"Remember to wait for me at your house. I'll go find Sister Cai and the others," Mi Zhen said excitedly as she rushed outside, only to crash into Liu Bei. She bounced back, tears welling up in her eyes as she looked at him.
Liu Bei smiled wryly. Why was he so unlucky? He had been bumped into by Mi Zhen again. Even though his body was fortified with internal energy at the level of "Refining Qi into Gang," a mere accidental collision would still leave Mi Zhen feeling the impact.
"Are you alright?" Liu Bei asked with a bitter smile, knowing that Mi Zhen had bumped into him several times before.
"Greetings, Lord Xuande," Mi Zhen said with a resigned expression as she stood up.
"Here, take this. Whoever sees it gets one," Liu Bei said excitedly, handing Mi Zhen a piece of precious jade without a second thought.
Mi Zhen looked at Liu Bei in confusion. She remembered that the previous times she bumped into him, he hadn't given her anything. Why was he giving her a jade pendant now, and one that was almost as valuable as the one she kept in her sachet?
"Come, come, everyone gets one. Everyone gets one. Zhongkang, distribute the items. Whether they are present or not, make sure everyone gets their share," Liu Bei said, his excitement causing him to speak somewhat incoherently.
"What's going on? Wenhe, do you know anything about this?" Chen Xi asked, puzzled as he watched Xu Chu carry in box after box of treasure. "Could it be that we've defeated Yuan Shao?"
"How is that possible?" Jia Xu replied irritably. "You and Lord Xuande both receive the same reports. If that were the case, wouldn't you know? It's probably something else."
"Oh, right. I overlooked that," Chen Xi nodded, then glanced at Li You, who had just entered. Li You shook his head as well, deepening Chen Xi's curiosity. It seemed no one knew what was going on.
"Congratulations!" Chen Xi decided it was best to congratulate Liu Bei first, no matter the occasion, before figuring out the reason.
"Hahaha, come, come," Liu Bei's face was flushed with joy, his laughter hearty and full. He looked ecstatic. "Zichuan, this is for you."
At Liu Bei's signal, Xu Chu carried over a large box filled with gold, jade, and property deeds, brimming to the top.
Chen Xi gasped. Though Liu Bei had always been generous with his subordinates, he rarely handed out rewards of this magnitude. While Chen Xi wasn't particularly attached to wealth, this large box of treasures wasn't a trivial amount.
"Zijing, this one is yours," Liu Bei said, as another box was brought in and placed on the ground. Liu Bei seemed so excited that he was almost delirious.
"My lord, let me think for a moment. Has something joyous happened recently?" Lu Su asked, not even opening the box. He estimated that whatever Chen Xi received, he would likely receive the same. Although Chen Xi was Liu Bei's most trusted adviser, Liu Bei rarely showed favoritism in such matters, especially towards those who had been loyal since the early, impoverished days.
"You go ahead and think. Zhongkang, keep distributing!" Liu Bei laughed, motioning for Xu Chu to continue. Soon, box after box of gold, jade, and treasures were distributed, and it became clear that they would need help carrying everything back.
"Hey, do you think Lord Xuande might have a fever?" Chen Xi asked Jia Xu curiously, noticing that Liu Bei had even prepared rewards for Guan Yu, Guo Jia, Zhang Fei, and Liu Ye, who were not present.
Although Liu Bei was standing at a distance, his hearing was still sharp enough to catch Chen Xi's words. He burst into laughter. "Zichuan, aren't you known for planning ahead and considering every angle? Why don't you guess why I'm so happy today? If you guess right, there's a reward. If you guess wrong... well, no punishment for that."
A rare, mischievous glint appeared in Liu Bei's eyes. He had prepared two sets of rewards for Chen Xi, but whether Chen Xi could claim them depended on his own cleverness.
"Zijing, I'll split my reward with you. Do you have any ideas?" Chen Xi yawned and lazily turned to Lu Su for help.
"Kongming, do you have an answer? If you do, whatever Zichuan gives me, I'll give to you," Lu Su, always straightforward, didn't hesitate to offer everything to Zhuge Liang, as he had no idea himself.
Zhuge Liang was still in a bit of a daze. Although his Zhuge family was an ancient and noble lineage, they had fallen on hard times. He wasn't accustomed to such lavish wealth. Seeing such a large box of treasures in front of him made his eyes gleam with excitement.
Previously, when Liu Bei had given him property deeds and land titles, Zhuge Liang hadn't fully grasped their value. The house deeds were for a prime location in Fenggao, offering top-notch security with 24-hour patrols—something Zhuge Liang hadn't fully appreciated. As for the land deeds, he hadn't even checked on the shops, unaware of the income they generated. Thus, he hadn't realized the true value of those deeds.
After composing himself, Zhuge Liang returned to his usual calm demeanor, knowing that it would be difficult for wealth to faze him in the future. Reflecting on Lu Su's question, and recalling the confusion on Chen Xi and the others' faces earlier, Zhuge Liang deduced that the matter must be a private one for Liu Bei. The only event significant enough to make Liu Bei this jubilant was likely one thing.
With the answer in mind, Zhuge Liang calmly said, "Perhaps the lord has an heir. I believe that's the only event that could bring him such joy."
"Hahaha, Zhuge Kongming, well done! Well done! This whole box is yours. Zichuan, you've lost your treasures," Liu Bei laughed heartily, looking at Zhuge Liang with great satisfaction.
Upon hearing this, Jia Xu and the other officials were overjoyed. They all stepped forward to congratulate Liu Bei. This was indeed wonderful news. For a ruler, the matter of an heir was of utmost importance. Though Liu Bei had been young and strong, and his advisors hesitated to broach the topic, it had always been a concern in their hearts. Now, this joyous occasion had finally arrived.
"Congratulations, my lord! Congratulations..." The other officials who had been working in the back of the administrative hall also came forward to offer their congratulations. Liu Bei, in turn, generously rewarded each official with ten thousand coins and a pair of jade pendants.
"Zichuan, you need to get to work!" Liu Bei teased Chen Xi with a roguish grin, patting him on the shoulder. "Hurry up and have a daughter so she can be my son's wife."
Chen Xi twitched his lips but didn't bother responding to the now slightly crazed Liu Bei.
"Tonight, I'm hosting a banquet, and you all must come! Hahaha," Liu Bei laughed exuberantly. "I won't disturb your work any longer. I'm off to the military camp to hand out more rewards. I'm in such a great mood today. I'll make sure every official in every province and county gets an extra month's salary!"
Liu Bei seemed overwhelmed with joy, eager to head to the military camp and continue spreading his good fortune. He came and went quickly, but after this event, everyone's spirits were lifted, and they were filled with new energy. For a lord with no heir, no matter how strong his forces or how capable his advisors and generals, something crucial was always missing. Now, with this good news, the civil and military officials of Taishan could finally breathe a sigh of relief.