Chapter 255: Scholars Storm the Library Pavilion

Chen Xi knew all too well about alliances; they were essentially meant to be broken. However, having such a thing in place meant that as long as neither side experienced a significant shift in power, no one would want to initiate a war in the short term.

Chen Xi just needed that brief buffer period. With that time, he would be able to fully incorporate Qingzhou into Liu Bei's territory.

For a while, Chen Xi's life didn't change much, maintaining a leisurely pace as usual.

"Report!" A messenger appeared at the hall, half-kneeling as he spoke.

"What is it?" Chen Xi asked helplessly, realizing that his tea break would once again be interrupted. There was no avoiding sudden incidents like this.

"Scholars are storming the Library Pavilion," the messenger reported.

"Well, isn't that just..." Chen Xi sighed as he finished his tea. These scholars were truly idle to the point of being troublesome.

"What is Zijiang doing?" Lu Su immediately raised his head and glared at the messenger before Chen Xi could respond. "There are nearly a hundred thousand books in that place, and Hua Xiong is stationed there precisely to guard it. And now you're telling me they're storming it?"

"Hua Xiong is doing his best to suppress them, but the number of scholars is increasing," the messenger calmly responded. He was clearly one of Hua Xiong's personal guards, unshaken by Lu Su's reaction. Otherwise, someone with less experience would have been frightened by now.

"This is really embarrassing," Lu Su muttered, unsure whether to be ashamed for Yuzhou or Taishan. "Zichuan, if you have time to drink tea, you'd better go deal with this. After all, this was your promise to them."

"Let's go together. We need to split these troublemakers up," Chen Xi said bluntly. These disruptive scholars were asking for trouble.

"Alright, I've pretty much finished drafting the plan for the education system. You can fetch Fazheng for me. As for the scholars, let them continue their ruckus for now," Lu Su said as he flipped through his notes, confirming that he had nearly completed the education plan. He then instructed the messenger to bring Fazheng along, knowing that discussing welfare later would be easier with him present.

"Understood." The messenger wasn't too worried about the scholars breaking into the Library Pavilion. Did they really think Hua Xiong was just daydreaming? What a joke! If the scholars tried to take on the regular army, they'd quickly learn what war truly meant.

"Your 'Thousand-Character Classic' is quite good. I didn't know you had such a resource," Lu Su casually remarked, shifting the conversation.

"Why mention it? It's just a literacy textbook I prepared. Although, I must admit, it's a rather extraordinary one," Chen Xi responded indifferently. This book had stood the test of time, surviving countless generations. Even in the 21st century, people still used it to learn to read. He had memorized it when he was a child.

Although Hua Xiong reported a large number of scholars storming the Library Pavilion, in reality, it was only a few hundred, maybe a thousand, facing off against Hua Xiong, hoping to borrow books. The account Chen Zhi had given of the interior of the Library Pavilion had sparked their imaginations.

Of course, this scene also made merchants from all over the country chuckle. Nearby taverns were filled with merchants eager to watch the spectacle. However, as more scholars gathered, these merchants started to realize something else: there were far too many literate people here!

"Big brother, Taishan is indeed impressive, far more prosperous than our Henei or even Chang'an and Luoyang. Chen Zichuan... tsk tsk! The Chen family really missed out," a young man sneered as he leaned against the window, looking down at the bustling crowd.

"In terms of prosperity, only Nanyang can compare to this place in the current world. Unfortunately, Nanyang has declined with the war between Yuan Shao and Cao Cao, while this place is like a rising sun," the young man's older brother smiled as he observed his sibling disdainfully watching the crowd below from the balcony.

"This place is filled with all kinds of spiritual talents. The most terrifying thing is the spiritual power circulating above. I can't even negate it, which is quite surprising," the young man remarked, a glint of curiosity in his eyes as he gazed up at the sky, before turning his attention toward the government office. After a moment, he averted his gaze.

"Oh, my dear brother, could you please stop using your spiritual abilities? Your big brother is already mentally exhausted because of you. Don't you know that your fully awakened spiritual power is nothing but trouble? Do you think it's easy for me to travel around with you without causing problems? If you keep messing around, my spiritual abilities will be negated by yours, and we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight," the older brother said with a bitter smile, resting his head in his hands. If he had a choice, he would never have brought this troublesome sibling along. How could his brother have awakened his spiritual abilities on the road? And at just thirteen years old! Who awakens their spiritual abilities at thirteen? This was too much!

"What's there to be afraid of? With a wave of your hand, big brother, countless lords would be eager to extend their invitations," the young man replied with a grin. However, he heeded his brother's advice and stopped using his spiritual powers to probe the spiritual energy floating above the city.

"Zichuan, what's the matter?" Lu Su asked, noticing something off about Chen Xi.

"I don't know why, but I just felt a strange sensation," Chen Xi replied sheepishly. Could he really say that it felt like someone was tickling him?

"Oh, I see," Lu Su nodded, not pressing further.

After a while, the messenger returned, bringing a disheveled Fazheng in a loose scholar's robe, yawning as he walked over.

"Zichuan, Zijing, what do you need from me? I still have a lot of work to do," Fazheng said, his slightly bloodshot eyes scanning Chen Xi and Lu Su.

"How's the welfare plan for the scholars coming along? We already have a preliminary template for the soldiers' welfare, so you just need to add to it later," Chen Xi said as he poured Fazheng a cup of tea.

"I've finished a version," Fazheng replied, scratching his messy hair. He downed the entire cup of tea without worrying about how hot it was, chewed the tea leaves, and then handed his notebook to Chen Xi. "Here it is. Take a look and see if there's anything wrong. I think it's pretty good!"

Chen Xi handed half of the notes to Lu Su and kept the other half for himself. After a quick read-through, he concluded that Fazheng was indeed a miser. The entire welfare plan didn't mention money once; it was all about social benefits, honors, and special privileges.

Chen Xi gave Fazheng a curious look, wondering how he had come up with such ideas.

"How about it? I did a good job, right?" Fazheng said proudly, looking at Chen Xi.

"Not bad at all. You've really nailed the mindset of scholars. But I have a feeling that for the soldiers' welfare, you probably focused more on money with honors as a secondary concern, didn't you?" Chen Xi nodded in approval.