Jin Chen asked in confusion, "Is this considered a declaration of war?"
"Of course. If it weren't for the principle of courtesy, they wouldn't have directly tried to win you over. They could have slowly approached you, become friends, and then set a trap to make you owe them a favor, thus recruiting you. Wouldn't the success rate be higher that way?"
Jin Chen was stunned. He nodded and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Indeed. So, what you're doing doesn't even count as starting a war?"
"I guess so! Of course, if someone can be easily won over by them, it would be a pleasant surprise."
"When I went to look for Brother Yuan, I saw Ruan there too. They were both laughing heartily. But after I arrived, they stopped laughing. Father, tell me, is it true that Brother Yuan and the others..."
Jin Mao shook his head and said, "On the contrary, their hearty laughter shows that they rejected Jiang Jie's solicitation and stood firm in their stance. This is a good thing!"
"Huh? How can father be so sure that Brother Yuan and the others refused?" Jin Chen always felt that he and his father were not on the same page. How could they have completely opposite views on the same thing?!
Jin Chen thought that they agreed to be recruited and got benefits, so he laughed happily.
Jin Chen came over angrily to discuss countermeasures with his father, but he didn't expect that his father would give him the opposite answer.
"The first principle I'm going to teach you is to look at the reasoning first! Rationality is crucial! If it's irrational, it means your inference is just conjecture and unreliable."
"The key to conspiracy and subterfuge is concealment! How can they ever be seen in the light? If they were truly lured into Jiang Jie's hands, no matter how happy they were, they wouldn't be able to laugh heartily. Don't you think that's the truth?"
Jin Chen understood this truth, but it still felt unreal.
"Just like that, you made a judgment so easily?"
"Aren't you just making a hasty judgment?"
“But, but…”
Jin Mao shook his head and said, "You're just too impetuous. I can't make such a hasty judgment. I know Fang Yuan and Ruan Qi better than you do. I've already done some ideological work on them. If they still let me win them over, that's my problem."
"Furthermore, if Xiaochen, Fang Yuan, and Ruan Qi were really lured over by Jiang Jie, they wouldn't laugh heartily. Instead, they would look ashamed and explain it to me in advance. Do you know why?"
"Why?"
"Because they are not politicians! They are pure soldiers, warriors who care about the people of their territory! They don't know the tricks of the nobles."
Jin Chen thought about it carefully and nodded in agreement.
"Xiaochen, let me teach you a second lesson. From now on, judge people first. Different people will react differently to the same thing. If a person's behavior and their reaction to the thing don't match, then the matter is also your prejudice and cannot be trusted."
"This matter is, firstly, irrational and secondly, inconsistent. Therefore, your judgment on this matter is based on your conjecture and prejudice."
Although Jin Chen was convinced, he was still a little dissatisfied. Why was he always wrong?!
"Father has said so much, doesn't it correspond to your inference? How do you know it's not your conjecture or your prejudice?"
Jin Mao shook his head and said, "You! You have a childish temper, saying one thing and thinking another!"
Then, I ignored him and let him be quiet and think carefully.
After Jin Chen left his father's study, he felt more and more that what his father said was right.
However, he just couldn't get over the hurdle in his heart.
…
Jiang Jie visited the parliament again. Jin Mao and Wu Zheng brought Jin Chen and Wu Hong to meet Jiang Jie and his party.
The atmosphere this time was not as friendly as the first time we met.
The atmosphere was solemn, and there seemed to be the gleam of swords and sabers in the air.
After both sides exchanged greetings, Jiang Jie asked, "Why aren't Fang Yuan and the others here?"
Jin Mao smiled and said, "Fang Yuan and the others are diligent. They're either cultivating or carrying out missions. They rarely participate in council affairs unless they're important. Only my useless son likes to slack off and loves to be involved. Every time there's something going on in the council, he likes to get involved."
"Chairman Jin is too modest. Master Chen, this is a righteous act of benevolence and filial piety. I admire you very much!"
Jin Chen was secretly complaining in his heart: "Such a lie, but he actually made it sound so true?! It's amazing! As expected, what my father said is true! This guy doesn't tell the truth. He is not a good person. He has ulterior motives and cannot be trusted."
Jin Mao asked, "Duke Jiang, what's the important matter of this visit?"
After a few pleasantries, Jiang Jie got straight to the point, feeling a bit awkward, but when he thought about the fact that this was a remote barbarian country, he didn't mind.
Adapting to local customs, he responded directly, "I accidentally came into contact with the head of the Gu family and heard about their plight. As a fellow Duke family, I empathize with them and feel sorry for them! I've come to ask about the case of the former Duke Gu Qing, who was murdered by conspiracy. To this day, there's still no clear explanation. How can the Gu family be so miserable? I beg Chairman Jin to uphold justice, identify the culprit, and give the Gu family justice."
Hearing these words, Wu Zheng's eyes flashed coldly. He looked at Jiang Jie thoughtfully, then took the tea and drank it as if nothing had happened.
Jin Mao didn't expect that Jiang Jie actually discovered this loophole and used it as a breakthrough to attack him.
This question really made it impossible for him to avoid it.
Jiang Jie had a moral obligation, so he had to respond.
"It was my negligence. The parliament had just been established and there was a lot of work to be done. I didn't take this into consideration. The Gu family also hasn't mentioned it until now. I really didn't think of it, and it took Duke Jiang to remind me. I'm wrong. I will immediately open an investigation into the Gu Qing case!"
Although many people knew the truth about the Gu Qing case, no one spoke out about it because Gu Yan and his son were involved.
Gu Yan was the last lord of the Gu family, so he had to be given some respect and no one mentioned this matter.
If Jiang Jie had not come, if Jiang Jie had not had any ulterior motives, if Jiang Jie had not formally brought up this case, this case might have been forgotten.
Finally, only the family histories of each family contained fragmentary records of the relevant stories, and these records differed from one another due to their different emphases.
Jiang Jie is also very powerful. Instead of winning over the four Tiandao mercenaries, he went straight to the vital points and tried to disrupt the morale of the people in the territory.
Gu had been away from the country for only a little over a month, and many of the people and nobles still felt grateful to him.
After all, this survivor base was established by the Gu family.
Everyone in the water fort owes Gu a life!
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