Chapter 51: Great Families (2)

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Chen Xi was currently feeling somewhat depressed, primarily because he had misjudged Chen Qun's reaction. In a chaotic era, it was essentially a game of chess played by great clans; as they sought to reclaim their status, branch families, split households, and illegitimate sons would all attempt to make their move.

Generally speaking, once a clan leader discovered such internal signals, they would take action. Most often, they would simply cast the individual out, or if the situation was unclear and the clan was hesitant to place a bet, they would initiate a family split. In more severe cases, the individual would be expelled from the clan entirely.

A representative example was Yuan Shu. Had Yuan Shu won, the position of head of the Yuan clan would have automatically shifted from Yuan Shao's head to his. Even if he had been expelled by Yuan Shao previously, once the trend was established, historical records would simply state that Yuan Shu expelled Yuan Shao from the family. After all, only the victor is qualified to inherit the family legacy. However, Chen Xi did not believe his intelligence or behavior were on par with Yuan Shu's.

Chen Xi had only just released the information regarding his intention to become independent when he was kicked out of the clan, which immediately left him feeling disgruntled. Ordinarily, for an insignificant figure like him, the clan's method of handling such a matter would be to provide some travel funds and let him fend for himself. He hadn't expected them to expel him directly. Although his parents' memorial tablets remained in the ancestral hall, meaning his roots weren't completely severed, it was clearly an excessively harsh move!

Chen Xi carefully considered his current situation, finally looking toward the direction of the Chen residence with a gloomy expression. He understood what Chen Qun was doing, and he couldn't help but sneer repeatedly.

Was it "killing the chicken to warn the monkey"? Chen Xi asked himself, then laughed. Chen Qun was far too confident. Did he truly believe he didn't need to place a bet? Even the Xun family could not guarantee that the lord they chose would be the correct one; they hedged their bets on both Yuan Shao and Cao Cao simultaneously. Did the Chen clan truly believe Chen Qun was a once-in-a-millennium sage?

Chen Xi had basically figured out Chen Qun's way of thinking. He estimated that in Chen Qun's eyes, the enlightened lord he had selected would inevitably unify the world under his assistance.

What a pity. He had indeed chosen the right lord, but the problem was that the man would not achieve it through his assistance. The overconfident—bordering on arrogant—Chen Qun would only realize that there are always heavens beyond heavens when he encounters someone like Xun Yu, who would crush him from head to toe. Currently, Chen Qun was likely still in the stage of youthful, arrogant hubris. One could not use conventional logic to simulate the "chunibyo" tendencies of an older youth in this era; he would just have to let him be.

Having thought this through, Chen Xi no longer felt the need to dwell on it. Being expelled from the clan was fine; without those shackles, there were plenty of things he could do. As for Chen Qun, there would be plenty of opportunities to watch him become a laughingstock in the future.

The moment Liu Bei learned that Chen Xi had been expelled from the Chen family, he immediately rushed over with Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Hua Xiong.

"Zichuan, since you are homeless because of me, follow me from now on. As long as I have food to eat, I will never let you go hungry," Liu Bei said solemnly, grasping Chen Xi's hand without even asking why he had been expelled.

"Hmph, damn that Chen family! Old Zhang will march to their doorstep right now and show them what's what!" Zhang Fei shouted indignably.

Chen Xi felt a warmth in his heart. None of these people cared about the fact that he had been expelled from his clan. In this era, being expelled usually implied a lack of moral character, yet these men did not care about such things.

"Third Brother, there is no need for that. I chose to become independent myself. The Chen family will provide an explanation later. Rest assured, they will definitely provide an explanation," Chen Xi said to them with a confident expression.

Seeing that Chen Xi was still acting as usual, Liu Bei and the others felt relieved. Their greatest fear was that Chen Xi would fall into despair because of this incident.

"Zichuan, this place of Yingchuan is indeed a land of talented people. Although we haven't met the great talents you mentioned, a group of scholars has indeed been recruited here," Liu Bei remarked with emotion. His status as a member of the imperial clan, his position as the Governor of Taishan Commandery, and his force of over ten thousand elite troops were quite attractive to scholars looking to showcase their talents.

"Hmm? Did Lord Xuande not meet Xun Wenruo?" Chen Xi asked curiously. "Logically, even if Xun Yu was unwilling to accept your recruitment, he would at least have a discussion with you. How could you have missed him?"

"Sigh, the timing was not right, so we did not meet. His fourth brother, Xun Chen, said he had gone out to visit friends and might not return for three to five months," Liu Bei said helplessly. "I could only leave my calling card and gifts, asking him to speak on my behalf upon his elder brother's return."

"Xun Chen?" Chen Xi felt his eyelid twitching. The Xun family possessed many talents, and Xun Chen was one of them. If he remembered correctly, Xun Chen seemed to be Yuan Shao's chief strategist. The Xun family played both sides; for their hedge to work, one side could not be too strong while the other was too weak. In other words, if Xun Yu's political strategy was a 100, Xun Chen would likely have a 92 or 93.

Thinking further, this fellow Xun Chen seemed to have secured a massive territory for Yuan Shao right from the start; he had even managed to persuade Han Fu. Later, during the Battle of Guandu, he appeared as the chief strategist, outshining Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Xu You, and Shen Pei. Most importantly, this man remained silent throughout the entire Battle of Guandu, and once it was over, he vanished, much like Li Ru.

Alright, he was a mysterious figure. In terms of ability, he was likely slightly better than someone like Ju Shou. He was a character worth recruiting.

At this thought, Chen Xi spoke up, "Lord Xuande, since we didn't meet Wenruo, let's go find Youruo. Any member of the Xun family can handle state affairs. Don't worry, if we can't find the eldest brother, we'll find the younger brother; if we can't find the younger brother, we'll find the nephew. As long as they are willing to come with us, we will take them. Taishan is short on scholars; if they come, we take them."

Liu Bei thought for a moment, recalling Xun Chen's measured and poised behavior at the Xun residence, and nodded in agreement with Chen Xi's suggestion.

Liu Bei and his party took Chen Xi to the Xun residence and presented another large array of gifts. However, this time things became interesting. All the members of this generation who could be recruited—Xun Yu, Xun Yan, Xun Chen, and Xun You—were all away. Xun Yu had gone to visit friends, Xun Yan was traveling, Xun Zhan had gone north to find an enlightened lord, and Xun You had gone to find his uncle, Xun Yu.

Well, even a fool like Chen Xi could understand now that the Xun family did not want to place their bets on Liu Bei just yet. But then again, he was indeed asking the impossible. Liu Bei appeared prosperous now, but in reality, he was a tree without roots. To get these people to recognize you and join you, you had to present something that gave them hope; otherwise, it was absolutely impossible.

"Lord Xuande, it seems our luck is truly lacking," Chen Xi maintained a smile on his face. Great clans sought stability before seeking advancement. Since they felt the time wasn't right, then there would be no opportunity in the future. However, Chen Xi felt it was a pity that a "Full Dreamland" faction was likely out of the question. Ah, such is fate!

As for everything else, Chen Xi did not feel it was a pity. What needed to be done still had to be done. Since these great clans did not favor Liu Bei, Chen Xi would instead enjoy watching them. He wanted them to watch with wide eyes as Liu Bei, a mere weaver of mats and sandals with no foundation, climbed step by step to the supreme throne. He was very interested in seeing the looks of regret on their faces.

"Yes, our luck is lacking," Liu Bei replied, showing no sign of being discouraged. He had experienced enough hardships; this minor matter was of no consequence to him.

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(End of Chapter)