Chapter 801: Neither dead nor alive

Chen Guanlou, of course, did not have the heart for it!

He had once held extremely high expectations for the Youth Society, higher than his expectations for anyone else.

Social reform from the bottom up is too cruel. The most terrifying thing is to toil for years, see countless people die, and then discover that nothing has changed—that one is still walking the same old path as before.

From the top down, using the method of boiling a frog in warm water, or perhaps a well-matched confrontation of power and influence. Compromising and yielding to each other during the confrontation. Social progress might be very slow, but at least a small opening has been made in the rigid social structure. Slowly infiltrating within, from qualitative change to quantitative change. This method is safe, low in efficiency, and results in fewer deaths.

The establishment of the Youth Society had the ultimate goal of pushing for reform in the imperial court, and subsequently, pushing for reform in the dynasty's imperial power. To stir up the stagnant pool of society.

The design was beautiful, and the start was smooth. Yet, as they walked along, countless new problems always arose. Every struggle required giving it their all.

And how much "all" is there to give?

Fail once, and one must retreat for several years.

With the Youth Society at the feet of the Son of Heaven, under the watchful eyes of powerful ministers, it is not easy to develop.

At this moment, Chen Guanlou could fully understand Zhao Mingqiao's idea of wanting to discard the responsibility. He did not support it!

"Stop letting your imagination run wild. Since the Youth Society was established, you have been the most suitable president; no one is more suited to sit in that position than you. You are currently trapped in self-doubt, caught in a vortex of negative emotions, and temporarily stuck. Wash up, get a good night's sleep, and when you wake up, you will find that your current thoughts are childish and ridiculous."

He tried to persuade the other party, his tone gentle and coaxing.

Zhao Mingqiao could not listen to a word anyone said at this moment.

"Brother Chen, are you determined to refuse? Why are you so cold, so heartless? Can you really watch the Youth Society collapse, be destroyed by others, or become a puppet in someone else's hands?"

"Don't intimidate me, and don't go putting high-sounding labels on me. Just one sentence: as long as you are in the Youth Society, the Youth Society cannot become a puppet in someone else's hands. On this point, I have always believed firmly."

Chen Guanlou spoke with decisive force, refusing to fall into the trap.

He would have to be crazy to take on a mess like that.

If he truly had the heart to be a social reformer, he would have taken action eight hundred years ago; why would he have waited until now? He only wanted to muddle through, occasionally acting as a dog-headed strategist. Do not, under any circumstances, pin high-minded goals and aspirations on him. His neck is fragile and cannot bear the weight.

Zhao Mingqiao was extremely angry; he pounded the wall. "Brother Chen, you disappoint me too much. Are you going to discard your sense of responsibility, your ambition, your aspirations?"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Chen Guanlou denied it repeatedly, appearing very urgent.

"When have I ever had a sense of responsibility? Even if I did, it would only be directed at the Heavenly Prison. I have no ambition, let alone aspirations. I am just an ordinary law-abiding citizen, muddling through my days. Occasionally complaining a few times, spouting nonsense a few times. Don't you take my nonsense seriously. I am a master of lip service; my mouth is sharper than anyone's, but my actual ability to take action is zero. I can't move a finger. Do you understand?"

"I don't understand! The Youth Society has reached a critical moment of life and death, Brother Chen, and you actually still have the mood to joke. Do you think it's funny? I tell you, it's not funny at all."

Chen Guanlou pinched his nose and gave a light cough. "Don't be in such a hurry to be angry. I'll just ask you one thing: does all of this have anything to do with me?"

"You..." Zhao Mingqiao looked at him in disbelief, asking angrily: "How can you say that? Chen Guanlou, look at yourself now; you have degenerated."

"I am who I am; from beginning to end, I have been this way. The me of the past and the me of the present are no different. The only difference is your perspective." He kept a straight face and told the other party seriously, "Even if one day the Youth Society becomes a puppet in someone else's hands, I can still pretend not to see it.

It is you scholars who are incompetent, you young officials who are incompetent. Since you know that the current way of doing things is problematic, why not learn from the lessons and improve? Why give others the opportunity to manipulate you?

If you are incompetent, just admit it openly; I won't laugh at you. But if you push the responsibility onto me, I will never accept it. How big a deal is it? Just fight them, that's all. Do you have to go crazy and act like you're dying here?"

"I'm acting like I'm dying? I have racked my brains for the Youth Society, anxious every night to the point of not being able to sleep. And you have the gall to say I'm acting like I'm dying." Zhao Mingqiao was beyond angry, wishing he could crawl out of the cell and have a fight with the man surnamed Chen. If he died, that would be the end of it.

Chen Guanlou sighed and softened his tone. "My words were a bit harsh just now, but you really don't have to be like this. Things are not as bad as you think; there is still a chance to save everything. It doesn't have to be like this."

Zhao Mingqiao sneered, squatting on the ground, not wanting to pay him any mind. He looked like someone who had lost the will to live, abandoned by the whole world—innocent, desperate, and even a bit pitiful.

Tsk!

Chen Guanlou made a prompt decision, called over the prison guards, leaned against the cell door, and had them carry the man off to the washroom to clean up.

Wash clean, eat a meal, get some sleep—any problem can be solved.

Zhao Mingqiao wanted to resist, but the resistance was ineffective. He was pressed into a bathtub by the prison guards, scrubbed hard again and again, and had the water changed several times.

This treatment... no one else had the qualifications to enjoy it. Even paying money wouldn't work!

It was only because he was the brother of Prison Warden Chen that he had this treatment he could enjoy without spending a cent.

Zhao Mingqiao:...

Like a boiled shrimp, he let people do as they pleased with him.

What future, what Youth Society, what dignity—at this moment, they were all discarded.

Might as well just die!

Chen Guanlou muttered to himself, "Just being pretentious!"

"That Youth Society, in this old man's view, is just a scourge. My lord should cut ties with it as soon as possible."

Medical Official Mu suggested from the side.

The older generation cannot stand to see young people messing around. The imperial court is fine, yet every day it is a mess, causing trouble every few days.

"Without the Youth Society, would the imperial court be any better?" Chen Guanlou asked back. "Seeking order in chaos. Creating chaos within order. Only in this way do ordinary people have a glimmer of opportunity!"

In a rigid society, ordinary people have absolutely no opportunity; there isn't even a crack. Only chaos within order can allow ordinary people the opportunity to break through the limitations of their own class.

"My lord is confused! You eat the public's rice; whether it's chaos or order, whether there is opportunity or not, it has nothing to do with us. We just need to do our jobs well."

"That makes sense!" Chen Guanlou laughed at himself.

There is a saying: the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility.

In the past, whenever he saw this sentence, he would always sneer and dismiss it. Why should greater ability mean bearing more responsibility? Why? Can't one just live one's own little life in peace?

Now... he vaguely understood the deeper meaning of this sentence.

When you have the ability to do something, and it does not harm your own interests, and this thing is beneficial to the majority of people and conforms to your own principles of conduct, do you do it or not? Do you bear this responsibility or not? ===== CHAPTER 802 =====