Chapter 1165: Governance by Men and Law

Jia Xu glanced at Lu Su and immediately understood the situation. He turned his head and looked at his row of servant girls, then decided against speaking further.

"Zichuan, if next year you incorporate Youzhou, will your mental abilities still be able to hold up?" Jia Xu asked directly, without beating around the bush. Chen Xi’s mental ability was of immense importance to the smooth transition of the entire country.

"Right now, it’s in a stable state—not increasing or decreasing. The people of Jizhou still recognize Yuan Benchu, but that recognition will soon fade, and we’ll be able to pacify them before long." Chen Xi shook his head and continued, "As for Youzhou, don’t worry. I won’t drop the ball."

"According to the Central Astrology Office, there will be some changes in the weather next year. After the severe cold, there will be a drought," Jia Xu said, placing his chopsticks down. "Cai Zhaoji has also given a similar prediction."

Cai Yan was well-versed in celestial phenomena and the calendar system. In fact, she seemed to excel in all related scholarly skills—except physical activities, where her abilities were abysmal. She could manage both the kitchen and the hall, but unfortunately, that wasn't of much practical use.

"Yes, I’m aware. However, by next year, the mental energy of Jizhou’s people should also have been absorbed. You should know that," Chen Xi said, not too concerned. In fact, since last year, the Han Empire had effectively entered a period of natural disasters.

But thanks to Chen Xi’s large-scale manipulation of the weather, using his mental abilities to adjust the distribution of rain and sunlight, Liu Bei’s territories had remained in relative harmony. For instance, the heavy snowfall in the north ceased when it reached Liu Bei’s lands, all due to Chen Xi’s efforts.

"As long as you’ve prepared, that’s all that matters," Jia Xu replied, seeing that Chen Xi had already made the necessary arrangements. Chen Xi's value lay not only in his extraordinary administrative abilities but also in his ability to regulate the seasons and the weather.

These two aspects were of paramount importance. In comparison, Chen Xi’s military strategies could take a back seat.

"By the way, Zijing, Hua Tuo, Zhang Zhongjing, and Hanmou will be arriving in Ye City this afternoon. How about coming with me to greet them?" Chen Xi asked, turning to Lu Su.

"My neck has been feeling uncomfortable lately, so I’ll come along to meet them," Jia Xu said, touching his neck. "I’ve been meaning to mention, Zichuan, when getting examined, it’s better to have it done privately. Sometimes it can be a bit awkward."

"Oh, alright," Chen Xi responded, remembering Hua Tuo's blunt comment about moderation during his last check-up, which made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Lu Su’s hand, which was holding a wine cup, paused briefly. A thoughtful expression appeared on his face before he smiled and changed the subject. "Lately, I haven’t seen much of Zijian or Zilong."

"Zilong has been busy settling some folks from his hometown, while Zijian has been training troops," Chen Xi replied with a smile. This was one of the few years when everyone had paused their work and taken a bit of a break.

"Zijian can’t seem to sit still. No wonder he’s such an expert at leading both cavalry and infantry," Lu Su remarked in amazement. Even on the eve of the New Year, Hua Xiong was still dedicated to training. Lu Su couldn’t fathom how Hua Xiong’s soldiers coped with such relentless discipline.

"Hehe," Jia Xu chuckled lightly, sipping his wine. "Try handing out all your year-end bonuses to your subordinates. Even during the New Year, if you call for drills, they won’t refuse. Hua Xiong just doesn’t think much. He’s been sticking to the principle of eating, living, and rewarding together with his men."

After Chen Xi introduced the concept of year-end bonuses, everyone under Liu Bei's rule—from high-ranking officials to soldiers and clerks—received a bit extra at the end of the year to celebrate. Of course, not all the rewards were in money; some came in the form of vouchers for meat or cloth.

Vouchers were another invention of Chen Xi’s. Issuing vouchers was simply more efficient than distributing everything at once. The recipients could go to local shops to redeem the items, and the banks would settle accounts with the stores later, minimizing the risk of embezzlement.

As for corruption, Chen Xi didn’t have an easy solution for it. He certainly wasn’t going to adopt Zhu Yuanzhang’s extreme methods, like skinning corrupt officials and stuffing their hides with straw to hang in public as a warning for their successors.

Instead, Chen Xi had to rely on Man Chong to strengthen bureaucratic evaluations, linking local officials' salaries to the governance of their regions. However, this increased the workload of evaluations and sometimes led to situations that even Chen Xi found difficult to resolve.

For those who loved wealth, Chen Xi had no ideal solution. Some officials were indeed highly competent in governance, but their greed matched their skill. Punishing such individuals felt like a loss, yet letting them go unpunished seemed equally wrong.

Officials who were entirely free of corruption were either interested in something other than wealth or came from extremely wealthy families. The clarity of governance during the founding era stemmed from the fact that most officials at the time had a sense of public duty. Their goals were neither wealth nor power.

People like Jia Xu and Li You were not motivated by money or power, but by ideals. Titles and authority were mere accessories to their grand ambitions.

Because their goals were so lofty, they viewed these material gains with disdain. As a result, they did not actively seek wealth or power, which for many others represented the pinnacle of ambition. To individuals like them, such things were merely decorations in life.

Unlike those who sought to divide the pie, the first generation was focused on making the pie. They knew that the bigger they made it and the more they invested, the closer they would get to achieving their ultimate ideals. Compared to that, everything else was insignificant.

Unfortunately, Chen Xi couldn’t inspire that level of awareness in everyone. If everyone had such high aspirations, society would have already reached an ideal state of unity.

Therefore, for ordinary people, Chen Xi could only rely on the concept of law to constrain them. However, even Man Chong acknowledged that legal principles could not override human nature. For situations where the law couldn’t provide a suitable response, Chen Xi typically resorted to "governance by men."

Governance by men was quite simple. When an official’s conduct was under review, they would invite a group of nineteen people—local elders, students, and children—to recount the official’s achievements, as well as their violations.

If these people acknowledged the official’s accomplishments and deemed their wrongdoings minor, the official would be released and allowed to continue in office, though without any significant promotions.

If the group determined that the merits and demerits balanced out, the official’s ill-gotten gains would be confiscated, and they would be dismissed from office.

If the official’s achievements were deemed insufficient to balance their wrongdoings, well, Chen Xi wouldn’t show any mercy.

Although Chen Xi didn’t often support the death penalty, in cases where an official had caused major harm to the region, he had signed off on their execution. Once the evidence was clear, the death penalty would be carried out immediately, with the official’s family imprisoned and their clan stripped of all state benefits for three generations.

As for why Chen Xi sometimes allowed officials to be acquitted, that was because of a particular situation he had encountered. Though one county magistrate had been framed by political rivals, the investigation still revealed acts of corruption. Naturally, the magistrate was removed from office.

When Chen Xi later reviewed the magistrate’s accomplishments, even Man Chong felt it was a pity to remove such a capable official. However, it would have been inappropriate to let him off without consequences.

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