Be Honest with Your Father

Yuan Shu was not worried but rather delighted upon hearing Ju Yi's harsh conditions. 

He knew that the elite soldiers Ju Yi spoke of were none other than the fearsome Xiandeng Death Warriors. 

Yuan Shu paid no mind to these conditions and spoke to Ju Yi with confidence: 

"Gong Yi, this is exactly the kind of military training I want. 

Whatever is needed, I will provide—money, men, anything. No condition is an obstacle. 

I have only one requirement: train me a force unrivaled under heaven. Do you have the confidence?" 

Seeing Yuan Shu's imposing manner, Ju Yi thought to himself that if it were just about training personal guards, ordinary elite soldiers would be more than enough. 

Why would the lord go to such lengths to train such powerful troops? Could it be…? 

Ju Yi dared not think further. He suddenly realized that his lord was far from as simple as others believed. 

A reckless spendthrift? 

What a joke! 

However, what Yuan Shu intended to do was none of Ju Yi's concern. 

He had already sworn allegiance to Yuan Shu; his only duty was to fulfill his lord's orders. 

To put it bluntly, if Yuan Shu commanded him to take a blade to the emperor's neck, Ju Yi wouldn't even flinch. 

... 

In the evening, Yuan Shu, Shi A, Ju Yi, and others were drinking and dining in the courtyard. 

It was early summer, the weather was pleasant, and drinking in the courtyard was extremely enjoyable. 

The three men sat conversing spiritedly, while Zhang Cheng and Yuan An attended to them, accompanied by several young and beautiful servant girls. 

Miss Zou Rong also sat beside Yuan Shu, leaning against him with a sweet smile. 

However, the pleasant atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by a mocking voice. 

"Oh my dear brother, just now you were out treating those unruly commoners to drinks, and now you're indulging yourself at home too. Truly a life of drunken revelry." 

In the Yuan household, there was only one person who could speak to Yuan Shu like this—it had to be that scoundrel, Yuan Benchu. 

Yuan Shao strode directly into Yuan Shu's courtyard, his face full of undisguised sarcasm. 

Shi A and Ju Yi were both annoyed at Yuan Shao's insufferable attitude. 

However, since Yuan Shao was their lord's elder brother, they did not dare act without orders. 

Seeing Yuan Shao enter, Yuan Shu immediately felt his mood sour. 

Annoyed, he asked Yuan Shao: 

"Yuan Benchu, what are you doing here?" 

Yuan Shao smirked and said gloatingly: 

"You think I want to be here? 

Father sent me to call you to his study. 

Gong Lu, as your elder brother, let me give you some advice. 

Go study Confucianism properly at the Cai household for a few days. If you keep behaving so recklessly in the streets, do you think father will just let you be?" 

Generally, if Yuan Feng summoned Yuan Shu to the study, it was never for anything good. 

So Yuan Shao was more than happy to be the one delivering this errand. 

He simply wanted to see Yuan Shu suffer. 

But to his surprise, Yuan Shu did not fly into a rage this time. Instead, he smiled at Yuan Shao and said: 

"So it was Father who summoned me. Thank you for informing me, dear brother. 

Would you like to sit down and have a drink?" 

Yuan Shu thought to himself, "You came just to see me upset, didn't you? 

Well, too bad—I'm going to be happy and let it drive you mad." 

Seeing Yuan Shu completely unbothered, Yuan Shao felt extremely disappointed.

He glanced at Shi Ah and Ju Yi, who were sitting and dining with Yuan Shu, and said: 

"Do you think I can be like you, Yuan Gonglu? 

Drinking with a bunch of vulgar servants, absolutely disgraceful." 

After speaking, he flicked his sleeves and left. 

Shi Ah was already accustomed to such scenes and said nothing. 

Ju Yi, however, couldn't hold back and said: 

"Master, how can your brother be so rude?" 

Yuan Shu raised his cup and smiled at him: 

"That's just the kind of person he is. He'll suffer for it sooner or later. 

We don't need to bother with him. Come, let's keep drinking. I'll see my father after we're done." 

They drank another round, and Shi Ah advised: 

"Master, making Lord Yuan wait too long would be improper. Why don't you go see him first? We can continue drinking when you return." 

Yuan Shu thought Shi Ah had a point. Though his predecessor often disregarded Yuan Feng's reprimands and was habitually late, 

he knew he couldn't keep following that example forever; some changes were necessary. 

So, he said to the group: "Shi Ah speaks reason. In that case, I'll go see my father first. You all continue." 

With a slightly uneasy heart, Yuan Shu arrived at Yuan Feng's study. 

He muttered to himself, wondering why his father had summoned him this time. 

Could it be that spending lavishly on drinks for the commoners today had angered him again? 

At that moment, Yuan Feng was sitting at his desk, completely absorbed in reading. 

Yuan Shu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your son greets you, Father." 

Yuan Feng looked up and, surprisingly, did not reprimand Yuan Shu as he usually did. 

Instead, he smiled and gestured to the seat beside him: 

"Gonglu, you're here. Sit down." 

Yuan Shu thought to himself that his father seemed to be in an unusually good mood today. 

Taking the opportunity, he sat on Yuan Feng's right and asked: 

"Father, what is it that you wish to discuss with me?" 

Since Yuan Feng appeared to be in a good mood, Yuan Shu felt more at ease. 

Yuan Feng said, "Gonglu, you've been performing well lately. 

My old friend, Master Cai, even told me that you have great potential. 

To be honest, I never expected him to hold you in such high regard. 

When your two elder brothers were your age, they had already begun their official careers. 

I summoned you today because I want to hear your thoughts. 

What are your plans for the future?" 

Yuan Shu's eyes flickered, and instead of answering, he asked: 

"Father, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?" 

Yuan Feng chuckled at his words and said: 

"Of course, I want to hear the truth. Why are you joking with your father?" 

Yuan Shu thought to himself, you may want the truth, but I don't dare to tell you the real truth. 

If I told you, I'd probably scare you to death. 

Should I say that I am the ruthless wolf of chaos, gathering strategists and warriors around me? 

That once the chaos erupts in a few years, I will vie for supremacy among the warlords and seize the Han Empire? 

He could only put on a sincere expression and say: 

"I do have some thoughts, but I don't dare to say them, for fear of upsetting you, Father." 

Yuan Feng, in good spirits, said to Yuan Shu: 

"Go ahead and speak. I won't blame you." 

Yuan Shu respectfully said: 

"I do not wish to enter the imperial court as an official. I want to take a position as a regional governor." 

Hearing this, Yuan Feng's brows immediately furrowed. 

Yuan Shu observed his reaction and sighed internally. 

Well, I haven't even spoken my true intentions, and he's already displeased. 

As expected, parents always deceive their children. 

Yuan Feng had good reason to be unhappy. 

The Yuan family had maintained its dominance for four generations and held high-ranking positions in the court, 

one key reason being their consistent presence at the core of the imperial government. 

Taking a governorship in the provinces? 

Leaving was easy, but returning would be difficult. 

He understood why Yuan Shu wanted to go—he simply wanted to be far from the imperial center, where he could exploit the people and act like a local king. 

Just when he was beginning to feel a little impressed with his son, Yuan Shu had to say something so utterly lacking in ambition.