"Hmm... My bow and arrow are useless... Hiss..." An old man with some gray hair, stroked his beard and pondered.
Cui Hou respectfully said, "Yes, Father. I saw this book on that brat's desk and he must read it often. But when that brat took me, he showed me other books of classics and odes, but never this one. There must be something fishy about it. I was afraid of arousing his suspicion, so I came back first—but I can't remember where this sentence comes from?"
The old man, Cui Hou's father, Cui Yi, looked up, squinted his eyes, and remained silent for a long time before saying, "It seems that sending you to test him was the right decision. This boy really has something else going on. It's not your fault you don't recognize this book, because it's not in the classics. I suspect this sentence comes from..."
Cui Yi suddenly opened his eyes wide, but kept his voice very, very low, as if afraid of being heard, "...Hu, Fei, Zi..."
"Oh, ah!" Cui Hou was shocked. "...Hu, Hu Fei Zi? Could it be that Father is talking about that Hu Fei Zi? In that case, this brat has obtained—"
"Silence!" Cui Yi glared.
Cui Hou realized he had lost his composure and quickly lowered his voice, "So, what Father suspected might be true?"
Cui Yi nodded: "It is said that Hu Fei Zi was skilled in manipulating objects, leaving behind Five Braves, Seven Artisans, and Eighteen Methods, but many have been lost... This boy's family is ordinary, yet he suddenly produced such exquisite treasures. The so-called family heirloom is mostly an excuse... Glass is fragile and difficult to carve, but the patterns on this boy's glass beads are seamless, with no traces of knives or axes..."
"I suspect that this boy has obtained the secret methods of Hu Fei, eight or nine times out of ten... In a few days, you might as well invite this boy to the estate, and Father will test him again—if it's true, then we'll have to... Heh heh, also, you arrange for a few skilled people to thoroughly search his house while he's not at home, but be careful not to let him discover it."
"What does Father mean—what should we look for?" Cui Hou was still not very clear.
Cui Yi was a little helpless, how could he be so stupid? But after all, he was his own son, so he patiently gave him a hint: "...Making things requires tools! Search in hidden places, and see if there are any unusual objects—understand?"
"Yes!"
Inside a magnificent mansion in the city, another richly dressed old man was also lecturing his child, but this one didn't have such a good temper.
"Dull! Dull!"
The old man was thunderously furious, angrily hitting the ground with his cane. All the servants inside and outside the hall immediately knelt down and prostrated themselves on the ground, not daring to look up, not even daring to move.
This "dull person" also hurriedly knelt down on the ground, crawled forward a few steps, and kowtowed, "Uncle, please calm down! Uncle, please calm down!"
The crowd inside and outside the hall also kowtowed in unison, "Grand Tutor, please calm down! Grand Tutor, please calm down!"
For a moment, inside and outside the hall, inside and outside the courtyard, all was quiet. Everyone was trembling with fear, not daring to make any sound.
Only the heavy breathing of the Grand Tutor of the Dynasty, Yuan Kui, could be heard.
"...Cao A Man! The words of Cao A Man! Is your surname Yuan or Cao? If Cao A Man told you to eat shit, would you eat it too?!"
These were truly words that pierced the heart. Yuan Shao was so frightened that he repeatedly kowtowed on the ground: "I dare not! I am guilty!"
Yuan Kui's breathing calmed down slightly. After ordering the servants inside and outside the hall to retreat far away, he said in a deep voice: "'Just send a jailer, that's enough'—simply outrageous!... What did that butcher say after hearing this method?"
"General He... That butcher He—seems to be somewhat tempted..."
"Good, good, good!" Yuan Kui sneered a few times, glaring at Yuan Shao kneeling on the ground. "Then did you offer any advice at the time?"
Yuan Shao shivered. Although he didn't look up, he seemed to feel Yuan Kui's piercing gaze, and replied in a low voice: "...I, I... Did not, did not offer advice..."
"Dull! Fool! What use are you!" Yuan Kui became angry again, and casually picked up his cane and beat Yuan Shao on the back.
Yuan Shao didn't dare to dodge at all, he could only grit his teeth and endure it, and he had to keep persuading: "I am dull, I am guilty! Uncle, please calm down..."
Yuan Kui was old after all, and he was tired after only a few hits. He cursed, "You brat ruined my good deed!" Although he didn't have the strength to hit him anymore, he was still not relieved, and kicked Yuan Shao to the side, "Don't you usually boast about being clever? How come you can't even see through such a small trick?"
Yuan Shao hurriedly got up, knelt down again, not daring to utter a word.
"Go quickly and tell the butcher, don't forget the old story of Dou Wu! If you hesitate when you should act, you will suffer!"
"Yes!" Yuan Shao hurriedly got up, not daring to raise his head, bent over, and retreated out the door like a servant, before turning around and leaving.
Because he was walking in a hurry, he almost bumped into a servant waiting at the gate of the courtyard. Yuan Shao, who was holding back a bellyful of anger, didn't think twice and kicked the unlucky servant in the waist, knocking him down, and hurriedly left.
This scene was seen by a young man in fancy clothes who came out from behind the screen in the hall, and he chuckled softly, "He's only showing off his power in front of the servants..."
The young man in fancy clothes walked to Yuan Kui and saluted, "Uncle."
Yuan Kui nodded, signaling the young man to sit down: "Shu'er, what do you think of this matter?"
The elegantly dressed young master, Yuan Shu, smoothed his robes and sat gracefully, saying, "This is merely Cao Aman's delaying tactic. Cao Aman, after all, is a Cao!" Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, was the adopted son of the great eunuch Cao Teng. And the great eunuch Cao Teng was a typical example of success in the eunuch world, having served four emperors and been granted the title of Marquis of Fei Ting! A eunuch marquis! How could the aristocratic clans, who considered themselves pure and noble, tolerate this?
Yuan Shu's meaning was clear: Cao Cao came from a family of eunuchs, so how could he sincerely devise plans to eliminate them?
Yuan Kui nodded slightly, a hint of satisfaction on his face. "Shu'er, your words align with my thoughts. It would not be difficult to capture them with prison guards, but without an order from above, who can command them?"
As for the cause of eliminating the eunuchs, Cao Cao's idea was terrible. Who are the eunuchs? They are the people closest to the emperor. Who can directly issue an order to arrest and kill the eunuchs? Only the emperor. But the current emperor, Liu Bian, is young and has just ascended the throne. How can he be asked to order the killing of those who have served him closely? Is that possible?
Previously, He Jin killed Jian Shuo on the grounds that Jian Shuo forged an edict and disobeyed Emperor Ling of Han's last wishes, which was somewhat justifiable. Moreover, he only killed Jian Shuo alone. But now, openly and without reason, they want to kill all the powerful eunuchs. How can a mere prison guard accomplish this?
"Uncle, your words are very true. Cao Aman is simply afraid that if they are all killed, his foundation will be cut off. It's a pity that my elder brother couldn't see through this..."
"An incompetent son of a concubine, no need to mention him!"
"Yes." Yuan Shu replied, then smiled, "Uncle, I happened to acquire a treasure at the market a few days ago, and I've come to present it to you today."
Yuan Kui waved his hand, appearing somewhat happy. "What treasure could it be? You should keep it for yourself. Your uncle lacks nothing. Your thoughtfulness is enough."
"In that case, Uncle, you mustn't disregard Shu's good intentions!" Yuan Shu said with a smile, turning to the outside of the door and saying loudly, "Someone, bring up the item I brought!"
Yuan Shao sat in the carriage, becoming increasingly irritated. He angrily punched the carriage, startling the guard driving the carriage, who hurriedly stopped and asked what was wrong.
Yuan Shao mumbled a reply to the guard that nothing was wrong and to continue on. In his heart, however, it was as if a pot had boiled over.
Of course, I know whether Cao Aman's idea is good or bad, but what good would it do me to expose it?
Cao Aman is right, killing a eunuch only requires calling a prison guard, but what about killing all the eunuchs? Who has the authority to order the arrest and killing of the eunuchs? Only the emperor. But the question is, will the emperor issue this order? The emperor is still young and only listens to Empress Dowager He, and it is said that several eunuchs helped He become Empress Dowager. So how could she possibly order the killing of all the eunuchs?
Moreover, even if the current eunuchs are eliminated, won't new eunuchs come to power the next day? They speak of lofty righteousness, saying it's all for the sake of the country and the people, but in reality, it's all for personal gain! It's just that the old fellow was humiliated by Zhang Rang and others before, and now that he has power, he is unforgiving!
Although Jian Shuo, the Upper Military Commander of the Western Garden Eight Colonels, has been executed, the eunuchs have been in power for many years, and their disciples and former officials are countless. Eliminating all the eunuchs will undoubtedly lead to chaos. Therefore, the old fellow is deploying Dong Zhuo from Guanxi to the capital for balance, in case of unforeseen circumstances.
Yuan Shao sighed deeply. Cao Aman, this time I can't help you. It seems the old fellow is determined to fight the eunuchs to the death.
For Yuan Shao, the desire to eliminate the eunuchs was far less intense than the desire to gain advantages for himself. He had not experienced the Disaster of the Partisan Prohibitions when the eunuchs were in power, so he didn't hate the eunuchs to the bone like his uncle Yuan Kui.
Yuan Shao also lacked the prestige at home that he enjoyed outside. He only wore the cloak of being the eldest grandson, but at home, he was still the son of a concubine, and the one who was actually favored was his brother, the legitimate son Yuan Shu.
He had a share in the dirty and tiring work, but the benefits were pitifully small! The Yuan family, holding themselves in high regard, were unwilling to have too much contact with He Jin, who came from a butcher's background, feeling it would disgrace the Yuan family's reputation for purity. But when they had no choice but to join forces and even needed He Jin's help, they assigned Yuan Shao to serve He Jin, while keeping the more favored Yuan Shu by their side.
Yuan Shao basically didn't feel the warmth of family at home, only experiencing some friendship with Cao Aman, which was one of the reasons why he didn't expose Cao Aman.
Killing Jian Shuo, supporting Liu Xie to the throne, and summoning Dong Zhuo to the capital—all of this bore the marks of the aristocratic clans, represented by the Yuan family, operating behind the scenes. Yuan Shao was just a puppet pushed out by these aristocratic clans.
But after all, these ideas were ostensibly spoken by him. If there were any disasters in the future, Yuan Shao would undoubtedly bear the blame.
Yuan Shao knew this clearly, but helplessly, he didn't even have the right to say no. If he hadn't been pushed out as a puppet, he wouldn't even have had the right to enjoy the Yuan family's glamorous facade.
This is the sorrow of a son of a concubine.
But even so, what could he do!
Yuan Shao clenched his fist, his face twisted, his heart wildly shouting—
I, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, the only way is to seize every opportunity to climb higher and higher!
I, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, must break free from this cage and create a world of my own!
I, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, will make the world know my name, and make those who deceive and humiliate me, make this world prostrate at my feet!