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

Yuan paid her respects

At this time, Cai Yong and his wife had returned to Luoyang.

Cai Yong is now one of the Nine Ministers, the Grand Counselor, which is several levels higher than his original position as a mere Gentleman of the Palace.

In addition to his reputation as a great Confucian scholar, more and more people from the gentry under Liu Hong's command came to serve him.

As for the previous calamity of the Party Prohibitions, it seems that everyone has temporarily put the matter aside.

Since there was nothing they could do, they could only be driven along with them.

Conversely, if they simply stand by and watch, they might wait until Liu Hong's side has become completely powerful.

They are the ones who will truly come to no good end.

The saying goes, "Those who understand the times are the heroes."

"Is the Yuan family coming to visit?"

At this moment, Liu Hong was with his father-in-law, Cai Yong.

He and Cai Yan held their wedding early in these chaotic times. Although everything was kept simple, Cai Yan was overjoyed and did not feel wronged at all.

Liu Hong took the visiting card, made a sound of surprise and doubt, and then handed it to Cai Yong in front of him.

The rise of the Liu family of Youzhou, their status as relatives of the Han imperial family, and the clan heritage of the Cai family enabled them to wield power in Luoyang comparable to the Yuan and Yang families, and to rival the four generations of high-ranking officials.

Although the other party has a strong foundation, it ultimately cannot overcome the current momentum.

A false reputation brings no benefit, but the current glory is real.

If some people care about the former, then naturally some people will care about the latter; everyone's choices are different.

"What exactly is Yuan Kui trying to do?"

Liu Hong stroked the visiting card and muttered to himself.

When Cai Yong, one of the Nine Ministers, mentioned Yuan Kui, his tone was anything but polite.

The most important reason is that, since we are now political enemies in the court, there is no need to show mercy to our enemies.

When the aristocratic families started fighting, they showed no mercy whatsoever.

"In any case, offering a plan first would be an admission of cowardice before the battle even begins."

This is not a good sign.

Under Liu Hong's expectant gaze, Cai Yan gave her answer, which coincided with Liu Hong's thoughts.

Liu Hong nodded slightly, agreeing with the view.

So when Yuan Wei led Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, the two most outstanding members of the Yuan family, to Liu Hong's residence, Cai Yong, an elder, was also present.

Only in this way can we truly be unafraid of the Yuan family's difficulties.

Whatever they wanted to do, Liu Hong and the Cai family could rightfully refuse them.

You can pass the buck to your elders when you're in trouble, but excuses about being down on your luck don't work as well.

The request made by one elder was handled by another elder—it couldn't be more reasonable.

"I came here today to pay my respects to the General, but I never expected to have the honor of meeting Cai Zhonglang."

Yuan Wei entered the hall, his gaze falling on Cai Yong. He smiled and said, "Thinking back to the past, Cai Zhonglang was caught up in the disaster of the Party Prohibition and ended up in such a state."

Now, time has passed, youth has faded, and unexpectedly, Cai Zhonglang has also become one of those in power.

It's not hard to see that Yuan Wei's words and hidden intentions are quite profound.

Liu Hong's eyes narrowed, then he smiled slightly and handed over the "battlefield" in front of him to his two elders.

As for Liu Hong, he certainly needs to take a good rest and sit back and watch the tigers fight.

"You jest, Mr. Yuan."

Cai Yong remained expressionless and unmoved, but his tone carried a hint of coldness: "What happened years ago was truly chilling."

We, the gentry, have such a great reputation, yet even I cannot lend a hand, causing me to wander from place to place for several years.

If it weren't for my virtuous son-in-law, we orphans and widows would probably still be wandering around aimlessly.

Cai Yong changed the subject, looked directly at Yuan Wei, and asked in a deep voice, "Lord Yuan, is this matter really so insignificant?"

Or is it that Lord Yuan didn't care at all?

As the saying goes, experience is the best teacher. Cai Yong immediately started bringing up old grievances, not only referring to Yuan Kui in front of him, but also including Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu behind him in his insults.

The older generation's attack power was indeed strong enough.

For the time being, Liu Hong only needed to observe silently, since in Liu Hong's eyes, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu were nothing more than juniors.

Nowadays, when elders speak to elders, the two younger ones have no room to interrupt.

Otherwise, it would break the rules of the aristocratic families, which would not only easily affect their reputation, but also, more broadly, their future.

This is no joke; it's a real conflict of interest.

Despite being subtly criticized by Cai Yong for a long time, Yuan Wei truly possessed remarkable composure, his expression remaining unchanged, only offering a faint smile.

One can only say that he truly deserves to be the head of a family that has produced four generations of high-ranking officials; his shrewdness is indeed something to be wary of.

"I have come today to make amends to Lord Cai."

As Yuan Wei spoke, he took out land deeds from his sleeve. Then, his attendants followed, carrying various gifts, and placed them on the table in front of Liu Hong.

The implication is self-evident.

Once these gifts are sent, the Cai family will have to side with the gentry, rather than the imperial family.

Although most aristocratic families across the land hoped for the lifting of the Party Prohibitions, this matter would affect their family members' chances of entering officialdom and getting promoted.

However, some aristocratic families did not care about this and pursued the strategy of elite troops rather than quantity.

In addition, most of these aristocratic families have now come under Liu Hong's command, either subdued by force or won over by benefits.

Liu Hong even distributed the profits he seized from those top clans to these small and medium-sized clans.

With Liu Hong as a powerful patron, if the clan's members truly achieve academic success, why would they fear not being able to obtain official positions?

Not every clan tolerates spoiled brats.

The truly visionary gentry are more inclined to let the fittest survive.

After all, while the term "spoiled brat" sounds carefree, they are actually just useless idiots who should be eliminated from the family. That's the truth.

"it is good."

Cai Yong glanced at the gifts, too lazy to pretend anymore, and said directly, "If we accept these gifts, then the Cai family will truly be indebted to Lord Yuan."

"What is the matter that you, Lord Yuan, have spoken so frankly about today?"

His quick wit and outspokenness are truly worthy of Cai Bojie.

"Since Lord Cai has said so, then let me speak frankly with the General."

Yuan Wei abruptly changed the subject, his gaze falling on Liu Hong, his expression solemn. "General, are you aware that you are now on the verge of death?"

"oh?

Yeah?"

These potentially damaging words had no effect on Liu Hong, but they certainly piqued his interest.

Liu Hong raised his eyes and looked at the other party with curiosity, wanting to see what this Third Duke could say.

If you could offer some pointers.

He really should thank them properly.

"Within the royal family, someone wants to deal with the Grand General. Isn't that a big deal?"

Yuan Wei stared intently at Liu Hong, his tone earnest, as if everything he said was truly for his benefit. "Throughout history, those who have been on the minds of a ruler have rarely met a good end."

The general must have anticipated this long ago.

For example, today you are in the eye of the storm, your achievements overshadowing your superiors. You may look radiant, but in reality, you are like oil on a hot stove. If you are not careful, you will be burned and everything will be consumed.

"General, are you really not going to give this a proper consideration?"