I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 357 The traitor
Yuan Ji stood up angrily, unleashing all the anger and resentment that had been building up in his heart for so long.

"Impossible! I will never relinquish my destiny! This is my destiny! I will not hand it over to anyone! Never! Zijia wants it, does he? Father wants to obtain it for Zijia, does he? Then kill me! Then kill me!"

Yuan Ji opened his arms to Yuan Feng and roared, "Father, please pierce my chest with your sword! Take my life! Only then will the Mandate of Heaven shift! Otherwise, this Mandate of Heaven will forever remain my Mandate of Heaven! It will forever be Yuan Ji's Mandate of Heaven! No one can take it away from me!"

Looking at Yuan Ji's somewhat mad appearance, Yuan Feng felt helpless, angry, and annoyed.

Destiny! Destiny! Destiny!

Destiny is bullshit!
The Mandate of Heaven is just a tool to fool people!
If there truly was a divine mandate, would Liu Hong still have been deposed by their mutiny?

If there truly was a divine mandate, would Liu Kui have been sidelined and imprisoned for five years without being able to speak out?

They are emperors, sons of heaven, sons of God!

If they truly have a destiny, how could they be suppressed by their subjects to the point of being unable to rise up?

Or is it that destiny has already been decided by the Yuan family?
That's not right. The Mandate of Heaven belongs to the emperor, and both Liu Hong and Liu Kui were emperors!
Isn't that a contradiction?

So there is no such thing as the Mandate of Heaven at all; it was all fabricated by scholars to fool the people and help the dynasty consolidate its power!

You could fool the common folk, but why did you, Yuan Ji, believe it all?

Has he really become stupid from reading too much?
We really can't pass the position to you, otherwise you won't even last three to five years, and the entire Yuan family will be ruined in your hands!
Enraged, Yuan Feng stood up, walked up to Yuan Ji, and slapped him across the face.

There was a crisp snap.

The slap made Yuan Ji stagger, almost losing his balance. He then covered his face and turned around, looking at Yuan Feng with disbelief, as if questioning why Yuan Feng had hit him.

"Is this how you speak to your father? You unfilial son!"

The moment the words "unfilial son" were uttered, Yuan Ji felt a chill in his heart. All the resentment and anger in his heart were instantly cooled down, and he could no longer muster any strength.

He suddenly realized that he was facing his father, his biological father.

He is someone who has complete control over his future.

Yes, he is indeed the eldest son of the legitimate wife. This status was bestowed upon him by the law and etiquette, not by his father. No one, including his father, can change his status as the eldest son of the legitimate wife.

Unless he dies, commits treason, or is extremely unfilial, the significance of his identity will not be affected.

He is not dead now.

He did not plot a rebellion.

The problem lies in the third point.

That is extremely unfilial.

Unfilial!

The concept of filial piety has crushed the backbone of countless heroes throughout history, and has also become a shield for countless unscrupulous villains.

Of course, it could also become a heavy burden that crushed Yuan Ji.

Yuan Feng could not change the fact that Yuan Ji was the eldest son of the legitimate wife, but whether Yuan Ji was a filial son was up to Yuan Feng to decide.

Whether Yuan Ji could inherit the family business was very, very, very important to him as to whether he was a filial son.

Or rather, it's a decisive relationship.

So Yuan Ji backed down.

He bent his knees and knelt on the ground.

“Father…I was wrong, I was wrong! I shouldn’t have been disrespectful to you! I was wrong, I was really wrong! Please…please don’t blame me…I…I didn’t mean to…”

He was filled with terror and regret, and knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Yuan Feng sighed deeply, not even glancing at Yuan Ji.

He was so arrogant just now, and now he's so humble. Didn't he realize before that he, as his father, held his lifeline in his hands?
Does he, as the father, have to explain things so clearly for him to understand?
Not only stupid, but also foolish; not only foolish, but also a bit wicked.

Yuan Feng discovered that in just a short while, his impression of his son Yuan Ji plummeted, almost to the point of disgust.

The last vestige of fatherly love will vanish with his foolish act.

Is he really my son?
How could my son be so incompetent, arrogant at first and obsequious at second?

So Yuan Feng went back to his seat and sat down on the cushion again.

"That's all I have to say as your father. I'll give you three days to think it over. If you can explain this matter clearly yourself and step down to a more worthy person, you can at least earn a reputation for brotherly love and harmony. In the future, Zijia will also compensate you, ensuring you a life of wealth and a peaceful old age."

But if you are ungrateful and insist on doing things beyond your capabilities, then I can only make this clear to you: this is my final decision, and there will be no change. No one can sway it. This is my last piece of advice to you.

After saying that, Yuan Feng picked up his pen and began to deal with the mountain of official business.

He's very busy right now, extremely busy. There are so many things he needs to handle, especially now that Liu Kui has just died and Liu Li has just ascended the throne. There are so many things to do, so many things to worry about, it's incredibly frustrating. He finally managed to squeeze out some time to advise Yuan Ji, but instead, he ended up getting really angry himself.

He didn't want to talk to Yuan Ji anymore, feeling that saying another word would be a waste of time and life.

Yuan Ji lay paralyzed on the ground for a very long time. During this time, Yuan Feng was busy with official business and ignored him.

When he had some matters to attend to at the Ministry of Justice, Yuan Fengcai stood up and walked out, ignoring Yuan Ji, who was still slumped on the ground.

When Yuan Ji finally realized that Yuan Feng's fatherly love had been completely exhausted, he stood up with a heart full of despair and walked out like a walking corpse. When he left the gate of the Ministry of Personnel, he even startled Jia Xu, who was walking in from outside the gate.

Yuan Ji's deathly face and expression really surprised him.

However, Yuan Ji clearly did not notice Jia Xu. He walked straight past him, and it was only after Jia Xu made way for him that he slowly left, his back view lonely and desolate.

After observing for a while, Jia Xu suddenly realized that Yuan Ji's appearance must be related to Yuan Feng. It was possible that Yuan Feng had already informed Yuan Ji of his intention to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger.

Yuan Ji argued his case with reason but to no avail, and his heart was filled with despair, which is why he looked like this.

Indeed, no one would have an easy time in this situation, and anyone would be devastated for a while, but for Yuan Ji, the blow was probably even greater.

Over the years, he had gone to great lengths to befriend party members and build his own power network, only to be brought down to ruin by a single sentence from Yuan Feng.

All his arrangements and friendships must be based on his status as the heir of the Yuan family. Without this foundation, if the future heir becomes Yuan Shu, then most of the people around him will leave him.

If things were to come to that point, would Yuan Ji obediently accept the established facts and refrain from causing trouble?

Jia Xu thought it was unlikely.

Even if Yuan Ji's heart is broken, those who are close to him will not give up.

Jia Xu's idea was similar to Cheng Li's.

After resolving Yuan Ji's matter, Yuan Feng went to the Office of Transmission to handle some government affairs. When he had almost finished, he saw Cheng Li hurrying in from outside. Yuan Feng called Cheng Li over and took him to his office.

As soon as the door closed, Yuan Feng told Cheng Li what had just happened.

"I've said what I should and shouldn't have said. Although I really dislike Ji, I also feel quite reluctant as a father. I really can't bear to see what happens next. Zhongde, I'll leave the rest to you."

If everything goes smoothly, that would be best. But if any problems arise, and that rebellious son decides to take action, you must respond accordingly. Whatever needs to be done, tell me, and I will cooperate. I have only one request: spare his life.

Cheng Li knew that this was indeed a bit cruel for Yuan Feng, his father, so he nodded and agreed to this special "job".

If Yuan Ji honestly follows Yuan Feng's request and voluntarily relinquishes his position as heir, then everyone will be happy.

If Yuan Ji is unwilling to accept this and wants to cause trouble, or if he has any plans to use a feint to his advantage, then Cheng Li must take on Yuan Feng's responsibility to deal with him forcefully and strike hard against Yuan Ji.

Those who help him will all die; in the end, Yuan Ji may be the only one to survive…

Thinking of this, Cheng Li suddenly offered a suggestion to Yuan Feng.

"Lord Yuan, not to mention Grand Master Yuan, Yuan Changshui and Grand Master Yuan are very close and often interact. If he also decides to help Grand Master Yuan, then he..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Feng frowned.

"I remember telling him before not to get involved in this matter and not to get too close to Ji. What, didn't he listen?"

Whether you listen or not, it won't affect what decision Yuan Changshui ultimately makes.

Cheng Li shook his head and said, "If that's the case, what do you think should be done with Yuan Changshui? He is the Commandant of Changshui and has military power."

Yuan Feng lowered his head and thought for a while.

After a short while, he sighed softly.

"It's the same as before, try to spare his life. He is my own son. No matter how rebellious he is, how can a father kill his own son with his own hands?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Li bowed respectfully.

"I understand. From now on, I will closely monitor the movements of the two young masters and the group of party members. If I discover anything, I will act as soon as possible to nip the trouble in the bud and do my best to ensure the stability of Luoyang."

As for the opinions of the court and the public, as well as the Yuan clan, regarding your decision to depose the eldest son and establish a younger one in favor of the younger, and the potential opposition, these are matters that you will need to resolve yourself. This is beyond my jurisdiction, and I ask for your understanding, Lord Yuan.”

Yuan Feng waved his hand.

"These things are naturally my responsibility. You just need to do your job well, and I will take care of the rest."

"Here!"

Cheng Li accepted Yuan Feng's order.

After leaving the Office of Transmission, Yuan Feng hesitated for a moment before riding his horse to the residence of the Minister of Works, where he met with Yuan Wei and told him everything that had happened.

(End of this chapter)