Chapter 348: Those Who Do Not Plan for the Big Picture Cannot Plan for a Single Area! (Requesting Monthly Tickets

Chapter 348: Those who do not plan for the whole are not worthy to plan for a domain! (Please vote for the monthly ticket)

Chen Yunfan.

Is that him?

There’s no need to doubt.

On the chessboard of Chen Yi’s mind, the white stone representing Chen Yunfan sat placidly in the lower left corner.

—In this game of Shu Zhou, Chen Yunfan was, without question, the unchallenged protagonist.

Were Chen Yi absent, and Liu Hong’s schemes to succeed, what state would Shu Zhou have fallen into?

The Xiao family, bound by ties to Xiao Jinghong and Bai Da Xian, Li Wu Dang, though not doomed entirely, would lose ground in Shu Zhou, their influence in the court nearly nailed to the board.

Yet if Liu Hong’s plans prevailed, chaos would engulf Shu Zhou.

When the court dispatched troops to suppress the rebellion, Chen Yunfan would ascend like a phoenix, quelling the uprising.

Simultaneously, the court would have grounds to punish the Xiao family, fracturing the Duyuan Army.

The Xiao clan, though still nominally the Duyuan Army’s commander, would no longer command such forces as today.

Split into halves, even thirds.

Chen Yunfan gained one share, the court reclaimed another, and the Xiao family retained the third.

This was but the beginning.

The fledgling “Chen Yi” would act in secret.

Through the White Tiger Guard, he would gnaw at the remaining Xiao forces, inching closer to Chen Yunfan as the tide turned.

There was also the Xiao family’s second branch—Xiao Wang, Xiao Dongchen, and Xiao Qiuyun…

In such a scenario, Chen Yunfan could seize the Duyuan Army with naught but a whisper.

Chen Yi’s thoughts wandered freely, murmuring inwardly: *How precarious! Almost let elder brother rise to the heavens…*

Yet after a sardonic smile, he turned to another matter.

From the current state of affairs, Liu Hong and the Ji Zhou Group were no mere stepping stones for the schemer.

So who was the true architect behind it all?

A sudden clarity struck him.

*When the north and south clash, some stake their fortunes in the south, others in the north.*

*The Ji Zhou Group arose from the northern wilderness; they would not welcome war blooming in the north. Their designs in Shu Zhou aimed to draw the court’s forces southward.*

*The refugee rebellion was but one thread; the other—surely the Kongque King’s banner.*

*Thus, Liu Hong and the Ji Zhou Group were, in essence, allies, both seeking to divert the Son of Heaven’s gaze southward.*

As he pondered this, Chen Yi’s calm eyes gleamed with sharp resolve.

He lifted his gaze to the vast, sunlit sky.

As though he glimpsed the hidden puppeteer behind the scenes, that pair of cold, brilliant eyes.

*He anticipated every countermove!*

Only such a mastermind, buried deep, could repeatedly outwit his opponents, manipulating the Xiao, Liu, and Ji Zhou factions like marionettes.

Yet his plan succeeded only halfway.

He ensured Chen Yunfan’s ascension, granting him the Emperor’s favor, elevating him to the pinnacle.

He dismantled the Ji Zhou Group’s foothold in Shu Zhou, toppling Liu Hong and his Jingzhou kin.

But he overlooked one crucial figure—Chen Yi himself.

Had Chen Yi not intervened, the Xiao clan would not be so fortified, and the Ji Zhou Group and Liu Hong’s assaults would have been far more ruthless.

Chen Yunfan would not now be basking in such ease.

Yet, in the end…

*The man seemed to have suffered no loss. He still held the initiative.*

*Perhaps from the outset, he had planned it all.*

*His schemes succeeded: Chen Yunfan ascended, Wei’s armies marched south, a natural progression.*

*Should his plans fail, Chen Yunfan and the Xiao family remained—even if Wei launched a northern campaign, Shu Zhou’s stability would only grow stronger.*

Chen Yi’s face bore a trace of admiration. *How clever—killing two birds with one stone.*

After a pause, he lowered his gaze back to the exam paper in his hands.

*Those who do not plan for the ages are not worthy to plan for a moment. Those who do not plan for the whole are not worthy to plan for a domain.*

*Facing such a rival… there is pressure.*

He understood his prior actions—half-hearted calculations, leveraging others’ strength.

Now, his “dragon and tiger” alter ego, Liu Wu, had entered the realm of truly formidable minds.

The White Tiger Guard, their unseen patrons, the Ji Zhou Group, the Ming Yue Tower, and the southern expedition faction behind them—all could not ignore his role as the destabilizing force holding the Xiao clan in check.

Though the court had already leaned toward northern warfare, Shu Zhou’s path to true peace would still face hurdles.

Until the dust settled, those favoring southern campaigns would act recklessly.

Unless they abandoned their northern gains and started anew.

Where, in Wei’s three prefectures, could they find such leverage?

If they cast aside the vast northern territories, they’d spark greater upheaval in Wei, fighting for scraps elsewhere.

Their options were few.

The eastern seas and land routes, the north-south transport, the western trade roads…

Shu Zhou’s Xiao family, a branch of the Qinguang Duke of Guangyue Prefecture, the Jiangnan clans led by the Chen and Wang families, the Ji Zhou’s Cui clan near the capital…

Counting it all, the Xiao’s Shu Zhou remained their easiest prize.

Add to that the south-versus-north debate, and the southern faction would surely act.

Chen Yi untangled every knot, his earlier hope for peace evaporating.

He glanced at Ma Shuhuan, now back on the platform, and began to deduce.

*This exam question on southern campaigns versus northern war—was it their handiwork?*

*Wouldn’t the outcome of letting Shu Zhou’s scholars debate this be predictable?*

*Most would choose southern campaigns, citing revenge for the southern barbarians’ bloodshed, the people’s hearts in Shu Zhou as a tool.*

The deeper he delved, the more he saw the hidden tangle beneath Wei’s game.

Each had their stance, their counter.

Like Liu Hong.

He knew his death was inevitable, yet he would stain the Xia family with blood, forcing the old patriarch to step forward and shoulder the burden.

In the future, the Xia family would find it hard to show weakness in battle; no one would believe such a thing, and it would only invite suspicion from the authorities in the capital.

Those who had already perished could never repent, nor would they choose to stand on the Xia family’s side.

Chen Yi glanced at the text for a moment, until Ma Shuhan’s gaze was about to sweep over him, and then he turned his attention back to the questions in his hand.

“A southern expedition or a northern campaign—at this moment, discussing such matters is utterly meaningless.”

“Once the imperial examination results are announced, the people of Shuzhou will surely be stirred. Their debate will no longer be about which scholar excels in the exams, but about who speaks best, who chooses to advocate a southern expedition.”

“And…”

Chen Yi considered another layer—if the northern barbarians and southern savages were to hear of the Wei dynasty’s mobilization, how would they respond?

In all likelihood, they would prepare for battle and meet the threat head-on.

The merchants of Jizhou and the forces behind Liu Hong are, in fact, people who are difficult to get along with.”

“Eliminating Ma Shuhan alone would also expose this layer of pretense, forcing the southern and northern expedition factions into the same arena.”

“This time, even those behind the White Tiger Guard might find themselves in some trouble.”

“Hah, of course, I’m in trouble too.”

Chen Yi pulled a grimace of resignation at his lips, answering this strategic question, as well as the inevitable entanglement he would face in Shuzhou.

After some contemplation, he took up the wolf-hair brush resting on his inkstone, unfolded a sheet of paper, and wrote in the standard Wei Qing style.

First, the first question of moral principles.

[In the late years of the Qianyang era, the fallen ruler Xuan studied alchemy, disregarding the people, treating the populace as inexhaustible raw material.]

[He prized valuable objects while neglecting lives, seeking immortality while forgetting his duties, ultimately leading to ‘the materials of all things are destroyed, and divine artifacts collapse.’]

“Today, there are three ‘tools’ for governing the people: the tool of measurement, the tool of regulation, and the tool of nurturing.”

“The tool of measurement ensures fair taxation and conscription, allowing the people’s labor to flow freely; the tool of regulation clarifies laws and punishments, restraining the wicked and the cunning…”

“The people are like water, the ruler is like a boat; water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it. This is an ancient truth, in harmony with the founding emperor’s teachings…”

The moral principles question was answered at length, and Chen Yi casually wrote thousands of words.

As for the strategic question…

After a moment’s thought, he set his brush down.

[“Southern expeditions and northern campaigns—let us set these aside for now. I have one question: Can the nation be divided into southern and northern parts?”]

[“Regardless of the southern or northern populace, they are all citizens of the Wei dynasty. Expeditions to the south or north harm the people of the Wei dynasty…”]

Exactly.

Chen Yi did not intend to choose either side, but to choose neither.

Southern expeditions and northern campaigns were the struggles of the emperor, the court, and certain noble families, with what relevance did they have to the people?

If they won, the glory and wealth would be seized by the aristocrats and scholars.

If they lost, the families of the fallen would drape themselves in white robes.

Thus, Chen Yi sought to speak from outside the southern and northern factions, to send out another voice.

Though he was but one man, his words could form a banner, drawing attention from some.

After all, war has always been a matter of exhausting the people and depleting wealth; those who opposed conscription had always been the majority.

So Chen Yi resolved to light a spark, stirring the waters.

Though he did not dare to hope for a single spark to ignite a wildfire, he did not wish to see the world dragged along by the nose of a few.

As he wrote in his strategy, he said—“Water can both carry a boat and capsize it.”

The more he wrote, the more earnestly he became, his mind growing increasingly at ease, forgetting all about his exam results.

How could his answers to irrelevant questions matter?

……

While Chen Yi labored over his writing, in the East Market, several blocks away from the examination hall, it was already noon.

Most of the people wandering in the East Market had returned home by then.

Yet a number of them still lingered.

As people entered and exited the market, they noticed the unusual commotion within the pharmacy and gathered around.

Soon, the crowd swelled from the third floor to the first, more numerous than those who had come to watch the imperial examination.

Inside the pharmacy.

Pei Wang sat cross-legged on a table, one hand holding a tea cup, the other gnawing on a roasted chicken leg, watching the confrontation ahead with excitement.

On one side were the pharmacy’s Ma Liang, Yuan Liu’er, and the old doctor Li.

On the other stood a woman in her thirties—Wen Xiu’an—and three young men accompanying her.

Around them were some remaining patients.

“The pharmacy… has a fighting competition?”

“Old master, I’ve lived this long and never heard of such a thing.”

“Me neither—I’ve only heard of the security bureau, martial arts halls, and sects having contests. How can doctors fight?”

“Never mind how they fight. I think the pharmacy side might suffer some face.”

“Though Ma the physician’s skills are refined, I’ve heard he’s only at the entry level of medicine. He’s not someone who can lead a pharmacy.”

“On the other hand, this woman Wen… her presence suggests she’s no ordinary person.”

“A descendant of the Jiuzhou Nine Curves lineage—her background is no small thing.”

“Her master, that legendary Jiuzhou physician, is renowned in the martial world as a master of medicine. He’s said to specialize in ‘counterpoisoning with poison,’ employing harsh remedies.”

“Though the Nine Curves descendants are all rather eccentric.”

“Any martial figure seeking their treatment must perform a task for them.”

“Killing people, seeking treasures, even excavating ancient tombs…”

“These are all perilous deeds, often resulting in the deaths of those who sought their aid before their injuries were healed.”

Among the onlookers were martial figures from Jiuzhou, who watched the pharmacy’s confrontation with keen interest.

They naturally favored Wen Xiu’an and her companions.

Ma Liang, seeing the visitors, recognized their ill intent, and after a moment of silence, stepped forward to bow.

“Physicians are benevolent, caring only for healing and curing. Why must they compete in skill?”

Wen Xiu’an glanced at him with disdain. “A letter from the Xia family inviting the master to serve as governor of Qingzhou is enough. We merely return the favor.”

A mere return of favors.

Ma Liang’s face showed a bitter smile, realizing these people were determined to bring the pharmacy’s reputation to its knees, yet he could do nothing.

His medical knowledge was still at a low ebb; in terms of pharmacology, medical theory, and skill in treatment, he was no match.

In the moment between hesitation and action, Pei Wanli, the one who had been watching the spectacle with unabashed interest, leapt down from her perch. With a jingling of her bells, she made her way into the gathering.

She flung the chicken leg—now devoured to the last morsel—onto the ground in front of a patron who had been disparaging the mercy of the apothecary shop, and declared:

"Oh, Ma, how I wish you’d let me settle this!"

Ma Liang, seeing her approach, immediately bowed respectfully: "Master Pei, please, say the word."

A single word—"Master Pei"—made her smile light up like the moon split in two, her beauty radiant.

Then she turned her gaze to Wen Xiu, patting her oily hands with a grin: "From this point forward, this apothecary is mine to command."

Wen Xiu studied her, recognizing the clan to which she belonged.

Though her heart harbored some resentment, she thought of the Shan clan’s standing in Shu Zhou and restrained her irritation, asking: "Pray, from which of the Shan clans do you hail?"

On the peaks of Wumen Mountain, there were thirteen branches of clan, all collectively called the Shan, yet each bore distinctions.

Pei Wanli smiled warmly: "Why, do you wish to ascertain my lineage, so you might judge whether your Nine Turns and One River can dare to offend us?"

Wen Xiu’s brow furrowed tighter.

Before she could answer, a youth behind her barked forward: "What makes you think you’re anyone?"

"We’ve come to Shu Zhou, and though we honor the Shan, surely not every member of their clans may trample us at will?"

Wen Xiu paused, then fixed her gaze on Pei Wanli, who now remained silent.

Words may be harsh, but the truth remains harsh.

Their purpose in coming was twofold: to secure Master Yuan’s aid for the Duke of Yan, and to reclaim the face of the legendary Nine Turns and One River.

At the very least, they could not let their reputation be sullied.

Should a single Shan clan member frighten them away, they would not only lose face but also suffer further harm.

Should this spread through the lands, their Nine Turns and One River might become the laughingstock of the entire realm.

Pei Wanli cast a glance at the youth, raised her hand to scratch her cheek, and said: "This little woman, Pei Wanli, happens to have some connection with Shan Po Po."

In the territories of Shu Zhou, she would not yield an inch.

The title of Shan clan was hers by right, and Shan Po Po was her dearest confidante—naturally, she could speak thus boldly.

Even so—

The youth, who had been about to turn and inquire of Wen Xiu about this Shan Po Po, suddenly lurched forward and collapsed.

He fell into a faint.

Wen Xiu gasped, knelt to check his pulse, finding him merely in a trance, then looked up at Pei Wanli:

"You… your Shan clan acts thus?!"

(Chapter Complete)