Liu Bei naturally wasn’t aware of Chen Zichuan’s intentions and continued to smile as he greeted Qu Qi. Hua Xiong’s letter had already reached Liu Bei’s hands, so Liu Xuande, who came from a common background, understood all the more the significance of food to the common people.
He extended his hand to help Qu Qi down from the carriage, treating him almost no different than Jia Xu or Li Youu. Surprisingly, Qu Qi’s behavior was nearly identical to theirs as well; he bowed respectfully, calm and indifferent, without showing the slightest excitement. "Qu Hanmo pays respects to Lord Xuande."
Qu Qi did not possess the indifferent demeanor of someone like Jia Xu or Li Ru, who had occupied high positions, but the indifferent bearing characteristic of an aristocratic family member was fully on display in that moment.
Chen Xi frowned, not at Qu Qi but at Liu Bei’s actions. Although receiving a warm welcome is a good thing, it clearly also depends on who the person is.
It was apparent that Qu Qi was a member of an aristocratic family, and his background was definitely not low. The thorough aristocratic education Qu Qi possessed shone through in his interaction with Liu Bei; Qu Qi was without a doubt from the direct lineage of his family.
"The Qu Family of Yizhou, is it?" Chen Xi pondered silently; strengthening his thoughts with his spiritual power, he could remember many details. Soon, he pieced together past historical records with the current situation and surmised that the Qu Family might very well be the precursor to the regime that would be established by the Qu Family several hundred years later; a family that, having descended from the Qin Dynasty, wasn’t famous, or one might say inherited the discreet family line of the Hundred Schools of Thought.
[So this guy might actually be the head of the Qu Family, and even that individual in some stories who is the contemporary Shennong, at this time the only unnamed head of the Qu Family in Chang’an experimenting with new crop varieties.] Chen Xi thought, frowning. It seemed they had ensnared a big fish this time. Even if an aristocratic family was testing the waters with Liu Bei, they wouldn’t just throw their head out there, which is absurd! Of course, characters like Gan Ning were another story; they were just for laughs...
When Liu Bei asked Qu Qi a few questions, Qu Qi deviated from his previous arrogance, replying in a manner neither servile nor overbearing, which stunned Hua Xiong, who had been teased to death by Qu Qi along the way. Before, he had been worried that Qu Qi would act foolish, but the answers now were so steady that Hua Xiong couldn’t help but wonder if he had been played by Qu Qi.
However, when Liu Bei hinted at his hope for Qu Qi to join him, Qu Qi merely answered, "My aspiration lies with the common people of the world. I only long for a day when the public granaries are full of millet and rice. Instead of hoping for a sage to descend from the heavens to educate the people, I would rather rely on myself to imbue the common people with knowledge of propriety and the distinction of honor and disgrace. Therefore, I wish to travel everywhere, spreading my knowledge and ideas."
Liu Bei was somewhat dumbfounded. Was this man in front of him feverish? The idea of making all the common people aware of propriety—how could that possibly be achieved? Since ancient times, many sages have strived for this goal, but who has reached it?
[So that’s how it is...] Chen Xi finally understood why such a person’s influence spread so narrowly. He guessed that Qu Qi hadn’t even managed to spread his wisdom before he died, but upon reflection, that seemed reasonable. In ancient times, those who traveled far and wide and yet did not die were truly rare; in this era, wolves indeed outnumbered men...
With such lofty aspirations, how could Liu Bei not offer his support? He immediately conveyed his willingness to support Qu Qi’s research, offering money, grain, land, and suggesting starting as a pilot project before expanding later. As for further persuasion, Liu Bei said no more, having made his stance clear; it was now up to Qu Qi to make his choice.
Liu Bei, who had heatedly uttered those words not long ago, was very aware that a person who could articulate such astonishing aspirations with such composure was not someone who could be swayed by words alone. It was up to reality to teach him, although the likelihood was more than 90% that even if he hit a wall, he wouldn’t look back.
When Cai Yan arrived, Liu Bei grew much calmer. After all, compared to strategists and generals who greatly influenced the state of the world, Cai Zhaoji, a woman suitable only for poetry and romance, held much less appeal to Liu Bei. However, because he had received the Cai Family’s books in Luoyang, Liu Bei still invited Cai Wenji to disembark.
"Great Scholar Cai has invited us," Liu Bei said as calmly as he could, though Cai Yan’s beauty was indeed breathtaking. Combined with her scholarly aura, Liu Bei, who hadn’t seen many beauties, felt an inexplicable restlessness within.
"I’ve seen the Marquis of Fanyang," Cai Zhaoji greeted with a graceful bow, her demeanor involuntarily evoking a sense of fondness in Liu Bei.
"Lord Xuande," Chen Xi, seeing Liu Bei somewhat enchanted, immediately chided in a low voice, "please proceed with the banquet to entertain everyone."
[Damn it, I forgot that Liu Bei never had the chance to enjoy wealth!] Chen Xi cursed internally. Fortunately, Liu Bei was determined, and upon being called by Chen Xi, no further bewitched expression remained, nor did he stare at Cai Yan any longer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please follow along with Xuande; the feast has already been arranged," said Liu Bei, his face displaying a generous smile.
Cai Yan was naturally taken into the care of Fan Jian, Chen Xi’s wife, as among all in Fenggao, only she had the status sufficient for such a task. The others were either concubines or of lowly birth and simply not qualified.
As for Chen Xi himself during the banquet, he was now somewhat distracted. He had only focused on Liu Bei’s ambitious spirit but had forgotten one thing: unlike him, Liu Bei started from humble beginnings, had never enjoyed luxury, and hadn’t even seen a truly breathtaking beauty before. For this reason, the allure of a well-known beauty like Cai Yan was extremely powerful for someone like Liu Bei.
[Sigh, if things go poorly, he might be led astray by beauty. Forget it, it is my oversight. I’ll discuss it with Liu Ye and the others later. We can only resort to some unorthodox methods now.] Holding his wine cup, Chen Xi had little interest in the food before him. With a hidden worry, it was best to address it early--that was the King’s Way.
As for being distracted by beauty or a desire for pleasure, Chen Xi himself had no concept of it—simply because such tendencies did not exist in him or, for that matter, any true member of an aristocratic family.
Consider Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Xun Yu, Xun You, Chen Qun—none of these individuals born of top aristocratic families were ever utterly bewitched by any woman. Honestly, ever since King You of Zhou played with the beacon fires to amuse Baosi, all the great families had strengthened their education of legitimate sons in this respect. While the complete aristocratic family education was costly, it was generally very worthwhile. At least after receiving this education, most temptations of this world were trivial.
Chen Xi had received such an education in his previous life. Although it was abruptly discontinued due to some reasons, in this life, while his family was wealthy, he also received part of it, with both experiences combining to almost complete the aristocratic family education.
As for the more advanced level of education reserved for cultivating select individuals, Chen Xi had also received it before his previous life was wasted away. However, he later had to mingle with the lessons of aristocratic family members, and even those were forcibly ended by Chen Xi himself, for he no longer needed them.
What once seemed unnecessary, Chen Xi now thought might indeed be useful—in his view, Liu Bei could greatly benefit from certain aspects of that education. Grand mansions, luxurious carriages, beautiful women, gold and silver treasures—he needed to cultivate in Liu Bei a sense of detachment from such things! (To be continued. If you work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian ) with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)