Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

During the Three Kingdoms period, most noble families were remnants of the aristocracy from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. The noble families established during the Chu-Han Contention were mostly eradicated during the reigns of Emperor Jing and Emperor Wu of Han, and the loyalists of Emperor Guangwu’s rise to power were almost entirely gone. These Spring and Autumn aristocrats, having survived the chaotic struggles of the Warring States, had learned how to preserve themselves...

The noble families that descended from the aristocracy of the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods primarily based their family teachings on the doctrines of the various schools of thought, such as the Confucian, Daoist, Legalist, and other philosophies. These families either directly descended from the disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought or absorbed the essence of one of these philosophies.

Chen Xi confirmed this while perusing the vast collection of books in the Chen family’s library. Although the Hundred Schools of Thought no longer existed as they once did, their teachings lived on in the form of family doctrines within the noble families, including Confucianism.

However, due to the Qin Emperor’s burning of books and burying of scholars, and the subsequent chaos of the Chu-Han Contention, communication between these schools decreased, and the families became more cautious. The early Han Dynasty’s initial reverence for the Daoist principle of non-action saw a brief revival of these schools, but before they could fully flourish, Dong Zhongshu, by catering to Emperor Wu’s preferences, suppressed all schools of thought except Confucianism.

As a result, the various schools of thought adopted a Confucian façade and quietly transformed into the family teachings of noble families, refraining from exchanging ideas with other schools. Whether it was out of self-appreciation or clinging to the past, the teachings of the Hundred Schools were further developed within each family in isolation, and without external exchange, these teachings were continuously deepened.

Remarkably, it took the noble families, with their brilliant minds, four centuries to fully develop and exhaust the wisdom passed down from the Hundred Schools by the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In other words, these noble families spent 400 years bringing their family doctrines to the highest level, reaching a point where they had nowhere else to go, leading to ideological chaos within the families.

Originally, members of a family following the same doctrine would have unified thinking. However, as seen in the Chen and Xun families, the current situation went beyond mere strategic differences and could be considered familial division due to conflicting ideologies.

This is why, despite the spread of education undermining the foundations of noble families, some of them were actively promoting it and even enjoying the process.

For example, the Yingchuan Academy in Yuzhou was established by the Xun and Chen families. They admitted students based on talent rather than social status. Similarly, the Lumen Academy in Jingzhou, also founded by noble families, accepted students like Xu Shu, who came from humble beginnings.At the root of this is the fact that noble families during this period no longer knew which direction to take. Whether it was consolidating their status or spreading their doctrines to revive the flourishing intellectual debate of ancient times, or combining multiple schools of thought to create new ideologies, someone was pursuing each of these paths because the old ways had been exhausted, and necessity drives change.

Even the Sima family, a staunch supporter of consolidating social strata, had core members advocating for the complete dissemination of their teachings to restore the glory of the Hundred Schools. This illustrates the severe internal conflicts within these noble families.

This was what left Chen Xi most speechless—the noble families were in a perplexing state. They were trying everything, and in this chaotic era, the younger generation, suppressed for so long, was eager to make their mark with their own ideas.

Undoubtedly, some noble families were dominated by absolute rulers who could force the entire family to follow a single path. For example, Chen Qun’s dominance over the Chen family meant that if not for Chen Xi, the Chen family would be united as one.

As for the Xun family, while Xun Yu was undeniably powerful, the factions within the family advocating for change were also strong. The previous generation, known as the Eight Dragons of the Xun clan, couldn’t unify their thoughts, and the next generation was even more chaotic. If not for the emergence of several extraordinary figures in this generation, the Xun family would likely have fractured in the chaos.

Even so, Xun Yu could only barely keep the family’s various factions in check. His own ideology didn’t align entirely with either the conservative faction or the revolutionary thinkers. On one hand, he allowed Xun Yue and others to continue their private academies; on the other, he sought to restore ancient rites and govern the empire according to tradition. Meanwhile, his conflicts with Xun Yan’s theories on the Han Dynasty and the imperial family, as well as his agreement with Xun Shen’s focus on quelling chaos and restoring order, only added to the internal contradictions.

When Chen Qun explained all this to Chen Xi, he was left stunned. It’s a wonder that Xun Yu hadn’t lost his mind dealing with all these challenges. The fact that Xun Yu managed to maintain the Xun family’s standing amidst this internal chaos speaks volumes about his capability—perhaps managing the bureaucracy under Cao Cao was easier compared to managing his own family.