I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 514 Different Joys and Sorrows
The news of Yuan Shao's death filled the people around Hebei with grief and indignation, and they even spontaneously went to pay their respects to Yuan Shao. However, as Yuan Shao's closest son, his first concern was the vacant position of heir apparent...

In the respective residences of Yuan Tan and Yuan Shang, Guo Tu and Pang Ji stood with mixed feelings.

"Doesn't Your Highness want to know where the late Emperor's body is?"

Guo Tu's somewhat pained look made Yuan Tan feel a little guilty.

Meanwhile, Guo Tu's performance had already given Yuan Tan a vague idea of ​​the answer...

So Yuan Tan went back inside, put on his mourning clothes, and then came out to respectfully bow to Guo Tu: "Please, Lord Guo, recount the details of the battle and... the late emperor's last edict."

Seeing that Yuan Tan hadn't lost his mind, Guo Tu felt somewhat relieved.

Even in the end, he wasn't wrong about people.

"To outsiders, it was said that the late emperor was ashamed to face the people of Hebei and chose to drown himself in Wuchao Marsh."

"..."

"What about in reality?"

"The late emperor's body had reached its limit, and he could no longer even walk. He did not want to be captured and humiliated by Liu Miao, so he chose to end his own life."

"call--"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan let out a long, wistful sigh.

"I know this feeling."

After the Battle of Jiaodong, when Yuan Tan was besieged by Liu Miao on the banks of the river, he was in the same despair.

Who could have imagined that Liu Miao would drive the Yuan family, father and son, to such a desperate situation...

Yuan Tan knelt down facing south and kowtowed three times to show his farewell.

After kowtowing, Yuan Tan was completely exhausted, so he simply turned over and sat on the ground, using his arms to support his upper body as much as possible.

"Lord Guo, I am ready."

"What exactly was the late emperor's last edict?"

Yuan Tan, in the end, still held onto a sliver of hope.

"It is Young Master Shang."

"..."

But that expectation was shattered by Guo Tu's words in the next moment.

Guo Tu looked at Yuan Tan, waiting for Yuan Tan's next reaction.

Strangely, Yuan Tan neither cried nor questioned anyone; he simply sat there blankly, his eyes vacant.

"Your Highness, the ground is cold."

Guo Tu stepped forward to help Yuan Tan up, but he was somewhat taken aback when he touched Yuan Tan's arm.

What I encountered wasn't a person at all; it was clearly a pile of mud.

"Your Highness."

Guo Tu simply sat down opposite Yuan Tan and talked with him about many things.

“During the intervals when I accompanied the late emperor in his campaign against Liu Miao, we had several heart-to-heart talks.”

"The late emperor believed that if we could defeat Liu Miao and control the Central Plains and even Jiangdong, then Your Highness would undoubtedly be the most suitable ruler of the world."

"But if we are defeated by Liu Miao and only have half of the country left in Hebei, then Prince Shang is the wise ruler who can support the state of Zhao."

Guo Tu sighed deeply, not daring to look Yuan Tan in the eye.

"I think so too."

"..." Yuan Tan's empty eye sockets never gathered anything. He just turned his head slightly, glanced at Guo Tu, and then seemed to drift away to somewhere else.

Great sorrow is silent.

As the eldest son of the Yuan family, Yuan Tan's only goal in life seemed to be to inherit Yuan Shao's mantle and become Yuan Shao himself.

But this has completely shattered the only belief that Yuan Tan adhered to today.

……

pain!
Gradually, Yuan Tan found that his chest was hurting terribly!

He originally thought that the ancients' expressions of "heartache" and "heartbreak" were just exaggerated literary rhetoric.

It was only at this moment that Yuan Tan realized that the human heart could indeed feel the pain of being shattered.

Seeing Yuan Tan's face growing paler and paler, Guo Tu anxiously cried out, "Your Highness! Your Highness! A physician? Quickly, a physician!"

Even a divine physician who can heal the dead and restore flesh to bones, how could he cure a broken heart?
After administering acupuncture, the doctor could only tell Guo Tu and Princess Qinghe, who had come upon hearing the news, "Now, it's not a matter of whether I can cure you, but whether Your Highness is willing to live."

"His Highness is now suffering from heart failure. Perhaps having close relatives by his side to comfort him would offer a glimmer of hope."

But after hearing the doctor's words, Guo Tu became even more silent.

In this world, who else is close to Yuan Tan?

Both parents are dead.

His first wife also fell into enemy hands.

Where can I find someone close to Yuan Tan who can help him survive?
"Your Highness!"

To Guo Tu's surprise, Princess Qinghe, Yuan Shao's newlywed wife for Yuan Tan, let out a wail and then collapsed onto Yuan Tan, weeping bitterly.

Such crying quickly overwhelmed Guo Tu's doubts with joy.

It seems the late emperor's judgment was indeed correct; Cao Mengde's daughter is truly a virtuous and capable woman...

Guo Tu stayed with Yuan Tan for a while longer, and seeing that Yuan Tan's breathing had stabilized, he bid farewell to Princess Qinghe.

"I still have official duties to attend to, especially the 200,000 troops trapped in Henan that need to be rescued. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Princess Qinghe, tears streaming down her face, said, "Lord Guo! You are a trusted minister entrusted with the care of the late emperor, and naturally you are very busy with state affairs. I am already extremely grateful that you could come and visit me. How could I possibly ask you to stay any longer?"

Seeing that Princess Qinghe was not only deeply affectionate but also well-mannered, Guo Tu thought that it would be a blessing for Yuan Tan to have such a person as a companion in the second half of his life. He bowed to Princess Qinghe to say goodbye and looked firmly at Yuan Tan.

Guo Tu made a promise in his heart!
As long as Yuan Tan wants to live, Guo Tu will not allow anyone, no matter who it is, to take Yuan Tan's life!

Even Yuan Shang, the emperor who was about to ascend the throne, was still no match for him!
What Guo Tu didn't see was that the moment he turned around, Princess Qinghe's laughter stopped abruptly.

Instead, a silvery smile filled the air!
Afterwards, Princess Qinghe stopped paying attention to Yuan Tan, who was lying on the bed, his life hanging in the balance. Humming a little tune, she quickly changed into a bright red dress and then boarded the carriage that had been prepared at the back gate and headed towards Yuan Shang's residence.

There weren't that many stories in Yuan Shang's residence.

When Yuan Shang heard Pang Ji read out the imperial edict, he was overjoyed!

Seeing that Yuan Shao's lips were trembling, Pang Ji ordered someone to quickly bring the mourning clothes he had brought to Yuan Shang.

Yuan Shang saw the mourning clothes, but he didn't feel it was unlucky at all!
This is hardly mourning attire.

This is clearly the emperor's imperial robe and crown!
Yuan Shang also considered squeezing out a few tears.

But what would normally be an easy task for him was now extremely difficult!

His face was completely wreathed in an uncontrollable smile; if possible, Yuan Shang could keep smiling like that until he completed his ascension to the throne!
The smile that Yuan Shang thought would never change even if the sky fell, slowly faded when he saw a maid.

"Your Majesty, she has arrived!"

Yuan Shang finally stopped laughing and instead looked troubled: "What's she here for???"

(End of this chapter)