Chapter 507 Conflict of Interest

The dispatch of troops from Jizhou was delayed in the end due to various reasons. Everyone knew it. Who was it because Tian Feng spoke too much and touched upon something that Yuan Shao disliked?

Xu You came out with the crowd and saw Tian Feng leaving muttering something. He was very happy. Then, seeing that most people had left, he went to visit Yuan Shang.

When he entered the room, he saw Yuan Shang had already set out wine for him. After both parties sat down, Yuan Shang raised the wine cup and said to Xu You: "Sir, I have troubled you a lot over the years. Let me offer you a drink first!"

Xu You was humble in his words. The two drank together. Xu You recalled his hard days in Youzhou. He felt sad and said to Yuan Shang, "I will never forget your trust, but my nephew died miserably."

Yuan Shang put down his wine glass and said, "Sir, do you think that he was wrongly accused of the assassination attempt?"

Xu You's heart skipped a beat, he was really not sure!

But at this moment, he still had the nerve to say, "Even if he had a hundred guts, he wouldn't dare to do it!"

"There must be something fishy going on here. It's a pity that Master Xianyi acted first and then reported to the emperor. Who knows what's going on here?"

Yuan Shang remained silent, then suddenly asked, "What do you think Xianyi wants to do?"

"Does he have any idea about the position of the head of the Yuan family?"

Xu You thought about it again and again, and whispered: "Even if he has no idea, he has two male heirs. In this respect, the two young masters are far inferior to him."

Yuan Shang's face was gloomy. He picked up the wine glass and put it down immediately. "If they are taken out alone, I can handle them."

"But if the two of them join forces, I really don't have confidence, especially considering my father's health."

Xu You was startled, "What happened to the envoy?"

Yuan Shang then realized that he had said something wrong and covered it up by saying, "Nothing serious has happened to me. I just caught a cold and have been coughing for a while, but it doesn't affect my health."

The two men toasted each other, and Yuan Shang asked Xu You many questions, and Xu You answered them one by one.

After several rounds of drinking, Xu You saw that Yuan Shang was worried and quite drunk, so he said goodbye and left.

He sat in the carriage, thinking that the problem might not be that simple.

Yuan Shang has always been conceited, but now he showed a rare hint of weakness, and was even afraid that Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi would join forces. There must be a reason for this.

Considering that Yuan Shao was in poor health due to his negligent remarks, Xu You wondered if the envoy had contracted a chronic illness.

This is a problem. If the envoy is given another ten years, I am afraid he can at least unify the north, and maybe even the whole world.

But if he had health problems and Yuan Shang took over, it would be difficult for him to control Jizhou!

Especially between Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, which one would be willing to submit to Yuan Shang?

Xu You thought to himself that although the Yuan family was powerful, Cao Cao had slowly caught up and was quite trusted by the emperor.

He may not have much chance against Yuan Shao, but if it is Yuan Shang, maybe he can really turn the tables one day!

If this is really the case, shouldn't I prepare for it?

Thinking of the fact that he, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao had been good friends since childhood, Xu You felt relieved. One must always leave a way out, and fortunately he had bet on both sides!

But how to establish a connection with Cao Cao and make him trust me?

If I pass on military intelligence, it would be too conspicuous on the one hand, and it would easily get me killed on the other hand, so it was not a good choice.

Should we spread the news that Yuan Shao is ill?

After Yuan Shang sent Xu You away, a maid came over and said that his biological mother Liu was looking for him.

After hearing this, Yuan Shang staggered to his feet and walked into Liu's room. He saw that Liu was full of anger and his wife Hong was massaging Lu's legs.

He went in and bowed, "Mother, why did you call me?"

Liu gave Hong a sidelong glance, and Yuan Shang understood and said to Hong, "You go out first."

Lu drove all the maids around her out, took Yuan Shang's hand and said, "Son, your father's condition has been getting worse recently."

"I think it's those vixens that are causing his health to never get better. Find an excuse and arrest and beat them all to death."

Yuan Shang was startled and whispered, "Mother, please don't be impulsive. If I kill your servant, it would be unfilial."

Liu said unconcernedly, "What are you afraid of? When the time comes, just say it was my order!"

Yuan Shang felt a headache and said hurriedly, "Mother, you better be patient. Jizhou has been in turmoil recently. If you deal with father's favorite concubine, it will only make him angry and there will be no benefit."

After hearing this, Liu said angrily, "Forget it. I was just angry and said it casually."

"When I find the chance in the future, I will definitely not let them go!"

Yuan Shang knew that Liu had not slept with Yuan Shao for a long time because she was old and ugly, so he naturally disliked Yuan Shao's young and beautiful concubines. But then again, aren't all men like this?

Yuan Shang comforted Liu with a few words and found out that she came to him just to vent her emotions. He couldn't help feeling depressed. Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were out there conquering the world, but he was in Jizhou facing these family matters every day. How could he expand his power in the long run?

He entertained Liu for a while, then took his leave. The trivial household chores made him more and more irritated. After all, Yuan Shang himself had many worries.

Especially when he thought of his own hidden illness, Yuan Shang's face looked even more unsightly. This was a secret that even Yuan Shao had kept hidden. There was naturally no problem between him and Liu, but Hong was an unstable factor.

Although he threatened his family, there is no wall that is impenetrable. If the truth gets out, his position as the heir will be in jeopardy!

Get rid of Hong?

Yuan Shang shook his head. If he killed Hong, he would have to marry another one. No one could guarantee that he could keep the secret from his second wife. At least for now, Hong was still easy to control.

He began to have a headache. It seemed that only when he truly became the heir would everything be settled!

This day was the day Yuan Shao died.

By then, I will be in charge of the Yuan family. No one will dare to interfere whether I have a son or not. The worst that can happen is that I can find a child from the family to adopt.

Yuan Shang guessed that Yuan Shao might not live long, and maybe if he could hold on for a few more years, he would be able to accomplish his goal.

He was horrified if his father died early, and drove the thought out of his mind. Yuan Shang was very self-aware and knew that he was far behind Yuan Shao in both prestige and ability.

No, I must find someone to form an alliance with. Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi, members of the Yuan family, have fundamental conflicts of interest with me and cannot be trusted.

The only choice now is Yuan's wife's family, Gao. Gao Gan has now been appointed Governor of Bingzhou. With the support of Yuan, he begins to enter Bingzhou and occupy counties. The Black Mountain Pass behind him is a great opportunity to win him over.

Yuan Shang clenched his fists when he thought of the Hetao Plain, where there were horses and food everywhere and sufficient manpower, and Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi were running too fast. This made him feel a great sense of urgency and he had to cultivate a force that truly belonged to him!

When Yuan Xi heard the news that Jizhou had finally decided not to send troops, he could not suppress his irritation and almost wanted to throw the bamboo slips in his hand to the ground.

He tossed and turned all night and didn't sleep well at all. Before dawn, he sat up from the couch.

Yuan Xi felt a little tired from the bottom of his heart. Over the past few years, if he wanted to cooperate with others, he had to offer a price that was impressing enough to succeed. This was the case from Yuan Shao to Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, and then to Liu Bei and Lu Bu.

He also understood that the alliance among the princes of the world today was based on a naked exchange of interests. Apart from that, he could not and would not be able to impress those princes of equal status with his ideals and ambitions.

In front of Zhao Yun, Taishi Ci and others, Yuan Xi could still paint a rosy picture for the other party, because his own power was the platform and support to help the other party realize their ambitions. Both sides had their own demands and their conditions were complementary, so Yuan Xi was able to gain the loyalty of his advisers and generals.

But among the princes, the relationship is purely competitive. No one will work for others for nothing without offering enough benefits.

Yuan Xi sighed softly. It was too difficult for people from different eras to find common goals. Even between him and Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci, they could only keep their words to themselves. Otherwise, his ideas would be too shocking in the world at that time and would make his subordinates at a loss.

From this point of view, Yuan Xi is actually very lonely inside.

In this era, it is still too much of a luxury to want to find like-minded companions who share the same ideals.

He put down the letter in his hand. Youzhou had already received the order. Tian Yu would personally escort Yang Feng to Haixi. According to the time, it would take at most ten days to arrive.

But Yuan Xi still hasn't thought of a way to persuade Yang Feng. The other party hates him so much that Yuan Xi has no idea how to ask for his help.

He stood up and stretched. Seeing that Lu Lingqi was still sleeping soundly, he went downstairs. Mrs. Du's door was also closed, so she must have not gotten up yet.

Yuan Xi walked out of the small building. The yard was quiet, so he performed a set of Five Animal Exercises and felt much better.

It was just daybreak and smoke began to rise from the chimney of the kitchen in the corner of the mansion.

Yuan Xi looked at the smoke rising into the sky and thought of the women who stayed in Jicheng. He didn't know what happened to his two children.

To be honest, I am an incompetent father. Since my child was born, I only stayed for a few days before leaving. And this kind of life may continue for a long time in the future.

With a creak, the window of a room was pushed open, and it was Mi Zhen standing in front of the window in linen mourning clothes. She leaned out and took a few deep breaths, but suddenly saw Yuan Xi holding his boxing stance, staring at her blankly. She subconsciously let out a soft cry and wanted to retract her head.

She immediately felt something was wrong, so she bent down behind the window, bowed, and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

Yuan Xi suddenly remembered that because he had too many worries recently and was busy day and night, he had not properly settled Mi Zhen after Liu Bei's wife passed away. It seemed like he was deliberately leaving her alone.

However, Mi Zhen is in a rather awkward situation now. Her adoptive mother, Madam Liu Bei, has passed away, and her adoptive father, Liu Bei, is still missing. It is said that Mi Fang was escorting Madam Gan to Ling County to meet Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but that county was repeatedly attacked by Yuan Shu's army, and they had no time to send anyone to help Mi Zhen.

Thinking of this, Yuan Xi walked up to Mi Zhen and said, "I heard that Governor Mi is now in Ling County. Do you want to go back?"

After hearing this, Mi Zhen pursed her lips, seeming to want to say something but stopped herself.

Finally, she raised her pretty face slightly, "Sir, do you want me to go back?"