Chapter 918: Seizing One's Own Destiny

Seeing the crowd of Ye City citizens who looked ready to act at any moment, and the still-struggling Xin Xianying by his side, Chen Xi couldn't help but feel a bit impressed. At least in this era, the common people didn’t lack courage.

As the crowd began to voice their complaints, Chen Xi cast a cold glance over them. He then raised his left hand, revealing the bright golden seal and purple ribbon, immediately signaling to everyone who he was. There weren't many people in Ye City who fit this description and status.

"Everyone who's just watching, disperse. And you, it's time for you to settle down," Chen Xi said in a calm voice, addressing Xin Xianying.

Although Xin Xianying clearly wasn't happy, she had no good way to respond. Instead, she showed a maturity beyond her years, slightly bowing as she said, "Greetings, Lord Chen."

"I'm quite curious how you managed to get out. The order to seal off the Xin family was mine, partly to prevent you from being harassed and partly to keep things simple. I didn't think a four- or five-year-old child would find a way out," Chen Xi raised an eyebrow, surprised that she even knew who he was.

"As we are fellow countrymen from Yingchuan, could Lord Chen show mercy and help my father?" Xin Xianying asked in a soft, hopeful tone.

"I'm even more curious about how you learned to say things like that," Chen Xi said with mild astonishment, realizing that this wasn't something a little girl should typically know.

"When my father was still around, many uncles used to visit. And this phrase always worked best on my father. Every time someone said it, my father would hesitate and then agree. I once asked him why, and he told me, 'When you're away from home, a fellow countryman is always worth helping,'" Xin Xianying explained, lowering her head but sneaking glances at Chen Xi, nervously watching his reaction. As she saw him ponder, her small hand clenched tightly.

"How did you get out?" Chen Xi asked, intrigued.

"I left the Xin residence using your name, Lord Chen," Xin Xianying said, fidgeting with her fingers. "There’s an older brother who comes by every day around the same time. I learned from him that my father was in the city, so I left using the excuse that you, as a fellow countryman, invited me."

Chen Xi nodded. It was likely that Guan Ping, not suspecting anything from such a young girl, had mentioned Xin Xianying's father to put her at ease. After that, Xin Xianying probably told the guards that her father had joined Liu Bei and that she had been invited by Chen Xi, thus tricking them into letting her leave.

It was also likely that the guards, under orders not to harass the Xin family, would not have suspected a young girl of crafting such a well-structured lie. Furthermore, since the order to avoid troubling the Xin family came directly from Chen Xi, and he and Xin Pi were indeed both from Yingchuan, it made sense that the guards would have believed her.

"Have you always been this clever?" Chen Xi, now reconsidering whether to send her back, asked with surprise. A four- or five-year-old girl with such intelligence was quite rare—what had Xin Pi been teaching her?

"I don't know..." Xin Xianying mumbled, biting her finger, looking somewhat confused. It was clear she didn’t fully grasp Chen Xi’s words.

"Alright then. Han Lao, hand me a copy of the 'Thousand Character Classic,'" Chen Xi said, turning to the servant behind him. As soon as he turned back, the classic text was already in his hand. Chen Xi wasn’t surprised by the quick service and waved the 'Thousand Character Classic' in front of Xin Xianying. "This is for you. I'm going to recite it once, and how well you do will determine whether you can see your father."

Without waiting to see if Xin Xianying understood, Chen Xi handed her the text. Xin Xianying’s little face immediately tensed as she stared at the words on the page, even though she didn’t recognize most of them.

Chen Xi glanced at her and began reciting. As the book he had used for his own early education, Chen Xi could still flawlessly recite it from memory. He had even made some adjustments to the text to better fit this era.

Though Chen Xi pronounced each word clearly, the text was only a thousand characters long, and he finished quickly. Afterward, he put the paper away. "Recite it back to me."

Watching Xin Xianying’s reaction as he took the paper away, Chen Xi saw the girl cautiously let out a small breath of relief before reciting the text back perfectly, using the same clear pronunciation and tone that he had.

Hearing her flawless recitation, Chen Xi couldn’t help but smile. After she finished and nervously looked at him, he wiped the smile from his face and asked, "Can you write the phrase 'Scales hidden, wings soaring'?"

Without hesitation, Xin Xianying wrote it out. Though the writing was somewhat messy—clearly, she had little experience in calligraphy—it was legible. Even she noticed that her writing wasn’t up to par.

"Not bad. Come with me," Chen Xi said, asking no more questions. He started walking forward. A four- or five-year-old who could do this much was exceptionally rare. He doubted that even Xin Pi was fully aware of his daughter's extraordinary abilities.

The place where Xin Pi was being held under soft confinement was quite far from the city center. As they walked, Xin Xianying didn’t complain, but after a while, her steps became less lively, though she still bit her lip and continued to follow.

Before long, her eyes grew red, but she stubbornly refused to stop.

"Can you keep going?" Chen Xi asked, seeing the tears welling up in Xin Xianying’s eyes. She didn’t say anything, just nodded.

Chen Xi stopped walking. He didn’t want to be cruel. Seeing such an exceptional girl—who, in the historical records, was considered brilliant—evoked a sense of pity in him. Women like her were no less talented than most men of this era. Had she been born a man, she might have competed with the best in the land.

Soon, a carriage passed by. "Get in. There's no need to push yourself. Remember, your advantage lies in your mind, not your physical strength. Use your intelligence to gain what you need," Chen Xi said, helping Xin Xianying onto the carriage.

Once inside, the little girl finally let go and started sobbing. She cried loudly, likely releasing all the pent-up emotions she had been holding onto since the upheaval in her family. Using her intellect to solve a problem like this was probably a first for her.

"Here, use this to wipe your tears," Chen Xi offered his sleeve, seeing the contrast between the strong, intelligent Xin Xianying from earlier and the now vulnerable child before him.

But instead of using his sleeve, Xin Xianying pulled out her own handkerchief and wiped her face, slowly calming herself. The upheaval in her family had undoubtedly forced this young genius to confront many harsh truths.

"Now, listen carefully to what I’m about to say," Chen Xi told her once she had calmed down.

"Mm," she murmured softly, biting her lip and trying to stop her crying.

"You must understand that you are a genius. What I gave you earlier is typically a three-month curriculum for a nine-year-old. You only needed to hear it once to memorize it. This means you have the ability to break free from the traditional path of a woman—one of marrying and raising children. You have the potential to walk a different path, a path where you control your own destiny," Chen Xi said, looking at Xin Xianying, who only half-understood his words.

Previous Chapter | | Next Chapter