Chapter 7046 Something’s wrong with you

Chapter 7046 Something’s wrong with you
Having gained some understanding of Zhong Yao's situation and the current state of the Ganges, and having determined why Zhong Yao had been talking to him beforehand, Chen Xi said no more.

No matter what, Chen Xi was well aware of the level of importance that the investigators Guo Jia and Fa Zheng had sent to the Ganges River had mysteriously disappeared.

Although the Executive Yuan has stopped mentioning this matter, it doesn't mean that the matter is over. In fact, even Chen Xi knows that this matter is actually very serious, but the current situation is not suitable for pursuing it. Even Fa Zheng is actively suppressing it and not dealing with it.

But this doesn't mean the matter is over. In fact, it's not only not over, but because of the current suppression, it will only escalate further in the future.

After all, Fa Zheng is known for being vindictive. Even though he has improved a lot after being influenced by Chen Xi for so many years, he is still the same at heart. It's just that most of the time, Fa Zheng is in a high position and doesn't need to get involved.

This matter has really blown up quite a bit. Fa Zheng's decision not to take action is only for political reasons, but Chen Xi can predict the date of the reckoning.

In this situation, Zhong Yao, who was forced to get involved in the construction of the girls' school, would likely be beaten to death, or at least receive a few blows from Fa Zheng.

To be fair, Zhong Yao was definitely a top-tier figure, but Fa Zheng was undoubtedly also among the top-tier figures, and the resources that Fa Zheng could utilize in this era were far greater than those of Zhong Yao.

The most elite individuals, besides competing in intelligence, information, and energy, most importantly, compete in resources. Furthermore, Fa Zheng has a legitimate reason and clear rules to address this matter. If Zhong Yao doesn't inform Chen Xi beforehand and ask Chen Xi to mediate, Fa Zheng's iron fist will definitely leave Zhong Yao with several bumps on his head.

Even though Fazheng knew very well that the documents sent by the Ganges family were accusations and deliberately exaggerated, so what? The investigators I sent from Chang'an are dead, so all the people involved have to give an explanation. Zhao Zilong can't escape either, understand?
Since we've already discussed this, Zhao Yun can't escape either. Who do you think you are, Zhong Yao? This matter concerns you, so you have to rectify it. Don't tell me it has nothing to do with you. This isn't an exaggeration, nor is it targeting you. It's just strictly following the rules!

Guan Yu and Zhao Yun only wanted to suppress the matter of the death of the investigator sent from Chang'an for the time being, and deal with it later after the storm had passed. How much face do you, Zhong Yao, have that is more important than Guan Yu and Zhao Yun? Just tell me not to investigate this matter!

Moreover, you've really implicated the girls' school in a case. Don't give me any historical background or social reasons; those are meaningless to my justice system. I just want one result: if you're involved, you should be dealt with. Whether you get three punches or five punches is a matter of the system and rules. But do you want to avoid getting punched?

Then you shouldn't even think about it!

This is also what left Zhong Yao speechless. The Ganges family really didn't set up a scheme. They were just waiting for Zhong Yao to make a mistake because, according to their analysis, the caste system in the Ganges region is deeply ingrained, and women in the region are taught from birth to obey their fathers and brothers.

Compared to the Central Plains, where women have human rights regardless of the era, the only difference being the degree of those rights, in the Ganges region, women have no human rights from birth.

Brahmanism directly defines in its doctrine that women must completely obey men. This kind of thing, which is deeply rooted in the culture and even in the soul of the local people, is something that the major families do not think Zhong Yao can easily eradicate. The idea that the economic base determines the superstructure is also a matter of courage and self-confidence. The families on the other side of the Ganges do not believe that Zhong Yao can completely eradicate this kind of domestication of people.

To put it bluntly, if even a powerful family in the Han dynasty could produce assassins, surely there must be women in Brahmanism who have been completely tamed into human puppets?
There definitely is!
Given this premise, they will certainly stab Zhong Yao in the back when necessary. Of course, with their information sources, they may not be able to cause too much trouble, but this stab is not to be missed.

Therefore, the Ganges families never caused trouble or set up schemes from the beginning. At their level, they only needed to wait, and the time for the fruits of their labor would naturally come. After all, Zhong Yao's education was not for a few people or a dozen people, but for tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of people.

With such a large scale, even a one in ten thousand chance of something going wrong can almost be considered inevitable.

Zhong Yao was aware of this, but he felt he could handle the consequences at his level. However, a mix of messy things piled up, and the internal turmoil within the Ganges Legion created a huge mess for Zhong Yao. By the time he found out, it was already at a point where he was certain to face the Iron Fist.

Although this iron fist certainly wouldn't kill Zhong Yao—after all, he's at a level where he's achieved enlightenment—even Fa Zheng could only give him a few punches and make him explain himself; he couldn't possibly do anything to him. But just because he's unharmed doesn't mean his businesses are unharmed.

What the powerful families along the Ganges wanted was for Zhong Yao to be unharmed, and for his businesses to be destroyed. This way, they could continue to use Zhong Yao's influence to develop their businesses and maintain a mutually beneficial relationship.

After all, the loss of the girls' school wouldn't be a big loss for Zhong Yao himself; at most, he'd lose face. But if Zhong Yao were actually injured, the commotion caused by someone of that level wouldn't be much smaller than if Fa Zheng had taken action to suppress him. After all, Zhong Yao wasn't bound by those rules from above; did he even know what it meant to be a powerful regional official?
To put it bluntly, if the Grand Princess of Yiyang bowed to Fazheng in Chang'an, Fazheng would at least have to return the courtesy, and on the surface, it would be a polite exchange. But in the Ganges, if she really angered Zhong Yao, the emperor was far away, and she could really do whatever she wanted to him.
Encroaching on a princess's interests is rare in the capital, but in remote areas far from the emperor's reach, it's not uncommon. County officials may be powerful, but the local officials can kill you on the spot!

So after Zhong Yao confirmed Chen Xi's stance by going around in circles, he felt at ease. He wasn't afraid of being hit by an iron fist, nor was he worried that the Ganges families would really do anything to him. Zhong Yao's only fear was that his career would be destroyed by these people through the court!
Then he would have one less achievement to leave in the annals of history. This was an achievement that far surpassed the strategy of transforming Qi. Once it was accomplished, Zhong Yao would at least have his own book in some classic works!
"Zichuan, I saw you and Zhong Yuanchang exchanging glances. What happened?" Liu Bei asked curiously when Chen Xi withdrew his gaze.

"After learning about the situation in Ganges, I found that Zhong Yuanchang is using his own methods to consolidate Ganges," Chen Xi explained simply. "Then now there's a problem, and someone has found a weakness. To avoid being hit hard later, he's testing my attitude in circles."

"I see." Liu Bei didn't delve into it further. The situation on the Ganges was just so-so. The more Liu Bei learned, the more he understood that what he would do next on the Ganges was simply to do his best. However, he would only have the Ganges army to rely on, as it was just a part of his own strength.

“The higher one’s morality, the greater the restrictions one faces,” Chen Xi said very seriously. “Sometimes I even have some violent thoughts. It really is a high-morality trap.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei coughed twice and quickly tried to persuade Chen Xi. After all, he had witnessed Chen Xi's transformation into a villain in his dream. If Chen Xi chose to abandon morality, even someone like Li You would probably be nothing more than a nobody!
"Don't worry, don't worry, I was just saying. I've experienced the vicissitudes of life to some extent. Doing the right thing and doing good deeds isn't easy." Chen Xi, who had seen through the ways of society over the past ten years, answered quite calmly.

"That's good." Liu Bei nodded upon hearing this, indicating that Chen Xi should continue to maintain this mindset and should not waste time on things that might affect his mindset. After all, there are still many things in this world that need Chen Xi, and dwelling on certain things is not only meaningless but also a waste of time.

"When it's time to let go of some people, then let them go," Liu Bei said.

Chen Xi was taken aback upon hearing this, sensing that Liu Bei's mindset had undergone a significant change.

“I used to believe that everyone had a purpose in being saved, but as times have changed and I’ve witnessed all sorts of people, I’ve come to realize that not everyone has the value of being saved. Just like you said, people have the freedom to choose to fall into depravity, and they also have the freedom to choose not to be saved,” Liu Bei said earnestly to Chen Xi.

Chen Xi was taken aback. Could this be interpreted in this way? If that's the case, then such freedom really is evil!

"So there's no need to put pressure on yourself; you can't save everyone," Liu Bei said, with a touch of the carefree chivalry of his youth.

“That’s true, let go of the desire to help others, right?” Chen Xi said with a hint of teasing. “Don’t worry, I won’t get too entangled in these things. I will only do my best to save those who are willing to be saved. As for those who don’t even try to save themselves, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

When Liu Bei and his entourage were on their way to the Court of Justice, which is the later Dali Temple, they encountered the carriage of Liu Bei's wife, Lady Zhang. As the principal wife of the Prince of Jin, Lady Zhang had always been very open-minded and generous, and she managed Liu Bei's residence in an orderly manner, so that Liu Bei never had to worry about family issues. She was well-known for her virtue among Liu Bei's subordinates and even in the entire court.

Although the Zhen family was a hindrance, the officials still gave Zhang Shi face. After all, it was really not easy for Liu Bei to get away from family affairs and devote himself to handling state affairs. So when they saw Zhang Shi's carriage, they stopped the carriage and greeted Zhang Shi. Liu Bei also asked his wife what was going on.

"What is this, Madam?" Liu Bei asked curiously, looking at the tall girl, about 1.5 meters tall, standing next to Zhang Shi. He had never seen this relative before.

“She is the daughter of a distant relative from Taiyuan. Her parents also came to Chang’an with her. I found her daughter charming, so I planned to bring her to meet the other ladies.” Madam Zhang smiled and pushed her grandniece forward.

Chen Xi tilted his head upon hearing this. This was his mother-in-law, so Chen Xi was quite familiar with her. In any case, after Zhang Shi married Liu Bei and gave birth to Liu Jiang, her favorite thing to do was to arrange marriages for others. She even almost succeeded in arranging a marriage for Li You for a while.

Unfortunately, Li You ultimately rejected the woman Zhang had arranged for him with her strong will and conviction.

However, this did not dampen Zhang's enthusiasm for matchmaking. In addition, there were quite a few daughters of the Zhang clan in Qinghe and Henan. Zhang was happy to use her status to help her nieces find suitable partners. Liu Bei was indifferent to this matter. If his wife wanted to do it, then let her do it. Anyway, it was a win-win situation.

It was obvious that this girl from a small branch of the Zhang family in the Taiyuan area, whose name was unknown, had caught the eye of the Princess of Jin, who planned to take her to arrange a marriage.

Judging from the girl's height, Chen Xi estimated that she was about fourteen or fifteen years old, which was indeed the age for marriage these days.

Considering that the girl's parents might not have suitable resources, and that Princess Zhang, as a relative, is willing to take on all the responsibilities in this matter, the girl's parents should be happy to save themselves trouble. After all, if Princess Zhang is acting as matchmaker, it means that the girl has potential and a future.

"Speaking of which, do you really have relatives in Taiyuan, Bingzhou?" Chen Xi asked with some curiosity. "I remember when I went to Jizhou, the Zhen family was preparing to flee to Bingzhou."

Upon hearing this, Zhang glared at Chen Xi. "That time you went to Jizhou, Chen Zichuan, you almost brought down the Zhen family. If it weren't for the goal of taking over the Zhen family and splitting Hebei, the Zhen family would have had to carry out their planned relocation and escape long ago."

“Indeed, there are, and they are families that we specifically assigned to.” Zhang explained briefly, “The Zhen family and the Wang family of Taiyuan have a good relationship because they need to purchase horses from Bingzhou, so they need a local strongman. Over time, the relationship naturally improved.”

The rest is self-explanatory. No matter how good the relationship with the local bigwigs is, they still need to develop their own channels, so some preparations are definitely necessary. Rather than planting a branch of the Zhen family in Bingzhou, it would be better to plant a branch of a local family with a good relationship with the Zhen family, such as a branch of the Zhang family of Qinghe.

This way, at least they won't be disliked by the Wang family of Taiyuan, and if they ever fall out with the Wang family of Taiyuan, they'll have alternative channels.

The so-called Zhang family of Taiyuan Zi clan was born under such circumstances, so it's no joke that this little girl is a distant relative of the Princess of Jin.

Conversely, it's not necessarily a bad thing for aunts and uncles to arrange a good marriage for their distant granddaughter. So, with the parents' consent and Zhang's satisfaction, the little girl was recently taken in by the Princess of Jin.

"She's quite pretty," Liao Li commented fairly. "If Your Highness doesn't mind that my nephew is clumsy, I just happened to bring him along this time."

They certainly aren't stupid. Anyone who's brought to Chang'an to broaden their horizons, even if they're not related, must be capable and intelligent. Otherwise, who would bring them?

“Alright, bring him over so the two children can get to know him.” Zhang nodded. Although she didn’t know who Liao Li was, the fact that Liao Li could stand next to Liu Bei and ride in the same carriage with him meant that his rank was no less than two thousand shi. Moreover, judging from the fact that he had been chatting and laughing with Chen Xi earlier, he must be the governor of Jingzhou.

There was nothing she could do. The only governors Zhang hadn't met were the governors of Jingzhou and Jiaozhou. Even if she wasn't familiar with the others, she had at least met them before.

So when Liao Li spoke, Zhang Shi couldn't find a match, so she deduced his identity in her mind, and even deduced the identity of Shi Xie, who looked like an old man standing next to her.

"Yuan Chang, what's wrong with you?" Chen Xi asked Zhong Yao telepathically. He noticed that Zhong Yao had been somewhat dazed ever since Zhang Shi got out of the car with the little girl.

"Uh." Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment when he heard Chen Xi's telepathic message. He took out a wooden box from his sleeve and handed it to the little girl. "It is fate that we met. I will give this to you."

Zhang looked at Zhong Yao with some curiosity, but did not refuse. There were many strange customs in different parts of the world, and Zhang did not understand them either. Moreover, she knew Zhong Yao. To put it bluntly, if she had not married Liu Bei and had not been the acting head of the Zhen family, she would not have been qualified to see Zhong Yao.

These are truly renowned scholars and wise men with real abilities. They are the kind of people who don't really want to be officials, but if they were willing, they could reach the highest positions in the government based solely on their abilities.

So even though Zhang didn't understand what was going on with Zhong Yao, she still had her distant niece accept the gift when he took it out.

“Just take it. These are gifts from important people. Accepting them will only benefit you,” Zhang said to her grandniece. After a moment’s thought, the grandniece gracefully bowed to Zhong Yao and accepted the gift with both hands.

"May I open it and take a look?" Zhang Changpu asked earnestly after taking the long, narrow wooden box with both hands. Zhong Yao looked at him, waved his hand with a hint of weariness, indicating that he was fine with anything.

Then Zhang Changpu opened the wooden box, inside which was a phoenix hairpin, a sage headdress, and a hair ornament. Zhang glanced at them, her expression strange.

Leaving aside the seemingly simple hair ornaments and hairpins, the phoenix hairpin was anything but ordinary.

The nine feathers, crafted from twisted gold thread, fluttered exquisitely, the phoenix head slightly raised, and the trembling pearl embedded within, like a fleeting morning dew, shimmered with a seven-colored halo as Zhang Changpu moved. The five tail feathers were all crafted with intricate filigree, as fine as baby hair yet each strand distinct, adorned with tiny coral beads, and the phoenix's crimson pupils shone with divine light, making the entire creature lifelike.

As Zhang Changpu's small hands trembled slightly, the golden wings also rustled, and the pearl light came alive. Unlike ordinary jewelry that lay stiffly, it looked like a real phoenix perched on a paulownia branch. Immediately, everyone looked at Zhong Yao and said, "You're wrong!"
Currently on hiatus; the author is unavailable lately, but all the children are here!