42Chapter 42: Chen's strategy, the dispute over the crown prince?
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It was no wonder Chen Yun expressed his doubts; after all, the words and policies Chen Xi had spoken today did not seem to be impromptu, but clearly premeditated.
He looked at Chen Xi and said, "If you have any schemes, why not tell me about them?"
Chen Yun never truly treated his children as mere "children" or "subordinates," so at this moment, he could ask his son this question from an equal perspective.
Chen Xi, however, smiled, his smile containing both the innocence befitting his age and the youthful arrogance of a prodigy.
"Father, what stage do you think is most important for establishing a family that can last for a thousand years?"
"Is it the beginning? Or a revitalization during a period of decline? Or averting a catastrophe when it's on the verge of collapse?"
Listening to Chen Xi's words, Chen Yun also fell into deep thought.
After a moment, he hesitantly said, "It should be... during times of mediocrity, like now."
"If a family wishes to endure for a thousand years, then 'intense' events must be few. The fleeting waves and urgent matters that float in the air can only ever be embellishments."
"Most of the time, it is peaceful, even mediocre."
Chen Xi nodded slightly: "Father thinks the same as I do. Calmness and peace are the norm, just like the Chen Clan now."
"After Grandfather passed away, the Chen Clan actually fell into silence. This silence naturally preserved the Chen Clan's strength, allowing it to move from the forefront into the shadows."
"But Father..."
Chen Xi sighed deeply: "Too much time in silence will lead the Chen Clan's disciples to become incompetent and mediocre. They will have no way to access the empire's upper-class nobles, nor will they have a way to access the class that originally belonged to the Chen Clan."
"This thing called class, it's incredibly difficult to ascend, but very easy to fall."
"Which thousand-year-old aristocratic family has truly fallen to the bottom? At worst, they are merely at the lowest rung of the empire's nobility."
"Currently, the Chen Clan, apart from you, has no one serving in the upper echelons of the empire."
"Even you, your current status, due to the Emperor's apprehension, is merely Lang Zhong Ling and Neili of the Prime Minister's Office. You don't even hold a position among the Nine Ministers!"
"How should the family navigate this stage?"
"Therefore, your son had already thought of today's plan when he first prepared to come to the capital."
"His Majesty focuses on the Huang-Lao school of thought, and the questions he can ask are only those few, merely concerning laws and the importance of agriculture. Therefore, your son had already prepared the answers long ago."
"To achieve a stunning debut, and then to make His Majesty resolve himself, put aside his apprehension towards the Chen Clan, and then grant the Chen Clan one of the 'Nine Ministers' positions."
"Such a position, coupled with the importance of Father's Lang Zhong Ling and Neili of the Prime Minister's Office roles, can barely ensure that the Chen Clan does not slip from the empire's upper decision-making ranks, and the Chen Clan's class will not decline."
This was why Chen Xi came at this time.
Because the Chen Clan was in a very dangerous situation at this time! If there wasn't someone who could be called a top ruler of the empire to support them, it wouldn't be long before the families who had ties with the Chen Clan would start to distance themselves!
Chen Xi's disciples and forces would also gradually lose contact with the Chen Clan!
Why?
Because so-called emotions are only temporary, but interests are eternal! When they are unable to maintain their original social standing and provide them with "benefits," they will gradually leave the Chen Clan.
The Chen Clan was still too young!
If it waited another ten or twenty years, when the Chen Clan's influence gradually stabilized, Chen Xi would not have such worries.
Chen Yun also understood Chen Xi's concerns, but for a moment, he didn't know what to say. He sighed deeply and ruffled Chen Xi's hair: "You, you're not old, but you think too much."
"These are things Father should be considering, but now they've fallen on your shoulders."
He shook his head: "But what you said also makes sense. If only I am in the imperial court for the Chen Clan, it's still too thin. If another direct descendant of the Chen Clan appears and holds a high office in the imperial court, this is also good news for those disciples of the Chen Clan."
"Good news that can appease them and allow them to continue working steadily."
"It's just that you've worked hard."
Chen Xi shook his head slightly, a peaceful expression on his face: "It's not hard."
After all... it's all for the Chen Clan to endure for a thousand years, and even after one or two thousand years, to still possess immense power!
Working for oneself, what's hard about that?
..... .....
Time flowed by like a rushing stream, and the autumn of Emperor Wen's fifth year arrived in an instant.
Emperor Wen's second child, and Dou Empress's third child, was born quietly.
Before this child, Liu Heng already had three children.
The eldest son Liu Qi, the eldest daughter Liu Piao, and this newborn child, Liu Wu.
Time passed slowly, and because Chen Xi became one of the Nine Ministers, the Chen Clan gradually established itself during Emperor Wen's reign.
In the sixth year of Emperor Wen's reign, Chen Yun's third uncle, Chen Zhen, passed away. This also meant that the second generation of the Chen Clan gradually began to decline, but Chen Yun's father, Chen Lang, was still in good health.
In the eighth year of Emperor Wen's reign, Chen Zhen's eldest son, Chen Ze, gained the reputation of "pure filial piety" for attending to Chen Zhen at his bedside day and night, and for observing three years of mourning after his father's death. He was recommended by the Governor of Guandu Prefecture, thus gaining the title of Xiao Lian, successfully taking the first step towards an official career.
Emperor Wen, seeing the increasing impact of Chen Xi and Chen Yun in governmental affairs over the years, also showed close concern for Chen Ze and privately asked Chen Xi and Chen Yun if they were willing, he could give Chen Ze the position of a Nine Ministers' deputy official.
But after the three discussed it, Chen Xi tactfully declined the Emperor's reward, expressing his willingness to serve as an official in the provinces—and specifically in impoverished areas, rather than in the Central Plains.
When Liu Heng first heard that Chen Ze wanted to serve as an official in the provinces, he was cautious, worried that the Chen Clan intended to control Guandu by serving there. But upon hearing that Chen Ze was willing to go to remote areas, his heart was filled with both guilt and relief.
In Weiyang Palace,
Liu Heng looked at Chen Ze and said, "Why do you want to go to the provinces? How can your talents be utilized there?"
Chen Ze merely smiled, and said softly yet firmly, "Your Majesty, your subject... only wishes to fulfill the last wishes of my Grandfather and father, so that the people of the world may live in peace."
"I wish to scatter Chen Ze's efforts throughout the world, to bring stable lives to the Qian Shou."
"I beg... Your Majesty to agree."