"Xiao Zhiyu, what are our next steps?" Sima Lang asked while sticking a wooden spoon into the ice cream.
"It would be sorting out the administration of the manor." Then he turned to Luyan Cheng. "Where did you hear that father would confer to me the title of Qianhuhou?"
"The various prominent families of Ruyang have been very close to the Yuan family for generations. The scholars of these families always closely worked with the Yuan family. As such any big decision reached in the Yuan family has always reached us quickly."
Yuan Yao attentively heard the man and nodded seriously at the end. "Mozhi, you have put forth yourself as an excellent candidate for Jiacheng and Shuzi positions. Do you have any opinions about the structure of the Qianhuhou manor? Please share your thoughts."
"Your fief is most likely situated near either Shanhe river or Fenhe river. The area all around Ruyang is flat and full of rivers. As such it is one of the richest parts of the nation. I believe just following traditions is enough."
The mindset of Luyan Cheng was perfectly fine if you were an ancient Chinese person, but Yuan Yao was not. He was Liu XiangCheng, a person of modern times. He needed people and talent who wouldn't fear trying new things.
Luyan Cheng clearly did not meet his standards. And yet, he did not think to dismiss him. Currently, he was in dire need of talents; even a fairly good manager was a very good addition to his forces. If Luyan Cheng's thinking was too conservative, he would try to make him see from his perspective.
Before he could ask, Sima Lang questioned Luyan Cheng. "Luyan Mozhi, assuming Xiao Zhiyu gets a fief near one of the rivers, what crafts do the people in his fief practice?"
Luyan Cheng wasn't sure why this question was asked, nevertheless he answered. "Farming would be the biggest profession in the fief. The areas near the river would mostly grow rice, and farther away wheat. There would be a couple of mills to make flour. I do not think any household that produces silk would be part of your fief. The imperial government, even in these turbulent times, would not be pleased with such an arrangement, even some people within the Yuan household would not agree to it."
Yuan Yao listened to him seriously, then he asked. "Even if most peasants relied on farming as the primary means, they would still have a lot of free time left—the time between harvest and next sowing, the time between the sowing and the harvest and such. What did they do at that time?"
"They fish, hunt for pheasants, and some collect honey in forests." Luyan Cheng answered.
"And is the scholar Luyan Cheng, Luyan Mozhi expert in all of these crafts?" Sima Lang asked.
"Mr. Sima Lang, a scholar , doesn't need to be an expert in farming, fishing, and hunting to manage the manor."
"You're quite right, Mr. Luyan Cheng. A scholar doesn't need to be an expert in everything. But, consider this scenario, within these thousand farmers, at least one will get more harvest than others consistently, one will know how to always catch fish, one will know how to find honey quickly, one will know where to place the trap to get a pheasant. If our Lord doesn't do anything, he will get what others would have gotten. If our Lord wants that expert farmer to teach others, we could have a bumper harvest even in difficult situations. If that expert fisherman teaches others we would have enough meat for everyone to eat daily, and so on."
Luyan Cheng visibly deflated. "Mr. Sima Lang, I didn't consider this because no one does it."
"No one does it doesn't mean Xiao Zhiyu shouldn't do it." Sima Lang declared.
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Step!Step!
Sounds of hurried steps sounded all over the main palace of the Yuan family in Ruyang.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Ren Liqiu asked in a hushed voice.
"I heard there was news from the Yuan estate of Luoyang." another maid answered.
Everyone inside the palace hurriedly tended to their respective tasks. The big shots of the Yuan family gathered in the main hall.
Yuan Shu, Yuan Gonglu sat at the highest, and foremost seat at the hall. He scanned the men gathered with his intense gaze.
"Lord Yuan, there is news from the Luoyang estate." A man kneeled before him.
A deafening silence descended after these words were spoken.
"Out with it." Yuan Shu broke the silence.
"Tyrant Dong Zhuo has attacked the manor and all other nobles who had been suspected of being against him." Messenger blurted out in a single breath.
"How do we deal with this?" Yuan Shu asked the congregation.
"It is the sign that Dong Zhuo is murderous and will lead the Han down the ruin." One of the elders spoke harshly.
"Dong Zhuo is clearly traitorous and cannot be allowed to have power." Another elder spoke.
At this point the door to the hall burst open. Yuan Wei walked in unsteady steps clutching a parchment tightly in his hand. It was clear that Yuan Wei had just gone through a battle of life and death.
Everyone in the hall stood up and bowed their heads. Yuan Wei looked around, "The Luoyang manor is lost. If we don't do anything, the Yuan family will not only be nowhere near the power center, it will be only a matter of time until Dong Zhuo sends his imperial army down upon us. Elders, what genius idea do you have to escape this predicament?"
"We sponsored Sun Jian, courtesy name Wentai, during the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Since then, he has earned distinction as the Administrator of Changsha. Our forces are lacking; we should invite him to lend us his strength." an elder proposed.
"Can he single-handedly win against the imperial army? We need more concrete plans." Yuan Wei scoffed.
"Uncle, what is in your hand?" Yuan Shu asked.
"This is a blank parchment of imperial decree. Every one of our allies and honest, important, and loyal officials has taken one each." Yuan Wei answered.
"Elders," Yuan Shu addressed everyone. "I believe my idea can be put to work. If our allies and loyal Han officials agree, we can use the imperial decree to build an army that can defeat Dong Zhuo."
Yuan Wei pushed back. "Even if an army can be gathered, who would lead it? Internal conflicts would tore the army asunder inside out."
Yuan Shu disagreed. "I'm only suggesting it. We don't have to think deeply about it until enough Han officials and our allies agree to it and act upon it. And we can still invite Sun Wetai simultaneously. Questions of who is head of the army can wait until the actual army is formed." He paused for a second. "Once the army is formed all the people who participated would be direct enemies of Dong Zhuo from that moment forth, and hence they would not allow the army to disintegrate easily."
Hearing these elders discussed among themselves for a long time. Time crawled inside the hall. After a long time another messenger entered the hall.
"Loyal Han official Cao Cao sends his regards to the Yuan family and he hopes that you would help him to rescue the emperor and restore the order to the Han."
Within seconds another messenger entered and declared the same.
"Loyal Han official, Grand Administrator of the Dong Commandery, Qiao Mao sends his regards to the Yuan family and he hopes that you would help him to rescue the emperor and restore the order to the Han."
The elders were shocked to hear the same proclamations within seconds of each other, albeit with different names. They asked for the document condemning Dong Zhuo.
The accusations written in the proclamations finally pushed the elders to make the decision. The elders declared their stance.
"We will distribute the documents given by Qiao Mao, and Cao Cao. We shan't use our decree for this. We are certain that with our family's prestige many scholars and officials will follow suit. We shall not spare any strength to bring down the traitor. Also we will extend an invitation to Sun Jian to join us in this righteous endeavour."
Yuan Shu sneered inwardly, just a moment ago they were not ready to accept his plan. But, now, someone else had done it; they were ready to reap the rewards without taking the slightest bit of blame onto themselves.
Yuan Shu scanned around the hall, then he looked at his uncle. "Are you accepting of this?"
Yuan Wei didn't express any joy. "It is inevitable that we will battle Dong Zhuo. It is better if the country thinks we have righteousness on our side. Qiao Mao is one of our allies, and has enormous prestige. Cao Cao is famous for his loyalty and incorruptible nature. Since Dong Zhuo received condemnation from both men we can easily amass the army and no scholar would even dare to write anything negative about us."
"Then I will implement the decision of the elder's council." Yuan Shu declared. "We shall bring the heavens wrath to the traitor Dong Zhuo and rescue the Emperor."