The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 73 The Gap Between Ju Shou and Zhuge Liang, and Liu Bei's Heroic Spirit
As expected of Xu Shu, who could befriend Zhuge Liang, he immediately turned Ju Shou into a tool in Cao Cao's hands, and the person who needed to prove himself changed from Liu Bei alone to both Liu Bei and Ju Shou.

Ju Shou asked Liu Bei to prove he had no ulterior motives, while Xu Shu asked Ju Shou to prove he wasn't Cao Cao's spies. His piercing eyes stared at Ju Shou as if to say: Come on, let's hurt each other!

A slight smile appeared on Liu Bei's lips; Xu Shu's verbal retort was exactly what Liu Bei wanted to hear.

Who are you?

Ju Shou frowned involuntarily.

As Yuan Shao's most core strategist and a renowned scholar from Hebei known for his wisdom, his deliberate rhetoric against Liu Bei was easily countered by a "follower" who seemed neither a Confucian nor a knight-errant.
Xu Shu bowed slightly, a half-smile on his face: "I am merely a lowly retainer under General Zuo, my name is humble and I dare not offend Supervisor Ju's ears."

Ju Shou's brows furrowed even more.

The more Xu Shu belittled himself, the more passive Ju Shou became.

A renowned scholar debating with a humble disciple is considered a matter of course if he wins, but a great disgrace if he loses.

"Since you dare not reveal your name, then say no more!" Ju Shou's tone was filled with shame and anger. I came here to advise the general, not to debate with a lowly retainer.

Xin Ping, who was watching the drama unfold, added sarcastically, "Even the Great General treats his subordinates with respect, yet Supervisor Ju, as the supervisor, repeatedly berates our distinguished guest. What a show of power he has!"

Ju Shou was already feeling ashamed and annoyed by Xu Shu's self-deprecation, and now, after being mocked by Xin Ping, he was even more furious: "Xin Ping, stop trying to sow discord. Everything I did was for the sake of the General."

Xin Ping sneered: "Me, sowing discord? Ju Shou, you think you can fool the General by pretending to be the thief and crying 'stop thief'? You underestimate the General's wisdom."

"In order to slander the Grand General, Cao Cao spread rumors in Xuchang that Han Fu's death was actually at the Grand General's behest; Ju Jianjun had once served as Han Fu's advisor and adhered to the principle that a subject should die for his lord. Could it be that he wanted to use someone else to kill Han Fu and avenge his former master?"

Han Fu ostensibly committed suicide by hiding in the toilet, but in reality, he was murdered through Yuan Shao's meticulous schemes.
First, he tricked Han Fu into establishing Liu Yu as emperor, thus damaging Han Fu's reputation as a loyal minister; then he tricked Gongsun Zan into leading troops to attack Han Fu, causing Han Fu to voluntarily cede Ji Province; next, he appointed Zhu Han, who had a grudge against Han Fu, as the chief official, and broke Han Fu's son's leg; finally, he deliberately had an envoy whisper in Han Fu's ear, causing Han Fu to be so frightened that he committed suicide.

After Han Fu's death, rumors circulated in Ji Province that Yuan Shao was behind Han Fu's death.

Yuan Shao was already annoyed by Ju Shou's obstruction and trouble-making, and when he heard Xin Ping mention Han Fu, his eyes immediately turned gloomy.

Ju Shou was furious with Xin Ping. He used the phrase "a subject should die for his lord" to make Liu Bei prove himself, but Xin Ping turned the tables on him.

"If you want to find fault, you can always find a reason. Xin Ping, stop making trouble!" Ju Shou suppressed his anger, not wanting to argue too much with Xin Ping in front of Liu Bei.

Xin Ping, however, did not intend to let go of the opportunity to suppress Ju Shou, and directly revealed the words that the spy had learned: "The General not only does not reflect on his mistakes, but also personally leads troops to welcome Liu Bei. How foolish he is!"

“Xin Ping, you—” Ju Shou was both shocked and furious.

What shocked me was that Xin Ping had actually planted spies right under my nose, and what angered me was that Xin Ping had publicly revealed this.

Would someone who claims "all my actions are for the sake of the Great General" criticize Yuan Shao as foolish?
Yuan Shao laughed in anger: "Supervisor Ju, I respect you as a renowned scholar, which is why I have tolerated you time and time again, but you are far too ignorant of your place."

Ju Shou hurriedly defended himself: "General, you have shown me great favor. How could I dare to be disrespectful to you? It is all because of that treacherous Xin Ping who has repeatedly sown discord. I beg you, General, to see the truth!"

Yuan Shao sternly rebuked, "Ju Shou, how dare you! I have never taken offense at your usual squabbles with others, but now you have gone even further and show no remorse! Do you really think that you are the only loyal one in the world, and everyone else is a villain? If you dare to speak nonsense again, don't blame me for not showing any mercy!" His angry rebuke left Ju Shou with the rest of his words stuck in his throat.

Looking at Yuan Shao's murderous expression, then at Liu Bei who remained calm and composed, and Xin Ping's smug, petty smile, Ju Shou once again felt empathy for Fan Zeng.

Those above are filled with ambition, those below are focused on their achievements; the Yellow River flows on and on, how can it dispel their worries?

For a moment, Ju Shou's heart was filled with frustration.

Yuan Shao ignored Ju Shou and turned to Liu Bei, bowing awkwardly and saying, "I have failed to manage my subordinates properly, and I apologize for making you laugh, Xuande."

Instead of taking advantage of Ju Shou's misfortune, Liu Bei spoke up for him, saying, "Since ancient times, honest advice has been hard to hear. Although Supervisor Ju's words are unpleasant to hear, he is certainly loyal to the General."

Yuan Shao felt pleased to hear this and said, "I also know that Ju Shou is loyal, so I have never held it against him." He then shouted at Ju Shou, "Xuan De repays evil with kindness, he is an honest gentleman, how could he have any ulterior motives?"

Finished.

Yuan Shao ignored Ju Shou and instead took Liu Bei to observe the camp, intending to use the prestige of the 100,000 infantry and cavalry in the camp to cover up the embarrassing situation of his lax management of his subordinates.

Watching Liu Bei leave with Yuan Shao, Ju Shou's mood became even heavier: Liu Bei is so cunning, he will surely become a great threat in the long run; it is hateful that Xin Ping, that foolish villain, argued with me in public and ruined my great plan!

The conflict between Xin Ping and Ju Shou can be seen as a personal feud on a small scale, but on a larger scale, it represents a geographical feud between scholars from Yingchuan and Hebei.

Unlike Zhuge Liang, who was adept at winning over scholars from different factions, Ju Shou offended scholars from Yingchuan and Hebei.

Historical records state that after Li Yan was demoted to a commoner and exiled to Zitong by Zhuge Liang, he harbored no resentment towards Zhuge Liang nor colluded with outsiders. On the contrary, he often hoped that Zhuge Liang would reinstate him.

The difference between the two is evident.

Compared to the depressed Ju Shou, Xin Ping was extremely happy.

In the past, Xin Ping was always suppressed by Ju Shou and could not breathe, but today he finally got his chance to speak up.

Taking advantage of the moment, Xin Ping then instructed his son, Xin Zhe: "As a subordinate, one must be good at reading between the lines and possess genuine talent. One must be able to understand the worries of one's superior and also resolve those worries for them. My son, you must remember this well!"

Xin Zhe was inexperienced in the ways of the world and this was the first time he had witnessed such a scene. The shock was so great that he appeared somewhat dull and slow-witted: "The General ordered me to obey the orders of the Left General. Should I then try to understand the Left General's worries and resolve them for him?"

Xin Ping's smile vanished abruptly.

Is this what I meant?
Taking a deep breath, Xin Ping earnestly corrected Xin Zhe's misunderstanding: "My son, the Left General is also a subordinate of the Grand General."

Xin Zhe thought for a moment and came to a new understanding: "So that's how it is. The Left General figured out the General's worries, so he led the troops to attack Cao Cao for the General; if I can solve the Left General's worries, it will be the same as solving the General's worries."

Xin Ping was stunned again.

Is this what I meant?
　Asking for monthly ticket
　　
　
(End of this chapter)