I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 269 Would you like to go to Luoyang with me?

Yuan Shu didn't care what Cao Zhong said, but he really appreciated what Cao Cao said just now.

Wang Yangming said, "It is easy to defeat the thieves in the mountains, but difficult to defeat the thieves in the heart." This was his deep understanding, and it is also the common dilemma faced by countless people who have tried to reform the law and deal with interest groups throughout history.

Some of them felt fear and despair and finally gave up, and the change failed.

Some people choose to meet challenges head-on, confront the enemy in their hearts, or fight head-on, but lack the strength and then fail; or they adopt clever techniques, form alliances, and achieve success to a certain extent, but they cannot escape the final reckoning.

Finally, there is a very small minority among the very small minority. When facing the thief in their hearts, they adopt the same approach as Cao Cao just said.

kill!

Directly equate the thief in your heart with the thief in the world, deal with the thief in your heart in the same way you deal with ordinary thieves, and strive to kill the thief in your heart completely.

For example, Emperor Hongwu, and Comrade Gangtie.

They took the most resolute approach to eliminate the carrier of the thief in their hearts, and achieved some phased results, but it seemed that they were not completely successful.

From ancient times to the present, no one has been able to eliminate all the thieves in their hearts.

But this is not Cao Cao's problem. It is a historical and philosophical problem that runs through the entire history of human society. It is definitely not something that Cao Cao can solve now.

Yuan Shu even had two preparations, one for conscience and the other for a steel knife, and he hid this profound meaning deep in "Mencius Interpretation" and "On Knowing and Doing".

Almost no one can see this.

But at this time, Cao Cao was able to draw such a conclusion.

Could it be that he could sense the deep murderous intent hidden between the lines of his words?

Yuan Shu was suddenly surprised.

So he walked straight forward, passed Cao Zhong, and stood in front of Cao Cao.

"Mr. Cao, is this your own idea? Is this the feeling you got after reading "On Knowledge and Action" and "Explanation of the Mencius"? "

Cao Cao was frightened by Cao Zhong just now and felt a little uneasy, but he did not expect Yuan Shu to stand directly in front of him and look at him expectantly.

Is it...

What I said is exactly what Yuan Shu was thinking?

His brain was spinning frantically, and countless possibilities flooded into his mind.

In just a moment, he made a decision.

"In one of your chapters in Theory of Knowledge and Action, you mentioned that farming and fighting are for conscience. Cao believed that farming can cultivate conscience, and fighting can also protect conscience. If farming fails, then only fighting is left."

"I see..."

Yuan Shu suddenly felt relieved.

The deep hidden meaning was actually noticed by the young Cao Cao.

This insight is truly superb!
Yuan Shu showed a very satisfied smile, then reached out and patted Cao Cao on the shoulder, nodded happily, and turned to look at Cao Zhong who looked confused.

"Lord Cao, the Cao family has a son!"

"This this……"

Cao Zhong had no idea what was going on. His wide knowledge blind spots made it impossible for him to keep up with Yuan Shu's thinking.

But it seems that Yuan Shu admires Cao Cao very much.

So, this is a good thing?

Cao Zhong didn't understand, but later, Yuan Shu happily gave Cao Cao an additional reward of 500,000 coins.

Then, rewards were given to young people such as Cao Hong, Xiahou Dun, and Xiahou Yuan. Each of them was rewarded with money and silk cloth, but Cao Cao's reward was the most generous.

That night, Cao Zhong invited Yuan Shu to a banquet at the Cao clan's home. The food was very rich, and there were dancers and musicians to entertain the guests.

During the banquet, Yuan Shu called Cao Cao from the area where the younger generations gathered to the front where the elders gathered, toasted him with a glass of wine, and then asked Cao Zhong a question.

"Mr. Cao is already eighteen years old. I wonder how the Cao family plans to arrange Mr. Cao's future?"

After taking a few sips of wine, Cao Zhong's mind was still very clear. He seemed to have heard the hidden meaning of Yuan Shu's words and his face immediately showed joy.

"I originally planned to hold a ceremony for him to be crowned next year, and then recommend him as a filial and incorrupt official, and arrange for him to go to Luoyang as a palace official. After that, I will make other arrangements. However, of course, I have to rely on the Yuan family."

Yuan Shu nodded and turned to look at Cao Cao, who was standing next to him with an embarrassed look on his face.

"Mr. Cao, I will be returning to Luoyang soon. When the time comes, are you willing to go with me? You can rest assured that you will never be left behind in my career."

Cao Cao was stunned.

Cao Zhong was overjoyed. Yuan Shu really liked Cao Cao!
OK!

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

Who is Yuan Shu?

Although he is young, he is extremely powerful and has his own team. He will definitely become Yuan Feng's successor and the awesome person who dominates the Han Dynasty in the future!

That's a dragon!

Isn't this much better than following Yuan Shao?
Cao Zhong wished he could agree to Yuan Shu's request on behalf of Cao Cao immediately.

But after Cao Cao realized what was happening, he hesitated.

According to the plan and route set by his family, he had to follow Yuan Shao, and he did follow Yuan Shao for a few years. Although the relationship was not as close as imagined, it was still somewhat close, right?

If he followed Yuan Shu like this, how would Yuan Shao view him?

Isn't this bad?
Doesn't this sound a bit like a traitor?

Seeing Cao Cao's hesitation, Yuan Shu guessed something and asked, "Are you still worried about something?"

Cao Cao pursed his lips, put down his wine glass, and bowed deeply to Yuan Shu.

"I am honored by Captain Yuan's kindness. I am deeply grateful, but... can you give me a night to think about it?"

Yuan Shu nodded.

"Of course, you can think about it overnight. I should stay here tonight. Give me an answer tomorrow morning."

"Here!"

Cao Cao bowed again and then took his leave.

He ignored Cao Zhong's almost blinding gaze, as he had his own worries and plans.

He was not a person who liked to listen to the arrangements of his elders since he was a child, but due to the pressure from his family, he had to follow Yuan Shao as his younger brother.

He wasn't very happy about it at first.

I've been a younger brother for a few years now. Although there have been unhappy times, there have also been some happy moments, and we have developed some feelings. I had originally planned to go to Luoyang to reminisce about the past with Yuan Shao when I came of age, but now you want me to make a seamless transition?

What a dirty adult!
Don't you care about emotions at all?

When Cao Cao returned to where the younger generations gathered, the group of friends who had been waiting for a long time immediately surrounded him and asked him what was going on and what Yuan Shu had said when he called him over.

"Captain Yuan said that he would be returning to Luoyang soon and asked me if I would like to go back with him. He would help me arrange my career."

The little friends all widened their eyes and started shouting immediately.

Among them, Cao Hong was the most excited.

"Brother! This is a great opportunity! I heard from my father that Commandant Yuan is not just the son of Yuan Sikong. He is very powerful in Luoyang, with tens of thousands of disciples. His words are trustworthy. Yuan Sikong also trusts him very much. Whoever he wants to succeed will succeed!"

"I've heard that too!"

Xiahou Dun was also very excited and said: "My uncle also said that Captain Yuan has arranged positions for many of his disciples. Now people who want to work for Captain Yuan can line up from Luoyang to Chang'an. I didn't expect that he would value you! Ah Man! You are so lucky!"

Xiahou Yuan followed beside him and nodded repeatedly.

"When my father and uncle were drinking before, I heard them talking about this matter. They said that Captain Yuan would definitely inherit the position of Minister Yuan. In the future, Captain Yuan would have the final say on the national affairs and personnel appointments of the Han Dynasty. Ah Man, you are so lucky!"

A group of young people talked at once and sighed repeatedly, all envious of Cao Cao for being valued by Yuan Shu. They thought that Cao Cao would definitely be successful and have a bright future.

But Cao Cao remained silent and just sighed.

Cao Hong suddenly felt something was wrong.

"Brother, why are you sighing? You didn't...promise Captain Yuan, did you?"

A group of young people immediately stopped their envy and looked at Cao Cao with strange eyes.

Xiahou Dun was also stunned, then reached out and patted Cao Cao.

"Ah Man, you can't be right? You really...didn't agree to Captain Yuan?"

Cao Cao sighed again.

"I want to, too. But, haven't you all forgotten? I used to follow Captain Yuan's elder brother, Yuan Benchu. Now you want me to follow Captain Yuan again. This... isn't good, is it?"

Cao Hong immediately slapped his thigh.

"Oh! Brother! Why are you so confused! You are not a student of Yuan Benchu, nor are you his lackey. You are just on good terms with him. Can he restrict your future? Or can he arrange your career so that you can have a better future?
Think about it, when the mutiny occurred, Yuan Sikong only led Yuan Duwei to attack the palace. Yuan Benchu was also in Luoyang at the time, but did Yuan Sikong call him? No! Doesn't this explain the problem? The person Yuan Sikong favored was Yuan Duwei, not Yuan Benchu! "

(End of this chapter)