The Power-Hungry Brother-in-Law Gets His Authority Cut

In fact, although Mi Zhu's official rank was not high, the authority he wielded was immense. He could be considered one of the top five figures under Liu Bei.

Of course, this did not include Lord Guan, Zhang San, or Wang Xuan himself. In terms of actual power, Mi Zhu ranked just below Xi Zhicai, who governed an entire region.

Just look at what he managed: all commercial affairs, the intelligence network, the financial system, every mine and factory. His authority was simply excessive!

The main reason things had reached this point was that Liu Bei's subordinates lacked professionals in these fields—or, to put it plainly, they lacked talent.

"After this Talent Recruitment Order is sent out, it can be predicted that many talented people will come to seek refuge with Duke Xuande. When that happens, I'll suggest to Duke Xuande that some of your authority be reduced. Right now, you control the finances with one hand and commerce with the other, while also managing industry and taxation. Your authority is too great. That's not good—you'll become the target of people's jealousy!" Wang Xuan looked at Mi Zhu and spoke with utmost seriousness.

Hearing this, Mi Zhu froze. He had transformed from a mere merchant and fulfilled the long-held wish of three generations of his family. His desire for authority was extraordinarily strong, which was why he had worked diligently around the clock ever since taking office. Now that Wang Xuan had directly said he intended to strip him of some authority, Mi Zhu found it genuinely difficult to accept.

Of course, he knew that Wang Xuan would not harm him. But understanding that did not mean he was willing to give it up. Seeing Wang Xuan's solemn expression, Mi Zhu forced an extremely ugly smile and, with great difficulty,