CHAPTER 1078: CHAPTER 1034: GROWTH INSIGHT

Of course, although that was said, Ma Chao couldn’t be happy. He was very clear about the role he was playing here.

Although Ma Chao fought hard with others, risking his life to take the position of King of Qiang, he eventually discovered that every step he took had been calculated in advance by others. To put it harshly, though Fa Xiaozhi was not by his side, Ma Mengqi was nothing more than a puppet for him.

[Is this the wisdom you are so proud of? It really is something to be in awe of.] Ma Chao had already collected his thoughts, and although sitting in this position to reflect on past events revealed too many truths, what could he do? Throw a tantrum like a child and blame others?

That wouldn’t solve any problems at all. After understanding all this, Ma Chao, who initially felt thrilled to become the King of Qiang, quickly calmed his heart. The joy was greatly diluted by the anger of being a pawn.

Nevertheless, this also made Ma Chao suddenly mature significantly. At least he no longer underestimated the heroes of the world. It can be said that every heroic figure grows through setbacks. A smooth path cannot produce true heroes.

[Indeed, only the Central Plains are the places where the world’s strong and wise maneuver. Other places are not even close. Fa Xiaozhi, I finally understand what that calmness beneath your smile means.]

Ma Chao fully understood the road ahead, but he did not shirk. In this situation, continuing forward was beneficial to the Ma Clan and himself. He was no longer a young man needing family protection; rather, he was already an adult safeguarding the family.

Heroes, at times, always need to bow their heads, to humble themselves. Harming one’s family’s interests to fight for a moment’s anger and show resistance against others is very irrational.

Perhaps before reaching this point, Ma Chao might have given up, risking the downfall of the Qiang Clan and the Ma Clan, even risking the annihilation of the Ma Clan, to fight for that breath of anger. But now he understood, at least by the time he could see this clearly, he already knew how to prioritize.

[Perhaps you already knew I would discover this at this moment. Perhaps you knew I would be burning with anger when understanding it. Perhaps you further understood what choice I would make once I understood the weight of family loyalty shouldered by my father’s generation.]

At this moment, countless thoughts surged in Ma Chao’s mind, but in the end, as Fa Zheng anticipated, he continued along the road prepared earlier. Sometimes people’s hearts are destined only to have one road to walk.

Ma Chao smiled and responded to the Qiang chief, then selected several suitable Qiang clan nobles to accompany him to Chang’an, whether it be to pay homage, form contracts, or establish the prestige of the Han Dynasty. These didn’t matter; what mattered was that the road was probably destined to succeed.

Xun Youi noticed the subtle changes on Ma Chao’s face, then tested him a little with slight words. An obvious fact emerged before Xun Youi: although Ma Chao still maintained his arrogance, he was trying hard to restrain the sharpness that hurt himself and others.

Although the effect was not very good, even though one could say Ma Chao was still sharp and unyielding, there was an important point: Ma Chao had already noticed it and was working hard to improve.

Simply put, Ma Chao suddenly transitioned from a self-centered, reckless youth to an adult bearing the life and death of a family and a clan. Although slow, it was a tremendous change.

In Fa Zheng’s Ye City residence, casually flipping through classic books, Fa Zheng suddenly thought of Ma Chao and couldn’t help but smile, "I wonder how you feel about the gift I gave you. Perhaps you realized other things while feeling angry. The biggest difference between us is that I can think about the state affairs from an adult’s perspective, whereas you cannot."

Fa Zheng’s reason for not arguing with Ma Chao is quite simple; the mindset was different, the perspective on matters was different. Although there was sarcasm and ridicule, Fa Zheng already viewed these issues from another level; they were almost like past events, fleeting.

Although there was displeasure, the mood back then was gone; it was just a matter of convenience. Especially when Fa Zheng saw Ma Chao have almost the same expression as his own when he was immature, he realized what Ma Chao lacked.

[Xiaozhi, do you know how to make a young person mature?] In Fa Zheng’s mind appeared the teasing voice of Guo Jia from the past.

[Xiaozhi, carrying a heavy burden, committing unfixable grievous errors, or seeing areas far beyond oneself on an enemy, these are enough to induce a transformative change in someone, whether dragon or worm, it becomes evident.]

Fa Zheng thought of Guo Jia’s words, then slowly raised his hand, looking at the lines in his palm. The heaviest responsibility he ever bore was all the trust put on him, be it as Prime Minister of Qi State, or solely undertaking Expedition against Yu Province, and pacifying Xuzhou, it was everyone’s support for plans in which even he didn’t have confidence.

It could be said, the most apparent change in Fa Zheng’s mindset was during that time. What seemed like a carefree expedition against Yu Province was when Fa Zheng’s psychological burden was the heaviest, and he even had to use some means to reduce it.

[Mengqi, perhaps after this, your mindset will mature greatly. If you keep the previous self-centered mindset, without even being willing to accommodate, sooner or later, you will harm yourself and others.]

Fa Zheng wore a mocking smile; this was his last guidance to Ma Chao before his allegiance to Liu Bei. As for whether Ma Chao could comprehend it, it didn’t matter to Fa Zheng. He just needed to repay the kindness of the Wang Family who once took care of him.

Thus, not long after Ma Chao’s promotion to King of Qiang, he proceeded to Chang’an under the leadership of envoy Xun Youi, to meet the Emperor in the name of King of Qiang, and prepare to officially sign a series of contracts with the Han Dynasty.

This was extremely good news for Cao Cao. Thus, both the Emperor and Cao Cao warmly received King of Qiang Ma Chao and the chiefs of the major Qiang tribes, and as Ma Chao anticipated, a series of favorable clauses were established.

At the same time, the Ma Clan also received substantial rewards, while the relationship between Cao Cao and Ma Teng improved significantly, and the connection between Hann Sui and Ma Teng became even closer. Everything was developing in the direction Fa Zheng once told Ma Chao.

Of course, these things were kept secret, at least until the solution of the Xianbei invasion. Cao Cao would not foolishly reveal his trump card. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it and support it with monthly tickets. Your support is my biggest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)