Chapter 1094: Taking Over
Xuu Shao may not be the most intelligent person, but he possesses eyes that can see through human nature. Therefore, he clearly knows that saints do not exist, and thus he deeply understands Chen Xi's words: a class cannot betray its own class!
The aristocratic family, no matter how it changes, cannot betray its own class. The current compromise is not because Chen Xi is stronger, but because the benefits are worth the aristocratic family pausing to think and chase after.
However, this can only delay rather than truly reform this era. Xuu Shao is well aware that he belongs to the sympathizers of the common folk, but to ask him to give up everything and be like the commoners, that's impossible. He is only a sympathizer, only doing what he can.
As someone who benefits from interests, it's impossible to give up one's interests for unrelated people, unless there is a greater benefit. Only then can the aristocratic family loosen its grip.
Chen Xi is not a saint, Xuu Shao knows this very well. At best, he stands in another class, or rather, he's not even standing in another class!
Chen Xi can at most be considered a class reformer. He doesn't wish for his class to be destroyed. He stands on high, sympathizing in a gentle manner, trying to win over those common people at the bottom.
[The fearless spirit you speak of, you do not possess it.] Xuu Shao thought as he gazed at the already vanished Chen Xi,[You know everything, but you can't do everything. You're even hesitating and delaying. You haven't planned or schemed for the future yet!]
[Gentle as you are, you desire a peaceful and stable transition like the Age of Sages. You don't want to shatter your own foundation, nor do you wish for this foundation to trap you. You seek a dynamic yet eternal balance, only in this way can stability and longevity be achieved.]
Xuu Shao sighed deeply. The road Chen Xi wants to take is too difficult. It can be said that he desires not just peace for one dynasty, but much, much more.
Chen Xi has been constantly reforming and improving the living standards of the common people. And although it seems he has always been weakening the aristocratic family, Xuu Shao can feel that more of what Chen Xi is doing should be called "retaining the essence and discarding the dross".
The aristocratic family indeed is due for a cleanse, as too much scum has mixed in. But it is undeniable that even within the most scum-filled groups, there are elites. Moreover, the aristocratic family itself, due to holding considerable resources, has become an elite group.
Extracting the essence and discarding the dross sounds simple, but doing it may be one of the hardest things in the world, especially when you don't understand anything. If most people still rely on self-education with only Chen Xi's teachings, in the end, it will still result in aristocrats and commoners.
At most, just a change of people, with the relationship between the two sides still being one of exploitation and being exploited. More severely, the relationship between them remains fragmented.
It is clear that Chen Xi does not want such a relationship. Throughout history, reforms, whether top-down or bottom-up, have failed when done by a single class. Purely aristocratic self-rescue will undoubtedly end terribly. That's a certainty.
Similarly, pure grassroots turmoil ultimately comes to nothing. For reform to succeed, all classes must be involved. However, speaking of this era, the Han Dynasty only has two classes: the aristocratic family and the common folk.
Of course, the emperor at the highest position mostly stands with the common folk because standing too high requires balance. Therefore, the so-called aristocratic family reform must involve the common people; otherwise, it is destined for failure.
The common folk need to see a path for upward mobility. The aristocratic family should no longer squander the blessings of their ancestors. Only when both sides are of similar strength can they engage in equal dialogue. Thus, Chen Xi has been striving to create a class born from the commoners but relatively united and strong.
This is the veteran group that has been receiving increased investment. There is a kind of camaraderie in this world as powerful as love. The phrase "holding hands and growing old together" originally spoke of this bond among comrades. The feelings forged on the battlefield, of shielding each other from harm, seldom fade with time.
Consistently enhancing the benefits for this group, continuously increasing their honors, allowing them to gradually stand out and become a class—a class purely fighting for the country, free from other economic burdens.
These people are mostly courageous and straightforward, without high official positions, unaffected by corrupted interests. They understand what unity means, having seen battle, aware of personal weaknesses. Hence, they will diligently unite their comrades, unwittingly strengthening into another class.
Only by the principle of the tripod can there be balance. This is the most realistic and potentially achievable stable manner Chen Xi could conceive. As for how far it can go, Chen Xi is not entirely sure, but how much worse can it get?
At least, using the current approach, Chen Xi can still glimpse some future possibilities. And with the path reaching this extent, even if Chen Xi doesn't wish to proceed, the inertia of history won't let him halt.
Chen Xi feels rather pleased that before he could collapse the historical trend, he once again seized control of another part of the trend. It's not about the well-known destiny of Liu Bei's unification but rather a trend that only he has determined.
The Aristocratic Family Alliance, held with a hint of sarcasm, is merely a facade. Although important, it truly hasn't reached a point where it can't function without the aristocratic family. It was merely a test.
And as Chen Xi anticipated, at the moment the world's situation crumbled, everything he foresaw once again came into his hands.
Thus, after the great war between Yuan and Liu had ended, when the world's affairs had already been swept into the trash heap, Chen Xi remained as calm as water. Zichuan, prepared and forewarned, solely relied on his own wisdom, seamlessly taking over the world's affairs. At the instant of historical transition, he grasped the new era firmly!
Perhaps saying it this way seems vague, but the puppet of history that Chen Xi had played with until it broke was brought back to life in his hands again. Unlike the past, where familiarity with the puppet was necessary, now Chen Xi no longer requires it.
It is precisely because of this event that Chen Xi's reverence for historical figures has completely vanished. This is also the reason behind his audacious incitement, for unlike before, where he followed predecessors' tracks to manipulate history, now he has developed his own techniques.
If before, Chen Xi was a sophisticated imitator, now he has started refining his own skills. Though immature and clumsy, it does not mask the strength Chen Xi has drawn from past shadows.
Unlike before, now he no longer needs to disguise himself as an exceedingly mature sage. He only needs to boldly unveil the era as a youth might, knowing naturally that someone will carry forth this new era.
Let's still ask for some votes; it seems things aren't going too well, though admittedly, it's not very useful... (To be continued. If you like this work, you're welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)