Mythical Three Kingdoms

[Ah, my child...] Cai Yan’s delicate brows kept twitching, inexplicably agitated, [But speaking of it, a child I give birth to might also have the foundation of a Spiritual Talent like Zhenji from birth, hmm, in that case, there’s no need to be troubled...]

After all, Cai Yan’s current situation is quite complex, and it would certainly be inappropriate for her to speak out. At this time, if certain external forces were to act, it would actually be a very favorable outcome for Cai Yan, and from some angles, the children of the Second Miss are indeed external forces.

Lady Tang shook her head repeatedly towards the direction of Cai Yan. She was also out of ideas regarding Cai Yan’s situation, but if things stayed stagnant for long, Lady Tang felt it would also be quite dull.

[Hmm, about what Jia Yun and that girl Li Yuan have been muttering about recently, I hope Li Yuan won’t bring any bad influences.] Lady Tang thought a bit, somewhat helplessly. She always felt that girl Li Yuan might stir up some big trouble, but she couldn’t speak frankly to Jia Yun, could only hint, and hint again...

”Originally, I thought that Cai Zhenji playing with Yangg Fa all day long might improve, but it turns out she’s a waste too,” Lady Tang grumbled resentfully. Speaking of it, she’s actually the only one truly caring for the children, others’ so-called care at most stops at caring for infants.

Such peaceful days went by for a while, but then something unexpected happened with Chen Xi. He suddenly discovered that the great Confucian scholars under him were being secretly recruited. Though Chen Xi hadn’t strictly ordered that these scholars be watched over, they were all individuals with commendable morals, making them excellent figures to oversee the academy.

However, when Lub Su recently assessed the gifts, he found that some Great Confucian Scholars were already planning to leave, which displeased Chen Xi quite a lot. Is there a place with better treatment than under Liu Bei?

”Who is poaching individuals from under our rule, don’t they want to carry on anymore?” Chen Xi grumbled in frustration as he looked at the items delivered by Lub Su. Though these Great Confucian Scholars were more like a symbol and a facade for the academy, their morals and educational standards were undoubtedly very impressive.

After all, the Confucian School at the end of Han hadn’t rotted at its roots yet; sometimes they could even produce extraordinarily strong figures. Thus, Chen Xi held these people in high regard.

”It should be Lord Ci Ming poaching them; he and these individuals are essentially fellow disciples. Alternatively, it could be out of significant affection, plus your family is recruiting as well. Back then, your family protected many Pure Stream Celebrities during the Party Proscription, so there’s a lot of goodwill,” Lub Su said speechlessly.

”What do they intend to do, didn’t they all go to the North? Why are they coming back? With all the toils of travel, what if they fall ill?” Chen Xi lamented powerlessly, as the other party didn’t use force against the great Confucian scholars on his side; they willingly went as soon as they got called, and he couldn’t stop them.

”I’m not dead yet!” Just as Chen Xi was speaking, Xun Shuang stepped in, glaring at Chen Xi with a puffed-up face, quite displeased.

”You are still hale and hearty, quite hale and hearty,” Chen Xi replied helplessly, personally pulling a chair for Xun Shuang to sit on. It’s fine to say such things in private, but if caught, surely he’d be dealt with.

Xun Shuang shook his head at Chen Xi’s expression, ”Calling away Yan Fang, You’an, and the others is because we also need to establish an academy in the North; some things we can teach ourselves. The Chen and Xun families have their private schools, we also have teachers, but the scale isn’t sufficient.”

”The problem is you poached quite a number,” Chen Xi said with a twitching corner of his mouth, feeling embarrassed to debate about these matters with Xun Shuang. Originally, he had agreed with these individuals to allow for freedom of coming and going; it wouldn’t be right to keep them forcibly; it would be better to part on good terms.

”We do have quite a few people on our side as well, which I assume you understand, besides, I came not only for this matter but also due to another,” Xun Shuang said with a smile, stroking his beard. He knew Chen Xi wouldn’t obstruct this process, as their movement would considerably benefit the Han Dynasty.

”What matter? Supporting my plan?” Chen Xi inquired curiously.

”Yes, the information you leaked from the Chen family has already reached us, which is beneficial to us too, but how should we recover it at that time?” Xun Shuang nodded and asked. Ideally, Chen Ji should have been asking this, but due to his age, the travel could pose risks, and Chen Xi’s words about that weren’t a joke.

”The land and the capital for establishing a fiefdom, but by then, the terms drafted on our side would need to be signed by you,” Chen Xi said calmly.

Hearing this, Xun Shuang frowned; this was practically coercion. They fulfill Chen Xi’s requests first, then Chen Xi drafts the terms, and by then, the situation would be set in stone, and they would lack the leverage to oppose Chen Xi.

”The capital for establishing a fiefdom, oh, this is the first in five hundred years; without this, everything is idle talk, how daring are you to bet,” Chen Xi grinned like a crafty fox, just missing a wagging tail behind him.

Hearing this, Xun Shuang nearly puffed his beard and glared, but such is reality; it’s the first in five hundred years. Without gambling, there is certainly nothing, but even if they lose, it wouldn’t be a complete loss, so alright, gamble then, somehow with Chen Xi in the picture, the inclination to gamble amplifies.

”It seems like you agree?” Chen Xi gleefully said, as Xun Shuang casually placed his Xun family’s Gold Medal there, signifying that they would vouch on the Xun family’s prestige.

Though Chen Xi had previously hinted at establishing a fiefdom to the Chen and Xun families, officially carving this condition into a contract gave substance to what was previously floating in the air. Hence, the Xun family was willing to guarantee with their reputation.

”Then I must thank Lord Ci Ming,” Chen Xi chuckled, reaching out to tuck the Gold Medal into his sleeve before respectfully speaking. Some things are greatly advantageous when not stationed at the forefront; having control over the whole situation in the background is good.

”No need to thank me. I came partly to see you and partly to see Li Wenru. As I recall, before, I wanted to take care of the Cai Clan, and went to see Li Wenru, but alas, he purposely avoided me, preventing me from recognizing his identity,” Xun Shuang shook his head, knowing that what Chen Xi was about to do was also beneficial to them.

”Oh, I think I’ve heard about this,” Chen Xi reminisced a bit. Back then, Xun Shuang indeed intended to look after Cai Yan, but at that time, Cai Yan was already under the care of Li Youu. If Xun Shuang wanted to act as a paternal figure, he couldn’t bypass Li Youu, and even attempted to meet him but never succeeded.

Speaking of which, had he met Li Youu then, perhaps Xun Shuang would have quickly admonished the aristocratic families tied to his own, because Xun Shuang had experienced the chaos in Luoyang, aware of the kind of individuals they were facing; even without a Spiritual Talent, he understood the importance of avoiding harm.