Three Kingdoms, Myth

Chen Xi was far too idle. Many who saw Chen Xi leisurely going about his daily routine couldn't help but feel this way. Thus, Liu Bei, in an effort to maintain harmony among his ministers, had to suppress Chen Xi a bit, not wanting him to be too laid-back. After all, hadn't Lu Su and Liu Ye been working frantically, day and night, for over ten days now? Meanwhile, Chen Xi sat across from them, sipping tea every day—wasn't this just sowing discord?

"Wenru, why do you think Zichuan is so lazy?" Liu Bei asked Li You with a hint of frustration.

"It's human nature," Li You responded in his usual calm tone.

"Then why are Zijing and Ziyang so diligent?" Liu Bei continued, peeking into the administrative hall from outside.

"Because they haven't finished their work," Li You replied, his flat tone only increasing Liu Bei's frustration.

"Then why does Zichuan always finish his work?" Liu Bei grew even more curious.

Standing behind Liu Bei, Li You calmly said, "Because for most matters, Chen Zichuan has already thought them through, even before they arise. So when the issues come to him, he can deal with them immediately."

Li You's gaze remained straight ahead, paying no mind to Liu Bei's cautious peeking into the hall. The phrase "appearing unfit to be a ruler" seemed apt for Liu Bei's current behavior.

However, such words had little effect on someone like Li You, who had seen through the ways of the world and could almost achieve enlightenment. What does it matter what a ruler should look like? Who could define it? The notion of a ruler's appearance was often based on exaggerated tales. Take Liu Xuande, who was currently peeking over the wall—he was the famed heroic lord of the Central Plains. Would anyone believe that?

"Hmm, that makes sense. Zichuan does like to plan ahead," Liu Bei muttered without lifting his head. "Wenru, let's take a walk around Fenggao and see if there are any problems."

Li You nodded to Xu Chu, who followed closely behind them. Xu Chu was a straightforward and loyal warrior, beloved by all the ministers, especially after it became clear that his intelligence was somewhat lacking. Li You, in particular, enjoyed having him around.

Xu Chu scratched his head and followed them, sensing a slight hint of danger from Li You from time to time.

Back in the administrative hall, Chen Xi was growing increasingly frustrated as he tried to figure out how to obtain the most accurate information on the situations in Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou with the least amount of time. He wasn't fond of current affairs, as they required constant attention to the ever-changing political landscape—a task he found exceedingly time-consuming.

"Argh!" Chen Xi slumped onto his desk with a loud thud, drawing the attention of Lu Su and Liu Ye, who rarely concerned themselves with anything outside their work.

"Zichuan, what's wrong?" Lu Su hesitated for a moment before asking. Despite being teased by Chen Xi many times, Lu Su was, at heart, a gentleman. He couldn't help but offer assistance when necessary, even though he had fallen into Chen Xi's traps more times than he could count.

"Zijing, how about we switch jobs? I'll help you with Qing Province's administrative work, and you help me monitor the situations in Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou," Chen Xi suggested, looking at Lu Su with hopeful eyes.

"... Ziyang, let's continue," Lu Su said, lowering his head back to his work. No matter how much noise Chen Xi made afterward, Lu Su and Liu Ye pretended not to hear him. Left with no choice, Chen Xi began kicking the desk, disrupting their work like a mischievous child.

"Zichuan, what exactly do you want?" Lu Su and Liu Ye gritted their teeth, clearly irritated by the interruption.

Chen Xi dropped his playful demeanor, his expression turning serious. "Let's make a bet. If I lose, you two will help me monitor the situations in Jizhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou, and I'll take care of your administrative tasks. The way you're handling things now, you'll never finish. To be precise, you won't achieve the level you're aiming for in your entire lifetime. So, how about it? Will you bet?"

"Are you saying we'll never finish in our entire lives?" Lu Su asked, taken aback as he stared at Chen Xi.

"The combined population of Qing Province and Taishan under Lord Xuande's rule has surpassed two million. The potential disputes and situations that could arise are far beyond what two people can manage. Although your intelligence is indeed extraordinary, the length of your lives won't be enough to complete such a monumental task. Moreover, disputes will change over time—this is the nature of things," Chen Xi explained with a smile. He had looked over the administrative work that Lu Su and Liu Ye were managing, and it was clear to him that the issue wasn't that they hadn't completed their tasks, but rather that their ambitions were simply too grand.

"We're just gathering and organizing common disputes, not cataloging every possible conflict," Liu Ye shook his head, somewhat unconvinced.

"Fine, I won't argue with you. I'll just ask if you're willing to bet. Regardless of the outcome, I'll help you finish this task, and it will be even more thorough than what you have now. How about that?" Chen Xi was tired of explaining and pressed them to answer.

"Since Zichuan is so interested, it would be ungracious not to oblige. What are we betting on?" Lu Su asked after a brief consideration. Liu Ye, though still pondering, quickly followed suit after Lu Su spoke.

"When do you think Yuan Shao will go on the offensive? Let's bet on that," Chen Xi suggested with a grin.

"And how do we bet on that?" Lu Su asked, frowning. At this point, the war between Gongsun Zan and Yuan Shao had only just begun, with Gongsun Zan holding a significant advantage. The fearsome reputation of his White Horse Volunteers was still unmatched, making any guess seem impossible.

"What about you, Ziyang?" Chen Xi turned to Liu Ye, who also shook his head repeatedly.

"In that case, I'll make my prediction, and you can judge whether it's right or wrong," Chen Xi said confidently. Though he had only recently started reviewing the intelligence on Jizhou and Youzhou, he had just read about the Battle of Jieqiao. The fact that it had been delayed until now surprised him, but after analyzing other pieces of intelligence, he understood the situation. Originally, the battle should have taken place earlier, but the disparity in forces between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan had prevented it. The armies couldn't even properly deploy at Jieqiao.

It wasn't until recently, when Yuan Shao, feeling the pressure from Liu Bei, took the risky step of dividing his forces to attack Bingzhou. With fewer troops, Yuan Shao naturally had to pull back his front lines, leading to a standoff at Jieqiao. The terrain there wasn't very open, favoring Yuan Shao's defensive strategy. However, considering Gongsun Zan's arrogance at this time, he likely wouldn't care about such strategic details...