Three Kingdoms, Myth

Liu Bei was exceedingly generous in handing out the property deeds, giving one to each of his long-time followers. Each deed was worth at least 30,000 to 50,000 coins, instantly motivating everyone to work even harder. As for the newcomers, Liu Bei subtly hinted that once his finances were in better shape, he wouldn't hesitate to provide money, grain, and even beauties.

After distributing the deeds and resources, Liu Bei found that managing his personal wealth felt quite satisfying. Previously, even if all these billions of coins had been earned by Liu Bei himself, spending so lavishly would have drawn criticism from his subordinates, even if they benefited from it.

But now? "I'm spending my own money, so what do you all have to say about it? I can aid whomever I want. If the government won't fund it, then I'll use my own. You critics want to challenge me? Come on, let's go at it. Who's afraid?"

Liu Bei was spending the windfall of money with great joy. As for the criticisms of the officials? What was there to worry about? Now that the treasury and personal funds were separate, and Liu Bei hadn't taken a single copper from the public coffers, even building his house with his own money, what was there to criticize? Let them speak; Liu Bei would just sit back and listen.

With money in hand and newfound confidence, Liu Bei felt great. Over the past few days, he'd been spending freely. In the past, he would've had to consider whether his actions might impact the government's finances. But now? If there were any problems with government finances, it was the officials who'd be to blame, not him. The nation's wealth was separate from his personal funds, and if he spent all his money, he could always earn more. After tossing out billions of coins, Liu Bei started to feel that money wasn't such a big deal after all.

Watching Liu Bei, who initially felt a bit of heartache upon learning the value of each deed but soon became indifferent after giving out ten or so, Chen Xi realized that his education had been effective.

After all, even if these billions of coins had come easily, it was still Liu Bei's property now. The feeling of ownership was strong, and seeing 2 or 3 billion coins vanish all at once, thrown away by his own hand, it's no wonder Liu Bei's old views on money were shaken to their core.

"Zichuan, is it really okay for the lord to be spending money like this?" Li You casually handed his own deed, worth about 120,000 coins, to Chen Xi while expressing concern about Liu Bei's recent behavior. Chen Xi's method was akin to a crash course—it was effective but came at a high cost.

"Are you worried about the saying 'it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance but difficult to go back'?" Chen Xi asked, turning to Li You. "Don't worry. At most, this will make him a bit more lavish. But the advantage is that I don't believe anything in this world can still dazzle Lord Xuande. Honestly, as long as Lord Xuande doesn't become like Dong Zhuo, mesmerized by luxury and losing himself, his foundation will only grow stronger. My biggest fear is that he'll lose his true self."

Li You fell silent, reflecting on his past experiences. A small mistake, one oversight, had ultimately led to the downfall of Dong Zhuo's massive power structure. If he could turn back time, Li You would have insisted on teaching Dong Zhuo's children with no expense spared—at least to prevent them from being so enamored with the luxuries of Luoyang and its beauties, leading to their ultimate downfall. Indeed, a lord must be carefully nurtured to avoid going astray.

"It's just that lately, Lord Xuande has been spending too freely," Li You sighed, acknowledging that he had accepted Chen Xi's crash course method. At least this way, Liu Bei's desire for gold and jewels would be significantly reduced.

"No need to worry. Lord Xuande still has his scales to weigh things. Look at this," Chen Xi said, pulling out his own year-end bonus from Liu Bei, alongside the hard-earned reward for Li You. "One is valued at 250,000 coins, the other at 120,000 coins. See? He's not confused yet. Let him spend; it's not a big deal. In a few days, when I convert these deeds into cash, even if Lord Xuande wants to be generous, he won't be able to keep up this pace. Let nature take its course—it's no big deal."

Li You glanced at the deed in Chen Xi's hand, gauging the situation, and nodded without further comment. As for converting everything into cash, Chen Xi didn't think that was the right choice.

In chaotic times, copper coins might not be the most reliable currency. With this year's harvest still decent, Chen Xi planned to stock up on tens of billions of coins worth of grain for Liu Bei. After all, they were in a seller's market. "We sell the land, and you buy it with whatever we dictate. If you don't want it, don't waste our time; there are plenty of others waiting."

Speaking of next spring, if there were no droughts, floods, or other natural disasters, there might still be an outbreak of plague. Although Hua Tuo supposedly quelled it before it spread, it still claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Just thinking about it made Chen Xi realize how dire the situation could be, which is why he was constantly issuing official seals and collecting medicinal herbs. The amount of herbs needed for a population of a million was beyond his estimation, so he kept collecting.

In these times, offering rewards for herb collection during the agricultural offseason was like a welfare program. As for doctors, Chen Xi was searching high and low for Hua Tuo, though with little success so far—who knew where the man might be?

As for the money, Chen Xi wasn't worried at all. Misappropriating Liu Bei's personal funds had become a habit for him. After all, Chen Xi was always earning money for Liu Bei, though how he did it or what he earned, Liu Bei had no idea. Diverting 90% of the profits from Zhen's shop to buy up medicinal herbs all over the place, purchasing ginseng for ten coins per pound regardless of quality—you can imagine how much Chen Xi had accumulated.

As for the remaining 10%, Chen Xi genuinely used it to manage Liu Bei's finances. "Jian'er, what do you want to buy? Oh, this? Sure. Lan'er, do you want anything?" That's how it really was.

But given Liu Bei's trust in Chen Xi, his often incomprehensible methods, and his tendency to play the long game, Liu Bei never even considered the possibility of embezzlement. In time, Liu Bei would forget about it entirely, leaving everyone happy.

Because of this, Chen Xi had no qualms about spending Liu Bei's money lately. After all, Liu Bei would probably forget about it soon, and in another year or so, Chen Xi figured there'd be another good business opportunity—like capturing Hu people for infrastructure projects. It wouldn't make a fortune, but it would certainly boost popularity and reputation.

Speaking of popularity and reputation, Chen Xi suddenly had an idea. It seemed like a rare opportunity to boost Liu Bei's reputation and buy some public favor—something that couldn't be missed.

With that thought, Chen Xi realized he could justify all the money he'd spent. After all, wasn't one of Feng Yuan's best moves to win over the people by buying their favor? Wealth can buy public support, and for a ruler, that's invaluable.