Chapter 922: Rewards, Punishments, and Military Authority

"Give me a sheet of ledger paper. I'll fill out the allowances and the advance funds for you. Later, you can exchange it for cash from Madam Zhang; after that, when the Taishan Money House relocates, transfer the funds. Oh, and there are public funds for the Yellow River bridge construction included in this amount," Chen Xi said, shifting the topic since he had no good solutions for the breeding of superior seeds.

"Okay," Li You said, pulling out a stack of special paper from his pocket. The paper was highly durable, resistant to water, and difficult to burn.

Chen Xi took the paper from Li You, erased the small amounts from the previously checked funds, adjusted the amount by five percent, rounded it to an even number, and wrote it down. He then stamped it with the seal and handed it back to Li You.

"Forty million is too little. This includes the funds for bridge and road construction. Later, there will be more deductions," Li You complained. Although he knew from the earlier verification that Chen Xi had given a bit more than usual, it was still miserly.

"This is just for next month. What more do you want? Besides, construction funds aren’t paid all at once," Chen Xi replied, rolling his eyes. Every time he filled out these funds, regardless of who was around, they always felt it was too little.

"Can't you give a bit more? We’re not exactly out of money, and if we are, you can always cover it," Li You said with dissatisfaction. His main frustration was that Chen Xi’s allocations were always just barely enough. It could speed up construction, and dragging things out was genuinely frustrating!

"I'm not omnipotent. I can handle expenditures within certain limits, but beyond that, it’s not possible," Chen Xi said, shrugging. The copper mine issue still needed resolution before he could achieve a balance of resources.

During the peak of the Han Dynasty, the annual production of standard coins was only a few hundred million, and they didn’t produce coins at other times. The annual tax revenue was three hundred billion, so there was no surplus. Barter was the norm, using cloth as currency. This is where Chen Xi’s money house found its value. If there was no money to use, and credit could hold up, then that’s what they would use. As long as no one demanded withdrawals, even a hundred billion wouldn’t be noticeable—it was merely a voucher!

Li You knew that arguing with Chen Xi on this matter was pointless; the amount calculated was what he would get. Chen Xi wouldn’t blink an eye even if he filled in billions.

"Keep an eye on the girl behind you; she has the demeanor of a noble," Li You said, not pressing the matter further. After all, he still had one more sheet in his pocket, so he could use it if needed.

"She has the demeanor of a noble?" Chen Xi tilted his head to look at Xin Xianying with curiosity. "I can’t see it."

"How about I give you a book to study?" Li You casually suggested. To him, Chen Xi’s talent made learning such trivial matters seem easy.

"No thanks. I don’t have the time to waste," Chen Xi said, rolling his eyes. Li You was peculiar in that he seemed to know a little about everything. Sometimes, out of boredom, he even observed celestial phenomena, although he didn’t really believe in them. Curiously, he did believe in physiognomy.

"It’s simple. You can get started in a day or two. Within three to five months, you’ll have a vague grasp of it. After that, it depends on personal talent," Li You said, assuming Chen Xi was among the most talented.

"And her?" Chen Xi suddenly turned to ask Zhen Mi, who was eavesdropping.

"Priceless," Li You raised an eyebrow.

Zhen Mi blushed slightly. She understood physiognomy herself and knew what her appearance signified. Though Chen Xi's actions had altered her physiognomy, it still indicated nobility, just in a completely different way from before.

"Oh, I’ll just ask my father-in-law. He’s much more reliable than you," Chen Xi said, rolling his eyes. This was a tradition in the Fan family.

"Boom!" Suddenly, there was a quake, followed by Gan Ning’s furious roar. "You bastard, you broke my bell! I’ll fight you!"

"It was an accident!" Ma Chao’s scream followed.

Ma Chao had left Xu Chu’s place and went to find Gan Ning. He never imagined that such a big man would be playing with a bell to entertain a cat. Gan Ning felt embarrassed when Ma Chao discovered him, and it was indeed somewhat humiliating.

Although Ma Chao was not one for sentiment, he saw Gan Ning’s embarrassment and knew not to bring it up. He extended his hand to Gan Ning, indicating he’d join in the game, sharing the blame. To be honest, this was what Pang De had instructed him to do. If they shared the blame, their relationship would make significant progress.

Gan Ning naturally handed the bell to Ma Chao. However, with a strong tug, the bell shattered. Gan Ning’s game involved soft strength control, something he had used during his training. Ma Chao, with his strong and forceful style, broke the bell with one move.

At that moment, Ma Chao was dumbfounded, and Gan Ning was stunned as well. This bell had not shattered even when Gan Ning dropped it while sparring with Xu Chu at Taishan, yet now it broke. Gan Ning, who was very nostalgic, could not tolerate it and immediately roared in anger.

"Forget it; it doesn’t seem like a big deal," Li You said, looking at Chen Xi. The more he understood Gan Ning, the more he found that beneath his foolish exterior was a heart that understood weight and importance.

"I agree," Chen Xi said with a smile. If it were another general, their roar would likely lead to a fierce fight. With Gan Ning, however, he would calm down soon. Whether Ma Chao got beaten up didn’t matter; as long as he wasn’t seriously injured, recovery was just a matter of time.

"I’ll propose moving the administrative center in the evening. Do you need to come along?" Li You asked. Moving the administrative center required reporting to Liu Bei.

This should have been discussed with Liu Bei before they took Ye City, but they hadn’t expected things to progress so quickly.

Although they had anticipated Yuan Shao’s death, they hadn’t expected it to happen so soon. What was supposed to be discussed at the end of the decisive battle was now delayed, but fortunately, there were sufficient reasons, so Liu Bei would not object.

Liu Bei had delegated authority thoroughly, even in intelligence matters, which were managed by Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Chen Xi. However, there were two powers that everyone except Liu Bei had no involvement in: military authority and rewards and punishments.

Chen Xi could command troops directly, but that was due to Liu Bei’s sword. In truth, Chen Xi could command troops without the sword, but he always used it to cover his tracks.

Similarly, for rewards and punishments, Chen Xi could only offer suggestions and sometimes left room for Liu Bei to make adjustments. This was to ensure Liu Bei’s legitimacy and help him understand his role clearly, steering him towards being a wise ruler.

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