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

This question, which had lightened the atmosphere in the room somewhat, made it serious again.

Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Dong Zhuo's power is great, and Luoyang is no longer a safe place. The most urgent task is to return to Yingchuan, reunite with the elders of our clan, and then make long-term plans."

This is the safest option. The Xun family's roots are in Yingchuan; only by returning there can they be truly safe.

Xun You nodded in agreement: "Uncle is right. After this incident, the world will surely undergo drastic changes. We must find a safe place to settle down and observe the situation."

Their gazes eventually settled on Xun Hao and Guo Jia.

Xun Hao put down his bowl, wiped his mouth with a cloth, and then slowly said, "What my brother and Gongda said is very true. Let's go back to Yingchuan first."

An hour later, the group finished packing and prepared to leave the post station.

Xun Yu and Xun You boarded the carriage first.

Guo Jia helped Xun Hao up, naturally straightening his collar, and asked in a low voice, "Can you still hold on?"

"It's alright," Xun Hao replied.

Guo Jia nodded and helped him into the carriage. Just as Xun Hao bent down to enter the carriage, Guo Jia suddenly whispered something in his ear that only the two of them could hear.

"A good bird chooses its tree to perch on; have you already chosen someone?"

Xun Hao paused for a moment, a smile playing on his lips, before getting into the carriage.

Guo Jia watched his retreating figure, a knowing glint in his peach blossom eyes.

He followed him into the carriage and sat down next to Xun Hao. The carriage started moving, and the wheels made a monotonous creaking sound once again.

This time, the atmosphere inside the carriage was completely different.

Guo Jia naturally let Xun Hao lean on his shoulder, shielding him from the wind that was seeping in through the gaps in the car window.

Xun Hao also found a comfortable position without any hesitation and closed his eyes.

Across from him, Xun Yu watched this scene, opened his mouth, but ultimately let out a helpless sigh and turned to look out the window.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Xun You picked up a bamboo scroll and looked down at it, seemingly oblivious to his surroundings. Only the slight upturn of his lips betrayed his true feelings.

The carriage traveled eastward, carrying the four people with their own thoughts, towards Yingchuan.

The atmosphere inside the carriage changed completely after that day at the post station.

Xun Hao, still weak from his recent illness, leaned on Guo Jia and rested with his eyes closed most of the time. Guo Jia, meanwhile, contentedly served as his human support, occasionally reaching out to check Xun Hao's temperature or bringing him a glass of warm water.

Xun Yu, in the opposite carriage, had gone from initially hesitant to speak, to becoming numb, and now completely ignoring everything. Whenever he lifted the curtain, he would see his younger brother being held in Guo Jia's arms, or the two of them whispering to each other.

He felt his teeth were sore.

Xun You, on the other hand, was much calmer; he even found the situation rather amusing.

The convoy traveled in silence until it finally arrived in Yingchuan.

Xun Kun had been eagerly waiting at the door of his house. When he saw his two sons and a nephew get off the car safely, the head of the Xun family had tears in his eyes and said "good" three times.

That evening, the Xun family held a grand banquet to welcome the three of them.

After several rounds of drinks, Xun Kun summoned the four men to his study, dismissed the servants, and spoke with a grave expression: "I have heard about what happened in Luoyang. It is truly fortunate that you were able to escape unscathed. But what are your plans now?"

His gaze swept over Xun Yu and Xun You, finally landing on Xun Hao with deep concern: "Ah Hao, you are weak, and you have been frightened this time. You must not think about taking up an official post again."

Xun Hao nodded obediently: "Father, rest assured, I understand. I only wish to recuperate at home and have no other plans for the time being."

He does need to rest, but he also needs to wait.

Waiting for Yuan Shao's next move.

This unexpected turn of events has completely ruined the Yuan family's prestigious reputation of "four generations of high-ranking officials." Yuan Wei, in order to protect Yuan Shao, personally drafted an edict for Dong Zhuo, thus tarnishing his reputation. The Yuan family itself will certainly not let this go unpunished.

Sure enough, not long after, the news came from Jizhou.

Yuan Shao raised an army in Ji Province and issued a proclamation to the world, claiming that Dong Zhuo had kidnapped his uncle Yuan Wei and forced him to endorse the traitor. In order to allow Yuan Shao to escape Luoyang, Yuan Wei raised the banner of rebellion against Dong Zhuo, not hesitating to sacrifice his own reputation.

Through these maneuvers, Yuan Kui's image as a loyal minister who endured humiliation and hardship was actually established. Dong Zhuo was furious when he learned of this and immediately imprisoned Yuan Kui's entire family.

Immediately afterwards, Yuan Shao did something that astonished the world. He refused to recognize the new emperor installed by Dong Zhuo and instead sent a letter to Youzhou, proposing to enthrone his relative Liu Yu as emperor.

Liu Yu naturally refused. The throne of the Han dynasty suddenly became a farce.

While the world was in turmoil due to Yuan Shao's actions, Xun Hao also ushered in a major event in his life - his coming-of-age ceremony. Because the world was not at peace, Xun Hao was crowned ahead of schedule.

Xun Kun invited Zheng Xuan, a renowned Confucian scholar of the time, to be the chief guest and to perform the capping ceremony for him. According to the rites, a "master of ceremonies" of the same generation as the person being capped was also required to assist in the capping ceremony.

Everyone thought that Xun Yu would be the candidate.

However, a few days before the coming-of-age ceremony, Xun Hao personally sought out Guo Jia.

"Brother Fengxiao, when I come of age, would you be willing to be my assistant?"

Guo Jia was leaning against the corridor drinking when he heard this. He raised an eyebrow, and a smile appeared in his peach blossom eyes: "Your brother will probably be unhappy."

Xun Hao approached slowly, stopped in front of Guo Jia, tilted his head slightly, his clear and cold eyes staring directly at him, and a very faint smile appeared on his lips.

"Then I'll go find my elder brother. I wonder if Brother Fengxiao will be unhappy?"

The smile on Guo Jia's face froze in that instant.

Those peach blossom eyes, which always carried a hint of laziness, narrowed for the first time, revealing a scrutinizing, slightly dangerous light.

He straightened up, moved away from the pillar he was leaning against, and took a step forward.

Xun Hao did not retreat.

Guo Jia then pressed him further, forcing his back against the cold pillar. He raised one hand and braced it against the pillar near Xun Hao's ear, completely encircling Xun Hao between himself and the pillar, forming an impenetrable enclosure.

He leaned down, instantly closing the distance between them until Xun Hao could smell the cool scent of alcohol on him and feel the warmth of his breath.

"You," Guo Jia's voice lowered, carrying a barely perceptible hoarseness, as if whispering close to his ear, "Say that again?"

Xun Hao's breath hitched for a moment, but he did not look away, calmly gazing back at those unfathomable peach blossom eyes so close to his face.

Guo Jia looked at his confident and fearless appearance and suddenly chuckled softly.

"Since you've given it to me, there's no reason for me to take it back." He reached out his other hand and gently touched Xun Hao's forehead with his fingertips.

At the coming-of-age ceremony, prominent figures from Yingchuan gathered. Inside the Xun family ancestral hall, incense smoke filled the air, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.