The Three Kingdoms: The entire Cao Cao camp thought I was weak and frail.

These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly sobering Zhong Yao up. He was only thinking about saving people, but forgot about the complex web of interests behind it all.

Xun You's expression also turned extremely grim. Although he wasn't as optimistic as Zhong Yao, he had indeed considered Yuan Shao's suggestion. After all, it was the only seemingly feasible path at the moment. But after Guo Jia pointed it out, he realized that beneath that path lay an abyss.

"Yuan Shao is a man of great ambition but little talent, fond of making plans but indecisive, outwardly fierce but inwardly weak. He is not capable of accomplishing great things," Guo Jia first commented on Yuan Shao, and then continued.

"His desire to save Wenruo is a pretense; his true intention is to win over the hearts of the people and bring Gongda and the entire Xun family's prestige in the court to his own use. He is currently in Luoyang, possessing only the title of a member of a family that has held high office for four generations, but without any real power. He is burning with anger and eager to find a way to break the deadlock and demonstrate his strength and value to his former protégés and officials in Guandong."

"Since that's the case, why don't we give him a chance to demonstrate his 'value'?" Xun Hao lightly tapped the character "Yuan" with his fingertip.

"Uncle means..." Xun You's eyes lit up, as he vaguely grasped something.

"Using a borrowed knife to kill someone, cutting off the fuel supply under the cauldron." Guo Jia picked up the conversation, exchanging a glance with Xun Hao. The unspoken understanding between them left no room for others to interject. Guo Jia laughed, "Doesn't Yuan Shao want to be the savior? Then let him be. No, let everyone in Luoyang know that he's the real 'wise one' who tricked the devil into the trap."

Zhong Yao was completely bewildered: "Fengxiao, what do you mean by that?"

Guo Jia did not answer him directly, but looked at Xun Hao and gestured for him to continue.

Xun Hao laid out his plan in detail: "Starting tomorrow, we need to spread a rumor in Luoyang. The rumor is very simple. It will say that when He Jin plotted to kill the eunuchs, the reason he thought of summoning Dong Zhuo to the capital was not He Jin's own idea, but Yuan Shao's 'brilliant plan' behind the scenes."

"What?!" Zhong Yao exclaimed in shock. "This...this matter was clearly discussed jointly by He Jin and Yuan Shao..."

"Whether it's true or false isn't important," Xun Hao interrupted him. "What's important is what people are willing to believe. We need to make this story sound plausible."

He raised his eyes to look at the crowd, a glint of strategic brilliance flashing in his cool gaze: "We must say that Yuan Shao was a man of deep foresight. He knew long ago that the eunuch clique was deeply entrenched and that He Jin was indecisive and unlikely to achieve great things. Therefore, he used He Jin's name to carry out a scheme of using one tiger to devour another, deliberately luring Dong Zhuo, this fierce tiger, into the capital, just to use Dong Zhuo's knife to cut off the tangled mess of the Ten Attendants. Now that the eunuchs have been eliminated, Dong Zhuo has naturally taken control of the court. All of this was within Yuan Shao's calculations."

Xun You gasped, finally understanding the insidious nature of the plan: "In this way, to those unaware of the true situation, Dong Zhuo appears to be a tool in Yuan Shao's hand, an executor. Yuan Shao, on the other hand, is the one hiding behind the scenes, stirring up trouble."

"This...this is too risky." Zhong Yao's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Yuan Shao isn't a fool; he will definitely come forward to clarify. Dong Zhuo is inherently suspicious; what if he doesn't believe us..."

"He will," Guo Jia interrupted him lazily, stuffing a peeled orange to Xun Hao's lips. Xun Hao turned his head away, so Guo Jia ate it himself, smacking his lips as he did so. "What Dong Zhuo hates most is not that others are stronger than him, but that others treat him like a fool. The more Yuan Shao tries to clarify things, the more guilty Dong Zhuo sees him as."

Xun You picked up the conversation, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He fully understood Xun Hao's intention and completed it.

"That's right. Once Dong Zhuo is convinced that Yuan Shao is plotting against him, he will definitely turn against Yuan Shao. Yuan Shao comes from a prestigious family and is proud and arrogant. He will never bow down to Dong Zhuo. In order to protect himself, he will definitely use the power of the Yuan family in the court and in Guandong to resist him."

He paused, lowering his voice even further.

"And this force of resistance, in Dong Zhuo's eyes, was Yuan Shao beginning to use his so-called 'backup plan.' When the two tigers fight, the waters of Luoyang are stirred up. Only when the waters are muddy do we have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters."

Zhong Yao, standing to the side, was speechless. He watched the uncle and nephew singing in unison, and then looked at the leisurely Guo Jia beside him. He felt that his brain was completely overwhelmed.

Are these people all monsters?

The next day, Luoyang seemed to be taken over by a new story overnight.

Initially, it was just an impromptu storytelling performance by a storyteller in a teahouse in the south of the city. He said that General He Jin was a good-for-nothing, and the real ideas came from Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, who was behind him. Yuan Benchu ​​had long disliked the Ten Attendants, but He Jin was utterly useless, so he had no choice but to take a risky gamble and borrow Dong Zhuo of Xiliang, the fastest knife, to cut the most tangled mess.

The story was told in a vivid and detailed manner, but the listeners were only half-believing and half-doubting, taking it as just entertainment.

But soon, the same story was playing out in different versions in different taverns, gambling dens, and brothels.

Some say that Yuan Shao had already sent someone to secretly communicate with Dong Zhuo before Dong Zhuo entered the capital, promising him high-ranking official positions and generous rewards.

Some say that Dong Zhuo was able to seize military power so quickly because Yuan Shao paved the way for him in the court.

Some even claimed to have personally witnessed Yuan Shao's servants giving gifts to Dong Zhuo's trusted generals, Li Jue and Guo Si.

Rumors, like willow catkins in spring, drift and swirl, seemingly harmless, yet they seep into every corner of Luoyang.

In the backyard of the dyehouse, Xun Hao, draped in a thick felt blanket, sat on the veranda, listening to the intelligence network leader's reports. Guo Jia leaned against a nearby pillar, toying with a pot of warm wine, taking sips now and then.

"...Now everyone in the city is saying that Prime Minister Dong is a tool in Young Master Yuan's hands. Some people don't believe it and ask what benefits Young Master Yuan has received." The person in charge lowered his head and calmly repeated the street gossip.

Guo Jia chuckled and replied, "Then someone else answered for him, right?"

The person in charge nodded: "Yes. Immediately, someone objected, saying that Young Master Yuan is far-sighted and not seeking short-term gains. It's true that Prime Minister Dong has troops, but how can one govern the world with just troops? He's deliberately letting Dong Zhuo run rampant. Once Dong Zhuo has offended all the scholars in the land, the Yuan family, with their four generations of high-ranking officials, can step forward, raise their voices, and win back the hearts of the scholars. At that time, wouldn't it be as easy as taking the reins of power?"

This explanation was riddled with flaws, and anyone with a discerning eye could tell it was utter nonsense. But for most ordinary people who just wanted a bit of excitement, and for those who only had a superficial understanding of the current situation, this story was far more interesting than the dry decrees from the imperial court. A young master from a powerful family, strategizing and manipulating the arrogant warlords of Xiliang—what a captivating spectacle!

"Very good. Keep going, don't stop. Make the fire burn even brighter."

"Yes." The person in charge acknowledged the order and withdrew.