Chapter 738: The Four Classes: Scholars, Farmers, Artisans, and Merchants

"Zizhong is busy revising the commercial regulations, and Madam Zhang is about to return north to Jizhou, so she needs to coordinate with Zizhong on updating the management rules. Meanwhile, Lady Gan has recently become more delicate due to her pregnancy, so all these matters have been fully entrusted to Zizhong," Liu Bei sighed as he explained.

As he spoke, Liu Bei glanced at Chen Xi, noticing that Chen Xi was also deep in thought. Liu Bei smiled and asked, "How is Lady Chen? I’m still waiting for her to become my daughter-in-law."

"She’s doing well, just sleeping more these days, but no other issues," Chen Xi replied, his lips curving slightly as he thought of Chen Lan, which lifted his spirits.

"Did the chaos in the city last night disturb her?" Liu Bei asked with a sigh, recalling how the sounds of slaughter had visibly agitated Lady Gan.

"Fortunately not. My inner courtyard is well-insulated against noise, and any intruders were swiftly dealt with by my household guards," Chen Xi replied with a smile. His residence was well-protected, especially with Hua Xiong's family living next door and the presence of a seemingly harmless yet formidable small white dog.

"That’s good to hear. As for Zizhong, please be understanding of his situation. The merchant guilds are quite chaotic. Although they generate wealth quickly, from what Zizhong, Madam Zhang, and Lady Gan have reported to me, there’s a lot of infighting and frequent revisions of the rules," Liu Bei advised, looking at Chen Xi.

"They’re still revising?" Chen Xi raised an eyebrow. "That’s rather inefficient."

"With you putting it that way, I’m at a loss for words," a hearty voice chimed in as a man of medium height with a robust build and an air of prosperity entered the main hall. After bowing to Liu Bei, he greeted him first, "Greetings, my lord."

"Zizhong, please sit," Liu Bei smiled, motioning him to take a seat. "You’ll need to bear more responsibilities in the coming days. If you encounter any issues, consult with Zichuan."

"Rest assured, my lord, I will not fail you," Mi Zhu said with a smile before turning to Chen Xi. "Zichuan, I will also need your guidance."

"I’ll point out any problems I see, but it’s best not to rely too heavily on me. I can only offer advice; whether it’s suitable or not is up to you to determine. You should make the decisions regarding the merchant guilds, and as for any vacant positions, just fill them with those families that didn’t cause trouble this time," Chen Xi replied with a nod.

"Zichuan, tomorrow you and Zizhong will visit each family to hold them accountable," Liu Bei said, sipping his tea and glancing at Chen Xi for confirmation.

"I’ll gather them all at the Manxiang Tower on North Street. I’ll send them invitations, stating that visiting each family individually is too time-consuming, so they should all come there," Chen Xi suggested after thinking for a moment.

"You can handle these minor details as you see fit. The aristocratic families are used to your unpredictable ways. If you were to visit them personally, they might not be able to handle it. But if they’re gathered together, how will you decide who gets what?" Liu Bei asked, not too concerned about the matter but curious about how Chen Xi would distribute the rewards.

"Whether it’s blessings or punishment, it’s all the ruler’s grace. How much they receive is our decision; whether it’s fair or not is up to them to feel. Whether they fight for it or not is their choice," Chen Xi shrugged, indicating that there was no need to overthink it.

As Chen Xi had stated earlier, after the first year, Liu Bei should have made the world take notice, and by the third year, he should be a dominant force. Now that the internal troubles had been dealt with, it was time for them to set the rules. They could throw out the rewards and let the families fight for them. It didn’t matter much who got more or less.

"Wouldn’t that dishearten those families? After all, some of them did stand by us during this turmoil in Qing and Xu provinces," Mi Zhu frowned, dissatisfied with Chen Xi's approach to distribution.

"We’re giving them benefits; how they’re distributed isn’t our concern. To be honest, I’m not interested in the specifics of how each family is doing. We just need to know that this group supported us, and we’ll reward them as a group. That’s enough," Chen Xi replied with a nonchalant expression.

"Zizhong, we are the rule-makers, not caretakers. We don’t need to focus on individual families. Our attention should be on the collective. My concern is with broad fairness, not absolute fairness. There can be some variation," Chen Xi added, noticing Mi Zhu’s hesitation.

"I’ve learned much," Mi Zhu said after a pause, standing to bow in thanks, while the others also fell into thoughtful silence.

"This principle seems to apply to all of us here. Don’t focus too much on individual gains and losses or personal fairness. We need to consider the bigger picture to avoid mistakes. Many things that seemed significant in the past are now trivial matters for us," Liu Bei said as he stood up.

Chen Xi’s words helped Liu Bei understand why he had felt that some issues were mishandled. While he had become a dominant force, his perspective sometimes remained stuck in the past.

For example, after witnessing the private soldiers of the aristocratic families converging on Fenggao’s center last night, Liu Bei’s anger flared, and he had wanted to eradicate all the rebellious families. He even harbored resentment towards those who hadn’t rebelled.

This was why Liu Bei’s smile had seemed forced when Chen Xi had proposed how to deal with the families. Although Liu Bei knew Chen Xi’s approach was correct and agreed with it, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration.

Why should I have to restrain myself? I’m already a dominant force, so why should I hold back? My goal is to serve the people, not to forgive the aristocracy. Why should I only punish the ringleaders and let the rest go?

These thoughts had been simmering in Liu Bei’s heart, accumulating over time. Coming from a humble background, Liu Bei had always harbored resentment towards the aristocracy. However, as the name of this hall suggests—Self-Restraint (克己)—Liu Bei had always restrained his desires, striving to balance the current situation.

This restraint was why Liu Bei had never lost his principles. He maintained his original ideals by continually checking his desires and avoiding venting his anger towards the aristocracy, instead trying to view their issues objectively with Chen Xi’s guidance.

But this didn’t change the core issue: Liu Bei’s deep-seated bias against the aristocracy. Now that Liu Bei had the strength to oppose them, even if all the middle and lower-tier officials from the aristocracy were to leave, he still had the scholars from Qing and Xu provinces and the students he had trained to rely on.

At this moment, Liu Bei finally realized where he had gone wrong. While it would take time to change his bias against the aristocracy, with continued adjustment, Liu Bei would eventually come to view the aristocracy as part of the common people he served.

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter