Chapter 7146 Arrows from Years Ago

Chapter 7146 Arrows from a Thousand Years Ago
Chen Xi's current state is far from good, not even normal. He is somewhat dazed, so when Xin Xianying came over with the box, Chen Xi was even a little confused.

"Your Highness, did you ask me to bring this?" Chen Xi composed herself, looked at her disciple, and tried to smile as much as possible. Although she hadn't taught Xin Xianying much, a disciple was still a disciple.

"Yes, Master, Her Highness the Princess asked me to give this to you." Xin Xianying held the wooden box with both hands and handed it to Chen Xi. Chen Xi couldn't help but start to wonder what was inside.

As Chen Xi reached out to take it, he already assessed what was inside by its weight and feel. This was something that would never normally happen to Chen Xi, since he would know as soon as he opened the wooden box.

The box wasn't heavy, and Chen Xi took it but didn't open it. She put it away, nodded to Xin Xianying, and said, "Xianying, Master isn't always in a good state, so he might need your guidance."

“Master, I have never written any palace novels about you and the princess.” Xin Xianying said very seriously. She did not believe that Chen Xi was unaware that she had written some very special manuscripts.

Chen Xi was taken aback. His previously dazed expression suddenly returned to normal, and then he became solemn, looking up at the direction of the palace with a self-deprecating smile on his face.

“The scripture may have been recited for Her Highness the Princess, but it could also have been used for hunting Marquis Chen,” Xin Xianying said. “Her Highness the Princess asked me to tell you this.”

At this moment, Chen Xi had completely composed himself, his face no longer showing any sign of confusion. He had calmed down completely. He was never lacking in wisdom or judgment, and he had countless cases to compare with. Therefore, as long as he calmed down, he could discern many things at a glance.

For example, when Chen Xi was in a daze and had already begun to think about what to do next, Liu Tong suddenly enlightened him, and Chen Xi instantly understood a lot of things.

"Tsk, I underestimated you." Chen Xi composed himself and said with a smile, "Go back and tell the princess that I will handle the rest."

After saying this, Chen Xi picked up the wooden box and left the palace.

"Zichuan, you seem to be in a bad state this afternoon." Liu Bei was waiting for Chen Xi at the palace gate and noticed a hint of worry on Chen Xi's face.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, Lord Xuande. The spiritual power that Her Highness unleashed when she created the sword spirit was all mine. Why do you think I'm in a daze?" Chen Xi said with a helpless expression. Liu Bei was taken aback when he heard this, and then nodded. That exaggerated spiritual power seemed to belong only to Chen Xi.

"Never mind, let me see what the princess's return gift is." After Chen Xi got onto Liu Bei's carriage, he put down the wooden box and said casually, preparing to open it. There was nothing he couldn't tell others, and besides, Liu Bei had to be a little wary of such things.

"It's rare that the princess would actually return the favor," Liu Bei said with a smile. Knowing why Chen Xi had acted that afternoon, Liu Bei felt a little relieved. He thought he should give Pu Yuanbang a couple of punches later. What kind of nonsense was this? Couldn't things be simpler?

“This is more than just a return gift.” Chen Xi shook his head and opened the wooden box, revealing the Yuanfeng Sword inside, along with a letter.

"They actually returned the Yuanfeng Sword. But that makes sense, Your Highness. You really don't need this sword much." Liu Bei looked at the Yuanfeng Sword lying in the box and didn't find it strange.

Then Chen Xi picked up the letter, tore it open casually, and unfolded the silk paper. He didn't seem particularly curious, but calmly looked at the contents of the letter.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this isn't my personal stash of money." Although it was written in words, Chen Xi instantly pictured Liu Tong, that mocking little devil, and the crazy woman who had previously claimed it was her dowry.

"You're probably thinking about how I was when I wrote this, but how do you know if everything before was true or false?" Liu Tong's second sentence hit Chen Xi right where it hurt, leaving Chen Xi somewhat speechless. Helpless, he had actually thought about it for a moment, just as the letter had suggested.

"Well, you should now understand the predicament I faced before. Aren't the methods of the Han aristocratic family interesting? In fact, the one who is most likely to go with the flow in this situation is not me, but you, Marquis Chen. There is nothing in this world that can stop you except the King of Jin and your own morality." Liu Tong wrote in his letter, "But the morality of the Gui surname Chen family has never been trustworthy."

Liu Tong directly pointed out the most crucial point in the letter: "Perhaps you are special, and Lord Xuande is willing to believe in you. In my current situation, it is impossible for me not to believe you. But do you think the powerful families in the world believe in your morality or your ability?"

“When I first heard about it, I thought this was a setup for me, but then I realized that I do have an obsession, but my obsession is about my father’s merits and demerits, and how my father and the ministers distributed the mistakes of the era. But my father’s posthumous title has already been decided, and I agree with it.” Chen Xi understood Liu Tong’s way of thinking after reading this description.

The posthumous title "Ling" is not considered a derogatory one. In fact, it was a very suitable title for Emperor Ling of Han, because the original meaning of "Ling" in posthumous titles is "chaotic but not destructive." If we really want to talk about the true situation during Emperor Ling's reign, it can be summed up in these four words. As for the messy actions of the young emperor and the Min emperor that led to the collapse of the entire Han Dynasty, to be honest, it was related to Emperor Ling, but not to a great extent.

Because when Emperor Huan and Emperor Ling took over, the situation was worse than when Emperor Shao was in power, and the resources left by their predecessors were very limited. However, both of them managed to turn the tide. So, if we're talking about blaming someone, Emperor Ling bears some responsibility, but not the main responsibility. The collapse of the Han Dynasty is somewhat ironic.

"If this scheme was set up for me, then if I think about it carefully, the final outcome should be that I should marry you and then have my offspring compete for the throne. But after thinking about it carefully, after stripping away the illusions surrounding you, if I look at the issue from a very pure perspective, isn't this just usurpation?" Liu Tong wrote these two words very directly in the letter, in vermilion.

"Now that I've figured this out, what I need to do is simple: I also want to know what kind of thoughts you, a member of the Gui surname Chen clan, are harboring. After all, this is the family with the most dark history in a thousand years, and the family that has actually usurped the throne twice. A saint or a great thief, only you know best." Although it was just words on paper, Chen Xi felt Liu Tong's sarcasm. Indeed, the Gui surname Chen clan was like that.

"So, what should I do?" Liu Tong's letter started on a separate line, then added with a hint of sarcasm, "Of course, I'll use the Liu family's madness to see how you fared. Well, to put it simply, your performance didn't pass!"

Upon seeing this sentence, Chen Xi couldn't help but feel a sense of helplessness. He knew very well whether he had passed or not; he had. However, he was also stunned by Liu Tong's actions. If Liu Tong continued to play this game for ten years, Chen Xi would have surrendered on his own; there was nothing he could do.

"Lord Chen, please stay true to your heart. If the Liu royal family has a kind of crazy blood flowing through their veins, a bloodline that becomes extremely ruthless and acts insane after achieving imperial power, then the bloodline of the Gui Chen family contains the madness of usurping the throne." Liu Tong put all the words he wanted to say into this sentence. "Leave the Yuanfeng Sword by your side. Take a look at it, even if it is for the sake of all the people under heaven."

"Why do you look so unwell?" Liu Bei asked with a hint of surprise when Chen Xi looked up after reading the letter. "What's wrong? What did Her Highness write in the letter? Why do you look so unwell? What did she say?"

Seeing Liu Bei's worried expression, Chen Xi handed him the letter written by Liu Tong. "Lord Xuande, take a look, and then I'll explain what happened. You'll understand. I'll also mention some past events that you've probably heard about, such as the princesses from the Former Han to the Later Han dynasties, and the Gui surname Chen clan, etc. You'll understand once you combine them together."

Liu Bei was puzzled, then took the letter Liu Tong had written to Chen Xi and started reading it. The letter was short, and Liu Bei quickly finished reading it. He was furious. In all these years, this was the first time he had seen such a method.

"Zichuan!" Liu Bei was so angry he wanted to kill someone. He understood best what this method meant. If it succeeded, Chen Xi would be forced to usurp the throne. No matter what the outcome, it would benefit the non-Liu royal families. Moreover, if things really came to that, the Liu royal family might back down, since they did indeed have half of the Liu royal blood in their veins.

Even if we fail, it's not a loss. Chen Zichuan falls from power. Okay, let's take a step back. Even if Chen Zichuan doesn't fall, he'll still have to drift apart from Liu Bei. The reason why Liu Bei and Chen Zichuan are invincible is because of their alliance. If the two of them split up, wouldn't the benefits for the Han family be even greater?

"Things are pretty much as Lord Xuande thought. It's just that Her Highness the Princess is more perceptive in this regard than I am. I didn't actually realize it," Chen Xi said helplessly. "I always thought this was a trap set for Her Highness the Princess, since only the Princess had this obsession. I didn't have any other thoughts, and Lord Xuande is aware of that as well."

Liu Bei nodded. He had spent a lot of time fooling around with Chen Xi, and some things are meaningless if you just talk about them. Actions speak louder than words. Chen Xi's stance has always been clear: he stands with the Han cultural sphere. He may not have a deep attachment to the Liu family royal family, but he values ​​the Han cultural sphere very much and is even trying every means to establish it.

Would someone like that destroy their own ideals? What a joke.

“I originally thought this sutra was to be recited for Her Highness the Princess, so I specifically discussed it with her and asked her to be on guard. Now that I think about it, it was my mistake.” Chen Xi said with a hint of helplessness, “Perhaps at that time, Her Highness the Princess already realized that the arrow was not aimed at her, but at us.”

Actually, Chen Xi overestimated Liu Tong. Liu Tong is intelligent, but it's hard to say he sees further than Chen Xi. The reason Liu Tong was able to react instantly upon receiving the news and when Chen Xi specifically came to remind him about this was mainly because of Chen Xi himself, because he is surnamed Gui and belongs to the Chen clan.

To be honest, if Chen Xi hadn't specifically reminded him, Liu Tong probably wouldn't have even realized it. Even if someone else had said it, it wouldn't have caused this reaction. Only Chen Xi's words would trigger a special state in the Liu royal family, known as PTSD!
There was nothing that could be done; the Liu imperial family had been usurped once by a sage from the Gui clan, and that man's head was still in the treasury of the Later Han dynasty!
So when Chen Xi brought up this topic with Liu Tong, Liu Tong's first reaction was that it was funny, the second was that she was stressed, and the third was that she needed to find out what Chen Zichuan was thinking. Could this guy have the same idea as his predecessor? If so, she would have to figure out how to vote.

This is why Liu Tong specifically pointed it out during his first phone call with Chen Xi: Tian Chen has always liked to usurp power, but Chen Xi didn't realize it at the time and replied that those were other people in Tian Chen's group, not me.

These words immediately triggered Liu Tong's PTSD, because Wang Mang had said the same thing.

Moreover, given this situation, how could someone as seemingly divine as Chen Xi not realize the hidden meaning? This is a chain of suspicion. When Liu Tong analyzed this possibility himself, and couldn't tell Chen Xi directly, he could only try to find a roundabout way to see if Chen Xi could reveal it himself. If Chen Xi did, then there wouldn't be a big problem; the other party had made it clear, so everything should be fine.

But if Chen Xi doesn't say anything, or if Chen Xi is being roundabout, or even pretending to be clueless, then the problem becomes extremely serious. So when the connection was lost, Liu Tong actually didn't know what to do.

Without evidence, there's no way to prevent it, and no way to stop it. This is even more troublesome than during Wang Mang's time. Liu Tong really has no choice but to lie down and learn the posture.

"Your Highness is so intelligent." Liu Bei was speechless. In his memory, Liu Tong was always lazy. He never expected her to be so intelligent in this matter. However, it was thanks to Liu Tong's intelligence that things would have gotten out of hand sooner or later if this matter had continued to escalate.

"Yeah, I just couldn't turn around myself," Chen Xi said helplessly.

The arrow shot by the Gui surname Chen clan a thousand years ago finally hit his future self. Fortunately, his defense was strong enough, otherwise this arrow would have been enough to kill him, Chen Xi.

"Can you guess who set up this scheme?" Liu Bei asked Chen Xi.

“Chen Ji,” Chen Xi gave the answer directly. “Even if it wasn’t Chen Ji, we couldn’t get around him. After all, he knows best what kind of arrow can produce the greatest effect. To be honest, if it weren’t for Her Highness the Princess, I’m afraid there would have been no way to dodge this arrow.”

This move is actually unsolvable. If Chen Xi cannot prove it himself, or gets caught up in the process of proving it, he will lose directly and be pushed onto the path of usurping the throne.

Once Liu Tong realizes that Chen Xi has embarked on this path, after repeated consideration, she will most likely surrender. On the one hand, she cannot defeat him, and on the other hand, as a princess, Liu Tong does not actually have a deep sense of responsibility for the world. Recently, she has acted more like an emperor because of the urging of Liu Bei and Chen Xi. However, princesses in the Han Dynasty do not regard the world as their own.

They are born without the burden of the world.

Therefore, as long as Chen Xi fails to prove himself, Liu Tong will become an important arrow in this scheme, an arrow that the Gui-surname Chen clan shoots at the Liu-surname royal family, and even forces the Liu-surname royal family to retreat.

This is a critical point, but what's even more critical is that once things reach that point, given Chen Xi and Liu Tong's personalities, there's a possibility that they might give up entirely, leading to a situation that becomes completely irreversible.

As the architect of the imperial enterprise, Chen Xi did indeed bring an unimaginable golden age to the people. After uniting with the Liu royal family, such a great achievement would naturally become part of the legal system. This was the basis for forcing the Liu royal family to back down. Ability, great achievements, and bloodline were all highly likely to make the Liu royal family choose to back down, thus completing a bloodless succession.

It can be said that this move directly hit the vital points of Liu Bei, Chen Xi, and Liu Tong. Moreover, conventionally speaking, there is no solution to this problem, especially since Chen Xi really has no way to prove himself. Therefore, the subsequent developments are almost predetermined.

"In that case, it seems there's no way to handle this." Liu Bei was almost furious at this point, but after Chen Xi mentioned his name, Liu Bei realized that this matter couldn't be dealt with directly because there was no evidence. At most, they could just recite scriptures, but this era wasn't one where people were punished for their words.

"It's alright, leave the rest to me. The Chen family may not be the mastermind, but they definitely played a very important role. To be honest, this method is very clever. It really hits the nail on the head. Even I, before I realized how the whole situation was working, would have had a hard time cracking it. But now..." Chen Xi waved his hand. If they didn't know, fine. But now that they know, how could I, Chen Xi, be outsmarted by them? Tomorrow at the court meeting, I'll reduce the expenditure on the Han family.

"As long as you know what you're doing, that's fine." Liu Bei nodded upon hearing this. He was still somewhat apprehensive about this move, since it involved a series of interconnected attacks. Only someone like Liu Bei would believe what he believed and wouldn't be swayed by any rumors. Anyone else, even if they managed to break the move, would definitely have some lingering resentment by this point.

If it were someone like Cao Cao, then Chen Xi could start packing up and preparing for his death. After all, since the surname Gui and the clan name Chen have been mentioned, it's about time for him to go on his way.

"Tomorrow, we'll first cut off the support from the major clans. Then, naturally, some clans that don't know about this will retaliate against the others," Chen Xi said with a hint of coldness. This time, the combined attacks launched by the major clans were almost too much for even Chen Xi to handle!
You guys are too young. I'm punishing you by making you go back and carefully watch Liu Tong and Chen Xi's long-distance call, and see when Liu Tong goes crazy.