The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

Chapter 666 Risk Hedging

When the Mi family was mentioned, the three uncles and nephews all fell silent!

Back then, the Chen family and the Mi family were both prominent clans in Xuzhou, and the Chen family had an even higher social standing than the Mi family. They used their official status to suppress the Mi family, which came from a merchant background. But what about now?

Not only was Mi Zhu granted the hereditary title of Duke of Yue by the puppet Han regime, but even Mi Fang, that traitor, became a hereditary marquis.

If Mi Fang had committed such a crime, other noble families would have exterminated his entire clan long ago. On the contrary, Mi Fang not only went to Linyi to become a local tyrant, but his unborn son was also enfeoffed as the Marquis of Xianglin, a hereditary title that would last forever, making him a true feudal lord.

The Mi family produced one duke and one marquis; such an honor is rare, not only today but even if you searched through the entire history of the Han Dynasty.

Looking at the Chen family, they have no foundation in the court, and the dignified patriarch is just a minor doctor. If this trend continues, it won't be long before the once-powerful Chen family of Xiapi fades into obscurity.

The younger brother once held a high position, while the elder brother has faded into obscurity. Who could bear such a fall from grace?

Therefore, whenever the Chen family thought of the Mi family, they felt as if they had swallowed a live fly.

I'm not afraid of my brother's hardships, I'm afraid of my brother driving a Land Rover.

Chen Su sighed bitterly, "To be granted the title of Duke like the Mi family, you really dare to dream. Why don't you just say you'll be granted the title of King?"

Before Liu Bei lavishly bestowed titles upon dukes, the Han Dynasty had only had two dukes: Wang Mang, the Duke of Anhan, and Cao Cao, the Duke of Wei. However, Wang Mang usurped the throne, and Cao Cao, after becoming king, had his son usurp the throne.

Therefore, a dukedom was a standard requirement for powerful ministers and a necessary step in the process of usurping the throne.

After ascending the throne, Liu Bei did the opposite and conferred the title of Duke on nine people in one go, which made Chen Su seriously suspect that Liu Bei wanted to dilute the value of the title of Duke by increasing the number of Dukes and interrupt the process of usurping the throne.

However, Liu Bei seemed to regret his decision after bestowing the title, so he transferred Jian Yong's title of Duke of Yan to his son Jian Huan and sent him to Funan to become the ruler.

And then there's Ma Chao. I heard he fled west, and now nobody knows where he went. Ma Chao probably doesn't even know he's been made a duke. So, of the nine dukes Liu Bei made initially, only seven remain. And that's less than a year since Liu Bei made them dukes.

But what does it matter? Although Liu Bei diluted the special title of Duke, it is still far more prestigious than Marquis. Being granted the title of Duke is equivalent to having a get-out-of-jail-free card. At that time, neither the imperial examination nor the recommendation system will have any impact on the family.

But being granted the title of Duke is a standard honor for those who started out in the industry. Now that the Chen family has joined Liu Bei, how much merit would they have to make to be granted the title of Duke? Chen Su really didn't dare to dream of such an honor.

Chen Yu sighed, "But if we don't get the title of Duke, we'll always be inferior to the Mi family. It's a mistake to choose the wrong path."

This mistake was made by the previous head of the family, Chen Deng. If Chen Deng had firmly followed Liu Bei back then, their Chen family might be the ones being granted the title of Duke now.

Chen Pi slapped him on the back of the head and scolded, "What nonsense are you talking about? But patriarch, although we dare not hope for a dukedom, we can still try to get a marquisate. A marquisate can still protect our Chen family from the impact of the imperial examination. Even if we fail the imperial examination, the descendants of the Chen family can still enjoy wealth and honor with the title. We can then use that wealth and honor to slowly cultivate the children of the clan. I don't believe that none of our many children will amount to anything."

If you can't compete on talent, compete on wealth; if you can't compete on quality, compete on quantity. Use ample wealth to collectively train the clan's children. No matter how mediocre those children are, surely you can produce one scholar out of a hundred?

But to achieve this, one must preserve the family wealth and earn enough funds for the education of the family's children. To preserve the wealth, one must obtain a title. Without the protection of a title, the more wealth one has, the faster one will die.

Chen Su said, "Uncle is right, but I am only mediocre. It will not be easy for me to obtain a title on my own merit."

The only one in the Chen family capable of obtaining a title was his father, Chen Deng. Unfortunately, before he could achieve anything, he ate fish sashimi and died, which is why the Chen family has never obtained a title. As for Chen Su, he knew he didn't have his father's abilities, so he could only lie low and try to slow down the family's decline.

Chen Pi stroked his beard and said, "It would be impossible in Cao Wei, but if I were to join Liu Bei and help him reclaim Xuzhou, I could at least be granted the title of Marquis."

According to the ancestral rules of the Han Dynasty, no one who was not of the Liu family could be a king, and no one who was not meritorious could be a marquis. If one wanted to be enfeoffed as a marquis, one had to expand the territory and establish military merit. Fame and fortune were earned on horseback.

“This…” Chen Su frowned and hesitated.

Joining Liu Bei and betraying Cao Pi was indeed a quick way to obtain a title, but betrayal was no small matter, and he was hesitant to make up his mind.

Seeing that he did not refuse outright, Chen Pi knew there was hope and continued to persuade him: "Patriarch, who do you think has a better chance of winning between Wei and Han?"

Without a second thought, Chen Su blurted out, "Of course it's the pseudo-Han. Although the pseudo-Han's population and land area are not as large as the Great Wei, they are united. Liu Bei has completed the reforms and can now focus on accumulating strength. On the other hand, in Cao Wei, various factions in the court are vying for power and wasting all their energy on internal strife. Although Grand Tutor Zhong forced the major clans to sign the 'Temporary Tax Law' some time ago, signing such a thing is easy, but implementing it is uncertain. After all, no one wants to hand over their money to the court. The major clans are definitely already thinking about ways to evade taxes. Not to mention our Chen family, Uncle, are you willing to hand over the money you've recently earned from smuggling to the court?"

Chen Pi rolled his eyes. Handing it over would be like working for the court for free. If he was willing to hand it over, why would he bother with smuggling? Wouldn't it be better to just lie down and do nothing?

Chen Su continued, "There's an even more important point. The pseudo-Han's Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Zhuge Liang are all still around. Now, Guan Xing, a living champion, has emerged. In addition, the surrendered generals of Eastern Wu are truly a wealth of talent. On the other hand, Cao Wei has almost all of the Xiahou and Cao families dead. When I left the capital, I heard that even Cao Ren had fallen ill and would probably be going to see the late emperor (Cao Cao) soon. Although the second generation of Wei also has outstanding individuals, they are still far inferior to those of the pseudo-Han. Under these circumstances, I really see no hope for Wei to win."

Chen Pi spread his hands and said, "So our Chen family needs to consider our future in advance. While we are still somewhat useful to Liu Bei, we should quickly pledge allegiance to him. Otherwise, once Liu Bei successfully recovers Xuzhou and launches his northern expedition, we won't need to pledge allegiance to him anymore."

Chen Su realized that the old man had probably already planned to surrender, and now he wasn't discussing it with him but rather informing him.

However, for the sake of the family's continuation, preparations should indeed be made early. Chen Su asked, "What does Uncle intend to do?"

Chen Pi replied, "Some time ago, Pi Dan, whom we recommended, was given an important position by Governor Wang Fu. This shows that the pseudo-Han people are now welcoming to us from Jiangbei. So I want Chen Yu to fake his death and escape, then change his name and secretly go to Jiangling to see the Duke of Yue (Mi Zhu). Ask the Duke of Yue to take him to see Liu Bei and express the Chen family's intentions to him. After making contact, we can secretly accumulate strength and wait for Liu Bei's northern expedition."

"In this way, you will be in Luoyang and he will be in Jiangling. No matter who wins or loses in the future, the Chen family can at least protect themselves."

To put it simply, it's about hedging risks by betting on both ends, just like the Zhuge family.

Chen Su: "..."

So you want me to continue covering for you in the capital, so that even if the truth comes out, Cao Pi will only kill me to vent his anger, but won't be able to touch your son at all?

You old fool, that's not fair of you! I'm your own nephew.

Although Chen Su wanted to switch places with Chen Yu, he knew that as both an official of the Great Wei and the head of the Chen family, Chen Yu's sudden disappearance or death would easily attract the attention of the imperial court. Therefore, he had no choice but to abandon the idea and said leisurely, "Then let's do as Uncle wishes. But Uncle, if one day the truth comes out and I am beheaded..."

Chen Pi immediately said, "Patriarch, rest assured, Chen Yu and I will swear before the ancestral spirits that the position of patriarch will always belong to your lineage, and my branch will always be a secondary branch of the clan. We will never betray you."

Chen Su then stood up and said, "In that case, Uncle, please make all the arrangements. I still need to deal with Governor Lü Qian, so I'll be leaving now!"