Three Kingdoms, Myth

Seeing that Guan Ping was unharmed, Liu Bei immediately put on a stern face. "Explain what happened. How did you get into a fight?"

"Lord Xuande, don't blame Tan Zhi. We have him to thank today; otherwise, several hundred Jiangdong soldiers would have entered Fenggao without anyone noticing. And they even dared to bring this in!" As Liu Bei was questioning Guan Ping, Chen Xi emerged from the alley, his eyes cold as he spoke. He then tossed the crossbow bolt to Liu Bei.

"A crossbow!" Liu Bei recognized it immediately upon touching it, and his anger flared up. "Wenru, send orders to Yun Chang and Yi De to seal the city gates. We must investigate these assassins thoroughly and let no one involved escape!"

The situation was thus defined. Even if the three Jiangdong families caused a ruckus afterward, they would not be able to overturn the verdict. At most, they could pay a ransom to get their men back. But once labeled as assassins, that label would stick, no matter how much noise they made. Possession of a crossbow in this era was no trivial matter—just like when Zhou Yafu's family was exterminated for secretly keeping armor, though there were other reasons, the crossbow was a serious offense.

Soon after, Xu Chu descended from the sky, carrying a man in his grip. Seeing the disassembled crossbow nearby, Chen Xi couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. It didn't take long for the professionals to apprehend the criminal.

"Throw them all in prison, and we'll interrogate them later!" Liu Bei ordered with a cold expression. Bringing crossbows into the city—what were they trying to do? Were the Jiangdong families seeking death? It's one thing to keep weapons in their own territories secretly, but bringing them here was a blatant challenge to authority.

"Oh, and who is this?" Liu Bei asked curiously, noticing the young woman who, despite her appearance resembling that of a noble lady, was clearly dressed inappropriately.

"Tan Zhi's concubine," Chen Xi said nonchalantly, stifling a yawn.

"N-no, not at all…" Guan Ping stammered, flustered.

"What are you afraid of? It's just a concubine. Do you think your uncle would harm you?" Liu Bei clapped Guan Ping on the shoulder. "Don't worry. With what you did today, your father won't say a word against you. You're still young, and like Chen Xi said, 'A crown of anger for a beauty.' What's there to fear? Stand tall. As my nephew, you shouldn't be afraid of anything! No matter how big the issue, your elders will back you up!"

Guan Ping blushed, nodding repeatedly like a pecking chick. Meanwhile, the courtesan known as Yue'er felt a storm of emotions surging within her.

Su Yue had never imagined that the honest-looking youth who had been visiting her was actually Liu Xuande's nephew. Who was Liu Xuande? Before being sold off, Su Yue had no idea. But after settling in Taishan, the title of the "Central Plains Hero" Liu Xuande had filled her ears. With all the rumors and stories, Su Yue was well aware of this benevolent elder's power. He was like one of the hegemonic lords in the historical tales she used to read. Even when she was still a noble lady, she would have been far below his family's standing.

"Your servant Su Yue greets the Marquis of Fanyang," Su Yue said, bowing deeply.

"Rise," Liu Bei said gently. "Tan Zhi, you have good taste. Take her home; I'll talk to your father for you."

Guan Ping was overjoyed. He had been lingering around because he feared his father wouldn't approve. Otherwise, he would have taken her home long ago. Although Guan Ping was somewhat dull, he wasn't stupid. As Chen Xi had mentioned earlier, just hinting at his interest would have been enough for the girl to be in his bed the next day. But doing so would have earned him a severe beating from his father.

Given how things had played out today, Guan Ping was grateful he had charged in. Everything had worked out, and he realized that while his Uncle Chen could be unreliable at times, he was quite capable.

"Go on now. You won't enjoy yourself with me around. Don't be so stiff—go on," Liu Bei said, waving him off, signaling that Guan Ping didn't need to keep up the act in his presence.

"And you, Zichuan, what are you doing here? This is a brothel, isn't it?" Liu Bei asked, then seemed to remember something, looking at Chen Xi with some frustration. "What's going on with you and Fengxiao? I arranged for plenty of singers and dancers for you, so why are you still hanging around places like this? I've heard from Baining many times that you two once left without paying and got caught. And aren't you supposed to be working on your official duties?"

Chen Xi felt a bit embarrassed, caught skipping work by his boss at the entrance of a brothel, discussing how he had once skipped out on paying—this was a new low.

"I was investigating the people's sentiments when I saw Tan Zhi lurking here, so I brought him in. But then this whole mess happened," Chen Xi explained, making up a reason on the spot.

"Enough. Lord Xuande, let's talk as we walk. The administrative duties you assigned me aren't difficult, but today's events made me realize some issues. We need to establish a few positions under your command to handle the affairs of Qingzhou and Taishan," Chen Xi said as he led the way, quickly moving Liu Bei away from the scene.

As Chen Xi spoke, Liu Bei was left amazed, and even Li Ru, who was walking alongside them, found himself impressed by the governance system and household registration system Chen Xi proposed. With all his years of experience, Li Ru couldn't spot any flaws. Chen Zichuan truly was a genius.

Seeing how beneficial this new system would be for governing his territory, Liu Bei quickly shifted his focus from Chen Xi and Guo Jia's antics to carefully listening to the details. He memorized the points he didn't understand, planning to ask more questions later.

"That about sums it up. This should resolve the issues with spies, hidden agents, corvée labor, population control, and other related problems," Chen Xi concluded, his throat dry from speaking so much. He was confident that while Liu Bei could sense the system's benefits, he probably didn't fully grasp the complexities. Even Chen Xi couldn't perfectly explain the intricacies of the Ming Dynasty's household registration system—he could only ensure the key elements were in place. If Liu Bei could fully understand it, there wouldn't be a need for advisors like them.

Chen Xi glanced sideways at Li Ru, who was clearly deep in thought. It was obvious that Li Ru was intrigued by the household registration system, though unlike Liu Bei, he wasn't excited—he was more focused on finding potential flaws.

Chen Xi wasn't worried in the slightest. The Ming Dynasty's household registration system had its issues, such as difficulties in relocating and changing one's registration, but other than that, it was superior even to modern systems. Let alone the late Eastern Han period, two thousand years ago!

The efforts of countless wise men over nearly two millennia had gone into developing this system. Even if Li Ru had the foresight to see the future, it would be nearly impossible for him to find any major flaws!