I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 315 Their Fear Arises
Undoubtedly, because of Yuan Shu's overly assertive behavior, the two brothers decided to join hands to overcome the difficulties. However, the occasion was too public, and it was not appropriate to discuss overly private topics.

So they changed their plans and met privately on a quiet night after the wedding banquet to have a heart-to-heart talk.

That was indeed a heartfelt conversation. When it came to dealing with Yuan Shu, the two of them could not afford to have any improper thoughts. They had to unite sincerely and there could be no internal division.

Then, Yuan Shao told Yuan Ji a crucial piece of information, which immediately made Yuan Ji realize that Yuan Shao's initiative to test him was not without reason.

“Not long after I arrived in Luoyang, my brother-in-law Li Zan, whom I hadn’t seen or contacted for a long time, suddenly contacted me and said that someone wanted to meet me and suggested that I meet with him. So I met with this person. Brother, do you know who this person is?”

"who?"

"Among the prominent figures of the Party, one of the Eight Outstanding Individuals, Chen Xiang and Chen Zhonglin!"

"Him? What does he want with you? Do you have any dealings with him?"

“There was none before, and there was none after I came to Luoyang, but he just came to me.”

Yuan Shao chuckled and said, "Brother, do you know why?"

Yuan Ji was speechless.

"Benchu, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me!"

"Okay, okay, I'll tell you what I'm saying."

Yuan Shao said with a hint of pride, "Chen Zhonglin is from Runan Commandery, just like us. He also has a long-standing relationship with my brother-in-law, Li Zan. He met me through my brother-in-law and praised me highly. He even presented me with gold, Shu brocade, and fine wine, saying that some of his sons had not obtained official positions and asking if there were any vacant positions in my household so that he could find a future for his family members."

Seeking advancement from Yuan Shao?

Yuan Ji immediately felt that this statement sounded a bit absurd.

“Chen Zhonglin is a famous member of the partisan faction with a great reputation. Although he has only recently returned to the court and can only serve as an advisor, given his status and position, it is only a matter of time before he is promoted to a higher position. Why would his family members seek your help because they do not have an official post? Isn’t that strange?”

Upon hearing Yuan Ji's words, Yuan Shao's previously smug expression changed slightly.

Although this is indeed the truth, brother, don't you understand that the truth hurts more than a lie?

Be tactful! Speak more tactfully!
Don't you know how?

Yuan Shao was internally ranting, but he maintained a good facade, quickly calming down and nodding.

"Yes, I also found it strange at the time. Given Master Chen's status, why would he think of asking me, a junior, about the future of the clan's children? I was very curious, but what Master Chen said next made me understand."

"What?"

He went on to say that some of his relatives and some of his friends' relatives had reached the age of officialdom but did not have suitable positions.

Yuan Shao lowered his voice and said, "So, he wants to ask me and you, brother, for help. He hopes to get some help from me, and then get to know you through me, and then get some help from you to help them arrange the careers of the clan's members."

"Me? Does Master Chen... really want to get to know me?"

Yuan Ji was genuinely surprised this time.

Previously, he was feeling unprecedentedly frustrated because no famous people came to visit him after returning to Luoyang, but he did not expect that he was discouraged too soon, and the good news was yet to come!
Chen Xiang, a man of considerable influence, actually chose to seek an audience with him through Yuan Shao, going around in circles, but in the end he still found him.
This surprised him, but also delighted him. Just as he was about to say something, he suddenly realized something was amiss, so he hurriedly asked, "Lord Chen and his friends hope to arrange some positions for their clansmen through you and me? That doesn't make sense. How could Lord Chen and his friends not have a way to secure positions for their children? There's no limit to the number of officials, is there?"

“The position of Langguan is easy to arrange, but the problem is that Langguan only serves for one year, after which he will have to gain experience in other positions, and right now, the court happens to lack this type of position.”

Yuan Shao shook his head and said, "It is precisely because of the lack of this type of position that renowned scholars like Lord Chen have had to seek help from you and my brother."

Yuan Ji was even more puzzled.

"When a court official is promoted, the position usually pays several hundred shi (a unit of grain), at most a thousand shi. Such positions are as numerous as hairs on a cow, so how could there be a shortage?"

Yuan Shao smiled and shook his head.

"It's funny, brother. These lowly positions that we would never have even considered in the past are now highly sought after in the court. And the one who caused this is none other than our dear younger brother!"

"Zijia?"

Yuan Ji blinked, not understanding what was going on.

Then Yuan Shao explained it to him in detail.

It turns out that the mutiny launched by Yuan Shu and Yuan Feng was not, as some people believe, a mutiny initiated by Yuan Shu simply following and relying on his father Yuan Feng. Instead, Yuan Shu led more than 6,000 of his disciples and joined forces with Yuan Feng, even using his old friends in the Northern Army to turn against and control the Northern Army.

Therefore, Yuan Shu was essentially Yuan Feng's partner. He had the right and the qualifications to share power in Luoyang after the mutiny, and indeed secured numerous positions and wielded considerable power. Yuan Feng was happy to see this happen, and because of their father-son relationship, many people unaware of the true situation subconsciously assumed that Yuan Shu was subordinate to Yuan Feng.

In fact, Yuan Shu had his own group of supporters from the very beginning of the coup and did not need to rely on the strength provided by Yuan Feng.

His six thousand disciples, skilled in both literature and martial arts, were his strongest asset.

These people only listen to Yuan Shu; only Yuan Shu can command them.

Yuan Feng was not assertive, but he loved his son deeply, so it was only natural that he was willing to support Yuan Shu.

As a result, Yuan Shu's actual position in the Luoyang court was far from what outsiders understood.

He wielded considerable influence, which enabled him to reform the Imperial Household Department and establish the Office of Transmission.

Finally, there are matters concerning these lower-level official positions.

After Yuan Shu gained control of a great deal of power, he did not pay much attention to the high-ranking officials with a salary of over 1,000 shi (a unit of grain measure). Instead, he focused his attention on the grassroots positions below 1,000 shi and assigned his disciples to these positions on a large scale.

Even outside of Luoyang, in the Sanhe region, the Sanfu region, and the local government offices in Yuzhou, Yanzhou, Qingzhou, and Jizhou, wherever there were former officials or students of the Yuan family holding positions, there were also many disciples and students arranged by Yuan Shu to fill the lower-level positions, making his influence pervasive throughout the country.

So when the party members returned to the Luoyang court and wanted to rebuild their political base and network, they were surprised to find that almost all the lower-level positions were already filled, except for the higher-ranking official positions they could hold.

They were all Yuan Shu's disciples and students, members of the Yixin Society.

Many students from Luoyang and the surrounding areas also chose to join Yuan Shu, further expanding the number of people in Yuan Shu's group. The number of people in Zhixing Academy alone had caught up with the number of people in Taixue.

Therefore, Yuan Shu has an extremely high demand for grassroots positions, and there are almost no positions available for others.

Therefore, the Luoyang court was controlled by Yuan Feng on the surface, while Yuan Shu held the real power.

At first, no one realized this, but once they did, they panicked. They began to realize that Yuan Shu's ambition was too great; he was aiming to conquer the entire world, and they simply couldn't handle it.

As Yuan Shao finished speaking, Yuan Ji's eyes widened even further.

In the end, he couldn't help but slam his fist on the table and stand up.

"This is impossible! How...how could he have done this? Where did he get the audacity and skill to do this? How could he have so many people serving him? I am the eldest son of the Yuan family! Not him! Everyone in the world knows this!!"

The words spoken by Yuan Ji were somewhat ironic and comical, carrying a hint of impotent rage.

Unfortunately, Yuan Shao had no right to mock his elder brother, because when Chen Xiang explained the intricacies of the matter to him, he was so shocked that he couldn't sleep all night and couldn't eat anything the next morning. He inexplicably began to wonder, "Can I really compete with Yuan Shu?"

Unfortunately, this fact was too difficult for Yuan Shao and Yuan Ji to accept.

Yuan Shu started too early, acted too quickly, and was too ruthless. Yuan Shao had only been an official for a short time, and Yuan Ji was still serving as a prefect and hadn't accumulated enough experience. Neither of them had had time to build up their power in Luoyang when suddenly someone told them—

You're too late! All the positions with potential have already been taken by your younger brother!

Yuan Shu occupied the vast majority of grassroots positions, which meant he monopolized most of the promotion channels. Taking advantage of the opportunity presented by the downfall of the eunuchs and the early return of the party members before they had a firm foothold, Yuan Shu seized the initiative and took over too many promising but inconspicuous positions.

It was precisely because he mostly chose positions that he went unnoticed, and by the time people finally noticed him, it was too late.

Yuan Shu and his Yixin Society have already established themselves in Luoyang and even in several prefectures and counties, and have begun to take root and grow into a truly powerful group belonging to one person that no other power group can ignore or underestimate.

This group also possesses extremely strong offensive capabilities and a high potential for growth, which is surprising and even a little frightening.

No one knows the extent of Yuan Shu's wisdom, nor how far he has already planned.

Many people even gave up on exploring Yuan Shu's work patterns and his next plan, and instead focused their attention on themselves, trying to find a way out from within themselves.

Chen Xiang thought this way and shared it with Yuan Shao. As a result, Yuan Shao gradually recovered from his shock and found a way forward. Now, Yuan Shao also wants to share this way of thinking with Yuan Ji and bring Yuan Ji into the group.

Yuan Shu single-handedly built a group, but after the group was established, he was no longer alone, and it was no longer possible to deal with him alone.

Therefore, those who did not want to live a life of idleness and uncertainty under Yuan Shu's command also formed a group to fight against him.

The best candidate to lead, or rather, the nominal leader of this group, was Yuan Ji.

As Yuan Feng's eldest son, he inherently possesses the legitimate right to inherit the throne.

He is also the only known individual who could potentially challenge Yuan Shu's position as his successor.

(End of this chapter)