I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 322 Willing to serve the young master to the death

Yuan Shu had given this matter considerable thought.

Women need comforting, but his own kidneys also need comforting, so he sets aside ten days each month for himself, both to sleep side-by-side with his subordinates and to exchange feelings, and also to give his body time to recover.

You can't party every night; even the strongest body can't withstand that.

He's young, and his recklessness will only last a few months. After he goes north to Bingzhou, the women obviously can't go with him to such a dangerous place, at least not at first. They'll naturally not see each other for a year or so, so there's no need to worry about them not having time to recuperate.

While I'm still in Luoyang, I'll work hard as much as I can, which will be a way to make up for the temporary separation later.

Keep it up, my healthy eighteen-year-old body!
Give it your all!
Later that evening, Yuan Shu practiced martial arts for a while as usual, took a bath, and then prepared to implement the first rule of the Yuan family: tonight he would accompany Du Ning and Du Yue for another exhilarating battle.

For the next three days, Yuan Shu followed the first rule of the Yuan family, having the two groups take turns doing it twice, for a total of four times. Then, feeling that he needed to rest, he decided to go to the military camp on the fifth day and spend the night there.

Afterwards, we spent the night in Liangzhuang.

Two days of rest and recuperation, followed by another round of the first four rules of the Yuan family, this arrangement is not bad. The body of the 18-year-old muscular young man can still withstand it!

After two days in the military camp and Liangzhuang, Yuan Shu, having spent time with the man outside, returned to his home in Luoyang. He was greeted by the five members of the Yuan family's female group, their eyes filled with longing and tenderness. Looking at their yearning and loving eyes, Yuan Shu felt a bittersweet mix of pain and joy.

Having just returned from outside, Yuan Shu naturally needed to take a shower. He washed himself clean without anyone accompanying him, then enjoyed a relaxing bath in the hot spring, savoring the pleasure of soaking and unwinding.

Just as they stepped out of the bathhouse, someone came to report that Cheng Li was requesting an audience.

It was so late, and Cheng Li still came to see me, which shows that this matter was no small thing.

At least Cheng Li had never come to his house that late before.

Yuan Shu immediately changed into casual clothes and left the inner courtyard to meet Cheng Li in his study.

Cheng Li came here to reply to Yuan Shu about the matter Yuan Shu had asked him to investigate, which concerned Yuan Shao and Yuan Ji.

"The matter you asked me to handle is quite difficult to investigate. During that period, there were too many people traveling between the Sikong Mansion, the Hou General Mansion, and Luoyang. Your two elder brothers had conversations with many people, and the specific details are really unknown. Moreover, there was no one specifically monitoring your two elder brothers before, so this matter may be difficult to investigate further. However, this investigation is not without its gains."

"What's the catch?"

“Our spies have heard some rumors.”

Cheng Li lowered his eyes and said in a low voice, "Previously, Yuan Sikong expressed his hope that you could succeed him on many occasions. However, it seems that some officials and famous scholars believe that deposing the eldest son and establishing the youngest son is always a way to bring disaster. You are not Yuan Sikong's eldest son, so you should not be the candidate for the future head of the Yuan family."

They believe that your elder brother Yuan Ji, as the eldest son of Yuan Sikong, should rightfully inherit the position of head of the Yuan family and the title of Marquis of Anguo. You yourself have a title and a position, and you have everything you should have. You should not covet the family business that rightfully belongs to the eldest son. If Yuan Sikong chooses you as his successor, it will have a negative impact on the world.

If everyone in the world follows suit and manipulates the practice of deposing the eldest son and establishing the youngest, then the world will likely be without order, and everyone will harbor rebellious thoughts, leading to endless troubles. They also said that the Spring and Autumn Annals states, "A king should not establish his favorite son as heir," and as the one who holds the reins of power, Yuan Sikong should be even less likely to knowingly violate this rule.

Yuan Shu listened quietly, his expression not changing much.

He simply nodded.

"This situation was within my expectations, and I'm not surprised. However, the fact that these two things happened at the same time makes me worry. Is there any connection between my good brother and these insects?"

Cheng Li was curious upon hearing this.

"What happened between you and your brother?" Yuan Shu nodded and told Cheng Li about Yuan Ji's inexplicable condescending remarks and how Yuan Shao had hurriedly pulled him away.

“I found it strange at the time. I didn’t have a very good relationship with either of them. I was quite indifferent to my elder brother and my relationship with my younger brother was even worse. Something was definitely wrong. I was really worried, so I asked you to investigate. As it turned out, you did find something.”

Cheng Li remained silent for a moment, having some thoughts in mind, but he didn't know how to express them, or whether he should. He looked up at Yuan Shu, wanting to speak, but not daring to.

Yuan Shu glanced at Cheng Li and saw that he seemed to have something to say but couldn't. He guessed what was going on and said, "Zhongde, is there something you want to say? Just say it. There's nothing between us that we can't talk about."

Cheng Li felt a warmth in his heart and quickly made up his mind, so he bowed deeply to Yuan Shu.

"Since you treat me so well, I am willing to serve you to the death. So there are some things I feel I should say. I don't know much about your childhood, but since your two elder brothers have a distant relationship with you, it is conceivable that they do not truly consider you as family. They must have other thoughts about you."

Leaving aside Gongzi Shao, Gongzi Ji, as the eldest son and the rightful heir to Yuan Sikong, could not possibly be without concerns about the fact that the young master is tacitly considered Yuan Sikong's successor. If you and Gongzi Ji had a very close relationship, there might be other possibilities, but given the indifference in your relationship, it is almost impossible for Gongzi Ji not to be angry about it.

In the past, you were not yet an adult and did not establish your own residence, and Prince Ji was not in Luoyang, so it may not have had a great impact. But now that you have come of age and established your own residence, while Prince Ji will be transferred back to Luoyang after one year of his term as prefect, and it is said that he will be appointed as one of the Nine Ministers and stationed in Luoyang. In this situation, will Prince Ji not have any thoughts?
More importantly, when Prince Ji returns, you will have already gone north to Bingzhou to attack the Xianbei. At that time, you will not be in Luoyang, but Prince Ji will have returned and be spending time with Yuan Sikong. As the eldest son of Prince Ji, and with the combined efforts of many scheming people, this poses a great risk to you. I sincerely hope that you will realize this in time and take countermeasures as soon as possible!

Cheng Li's words were truly from the bottom of his heart; he wouldn't have given such advice if their relationship hadn't reached that point.

Therefore, Yuan Shu was impressed by Cheng Li's loyalty, but also by the complexity and difficulties of family affairs in wealthy families.

With this thought in mind, Yuan Shu sighed, walked over to Cheng Li, took his hand, and sat down next to him.

“Zhongde, you have been open with me, and I have been honest with you as well. I have not considered the matter of my elder brother. You know my will. I will definitely become my father’s successor and take control of the government. I will not allow anyone else to overstep their bounds unless I die. I went north to Bingzhou to make this matter a clean break and to ensure that no one in the world dares to oppose me.”

I don't ask them to acknowledge that it's reasonable for the second son to replace the eldest son. What I want is that when I take his place, apart from those who are too close to their elder brother and a few fools, no one else in the world will stand by him. What I want is for them to accept this situation naturally, instead of using the pretext of deposing the eldest son and establishing the younger son to make things difficult for me every day.

"But you're right. I'm going north to Bingzhou and won't be in Luoyang, but my elder brother is returning to Luoyang to take up a high-ranking position, spending every day with our father. It's hard to say that this won't affect the relationship and trust between us. This is something we really have to be careful about. So, Zhongde, your duties as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review are very important. You have to help me out."

Cheng Li was taken aback for a moment, then immediately became excited.

"If you, my lord, have any use for me, I will gladly die a thousand deaths!"

"I don't want you to die, I can't bear to see you die, you must live well!"

Yuan Shu smiled and patted Cheng Li's hand, then whispered, "You wield a lot of power in the Ministry of Justice, so after I go north, I will often write to my father. Every time you receive a letter from me, you must personally deliver it to him as soon as possible, and then arrange for a reliable person to safely deliver my father's reply to me. There must be no mistakes!"
I am not in Luoyang, but as long as communication continues, I can still maintain contact with my father. Therefore, I don't need to worry too much about our relationship growing distant. This channel is crucial; you must personally manage it and not let anyone else interfere. Remember this.

Cheng Li immediately understood Yuan Shu's plan.

"I will obey your orders, young master! I will not allow anyone to interfere in this matter!"

"Well, I believe you."

Yuan Shu patted Cheng Li's hand and said, "Also, starting today, you need to keep an eye on those people who say that abolishing the eldest son and establishing the youngest is a way to bring disaster. If you find one, you need to write down their name, compile it into a plan, and then send someone to keep an eye on them, see how they interact with others, and be wary of any conspiracies they might have."

Especially after my elder brother returned to Luoyang to take up his post, he would immediately inform me whenever he had any dealings with people on these lists. He would say, "If you handle things well, we can control this whole group. And if we absolutely must resort to drastic measures in the end, we can wipe them all out, leaving no one alive!"

Cheng Li was deeply moved by Yuan Shu's words. He was overjoyed that his suggestion had been adopted, so he knelt down directly in front of Yuan Shu.

"Your trust in me is deeply appreciated! I am willing to serve you to the death!"

(End of this chapter)