Thousand-year-old family: its rise began with Shang Yang’s reforms

Chapter 182 Where is the destiny [Please subscribe]

Looking at Ying Zheng with a sophistical look on his face, Chen Zhong held his forehead and sighed helplessly: "You, that's all. I will go find the king and the prince tomorrow and tell them to take you on a trip together."

Ying Zheng suddenly raised his head and looked at Chen Zhong's face with a gleam of light: "Is what the teacher said true?"

Chen Zhong sneered: "When has my master ever lied to you?"

He stood up and walked outside: "But before that, I hope you can accomplish one thing."

"The premise of the unity of knowledge and action is that "knowledge" has reached a certain level that cannot be continued. I don't have that high requirements for you, but you must reach a certain point."

Chen Zhong looked back at Ying Zheng and said, "I have here a copy of the "question test" given by Uncle Zeng back then. Uncle Shen also went out to travel after answering the questions."

He blinked and said softly: "I assume you will have no problem completing this test, right?"

Ying Zheng froze on the spot, with a bitter look on his face: "Huh? Do you really have to complete this paper before you can go out and travel?"

Chen Zhong shrugged: "This is natural. When have I ever told a lie?"

He walked closer and patted Ying Zheng on the shoulder: "My teacher has high hopes for you. You will definitely be able to complete it."

After finishing speaking, he seemed to have thought of something. He looked at Ying Zheng and said, "Of course, there is a time limit. If you cannot complete this test within seven days and reach a "passed" level, it means that you The time has not yet come when we need to unite knowledge and action.”

"Then let's stop this tour temporarily."

With that said, Chen Zhong walked out with his hands behind his back, humming an unknown ditty in his mouth.

Only Ying Zheng was left standing there with a bitter look on his face, looking at the "question test" in his hand. After a moment, he suddenly realized that the teacher seemed to have been prepared for it.

Otherwise, how could it be possible to suddenly take out the test questions that were given by Anguo Gong back then? ? ?

He looked confused: "Did the teacher expect that I wanted to go out in Guandu?"

Chen Mansion, Zhuoshen Building

Chen Yu yawned and sat in the room. He learned "Taoist" thinking from his father. He thought about freedom and happiness all day long. How could he have thought that one day he would be reduced to serving as an official in the court?

He was lazy and looked at the book in his hand.

"Knock Knock Knock-"

There was a gentle knock on the door, and then Chen Zhong's voice came: "Father."

Chen Perk didn't look back: "Come in."

After Chen Zhong walked in, he said, "How is Gong Zizheng going?"

Chen Zhong sat in front of Chen Yu, lowered his head, and spoke softly: "Father, Gongzizheng really wants to go to Guandu just as you said. The reason he found is that he wants to see the "Zhuoshen Tower" in Guandu. ", saying that there were books from hundreds of schools of thought in it, and he was curious about them."

Chen Yu sneered, shook his head and sighed softly: "Alas."

"King Qin, none of these kings of Qin are easy to provoke."

He put down the book in his hand, stood up and stretched: "It's a lie that I want to go to Zhuoshenlou, but it's true that I want to go to Guandu to see the development of the Chen family, right?"

"In recent years, the successive Qin kings have had less and less control over the Chen family's fiefdom, and they are a little anxious."

Chen Zhong asked anxiously: "Then my father also asked me to agree to take Gong Zizheng to Guandu? What if..."

Before he finished speaking, Chen Yu waved his hand to interrupt Chen Zhong: "What does Guandu have? What does the Chen family have that they are afraid of being seen by King Qin?"

He was a little confused and looked at his son with a confused look on his face: "So I said you are not as good as the head of the family. The head of the family has sent us a letter asking us to agree to this matter. Are you still worried about what invisible things are hidden in Guandu?"

Chen Zhong listened to Chen Per's question, lowered his head, and said helplessly: "Father, no matter what preparations the Chen family has in Guandu, this is all a compromise with the king."

"Today the king wants to know what's going on in Guandu, and tomorrow I'm afraid he wants to control every move in Guandu."

"Will Mrs. Chen just retreat step by step?"

He raised his head, looked at Chen Yu and asked, "Does the survival of the Chen family and the continuity of the Chen family all depend on the kindness of the king?"

Chen Yu was slightly silent after listening to Chen Zhong's questions, but in the end he didn't say anything. He just stepped forward and patted Chen Zhong on the shoulder: "These are not things we worry about anymore. You and I can just do our own thing." ."

He turned around and tapped the bamboo slip in his hand gently: "The survival of the Chen family has never depended on the kindness of the king, but on the Chen family itself."

"You should also go back and take a look."

"Go back to Guandu and take a look and see what the original small town in the Central Plains has become now."

After saying this, Chen Perk remained silent.

Chen Zhong looked at his father. Although he still had countless confusions in his heart, he did not ask any more questions at this time. He knew his father's character and would not say anything at this time even if he asked. .

Let's wait until he and Gong Zizheng go to Guandu to talk about everything.

In the fifth year of King Xiaowen's reign, it was late autumn.

After the prince took charge of the government, many courtiers became increasingly accustomed to the prince's style of governing. Only the remaining prince Xi continued to oppose the prince day by day, but the prince ignored it and did not think it was something difficult to deal with.

The state of Qin gradually became "docile" in the hands of the prince.

King Xiaowen has also been recuperating in the palace, but whether it is the prince, King Xiaowen, or the imperial physician order who is recuperating King Xiaowen's body, they all know one thing.

King Xiaowen's body could no longer support him for much longer.

Sometimes "disease" can be cured, but "fate" cannot.

King Xiaowen's body was caused by being too "chic" when he was young and indulging in wine and sex all day long, which gradually led to "empty energy and blood". To put it simply, if King Xiaowen's body was like a big tree, then Although it still looks lush on the surface, it has been hollowed out by "worms" on the inside.

But now, a small cold wind completely knocked down King Xiaowen.

Zhangtai Palace

"Cough cough. Cough cough cough."

King Xiaowen was lying on the bed, looking at the founder above his head with empty eyes, and just sighed: "After all, how is Gu's current situation?"

He whispered: "Tell it like it is."

The imperial physician lowered his head and said: "Your Majesty, your body is now empty of energy and blood. Your body cannot bear the tonic medicine and will collapse prematurely. However, ordinary medicine cannot make up for your body's deficiency. It can only be as follows. It’s like a tree without roots, you will consume as much as you put in, and what’s more.”

Before he finished speaking, Yingzhu understood the meaning of the imperial physician's words and immediately sighed helplessly.

"Where is destiny?"

"Could it be that I can't wait for the day when my father can't see him anymore?"

The imperial physician Ling stood aside, lowering his head and saying nothing. It wasn't that he didn't want to say it, but that he didn't dare to say it.

Yingzhu said softly: "Call the prince and young master Zheng to come over."

The waiter on the side quickly responded: "Here."

When Ying Zichu and Ying Zheng hurried over, they saw their father/eldest father lying on the hospital bed. Before they could salute, they heard Ying Zhu's voice.

"No need to be polite."

"Zheng'er, come here."

Ying Zheng was stunned. He subconsciously raised his head and looked at his father, only to see that Ying Zichu's expression remained unchanged, with no look in his eyes, as if he had not seen Ying Zheng's eyes. He immediately took a step forward: "Father, Zheng'er is here."

Ying Zheng sat in front of Ying Zhu's bed. Ying Zhu raised his head and looked at Ying Zheng and asked, "Did you say what the eldest father asked you to say to your teacher?"

"Did your teacher agree to that matter?"

Ying Zheng nodded slightly.

Ying Zhu then grinned and said, "Are you the same as your father? You also think that Gu asked you to go to Guandu to let you know the situation in Guandu and guard against the Chen family?"

Ying Zheng was stunned. Not only him, but also Zi Chu behind him raised his head in confusion and surprise.

Isn't that so?

Yingzhu burst out laughing, and there was a bit of pride and a little bit of pride in his "plot succeeding".

"Of course not."

He coughed a few times, and Ying Zheng quickly patted his back to calm him down.

Ying Zhu's voice was proud and playful: "Gu asked you to go to Guandu for two purposes."

"First, get to know Chen Su, the head of the "Chen family" of this generation, and his descendants; second, I hope that you will replace Gu and the previous kings to pay homage to "Dong An Guo" and others."

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

"Although the Right Chancellor is now from the Chen Yu family, I want to tell you that the one who can really make the decision is the 'Chen Su' family."

"The Chen family has always been the "successor of the direct eldest son." If a critical moment comes, this eldest son can still order other branches even if he has no power."

Ying Zhu looked at Ying Zheng, and his words seemed to be meant for Ying Zheng to hear, but in fact they were meant for Ying Zichu to hear.

"I don't have any defense against the Chen family, and you don't need any defense against the Chen family. I don't need to teach you the moral principles that a gentleman can bully. After all, you and your son both took advantage of this to make the Chen family fall into the trap." People accept you as their disciples.”

He shook his head: "Don't underestimate Mr. Chen either."

Ying Zhu's voice was filled with sighs: "How many people in the court today are from the "Xianyang Academy"? How many people are students and former officials of the "Chen Family"?"

"Do you understand this?"

Zi Chu's expression changed slightly, he looked at Ying Zhu and whispered: "Nearly half."

Yes, Chen's disciples and former officials, as well as the Xianyang Academy lineage who were half Chen's disciples, already accounted for half of the officials in the Qin Dynasty's court.

This is the reason why Zi Chu tried his best to worship "Chen Yu" as his teacher.

"Father, are you just going to let the Chen family develop like this?"

Zichu was a little anxious.

Even if Chen Yu is his teacher, he himself belongs to the Chen family, and he also wants to limit the "power" of the Chen family.

Ying Zhu's expression became serious at this time, and his voice was a little cold: "Do you think I don't want to restrict the Chen family? The Chen family can no longer restrict it!"

"What do you think Duke Wen An did when he resigned and returned to his hometown?"

"You think that 'school' is just a school?"

"Why do you think Chen Su returned to Guandu at this time to inherit the unfinished business of "Gong Wen'an"?"

"The Chen family is no longer the Chen family that could be manipulated when my father first came to the throne!"

He looked at Ying Zichu and Ying Zheng who was sitting next to the bed: "But one thing is good. The Chen family only wants to be a "thousand-year family", he does not want to be a "king"."

"So, the Chen family can be used, respected, and not used when there are alternatives. As long as they don't really do anything that threatens the safety of the entire "Chen family", they can always be trusted."

After Yingzhu thought for a moment, he passed on the words his father left to him to his son and grandson again.

"If the Qin Kingdom is about to fall one day, the Chen family is the only person who can be trusted to hand over the inheritance of the Ying surname to them. They will do their best to help the Ying surname preserve a line of heirs."

"But that's all."

"Zi Chu, Zheng'er, do you understand what Gu means?"

Both of them were a little silent. At this time, the Qin State had not yet been unified, but had they already considered what would happen after the unification?

Yingzhu didn't say anything about the silence between the two. In fact, he was a little confused when his father told him about this matter. Could it be that the Qin State couldn't survive the Chen family?

But he felt that his body was getting worse day by day, and these things had to be dealt with.

In case he suddenly collapsed one day, wouldn't these things be forgotten?

Guandu

More than a hundred miles away from Guandu, a carriage swayed towards Guandu.

Occasionally, you can see some villages in the places passing by. These villages are gathered together like dots of stars. Since arriving in Guandu, Ying Zhengjie has seen countless such villages.

The capitals of Guizhou in these villages are different from the capitals of Guizhou in other parts of the Qin State. They seem to be more "live".

Regarding this question, Ying Zheng turned his head and looked at Chen Zhong beside him: "Teacher, why is the Guizhou here different from other places?"

"They seemed a little happier."

Ying Zheng lowered his head, his voice a little low and silent: "The rest of the Qin State looks like marionettes, stiff but following a certain pattern."

Chen Zhong also looked at the Guizhou people on the roadside. When the Guizhou people on the roadside saw the carriage they were riding in and the soldiers around them, they did not avoid it or be afraid. Instead, they were a little curious. Although they were still respectful and polite, they were still alive. Incomparably, more like a "human".

He said solemnly: "I don't know even if I am a teacher."

It was at this time that Chen Zhong suddenly understood why his father asked him to come to Guandu to take a look.

I also understand why the fourth generation head of the Chen family, his cousin "Chen Su", agreed with Gong Zizheng to come to Guandu, and why he was not afraid of exposing the "strength" of the Chen family in Guandu.

perhaps

Chen Su also wanted Gong Zizheng to see this scene.

Guandu, Chen family's residence

After four generations of hard work, the Chen family finally developed "Guandu" into what it is today.

This "live" and "majestic" look.

Even though the "county guard" here is not a disciple of the Chen family, the people of Guandu's respect for the Chen family has not diminished.

Even more so.

"Chen Su", the fourth generation head of the Chen family, stood at the gate of the city, surrounded by many disciples of the Chen family, waiting for a carriage to appear.

When smoke and dust billowed up in the distance, Chen Su looked slightly "stunned" before slowly revealing a smile.

The person he was waiting for has arrived.

The carriage stopped at the city gate, and a half-year-old boy and a young man stepped out of the carriage. The young man saw Chen Su standing there with a look of surprise on his face, but suddenly he smiled.

"Zhong, I have met my brother."

PS: Today is Sunday, which is the customary day to take a break for one-third of the chapters. So I’m updating 4,000 chapters today. In addition, I’ll resume daily updates of 8,000 chapters next month. (perhaps)

(End of this chapter)