Liwei looked at Liu Yuan beside him, his eyes filled with astonishment.
Zhong Hui continued, "Lord Tuoba, you enjoy tremendous prestige within the Tuoba Tribe. And now, it is not impossible for the Tuoba Tribe to rise again."
Liwei's eyes widened. Rise again??
My state has already been destroyed, and you still speak of rising again?
Zhong Hui said earnestly, "Just look at the Xiongnu today, and you will understand."
"Since His Majesty ascended the throne, more than twenty Xiongnu have entered the Imperial Academy to study."
"Among those holding official and noble ranks, four rank at Two Thousand Shi or above, and well over a hundred have passed the assessments."
"Take this unworthy disciple of mine. He is still young now, but in another thirty years, he may well inherit my mantle and become Great Wei's foremost minister."
"Does that not count as the rise of the Xiongnu?"
"I believe that within a hundred years, the Xiongnu Liu families throughout Bing Province could all become great clans admired by everyone in the realm."
Tuoba Liwei looked somewhat dazed, beginning to speak only to stop.
Yet Zhong Hui continued, "His Majesty once said, 'Past monarchs all valued the Central Plains and slighted the lands in every direction. I alone love them all as one.'"
"So long as someone possesses talent and virtue, His Majesty will not care about their origins. Many commoners of the Tuoba Tribe have now been resettled in the various commanderies of Youzhou. His Majesty sent instructions to the local commandery governors to treat them well, provide them with housing and meals, lead them in reclaiming land and building, allow them to own cultivated land, allow their children to attend schools, and allow the worthies among them to take the assessments."
"All this is ample proof that