He offered no words of comfort. Instead, he felt that letting this son of his, who had spent all his days buried in the sages' books, see blood sooner might not be a bad thing.
In times like these, the teachings of the sages... could not protect the family estate, much less one's life.
"Did that scare you?" Chen Mingyuan's voice was calm and even, betraying neither pleasure nor anger.
Chen Zhiyuan suddenly came back to himself. His lips trembled as he tried to force out a denial, but in the end, he only nodded dejectedly, his voice dry.
"Father... those people... they just died like that..."
"If you don't kill them, they'll kill you, loot our family clean, and defile the women of the household." Chen Mingyuan's tone was cold and hard. "It's good to study and understand reason, but you must also see reality for what it is."
He paused, no longer dwelling on the matter, then abruptly changed the subject. "I intend to move to the county town."
"What?!" Chen Zhiyuan jerked his head up, all color draining from his face. He was filled with shock and disbelief. "Move? To the county town? Father! Our family estate, our ancestral property, our farmland—they're all here! How can we..."
"Is ancestral property and farmland more important than life?" Chen Mingyuan cut him off, his gaze sharp. "Do you think tonight is the end? I'm telling you, this is only the beginning!"
He rose and walked to the window. Only after listening carefully to the sounds outside did he lower his voice and continue.
"I received word that the Rebel Army in Hanshan Commandery is growing powerful. The authorities have tried to suppress them several times but failed to wipe them out; instead, the turmoil has only grown fiercer.
"The