The Three Great Han Dynasties: Awaken Liu Bei with a scolding; you weave mats and sell sandals.

The court session has ended.

Yuan Wei walked up to Liu Hong with a smile on his face and took out a document in his hand. It was the apology from the Yuan family after Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu had participated in that absurd incident last night.

A long list of gold, silver, jewels, fertile fields, and mansions.

The two men from last night were captured by Liu Hong before they even had a chance to make a move.

Otherwise, how could such a small amount of money solve the problem?

We must at least severely damage the Yuan family before we can succeed.

However, in that case, Liu Hong's Liu clan in Youzhou would likely end up in a lose-lose situation with the Yuan clan.

Even in the best-case scenario, the vitality of the Liu family in Youzhou would inevitably be damaged, which is something Liu Hong is unwilling to see.

So the current situation has, to a large extent, achieved his vision.

Liu Hong glanced at it quickly and then handed the document to Cui Yan, who was standing next to him.

Cui Yan examined it carefully, and after verifying that everything was correct, he nodded slightly.

Liu Hong's face lit up with a smile again, and he humbly bowed to Yuan Kui, saying, "Lord Yuan, you are too kind. Our two families should be each other's support, working together to protect the stability of the Han Dynasty."

Last night, my two nephews did something wrong, but young people should always be given more opportunities.

Liu Hong's remarks were a great show of respect to the Yuan family.

Yuan Wei immediately nodded in agreement, then turned around and, in front of Liu Hong, also took the opportunity to reprimand Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, his voice stern: "Hurry up and thank Lord Liu. If you two make such a foolish mistake again, even I, as the head of the family, will not let you off easily when you return to the clan."

"Thank you for your magnanimity, Mr. Liu."

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu could only swallow their pride and bow in respect.

Otherwise, this matter wouldn't be over yet.

They're unlikely to get anything good out of each other.

Liu Hong sighed again, then, adopting the air of an elder, earnestly lectured the two of them, telling them to be careful with their words and actions in the future and not to be used as pawns.

Following closely behind, Liu Hongcai strode away with his men, his imposing figure commanding the distance.

The scene of the two chatting happily was, seemingly intentionally or unintentionally, witnessed by the other gentry who had just left the court.

Many people's eyes flickered, and they whispered among themselves.

"I never imagined that even the Yuan family, which has held high office for four generations, would have to submit to the Liu family of Youzhou and to this great general?"

"What else do you want? Among all the clans in the land, the Liu family of Youzhou is the most powerful. Furthermore, given His Majesty's ulterior motives, Liu Hong holds the greatest military power in the land. Who dares to offend him?"

"Moreover! Although the Yuan family has countless retainers, they still need to think twice before going against these military generals who hold heavy troops."

"And don't forget, the General is a member of the Han imperial family. Those who oppose the Liu family have never had a good ending."

For a moment, everyone nodded in agreement, and what they said gained the approval of countless members of the gentry.

They could also see that the status of the Liu family of Youzhou had risen to a higher level even in the imperial city of Luoyang, thanks to their good relations with the Yuan family.

"This general, the head of the Liu family in Youzhou, is truly skilled."

Yuan Shao watched Liu Hong's departing figure, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes. He said in a deep voice, "No wonder they released us so easily last night. It turns out there was such a scheme involved."

Yuan Shu's expression also turned serious.

Young men from aristocratic families like them were well aware of the competition among aristocratic families.

The Yuan family of Luoyang is not as famous as the Liu family of Youzhou at present. This matter will probably become known to everyone in just a few days.

This is tough.

The Yuan family really had no choice but to eat it.

That's enough.

Hearing their words, Yuan Wei felt equally uncomfortable. After letting out a cold snort, he said in a deep voice, "Haven't we lost enough face already?"

"The two of you should refrain from doing anything unnecessary in Luoyang right now. Otherwise, it would be time to let someone else take over the position of head of the Yuan family and many other family affairs."

Upon hearing this, both Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's expressions changed, and they dared not utter another word.

At this moment, Yuan Wei's face was so gloomy it could drip water. The fact that he was so angry that he shouted out loud showed just how furious he was.

The Yuan family has worked hard to build up their reputation in Luoyang to this day. Their prestige of four generations of high-ranking officials is the result of generations of diligent work.

But right now?

However, it was the rivalry and impulsiveness of the two younger brothers, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, that nearly destroyed the Yuan family's years of hard work.

Reputation is something that is difficult to accumulate but easy to destroy. Once tainted with the stigma of treason and framing, it takes an immense amount of effort to cleanse it completely.

Yuan Kui was able to hold back until now before losing his temper.

It's already clear that he has excellent self-control.

Otherwise, if it were any other family, they would definitely kick these two troublemakers out of the house and sever all ties.

Such things were commonplace among the aristocratic families.

"Yes, Uncle, your nephews and nieces have learned their lesson."

Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu both bowed deeply, heads bowed and eyes lowered; at this moment, they dared not have the slightest thought of arguing.

If things continue like this, the two of them will probably be expelled from the Yuan family and completely lose their status as scions of the aristocratic class.

Without the Yuan family as a powerful support.

Their talents, like rootless duckweed, had no place to be displayed.

This time, he really offended the Yuan family badly and pushed himself to the brink of disaster.

On the other side of the council chamber, Cui Yan glanced at Liu Hong indifferently and asked calmly, "Have you figured out how to deal with the Yuan family?"

Liu Hong curled his lip, tapping the table lightly with his fingertips, a hint of disdain flashing in his eyes: "Solve it? I never even considered solving it."

The Yuan family is indeed very powerful, with a deep foundation and disciples and former officials all over the world.

But now that the Liu family of Youzhou has risen to power, they hold a large army, with many fierce generals and strategists under their command. At worst, the two sides can just clash head-on.

On the contrary, showing a little weakness at this moment would reassure Emperor Liu Hong, who would then continue to provide strong support.

As long as he could ensure that the clan's power could suppress the gentry, Liu Hong was not afraid to fight against any faction in the imperial city of Luoyang.

Regardless of winning or losing the fight.

He always maintained an invincible position.

This is the greatest benefit of gaining the emperor's reliance.

The referees were all on his side.

Liu Hong could lose ten or a hundred times, it would only be a minor setback and wouldn't matter much; but if his opponent lost once, it would be a serious injury, losing twice would be a major blow, and losing three times would probably leave him with no place in the Luoyang royal family.

This is the real reason why that old fox, Grand Tutor Yuan Wei, is unwilling to confront the Liu family of Youzhou directly.