Mythical Three Kingdoms

As for the suggestion to examine Yuan Shu’s health, Chen Xi fully supports it. Yuan Shu is only forty years old and has only one son, which definitely indicates a personal issue.

Although it’s not considered harming Sun Ce, if Yuan Shu had a son, even if Sun Ce made no moves, the people under his command would be restless, especially Yuan Shu’s loyalists. Chen Xi is very curious about how Sun Ce would choose at that time.

Sun Ce is a person who values loyalty, which Chen Xi knows well. However, this is of no use; for a monarch, occurrences of ”I didn’t kill Boren, but Boren died because of me” are very common. After all, ministers often coerce the monarch into power, which happens too frequently.

Even if much of it was the monarch’s own idea, sometimes, when things reach a certain point, the monarch has to go with the flow and move forward.

”Physician Hua, it’s a good idea to meet him,” Yuan Shu had no intention of refusing. As for the rivalry between Liu Bei and Sun Ce, what did it matter to him? He had retired, and at most, when the land under heaven unites, he’ll retire to the countryside. Yuan Shu just doesn’t believe anyone would kill him.

Yuan Shu then talked more about how to develop the Northern Frontier. Speaking of which, Yuan Shu is not entirely a useless fool; he even understands a bit about how to drive and govern the people. Maybe this is an instinct of the aristocratic family.

Regarding Yuan Shu’s questions, Chen Xi answered them one by one. It was evident that Yuan Shu truly loves the land deeply, and he had thought about many related aspects.

This era truly regards agriculture as the foundation of the nation, even a playboy like Yuan Shu has personally worked in the field. Speaking of which, it seems that every spring, the emperor also needs to go to the fields to ceremonially plow, so it’s not too outrageous that Yuan Shu knows a bit.

”It turns out you’ve prepared everything long beforehand, no wonder you’re foresighted, Chen Zichuan.” Yuan Shu’s tone was filled with praise, ”It seems that apart from the Central Plains, there are other fertile lands in the land under heaven. Xuande, do you know what the aristocratic families are doing presently?”

Liu Bei shook his head. He was quite pleased to hear Yuan Shu praise Chen Xi, but speaking of the aristocratic families, he really didn’t know what they were doing at present.

”Since I returned from the Northern Frontier, the perceptive aristocratic families have begun sending people to explore beyond the Central Plains. Perhaps the fertile lands are not only in the Central Plains,” Yuan Shu said with a mysterious smile, looking at Chen Xi.

”That’s a good thing,” Liu Bei said with a smile. ”If they can find other fertile lands, we will have direction for advancement in the future.”

”I think Chen Zichuan understands more what this means. The Liu Family didn’t go through the last era, so they don’t understand what this signifies.” Yuan Shu had a mysterious smile as he spoke.

Liu Bei was taken aback, and he turned to Chen Xi, who sighed and explained, ”In the last era, they were still noble clans. Stepping out means they are prepared for fiefdoms. As a noble clan, when they conquer non-royal lands, after reporting, they will be conferred as fiefs.”

”This...” Liu Bei was stunned immediately.

”This might be seen as a good development.” Chen Xi smiled and said, after seeing the fertile lands in the Northeast, the aristocratic families also consider whether there might be fertile places elsewhere. It’s good to go out and see the world.

”Tell those families that if they find a good place, we will offer our support.” Liu Bei exchanged a look with Chen Xi and immediately decided. This counts as everyone pooling their strength together.

”They probably don’t wish to borrow your strength,” Yuan Shu sneered. Right now, they’re only sending people out, and results are still very far off. Moreover, even if difficulties arise, the aristocratic families will probably try to solve them themselves. After all, Liu Bei is a giant entity.

”Then tell them, I hope they can bring some surprises,” Chen Xi said casually. As for where the aristocratic families could reach, he was really quite curious.

Just as Yuan Shu, Liu Bei, and Chen Xi were chatting leisurely, the Southern Silk Road expedition team led by the Wu Family in Yizhou had already set out. Since there are fertile lands beyond the Central Plains, and Liu Bei is so powerful, why not go out and take a look?

The aristocratic families aren’t afraid of losing personnel, nor are they afraid of the consumption of money and grain. What they fear most is having no way forward. Although going beyond the Central Plains wasn’t something often done before, they don’t mind spending some money and lives to explore. What if they hit the jackpot?

”Gongjin, what are you having your family and the Gu Family organize to go out to the sea for?” Sun Ce asked curiously, looking at Zhou Yu.

”Gan Xingba ventured out of the Yangtze River several times and didn’t go north, so there must be a great island to the south. How could we let Gan Xingba reap maritime benefits?” Zhou Yu said with a look of pride.

As a result, after going out to sea for a short time, the ships suitable for Yangtze River transport were overturned by the wind. Fortunately, they weren’t far out, and they swam back desperately. Zhou Yu felt quite embarrassed and prepared again.

In this period, almost all the aristocratic families had entered a state of agitation. After Yuan Shu confirmed the fertile land in the Northern Frontier, all the aristocratic families began to harbor their little schemes.

Not to mention other things, the slightly powerful families all plan to organize people to explore outside the Central Plains after the festivals. The area in the Northeast has shown them a path; the Central Plains might not be the most fertile place in the land under heaven!

Originally planning to move people to develop the Northeast, the families also began preparing for two scenarios. They must not forget the promises made to Chen Xi, and forming a collective aristocratic sanctuary in the Northeast indeed holds significant meaning.

However, the notion of a cunning rabbit with three burrows should be the way aristocratic families think, and now that there is proof, searching for a stable rear base for safety can also be put on the agenda. They cannot let their lives be controlled by others; seeking their own territory would be good.

With such thoughts, the various major aristocratic families across the land under heaven were noticeably more busy during the festival season, forming alliances, researching classic books, looking for ancient maps, and probing other aristocratic families. In a word, the aristocratic families were gradually becoming restless.

When Chen Xi received this information, he showed a clear sense of pride. The aristocratic families finally started doing what he always wanted them to do but couldn’t explicitly say.

At this point, even the Cao Family and the Xiahou Family couldn’t obstruct their clan members’ choices. Although they are still very small now, they will eventually become a prairie fire.

As long as one family among these many succeeds, the power to walk out of the Central Plains and understand the world will be completely ignited. As for a total failure, haha, even if destined for collective demise, Chen Xi would make sure a few families succeed.

After all, nothing is more thrilling than successfully setting foot in a new world and staking a claim. To get the aristocratic families to move out, relying solely on martial force is far from enough; they must be stirred to act on their own. It’s time to sprinkle those tempting fruits. (To be continued. If you like this work, please go to Qidian.com to vote for recommendations, monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)