Peace Order-Chapter 765 - 87: Wen He Joins the Ranks!_4

"Have them leave their aristocratic families, break away from the family registry, and come to you. With such a maneuver, problems will arise within these families,"

"More and more noble sons will feel that if even the illegitimate children can receive such treatment, why can’t they? This thought will be a tiny spark, easily suppressed by the glory of their families,"

"But they will inevitably face setbacks. Once they compare the treatment of less-favored illegitimate children at your side with their own within the family, the flames will swell,"

"And at some moment, consume their reason."

"As for those lower-ranking illegitimate children from aristocratic families, once they defect in a fit of emotion, they’ll become traitors to their class, unable to return; nor can they blend with the common people. Their only option is you,"

"How splendid!"

"Perfect lone officials,"

"They will strive to prove their learning and worth to create their own families, which can fill the current talent gap in Jiangnan. Rest assured, driven by longing and the fear of seeking revenge from their families, they will be fiercely loyal,"

"They can handle various administrative tasks before your initiative to promote literacy bears fruit. After a few years, once education has taken effect, you can start a civil examination system that selects officials based on merit, fundamentally weakening the advantage of aristocratic families,"

Wen He suggested, "You need not face the aristocratic families directly."

"What you face are ’people,’ and ’people’ have many weaknesses. If they fight among themselves, the so-called ’aristocratic families’ will collapse like towers made of sand in an instant,"

"Confronting the aristocratic families with sheer force will only bring yourself harm."

"Let them fight among themselves. All we need to do is sit by with a cup of tea, watching their intense infighting and eventual weakening, until they fall, bloodied, delivering gold and silver into our hands,"

Li Guanyi: "..."

Suddenly, there was a feeling that the Qilin Army might be the world’s great villain.

"Besides, I don’t really understand the financial issues of Jiangnan,"

Wen He said with confusion, "Why do you need to play by the rules with aristocratic families?"

Li Guanyi: "Hmm??? Ah???"

Wen He frowned and said, "You can simply accept their overtures, all those gold and silver gifts. They’re used to giving gifts; just accept them and don’t do anything. Besides, however the aristocratic families treat the common people, you should treat the aristocratic families the same."

"They swallow the common people to strengthen themselves; you swallow the aristocratic families to enrich yourself."

"Since they act this way themselves, if we treat them the same way they treat the common people, surely they can have no complaints?"

"Isn’t that very simple..."

Wen He, seeing the stunned expression on the young man’s face, paused.

Then he started to smile slightly, his demeanor warm and harmless:

"I was just speaking in jest,"

"It was just a joke,"

"An exceedingly morally upright lord, that’s what I like."

Wen He’s smile was mellow as he grasped Li Guanyi’s arm and squeezed forcefully:

"Because I too am a person of high moral standards!"

Li Guanyi sighed, "A person like you is precisely what we need."

Wen He’s deliberately displayed methods were meant to make Li Guanyi back off, but Li Guanyi’s reaction left him slightly surprised.

Li Guanyi laid out the Powder for Anesthesia and ropes on the table, stood up, bowed and said, "I shall not resort to other methods then, Master must have already known, I invite Master to Jiangnan,"

"Should Master feel endangered here one day, feel free to leave."

Wen He was astonished and fell silent for a moment, then sighed laughing, "If the lord is so sincere, I can no longer keep hiding." He reached out, pulled at the table, and clatteringly, three times more vials and pots than what Li Guanyi had prepared fell onto the table,

Li Guanyi’s temple vein twitched.

Wen He bowed and said, "I am willing to follow Marquis Qin Wu to Jiangnan,"

His smile was sincere.

But inwardly, he thought, stabilize the situation now, and bolt later.

Go to Jiangnan?

A joke, how could that be possible!

Li Guanyi, however, was delighted and turned to call for Ling Pingyang,

Wen He also smiled and said, "Today is joyful, although my wine has been drugged, let’s have a drink with the lord today." He saw a bottle of wine on the table, poured some into a cup, and bowed in salute,

As Li Guanyi turned to call for Ling Pingyang and then turned back around, he saw the cup was already filled,

He drank with Wen He.

The moment it went down his throat, he realized something was wrong.

This is—!!!

Boom!!!

The young strategist had already slumped down, with a drunken expression on his face, lying on the table, seemingly surprised, and then looked at his own hand: "What is, this..."

Li Guanyi said, "Thousand-Day Drunk."

Wen He’s eyes widened, "Thousand-Day Drunk?"

"A drink that can intoxicate for a thousand days after one jar of Thousand-Day Drunk?!"

Li Guanyi helped him up.

This scholar then suddenly burst into laughter, patting Li Guanyi on the shoulder, laughing drunkenly, "Hahaha, despicable and shameless, full of schemes, hahaha, on such a path, it is my first time being defeated."

"I concede, interesting, interesting."

"Li Guanyi, I’ll follow you to Jiangnan!"

He extended his hand, wobbling and pointing at Li Guanyi:

"Despicable and shameless, despicable and shameless!"

"I—yield!"

Wen He closed his eyes and slumped forwards,

Behind Li Guanyi, a series of admiring claps could be heard. Li Guanyi, stunned, turned to look and saw Mr. Wang Tong’s leading disciple Fang Ziqiao, among several others, admiringly attending to Li Guanyi,

Li Guanyi: "......"

He stepped forward.

Everyone from the Academy stepped back neatly and in unison.

The corners of Li Guanyi’s mouth twitched.

He felt his reputation was being sabotaged.

And at that moment, a deep voice arose:

"Is it true Li Guanyi has come?"

"Hmph, where’s that Little Qilin!"

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