Chapter 7101 It's Definitely Not Me Who's Wrong

Chen Xi doesn't really follow the so-called rules, because rules are something that Liu Bei and Chen Xi set for others. How can rules set for others apply to oneself? Wouldn't that be going against the natural order?

Therefore, when Chen Xi does things, he considers his own morality and mindset more. However, because Chen Xi's morality seems to be among the best in this morally deficient era, most of the time the things he does on a whim are more appropriate than those who follow the rules.

However, this does not mean that Chen Xi is following the rules; Chen Xi is truly acting on impulse.

To be honest, Chen Xi is sometimes a bit capricious, but he can control his desires and not let them run wild, so he seems to be very disciplined, as if he completely abides by everything he sets.

But actually...

"I do things as I please, but I do pay attention to the overall situation of the country. And because the morality of this era is indeed somewhat low, many of my actions seem to be very disciplined and respectable," Chen Xi said to Chen Gong with a hint of mockery.

"So you don't really think I would deliberately cut off my own flesh, do you?" Chen Xi looked at Chen Gong with a somewhat indifferent expression, and at this moment he had a bit of the divine demeanor that Chen Gong had mentioned.

"No, this isn't right. You've been continuously cutting off your own flesh all along. Putting aside everything else, just look at Central Asia and Eastern Europe. You've been constantly giving them money. As for what you've actually gained from these places, I doubt it. Apart from expanding the cultural sphere, have you gained any other tangible benefits?" Chen Gong looked at Chen Xi with some doubt. Something's not right here!
Chen Xi glanced at Chen Gong with a certain indifference, without answering, but that glance made it clear to Chen Gong that Chen Xi had gained real benefits, and benefits comparable to what he had spent.

Almost everyone believed that Chen Xi's support for the Yuan family and the Central Asian aristocratic families was purely an investment without any benefit, and that he should not expect to recoup his investment in the future. However, in reality, for Chen Xi, the fact that the Yuan family and the Central Asian aristocratic families used his money was already an enormous benefit.

In particular, the vast Han cultural sphere uses the currency defined by Chen Xi, which has led the Romans to gradually accept the currency defined by Chen Xi due to frequent transactions. In addition, the Kushans have been smuggling sugar, salt and other things from the Han Dynasty, and now they also recognize the currency issued by Chen Xi.

Although in order to incorporate Rome and Kushan into his monetary system, Chen Xi initiated a special type of credit currency, gold and silver coins, under the regular exchange system.

These are special gold and silver coins that have undergone special etching, have anti-counterfeiting serial numbers, and are extremely difficult to imitate, and have been circulating in various civilizations around the world, including the Han Dynasty, Rome, Kushan, and even other regions.

Well, in terms of weight, the Han Dynasty silver coins were not more than ten times heavier than Roman silver coins. However, because of their bearer nature as circulating currency, the Han Dynasty silver coins were worth nearly a hundred times more in commercial transactions than Roman silver coins.

In other words, a single silver coin from the Han Dynasty was worth 3 strings of cash. This was the reason why this type of silver coin was the most commonly used in mid-level trade. Moreover, the Romans used it, as did the Kushan smuggling groups. Furthermore, due to Chen Xi's presence, the coin's value remained extremely stable!
In this respect alone, everything Chen Xi had invested in the Han family and Eastern Europe was nothing special; it's just that few people understood the logic behind it.

After all, at Chen Xi's level, whether Eastern European and Central Asian aristocratic families can make money is not important. As long as they are in the Han cultural sphere and can be showcased to the outside world, it will be entirely beneficial to Chen Xi. As for spending some money, to be honest, where that money actually comes from is questionable.

Maybe Chen Xi took it from the future Han family and Yuan family, right?

Oh, and maybe some of it came from the future Rome and Kushan Empire. Anyway, it's definitely not Chen Xi's own. Chen Xi doesn't create wealth in essence; he's just moving other people's wealth around. What the God of Wealth does is simply to make everyone's wealth circulate.

So when Chen Gong and others thought that Chen Xi was giving blood to the aristocratic families of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Chen Xi just smiled. If such a good thing happened, people in later generations would be overjoyed. Surely no one would actually think that you have a nuclear-powered money printing press and that the money you print is real money.

To put it bluntly, why has China been so eager to promote RMB settlement? Isn't it all for the sake of a nuclear-powered money printing machine?
Even the biggest dream of the Chinese Empire right now is simply to make the RMB a global currency that can be used for international trade settlements. But what Chen Xi is doing is printing his own money so that it can circulate naturally in other countries without barriers.

Why did Chen Xi usually just glance at the money when the Han aristocratic family asked for it, and give it to them if there were no problems? To put it bluntly, it's because this money really wasn't his own. Honestly, it might actually have been earned by the aristocratic family and their people through hard work.

However, such money still needs to be used to repay the principal to Chen Xi. How to put it, only the United States, which knocked the Soviet Union off its crown in the 1990s and ascended to the altar, dared to think of such an operation. As for actually doing it, most countries in later generations with some ideas would be very resistant.

Even something as tightly bound as a doujinshi would resist this kind of treatment, even at the cost of being bled dry. It's because if you were really treated like this, not only would you lose your body, but your soul would be taken away. This isn't just about sucking out your marrow; it's about refining your very soul.

"This..." Chen Gong looked at Chen Xi with some unease. So even though I'm like this, even though I've surpassed mortals and burned all my accumulated wisdom, I still can't understand what you've done. Even though I'm like this, all I can see are the afterimages you left behind in the human world. What about the others?

“There’s nothing to be afraid of. Look at everyone, aren’t they all living happily?” Chen Xi said with a smile. “So there’s no need to think so deeply. Besides, it’s actually a good thing not to know some things. If they really knew, they would definitely cause trouble, right? Besides, everyone knows how well I’ve done all these years.”

Although Chen Xi felt it was indeed absurd that he could accomplish something even the United States couldn't, he didn't actually use this thing as a weapon. He was just quietly absorbing some nourishment from the future. If there were some loopholes in Chen Xi's previous borrowing of funds from the future, now that things have turned out this way, there are no loopholes or problems at all.

The targeted over-exploitation of resources by the Kushans was a perfectly legitimate act. Given the Brahmins' lack of humanity, the Kushans were completely unaware of it, while the Han Dynasty gained enormous profits.

Could the Han dynasty's civil officials detect this kind of thing? Detect my ass! How could they detect it? The Kushans might have some doubts, but their knowledge wasn't up to par, and more importantly, they relied mainly on high-caste people who didn't behave like humans to attack. How could they investigate? How could they investigate this!
Chen Gong was taken aback when he heard Chen Xi's words, then nodded silently. Indeed, given Chen Xi's behavior over the years, even if he had some scheming, it couldn't be too outrageous. This person is a respectable one. As for the fact that he was promoted from an outer marquis to an inner marquis, benefited from the promotion in rank, the rapid development, and the fiefdom, it was a bit excessive. However, considering what Chen Xi said, it did make sense upon careful consideration.

After all, Chen Xi didn't even push forward the matter of the Golden Book and Jade Book; it was the Yuan family and the Han family who did it themselves. Chen Xi just watched from the position of Prime Minister and did nothing.

In this situation, how can we blame Chen Xi for scheming when this happens? This is a loophole, okay? Chen Xi doesn't mind others using loopholes. Besides, over the years, countless people have taken advantage of Chen Xi's loopholes, even Chen Gong himself has done so several times!
In this way, you can't even file a complaint. After all, since Chen Xi took power, the Han aristocratic families have never stopped trying to find loopholes. Chen Xi also doesn't hold those who successfully exploit loopholes accountable, only trying to fix things after the fact. He even lets go of such a big loophole as Chen Gong's.

In essence, this matter is simply that Chen Xi accidentally exploited a loophole in the golden book and jade tablet signed by the Han imperial family and the Han aristocratic families. The problem is that this loophole was left over from the golden book and jade tablet itself, and it was not something that Chen Xi did himself.

Thinking about it this way...

Chen Gong only felt chest pain, and he couldn't tell if it was a scheme or what was going on.

"Wait, let me sort this out. I've thought about it carefully, and this seems to be a perfectly reasonable way to exploit loopholes. In fact, many people have done this over the years, and you've always let bygones be bygones, so..." Chen Gong's expression became extremely complicated, and he didn't even know how to describe the pain in his liver. Was this considered scheming?

Honestly, it doesn't really seem like scheming!

“I did not plot against the Han family, nor did I plot against you.” Chen Xi shook his head. He knew what Chen Gong was stuck in his throat but couldn’t say because Chen Gong had twice taken advantage of Chen Xi’s loopholes. Moreover, the loopholes in the original shares and the time he pulled Cao Cao were actually quite serious, but Chen Xi was not angry and gave a reply in accordance with his own rules.

It should be noted that Chen Gong was actually on tenterhooks when he tried to take advantage of the situation those two times, but Chen Xi's answer was exactly what a sage would give, and his reply was completely in accordance with the rules, which was very respectable.

If Chen Gong took advantage of a loophole, didn't others take advantage of it too?
How could that be? All the powerful families are trying to find and exploit the loopholes in the rules set by Chen Xi. Because Chen Xi's consistent approach in this regard is that if you find a loophole through your own abilities, I will not pursue it. I will only close the loophole after the matter is over.

"Sigh!" Chen Gong sighed. He knew that he couldn't stop this matter at all, because the greater good, the right to interpret the law, and the established rules were all not on their side. Even if Chen Xi did this, it would just be the same as what they had done before, taking advantage of loopholes in the country. So what?
“You really didn’t scheme against anyone.” Before Chen Xi could answer, Chen Gong sighed wearily. “But as you always say, I don’t doubt your intelligence, I’m only worried about your greed. And sure enough, the truth is just as you thought, you were indeed greedy.”

If others weren't greedy and didn't exploit so many loopholes, Chen Xi wouldn't have been able to do this, because Chen Xi is a rule-abiding citizen and wouldn't be the first to break the rules. But if there's a rule that allows one to exploit loopholes without being affected, and almost all the middle and upper-level managers are doing it, then should Chen Xi do it?
Perhaps from a rule-based perspective, Chen Xi, as the highest-ranking person, shouldn't have done it, but if Chen Xi did, it would actually be in accordance with the rules, after all, there's a saying: "to blend in with the world."

“Being too saintly isn’t good. At least nobody wants me to be a saint, right?” Chen Xi said with a smile. “So what I’m doing is perfectly reasonable.”

"Let me think back, just a little bit." Chen Gong pressed his temples, igniting all the wisdom he had accumulated recently, and then pieced together all the known information as much as possible to glimpse the possibilities.

"I heard that Minister Sun seems to be building roads for the veterans who were enfeoffed in the Indochina Peninsula," Chen Gong asked tentatively after a long pause.

"What's wrong? Isn't this Gongyou's own behavior?" Chen Xi pretended to be stupid. After all, Sun Qian had reported this to him in private, and Chen Xi had tacitly approved of it. This matter itself was the basis for the transformation of the outer marquises of the Nine Provinces into inner marquises of the Nine Provinces due to the progress of the times, but it was just not very conspicuous.

"..." Chen Gong fell silent. He felt that since things had come to this point, there was no point in arguing with Chen Xi anymore. They had already started fighting, so what was the point of talking? He might as well ask for some benefits.

"This was initiated by Gongyou himself. I think it should be fine. He only has a small number of people. At most, it will just waste some national assets." Chen Xi calmly attributed the matter to Sun Qian. "Besides, Gongyou is a very rational person. He can't possibly repair everything for everyone, right?"

Of course, it's impossible to repair everyone, but Liu Bei's subordinates will definitely be able to catch up.

"Besides, if we're really talking about serious losses of state assets, we have professional auditors here. Even someone like Gong You will definitely end up in jail," Chen Xi said with a grin.

Chen Gong was speechless. "Fine, you guys not only planned this ten years ago, but you've even started doing it now. You've even found someone to take the blame for you in the future."

Considering Sun Qian's strength and his current situation, Chen Gong wondered if this was a scapegoat or a way to ensure Sun Qian's safe exit. After all, anyone with a dozen or so legions in the country would be a primary target for the next leader.

This won't change because of any emotional factors; it's purely a matter of political structure. Moreover, Sun Qian is deeply bound to those dozen or so construction corps, and it won't be easy to break free. After all, Chen Gong had vaguely heard that Sun Qian had built independent urban areas for his production and construction corps, which can be considered an extremely deep bond, even forming its own system.

In an era where a new emperor brings a new court, even if Sun Qian were to voluntarily back down, he would still inevitably face repercussions later. After all, he was a veteran of the previous generation, still had his own independent faction, military power, and the ability to govern and operate independently. If you think about it carefully, you can imagine how many pitfalls he had encountered.

It was only in this era that Sun Qian could be kept in check, so it seemed like nothing serious happened. But if it were a different era, dealing with Sun Qian would probably be the main task of the current emperor and his court officials.

So, we let Sun Qian do something that was obviously outrageous, illegal, and absurd. After he finished, he was taken down, and that provided a suitable way to dismantle him.

“That’s true. If Sun Qing wants to step down peacefully, it seems the only way is to do something really deadly.” After thinking it over, Chen Gong felt that given the size of Sun Qian’s faction, it seemed that blowing him up was the only option. Otherwise, he could forget about his future, as there would be people pushing him down from both sides.

"This little bit of stuff won't be enough to destroy Gongyou," Chen Xi said, shaking his head.

If Sun Qian really only had a dozen or so legions, then Chen Gong's idea was fine. But Sun Qian had more than ninety of these things. Given his actions in the Indochina Peninsula, he would at most be punished with a few slaps on the wrist. So what? Is it a problem for me to produce some local specialties for my subordinates?
"No, this can't even be blown up?" Chen Gong stared blankly at Chen Xi, finding it somewhat absurd.

“If I remember correctly, Gongyou has over ninety fully-equipped production and construction corps,” Chen Xi said after thinking for a moment. “If you include the permanent resettlement camps he built himself, the scale would actually be much larger. Do you think such a small matter could bring down Gongyou?”

The Han family doesn't play dirty tricks; they'll have a direct confrontation with Sun Qian, and Chen Xi bets that Sun Qian will win.

"?" Chen Gong stared at Chen Xi in disbelief. What are you talking about?
"Yes, more than ninety." Chen Xi said calmly, "It is precisely because there are so many that we were able to build villages and hamlets in the Indochina Peninsula before others could react. Of course, I guess you understand this point."

What other milestone could it be? Of course, it would be after defeating the Kushan Empire and heading back along the Ganges River, when Sun Qian withdrew people from the Production and Construction Corps to build roads and residential areas in the Indochina Peninsula.

Incidentally, this was probably the last large-scale reward given by Liu Bei and Chen Xi to their subordinates who did not participate in the entire Battle of the Ganges and whose titles were not high enough. It also marked the formal development of the Indochina Peninsula.

According to Chen Xi's estimate, those soldiers who actually participated in the construction in the Indochina Peninsula would also have an understanding of the real situation there. Naturally, some of them would choose to stay there. After all, not everyone has any ancestral property to inherit, and giving it away is also an option, especially since they have seen the benefits firsthand and the country has been built by themselves. They should be able to leave behind 300,000 to 500,000 able-bodied men.

Moreover, at that time, since the Kushan Empire had just been defeated, the Han court's upper echelons would have focused their attention on the Kushan heartland, and would have paid very little attention to the Indochina Peninsula. If Sun Qian seized the opportunity and dealt with it in one go, there wouldn't be any major problems.

　All personnel have been arranged, and everyone has been treated with the respect due to be given. No one is owed anything.
　　(End of this chapter)