Chapter 1009: Full Attendance

After finishing dinner and sending the heads of the aristocratic families back, the main task of the first day was completed. The goal for today was primarily to assess the families.

At the same time, the heads of these families needed time to reflect on what Chen Xi had discussed. Tomorrow would be the real discussion about promoting his banking system, special withdrawal rights, and minting rights.

For now, Chen Xi had revealed nothing about these plans, only reminding the heads to bring along knowledgeable people from their families tomorrow. This clearly indicated that benefits would be distributed, and none of the family heads would forget such an important matter.

"Mi'er..." Chen Xi massaged his temples in frustration and said, "Forget it, go home for now. Once I’ve calmed down, I’ll give you a satisfying answer."

"I’ll be waiting, Zichuan," Zhen Mi said with a smile before returning to her usual gentle and amiable demeanor.

"And you..." Chen Xi turned to Wu Yuan, who hadn’t left yet. He still didn’t know her name, although he knew she was a representative of the Wu family from Yizhou.

"You may call me Wu Yuan, Lord Chen," Wu Yuan responded calmly with a clear voice, though it was evident she wasn’t keen on engaging with Chen Xi.

"What’s the meaning behind that map?" Chen Xi went straight to the point.

"South of Yizhou," Wu Yuan replied, which surprised Chen Xi. But then he realized she was referring to the land south of Yunnan—essentially a map leading toward modern-day Burma.

"You’ve been that far?" Chen Xi asked, puzzled. That was part of the Southern Silk Road.

"During Emperor Wu’s reign, Zhang Qian mentioned a secret route leading from the southwest to Shendu (India) and further to Daxia (Afghanistan). The emperor sent people to explore, and they succeeded," Wu Yuan explained with calm precision.

"This map is from that time?" Chen Xi examined the ancient map, astonished that it was something from three hundred years ago.

"Yes, Lord Chen might find it useful," Wu Yuan continued serenely. "As for the customs and habits of the regions south of Yizhou, I’ll deliver the relevant texts to you, and you’ll understand when you read them."

Chen Xi waved his hand, indicating that Wu Yuan could leave. He could tell she didn’t want to stay, so he didn’t press the matter and allowed her to depart.

"Mi Zhen, why are you here? Where are your elders?" Chen Xi asked, surprised to see Mi Zhen.

"My brother asked me to come and observe, but honestly, it doesn’t seem all that different," Mi Zhen said after some thought.

Having studied etiquette with Cai Yan, Mi Zhen had been nervous at first. But once she relaxed, she realized it wasn’t as strict as Cai Yan’s teachings. It was like preparing for a difficult exam, only to find the actual test much easier.

"Don’t get too cocky. Remember to bring someone who understands business tomorrow, as there will be many financial matters to discuss. Having such a person will benefit your family greatly," Chen Xi said with a smile.

"Don’t worry, my brother sent me because I’m well-versed in these things," Mi Zhen said proudly. Growing up in the Mi family, she had been exposed to business matters all her life.

"Zichuan, you can trust that Zhen'er is capable in this area," Zhen Mi reassured Chen Xi when she noticed his skepticism. Mi Zhen, on hearing this, gave Chen Xi a smug look.

"Alright, then you’re free to go too," Chen Xi waved his hand, dismissing Mi Zhen. She gave Chen Xi and Zhen Mi a knowing look before smiling mischievously. "I won’t disturb you two any longer. I’ll leave you to your... business~."

"I’ll take you for a walk," Chen Xi sighed and offered to accompany Zhen Mi for a stroll. As for the mess left behind, someone else would take care of it later.

Since it was already winter, Chen Xi took Zhen Mi for a short walk. After buying her some jewelry, he escorted her back to the Zhen residence, by which time it was completely dark.

"Master," the Zhen family’s steward greeted Zhen Mi with a bow. He seemed somewhat helpless, as the family was already aware of what had happened today. They didn’t plan on saying much, as they had long expected something like this. With no direct male heir, they knew this was inevitable.

At one point, they had considered the idea of having Chen Xi marry into the Zhen family, but seeing how things stood now, that plan seemed unrealistic. They resigned themselves to the idea and decided to focus on grooming the two sons of their concubines, Zhen Yan and Zhen Yao, in the hopes they could salvage the situation.

"Let’s return home," Zhen Mi sighed softly as she responded.

In Jizhou, it was nearly impossible for the Zhen family to be unaware of what had transpired. Naturally, Zhen Mi knew her family had probably found out everything that happened today. As for the family elders, there wasn’t much they could do.

Unlike other families, the elders of the Zhen family only had advisory power, not executive authority. Furthermore, the elders’ influence could never surpass that of the family head. Zhen Yi had taken precautions before his death, knowing that leaving his widow and daughter vulnerable to the elders’ power could spell disaster.

Zhen Yi had been a highly capable man, though his untimely death had been unfortunate. However, the measures he left behind were effective in keeping the elders in check. At least within the Zhen family, neither Lady Zhang nor Zhen Mi had to worry about being overruled.

Shortly after Chen Xi returned, Jia Xu, Li You, Guo Jia, Liu Ye, and the others started arriving one after another. Finally, Lu Su appeared, wrapped up so heavily that he looked like a bear.

"Everyone’s here," Chen Xi said with a smile.

"This is completely different from what we planned," Li You said with a wry smile, though he didn’t directly criticize Chen Xi’s actions.

"Our initial plan was also about development. We never specified who should be responsible for it. Don’t you agree? Isn’t it fitting for the aristocrats to take on this task?" Chen Xi responded with a warm smile, showing no signs of worry.

"Zichuan, stop dodging the issue. We did agree on development, and we also discussed having the aristocrats help divert public discontent. But this situation has gone far beyond our original plans!" Liu Ye interjected, clearly frustrated.

"Yes, I know. Initially, we discussed moving some of the aristocrats for development and relocating civilians as well. This would balance the situation across the land and reduce the pressure on the agricultural regions of Zhongyuan," Chen Xi said, nodding in agreement.

Before Liu Ye could question why Chen Xi had veered off course despite understanding this, Chen Xi answered preemptively, "That approach was too conservative and didn’t maximize the benefits. Strategically, it would have only shifted the problem. After thinking it over, I realized that eliminating the problem entirely would be more effective."

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