"Dad, you're not really going to listen to Second Brother, are you?"
The Laosan was too lazy to argue with his second brother, so he turned to look at the person who could make the decision, but after waiting for a few moments without a reply, his heart sank instantly.
The fact that Dad didn't immediately refute Second Brother's suggestion means that he is genuinely considering it!
"Dad?" The Laosan turned around and stared blankly at his father.
Chen Baiye looked at his third son, who had an incredulous expression, and his eldest son, whose brows were furrowed, and sighed deeply.
To be honest, among his sons, he always thought his Lao'er was the best at seizing future opportunities. That's why he put his Lao'er in charge of foreign affairs. Because when it comes to business opportunities, a person's vision is the most important factor. In Beijing, people can talk about connections and background, but outside, no matter how powerful the Chen Household is, they still have to rely on their own abilities to seize business opportunities. Trying to take advantage of others by trickery or force is probably not going to work in front of the local bigwigs in many places.
And over the years, the Lao'er has done an excellent job, even better than he did back then!
Therefore, he trusted his Lao'er's judgment more. When his Lao'er said that there were great opportunities in Jiangnan and that he should send the child Jiangnan, he did not object at all.
But back then it was just a cautious investment, while this time, it will be an investment that determines the fate of the family. If the investment fails, the family may be ruined and destroyed!
"Father, what are you thinking?" The Laoda, who had been frowning, finally spoke.
Chen Baiye began, "I'm hesitating because many of the things the Lao'er said make sense. You all know about the situation in the South Sea. Based on my guess, the eldest and second branches of the family will only open up three spots to us at most, and the youngest brother will definitely get one. No one can argue with that he has the best qualifications, right?"
The Laoda nodded slightly, clearly not disagreeing. The grandchildren's talents were still uncertain, but the youngest son's talent was undeniable, so it was more prudent to place bets on him.
"Then the question is, since the youngest child has taken one spot, there are only two left. Who should they go to?"
Upon hearing this, the Laoda and Laosan fell silent. Their grandchildren's talents hadn't yet manifested, so naturally everyone wanted one. Besides, even if they were given one, deciding who to give it to was a problem, because if they gave it to one, the other children would surely resent them in the future.
" Jiangnan can offer more," Chen Baiye said in a low voice. " Jiangnan has a very good system. My Lao'er's two children have sent detailed letters from there. They select people based on their talents, and they select people based on their talents in many aspects. Even someone with a little craftsmanship talent can become a respected sorcerer. I personally think that the academies in Jiangnan are the true future of sorcerers."
"Then there's the issue of the Dragon Palace Inheritance. The main family received the South Sea Dragon Palace, while Jiangnan received the West Sea Palace. The difference shouldn't be too great, otherwise Chen Qing's forces wouldn't have produced such a powerful expert this morning."
"And as you've seen in the capital, the royal family has introduced a strange force. Although it's only secretly performing human sacrifices on commoners right now, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future. To be honest, I'm very uneasy about those eerie Ghost Temple. Such an ancient force might become very powerful in the future, but I don't think they'll treat humanity kindly."
"Father, but if we betray the royal family, the main family will definitely abandon us!" the Laoda said in a deep voice.
"This is the price!" Chen Baiye sighed. "Choices in this world are never perfect; there are gains and losses most of the time. No one knows what the future holds for Jiangnan. Perhaps if we go there, it will collapse soon and be attacked and killed by the imperial court. Perhaps the beautiful rumors about Jiangnan are all lies, and there are even more terrible hidden dangers there. These are all uncertainties."
"Father seems to understand too." The Laoda breathed a slight sigh of relief; his biggest fear was that his father would completely side with the Lao'er.
"So let's have a serious talk," Chen Baiye said, looking at everyone. "This decision will determine your future. Once you've chosen, there's no going back. Choosing Jiangnan means being at odds with the imperial court. Whether we can safely retreat to Jiangnan is a huge gamble. If we're abandoned by our master, we'll lose our last three stable spots in the South Sea, and our descendants might have no hope at all. But if we choose the imperial court, we're destined for mediocrity, only able to rely on our master's pitiful three spots. After the collapse of the Yin-Yang Academy system in the capital, our family's chances of turning things around will be even slimmer!"
"This..." The Laoda choked for a moment upon hearing this. What he said was actually true. When the Yin-Yang Academy existed, if an outstanding member emerged from the third branch of the family, internal suppression was useless because the Yin-Yang Academy had surplus resources to provide. As long as one could prove their aptitude, they would definitely be cultivated by the imperial court. If the family did not win them over, the royal family would naturally do so. Mu Hongqing was a good example.
Therefore, as long as the academy exists, the family will value every talented member and will not suppress them simply because they are not from their own branch of the family.
But if the academy disappears, things could change drastically. You see, people are inherently selfish; who would willingly give away resources meant for their own child? Who wouldn't want to always have access to better things?
"You decide," Chen Baiye stood up. "This time, the side with more people wins. I won't participate; it's entirely up to you six brothers and sisters. But once the direction is set, no one can hold us back. If I find anyone daring to go against the grain in private, they are a traitor to the whole family and deserve to die!"
After Chen Baiye finished speaking, the temperature in the entire hall seemed to drop considerably. At that moment, his children all realized that their father was serious.
"Then let's vote!" the Lao'er said. "I still stand by my previous opinion: Jiangnan is more suitable for our family. There, we can guarantee that every descendant has the opportunity to advance, instead of begging for handouts from the eldest and second sons. Jiangnan will definitely offer plenty of benefits to win us over. If we miss this opportunity, we will be of no value to Jiangnan!"
"Since that's the case, then I'll vote too. I oppose Second Brother's viewpoint!" The Laosan said coldly, " Jiangnan is too risky. It's questionable whether they can even guarantee their own safe departure, let alone guarantee ours. How can they guarantee that?"
"Even if Jiangnan is really as wonderful as you say, if we can't even get there alive, it's all just a mirage. Besides, I don't believe Jiangnan is really as good as my second brother's children say. That's just their young and misled talk; they might even be being controlled."
The Lao'er's expression wasn't very pleasant upon hearing this, but he didn't refute it, because what the other person said might be true.
Chen Baiye nodded, then looked at his two daughters.
"I object to going to Jiangnan." The older daughter shook her head and said, "I'm already engaged to the Yuan Household. The two families have even exchanged invitations. You all know the Yuan Household's power; they definitely have a share in the South Sea. This marriage alliance might even help the family gain some advantages."
"Forget about it," the Lao'er sighed and shook his head. "Fourth sister, you're already doing well just to secure a place for your child after marrying into the Yuan Household. You want to take care of your maternal family? Are you kidding me?"
Upon hearing this, the Laosi bit his lip. "Father said that voting should be based on the number of people. Even if I'm only thinking of myself, I'm not wrong, am I?"
"That's right." Chen Baiye nodded directly. "As I said, this is about choosing one's own path for the future. Everyone has the right to speak about their own future. Before things are settled, everyone has the right to vote, regardless of the reason."
Upon hearing this, the Laosi's smile returned, and he glanced smugly at his second brother.
The Lao'er rolled his eyes; he had never expected his sister, who was determined to marry out of the country, to stand by him.
Fifth Sister, what about you?
"I think Second Brother makes sense." The Laowu child of the Chen Household is not old, only sixteen years old, and was born in the same year as the youngest child.
"What's the point of your argument, Second Brother?" Laosi sneered and glared at her. "Didn't you get these crooked ideas just because Mr. Bai praised your mathematical talent last time? What? You want to follow in the footsteps of those brats from minor aristocratic families and try your luck as a sorcerer in Jiangnan?"
The Laowu bit her lip, but this time she became brave. "If Fourth Sister can think of herself, why can't I? That's what I think, so what?"
"It's wishful thinking; if you're not destined for it, it's best not to have such fantasies. Being too greedy often leads to unpleasant consequences!"
"I can't compare to my sister; all I want is to marry someone from another country."
What do you mean? You're very ambitious?
"Alright!" Chen Baiye interrupted his two daughters, "This isn't a place for you to argue!"
The two daughters didn't dare to say anything more, while Chen Baiye looked at his Laoda Chen: "It's a 2-2 tie now, what do you say?"
The Laoda fell silent, while the Laosan grew impatient. "Big brother, what are you thinking about? Is there any need to consider this?"
He had always assumed that the Laoda was on his side, but now he saw that the Laoda was hesitating.
The Laoda son ignored his younger brother and looked up at Chen Baiye: "Father, I want to meet with the people from Jiangnan and talk to them before making a decision. Is that alright?"
Chen Baiye smiled immediately. Sure enough, his training of his Laoda had not been in vain. Although he did not have the same vision as his Lao'er, he was the most mature one.
"Alright, let's go meet the people from Jiangnan."
--
Yin-Yang Road:
Where is this?
White Phoenix followed Chen Qing carefully for three days and three nights before finally arriving at the ruins of what appeared to be a very large city.
"This shouldn't be Jiangnan, right?" Although he hadn't been in the human world for a Samsara, he still recognized where Jiangnan was.
"No." Chen Qing shook his head.
"Where is this place?"
"The capital city is the newly established royal capital of this dynasty."
"Is there a passage between the Yin-Yang Road in this place?" White Phoenix asked curiously.
"No."
"Then what are you doing here?" White Phoenix frowned. "If I'm not mistaken, that was Tomb of King Xiang, wasn't it? This place is no ordinary place."
"Of course I know," Chen Qing said with a wry smile, "But this is our only hope of escaping!"