My younger brother Lü Fengxian

Chapter 328: Pride is the Original Sin

"Well, since you are begging me so hard, I will ask the general for mercy on your behalf."

"Just don't do it again!"

"You must be filial to the general from now on!"

Empress He was also annoyed by the noise of the Ten Attendants and gave orders impatiently.

"The Queen Mother is right. As long as we can survive this disaster and escape from the hands of the general, we will always put the Queen Mother and the general first in everything we do and will not dare to act recklessly again!"

Zhang Rang couldn't help but nod his head in delight when he heard this.

When Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs saw that the plan was successfully accomplished, they were overjoyed and they all flattered Empress He, making her feel ecstatic and in a very good mood.

"Since the Queen Mother has issued an order, we can act according to the plan!"

After Zhang Rang and others calmed Empress Dowager He, they immediately went to the side hall to assign specific tasks.

"Zhao Zhong, quickly send someone to summon He Ru into the palace in the name of Queen Mother He!"

"Also, it's best if the messenger is someone close to the Queen Mother. We must not let He Jin become suspicious!"

"Brother Zhang, rest assured, I will definitely get this done!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhong nodded and went downstairs to make arrangements.

"The rest of you, gather all the men you can, distribute the weapons, and prepare to ambush He Jin at the palace gate."

Zhang Rang then went on to give instructions to the other ten eunuchs.

"If He Jin sets foot in the palace, he will lose his head!"

When Zhang Rang said this, there was a fierce look on his face as if he was ready to choose someone to bite.

"We will obey Brother Zhao's orders! We must kill this bastard He Jin!"

The other ten eunuchs gnashed their teeth and were indignant upon hearing this. It was obvious that their hatred towards He Jin had already reached its peak.

……

Just as the Ten Eunuchs were making preparations and planning to ambush He Jin, in the Yuan Mansion, Yuan Wei and Yuan Shao, uncle and nephew, also made the final plan and deployment.

"Although He Jin now holds the position of general and has great power over the world, most of his followers have been infiltrated by our Yuan family and other allies, and he has become a mere figurehead."

"Now we only need an opportunity, and from now on the world will be controlled by our Yuan family!"

"Benchu, your plan to attract foreign troops to the capital is really a brilliant one!"

After listening to what Yuan Shao said to him, Yuan Wei couldn't help but laugh heartily.

"Uncle is right. You are the current Grand Tutor and you are the joint secretary of the imperial court with He Jin. Once the strongest army arrives, we can find an opportunity to help He Jin and the Ten Attendants perish together. Then, uncle can use his status as the current Grand Tutor and the prestige of the Yuan family, which has three officials for four generations, to legitimately take over the power in the hands of He Jin and the eunuch party and command the foreign troops."

"By then, even Empress Dowager He will not be able to compete with my Yuan family."

"Liu Bian, a cowardly boy, is even less likely to cause any trouble."

"By then, the prestige of our Yuan family will surely reach a new peak. Even Huo Guang of the Western Han Dynasty cannot be compared with our Yuan family!"

Seeing that Yuan Wei was in high spirits, Yuan Shao quickly echoed him, which made Yuan Wei even happier.

"Hehe, the next generation leader of the Yuan family has to be me. The Yuan family is already in my pocket. No matter how high the prestige of the Yuan family is, it will all be mine in the end!"

"Yuan Shu, I wonder what you have to fight me with!"

However, Yuan Wei had never seen the almost unconcealable lust for power and ambition in the eyes of his seemingly submissive nephew.

Just as the uncle and nephew were plotting Yuan's grand plan, a loyal servant of Yuan Wei suddenly came to the door of the secret room and reported to the uncle and nephew a piece of great news that made them both extremely excited.

"What? Empress Dowager He actually summoned He Ru to the palace at this time?"

After hearing the news, Yuan Wei stood up suddenly with an excited look on his face.

Yuan Shao, who was standing by, also said excitedly, "Haha, He Jin summoned foreign troops to the capital, and the most active Dong Zhuo and others are only a few days away from the capital. This edict must have been a forged edict issued in the name of the Queen Mother out of fear of the Ten Eunuchs!"

"Whether it's a forged imperial edict or not, the intention of the Ten Eunuchs to lure He Jin into the palace is obvious. At this critical moment, I'm afraid that once He Jin enters the palace, his head and body will be separated!"

"This is the God-given opportunity that my Yuan family has been waiting for!"

Yuan Wei was so excited that he almost fainted. Seeing this, Yuan Shao hurriedly stepped forward with a concerned look on his face and supported Yuan Wei.

"Uncle, your health is important, don't get too excited!"

"Now is not the time to take care of your body. Benchu, you must return to He Jin immediately and do everything you can to ensure that He Jin falls into the trap and enters the palace!"

"Uncle, please contact the armed forces controlled by the Yuan family immediately to help you!"

"Today is going to be a different day!"

However, Yuan Wei pushed Yuan Shao away and gave instructions repeatedly with a serious look.

"Nephew, I understand. I'll go right away!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao stopped talking and immediately walked out of the secret room.

Yuan Shao ignored the rule in Luoyang city that prohibited riding horses, and galloped all the way with a group of guards, and soon arrived at He Jin's mansion.

When He Jin heard that Yuan Shao was coming to ask for a meeting, he immediately summoned Yuan Shao.

"It's Yuan Shao who has arrived. Please wait in the mansion for a while. The Queen Mother has summoned me now, so I will be back soon."

He Jin had already received the imperial edict at this time. When he saw Yuan Shao coming, he smiled and said something to comfort him.

Although He Jin's status was higher than Yuan's, in terms of background, He Jin, who was born a butcher, would never be able to catch up with Yuan in his eight lifetimes.

The Yuan family is the most powerful aristocratic family in the world today. Not only does it have a profound foundation, but the energy represented by its disciples and former officials accumulated over generations is far beyond He Jin's imagination.

Therefore, even General He Jin, who now holds great power over the world, has to treat Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, two of the best children of the Yuan family, with courtesy and a smile.

"Since it is the Queen Mother who summoned you, the General will do as he pleases. I have nothing else to say, so I will just wait for a while at the General's residence."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao suppressed his excitement and laughed repeatedly.

He Jin walked into the trap himself. As the biggest beneficiary, how could he dissuade others?

Yuan Shao even wanted to tie He Jin to his horse right now, whip the horse as fast as possible, and send He Jin into the palace to be dealt with by the Ten Attendants and others.

Because only in this way would he have an excuse to justify killing the Ten Attendants in the name of revenge for He Jin.

The people of the world have suffered from the eunuch party for a long time, and it has become an active volcano that is about to erupt.

Just one opportunity can unleash tremendous anger.

Not only will Yuan's behavior not be opposed by the world, but because he is venting the anger of the world, he will even receive more support and prestige than before.

"General, you can't do that!"

Just as He Jin was about to leave, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside the door, causing Yuan Shao to frown suddenly.

"It's Cao Cao again!"

Sure enough, the next moment, a not tall figure suddenly rushed into the conference room. It was Cao Cao Wuyi.

People in later generations often say that Cao Cao is a traitor, a traitor, and an unforgivable sinner.

However, they deliberately ignored the countless blood and sacrifices Cao Cao had contributed to the Han Dynasty in his previous life.

Even until the time of the anti-Dong coalition, Cao Cao was a man who could sacrifice for the justice in his heart, for his passion, and for his loyalty to the Han Dynasty. Although He Jin humiliated Cao Cao several times.

The ministers often ridiculed him as a descendant of Cao Cao's eunuch party and were unwilling to associate with him.

But everything Cao Cao did, every single thing, was beneficial to the country, and was good for himself?

He set up the five-colored stick and killed the uncle of the powerful eunuch Jian Shuo. It can be said that he was not afraid of power and was very courageous!

Later, he repeatedly spoke up for justice, even at the cost of offending He Jin, and expressed all the unpleasant but honest advice in his heart, which was his duty!
Later, he risked his own death and the extinction of his clan to assassinate Dong Zhuo, and single-handedly rescued Emperor Xian among a group of so-called loyal ministers, which showed his loyalty.

Such a loyal minister, even if Bi Gan were resurrected, he would not be more than this.

Afterwards, Cao Cao began to change and embarked on the path of rebellion.

Half of it was that he had completely given up on the corrupt Eastern Han court, and the other half was that once he embarked on the road to power he could only move forward and not retreat, and he had no choice but to do so.

This time, when Cao Cao heard the news that He Jin was summoned to the palace by Empress Dowager He, he saw the danger at the first moment, just like the uncle and nephew of the Yuan family.

However, he did not choose to consider his family and life like the uncle and nephew of the Yuan family.

Instead, he rushed over to dissuade He Jin as soon as possible.

This edict was issued by Empress Dowager He. Cao Cao's dissuasion of He Jin actually meant to sow discord between He Jin and Empress Dowager He. What benefit would this bring to Cao Cao?

"General!"

"Now that the foreign troops are within reach, and the Queen Mother has suddenly summoned me, I feel something is wrong. There must be a trick!"

"Please do not obey my order, General!"

"The Queen Mother is my sister. Are you saying that the Queen Mother summoned me to the palace to harm me?"

He Jin was furious when he heard this and immediately started to scold Cao Cao.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao said he dared not, but he still continued to persuade He Jin under pressure.

"The Queen Mother will definitely not harm the General, but I can't say for sure about the Ten Eunuchs. If this imperial edict was forged by the Ten Eunuchs, I'm afraid that the General will be very disadvantaged if he enters the palace alone!"

"joke!"

"I am a great general, commanding all the troops in the world. The Ten Eunuchs killed Jian Shuo the other day and kowtowed to me to admit their mistakes. Even if I give them ten times the courage, they would not dare to harm me!"

He Jin became even more impatient after hearing this.

"Even if the general insists on entering the palace, please first transfer Zhang Rang, Zhao Zhong and the other ten eunuchs out of the palace before you can enter the palace!"

Seeing that He Jin was so stubborn, Cao Cao was angry but he still tried to persuade him.

"Oh?"

Although He Jin is arrogant, he is not a brainless person.

Although Cao Cao's words seemed too cautious to him, they were still beneficial to him after all, so he couldn't help but start thinking about it.

"Meng De is exaggerating!"

"The general is so noble, and the Ten Eunuchs are just servants. How dare they do harm to the general?"

"I guess the Queen Mother summoned the general to the palace this time in order to lobby for the general's mercy on behalf of the Ten Attendants."

"General, you can go ahead without any worries. At worst, we can wear armor and lead the troops to protect you."

"No matter how crazy those ten eunuchs are, they dare not harm the general in front of our army!"

"Well, the original words are more to my liking!"

"Just follow Benchu's wishes. Wear your armor and protect this great general!"

Upon hearing this, He Jin could not help but nod repeatedly.

The flattery from a noble family like Yuan Shao still carried a certain weight. Even a figure like He Jin felt happy when he heard it. Even the slight wariness he had just felt because of Cao Cao's repeated admonitions was thrown away.

"But, General!"

Cao Cao wanted to persuade him again, but was scolded by He Jin.

"I have made up my mind. Don't try to persuade me again. If you disobey me, you will be punished by military law!"

"In that case, I request to be by the side of the guard general!"

Seeing this, Cao Cao had no choice but to stop trying to persuade him and settle for the next best option, choosing to directly protect He Jin.

"Hehe, that's more like it!"

He Jin snorted coldly, prepared for a moment, and waited for most of his troops controlled by the Yuan family to gather before he led his troops towards the palace in a mighty manner.

"The general is entering the palace on the order of the Queen Mother!"

After arriving outside the palace gate, He Jin sent his men to shout outside the palace, without any humility as a subject should have, and even omitted to mention his name.

However, the guards in charge of guarding the palace gate did not dare to show any disrespect to He Jin, and quickly opened the palace gate to welcome He Jin.

"Wait a minute!"

"The Queen Mother has decreed that only the general is allowed to enter the palace!"

Just as He Jin was about to lead his men into the palace, a eunuch at the side stopped He Jin and said.

Upon hearing this, He Jin glanced at the eunuch who was lowering his head and looking submissive, and did not doubt it. He immediately gave orders to Yuan Shao, Cao Cao and others who were fully armed behind him.

However, one could not bring troops into the palace, otherwise it would be treason. Even though Cao Cao felt uneasy, he had to obey the order.

"You must lead the way quickly, and don't be slow!"

The general spoke arrogantly and rudely to the eunuch in front of him.

The eunuch did not dare to offend He Jin, so he bowed and led the way.

However, when He Jin stepped into the palace gate, the palace gate behind him suddenly closed, making He Jin feel a little uneasy.

"Humph! I am the great general of the dynasty. How dare the Ten Attendants do anything against me!"

He Jin muttered a few words to suppress the uneasiness in his heart.

But as I walked, I suddenly realized something was wrong.

He Jin had been to the palace countless times, but today's route was different from the past. Not only was the location becoming more and more remote, but there were also fewer and fewer eunuchs and palace maids nearby.

When he was led by the eunuch in a somewhat dark alley, even Ma Mu could sense something was wrong and hurriedly asked the eunuch in front of him.

"How did you, a eunuch, lead me to this remote place? Where is this place?"

But when the eunuch heard He Jin's question, he not only did not answer, but ran a few steps and ran out of the alley.

"not good!"

Seeing this, He Jin immediately became nervous and hurriedly wanted to exit the alley.

"This is where?"

"Haha, General, this is of course your death!"

But a very familiar cold voice made his steps suddenly freeze.

(End of this chapter)