try some!” Guo Jia grinned, pushing Chen Xi’s hand away and sliding back into his chair, continuing to drink from his jug.

Chen Xi was speechless. At least Guo Jia knew to mix something into the potent liquor, making it safer to drink.

“Zixu, please take the main seat. Xuande was here earlier but left due to other matters,” Lu Su said, pointing to the main chair and indicating Chen Xi should sit there. For these people, sitting on chairs wasn’t a breach of etiquette; it was just about comfort, and these elevated couches were better for their legs.

Chen Xi didn’t dwell on Guo Jia’s issue. Since Guo Jia was here drunk, it meant the matter wasn’t military but purely administrative. However, what kind of administrative matter required such serious attention from everyone?

Casually sitting in the main chair, Chen Xi retrieved the governor’s seal and read the document Lu Su handed over. Sure enough, there was trouble. After defeating the Yellow Turbans, with no officials to manage them, the situation had turned chaotic.

“Recruit clerks!” Chen Xi placed the stack of papers on the newly crafted desk.

“We don’t have enough literate people, let alone scholars willing to manage Yellow Turbans,” Liu Ye said bitterly.

“Your Taishan Academy barely has enough students, let alone enough to recruit. How do we recruit clerks? Even if we had literate twelve- or thirteen-year-olds with capability, can they handle this?” Man Chong said, his face darkening.

“Even if we send all the students from Taishan Academy to Qingzhou, including the literate scholars Wei Shuo recruited, we’re still short by over a thousand. Each person would have to handle multiple positions, and they can only manage a thousand people each at most,” Lu Su said helplessly.

No matter how talented you were, you needed subordinates to execute tasks. When Chen Xi governed Taishan, he relied on nearly a hundred scholars from Yingchuan to build the framework. The scholars recruited by Liu Bei were then distributed throughout Taishan, allowing it to develop steadily. Without these people, despite their talents, the individuals here couldn’t manage the administrative burden alone.

“Military control is the best option,” Liu Yan eagerly suggested, recalling how effective it was in controlling internal chaos.

Everyone glared at him, and Jian Yong said bluntly, “You better focus on promoting Taishan’s achievements. Just listen to this discussion…”

Liu Yan didn’t get angry. He just opened his fan, fanned himself, and struck a handsome pose.

Chen Xi smiled at Liu Yan. He was a scholar recruited by Liu Bei, noted in history for being poor at governance and strategy, but Liu Bei liked him, and he liked Liu Bei, so he stayed.

Lu Su and the others thought of him as someone just to keep around, but Chen Xi believed Liu Yan’s loyalty was invaluable. In history, he was one of the four scholars who followed Liu Bei through hardships without leaving. Although his capabilities were weak, his loyalty was exceptional. This kind of loyalty, even as mundane as toilet paper, had its uses.

So, Chen Xi gave Liu Yan the task of promoting Taishan’s image, using a generous budget for activities. He traveled around, making connections, enjoying music, and writing poetry, all while promoting Liu Bei’s virtues.

The results were astonishing, even shocking Lu Su. A prominent scholar promoting Taishan’s virtues quickly led to widespread acclaim. After Chen Xi’s confrontation with Jizhou, Liu Bei was lauded as the foremost candidate for restoring the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei’s reputation soared, almost to the point of embarrassment, though he couldn’t help but feel proud. Though not yet renowned throughout the realm, Taishan’s Liu Bei was now a well-known figure in Central Plains.