Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Do you think Sun Bofu is the kind of person who thinks things through? On one hand, political assassination is meaningless; on the other, if you die accidentally, Sun Bofu will send all suspicious people down to accompany you, and in that way, the Yang Family wouldn’t have the moral high ground,” Yang Biao said calmly.

”Heh, in that case it might be justified, but how many people did we offend?” Yuan Shu sneered at Yang Biao.

”How many people did we offend? Heh, actually, just one person, and that’s Chen Zichuan. But with Chen Zichuan’s disposition, he wouldn’t really take action against the Yang Family, at most he would delegate to someone else. As for the Imperial Family, do you think the Grand Princess is wise?” Yang Biao looked at Yuan Shu indifferently.

Yuan Shu was taken aback, puzzled by his meaning.

”The Grand Princess probably didn’t understand why she ascended to the throne either. But I gave her a chance to test her own importance. Although it’s not ideal, the one who has experienced the chaos of Chang’an, Dong Zhuo, Li Guo, and other major events actually knows a lot. Once she figures it out, what the Yang Family did today will just be that,” Yang Biao narrated slowly.

”As for the three from the Imperial Clan, frankly, they’re just maintaining their honor. Liu Xuande secretly supports you, while the other two target you, but they have almost no ill-will towards me,” Yang Biao explained calmly, looking at Yuan Shu. ”Moreover, to put it bluntly, in this matter between the Yang Family and the Yuan Family, who’s right or wrong? Yuan Gonglu, judge for yourself.”

Yuan Shu lowered his head and thought silently, realizing that it indeed seemed to be the case.

”I see, the reason things have escalated to this extent is because I’ve angered many,” Yuan Shu said after a moment of silence.

”Yes, you’ve killed too many. Although every aristocratic family certainly has members who approve of your approach, approval doesn’t mean they won’t seek revenge. After all, everyone has friends and family. Your approach is too extreme, and looking at today’s events, you’ve come to realize that many things cannot be easily judged by right or wrong,” Yang Biao said rather helplessly.

”As the head of the Yuan Family, I welcomed you into my home, invited you in, and allowed you to enter the hall, but you must provide an explanation. And for what you did afterward, hengheng!” Yang Biao stared coldly at Yuan Shu.

”It was my mistake to kill someone in your home, but with Yang Xiu insulting me like that, what about the face of my Yuan Family?” Yuan Shu said as he looked evenly at Yang Biao.

”That’s precisely the point. Then what about the face of the Yang Family? What about the face of those families whose pests you exterminated?” Yang Biao nodded, without the slightest anger.

Yuan Shu was speechless, while Yang Biao continued to look at him, ”The Yang Family has carried its reputation for too long, far too long to let it fall. Just like how you, as the head of the Yuan Family, cleansed pests from the aristocratic families following you, although they’re dissatisfied, they can only remain silent.”

”There are many families behind the Yang Family as well. If it becomes the Yuan Family’s dictatorship, would you remove those people?” Yang Biao asked calmly.

”Yes!” Yuan Shu answered forcefully.

”That’s it then. If our particular lineage of the Yang Family did it, there might be a way forward. But if you do it, not only would hearts disperse, but the consequences would be too much for the Yang Family to bear. Much of the Yang Family’s current prestige is due to the trust of those people, and correspondingly, we have an obligation to protect them,” Yang Biao said coldly as he looked at Yuan Shu.

”Would your Yang Family remove the pests from your own lineage?” Yuan Shu asked back with a cold smile.

”No!” Yang Biao replied with no expression. A normal person would remove a few extremely guilty individuals, kill a chicken to scare the monkeys as a constraint. Who would be like Yuan Shu?

”That’s it then,” Yuan Shu said with disdain.

”The Yang Family earned the trust of those people, so we must repay that trust. When you first visited the Yang Family, such an incident occurred. We couldn’t stop you, so we had to let the Guanxi noble families know we did our best, and you can continue killing as you wish,” Yang Biao said calmly as he looked at Yuan Shu.

Yuan Shu suddenly realized why the Yang Family escalated things to this level. Power struggles and interests were just a facade; the real reason lay here.

Actually, Yang Biao hesitated when Yuan Shu began migrating the aristocratic families, because this couldn’t be stopped. But if the Yuan Family grew too powerful, Yuan Shu’s methods would definitely involve eliminating the pests and establishing a new order.

If that happened, without the Yang Family supporting its own people, they’d likely remain unable to recover for hundreds of years. But if the Yang Family did support their own lineage, they’d directly confront Chen Xi. Up to now, nothing like this had happened in the Central Plains, but thinking about it, it likely wouldn’t end well.

Thus, the only thing Yang Biao could do was agree with the Yuan Family’s decision, but the Yuan Family absolutely couldn’t meddle with our lineage’s aristocratic families. Alternatively, I would bring my people over, and we could talk properly, arriving at a conclusion first.

This was why Yang Biao invited Yuan Shu inside, but intended to let him leave again — because if the Yang Family didn’t want to remain unresponsive for hundreds of years, they had to dive deeply and clarify the pest issue with Yuan Shu and their entire lineage.

The Yang Family was fully aware they absolutely couldn’t snatch Yuan Shu’s current position from him.

But then things fell apart, and Yang Biao realized that with Yuan Shu’s current situation, it was clear he intended to establish a new rule with the sword first. Therefore, negotiation was meaningless, and might even doom the Yang Family.

It was precisely because of this that the situation unfolded as it did afterwards. Without handling it this way, the Yang Family might lose trust and support from their own people, leading to their downfall.

Handling it this way, Yang Biao’s lineage might perish, but the Yang Family exerted all their effort; nothing could stop it. Thus, regardless of future treatment by Yuan Shu, it wouldn’t be a lack of protection from the Yang Family, but rather the Yang Family fighting desperately but dying in battle.

Yuan Shu’s actions would further imprint the image of bloodshed before the palace in these aristocratic families’ minds.

After fifty years, once Yuan Shu establishes order and transforms the Guanxi noble families, the Yang Family might even be welcomed by them, poised to take over.

This was the crucial reason the situation was pushed to this point, leaving the Yang Family with no choice: either lose the Guanxi noble families’ trust and the soil for survival, with their lives in others’ hands.

Or just as before, even if they would offend Chen Xi, at least there was some hope, and the family remained under their control.

”It seems you’ve understood, Yuan Gonglu,” Yang Biao said peacefully while holding his teacup, ”Old Yang had no choice. I took this action knowing it might lead to the annihilation of my lineage, and it seems luck isn’t bad.”

”Even if we lose a lot, the Yang Family would still have freedom, and its fate would be under our control. Someday someone in the Yang Family will emerge, dominate an era, suppress a generation!” Yang Biao said arrogantly with a glance of contempt for the world.

”Haven’t you considered if things hadn’t been contained today—if I died? With Bofu’s loyalty, if I died, your Yang Family would have difficulty surviving. Moreover, even if I’m alive, don’t you fear Sun Bofu’s revenge simply by relying on your explanation?” Yuan Shu moved his mouth without making a sound, then asked after a while.

”If you died, Sun Bofu would seek revenge, but he absolutely wouldn’t be able to wipe out the entire Yang Family, at most eliminate our lineage and two neighboring lines. It wouldn’t be such a loss for the Yang Family. As for you living, Yuan Gonglu, would you let Sun Bofu handle this matter?” Yang Biao replied with an unparalleled calmness.

Yuan Shu paused for a moment, then nodded silently, ”The matters of the Yuan Family wouldn’t be resolved by others; naturally, they’re resolved by the Yuan Family itself.”

”So, we’ll only lose one lineage,” Yang Biao said indifferently, ”You should kill and cleanse all the household pests, reestablish the order.”

”Of course, I will definitely kill to establish a peaceful and stable world!” Yuan Shu said proudly.