Mythical Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2134: Chapter 1893: The First Stage Comes to an End

If it were fifty years of peaceful history, the Guanxi noble family might still remember the Yang Family’s kindness due to fear of Yuan Shu’s slaughter. But fifty years later, if there are no surprises, after Yuan Shu has purged the pests, the aristocratic families, no longer weakened by old age, might already be ennobled.

At that time, how will the Yang Family govern the first-class aristocratic families like the Huangfu, Wan, Zhang, Huan, and Zhao, destined to step abroad? By face? Foolishness!

If the Yang Family can rise in a short time, other families will continue to follow. But by then, without a fiefdom, how exactly will the Yang Family rise?

Even if the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers domestically really offer more advantages than those controlling the country, what a joke—having a family-run state means that as long as they manage the country well, no matter how many times they lose outside, they will eventually recover.

The struggle of aristocratic families isn’t about who wins the most, just who laughs last.

If there was only one unified country in the Central Plains, people like Yang Jun and Yang Ji who can pretend to rule the world are not considered valuable talents for aristocratic families. But in the later situation, jumping ones like Yang Jun and Yang Ji can only bring disaster to their family.

Fifty years later, without a fiefdom, the Yang Family cannot possibly compete with other aristocratic families. To say "compete" isn’t correct; it should be said, other families can afford to lose, while the Yang Family can’t afford to.

How would the Yang Family face those old subordinates? Think about the United Kingdom and the United States back then, this is only one United States. If there were a dozen United States, how should the United Kingdom handle it? Or one may ask, can the United Kingdom still manage?

Chen Xi seldom shows his likes and dislikes for aristocratic families, not because of concealing emotions, but because taking aristocratic families for him is like taking kindergarten kids across the street—what’s there to be angry about?

However, one must admit, if Chen Xi wants to handle aristocratic families, it’s actually simple enough to bury them. Because the direction Chen Xi is moving could be enough to knock them down with just one wave, while a piece of Golden Scale can assure them of generations without troubles.

In such situations, the further they go, the more aristocratic families follow Chen Xi’s steps closely, because without Chen Xi’s intervention, the mutual comparisons among aristocratic families are enough to make those falling behind regret deeply and strive to catch up.

Prestige indeed can be built through kill, but also led by the right direction forward, and the latter method more easily forms a grand momentum, harder to overturn.

"I can’t tell you the exact situation, only that if you really anger Chen Xi, Yang Family might struggle to catch up with us in five hundred years. Therefore, I don’t mind being the knife, fulfilling my will while strengthening the Yuan Family. Even if I die, my siblings, my father, my ancestors are all here; perhaps they would also wish to sacrifice a generation for this!" Yuan Shu became increasingly defiant.

Yang Biao looked at the defiant Yuan Shu, knowing these words are true. It felt like suddenly losing the backbone or like a deflated balloon, aging twenty years in a moment, much hunchbacked.

"Pray, if you really anger him, the Yang Family might only be able to watch us for the next five hundred years." Yuan Shu said to Yang Biao with a bit of resignation, "His path is different from ours, not that we are weak, but he is too strong."

The cell imprisoning Yang Biao became completely silent, and Yuan Shu looked at his father-in-law seemingly at the twilight of his life and sighed deeply. An old man who fought for his family all his life realized that one decision might leave the family unable to turn around for five hundred years—surviving is already fortunate!

[Alas, I am not stupid, nor is Sun Bofu. We are all using what we do best to fight for the descendants.] Yuan Shu silently thought as he looked at Yang Biao opposite.

Indeed, these people are not highly intelligent nor skilled in political battles. Yuan Shu knows what he’s doing and realizes that if people like him enter the officialdom to play political battles, he might even have his bones crushed for oil; hence, he prefers not to use his brain.

I don’t want my brain; I will carry out my will, physically, with everything I have to implement it; never turning back, leaving the thinking to others, and thus possibly live well, securing all the rightful benefits for the family.

Chen Xi didn’t know what happened in the Imperial Prison. Strictly speaking, he planned to bring some food to see how Yuan Shu was doing in the evening. Although Jia Xu clearly told Chen Xi that Yuan Shu was just lying there, not suffering humiliation, Chen Xi still planned to check, after all, Yuan Gonglu is also his own.

Although the afternoon was a voice transmission talk, it still made Chen Xi feel dizzy. But compared to the morning, the improvement was that all senior ministers had tea on the desk.

"Let’s stop here for today; we’ll discuss the next part tomorrow." Chen Xi said tiredly to the group, after which the Grand Princess announced the day’s end and a banquet was granted in the evening.

After exiting the hall, Chen Xi felt much better after blowing in the wind for a while. Then, at that moment, an old man who looked somewhat trembling walked over.

Seeing the old man approaching him, Chen Xi hurriedly reached out to support him. Although he was quite afraid of these old men, running away would indeed be embarrassing.

"Marquis Chen, would you mind me interrupting for a few words?" The old man said with a smile.

"I don’t mind, as long as you don’t have any bumps today." Chen Xi smiled and replied.

"I’ve come for the Yang Family," Zhao Qi got straight to the point, understanding that speaking in circles with someone like Chen Xi was a complete waste of time and might not even be understood.

"As expected, the Commandant of Jingzhao is essentially the heartland of the Yang Family to some extent. The old man must be in his early nineties," Chen Xi inquired calmly.

"Ninety-two, but I’ve come to see the new climate of the Han Dynasty," Zhao Qi said with a smile. "I think I can live another ten or eight years."

"Then why get involved? What is your connection to the Yang Family?" Chen Xi sighed, "Don’t you know that the more you get entangled, the more troublesome it becomes?"

"How could I not know? But I’m here to hand this over to Marquis Chen. When you go to the Imperial Prison, you’ll understand," Zhao Qi laughed, straightening his back with some effort and handing over a pile of documents to Chen Xi. He then saluted and left, leaning on his cane.

Chen Xi watched Zhao Qi’s departing figure with confusion, flipping through the materials Zhao Qi had given him, growing angrier as he read, "The Yang Family is courting death!"

"Uncle Zhao, is this how you deceive the younger generation of the Chen Family because you think there’s no one left in our family?" Chen Ji, leaning on the carved railing, raised an eyebrow as he looked at Zhao Qi returning from the side.

"I’m not deceiving anyone. Your young master wants to deal with the Yang Family without taking action. I’m just giving him a knife. Isn’t that helping?" Zhao Qi was fearless regarding Chen Ji’s questioning.

"Is that how you hand over a knife? Why don’t you just give it to Yuan Gonglu?" Chen Ji glanced at Cheng Yu, who had already made a run for it. "I’ve known since back then that this guy is full of tricks. So many years, and he hasn’t changed. Playing like this will ruin his reputation sooner or later."

"What do you think your master will do with the Yang Family?" Zhao Qi also glanced back at Cheng Yu. Cheng Yu sought his help, and as long as it wasn’t too difficult, he would assist. Rather than Cheng Yu seeking him, it was more like the old man was bored.

"He won’t bother handling it; he’ll just toss the matters to Yuan Gonglu." Chen Ji said coldly, then looked puzzlingly at the people around him, "What does Zhao Wen want to do? Did one of us bring him here?"

The old men exchanged glances and instantly realized. "Hahaha, Chen Yuanfang, you got played by the Yang Family. They’re trying to alleviate ill will this time. See, see, I told you Yang Biao isn’t that foolish."

In reality, Zhao Wen didn’t say much after meeting with Chen Xi; he simply handed over a stack of papers, which Chen Xi initially thought were dirt on the Yang Family like Zhao Qi’s, but it turned out to be a conversation between Yang Biao and Yuan Shu in the Imperial Prison.

After reading it, Chen Xi sighed deeply. There was nothing left to say. Every household has its difficulties, and the Yang Family’s direct promises were included, something Chen Xi couldn’t have imagined the Yang Family would achieve.

"The Three Dukes of Five Generations, so be it." Chen Xi instructed someone to send the materials he had read to Jia Xu and then drove to the Imperial Prison.

To be honest, the Imperial Prison wasn’t a place where people could freely come and go, but Chen Xi, being both the Minister of Personnel and possessing a letter from the Grand Princess, encountered no resistance and easily got to meet Yang Biao and Yuan Shu.

"Yuan Gonglu, what are your thoughts on staying here?" Chen Xi glanced at Yang Biao, who was already dispirited, and then at Yuan Shu, sitting there, asking.

"Hurry up and get me out of here. This wretched place, there’s nothing even to eat," Yuan Shu said irritably. "Before, there was someone to chat to, and now, look at the situation across the way; can you still talk?"

"Sigh, he’s had the conversation recorded and sent to me. I’ve read it. How do you plan to handle the Yang Family?" Chen Xi glanced at Yuan Shu.

"Have our branch executed," Yang Biao answered for Yuan Shu.

"Have this branch executed, nullifying everything previously said. The Yang Family remains the Yang Family, and it gives you an explanation." Yuan Shu sighed deeply. It wasn’t necessary to go to this extent initially, but Yang Biao didn’t dare to gamble anymore.

"Then let it be. I won’t get involved," Chen Xi said nothing more. "From now on, it’s up to you. As for what will happen, don’t worry. You’ll definitely live to see that day."

After speaking, Chen Xi stood up and walked towards the exit. There was no fear of death in Yang Biao’s eyes; for someone like him, being able to preserve the entire family’s legacy through death held no fear.

"Enjoy this period. Talk well with the other members of the Yang Family," Chen Xi said slowly as he walked towards the turn.