Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1813 - 1681: Finish the Job Before You Die (Part 2)

Jia Mu’s originally calm expression fell apart at Li Youu’s words. Although he wasn’t sure how significant this task was, the fact that it remained unresolved by Lub Su, and was deemed as having enduring merit, suggested that if he botched it, he wouldn’t even need to enter the Jia Clan Gate again.

"Such a major task, I indeed lack experience," Jia Mu said hesitantly as he took the document. Li Youu took a sip of tea before responding, "No worries, if you mess it up, your father is there."

Jia Mu instantly turned pale. Li Youu replied softly, "It’s alright. Not long ago, I heard of a Grand Craftsman rated at level 5. Infuriated, he directly took down the evaluator. Even heavy crossbows weren’t any pressure for a Grand Craftsman."

"So, you don’t need to worry about facing Wen He. If you mess up badly, those advanced craftsmen and even Grand Craftsmen, who were misjudged in the evaluation, wouldn’t let you leave the evaluation scene whole. I’ve heard there have been several such incidents lately."

While Li Youu spoke, Lub Su paused his writing, found several reports among another stack of documents, and indeed discovered cases of attacks on evaluators across various places.

After all, Chen Xi had initially composed teams of evaluators from outside regions to prevent favoritism and corruption, which led to situations where renowned local craftsmen were rated lowly.

If such a thing happened, knowing that a Grand Craftsman might be rated at level 5, Chen Xi could respond calmly, but those involved certainly couldn’t. In this age where reputation mattered, getting rated so low felt as though their renowned skills were undervalued.

If one’s ability truly fell behind others, they might endure it, but when they were way ahead of others and still rated lower, could you endure that?

Thus, some craftsmen resorted to extreme measures, resulting in attacks on evaluators.

Previously, Lub Su thought it was personal vendettas and was puzzled why these evaluators were so often unlucky. But when Chen Xi and Sunx Qian submitted the documents to him, Lub Su understood and therefore sent the detained craftsmen to Ye City for professional evaluation.

None of them were mediocre. Even the lowest were advanced craftsmen, and the more skilled ones were on the verge of becoming Grand Craftsmen. In retrospect, it made sense; without that level of skill, one probably wouldn’t resort to violence. Even the senior Yuan almost lost his restraint back then.

So, Lub Su sent these craftsmen to work under Mi Zhu. They were all re-evaluated too, and their families were brought over. However, each of them bore the label of servitude with punishment. Nonetheless, all due benefits were provided, as it was his own oversight.

Seeing the records of evaluators being attacked over the past few years, Jia Mu’s hair stood on end. If he messed this up, he might be eliminated before he could even return to the Jia Clan Gate.

"It seems you understand the situation," Li Youu said calmly to Jia Mu, then stood up and patted Jia Mu’s shoulder, "Work hard, don’t provoke public wrath and get taken down."

Jia Mu was on the verge of tears, yet Li Youu’s steely heart showed no sympathy. He merely addressed Jia Mu with, "Remember to quickly come up with a plan. Before you accepted this document, I’d already sent people to various places in my jurisdiction to notify them of the matter. Numerous scholars are reading the announcement there."

Jia Mu really wanted to die at that moment. He then thought about escaping to the North. However, before he could plan his escape and ask for his father’s help, Li Youu had already blocked his path.

"I forgot to mention, I specifically had a skilled painter create your likeness, noted your identity, and your address, and also annotated that before the evaluation in three months, you must complete the craftsman evaluation satisfying all. So, remember to hurry up," Li Youu said coldly.

Jia Mu wanted to die, truly, but he absolutely couldn’t die!

Once this information was posted, there would be no running away for Jia Mu. Since the Mount Tai Era, this matter was intertwined with government credibility. Without his portrait and the binding time limit, he might have had the chance to cheat, or take his time. But with these two in place, there was no such possibility.

If he couldn’t complete it within the time limit or couldn’t achieve a result satisfactory to the public, then he was really doomed. With the government’s credibility hanging on this, even his father couldn’t protect him if it faltered here. Chen Xi had spent years building the government’s reputation, and it couldn’t crumble here.

Simply put, once the information is posted, even if Jia Mu were to die, he must complete it before that happens, or the trouble would be monumental.

"Give it your best shot, I believe in you. The evaluation is set for three months later, but considering the time needed to distribute and coordinate according to your plan, your actual time is limited," Li Youu said, patting Jia Mu’s shoulder.

"I really can’t do it," Jia Mu said with a long face.

"The state’s credibility has never been in question. If it happens with you, I think you understand," Li Youu said with utmost seriousness, "There’s still time, hurry and get to work."

When two months and twenty days had passed and Jia Mu completed the whole project, lifting his pen, he couldn’t even remember how he walked out of the Political Office that day.

"This isn’t quite right," Lub Su said to Li Youu after Jia Mu left.

"It’s fine, let this be the test to see if he’s a dragon or a worm," Li Youu said nonchalantly. Jia Mu had excellent potential, just neglected over time. Like Beautiful Jade gradually encrusted with stone skin, its foundation was still jade. Regular carving might not suffice, so walking the unconventional path might yield surprising results.

"But staking Zichuan’s credibility seems excessive," Lub Su said with a frown.

"It’s no concern. If Suzhi can’t be cultivated, I’ll handle the aftermath. As for the official name on record, let it still be his. Consider it an early appointment," Li Youu said calmly, "It’s no longer important to me."

Li Youu was entirely unaware that Jia Mu did far better than he anticipated. When Jia Mu brought the plan to Li Youu after two months and twenty days, he was emaciated, yet his eyes were vibrant. All traces of stagnation were gone, his Spirit significantly improved.

After reviewing the entire proposal, Li Youu could only find a few minor issues. He corrected them effortlessly and discarded his own plan, opting to use Jia Mu’s instead.

Only then did Lub Su realize Jia Mu had the potential to be a workaholic. Daily, he’d survey and gather evidence, then work overtime at night, continuing the next day. For over two months, he slept roughly two hours a day, sometimes working through the night, and astonishingly, Jia Mu only became more spirited. Without a doubt, being able to work overtime and consistently is a capability in itself.

Of course, Li Youu knew nothing of these developments. He was prepared to clean up any mess left by Jia Mu, thinking that as long as Jia Mu’s plan was at least half competent, it would be worth nurturing him.

Li Youu never expected Jia Mu to deliver such a practically flawless plan, nor did he imagine Jia Mu’s plan to be so robust that he couldn’t critique it. To reach that level requires immense Heart Power and extraordinary ability.

So when Li Youu received the plan two months later, he raised Jia Mu’s evaluation from the Ministerial Level to just about qualifying to inherit Jia Xu’s position. This assessment wasn’t an insult but rather genuine admiration. Jia Xu’s level, in this era and even earlier, was unmatched by many.

Of course, this also brought more challenging tasks that would drive Jia Mu insane until one day he became accustomed, capable of facing a harsh reality, and Li Youu assigned him to assist Lub Su.

At that time, Jia Mu, who had long been assigned extremely difficult tasks, started doing more mundane work, which overwhelmed him with gratitude. The proficiency, the speed, the accuracy, the habitual overtime—these made him exactly what Lub Su needed most in an aide.