My older brother said I'm invincible.

Chapter 199: Employing people without suspicion
Congratulations, Your Excellency! Congratulations, Your Excellency!

At Dade Farm, Zhang Du, Qu Qiusheng, and others surrounded Li Xuanba, happily celebrating for their lord.

Merchants like Qu Qiusheng might not understand this place, but scholars like Zhang Du knew very well what it was. The Imperial Academy was originally called the Imperial College, but it was renamed after the emperor ascended to the throne.

The Imperial Academy only admitted the sons of officials of the third rank or above, and the number of students was extremely small. It was the most luxurious in terms of facilities. The Imperial Academy and the Four Gates Academy had examinations every ten days and every year. If you failed many times, you would be asked to leave. Moreover, after graduating from the Imperial Academy and the Four Gates Academy, you still needed to take the imperial examination to become an official.

But the Imperial Academy is different. After graduating, students from the Imperial Academy can directly enter officialdom through hereditary privilege or as students, and be directly promoted by the Ministry of Personnel. It wasn't until the Tang Dynasty that the privileges of the Imperial Academy began to decline, and students began to compete with those recommended by local authorities. Now, they have no competitive pressure at all.

For scholars like Zhang Du, such a place was practically a sacred ground; however, they were destined to never have the chance to visit it in their lifetime.

Li Xuanba was alright. In reality, for these top noble families' sons, the Imperial Academy was just so-so. The study time was long, but the official rank was low. The sons of top noble families preferred to start directly as Qianniu. They were unwilling to be county magistrates. When they were sent out to other places, they would start as prefects of small prefectures or simply as high-ranking military officers in the Eagle Banner Prefecture.

The reason why Li Yuan and others were excited was that Li Xuanba had been directly selected by the emperor to enter the Imperial Academy, which was different from those students who entered through personal connections. This was called being favored by the emperor.

Li Xuanba was not very enthusiastic about the subsequent appointment of an official position.

Zhang Du seemed to see through Li Xuanba's thoughts and said, "My lord, Loufan is still too small. If you wish to achieve great things, the capital is a better place. There, you can meet many powerful figures, and the capital is well-connected to all parts of the country, unlike Loufan, which is so restrictive. Moreover, Luoyang is quite close to Yeniu Mountain."

Li Xuanba said, "Even so, the mineral resources and newly reclaimed farmland here are very important. I am worried that after I leave, these things will be taken over by treacherous people."

Zhang Du and Qu Qiusheng exchanged a glance, and then laughed.

Why are you two laughing?

Li Xuanba asked, puzzled.

Qu Qiusheng said with a wry smile, "You underestimate yourself too much. Even if you go to Luoyang, who would dare to touch your properties here? Even the newly appointed governor of Loufan would probably have to send someone to take care of them. How could anyone dare to offend him?"

Qu Qiusheng and Zhang Du felt that this lord looked down on the Duke of Tang to some extent. Not to mention the title, just in terms of official position, Li Yuan was about to enter the court to assume a powerful position. Who would dare to touch anything under his name?
Even if there were someone who really had a grudge against the Duke of Tang, they probably wouldn't bother with Li Xuanba's small assets. In terms of assets, what the Marquis owns is just a drop in the ocean compared to what the Duke of Tang owns. It would be an overestimation of Li Xuanba's abilities.

Li Xuanba nodded slightly, and Zhang Du said with a smile, "Old Master Qu, please go and urge them again to prepare the horses and other necessities for the trip."

Qu Qiusheng agreed and turned to leave.

After the man left, Zhang Du hurriedly asked, "Does Your Excellency have any ideas about who should be left to guard these various places?"

"Not yet."

When Zhang Du learned that Li Xuanba had not yet decided on a suitable candidate, he immediately shared his own thoughts.

“I need to accompany you, my lord. You cannot be without someone by your side. You must also take the core members of the farm with you. Since you have gone to the capital, this hegemony should also be established there.”

"As for the many troublesome matters of this building, I think we can delegate them separately. Let Qu Qiusheng be in charge of the mines, let Wang Erzhi be in charge of the farm, let Dugu Luo be in charge of Chenghou Village, and we can ask Old Wu's son to take care of the horse farm."

Zhang Du said, "In this way, after the Lord leaves, they can each do their own thing and check each other. There is no need to worry about anyone causing trouble. They can supervise each other, and even if something happens, the Lord can detect it in time."

Hearing Zhang Du's words, Li Xuanba suddenly remembered his mother's instructions.

"No need."

"Ok?"

"In my opinion, this farm, mine, and horse ranch can all be left to Old Master Qu to manage. After we leave, the farm will become an ordinary farm. Among us, only Old Master Qu knows how to manage these things, and he is the most suitable to do them."

"He's not very familiar with the Chenghou Mountain matter, so Wang Erzhi can handle it. However, the ironware in the mountain, whether for sale or transportation, requires Old Master Qu's attention. Therefore, Old Master Qu will take overall charge, and Wang Erzhi will assist him in managing Chenghou Mountain."

Zhang Du was taken aback. "My lord! It's not that I don't trust Old Man Qu, nor that I look down on him, but how can so many businesses be entrusted to one person to manage?" Li Xuanba said, "I think that although Old Man Qu hasn't read many books, he is very good at managing businesses. Whether it was the previous restaurants, mines, or horse farms, he did them all very well. His talent is more than enough to handle these things."

"I'm not saying he lacks talent, but once you leave Loufan, you won't be able to return anytime soon. And your numerous businesses are highly profitable and crucial. If they aren't properly supervised, I fear..."

Li Xuanba understood Zhang Du's meaning, and he gently shook his head, "Use people without suspicion, and don't use those you suspect."

"Although Old Man Qu has not been with me for long, I am willing to trust him, and he will certainly not let me down. We have gathered together to do great things, and to do great things, we must work together. If I cannot even trust my own subordinates, how can I lead everyone to accomplish great things?"

Zhang Du was somewhat stunned and couldn't speak for a moment.

After a while, Old Man Qu returned to the house, and Li Xuanba called Wang Erzhi in again and told him his arrangements in person.

"I plan to have Old Man Qu stay behind in Loufan to oversee all important matters."

When Qu Qiusheng heard these words from Li Xuanba, he froze on the spot.

Li Xuanba was surrounded by scholars, led by Zhang Du. As the only merchant, he was somewhat restrained. He never expected that the lord would entrust him with all the power. These mines, farms, and even the villages were nominally under his control.

Seeing that Qu Qiusheng was sitting there motionless, Li Xuanba asked, "Old Master Qu, is there something wrong?"

Qu Qiusheng shuddered, then realized what was happening. He looked at Li Xuanba in front of him with a blank stare.

"My lord, I am but a merchant by birth, lacking in ability. How dare I presume to take charge of such important matters?"

"What does one's background represent? Are all merchants evil? Are all nobles good? As for your abilities, you have helped me manage many businesses and obtained a lot of funding for me to buy the horse farm. This proves your abilities. Please do not refuse."

Qu Qiusheng's eyes were bloodshot as he bowed deeply to Li Xuanba.

"Your subject will certainly not fail your lord!!"

Li Xuanba planned to have Dugu Luo leave some craftsmen at Chenghou Mountain, while he himself needed to go to Qingzao Village as soon as possible, where talent like him was in greater need.

In addition, the matter concerning Wang Erzhi is also crucial. After they leave, the new governor may not allow such a band of thieves to remain in the nearby mountains. Therefore, they must be very careful and try not to alert the local authorities.

After making numerous arrangements, Li Xuanba decided to return to his own residence.

Zhang Du has already gathered the core members, and they are going to leave with Li Xuanba.

No one knows who spread the news, but when Li Xuanba walked out of the farm, the area outside was already full of people. Just like when he left Xingyang, the farmers stood at a distance, each with tears in their eyes.

They were all reluctant to see this lord leave.

The farm was able to grow rapidly not only because of the reputation of being the son of the governor, but also because of the protection that Li Xuanba gave to the people. For the first time, these farmers had seen such a kind and benefactor who was willing to give up his own things to help them survive, help them get farmland, and give them the means to live again.

"My Lord!!!"

The crowd knelt down, forming a vast, dense mass.

Li Xuanba bowed to them in return.

"Take care, everyone."

(End of this chapter)