Chapter 90

Chapter 90

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Volume 3: Galloping Through Bingzhou, Troops Depart from Hedong Chapter 90: Revisiting Old Haunts

Of course, when Guo Jia approached He Yong, he didn’t actually bring up Qiao Yan’s analogy of a cornered dog.

It must be said, being able to manage figures like Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia, Qiao Yan herself is quite a character when it comes to witty banter.

Thinking of the word “change” she wrote back then, there’s a faint aura of controlling the winds and clouds in her palm.

After hearing Guo Jia’s words, “Hidden candidates must be handled carefully to prevent His Majesty from changing his mind or even being displeased with the gentry meddling,” He Yong looked at him suspiciously and asked, “How is the Marquis of Leping so certain that His Majesty will take this path?”

He Yong was actually more surprised that it felt like just a month or two ago when he sent Guo Jia off from Luoyang to visit friends, and now he had become the Marquis of Leping’s lobbyist.

He Yong didn’t think Guo Jia had been deceived.

Although he hadn’t given this friend, who was much younger than him, a praise like “Talent to Assist a King” as he did for Xun Yu, he was well aware of his abilities and knew he wasn’t the type to easily sell his future to anyone. It was clear that the Marquis of Leping truly had some skills.

Especially since she dared to use people.

Such earth-shattering news, if given to anyone else, would probably not be entrusted to someone they had known for less than two months. But He Yong had to admit that if the news was true, then Guo Jia, who seemed not closely connected to her, was indeed the most suitable messenger.

Because no one would associate him with the Marquis of Leping.

Guo Jia replied, “Because the Marquis of Leping met the Emperor alone today, and what she saw was what she got. Moreover, from the seventh year of Guanghe to now, the Marquis of Leping has risen amidst chaos without a single misjudgment. Others only see her rapid rise and public acclaim, but is it just luck that she is better than others?”

With He Yong’s perspective, he naturally wouldn’t think that way.

Qiao Yan, only fourteen years old, already holds such a position. Compared to the Yuan brothers who still rely on He Jin, in He Yong’s view, she shouldn’t even be considered among the younger generation.

Thus, the message she had Guo Jia convey was particularly important.

After sending Guo Jia away, He Yong immediately went to find Yuan Shao.

Qiao Yan’s understanding of the relationships was not wrong. If Yuan Ji, the eldest son of the Yuan family, was already building political capital from the position of the Nine Ministers, and his brother Yuan Shu was rising through military ranks, then Yuan Shao was the hope of the scholar-officials. Apart from his failed attempt to secure a retreat in Bingzhou, there was nothing to criticize about his execution of his goals. Therefore, in He Yong’s eyes, he was indeed a promising hero.

He relayed the message Qiao Yan had Guo Jia convey to Yuan Shao, and sure enough, Yuan Shao quickly suppressed his slight anger at the news coming from Qiao Yan and began pondering the intelligence she provided.

Could Liu Hong really want to select the planned Eight Colonels of the Western Garden in a more secretive manner?

Very likely!

While Lingling Guan Hu only titled himself the General of Peace, Zhang Ju of Yuyang actually declared himself the Son of Heaven. Ma Teng and Han Sui, those bandits from Xiliang, even reached into the Sanfu region. The one on the throne must cherish his current power and even feel it’s insufficient.

From Yuan Shao’s perspective, although Liu Hong still seemed to rely heavily on He Jin, the Grand General, he occasionally showed fickleness and still retained the eunuchs’ status amidst this apparent favor.

In theory, having relatives control the military was common in the Eastern Han, like Deng Zhi, brother of Empress He Xi, or Liang Ji, brother of Emperors Shun and Huan’s empresses.

But perhaps because Dou Wu, father of Emperor Huan’s last empress Dou, attempted to kill the eunuchs and was executed by Liu Hong for infringing on the Emperor’s power, Liu Hong was more wary than trusting of He Jin.

In such a situation, using another name to select the Emperor’s private army could both satisfy the public and prevent others from meddling.

So, was it possible that Qiao Yan, upon learning this, chose to inform them?

Also possible!

Although this woman had embarrassed Yuan Wei in court and forced Zhang Yi out of Bingzhou, she had never harmed the fundamental interests of the Yuan family.

Yuan Wei stepping down from the position of the Three Excellencies was ultimately a normal transition, not due to any influence.

As she said, there are no eternal enemies, only people united by short-term interests.

What the gentry wanted was further autonomy to prevent another Prohibition of Factionalists, while Qiao Yan wanted to prevent chaos in Bingzhou that could threaten her Leping.

With these two demands coinciding at this moment, forming an alliance of interests was not impossible.

Because it was mutually beneficial, her actions carried enough credibility.

After some thought, Yuan Shao asked He Yong, “What do you think of this news?”

“It’s a piece of news that trying wouldn’t hurt, but it might be bad news for you,” He Yong replied.

Although he said it was bad news, Yuan Shao didn’t show much displeasure.

He knew what He Yong meant by bad news.

If they followed Qiao Yan’s suggestion, they could only hide their people and strategize behind the scenes. Yuan Shao couldn’t take a position among the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden as originally planned.

But from a broader perspective, it wasn’t inappropriate.

Moreover, trying wouldn’t hurt.

If the Emperor changed his mind again and didn’t want to follow the path Qiao Yan inferred, they wouldn’t lose much.

At most, they needed to be careful not to cross the line, as Qiao Yan reminded, to avoid Liu Hong’s suspicion.

Thus, Yuan Shao’s second question was, “Then, in your opinion, should we inform the Grand General about this?”

The positions of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden weren’t something the Yuan family alone could handle. If they did, no matter how many disciples the Yuan family had, they couldn’t avoid exposure and becoming a target.

But informing too many would make it troublesome to manage the boundary.

Yuan Shao couldn’t help but grumble inwardly that Qiao Yan seemed to be making up for her previous conflict with the Yuan family by handing them crucial intelligence, but she also tossed them a hot potato.

He Yong thought for a moment and replied, “We don’t need to for now. Let’s wait for the official selection to be proposed, then pay attention to one person’s movements—Jian Shuo.”

“If he joins the selection, then what the Marquis of Leping said must be true, and we’ll have sufficient reason to inform the Grand General.”

If they said directly it was because Qiao Yan provided the information…








Based on He Jin’s intelligence and understanding of the Marquis of Leping, he would never believe this matter to be true, and it might even delay important affairs.

But what if eunuchs appeared with seemingly playful reasons, intending to test or verify something?

Combined with the news of selecting private troops, it becomes somewhat subtle.

“Boqiu is right,” Yuan Shao nodded in agreement. “However, this not only resolves the conflict between Qiao Yeshu and our Yuan Clan but also, if we can further control the situation, we would owe her a favor.”

“What’s the harm in that?” He Yong retorted.

Indeed, there is no harm.

Qiao Yan has already proven through her actions in Leping that her friendship with the attendant Bi Lan was for the Dragon Bone Waterwheel, merely valuing his ingenious skills, not truly aligning with the eunuch faction.

Essentially, she is an extreme pragmatist and doer.

From her decisive action of betraying Liu Hong, it’s clear that with sufficient benefits for her, Leping, and Bingzhou, she is not beyond being won over.

Such a talented young person, both in literature and martial arts, even if she only wants to stand upright, unbiased, and seeks profit and power for herself, could still be an excellent ally.

Yuan Shao laughed heartily, “Indeed, there’s no harm. We can repay her later. Besides, if there’s really a selection for the General Who Crosses the Liao, Cao Mengde, who’s idle at home, probably won’t sit still. Let him treat his niece to drinks to repay the debt.”

Cao Cao’s stance is indeed peculiar due to his grandfather’s issues, but his friendship with Yuan Shao is genuine.

Since the debts between everyone are too complicated to calculate, let someone else repay the debt!

Now, what’s more important for Yuan Shao is to choose who will represent the Yuan Clan’s interests when he can’t participate.

Chunyu Qiong… is still too obvious.

While Yuan Shao was planning to consult the elders of his clan, Qiao Yan began her studies of the Book of Documents with Lu Zhi.

Although it was more for the sake of fulfilling duties, the opening text chosen by Lu Zhi still surprised Qiao Yan.

He chose the “Mandate of Yue” from the “Book of Shang” in the Book of Documents.

The “Yue” in “Mandate of Yue” does not mean speech but refers to Fu Yue, the wise minister who assisted Wu Ding in the revival of the Shang dynasty.

The “Mandate of Yue” records the harmonious relationship between Wu Ding and Fu Yue, including how Wu Ding dreamed of a virtuous minister, listened to Fu Yue’s advice, and their dialogues.

On the surface, Lu Zhi chose this text to teach according to Liu Hong’s instructions.

This expressed his hope that Liu Hong could emulate the ancient sage kings and also allowed Qiao Yan to learn how “normal” ministers advise their monarchs.

But considering that after the solar eclipse in the first year of Guanghe, Lu Zhi proposed eight major political strategies, especially the pardon of the partisans, the burial of Empress Song’s relatives, and the advice for Liu Hong not to accumulate private wealth, his sharp words were not adopted by Liu Hong. It’s clear that he knew whether the scenario in the “Mandate of Yue” could occur.

This move is somewhat ironic.

But it has nothing to do with Qiao Yan, the innocent student.

She neatly copied a passage and sent it to Liu Hong through the imperial guards sent to check her progress.

Liu Hong unfolded the silk deliberately used for presenting to the monarch and saw written on it:

“People seek extensive knowledge, always aiming to establish affairs, learning from ancient teachings to gain benefits. Affairs not modeled on antiquity, to achieve eternal success, is rarely heard.”

Translated and combined with Qiao Yan’s meaning:

“Your Majesty is right, people should read more, especially ancient books, to learn from the wisdom of the sages. One should also follow ancient teachings in actions, so one cannot recklessly charge ahead.

I have now realized my shallow knowledge and improper actions. Today, the Minister of Documents told me this passage, and I was deeply moved. So, I copied this passage and sent it to Your Majesty.”

Liu Hong almost laughed in anger.

If she truly considered herself shallow in knowledge, who wrote those letters of apology and the Discourse on Feudalism? If she really thought she was wrong, could she just copy the text without adding her own thoughts?

Moreover, following ancient teachings, which ancient teachings, clearly she has her own ideas.

But fortunately, this is passable on the surface, so Liu Hong shook his head and set it aside.

However, when considering the identity of the private military captain, as the choice made him somewhat conflicted, he casually asked, “Who has she met since arriving in the capital?”

Anticipating Liu Hong’s question, Zhang Rang replied, “From yesterday until she finished writing this book, the Marquis of Leping was at Minister Lu’s residence. Just now, she said she wanted to visit her grandfather’s former residence, and Minister Lu thought it was appropriate and let her go. She didn’t seem to meet anyone on the way and is now at the former residence in Yanxi Lane.”

“Yanxi Lane…”

Three years are enough for Liu Hong to forget the scene when he visited Qiao Xuan there.

As his health worsens, he increasingly does not want to recall those near-death experiences.

Thinking that it’s reasonable for Qiao Yan, given her status, to choose to visit her grandfather’s former residence at this time, he waved his hand and didn’t ask further.

And Qiao Yan has already pushed open the gate of this small courtyard.

Before she left Luoyang, as her grandfather’s old servant did not want to follow her to Leping, only wishing to take care of the old master’s place, Qiao Yan left him a sum of money. Thus, upon entering, it was as if the scene from years ago had not changed, with no dust or fallen leaves covering the courtyard.

Even the tile with the inscription “Eternal Blessings” on the main hall seemed to have been wiped clean regularly, maintaining an exceptionally clean state.

Especially the vegetable plot in the inner courtyard, which still bore traces of planting within the year, now freshly tilled.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh.

The courtyard remains the same, only Qiao Xuan is missing.

She walked back to the outer courtyard and saw the most robust and deeply rooted crooked-neck tree, still leaning against the neighbor’s wall.

However, as winter had arrived, and this tree was not an evergreen species, its leaves had almost all fallen, making the courtyard seem even colder.

Just as she was thinking whether this counts as the changes over three years, she suddenly saw a head peeking over the wall, just like the last time she was here, looking at her.

The little girl, who was only four or five years old then, is now eight.

But looking at her expression, she seemed unchanged.

Before Qiao Yan could speak, she waved and whispered, “Sister, I planted a crop of mustard greens in your field and just harvested them. Would you like to try some today?”