Chapter 984: The Matters Behind the Scenes

The moral integrity of aristocratic families often amounts to nothing, especially when it concerns the future of their lineage. In situations where family prospects are at stake, they discard their principles without hesitation. There's nothing more important than the preservation of their family legacy.

Guo Dan’s casual comment reminded many people of this fact. Although noblewomen of prestigious families generally would not lower themselves to be mere concubines, it really depends on who the other party is.

"That girl earlier seemed to be my cousin's daughter," Xin Rang muttered, furrowing his brow. He was aware of the recent events involving Xin Bi, but he hadn’t delved too deeply into the matter.

"What was that, Brother Xin? I didn’t quite catch that," Meng Jian responded, feigning deafness.

"It’s nothing," Xin Rang shook his head. Though Xin Bi and Xin Ping had split off from the family, it wasn’t as acrimonious as Chen Xi’s situation. A sharp glint flashed in Xin Rang's eyes as he returned with a calm reply. Despite the appearance of unity among them, each person here had their own interests. Xin Rang wasn’t about to reveal his suspicions.

Meng Jian simply shrugged and didn’t press further. In truth, he didn’t have much interest in this so-called alliance of the Yuzhou families. With his intelligence, he saw the situation clearly: what Liu Bei needed were people who could assist him.

Although it might be impossible for the Meng family to reach the top of Liu Bei’s hierarchy, their goal was stability and long-term prosperity. They had no need to be overly flashy, so Meng Jian didn’t feel any pressure. He was here merely to observe what, if anything, the Yuzhou families could achieve through their talks.

However, looking at the noisy and chaotic scene before him, Meng Gongwei estimated that today’s gathering would amount to nothing more than idle chatter. Even when they were bound together like grasshoppers on the same rope, it was unlikely they would work together in unity.

"Chen Hou, aren’t you curious about what that group was discussing earlier?" Han Qiong’s figure slowly emerged as he asked the question.

"A group of middle-aged men dining at a Zhen family establishment, dressed in fine attire and adorned with heirloom-quality jade... What else could it be?" Chen Xi responded nonchalantly. "Even with a brief glance, I recognized a few familiar faces from Qing and Xu’s aristocratic families. The families from Jizhou, however, wouldn’t be here..."

Chen Xi didn’t finish the thought, but Han Qiong already understood. "Chen Hou’s insight is impressive. Do you think they are from Yuzhou or Yanzhou?"

"What does it matter if they’re from Yuzhou or Yanzhou? They’re likely just putting on a show for the Jizhou families, a bit of posturing and bickering. It has nothing to do with me," Chen Xi said dismissively, showing no concern for the aristocratic families involved.

"As expected from you, sir," Han Qiong praised before fading back into the shadows. "By the way, I overheard that the Yuzhou families might be planning to offer you several concubines. Do you have any thoughts on that?"

Chen Xi let out a cold laugh. "If I really needed concubines, my courtyard would already be filled with beauties. Sometimes, these families can be quite tedious. Besides, my household already includes a rare woman of the world. I doubt their noblewomen would be as humble or obedient as her."

As he mentioned Chen Yun, Chen Xi couldn’t help but think of his wife and the daughter he had yet to meet since her birth. After some deliberation, he decided to give his daughter the same name he had chosen before—Chen Qian. As for the meaning of the name and whether it implied beauty or anything else, people could interpret it however they wished.

In fact, the release of the List of Extraordinary Women had placed significant pressure on two people in particular: one was Lady Bian, the concubine of Cao Cao, and the other was Chen Yun.

Lady Bian’s situation was complicated, given that she was a concubine and not the official wife—Ding Shi held that position. If it weren’t for Ding Shi’s broad-mindedness and Lady Bian’s adept handling of relationships, her life would have been much more difficult among Cao Cao’s other concubines.

Even so, Lady Bian’s position wasn’t entirely secure. Although the List of Extraordinary Women had drawn much criticism, the more people complained, the more widespread its acceptance became. Eventually, even those who criticized the list stopped questioning the rankings themselves and instead focused on attacking Xu Shao, who had compiled it. In the end, it became generally acknowledged.

Naturally, if Lady Bian’s situation was precarious, Chen Yun’s was even more so. She was, after all, merely a close servant to Chen Xi, and she remained a virgin. Chen Xi hadn’t touched her at all, only assigning her small tasks like grinding ink and serving tea.

As for sharing his bed, Chen Yun had resigned herself to that fate when she first arrived, ready for whatever came. But as time passed and she grew to understand Chen Xi better, she no longer resisted the idea. However, despite her willingness, Chen Xi showed no interest in his personal maid beyond their formal relationship.

By now, aside from the occasional chore like doing the laundry, the maids in Chen Xi’s household led relatively relaxed lives, with plenty of free time to do as they pleased.

As a result, the maids had gradually sorted themselves into different tiers. Some used their free time to wander around idly, while others took the opportunity to read and learn new skills in an effort to make themselves more useful. Chen Yun, however, was the only one who systematically studied books and diligently pursued other forms of knowledge.

Chen Yun had always been the most beautiful among them and knew how to read a bit, which was why she had been chosen as Chen Xi’s personal maid. Although Chen Xi had no intentions of becoming intimate with his maids, he preferred to have beautiful things around him. It was a subtle male habit. Since Chen Xi was often away, he had entrusted Chen Yun to take care of Chen Lan, knowing she had a gentle nature and was easy to get along with.

Historically, a personal maidservant was one of the closest people to her master, often knowing everything about them.

That’s also why personal maids almost always became concubines, regardless of whether their masters were upright or not. Regular maids could potentially redeem their freedom, but a personal maid came into contact with too many secrets. Once freed, she could carry away confidential information. Therefore, the options for such maids were limited: either death or integration into the household as concubines. This had practically become an unwritten rule.

Personal maids also held relatively higher status, often ranking above some of the other concubines. Unfortunately, since there were no concubines in Chen Xi’s household, Chen Yun could only maintain the status of the highest-ranking maid.

As such, her title as an "Extraordinary Woman" had become more of a burden. After receiving the title, she stopped performing the opera that had earned her the honor and now spent her days quietly studying at home. Without Chen Xi’s presence, there was no romanticized image of them reading together by candlelight. Who could truly understand the reason behind all of this?

Chen Yun wasn’t sure if continuing her public performances would harm Chen Xi’s reputation, so she decided to wait for him to return and seek his guidance. Until then, she remained at home, quietly reading, refraining from further public appearances.

Whether this situation was protection or something else, people had different interpretations. However, Chen Yun showed no dissatisfaction. She simply followed Fan Jian’s arrangements, studying quietly at home. On occasion, when Fan Jian attended Cai Yan’s lectures, she would bring Chen Yun along, offering her a way to broaden her knowledge and improve her personal cultivation.

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