Chapter 7149 Hero

Chapter 7149 Hero
Zhou Yu himself was a handsome man, and his background and abilities were almost top-notch, so he was very clear about what kind of image he had in the eyes of women. Things like love at first sight are hard for normal men to encounter, but for Zhou Yu, as long as he didn't suppress himself, it was basically a daily occurrence for women to throw themselves at him.

Similarly, Chen Xi is almost the same. Moreover, Zhou Yu is now basically certain that Chen Xi is a pure bug. This guy is also a breakthrough, and he is almost maxed out in every aspect. As for his appearance, he is only slightly worse than Zhou Yu. The problem is that Zhou Yu is definitely a handsome man who has been recorded in history books.

Therefore, Zhou Yu didn't have any special feelings about Liu Tong's possible subconscious desire to throw himself at Chen Xi, because people like them naturally attract attention, which is normal. It's the girl who doesn't want to throw herself at him that needs to be considered.

Therefore, Zhou Yu completely understood why Liu Tong looked at Chen Xi with a certain disapproval; this was normal, and it would have been strange if he hadn't.

But looking at something doesn't mean you have to buy it; that's the core of all the issues.

Human desires must be restrained. Zhou Yu was able to restrain himself well, at least in matters of love and sex. Chen Xi was almost the same, at least the Chen Xi that Zhou Yu had met was capable of it. But this time, Zhou Yu sensed that an external force was pushing this matter forward.

This is not right, no, this is not good.

"So you think someone is pushing this forward?" Sun Ce asked Zhou Yu with some doubt. "What are the benefits of pushing this forward?"

"It doesn't benefit us much, but pushing this forward will definitely benefit some people. It's just a despicable tactic. I'll go back and enlighten Chen Zichuan. Sometimes, when you're caught up in something, it's hard to break free." Zhou Yu said calmly. He quite liked doing things that could help Chen Xi and give him some pointers.

"Speaking of which, how did you discover that someone was pushing things? I didn't feel anything. At most, I felt that something was wrong." Sun Ce picked up his wine cup and took a couple of sips, asking with a hint of curiosity, "To be honest, I haven't actually noticed anything wrong yet."

Sun Ce was purely driven by intuition, so he sensed something was amiss, but when asked to describe in detail where the problem lay, he had no idea.

“It’s some details, and some stories. To put it simply, Bo Fu, think about the books on the market, and some rumors.” Zhou Yu went straight to the heart of the matter. “There are quite a few rumors about Her Highness the Princess and Chen Zichuan, and I’ve seen these books on the market.”

"Is there a problem with this?" Sun Ce looked at Zhou Yu in confusion. He had even seen his and Zhou Yu's notebooks on the market. What's wrong with this? Isn't this a normal situation?
“Related palace novels are not a problem, but when even the palace guards spread rumors at this time, the rumors might become true,” Zhou Yu said seriously. Sun Ce frowned slightly upon hearing this, but did not realize the horror behind it.

"Forget it, Bo Fu, you don't need to think about this. I'll talk to Chen Zichuan about the rest later. He'll understand some things on his own." Zhou Yu waved his hand, indicating that it was pointless to discuss this with Sun Ce, and Sun Ce agreed.

While Zhou Yu was thinking about going to see Chen Xi early the next morning, Chen Xi, along with Yuan Feng Sword and Xu Chu, had already arrived at the Yingchuan Chen family's villa in Chang'an.

"Changwen, I didn't expect you to open the door for me." Before Chen Xi could even knock, the door opened, and Chen Qun looked at Chen Xi expressionlessly before gesturing for him to enter.

"You should know why I'm here." After entering the room, Chen Xi took a few steps and suddenly turned to look at Chen Qun and asked.

"What could I possibly do to you here?" Chen Qun sighed. "To be honest, just looking at your current state, I know that your visit today is not a good thing, but Father said he is waiting for you in the study, so I can't very well kick you out."

"You don't actually think that kicking me out will end this, do you?" Chen Xi couldn't help but laugh when she heard Chen Qun's words.

“But some things can be delayed for as long as possible. We’ll talk about what can’t be delayed any longer when it’s too late.” Chen Qun said with a hint of disappointment, “To be honest, I just came back from Kandahar and I don’t know what happened yet. But judging from your whereabouts today, I feel that things are not good. If you can tell me, I might as well listen, so that I can at least know the truth.”

“I’m not Cao Mengde, I wouldn’t do something like killing someone without warning. Besides, what do you think I would do to wipe out an entire family? You’ve been in Kandahar for so long, and you’ve worked with Cao Cao for so long, that you don’t even know the proper procedures anymore?” Chen Xi said to Chen Qun with a hint of mockery.

“There’s not much difference.” Chen Qun shook his head and said, “Anyway, it’s not a good thing, and the outcome won’t be much different. At this time, if you bring the Prince of Jin’s guards, you’re definitely going to die.”

“It’s not just about having the Prince of Jin’s guards.” Chen Xi shook his head. The Yuan Feng Sword naturally revealed its sword spirit from its scabbard. Chen Qun shook his head repeatedly upon seeing this. This calamity was beyond escaping. It was no longer just Chen Xi’s will, but the will of the three most powerful people in the world. Fame and power, literature and martial arts, were all contained within this.

"Please, Lord Chen, your father is waiting for you in the study." Chen Qun shook his head and gestured for him to enter. There was no fear of life or death, no anger or despair, only calmness.

Chen Xi was quite familiar with the Yingchuan Chen family's villa, because there was a period when Chen Xi and Chen Ji had a good relationship and Chen Xi came here quite often. However, after Xun Shuang, Sima Jun, and Chen Guang passed away, Chen Xi came here very rarely.

Fortunately, the overall design remains unchanged, though it looks a bit more forlorn than before.

Upon reaching the study, Chen Xi noticed that it was brightly lit, unlike the other dimly lit areas. He shook his head and went inside, where Chen Ji was sitting behind the desk.

Chen Xi bowed slightly to Chen Ji, not appearing arrogant, but only sat down opposite Chen Ji after bowing. Xu Chu, on the other hand, stood directly at the door of the study with the Yuanfeng Sword, even blocking Chen Qun from entering. After a gust of wind closed the study door, Chen Qun sighed and did not say anything about going in to take a look, just standing there in front of the courtyard.

"Uncle, you've been waiting for me here, so you must know what it's about," Chen Xi said with a sigh, looking at Chen Ji's face, which was covered with age spots and looked unusually old. "You're already eighty years old, why bother?"

“How could I not know? When the first rumor appeared, I didn’t tell you to be on guard. It was only natural that you came to me when the rumor had really taken hold.” Chen Ji was very frank, looking at Chen Xi with great satisfaction. This kind of character, this kind of rationality, and that kind of calm attitude even when the situation was at its worst, made Chen Ji admire him.

“Yes, such rumors are an impact on the Chen family. The fact that the Chen family received them without reporting to me or notifying me to take precautions means that the Chen family tacitly approved of these rumors and even fueled them. I don’t know what you think, but is it really necessary to do this?” Chen Xi looked at Chen Ji, his eyes sharp as a blade at this moment.

"What's your opinion on this?" Chen Ji sighed, expressing complete understanding of Chen Xi's judgment. After all, it was the truth. How could the Chen family not pay attention to all the rumors related to the Tian family's usurpation of Qi and Wang Mang's usurpation of Han? These rumors were all impacting the Chen family's reputation.

As a family, no matter how much dark history we have, we cannot let it completely overshadow our family's reputation. For the family's leader, cutting ties with the dark history is a must. In other words, Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty and the Tian family's usurpation of the Qi Dynasty are things of the past and have nothing to do with us now. Our Chen family now upholds morality!

This is something that must be done. Even if it can't be completely cleaned up, this scripture must still be recited. Just like bad people hope that everyone in the world is good, the Chen family also hopes that everyone will think that they are innocent and pure, because only in this way can they obtain the greatest benefit when necessary.

If everyone is wary of you and guards against you, then no matter how hard you try, it will be meaningless. Therefore, spreading rumors about Chen Xi and Liu Tong, while attacking Chen Xi, also attacks the Chen family. This is very important.

Therefore, Chen Xi couldn't understand why Chen Ji would let this rumor go unchecked. Logically, when Chen Ji noticed the rumor forming, he should have come to Chen Xi, and the two of them should have worked together to suppress and eliminate it. In fact, Chen Ji should have been more proactive than Chen Xi in this regard.

After all, Chen Xi's sense of family is relatively weak, at least he doesn't put his family first. Chen Ji, on the other hand, has devoted himself to the Chen family. It's unreasonable and unacceptable that such a person would let this rumor go unchecked!

As for the claim that Chen Ji was unaware, that's impossible. As an old man in the Chen family, he knows best which words and labels are most likely to make other families wary of the Chen family.

The phrases "Tian's usurpation of Qi" and "Wang Mang's usurpation of Han" are the easiest to label and stigmatize the Chen family, and are dark histories that must be severed.

Under these circumstances, the rumors about Chen Xi and Liu Tong are actually a reflection of the two labels mentioned above, which is intolerable to Chen Ji. Even if Chen Ji really has this idea, he will absolutely not allow anyone to put this label on the Chen family before things come to fruition.

Because of the sticker, it's actually harder to succeed.

As for whether it's successful, then let them post the rest. Realists at least have to actually get the benefits before they allow others to label them. If they don't even get the benefits and are still labeled, what kind of person are they? They tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead.

Faced with Chen Ji's question, Chen Xi calmed herself down and told Chen Ji what she had been thinking, "Uncle, why are you doing this?"

"It really makes me feel the possibility of a dream." After listening, Chen Ji said to Chen Xi with a smile, "Uncle is eighty years old. It's not easy to live to eighty. Do you think Uncle has a few more days to live?"

“The problem is that I’m worried that Uncle won’t see the sunrise tomorrow,” Chen Xi said with a hint of coldness. “If Uncle doesn’t tell me the whole story, I’m afraid he really won’t see the sunrise tomorrow.”

"Didn't you already guess?" Chen Ji shook his head and said. He didn't really care about his life or death. He was already eighty years old, which was considered very old. If he lived any longer, he was worried that he would become senile. For example, he almost messed up this matter. Fortunately, it was successful in the end, and the result was even more dreamlike than he had estimated.

"You will inevitably encounter this situation in your life, because you are the head of the Chen family. In the eyes of other families, the Gui surname Chen clan is born with sinful blood. From the day 'Shun imprisoned Yao in Pingyang and seized the throne,' the Gui surname Chen clan has been carrying sinful blood. By the time the Tian family replaced Qi and Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, the sins of the Chen surname could not be washed away." Chen Ji warned Chen Xi in a very calm manner, as if telling a story.

"If I don't take advantage of my last breath to detonate this, once I'm gone, you'll be facing this intractable problem in the end, and it will be truly impossible to untie it." Chen Ji's voice was very soft, but it sounded like thunder in Chen Xi's ears.

“I’ve considered several possibilities before, but the path you’re on now is truly the most perfect one. Prince Liu Xuande of Jin is indeed a benevolent and virtuous man, a sage like the Three Sovereigns of ancient times. If it were anyone else, my best outcome today would be for them to come to my door and kill me, rather than for you to come and question me. Indeed, people cannot imagine things beyond their comprehension,” Chen Ji said with a hint of complexity.

"This world is hostile to sages. Even if you stand very high and are very strong, you cannot defeat everyone, because all beliefs and all wisdom will be distorted in the process of transmission. The method that your disciple Lu Boyan learned is not your method in the end. In this process, you should have fully understood this point." Chen Ji looked at Chen Xi with a bit of nostalgia and a bit of complexity.

"In the history of the Chen family, you may truly be the strongest. But those who are not as strong as you, yet still managed to overthrow the branches of this world with their own strength, why did they ultimately fail? Sima Rangju, Sun Wu, and Kuang Zhang were all outstanding figures at their peak, but what became of them?" Chen Ji looked at Chen Xi with a complex expression and said, "They were defeated by the hearts of the people."

Weren't these people strong? Extremely strong. If they unleashed their full power, they could tear the world apart with their bare hands. Sun Tzu, with 30,000 men, swept across the land of Chu, invincible under heaven. Yet even such a figure met a tragic end.

"In the end, they all lost to the hearts of men. Those who could have won couldn't keep winning and could only lose; those who could have lived couldn't live and could only die," Chen Ji said coldly.

"So you want me to see through people's hearts? To see through the hearts of people who have become so compliant under my power?" Chen Xi asked Chen Ji.

"Yes, while I'm still alive, and while I'm still wondering if I can even survive this year, I have to make you witness that inevitable scene in the future," Chen Ji said with a hint of coldness. Chen Xi narrowed her eyes upon hearing this.

Chen Xi understood Chen Ji's words clearly; they were not empty words. Given the Chen family's dark history, Chen Xi would inevitably face this calamity in the future, especially since he had indeed been too casual when dealing with Liu Tong. Therefore, this ordeal was unavoidable.

“You can’t avoid this. No matter how high your morals are or what abilities you have, you can’t escape this. Besides, praising someone to death is a trick that the Han aristocratic families are very good at. Now it’s just a casual thing to do. Coupled with your own behavior, it’s impossible to avoid it,” Chen Ji said calmly.

"The problem is, what if the outcome isn't what it is now? Uncle speaks so lightly because there's a good outcome right now. What if it were a bad outcome?" Chen Xi said with a sneer. The reason he could speak so simply now was because the outcome was good. Liu Tong realized the problem, and so did Chen Xi. Moreover, Liu Bei was broad-minded; if any link in the chain went wrong…

"Then you should face reality." Chen Ji's voice was very soft, but it was like an electric shock that completely woke Chen Xi up.

“One cannot live in a dream one has woven for oneself. If this operation had not yielded the current result, with your wisdom you should have been prepared, instead of remaining as innocent and naive as you are now.” Chen Ji looked at Chen Xi, his eyes clouded. “Yes, to be honest, this is the future I predicted. I just didn’t expect that Her Highness the Princess would suppress her true feelings, and that Prince Jin would be a true hero. Very good, very good. It completely exceeded my expectations, yet it is so perfect that I can die in peace.”

That's right. When Chen Ji first set up this scheme, he didn't want to test out this perfect future. Instead, he wanted to make Chen Xi realize reality. All that talk about perfect partners, being like a fish in water, and wise rulers and capable ministers is just a lie. This era is a cannibalistic one. Zichuan, you must be prepared and make plans for the future. One day, this era will devour you completely.

Having seen many princesses, Chen Ji knew very well what Han Dynasty princesses were like. In his eyes, princesses with the surname Liu were all irresponsible and immoral beasts. Therefore, Liu Tong would definitely burn the country without mercy for her personal desires. After all, Chen Xi was right here, and he could hold that lonely moon in his arms. Why not give it a try?

Such was the wildness and madness of Han Dynasty princesses. They did not care about the so-called consequences. What if the country collapsed? What if all the people died? What did it matter to them?

Similarly, there's Liu Bei. What hero, what benevolence, what heartfelt sincerity? It's all just a deceptive illusion. I'm here to puncture the filter you've put on yourself and let you see the reality of this world.

After all, Chen Ji was about to die, and he felt it was necessary to let Chen Xi experience the cruelty of this era one last time, so that he could prepare for the future.

As a result, Chen Ji saw the future and heroes before he died!

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