NOVPUB"I feel that among this group of us, we need to find a strategist from an aristocratic family with ancestral roots that stretch far back into history; otherwise, we simply lack this kind of perspective," said Lub Su with a wry smile.
As for top strategists from such prestigious families giving up on Liu Bei, Lub Su didn’t take it to heart. It wasn’t that he was bragging, but the people present were basically enough to fight for the world. As for governing the world, if they won, naturally such figures would appear. Besides, there were top strategists from Humble Families too, and they could just recruit them if they came across any. However, hearing about the blessings that stretched on generation after generation, with no end in sight, spoken of by Qu Qi, Lub Su was quite envious.
To be precise, for a race like China’s, which considered everything for the sake of future generations, the top families desperately needed a way to maintain their familial power. Success achieved in their own generation and blessings extending endlessly to their descendants—such matters were worthy of the utmost effort for many families.
When Lub Su spoke, everyone’s gaze turned to Qu Qi. They all somehow felt that Qu Qi was quite suitable for this task.
"Don’t look at me. Although I am a descendant of a Grand Noble and belong to a Millennia-Old Family, I do not possess your wisdom. This time, I just had the advantage of concept. Personally, I’m quite far behind you all," Qu Qi said helplessly, only to find everyone still staring at him. He sighed and conceded, "How about this, if I come across matters involving aristocratic families, I’ll tell you. As for other matters, I’m really not suitable."
"That would be for the best. But now that I think about it, the concept proposed by the aristocratic families is irresistibly tempting. I’ve never heard of it before, and it seems no one else here has either," Chen Xi nodded in agreement, and then, with a sigh of resignation about the power coveted by the aristocratic families as mentioned by Qu Qi, he asked.
"It must be a Top Aristocratic Family. Your Chen Family should know about it, and as a front-facing figure like you, isn’t your Chen Family too indulgent? Letting you out to make your way in the world without explaining anything?" Qu Qi asked curiously.
"There are some special reasons—I used a rather unique method to strike out on my own," Chen Xi responded with a wry smile, indicating his use of a special way to set out into the world.
Qu Qi was taken aback and then burst into laughter, "Don’t tell me your family disowned you after you sought death, crossed out your name in the genealogy, and returned your name plaque to you, but the ancestral tablets of your parents are still in the ancestral hall?"
"..." Chen Xi didn’t say a word; he just stared at Qu Qi, making the latter feel embarrassed to continue laughing boisterously.
"Alright, no more joking. The Yang Family, Yuan Family, Chen Family, Xun Family, Sima Family, Cui Family, Wang Family, and such families that have more than five hundred years of history and still maintain considerable influence are all in the know," Qu Qi said, feeling a bit uncomfortable under Chen Xi’s stare, so he didn’t talk nonsense and revealed all that he knew.
"Your family has been around for more than five hundred years?" Chen Xi asked with astonishment, as such longevity for a family was significant, with a five hundred-year lineage entrenching them deeply in their respective territories.
"It’s been over three thousand years, even older than your Chen Family," Qu Qi said with a touch of helplessness, "The Tiancang Clan descended from none other than Saint Fuxi, whose blessing was to ritualize the harvest. And yes, that’s my family. Although our ancestors were impressive, we moved to Yizhou to escape the chaos of the Qin Era."
"Oh," Chen Xi nodded, not probing any further; he knew that a family with a long history usually had some extremely rare collections.
"So what I’m doing now is essentially running the family business," Qu Qi boasted, "and my ancestral business looks quite promising."
"Enough about the family business. What I want to know is which families opposed the proposal?" asked Chen Xi, needing to determine which families might truly become troublesome.
"The proposal fizzled out, but not a single family openly opposed or expressed their opinion on it. Personally, though, I’m not too fond of the proposal. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have told you guys about it," Qu Qi said with a smile.
"As established powers, expecting them to deny themselves is unreasonable; solidifying and strengthening their own status has always been the goal of a great family. At most, when necessary, they might toss some scraps to the lower classes in exchange for their gratitude," said Chen Xi, mocking. By now, he pretty much knew the current situation—aside from a few reformers and the bets the aristocracy had placed on Qingzhou, the top figures would likely be preparing to cement the noble class.
"Actually, I too rather fancy the idea of blessings flowing down through generations," intervened Fa Zheng, before Chen Xi could even reach a unified understanding, though he quickly added, "But I can’t guarantee my descendants won’t fall into a trough. Given that, I’d rather carve out a pathway to brightness for them early on!"
Fa Zheng had enjoyed his father’s good fortune, but compared to that loathsome occupation, he believed in everything he could carve out with his own hands!
Fa Zheng felt that such a rigid class structure didn’t promise anything wonderful for his progeny—it was also a kind of shackling. For instance, Fa Zheng disliked the girl from the Wang family, matched to him through family arrangements, but it seemed he had no choice but to marry her!
Given his own experiences, Fa Zheng felt it was better to give them hope, a chance to establish a foundation through their own hands and intellect, and he greatly valued Liu Bei’s saying, "Ask not of age, nor of background, only of talent and virtue!"
"The virtue of a sage endures for five generations; I won’t dwell on how my future offspring should be. Isn’t it precisely because of the principle of valuing talent and virtue over birth and age that we can sit here today? When we weren’t in this position, we yearned for this fairness, so why should we cling to it forever once we’ve attained it! Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you!" Fa Zheng slammed the table and stood up, "Right or wrong, don’t we know the difference?"
Fa Zheng, young and impassioned at only sixteen, would not consider anything else when his spirit was roused, roaring directly at everyone present.
"Suddenly, I feel that Xiaoo Zhi makes a lot of sense," sighed Lu Su, recalling Yuan Shu’s invitation, that unworthy man who held his position without merit, while he could only stay at home, enviously reading letters. "I, too, want to see what kind of people these millennia-old families can cultivate."
"My Liu family still stands; how could I allow the unworthy to do as they please?" declared Liu Ye with commanding presence.
"Justice is the righteousness I will continue to uphold!" stated Man Chong, his expression unwavering. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
"I also need to leave a path for my descendants," said Jia Xu, a gentle smile on his face, though a chilling intent was unmistakably present in his eyes. The Humble Family had been suppressed by the top aristocratic families for two hundred years; how could he let them have their way indefinitely? Even if his Jia family became one of those great families, he wouldn’t allow such a thing to happen!
"How could we allow such a thing to happen? My Mi Family fully supports Lord Xuande’s sweeping campaign against the lower nobles!" Mi Zhu’s refined demeanor took on a hint of severity. Were they not the people who would make a name for the Mi family?
"Do not do unto others what you would not want done to yourself," said Sun Qian solemnly.
"It seems none of us have any intention of changing our aspirations," Chen Xi said with a smile, "As long as we stand united, I’m certain we’ll be unbeatable. In this, my faith is unwavering!"
All present grew solemn, then under Chen Xi’s lead, turned their gazes to Fa Zheng, "Young man, what was that about your descendants? Have you even grown a full beard yet?"
The teasing turned Fa Zheng crimson with embarrassment, and his earlier firmness vanished in an instant, leaving him so incensed he wanted to rush at Chen Xi and challenge him one-on-one—Guo Jia used to rib him at every opportunity, and now it seemed Chen Xi had taken up that mantle! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote and support with your monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
