Mythic version of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 7301 Important and Unimportant

The events that occurred in Xuzhou are difficult to handle, whether viewed from a feudal perspective or a future perspective. In feudal times, the common people were treated like dirt, and it was quite normal for them to be tormented like this by the governor of Xuzhou. In fact, in feudal times, such things would not have been a big deal.

Frankly speaking, which feudal era wasn't like this? Which feudal era didn't rely on man-made natural disasters to force local people to depend on local wealthy families, officials, and so on?

Therefore, in feudal times, such things were commonplace. At most, the governor of Xuzhou had gone a bit too far this time, but if you really wanted to investigate, there was nothing to investigate. After all, the governor of Xuzhou would eventually open the granaries and distribute the grain, and everything he had done before was a good thing.

As for the future, without evidence and without free judgment, investigation alone cannot solve this kind of problem, especially when there is a so-called powerful backer. In such cases, the only option is to let it go. After all, it is inevitable that those who do the work will make mistakes. It's just that this time the circumstances are more complicated.

Unless they've truly defied the heavenly laws, that's about it.

But as the saying goes, different eras have different ways of handling things. Feudal times also had the iron fist of the feudal imperial system. Chen Xi is the one who follows the rules, and Chen Xi is willing to give them some face, but that doesn't mean Chen Xi can accept being made a fool of.

You think you can survive if you do it perfectly? What a joke!
Chen Xi was willing to give them face because it only involved himself and wouldn't harm the common people. You were just trying to make some money and pull some tricks, so Chen Xi didn't care. After all, this was money earned through ability and background. But you're playing like this now.

Do you think I'm going to talk to you about rules and manners?
Do you think I, Chen Xi, am made of clay or wood, that I'll just watch you play around like this? You're doomed. Everyone in Xuzhou, I'm going to investigate you all back twenty years this time, to show you what's what. I'll investigate even the smallest things like embezzlement and bribery, and then punish you to the fullest extent of the law, and implement special rectification measures to crack down on you severely!
I wouldn't say I'd push it to the point where in the 1980s, if a man and woman were to date but not get married, one of them would definitely die, but it would definitely be enough to rip a layer of skin off the officialdom of Xuzhou.

"You're like this..." Zhou Yu said with a hint of apprehension. What he felt now was not the excitement of the various powerful families having tested Chen Xi's true strength, but a sense of fear. Because right next to Chen Xi, Zhou Yu could clearly feel how many people Chen Xi wanted to crush under his calm tone.

"I don't care about exploiting loopholes, nor do I mind them making money by walking on the edge of the law. After all, these are things that require some brainpower. Just like when I was promoting the construction of the Han cultural sphere, some people pushed to the left, some to the top, and some to the bottom. It didn't matter, but those who pushed to the right deserved to die." Chen Xi said calmly.

What is an untouchable red line? It's something that's not up for discussion. Chen Xi looks calm because he doesn't want to argue. Even if you test him repeatedly, Chen Xi doesn't really care. It's just a matter of money and supplies. If you want more, give more; if you want less, it's no big deal.

It's like raising a cat. Who would treat that thing like a person? As long as you can pet it, nothing else really matters. If it's pretty and you give it some good food, you don't expect it to do anything. As long as it exists and provides value that Chen Xi recognizes, that's enough.

But if this cat scratches Chen Xi's child, then the cat can't be kept. It's that simple. Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs. Sages are ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs. That's the essence of it.

As far as Chen Xi was concerned, getting some money, food, and supplies was no big deal. Everyone had to rely on their own abilities. Even if he was tricked, it was their ability. Just like a cat doing a backflip to trick him out of a cat treat, would Chen Xi care that the cat treat was originally bought for other cats, and not for the cat that did the backflip?

No, Chen Xi would only applaud and think that it was indeed excellent and deserved a reward!
As for the cat whose cat treat was taken, that depends on Chen Xi's mood. If she's in a good mood, she'll give it another one; if she's in a bad mood, then of course it's gone. But is this important to Chen Xi? No, it's just a matter of simple emotional value.

The various powerful families' claims that Chen Xi treated them somewhat perfunctorily are actually quite simple. Chen Xi doesn't judge most of these families by their personal qualities; he primarily considers their value.

It was precisely because of this line of thinking that Chen Xi was quite lenient with these guys, because humans wouldn't hold a grudge against cats until they crossed the line.

What is the bottom line for humans towards cats? Generally, it's when a cat attacks a person.

As for the possibility of the cat breaking things at home or making a mess of itself, that's just talk. If you actually keep one, it's just a matter of money. But if the cat bites, then you can't keep it. All other issues are secondary; that's the key point.

“Gongjin, you know very well that you have made quite a few mistakes over the years, but as I said before, it’s just a matter of money and supplies, and I don’t care.” Chen Xi said calmly, “The biggest difference between me and those who have governed before is that they had to consider money, supplies, and the flow of funds in the country. I don’t really need to consider that. I only consider one thing, which is what is wrong.”

Zhou Yu remained silent for a while after hearing this. Over the years, he had tested the limits of Chen Xi's bottom line many times. It turned out that those were not the bottom line at all, but the bottom line of the prime ministers and rulers of the past. It was just that those people who were born in the era before Chen Xi did not realize it.

"I can understand if you guys cause trouble regarding money, food, and supplies. I'll just watch the show. Whether you win or lose, I'll be the one footing the bill in the end." Chen Xi said this with a hint of helplessness. He didn't care who won or lost among those guys fighting over resources within his organization. According to Chen Xi's rules, both sides would get a share.

Whether you fight or not, it will happen. It's just that those old relics born before Chen Xi's era will fight to show their value no matter what. Chen Xi doesn't have a good way to deal with this, so he just watches the show. Anyway, when these people fight, no innocent people will be hurt. Let them fight.

But this time is different. This time it's not about money, food, or supplies. This time, Chen Xi painstakingly rescued the people from the cage of dependence, enabling them to support themselves and enjoy at least a century of prosperity, free from worries about food and clothing, without having to worry about the lack of a proper harvest. But then, some idiots started creating natural disasters and began trying to establish a nation within a nation.

What could Chen Xi say? Chen Xi didn't want to say anything. All Chen Xi wanted right now was for him to die.

“I don’t really like the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals because it increases the cost of national governance, but the law has loopholes, and revenge is one of the most basic human motivations.” Chen Xi said with a touch of emotion, “So even though I know that the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals has many problems, and I know that suppressing revenge at the grassroots level is the right approach, I have never mentioned it in public. Even if someone asks, I will not answer questions that might touch on this core issue.”

Zhou Yu seemed to be deep in thought upon hearing this, but just as he was about to speak, Chen Xi continued, "As for the legal aspects, there are two arguments: procedural justice and substantive justice. Logically speaking, procedural justice should be guaranteed before substantive justice can be guaranteed. Moreover, in principle, procedural justice should be my focus."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yu raised an eyebrow, already realizing what Chen Xi was referring to.

“After all, I am the Prime Minister. I can explain procedural justice in detail in many places and convince everyone. But in actual implementation, I have never interfered with the outcome justice of Bo Ning. After all, there are some special methods in this world that can directly obtain results, and sometimes some things cannot be delayed. Once discovered, they should be dealt with.” Chen Xi’s eyes became extremely gloomy.

In some cases, the answer is known from the beginning, but in pursuit of procedural justice, the case is dragged on, causing the victim to be dragged to death, while the perpetrator continues to live a carefree life.

Justice sometimes requires swift and decisive action; delays can even cause unrest.

Therefore, Chen Xi could be more flexible in this situation: he didn't care whether the other party was the governor of Xuzhou, whether he was negligent or involved in the matter, or even if he was involved, to what extent he was involved or whether he was a protector. None of these things mattered.

The important thing is that they want to kill you to appease public anger before starting the investigation. These days, there are plenty of ways to obtain corroborating evidence from other sources. If an investigation can't proceed without a witness, it's usually not a big case. But for a big case like the Xuzhou case, losing a witness is nothing.

“I can handle these problems flexibly, as long as they cross my line,” Chen Xi said coldly to Zhou Yu. “As for some people who think they have tested my bottom line, well, my bottom line has never changed since I left Yingchuan. The bottom line you think you have is never mine, but something you obtained from other prime ministers.”

Zhou Yu remained silent upon hearing this, simply watching Chen Xi quietly. No matter what, he didn't think this was a good thing. Just like today's incident, it was clear that Chen Xi had been provoked.

"Alright, if you have any connections, you can try to reach out to Xuzhou. They probably don't want to die." Chen Xi suppressed his anger and spoke to Zhou Yu as calmly as possible, but Zhou Yu only felt a chill upon hearing this.

In Chen Xi's eyes, the Yanzhou case was nothing more than Zhao Yu embezzling some money and grain. Even if some people died in the process, it was only a loss among the middle-level officials during the struggle, and it did not affect the common people below.

The Jizhou case and the support for the emperor were nothing more than sophisticated ways to make money and gain power. Those who died in the middle were the middle class, while the common people at the bottom were still not affected. Therefore, Chen Xi remained calm.

But Xuzhou is now engaging in personal dependency practices and reaping the savings of the people accumulated over nearly twenty years, right? Well, there's nothing more to say about that. You want to see just how serious this matter is, right? I'll show you.

Chen Xi was not afraid of being tested, nor was he afraid of being besieged by powerful families, because he didn't care. Those powerful families were so short-sighted. Faced with Chen Xi's epoch-making and dimensional-lowering attack, the numbers they could imagine were at most in the tens of digits, far from the twelve-digit range. Therefore, their tests were nothing but a joke to Chen Xi, and he didn't care at all.

I, Chen Xi, have over 100 billion yuan to spare every year. Even if I provide you with 20 billion yuan worth of supplies, what difference would it make?

Will this affect my continued development in China? No.

What else is there to say? You can do whatever you want. I'm just playing with these guys like I'm using a cat toy. What's the big deal?

This time, however, it was completely different. This wasn't about making money; it was about courting death. These people might think they were making money, or that this was something that had been commonplace for decades or even centuries, but in Chen Xi's eyes, it was suicide.

So if you're destined to die, you have to die.

Of course, if the major families think this is Chen Xi's bottom line, that's fine too. Chen Xi doesn't care about making money, but exploiting the people, reaping their wealth, turning them into tenants or even serfs is absolutely unacceptable. Even though Chen Xi knows very well that such things will be inevitable after he leaves, because in some people's eyes, it's a crime for the people to even be able to eat at the table!
But it doesn't matter. As long as Chen Xi is around, the aforementioned operation cannot happen. Whoever tries it will die. It's that simple. Chen Xi knows which things can be tolerated and which things cannot be tested.

"Gongjin, I know you have your own ideas, but I still have to say this: if you try some things, I might really have to execute Marquis Shu with tears in my eyes." Chen Xi patted Zhou Yu's shoulder and said gently.

Chen Xi didn't care that Zhou Yu was skinning the Jiangdong aristocratic families, because it was only natural for the Jiangdong aristocratic families to be dealt with. But if Zhou Yu were to use his skinning skills on the common people of the Han Dynasty, then he really shouldn't blame Chen Xi for skinning Zhou Yu. This was no joke.

Although the people under the rule of the Jiangdong aristocratic families are different from those in Xuzhou, these people, due to their past experiences, will run away as soon as the Jiangdong aristocratic families begin to decline. After all, everyone in Southeast Asia knows that if one place doesn't keep you, another will. If the Jiangdong aristocratic families mistreat you, you can simply pack up and move on to another place.

Unless the Jiangdong aristocratic families can unite on the issue of the common people, but if the Jiangdong aristocratic families had that ability, then Sun Ce and Zhou Yu would not be able to treat the Jiangdong aristocratic families like dogs. Therefore, from the beginning, Chen Xi never considered that Zhou Yu would exploit the Jiangdong aristocratic families, and then the Jiangdong aristocratic families would exploit the people of Jiangdong.

The current environment makes it impossible for the Jiangdong aristocratic families to exploit the people of Jiangdong. In addition, although Zhou Yu skinned the people alive, the Jiangdong aristocratic families can afford it. As mentioned in the Zhou skinning incident, Zhou Yu's actions were considered conscientious in Jiangdong. If he were truly heartless and directly made it a tribute, even if he took the things from the Jiangdong aristocratic families, they would not dare to acknowledge it!
However, Zhou Yu, being such a remarkable person, is capable of exploiting the people of Jiangdong if he truly wants to. Therefore, to prevent this scoundrel from making a mistake, Chen Xi still needs to give him some serious advice.

As I said before, although some acquaintances may not be good people, Chen Xi still hopes that these people can live a decent life under his guidance, and that is the dignity that Chen Xi can give them.

"Tsk, do you think I would do such a thing? How many commoners could I possibly expose?" Zhou Yu said dismissively. Chen Xi nodded in agreement, which was in line with Zhou Yu's mindset. Thinking about it, it made sense. If Zhou Yu wanted to make money, exposing commoners would require too many people. It would be better to expose the powerful families of Jiangdong.

wrong!

Chen Xi instantly realized that Zhou Yu, that bastard, couldn't uncover much about the Jiangdong aristocratic families; his target was Chen Xi!
"Forget it, I can't be bothered with you." Chen Xi waved his hand, signaling Zhou Yu to get lost. He didn't care much about Zhou Yu getting money or gold coins from him. In fact, he thought that if someone came to him for money, he wouldn't mind giving them some.

It's all about redistribution, the only difference is that some industries receive more and some receive less. As long as you don't hoard the money like Liu Tong did, it doesn't really matter to Chen Xi who gets the money or what industries it's invested in; the final result is that it all flows to the people.

Money only has meaning when it circulates.

Zhou Yu didn't say anything upon seeing this, but he kept Chen Xi's bottom line firmly in mind. Although Chen Xi spoke lightly before, Zhou Yu clearly felt that Chen Xi was not joking. If he really made a mistake in this matter, Chen Xi might really kill him.

"As for Xuzhou, who is behind it? It's unlikely that a mere governor would have such a grand scheme. Besides, Hao Zhou couldn't have come here with this in mind from the start." Chen Xi and Zhou Yu each had this thought in their minds, but then they both used their own intelligence networks to investigate more detailed matters with expressionless faces.

Some things may not attract much attention before they happen, but once they happen, a lot of information can be gradually verified through other channels. For example, Hao Zhou, who is already dead in Chen Xi's place, is definitely not the mastermind.

There's no other reason why Hao Zhou would agree to do this unless he's a complete idiot. He would only do it if he were to fall into the trap step by step. If that's the case, then there must be an even bigger mastermind behind it all.

The mastermind is just more cautious, but it doesn't matter how cautious they are. If they really want to investigate, it's still easy to find out. And if Chen Xi starts to follow the red line, then after killing a certain number of people, someone will naturally come to tell Chen Xi the answer.

Chen Xi never believed that any criminal gang had strong organizational capabilities and a spirit of self-sacrifice. Especially when the knife was about to strike the onlookers, someone would naturally tell Chen Xi what they knew. Xuzhou is a place with many roads leading in all directions, and there are more than one or two powerful families. Is it really that seamless? What a joke!
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