webnovelfull Chapter 662 The Chen Family, Two-Faced and Divisive
Chapter 662 The Chen Family, Two-Faced and Divisive
Hearing the firmness in Pidan's tone, Chen Yu's heart sank, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly at how ruthless Liu Bei's move was.
Liu Bei clearly wanted to promote the imperial examination system and completely overthrow the previous system of recommendation and selection that protected the aristocratic families. However, he did not implement it directly. Instead, he first used novels to promote the imperial examination system, so that those poor families who had ambition but no background would have the idea of taking the imperial examination and become supporters and advocates of it. Then he joined forces with these supporters to carry out a grand plan.
This put the aristocratic families in an awkward position. It should be noted that in officialdom, communication was done step by step: the emperor would notify the aristocratic families, the aristocratic families would notify the common people, and the common people would notify the lower classes, ensuring the smooth implementation of national policies.
However, now Liu Bei is bypassing the aristocratic families and directly winning over the commoners, which is equivalent to kicking out the aristocratic families as middlemen and preventing them from making a profit. Not only is he preventing the aristocratic families from making a profit, but he also wants to join forces with the commoners to attack the aristocratic families and completely sweep them into the dust. If he succeeds, the plight of the aristocratic families is unimaginable.
The more awkward situation was that Liu Bei did not forcefully promote the imperial examination system or take the initiative to attack the aristocratic families. Instead, he used the method of writing novels to subtly influence them. This made it impossible for the aristocratic families to retaliate, because Liu Bei could simply deny everything and deny it to the death. He could say, "When did I ever say that I wanted to promote the imperial examination system? That's not true."
As for novels, they are written by ordinary literature enthusiasts. What does that have to do with me? If you have any opinions about novels, go find the author. Why are you coming to me?
Chen Yu felt powerless after realizing this, because he tragically discovered that Liu Bei's plan had a high probability of success. Didn't he even win over his own retainer, Pi Dan?
Pi Dan joined the Chen family as a retainer five years ago. His favorite thing to do after joining the Chen family was to discuss current affairs with the other retainers. He had his own unique insights into everything and was a man with great ambitions.
If that's the case, why should you submit to the Chen family as a retainer?
Why else could it be? Because they're poor!
Pidan had no family support but had to support his family. Just surviving was a struggle, so he naturally had no energy to do anything else. He also had no connections to recommend him for official positions. What else could he do but work?
But someone like Pidan can't work for the Chen family forever. He'll definitely leave when he gets the chance. The Chen family is just a transitional phase for him, not his final destination.
Thinking of Pidan's ambitions and Liu Bei's plans, Chen Yu suddenly had an idea. He stepped forward, put his arm around Pidan's neck, glanced around to make sure no one was nearby, and then whispered, "Xingxian, I might have an opportunity to enter officialdom. Do you want it?"
Pidan's eyes widened suddenly, revealing an unprecedented glint in them, and he asked in a low voice, "Please enlighten me, young master."
Chen Yu said, "It's not going to the imperial court, but to the puppet Han. You know that Zhang Zhao, the Grand Secretary of the puppet Han, is my uncle. I can recommend you to go there. Do you want to go?"
To become an official under a pseudo-Han?
You, a commoner of Cao Wei, recommend officials to the pseudo-Han?
Pidan asked suspiciously, "May I ask what you want me to do, young master? You don't mean to become a spy for the Han, do you?"
Aside from infiltrating the puppet Han regime as an undercover agent, he couldn't fathom Chen Yu's true purpose in sending him there.
Chen Yu laughed and said, "Why would a merchant like me send spies to the pseudo-Han court? If I were to send spies, I would send them to the competitors, not to the central government of an enemy country."
"Sending you there is simply a strategic move. Once you're there, you can settle down and serve as an official in the puppet Han regime. Don't worry about anything else. If Liu Bei fails in his northern expedition, this will be my way of repaying you for your service to the Chen family. But if Liu Bei succeeds in his northern expedition, please help the Chen family for the sake of my recommendation today. What do you say?"
I see. So you're trying to bet on both sides.
But this was only beneficial to Pidan and had no reason to refuse. Upon hearing this, he immediately took half a step back, bowed, and said, "Pidan thanks you for your help, young master. Rest assured, if Liu Huangshu really succeeds in his northern expedition in the future, Pidan will definitely repay your kindness today."
Chen Yu helped him up and continued, "But given your background, the possibility of you directly entering Jiangling as an official is probably not high. I can first take you to see Zhang Zhao's second son, my cousin Zhang Xiu, and have Zhang Xiu take you to Jianye to recommend you to Wang Fu, the governor of Yangzhou under the pseudo-Han regime. How about you work for Wang Fu first?"
Being a retainer of a governor also offers opportunities for officialdom. After all, the Han Dynasty did not have an imperial examination system or a fixed official position; as long as your superiors wanted you to be an official, you could become one.
Look at the group of people Guan Xing promoted in the Jinqu Basin—doctors, blacksmiths, and farmers—and now they all hold high positions.
In other words, serving as a retainer for aristocratic officials could lead to their favor and a chance to be recommended for official positions. This is why people from humble backgrounds were willing to serve as retainers for aristocratic families.
Now that Chen Yu has recommended Pi Dan to Wang Fu, the governor of Yangzhou under the puppet Han regime, it is an absolute chance for Pi Dan to change his fate. Wang Fu is a powerful governor of a province, a former subordinate of Guan Yu, and a confidant of Liu Bei. He has a lot of influence in the puppet Han regime. If Pi Dan can gain Wang Fu's favor, his future will be bright.
Pidan bowed excitedly and said, "I will leave everything to you, young master."
Chen Yu patted his shoulder and laughed, "Then go back and prepare. Come with me to find Zhang Xiu in a few days, and then you can go south with him."
After seeing Pidan off, Chen Yu couldn't help but feel smug about his brilliant idea. The aristocratic families never put all their eggs in one basket. Although Cao Pi and Zhong Yao forced them to sign some ridiculous "Temporary Tax Law," the temporary tax law only involved taxes, making the aristocratic families pay more money. It didn't stipulate that the aristocratic families couldn't plan for their own future.
As time went on, the Legend of the White Snake became increasingly popular in Xiapi City, eventually even alarming the governor's office and attracting the attention of Cao Wei's governor of Xuzhou, Lü Qian, and the prefect of Xuzhou, Wang Xiang. The two immediately ordered the confiscation of the Legend of the White Snake throughout the city and prohibited anyone from continuing to spread it, with severe punishment for violators.
But by then it was too late to ban it; the thing had already spread far and wide.
Moreover, it seems that the unruly people of Xuzhou are deliberately going against the governor's office; the more the government forbids it, the more rampant the rumors become in private.
More than a month passed quickly, and the delivery time agreed upon by Chen Yu and Zhang Xiu arrived again. Chen Yu once again led his fleet to secretly set sail and successfully met up with Zhang Xiu in the same sea area as before.
After handing over the goods and settling the previous debt, Chen Yu had Zhang Xiu lead him into the ship's room, closed the door, and handed him a booklet, saying, "I have completed your task, but the hidden agenda in your 'Legend of the White Snake' is too ruthless. Our Chen family took too much risk. You have to compensate me."
Zhang Xiu smiled and asked, "What kind of compensation do you want?"
Chen Yu cut to the chase: "First, you must ask your uncle to truthfully report the merits of my Chen family to Liu Bei, but it must be done secretly. Cao Wei must not know that our Chen family is secretly working for you. Second, I have a retainer named Pi Dan, the one who just boarded the ship with me. You can recommend him to Prefect Wang Fu. You only need to recommend him to Prefect Wang, and the rest is up to his luck. Is that too much trouble for you?"
Zhang Xiu laughed and said, "No problem at all, but there are some new novels under the goods that were just delivered. You have to help me distribute them using the same method as last time."
Chen Yu cursed, his teeth aching, "Damn it, are you guys never going to stop?"
Seeing Zhang Xiu smile without saying a word, Chen Yu could only sigh and say, "Alright, I'll do my best, but now that the Xuzhou Prefectural Governor's Office has started to strictly investigate these things, I won't take too much risk."
Zhang Xiu smiled and said, "I will personally write a letter to my father, asking him to report the Chen family's achievements to His Majesty, and I will absolutely not let anyone else know about it."
The deal was thus completed, and both parties left satisfied.