Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

As the year draws to a close, the streets and alleys of Ye City in Ji Province are already filled with the sporadic sounds of firecrackers. Red lanterns hang along the long street all the way to the city gate, exuding a deliberately created atmosphere of joy and peace. Ever since Yuan Shao proclaimed himself King of Ji, sent his eldest son Yuan Tan to Qing Province and his second son Yuan Xi to guard You Province, leaving only his third son Yuan Shang by his side, the atmosphere in Ye City has taken on a subtle and inexplicable quality.

Yuan Shang was handsome and knew how to please Yuan Shao. His mother, Lady Liu, often whispered in Yuan Shao's ear, saying things like, "Shang'er is steady and capable of maintaining the family business." Over time, Yuan Shao grew increasingly fond of his youngest son. Yuan Shang didn't need to put in much effort; he only needed to be polite to the prominent figures of Ye City at banquets, and they would immediately understand and flock to flatter him—some said he was "as benevolent as Your Majesty," others praised his "unparalleled wisdom in Hebei," and some even went so far as to subtly suggest in court that "the position of heir apparent should be decided as soon as possible."

Yuan Shao listened to these words with a constant smile, relying on Yuan Shang even more, gradually entrusting him with the defense of Ye City and the allocation of provisions. This made the veteran generals in the army restless.

The chill of the front lines in Yanzhou hadn't yet faded from their armor when Tian Feng and Ju Shou entered Ye City, just as every household was bustling with the joy of pasting up Spring Festival couplets. But this warmth couldn't dispel the chill in their hearts—they had just returned from the war-torn front, intending to take advantage of the year-end to report to Yuan Shao on the shortcomings in Hebei's defenses, only to find that after months away from their lord, the winds of change in the court had already shifted.

When Yuan Shao saw them at the victory banquet, he smiled, but his words carried a hint of distance: "Yuanhao and Gongyu (Ju Shou's courtesy name) have worked hard. I am very relieved to have you two in charge of the affairs of Yanzhou." Then, he changed the subject and pointed to Xu You and Guo Tu beside him, saying with a smile, "These past few months, thanks to Ziyuan (Xu You's courtesy name) and Gongze (Guo Tu's courtesy name) by my side, they have helped me manage the affairs of Ye City, which has saved me a lot of trouble."

Tian Feng could see clearly that Xu You and Guo Tu couldn't hide their smugness. During the banquet, Xu You spoke at length about how "Hebei is rich in resources and should be allowed to recuperate and temporarily avoid the Central Plains' sharp edge," while Guo Tu chimed in, saying, "The Third Prince Yuan Shang is kind and benevolent and can be entrusted with important responsibilities to guard the foundation of Ye City." Every word he said hit Yuan Shao's sweet spot.

When it was Tian Feng's turn to speak, he had just mentioned, "Cao Cao and Ma Chao are secretly colluding; we should take precautions as soon as possible," when Guo Tu interrupted him, "Military Advisor Tian is overthinking it. Cao Cao has just acquired Xuzhou and is preoccupied with his own affairs; Ma Chao is far away in Xiliang, beyond our reach. We have a million armored soldiers in Hebei; what is there to fear?"

Yuan Shao stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Gongze is right. Now that we have just been enfeoffed as the King of Ji, we should prioritize stability and not rashly start a war."

Tian Feng was so anxious he was about to slam his fist on the table, but Ju Shou secretly pulled him back. After the banquet, the two returned to their lodgings, and Tian Feng couldn't help but say, "These people only know how to flatter our lord! Xu You is greedy for money, and Guo Tu is jealous. Their whispers in our lord's ear will only lead Hebei to ruin!"

Ju Shou gazed out the window toward the Yuan family mansion, his voice heavy with melancholy: "It's true what they say, 'Even distant relatives can't interfere with family.' When we were fighting on the front lines, they stayed by our lord's side day and night, saying only things that pleased them. Now that our lord is being praised like he's on a cloud, how can he possibly listen to any dissenting opinions?"

He thought of Yuan Shang—that young nobleman had recently been acting as "regency chief," and although he hadn't committed any major offenses, he had been secretly installing his own cronies, replacing the city gate guards and granary managers of Ye City with his own people. Tian Feng had wanted to find an opportunity to speak up, saying, "The young nobleman is still young and should gain more experience; it's not advisable for him to assume real power too early," but when he saw Yuan Shao's loving gaze towards Yuan Shang, he swallowed his words.

“Furthermore,” Ju Shou said with a wry smile, “the Third Young Master is currently deeply favored and has not made any mistakes. If we make baseless accusations that he ‘may cause trouble,’ the lord will only think that we are jealous.”

Just then, a report came from outside the door, saying that Xu You, on Yuan Shang's orders, had delivered New Year's gifts—several bolts of brocade and a jar of fine wine—but without even a proper greeting. Tian Feng looked at the gifts and felt annoyed. He waved for the servants to leave, saying, "Look, this is telling us whose territory Ye City is now."

Ju Shou walked to the table, spread out a map, and traced the border between Ji Province and Qing Province and You Province with his fingertip: "If our lord continues like this, the two young masters Tan and Xi will surely harbor resentment. Once the brothers are separated, Hebei will fall apart on its own without Cao Cao or Ma Chao even needing to attack."

Tian Feng slammed the bamboo slips in his hand onto the table, his brows furrowed in a deep frown: "My lord is confused! Yuan Tan is confronting Cao Cao in Qingzhou; Yuan Xi is resisting Gongsun in Youzhou. Only Yuan Shang, without achieving any merit, has seized power in Ye City simply because of a few flattering words. How can the soldiers on the front lines be convinced?"

Ju Shou sat to one side, stroking his beard, his face grave. "Yuan Hao (Tian Feng's courtesy name), please calm down. Our lord has recently become somewhat arrogant due to the title of 'King of Ji,' and has been blinded by the flattery of the powerful families. I'm afraid he won't listen to any honest advice." He recalled the sordid rivalry between Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao in their early years for the position of family head, those open and covert attacks, those fratricidal conflicts—and now there seemed to be signs of a repeat of them. He couldn't help but sigh, "Back then, Gonglu (Yuan Shu's courtesy name) secretly framed our lord in his struggle for the family's leadership. Has our lord forgotten all this? Now that he favors Yuan Shang so much, how can the two young masters, Tan and Xi, not harbor resentment?"

Tian Feng sneered: "He hasn't forgotten; he's been blinded by the victories in Yanzhou and Qingzhou! Since declaring himself King of Ji, he's been engaging in idle talk with those aristocratic families every day, saying things like 'Hebei is now pacified, it's time to promote civil administration,' but he's forgotten that Cao Cao is in the south and Ma Chao is in the west—neither of them are easy to deal with. If he really forces his sons to turn against each other, this family business in Jizhou will be ruined in his hands sooner or later!"

Just then, a commotion arose outside the tent. It turned out that Yuan Shang was leading several young men from noble families toward Yuan Shao's palace—he had reportedly acquired another rare jade disc, which he intended to present to his father as a New Year's gift. Tian Feng watched the group's departing figures, his eyes filled with disappointment: "Look, this is the 'steady and promising son' in the lord's eyes. He does nothing but flatter and fawn."

Ju Shou closed his eyes and stopped speaking; the snow outside was falling even harder.

During this period, it wasn't just Tian Feng and Ju Shou who were filled with resentment. Yuan Tan was also filled with pent-up anger. Although he had been in charge of the army in Qingzhou for a while and had been living a comfortable life, the atmosphere around him had changed after he returned to Ye City on his father Yuan Shao's orders.

Those once subservient aristocratic families now greeted him with only polite distance, their conversations lukewarm and devoid of their former warmth. Conversely, they fawned over Yuan Shang, their eyes brimming with obsequiousness—it was clear to everyone that these people had long since switched sides and sided with Yuan Shang.

That day, when he went to pay his respects to his father, Yuan Shao, Yuan Shang was by his side. The two of them huddled together, whispering and laughing intimately. Yuan Shao, however, could only kneel before the table, meticulously reporting on his military and political affairs in Qingzhou. Yuan Shao listened without expression. After he finished, Yuan Shao simply waved his hand dismissively, his attitude as if everything Yuan Shao had done was perfectly natural, devoid of any of the usual father-son warmth.

Yuan Tan retreated with his head down, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. He could even feel the smile in his father's eyes when he looked at Yuan Shang, and the unintentional indifference when he looked at him, like two knives repeatedly cutting into his heart.

What upset him even more was that Yan Liang and Wen Chou had fought against Gongsun Zan in Youzhou and driven him out of the province. Yet, when it came time to reward those who had contributed, Yuan Xi was appointed Governor of Youzhou, as if all the credit for the victory had gone to him. It was clearly Yan Liang and Wen Chou who fought valiantly to defeat Gongsun Zan; Yuan Xi was merely there by chance, yet he was treated as the one in control because of this reward.

That day at the banquet, his father praised Yuan Xi highly, and made no attempt to hide his affection for Yuan Shang, repeatedly saying, "My son is promising." Only his son, the once highly regarded eldest son, had changed completely since his capture by Ma Chao in Chang'an that year. His father's gaze towards him no longer held the expectation of the past, but rather a complex, indescribable look. The praise at the banquet never fell upon him, as if all his past achievements had been wiped clean with that capture.

Zhang He and Gao Lan were stationed in Yanzhou, making them inaccessible to him. He had many capable generals under his command in Qingzhou, but none could match the prestige of the Four Pillars of Hebei. Those veteran generals were seasoned veterans, their names resounding throughout the army, while those around him, though loyal, lacked the commanding presence to maintain order. This weighed heavily on his mind, like a stone pressing down on him.

Rumors have been spreading even more rampant in Ye City lately, with everyone on the streets reporting on Ma Chao's exploits on the grasslands—claiming that he swept across the desert, leaving the Xianbei people's corpses strewn across the fields, even wiping out their entire tribe and slaughtering millions of enemies. These rumors terrified Yuan Tan. He knew Ma Chao's power all too well; if such a force were to truly advance south, Hebei might not be able to withstand it. He was eager to advise his father to be on the defensive, but before he could even see Yuan Shao, he was stopped outside the mansion by his servants, who only relayed the message, "Our lord is discussing matters with the Third Prince; the Eldest Prince should return to the mansion for now," the perfunctory tone barely concealed.

He then went to find Yuan Shang, wanting to discuss the threat posed by Ma Chao. However, after listening, Yuan Shang merely raised an eyebrow and smiled, his self-satisfied demeanor sending a chill down Yuan Tan's spine. "Brother, you're overthinking it," Yuan Shang said, swirling his wine cup in a dismissive tone. "No matter how fierce Ma Chao is on the grasslands, can he really fly across the Yellow River? My Hebei army has hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers, and our four pillars guard the four directions. What do we have to fear from him?"

Yuan Tan saw the disdain in his eyes and was secretly alarmed—did he really think he could rest easy just because he controlled the four provinces of Ji, Qing, You, and Yan? Not to mention Ma Chao's ruthlessness in sweeping across the grasslands, who among his brothers could match his courage in driving the Xianbei to extinction? But his father's estrangement left him with no one to confide in, and Yuan Shang's arrogance blocked another path. The anxiety in his heart was like a dammed flood, churning inside, making it hard for him to breathe.

Yuan Shao wasn't entirely ignoring the news about Ma Chao, but his vigilance had long been dulled by days of flattery and complacency. Ever since he first decisively defeated Gongsun Zan in Youzhou, then forced Cao Cao to retreat, and gained control of Yanzhou and Qingzhou, with the entire Hebei region under his grasp, those aristocratic scholars surrounded him daily, saying things like "Hebei has a million armored soldiers, enough to dominate the world," and "Our lord's virtue extends to all corners of the land, he should enjoy the pleasures of peace." As time went on, even he himself began to think that the heroes of the world were nothing special.

He built a new palace in Ye City, where banquets were held incessantly. During these banquets, people would always be holding the Book of Songs and the Zuo Zhuan, engaging in philosophical discussions, saying that Ma Chao was nothing more than a "commoner from Xiliang, who was brave but fond of killing," and that his strategic acumen was far inferior to his lord's—these words were like lukewarm water, slowly softening his resolve. Recalling the vigor he had shown when he fought against Dong Zhuo, and the decisive battle he had fought against Gongsun Zan, it all seemed like a distant memory.