Chapter 64

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Dealing with the aristocratic families can be said to be something every emperor of every era has had to do, but the number of emperors who could truly subdue these families can be counted on one hand. Chen Xi did not think that the inexperienced Liu Bei could subdue these people, and even with the foresight and transcendent vision of a time traveler, it would be difficult to achieve, as directly confronting the aristocratic families at this time would go against the instinct of a time traveler to avoid danger.

With a two-pronged approach, one carrot and one stick, if Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping could squeeze the Zhen family's business and make them understand the difference between vassals and aristocratic families, that would be best. A sincere apology would suffice as long as it smoothed things over and prevented Liu Bei from harboring resentment.

If the Zhen family truly had connections reaching to the heavens, Chen Xi would have to take matters into his own hands. Whether through commercial pressure or a direct attack to eliminate the Zhen family's upper echelons, he would ensure that the Zhen family received a dignified funeral. In the end, Chen Xi could guarantee that even if Zhen Mi truly had the demeanor of a phoenix, she would likely end up as someone else's plaything, and Yuan Shao would at most feel embarrassed, not directly declare war on Liu Bei.

"Zichuan, how much money do you have? Since entering Fenggao, you've been constantly investing money and grain, and there's been no sign of any return. How have you managed to keep this up? Do we really have that much money?" Jian Yong, seeing Chen Xi zoning out as usual, and with the autumn harvest approaching, finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked. Even Zhao Yun, who was sitting nearby, perked up at Jian Yong's words. Everyone in Fenggao was very interested in this matter.

"We have a lot of money, and it's constantly increasing. What's the problem?" Chen Xi yawned, "Lord Xuande, don't just stand outside. If you want to listen, come in. I'm sure everyone is very interested."

"Ha ha ha." Liu Bei laughed, trying to hide his awkward expression, but seeing Chen Xi looking so listless and not paying attention to him, he didn't laugh much longer.

"Indeed, many people now think of you, Chen Zichuan, as a generous benefactor with endless wealth." Liu Bei chuckled, though he knew that Chen Xi just sat there drinking tea and reviewing documents, not pulling in carts of money as the rumors suggested. However, he had indeed made everyone live in peace and prosperity.

"I only have this much copper." Chen Xi casually unfastened a silk pouch from his waist and tossed it onto the table. This was something Chen Lan had made for him after he arrived in Fenggao. The sachet on the left was made by his wife, Fan Jian, and was very delicate.

"What do you mean by this, Zichuan?" Liu Bei found a seat and asked, puzzled by the money bag Chen Xi had thrown on the table.

"It means I haven't invested a single copper in Fenggao. The seemingly vast wealth of Fenggao doesn't actually exist." Chen Xi sat up straight and said seriously, "Of course, the refugees we've gathered are constantly creating value, so it looks like I'm constantly investing money, but in reality, I don't have any money to invest."

Liu Bei was confused, Jian Yong's eyes were vacant, and Zhao Yun was scratching his head.

"Okay, let me put it simply. You see me giving out wages every day, right? Though not much, the accumulated amount over time has already exceeded ten million. But have you thought about it? Not only am I spending money, but the people who earn money are also spending it. After all, if they get paid, they don't need to be provided with dinner." Chen Xi said listlessly, looking extremely worn out.

Still confused, the three men had blank expressions.

"I had some steamed bun shops opened." Chen Xi yawned.

This was actually a result of Chen Xi's frustration with the hard, unleavened buns. He had to research and experiment, and it took several failures before he succeeded. Once he did, it became a highly profitable business. Leavened buns were tasty, filling, and easy to digest, and no one knew that a two-ounce bun only required one and a half ounces of flour, so business was booming...

Moreover, Chen Xi ensured that the lunch provided by the government was just enough to fill the stomach, not to satisfy. The hard, unleavened buns were barely tolerable, and the millet porridge was just enough to keep one going. Compared to the steamed bun shops, the number of people eating the government-provided lunch dropped by half. When given a choice, no one wanted to eat the hard, unleavened buns that were as tough as rocks, especially when the steamed bun shops offered a small dish of pickles. As a result, the steamed bun shops became even more popular.

After some time, the government realized the situation and negotiated with the steamed bun shops. The government issued vouchers to the refugees, who could use them to get buns from the shops. Since the shops offered a discount for bulk purchases, the refugees were grateful, and the government saved on providing lunch, making everyone happy.

Chen Xi then assigned the unemployed cooks who used to prepare the government-provided lunch to open more steamed bun shops. This made everyone even happier, as the government saved a significant portion of its expenses. New refugees, who only had copper coins, found that they were spending more than others on buns, so they strongly demanded to exchange their coins for vouchers. This avoided the issue of not having enough money...

After some time, Chen Xi noticed that there were too many refugees and not enough money. One refugee discovered that the vouchers could be used to get buns at night without spending money at home on the hard, unleavened buns...

This secret quietly spread, and wages were reduced. Chen Xi's daily task was to stamp the newly invented paper with his seal, and then have Zhao Yun cut it into ten equal strips. Zhao Yun was very efficient, and a thousand pieces of paper could be cut in a flash without damaging the table.

This paper, which served as a general equivalent, was incomprehensible, but no one could replicate it. Even if they could, they would need Chen Xi's seal. In the Han dynasty, forging seals was punishable by the extermination of three or nine generations. So, it was better to mint small coins like Dong Zhuo, which no one regulated. Using paper as money was reasonable.

Originally, Chen Xi planned to have wooden stamps made with the words "two buns," but he found that he needed to stamp a lot, so he used Liu Bei's seal as it was larger and faster. According to the standard of one strip being equivalent to two buns, Chen Xi only needed to issue a small amount of wages, and the rest could be in vouchers.

Even a small amount of wages was still money. With half a million people, bandits and Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou turned into refugees, and the number of refugees kept increasing. Eventually, the refugees in Taishan became citizens, and Taishan looked increasingly prosperous.

So, Chen Xi opened more shops for daily necessities. Since the entire Taishan commandery was under his control, the bandits were his bandits, and he could do as he pleased. This way, most of the copper coins he issued could be recycled and used again. Moreover, his shops allowed the use of vouchers...

This policy eliminated 99% of the other merchants. A voucher that couldn't be used outside Taishan was essentially worthless. Why keep it to exchange for buns in Taishan when you couldn't eat them all?

To put it bluntly, if any merchant was willing to accept vouchers, Chen Xi would evaluate their character. For merchants like the Mi family, who were well-behaved, he would exchange the vouchers for grain. For merchants like the Zhen family, who had offended Liu Bei, he wouldn't mind giving them a warehouse full of vouchers. As a human printing press, he had no pressure. So, the Zhen family's quick departure showed they had a good sense of self-preservation.

Chen Xi explained his actions in detail to the others, but Liu Bei and the others were still confused. Seeing Chen Xi, who looked listless and sleepy, they finally interrupted him.

"Stop. Zichuan, though I don't understand what you're saying, you are indeed very capable in practice." Liu Bei interrupted, looking bewildered.

"Indeed, no one can understand. I need to find a political expert with an IQ over 90. It's too lonely now." Chen Xi propped his head up, looking like a lonely expert.

"Why do you always look so tired, as if you're about to fall asleep?" Liu Bei changed the topic, feeling that listening to Chen Xi's explanations was pushing his limits. As long as Chen Xi could build up the region, the method didn't matter.

"Spring drowsiness, autumn fatigue, summer sleepiness, and winter laziness. I'm in the autumn fatigue phase now." Chen Xi said with a weary expression, "But don't worry, Lord Xuande, the administration won't have major issues." He shifted his position to make himself more comfortable, as doing nothing made it easy to fall asleep.

Liu Bei, Jian Yong, and Zhao Yun all looked at Chen Xi helplessly. Was this a reason? Being drowsy all year round, eating and sleeping, they wondered how he had learned his skills. Perhaps he was a divine being who learned in dreams.

"Report!" Just as the room fell silent, a messenger rushed in, shouting loudly. Chen Xi instantly became alert, and Zhao Yun and Liu Bei, with their keen eyesight, saw a layer of sweat on Chen Xi's body, indicating he had been startled awake.

Chen Xi looked sternly at the messenger, his drowsiness completely gone, and sighed, "I can't sleep in the administrative hall anymore; it's too scary."

"Is there anything to report?" Chen Xi asked calmly.

"Mi Zizhong from Xu Province and Lu Zijing from Linhuai are here to visit." The messenger answered loudly.

"Hmm?" Chen Xi was surprised but quickly recovered, feeling elated, "Lord Xuande, great wealth and great virtue are about to arrive."

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