Chapter 599: The Blade Must Be Stained with Blood to Establish Authority!

Chen Yan sits upright on the couch, his fingertips still slowly rubbing the rim of the Blue Porcelain Teacup, its glaze lustrous, reflecting the flickering candlelight, yet it cannot warm the depth in his eyes.

The faint smile that had just lingered has already completely withdrawn, leaving only a stillness as calm as an ancient well.

He lifts his eyes to look at Yuwen Ze, his gaze seeming to pierce the heart, his thin lips part slightly, his voice not loud, but carrying a calm tone: "What's so surprising about this?"

As the words fall, he nods slightly, a barely visible curve appears at the corner of his mouth, that smile hides a hint of understanding and a hint of coldness: "The Imperial Academy's opening recruitment to the common folk breaks the old Great Clan's monopoly on officialdom, touching too many people's vital interests…"

"If this opening recruitment proceeds without any resistance, that would be the real oddity!"

Involving reform, it must touch interests, and it can never be smooth sailing…

Among the aristocratic families there are outstanding ones, and also many ordinary ones, and they constitute the majority; they cannot just watch these people be unable to enter official service…

Moreover, backed by centuries of family foundation, they are not soft targets; a counterattack is inevitable!

Yuwen Ze hears this, his whole body trembles, the earlier panic and shock gradually fade, replaced by a measure of calm.

He slowly sits back at the edge of the couch, brows knit, pondering Chen Yan's words carefully; after a moment, he nods heavily, his tone bearing a hint of gravity: "That really is…"

"Since ancient times, there has never been a vested interest holder who can remain indifferent when his own interests are harmed!"

As the saying goes, the drive of interest can make people forget fear…

After all, cutting off a person's livelihood is like killing a parent; from this sentence one can glimpse a bit!

Let alone the monopoly on official positions?

Chen Yan, after listening, says nothing, merely bends his finger joints, lightly tapping the desk before him.

The "thud, thud, thud" sounds, in this suddenly quiet Elegant Pavilion, stand out especially clear, each strike seeming to tap on the heart.

He lifts his gaze, eyes deep as night, slowly speaks, his tone carrying a few profound implications: "Moreover, the anomaly in Huazhou and the undercurrents flowing in that region have actually been clearly investigated by the Mingjing Department long ago; the related secret report has been presented to my brother's case long before…"

"Already mastered?"

Yuwen Ze murmurs the sentence again, his eyes suddenly widen, full of incomprehension.

He leans forward a bit, staring at Chen Yan's face, urgently asks: "Then why doesn't A Xiong directly snuff out this disaster while it's still a sprout?"

"Eradicate it at the root?"

The question leaves the Elegant Pavilion silent for a moment.

The candle crackles, casting half light, half shadow on Chen Yan's profile.

"Hahaha!"

Yet he suddenly laughs lowly, the laugh initially very light, gradually becoming hearty, bearing an indescribable nuance.

In this cold night of the room, it sounds somewhat harsh.

Yuwen Ze is completely bewildered, seeing Chen Yan like this, a fog of confusion, his heart full of doubts can no longer be held, he hurriedly asks: "A Xiong, what are you laughing at? Could it be that my words are wrong?"

Chen Yan stops laughing, lifts his eyes to him, his gaze carrying a few playful, half‑smiling amusement, his tone leisurely, asking word by word: "A Ze, think carefully—regarding this matter, preparing in advance to eliminate hidden risks, versus ignoring it and watching it unfold, which of the two is more favorable for us, and can better advance the Imperial Academy's opening recruitment plan?"

"Of course…", Yuwen Ze subconsciously begins to blurt out, but as the words reach his mouth, he abruptly stops.

He opens his mouth, his expression shifting from bewildered, to shocked, to astonished, and finally gradually shows a hint of enlightenment.

Then, he suddenly widens his eyes, as if he has just seen the key to this chessboard, his breath catches, and he shouts hoarsely: "Wait!"

Chen Yan watches Yuwen Ze's changing expression, the curve at his mouth becoming more pronounced, yet says no more, simply looks at him calmly and slowly says: "It seems, A Ze, you have already thought of…"

Yuwen Ze takes a deep breath, feeling a faint dampness on his back, a thin sweat seeping out.

He stares steadily at Chen Yan, his eyes full of disbelief yet also a dawning clarity, his voice trembling slightly from excitement, and says in a deep tone: "A Xiong, are you deliberately letting this happen, ignoring those undercurrents, letting them jump out and cause trouble…"

"And then using the dozens of lives as a pretext, with thunderous force, crush those who dare to surface, achieving the effect of killing the chicken to warn the monkey, striking the mountain to frighten the tiger?!"

In that instant, Yuwen Ze comprehended his brother's intention…

To achieve the goal smoothly, to reduce resistance, one cannot simply evade it!

The blade must be stained with blood, to establish authority!

Then, it is better to accomplish it with the smallest cost…

Chen Yan hears this, slowly nods, and in his abyss‑deep eyes a flash of approval rises, falling on Yuwen Ze's face with a hint of a grown‑child's satisfaction.

He lightly parts his thin lips, each word deliberate, resonant: "Indeed!"

Before the words finish, he turns to look at Zhu Yi, who has been standing aside, head bowed awaiting orders, his tone steady, commanding: "Bring me the map of Great Zhou's territories!"

Zhu Yi hears, slightly bows, deep voice replies: "Yes!"

That single word is crisp and decisive, without any drag.

He instantly turns, the Xuanse Jinshen's garment sleeves cut a sharp arc in the candlelight, he strides quickly toward the exit of the Elegant Pavilion, his steps rapid yet orderly.

Soon he disappears into the night outside the door.

Inside the Elegant Pavilion, a brief tranquility returns.

The candle crackles, stretching the two shadows long, casting them onto the Blue Bricks floor, swaying gently with the flame.

Chen Yan lifts the already cooled tea cup from the desk, takes another sip, his gaze falls on the heavy night outside the window, lost in thought.

Yuwen Ze, meanwhile, still feels the lingering surge of excitement from his sudden enlightenment, not yet fully settled…

He feels that the earlier dialogue, every word, was filled with breathtaking scheming, making him hold his brother in even higher esteem.

Yet after a moment, footsteps of Zhu Yi's steady tread come from outside the door.

He rushes in, both hands holding a scroll wrapped in plain silk brocade, walks steadily to the desk, bows and presents the map.

Chen Yan puts down the tea cup, lifts his hand to receive, his fingertips touching the slight coolness of the brocade.

Then, with a gentle lift of his hand, the scroll is slowly unfurled, spread across the broad ebony table.

On the map, ink lines outline Great Zhou's mountains, rivers, prefectures, counties, the script clear, annotations detailed, even some important passes and stations are all marked.

Candlelight falls on the map, making the ink lines seem tinged with a solemn killing aura.

Chen Yan's gaze lands on the center of the map, he points to a spot marked "Huazhou", lifts his chin toward Yuwen Ze, voice carrying a hint of instruction: "A Ze, come take a look!"

Yuwen Ze promptly replies: "Mm!"

He steps forward quickly, leans over the desk, eyes fixed on the spot Chen Yan's fingertip indicated, brows slightly furrow, concentrating intently.

Chen Yan's fingertip rested on the border of Huazhou, gave a light tap, and in a deep voice, with a tone of certainty, said, "Huazhou, as the first pilot site for the Imperial Academy's expanded recruitment of humble commoners, is at a perfectly suitable distance from Chang'an!"

He paused, then traced the line between Huazhou and Chang'an with his fingertip, raised his tone and, with measured cadence, added, "The key is that the weight is sufficient!"

Yuwen Ze followed his fingertip with his gaze, his eyes wandering back and forth between Huazhou and Chang'an, his mind racing as he weighed the pros and cons.

A moment later, he nodded slowly, his voice carrying a note of agreement: "Indeed!"

"If it's too light, it won't achieve the intended deterrent effect; if it's too heavy, it will provoke an even fiercer backlash from the great aristocratic families, and then it may backfire, becoming a loss outweighing the gain..."

Chen Yan, after listening, let a faint smile curl at the corner of his mouth, withdrew his fingertip, fixed his gaze on the map, and said slowly, "What we need is to master this balance!"

Yuwen Ze, hearing that, inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, feeling the oppressive pressure in his chest dissipate completely.

He lifted his eyes to Huazhou on the map, his gaze blazing, and in a deep voice said, "With Huazhou's people as the banner for the Academy's expanded recruitment, we can say that from now on the road will be smooth and unobstructed..."

"At the very least, those great clans will no longer dare to block us openly!"

"Going forward, progress will be far smoother!"

Having said that, he snapped his head up, looked at Chen Yan, his eyes filled with unabashed admiration.

At that moment, he finally fully understood just how ingenious the chessboard A Xiong had set up.

Just then, the door of Ya Ge was gently pushed open, and two maids in light teal ruqun skirts entered, carrying trays and walking slowly.

On one tray, a black lacquer dish held a piece of golden, glossy roasted deer penis, sprinkled with fine pepper salt, its aroma filling the air.

On the other maid's tray sat a white porcelain wine jar, its body still exuding a faint warm vapor, clearly the brew was heated to the perfect temperature.

The two approached the table, bowed slightly, and in gentle, respectful tones said, "Pillar of the State, the deer penis is roasted!"

"The wine is warmed as well!"

Chen Yan, seeing this, lifted his hand, slowly rolled up the territorial map on the table, handed it to Zhu Yi beside him, and lightly instructed, "Put it away."

Zhu Yi promptly stepped forward, took the map with both hands, bowed and replied, "Yes."

Then Chen Yan turned his head toward the two maids, waved his hand, and in an even tone said, "Set them down."

The maids answered, "Yes!"

They then gently placed the trays on the table, bowed to Chen Yan and Yuwen Ze, and slowly withdrew, gently closing Ya Ge's door behind them.

For a moment, the roasted scent of the deer penis and the rich aroma of the wine spread throughout Ya Ge, diluting the previously solemn atmosphere.

Chen Yan turned, looked at the tray, smiled lightly, pointed at the deer penis and said, "A Ze, try the taste of this deer penis quickly!"

Yuwen Ze heard this, his smile widening, and replied loudly, "Alright!"

Before the words finished, he picked up a pair of jade chopsticks and reached straight for the golden, glossy roasted deer penis on the plate.

He pinched the most tantalizingly crisp piece and hurriedly shoved it into his mouth.

His teeth lightly bit, the outer crisp and inner tender flesh dispersed between his lips and teeth, carrying the smoky aroma of charred fruit wood, mingling with the salty pepper, becoming more flavorful with each chew.

He chewed briefly, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, unable to suppress a click of his tongue, and with a face full of admiration exclaimed, "The roasted flavor is truly unique!"

"Outer crisp, inner tender, fragrant without a gamey smell; it rivals the palace chefs, not even a fraction inferior!"

Chen Yan's mouth held a faint smile, his gaze sweeping over Zhu Yi, who still stood with hands hanging motionless, and he said loudly, "Zhu Yi, stop lingering there!"

"Come over quickly and finish it!"

Comrade Zhu Yi is no longer a lone wolf fighting alone; he also has to replenish properly…

Zhu Yi heard the words, gave a knowing smile, and replied, "Yes!"

He then stepped forward, his gait still steady, reached the table edge, picked up a pair of jade chopsticks, pinched a small piece of deer penis, and chewed it slowly.

Inside Ya Ge, candlelight flickered, and the roasted scent of the deer penis mingled increasingly with the wine aroma.

Yuwen Ze grabbed another piece of deer penis, then lifted the white porcelain wine jar on the table and poured himself a full cup of warm strong liquor.

The liquor slid down his throat, a wave of warmth instantly spreading from his throat through his limbs and bones, dispelling the night's chill and soothing the nerves that had been taut from scheming.

He set the cup down, exhaled a long sigh, slapped his thigh, and laughed heartily, "This deer penis with wine gets better the more you drink!"

"Hahaha!" Chen Yan heard this, raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes, and leisurely replied, "After all, you have to replenish as you go…"

"You'll still have to stay up late playing chess with the younger siblings; without enough replenishment, you won't survive their cunning moves!"

The two exchanged smiles, and the room's atmosphere grew even more relaxed.

But the ease did not last long; as Yuwen Ze ate, the chopsticks holding the deer penis suddenly froze mid‑air, his smile fading, replaced by a solemn expression.

He looked up at Chen Yan, his tone deepening, and said gravely, "By the way, A Xiong, those officials who perished at the Huazhou inn…"

With those words, the atmosphere in Ya Ge instantly grew quieter.

Even Zhu Yi's action of picking up food halted; he lowered his head, standing aside, his gaze fixed on the wood grain of the table, his expression solemn.

Chen Yan's smile fully vanished; he set down his cup, straightened his back, his demeanor turning solemn, and said gravely, "The Court will lavish them with generous relief!"

"Anyone with offspring may be sent to the Imperial Academy as a companion reader, and upon reaching adulthood may be selected for official positions."

"Those without offspring, the Court will support their families for up to a hundred years."

"Beyond that, I, your brother, will also pay out of my own pocket, providing silver to double the support for their families, never letting them feel cold!"

His voice was not loud, yet each word rang like a bell, bearing the weight of a promise worth a thousand gold.

Yuwen Ze listened, nodded heavily, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes, and said with a heavy yet firm tone, "We must not betray them; they gave their lives for Great Zhou's millennial cause, earning us this once‑in‑a‑thousand‑years chance!"

Chen Yan lifted his cup, drained the strong liquor in one gulp; the spicy liquid tingled his throat, yet sharpened his gaze.

He then set the cup down, his eyes looking through the window lattice at the heavy night outside, the night as black as ink, enveloping Chang'an in a hush…

But Chen knew that beneath this tranquility, hidden currents were already swirling.

His fingertip lightly tapped the table, producing a steady thud, and in a calm voice with undeniable resolve said, "Tomorrow, the two of us brothers will go to Huazhou ourselves to handle this matter!"