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

Chapter 357 The World [Subscribe]

Chen Cheng had seen what the world was like, so he knew the sorrow of the people living at the bottom of the Han Dynasty.

But unfortunately, neither Chen Chengji nor the big man at that time were suitable to fall.

So Chen Chengji stepped forward and helped the big man who was about to fall up.

Now, it is time for the big man to fall, but Chen Chengji is already old, and time flies and never waits for anyone.

Chen Chengji knew it from the very beginning.

In the end, it would not be himself who would overthrow the Han Dynasty, but his son Chen Zhulou.

So he was willing to give his son some time and was also willing to listen to his son's choice.

If Chen Zhulou, who has returned from the human world, still insists on his inner thoughts, then Chen Chengji will not force Chen Zhulou to do anything.

He will choose someone else.

Chen Chengji never puts his hopes on one person or one method. He always prepares several "back-up plans".

But, all the back-up plans are not as effective as Chen Zhulou’s.

The carriage swayed as it sped along the official road, with countless clouds of dust rising up around it. Chen Zhulou sat in the carriage with a hint of thought in his brows.

This time he actually went to find the Heavenly Master of the Taiping Dao, Zhang Jue, who was known as the "Great Sage Teacher" and "General of Heaven".

This was the arrangement Chen Chengji made for him. He only needed to stay with Zhang Jue for eight months, and then Chen Zhulou could return to Kyoto.

In fact, before Chen Zhulou set out, his inner "ambition" had already been shaken, because after several years of silent observation, Chen Zhulou had become completely disappointed with the Emperor of the Han Dynasty.

He felt that the emperor's stupidity was not enough to make the Chen family continue to support the Liu family. At this time, Chen Zhulou was still thinking about the gains and losses after "weighing the interests".

This is also the reason why Chen Chengji wanted Chen Zhulou to see the world.

There are so many things and so many forms in the world that you can only understand them if you experience them yourself.

Chang'an City

After Chen Zhulou left, Chang'an City was quiet for a while.

The truth was that in the previous few years, although Chen Zhulou, Liu Bei and Cao Cao had already held high positions and great power, the three of them always liked to do some incognito visits, and many playboys in Chang'an City had fallen into their hands.

And after being caught, the family will definitely have to pay money to redeem the person.

Except for a small number of people who came here intentionally to give money under the order of the family, most of the rest of these playboys are short-sighted. After being released, these short-sighted playboys will definitely be severely punished by the family.

It was for this reason that after Chen Zhulou left, when Cao Cao and Liu Bei began to be busy with court affairs, the dandy young men in Chang'an City found a chance to catch their breath.

Although they still dare not break the law, even the law has some loopholes. As long as they do not touch the real bottom line, even if they are a little "dissolute", it will be allowed by the higher-ups.

This is the so-called unspoken rule.

Cao Cao turned a blind eye to this situation. As long as it was not too excessive, he didn't want to have any more disputes with these playboys at his age.

As people grow older, they will slowly begin to learn how to write the word "compromise".

Even if he knew that he should not compromise, even if he knew that he should actually be arrested and dealt with.

Compared with Cao Cao's turning a blind eye, Liu Bei attached more importance to the dignity of the law.

Anyone who tries to exploit loopholes in the law would be violating the dignity of Chinese law.

In this case, even if that person could find a loophole and escape, Liu Bei would find other crimes against him from other places.

Again.

There is no one in this world who is truly and completely law-abiding and has never violated the law.

No one's bottom is clean.

As a result, a very strange scene appeared in the capital. At least in the past few years, these playboys themselves had never thought that such a situation would actually occur.

That is, if you take advantage of a loophole and are discovered by Captain Cao, you can be released if you pay some silver, or even turned a blind eye. The law will not be strictly enforced. After all, since you have taken advantage of a loophole, it means you have not violated the law.

And if you are discovered by Uncle Liu, you'd better pray that you have never done anything illegal before, and also pray that your family has always been clean.

Otherwise, as long as one of these two points is discovered by Uncle Liu, he will hold on to you and will not let go until you or your family is completely destroyed.

The originally kind-hearted people began to respect Han law, and the originally strict people became kind-hearted. These two people gradually became a different person in the rumors about the playboys of aristocratic families.

Shangshutai

Liu Bei pressed his forehead, his face showing endless fatigue. There were already some white hairs on his head. Although there were only one or two, it still made people feel sad when seeing it.

The flamboyant young Xuande disappeared, and was replaced by Uncle Liu.

Ever since Chen Zhulou left, there has been almost no one to do the work inside and outside the court, because Chen Chengji has even taken sick leave and is resting at home.

In the past, when Chen Chengji was resting, his government affairs were handled by Chen Zhulou. But now that Chen Zhulou is gone, there is really no one to do these things.

The most important thing is that Chen Chengji is the head of the regent ministers, and he has been told that all matters can only be done after the two of them reach a consensus. Therefore, when Liu Bei was working, he had to do Chen Chengji's part as well.

He now controls the power in the court. Even the relatives by marriage, such as General He and Marshal Cao, are slightly inferior to him.

In the entire court, only "Chen Zexi Chen Guangde", who is temporarily serving as an internal clerk in the Prime Minister's Office and is the only representative of the Chen family in Chang'an City, can suppress Liu Bei.

Liu Bei sighed again and handed the memorial in his hand to Lu Zhi in front of him.

He sighed softly and said, "Teacher, please take a look. These are the memorials from various places this year."

Liu Bei smiled bitterly: "They are all complaining about the difficulties and crying poor, as if the court owes them something."

"It would be fine if the states and counties were like this, but these many dukedoms are also crying poor. What do they want to do? Do they want to test the central government's intentions, or do they want to test my intentions?"

"And this one and this one."

The corners of his mouth were filled with a disdainful sneer: "The two counties are connected, one reported waterlogging and the other reported flooding. If Brother Donglin hadn't changed the habit of these people submitting memorials and put the memorials from adjacent regions together, I wouldn't have even noticed this."

Liu Bei's entire mental state was very tired, but only his eyes looked very bright.

It was as if there was a fire burning inside him, as if it was going to burn him into a pile of ashes on the ground.

"Teacher, the world is going to be in chaos."

Liu Bei said this with a very tired and vicissitudes tone.

Lu Zhi said nothing, but silently lowered his head and looked at the memorial in his hand, with a little scrutiny in his eyes. He said with emotion: "Yes, the world is going to be in chaos."

Lu Zhi said meaningfully: "Whether it can be saved depends on what the military commander who "reported illness" thinks after "recovering".

"If he is determined to save Dahan, then Dahan still has a chance to be saved."

"But if he is completely disappointed with the Han, then no one can do anything to save him."

Liu Bei just sat there in silence.

After Lu Zhi left, Liu Bei still sat there, handling official business. When the sky was about to darken and the crimson sunset glowed in the sky, Liu Bei stood up and walked towards the mansion.

He is going to meet an old friend tomorrow, so he has to cheer up.

Otherwise, the old friend might turn into a jackal and devour him completely.

The third year of Chuping, spring.

Spring should be the season when all things come back to life, but in Chen Zhulou's eyes, it is a festival full of disasters.

Walking on the road of an unknown small county in Qingzhou, looking at the coming and going and numb villagers, Chen Zhulou began to think for the first time, can he really ignore these lowest and most sincere people for the sake of his family?
It was at this time that Chen Zhulou, who had seen many things, finally understood why his father wanted him to come to the "human world".

Because only after this trip can he truly see the changes in the world.

Only after this experience was he able to understand why the successive heads of the Chen family were willing to sacrifice themselves for the people and the world.

This is not a mission that has no origin or inexplicably appeared in the minds of families of all generations. Instead, it is the determination of this group of compassionate "family" heads who stand at the highest level in the world to save the people from dire straits after seeing the suffering of the world with their own eyes.

Perhaps, sometimes, compared with the whole world, a family or a surname becomes insignificant.

Chen Zhulou stood beside Zhang Jue, watching Zhang Jue skillfully prepare bowl after bowl of "talisman water" and then distribute different types of talisman water to different people.

Behind him, disciples of the Taiping Dao, wearing yellow scarves on their heads and simple clothes, were helping Zhang Jue distribute the talisman water.

Those who could follow Zhang Jue were naturally "disciples", and they were not ordinary Taiping Dao disciples, but Zhang Jue's "personal disciples".

Chen Zhulou followed Zhang Jue like this, and he found that he seemed to see the shadow of Emperor Wen in Zhang Jue: the same benevolence, the same humility, and the same dedication to serving the people.

In fact, the period of Emperor Wen was a long time away from the period of Chen Zhulou. Even he and his father had never seen Emperor Wen. They could only hear the old stories about Emperor Wen passed down from generation to generation from the people living near Chang'an City.

The people living near Chang'an City did not plot rebellion, and most of the reasons were due to Emperor Wen.

This group of people were willing to trust Liu again for the sake of Emperor Wen.

After Zhang Jue had almost distributed all the talisman water, he walked up to Chen Zhulou. The two of them came to a stone under a big tree at the entrance of the village. Zhang Jue didn't mind that the stone was dirty, he just sat on it casually.

He fluttered the wind with the corners of his Taoist robe.

Although spring has arrived this year, people can already feel the coming temperature of summer in March.

The weather was getting warmer and the red sun was hanging in the sky, as if it was going to burn people.

"Donglin, what do you feel over these years?"

Zhang Jue raised his head and looked at Chen Zhulou who was sitting in front of him with great kindness.

His eyes were full of wisdom, as if he was asking his ordinary juniors what they thought.

Chen Zhulou thought for a moment and then said, "I saw the devastation everywhere."

He looked at Zhang Jue and for the first time said something that was not in his own "interests", or rather, it was advice.

"You shouldn't continue to appease this group of people. Only when the people begin to despair of the Han Dynasty and begin to believe in you, will you have the opportunity to rise up in rebellion and overthrow this corrupt Han Dynasty."

"You are now doing these things in the name of God and the name of the court, but the people will not understand."

"This won't help your future plans."

After a moment's silence, Chen Zhulou continued, "I will not help you rebel."

He looked deeply at the people who were excited because they got the talisman water, turned his head away, and repeated it again in a low voice, as if to strengthen the belief in his heart.

"I will not help you rebel."

Zhang Jue smiled, and his laughter seemed very nonchalant.

He just shook his head and said, "Actually, I don't want to rebel, nor do I want you to help me rebel."

Zhang Jue stood with his hands behind his back. At this time, the leader of the Taiping Dao, the Great Sage Teacher, and the General Tiangong looked like an ordinary old man, just walking slowly.

If he wasn't wearing a Taoist robe, he would probably be mistaken for an ordinary old man.

But who would have known that this old man’s reputation among the people has now reached the level of being called “Heavenly Master”?

Among all the sects in the world, only the "Five Pecks of Rice Sect" which emerged at almost the same time could compete with him. Even Zhang Daoling, the Tianshi of Zhang, did not have as many followers as the Taiping Taoist Master.

There is only one reason.

To join and believe in the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, one needs to hand over "five dou of rice".

To join and believe in Taiping Dao, all you need is the most devout faith, without having to pay any material things.

If you were in a situation where you had to choose between a sect that allowed you to take things and a sect that required you to hand things over, and you were about to starve to death, who would you choose to believe in?
It must be the Taiping Dao.

Because the most fundamental desire of human beings is to survive.

"Donglin, do you think it's wrong for people to want to live?"

Zhang Jue suddenly asked such a question. He did not turn around to look at Chen Zhulou's face, but just asked the question lightly.

Is it wrong for people to want to live?
Chen Zhulou fell into deep thought.

Is there anything wrong?
That's right.

However, living is indeed a very difficult thing.

Chang'an City

Plum garden
Cao Cao and Liu Bei sat opposite each other with a cup of warm wine in front of them.

Green plum wine
On heroes.

(End of this chapter)