Mythical Three Kingdoms

"Zichuan, Zichuan!" Chen Xi woke up groggily, surrounded by a large group of people, who finally felt relieved upon seeing Chen Xi awake.

"Marquis Chen is fine now, so we two will take our leave." Zhang Zhongjing clasped his fists in salute to Liu Bei and others, then left carrying his medicine box. Hua Tuo and Zhang Zhongjing were called over when Chen Xi fainted.

"Zichuan, how did you suddenly fall from your horse?" Liu Bei asked slightly reproachfully upon seeing Chen Xi awaken. Chen Xi’s sudden fall from the horse truly startled them. If it weren’t for Jia Xu and Xu Shu reaching out to grab him, he would have fallen head first, causing a tragedy even for Chen Xi.

"Uh, I had a bizarre dream," Chen Xi said somewhat awkwardly. He had dreamt of Taishi Ci, but the dream felt so real that he still remembered its contents.

"Uh, in such a short time, you actually had a dream." Liu Bei looked at Chen Xi speechlessly. "If you’re tired, ride in the carriage. Falling from a horse is dangerous. If it weren’t for Wen He and Yuanzhi pulling you, you really would have fallen."

Chen Xi felt a bit awkward, as he didn’t know why he had such a peculiar dream, and now he was stunned.

Seeing Chen Xi’s blank expression, Liu Bei didn’t say anything further, knowing that Chen Xi sometimes seemed somewhat absent-minded, but as long as he didn’t hurt himself, it was fine.

"You should rest first; maybe you haven’t rested well lately. I’ve already ordered the army to set up camp. We’ll take a day off today and continue marching tomorrow," Liu Bei advised Chen Xi.

After Liu Bei left, Chen Xi began excitedly sharing his earlier dream with Jia Xu and others, leaving them quite dumbfounded.

"Zichuan, stop thinking about useless things. Just focus on your work; there’s nothing better than working hard," Jia Xu patted Chen Xi’s shoulder, turned around, and left with his hands behind his back.

"Zichuan, you’re even more imaginative than I am," Guo Jia sighed and said, "I’ll give you a jug of wine later. Drink it and have a good sleep. You won’t dream during the day."

"Cough, cough, I’ll stop talking." Chen Xi glared at the few who were still preparing to speak. Liu Ye coughed twice, swallowed his words, and said nothing more as everyone gradually left.

"I feel like it wasn’t just a dream!" Chen Xi said somewhat irritably after everyone left. But these informal words were regarded by the group as Chen Xi dreaming.

Meanwhile, without mentioning Chen Xi’s dream, Chang’an became quite empty after Liu Bei and Sun Ce left, especially since all the officials were massacred by Dong Cheng and others before their deaths.

Cao Cao had no special feelings toward the new Grand Princess; neither good nor bad, indifferent to unreasonable orders that she arbitrarily issued.

The biggest difference between Liu Tong and Liu Xie was that Liu Tong, having experienced so much turmoil, knew how she came to hold this position. So even sitting in this position, she simply focused on doing her part. As for whatever Cao Cao wanted to do, that was his business, not hers.

Compared to when Liu Xie ruled, Liu Tong, even if she stayed inside the palace without going out, no longer had to worry about her personal safety. Now, she could appear openly in public without fearing for her life, as long as she didn’t do something foolish.

As for doing something foolish, Liu Tong and Liu Xie’s greatest difference lay here. Liu Tong didn’t possess a clear vision of national grandeur; she just wanted to live contentedly with a mindset of minor prosperity, devoid of any desire to contend for power with Cao Cao.

This behavior led Cao Cao to be indifferent to the Grand Princess’s actions. Instead, the two had a tacit understanding. Cao Cao wouldn’t undermine her dignity in matters related to the Grand Princess, and Liu Tong wouldn’t embarrass Cao Cao over policies she didn’t understand.

This led people to perceive their relationship as a harmonious ruler-and-subject dynamic, aside from Minister of Works Cao Cao monopolizing power. However, historically speaking, those who monopolize power aren’t uncommon, and a ruler’s willingness to delegate power is also a form of governance.

You may criticize Cao Cao’s character, but you cannot criticize his ability. With Liu Tong not holding him back, Cao Cao employed the capable, and the state began to run smoothly once again, doing even better than the old officials under Liu Xie.

On Sun Ce’s side, Yuan Shu didn’t return to Yangzhou with them due to the need to relocate the aristocratic families, which Sun Ce didn’t mind much. However, Zhou Yu advised Yuan Shu not to kill excessively, which Yuan Shu dismissed.

Yuan Shu formally stated that if killing was necessary, he would kill, even if it meant excessive slaughter. If he saw someone he disliked, he would cut them down. Zhou Yu had to admit that he couldn’t communicate with Yuan Shu.

After all, Yuan Shu only brought Jii Ling with him, and as for Jii Ling advising Yuan Shu, Zhou Yu himself wouldn’t believe it. Joking aside, Yuan Shu could be up to no good, and Jii Ling would still hand him the weapon. This guy was Yuan Shu’s die-hard loyalist.

"Haha, Bofu, Gongjin, you can rest easy and return. I won’t be going back; those people are still waiting for me!" Yuan Shu looked particularly smug.

Zhou Yu really didn’t want to speak, but Sun Ce seemed very excited, "Yuan Gong, if you encounter a problem you can’t solve, remember to call me for help. I’ll help you level them."

The people from the Deng Family, Wan Family, and Ma Clan beside them all turned black-faced; Sun Ce, can’t you watch what you say? You dare to shout such words like deploying troops to flatten them.

Zhou Yu held his forehead speechlessly, thinking, what is all this? He pulled Sun Ce away, for only Sun Ce would dare to shout about deploying troops to help flatten in front of the aristocratic families.

"If there’s a need, I will definitely find you!" Yuan Shu, being a fool too, replied directly.

"Yuan Gong, remember to return to Yangzhou." As Sun Ce was being dragged by Zhou Yu, he did not forget to wave to Yuan Shu.

"That’s my son, not bad, right?" After Sun Ce was pulled away by Zhou Yu, Yuan Shu proudly introduced to the group.

Everyone forced a smile to congratulate Yuan Shu; they all knew what was happening with Sun Ce.

"Let’s head north!" Yuan Shu, ignoring the twitching expressions of others, waved his hand energetically.

The few families following Yuan Shu all sighed; Yuan Shu was somewhat unreliable, but since they had signed and sealed, they could only take it one step at a time.

In fact, this was the thought process among the Great Aristocratic Families; they had no choice, Yuan Shu had cut down quite a lot of families. To say he was reckless would be inappropriate, as he did follow the rules in some manner.

Though, to call him normal was an understatement; Yuan Shu was not a normal person. He might talk nonsense, but aside from a few families with truly clean reputations, no normal family didn’t have a bit of dirt, and the risk of talking nonsense with Yuan Shu was quite high.

As such, these Northern Aristocratic Families didn’t dare not to relocate; considering Yuan Shu’s character, once the signing and sealing were done, he would certainly follow up for inspection according to the timeline.

As for the so-called mediation group formed by the esteemed elders of various aristocratic families, that’s nonsense; old fellows like Sima Jun and Chen Ji, who have one foot in the grave, running around with the mediation group—what if they died halfway, who would answer to that?

Thus, in reality, the so-called mediation group composed of thirty-six esteemed elders and Yuan Shu was basically just Yuan Shu running around, while the thirty-six bigwigs stayed put, waiting to show support when Yuan Shu arrived.

In short, it’s nonsense; the most important part of the thirty-six plus one formula was the one, Yuan Shu. The elders in the mediation group, like Sima Jun, were as sharp as they come, not oblivious to the current big trend.

Their existence meant to ensure a stable migration, to prevent Yuan Shu from going crazy. They were no fools; at this point, even big interests were not on their side, so playing along was the best option to avoid disaster.

For this reason, the Northern Aristocratic Families, based on the advice of regional leaders, started migrating northward with their tenant farmers, servants, and willing commoners. However, the speed couldn’t be too fast; even with full preparations and clear roads, and with early planning, migration could not be completed in a short time.

As for those who couldn’t see the situation clearly and were unwilling to migrate, Chen Xi had no solutions for them; in an era of reform, bloodshed is rarely avoidable. Ideally, it would be like Zou Ji’s reform in Qi State, where growth was achieved through interests without massive killings, but even then, some nobles declined and some rose.

As beneficiaries, how could they tolerate themselves gradually exiting the ruling class? This is where the conflict of reform originates, where reforms, regardless of benefits, are mostly unavoidable without bloodshed, though the amount of bloodshed could vary.

In essence, reforms like that of Zou Ji, or Chen Xi’s under the grand historical context, count as bloodless, though a completely bloodless reform isn’t guaranteed. Achieving to this extent has already been an effort.

Further advances might be possible for Chen Xi, but wouldn’t be meaningful, from a perspective of maximizing benefits, the input versus output comparison doesn’t justify the effort.

Overemphasizing the details may not yield the desired results; time and energy are extremely precious at all times.

After resolving the issue of the Aristocratic Family left over from the early Eastern Han, for Chen Xi, real control by the state truly begins now. Previously, whether admitted or not, Imperial Authority could seldom reach county-level units.

With historical issues resolved, the new government can issue orders that actually reach everyone’s hands, significantly reducing clan control over individuals.

Of course, this isn’t enough; further steps are needed, resolving the matter where clan law overrules national law.

After all these years, bringing Han-era China back on the proper path in a true sense, Chen Xi felt that he had done well enough. A unified nation could have barriers externally, but internally, a country within a country was absolutely not permissible.