“Father, Xiang Liang is the son of Xiang Yan. The Xiang family has been generals for the Chu State for generations. He is not someone of Chen Sheng's ilk!” The Ji Family's second son couldn't hold back and was the first to speak.

“Father, Second Brother is right!” The Ji Family's third son quickly chimed in.

The two sons had expressed their clear stances, but Ji Zai merely remained silent. His gaze swept past them and landed on his eldest son, Ji Ran.

“What do you think?”

Ji Ran mulled over his thoughts and said slowly, "Xiang Yu has an imposing bearing and a majestic air. He is not one to remain subordinate to another for long."

This sentence seemed to miss the point, but Ji Zai immediately understood what his eldest son was trying to say.

Ji Ran's meaning was not difficult to grasp. He felt that Xiang Yu did not seem like someone willing to be another's subordinate. Although Xiang Liang made it sound nice, saying he would welcome back the grandson of King Huai of Chu, who knew if they would still truly regard the King of Chu as their monarch after the empire was actually conquered?

To take a step back, the world was in such chaos now. The Qin Dynasty might not necessarily be defeated. The forces of Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were also much larger and stronger than those of the uncle-nephew pair, Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu. Who could guarantee that Xiang Liang and his nephew would be the final victors?

The risks involved were simply too great.

The Ji Family was indeed an aristocratic family of the Chu State, but there was no need to place their bets now and rush into this game where their heads were on the line. One had to know that they had only managed to preserve their current lineage with great difficulty. If they were the slightest bit careless, the result would be the annihilation of their entire clan.

Ji Ran's line of thinking was more conservative and cautious. He did not want to risk the entire Ji Family. Many aristocratic families of the former Six States had long been wiped out in the chaos of war, and the Ji Family was one of the few that had survived and continued on.

Ji Zai nodded slightly, appearing to agree with his eldest son's viewpoint.

The Ji Family's second son, Ji Ping, exchanged a look with his younger brother. Both were getting anxious.

His anxiousness made Ji Ping lean forward involuntarily.

“Father, the Ji Family has lain dormant for too long. Now is the perfect opportunity. The Xiang clan are former subjects of Chu State; their rebellion against Qin is righteous and justified, and they can rally widespread support. Not to mention, they intend to install the grandson of the King of Chu as their lord. Compared to them, what is someone of Chen Sheng's ilk even worth mentioning? Right now, the Xiang Liang uncle-nephew pair have yet to secure their footing. If we go and pledge our allegiance now, we can be placed in important positions. If we wait too long, the more renowned scholars who join the Xiang clan's banner, the less important the Ji Family will become. At that point, I fear the Ji Family will be dispensable to the Xiang clan! The opportunity is fleeting, I implore Father not to hesitate!”

Ji Ran chided, "The Ji Family has survived for four hundred years through caution, not recklessness! Are you trying to risk the entire Ji Family?!"

Infuriated to the point of laughter, Ji Ping began to speak without restraint, "Eldest Brother is the clan heir, so naturally, you have no fear. The Ji Family will be yours in the future anyway, why would you care whether we younger brothers can ever make a name for ourselves?"

“Silence!” Ji Zai roared, and everyone instantly quieted down.

But Ji Ping had already said those words before Ji Zai had shouted for him to stop.

Ji Ran looked at his younger brothers in disbelief. He had never imagined that this was how his own brothers saw him in their hearts.

Although the third son had not spoken, the expression on his face already revealed his thoughts—he thought much the same as Ji Ping.

The muscles on Ji Ping's face twitched. Before Ji Zai could scold him, he prostrated himself and cried out, "Father! Our Ji Family inherits the bloodline of the Son of Heaven of Zhou, a lineage stretching back over four hundred years. We are a scholarly family, with every generation serving as officials, assisting the King of Chu, yet we were ruined in an instant when Qin destroyed the Six States. Now, the tyrannical Qin has lost their way, and everyone in the world has the right to rise against them. There is hope for the Ji Family to rise again, so why is Father so hesitant and indecisive! What is the use of the Ji Family's sons reading ten thousand scrolls and possessing vast knowledge, if only to grow old and die in this countryside! Rather than live in mediocrity, your son is willing to assist the Xiang clan in establishing an unparalleled legacy. I would have no regrets, even if I were to die nine times!"

Ji Ci and his cousins were allowed to attend the meeting but had no right to speak. Watching the originally peaceful discussion suddenly take a sharp turn and become so intense, the younger generation were all stunned.

Because his father had previously forbidden him from seeing Liu Zhen, Ji Ci also held some dissatisfaction in his heart. But he had never expected that in this family, his uncles were also long dissatisfied, and their outburst was so fierce.

Ji Ran, contrary to his usual gentle temper, shot to his feet and pointed at Ji Ping, saying, "Just say it directly. You're simply unwilling to accept the Ji Family's poverty and want to use the merit of assisting them to chase wealth and status, isn't that right?"

Ji Ping tilted his head back defiantly, a sarcastic smile on his lips. "Eldest Brother acts for the sake of the Ji Family, and so do I. Why is it that what Eldest Brother says is right, and what I say is wrong? Why is it that your actions are seen as being content with a simple life, while my actions are seen as craving wealth and vanity?!"

Ji Ran was so angry he was speechless and couldn't find the words to rebut. If he continued to object, it would seem as if he really was harboring some selfish motives.

The younger generation were as silent as cicadas in winter, watching the intense argument between their elders. It was awkward to leave and awkward to stay, and they all wore embarrassed expressions.

“That's enough, both of you.” Ji Zai's weary voice sounded.

He closed his eyes, his face seeming to age in an instant. "Shuchu, what do you think? Are your thoughts with your Eldest Brother, or with your Second Brother?"

Shuchu was the courtesy name of the Ji Family's third son, Ji Ying.

Ji Ying looked at his two elder brothers, who had just been arguing until they were red in the face, then at his father at the head of the room, who wore a weary expression. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "Your son believes Second Brother's words have merit."

Ji Ran: "You...!"

“Enough!” Ji Zai stopped him, then turned to his two sons. "You are already married and have children. You don't need to listen to this old father of yours in all matters. Since it has come to this, let's divide the family. Those who want to go pledge allegiance to the Xiang clan can go. Those who want to stay, stay."

“Father!” Ji Ran cried out in disbelief. He hadn't expected his old father to yield and compromise so quickly, let alone to speak of dividing the family. The Ji Family, even including the grandchildren from concubines, only had a few dozen members in total. If the second and third branches were to split off, there would be almost no one left in the main household.

Ji Ping and Ji Ying also wore expressions of surprise and disbelief.

“My mind is made up. Say no more.” Ji Zai stood up and walked towards the inner room.

Liu Zhen was still unaware of this series of events that had occurred in the Ji Family. At this moment, she was standing before her older brother with a stern face.

“Come on, Ah Zhen, just let me go!” In truth, given the difference in size between Liu Nan and Liu Zhen, he had no need to speak so meekly. It was just that Liu Nan was used to not making his younger sister angry, so when she blocked his way, he had subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

“So, where might Elder Brother be thinking of going, sneaking out with a bow and arrows in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?” Liu Zhen stared at him, not relaxing her guard in the slightest.

Liu Nan gave a bitter smile, knowing his clever younger sister had surely guessed. "...I want to go join Father and fight the Qin people with him."

Liu Zhen was so angry she laughed instead.

She discovered that regardless of time or place, there was a certain affliction called "eighth-grader syndrome."

Like now, Liu Nan was actually saying he wanted to run off and find Liu Yuan to go to war with him.

“Let me ask you, armies on the march are constantly on the move. Chen Commandery is no smaller than Yingchuan Commandery. How are you going to find Father with just a place name? If you run into bandits or Qin soldiers on the way, do you plan to fight a thousand men and break through single-handedly? Where will you get money for travel? Do you think you don't have to pay taxes to enter a city? Also, you are now the only able-bodied male in the Liu family. If you leave, what will happen to the rest of us, a group of women and children? If a wild beast attacks, or if officials come to arrest us, we can't run, we can't escape, what are we to do? Or perhaps, Elder Brother, you hope to return and find my, Mother's, and our younger sisters' corpses lying here?”

The more Liu Nan listened, the paler his face became. He gripped his bow tightly, lowered his head, and had to admit that his mind had indeed been muddled, about to act impulsively on nothing more than a rush of passion.

Ah Zhen was right. Father was away, and Uncle couldn't come often. He was the only one on this mountain who could protect the family. He had previously thought only of leaving them more game, thinking that would be enough, but he hadn't considered what would happen if he wasn't here and they encountered danger.

Seeing him like this, Liu Zhen sighed softly.

He was a thirteen-year-old boy, and unlike Ji Ci, he didn't love reading. You couldn't really ask for more from him. Everyone has their "eighth-grader syndrome" phase, and Liu Nan was no exception. He followed Xu Zhongfang around all day, listening to countless stories about military campaigns, so naturally, his heart was full of yearning. This time, upon learning that Liu Yuan was outside rebelling with a large army, he immediately wanted to rush to his father's side. This too was a kind of naive and heroic fantasy, both childish and laughable. However, he was able to listen to reason. As long as you could prove he was wrong, he wouldn't stubbornly persist. This quality alone was commendable.

Nevertheless, Liu Zhen was still not prepared to indulge this idea of his.

“Elder Brother, with Father away, you are half the head of this household, the pillar of the Liu family. If you truly want to join the army, I won't object, but only after we meet Father and you ask him in person. If he agrees, you can naturally go! But for now, you should think carefully. If you leave today, tomorrow will be our death day. If you don't care at all, then I have nothing more to say!”

To completely crush Liu Nan's notion, she had to deliver these harsh words. After speaking, she turned and went into the house without a second glance at him.

Madam Zhang had been worried sick these past few days, and on top of that, she was exhausted from the day's work. The small commotion outside wasn't enough to wake her, and the younger siblings were also sound asleep as usual.

After Liu Zhen came inside, she quietly took off her shoes and lay down, but her senses remained highly alert, listening intently for any movement outside.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of the door opening softly reached her ears, followed by footsteps and the rustling of someone lifting a blanket. Only then did Liu Zhen finally relax completely and allow herself to drift into sleep.

Although the mountains in spring were abundant with produce and they didn't have to worry about food for the time being, Liu Zhen and the others still lived a very hard life. For no other reason than that their clothes were worn out. At best, they could only be patched up, mended and worn again, then torn and mended again. Liu Nan had it even worse. He was often out hunting, darting all over the mountains, so his clothes wore out even faster. When Xu Zhongfang found out, he sent over his old clothes, which Madam Zhang would patch, mend, and alter to make them wearable.

But it was difficult for the children. Children of Liu Zhen's and Liu Wan's age grew quickly, and their clothes would become too short before long. Even with Madam Zhang's skilled hands, it was impossible to mend clothes riddled with a thousand holes to look like new. And Xu Zhongfang's family wasn't wealthy either, so he couldn't possibly provide for them all the time.

After living in the mountains for nearly a year, the attire of Madam Zhang's family was not much better than that of the beggars outside.

So one day in the tenth month, when Ji Ci once again snuck away from his family and came up the mountain with some major news, he was stunned on the spot when he saw the raggedly-dressed Liu Zhen.

Liu Zhen, however, was perfectly composed, showing no sign of embarrassment or awkwardness, as if the two had only been apart for a short while, not several months.

“Ah Ci, what book slips did you bring this time?”

“I didn't bring any books...” Ji Ci snapped back to his senses, realizing it was rude to stare at someone like that. He quickly said, "I heard about something major, it's related to the Liu family's father, so I rushed over to tell you!"

Ji Ci had never been one to exaggerate, so Liu Zhen's heart sank. "Is it... did something happen to my father?"

Beside them, Madam Zhang's face turned pale with fright. Her legs went weak, and she felt she could no longer stand, having to support herself on a nearby tree trunk.

Seeing that they had misunderstood, Ji Ci hurriedly said, "No, no, it's good news, great news! I heard that the Liu family's father has been appointed the Governer of Yingchuan Commandery by the King of Zhangchu, and he has already taken control of Yingchuan Commandery!"