Chapter 1096: Kongming, It’s Up to You...

"Zixiao, it's been a while." Liu Bei, seeing Zixu, raised his hand in greeting, although he knew that the man likely belonged to the hermit class.

"Greetings, Lord Xuande. Please forgive me for keeping my identity hidden back then," Zixu bowed slightly as he spoke.

"No need to be so formal," Liu Bei waved his hand. "Since fate has brought us together again, why don’t you join us tonight for a celebration? For someone like you, time is just a fleeting guest, so I doubt you’d mind spending a bit of it with us."

"Indeed, as Lord Xuande said, time is nothing but a passing guest for people like me. There’s no reason I can’t agree, as long as you don’t mind me intruding," Zixu replied with a smile.

As Zixu spoke, he scanned the crowd. He could no longer see any traces of the future on these people. It was as though everything was shrouded in mist, and each of them would carve out their own futures from now on.

"Hahaha, how could it be an intrusion? The last time we met, I was deeply impressed by your political insights. This time, I must hear more," Liu Bei said with a laugh.

"Zixiao, I think we have quite a few topics in common that we should discuss in depth," Jia Xu said with a sly smile, causing everyone else to instinctively take two steps back. Jia Xu’s smile was never a good sign.

"I think what I said before was quite correct," Zixu tried to remain calm, though his twitching eyelids betrayed his unease.

"I never said it wasn’t. Come, let’s have some tea," Jia Xu said with the same smile, placing his hand on Zixu’s shoulder before the latter could refuse. "Don’t worry, it’s not the kind of tea we had before; it’s a new, refined blend."

"Then I suppose I can’t refuse," Zixu said with a couple of wry chuckles. He knew that last time’s issue wouldn’t be so easily forgotten.

"Zichuan, I’ll leave Zijia and Boyan to you. Just check over their work," Jia Xu casually handed Lu Xun and Lu Yu off to Chen Xi. After all, Chen Xi had plenty of free time, and supervising two students wasn’t much of a task.

"Alright, no problem. I’ll see if these two are still salvageable. I’ve recently taken on another disciple who seems a bit sharper than Boyan," Chen Xi suddenly grinned and turned to look at Lu Xun.

"I will not fail your teachings, Master," Lu Xun replied, his face showing a hint of pride.

"Brother, let me hold my nephew," Zhang Fei suddenly pushed his way through the crowd, speaking eagerly. He hadn’t brought any family along, as he had gone to bring back the families of his fallen soldiers instead.

Carefully, Zhang Fei took A'dou from Liu Bei, clearly excited. In just a few moments, he had woken the baby, though unusually, A'dou didn’t cry. Instead, he reached out to grab Zhang Fei’s face, leaving the big man momentarily stunned with joy.

"My lady, take A'dou back home. It’s not good for him to stay out here too long," Liu Bei said, passing the baby to Lady Gan and arranging for Fan Jian and her party to join her in another carriage.

"You two, I assume your observations from the journey are nearly written up. Exchange your reports with each other and provide feedback. Make sure to write comments and annotations," Chen Xi instructed. Initially, he had thought of just writing "Reviewed" on their papers, but then he felt that was a bit lazy, so he changed his approach.

"Yes, sir!" Lu Xun and Lu Yu exchanged a glance, then handed their work to each other, both secretly determined to outdo the other.

"This way, I won’t have to do anything. I’m sure these two focused on completely different aspects. Zijia is probably concerned with interpersonal relationships, while Boyan is likely focused on governance methods. Let them tear each other apart first," Chen Xi thought, unconcerned. When it came to talented people, it was best to let them learn on their own. The right rival would push them to succeed without needing much guidance.

"Oh, Kongming, once they’ve read and critiqued each other’s work, please go over their revisions," Chen Xi called out to Zhuge Liang as he spotted him. There was no one more responsible to hand the task over to.

"So, you want them to discover their own shortcomings?" Zhuge Liang asked as he glanced at Lu Xun and Lu Yu, both of whom he was quite familiar with.

"Not really. Jia Xu just dumped them on me, so I’m dumping them on you," Chen Xi said bluntly, not caring if Lu Xun and Lu Yu overheard.

"You’re always joking. I’ll take care of them," Zhuge Liang replied with a smile, clearly not taking Chen Xi’s straightforwardness seriously.

"It’s up to you now, Kongming," Chen Xi sighed, "I’ve got to head to the central bank to reorganize things. We’re moving the main office here, and I need to set new limits for deposits. By next year, the common people should be able to use promissory notes."

To be honest, the primary reason was that funds were starting to run low. Extracting a bit from the people wouldn’t hurt, and besides, many of the citizens under Liu Bei’s rule now had a bit of extra money lying around.

"Don’t worry, Lord Chen," Zhuge Liang replied with a smile. He was fully aware that he would return to his usual role of assisting Lu Su with administrative duties.

"I’ve found you both a great teacher, so you two should learn well from him," Chen Xi instructed Lu Xun and Lu Yu.

"Understood," they replied somewhat half-heartedly. Although they acknowledged Zhuge Liang’s abilities, it was a bit embarrassing for them to address someone so close to their age as "teacher."

"You can just call me Kongming. There’s no need to be so formal, Boyan and Zijia," Zhuge Liang, being considerate, could easily guess what the two young men were thinking and responded with a smile.

"We’ll be relying on you, Brother Kongming," Lu Xun and Lu Yu replied, their spirits slightly dampened. From Jia Xu, they had been passed to the irresponsible Chen Xi, and now they found themselves under Zhuge Liang, who wasn’t much older than they were.

"Lord Xuande is calling for me, so I must be off. Remember to come tonight, both of you. I won’t need to come fetch you," Chen Xi waved and quickly left.

"Zichuan, have you given Zijia and Boyan their instructions?" Liu Bei asked curiously after Chen Xi hopped onto his carriage. Ever since Wang Lie had entrusted Lu Yu to Chen Xi, Liu Bei had been keeping an eye on him. Unlike the upright Lu Zhi, Lu Yu had a bit of a mischievous streak.

"I’ve left them with Kongming," Chen Xi casually replied. "By the way, we managed to escort the heavenly cauldrons back smoothly. Quite an achievement."

"Indeed," Liu Bei nodded. "I’m planning to use the cauldrons for a small sacrificial ceremony during the New Year. No need to make it too grand—just us should be fine."

"You’re not planning to build a grand altar for this, are you?" Chen Xi asked, feeling that Liu Bei was becoming increasingly unconcerned with formal details, focusing only on sincerity.

"Exactly. The old ways were too burdensome and costly," Liu Bei sighed. If they were to follow the full rites for a noble’s sacrificial ceremony, the costs would exceed a million coins. It was simply too expensive—so expensive it was unaffordable. In Liu Bei’s eyes, sincerity was enough.

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