I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 358 Yuan Shao is completely baffled

Yuan Feng was somewhat upset about what had happened, and he told Yuan Wei that he also wanted someone to confide in.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wei didn't feel there was anything wrong with it; on the contrary, he felt that Yuan Feng had done the right thing.

“Brother, I have long advised you to do this. It is better to do it sooner rather than later. While you are still full of energy, suppress all dissenting voices. The better the situation will be for Shu in the future. If we delay until we have no other choice, it may be too late!”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Feng could only manage a wry smile.

"Is it too early or too late now?"

Yuan Wei smiled.

"Not too early, not too late, just right."

"Ugh……"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Feng sighed deeply and said, "As the head of the family, clan leader, and Minister of Works, I believe that what I did was right, so I don't feel there's anything wrong with it. But as a father, I feel somewhat guilty about what I did."

As for Ji and Shao, I feel I still owe them something. I have indeed fallen short in some ways, but their talents are simply not up to the task. The future of the Yuan family needs Zijia, not them..."

Looking at Yuan Feng's distressed expression, Yuan Wei couldn't help but sigh.

Putting myself in his shoes, if this happened to him, he probably wouldn't be able to handle it either.

They are both sons, and Yuan Ji and Yuan Shu are brothers born of the same mother. They are both flesh and blood. Even if their talents are very different, how can a father not consider them?
However, the role of father in Yuan Feng's life only accounts for a small part of his overall identity; his other identities should be considered the larger part.

Therefore, Yuan Wei gently advised Yuan Feng.

“Brother, you are only the father of three people, but the head of the family, clan leader, and Minister of Works for millions. For the long term, your decision is correct, and I fully support your decision. Zijia is far more outstanding than Ji and Shao. It is only natural that you chose him.”

Moreover, given the current situation, the Yuan family is in a precarious position. Only a sufficiently capable person can succeed you in your position to maintain the Yuan family's rule. If anyone else is appointed, the Yuan family may face annihilation.

These words naturally reflected Yuan Wei's true feelings, and also represented a view that Yuan Wei had always adhered to.

However, he could somewhat understand the distress in his elder brother's heart, so he offered words of advice, hoping to make Yuan Feng feel a little better.

Yuan Feng didn't dwell on it too much. He could tell right from wrong, but he was worried that Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao wouldn't let the matter rest.

"Leaving aside Ji, Shao is now serving as the Commandant of Changshui, holding a portion of the military power, and has always been at odds with Zijia. I am very worried that he might do something rash. I really don't want to come to the point of fighting with them."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Wei frowned.

"Brother, are you worried that Shaohui might do something drastic? Are you worried that Shaohui will lead his troops to do something disrespectful and treacherous?"

Yuan Feng remained silent for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh and pointed to himself.

“I have done it before, so is it strange that I have this concern? As a father, I have failed to set a good example, but instead, I have demonstrated this last resort to my offspring. Ciyang, if Ji or Shaowan did the same thing, how could I reprimand them?”

Yuan Wei was at a loss for words.

If we're talking about being disloyal and rebellious, then Yuan Feng and his son Yuan Shu are the least qualified to say such things. From a traditional perspective, they are the epitome of traitors and rebels. If they don't ultimately emerge victorious, they will certainly be condemned to the pillar of historical shame.

Therefore, it is not incomprehensible that Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao followed suit.

However, if this were to happen, it would have a significant negative impact on the Yuan family's current ruling position and on Yuan Shucheng's status as the successor.

Those party members who have long been dissatisfied with Yuan's rule, and those equally discontented traitors, are very likely to rise up and rebel together, which would greatly damage the stable situation.

Yuan Feng clearly didn't want this to happen.

But he himself was unable to take action.

and so……

Yuan Wei understood somewhat.

He cautiously approached Yuan Feng and whispered, "Brother, do you want me to step in and persuade Ji and Shao not to act recklessly? Or perhaps..."

Yuan Feng lowered his head and remained silent for a moment, then raised his head and looked at Yuan Wei with a strange expression.

"Ciyang, we've been brothers for so many years, this is the first time I've ever asked you for a favor. Could you... help me persuade Ji and Shao not to do anything reckless?"

Seeing his brother like this, Yuan Wei was filled with endless emotions.

After a short while, he nodded.

“Since you have a request, how can I refuse? Leave the matter of Ji and Shao to me. I will do my best to persuade them not to act recklessly. If…” Yuan Wei paused, looked at Yuan Feng, and did not make a definitive statement. Instead, he slowly said, “If anything unforeseen happens, I will do my best to protect their lives. At worst, I will let them go and keep Yuan She company. That way, you won’t have any regrets.”

Yuan Feng then slowly closed his eyes, let out another long sigh, and said nothing more.

Then, one day before the deadline, Yuan Wei arrived at the Northern Army camp with Yuan Feng's order, dismissed Xu Cun, the Changshui Sima and a confidant of Yuan Shao, and imprisoned him.

He then appointed his confidant, Dong Zhuo's nephew Dong Huang, as the Commandant of Changshui, and led 801 Changshui cavalrymen to Huayin County, Hongnong Army, to suppress bandits. This directly bypassed Yuan Shao, who was serving as the Commandant of Changshui, and quietly dismantled Yuan Shao's military forces.

When Yuan Shao learned of this and rushed to the military camp, he found only Yuan Wei sitting upright in the main tent.

Yuan Shao was clearly at a loss for what to do in the face of this unexpected situation.

He could only step forward and pay his respects to Yuan Wei.

“I was unaware of your arrival, Uncle, and have not come to pay my respects. Please forgive me, Uncle.”

Yuan Wei didn't speak, but just stared at Yuan Shao, making Yuan Shao's scalp tingle. He could only ask further questions.

"May I ask why you have come here, Uncle? And why have you sent the Changshui Battalion out to suppress the bandits? If there is a mission to suppress bandits, shouldn't your nephew lead the troops there?"

"You're being sent?"

Yuan Wei sneered, then said coldly, "I sent you to lead troops to suppress the bandits, but I wonder if you're suppressing the bandits of Huayin or the bandits of Luoyang!"

Upon hearing Yuan Wei's words, Yuan Shao's pupils contracted, and an immense sense of fear gripped his heart. He immediately lost his balance and knelt down, kowtowing to Yuan Wei.

"Uncle, what makes you say that? I am terrified!"

Yuan Shao's words did make some sense, because he indeed did not give any orders to the Changshui Camp regarding "suppressing bandits" in Luoyang.

However, this statement is not entirely reasonable, because Yuan Shao did indeed have such an idea and was discussing with Yuan Ji, Xu You, Chen Xiang, and others whether or not to actually do it.

What terrified him was that before he could make a decision, Yuan Wei quietly stripped him of his military power, which meant that his plan was doomed to fail.
What exactly is going on?

Did someone leak the information?
Yuan Shao was completely baffled.

He began to try to sort out his thoughts and find the reason, but no matter how he thought about it, he couldn't figure out where he had made a mistake.

Yesterday, after Yuan Ji returned to his residence, he sought out Yuan Shao and told him what had happened during the day. He cried, scolded, and cursed. If his curse had come true, Yuan Shu would probably have been struck by lightning and turned to dust by now.

As Yuan Ji lamented, Yuan Shao's heart sank further. He realized that Yuan Feng had made the decision to depose the eldest son and establish the younger one in favor of the younger. If they sat idly by and accepted it directly, Yuan Feng would announce Yuan Shu as his successor three days later, and Yuan Ji would completely lose any chance of inheriting the throne.

In this way, their most powerful weapon will become completely ineffective, and Yuan Ji will turn from a tactical nuclear weapon into a rusty pair of scissors, utterly useless.

Yuan Shao would also face the fate of Yuan Shu ascending to the top and seizing power, which would be more painful for Yuan Shao than death.

He couldn't stand it.

After agonizing for an hour, he finally made up his mind and told Yuan Ji his suggestion.

He commanded over 800 men in the Changshui Camp, and Yuan Ji, as the Grand Master of the Palace, had over 40 guards. Each of them also had over 100 armed retainers in their respective residences, bringing the total to nearly 1,000 men.

These thousand people can be used as inside agents.

As for external aid, we will need to utilize the power of the party members.

The group of party members led by Chen Xiang, who were close to the two brothers, each had their own base of influence inside and outside Luoyang City. They had servants in their households, and they could accomplish great things if they gathered together.

Furthermore, in terms of specific measures, Yuan Shao even proposed to refer to the successful experience of Yuan Feng and Yuan Shu when they caused trouble, to seize the city gates, blockade Luoyang, and then rush into the palace to control Yuan Feng, force him to hand over his military power, and thus control the entire Luoyang.

Yuan Ji hesitated when faced with this suggestion.

Yuan Feng is his father. What he did was threatening and coercing his father. If this really happened, wouldn't he be the number one unfilial son?

How can someone who is not filial to his parents rule the whole world?
Yuan Shao, however, paid no attention to this.

“Brother, things have come to this point, do you still care about filial piety? If we really want to talk about it, the Yuan family’s current status is not something that they obtained through common sense. It was obtained by killing the eunuchs and deposing the emperor!”

Over the years, people have been saying that we, the Yuan family, are treacherous villains who have no emperor or father and rebel against the emperor. It's just that the voices are not loud and cannot become a threat. They have done such things themselves, yet they expect us, their descendants, to do nothing. Is that reasonable?

Not to mention that in just a few days, your status as the eldest son will be meaningless! At that time, Zijia will be the heir to the Yuan family, and you, including myself, will be forever suppressed under Zijia's shadow. Is that something you're willing to accept?

(End of this chapter)