The strongest devouring system in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 184 Flattery

Chen Er did not disturb anyone. He simply took Wang Hui and two personal guards with him, put on plain clothes, and walked out of the back door of Gao Shun's general's mansion.

"My lord, it's so early, everyone must still be asleep." Wang Hui said to Chen Er as he stepped out the door and saw the deserted street.

“We are now in a place where the gentry gather. How could they possibly get up so early? Even their servants wouldn’t get up so early.”

Chen Er said, "Ordinary people have to plan for their livelihood every day. At this time, the sky is already beginning to brighten, and it is time to work. Especially for those people who still have to farm outside the city, they have to get up early and work late, making the most of every minute."

"Our lord observes the lives of ordinary people with such keen insight; he is truly a wise and virtuous ruler."

Wang Hui flattered him, but it was clear that his flattery was too blatant. Chen Er said to Wang Hui, "Understanding the people's conditions and lives is something every official should do."

"If we can't even understand how the people survive, how can we effectively govern the region and enable the people to live a good life?"

"Your Excellency is right," Wang Hui quickly lowered his head and admitted his mistake, "Your subordinate knows his error."

"You'll eventually have to take on other roles; you can't stay by my side as an adjutant forever. So you must understand that you must be able to understand everyone, whether they are ordinary people or soldiers and officers. Only by truly understanding them can you understand what you need to do," Chen Er said earnestly.

"Your teachings will be kept in mind."

Hearing Chen Er's teachings, Wang Hui understood two things: one was Chen Er's high regard for and cultivation of him, and the other was that Chen Er already intended to send him down to a lower-level position for training.

Actually, this is a good thing. Wang Hui has experience serving under the King of Wei, which will be very useful for his future development. However, Wang Hui is still somewhat conflicted about taking a position in a lower or local area.

After all, no matter how good other positions are, they can't compare to being by Chen Er's side. If Chen Er becomes the emperor, he will be a close minister of the emperor, and a very important one at that.

However, if Wang Hui stays by Chen Er's side, he won't be able to gain any military merits or local political achievements, which is also a problem for his future development.

"Let's think about it later. Now is not the time to think about this."

In the instant Wang Hui was stunned, Chen Er had already walked a few meters ahead. Wang Hui quickly shook his head and followed. Now was not the time to be stunned.

After walking for more than ten minutes, the streets gradually became more crowded. Some vendors were setting up stalls, and some shops selling steamed buns and mantou already had fresh mantou ready to be steamed.

Chen Er went up and bought a few more with great interest. Of course, Wang Hui was the one who paid for them. How could Chen Er possibly have money on him? It was impossible for him to even think about it. Moreover, it was unrealistic for Chen Er to have money on him.

Because he had never seen himself have any money, all the expenses of the Prince of Wei's mansion were managed by Su Xiao and Cai Yan. Chen Er came and went without spending any money and had no habit of carrying money at all.

"Shopkeeper, you must tell me, the steamed buns at this shop are really delicious."

After finishing his steamed bun, Wang Hui said to Chen Er, not addressing Chen Er as "Lord" in public, but as "Manager" according to his usual practice.

"After all, there was no such thing as gutter oil or clenbuterol in this era."

Chen Er casually answered Wang Hui, but Wang Hui was completely dumbfounded. What did gutter oil mean? What was lean meat powder? Chen Er also realized what was going on at this moment and looked at the three of them who were stunned.

Chen Er quickly explained, "What I mean is that the owner of this shop uses only the best oil and meat, and with his excellent cooking skills, it naturally tastes delicious. I heard Mr. Andeli mention this before."

"Before their destruction, some shops in the West started using leftover oil from customers to reprocess and cook food in order to make more profit."

"People like that deserve to die," Wang Hui said with a hint of disgust. Fortunately, the people of their empire were very honest and simple and wouldn't do such a thing, otherwise he probably wouldn't eat at those taverns anymore.

"Haha, don't worry, such things won't happen in the area I'm managing for now, but we must strengthen management in this area in the future."

Looking at the expressions of Wang Hui and the other two, Chen Er said with a smile, "In the future, the number of hired workers in the districts I manage will definitely increase, and the number of people who don't cook for themselves will definitely increase. In this situation, we must strengthen the supervision of the catering industry. Otherwise, if nothing happens, it will be fine, but if something does happen, it will definitely be a big deal."

“Remember this and write it down in your memo when you get back,” Chen Er said to Wang Hui.

"Yes, my lord."

After breakfast, Chen Er and his group continued walking down the street, stopping from time to time to check on the business of the shops in front of them. When they passed by some textile businesses, Chen Er would ask about their production output and business conditions, acting as a businessman.

Seeing how detailed Chen Er's questions were, Wang Hui couldn't help but start paying attention to Chen Er's questions and the answers of those being asked, as these would likely become the basis for Chen Er's subsequent orders.

"I believe we should take a closer look at how the people in this area are living."

Wang Hui said to Chen Er, who nodded and said, "That's true. But have you thought about it? Even a small county town has tens of thousands of people. How are you going to investigate the lives of the people in this area?"

"Well, I haven't thought about that yet," Wang Hui stammered.

Chen Er asked Wang Hui, "What do you think is most important to the common people?"

"Making a living? Ordinary people struggle every day just to make a living, so naturally money and food are the most important things to them."

"That's right, money and grain are essential for people's lives. You might say that money may not be that important, but that's not true. In my opinion, in the future, money will become the most important thing in people's lives."

"Unless you are a hermit, living a secluded life every day, growing all your own resources, then what about salt? And what about other necessities that you can't produce yourself?"

Chen Er's series of questions stunned Wang Hui once again. The questions came out of nowhere, and Wang Hui didn't know how to answer them. He had never thought about these questions before.