Yuan Xi's convoy was ten li away from Tancheng.
Inside the carriage, Yuan Xi was telling Kong Rong's daughter a folk tale from the northern lands about a black bear entering a village at night to eat people, its bloody maw biting down with a crunch on their heads.
The young girl turned pale with fright, burrowing into Madam Kong Rong's embrace, her body trembling.
Madam Kong Rong helplessly held her daughter, her eyes filled with a mix of sorrow and resignation.
Tai Shici noticed dust billowing in the distance, indicating an approaching troop of soldiers. He spurred his horse to the carriage window, knocked gently, and whispered, "My lord, someone is coming."
Yuan Xi ordered the carriage to halt. He donned his outer robe, alighted from the carriage, and waited quietly.
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something. He lifted the curtain and said to the young girl inside, "Remember to take care of your health, drink plenty of hot water, and avoid raw food."
The girl was puzzled, but she nodded shyly, lowering her head.
Before long, two generals led about a hundred cavalrymen to the vicinity of the convoy. Yuan Xi focused his gaze and realized it was none other than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei!
However, Guan Yu's arm was still wrapped in several layers of cloth, indicating that his injury had not fully healed.
Zhang Fei was the first to jump off his horse, cupping his fist in salute to Yuan Xi. "Subordinate General Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, by order of my lord, has come to welcome Lord Yuan's party!"
Yuan Xi also dismounted and returned the salute. "Yuan Xi, son of Yuan Benchu, Yuan Xianyi, greets General Yide."
"I am now under orders to return the wife and daughter of Kong Beihai, to show the sincerity of the Yuan family."
Before Zhang Fei could respond, Guan Yu dismounted, his expression somewhat displeased. "Subordinate General Guan Yu, Guan Yunchang, greets the Young Master."
He changed his tone, his face turning cold. "I heard that the Young Master traveled here sharing a carriage with Lady Wenju and her daughter. Isn't that tarnishing their reputation?"
Yuan Xi had long known about Guan Yu's obsession with moral purity, so he smiled and said, "If we're talking about reputation, when Kong Beihai abandoned his wife and children, leaving them to fall into enemy hands, did he ever consider his wife's reputation?"
Inside the carriage, Madam Kong Rong sighed. As expected, this Second Young Master Yuan still looked down on her husband because of this matter.
Guan Yu didn't expect Yuan Xi to be so eloquent and almost choked on his words. He said coldly, "People's hearts are as different as their faces."
Yuan Xi cursed inwardly, 'Damn it, so even a gentleman like Guan Yu resorts to personal attacks.'
This saying came from the Spring and Autumn Annals, meaning that people's hearts are as different and varied as their appearances.
But Guan Yu's words at this moment were clearly an attack on Yuan Xi's pale and beardless face, subtly mocking him for being like a eunuch, with both appearance and virtue lacking.
Yuan Xi's anger flared up, and he retorted, "A gentleman is always composed; a petty person is always anxious."
Guan Yu, upon hearing this, thought, 'This kid actually has a point!' He then said, "Excessive rudeness will inevitably lead to trouble."
Yuan Xi immediately shot back, "I have no shame before Heaven, nor do I blush before men."
Zhang Fei blinked his leopard-like eyes, wondering what the two were talking about.
(Zhang Fei's skill in calligraphy and painting is the opinion of a certain Ming Dynasty scholar; there are no other historical records to support this, and a single piece of evidence is not sufficient.)
Guan Yu didn't expect Yuan Xi to react so quickly. The two of them had just exchanged sentences from the Analects, Spring and Autumn Annals, Mencius, and other books, tit-for-tat.
Guan Yu had always been proud of his familiarity with the Spring and Autumn Annals, wanting to give Yuan Xi a stern welcome, but seeing that the other party didn't show any weakness, he realized that the other party came from a family of scholars. He had picked the wrong person to provoke!
He could only snort coldly, mount his horse, and say, "Please, Young Master, enter the city!"
But in his heart, he was secretly vigilant. Yuan Shao's son was skilled in battle, and his literary talent and eloquence were also extraordinary. Was this the foundation of a prestigious family?
In fact, Guan Yu didn't know that Yuan Xi only remembered a hundred or so sentences from the Four Books. If Guan Yu continued to press him, Yuan Xi would soon reveal his ignorance.
Yuan Xi breathed a sigh of relief. In negotiations, one couldn't show weakness. Now that the two sides were negotiating, Guan Yu wouldn't behead him in this kind of situation, so he had the courage to exchange barbs.
It wasn't appropriate for him to return to the carriage, so he asked for a horse to ride and followed behind Guan Yu and Zhang Fei with Tai Shici.
Inside the carriage, the young lady Kong knew that this was a farewell, and they might never meet again, and a look of disappointment appeared on her face.
Madam Kong Rong hugged her daughter, thinking that this chance encounter could be considered one of the few memories in her daughter's life. She feared that upon returning to her husband's side, her husband would worry about criticism and would soon marry her daughter off.
Thinking of her and her daughter's situation, which was entirely caused by Kong Rong, Madam Kong Rong couldn't help but feel resentful.
She thought of the days she had spent with Yuan Xi in the carriage and felt a slight sense of revenge.
The convoy entered the city, and the mother and daughter's carriage was taken to another place. The young girl, hearing the voices of the people gradually fading away, couldn't help but want to lift the curtain to take a look, but was stopped by her mother's stern gaze.
Tears welled up in her eyes, and she turned her head away in a fit of pique.
Yuan Xi sighed. Just as he was about to follow Guan Yu and Zhang Fei away, a group of soldiers were driving a large group of men, women, and children towards the city gate, their attitude quite rude. The group of people couldn't stand firmly and fell one after another, blocking the city gate.
Zhang Fei was agitated and shouted, "What are you doing? Don't you see we're welcoming guests!"
A soldier hurriedly replied, "These are the people that Governor Tao wanted to expel earlier, but because of delays some time ago, they are only being driven out of the city today."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei shouted at the group of men and women, "Get out of here quickly, don't block the gate, or your lives won't be spared!"
Upon hearing this, the group of men and women hurriedly rushed out of the city, and many people were pushed to the ground in the chaos, and a chorus of cries rang out. Zhang Fei became even more annoyed upon seeing this.
Yuan Xi originally didn't want to interfere, but seeing a masked woman in the crowd holding a swaddled baby, her shoes had been squeezed off, and she was sitting on the ground helplessly, he casually said to Tai Shici, "Ask her if she knows how to ride a horse. If she does, give her a horse."
Tai Shici listened, went over to ask, and then asked a follower to lead a horse to the woman. The woman bowed three times in Yuan Xi's direction, tied the swaddled baby to her chest, and rode away.
Guan Yu's eyes flashed, and he asked the soldiers, "A woman can actually ride a horse, she must be no ordinary person. Whose family member is this?"
After asking around, the soldiers all said they didn't know, and Guan Yu had no choice but to give up.
Yuan Xi didn't take such trivial matters to heart. When the convoy arrived at the City Lord's mansion, Liu Bei led his men to welcome them.
Yuan Xi dismounted and walked forward a few steps, bowing to Liu Bei and saying, "Young man Yuan Xi greets Duke Xuande."
Liu Bei quickly helped Yuan Xi up by the arm, chuckling, "Yuan Benchu's tiger father has no dog sons! I, Bei, can interact with the young master as an equal."
At that time, Liu Bei was in his early thirties, and Yuan Xi was twenty, so his words weren't too far-fetched.
Yuan Xi quickly said, "I dare not. Duke Xuande flatters me too much. I am very clear about my own capabilities."
Seeing Yuan Xi's attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, Liu Bei felt both envy and jealousy. How could Yuan Shao's sons be so capable!
In contrast, several of his own wives had died early, leaving only the current one. Besides two daughters, he had no male heirs, which constantly worried him.
You should know that as a lord, constantly facing war and chaos, it would be very troublesome to still not have a male heir at this age.
Liu Bei introduced everyone to Yuan Xi one by one, and seeing that he responded politely, he felt even more uncomfortable. If only he had an adopted son with half of Yuan Xi's abilities!
Liu Bei had privately collected a lot of information about Yuan Xi, and discovered that whether in battle or in diplomatic planning, the other party showed a maturity that did not match his age.
Especially after Liu Bei suffered a great loss from Fei County to Qingzhou, he still dared to come to Xu Province alone. This courage alone was enough to surprise people.
Moreover, even Zhao Yun and Taishi Ci had defected to Yuan Xi, which made Liu Bei even more upset.
These two could have been used by him!
Especially Zhao Yun, Liu Bei knew that he would definitely not trust people easily. What exactly happened?
With complex feelings, Liu Bei welcomed Yuan Xi and Taishi Ci inside. Everyone took their seats in order. Yuan Xi saw that most of Liu Bei's subordinates had unkind expressions, and thought that this might be troublesome.
Could it be that he had to debate with a group of Confucians?
Although Yuan Xi proposed this trip, Yuan Shao didn't send a single advisor, obviously wanting to test his diplomatic skills.
Only by passing this test could Yuan Xi truly prove that he could stand alone and manage a territory.
Thinking of this, Yuan Xi always felt that something was vaguely wrong.
Even as a lord, he didn't actually need to be so all-rounded, requiring both combat skills and eloquence. The former was for generals, and the latter was for advisors.
The most important quality of a lord is the ability to recruit talents. These things will naturally be done by others, rather than doing everything himself.
But Yuan Shao's seemingly testing behavior was actually a bit outrageous.
Yuan Xi was even thinking that if he followed Yuan Shao's requirements, wouldn't he be a combination of Liu Bei and Cao Cao if he was proficient in both literature and martial arts, and also good at battle tactics and scheming?
At this time, someone who hadn't come out to greet them earlier spoke from below the main seat.
Kong Rong.
With an unkind expression, he stared at Yuan Xi and said, "Boy, although you sent my wife and daughters back, this matter started because of you. I will not be grateful to you!"
Yuan Xi thought that Kong Rong was indeed worthy of being a great critic of the late Han Dynasty. He dared to criticize Cao Cao even when his power was at its peak, let alone himself.
He smiled slightly and said, "I heard that after taking down Beihai, the Taishan bandits hid in the deep mountains and dared not come out, and the people are very happy."
Kong Rong felt dizzy for a while. This kid's mouth is so poisonous!
He prided himself on loving the people like his own children, but the Yellow Turban bandits in Beihai were rampant, but he couldn't fight, and was helpless against the Yellow Turban bandits, so he could only pretend to be deaf and dumb. He didn't expect to be ruthlessly exposed by Yuan Xi.
Yuan Xi then pointed to Taishi Ci beside him and said, "I really feel sorry for Duke Wenju. Ziyi is proficient in both literature and martial arts. The official position I give him now is not high. Biejia Sima is still low, but he could only be a centurion in the Beihai army before. It's really a pearl covered in dust."
Hearing this, Liu Bei couldn't help but glance at Zhang Fei. He knew that Taishi Ci and Zhang Fei were at odds. In front of his brother, he could only grit his teeth and make a choice, but seeing a great general run to the other side, he was still very upset.
Zhang Fei was also choked badly. He looked down on Taishi Ci at the beginning. Unexpectedly, he was also Biejia Sima like himself!
Kong Rong was speechless from being sprayed and turned his head away to sulk.
Everyone looked at each other. Yuan Xi was not easy to deal with!
They originally wanted to give Yuan Xi a hard time, so that negotiations would be easier, but now it seems that things are not simple!
Mi Zhu spoke out, "Young master, are you here because the situation in Ji Province is not good, so you want to join forces with Xu Province?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "On the contrary, Xu Province is now on the verge of collapse. I am here to point out a clear path for everyone present."
As soon as this was said, most people showed disapproval on their faces, and Sun Qian even said, "Alarmist talk!"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "The Yuan family raised troops to oppose Dong Zhuo and support the Han Dynasty. Heroes from all over the world have submitted to them. However, you are opposed to the Yuan family and isolated and helpless. Forgive me for speaking bluntly, who in the world is still standing on Duke Xuande's side?"
Jian Yong stood up at this time and said, "Reversing black and white!"
"Everyone knows that the Guandong Allied Forces established a false emperor. How can you say that they are supporting the Han Dynasty!"
"Moreover, Yuan Gonglu, Gongsun Bogui, and Duke Wenju are all friends of Xu Province. How can you say that we are isolated and helpless?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said, "The Han Emperor was held hostage by Li Jue and Guo Si, and his decrees are not implemented throughout the world. It is the situation that dictates the establishment of a new emperor. Dong Zhuo can establish one, so why can't we Guandong heroes establish one?"
"Gongsun Zan killed the Yuan clan elders recklessly, Yuan Shu harbored evil intentions and plotted against Xu Province. As for Duke Wenju, I don't doubt his loyalty to the Han Dynasty, but in other aspects, hehehe."
Kong Rong was bombarded again for no reason and almost fainted from anger.
The skills Yuan Xi learned from Tian Feng finally came in handy, and the reason why he was so fearless was because Xu Province was indeed in trouble, and Liu Bei's officials were all aware of it.
Without the Yuan family's help, this piece of fat, Xu Province, would definitely be targeted and fall into war!