Chapter 1295: Chapter 1295
"Forget it, I’ll leave you all be." Liu Bei suddenly felt a bit disheartened.
"Actually, Lord Xuande, it doesn’t matter if you don’t manage us. Wen He and Wen Ru are not really idle. They’ve been working on the reconstruction of Yuzhou, Yanzhou, and Jizhou, village merging, and exams. They just prefer working from home." Chen Xi provided some explanation for Li Youu and Jia Xu.
"Zijing and Kongming are genuinely hardworking, while Wen He and Wen Ru just do what’s expected of them. They wouldn’t interfere unless there are significant mistakes." Chen Xi explained, seeing Liu Bei’s confusion, and also to defend himself a bit.
"In comparison, Wen He, Wen Ru, Fengxiao, and I have a slightly better perspective, experience, or wisdom than others, so our views naturally differ." Chen Xi began praising the other three who weren’t present.
"I had noticed this a bit before, and after the incident earlier this year, I was very clear about it." Liu Bei nodded, indicating he understood.
"The four of us focus more on doing our duties well and using the extra energy to mentor the next generation." Chen Xi said solemnly. He had only realized this after paying attention, noting how Jia Xu, Li Youu, and Guo Jia supported the faction with a focus on legacy.
Whether it was Jia Xu, Li Youu, or Guo Jia, in their spare time, they focused more on mentoring the next generation. Though Jia Xu was somewhat cold, Li Youu often unclear, and Guo Jia appeared playful, they truly were nurturing the new generation in their own ways.
"Unlike Zijing and the others who are working hard now, in fact, Wen He and the others are thinking long-term. Prosperity doesn’t happen in one generation; if the senior officials can properly pass on what’s needed without mistakes, stability can be maintained." Chen Xi said seriously. Long-term peace and stability were crucial for Wen He and his group, as they had to handle their work while also teaching their students.
Liu Bei frowned slightly, then relaxed, looking at Chen Xi with some understanding. What Chen Xi said made a lot of sense. Though Li Youu and Guo Jia did not take on disciples, the effort they invested in Zhuge Liang and Fa Zheng was significant.
"In that case, I’ve indeed overlooked this." Liu Bei nodded. The fact that Li Youu and Jia Xu seemed to be doing less effort was troubling for Liu Bei, but considering they had fulfilled their duties and were also mentoring the next generation, it cleared things up for him.
"Actually, Lord Xuande, if everyone does their job properly, the country can run smoothly. Sometimes people work overtime not only due to their responsibilities but also because they’re doing others’ tasks." Chen Xi sighed.
Chen Xi didn’t advocate for Lub Su and Zhuge’s work attitude, as taking care of one’s tasks should suffice. Doing others’ jobs for extended periods breaks the rules.
A mature bureaucratic system, or any mature organization, should at least ensure proper division of labor, meaning everyone can complete tasks on time and to standard, rather than doing someone else’s work.
Liu Bei was about to speak but found he had no argument against Chen Xi’s words. They were true, but some still did things beyond their role.
"There’s a story called Zilu Receiving Cattle." Chen Xi sighed, "Perhaps this is a kind of Zhongyong, neither lacking nor overreaching."
Chen Xi’s words deeply affected Liu Bei, leaving him unsure of what to say or do. It seemed that hard work in certain scenarios also disrupted rules.
"Hahaha, Zichuan, you’re debating in front of the Lord again." Li Youu, having arrived on the city wall, heard Chen Xi’s nonsense and interrupted as he saw Liu Bei’s confusion.
Li Youu, having dealt with Chen Xi’s arguments many times, being quite sharp, had grown to ignore Chen Xi’s rambling, seeing it as each having their valid point.
"Am I wrong?" Chen Xi said moodily. Where Li Youu was, trouble was sure to follow.
"Absolutely wrong, you’re debating again. Everyone doing their job properly is impossible since that assumes everyone’s a Saint, but we’re in the Mortal World." Li Youu casually revealed Chen Xi’s trick.
Not giving Chen Xi a chance to argue, Li Youu continued, "So Zijing working overtime is justified. Anyone can jest about it, but you, who assigned the tasks, cannot. Half of Zijing’s workload is on you!"
Liu Bei, realizing this, looked at Chen Xi with frustration. "Zichuan, you often create grand arguments to justify your laziness. How idle are you?"
"Lord, although Zichuan’s reasoning has some merit, Wen He and I aren’t idle. We just handle things faster, and we know what we’re doing." Li Youu said, earnestly to Liu Bei.
"I understand your challenges from Zichuan. May Wen Ru continue as today." Liu Bei solemnly replied to Li Youu with a bow.
Chen Xi watched Li Youu angrily. Li Youu not only picked the fruit allowing him to slack off but also only pulled Jia Xu, Guo Jia, and himself from the pit, ignoring Chen Xi’s plight.
"Lord, I must handle exam matters. Would Lord Xuande like to join?" Li Youu said after a bow, intending to prevent Chen Xi’s nonsense.
"Alright, Zichuan, Wen Ru, come with me to handle the exam matters, or you could inspect the layout of Ye City’s neighborhoods for any adjustments." Liu Bei decided to join Li Youu, realizing he wasn’t accomplishing much with Chen Xi.
"You go ahead." Chen Xi waved listlessly.
"Zichuan, stop idling on the wall and focus more on people’s welfare. Perhaps nurture Boyan as well." Liu Bei advised before leaving. "By the way, you might want to think about the exam questions."
Liu Bei and Li Youu descended the city wall, leaving Chen Xi standing alone. The chilling wind left Chen Xi feeling coldhearted, questioning if his laziness was too obvious for even Li Youu to ignore. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel•fire.net
After all, they were like-minded friends on the path of shirking duties. Why didn’t Li Youu help him this time? If Jia Xu and Guo Jia were truly as diligent as Li Youu and Chen Xi claimed, even they wouldn’t believe it!