Chapter 995: Eternal Change, Only Food is Everlasting

“What else do the two of you have to say?” Zhong Yan, who had been listening to the three elderly men chat, rolled his eyes and spoke up. Unlike the Xun family and Chen family, the Zhong family didn’t have the same confidence. In this room, only the Chen and Xun families could be guaranteed prosperity regardless of drought or flood.

“Isn’t Yuan Chang doing just fine?” Chen Shang teased casually.

The aristocratic families in attendance all looked at Chen Shang with disdain. Most families could only hope to produce one person per generation capable of maintaining the family’s prosperity. The Chen and Xun families, with their seemingly endless supply of talents, were viewed as playing with an unfair advantage.

In truth, the Yingchuan aristocrats had long been curious about the educational methods of the Chen and Xun families. But would any family share their secret to nurturing talent? What a joke—nothing was more important than talented individuals.

If the current situation didn’t make these families realize this fact, then they might as well give up. One transcendent mind could bring about a transformation that would make all ancient aristocratic families bow their heads. That was reality.

“Rest assured, I’ll give you some reassurance—Zichuan doesn’t intend to take action against the aristocratic families, but they mustn’t create chaos for him,” Chen Shang said with a smile as he saw the irritated looks on everyone’s faces. He knew why they were here.

As for the Chen family of Chen Qun and the Xun family of Xun Yu, although they had moved out of Yingchuan, their ancestral lands remained. Those lands weren’t something they could simply abandon, as they still housed many long-standing members of the two clans.

“Create chaos?” Xun Shuang furrowed his brows. “But what exactly constitutes creating chaos?”

“The aristocratic families can keep their privileges, but they must fulfill the obligations written in the old records,” Chen Shang said slowly, causing the families, who had just begun to feel relieved, to immediately furrow their brows in thought.

“That fits his character,” Xun Shuang commented indifferently. Through Tai Shan’s actions and its growing foundation, Xun Shuang had already grasped some faint truths.

This was also a misstep by Chen Xi and his colleagues. They hadn’t been wary of the elderly, particularly those over sixty. In Han law, people of that age were generally treated leniently, unless they were involved in rebellion. If possible, the law suggested overlooking their actions entirely.

With this in mind, no one bothered to keep tabs on the 60-something Xun Shuang. After all, in an era where the average life expectancy barely reached thirty, who would suspect someone seemingly on death’s door of being a spy? As a result, Xun Shuang was allowed to wander freely.

In essence, it was like having a wild “Xun Yu” roaming around Tai Shan. The real surprise would have been if Xun Shuang didn’t pick up on certain things.

However, Xun Shuang had no intention of telling Xun Yu his insights. Let the younger generation handle their own conflicts. Revealing too much would only make Xun Yu more cautious, complicating things further. If he pressed too hard, he might even end up turning Xun Yu against Cao Cao.

After all, when Xun Shuang had nearly died years ago, he’d already passed the reins of the family to the younger generation. With or without him, the Xun family would continue running smoothly. He had no worries.

In truth, Xun Shuang was already planning to switch allegiances to his nephew Xun Yue. The Xun family had more talent than they could manage. Five brilliant minds—Xun Yu, Xun You, Xun Yue, Xun Shen, and Xun Yan—meant that whoever held the position of family head would struggle to maintain their grip.

But that was no longer Xun Shuang’s concern. Having stepped down as head of the family, whether Xun Yu succeeded or failed was now his issue. Xun Shuang had done his duty by keeping the Xun family from falling during his tenure, fulfilling his obligations to their ancestors.

With this in mind, Xun Shuang was more than ready to enjoy life under Xun Yue’s care. After all, Tai Shan had excellent food, comfortable housing, and even people dedicated to figuring out how to make meals taste even better.

Regarding this, Chen Xi had faced a lot of criticism. People often accused him of being more indulgent than the emperor, assembling a group of chefs dedicated solely to researching food.

Criticism was frequent, but at that time, Chen Xi was riding the wave of his successful reforms in commerce and taxation. He had silenced his detractors with one swift blow and continued with his work, unbothered by those looking to cause trouble.

Liu Bei, whether out of trust in Chen Xi or a deliberate decision, didn’t intervene in the matter. As long as Liu Bei didn’t interfere in Tai Shan, Chen Xi had no need to answer to anyone else. In essence, he only needed to answer to himself.

Thus, Chen Xi’s food research team came into existence. In his view, eating well was a significant improvement in quality of life. The desire to eat better was a clear marker of human progress—throughout the ages, food remained a constant.

Chen Xi didn’t see it as indulging in selfish desires. By gathering hundreds of professional chefs to study food and promoting their discoveries to the people, he was merely helping them realize that better food made life happier.

For example, minced meat was one way to prepare food, while dumplings were another. Though both were made from the same ingredients, the latter was far more appetizing and enjoyable.

If the same ingredients could be prepared in a way that tasted better, or if vegetables could be cooked to offer a variety of flavors and textures, why not improve the people's lives?

Thus, hundreds of new dishes were created, and hundreds of snacks were developed. Whether fried, steamed, stewed, boiled, roasted, or baked, Chinese cuisine had a comprehensive range of cooking methods. The variations were likely known only to the heavens.

No matter the technique, foods that had once tasted bland were now much more flavorful. Every dish had its ideal preparation method, and even a simple stir-fry could surpass the old-fashioned "everything in one pot" style.

In this era where soybeans were grown everywhere, the introduction of soybean oil and refined salt brought the enjoyment of eating to new heights. Though not yet an art form, food was steadily progressing toward that realm.

At this point, no one questioned Chen Xi’s decision to create a food research team, nor did anyone make ill-advised remarks.

Nowadays, when Chen Xi handled matters unrelated to military affairs, few interfered. Most had learned not to use their own limited understanding to judge Chen Xi’s actions. What might seem wrong to them could be part of a deeper truth they couldn’t yet see.

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