12: Listen to teachings, enhance your talents

Inside the study, the scent of sandalwood wafted.

Li Qingshan knelt on the cold brick floor, his back straight, but his head deeply bowed.

He had learned of the events at the dock from Li Qingzhu and had come forward to confess his guilt.

Li Yinglong did not immediately tell him to rise, nor did he reprimand him.

He merely sat quietly.

"What... do you wish to say?"

After a long while, Li Yinglong finally spoke, his voice betraying no emotion.

Li Qingshan's throat bobbed, and he bowed his head even lower: "Father... for the matter at the dock, your son... cannot escape responsibility! I beg Father to punish me severely!"

"Oh?"

Li Yinglong's eyebrow twitched slightly: "Where lies the guilt?"

"Your son... your son should not have shown favoritism, should not have allowed second brother to manage the dock without Father's permission! And even more so... should not have been so poor at judging character, leading him to cause such a great disaster and damage our Li Family's reputation!"

Li Qingshan's voice trembled, every word from the bottom of his heart.

Li Yinglong looked at him, a trace of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

This eldest son was overly honest but lacked decisiveness.

How could he not know the crux of this matter?

"I already guessed who gave him the authority."

Li Yinglong's tone was calm, yet authoritative: "I ask you now, do you know where the fundamental mistake lies?"

Li Qingshan suddenly looked up, a trace of bewilderment in his eyes.

Was the mistake not in favoritism and poor judgment of character?

Seeing the confusion in his eldest son's eyes, Li Yinglong sighed inwardly.

Having navigated the business world in his previous life, he had seen too many projects fail due to personal connections and too many teams collapse due to selfishness.

The way of management is akin to governing a Family.

"You may rise first."

Li Qingshan hurriedly stood up, yet still dared not stand completely straight, bowing slightly, appearing ready to receive instructions.

"Sit down."

Li Yinglong pointed to the chair below.

After Li Qingshan sat uneasily on the edge of the chair, Li Yinglong slowly began: "Your mistake lies in placing the affection of the 'small Family' above the benefit of the 'big Family'."

Li Qingshan was startled.

"You considered your brotherly affection and gave him authority; this is the selfishness of the 'small Family'. However, as the person steering the Family's affairs, the first priority on your scale must always be the 'big Family' – the public interest and Foundation of the entire Li Immortal Clan!"

Li Yinglong's gaze was like lightning, piercing directly into Li Qingshan's heart: "To disregard the Family's public righteousness and long-term reputation for personal sentiment is not benevolence; it is indeed 'womanly benevolence'!"

The four characters "womanly benevolence" struck Li Qingshan like a thunderclap, making his ears ring.

His lifelong pride in "valuing kinship" had, in his father's words, become a fatal weakness?

"Do you think your father's words are too harsh?"

Li Yinglong seemed to read his thoughts: "Do you know, if Li Qingchuan dares to exploit three tenths of the fishing price and line his own pockets today; will he dare to sell the Family's trade route secrets tomorrow if someone offers him great profit? If a powerful enemy approaches, will he flee and abandon the Family out of self-preservation?"

"He didn't do that when we attacked the Lin Family last month!"

Upon hearing this, Li Qingshan's clothes were instantly drenched in sweat.

"Today you granted him authority out of personal sentiment; if other clansmen imitate this tomorrow, will you agree to each one? If this continues, where will the Family rules be? Where will fairness be? How can people be convinced? How can the Family... not fall into chaos?"

A series of questions, like cold water poured over him, made Li Qingshan shiver.

He had previously only dwelled on his brother's incompetence and his own oversight, never elevating the matter to such a level of thought.

Now, with his father's revelation, he felt dizzy.

"Father... I..."

His lips trembled, and he was momentarily speechless.

"The marketplace is like a battlefield, governing a Family is like commanding an army."

Li Yinglong's tone was solemn, incorporating his past life's experience: "Unclear rewards and punishments, unenforced orders, and unchecked prohibitions lead to defeat. You grant power without effective supervision and checks, like giving a sharp blade to a child; harming oneself and others is inevitable."

He paused, giving his eldest son time to digest, then led to a deeper point: "The Great Learning states: 'Those of old who wished to illuminate illustrious virtue throughout the world first ordered their states; those who wished to order their states first regulated their Families.' What is 'regulating the Family'? It is not superficial harmony, but clear rules, knowing when to advance and retreat, understanding benefits and harms, making superiors and subordinates of one mind, and internal and external a single entity."

"The key to regulating the Family lies in the word 'public'. Only by being fair in handling affairs can one win over the masses; only by using people impartially can one gather strength."

"Your arrangement this time, perhaps your starting point was good, hoping for brotherly harmony, hoping he could contribute to the Family. But the process was wrong, the method was wrong, and the result was completely contrary! This was not helping him, but rather indulging his evil, trapping him in unrighteousness, and also placing the Family in danger!"

Li Qingshan completely understood.

He left his seat again and respectfully knelt on the ground.

This time, he was utterly convinced: "Your son is dull! It is only today that I understand the importance of 'regulating the Family' lies in 'public-mindedness'! Your son, in the past, indeed confused personal sentiment with public righteousness, almost causing a great disaster! Thank you, Father, for your teaching!"

Seeing the clarity and determination that radiated from his eldest son's eyes, Li Yinglong knew that this stern lesson had worked.

"No one is a saint; who can be without fault? To correct a fault is a great good. The important thing is that you must learn from this incident. In managing affairs from now on, you must have a scale in your heart—weighing the Family's interests and measuring public fairness."

"Your son will bear it in mind!"

Li Qingshan kowtowed heavily.

The System's notification made a trace of satisfaction flash in Li Yinglong's eyes.

This was what he wanted; the Family's growth should not rely solely on him, nor should it only be reflected in cultivation.

Only when each individual plays a different role can the great ship of the Family sail further.

"Rise."

Li Yinglong personally helped his son up, looked at his face, still tear-stained but with firm eyes, and patted his shoulder.

"Through this incident, I hope you truly grow. The future of the Family needs your sense of responsibility, and even more, this 'public-mindedness' that distinguishes right from wrong."

"Yes, Father!"

Li Qingshan straightened his back, feeling the burden on his shoulders was heavy, yet his heart was clearer and more powerful than ever before.

"As for Qingchuan..."

Li Yinglong pondered for a moment: "During his confinement, you must send people to strictly guard him. His food and expenses should not be reduced, but he is not allowed to see outsiders, nor is he allowed to interfere in any affairs. Let him reflect deeply on his mistakes. Only when he truly shows remorse can we discuss other matters."

"Your son understands."

"You will personally handle the aftermath of the dock incident. Not only must you make up the price difference and distribute compensation, but you must also publicly apologize to the affected fishermen. Our Li Family's reputation is more precious than gold. Reputation is easily destroyed, but a Foundation is difficult to establish. The small amount of money we lose today, we must earn back twofold with integrity in the future."

"Your son will handle it immediately!"

Li Qingshan was decisive and took the order at once.

"Also,"

Li Yinglong called out to him: "The Family's industries are expanding rapidly, and the old management methods are showing signs of fatigue. After you leave, you can begin to draft a more detailed set of regulations, clarifying the responsibilities and powers of each position, establishing a supervision mechanism, especially for accounts, which must be clear and verifiable, and regularly audited. In the future, personnel appointments must undergo assessment, emphasizing their virtue, observing their ability, appointing based on merit rather than kinship."

Li Qingshan's eyes lit up; his father's words were precisely the remedy for the current management predicament: "Father's insight is profound! Your son has long felt this, but has never clearly sorted it out. I will start handling it upon my return!"

Watching his eldest son's hurried yet steady departure, Li Yinglong nodded slightly.

Governing a Family is like playing chess; one wrong move, and the whole game is lost.

Today, he used Qingchuan's matter to teach Qingshan a harsh lesson, and even more, to establish rules for the entire Family.

When laws are established, there is a path to follow; when rules are clear, they can be upheld.

Only with internal unity can they face external storms without fear.

He paced to the window, looking at the setting sun outside, his thoughts churning.

Discovering the Spiritual Vein was merely obtaining a ticket to a higher stage.

Whether they could stand firm on that stage, or even shine brightly, depended on the Family's internal cohesion and execution.

The Spiritual Vein is the root, and the human heart is the soil.

Even the strongest root, without fertile soil to nourish it, cannot reach the sky.

The three missions issued by the System:

"Bloodline Awakening" is to unearth potential, "Foundation Establishment and Enterprise Building" is to lay the cornerstone, and this "Popular Support" is the crucial ballast to ensure the great ship of the Family can withstand storms and travel steadily and far.

Today's matter, though it began in insignificance, concerned the Foundation.

Handling internal human relations and rules is far more complex and important than dealing with an external powerful enemy.

The road ahead is long and arduous; I will search high and low.

This path of Family cultivation is also a path of cultivating the mind, cultivating virtue, and cultivating order and peace.

He took a deep breath, his gaze directed towards the distant isolated island overseas.

The cornerstone had begun to be polished. Next, he would perform his duties as Clan Chief one last time.

Then, he would lead some clansmen to that newly discovered world to truly lay the eternal Foundation of the Li Immortal Clan!

"Eldest son Li Qingshan listened to the Clan Chief's profound teachings, deepened his understanding of the Dao of 'governing the Family', and achieved a Breakthrough in his mental state. His talent 'Talent for Governing the Family' improved from (Low Grade Spirit Rank) to (High Grade Spirit Rank). Effect: Significantly increased efficiency in handling Family affairs, more sensitive and accurate intuition for resource allocation and personnel appointments, more effective in identifying, avoiding, and handling internal management risks and personal entanglements. Family industry operational efficiency increased by 10%."