I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 55 Would you be willing to serve as governor?

thing?

Chen Yu was startled at first.

He had already realized that, given Liu Miao's stature, it was impossible for him to have gone to the Zhou residence solely for Wu's appearance.

But after carefully considering his interactions with Liu Miao, and confirming that Liu Miao had absolutely not mentioned anything about Yuan Shu in front of him, or in front of Zhou Yu or Sun Ce, he quickly cupped his hands and replied, "There is no such thing."

"Although Liu Miao is a bit eccentric, he is quite honest and there is no reason why he went to your home to propose marriage."

Yuan Shu stared intently at Chen Yu, and seeing that the other man kept his eyes fixed on him and spoke without the slightest hesitation, he naturally formed his own judgment.

"Although I am not in Jiangdong, I have heard many interesting stories about Liu Miao. What do you think of Liu Miao, Gongwei?"

What about Liu Miao?

A sentence flashed through Chen Yu's mind almost immediately... but he knew he absolutely could not mention that comment in front of Yuan Shu, otherwise he would be putting Liu Miao to death! Therefore, he only talked about the things Liu Miao had done in his daily life, without mixing in his own subjective intentions.

"When Liu Miao met me, he admired my status as the son of the Grand Commandant and claimed to be a disciple of the Yuan family. He praised the General of the Rear for his concern for the country's crisis and his compassion for the people's suffering. He led righteous troops to punish the wicked and tyrannical for the sake of the world. His merits were great and his virtues were great, making him unparalleled."

Chen Yu had an excellent memory and repeated all of Liu Miao's praise of Yuan Shu from their first meeting—

"He also said that the General of the Rear was a man indifferent to fame and fortune and did not want to compete with Yuan Shao for profit. As a result, that concubine gave birth to a son who rebelled against the Heavenly Gang, stole the General of the Rear's title, and used the name of the leader of the alliance to deceive the world. This is truly despicable!"

"Oh~"

Yuan Shu, who had been calm all along, couldn't help but light up when he heard this: "So Liu Zhongshan really said that?"

"It's true."

Yuan Shu was defeated by Cao Cao at Kuangting and remained depressed ever since.

Now, Chen Yu relaying Liu Miao's words was undoubtedly like a handful of sweet dew sprinkled on his withered heart, making Yuan Shu burst into laughter: "I never thought there would be such a discerning person as Liu Miao in the world!"

Not only did he praise himself, but he also went so far as to insult Yuan Shao!
If Liu Miao weren't in front of him, Yuan Shu would have loved to hold Liu Miao in his arms, dance with him, and sing drunkenly!
"I had long heard that Liu Zhongshan was known for his womanizing ways and his fondness for beautiful women and wives, which seemed similar to that of the eunuch's son. But I never expected that his character was completely different from that guy who was willing to follow a maid's son around!"

"If you enter Huainan, I will certainly invite you to meet me and treat you with courtesy!"

Chen Yu lowered his eyelids, ignoring everything—looking, listening, smelling, and paying no attention.

But Yuan Shu, in high spirits, clearly didn't care about Chen Yu's character and only asked Chen Yu to talk about Liu Miao.

Helpless, Chen Yu could only recount in detail the scene when he and Liu Miao went to the Zhou residence together.

"Zhongshan also wrote a seven-character poem and asked Zhou Gongjin to compose music for it. However, because the rhyme was strange, Zhou Lang politely declined, which also made him a laughing stock."

"What seven-character poem?"

Chen Yu recited the poem "Qin's Moon" again...

But when he read the last word, Chen Yu suddenly paused.

Previously, when he appreciated poetry, he always used the Book of Poetry as a basis and the Lyrics as a guide to evaluate the quality of the poem.

If we take the Book of Songs and the Songs of Chu as the standard, then Liu Miao's poem is naturally strange and funny, a vulgar and unpalatable work.

But now, after this journey north, Chen Yu has abandoned his past learning and rediscovered the profound meaning of the poem.

"If only General Li Guang were here, the barbarian horses would never dare to cross the Yin Mountains!"

When Chen Yu thought of the desolate scenes he had witnessed along the way, and combined this with Liu Miao's poem, he was overwhelmed with sorrow and regret!

"But even if General Li Guang were here... it was actually Generals Wei Qing and Huo Qubing who truly defeated the Xiongnu in the north and sealed the Wolf Mountain!" "Could it be that Zhongshan was secretly reminding me back then, thinking that I didn't recognize a wise ruler?"

Having gained some life experience, Chen Yu no longer dwelled on the rhythm and imagery of the poem when he read it again, but instead began to appreciate its charm.

"It seems I misunderstood Zhongshan, and also misunderstood Zhou Gongjin that day!"

Chen Yu lowered his head in embarrassment, while Yuan Shu above burst into laughter after hearing the poem.

"Interesting! Very interesting! That Liu Zhongshan actually took a seven-character poem to mourn Sun Jian and even wanted to marry his wife. What a romantic and refined gentleman! Hahahaha!"

Seeing that Yuan Shu neither understood Liu Miao's lofty ambitions nor respected Sun Jian, a former general who had died for him, Chen Yu felt increasingly distressed, and certain thoughts in his heart became even stronger...

But before that, Chen Yu still had things to do!

This was not for himself, nor for Liu Miao, but solely for the people of Huainan!
Chen Yu took a deep breath and bowed to Yuan Shu.

"I know that Lord Yuan is about to take control of Huainan. However, Huainan has been at peace for a long time, and the people are unaware of the calamities of war. Therefore, they will inevitably fear those who use force!"

"Huainan will be the future base of General Hou's territory. I earnestly request that General Hou not wage war against Huainan and disturb the local people! Let the people feel General Hou's benevolence and righteousness!"

After saying this, Chen Yu closed his eyes, preparing to face Yuan Shu's fierce attack.

He had witnessed the situation of Yuan Shu's army firsthand and knew that Yuan Shu would inevitably cross the Huai River to seize Huainan!
But! But!
Thinking of the displaced people and their families in Huaibei, Chen Yu couldn't help but plead with Yuan Shu—

Do not resort to weapons, lest further calamity befall us!

To Chen Yu's surprise, Yuan Shu did not get angry after hearing this; instead, he laughed.

"Gongwei, what are you saying? Who exactly do you take me, Yuan Gonglu, for?"

“I, Yuan Gonglu, have always been a subject of the Han Dynasty! Everything I have done is to support the Han Dynasty. How could I possibly send troops to attack the governors and prefects who are defending their territory?”

Chen Yu's mouth gaped slightly, but seeing Yuan Shu's arrogant expression, which seemed genuine, he, who had just been worried about the people, suddenly became worried about Yuan Shu instead.

"But if we don't use weapons, how can the General of the Rear take control of Huainan?"

Yuan Shu smiled without saying a word, clearly intending to keep everyone in suspense.

"Let's not talk about this!"

Yuan Shu waved his hand dismissively, changing the subject to ask Chen Yu another question—

"Gongwei is the son of the Grand Commandant, a renowned scholar of the Central Plains, and a court advisor. His qualifications and reputation are both top-notch. I wonder if he would like to take on the position of governor?"

Chen Yu smiled bitterly: "My character is insufficient, how could I possibly aspire to the position of governor? Besides, there are currently no vacancies for governors in any of the prefectures, so how could it be my turn to take on the role?"

"What if there's a vacancy in Yangzhou?"

"General Hou is joking. The current governor of Yangzhou is Chen Wen. Does General Hou not remember him?"

"..."

"!!!"

Chen Yu immediately realized what was happening, and his pupils dilated in shock!
It was at this moment that Chen Yu finally remembered that sentence—

The Yuan family of Runan has students and former officials all over the world!

Who can guarantee that there are no members of the Yuan family from Runan around them?

(End of this chapter)