Three Kingdoms: I, Yuan Shu, Loyal Officials of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 85: The Art of Spells Has a Son.
"Among the Yellow Turbans of Runan, there are Liu Pi and Gong Du who have gathered in one area. On the surface, they submit to Your Excellency, but in reality, they harbor treacherous intentions and their desire to establish their own independent regime is obvious. They have now been captured by Ci."

The able-bodied men of his troops were conscripted into the army, while the rest were sent back to their hometowns to farm. At that time, people from all over Runan submitted to him and their hearts were with Lord Yuan.

Upon hearing Taishi Ci's report, Yuan Shu nodded slightly, but Lei Bu and Chen Lan, among the generals, turned deathly pale.

What loyalty could Liu Pi and Gong Du, those two Yellow Turban rebels, possibly have to Yuan Gong? They were well aware of this.

The problem is that neither of them is loyal or righteous! It can be said that Liu Pi and Gong were able to become powerful in Runan largely because of their selling of military equipment and supplies.

Now that these two have been captured by Taishi Ci, how could Lei Bu and Chen Lan not be afraid?
"Bring it up."

As soon as Yuan Shu finished giving his orders, Liu Pi and Gong Du were brought up by Ling Cao and the young generals.

The two men were led into the tent, where they saw Yuan Shu, the head of the tent, looking down at everyone with an unfathomable air. They quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.

"Lord Yuan, spare our lives! We are truly loyal and righteous men, but General Taishi does not believe us."

"Lord Yuan, you misunderstand. We are loyal to you. Generals Lei Bu and Chen Lan can vouch for us."

"Yes, Lord Yuan, we have been close friends with Generals Lei and Chen for many years in Runan. They must know of our loyalty and righteousness."

Lei Bu and Chen Lan realized that the two men were willing to say anything to save their lives, which clearly forced them to stand up for them.

Otherwise, all their petty secrets will be exposed, and they'll all die together.

Knowing their intentions, Lei Bu and Chen Lan were both angry and anxious; how could they not be terrified?
Do they really think they are still the lord's confidants, able to control everything as before?
We are now just lowly personal guards, having lost our own troops and barely able to protect ourselves. What can we possibly use to vouch for you two?

Therefore, before the two of them could finish speaking, Lei Bu and Chen Lan interrupted them.

"You wicked scoundrels! Who has ever been on friendly terms with you Yellow Turban rebels?"

“We were truly blind before, letting you enjoy yourself in Runan for so many years without realizing your treacherous intentions.”

"Thanks to General Ziyi for eliminating this scourge for Runan."

"My lord, we have failed in our duty of oversight; please punish us."

Upon seeing this shocking turn of events, Liu Pi and Gong Du were visibly shaken. They never imagined that Lei Bu and Chen Lan, who had once been their protectors, would be so resolute as to break off all ties.
What are they afraid of? Haven't they heard that the two of them have now become unparalleled generals and are highly trusted by Lord Yuan?
Liu Pi and Gong Du exchanged a glance, their hearts hardening. Since Lei and Chen were so ruthless, they wouldn't be so unjust either.

"Unbeknownst to you, Lord Yuan, Lei Bu and Chen Lan are in Runan."

"You scoundrel, how dare you spout such nonsense and sow discord between the ruler and his subjects!"

As Lei Bu cursed and shouted, he drew his sword to strike, but fortunately Taishi Ci was right beside him and quickly came to block him.

He parried Lei Bu's longsword, his brows furrowed in a cold stare. "General Lei, what is the meaning of this?"

“Lei is usually the most intolerant of injustice, how could he allow this villain to slander him?”

Just as Chen Lan was about to step forward to confront Taishi Ci, Yuan Shu's cold voice came from the head of the table.

"Alright, everyone sit down."

Liu Pi and Gong Du dare to slander my peerless general! They should be dragged out and executed!

Lei Bu and Chen Lan were overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking that their lord still had feelings for them from many years ago and was still willing to protect them.

However, before they could rejoice, Yuan Shu's next ambiguous remark sent a chill down their spines.

"Lei Bu and Chen Lan, make good preparations. When the time comes, we will attack Liu Bei in Yu Province. Do not disappoint me."

"only."

Having dealt with Liu Pi and Gong Du, Taishi Ci hurriedly introduced the young general beside him to Yuan Shu.

"My lord, this is Chen Dao, Chen Shuzhi, a local from Runan. His parents were killed by the Yellow Turbans during their rampage."

Hearing that Cixi is leading troops to quell the Yellow Turban Rebellion in Runan, I have come alone with only a spear to join him. He is a man of both courage and strategy, possessing extraordinary bravery and tactics. In this campaign against the bandits, he personally captured the bandit leader Liu Pi, and should be credited with the greatest achievement.”

"Chen Dao of Runan pays his respects to Lord Yuan!"

Chen Dao! Chen Shuzhi?

Liu Bei's personal bodyguard was exceptionally loyal and brave, and trained the elite White Feather Army, who were known as "always second in rank to Zhao Yun".

Upon hearing this name, Yuan Shu could no longer remain seated.

He immediately got up and hurried down to help her up himself.

He pointed to Chen Dao and said to his ministers, "Young and promising, this is my Wei Qing and Huo Qubing!"

Chen Dao was only sixteen years old at the time, and had never seen anything like this before. Under everyone's gaze, his face turned bright red, and he repeatedly said that he dared not.

"You flatter me, Mr. Yuan."

“I heard from Ziyi that Uncle’s parents were both killed by the Yellow Turbans.”

Yuan Shu warmly grasped his hand and said with a smile:
"If Shu had a son like Shuzhi, what more could he ask for?"
"Uncle, would you be willing to acknowledge me as your godfather? Let us, father and son, work together with one heart and one mind to build a great future."

Upon hearing Yuan Shu's words, the assembled officials displayed a variety of expressions.

Sun Ce's expression turned strange. Why? Because these words sounded familiar.

Zhou Yu frowned slightly. How could there be a competitor when the adopted son was trying to gain trust?
After arriving a few days ago, Yuan Yao, who hadn't left yet, immediately turned pale!
We haven't even finished dealing with Sun Ce yet, and now this filthy thing has appeared? Father, when will you ever stop this whole "adopting a son" thing?

He quickly tugged at his teacher Liu Ye beside him, as if hoping that his teacher would speak up for him. However, Liu Ye kept his eyes down and acted as if it were none of his business.

As for Chen Dao, he was completely stunned. Originally, Taishi Ci wanted to bring him to see Lord Yuan, a figure who was legendary in the local area. Chen Dao felt extremely nervous.

But he never expected that the Yuan family head, who was so high and mighty in Runan, would value him so much.

Holding his hand, they addressed him as Wei and Huo, and even wanted to adopt him as their godson.

It was only when Taishi Ci beside him tugged hard on his sleeve that Chen Dao reacted and knelt down on one knee.

"Godfather above, I will follow you from now on, assist you, and work together to achieve great things!"

"Very well! Let's hold a banquet to celebrate this joyous occasion."

Even after Yuan Shu pulled him into the banquet, Chen Dao still felt dazed, as if he were in a dream.

The Yuan family of Runan!

For him, a native of Runan, no one understood the weight of the name "Yuan" better than he did.

At this moment, because of Yuan Gong's high regard and the phrase "[If you have a son like Shuzhi]", Chen Dao actually became Yuan Gong's adopted son.
As he watched the celebrities around him constantly toasting him, Chen Dao's eyes reddened.

Who would have thought that he, a wandering and helpless young man, who was just about to fight for wealth with his sword and spear, would become rich before he even had a chance to try?
My adoptive father truly gave me a second chance at life, a debt I could never repay even if I died ten thousand times.

That day, Chen Dao got extremely drunk. He tightly embraced his sworn brother Sun Ce, whom he believed was the only one present who could understand his feelings, and kept talking about how to train elite troops and fight to the death together to create a great cause for their sworn father.

"Brother, were you also in a dreamlike state back then, just like me?"

Sun Ce: "."

Sun Ce remained silent.

Dreams? You have no idea that I have nightmares about the shadow of the candle and the sound of the axe every day.

(End of this chapter)