Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1219 Jutian Imprisoned, Yuan Tan Feigns Illness

The nights in Ye City, Ji Province, always carried an inescapable earthy smell. In the study deep within the Yuan residence, the candlelight flickered in and out due to the draft, casting half of Yuan Shao's wrinkled face in light and half in shadow.

Ever since Feng Ji and Xu You sent the secret letter from Chang'an by fast horse, Yuan Shao hadn't slept well for several days. How spirited and ambitious he had been in his youth! But Yuan Shao was now almost fifty, and in recent years, having been enfeoffed as the Prince of Ji, he was surrounded by admirers. Everything had been going smoothly; this sudden turn of events had left him somewhat disoriented.

The letter stated: "Ju Shou and Tian Feng are mercenaries who value their own power... As for the troops in Chenliu, Ju Shou and Tian Feng, without the lord's knowledge, secretly colluded with the eldest son Yuan Tan and arbitrarily mobilized them..."

"Secret collusion?" Yuan Shao's voice was like a dull knife, scraping painfully against one's ears. He suddenly grabbed the jade ruyi on the table and slammed it heavily to the ground with a crisp "crack," which slightly eased his anger. His mind raced: Ju Shou has followed me for ten years, and Tian Feng was an old minister who advised me to welcome the emperor back then! How dare they?

Behind the screen, Yuan Shang slowly emerged, carrying a cup of hot tea, his face displaying just the right amount of worry: "Father, please calm down. Perhaps... perhaps my elder brother and the two gentlemen saw Cao Cao's unusual movements and were eager to make a name for themselves, which is why they lost their composure for a moment?" His words seemed like an explanation, but every sentence confirmed the charge of "unauthorized troop deployment."

Yuan Shao, panting heavily, didn't see Yuan Shang give a wink to his personal guard standing nearby as he turned around. The guard understood and quietly withdrew.

Three days later, before dawn, someone knocked on Yuan Shao's bedchamber. A guard brought in a wooden box damp with dew, lined with black satin, containing several letters sealed with wax, and a roll of yellowed cloth.

"My lord, these are 'evidence' sent by a powerful family. They say they were found in the homes of Ju Shou and Tian Feng."

Yuan Shao grabbed the letter, tore it open, and saw that although the ink was blurry, it was the handwriting of the two men, yet it pierced his eyes like a venomous snake. Looking at the cloth, he realized it was a "covenant," clearly listing the names of Ju Shou, Tian Feng, and Yuan Tan, agreeing that "if anything happens in Ye City, both sides will watch over and help each other."

"Rebellion! Rebellion!" Yuan Shao trembled with rage, grabbing the wooden box and smashing it on the ground. Letters scattered everywhere, trampled to pieces by his foot. "Zhang He! Gao Lan! Bring those two heartless bastards back to me! And Yuan Tan, make him go back to Ye City to be tried!"

Several days later, in the Chenliu military camp, Ju Shou was studying a map and deducing Cao Cao's movements, while Tian Feng was annotating the allocation of provisions. The morning mist outside the tent had not yet dissipated. Suddenly, the tent flap was violently flung open, and Gao Lan led a troop of armored soldiers in. The clattering of armor plates startled the sparrows in the corner of the tent.

"Mr. Ju, Mr. Tian, ​​I'm sorry." Gao Lan pressed his hand on the sword at his waist, his voice as deep as stone. "The lord has ordered that you two be summoned back to Ye City for questioning."

Tian Feng slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, the hem of his battle robe sweeping the bamboo slips off the table: "Gao Lan! We have been comrades for many years, do you not trust the two of us? Someone must be spreading rumors to our lord!"

Ju Shou pressed down on his shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the tense faces of the soldiers, and slowly said, "Since it is the lord's order, we will go. However, regarding the military defenses..."

"General Zhang He has been ordered to take over, sir, please rest assured." Gao Lan turned his face away, not daring to look him in the eye.

After all, they were old colleagues, and Gao Lan secretly revealed the matter to the two of them. The prison cart carrying the prisoners traveled back to Ye City, the wheels rolling over the gravel road with a monotonous sound. Ju Shou looked at the fields rushing past the window and suddenly whispered, "Yuan Hao, don't you think it might be difficult to go back this time?" Tian Feng clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white, but he didn't say a word.

Meanwhile, Yuan Tan, who should have returned to Ye City with them, was sitting in his military tent in Liyang, reading a secret letter handed to him by Xin Ping. The letter was written by Yan Liang, and every word was a threat: "Our lord is furious; if you return, you will surely die."

"Young Master, you absolutely mustn't turn back!" Xin Pi cried out anxiously from the side. "The Third Young Master has laid a trap in Ye City, just waiting for you to walk right into it!"

Xin Ping also advised, "General Yan Liang risked a great deal to send you this letter, precisely because he was afraid that you might return rashly and something unexpected might happen. How can you betray General Yan Liang's good intentions?"

Yuan Tan gripped the letter tightly, his fingertips turning white. He knew his father was biased, but he hadn't expected Yuan Shang to be so ruthless. After much hesitation, he finally gritted his teeth: "Send the order down! The troops in Liyang are to strengthen their defenses. No one is to move without my command!" Yuan Tan was secretly relieved; he and Yan Liang had been captured together in Chang'an, forging a deep friendship. He had further cultivated this bond upon returning to Yecheng; otherwise, why would Yan Liang have risked so much to send him this letter?

This delay became the final straw that broke the camel's back.

In the main hall of Ye City, Yuan Shao looked at the empty seat of Yuan Tan, then at Ju Shou and Tian Feng, who were chained below, and his anger intensified. Yuan Shang, standing beside him, "kindly" reminded him: "Father, my elder brother is late. I'm afraid... just as the letter said, he intends to amass power and control his own army outside."

Ju Shou suddenly looked up, the iron chains dragging on the ground making a grating sound: "My lord! This is a divisive tactic! The eldest son didn't come because he knew it was a trap! These letters are all forged. I, Ju Shou, am loyal to Hebei, and I can prove it by cutting out my heart!"

Tian Feng also said loudly, "If we wanted to rebel, why would we have waited until today? Our mobilization of troops from Chenliu is truly for the public good, and our lord is wise enough to see the truth!"

But Yuan Shao was blinded by the "ironclad evidence" and Yuan Shang's slander. He slammed his hand on the armrest: "Still dare to argue! Throw these two traitors into the death row! No one is allowed to visit them without my order!"

The jailer shoved the two men out. As Tian Feng passed Yuan Shang, he suddenly stopped and stared intently at him: "Third Young Master, you have some impressive methods! But do you know that by destroying your own Great Wall, Hebei is not far from its demise!"

Yuan Shang still wore a gentle smile, but his eyes were icy cold. He watched Ju Shou and Tian Feng's figures disappear outside the hall, then turned to Yuan Shao and bowed, saying, "Father, the most urgent task at present is to stabilize the morale of the army. I am willing to go to Liyang to persuade my elder brother to change his mind."

Yuan Shao waved wearily, not noticing the triumphant smile that appeared on Yuan Shang's lips as he turned away.

Night once again enveloped Ye City. In the death row cell, Ju Shou leaned against the cold wall, gazing at the moonlight filtering through the iron bars, and sighed softly. Tian Feng paced back and forth in his cell, repeatedly muttering, "This brat is not worth discussing things with... This brat is not worth discussing things with..."

Meanwhile, the lights in the Yuan residence burned until dawn. A conspiracy woven from power and suspicion was slowly dragging the great ship of Hebei into the abyss.

Outside Li Yang's military tent, the spring wind whipped up dust that lashed against the banners, making them flutter loudly. Yuan Tan stood inside the tent, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white from the force—a scout had reported that Yuan Shang, with three hundred personal guards, had arrived outside the camp.

"Young Master, this is an opportunity!" Xin Pi stepped forward, his eyes flashing with ruthlessness. "Yuan Shang has come here to force you to return to Ye City for trial. Why not detain him and cut off Ye City's spies!"

Yuan Tan turned abruptly, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes. Detaining Yuan Shang would indeed solve their immediate predicament, but…

"No!" Xin Ping hurriedly grabbed him, his white beard trembling slightly. "Young Master, please think it over! Yuan Shang is Father's darling. If you touch him, Father will be furious! He will personally lead a large army to attack. Qingzhou is newly pacified and its troops are insufficient. How can we resist? At that time, let alone protect ourselves, we may not even have a foothold!"

Silence fell over the tent, broken only by the increasingly urgent howling of the wind outside. Yuan Tan gazed at the large banner bearing the character "Yuan" fluttering outside, recalling the gentle look in his father's eyes whenever he looked at Yuan Shang, and then at the hardships he had endured in Qingzhou over the years. His heart sank deeper and deeper.

"Then... what should we do?" His voice was hoarse.

Xin Ping stroked his beard and said, "The only way is to feign illness. Just say that you caught a cold a few days ago and are bedridden, unable to even get out of bed. Even if Yuan Shang suspects something, he won't find any fault with it, and he certainly can't force a 'sick person' to go on the road."

Yuan Tan remained silent for a moment, then finally released his grip on the sword hilt: "I will do as you say, sir."

A moment later, Yuan Shang, accompanied by his personal guards, entered Yuan Tan's bedchamber, a strong smell of medicine filling the air. Yuan Tan lay half-reclined on the couch, his face as pale as paper, his lips cracked, covered with a thick brocade quilt, even his voice weak: "Third...Third brother has arrived? Forgive me...I cannot get up..."

Yuan Shang's sharp gaze swept across his face, then glanced at the barely touched medicine bowl on the table, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Brother, your illness has come at a very opportune time. Father is waiting for you to return to Ye City for a confrontation, but you've fallen ill?"

“It is truly…truly a cruel twist of fate.” Yuan Tan coughed a few times, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and said breathlessly, “Once I recover, I will…I will definitely go to Father to apologize. But right now…even dressing is difficult, so I hope that my third brother…will put in a good word for me with Father.”

Yuan Shang circled the bed once, then suddenly leaned down as if to feel his forehead: "Brother, is your fever high? Let me take a look."

Yuan Tan's heart tightened, and he subconsciously turned his head away, then coughed violently again, as if the movement had aggravated his illness. Xin Ping quickly stepped forward to block the bed: "Third Young Master, the Eldest Young Master just drank his medicine and is sweating. He can't stand the wind."

Yuan Shang's hand froze in mid-air, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes, but he ultimately withdrew it. He straightened up and said with a forced smile, "In that case, elder brother, you should take good care of yourself. As for Father, I can only tell him the truth, after all, Father hates lying the most."

These words were like a needle, piercing Yuan Tan's heart with pain, but he could only force himself to nod despite his weakness.

Yuan Shang stayed in Liyang for three days, visiting Yuan Tan every day to "inquire about his health." He would either mention the situation in Ye City or subtly inquire about military affairs in Chenliu. Yuan Tan always used his poor health as an excuse, either giving vague answers or coughing so badly that he couldn't speak. Xin Ping and Xin Pi smoothed things over, managing to prevent Yuan Shang from finding any fault with him.

On the morning of the fourth day, Yuan Shang left Liyang with his personal guards. On the carriage ride back, he sneered at his guards, "Yuan Tan's illness was quite a convincing performance. It's a pity, the more he tries to hide it, the more it shows he has something to hide."

Upon returning to Ye City, Yuan Shang immediately went to Yuan Shao's study. Yuan Shao was looking at a map with frustration when he saw Yuan Shang return and hurriedly asked, "Where's Tan'er? Has he come back yet?"

Yuan Shang knelt down with a thud, his voice filled with grievance: "Father! My elder brother is not sick at all! I stayed in Liyang for three days and saw with my own eyes that his personal guards were training as usual in his tent, and there were also newly transferred troops stationed outside the tent. How could he look like he was sick and unable to get out of bed? He is just pretending to be sick and refusing to come back to confront us. He is clearly hiding something!"

He paused, then added fuel to the fire: "I've also heard that my elder brother has secretly contacted various tribes in Qingzhou, perhaps... perhaps he intends to use the pretext of refusing to return to Yecheng to amass military power!"

Yuan Shao was already dissatisfied with Yuan Tan's delayed return, and upon hearing this, he was enraged. He grabbed the inkstone on the table and smashed it, shouting, "You unfilial son! You truly are an unfilial son! You dare to disobey me!"

Yuan Shang lay on the ground, a triumphant smile secretly creeping onto his lips. He knew that the thorn in his father's heart had been firmly planted.