Chapter 1003: Acknowledgment

Chen Xi silently pondered as he looked in Yuan Shu's direction, thinking to himself, "In Yuan Gonglu's mind, he’s willing to sacrifice even himself for his dream. Whether others see his dream as right or wrong, this guy, in a certain sense, could be considered the embodiment of 'lawful evil'!"

One madman is already terrifying enough, but Yuan Shu wasn’t just any madman—he was a madman with power. What’s worse, Yuan Shu had the capacity for great sacrifice, a complete sense of right and wrong, and even the determination to sacrifice himself to fulfill his dream.

Yuan Shu practically embodied all the qualities of a sage—his magnanimity, his mind, and his resolve. It was like a chillingly dark joke.

"All sages and successful individuals have their own obsessions, just as all demons and failures do as well. It seems the difference lies only in the path they choose!"

Chen Xi reflected quietly as he glanced at Yuan Shu again, and then at Ji Ling, who stood firmly behind him. He couldn’t help but feel a bit of admiration. No matter how despicable Yuan Shu might have been, he at least had subordinates who were always loyal to him.

"Historically, what Yuan Shu pursued was likely the supreme glory recorded in the aristocratic family archives. However, the turbulence of the past led him to take the most superficial route—claiming the title of emperor. Even if he had to die, he wanted the Yuan family to shine once more. But this time, given his different strength, he’s choosing a more profound approach. He’s still a madman though."

A faint smile appeared on Chen Xi's lips. Yuan Shu was still the same obsessive maniac who didn't mind swearing an oath in blood. But now that Chen Xi could see him clearly, it seemed that he could actually use him. After all, Yuan Shu's dream, with a few adjustments, could be aligned with Chen Xi’s current goals.

As for the future, Chen Xi was confident that once Yuan Shu witnessed the "true" glory of the aristocratic families, Yuan Shu would become his most unwavering supporter.

"It seems yet another person agrees with me. Does anyone else have any questions?" Chen Xi asked the crowd.

Yuan Shu’s change of sides couldn’t have been better for Chen Xi. His greatest concern had been that Yuan Shu might come here to disrupt everything. After all, the Yuan family was still the strongest aristocratic family, even with Yuan Shao's downfall.

In his now uplifted mood, Chen Xi was naturally more willing to answer any additional questions. After all, with Yuan Shu standing behind him, along with the Chen family, at least half of the aristocratic families present would likely agree with him. So, it was no trouble at all to provide further explanations.

"What is the limit?" Sima Fang asked calmly.

"The limit is determined by those who recognize it. The highest limit is what can be granted by their recognition," Chen Xi didn’t answer directly but instead provided an alternative response.

"Those who recognize it?" The heads of most first-ranked families showed signs of understanding. They all pondered the source of power.

Was power granted by the monarch? If so, where did the monarch’s power come from? Was it the divine right of kings? Could the aristocratic families really be so easily fooled?

In truth, this question had already been answered during the Spring and Autumn Period. The people of a state had the power to depose a ruler. The citizens of a state had the authority to oust a cruel and despotic king, or in other words, they held the power to reclaim the monarch’s authority.

This meant that the power of the king did not come from heaven, but from the people of the state. The king's power came from every individual within the state. In that era, the people of the state were defined as those who lived in the city, in contrast to wildlings, and certainly not comparable to slaves.

These state citizens were effectively the equivalent of true citizens, possessing all the substantive rights of citizenship. As for wildlings and slaves, they didn’t count.

Similarly, in this era, the aristocratic families held the same role. If all the aristocratic families recognized someone, it was almost equivalent to being recognized by all the citizens. The commoners and servants didn’t count. The true elite class did.

Though the way this elite class came to power was questionable, it couldn’t be denied that if someone in the real Three Kingdoms era could gain the recognition of all the aristocratic families, they could abolish the monarch without opposition. To put it humorously, the emperor would truly be left all alone, with nothing to his name!

This was the "limit" that Chen Xi spoke of. Representing Liu Bei, Chen Xi had effectively garnered the recognition of 80% of the power in the land. This was already enough, in any era, to grant any level of authority. Of course, the price was that your accomplishments had to be worthy of their recognition!

"Our Wang family of Taiyuan agrees," Wang Chen spoke slowly after Sima Fang’s question. The Wang family had already lost much, so they had nothing to lose anymore. Borrowing any strength they could was the only reasonable course of action.

"Thank you," Chen Xi glanced at Wang Chen. Unlike Pang Shanmin's lighthearted approach, Wang Chen’s decision had essentially sealed the Wang family’s fate for the next hundred years.

"The Zhen family is willing to join hands with Lord Chen," Zhen Mi’s calm voice carried over, "and I hope the others will give it serious thought as well."

When Zhen Mi spoke, the heads of the other aristocratic families merely smiled. After all, she was already seated next to Chen Xi. It would be strange if she didn’t side with him.

"The Xun family is willing to support you," Xun Shuang raised his hand and said, "Additionally, the Xun family is willing to contribute much of its family’s scholarly knowledge to collaborate with Lord Chen."

Xun Shuang’s statement was like a stone tossed into a lake, creating countless ripples. Everyone knew that Chen Xi had previously taken significant action against the aristocratic families of Qing and Xu Provinces, while also showing great sincerity in requesting to copy their family books. However, despite his earnest efforts, only the Chen family had truly participated in the book-sharing initiative.

The other aristocratic families had barely contributed, offering only some common knowledge. Even though they knew that Chen Xi’s methods would benefit them greatly, they were unwilling to exchange their family’s precious texts.

Aside from the Pang family of Pang Degong, the Huang family of Huang Chengyan, the Chen family itself, and now the Xun family of Xun Shuang, the other families hadn’t shown any real sincerity. No wonder only these few families were involved in the academy initiative.

"That is most appreciated. In the future, the Xun family will surely be grateful for your decision today," Chen Xi said with a smile. Knowing Xun Shuang’s character, there was no way he was just making empty promises. Even though Xun Shuang was no longer the head of the Xun family, he could still easily access the family’s archives!

Even if the Xun family were shameless enough to refuse to contribute the texts, Xun Shuang could simply recall them from memory. Besides, the Xun family was not short-sighted. Even if there were internal disputes, once figures like Xun Shuang and Xun Yu, who could make decisions with absolute authority, made up their minds, their actions would far surpass that of any ordinary family.

"I’m not blind. I’ve been to Mount Tai and I understand what that kind of life means. I also know how big your ambitions are," Xun Shuang said with a proud smile. "As for those ancient texts, even if they’re made public, it won’t matter. Our Xun family needs to renew itself."

"Hmph, aren’t you afraid that if we learn your family’s texts, we might turn around and use them against you? After all, ‘the disciple surpasses the master’ was a phrase coined by your ancestors!" Chen Guang, who had been suppressed by Xun Shuang’s generation, seized this rare opportunity to taunt him.

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