Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Alas, finding an ideal system... It’s something I’ve considered before, but every system requires people to carry it out, and we can’t guarantee that we ourselves would remain unchanged in the years to come,” Li Youu sighed deeply. Even we can’t guarantee we wouldn’t change!

”In fact, the danger posed by the corruption of an entire system far outweighs that caused by the corruption of a single individual, and it’s far more enduring,” Li Youu added, clearly having given this matter serious thought. His words carried an undeniable conviction.

”That’s indeed true. Systemic corruption is much harder to resolve than personal corruption,” Chen Xi nodded slowly. As Li Youu spoke, Chen Xi was reminded of the Ming Dynasty’s system, and then of the so-called Donglin Faction—perhaps there wasn’t a more detestable group in the world.

”Forget it, let’s talk about this another time. History is ultimately a cycle endlessly looping, and all historic events are, in essence, what’s happening now,” Chen Xi said with a bitter smile. ”If I have the chance, I’ll write down the theory of historical cyclical patterns for you to read and see if there’s a way to break out of this cycle.”

”Historical cyclical patterns?” Li Youu tilted his head, puzzled, as he looked at Chen Xi.

”It’s a theory that explains why every dynasty is destined to meet its demise,” Chen Xi replied with a bitter grin, his gaze distant as if seeing the end of a dynasty.

”Such a thing exists?” Li Youu asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise.

”Yes, it truly exists,” Chen Xi waved dismissively. ”I’ll look into the data later and write a copy for you—you’ll understand it once you read it.”

”I’m genuinely interested. Besides, with problems, there are naturally solutions. If nothing else, it may just be that our wisdom falls short of deriving one. At the very least, we’ve identified the issue—even if one day we fall, we’d at least understand why,” Li Youu smirked. While many of Chen Xi’s books seemed eccentric, upon deeper reflection, even Li Youu found them impressive.

”To be honest, understanding won’t make a difference,” Chen Xi scoffed lightly. ”Later, I’ll arrange for Zilong to travel to Mount Tai to escort our family members and handle the relocation of personnel. You prepare the list for me, and I’ll compile it.”

”I finished the list before coming here. I’ll have someone send it over to you later—it’s not with me at the moment. But who do you intend to appoint at Fenggao?” Li Youu asked with an underlying implication. Given the current situation, as long as they didn’t act recklessly, unifying the land was essentially a matter of time. By then, Fenggao, their birthplace of resurgence, would likely be designated as the secondary capital!

The official position of a secondary capital would naturally be one rank higher than others, and the role of Prefectural Governor would be no less than that of a true high-ranking official earning ”Two Thousand Bushels”—potentially even elevated to the rank of the Nine Ministers.

”Recommend someone,” Chen Xi said indifferently. After all, their group wouldn’t be staying in Fenggao much longer, and they needed to delegate this authority to others.

”Jiangh Gongyan, Wang Shuzhi, and Chen Gongxi. All three are capable and have made commendable contributions. Wang Shuzhi, for instance, successfully defended Linyi. Chen Gongxi, on the other hand, achieved military victories in Yanzhou. All excellent choices,” Li Youu casually suggested three names.

”These three?” Chen Xi raised an eyebrow. ”Has Jiangh Gongyan shown any particularly exceptional achievements?”

”No errors whatsoever,” Li Youu laughed in response. Compared to the other two, Jiangh Wan’s overall performance was more ordinary—to be precise, it lacked highlights. However, the fact that Li Youu mentioned him indicated that his performance had caught attention; some jobs don’t require flair, but stability.

”Send him to Bohai Sea as Magistrate,” Chen Xi decided casually.

”An external assignment, huh? That works too—let’s see if he can prove himself further,” Li Youu said without much concern. Although it seemed like a demotion, being stationed in Bohai Sea would actually present many opportunities.

”As for Wang Shuzhi and Chen Gongxi, let Lord Xuande make the decision, and check with Zijing and Fengxiao to see if they have any opinions,” Chen Xi added after some thought. Chen Chi had been tied to Guan Yu and Guo Jia in logistics work for too long, while Wang Xiu had long served Lub Su as an Assistant Official.

”Personally, I lean toward Shuzhi,” Li Youu pondered aloud. ”As for Gongxi, he’s more suited for development within the military. Relieve him of administrative duties and hand him to Yunchang and Fengxiao—let them figure it out themselves.”

”Then just submit Shuzhi directly,” Chen Xi said nonchalantly.

”Even if I submit all three names, Shuzhi is still my preference. Lord Xuande has a remarkable eye for picking people,” Li Youu shook his head—he was careful to leave room for flexibility in such matters.

”If you submit all three, it’s possible Lord Xuande might choose Jiangh Gongyan,” Chen Xi said, rolling his eyes. Liu Bei had recently met with Jiangh Gongyan and even had a friendly chat, leaving a notably positive impression.

”Then I’ll submit all three,” Li Youu replied carelessly, proceeding exactly as he said.

Afterwards, the two continued chatting about various other topics before parting ways. Meanwhile, Lub Su had unusually not visited the government office for the entire day.

”Finally, they’re done talking!” Xin Xianying grumbled unhappily at Chen Xi, while Zhen Mi wore an expression of helpless resignation.

”I’ll arrange for someone to escort you home,” Chen Xi responded casually, receiving two distinct replies: ”No need.” ”I don’t want that.”

Chen Xi glanced at Zhen Mi, who blushed slightly, while Xin Xianying stood firm, saying, ”I told you I want to repay you.”

”Fine, suit yourself,” Chen Xi said, shrugging. He figured it wouldn’t hurt to see what the little rascal could achieve.

At this point, Zhen Mi found it awkward to leave directly, and Chen Xi noticed her discomfort. ”Let’s go—come take a look at my new residence. There’s bound to be things that need furnishing since I’m not skilled at these matters. As someone from the Zhen Family, I imagine you’ll be quite helpful.”

”If Marquis Chen doesn’t mind, I’d be happy to assist with the arrangements,” Zhen Mi quickly replied, encouraged by Chen Xi’s invitation.

”I can help too!” Xin Xianying said, tugging at Chen Xi’s sleeve.

”Alright, as long as it looks decent. Also, make me that egg custard you mentioned. Once I’ve tried it, you should head home,” Chen Xi said, patting Xin Xianying on the head.

Chen Xi’s gaze momentarily shifted toward Zhen Mi’s hair bun. He vaguely recalled patting her head in the same way years ago—back when she was much shorter. Now, she was nearly of marriageable age.

”What are you looking at?” Zhen Mi asked softly, her tone slightly timid.

”Nothing—just marveling at how quickly time flies,” Chen Xi responded casually as he ruffled Xin Xianying’s hair, a restless irritation brewing within him.

After Xin Xianying slapped away his hand, Chen Xi awkwardly chuckled and led the two to his new residence in Ye City. This place, unsurprisingly, would likely serve him longer than his handcrafted old house in Fenggao of Mount Tai.

”Greetings, master!” A noisy chorus echoed throughout the empty courtyard. Chen Xi sighed—the concepts of ”home” and ”house” truly felt worlds apart. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast recommendation and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)