"I always feel like you’ve grown a bit crooked, but even though you’ve grown crooked, you’ve still grown, and you’re impressive enough." Chen Xi said irritably.

"Yes, I also feel I’ve grown crooked. Give me the original to look at, and I’ll know where the problem is." Xun Yu retorted bluntly.

Chen Xi looked at Xun Yu speechlessly. To ask for something like this so righteously, only Xun Yu could do it. However, upon reflection, Xun Yu has now clarified the concept of the state and understood the significance of internal control. Chen Xi had to admit that even if he grew crooked, from a certain angle, his level surpasses others.

"What about the emperor?" Chen Xi suddenly asked.

Xun Yu showed obvious signs of struggle and hesitation, remaining silent for a while.

"I give up. You’re not clueless about everything; you know everything. You’ve even formulated the concept of the state, yet you’re still fixated on the emperor." Chen Xi looked at Xun Yu speechlessly, having no way to deal with him.

Xun Yu had formed a coherent theory of state concept and ruling class manipulation, yet he still clung to the emperor.

"I yield to your loyalty." Chen Xi was at a loss for words.

"You are not me." Xun Yu said angrily, seemingly hurt by Chen Xi’s previous words. But knowing he couldn’t afford to sever ties with Chen Xi, he hesitated and explained, "The emperor is not like what Zichuan envisioned."

Chen Xi was speechless. Was Xun Wenruo foolish? Given his exhibited wisdom, if he were foolish, then upon reflecting on the Central Plains, there would be few smart people left. Yet, regarding Liu Xie, Xun Yu’s foolishness was beyond Chen Xi’s comprehension. Was he discussing the matter of the emperor?

"I hope it’s as you say." Chen Xi said hesitantly, unsure how to persuade Xun Yu. Indeed, when smart people act foolishly, it’s so dumbfounding you’re left speechless.

"It will be as I wish. We’ve gathered nearly an era’s worth of strength, and only a true emperor can unify our power. Otherwise, it’s merely temporary consolidation, and historically, the strongest era will be created by us." Xun Yu replied, slightly excited.

Chen Xi looked at Xun Yu, slightly puzzled. Logically, Xun Yu shouldn’t be like this. With his wisdom, examining the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the Various Masters and Sages, he could piece together the relationship between a nation and the rulers, yet fail to deduce the ultimate relationship.

[I always feel Xun Yu is somewhat strange. Am I overthinking? But logically, having deduced this far, it’s impossible not to know the subsequent changes. Xun Wenruo’s attitude towards the emperor seems somewhat deranged.] Chen Xi thought silently, watching Xun Yu’s departing figure.

Indeed, Chen Xi’s estimation wasn’t wrong. After deducing the relationships between the state and class using Xun Shuang’s scattered words, Xun Yu was ahead of many. But the following revelations were what truly devastated him.

Upon establishing state and class relations, Xun Yu naturally extended it to state systems and laws, soon deducing the service objects of laws based on class essence, which directly undermined the emperor’s importance.

Everything Xun Yu learned was essentially Legalism, although his interpretation was tempered significantly, the essence remained unchanged, serving the emperor.

With the concept of national class, the emperor didn’t stand apart from the class, conflicting with Xun Yu’s decades-long learning that maintained the emperor’s unique and supportive role.

The emperor was merely a member of the vested interests class, and even after deducing the concept of the state, Xun Yu glimpsed how to recede to the background to gain more benefits. Within this class, the emperor wasn’t an absolute necessity.

Xun Yu’s decades of learning continuously denied this fact, yet as the one who deduced this step by step, how could he fail to grasp the truth of his conclusion?

In the end, Xun Yu maintained his reverence for the emperor mostly through self-suggestion and repeated affirmations that the emperor was unique and most important.

If not, Xun Yu would become the current era’s second sage indifferent to the emperor; after all, the emperor was merely an ordinary member of the ruling class, possessing no special characteristics beyond controlling more resources.

All attributions to the emperor were systematically unveiled under Xun Yu’s cold deduction, whether hereditary succession, the establishment of a dynastic house, or divine right of kings, all were nonsense; the emperor was the emperor solely because he controlled more resources.

Upon reaching this conclusion, many things became considerably simpler. Without destroying the tool of the state, Xun Yu already possessed the capability to partition imperial authority.

At this point, Xun Yu could clearly inform someone how strong or weak imperial authority was, how to restrict it, and how to weaken it, since it’s a class, implying it’s not one person, thus "I am the state" is nonsense from the beginning.

Under such analyses, the divine right of kings was already riddled with flaws; the emperor wasn’t supreme, merely another ordinary member within the class: a theory that fundamentally overturned Xun Yu, rendering decades of learning worthless.

Having torn down the exterior, revealing the essence, Xun Yu nearly destroyed his only pillar of support. With his intelligence, he’s long been swayed by Liu Xie, though prolonged learning had stabilized him. But now, none of it mattered.

Essentially, the emperor might as well not exist; for the top-level rulers, the emperor was merely a title, just a title!

Every member of the ruling class bore the same characteristics as the emperor, who was not special, merely a member of the ruling class.

This theory that unsettled Xun Yu was deduced by himself and fit flawlessly.

Under such theory, the causes of abolition of emperors, civil wars, upheaval, etc., were clearly explained, simply the uneven division within the ruling class.

By this point, Xun Yu could only maintain due loyalty to Liu Xie through self-suggestion or self-hypnosis, convincing himself and believing his loyalty to Liu Xie.

Aside from this, Xun Yu had no other solutions, for he himself destroyed the pillar within his heart.

"There’s absolutely no need to worry about Xun Wenruo; this guy is truly formidable. Surely, I’m overthinking. But logically, having reached this point, Xun Wenruo should have advanced further, realizing the emperor is just a part of the ruling class, leading to elementary social relations. Why, then, is he so fixated on the emperor?" Chen Xi smoothed his hair, feeling somewhat perplexed.