Chapter 937: Going Further Down the Path of Self-Destruction

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu also received the "Remarkable Women Ranking." Although they were both somewhat displeased that their wives were included, Sun Ce even mentioned that he wanted to deal with Xu Shao to teach him a lesson about what should and shouldn't be said.

However, in the end, nothing came of it. After all, the comments about the Qiao sisters — "The beauties of Jiangnan, with heavenly looks, faces that eclipse the moon and shame the flowers, graceful dancers, harmonious in playing the zither" — weren't exactly low praise. They were tied for fourth place, followed by Empress Fu Shou, and when compared to the top three, apart from Zhen Mi, who had a slight claim, the evaluations of Diao Chan and Cai Yan were truly beyond the reach of the Qiao sisters.

After all, this was a "Remarkable Women Ranking," not a "Beauty Ranking." From the start, Xu Shao had clearly stated, "This ranking selects the virtuous consorts and remarkable women of the nation, those who uplift the state, unrivaled in their time, preserving the wisdom of the past and paving the way for the future. It is based on their talent, virtue, conduct, and appearance." In other words, it wasn’t solely about looks.

Diao Chan ranked first not just because of her stunning beauty, but more for her loyalty, filial piety, and the pivotal role she played in the rise and fall of the Han dynasty. Cai Yan, who ranked third, wasn’t listed merely for her elegant, orchid-like grace, but because she held within her memory the contents of 300,000 volumes of the Eastern Pavilion’s library, preserving the lost knowledge of the sages.

This was why Sun Ce kept quiet. Among the top three, Zhen Mi's reputation wasn’t as well-known, but the first and third rankings were simply too significant. The overall ranking was hard to criticize, even for Sun Ce. In this context, the Qiao sisters' high ranking was something Sun Ce could only grumble about on the surface while secretly feeling pleased.

Similarly, when Cao Cao saw the ranking, his first instinct was to curse. However, having known Xu Shao's character, he trusted Xu Shao's judgment. Although the rankings weren’t entirely to his liking, given the criteria Xu Shao had set, the list was without flaws.

In this context, with the Empress ranked sixth and his own wife ranked thirteenth, Cao Cao had to admit that it was reasonable. Although it irked him, he realized that it was best not to provoke Xu Shao. Based on the method used for compiling the list, even if he killed Xu Shao, the list wouldn’t change, and it would only bring more trouble upon himself.

After all, Xu Shao’s rankings weren’t fabrications. They were well-supported by reason and evidence, and killing someone for telling the truth would only tarnish a leader’s reputation.

Liu Bei also saw the ranking and simply smiled, having nothing much to say about it. Among all the warlords, he was the most relaxed about the matter. It was just a ranking, and besides, he felt that Xu Zijiang's assessments were spot on. He had no thoughts of killing Xu Shao over such a thing.

As for the one person who could have ordered Xu Shao’s death — Emperor Liu Xie — he was secluded deep within the palace and had not even come across the ranking. No official dared to present it to him, fearing they might get caught up in his potential wrath.

Thus, while the world buzzed with talk of the "Remarkable Women Ranking," Xu Shao, at the center of the storm, remained calm and composed, continuing to drink wine and play music with Liu Yan, enjoying himself without a care in the world.

Xu Shao had anticipated the consequences of releasing such a ranking. He had published the "Remarkable Women Ranking" to generate buzz, to lay the groundwork for the rankings to follow. The courage he displayed, willing to risk his life to publish the ranking, greatly increased the credibility of his evaluations in the eyes of the public. Naturally, this meant his future rankings would attract even more attention.

With this move, Xu Shao’s reputation as a commentator had reached its peak. For a “famed scholar,” fame was everything. There was nothing more coveted than widespread renown.

To be clear, the "Remarkable Women Ranking" didn’t need to cause such an uproar. However, for Xu Shao, if he didn’t take risks, how could he gain such fame? And so, he intentionally included the wives of the major warlords to stir more controversy and draw attention.

Frankly, Xu Shao wasn’t afraid of Sun Ce and Zhou Yu becoming enraged and trying to kill him. As long as he stayed in Mount Tai, he would be perfectly safe.

As for Cao Cao, Xu Shao knew him well enough. At most, Cao Cao would be angry for a while, but soon enough, he would realize the smartest course of action. Most importantly, Liu Bei’s attitude was crucial, since Xu Shao lived on Liu Bei’s territory. If he angered Liu Bei, it would certainly end badly for him.

Xu Shao had carefully observed Liu Bei for a long time and concluded that Liu Bei would not censor well-reasoned statements. Even if an opinion was somewhat biased, as long as there was truth to it, Liu Bei wouldn’t suppress it, nor would he punish people for expressing their views.

Still feeling that he needed to make an even bigger splash, Xu Shao decided to go further and included Empress Fu Shou in the ranking. It could be said that on the path to self-destruction, Xu Shao was walking farther and farther.

After adding the Empress to the list, Xu Shao knew he had to adjust the ranking rules to avoid backlash. He thought long and hard about how to phrase her description before ultimately writing, “Mother of the Han Empire, noble in appearance, virtuous beyond reproach!”

The most important part was the final phrase, "virtuous beyond reproach." This line both served as a ranking criterion and an implication. Essentially, Xu Shao had prepared a defense should the ranking be presented to Emperor Liu Xie and an attempt was made to punish him.

The reason Empress Fu Shou didn’t rank first was because of the phrase "virtuous beyond reproach." What people inferred from that was beyond Xu Shao’s control. In any case, his ranking was indeed free of any manipulation.

There’s a significant difference between fabricated sensational news and genuine shocking news. Xu Shao was dealing in the latter, the real deal, which is why he wasn’t afraid of being investigated. Only the truth could silence the doubters.

"Zijiang, you’re sitting here calmly, aren’t you afraid of getting into trouble?" Liu Yan asked with a smile. He had always admired Xu Zijiang’s character evaluations, especially his accuracy in reading people.

"What’s there to fear? Go ahead and send out the Heroes Ranking," Xu Shao said dismissively. A true scholar would walk further down the path of self-destruction without fear, maintaining a cool composure even in the face of the heavens falling.

"Have you finished writing it?" Liu Yan asked, his mouth twitching. The Heroes Ranking would undoubtedly draw even more scorn.

"Not yet, but send it out anyway. That list was meant to provoke people," Xu Shao said with a sneer as he glanced at the list on the table.

Liu Yan shook his head, grabbed the list, and prepared to print it, knowing that an uproar was about to ensue.

That year, the weather grew cold, and snow fell in mid-autumn. Following the release of the Remarkable Women Ranking, Xu Zijiang published the Heroes Ranking. Few living warlords made it onto the list, and those who did were infamous, stirring much reflection.

The list praised those who expanded the empire's territory and safeguarded the people of the Han Empire as true heroes. Those who supported the weak and upheld the values of Chinese civilization were deemed "great figures." Essentially, anyone who fought civil wars didn’t make the list, and those who did had mostly passed away. In short, Xu Ziyuan was going further and further down the path of self-destruction.

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