Can I get to the other side?.

Chapter 266 Jia Xu: Filial piety, seeing through His Majesty's mind is the way to death
"How could this be, how could this be..."

Yuan Xi knelt dejectedly on the ground, muttering to himself with dazed eyes.

He hated Yuan Shao so much. If Yuan Shao had not been so rebellious, how could the Yuan family have been brutally exterminated?

He is now one of the Three Dukes. If the Yuan family were still alive, the Yuan family would be an extremely prominent family with three dukes for five generations!

But now, everything has been ruined by Yuan Shao!

After a long time, Yuan Xi stood up with a dull look in his eyes, and like a walking corpse, he walked out of Tai'an Hall with heavy steps and stepped into the falling snow.

All the ministers who were leaving the court along the way avoided him and kept their distance when they saw him. No one dared to approach him, as if they were avoiding the god of plague.

Guo Jia and Jia Xu were also on the way.

Looking at Yuan Xi's back, Guo Jia shook his head and said, "Yuan Shao is stubborn and wants to use the power of his family to force Your Majesty to compromise. He deserves the fate of his family being destroyed."

"What does Wenhe think?"

Jia Xu glanced around and did not answer. He just smiled and said, "It's snowing heavily today. Fengxiao, why don't you come to my house and sit down? It's been a long time since we've been together."

Guo Jia's eyes moved slightly and he smiled.

"good!"

……

Jia Mansion, backyard.

After bringing Guo Jia back home, Jia Xu ordered the servants to set up a stove, brought out plates of chopped mutton and warm wine, and invited Guo Jia to join them.

"Eat mutton hotpot in Gugutang during a heavy snowfall."

"You old man really know how to enjoy yourself."

Seeing this, Guo Jia couldn't help but joked that this was an antique soup, a popular dish among wealthy families in winter, and Jia Xu could be considered a gourmet.

Jia Xu smiled and said, "I don't have many hobbies in my life, but eating is one of them. This is lamb meat, Fengxiao, you are in for a treat today."

As he spoke, he filled Guo Jia's wine jar with wine.

Guo Jia had quit drinking for some time. When he smelled the aroma of wine, the alcohol bug in his stomach suddenly started to stir, but he still forced himself to suppress it.

"Please bring me some tea. I have already given up drinking and taking Wushisan. I don't drink at all now. Please don't harm me."

For the sake of his health, he has started to take care of his health. Next, he plans to slowly replenish his lost body weight to avoid dying young.

"The sun rises in the west."

Jia Xu looked at Guo Jia in surprise, but did not force him. He had someone serve tea to Guo Jia, and then he started drinking it by himself.

Guo Jia was so jealous that he could only forcefully divert his attention and asked, "Your Majesty is exterminating the Yuan family today. What do you think of Wenhe?"

Coming here as a guest today is secondary. The main purpose is to discuss with Jia Xu the major events that happened in the court today.

"What else can we do?" Jia Xu smacked his lips and looked at Guo Jia, "Feng Xiao should know what's going on. The Yuan family must be exterminated, and the noble families must be deterred."

"Why is Yuan Shao so confident in the court today, daring to use the power of his family to force Your Majesty? It is simply because the Yuan family has three dukes in four generations, and it is simply because the Yuan family has close contacts with other noble families, and the interests and marriages are too deeply involved. He is sure that those noble families will not stand idly by."

"Those people know this in their hearts. They are also taking this opportunity to test Your Majesty and see if Your Majesty will compromise."

"But they underestimated your Majesty's skill and determination."

"Aristocratic family, this is an entire class."

"For example, Yang Biao and Xun Chen were not actually protecting the Yuan family, but the interests of this class."

"Your Majesty has implicated all nine clans of the Yuan family today. If anything happens to them in the future, won't they also be implicated?"

“This is also one of the fundamental reasons why they asked for mercy.”

"The second is to test your Majesty's attitude and judge your Majesty's bottom line. After that, they will have a clear idea in their hearts."

Guo Jia took a deep breath and sighed with fear on his face:

"After all, one step back means all steps back."

"If your majesty compromises today, it means you will have to compromise on more things in the future."

"This is what the noble families want to see, but your majesty's reaction is beyond their expectations."

"Fortunately, after two consecutive compromises, His Majesty did not continue to give in, but killed Xun Chen without saying a word."

"Such drastic measures and unpredictable behavior frightened not only the noble families in the court, but also me."

Jia Xu nodded and said, "Whether it is the execution of ten clans or nine clans, it will bring great turmoil to the court. It is clear that your majesty's original intention was to exterminate the Yuan family."

"But if we propose the extermination of the entire clan from the beginning, we won't achieve our goal... Your Majesty is becoming more and more proficient in the art of ruling."

Punishing nine generations of a clan was unprecedented, and even the extermination of a clan was very rare. Usually, the worst consequence of angering the emperor was the punishment of the entire clan.

When the emperor gets angry, millions of people die and blood flows everywhere.

From today on, everyone will have an accurate understanding of the Emperor's wrath.

That means genocide!
It's not about killing ten clans, nor is it about killing nine clans, but only killing all the people with the same surname as you. It's not too cruel, but it can make people understand the consequences of touching the bottom line of the emperor!
"But... I am a little worried. After your majesty does this, those noble families will inevitably have other ideas in their minds. After all, Xun Chen is a meritorious official."

"Now that the overall situation is still undecided, is it too early?"

Guo Jia still expressed his worries.

Killing the Yuan family at this time, if used well, would certainly bring more benefits than disadvantages. It would greatly enhance the authority of the imperial power, deter the gentry, and send a signal -

Let them put aside some of the little thoughts they have had since Dong Zhuo's rebellious rule and Yuan Shao's kidnapping of the emperor. The emperor is still not to be challenged and is a sacred existence that must be looked up to.

Of course there are risks in doing so.

For example, decisively killing a representative of a noble family with meritorious service like Xun Chen might make those noble families feel insecure and even seek shelter elsewhere.

"This is Fengxiao, you don't understand it."

Jia Xu smiled slightly, picked up a piece of boiled mutton from the copper pot with chopsticks, dipped it in some sauce and put it into his mouth, chewing it carefully, with a satisfied expression on his face.

Then he opened his eyes and looked at Guo Jia, and said slowly:
"Yuan Shao rebelled but his entire clan was not executed. In the future, won't everyone be able to follow his example?"

"Besides, Your Majesty defeated Yuan Shao this time and returned with a great victory. He also gave in and compromised twice in succession, which has given those noble families enough face."

"If Your Majesty gives up this opportunity and doesn't intimidate those aristocratic families now, it will be even more difficult to take action against them after the world is unified."

"You must know that a big tail cannot be cut off. The precedent of Emperor Guangwu is still fresh in our minds."

Emperor Guangwu Liu Xiu was undoubtedly a heroic ruler.

But even such a horse-riding emperor, because he did not take action against the aristocratic families in the early stage, led to the aristocratic families becoming gradually stronger and more powerful after the unification, and it was too late to take action when he wanted to take action again.

Therefore, Jia Xu felt that the emperor had chosen the right time to take action against the Yuan family.

"And Fengxiao, don't forget that since His Majesty started the rebellion, he has relied on Lu Bu and the Zhen family. The other noble families have not been of much help to His Majesty. Most of them surrendered at the sight of the enemy."

"As long as Your Majesty firmly holds the military power, who dares to object? Who can have any objection? Yuan Shao rebelled and his entire family was executed. Do they dare to rebel again?"

"Even if they are extremely daring, what can they do compared to Yuan Shao? Once the royal army arrives, they will be destroyed in an instant."

Jia Xu snorted coldly, his face full of disdain.

The emperor is not Dong Zhuo.

Those aristocratic families could unite to resist Dong Zhuo, but they would never dare to unite to resist the emperor, especially an emperor who held military power and did not rely on them.

And what if he killed Xun Chen?

The emperor compromised twice, but Xun Chen still dared to rely on his status and merits, and wanted to use the power of his family to force the emperor to make concessions. He was courting death.

Not killing will cause chaos.

Although exterminating the Yuan family will bring many disadvantages, the benefits will outweigh the disadvantages in the end.

Jia Xu is much older and his vision is much sharper than Guo Jia's, so he looks at things more deeply.

In his opinion, if the emperor retreated this time, he would inevitably become a puppet of those aristocratic families in the future.

After Jia Xu's analysis, Guo Jia felt relieved and said with emotion:

"Your Majesty may be young, but your skills are exceptionally skillful."

"I am increasingly unable to understand Your Majesty."

He thought back to when they first met the emperor, he was still very young and immature, and even when he mistakenly thought that he was someone sent by Yuan Shao, he did not dare to kill him.

But only three short years had passed, and his wrist was already causing him palpitations.

Jia Xu laughed and said, "Feng Xiao, you are obsessed. We don't need to see through His Majesty. We just need to follow His Majesty's will and think about His Majesty." "Remember, His Majesty is our support."

"Your Majesty, we will be well only if we are well."

Needless to say, he came from a humble background and had nothing to do with any aristocratic family.

Although Guo Jia was from the Yingchuan Guo family, it was just a branch of a branch and had long since declined.

Therefore, they are not in the same camp as Cui Yan's group. Their support is the emperor. To put it bluntly, they are the emperor's loyal dogs.

But isn’t it an honor to be the emperor’s loyal dog?

There are so many people in the world who want to do this but don't have the opportunity.

Guo Jia nodded deeply. At this time, he saw that Jia Xu was about to drink up the warm wine. He could no longer tolerate it in his heart and snatched the wine jug.

"Today we'll make an exception."

Jia Xu laughed and clapped his hands, then ordered his servants to bring a few more jugs of wine, saying with a smile, "I've prepared it for you a long time ago!"

Guo Jia was overjoyed.

Then the two of them ate mutton and drank wine, watching the snow and chatting, and they did not leave until dark.

When Guo Jia was about to leave, Jia Xu said meaningfully: "Feng Xiao, I am several dozen years older than you. I regard you as a friend regardless of age difference. I have something to say to you."

Guo Jia paused and asked, "Jia is all ears."

Jia Xu said solemnly: "Don't try to see through His Majesty's thoughts. Even if you can see through His Majesty's mind one day, you must pretend that you can't. You must know that this is the way to death."

Guo Jia was stunned when he heard this, then he suddenly realized what was going on and bowed solemnly to Jia Xu.

"Don't worry Wenhe, Guo Jia understands."

After watching Guo Jia leave, Jia Xu raised his hand slightly, and an inconspicuous servant bowed and came forward.

"Keep a close eye on Cui Yan and his group during this period of time." Jia Xu said in a deep voice with a deep gaze.

The servant nodded respectfully, then retreated quietly like a ghost, disappearing into the shadow of the Jia Mansion.

……

Yuan Mansion.

After adjourning the court, Yuan Xi returned to his mansion.

After returning home, he did not treat the wound on his head. He just sat in the lobby in a daze until it was completely dark outside.

Just as the housekeeper in the mansion was hesitating whether to go forward to inquire about the situation, Yuan Xi slowly stood up and walked towards a small courtyard deep in the Yuan Mansion.

That's where his mother, Mrs. Liu, lived.

Madam Liu was dressed in plain clothes, sitting on the couch, reciting in a low voice the Five Thousand Characters of Laozi placed in front of her.

"Mother……"

Yuan Xi came to Madam Liu's bed, knelt down with a plop, and shouted in a hoarse voice.

But Mrs. Liu acted as if she didn't hear anything and continued to recite scriptures without even looking at Yuan Xi.

Ever since Yuan Xi killed his brother and imprisoned his father, Madam Liu stayed in the room all day, fasting and reciting scriptures every day, never stepping out of the room. She never responded to Yuan Xi when he came to see her.

Yuan Xi's eyes were red as he spoke to himself, "My father was defeated and captured by His Majesty. Today in the palace, he not only refused to submit to His Majesty, but also spoke nonsense."

"Your Majesty has issued an order to execute the entire Yuan family except me."

"Mother, I don't understand. I can't understand why father is so stubborn. Why won't he give in?"

"He has clearly committed such a crime as kidnapping the emperor and rebelling. If he had surrendered, my Yuan family would not have been implicated, and the Yuan family would have prospered under my leadership."

"But he ruined it all!"

"He not only killed our entire Yuan family, but also killed my mother!"

"I hate him, I wish I could kill him with my own hands!"

Yuan Xi's expression was ferocious and tears were streaming down his face.

The Yuan clan was exterminated, and his mother, Madam Liu, as Yuan Shao's legal wife, was of course included in the extermination, which made him feel extremely painful.

This is the mother who gave birth to him and raised him!

How could he watch his biological mother die!

Yuan Xi said with tears in his eyes: "My mother hated me for killing my third brother and harming my eldest brother, but I don't regret doing these things, because this is the helplessness of being born into a wealthy family. I have no choice."

"Whether my mother recognizes me as her son or not, she is still my mother."

"I have made up my mind. I will go to the palace to meet His Majesty later and ask His Majesty for mercy on my mother's behalf."

"If the child can come back, then everything will be fine, and our Yuan family will continue; if the child cannot come back, then we mother and son will meet at the execution ground."

"Son Yuan Xi, goodbye!"

Yuan Xi kowtowed three times to Madam Liu, causing the wound to open again, leaving a glaring bloodstain on the ground.

Then he raised his hand to wipe his tears, turned around and walked out of the house, but at this moment a faint sigh suddenly sounded behind him.

"That's enough, Xianyi."

Yuan Xi's body trembled and he turned around to look.

Mrs. Liu stopped reciting the scriptures and looked up at him, her slightly haggard face filled with a complicated expression.

"Mother!"

Yuan Xi knelt down again, tears streaming down his face.

This was the first time that Madam Liu had spoken to him since the Yecheng Incident, and it was also the first time that she called him by his courtesy name!
Mrs. Liu got off the bed, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and carefully wiped the blood off Yuan Xi's face bit by bit.

"I will die if I want to. This is your father's fault, and I will bear the consequences for him."

"But after the Yuan family is destroyed, you will be the last bloodline of the Yuan family. You must live well. Remember?"

"Mom doesn't blame you anymore."

Just a few words made Yuan Xi burst into tears instantly, crying his heart out.

Mrs. Liu stroked Yuan Xi's head.

Silent for a long time.

However, at this moment, the housekeeper rushed into the yard in a panic and said anxiously: "Second Master, a large number of soldiers have arrived outside the mansion! The leader is Duke Wen Lu Bu!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Xi felt even more grief-stricken.

He knew that it was Lu Bu who came to capture someone.

Madam Liu looked calm and said, "Let's go, Xianyi, and see her off for the last time. Don't make things difficult for others."

Yuan Xi nodded with tears in his eyes.

The mother and son left the courtyard together and came to the outside of Yuan's mansion. As expected, they saw a large number of soldiers gathered outside the mansion, all of them were fully armed.

Lu Bu was riding on his Red Hare, holding a Fang Tian Hua Ji and standing in front of the formation, looking down at Yuan Xi from above.

"Meet Lord Wen."

With a heavy heart, Yuan Xi stepped forward and saluted Lu Bu.

But before he could ask Lu Bu for a few more days, Lu Bu took something out of his arms and threw it into his arms.

Yuan Xi looked carefully and found it was an imperial edict.

"Your Majesty has issued an order, considering Yuan Xi's outstanding contributions, to pardon his mother's death sentence and to confine her to the palace to live out her days!"

After Lü Bu conveyed his order, he turned his horse around and said coldly to the soldiers behind him: "Pass my order to search the whole city for the Yuan family members. Anyone who protects them will be killed without mercy!"

After Yuan Shu's death, most of the Yuan family of Runan moved to Yecheng and lived in various places in the city.

Now it's like catching a turtle in a jar.

After saying this, Lu Bu led his army away in a mighty manner, and under Yuan Xi's dull gaze, ran towards the residences of other Yuan clan members.

There is heavy snow in Yecheng, and it is the perfect night for murder.

(End of this chapter)