Mythical Three Kingdoms

Although Xin Xianying, who tilted her head slightly, appeared somewhat bewildered, Chen Xi knew clearly that she had remembered every word he said. Someday, she would come to understand.

Traveling from the city to the place where Xin Pi was under house arrest would take considerable time on foot. However, if traveling by carriage, it became much more convenient. Thus, they quickly arrived at their destination.

”We’re here.” Chen Xi reached out to help Xin Xianying down, but it was clear that her legs were already weak the moment she landed.

”Do you want me to accompany you inside, or will you go in on your own?” Chen Xi asked Xin Xianying as they stood by the door. The guards stationed there acted as if they didn’t see Chen Xi, letting him do whatever he pleased.

”My father is inside?” Once Xin Xianying confirmed that Xin Pi was in the room, she immediately dashed inside at a run. Chen Xi quickly ordered one of the guards to follow her, to prevent Xin Xianying from being captured. All the guards here were Wei Yan’s trusted aides, essentially the city patrol!

”No issues, right?” Chen Xi asked the guard. Although he didn’t know the guard’s name, he found the face familiar.

”Reporting to Marquis Chen, nothing.” The guard saluted with his weapon before becoming as still as a stone.

”Oh, that’s good.” Chen Xi nodded slowly. ”Are there any others inside?”

No sooner had he said this than Xu Shu’s voice came from within: ”Who is this little rascal? How did they make their way in?”

”Yuanzhi seems to be dropping by often. I wonder if there’s been any progress.” Chen Xi chuckled as he spoke. Since Xin Pi was Xu Shu’s captive, frequent visits were only natural. Saying this, Chen Xi strode into the room.

”I brought her in myself,” Chen Xi answered with a smile. ”Came to see Zuozhi. Wondering if my fellow townsman has any ideas.”

”I’m a fellow townsman, too,” Xu Shu said with a bitter smile. ”No luck yet. He won’t listen to me at all.”

”Then just keep at it. It’s not a big deal; we’re not in a hurry. He can’t leave anyway, so there’s no need to worry,” Chen Xi said nonchalantly. Though Xin Pi could indeed be considered talented, he wasn’t particularly critical to Liu Bei’s faction at the moment.

”True, there’s no rush. Speaking of which, what’s our next plan?” Xu Shu said. He had arrived in haste, heading straight to the battlefield. To be honest, he didn’t have a comprehensive understanding of Liu Bei’s army’s overall strategy. Although he guessed Liu Bei’s army halting in Ye City had some significance, he wasn’t entirely certain.

”Next, we’ll move to take Youzhou, but not immediately. Our focus for now is development,” Chen Xi answered Xu Shu, smiling. Originally, this plan was supposed to begin after the envoy left, but since Xu Shu had asked, Chen Xi saw no reason to hide their strategy; after all, Xu Shu was destined to be a key figure in this faction.

”Moving the governance center, perhaps?” Xu Shu asked in a low voice.

”Move, yes—right here. Fenggao is too remote,” Chen Xi sighed. ”Ye City must become the new central hub.”

”So where will Mr. Jian’s work be inscribed?” Xu Shu asked cautiously. This matter carried significant weight.

Due to Jian Yong’s increasing mastery in language and text, most people in this era had to look up to him in awe. Later generations considered Jian Yong unparalleled, rarely addressing him by his courtesy name.

”Naturally at Fenggao. After all, that’s where we rose to prominence. We need to leave some legacy there. When the time comes, we’ll engrave the entire lexicon as well as its origins onto Mount Tai to leave behind a cultural legacy,” Chen Xi replied with a smile, as Fenggao held sentimental value for their struggle and triumph.

”Actually, I have a question: are we staying here to straighten out internal matters before we can afford construction?” Xu Shu asked slowly.

”If it’s about construction, even if there’s no money, I wouldn’t mind,” Chen Xi replied casually. His calm tone immediately brought Xu Shu’s mind to the initial Mount Tai development, which started with no funding at all—yet laid the foundation for their powerful legacy.

”Fair point. As long as you’re in charge, your territories will never lack funds or grain,” Xu Shu said with a smile. Chen Xi’s accomplishments in development remained astonishing and awe-inspiring, and equally inscrutable.

”Not quite. We’ll never lack money, but grain is something that already exists. I can create money but not food,” Chen Xi remarked, shaking his head.

”Hahaha, Zichuan, you’re messing with me. Where there’s money, how could there not be grain?” Xu Shu laughed, clearly not believing Chen Xi’s words.

”Give me some paper and ink, and you’ll understand.” Chen Xi sighed as Xu Shu looked puzzled but still fetched a set of paper and ink for him.

Chen Xi quickly wrote a line on the paper: ”Withdraw ten billion in currency,” then marked the time, affixed his seal, pressed his thumb into the ink pad, and left a fingerprint on it.

Xu Shu had no idea what Chen Xi was doing. He poured them each a cup of tea with a teapot, watching Chen Xi’s actions while waiting for an explanation.

Chen Xi picked up the slip of paper, blew lightly on it, and said, ”Now, if you take this anywhere in the land recognized by the top families, you can exchange it for ten billion in money.”

”Pfft...” Xu Shu spat out his tea mid-drink, his mouth hanging open, tea dripping without him noticing.

”How is this even possible?” Xu Shu said incredulously.

”But it’s true. If this certificate circulates, anyone holding it can exchange it for ten billion in money,” Chen Xi said, pulling a corner of his mouth into a wry grin.

Chen Xi wasn’t joking; this was the current reality. Due to the existence of Money Exchange houses, whenever Chen Xi allocated funds, he would simply issue a certificate, withdrawing money from Fenggao’s central bank.

Over time, an unexpected phenomenon arose: some merchants started using the certificates as capital guarantees handed to prominent local business families in Mount Tai. These business families, in turn, used Chen Xi’s certificates to cash out at other Money Exchange branches, which worked the same way. To simplify transactions, people eventually began using the certificates for direct trade.

The convenience was obvious; carrying a single certificate was far better than hauling wagonloads of currency, especially with the added security of official seals and fingerprints, which no one dared to counterfeit under penalty of clan extermination. Counterfeiting was virtually impossible, so fraud was not a concern.

Eventually, some families went to extremes, exchanging all their money into certificates. Thankfully, Fenggao’s central bank maintained an impeccable reputation, with no ”big store bullying customers” situations, or these families would’ve undoubtedly been ruined.

Aware of the current issues, Chen Xi decisively instructed the money exchanged with certificates to have a secondary reserve base. Otherwise, people like Zhang Shiping, with careless tendencies, might destroy everything by accident—instantly wiping out fortunes worth tens of billions.

Of course, certificates like the one Chen Xi held in his hand, without a reserve base, served only one purpose: withdrawing funds. Generally, Chen Xi avoided utilizing such measures unless he was truly short on money, as this method essentially amounted to running a deficit. Frankly, though, in the present circumstances, even if Chen Xi overspent to the equivalent of the Mi Family’s assets, it’s doubtful anyone would even notice. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendations or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com for reading.)