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

The familiar warmth enveloped him, and Xun Hao's tense body slowly relaxed. He leaned against Guo Jia's chest, feeling the reassuring temperature, and asked helplessly, "What did Prefect Guo say?"

"What else can I say?" Guo Jia's voice, laced with laughter, buzzed above his head. "I've talked him so much that he's completely lost his bearings. He's probably secretly gloating right now, thinking he's the chosen one, about to be ennobled and appointed prime minister."

"Brother Fengxiao, you've worked hard," Xun Hao said sincerely.

"What's the use of just saying you've worked hard?" Guo Jia rubbed against his head in dissatisfaction. "You need a reward."

"What reward do you want?"

"Hmm..." Guo Jia thought for a moment, then looked down at the person in his arms, a mischievous glint in his peach blossom eyes. "Tonight, I'll sleep here with you. It's warm in your room."

When the prefect's decree reached the Xun family, the atmosphere in the Xun family's council hall was so heavy it seemed to drip water.

The elders of the Xun clan's collateral branches all had livid faces, clutching the official document for requisitioning grain, their beards trembling with anger.

"Absurd! Utterly absurd!" An elderly man with white hair and beard slammed the official document heavily on the table, his anger barely contained. "Has Guo Xun lost his mind? Why should he make our Xun family provide grain to feed those peasants? The grain we painstakingly stockpiled is for dealing with future chaos, not for Guo Xun to buy people's hearts!"

"That's right!" another elder immediately chimed in. "Our Xun family is a prominent clan in Yingchuan, not lambs to the slaughter! If Guo Xun wants grain, let him go find it in the treasury himself! Why should we pay for it?"

"Patriarch!" The leading elder turned his attention to Xun Kun, who sat at the head of the table. "What do you think of this matter? The official document says that our Xun family must take the lead in donating 10,000 shi of grain! 10,000 shi! That's almost a third of our stored grain! How is this any different from cutting off our own flesh?"

The council chamber was filled with clamor and indignation.

Xun Kun sat motionless, his face calm and expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. Xun Yu, on the other hand, frowned slightly, inwardly groaning.

He knew this was his younger brother's scheme and understood its deeper meaning, but faced with these elders who only cared about immediate interests, he was at a loss for words.

We can't exactly say that we asked the governor to cut off our own flesh, can we?

"Ahem." Xun Kun cleared his throat, and the council hall fell silent instantly. He spoke slowly, his voice steady: "Please calm down, everyone. I have read the governor's official document. This matter is indeed somewhat... unreasonable."

Hearing the patriarch say the same thing, the elders became even more arrogant.

"This is more than just asking the impossible! This is outright robbery!"

"Master, we absolutely cannot agree to this! If we set this precedent, Guo Xun will only become more and more ruthless!"

Xun Kun raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet. He looked at Xun Yu: "Wenruo, what do you think?"

Xun Yu stood up and cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd: "My esteemed uncles, although the governor's actions are rash, they are also a last resort. If the tens of thousands of refugees outside the city are not appeased, chaos will surely ensue. At that time, my Xun family will be the first to suffer, and the losses will likely be far more than just ten thousand bushels of grain."

"Wenruo, you are mistaken!" the white-haired elder immediately retorted. "Our Xun family's fortified village is grand and our troops are excellent. What do we have to fear from mere refugees? At worst, we'll just stay inside and see what they can do to us!"

"Third Uncle, can a fortified village stop the refugees, or the prefect's troops?" Xun Yu retorted. "The official document clearly states that this is a 'requisition,' an imperial decree. If we openly disobey, we will be making enemies of the court. Guo Xun can then use this as a pretext to legitimately bring troops to 'invite' us. At that point, will we fight or not?"

These words caused a moment of silence in the hall. The clan elders exchanged bewildered glances, speechless. They might not fear the refugees, but they could not fear the government.

Everyone turned around and saw Xun Hao, wrapped in a thick white fox fur coat, slowly walk in.

"Uncles, please calm down. Third Uncle, I have only one question for you. In this city of Yingchuan, is it Governor Guo who calls the shots, or is it our Xun family?"

Third Uncle was taken aback, and subconsciously replied, "Of course... it's Prefect Guo. He's an official appointed by the imperial court."

"That's right." Xun Hao nodded. "As the saying goes, the ruthless fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the reckless. Prefect Guo may not be reckless, but he's definitely stubborn."

This metaphor is crude, yet remarkably apt. Who among those present didn't know Guo Xun's cowardly and greedy nature?

"He now holds the banner of righteousness of the imperial court, so he has a legitimate cause and is full of confidence," Xun Hao analyzed calmly. "As my brother said, to fight is to rebel. To not fight is to be slaughtered. Uncles, what do you say we should do?"

These words left all the clan elders speechless. They then realized that the situation had reached a point where they had no choice but to accept it.

"But... but we can't just give away the food for nothing!" someone muttered under their breath, unwilling to give up.

"Of course it's not a free gift." Xun Hao finally threw out the bait, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible laughter. "Prefect Guo said that this matter is a great merit that benefits the country and the people. He will personally submit a memorial to the court for all families that take the lead in contributing grain, requesting that their family members be rewarded. They may be recommended as filial and incorruptible officials or granted official positions in the prefecture, to recognize their merits."

The Xun family was large and powerful, and it was not difficult for the descendants of the eight Xun brothers to be recommended for the civil service examination. However, for the collateral branches, it was a case of too many monks and too little porridge.

The glory of a family lies in the official career of its members! The value of a single candidate for the civil service examination, or a position as a prefectural magistrate or registrar, far exceeds that of ten thousand bushels of grain.

The clan elders, who had been indignant just moments before, now had burning eyes.

"Is this really true?" The Third Uncle's voice even changed slightly.

"Of course it's true. Prefect Guo already stated that in his letter," Xun Yu chimed in.

The elders, who had just been united in their hatred of the enemy, were now plotting their own schemes and eyeing each other warily.

"Well, since it is the governor's kind offer, it would be ungrateful of us not to accept it."

"Indeed, indeed. It is our duty to share the burdens of the court. What is a mere ten thousand shi of grain?"

"Master, I think this matter is feasible. I wonder how many official positions the prefect plans to offer?"

Seeing the elders' expressions change instantly, Xun Yu remained calm, saying, "Neither my brother nor I have any interest in this."

Xun Yu is the most outstanding prodigy of the Xun family in this generation, hailed as a "talent fit to assist a king," with limitless potential. Xun Hao, full of wisdom and resourcefulness, is even more of a hope for the future.

Xun Hao was young, which was understandable, but Xun Yu could easily get a position if he wanted it, so it was normal that he didn't care about the official rank at all.

"These quotas should be decided by the uncles and elders of the clan and distributed to the nephews and nieces of the collateral branches. My branch will not take a single credit," Xun Kun stated calmly.