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

Xun You raised his head, his face showing no fear. "Grand Commandant, please calm your anger. Vice Minister Xun is young and inflexible, only thinking of being loyal, which is why he offended you. His loyalty is commendable, but it has been misplaced, and he deserves to die. However..."

The tone shifted abruptly, "Now that the Grand Commandant has just assumed power, it is the perfect time to win over the hearts of the people and demonstrate his magnanimity. If he were to execute a renowned scholar in the court for a single word, wouldn't that play right into the hands of those who are hoping for the Grand Commandant to lose his virtue and for the warlords of Guandong to have an excuse to rebel? Killing Xun Yu is easy. But how can we silence the voices of the people? They will say that the Grand Commandant is cruel and inhumane, unable to tolerate a loyal minister who speaks the truth."

Seeing that Dong Zhuo's expression had softened slightly, Xun You continued, "Furthermore, Grand Commandant's desire to establish the Prince of Chenliu is a righteous act of selecting a virtuous person for the country and restoring order. The Prince of Chenliu is intelligent and wise. If his ascension to the throne is done by stepping on the corpses of loyal ministers, it will be a great stain on his future reputation. Since Grand Commandant is considering the Prince of Chenliu's sake, he should also consider the long term. Xun Yu's life is insignificant; the hearts of the scholars of the world are what Grand Commandant truly needs to win over. Why doesn't Grand Commandant keep him around and see? The Prince of Chenliu is indeed more suitable for the throne than the young emperor."

Dong Zhuo's hand gripping the sword showed prominent veins.

His small eyes darted back and forth between Xun Yu and Xun You. The officials in the hall held their breath, afraid of disturbing this fierce tiger who was about to make a decision.

At this stalemate, Minister Wang Yun stepped out of the ranks and said, "Grand Commandant, please calm down. Attendant Xun is a renowned scholar throughout the land. His words may be inappropriate, but his heart is as clear as the sun and moon. If the Grand Commandant wishes to undertake extraordinary tasks, he needs to broaden the channels of communication to demonstrate his magnanimity. If you are punished for your words, it will discourage the scholars of the land and will not be of any benefit to the Grand Commandant's great cause."

Immediately afterwards, another senior official stepped forward, none other than Cai Yong, a renowned Confucian scholar of the time.

He had a long-standing friendship with the Xun family and could not stand idly by at this moment. "Grand Commandant, the Xun family has always been known for its virtue. Xun Shilang's actions are merely the stubbornness of a scholar, not an act of rebellion. If the Grand Commandant can tolerate him, the world will surely praise the Grand Commandant for his magnanimity, which is a hundred times better than beheading him."

Zhong Yao, a fellow townsman from Yingchuan, followed closely behind. He was younger than Wang Yun and Cai Yong, and spoke more directly: "Grand Commandant, I have known Wenruo for many years and know his character. He is merely worried about the affairs of the state and acted rashly. If you wish to establish a new emperor, you need a respected and loyal minister like him to assist you, so that you can prove to the world that the establishment of a new emperor is the will of the people, not forced by power."

One, two, three... Several influential figures in the court spoke in succession. Although their words had different emphases, the core meaning was the same: they must not be killed.

Dong Zhuo's facial muscles twitched a few times. He wasn't stupid; he knew he couldn't easily touch any of these people. He could kill He Jin, he could kill the eunuchs, because those were his enemies. But Wang Yun, Cai Yong, and others like them were just figureheads he needed to win over to maintain appearances.

"Hmph!" Dong Zhuo slammed his sword back into its sheath with a jarring thud. His corpulent body turned towards the throne, no longer looking at Xun Yu, but his voice echoed throughout the hall: "Fine! For the sake of everyone here, I'll spare this arrogant brat today. Guards! Throw this idiot into prison and keep him under strict guard! No one is allowed to visit him without my order!"

Two fierce Xiliang soldiers rushed in, roughly grabbed Xun Yu, and dragged him out.

The turmoil seemed to have subsided. Xun You bowed to Dong Zhuo once more, then silently retreated back into the ranks, as if the man who had just debated the powerful minister and saved his uncle was not him at all.

A near-bloody incident was thus quelled. But everyone knew this was just the beginning. The landscape of Luoyang had completely changed.

The news quickly reached the dyehouse in the south of the city.

"Well done, Xun Gongda! Calm and composed in the face of danger, his response was impeccable, just like his father." Guo Jia couldn't help but clap his hands in praise after hearing the scout's report. He took a sip of his cheap rice wine, smacked his lips, and said, "However, your nephew saved your brother, but he also got himself into trouble. Keeping him around by Fatty Dong's side is no good."

Xun Hao sat by the window, a black chess piece in his hand, quietly watching the gray sky outside. He didn't speak, but simply rubbed the chess piece slowly between his fingers.

Guo Jia leaned closer, resting his elbows on the table and tilting his head to look at him: "What's wrong, feeling sorry for him? Your brother, too, knowingly walked into danger. Now look what's happened, he didn't catch the tiger, and he's about to become its food. Tell me, are all the Xun family members this stubborn?"

"If he weren't like this, he wouldn't be Xun Yu." Xun Hao's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

"That's true." Guo Jia shrugged. "What do we do now? They've both been targeted by Dong Zhuo. Rescuing them from prison isn't going to be easy."

Xun Hao finally made a move, gently placing the chess piece on the center position of the board with a crisp "click." "There's always a way out."

"Now, Wenruo is imprisoned in the Court of Justice. This place may seem like a den of dragons and tigers, but it is actually safer than the court, which is always under Dong Zhuo's watchful eye. At least, Dong Zhuo will no longer impulsively draw his sword to kill someone." Guo Jia also analyzed the pros and cons to prevent Xun Hao from worrying too much.

Dong Zhuo did not forbid people from visiting Xun Yu, so Xun You came to see him after court.

"Uncle, you acted too impulsively today."

Xun Yu sat upright on the prayer mat, maintaining his gentlemanly demeanor even in the prison. "Gongda, do you think I was wrong?"

"That's right." Xun You placed the lunchbox on the table. "But the timing is wrong. Dong Zhuo is powerful, and a head-on confrontation would be like throwing an egg against a rock. What we need to do now is not to die a heroic death, but to preserve ourselves and wait for the right time."

"The opportune moment?" Xun Yu gave a bitter smile. "Dong Zhuo is about to depose and install a new emperor; a traitor is in power, and the world is about to descend into chaos. As Han officials, we are paid by the Han and have a duty to serve the Han. How can we sit idly by and wait for this so-called opportune moment?"

"Precisely because the world is about to descend into chaos, it is all the more necessary to preserve one's useful life." Xun You's voice was not loud, but unusually firm. "Uncle, you possess a wealth of talent. If you were to perish in the court today, what benefit would it bring to the country or your family? As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn. Uncle, you surely understand this principle."

Xun Yu fell silent. Of course he understood. But understanding was one thing, doing was another. Watching the nation crumble before his eyes, forcing him to remain silent, was more painful than death.

"Ah Hao... I wonder how he is now." Xun Yu suddenly thought of his younger brother, who was far away in Yingchuan. If Ah Hao were here, what would he do? Perhaps, he would also tell himself to endure.

Xun Hao, who was being thought of, changed out of his conspicuous white clothes and put on a slightly worn blue cloth short shirt. He tied up the wide sleeves and tied his hair back with a simple strip of cloth.

With this transformation, the once aloof and ethereal young master became a handsome but somewhat timid pageboy due to his thinness.