Chapter 551
Chapter 551
“Is there any news from Shouchun?” Liu Mang asked after putting down the report regarding Yuzhou.
“Military Advisor Xu Shu did not bring much news. In the past few days, he was busy repairing the road at Yangzhou.” Jia Xu replied. Compared to before, Yangzhou was now tranquil. With so much time to reorganize, Yangzhou flourished industrially and commercially. There were no big matters aside from providing provisions to the front lines.
Liu Mang nodded at this. He was the one that ordered Xu Shu to repair the roads as he knew that it was the first step in order to make the region flourish.
Shouchun can go to Guangling by following the nearby river which is why it could develop. However, the land routes were still lacking.
Huang Zhong still had two hundred and fifty thousand men left in Yangzhou. They were used by Xu Shu to repair the roads. Normally road repairs meant filling the potholes with sand but Liu Mang also ordered for cement to be placed on top of the roads.
The cement had been useful for building the city walls but could not be taken out as it was military goods. The extra cement they had been keeping were now used to repair roads.
Liu Mang did not expect the roads to be perfect but he wanted it improved so that they could save effort when transporting things between cities. This would not only make trade easier but also make it easier when deploying troops.
“Good. Continue building the roads. We also need to build a bridge to connect the two areas.” Liu Mang nodded. He was the one decided the focus of development in Yangzhou.
Liu Mang then decided to tease Jia Xu. “Right. I heard that your woman is pregnant?” Even Jia Xu who was wise in the ways of human relations blushed. Liu Mang started to regret. Why did he even bother mentioning this?
The person Liu Mang was referring to was naturally not Jia Xu’s wife. His wife was already over forty years old. In that era, having a child at that age can be life threatening. Jia Xu’s penis was unable to stand which was a shame as a man. However, Liu Mang had given him a pill that helped his penis stand. So Jia Xu started to have sex with the women he obtained from the brothel.
“How many of them got pregnant? You can still do it even though you are old!” Liu Mang teased.
“Haha! Two of them!” Jia Xu replied. With that pill, he did it every day. Although it was exhausting, the hard times were over.
“Better to have two or you might make a loss! You would not have been able to defend your position if you get a daughter!” Liu Mang teased. Jia Xu jumped. “Who said so? Who said I will have a daughter?”
“Haha!” Liu Mang laughed as he looked at the lively Jia Xu. At the same time, he felt some doubt as Jia Xu was already over forty years old. A little too old to have children. However, for Liu Mang, it did not matter as to whether he had children. He who was born in the ancient times felt that having a daughter was better than having a son. Daughters can obtain dowry and someone else’s home but you have to give away your house to your son. People say that having daughters is like investing in a bank while having sons is like constructing a bank.
Liu Mang did not care whether he got a son or a daughter. This is because he already have position and wives but not children. What he needed was to have a child then Yangzhou would be stable.
That was why Liu Mang envied Jia Xu for getting two women pregnant while Liu Mang himself had nothing despite making the efforts with his wives. Liu Mang was even starting to doubt his own fertility as it was unlikely that all three of his wives were infertile.
Liu Mang felt pessimistic and wondered if he should go to a hospital. At this moment, Guan Hai came saying that a young lady was here to see Liu Mang.
Guan Hai had already recovered from his injury. Since Liu Mang did not have any particular mission for him and Zhou Cang, they ended up becoming his attendant.
“A young lady?” Liu Mang was not familiar with any young ladies in Jingzhou.
“Haha! Milord is blessed. Flowers at home and flowers lining up outside!” Jia Xu took his revenge for when Liu Mang cursed him to have a daughter instead of a son.
“Wenhe. Should I ask Liu Biao to let you stay here as our envoy when I leave Jingzhou?” Liu Mang asked back with a smile.
“Please don’t! I am already old and cannot bear such heavy responsibilities!” Jia Xu was flustered. He was not stupid enough to think that the peace between Jingzhou and Yangzhou will last forever. Jingzhou is sure to have funny ideas when Liu Mang is dealing with Cao Cao. Liu Biao himself will not last long. If a war starts between Yangzhou and Jingzhou, he did not want to be Jingzhou’s envoy.
“Then shut up!” Liu Mang replied in a bad mood. He was with Jia Xu the entire time so Jia Xu would know whether he had been meeting anyone.
“Yes! Yes!” Jia Xu said as he gave Liu Mang a glance. Liu Mang is allowed to say anything he wants but Jia Xu was not allowed to say anything. It was truly unfair.
“Did that lady say her name?” Liu Mang asked. The only woman he knew in Jingzhou was Lady Cai. However, they only contacted each other secretly and not even through proxies like this. After all, they could not be seen close to each other with their positions.
“No.” Guan Hai shook his head. “The lady simply said there is something important she has to tell you!”
Liu Mang wanted to chase her away as he was not someone that anyone can just meet. There had been common citizens who came to his residence filing complaints. Liu Mang did not know whether to laugh or cry. Even though he is the King of Shu, he was powerless in Jingzhou. However, Guan Hai added that the lady was crying so she may actually have something important to say.
“Really?” Liu Mang asked doubtfully.
“Milord. Why don’t you just see her? It could be that …” Jia Xu barely finished his sentence when he was kicked by Liu Mang. Liu Mang knew that Jia Xu was talking about the barbarian princess.
“Let her in!” Liu Mang waved his hand and sat on his chair. After all, he did not have anything else to do for the day. If it was another citizen filing a complaint, he could help them within his limits.
“Yes.” Guan Hai nodded. He soon returned with a woman that was covered in tears. The woman knelt in front of Liu Mang. “Your Highness! Run!”