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Chapter 994: The Wheel of Fortune Turns
🕑 Added 2024-11-03 09:54:28 +0000 UTCLiang Mao had no memory of how he walked out of Chen Xi's residence. The elegant decorations of the mansion went unnoticed as he left. The dream Chen Xi had painted for him left him utterly dizzy.
“You’re lying again!” Xin Xianying tugged on Chen Xi’s sleeve, making a playful face as she spoke.
“I’m not lying!” Chen Xi bent down, pinching Xin Xianying’s cheek. “I’m telling the truth.”
“Liar!” Xin Xianying mumbled, her speech slurred from having her cheek pinched. She reached out to try to pinch Chen Xi’s face in retaliation.
“Hahaha.” Chen Xi released her and ruffled her hair, making a mess of it. Xin Xianying immediately ran off, clutching her head.
“I’m not playing with you anymore! You won’t even read me a story. I’m going to find Sister Zhen!” Xin Xianying called from the side door, sticking her head out and puffing her cheeks at Chen Xi.
“How about I take you to the family alliance meeting tomorrow?” Chen Xi’s eyes twinkled mischievously. Sometimes, he enjoyed doing things on a whim.
“What’s a family alliance meeting?” Xin Xianying asked curiously.
“It’s just a bunch of so-called important people arguing. I’ll take you to watch, and you can help serve tea,” Chen Xi said as he walked over and grabbed Xin Xianying again. Sometimes, having a little troublemaker around helped ease the weight of difficult thoughts.
“But the chair is too high, and the table is too tall. How can I serve tea? I might even burn myself,” Xin Xianying pouted, feeling dissatisfied. She wasn’t even tall enough to reach the table.
“I’ll be sitting on a mat in front of the table,” Chen Xi laughed. “And if you behave, you might see some family heads who are not even as wise as a child like you. So, what do you say? Want to come?”
“Is it going to be a bunch of old men?” Xin Xianying tilted her head, imagining the scene.
“Probably,” Chen Xi said, gazing at the ceiling. “That’s why I need you there to lighten the mood. So, are you coming?”
“Will there be a reward?” Xin Xianying hesitated, looking around before asking.
“You sly little thing. If you come, your father will be allowed to return home,” Chen Xi said, flicking her forehead gently.
This time, Xin Xianying didn’t pretend to be hurt or crouch down to fake cry. Instead, she stared wide-eyed at Chen Xi before excitedly pouncing on his arm, nearly pulling him off balance.
“Great! Chen Hou, you’re a good person! I’ll go! I’ll go!” Xin Xianying cheered, hopping up and down while clinging to Chen Xi’s arm.
“I knew you’d say yes,” Chen Xi patted Xin Xianying’s head, calming her down. If she kept bouncing around, he’d start to feel dizzy. As for Xin Bi, who stubbornly refused to surrender, Chen Xi figured that unless he was allowed to see the truth for himself, he would never give up. Better to let him out and see for himself.
By now, most of the spies loyal to the Yuan family in Yecheng had been rooted out, so Chen Xi wasn’t worried about Xin Bi causing any real damage if released.
Bringing Xin Xianying along was a whim, but it was also to show certain family heads that even a child could grasp when to stop and what they needed—unlike the endless greed some of them displayed.
“In the afternoon, I’ll read you some stories. Since my disciple seems to have disappeared to who knows where, I’ll spend my daily teaching hour with you. Don’t let me down,” Chen Xi said with a chuckle, thinking of his apprentice Lu Xun, whom he had barely taught.
That night, countless family heads found it impossible to sleep peacefully. By this point, they all knew that whatever Chen Xi said tomorrow could affect their families' fortunes for the next hundred years.
The influential families of Yingchuan gathered, their expressions filled with resignation. When Liu Bei first came to Yingchuan to invite scholars, they had rejected him. Now, looking back, they realized that he had taken Yingchuan's brightest jewel without anyone noticing.
Every family in Yingchuan remembered what Chen Xi had said to Liu Bei as they left, “I won’t disappoint you. I don’t think I’m any weaker than them. Let’s go. Since the aristocratic families don’t welcome us, we’ll show them a strength that makes the entire world tremble and regret their choices.”
They also remembered Liu Bei’s response, “Alright, let’s show a strength that makes the aristocratic families tremble and regret their choices.”
At the time, it had seemed like such a laughable declaration, but looking back now, who among the powerful families could laugh? The strength they now wielded left all the aristocrats breathless, proving they didn’t need the families to sustain the nation.
For the first time, the families realized the world could continue without their class. The once-glorious aura of eternal legacy was slowly stripped away by a strategist born from the very same aristocracy.
“How truly magnificent,” Xun Shuang murmured, breaking the silence.
Xun Shuang, who should have passed away several years ago due to illness, had survived thanks to the medicinal formulas released by Hua Tuo. Not only had he survived, but he seemed to be thriving.
After his recovery, Xun Shuang had even paid a visit to Hua Tuo in thanks. He then detoured to attend the family alliance, and in the face of his authority, the current head of the Xun family had no choice but to step aside.
“It’s incredible. I can hardly believe someone from my family has achieved such heights,” Chen Guang said with a bitter smile. He was the sixth son of Chen Shi, belonging to the direct line of Chen Qun’s generation. He was now the most central figure in the Chen family apart from Chen Qun himself.
“I don’t think there’s anything to feel conflicted about. Seeing the younger generation rise far beyond us, so high that we can’t even glimpse their full potential, isn’t that what we’ve always hoped for?” Chen Shang said nonchalantly. Chen Xi had already made it clear that he wouldn’t destroy the aristocratic families, so as long as the Chen family stood behind him, there was nothing to fear.
“It’s just strange how fate has turned,” Chen Guang sighed. The rise of Chen Qun had already given the Chen family hope of reaching new heights, but before he could feel too down about the Xun family surpassing them, the Chen family produced someone even more awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, that person didn’t come from his direct line.
“Fate is always unpredictable. We, the older generation, should simply watch from the sidelines,” Xun Shuang chuckled, taking a sip of wine.
After visiting Mount Tai and comparing it to the old Han court, as well as the current state of the various regions, Xun Shuang felt that Liu Bei ruling the land wasn’t such an unacceptable outcome.
“I didn’t expect you to be the one who’s most at peace with all this,” Chen Guang said with a touch of envy, looking at Xun Shuang. This man, once hailed as one of the wisest in the land, had long since seen beyond the concerns of the current generation. After all, a new generation will always surpass the old.
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