The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

"Father."

Xun Yu stood beneath the moon gate, his face ashen.

He looked at the scene in the courtyard, where Guo Jia had his beloved younger brother completely encircled in his arms, one hand blatantly gripping his wrist.

Xun Yu felt a surge of anger rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and the veins on his forehead began to throb uncontrollably again.

He coughed loudly.

Guo Jia's arm around Xun Hao stiffened for a moment, then he casually let go, helping Xun Hao to his feet while saying with concern, "Yanruo, be careful when you walk."

Xun Hao's cheeks flushed slightly, whether from embarrassment or the lingering effects of the earlier collision, it was hard to tell. He quickly withdrew from Guo Jia's "protective circle," standing two steps away from him, and whispered, "Thank you, Brother Fengxiao."

The hand that had been held still retained a trace of warmth.

System battery level: 68%.

Xun Hao sighed inwardly. This charging efficiency was slower than a tortoise crawl. At this rate, when would he be able to use the [Last Plan] again?

Xun Yu strode into the courtyard, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping back and forth between the two men several times.

Guo Jia didn't take it to heart at all, and even gave Xun Yu a smile that could be described as gentle, kind, respectful, frugal and modest: "Brother Wenruo has also come to visit Yanruo? Perfect timing, Yanruo and I were just discussing a difficult point about the brushwork of a scroll of calligraphy and painting, and we would like to ask you for advice."

Xun Yu's eye twitched.

Still performing? Why don't you all go and sing opera!

He was too lazy to expose this clumsy trick, and just gave Guo Jia a cold glance, his eyes clearly saying: You just wait.

After waiting for Xun Kun to finish his fun and be helped back to his room to rest by an old servant, Xun Yu immediately cornered the two of them under the stone pavilion in the courtyard.

"You two, come with me!" He gritted his teeth, dragged the two men into an unused side room, and slammed the door shut behind him.

In the dimly lit room, Xun Yu no longer needed to pretend. He stood with his hands on his hips, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"Do you think our father is blind?!" he growled in a low voice. "You're pulling and tugging at him even in the yard! Are you afraid he won't notice?!"

Guo Jia knew he was in the wrong, so he touched his nose and, unusually, did not refute him.

Seeing that his elder brother was quite angry, Xun Hao gently comforted him, "Brother, don't be angry. We...we will be more careful in the future."

"Be careful?" Xun Yu flung his hand away, laughing in exasperation. "If you all knew how to be careful, would I have to live in constant fear?!"

He pointed at Guo Jia's nose, then turned to his younger brother.

"Every day I have to share the burdens of the lord at the government office, and when I come back I have to cover for you! Am I your elder brother, or just a jailer watching over your secret meetings?!"

"Who is Father? He served in the imperial court and has seen more storms than any of you have ever tasted salt!"

"He hasn't realized it yet because he has a very good impression of you, Fengxiao, and dotes on Yanruo! But if you two continue like this, you'll cause a huge uproar sooner or later!"

"Our lord is concerned about your poor health and has assigned you fewer official documents, not so that you can squeeze in secret meetings whenever you have a spare moment."

Just as Xun Yu was feeling utterly exhausted, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the side room.

"Mr. Wenruo! Strategist! The lord urgently summons the three of you to the council hall!"

He was one of Cao Cao's personal guards.

After the three were seated, Cao Cao tossed a silk scroll onto the table with a soft thud.

"Take a look. That Minister Wang in Chang'an has issued an edict in the name of the Emperor, demanding that all prefectures and counties pay tribute to replenish the national treasury and support the Emperor."

"To hand it over or not? Gentlemen, let's discuss this."

Xun You stood up, picked up the silk scroll, glanced at it, and then spoke. He was in charge of military intelligence and knew the situation in Guanzhong like the back of his hand.

"My lord, Wang Yun's actions are both a means of amassing wealth and a test. He is testing which of the feudal lords still respect the Han Dynasty. However, given the current situation in Guanzhong, this move is extremely unwise."

He paused, then continued his analysis: "After Dong Zhuo's death, Chang'an was governed by Minister Wang Yun, with Lü Bu as his ally, temporarily controlling the court. However, the four Liangzhou generals, Li Jue, Guo Si, Zhang Ji, and Fan Chou, commanded over 100,000 troops and were stationed in the Shanxian area, creating a standoff with the new court in Chang'an. Wang Yun and Lü Bu's foundations were unstable. Lü Bu's Bingzhou army numbered only a few thousand, while Wang Yun, despite his reputation as a virtuous official, had no troops under his command."

Cheng Yu's hoarse voice followed, "That's not all. Wang Yun is stubborn and self-willed. After he seized power, instead of appeasing the Liangzhou army, he purged Dong Zhuo's old subordinates and even publicly declared that the people of Liangzhou were not eligible for amnesty. This is forcing Li Jue and Guo Si to rebel. I predict that the peace in Chang'an will not last long."

"Indeed," Xun Yu said, his brows furrowed. "Wang Yun's actions, though intended to cleanse the court, are too ruthless and lack flexibility. If the Liangzhou army counterattacks Chang'an, Lü Bu alone will have no chance of holding it. At that time, the Emperor's safety will be in grave danger."

With everyone contributing their thoughts, the crisis in Chang'an was quickly pieced together.

"My lord, gentlemen."

Guo Jia leaned half his body against Xun Hao's desk, almost blocking Xun Hao from behind. Xun Hao used the clothes as cover to put one hand on Guo Jia's back.

Seeing this posture made Xun Yu want to drag his younger brother under his nose and keep an eye on him.

Guo Jia avoided Xun Yu's almost tangible gaze, "Jin Shang, whom Dong Zhuo appointed, is still with Yuan Shu. He remains a nominal threat to Yan Province. Dong Zhuo is dead, so his appointment is no longer valid. But my lord's position as Governor of Yan Province is also a self-appointment under the current circumstances. If the title is not legitimate, then the words are not credible."

"We are offering timely assistance, not just tribute, but also support for Wang Yun's new court. What does Wang Yun lack? The support of local governors like us! With our tribute and our past relationship with our lord, who participated in the assassination plot against Dong Zhuo, he can seek official recognition from the Emperor!"

Guo Jia's voice echoed in the hall, "Once the imperial appointment arrives in Puyang, our lord will be a legitimate vassal of the Han dynasty, the emperor himself appointed as the ruler of Yanzhou! At that time, whatever we do will be done in accordance with the imperial decree, and will have a legitimate cause!"

Cao Cao stood up excitedly, walked to Guo Jia's side, patted him heavily on the shoulder, and his eyes were full of fervent light.

"Good! What a convenient pretext for attacking!"

He had had enough of the suffering of being unjustly recognized, and Yuan Shao, as the leader of the alliance, had assigned him many tasks. Now that Dong Zhuo was dead and the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance had automatically disbanded, he needed a proper identity even more.

"This is just the first step."

"Establishing a connection with the court in Chang'an is like placing a seemingly useless piece on a chessboard."

"But this seed allows us to constantly perceive the slightest movement in Guanzhong. Until one day in the future..."

He didn't say anything more, but the think tank all understood.