Mythical Three Kingdoms

"I can tolerate the privileges of the Great Aristocratic Families, their desire for power and land, and even their incessant growth in ambition," Chen Xi said, almost making Chen Shang's heart bloom with joy. "As long as they do not shake the foundation of the state, in my view, the existence of the Great Aristocratic Families is reasonable."

"However, all privileges, all desires for power and land, must be linked to responsibility; otherwise, what the Great Aristocratic Families do, in essence, is undermine the foundations of the state." Chen Xi's words left Chen Shang utterly helpless.

"Is there no room for turning back?" Chen Shang asked helplessly.

"None. Do you still remember how the Chen Family rose to power? From the self-imposed isolation and decline of the Western Zhou, to the impoverished rise during the Spring and Autumn Period, followed by the decay at the start of the Warring States' prosperity, and then the continuous accumulation to reach today's level," Chen Xi stated indifferently.

"But..." Chen Shang tried to argue, but Chen Xi interrupted him bluntly, "Without foreign threats, the self-enclosed Great Aristocratic Families will disappear in the long river of history. It would be better for me to cut away the chaff myself and preserve the essence."

"You still have a chance, uncle. Convince me, and I will help you. If you fail, I will take up the knife myself. At least if you fall by my hand, there's always a chance of rising again. If you're overthrown by the whole world, there will be no more opportunities for you." At that moment, Chen Xi was extremely solemn, like a warrior ready to face a challenge.

"Can I convince you?" Chen Shang scoffed, "Who are you? You are Chen Zichuan, the Marquis of Yingshang Pavilion, the Marquis Chen who propped up the coalition of Feudal Lords at a tender age. If I could convince you, would I even need to do so?"

"Then let me try to convince you, uncle. Uncle Zichuan dares to ask, are the methods that the Great Aristocratic Families used to gain their current strength reasonable?" Chen Xi looked into Chen Shang's eyes as he spoke, realizing that he seemed to have an innate suppression over the Great Aristocratic Families, in status and all other aspects, a full-fledged suppression.

"Reasonable!" Chen Shang declared firmly.

"Reasonable?" Chen Xi chuckled lightly, still gazing at Chen Shang.

"Reasonable." Chen Shang's eyes were steadfast as he spoke with conviction.

"Reasonable?" Mockery crept into Chen Xi's eyes.

"Reasonable..." Chen Shang clenched his teeth, his eyes flickering slightly.

"It seems you also know the reality of the situation, uncle. Since that is the case, why not let me make it reasonable? At least when I ask you in the future, you can always look me straight in the eye," Chen Xi said seriously.

Chen Xi knew that the Clan Elders of a Great Aristocratic Family like the Chen Family and the Xun Family had their own discernment and did not wish to go against their conscience even for the sake of their families. They inevitably had to speak the truth when questioned by Chen Xi.

"To make it reasonable, it's impossible. The human heart always harbors selfish desires!" Chen Shang shook his head, "The existence of the family is unavoidable, and altruism or partiality is innate. Mozi once spoke of Universal Love, but if your child and a stranger were both drowning and you could only save one, you could not practice Universal love."

"..." Chen Xi pulled a wry smile, finding this aspect of the Chen Family lamentable—they understood all too well the teachings from the Hundred Schools of Thought.

"Uncle, can you not avoid reality? I may not achieve absolute fairness, but at least I can strive for relative reasonableness. I want to ensure that the rights of the Great Aristocratic Families are as fair as their responsibilities, at least so that the commoners of the world don't look upon this entire class with hatred," Chen Xi said calmly.

"Our losses are too great." Chen Shang no longer disguised his concern, pointing directly to the heart of the matter. That Chen Shang had come to this point already showed that after quelling the last bout of rebellious power, the Great Aristocratic Families had begun to contemplate their own problems, hoping to sit down with Chen Xi for a talk—seeking nothing more than to lessen their own losses.

"What do the Great Aristocratic Families want? Don't even think about everlasting privileges," Chen Xi cut off Chen Shang preemptively.

"We won't covet the impossible. The Great Aristocratic Families who are willing to join us have given up their rigid defenses. They just do not want to go down without dignity," Chen Shang waved his hand. He too wasn't pursuing those unrealistic things; what he sought were tangible benefits.

"Fine, we don't need to discuss money—that's settled. What you need is land, family teachings, power, and privileges," Chen Xi observed Chen Shang cautiously, seeing the tense expression of someone representing all the Great Aristocratic Families in negotiating terms, the pressure on him not small.

Indeed, as Chen Xi had mentioned, wealth was not the pursuit of the Great Aristocratic Families. Although they require wealth for comfort, it is not their ultimate aim. For the Great Aristocratic Families, land is the foundation, power is the goal, privileges are the enhancement, and the most important elements are family teachings and land!

With land, there is the capital to rise; with family teachings, paths to ascendancy. The rest—power and even the more distant privileges—can be obtained through the capabilities of the family members. Just like the current Chen Xi, who could have foreseen that the exceptional youth would grow to yield such immense power.

"Indeed, we do need the family teachings, land, power, among other things. But family teachings come first, land second. Power and privileges can be set aside for now," Chen Shang nodded, but immediately corrected the order implied in Chen Xi's words. The Great Aristocratic Families understand the significance of family teachings better than ordinary people.

"Hmm, family teachings above all, that I can understand. Land is secondary, that is also true. Everything else that you mentioned has no issue. Regarding family teachings, I have nothing more to say; I have already opened the Library Pavilion. Whether you are satisfied or not, the Library Pavilion is there," Chen Xi responded, quite pleased upon hearing Chen Shang's words, knowing that the Great Aristocratic Families see things quite clearly.

Chen Xi's response noticeably sank Chen Shang's spirits; if it remained this way, wouldn't they be just like ordinary commoners? The Great Aristocratic Families would have no advantage at all.

Chen Xi seemed to have noticed Chen Shang's expression and smiled. "For the Great Aristocratic Families, one book equals ten. In other words, contribute one book to the collection, and you may select ten to copy!"

At this revelation, Chen Shang's demeanor brightened significantly. With many books in the Library Pavilion, a ten-to-one ratio was a fair deal for the Great Aristocratic Families, although Chen Shang still hoped to gain more.

"So for one book contributed, we can choose any ten to copy? And how many times a year can we do this?" Chen Shang inquired cautiously.

"Of course, that's for ordinary books. Cai Zhaoji has a catalog and a summary of the books. For every book contributed, you can take ten. Of course, the Great Aristocratic Families can nominate a specific book with a contribution, or even if you don't know the title, as long as you specify what kind of summaries you are looking for!" Chen Xi explained, shaking his head, underscoring the importance of setting limits to understand value.

"As for the number of times, let's say up to nine times a year for regular exchanges, and three additional times for specific requests," Chen Xi randomly set the numbers, though he hadn't previously considered any limits until Chen Shang brought it up. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to vote for recommendation and monthly votes at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)