Chapter 1604: Intimidating

In the town commander's hall, the rustling of documents being flipped through filled the air, accompanied by the ceaseless clacking of abacus beads. The staff who had accompanied Liu Xu on his eastern inspection tour were auditing and cross-checking the various registers and account books of Aolai City.

Behind a door curtain, at a small table, Liu Xu and Liu Yongzhen sat facing each other, quietly savoring tea. In this remote little city, drinking tea was already a "noble" pleasure.

However, Liu Xu was genuinely savoring it, somewhat intoxicated. Liu Yongzhen's town commander's residence did have quite a few fine things—this tea was the Xianglin tea from Hangzhou, also selected among the tribute teas.

Liu Yongzhen had clearly brought out his best to entertain the Prince of Qin, but what vexed him was that despite such attentive hospitality, the anxiety and misgivings in his heart could not be dispelled, lingering ceaselessly—especially when he looked at the Prince of Qin's indifferent expression.

Liu Yongzhen had never met Emperor Liu. Although he was Liu Guangyi's nephew, he clearly lacked that qualification. Yet at this moment, he could not help but sigh inwardly—if the Prince of Qin was already so unfathomable, how awe-inspiring must the Son of Heaven be...

His mind churned with distracting thoughts, to the point that his cup of tea had gone completely cold without him taking a single sip. Liu Yongzhen's attention was clearly fixed beyond the curtain. While accompanying Liu Xu, his ears remained pricked up, listening to the questions and answers.

Seeing him somewhat restless, Liu Xu said softly, "Town Commander Liu, why are you in such a state of disarray?"

Liu Yongzhen gave a start. Before he could reply, Liu Xu continued, "You need not worry—this is merely a routine inspection! I have done this all along my journey. Where there are errors, they are corrected; where there are omissions, they are remedied. I am not here to deal with you military and civil officials, but to fill the gaps and make up for oversights in local governance!"

"Your Highness is wise!" Hearing this, Liu Yongzhen hurriedly flattered, "With such breadth of mind as Your Highness possesses, how could the governance of Andong ever fail?"

Though the words were said, Liu Yongzhen could not feel at ease. He naturally had some sources of information, and from what he knew, Prince of Qin Liu Xu had not been sparing with his thunderous measures along the way. Those who had failed to follow the Governor-General's Office's policies and had abused their authority were punished according to the severity of their offenses—minor ones might just earn a reprimand or two, while more serious ones resulted in dismissal or even execution.

For a man like Liu Yongzhen, if any error occurred, being killed would be more agreeable than being driven out of Andong. If he were sent back to the capital, back to his family, life would be absolutely unbearable.

"This fine Xianglin tea is rare even in the Central Plains. I thank you for your hospitality, but allowing me to savor it alone while you, the host, sit across from me in silence—I, as the guest, feel rather embarrassed!" Liu Xu rarely made a joke, speaking warmly to reassure Liu Yongzhen.

Following Liu Xu's gaze to the teacup before him, Liu Yongzhen, almost without thinking, picked up the cup and gulped it down, even chewing the tea leaves and swallowing them.

What they were drinking was pan-roasted tea, a method that had come about after Emperor Liu mentioned it in passing, and then some clever person figured out the technique. After more than twenty years of development, the Great Han's pan-roasting technique had matured and spread throughout the entire realm.

Liu Yongzhen's action left Liu Xu momentarily stunned. He was, after all, a scion of a meritorious noble family, educated and well-mannered—yet this display was like that of a rough fellow. Still, it also revealed his agitated state of mind.

It was precisely because of this that Liu Xu, who had initially thought nothing of it, could not help but privately wonder—was there some hidden problem in Aolai City? His face broke into a carefree smile, but his gaze grew deeper.

A small place like Aolai City truly had nothing much to it. Even going through several years of archives did not take much time. Soon, Geng Jizhong, the recorder of the Governor-General's Office, walked in and bowed deeply to Liu Xu: "Your Highness!"

Geng Jizhong was clearly a scion of the Lady Geng—the youngest son of Liu Xu's maternal uncle Geng Chong'en, and Liu Xu's cousin. It had to be said that no matter the time, the only families Liu Xu could rely on were his mother's Lady Geng and his wife's Bai clan, and beneath the banner of the Prince of Qin, only these two families were the most dependable.

"How is it?" Liu Xu asked.

Geng Jizhong glanced at the somewhat nervous Liu Yongzhen and replied calmly, "Reporting to Your Highness, aside from the gold storage records being clear and precise, the rest of the archival records are quite chaotic..."

Liu Xu extended his hand, and Geng Jizhong hurriedly handed over a brief report. After a quick skim, Liu Xu smiled at Liu Yongzhen and said in a gentle tone, "How is it that even the grain intake and outflow accounts are so unclear?"

"You also hold a military post. If you were marching to war and couldn't even keep your logistics and supplies straight, with provisions going wrong, how could you win a battle?"

Liu Xu asked with casual ease, but Liu Yongzhen flushed red. He stammered for a moment, then explained in a low voice, "Reporting to Your Highness, this is your subject's fault. It's just that Aolai City is small with few people, and there are no accountants skilled in calculation..."

"If the city is small with few people, then it should be all the easier to sort out and clarify!" Liu Xu immediately retorted. "Even the records of plow oxen and farm tools rented out to farmers are muddled. Given time, they will become bad debts. Those oxen and tools are also government property. What, Town Commander Liu is quite generous—do you intend to simply declare a benevolent policy in the future, bestow grace upon the people, write it all off, and never collect again?"

Liu Xu's gaze carried immense pressure as he said flatly, "Certainly, a few plow oxen and farm tools are no great matter. To attract immigrants, the Governor-General's Office could even order them gifted to farming households. But since a rental system has been established, it must be properly implemented. Otherwise, why not simply bestow grace directly and skip the policy altogether? Town Commander Liu surely has no intention of undermining the Governor-General's Office's decrees..."

"Your Highness!" Liu Yongzhen was clearly frightened by Liu Xu's casually spoken words. He scrambled to his feet, knelt on the ground, and said with some agitation, "Your Highness, see clearly—your subordinate would rather die ten thousand deaths than sabotage Your Highness's decrees! For whatever faults exist, please let Your Highness mete out punishment—your subordinate will bear no complaint!"

Liu Xu silently studied Liu Yongzhen for a while. Seeing his sincere attitude, he finally waved a hand: "Rise! There's no need for this. I'll say it again—I'm not here to cause you trouble, but to work together with you to discover problems, find the omissions, and then solve them. Andong cannot be governed well by me, Liu Xu, or by the Governor-General's Office alone. It requires all of us, high and low, to be of one mind and work together!"

"Yes! Your Highness speaks truly—your subordinate will surely keep Your Highness's teachings in mind!" Liu Yongzhen hurriedly declared.

Looking at Liu Yongzhen, Liu Xu said, "His Majesty once spoke with me in casual conversation, saying that the entire country is one great ledger—if the accounts are unclear, the nation will fall into chaos. Your Aolai City may be small, but the principle is the same!"

"His Majesty truly has far-reaching insight and magnanimous bearing..." Liu Yongzhen began spouting nonsense, flattering Emperor Liu from thousands of li away.

Liu Xu was nearly amused by him. He raised a hand and instructed Geng Jizhong beside him, "Leave one accountant behind to help Town Commander Liu properly sort out Aolai City's accounts!"

"Yes!"

"With a senior official's assistance, your subordinate need not worry!" Liu Yongzhen said.

Liu Xu looked at him: "I'll also trouble you to gather all the officers of Aolai's garrison troops from squad leader and above. In the evening, I'll share a meal with them. Guarding this poor, remote place, maintaining order and protecting the people—it's truly hard work. As the governor, I should also, on behalf of the court, offer some consolation!"

"Yes!" After being so intimidated by Liu Xu, Liu Yongzhen dared not raise any objection. He didn't even stop to consider that Andong's troops were actually directly under Deputy Governor Gao Huaide, and simply assented, "Your Highness personally hosting a banquet—this is an honor for the officers and soldiers."

Although the court still upheld the principle of separating military and civil governance in Andong, in reality, separated by thousands of li, how could complete oversight and implementation be achieved?

Liu Xu was the Prince of Qin, Emperor Liu's eldest son, and the Governor of Andong. In this territory of Andong, who could truly check his power? Moreover, nominally, the Andong garrison troops were placed under the Governor-General's Office. As governor, Liu Xu interfering somewhat in military affairs was not a difficult matter, and no one dared offend the Prince of Qin by lightly accusing him of meddling in military matters.

From the establishment of the Andong Governor-General's Office to Liu Xu's bold administrative actions in Andong, it had always been accompanied by various controversies and criticisms. Naturally, the court was not lacking in far-sighted individuals who had long since pointed out the hidden concerns, arguing that the Andong Governor's power was too great and should be restricted—at the very least, the jurisdiction over the garrison troops should be stripped from the Governor-General's Office. But Emperor Liu, whether out of personal affection or consideration of the actual situation in the northeast, had declined to adopt such suggestions...

When Liu Yongzhen left, his legs were weak, his steps unsteady, and the lining of his back soaked with cold sweat. When he had first come to Andong, he had been personally received by Liu Xu, and the feeling then had not been so profound. But now, he was increasingly convinced that the rumors were true—the Prince of Qin was not easy to serve, and his majesty was not to be offended...