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

Chapter 46 Winning Back Hearts Requires Borrowing from Past Debts

The setting sun paints the western sky with its hues, and the eastern capital is now close at hand.

Xu Feng flicked his riding whip and turned to the side:
"My lord, why is it that the inscription on the stele only reads 'Yuan Cheng's wife'?"

Liu Fang leaned against the carriage railing and yawned:

"Well... Firstly, she wants Benchu ​​to always remember that he is the eldest son of the main branch and carries the blood of Yuan Cheng."

He seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but chuckle softly:

Secondly... Ban Dingyuan's descendants have their own integrity.

Xu Feng scratched his head. "Marquis of Dingyuan, Ban Chao? She was from the Ban clan of Fufeng?"

Liu Fang looked back at Meishan, which was now just a silhouette:

"Indeed, there is a small note at the foot of the stele, so faint that it can be covered by moss. It mentions the two characters 'Ban Shi,' which must have been secretly carved by Yuan Shao..."

"Back then, Yuan Tang's three eldest sons each married into prominent families: Yuan Cheng married the Ban family of Fufeng, Yuan Feng married the Huan family of Peiguo, and Yuan Wei married the Ma family of Fufeng."

"But this Ban family member is no less than their ancestors. Their virtue is like that of Ban Gu who wrote history, and their wisdom is like that of Ban Zhao who continued the book."

The wheel ruts suddenly rolled over a gravel, and as the vehicle jolted, Liu Fang paused in his speech:
"This mother always wanted Yuan Shao to understand that... empty fame is not worth treasuring."

"Just as the glory of the Ban family is recorded in the annals of history, in the yellow sands of the Western Regions, and in the hearts of the people... it is not on that grand and solemn memorial tablet."

Xu Feng nodded thoughtfully:

"My lord, where shall we go now?"

"Do you still remember the agreement you made with Xun Yu yesterday?"

As the carriage rounded a bend in the mountain road, Xu Feng reined in his whip, turned back, and smiled:
"Don't worry, sir. Yuan Huo had already sent people to wait at the entrance of the Xun residence before we left."

"Oh?"

Liu Fang raised an eyebrow and tapped the carriage with his knuckles:

"In that case, let's return to the manor."

"Huh? Aren't you going to keep running?"

Liu Fang couldn't help but laugh out loud after hearing this:
"Can't I take a break?"

Xu Feng laughed loudly upon hearing this, cracking his whip with a sharp sound:
"Alright, then please sit tight, sir. Let's go back and rest quickly."

……

Before Liu Fang even climbed the mountain.

The setting sun bathed a small alley in Luoyang in an amber hue.

Xu Shao held an extremely ornate brocade box in both hands.

Li Kui followed behind, clutching two strings of candied hawthorns, sugar crumbs dripping down his dark face and onto his chest.

"Why does Zijiang insist on bringing this fancy box?"

He frowned, flicked the candied hawthorn skewer with his iron fingers:

"Then Xu Ziyuan is very insightful. I'm afraid he'll have to count on his fingers how many strings of cash he can get."

Xu Shao stroked his beard and chuckled, tapping the gilded cloud pattern on the brocade box:

"Let alone the greedy Xu Ziyuan, even we ourselves took a second look at this box when we first saw it."

"That's true. Back when we were wandering the streets of Luoyang, how could we have imagined that we'd be carrying such a precious item?"

A gust of wind swept through the alley, and Li Kui suddenly lowered his voice:
"Honestly, that year someone cursed you so harshly in the street, why did you still come looking for me afterwards?"

Xu Shao couldn't help but smile as he recalled the way Li Kui had raised his sword to cut off his robe:
"Even if you, Li Yida, were to deliberately insult me, I would not hold a grudge."

Li Kui rubbed his hands together:
"Hey, Xu Zijiang, you're quite something. It's no wonder I shared my last half of a steamed bun with you back then."

"Can this be considered a meal as a token of gratitude?"

Xu Shao suddenly turned around:

"Yida, the debt of gratitude is far more than just a meal."

"If it weren't for Yi Da's help all those years, I wouldn't have lived to see the day I met you, my lord."

Li Kui grinned, revealing his white teeth:

"So this is also Zijiang's fault. Why didn't you say earlier that what you did was at the behest of the Lord?"

"Tell you? With your tendency to spill your beans, do you think you can keep quiet?"

Xu Shao rolled his eyes at Li Kui:
"It was only after I gained power through Xu Jing that I dared to go to you with peace of mind."

"Well, Xu Zijiang's plans are indeed far-sighted!"

"Ah."

"Today, I, Li Yida, will also play the role of a sycophant and flatter Xu Zijiang."

"Get out of the way." "After we've dealt with Xu Ziyuan, the three of us will go to the dilapidated temple to warm ourselves by the fire, and I'll buy a bunch of flatbreads and break them all up for you!"

"..."
-
Li Kui

The Book of the Later Han Dynasty states: Li Kui, a man from Xu Shao's hometown, was strong, upright, and had a lofty spirit. Shao initially liked him, but later they became enemies.
-
During their conversation, the two arrived at Xu You's residence.

“You take this box, and I'll take this candy. Back then, we lacked food and clothing, but now we can finally meet our old friends in style.”

Having said that, Li Kui strode to the door, his iron fist pounding so hard it creaked.

"Xu Ziyuan, Li Yida has come to see you!"

As the door opened, Xu You peeked out, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes:
"Yida? Brother Zijiang? What brings you to my humble abode?"

Li Kui pointed to the brocade box in Xu Shao's hand:

"Shouldn't you invite us in and have a seat first?"

Xu You covered his face and smiled:
"It was my rudeness that led to this. Please come in."

……

The lamps in the hall flickered. Xu You sat in the seat of honor, his gaze fixed on the brocade box.
"Why did you bring such an expensive gift?"

Li Kui sat down casually and stuck the candied hawthorn into the inkstone:
"It's because Zijiang said that without a generous gift, Ziyuan might not be willing to meet me."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Shao couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Seeing this, Xu You couldn't help but clap his hands and laugh:

"Are you, you dark-skinned guy, here to deliberately mock me?"

He then looked at Xu Shao:

"Brother Zijiang, you've come today for more than just to reminisce, haven't you?"

Before Xu You could speak, Li Kui's voice rang out first:

"Back then in that dilapidated temple, Ziyuan said he would never forget the hardships of his humble origins. Now that he's following Yuan Benchu, does that promise still hold true?"

"Yida, are you questioning me?"

"You're quite clever, aren't you? I've often heard that the Yuan family has an extremely greedy retainer."

Xu You's expression gradually darkened:

"We have all huddled with books to keep warm on snowy nights, only to be laughed at as 'beggars.' I do not wish to suffer such humiliation again."

With a sneer from Li Kui, Xu Shao slowly spoke:
“I am well aware of Ziyuan’s concerns. Wasn’t it precisely because of this word ‘wealth’ that we were repeatedly kept out back then?”

Xu You looked up and met Xu Shao's gaze, momentarily speechless.

After a few more incense sticks' worth of time, the conversation turned out to be like reminiscing about the past, with every sentence revolving around the hardships of those years.

Only after the two left did Xu You suppress his doubts and open the ornate brocade box.

……

In the afterglow of the sunset in the alley.

Li Kui suddenly leaned closer:
"Zijiang, is your trick really going to work?"

Xu Shao stroked his beard and chuckled:

"This might not be true for others, but it is certainly true for Xu Ziyu."

Li Kui wiped his mouth:
"That huge brocade box only contained a simple compass, and it was enough to subdue Xu Ziyuan?"

"Of course not. Yuan Shao treated him with utmost sincerity, and the two shared the same ideals. How could he easily pledge allegiance to him..."

"If we leave like this, wouldn't we be failing in our duty to you, Lord Ming?"

"Can't you wait until I finish speaking, you black bastard?"

As he spoke, Xu Shao looked out of the city and calculated the time with his fingers:
"If this is all we have, it would be inappropriate. But by now, you should have already won over Yuan Shao."

As the wise man often says, to regain one's heart, one must borrow from past debts...

"If Yuan Shao were also under your command, then what Zi Yuan said and gave you today would surely make him understand."

……

At the same time, Xu You took out the compass from the brocade box.

He recalled what he and Li Kui had said to each other after Xu Shao entered the room.

He couldn't help but shake his head and laugh, muttering to himself:
"The brocade box is adorned with exquisite decorations, yet its interior remains empty and desolate?"

"The compass, though small in form and material, can determine directions..."

"This Xu Zijiang... he really cursed me fiercely..."

(End of this chapter)