As the sun set, a carriage escorted by nearly a hundred soldiers, carrying numerous carts of gifts, entered Fenggao.
Inside the carriage, Ju Shou opened the window to gaze at the tall city walls of Fenggao, the stone-paved streets, the bustling thoroughfares, and the thriving businesses. He compared it to the scenes he remembered from his time in Luoyang. Fenggao now had the air of an imperial capital, something that left Ju Shou with a deep sigh.
Ju Shou couldn't help but compare Fenggao with his own proud domain, Bohai, and in the end, he could only sigh with resignation.
"Ju Gong of Jizhou, I am Hua Zijian, here on orders to greet you," Hua Xiong announced, leading a squad of elite soldiers and bowing to Ju Shou's carriage.
"General Hua, your courtesy is too much," Ju Shou replied, stepping out of the carriage and returning Hua Xiong's bow. "I am honored to be received by such a distinguished general."
"Ju Gong is too kind," Hua Xiong replied, gesturing with a hand for Ju Shou to proceed.
As they rode together, Ju Shou took in the prosperous surroundings and casually began probing for information. "Fenggao is indeed flourishing. I wonder, is there some secret to this prosperity? As fellow citizens of the Han, shouldn't all lands be equally fortunate, instead of some prospering while others suffer?"
Hua Xiong, though not the sharpest, could sense something was off about Ju Shou's question. "That's something for the strategists to handle. We martial men can only follow orders. Among us, perhaps only Zilong could truly understand such matters. The rest of us simply do as we're told," Hua Xiong replied straightforwardly, giving a nod to Zhao Yun, a man he felt too exceptional to be jealous of.
"Zhao Zilong?" Ju Shou stroked his beard thoughtfully. "He's known as one of the finest generals in the land. I've heard he's been working as a colonel in charge of agricultural settlements. I wonder when he'll lead cavalry across the battlefield. The White Horse Volunteers are renowned for their skill."
Hua Xiong felt that Ju Shou's words carried hidden meanings, but with his limited wit, he couldn't grasp the subtleties. Feeling a bit irritated, he shot Ju Shou a glance.
"Hahaha, no need to be so serious, General," Ju Shou laughed, shifting his focus to the scenes around him. He had come with the intent of forming an alliance with Liu Bei, but both sides knew it was merely a pretense. A clash between them was inevitable.
As they approached Liu Bei's residence, Ju Shou noticed squads of twenty City Guards marching by, carrying large shields and exuding auras of experience. This immediately caught Ju Shou's attention. As a former strategist who had seen battle, he knew what such soldiers represented. He saw ten such patrols on the way to Liu Bei's residence, all of them equipped and trained to the same high standard. This made Ju Shou realize just how formidable Liu Bei's forces were and how seriously he took his own protection.
When they finally reached Liu Bei's residence, the sight of it in the setting sun left Ju Shou speechless. He stood at the gate, stunned, unable to move.
"Ju Gong, please enter!" Hua Xiong called out, his heart secretly laughing. He knew Chen Xi had specifically instructed him to bring visiting strategists and officials to Liu Bei's new residence to shock them. After all, even the generals were stunned when they first saw it.
"This… this is Liu Xuande's residence?" Ju Shou asked in disbelief as he gazed at the grand structure before him.
"Yes, our lord had this residence built. Lady Zhen estimates it cost around a billion coins, and that's not even counting the interior decorations, which probably far exceed that amount. I have no idea what our lord was thinking," Hua Xiong grumbled, though the words were fed to him by Chen Xi.
Ju Shou was overwhelmed by the opulence of the building. He had heard tales of Liu Bei's residence being as splendid as a heavenly palace but had dismissed them as exaggerations. Now, seeing it in person, he finally understood. So much for being a man of benevolence and virtue—how many commoners could have been saved with all that money!
As Ju Shou stepped inside, he was immediately greeted by the rich aroma of wine. The scent was so strong it seemed to permeate the very ground.
"What's that smell?" Ju Shou asked curiously.
"Our lord loves wine, but he's vowed not to drink too much. Afraid he won't be able to resist temptation, he buys top-quality aged wine and pours it out in the courtyard, ensuring he can always smell it without drinking it," Hua Xiong explained, his tone filled with disdain. "All that fine, century-old wine, just wasted!"
The intoxicating aroma made it impossible for Ju Shou to doubt the explanation. The scent clearly belonged to the finest wine, and it had been poured out just to satisfy such a ridiculous whim. A ruler who couldn't even control his own desires—how could he be a great leader? Ju Shou silently added another mark against Liu Bei in his mind.
Seeing such extravagance firsthand, Ju Shou couldn't help but begin viewing everything through a lens of skepticism. His initial perception that Liu Bei was a man of lavish tastes had taken root, and from there, everything else seemed to fit.
"Ju Gong, it seems our lord is busy. Why don't we head inside?" Hua Xiong suggested as they reached the main door, still without a sign of Liu Bei. He wore a wry smile, seemingly helpless.
Ju Shou marked yet another strike against Liu Bei as he noticed the lavish white carpet beneath his feet—though it seemed far larger than any bear skin he'd ever seen.
"What is this?" Ju Shou asked, puzzled.
"It's a carpet. Our lord finds the ground too cold in winter, so he ordered all the wool from this year's sheep shearing to be collected and used to create this single rug. It's incredibly soft and warm. They say it took the wool of tens of thousands of sheep to make it," Hua Xiong sighed. "I hear this carpet alone required the wool from over ten thousand sheep."
"Ten thousand?" Ju Shou was shocked. "How could that be possible?"
"Why not ask any merchant involved in wool production? See if I'm exaggerating or understating," Hua Xiong retorted.
In truth, this carpet was indeed made from the wool of over ten thousand sheep, but for Chen Xi, it was a profitless venture. Since wool was scarce and not particularly valuable to other merchants, Chen Xi simply intercepted it during the spinning process, creating a luxury item at no cost to him.
Ju Shou made a mental note to verify this information later, then nodded and continued following Hua Xiong inside. Whether it was his imagination or not, Ju Shou felt lighter and warmer just walking on the carpet.