xymnovel Chapter 7312 Right and Wrong
Chapter 7312 Right and Wrong
Chapter 7312 Right and Wrong
One thing Lu Yu couldn't understand before was what the Chen and Zhao families were thinking when they did this.
Both of these companies are already in very good shape. Xuzhou, if not their own territory, is at least second to none. But they seem to have gone mad for no reason and suddenly did something like this. Lu Yu never understood why they came here.
There must be a motive for doing bad things, let alone something of this magnitude. What kind of idiocy must the Chen and Zhao families be to do such a thing? And now, Lu Yu finally has an answer.
Compared to so-called personal dependence, and compared to the things they used to play with, the Chen and Zhao families have finally constructed their own rebellious laws from the scriptures that Chen Xi has been reciting for so many years.
This method is undoubtedly a heretical one, the kind that would terrify Lu Yu and his ilk just by hearing about it. But regardless of whether it is orthodox or heretical, a scripture is a scripture, and a law is a law; as long as they exist in the world, they have their corresponding value and meaning.
In other words, Chen Yu's system of laws, which he extracted from Chen Xi's classics, was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of a family in the Han Dynasty. However, this did not mean that the law was wrong. Even the words that Chen Yu shouted, which sounded like crimes, might not actually be wrong.
"Uncle, this is probably the last time I'll address you like this." Lu Yu sighed and looked at Chen Yu. When he came, he never thought that Chen Yu had actually come up with such a heaven-defying scripture, nor did he expect that Chen Yu would have such a heaven-defying fighting style.
"No, Zijia, save me! Let me see Marquis Chen. He said that even if there are selfish motives, even if there are personal desires, even if there is greed, as long as the direction is right, it is acceptable. These are Marquis Chen's own words." Chen Yu said loudly. He was not a fool, or to be more direct, anyone who could sit in this position was never a fool.
“I admit my selfishness, I admit I do have greed, but Zijia, I’m telling you the truth, those common people in Xuzhou, if you don’t push them to this extent, they’ll be stuck in the dirt for their entire lives.” Chen Yu stretched out his arm from the prison and loudly proclaimed his understanding and judgment to Lu Yu, “But the limit of being stuck in the dirt for their entire lives is just around the corner, Zijia!”
Chen Yu was wailing, but he was also explaining his thoughts and recounting his psychological journey. He did not deny his greed, nor did he deny that he mixed his selfishness with his future. But Lord Chen never expected everyone in the world to be like Yao and Shun!
"I'm sorry, I can't answer your question. I can only tell you that it was Marquis Chen who ordered the secret guards to come and interrogate him. I'm just here to verify this." Lu Yu shook his head and said, no longer referring to him as his uncle, but calmly looking at Chen Yu, who had fallen into some kind of madness.
"Is it Marquis Chen?" Chen Yu's last hope was shattered, and then the man went limp and collapsed on the floor of the cell, his energy and spirit completely dissipated.
It wasn't that Chen Yu didn't know; in fact, he realized it when he saw the secret guards appear. But this was just a desperate struggle, and now Lu Yu had exposed the last possibility.
“Patriarch Chen, I now understand the cause and effect of what happened. You put yourself above the people of Xuzhou for your own selfish reasons. You are the one who will have to give the people an explanation for what’s to come.” Lu Yu sighed. Knowing the cause and effect of things and the other party’s true intentions makes it much easier to trace and investigate. However, this answer sounded really frightening.
At the same time, Chen Yu, whose energy and spirit had completely dissipated, looked at Lu Yu who was turning to leave and suddenly spoke, all the madness in his body gone, leaving only a silence as still as dead water, "Lu Zhizhong, will Marquis Chen review the case files?"
Lu Yu stopped, glanced at it from the side, and said nothing.
"Then just record it truthfully." Chen Yu said coldly as he looked at Lu Yu's expression as she looked back, and then smashed his head against the dungeon wall in front of Lu Yu, splattering blood all over the ground.
Lu Yu was puzzled at first, then his face turned ashen. He knew that this was a trap set by Chen Yu who knew he was going to die. Regardless of whether what he said before was true or false, it was clear to everyone that after the people's harvest failed, going to work in factories was the trend.
What Chen Xi has been working hard to promote is industrial layout, large-scale workshops and state-owned factories. The reason why the progress of these is slow is, to put it bluntly, because of what Chen Yu said before. Chen Yu has also provided the answer to this problem, but he died after answering the question. So where is the problem?
He still committed suicide. In this situation, whether it was suicide or forced suicide, no one can say for sure. But logically speaking...
When the birds are all gone, the good bow is put away; when the cunning rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is cooked.
Which one is closer to reality?
"Save him!" Lu Yu shouted the first thing he heard, but Chen Yu was already dead, and his head was smashed. If the three great doctors were present, or if Chen Yu had super-fast regeneration, he might still be able to live, but in this situation, death was the only option.
"Dead?" Lu Yu looked at Chen Yu, whose head was split open and who was lying on the ground with blood everywhere. His expression changed from calm and refined to ferocious and even crazy after he understood the cause and effect of the matter.
At this moment, Lu Yu fully understood what it meant to be incompetent and what it meant to say, "Even if I die, I won't let you get away with this."
With blood on his hands, Lu Yu slowly stood up from the dungeon, exuding a deep chill. His previous doubts about his master, Jia Xu, finally became clear at this moment.
"These are all members of the Chen and Zhao families within five degrees of kinship, right?" After Lu Yu stood up, there was no trace of confusion in his eyes, only indifference.
"Yes, Lu Zhizhong," the guard beside him replied with a half-bow and sword in hand.
"No need for interrogation, just kill them all," Lu Yu said coldly.
The secret guards didn't say a word after hearing this. Chen Xi's mission for them was to quell the rebellion and arrest people. What to do with them after they were arrested depended on Lu Yu's final instructions, and now Lu Yu had given his instructions.
Having prepared themselves mentally before arriving, the secret guards, upon witnessing the complete crop failure in Xuzhou, had no further hesitation. They hadn't taken action to wipe out the enemy before because of military orders that prevented them from acting arbitrarily. That's why they stopped and began arresting the Chen family after they surrendered in Xiapi.
But this doesn't mean these secret guards are without murderous intent. They are mostly from humble backgrounds, veterans who have witnessed the chaos of war, and they have undergone rigorous screening before joining the secret guard group, fully understanding what they are supposed to do.
Even when Chen Yu revealed what he considered to be his greatest secret, claiming to be following Chen Xi, his greatest follower, and clearing obstacles for Marquis Chen to build a better future for the Han Dynasty, these secret guards remained unmoved.
Because these people knew perfectly well that if Marquis Chen really wanted to do this, it wouldn't be the Chen family of Xiapi's turn at all; there were plenty of people willing to be the guarantor.
More importantly, Chen Xi once complained that his own policies were the biggest obstacle to his efforts to promote the development of the Han Dynasty. Even so, he still believed that his policies were correct. What was the purpose of building the Han Dynasty and creating the future? It was for the people. What was the purpose of building the Han cultural sphere? It was so that the people of the future would not suffer the humiliation of history.
Chen Xi explained his purpose to Liu Bei in detail. Liu Bei did not fully understand it, but he agreed with the purpose—to enable these people who had suffered countless hardships to live a better life.
This is the real purpose.
As for any other plans that conflict with this objective, they must be conceded.
That's why Chen Xi complained that the people of the Han Dynasty, after living in peace and prosperity, had no desire for development. But despite his complaints, Chen Xi wouldn't actively disrupt this beautiful situation. The times will move forward automatically, and the new generation will naturally pursue their own ideals. Naturally, some people will continue to move forward along the path designed by Chen Xi.
Why make this generation suffer the same hardships as two generations? The post-80s generation has its own joys, and the post-90s generation has its own pursuits. When they reach a certain point, the eagle will naturally fly out of its nest and soar high, instead of destroying the beautiful things they have worked so hard to build up under the guise of doing what is good for others.
Just as a sparrow cannot know the ambition of a swan, so too can someone who is not a fish know the joy of a fish.
For Chen Xi, promoting the development of the Han Dynasty was important, as was promoting the construction of the Han cultural sphere. But were these Chen Xi's goals? No, Chen Xi's goal was to protect the Han people who had suffered so much, and to let them live a relatively good and memorable period of time in this incredibly chaotic human progress. As for the other things, they were essentially just processes.
The rise of the Han dynasty was a process, the Han cultural sphere was a process, and even the debates and struggles among the Han aristocratic families were just processes. The ultimate goal was that Chen Xi saved the people from much suffering, allowing them to truly enjoy the life they longed for for a period of time, and that this was etched into history so that countless people in the future could continue along this path.
It's not about sacrificing everything for the great Han cultural sphere, nor is it about sacrificing ordinary people for the greater good of the Han dynasty.
Chen Xi is not incapable of making sacrifices; what Chen Xi needs are sacrifices of value, and it is clear that Chen Xi can achieve this without these unnecessary sacrifices.
Lu Yu stood at the entrance of the dungeon, listening to the screams inside, from frantic and piercing to complete silence, and then to the squelching sound of wet rubber boots on the ground. Lu Yu didn't turn around, and just led his men out.
"All decapitations completed," the secret guard reported. Lu Yu left without saying a word.
The next step is to report everything to Chen Xi truthfully, without any personal feelings. Record everything Chen Yu said that violated the heavenly rules and hand it over to Chen Xi. The rights and wrongs of the Chen family in this matter have been settled. The rest is to continue to investigate.
Jiangling's method of donning the Demon God's Cloak and engaging in one-on-one battles with the Demon God effectively curbed the movement of the Corpse Demon God. With over a hundred to two hundred kills per day, it became only a matter of time before the exposed Corpse Demon God disappeared. Chen Xi's original worries had largely dissipated.
"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Xuzhou." The secret guard bowed with his sword drawn and spoke to Chen Xi.
"Xuzhou, huh." Chen Xi's somewhat muddled eyes sharpened instantly. He took the secret letter and read Lu Yu's account of it, his expression unchanged. In fact, when he saw Chen Yu's words, he even showed a hint of mockery.
"Summon Zhou Gongjin." After reading the secret letter, Chen Xi ordered the secret guards to inform Zhou Yu. Unlike before the secret guards arrived, when He Yuan and others served as guards, after the secret guards arrived, these guards, dressed in thick, fortress-like armor with only their eyes showing and whose identities could not be discerned, completely took over Chen Xi's security system.
"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard bowed and left.
Soon, Zhou Yu was escorted by two secret guards to the main hall where Chen Xi was. To be honest, Zhou Yu was very unhappy about being invited like this, but there was nothing to say. Since Chen Xi's secret guards had been mobilized, Zhou Yu did not want to provoke them, so he could only come along.
Moreover, Zhou Yu, who hadn't seen Chen Xi recently, also wanted to know about the current situation in Xuzhou. After all, he had heard that the Zhao and Chen families in Xuzhou had been completely taken over, and Zhou Yu wasn't very clear about the follow-up matters, so he was somewhat curious.
"Gongjin, take a look. It will help you understand our true intentions." Chen Xi pulled out a few pages of Lu Yu's secret letters and handed them to Zhou Yu.
"Tsk, what else can't I see?" Zhou Yu said with a hint of teasing, but he didn't ask for the other pages. He found a seat, sat down, and started flipping through them.
As Zhou Yu watched, sweat began to bead on his forehead. What did they mean by "according to investigation, the essence of heaven and earth, the rice seeds came from Fusang"? Damn it, who's trying to frame me?
"Gongjin, what are your thoughts after reading this?" Chen Xi asked Zhou Yu calmly.
"I..." Zhou Yu remained silent for a long time, not even knowing how to answer the question. He tried to get up from the chair several times, but felt a pressure that pinned him to the chair. After a while, Zhou Yu sighed, "Take whatever you can offer as compensation. It was indeed my dereliction of duty. I turned a blind eye to the fact that the major families were secretly importing rice from Fusang to make porridge."
"It's fine as long as you admit it." Chen Xi nodded without saying anything. This had happened five years ago, but as before, Chen Xi's attitude towards this matter was to turn a blind eye. If he wanted to eat some rice made from the essence of heaven and earth, Chen Xi was too lazy to care. After all, if he really wanted to guard against it strictly, he would need too many grassroots management personnel and the expenditure would be too great, which would not be worthwhile.
The simplest point is that if the management costs required to collect taxes in a certain region are higher than the taxes collected, unless the region has other strategic value, the only option is generally to abandon it.
"I will find a way to make up for all the losses in Xuzhou within three years. As for the dereliction of duty, I will use the title of Marquis of Shu to cover it up." Zhou Yu was also helpless. He had not expected such a big oversight to occur. But things had come to this point, and Chen Xi had laid it out in front of him. Zhou Yu had no choice but to submit to the law and confess his crimes. Surely no one could think that if Chen Xi really wanted to punish Zhou Yu, Zhou Yu could run away from this room.
If I, Chen Xi, can bring Zhou Yu back to life, then I can also make you, Zhou Yu, die once more.
"You can submit your own statement later." Chen Xi glanced at Zhou Yu, said nothing more, and then handed the remaining files to Zhou Yu.
"What is this?" Zhou Yu took the item with a puzzled look and examined it carefully. He quickly came across Chen Yu's astonishing quote and was taken aback. He instinctively tried to pull back, but faced with Chen Xi's cold eyes, he forced himself to finish reading it.
"What are your thoughts?" Chen Xi looked at Zhou Yu expressionlessly.
“Nonsense,” Zhou Yu said without hesitation.
"Then why did you shrink back before?" Chen Xi asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Having seen so many of your abnormal moments, seeing this description and putting myself in your shoes, I find it quite terrifying that you would do something like this. But then I think about it, and it's not worth it." Zhou Yu spoke the truth. There was no point in lying to Chen Xi, and Chen Xi was indeed not easy to fool.
"Not bad. Your task now is to copy this secret letter and give a copy to every noble family in the world." Chen Xi nodded noncommittally, and then assigned Zhou Yu a task.
"?" Zhou Yu looked at Chen Xi with a strange expression.
"This is a small punishment for you, and it will make some families who think like this think twice," Chen Xi said calmly. If the Chen family of Xiapi could think of this, then some families in the Han Dynasty probably thought of it as well. Although this path is a hellish one, it is undeniable that this path can really promote the process of industrialization and is a "correct" path that has been proven.
The casual conversation between Chen Xi and Chen Ji proved a fact: neither of them believed in morality. Even though both of them were morally perfect, and both Chen Xi and Chen Ji were considered moral gentlemen, they both kept their distance when talking about morality.
"Is this the right road?" Zhou Yu asked Chen Xi, frowning.
"If something that determines the fate of a nation, something that affects all living beings and all people, is so simple that it can be defined as right or wrong regardless of the era, then you should think carefully about why others have taught you this way." Chen Xi shook his head, not denying the correct answer.
“The Han aristocratic families are too clever. If I don’t put this matter on the table, some people will pretend not to understand. Gongjin, copy this down and send it to the major aristocratic families. They will understand.” Chen Xi said to Zhou Yu calmly, “Don’t get caught up in the so-called right and wrong. When the issue rises from the individual to the nation-state, judging the issue by right and wrong is too superficial.”
Zhou Yu seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, but the thought of how many times he would have to copy it gave him a headache.
"Copy it, and post it as soon as you're done. Don't delay." Chen Xi pointed to the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone beside him, indicating that Zhou Yu should not waste time. As for the matter of Lu Yu wiping out the entire Chen family, it could be settled by using the things that Zhou Yu copied.
Silently lying down without saying a word.