coobybook Chapter 1283 A Man's Death Leads to the End of His Ambitions
Chapter 1283 A Man's Death Leads to the End of His Ambitions
Shen Pei stood at the palace gate and saw Yuan Shang, dressed in plain clothes and accompanied by only two attendants, approaching. The winter wind whipped his robes, revealing a certain reckless courage. He nodded to himself: This third young master dares to force his father to do something like this; he is indeed quite decisive, unlike his father who is indecisive.
"Mr. Zheng Nan, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Yuan Shang cupped his hands in greeting, his voice carrying a deliberately suppressed sorrow. Whether this sorrow was genuine or not, the father and son had reached this point, and their expressions had to show some emotion.
Shen Pei nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the attendants behind him. They were all unarmed, seemingly there only to fulfill their filial duties. He said calmly, "Third Young Master, please follow me. The Lord is still waiting inside." With that, he turned and led Yuan Shang into the palace.
Yuan Shang followed behind, his heart tightening with each step. The palace guards were all from Ju Yi's vanguard battalion. On the day he led his troops to besiege the palace, tensions had escalated to the point of near-war. Although they had refrained from fighting for months, even sending provisions on time, the seeds of discord had already been sown. The soldiers' gazes, now filled with hostility and scrutiny, pierced him like needles.
He forced himself to remain calm and strode after Shen Pei. The closer they got to his father's palace, the stronger the smell of medicine became, bitter and rotten, making his heart beat faster.
He was conflicted. He longed for a quick resolution so that this "legitimate" moment could arrive sooner, yet he also felt a pang of guilt as he faced his father's impending death. But this guilt was quickly dispelled by the power that was about to be in his hands. He clenched his hands tightly in his sleeves, his nails almost digging into his flesh.
Finally, Shen Pei stopped in front of a tightly closed palace gate: "The lord is inside."
Yuan Shang took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy door. Yuan Shao, lying on his sickbed, was more haggard than he had imagined, as if he were only clinging to life. The dim candlelight illuminated his withered face, making Yuan Shang hesitate to approach him for a moment.
"You...have come." Yuan Shao's voice was weak but penetrating, breaking the deathly silence in the hall.
Yuan Shang composed himself, quickly walked to the bedside, and bent down to say, "Son... has come to see his father."
A cold wind slipped in through the cracks in the palace door, causing the candlelight to flicker and casting the shadows of the father and son on the wall—one hunched over, the other upright—like a belated confrontation.
The palace was silent. The concubines who had served him earlier were nowhere to be seen, presumably having gone to the inner quarters. Yuan Shao was pale and weak. He looked at Yuan Shang in front of him, his voice hoarse with illness: "Third brother!" He paused, then curled the corners of his mouth in a self-deprecating smile, "I underestimated you."
Yuan Shang lowered his eyes and remained silent, but his fingertips clenched tightly in his sleeve.
Yuan Shao lay on the couch, breathing rapidly, his cloudy eyes staring at the top of the tent. His voice was broken and filled with resentment and anger: "Third brother, why couldn't you wait? I am old and frail, and I originally wanted to smoothly hand over this legacy to you... but you insisted on taking this risky move, causing my lifelong reputation to fall into this state."
He took a breath, a glint of his former high spirits flashing in his eyes: "Back in my youth, I roamed Luoyang, and wherever I went, who didn't bow and call me a hero? I united the warlords against Dong Zhuo, and even the emperor was not a threat to me. Now, this vast empire, I never imagined that in my old age, I would be betrayed by my own son..."
Yuan Shang suddenly looked up, his face showing a stubbornness mixed with a hint of guilt, and his voice became urgent: "Father, I also want you to enjoy your old age in peace! But what about you? You placed my eldest brother in Qingzhou, where he is colluding with foreign officials and plotting rebellion, and you turn a blind eye; my second brother is in Youzhou, and he is already timid. With Generals Yan Liang and Wen Chou fighting on the front lines, he can't even manage the supplies, yet you are still hesitant to decide on the succession..."
He took a deep breath, his voice filled with suppressed grievance: "I have served you faithfully, do you not see my talents? Entrusting everything to your whim is too risky for me. I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. Please forgive me, Father!"
Yuan Shao lay on his sickbed, his breathing weak. After listening to Yuan Shang's words, a complex emotion flashed in his cloudy eyes, a mixture of anger and helplessness. He coughed a few times, his voice broken: "You... you've managed to absolve yourself of all responsibility. The matter of the heir apparent... my hesitation is precisely because I fear you brothers will turn against each other. Your eldest brother may have made mistakes, but he is still the eldest son; your second brother may be cowardly, but he has not committed any major offenses..."
Yuan Shang stiffened his neck, his voice tinged with agitation: "Father! In chaotic times, mercy is a scourge! My eldest brother is colluding with foreign officials, and my second brother is incapable of shouldering great responsibilities. If we hand over the family business to them, the Yuan family will surely perish within three years! I am doing this for the sake of the Yuan family's survival!"
"For the Yuan family?" Yuan Shao sneered, the laughter aggravating his illness, causing him to cough violently again. "Do you know... how are your actions any different from Dong Zhuo's? You claim to be protecting your family's business, but in reality... you are usurping the throne! I have always considered myself a hero, but in the end... I have raised a son like you!"
Yuan Shang's face flushed red, but he remained defiant: "As long as the Yuan family's foundation can be preserved, I don't care about my reputation! Father, you dared to oppose Dong Zhuo back then, weren't you afraid of leaving a bad name for yourself?"
“You…” Yuan Shao was speechless, his hand pointing at Yuan Shang trembling slightly, his eyes filled with deep disappointment. “I oppose Dong Zhuo for the greater good; you force your own father for personal gain! How can you conflate the two!”
A deathly silence fell over the hall, broken only by Yuan Shao's heavy breathing. Yuan Shang stood before the bed, his stubbornness undiminished, yet a flicker of regret crossed his mind, quickly suppressed by his thirst for power. He knew that things had come to this point, and there was no turning back.
“Father,” Yuan Shang’s voice softened, “things have come to this point, there’s no point in saying more. If you are willing to issue an edict to make me the heir apparent, I promise you that I will treat my elder brothers well and preserve the Yuan family bloodline.”
Yuan Shao closed his eyes, no longer looking at him, a single tear sliding down his cheek. He had spent his life on the battlefield, yet he couldn't escape the power struggles within his family. Perhaps from the moment he hesitated, this ending was already predetermined.
Yuan Shao kept his eyes closed, and only his heavy breathing could be heard in the hall. After a long while, he slowly opened his eyes. The previous resentment was gone from his eyes, leaving only a gray calm: "Enough... I called you here today not to scold you, nor to investigate anything."
He coughed twice and gently patted the quilt with his withered hand: "I don't think I can hold on for more than two or three days. You must remember that my Yuan family has been a family of high-ranking officials for four generations. This family business has been built up generation after generation. We cannot let our prestige be ruined in your hands. The reason I have summoned you today is to give you a legitimate title."
"Withdraw the troops outside the manor." He gazed at the embroidered patterns on the tent ceiling, his voice as soft as a sigh. "I was born into a family of great wealth and honor, and I must die with the dignity of a prince. As for your elder brothers... if you still cherish brotherly affection, do not kill them all. Let them die peacefully, and I will rest in peace."
After saying that, he laughed self-deprecatingly, his laughter full of weariness: "Back then, I fought with your second uncle for half my life, but I never thought that in the end, my own sons would also go down this path... Now that I think about it, what's the point of fighting and struggling?"
Yuan Shang shook his head, his face showing no sign of softening: "Father, withdrawing the troops now will not be able to keep it a secret. My eldest brother has a lot of prestige in Qingzhou, and although my second brother is cowardly, he still commands the troops in Youzhou. If they hear the news and come to see that Father is critically ill, how can they be willing to accept it? Moreover, Cao Cao and Ma Chao have long been eyeing Hebei. Once they see that my internal situation is unstable, they will definitely take the opportunity to attack."
He leaned forward, his gaze fixed intently on Yuan Shao: "If you are truly willing to entrust this Hebei foundation to me, then please personally hand over Generals Yan Liang, Wen Chou, and Ju Yi, as well as Mr. Shen Pei—they must genuinely submit and acknowledge me as their master. Otherwise, with only a title and without the loyalty of these veteran generals and ministers, how can I maintain order in this game?"
“When the eldest and second brothers join forces to attack, and we are surrounded by warlords, with internal troubles still unresolved and external threats looming, the family business that Father built will probably be destroyed in the blink of an eye!” Yuan Shang’s voice was urgent and firm. “It’s not that I don’t believe in Father’s title, but in chaotic times, power must be firmly in our own hands to ensure the survival of the Yuan family.”
Yuan Shao stared intently at his son. The resolute and ruthless look in his son's eyes was strikingly similar to his own when he was young, yet the son was even more unscrupulous. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, it turned into a long sigh. In that sigh, there was helplessness, resignation, and an unspeakable sorrow.
Yuan Shao looked at Yuan Shang, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes disappearing, and said in a hoarse voice, "Fine... Go and call the four of them in."
Yuan Shang could not hide his joy. Suppressing his excitement, he turned and strode out of the hall. A short while later, Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Ju Yi, and Shen Pei followed him into the hall. Seeing Yuan Shang so close behind, the four men looked somewhat resentful, but restrained by their ailing lord, they could not express their anger. Instead, they knelt on the ground, weeping and calling out, "My lord!"
Yuan Shao, panting, glanced at the four men, his voice weak but clear: "Gentlemen... As I, Yuan Shao, lay dying, you were by my side. We have served as ruler and subjects, and I have not failed you. Today I am about to depart this world, and I have decided to pass on this foundation in Hebei to my third son, Yuan Shang. You four must do your utmost to assist him, and do not let my life's work be in vain and destroyed in an instant!"
"My lord!" Yan Liang and Wen An exclaimed urgently, seemingly unwilling. Shen Pei gently pulled the two aside and said in a deep voice, "Since our lord has made his decision, we will obey." After saying that, he turned to Yuan Shang first, bowed and kowtowed, "Your subordinates pay their respects to the new lord."
Ju Yi, already resentful of Yuan Shang's siege of the palace, could no longer contain himself. He struggled to get up, glaring angrily at Yuan Shang. Yuan Shao, lying on his sickbed, suddenly raised his voice: "Ju Yi! You have followed me for many years, are you going to disobey my orders?"
Ju Yi trembled, ultimately daring not to truly disobey his lord's dying wish, and froze on the spot. Yan Liang and Wen Chou exchanged glances; seeing that Shen Pei had already expressed his stance and their lord's attitude was resolute, they could only suppress the turmoil in their hearts. The four looked at each other, and finally turned to Yuan Shang in unison, kneeling and bowing deeply: "Greetings, Your Highness!"
Yuan Shang quickly stepped forward, offering a helping hand, his tone earnest: "You are all important ministers whom my father relies on, why perform such a grand ceremony? I will need your help in the future."
Seeing this, Yuan Shao said, "Now that you have acknowledged your master, hand over your military seals. Yan Liang and Wen Chou, you still need to control the army outside the city and help Yuan Shang stabilize Hebei. If Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi behave themselves, that's fine. But if they make any moves, you must assist Yuan Shang in quelling the internal strife and prevent the external warlords from taking advantage of the situation."
He paused, his gaze becoming cloudy yet earnest: "If they make no unusual moves... the four of you must also support each other and keep an eye on Yuan Shang for me, lest he kill his own brothers."
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shang knelt down with a thud, his voice filled with sorrow: "Father, rest assured! My elder brothers and I are brothers, and we will never come to that point. Please focus on recovering."
Yuan Shao waved his hand, his face showing deep weariness: "That's enough... You may all leave."