The Three Kingdoms: Hindsight is 20/20, and the Three Revivals of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 180 Zhuge Liang's foresight: Yuan Xi may just be a pawn (5th update)
Seeing that Yuan Xi had finally grasped some of the true meaning, Zhuge Liang said earnestly, "Right now, the General-in-Chief is already suspicious of the Left General. If the credit for defeating Cao Cao falls into Yuan Shang's hands again, I am worried..."

Zhuge Liang spoke with a sharp edge, pausing deliberately for a moment.

Yuan Xi immediately understood the implied meaning and his tone became urgent: "Does the strategist Zhuge mean that the general intends to take this opportunity to establish Yuan Shang as his successor?"

Although Yuan Shao had long intended for Yuan Shang to be his heir, he did not establish an heir due to various reasons, and instead chose to establish his sons separately to observe their abilities.

Now, with internal and external troubles looming, it's not hard to predict that Yuan Shao would want to settle internal affairs as soon as possible.

Zhuge Liang nodded slightly: "Although this is my conjecture, judging from the situation in Ye City: the General is indulging in wine and women, and entrusts most of the affairs, large and small, to Yuan Shang; his mother, Lady Liu, is often by the General's side, and it is hard to guarantee that her words in bed will not change the General's mind. Governor Yuan should make preparations as soon as possible, lest he have no choice but to bow down to Yuan Shang in the future."

Yuan Xi frowned, his suppressed jealousy ignited by Zhuge Liang's words. He said bitterly, "General, you are truly biased! In terms of courage, Yuan Shang is not even a fraction as good as Yuan Tan; in terms of strategy and wit, he is far inferior to me! It is only because the Liu family is still alive that you want to make him your heir. How hateful!"

In his indignation, Yuan Xi turned to Zhuge Liang and bowed respectfully: "Military Advisor Zhuge's wisdom and strategy are unparalleled. Even if Zhang Liang and Chen Ping were to be resurrected, they would not be able to match him! If we wait for General Zuo to help Yuan Shang defeat Cao Cao, the Grand General will surely establish Yuan Shang as his successor. At that time, even if I have the will to work with General Zuo to restore the Han Dynasty and jointly control the court, I will be powerless to do so! I hope that Military Advisor Zhuge will show me a clear path!"

In Yuan Xi's eyes, Yuan Shang was nothing more than a handsome face who relied on Lady Liu's favor. He was no match for Yuan Tan in terms of courage, and far inferior to himself in terms of wisdom.

After being provoked into vying for the throne, Yuan Xi's arrogance became increasingly apparent. The humility he once displayed in front of Yuan Shang had vanished, and his words were filled with disdain for Yuan Shang.

"The path to the throne has always been fraught with peril. A slight misstep could lead to death or the loss of one's will. Governor Yuan, you must be prepared." Zhuge Liang did not rush to offer advice, but reminded him again.

Yuan Xi coldly snorted: "If we succeed, we will gain the Yuan family's foundation; if we fail, we can retreat to Youzhou and not lose our status as Gongsun Zan! Military Advisor Zhuge, please speak freely!"

After hearing Yuan Xi's boastful words, Zhuge Liang gently waved his feather fan and said unhurriedly, "I have heard that the General has a young son named Mai, born to his favorite concubine. Unfortunately, not long after Mai's birth, his mother suddenly fell ill and passed away..."

Yuan Xi's eyes flashed with mockery as he sneered, "Strategist, you are unaware! Yuan Mai's mother never died of illness. She merely disobeyed that Liu woman and suffered persecution at her hands. Less than ten days after giving birth to Yuan Mai, Liu made her do laundry. It was the dead of winter, and Yuan Mai's mother fell ill with the cold in less than a day. Liu even pretended to call a good doctor to treat her, deceiving the General into believing that his beloved concubine had truly fallen ill suddenly. How laughable!"

"Liu is extremely jealous! To ensure Yuan Shang's succession, she treats her father's concubines like servants and strictly prevents them from getting pregnant! As a result, apart from Yuan Mai, her father doesn't have a single daughter! Yuan Mai's mother couldn't bear the abuse and wanted to gain status through her son, so she secretly gave birth to Yuan Mai, which led to her death!"

At this point, Yuan Xi's tone became filled with hatred again: "That wicked woman! She also humiliated and tormented me and Yuan Tan's wives and concubines in every way. Because she thought she was the mother and therefore superior, she imposed harsh discipline on us. If we disobeyed even slightly, she would scold us for being unvirtuous. Yuan Tan's wives and concubines suffered from her discipline for so long that they were so afraid that they secretly drank poison, which is why Yuan Tan and I are still childless! That wicked woman's plan is to make Yuan Shang's son the eldest grandson of the Yuan family! She is truly hateful!"

Upon hearing Yuan Xi reveal such family secrets, Zhuge Liang couldn't help but sigh inwardly: the fierce infighting among large families was no less intense than the struggles within the royal family.

Subconsciously, Zhuge Liang thought of Liu Shan, who was not yet born.

Now, Liu Bei has been wandering for many years. Although he has two daughters still alive, he has no son.

(Note: The illustration for Chapter 44 was discarded. The setting of Liu Bei having a daughter but no sons will continue, as Zhuge Liang without the Dou Di is incomplete.)
Putting aside these complicated thoughts, Zhuge Liang pointed out the opportune moment: "If Governor Yuan intends to succeed to the throne, we might as well take this opportunity to bring his younger brother Yuan Mai to Zhongshan for care."

Yuan Xi looked puzzled: "What good is this? Yuan Mai is not even six years old yet, how can he help me seize the throne?" Zhuge Liang smiled calmly: "I have heard that in the autumn and winter of the year before last, Yuan Mai fell seriously ill, and the General was so worried that he gave up the opportunity to cross the Yellow River and seize Guandu. Is this true?"

“It is true.” Yuan Xi nodded. “But I was in Youzhou at the time, so I wasn’t very clear about it.”

Suddenly, Yuan Xi's tone turned alarmed: "Does Military Advisor Zhuge mean that Yuan Mai's illness was also caused by Liu? It must be so. Liu must be afraid that Yuan Mai will pose a threat to Yuan Shang when he grows up because the General loves Yuan Mai so much."

Zhuge Liang further stated, "The young son's illness may be due to a seasonal epidemic or human intervention. The root cause may not necessarily lead to the Liu family's guilt. However, two points can be asserted: first, the General-in-Chief truly cherishes Yuan Mai; second,"

Zhuge Liang looked intently at Yuan Xi: "As people grow old, they often value family ties even more. When Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang disregard brotherly affection because of their succession struggle, if Governor Yuan can treat his younger brother well, show the demeanor of an elder brother, and remain calm and composed, without any signs of vying for the throne..."

With a gentle tap of his feather fan, Zhuge Liang revealed his usual smile: "Just imagine, how could such a son, who 'fulfills the duties of an elder brother and values ​​family ties,' not be viewed favorably by the Great General?"

Yuan Xi's breathing quickened again, and his eyes became even more bright: "Listening to Strategist Zhuge's words is like seeing the sun after the clouds have parted, and it has enlightened me. At present, Yuan Shang is not in Ye City, and the General is indulging in wine and women. Only Liu Shi is here, so she should be unable to stop me from buying Yuan Shang and bringing him to Zhongshan to take care of him."

Seeing that Yuan Xi had grasped the meaning, Zhuge Liang reminded him, "There is no time to lose. Governor Yuan must enter Ye City as soon as possible. If the Liu family takes advantage of Yuan Shang's departure from Ye City and uses the same trick to make Yuan Mai fall ill, Governor Yuan will find it difficult to compete with Yuan Shang in the future."

Yuan Xi immediately stood up, agreeing with Zhuge Liang's assessment: "Now that Yuan Shang has gone to Dongwuyang, he has an alibi. Even if the Liu family persecuted Yuan Mai in front of the General, it cannot be blamed on Yuan Shang. At most, the General can only reprimand the Liu family a few times, but dare not go too far. I will now set off for Ye City!"

Watching Yuan Xi's departing figure, Zhuge Liang secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and the smile on his face turned cold.

"If you truly have the heart to restore the Han Dynasty, it would not be unreasonable to let you jointly control the court. However, if your desires are insatiable, then I can only help the Left General choose another lineage of the Yuan family in order to win over the hearts of the Yuan family's disciples and former officials."

To compete with the Yuan family is a matter of each displaying their own abilities, but to win over the hearts of the Yuan family's former disciples and officials, one must treat the Yuan family's descendants well.

For example, having been invited by Yuan Shao to join forces with Liu Bei to build a great cause, Liu Bei hoped that Liu Bei would protect Yuan Shao's lineage.

As for Tian Feng and Ju Shou, although they were disillusioned with Yuan Shao, if Liu Bei truly had no desire to protect Yuan Shao's descendants, they would not have switched allegiance to Liu Bei after Yuan Shao's death.

In addition to recruiting Yan Liang and Wen Chou, it is even more necessary to protect the descendants of Yuan Shao.

Zhuge Liang's move was a precautionary measure.

Compared to the ambitious Yuan Xi, Yuan Mai, who had been orphaned since childhood, was easier to win over.

　Chapter 5 is here! Please vote with your monthly tickets!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)