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

The atmosphere inside Yuan Shao's residence was heavy.

"Absurd! Shameless!" Yuan Shao smashed a fine porcelain cup to the ground, shards flying everywhere. Pointing at the retainer who had come to report, his fingers trembled with rage. "Who? Who on earth is spreading rumors about me behind my back?"

The retainers knelt on the ground, trembling with fear, not daring to utter a word.

"Investigate! Investigate! I want to see who has the audacity to smear my reputation like this!" Yuan Shao paced back and forth in the hall, his chest heaving violently. This rumor had him in a precarious position. Dong Zhuo, that butcher, was inherently suspicious; if he believed it, how could he possibly survive?

But after the outburst, a strange sense of vanity quietly rose from the depths of his heart. Though the rumors were vicious, they also portrayed him as a top strategist, flawless in his calculations and possessing unparalleled wisdom. In the past few days, even the servants in his household looked at him with a newfound reverence. This feeling of being treated as a "big shot" gave his heart, which had been stifled by Dong Zhuo's suppression, a morbid satisfaction.

He waved his hand, dismissing his retainers, and sat alone in the hall, his expression shifting uncertainly. Perhaps... these rumors weren't all bad? If his former students and officials in Guandong knew that he, Yuan Shao, hadn't been idle in Luoyang, but rather had been outwitting and outmaneuvering powerful ministers like Dong Zhuo, it would certainly enhance his reputation.

While Yuan Shao was pondering his next move, a completely different scene unfolded in the Prime Minister's residence.

"Bang!"

Dong Zhuo kicked over an expensive table, scattering wine, meat, and fruit all over the floor. His obese body trembled with rage, his face contorted with fury, and his small eyes flashed with a terrifying ferocity.

"Yuan Benchu! What a Yuan Benchu!" Dong Zhuo's roar silenced all the servants in the Prime Minister's mansion.

Li Jue stood aside, cautiously advising, "Prime Minister, please calm down. This is perhaps just idle talk and shouldn't be taken seriously. Yuan Shao is merely a scholar; how could he possess such courage and cunning?"

"Nonsense?" Dong Zhuo grabbed Li Jue by the collar, spitting in his face. "The whole city is talking about it, and you're telling me it's nonsense? I've fought my way from Xiliang to Luoyang, when did it become some pretty boy's place to plot against me behind my back?"

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and his mind unconsciously began to replay various details from the past.

When He Jin summoned him to the capital, it was indeed Yuan Shao who wrote the letter.

"Prime Minister," Guo Si said sinisterly from the side, "I think this rumor might not be entirely unfounded. Yuan's protégés and former subordinates are all over the country, so if he wants to do something, it's certainly easier for him than for us. Now he's pushing you, Prime Minister, into the open, attracting everyone's anger, while he's secretly winning people's hearts. This scheme... is quite shrewd."

These words were like a spoonful of hot oil poured into the fire in Dong Zhuo's heart.

"Prime Minister!" A steady voice came from outside the door.

Dong Zhuo turned his head and saw a thin, middle-aged scholar walk in. It was none other than his chief strategist, Li Ru.

"Wenyou, you've come at the perfect time!" Dong Zhuo panted heavily. "You've heard too? That brat Yuan Shao dared to treat me like a monkey! I'll immediately muster my troops and raze his Yuan family to the ground, then let's see how arrogant he can be!"

Li Ru did not immediately agree. He first calmly glanced at the mess on the ground before slowly speaking, "If the Prime Minister wanted to kill Yuan Shao, it would be as easy as turning his hand. But after killing Yuan Shao, what then?"

Dong Zhuo was taken aback.

Li Ru continued, "The Yuan family has held high office for four generations, and their prestige is widespread. If the Chancellor kills one of them, the Yuan family's former protégés and officials in Guandong, such as Han Fu and Kong Zhou, will have an excellent pretext to raise an army to attack the Chancellor. The Chancellor's foundation is not yet stable, and if he incites the warlords in Guandong to rise up, it will be detrimental to the great cause."

"Then, in your opinion, what should be done?"

Instead of answering directly, Li Ru asked, "What is the Prime Minister's next step?"

Dong Zhuo was taken aback, then snorted: "Naturally, it's about deposing and installing a new emperor, and taking control of the court."

"Exactly." Li Ru nodded slightly. "To control the court, one must win the hearts of the people. At the very least, one must ensure that scholars dare not openly oppose him. The Yuan family is the leader of the scholars, but if we can support another aristocratic family that can rival the Yuan family, to demonstrate the Prime Minister's magnanimity, then we can easily undermine the Yuan family's prestige."

Dong Zhuo's eyes lit up. He understood. If you can't beat them, just bring one over and let them fight it out.

"Who is capable of this task?"

A barely perceptible smile finally appeared on Li Ru's lips.

"Yingchuan, Xun clan."

He uttered those four words.

"The Xun family is a prominent clan throughout the land, its prestige no less than that of the Yuan family. More importantly," Li Ru paused, lowering his voice slightly, "the Xun family only produces civil officials, not military generals. Without troops, they lack the resources to rebel. By supporting them, the Prime Minister can win the hearts of scholars across the land without any worries about the future—isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"

Dong Zhuo paced back and forth in the hall, his face contorting into a more relaxed expression.

Yes! The Xun family!

That reckless Xun Yu is still imprisoned. The Xun family's prestige in the court is enough to rival that of the Yuan family. Most importantly, they are just a group of defenseless scholars!

"Now that Xun Yu is in custody, this is the perfect opportunity for the Prime Minister to demonstrate his benevolence and magnanimity," Li Ru continued, adding fuel to the fire. "The Prime Minister could issue an order to pardon Xun Yu, reinstate him to his original position, and reward him accordingly. In this way, the world will only say that the Prime Minister is magnanimous, even forgiving outspoken and disrespectful officials. And the Xun family, having received such a great favor from the Prime Minister, how could they not be grateful and serve the Prime Minister?"

"Hahahaha!" Dong Zhuo burst into laughter, his pent-up frustration vanishing.

This plan is brilliant!

Not only would he avoid confronting Yuan Shao, a formidable opponent, but he could also leverage the Xun family's reputation to enhance his own image. Once his reputation for treating scholars with respect and showing magnanimity spread, who would dare call him merely a butcher from Xiliang?

Rumors? What rumors? Faced with an absolutely open and aboveboard strategy, those underhanded tactics crumble on their own!

"Good! Well done, Li Wenyou!" Dong Zhuo patted Li Ru on the shoulder, his face full of praise. "You always manage to think of things from the deepest perspective."

Li Ru lowered his eyes, concealing his emotions: "It is my duty to share the Prime Minister's burdens."

Dong Zhuo stood with his hands behind his back, his smile growing increasingly smug. He could almost see Yuan Shao being humiliated in court, and the scholars of the world singing his praises.

He never imagined that Li Ru, who had always advocated using harsh methods to intimidate officials, would suddenly become so "benevolent".

The next morning at court, the sky was overcast, just like the faces of the officials in the hall.

Dong Zhuo sat high in the hall, his obese body almost bursting out of his court robes. He glanced at the officials below who were silent with fear, his gaze lingering on Yuan Shao for a moment with a hint of emotion that was hard to discern, before settling on Xun You.