Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 283 Heaven, in its vastness, will surely not treat you unfairly!
As contracts for renting land in Jiangdong were sent to the imperial palace, Yan Xiang found that no task was more arduous than this one, which was piled high on his desk.

A total of two million mu of fertile land was acquired, and 700,000 people who had been hiding were released!
This elderly man, who had dedicated almost his entire life to Shouchun, was filled with enthusiasm for the first time as he looked at the seemingly endless official duties.

"Great!"

Lord Yuan is going to become a sage ruler.

Sweep away the accumulated ills of the Han Dynasty for four hundred years, and usher in a peaceful era that will last for ten thousand years!

"My lord, your great cause is within reach; how can I not devote myself wholeheartedly to repay your kindness?"

The ink on the paper in my hand was blurred by water stains, and the ink became smudged.

The old man's eyes were filled with tears, but he smiled and kept reminiscing.

"Lord Yuan is a sage ruler."

The establishment of the ancient and virtuous rule of the kings Yao, Shun, Yu, and Tang is a testament to their achievements!
Kongming, did you see that?

Lord Yuan should be a sage ruler.

Seeing the old man laughing and crying in front of him, Kongming helplessly brought him a bowl of ginseng soup.

"Lord Yan, it is time to call yourself the King of Han."

"Yes, Lord Yuan is already the king. This old minister has misspoke."

Kongming, you have no idea how happy I've been these past few days.

You don't know, back then, the king would never listen to advice. The more it wasted money and resources on the people, the more he wanted to do it. The more it damaged his reputation, the more enthusiastic he became.

Xiangzhen tried his best to persuade him, but to no avail. He could only watch as Yuan squandered and squandered his vast family fortune little by little.

Who could have imagined? All those past mistakes were actually acts of great wisdom disguised as foolishness; all those wrongdoings were only for the purpose of clearing one's name today!
"

Seeing that he was talking non-stop, Kongming quickly handed him the ginseng soup.

"Alright, drink this soup, then you can go and rest."

"At my age, no matter how busy I am, there's no reason for me to work through the night."

Yan Xiang took the ginseng soup, took only a small sip, and then picked up the next document, pen in hand, without stopping.

"We've survived the hardships and difficulties of the past, and now that the situation is so favorable, it's time to give our all!"

Jiangdong, Huainan, Shouchun, two million mu of rented land, seven hundred thousand people, Lingyan Pavilion, Hall of Merit, the coronation ceremony, the council of princes, all sorts of complicated matters, how could I be absent from any of them?

Enough said, just bring the next batch of official business.

Kongming smiled faintly and handed over a stack of already approved official documents. "This batch has been approved by your student. Please review and correct it, Lord Yan."

"What? You approved it for me?"

Yan Xiang was surprised. He took the document from Kongming and began to read it. His eyes gleamed with surprise as he read on.

"Brilliant! Using aristocratic families to govern other aristocratic families... Kongming, did you approve all of these?"

Yan Xiang placed the document on the table, staring intently at the young man before him, as if he were looking at a rare treasure.

At this moment, the words spoken by the King of Han earlier came vividly to mind.

Lord Yan, I have found you a helper.

It is like comparing a nag to a unicorn, or a crow to a phoenix; how can the light of a firefly compete with the brilliance of the moon?

This person possesses extraordinary talent, truly unique in the world!

"Okay, okay."

The white-haired old man smiled with relief and contentment.

"There are successors to carry on the legacy and usher in the future."

"The King of Han has gained such a virtuous and capable man as you; this old minister can now rest."

In the first half of the journey, he worked tirelessly day and night to clean up the mess left by Yuan Gong, giving the people living under his tyrannical rule a chance to catch their breath.

In the latter half of the reign, he implemented new policies for the King of Han, making the most of his remaining influence so that the people living under his rule could enjoy peace and prosperity.

Kongming bowed respectfully to the old man who had worked hard all his life.

"Sir, it's time for you to rest. I'll take care of things from now on."

When the Ming Dynasty awakens, the sun will still rise, and the new policies of the Prince of Han will be at their zenith!

"Hahaha, go take a break, go take a break!"

The old man drank the ginseng soup in the bowl heartily, and the soup dripped down his white beard, it was hard to tell whether it was water or tears.

After Yan Xiang left, Kongming frowned slightly as he looked at the seemingly endless stream of official business being delivered to his desk.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he instructed the boy who had been brought from the thatched hut to continue serving him:

"I haven't seen Shiyuan in a long time. What has he been busy with lately?"

The boy blinked and replied:

"Young Master Pang, I have heard that the Shouchun Academy, built by the King of Han, is a place of outstanding people and abundant resources, with a vast collection of books."

They invited the renowned scholar Zheng Xuan to give lectures, and Dr. Cai Dajia to teach them. People say: "It is a place where heroes from Jiangnan gather and where the literary styles of the nine provinces converge."

These days, Young Master Pang has been staying at the academy, discussing doctrines and scriptures with the students. Rumor has it that he has set up a martial arts tournament and defeated all his opponents, winning for three consecutive days.

Upon hearing this, Kongming's face darkened, and he coldly uttered four words.

"Not doing your job properly."

He then took out a token and instructed the boy:

“You take me, the deputy commander of the Observatory, and go and arrest Shi Yuan for me.”

The charges are: provoking trouble, disturbing the order of the school, seeking attention, and wasting public resources!
Liang considered that they had a personal relationship, and since there was a meritorious deed here that could redeem him, he wanted to help him out and prevent him from being punished.

Boy: "."

Kongming rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "Go quickly and prepare some wine and food. When Brother Shiyuan arrives, I will have something to say to him."

The boy obeyed and left, while Kongming sat upright at his desk, continuing to review documents.

Before long, a servant boy came to report, "Young Master Pang has arrived."

"What 'picking quarrels and provoking trouble' and 'trying to attract attention'? Where is Kongming? Have you already forgotten our past friendship after such a short time apart?"
The leader personally explained the situation to him!

Before the people arrive, the sound comes first.

Kongming hurriedly stepped forward to greet him, "Brother Pang, why are you in such a hurry? I haven't had a chance to talk with you about the affairs of the world for many days, and I've been missing you dearly."

Therefore, on this pretext, I invited Brother Pang here.

As he spoke, he hurriedly invited Pang Tong to sit down at the simple table that had been prepared in advance.

Looking at the small banquet laid out before him, and hearing that Kongming wanted to have a long talk with him about the state of the world, Pang Tong immediately perked up.

After taking his seat, he raised his cup and drank. He then took the opportunity to recount how, in the past few days, he had entered the academy and how the noble young men looked down on him because of his appearance.

He provoked them with words, set up a challenge stage, and challenged them for three days in a row. No one dared to step onto the stage again, which greatly humiliated them.

"Kongming! It's not that I'm trying to cause trouble. If anyone's causing trouble, it's those aristocratic young masters who looked down on us and started the trouble first."

"Kongming! If you hadn't sent someone to invite him, I would have definitely set up a challenge for forty-nine days, making them unable to hold their heads up again, and seeing who would dare to judge people by their appearance in the future."

"Kongming!"

Kongming? What are you going to do there?

Pang Tong was speaking eloquently to Kongming about the "general situation of the world," and he was just getting into it when Kongming suddenly stood up from his seat, about to get angry.

But Kongming replied with a wry smile, "Brother Pang, it's almost time."

Liang is very busy here, unlike Brother Pang who has a lot of free time. There are still too many official matters on the case that haven't been dealt with yet. When Lord Yan comes tomorrow, he will conduct a spot check.

As Kongming spoke, he pretended to return to his desk and picked up a document, slowly reviewing it as if it were a tortoise.

Pang Tong scratched his head, observing the man's constantly furrowed brows and pen-struck expression. "Oh dear, what's going on?"

"Kongming, have you forgotten that back in the Han King's tent, with Tong's help, you could have finished your official duties in less than an hour? What's the rush?"

He clapped his hands and stood up, saying, "That's enough, that's enough."

"Let's reach a consensus, and the approval will be completed in a short time. Then we can have a good drink and a long talk."

"Excellent! Shi Yuan's talent is such that even with mountains of paperwork, it is nothing to worry about. With your assistance, Kongming is truly fortunate!"

As Kongming spoke, he looked at Pang Tong with a touched expression and quickly divided up half of the official business on the table for him.

Pang Tong: "???"

Seeing that only half of the documents were piled up on half a table, some as tall as a person, Pang Tong was stunned.

Even if he had the talent, the sheer volume of paperwork wouldn't have been a problem, but that was on the premise that bamboo slips were used.

The King of Han is using stationery here!
The information carrying capacity is completely incomparable.

The mountain of stationery was enough even for Pang Shiyuan.
Pang Tong was about to speak, but when he met Kongming's clear, watery eyes, which were full of trust and gratitude, the words of refusal seemed to get stuck in his throat, and he could no longer say them.

Of course.

With my talent for command, these trivial official duties are no challenge for me. I can definitely finish them in one or two hours at most.

"what?"

Upon hearing this, Kongming's eyes revealed a hint of disappointment and loss.

"Even with Brother Pang's talent, it takes two hours?"

But an hour later, the next batch will arrive.

"what?"

Pang Tong stared at Kongming in astonishment, his expression as if he had seen a ghost.

"Kongming, what official business is this? Why are there so many?"

"This is the duty of Lord Yan, who oversees all matters, large and small, concerning the livelihoods of all people, and leaving no matter how trivial."

"The current aristocratic family has newly donated two million mu of fertile land, with a population of seven hundred thousand. There are also matters concerning the Lingyan Pavilion, the Hall of Merit, the Hall of Kingship, and the Council of Princes, making the task even more demanding."

As Kongming spoke, his tone was one of disappointment, and he let out a long sigh.

"I never imagined that even someone as talented as Brother Pang would find it difficult to continue."

It seems that the task of assisting the state and restoring order still requires us to invite Lord Yan back; it's beyond our capabilities."

"The task of assisting the state and rectifying its affairs?"

Pang Tong's eyes lit up again upon hearing this. Wasn't this the job of the King of Han's top minister?

Pang Shiyuan either doesn't do anything, or he does this kind of thing!
He immediately raised his hand to stop Kongming, who was about to invite Yan Xiang, and said, "Bullshit! What do you mean by 'unsustainable'?"
My abilities, Pang Shiyuan, are merely a glimpse into the true nature of me, Kongming; you've only seen the tip of the iceberg.

"One or two hours isn't enough, seven or eight hours won't hurt. I'll finish it eventually. Today I'll show you what I'm capable of!"

"Brother Pang, if you have such aspirations, I will do my utmost to help you."

Pang Tong initially wanted to wave his hand and say no, but then he glanced at the table and saw that there was indeed too much work to do, so he nodded and said:

"Very well, Kongming, you can choose some simple tasks to handle. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

"If I encounter any difficulties, I will definitely ask for your advice."

The two chatted and laughed as they got busy.

But the more Pang Tong tried, the more alarmed he became!
Because Kongming could handle official business even faster than him.

An hour passed, and the stack of documents on Kongming's desk was almost empty, while Pang Tong's was only three-quarters full.

Unconvinced, he went to examine the documents annotated by Kongming and found them to be full of wisdom and flawless.

The emperor was astonished!

Is this just a glimpse of the whole picture? Or just the tip of the iceberg?
At this moment, Pang Tong had already vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but he didn't say anything because of his pride. He just relied on his arrogance to snatch the official document that was delivered in the second hour and worked even harder to be the first!

How dare you, Zhuge Liang, mock me?

If we do not defeat you today, how will we ever face anyone?!

Meanwhile, the boy, acting on Kongming's orders, had already reported the situation to the King of Han.

This wasn't the first time; after all, these were secrets of Yuan Shao's camp, and without the King of Han's tacit approval, Kongming couldn't very well ask Pang Tong for help.

Yuan Shu, who sat high in the Shouchun Palace, found the matter quite interesting.

I never imagined that Zhuge Liang, whom I thought was devoted to the cause until his death, also had a side of slacking off and taking a break.
Come to think of it, he's a laid-back guy from Wolonggang, who sleeps until the sun is high in the sky.

When did it start?
That impetuous young man, who was the first to awaken from his grand dream, transformed into a loyal minister who led six expeditions to Qishan.
A line from that famous essay he had memorized in his previous life in his mind involuntarily surfaced:

[Later, when the dynasty was overthrown, I was entrusted with a post amidst the defeated army, and received orders in a time of crisis. Twenty-one years have passed since then.]

From his emergence to assist Liu Bei to the eventual division of the empire into three kingdoms, it is said that Zhuge Liang was incredibly wise and possessed extraordinary talent.

But how could he possibly manage all the important affairs of the palace, the government, and Liu's camp by relying solely on himself? Looking around, he saw few who would help him and many who would hinder him.

Later, on his deathbed, he entrusted his ministers with important matters. Since receiving this mandate, I have been filled with anxiety and worry day and night!

The poem reads: "I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets, for I am wasting away for her sake."

Heaven, in its vastness, will surely not forget you!

Pulling his wandering thoughts back, Yuan Shu's eyes were unfathomable as he simply asked:

"What has Master Jia been busy with lately?"

The courtier replied:

"Since arriving in Shouchun, Jia Gong has been amazed by the prosperity of Shouchun's commerce. He lingers in Zuixianlou every day and praises the new dishes designed by Your Majesty."

He often sighed to himself, "Having obtained such fine food, what more could I ask for? I only wish to grow old and die in Shouchun; that would be the greatest fortune."

Yuan Shu: "."

Okay, okay, we know you don't want to leave, so we won't kill you, really!
He waved his hand helplessly, "Go quickly and invite Lord Jia to the Observatory."

"After all, Kongming and Pang Tong are still young, and they need someone as mature and prudent as him to guide them and lend them a helping hand."

"only."

"In addition, after Zhou Yu finishes his work on Ce'er, he should also take some time to help him. And Zhuge Jin, who else would he help if not his own brother?"

By the way, let Buzhi go and learn more too.

Our Han state system emphasizes mutual support and cooperation; many hands make light work.

Once everyone has gathered, tell them: "[Work hard, team up and help each other out; you'll get a bonus when your performance is tallied.]"

Attendant: "."

Not long after, Pang Tong, who was busy at the Observatory, soon met a smiling, slightly chubby old man.

Looking at his middle-aged, overweight figure, Pang Tong wondered what he had come for.

At the signal from the Han King's attendant, the old man reached out and took the half-finished official business from his desk.

Immediately afterward, to Pang Tong's astonishment, he began to handle official business at a speed almost equal to Pang Tong's. He was equally thorough in his reading, even giving the impression of being able to handle things with ease and conceal his true abilities.

Pang Tong: "!!!"

Oh dear, it's one thing for Kongming to be a bad guy, but what's wrong with you, you old man?

Tong's competitive spirit today is really getting the better of him!

Before long, another figure arrived in a hurry, handsome and elegant.

(End of this chapter)