To be fair, although Yuan Xing is not young anymore, there has been an endless stream of people proposing marriage to Yuan Shao in the past two years.
After all, in this world, many men from aristocratic families get married when they are twenty years old, and the age difference between the two parties is not that big. Wei Qing even married Princess Pingyang, who was twelve years older than him.
There were also families with similar status to the Yuan family, and marriage was used as a means of forming an alliance. The Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun also sent people to show his sincerity.
The marriage with the Wuhuan actually helped to strengthen the power of the Yuan family. Not only did Yuan Shang strongly support it, but even Yuan Shao's advisers rarely opposed it.
After all, in the eyes of the advisers, if Yuan Shao could get the support of hundreds of thousands of Wuhuan people within the Guanzhong area, he would not only be able to consolidate his power in the north, but also obtain a large number of cavalry. No one north of the Yangtze River would be Yuan Shao's opponent.
Yuan Shao was also hesitant at the time and almost agreed several times. After all, Jizhou was severely damaged after the Battle of Yijing and fell into a low period. It would be difficult to expand on a large scale within a few years. On the other hand, Yuan Shu and even Cao Cao in the southern part of Jizhou were rapidly expanding in strength.
But even Yuan Shao himself didn't know why, and in the end he did not agree. Instead, he found a woman from a branch of the Yuan family and married her to him.
Yuan Shao was thinking at the time, was it because he was afraid that his daughter would suffer if she married into a cold and bitter place?
It was not until Yuan Xi mentioned the agreement made two years ago that Yuan Shao suddenly realized that he had always kept this matter in mind, so he subconsciously did not let Yuan Xing get married?
Could it be that I was secretly hoping that Yuan Xi would keep his promise?
Now that Yuan Xi had fulfilled his promise, he was in a dilemma. Thinking of this, Yuan Shao sneered at Yuan Xi and said, "So you have been plotting against me all along?"
Yuan Xi remained calm and said, "Mr. Benchu is wise. This was the agreement we made in the beginning. I just tried my best to do it."
"If Lord Benchu wants me to forget about this, I will do so."
Yuan Shao's face froze. This bastard actually used words to bully him!
Does Yuan Xi dare to say that he dares to break the contract?
I can't afford to lose this person!
Yuan Shao angrily said: "Just a daughter!"
"It's not to the point where I would regret it at the expense of the Yuan family's reputation!"
He then changed the subject and said coldly: "But don't think that just because Envoy Zhao was conferred the title of Marquis, he is considered a noble family. He is still far from it!"
"Which family is supporting him?"
Yuan Xi raised his hand, "Me."
"On behalf of my father's branch, I support Zilong."
Yuan Shao nearly choked to death. I think you have understood the game clearly. It's like transferring money from your left hand to your right hand, right?
But Yuan Shao knew Yuan Xi very well and was willing to give away Youzhou. Although it was just a superficial formality, it showed Yuan Xi's trust and reliance on Zhao Yun. Although they were not a family, they were better than a family.
Moreover, Yuan Xi went through so much trouble and successfully helped Zhao Yun obtain the official position and title of marquis, thus fulfilling his original seemingly unattainable request. From this point of view, he lost.
Yuan Shao did not feel frustrated, but instead felt a faint sense of regret.
Yuan Xi's actions in the past few years gave him too many surprises, especially this time's grand gesture of welcoming the emperor, which was actually just to let Zhao Yun marry Yuan Xing. This kind of bold and unrestrained demeanor of using small things to achieve big results and treating the whole world as chess pieces has far surpassed his peers.
If either Yuan Tan or Yuan Shang had the same strategy and ability as Yuan Xi, why would his advisers be divided into two sides, and why would he be so indecisive about the issue of succession?
Was it really a mistake to let Yuan Xi be adopted?
But even if he is not adopted, with his ambitions, I'm sure he won't be inferior to others, right?
Yuan Shao felt both relieved and regretful. He turned to Zhao Yun, who had remained silent, and said coldly, "Xianyi has done so many things, but Envoy Zhao has said nothing."
"I'm afraid that since your Excellency has a bright future, he still doesn't like Yuan's daughter?"
Zhao Yun heard this and said, "Young Master has said everything I wanted to say."
"Young Master understands Yun, and Yun also knows Young Master's intentions. There is no need to say anything else."
After hearing this, Yuan Shao snorted coldly and said, "You still have some conscience. It's worth it for the Yuan family to cultivate you."
"If you hadn't rejected the emperor's proposal for you to marry a royal daughter, I would never have given in on this matter."
"What!" Yuan Xi was very surprised, he really didn't know about this!
He thought about it and suddenly realized that Liu Xie and he had the same idea. No wonder he kept Zhao Yun to talk that night!
He turned to Zhao Yun and asked with a smile, "Is there such a thing?"
"It seems that the emperor thinks highly of Zilong. If he can marry a royal daughter, Zilong will surely be an important official by the emperor's side in the future. This will have a much better future than marrying my sister."
Zhao Yun said calmly: "Sir, remember your promise, and I will naturally keep it."
"Even if things succeed or fail, Yun cannot break the contract first."
Yuan Shao sneered, "Could it be that you are attracted by the Yuan family's power, which is greater than that of the emperor?"
Zhao Yun listened, his eyes flashing, and said: "It has nothing to do with the family, it's just about the promise we made that day."
Yuan Xi felt a headache. What Zhao Yun said was too blunt. You are about to be a son-in-law, can't you just coax your father-in-law?
If I had been so disobedient to Lu Bu at the beginning, I would have been pierced by him on his Fang Tian Hua Ji, right?
Yuan Shao seemed to be angered by Zhao Yun again and reached out for the tea bowl. Seeing that he was going to serve tea to the guest, Yuan Xi quickly said, "Mr. Benchu, I have something important to discuss with you."
"About the Emperor and the Black Mountain Army."
Zhao Yun stood up tactfully, bowed to Yuan Shao and said, "I will take my leave first."
Yuan Shao waited for Zhao Yun to leave and closed the door, but he was still furious and asked Yuan Xi, "How do you train your subordinates?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "My relationship with Zilong is very special, just like the relationship between Benchu Gong and Cao Mengde and Xu Zijiang in the past."
"Of course, Zilong has no second thoughts about me, but he is not comparable to Cao Mengde and others."
After hearing this, Yuan Shao asked, "Do you still think Cao Mengde has evil intentions?"
Yuan Xi replied: "In the matter of welcoming the emperor, Lord Benchu should have seen that Cao Mengde is ambitious."
"Furthermore, he took advantage of the weakness of the Jizhou army to launch an attack. Not only did he take the opportunity to expand his territory, but he also gained the trust of the emperor. He will be difficult to deal with in the future."
Yuan Shao snorted coldly, "I've heard that he was behind the conferment of the title in the Han court!"
"He pushed Lu Bu out to block the bullets, and wanted me to point the spear at Lu Bu, but he hid behind and laughed at my joke!"
After hearing this, Yuan Xi laughed and said, "Your Excellency has thought of this, which saves me a lot of trouble. I was really afraid that your Excellency and Marquis Wen would fall out, which would make the relatives sad and the enemies happy."
He secretly thought that Yuan Shao really had spies around Emperor Liu Xie, otherwise he would not have known such secret things as the conversation between Liu Xie and Zhao Yun, and the official arrangements, in such detail.
Yuan Shao said coldly: "Even so, the Yuan family's reputation cannot be lost."
"Besides, what virtue and ability does Lu Bu have to dare to be a general?"
"Does he really think this position is so easy to hold?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "That's true. From counselors to reputation, Marquis Wen is not as good as you, but at that time, the only person who could suppress Cao Cao was Marquis Wen."
"Although Lord Benchu and Marquis Wen have had their disagreements, they will both benefit if they unite, and will both suffer if they separate. This is really not the time to quarrel over a nominal position."
Yuan Shao snorted coldly, "If he hadn't married his daughter to you, I wouldn't have given him this honor."
"As for you, you have been acting so secretive and furtive. What on earth are you trying to do?"
"Are you disgusted by the fact that Yuan's support for you is not enough, so you have to flatter the powerless little emperor?"
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Your Excellency, I have a clear view. The Han Dynasty has lasted for 400 years, and the support of the world for the Han Dynasty may be far beyond the expectations of most people."
"Although the Yellow Turban Army has weakened the foundation of the Han Dynasty, the things underneath have not surfaced."
"I would like to ask Mr. Benchu to wait and see for a while. When Yuan Gonglu does something that will offend the world, you will know how severe the backlash will be."
Seeing Yuan Xi's solemn promise, Yuan Shao said sarcastically: "Is this your stargazing technique?"
Yuan Xi didn't expect that Yuan Shao even knew about this rumor, so he quickly covered it up and said, "I guess so. Xi thinks that during this period, the Yuan family should keep a low profile, strengthen their own strength, and eliminate the unstable factors around Jizhou."
"One of them is the Black Mountain Army."
"The Black Mountain Army has long been in collusion with Cao Cao. If the emperor's mediation is successful, the Black Mountain Army will block the route from Jizhou to Bingzhou, which is equivalent to burying a trap next to Jizhou that can be activated at any time."
Yuan Shao was unhappy when he heard this, "Xianfu makes me a little disappointed."
"We have elite soldiers, strong generals, food, and equipment, but we have not yet defeated Zhang Yan."
"If time goes on for too long, even I will lose face."
"And according to the military intelligence we received, the Black Mountain Army has already begun a massive counterattack. It's already quite difficult for Xianfu to hold them back, let alone advance."
Yuan Xi was shocked when he heard this. The Black Mountain Army actually still had the power to fight back?
Was this some secret promise, or was it Cao Cao's secret help?
Yuan Shao said sarcastically, "What makes me even more speechless is that you came here this time with the emperor's edict to mediate, right?"
Yuan Xi, the Khan, quickly handed over the imperial edict in his arms. Yuan Shao took it, glanced at it, and threw it aside, snorting coldly: "You young boy, you have a good plan."
"So many people died in the Battle of Montenegro, and he just said a ceasefire and that's it?"
"If I obey the imperial edict, wouldn't that only help to enhance his prestige? How will the Yuan family maintain its reputation?"
Yuan Xi smiled bitterly and said, "Although that is true, the Yuan family's current strength cannot completely conquer the world, and they still need the endorsement of the Han Dynasty, right?"
"Didn't Lord Benchu refuse the appointment of the Grand Commandant by the Han court?"
Yuan Shao showed disgust on his face, "Even though I know Cao Mengde is trying to sow discord, it still makes me extremely unhappy to have someone like Lu Bu over my head."
"If it weren't for you, I would have submitted a petition to reject it long ago!"
Yuan Xi hurriedly said: "Your Excellency has a sharp vision. You should pay attention to the overall situation and not worry about the gains and losses of the moment. Only in this way can you make long-term plans."
He understood Yuan Shao's temper very well. After a round of flattery, Yuan Shao's eyes softened a lot and he said, "Stop talking nonsense. In your opinion, how should we deal with the emperor's edict and the Black Mountain Army?"
Yuan Xi thought about it and said, "It would be best to let the Black Mountain Army have internal strife."