Chapter 939: The Schemes Behind the Rankings

Chen Xi and Jia Xu, along with the others, calmly drank tea as they waited for Liu Ye’s inevitable outburst. After reading through the rankings, it was clear that most of those listed were already dead. Neither Liu Bei, known for his benevolence, nor the dominant powers like Cao Cao and Sun Ce were included.

Although Xu Ziyuan had remarked that those listed had commendable intentions—meaning their thoughts were correct, even if their actions were not—it sparked widespread reflection. The question on many people's minds was whether this endless war in the Central Plains and the so-called "peaceful Han dynasty" truly represented benevolence.

More importantly, Xu Shao directly pointed out a harsh reality: a prosperous and peaceful Han dynasty could only be described as blameless, but in this current state, being without fault was being hailed as an achievement.

While it wasn't explicitly stated, influential families and scholars couldn't ignore this fact. Since when had "being blameless" become an accomplishment? It was something worth pondering.

"Zichuan, haven’t you gone too far this time?" Liu Ye asked coldly, his gaze fixed on Chen Xi, who was calmly sipping his tea.

Bang! Chen Xi slowly placed his cup down, suddenly accelerating just before it hit the table.

"Too far? I don’t think so," Chen Xi replied calmly. "Do you think there’s something wrong with what Xu Ziyuan wrote in the rankings? Since when did ‘without accomplishment’ mean ‘without blame’? Since when should those who cause chaos in the world not face punishment?"

Liu Ye and the others weren’t fools. It was understandable for Xu Ziyuan to have the audacity to release the "Remarkable Women Ranking," but to release a "Heroes Ranking," especially one like this, without any hidden agenda, seemed unlikely. Without some higher-up’s backing or subtle instructions, even Xu Ziyuan wouldn't dare tear apart the mask of the ruling class.

"But if this continues, the common people will start questioning why they can’t feed themselves, why they toil in the fields year after year and still only have enough to scrape by," Liu Ye argued, his anger barely contained. The more people thought, the more they learned, which was a threat to national stability.

"That’s just because the job hasn’t been done well enough. Relying on deception to cover up your mistakes, or even turning your failures into achievements—is that really the right way? Given the current situation, should I really stay silent?" Chen Xi’s gaze held a hint of mockery as he glanced at Liu Ye, though the mockery wasn’t directed solely at him.

"Indeed. Why deceive them? If mistakes are made, they should be corrected. Blocking information isn’t the solution," Fa Zheng interjected.

"I don’t agree with this approach. Things could have progressed gradually; why tear off this facade so forcefully?" Liu Ye’s frustration was clear.

Because of Liu Bei’s widespread education initiatives, the people were now literate enough to recognize at least a thousand characters. As a result, they were already starting to ask questions, not about Liu Bei directly, but about why they couldn't feed themselves before, and now they could.

"Because the questions being asked by the people of Mount Tai will soon be asked by all the people in the world. Only by bringing this issue to light will the influential families reflect, and the officials across the land will start to reconsider. The people are like water; water can carry a boat, but it can also overturn it," Chen Xi replied calmly, fully understanding Liu Ye’s anger. But some problems could only be resolved by bringing them into the open.

"Zichuan is right. I once thought Xu Ziyuan’s thoughts and Zichuan’s were coincidentally aligned, but now I see it was Zichuan’s subtle guidance all along," Liu Bei said, striding in with Li You, his expression confident and assertive.

"Greetings, my lord," the others greeted casually, as they often did in private.

"Everything we do internally is our responsibility. The state of the world now is only because the Han court has failed in its duty. Our so-called ‘peaceful Han dynasty’ is nothing more than cleaning up the mess left by our predecessors. Even when we win a great victory, all that falls are our Han citizens. What merit is that?" Liu Bei's expression was slightly troubled. He had come to realize that even though he had won many victories in the Central Plains, it was only at the cost of eroding their own foundations.

"But by tearing off the masks of the noble families like this, we risk becoming the target of everyone’s wrath," Liu Ye said helplessly, glaring at Chen Xi. Clearly, they could have approached the matter more gradually, but Chen Xi insisted on taking this approach.

"If we become the target of their wrath, then so be it. Do we really fear them?" Chen Xi said nonchalantly, showing no concern. He had wanted to do this for a long time—stand against history and bring it to its knees.

"This approach will only slow down our path to unification. According to your logic, such actions will harm our internal foundation even more," Liu Ye said, exasperated.

"Ziyang, you’re mistaken," Jia Xu, who had been quietly observing the situation, suddenly spoke. "Don’t underestimate the noble families. Although they haven’t yet noticed the core message of the rankings, it won’t be long before they figure it out. Then, you’ll see that the aristocracy has survived for a thousand years for a reason."

"The noble families will reflect, rethink, and search for new ways to maintain their luxurious lifestyles. And when they start cursing us while simultaneously searching for a solution, Zichuan will likely provide them with a path," Guo Jia chimed in, following Jia Xu’s lead.

Guo Jia and Jia Xu were always drawn to the subtle shifts in human emotions. This impending upheaval fascinated them greatly, allowing them to see more clearly through the chaos of human nature.

Fa Zheng was taken aback by Jia Xu and Guo Jia's insight, but soon he understood. Once the facade of the aristocracy and powerful families was torn apart, they would either clash directly with the impoverished people, or they would compromise. But if they chose compromise, it would become extremely difficult for them to maintain their luxurious lifestyles.

It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to return from luxury to frugality. And considering the noble families had lived in luxury for generations, it would be incredibly hard to change their ways. Thus, they would be left with two choices.

One option was to engage in a direct class conflict with the people. But this time, there would be no ignorant masses behind the aristocracy, just a hard, direct confrontation.

This path was practically a dead end. The other option was to find a new way to maintain their current lifestyle—a way that would be acceptable to both reason and the sentiments of the Han people.

The current path the aristocracy had forged over many generations was now being destroyed. Finding a new path in a short amount of time would be nearly impossible. But if someone were to present them with such a path, would the noble families refuse?

This was Chen Xi’s scheme. He didn’t want a head-on clash with the noble families. After all, compared to the aristocrats and Confucianists that came after the Qin and Han dynasties, the current noble families were still relatively virtuous and capable. Though not without flaws, they were much better than what would come later. Their only limitation was their era’s narrow perspective.

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