Chapter 359: The Yan Family Resolves

Marry the Xiliang King Wei Wenlie? Become a concubine?

Cui Wangshu's heart suddenly sank, turning from a bright king she vaguely admired yet flatly rejected, to a Xiliang king old enough to be her father?

This gap……

But she knows she has no choice.

… Daughter, I obey.

She, whose temperament is stubborn, nevertheless bowed her head at such a moment, letting the family manipulate her and daring not to defy orders!

Yet the usually weak Fu Ruyan obstinately chose Jiang Jinshi, even if it meant causing a family split!

The two had both previously chosen Jiang Jinshi, but at this moment made completely different choices.

……

In the Yan Family study in Jingcheng, after Yan Shining arrived, he laid out the entire Beijiang expedition.

"Family Head! That Jiang Jinshi is utterly reckless and ignorant! He looks down on everyone! Who does he think he is? He even dares to demand that the Yan Family hand over its hidden books, surrender its lands? And to have Yan Family youths take exams alongside those mud‑legged ones?"

"An outrageous humiliation! Such rude men must never be dealt with! We should immediately turn to Xiliang; Wei Wenlie is the enlightened ruler!"

Even Yan Chonggu, old and scheming, could not have anticipated that the Beijiang king would be so forceful, even so resolute!

This attitude reveals much, leaving Yan Chonggu unable to make a precise judgment for a moment, and he could only ask for more detailed particulars.

"When he presented these conditions, what was his expression like?"

"Expression?" Yan Shining was startled, then recalled: "Calm, very calm, as if he were just saying what to eat today, with no room for negotiation."

"What about the Beijiang civil and military—how did they react?"

"They… seemed unsurprised, their gaze very steady."

"The internal order and military morale, which you saw with your own eyes, how were they?"

"This…"

Yan Shining hesitated a moment, "The defenses are tight, the soldiers are fierce, order is orderly, the conscripts seem already assimilated, the people's hearts… seem stable."

"Did that little girl from the Fu family agree?"

"Yes, that Fu Ruyan, ignorant of the heavens and earth, actually agreed! She even said she only sought fairness…"

Yan Chonggu fell silent again, his fingers tapping the table at an ever‑slower rhythm.

"Family Head? What shall we do next?" Yan Shining, seeing the Family Head silent, could only ask anxiously.

"Beijiang… how is its military strength?" Yan Chonggu still asked the question he cared about most.

From start to finish, Beijiang's military strength has never been revealed, meaning that now no one in the Imperial Court or even Xiliang knows how many troops Jiang Jinshi commands!

And that is precisely Yan Chonggu's main concern; after all, the more troops one commands, the stronger, the greater Jiang Jinshi's chance of victory.

"This… I don't know!"

Yan Chonggu sighed deeply at the words, "You only saw Jiang Jinshi's arrogance, saw the harshness of his conditions, saw his 'offense' toward the Scholar‑Gentry. But have you seen what's behind it?"

"Behind?"

"He dares, when Yang Jiyi's 250,000‑strong army presses the border and strong foes lurk, to offer such 'self‑severance from the Scholar‑Gentry' conditions to the already friendly and powerful Yan and Cui families; where does his confidence come from?"

Yan Chonggu has never met Jiang Jinshi, yet from what the latter has done since his rise, he can judge that this man is far from ordinary.

So a person like that, proposing such harsh terms, must have some backing and confidence behind him.

Yan Chonggu continued, "Is it merely because he occupies Guansong Ridge? No, what do you think gives him that right?"

Yan Shining was momentarily at a loss, unable to answer.

Yan Chonggu asked himself and answered, unsure whether he was trying to convince himself or Yan Shining!

"Because his army can fight, can capture Guansong Ridge in three days, and can halt Yang Jiyi's advance."

"Because the new policies he implemented in Beijiang truly gave the people food, farmland, and hope, he can swiftly assimilate conscripts and secure the rear. Moreover, with the National Jade Seal in his hand and the 'Upholding Heaven to Suppress Rebellion' banner, he claims a great cause, even if that 'great cause' now seems rather hollow."

"But… these conditions are meant to dig up our roots!" Yan Shining still held his view.

Yan Chonggu nodded slowly, "The three conditions he proposes are indeed to uproot the Scholar‑Gentry, correct. Yet those same three are also what the impoverished families across the land, countless dispossessed peasants, and frustrated lower‑rank scholars have long dreamed of attaining!"

He is explicitly telling the world that Jiang Jinshi intends to establish a new dynasty without aristocratic monopolies, relatively fair.

This time Yan Shining understood, "The Family Head means… he is not reckless, but… confident? Yet the risk is too great! How can the Scholar‑Gentry of the world tolerate him?"

"The risk is great, but what if it succeeds?"

Yan Chonggu, his eyes complex, "If he truly can sweep away the warlords, unify the world, and establish the new dynasty he speaks of, what status will the families that first followed him and accepted his rules hold?"

They will no longer be a privileged class relying on monopolizing knowledge and land, but will become the honored nobles of the new dynasty, one of the founders of the new order!

The status may not be as lofty as before, but as long as the family's youths strive, within the new dynasty's laws they can still attain high positions through talent, and the family's enterprises can grow under fair rules.

This… might not be a new path after all.

"But, over at the Xiliang king…" Yan Shining still felt the risk was too high.

"The Xiliang king?" Yan Chonggu chuckled wryly, shaking his head, "The Xiliang king will certainly accept the Scholar‑Gentry's allegiance and grant privileges. But precisely because of that, many Scholar‑Gentry will flock to him, making competition unusually fierce."

"Our Yan family among them, what rank could we achieve? How much genuine attention and power could we obtain?"

"More importantly, if Wei Wenlie obtains the world, will he change the current state of land annexation and knowledge monopoly?"

"He will not!"

"He needs Scholar‑Gentry support to govern, and will only continue or even strengthen the old system."

"At that time, the Yan family would still have to face competition from the Lu family, the Cui family, and other great clans, and our Yan youths, failing in studies, how far could they go within the purely civil‑service and literary official system?"

"In the end, it's not that Yan Chonggu doesn't wish to ally with Xiliang, but that he knows the family's shortcomings!"

"Our own youths are unambitious, lacking talent in studies; this cannot be forced."

"And allying with the Xiliang king, after he departs, what can the Yan family still rely on?"

"Facing competition and suppression from other clans, these Yan family members who only know how to do business will become fish on a chopping board!!"

Yan Chonggu stood up, "The Beijiang route is treacherous, but few walk it. If we win the gamble, the reward could exceed imagination."

More importantly, Jiang Jinshi is by no means a reckless sort. That he dares to say and do this does not necessarily mean he has no backup or reliance.

The younger generation of my Yan Family may have failed in their studies, but they are quite capable in business, practical affairs, and local administration. This perhaps exactly meets the demand for 'practical doers' talents in Jiang Jinshi's new dynasty.

Saying this, Yan Chonggu suddenly thought of something and finally made up his mind: 'Shi Ning, return to Beijiang at once! Seek an audience with the Ming King! Tell him that the Longxi Yan clan, after careful consideration, is willing to observe the Ming King's three articles of agreement! The Longxi Yan's landed property, shops, and library catalog in Bing, You, and Longxi will be presented shortly!'

Within the family, those versed in mathematics, craftsmanship, mercantile ways, and the like can be called upon at any time! My Yan Family wishes to be the vanguard for the Ming King's new policies, asking only that in the future new dynasty there be a fair place to stand.