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

"Tsk tsk," Guo Jia circled around him, stroking his chin and commenting, "Ah Hao, you really do have a pitiful look. If you were taken out, I wonder how many swarms of admirers you would attract."

Xun Hao straightened his sleeves expressionlessly, ignoring his teasing. The more he paid attention to him, the more enthusiastic the playboy became.

"I'm leaving," he said succinctly.

"Hey, wait a minute," Guo Jia pulled him back, shoving a hand warmer into his arms. "My little page, the master hasn't given the order yet, what's the rush? Remember, from now on, your name is 'Qingsong'. If I tell you to go east, you can't go west. When you see people, speak less and bow your head more, understand?"

Xun Hao glanced at him, his eyes clearly saying, "You're noisy."

Guo Jia pretended not to see it, put his arm around Guo Jia's shoulder as if they were good buddies, hummed an unknown tune, and swaggered out of the dye house.

Xun You's residence was temporarily assigned by Dong Zhuo; it wasn't large, but it was fairly tidy. When the two arrived, it was nearly dusk. After announcing their arrival, an old servant led them inside.

In the hall, the candlelight flickered, and two figures sat facing each other, the atmosphere heavy with tension. One was Xun You, and the other, whom Guo Jia also recognized, was Zhong Yao, the magistrate of Changshe, from Yingchuan.

"Fengxiao?" Zhong Yao looked surprised upon seeing Guo Jia, then stood up and cupped his hands in greeting. "When did you arrive in Luoyang?"

"Brother Yuanchang," Guo Jia returned the greeting with a smile, "How could I miss such a lively occasion? I heard that Brother Wenruo had encountered some trouble, so I came to see him. This is my page, Qingsong."

Xun Hao bowed in greeting, keeping his head down the entire time without uttering a word.

Xun You's gaze lingered on Xun Hao for a moment. This pageboy was unusually thin, and his face was abnormally pale, but his quiet and silent demeanor was unlike that of an ordinary servant. Especially Guo Jia, who called him "pageboy," but the way he put his arm around Xun Hao's shoulder, half-embracing and half-protecting him, looked completely wrong.

Zhong Yao didn't think too much about it. He sighed heavily, his face full of worry: "Fengxiao, you've come at the right time. Have you heard about what happened in court today? Wenruo... he's too upright! He directly denounced Dong Zhuo as a traitor to his face, and almost died on the spot! Although he was rescued by Gongda, he's now imprisoned, and his fate is unknown!"

"I've heard about it." Guo Jia found a seat, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "We both know Wenruo's temper. I'm not surprised at all that he would do something like this."

"What should we do now?" Zhong Yao paced anxiously. "That scoundrel Dong Zhuo is ruthless and cruel. The Bingzhou army has submitted to him, and even a beast like Lü Bu has become his henchman. Luoyang is now a den of tigers and wolves! For us, with so few men, to think we can rescue people from him is nothing but a pipe dream!"

Xun You remained silent, simply watching Guo Jia, or rather, watching the "page" behind Guo Jia.

"Brother Gongda, what do you think of my page?" Guo Jia suddenly asked, his tone abruptly changing.

Xun You was taken aback. Zhong Yao also stopped and looked at him in confusion.

"She has delicate features and is quite clever," Xun You carefully considered his words.

"Is that so?" Guo Jia chuckled, reaching out to pinch Xun Hao's nape as if teasing a cat. "I think he's incredibly stubborn. Once he's made up his mind, no one can dissuade him. Moreover, he's very opinionated and always likes to make unexpected arrangements."

Xun Hao finally raised his head.

Xun You's pupils contracted slightly, and he stood up abruptly. Although the person in front of him had changed his clothes and had grown up quite a bit, he still retained some of the features of his childhood self.

"uncle?!"

"Why are you here!" Xun You strode forward, his voice filled with shock and disbelief. "Nonsense! This place is extremely dangerous, you..."

"My brother is in trouble, how can I sit at home and do nothing?"

Zhong Yao, standing to the side, was completely stunned. Xun Hao, the youngest son of the Xun family, who was frail and sickly, and said to be so weak that even a gust of wind could blow him over? He had actually come to Luoyang?

"Alright, alright, we can catch up later." Guo Jia stood up, pulled Xun Hao to his side to protect him, and kept Xun You away in his excitement. "Now, let's discuss how to get them out of here."

His protective gesture was so natural that Xun You calmed down from his shock. He glanced at Guo Jia, then at Xun Hao, whom Guo Jia was shielding behind him, and the doubt in his heart resurfaced. These two... were far too close. But now was not the time to dwell on that; saving lives was the priority.

"Come in and let's talk." Xun You suppressed the turmoil in his heart and led the group into the inner room.

After closing the door to block out outside eyes and ears, Zhong Yao let out a long sigh and said with a worried expression, "Gongda, Fengxiao, Ahao, you don't know this. After today's events in court, Gongda and I have tried everything we could, but we've been met with setbacks everywhere. Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou army has completely surrounded the Tingwei prison. Let alone rescuing anyone, not even a fly can get in."

Xun You nodded, his expression grave: "Dong Zhuo may seem crude, but he is actually shrewd beneath his rough exterior. He imprisoned Wenruo but did not kill him, just to show the world. On the one hand, he wanted to intimidate us ministers who were loyal to the Han Dynasty; on the other hand, he used Wenruo as bait to see who else in the court would dare to stand up for him, so that he could eliminate them all at once."

"That old scoundrel, he's got a clever plan." Guo Jia snorted, poured himself another cup of tea that had gone cold, and drank it all in one gulp.

"There's another piece of news." Xun You looked at Guo Jia and Xun Hao, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke, "After the court session today, Yuan Shao sent someone to secretly contact me."

"Yuan Benchu?" Guo Jia raised an eyebrow. "What does he want with you? Is he trying to recruit you?"

"Yes," Xun You said succinctly. "He promised me that as long as I was willing to work for him, he would have a way to get my uncle out of prison safely."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yao's spirits lifted: "Is this true? The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their disciples and former officials are all over the country. If he is willing to intervene, there might be a turning point in this matter!"

"A turning point?" Guo Jia scoffed, his peach blossom eyes filled with mockery. "Brother Yuan Chang, have you forgotten who lured that vicious wolf, Dong Zhuo, into the capital?"

Zhong Yao's face stiffened.

Guo Jia slammed his teacup down on the table with a loud thud. The smile vanished from his face, leaving only sarcasm: "If He Jin hadn't listened to Yuan Shao's terrible idea and summoned fierce generals from all directions to the capital, how could Dong Zhuo have become so powerful? Yuan Shao brought this mess upon himself, and now he's back to play the good guy, saying he can save Wenruo? Does he really want to save Wenruo, or does he want to recruit you, Xun You, along with Wenruo, to his own side?"