My Father in Law is Lu Bu

Chapter 715

When Bu Kai left Yangzhou, Liu Mang gave Bu Kai a set of books. Bu Kai's luggage only consisted of a few clothes. The rest of it was books.

Bu Kai had mixed feelings as he looked at the books in front of him. Books were supposed to be read by nobles. This is because books were so expensive that children from poor families cannot afford it. Even if they could read it, they would be lucky if one talent emerges out of a thousand of them.

It is just like the Six Ministries. Xu Shu alone was from a poor family. The rest of them were nobles or at least filthy rich like Mi Zhu. This showed that it was difficult for the poor to make a name for themselves, and it is even more so in places where the ruler despised the poor.

Books were so expensive that Bu Kai had to beg his grandparents to be able to read a book. And he could only read under the supervision of a servant as not many people could read a book calmly. One book would take longer than a year just to finish.

Yet, the King of Shu has given him so many books. No matter which one was taken out, it would easily be worth more than ten gold. Bu Kai was moved but Liu Mang said that these books were mass produced and he could have as many as he wanted. The price for each book was only a few dozen coins.

If what Liu Mang said was true, then this was a huge shock to the Han Dynasty. The restrictions placed on the poor people would completely disappear.

The ordinary people can now buy and sell books at will. They would become able to read.

As Bu Kai was a noble, he knew how this would affect nobles. He also knew this would be a huge impact on Yangzhou's development. No matter how good a person is, he could not compare to a group of people. The noble were the minorities.

Even if every noble family had talented children, they were less than one percent of the entire Han Dynasty. Even if only one out of a hundred poor people were talented, they would still outnumber the nobles.

Bu Kai shook his head. From now on, the common people can become like nobles while the nobles will only decay. However, this has nothing to do with him. Even if Liu Mang did not exist, there were no noble families that will last thousands of years. It is just like the Yuan Family who is now gone. Their Bu Family would have also perished during the Yellow Turban Rebellion were it not because the previous patriarch was wise.

If it was about the distant future, it is possible for the Bu Family to fall long after Bu Kai's death. It was better to think about strengthening their abilities in the present.

Bu Kai then remembered where he was going and remembered the expectations the King of Shu had towards him. Liu Mang hoped for Bu Kai to make achievements and get promoted. Then Liu Mang could make him Bu Zhi's deputy. As long as the Bu Family have these two people, the Bu Family will be able to stand firm. At the very least, they would be able to do so while Liu Mang was still in power.

Bu Kai's ship was going to the Yuzhang county where Bu Kai would become a county officer. This was a position lowet than what Liu Mang intended. Bu Kai asked for this demotion himself as being a county magistrate required a lot of management job. Bu Kai preferred military affairs and in a small county, only the county officer managed military affairs.

***

Liu Mang dispatched Bu Kai to Yuzhang but it was up to Bu Kai himself to repair the relationship between the Bu Family and Bu Zhi.

After a busy day, Liu Mang was ready to go to bed. These few days, his wives spared him as they knew he was busy. It was the rare moment where they allowed him to sleep by himself.

Liu Mang laid down on the bed when he suddenly thought of something. “Guan Hai. How is the situation in Liaodong?”

“Milord. Lord Yang Chen has returned.” Guan Hai reported.

“Yang Chen is back? What about Tian Feng and the other talents?” Liu Mang asked anxiously.

“They all came back from Guangling with Lord Yang Chen.” Guan Hai replied.

“Why didn't they come to see me immediately?”

“Oh. Milord, Yang Chen wanted to see you but you were so busy with the exam that he decided to report in tomorrow.” Guan Hai replied. Yang Chen learned that Liu Mang was meeting with the students from Jiangdong when he returned so he decided to come back the next day. ṙâ₦𝙤𝔟Ё𝐬

“Stupid!” Liu Mang didn't think so and complained to himself. He already told Yang Chen to report to him immediately after returning. Liu Mang had coveted Tian Feng for a long time. His talent was just as good as the others in Liu Mang's employ such as Zhuge Liang. He was also more experienced.

“How long was it since they left?” Liu Mang asked.

“They just left a short while ago.” Guan Hai replied.

“Then why haven't you gone to chase them?” Liu Mang shouted as he kicked Guan Hai's butt.

“Yes, yes!” Guan Hai quickly ran off to chase the carriage.

Liu Mang also quickly dressed appropriately and shouted for his servants to call a carriage.

***

Tian Feng, Xun Chen and the others did not manage to see Liu Mang. Tian Feng did not care since his heart has died but Xun Chen was disappointed. Although Yang Chen has made the arrangements for them, Xun Chen also knew that Yangzhou was having an examination. Because of this, the King of Shu was busy. Besides that, they arrived in the evening. The expectations of meeting the King of Shu was lost.

Under the arrangement of the officials, Xun Chen and Tian Feng was placed in the Honglu Residence. When the two washed up and was about to sleep, they were suddenly told that a distinguished guest wanted to see them. Both of them were smart people. They immediately knew that this distinguised guest was Liu Mang, the King of Shu.

When Tian Feng arrived at the hall, there was already a young man standing there. Yang Chen then introduced them.

“Master Tian Feng. This is our Lord. Milord. This is Master Tian Feng.” Yang Chen introduced.

Liu Mang looked at the old man in front of him and realized that one cannot judge people by their appearance.

“Your Highness the King of Shu?” Tian Feng had already spoken before Liu Mang said anything.

“Master Yuanhao.” Liu Mang clasped his fist and greeted in hopes of getting closer.

However, the old man did not give face to Liu Mang. “I don't know you well. I dare not have Your Highness call me Master Yuanhao.” Only Tian Feng dared say something like this to the king.

“Master Tian Feng?” Yang Chen frowned and was about to rebuke Tian Feng when Liu Mang stopped him.

“Yang Chen. You can leave first.”

“Understood. I will take my leave here.” Yang Chen had no choice but to leave.

“Master Tian Feng. It is true that we are not familiar with each other. However, we will become familiar soon enough. At that time, you will understand me.” Liu Mang may have Zhuge Liang, Xu Shu and the others but he was still eager to recruit talents. This is because his territory is now big. Relying on Zhuge Liang and the others was not enough.

It is just like how Cao Cao still needed Xun Yu and Xun You even though he has Guo Jia. Cao Cao had too many famous people in his army and with a territory as big as his, many more will appear.

As for Yangzhou, the Six Ministries themselves were understaffed. Let alone the other areas. Cao Cao could fight for Hebei because the Xun Family exist. Even when Liu Mang poached people like Liu Ye away from Cao Cao, Cao Cao could easily find replacements. Liu Mang's battle against Cao Cao was not a matter of strength alone but also a matter of wits.

“I think it is better we don't become familiar! Your Highness aren't even wearing the same pair of shoes when meeting guests. Didn't Your Highness learn etiquette during your childhood?” Tian Feng mocked.

Although Liu Mang was annoyed, he surpressed his anger. “Are you talking about these pair of shoes, Master Tian Feng?” Liu Mang looked at his feet. He was indeed wearing a mismatched pair of shoes.

“It is not only this pair of shoes but you did not even button up your clothes properly.” Tian Feng added. Liu Mang then took this chance to button his clothes and tighten his belt.

“You…” Tian Feng furrowed his brows. This laziness was really rude.

“Okay. It is all done. Master Tian Feng. Can you check if there are other places that is not done well?” Liu Mang turned around to show Tian Feng. He also asked a servant to bring him a pair of shoes.

“No!” Tian Feng was too lazy to care about Liu Mang anymore. Tian Feng originally accused Liu Mang of not wearing his clothes properly in order to make Liu Mang angry. He hoped to be kicked out in anger because he did not want to see Liu Mang at all.

He never expected Liu Mang to politely accept the accusations and even shamelessly tidied himself in front of Tian Feng.

“I left in a hurry today. When I heard Master Tian Feng has arrived, I immediately got out of my bed. I did not even have the time to wash up and end up letting Master Tian Feng see a joke.” Liu Mang said to Tian Feng.

“Get up from bed?” Tian Feng asked in confusion.

“Yes. As news was delayed by the exam today, I did not know about your arrival. This Yang Cheng and Guan Hai thought I was tired and planned to come see me tomorrow. How could they delay you?” Liu Mang said to Tian Feng.

Tian Feng could no longer find fault with Liu Mang's clothes. He initially wanted to say that Liu Mang intend on humiliating him but after hearing Liu Mang's explanation, it seemed that Liu Mang had already gone to bed. He then immediately got out of bed and came here without resting after hearing that Tian Feng had arrived.

This made Tian Feng feel good as he felt valued.

“Your Highness. Did you buy me from Yuan Tan in order to buy bones?” Tian Feng asked indifferently. He used the word buy just to disgust Liu Mang.

“If this is Your Highness' intentions, then congratulations. You have suceeded!” Tian Feng did not bother to look at Liu Mang. “I hope you can arrange for me a secluded place to live out the rest of my life!” Tian Feng was implying that he had no intention of working for Liu Mang. Bones are not alive. They can only be decoration. This is what Tian Feng wants to become.

“Master Tian Feng. You must be joking. You are the thousand mile horse that I bought. Not bones!” Liu Mang showed an ugly smile. He was flattering people but was rejected. However, Liu Mang could still resist his anger though he swore to deduct Tian Feng's salary when Tian Feng is employed.

“I want the position of Interior Minister. You have to listen to all my suggestions and policies.” Tian Feng then said calmly. His appetite was really big. He wanted to directly replace Xu Shu. Not only that, he wanted Liu Mang to listen to his every word and not interfere. In other words, Tian Feng would become the real ruler of Yangzhou.

“Impossible.” Liu Mang refused without even thinking about it. What he bought was an advisor, not a ruler.

“Then please go back, Your Highness. This Tian Feng does not have the ability to assist you.” Tian Feng clasped his fist and chased Liu Mang away.

Liu Mang was so angry he wanted to slap Tian Feng to death. This was his territory. Why was he the one being chased away? He began to sneer. Since Tian Feng refused to give any face, Liu Mang would also not give face.

“Master Tian Feng. The position of Interior Minister is held by Xu Shu Xu Yuanzhi. Do you think you are more talented than Yuanzhi?” Liu Mang asked with a sneer.

“Xu Shu? Who is that?” Tian Feng asked, implying that he did not take Xu Shu seriously.

“Master Tian Feng really talk big. Do you look down on the other talents in this world?” Liu Mang began to change the subject. If one wants to win an argument, he can subtly change the subject. Once the opponent slips up, the initiative would be in their hands.

If Tian Feng knew this trick, he could have avoided Liu Mang's trap. Unfortunately, Tian Feng was not someone who knew this trick.

“Though I cannot be the best, I am unrivalled.” Tian Feng had a lot of confidence in his own ability.

This was to be expected. Tian Feng had helped Yuan Shao pacify Hebei, defeat Gongsun Zan and surpress Gongsun Du. It can be said that Yuan Shao's success was thanks to Tian Feng.

“Then how do you compare to Cao Cao's subordinates, Guo Jia, Xun Yu and Xun You?” Liu Mang changed the topic. Rather than compare Tian Feng to Xu Shu, he compared Tian Feng to Cao Cao's three advisors.

“They are just juniors.” Tian Feng replied. Although these three people are talented, they are not as good as him in terms of experience.

“Then why did you become horse bones while Guo Jia galloped on the lands of Hebei with Cao Cao?” Liu Mang asked with a smile.

Tian Feng narrowed his eyes angrily. It is said that you should not hit others in the face. Do not expose other people's shortcomings when scolding them. However, Liu Mang tear open Tian Feng's wounds.

“Before Benchu fought Cao Cao, I already had certainty that we could pacify the Central Plains.” Tian Feng said. Before the Battle of Guandu, Liu Bei killed the Xuzhou's prefect and betrayed Cao Cao. Cao Cao personally led his army to attack Liu Bei. At that time, Tian Feng advised Yuan Shao to mobilize his entire army and attack Cao Cao from behind. However, Yuan Shao refused to implement this strategy because his son was sick.

“But you still lost!” Liu Mang said with a smile.

“That is because Benchu didn't listen to me!” Tian Feng argued. “If Benchu had listened to me, Cao Cao would have been defeated a long time ago. Your Highness would not even have Yangzhou!” Tian Feng replied sarcastically. If Yuan Shao had indeed listened to Tian Feng's advice, Cao Cao would have already lost. Without Cao Cao there, nobody else could become Yuan Shao's opponent.

On top of that, Liu Mang was still troubled by internal and external affairs at the time. Yuan Shao would only need to send a detachment from his army to wipe out Liu Mang.

“But in the end, you still lost to Guo Jia, Xun Yu, Xun You and the others!” Liu Mang said the same thing. He even reminded Tian Feng who he lost to.

“Hmph! It was Benchu who locked me up. Otherwise, those people are worth nothing!” Tian Feng got angry. After Yuan Shao ignored Tian Feng's advice, Tian Feng got angry and scolded Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao then locked up Tian Feng in anger. If Tian Feng had still been around to advise Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao would not have lost so badly.

“Master Tian Feng. The fact is that you lost!” Liu Mang continued to slap Tian Feng in the face.

“Hmph!” Tian Feng's face was red. He no longer wanted to argue with Liu Mang.

“The winner is the King and the loser is the villain! Master Tian Feng. Even if your talent can surpass Guo Jia and the others, you are still the loser!” Liu Mang said calmly.

“Hmph! So what? It is just one loss!” Tian Feng said angrily.

“No! You lost from the very beginning!” Liu Mang said.

“Are you saying that me helping to pacify the Hebei, defeat Gongsun Zan and occupied four regions is wrong?” Tian Feng looked at Liu Mang sarcastically. These were all Tian Feng's contributions.

Liu Mang could not help but laugh seeing Tian Feng get angry. This was Liu Mang's intentions. The angrier Tian Feng is, the happier Liu Mang would be. “I said you lost from the very beginning. There is a reason for that!” Liu Mang replied with a smile.

“Oh? I'd like to hear Your Highness' advice.” Tian Feng sneered.

“Master Tian Feng. You lost from the beginning because you chose the wrong Lord to serve. The end result is that you keep making mistakes. In the end, the Yuan brothers are stuck in Youzhou and may be destroyed at any moment.” Liu Mang said without giving any face.

“I chose the wrong Lord? Are you a good Lord? Do you think you can do better than Benchu? What a joke! Benchu is from a family that has held high positions for four generations. Benchu is magnanimous, handsome, dignified, and love talents. People are attracted to and flock to him. Scholars of all ranks and status are polite towards him.” Tian Feng praised Yuan Shao a lot. “On the other hand, who even are you? Can you even compare to Benchu?” Tian Feng attacked Liu Mang personally.

“What about it? Can he protect himself in the end? His foundation is also gone! His four generations of high position is nothing now since Cao Cao ensured there won't be a next one!” Liu Mang sneered.

“In the end, Yuan Shao was defeated by Cao Cao. He is defeated by the black fatty that followed him around during his childhood. Do you know why I said Yuan Shao is the wrong person to serve?”

“I'd like to hear more!” Tian Feng was frustrated. It was true that Yuan Shao lost miserably. Cao Cao would also make sure the Yuan brothers would not survive.

“The biggest reason is because Yuan Shao broke the rules or is too indecisive. He has two sons!” Liu Mang said to Tian Feng.

It did not matter how many sons Yuan Shao actually has at first but it became a big problem once Yuan Shao actually became powerful. According to tradition, the eldest son Yuan Tan would be made heir. However, Yuan Shao favored the youngest, Yuan Shang more.

Yuan Tan's mother was from the influential Yang Family. However, Yuan Tan's mother is dead. Yuan Shao later married Lady Liu. Although Lady Liu's family was not as influential as the Yang Family, they were still quite influential. On top of that, Yuan Shang resembled Yuan Shao very much and also the youngest. This made Yuan Shao pamper Yuan Shang more. Lady Liu was also around to talk to Yuan Shao. Because of this, Yuan Shang has more support compared to Yuan Tan.

If Yuan Tan was someone content in being ordinary, there would be no problems. However, he wsa the eldest son. Why should he give up his position to his younger brother?

On one side was Yuan Shang with his parent's favor and on the other side is Yuan Tan who has the right by tradition and the support of the traditionalists. These two brothers would never be at peace. One does not need to fear powerful opponents but pig teammates. Now, Yuan Shao has both. It was natural for Yuan Shao to be defeated.

Tian Feng shook his head bitterly. He was speechless by Liu Mang's words. Pig teammates? This term used by Liu Mang was very vulgar. However, they were facts. In the beginning, Yuan Shao listened to his advice. But later, the two children's influence became stronger. They no longer cared about expanding and only thought of how to flatter Yuan Shao and take Yuan Shao's position.

Even when Tian Feng provoked Yuan Shao, Yuan Shao would not imprison him. It was these pig teammates that slandered Tian Feng even more and forced Tian Feng into prison.

“If Yuan Shao had followed the rules and made Yuan Tan the heir. Or if he had been more decisive and directly surpressed Yuan Tan in order to make Yuan Shang the heir, then the Yuan Family could have been saved. However, Yuan Shao gave the two of them hope, causing the two of them to fight.” Liu Mang shook his head. How could such an indecisive force be a match for Cao Cao?

Cao Cao was different. He named Cao Ang his heir. When Cao Ang died, Cao Cao immediately appointed another heir.

“So I was wrong from the beginning.” Tian Feng felt bitter. Yuan Shao was from a prestigious family but also has its disadvantages. Though Yuan Shao has a higher starting point, such a person cannot afford failure. It is just like a rich man suddenly becoming poor. Such a person would not be able to survive. Yuan Shao who never had any setbacks was unable to get back up after losing to Cao Cao.

“Won't Your Highness have more children in the future as well?” Tian Feng turned to ask Liu Mang.

“I will!” Liu Mang replied. He thought it would be great to have several sons and daughters so that his family can flourish. He also understood that Tian Feng was asking if Liu Mang would go down the same path as Yuan Shao. “But Master Tian Feng. If my descendants want my position, it would at least be twenty years later. To put it bluntly, I think you would already be buried by then!” Liu Mang said with a smile. He was telling Tian Feng not to worry about the distant future. Tian Feng would not live that long.

Tian Feng's eyes flickered. Liu Mang knew that Tian Feng was moved.

“Master Tian Feng. I cannot promise you non-inteference in all matters. I also cannot give you the position you desire. Even the Six Ministries already have people.” Liu Mang said to Tian Feng.

“However, I will give you freedom of speech. You can even scold me or beat and you will be innocent. If I do something not good, feel free to scold me!” Liu Mang said to Tian Feng.

“Freedom of speech?” Tian Feng's eyes lit up. Although this was a new term to him, he knew that this was basically a golden ticket to avoid death. Liu Mang was saying that Tian Feng can advice him and scold him as much as he wants and he would not be against the law.

“If you are willing, you can become a member of my cabinet.” Liu Mang continued.

“Cabinet?” Tian Feng was confused. After Liu Mang's explanation, Tian Feng understood that it was a position involving the decision making of Yangzhou. In addition to the Six Ministries, it also included Jia Xu who was away, the Interior Minister Xu Shu, and Liu Mang himself. Though Liu Mang had absolute power, the cabinet also controlled a lot of power. As long as Liu Mang did not interfere, they could basically do everything in Yangzhou. The original cabinet was eight people. Now with Tian Feng, it would be nine. The minority will obey the majority to formulate military and national affairs.

Tian Feng did not answer whether or not he agreed. Instead, he looked at Liu Mang and said calmly. “Words are not enough.”

When Liu Mang heard this, he knew that Tian Feng was interested. “What evidence do you need?”

Tian Feng appraised Liu Mang and then took out the sword from Liu Mang's waist. “This is a good sword!”

This was indeed a good sword. It was given to Liu Mang by his father-in-law Lu Bu.

“Use this as evidence.” Tian Feng was looking for a gold plate for himself.

Liu Mang frowned because this was his Commander's sword. Seeing this sword is like seeing Liu Mang with the effect of killing generals on the battlefield. Liu Mang originally wanted to make a gold plate for Tian Feng.

But after thinking about it for a while, Liu Mang laughed. “Since Master Tian Feng likes this sword, take it. However, this sword is not easy to hold.”

“Oh?” Tian Feng looked at Liu Mang curiously.

“This is my sword. It is also the King's sword. In Yangzhou, anyone below the Six Ministers can be killed without reporting!” People like Bu Lu, Yang Chen and the others can be killed without question.

“If you take this, all the supervision power in Yangzhou will be given to you.” Liu Mang wanted an Investigation Department. These people will have the job of investigating corruption. The people from the Ministry of Personnel only see if you did your job. They will not ask if you have embezzled money.

“I may be old but I still have several years left.” Tian Feng replied, implying that he agrees.

“Haha. If I get someone like you, I can achieve my ambitions!” Liu Mang said this several times before towards the others like Zhuge Liang, and Jia Xu. However, these people all liked to hear such words as it represented the Lord's expectations for them.

“By the way. There is one more thing for you, Master Tian Feng.” Liu Mang said and gave a book to Tian Feng. Tian Feng looked at it and saw that it was “Tian's Notes”. These were the notes Tian Feng wrote down when he had nothing better to do. However, they were sorted out by someone else. What did Liu Mang want to do?

“Master Tian Feng. How about you set the price for this at fifty coins each?” Liu Mang said and took out several more identical books.

“Publishing books?” Tian Feng's eyes grew wide.

Liu Mang laughed. Sure enough, publishing books was irresistable to these scholarly types.

After bidding farewell to Tian Feng, Liu Mang went to see Xun Chen who had been waiting in another hall. It was easier to deal with Xun Chen than Tian Feng as Yang Chen had already did the work. Xun Chen already knelt down and greeted Liu Mang as his Lord the moment Liu Mang appeared.

Of course, Liu Mang did not treat Xun Chen badly. He sent Xun Chen to the Ministry of Justice to work as Zhuge Liang's assistant. This made Xun Chen overjoyed. His status now was higher than that of his brother and his nephew.