About Cao Cao's reincarnation as the emperor's uncle

Chapter 24 Luoyang is in complete chaos
The sun hung over the eaves, turning the bluestone pavement white.

The old tree in front of the bridge mansion has gnarled branches like iron. Amidst the dappled shadows, Qiao Xuan's young son is squatting by the tree roots, pinching a half-grass leaf between his fingertips, teasing the "Golden-backed General" flapping its wings in the bamboo cage.

The cricket was dark green all over, with a metallic sheen on its back. It was holding its head high, its two antennae swaying constantly, as if it were playing with the grass.

The child, with an innocent smile on his face, was completely absorbed in his little world and unaware of the commotion at the street corner.

Suddenly the sound of a huqin (a type of reed pipe) came, and three men wrapped in sheepskin coats rode up on horseback.

Without pausing for a moment, his gaze was fixed on the child teasing the cricket.

One of them suddenly swung the lasso, which drew an arc in the air.

The child cried out in surprise, dropping the blade of grass in his hand, and the cries of the "Golden-backed General" became frantic.

The guards, who were on duty at the gate of the mansion, were all taken aback by this sudden turn of events.

By the time they realized what was happening and tried to stop them, the three men had already galloped away on horseback, the child's cries mingling with the sound of hooves fading into the distance.

Qiao Xuan's second son, Qiao Yu, was practicing his sword in the courtyard when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the mansion and faintly heard his younger brother crying. Startled, he quickly ran towards the mansion gate.

As he charged out of the mansion with his sword, he saw the three men already riding their horses into the alley, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

His gaze swept across the street, and he saw more than ten people pouring out of the tavern on the street corner. They were all dressed in the clothes of Yuan's diners, and each of them was burly and strong, instantly blocking the road.

Enraged, Qiao Yu roared and drew his sword to charge forward.

These people, however, did not give way, but formed a formation and blocked him on the spot.

Qiao Yu seized an opportunity, pushed aside the person next to her, and her gaze inadvertently swept behind that person's ear...

But they discovered a strange tattoo that resembled a soaring eagle.

He felt a chill run down his spine, but he had no time to think about it. He suppressed his doubts and, with his guards behind him, forced his way through the crowd and ran in the direction the three had gone.

Meanwhile, the servants in the manor panicked when they saw that the young master had been kidnapped and Qiao Yu had chased after him.

One of the quick-witted servants immediately ran towards Huangfu's location to inform Qiao Xuan.

After succeeding in their crime, the three men abandoned their horses and disappeared into the alley after only a couple of street blocks, with Qiao Yu and the guards in hot pursuit.

The alleys were winding, and the three seemed quite familiar with the terrain, turning left and right, and soon they had shaken off the others.

……

Jian Shuo huddled in the shadow of a house, snow dripping from the eaves and making a soft rustling sound as it hit the bluestone slabs.

He gazed toward the distant city wall, where faint sounds of commotion could be heard, like a pot of boiling water about to overflow.

After leaving the Northern Palace, he used the pretext of investigating Jian Tu's death to secretly mobilize all the camps to impose martial law on the gates of Luoyang.

At this moment, he sat at his desk, the flame on the bronze candlestick flickering in the wind, reflecting his eerie expression.

"Since chaos is inevitable, let's create complete chaos..."

They made the water completely muddy, so that no one could figure out what they were up to.

He had made all the arrangements; the spies from the six ministries of Luoyang, the five colonels of the Northern Army, and the Imperial Guard were all acting according to plan.

After Zuo Feng delivered Feng Xu's secret letter, he knew how to cooperate with Feng Xu...

The Yuan and Yang families, these prominent clans, will all be drawn into this vortex.

The usual tactic of powerful families is to cover their troubles up with an even bigger one, and right now they need a suitable target...

"Duan Jiong, Duan Jiong, the evidence against you is probably already on its way to the Ministry of Personnel."

Jian Shuo stared at the flickering candlelight, a sinister glint in his eyes. "That Minister of the Imperial Secretariat will surely make good use of these things to push you into an abyss of no return."

At this moment, three knives hung over Duan Jiong's head.

The various pieces of evidence are the first knife. The accusations against powerful families are the second knife.

As the Commandant of the Capital Region, he caused chaos in Luoyang; this is... the third knife.

Add to that the recurring traces of "Hu people" and Xia Yu's death after a great victory, and step by step, Duan Jiong was driven into a desperate situation.

If Duan Jiong wants to break the deadlock, he must sign a military pledge, personally lead the troops on a northern expedition, and achieve a great victory.

Moreover, Duan Jiong doesn't have much time left; he must launch this Northern Expedition as soon as possible to extricate himself from this vortex.

If this were in Luoyang, killing Duan Jiong would be very difficult and troublesome, but...

If Duan Jiong had died at the hands of the Hu people, it would have been quite simple and reasonable.

Huangfu has been captured, and Zhang Huan has also been tied to the ship. As long as Duan Jiong dies, the entire inheritance of Liangzhou Sanming can be taken into their possession.

As for the chaos in Luoyang City, once the dust settles, those vacant positions will be a tempting target.

In Jian Shuo's view, subduing Qiao Xuan was merely icing on the cake.

……

Luoyang Magistrate Feng Fang was holding a wolf-hair brush and marking the case files of thieves on parchment.

Suddenly, a loud "bang" came from the front hall, followed by the clatter of boots crushing broken tiles...

Yuan Ji, accompanied by a group of powerful and influential figures, kicked open the door and entered, his brow furrowed with a chilling aura colder than winter.

"Feng Lingjun has such refined tastes!"

Yuan Ji flicked his sleeve and swept the bamboo slips off the table. The green slips clattered and fell at Feng Fang's feet. He reached out and grabbed the collar of Feng Fang's moon-white official robe:

"How dare these thieves abduct children in broad daylight? Are you blind, Magistrate of Luoyang?"

Yuan Ji was the elder brother of Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu.

Logically speaking, given the methods of the Yuan family and his status as the eldest son of the Yuan family, he shouldn't have lost his composure like this.

But he was indeed angry...

He was furious at those cowardly scoundrels who dared to use the Yuan family's name to commit robbery, and even more furious at himself for having to put on this show of thunderous rage.

He understood that when every clue left by the thieves bore the mark of the Yuan family, only a more violent reaction than others could silence public opinion.

In the past few days, it seems that countless forces have been stirring up trouble under the banner of the Yuan family, giving them no chance to breathe.

Before one problem could be resolved, another one emerged, even though all the factions knew in their hearts that it was definitely not the Yuan family's doing...

Because the Yuan family wouldn't be so crude, and most things wouldn't benefit the Yuan family.

However, the sheer number of excuses that could be used to attack the Yuan family was overwhelming...

Although Yuan's protégés and former officials were spread throughout the court and held immense power, the same principle applies: the taller the tree, the more the wind will blow against it, and there were countless enemies, both open and covert.

The reason for this situation lies in what "the gentleman" said to Jian Shuo at the end...

"If we only target Qiao Xuan's youngest son, it would be too deliberate..."

"Why not capture more sons of powerful families? When the bandits accidentally kill a few, it will be a natural consequence."

Jian Shuo not only carried out his ideas, but also went a step further to demonstrate what it means to "grab more".

Simply put, Jian Shuo's order was to arrest anyone he saw without any mercy.

At this moment, the den of thieves was already crowded with the young children of the powerful and wealthy...

When the water gets muddy, it's time to catch the fish.

(End of this chapter)