Chapter 7061 Everyone has his own means

Chapter 7061 Everyone has his own means
Upon hearing this, Zhang Yi looked thoughtful, then touched his teacup, looked up at Chunyu Qiong, and gestured for Chunyu Qiong to be more explicit about what kind of memorial was needed and what its contents were.

"Grand Commandant Liu has stepped onto the jade steps." Chunyu Qiong lowered his head and nodded, all traces of his arrogance from the drinking party were gone. "So now the Yuan family needs a formal document."

"You came to Taichang looking for something like this?" Zhang Zhi sighed and said, "Didn't the Yuan family prepare anything? Didn't they have any of this on hand?"

"I came in a hurry, never expecting it to happen today, in Eastern Europe." Chunyu Qiong pretended to be dead. "So I came to the Imperial Academy to ask for a copy."

“I can’t give you these things that I’ve filed here. They were left behind by Zhao Taichang and Kong Taichang. I can’t access them, but I know that the Yuan family has these things in Chang’an.” Zhang said with reminiscence, “At least in my memory, when Old Master Yuan was still alive, he had exchanges with Zhao Taichang on this matter. Your Yuan family must have them.”

Chunyu Qiong was taken aback when he heard this. It was all the better that the Yuan family had written their own petition to urge him to take the throne. As for the claim that Zhang Yi had lied to him, frankly, it was meaningless. What difference would it make if he had lied? He still wouldn't have taken the throne. Instead, he would have offended Chunyu Qiong and even the entire Yuan family.

"Thank you, Brother Zhang." Chunyu Qiong clasped his hands in a salute, then picked up the still-hot tea and drank it all in one gulp, even chewing the tea leaves. He then bowed to Zhang again and said, "The Yuan family has important matters to attend to today, so I won't stay here any longer. I will host a banquet at Manxianglou the day after tomorrow."

Zhang Yi also knew that the Yuan family must be anxious at this time. After all, if no one else made a move and just waited silently for the result after Liu Bei stepped onto the jade steps, it would be just another matter. But in just a short while, Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had already taken the petition to Zhaoyang Palace. What about those guys who were at the same level as Sun Ce and Zhou Yu?
Who would dare to play dead in something like this!
"Then I won't keep you any longer, brother." Zhang Yi smiled, got up and saw him off a few steps, then came back after Chunyu Qiong left.

"Grand Master of Ceremonies, should we follow now?" After clearing his head and understanding the situation, the Junior Minister of Ceremonies returned to Zhang Yi and suggested this to him.

“We can’t do it now. It would be too hasty. We need to wait for Lord Chen to give us a hint. Right now, the Jiangdong and Yuan families are only making statements at Zhaoyang Palace. They’re bringing petitions to persuade the Prince of Jin to take the throne, but they’re not for Lord Chen to see. They want Lord Chen to offer them a good price.” Zhang Zhi had an almost perfect understanding of the whole matter. He was also an extremely intelligent person.

"Should we make some preparations with Her Highness the Princess?" the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices asked cautiously. He had realized that he had lost points in the last round and now had to take some radical measures to ensure his loyalty.

"Just go do your thing." Zhang Zhi waved his hand, indicating that the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices should just go do what he was supposed to do. The situation might seem clear to others, but in Zhang Zhi's view, some pieces of the puzzle were still missing.

Based on Zhang Zhi's many years of experience serving as Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices under Zhao Qi, Kong Rong, and others, he felt that although what happened today seemed reasonable and smooth, it would take several months to actually launch. Moreover, Zhang Zhi felt that something was missing.

On the other side, Chunyu Qiong had arrived at the Yuan family's residence in Chang'an, which was the site of the former blast furnace. Just as Li You had said back then, we were only taking away things that endangered national security. This super-expensive house in Chang'an would be returned to you later.

Back then, the three elders of the Yuan family were so angry they almost died. After the blast furnace exploded, Li You actually returned the land to the Yuan family. Although for the remaining two elders of the Yuan family, this action was worse than not returning it at all, at least they wouldn't have to be reminded of the past by seeing the land!
"What did you say?" Yuan Tao was taken aback. He led Chunyu Qiong inside while notifying his men to investigate. By the time Yuan Sui led Chunyu Qiong into the old house, Yuan's men had brought back accurate information. They had even confirmed that Sun Ce and Zhou Yu had entered Zhaoyang Palace under the guidance of palace maids. Yuan Tao was completely dumbfounded.

"This news is no longer important. What's important is that the current Grand Master of Ceremonies said that Yuan Taigong had written a petition urging him to ascend the throne several years ago, but he didn't launch it together with the old Grand Master of Ceremonies. Now we need to find that document." Chunyu Qiong waved his hand, not caring much about the news about Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Whether it was earlier or later didn't matter; the real issue was whether they existed or not.

"Brother, did you write a petition urging me to ascend the throne? Let me think." Yuan Tao lowered his head to recall. Even if such a thing was kept secret, it was impossible for his brothers not to have any impression of it. Then, Yuan Tao quickly thought of some sealed things that Yuan Da had told him and Yuan Sui before he died without illness.

“It might be over here. Come with me. Before my elder brother passed away that winter, he gave us a few boxes, saying that if something unexpected happened to the Yuan family in the future, these boxes might be able to save the Yuan family’s life.” Yuan Tao led Chunyu Qiong through the hall and quickly arrived at a quiet little courtyard in the backyard. “This was moved here later. My elder brother’s belongings, except for the written materials, are all here. As for the boxes, I’ll look for them.”

Soon Yuan Tao found the boxes on the bookshelf. Since they were all locked and Yuan Da had instructed them not to open them, Yuan Tao found the keys and opened them one by one.

The first box contained a letter of repentance, which was entirely an admission of the Yuan family's mistakes and a plea for forgiveness, citing classical texts. Yuan Tao found it quite embarrassing, wondering how he had never noticed before that his elder brother could be so sycophantic.

The second box contained a letter to Chen Xi, in which the Yuan family explained their years of hard work and, as an elder, pleaded with Chen Xi to spare their family, at least one branch of the Yuan family. The letter requested that, even if they were truly guilty of heinous crimes, Chen Xi should spare some of their descendants in consideration of their past merits and hard work, and not to exterminate them.

As Yuan Tao watched this, he vaguely realized something. Before his death, Yuan Da had already begun to plan for his descendants. He knew very well what kind of descendants the Yuan family would be, so he was naturally worried that one day the Yuan family would step on Chen Xi's weak spot and provoke Chen Xi's counterattack.

The third box contained the petition for Yuan Da's ascension to the throne, as Zhang Zhi had mentioned. In terms of the elegance of the writing, it was indeed not as good as the one written by Kong Rong and the other two, but it was filled with deep emotion, with every sentence written with blood. In the end, it was not ink but blood that was used. Yuan Da poured all his loyalty to the Han Dynasty and the world into his writing. From a certain perspective, Yuan Da's death without illness was also related to this final petition for his ascension to the throne.

Yuan Da put a lot of thought into this, and it was completed around the fourth or fifth year of the Yuanfeng era. However, it underwent repeated revisions and adjustments over the next few years, and was not completely finished until the very end of his life. Even at the very end, Yuan Da himself found it difficult to distinguish whether he was writing this letter urging him to ascend the throne for the sake of the Yuan family's legacy or for the sake of the people. But only with such complex feelings could he write with such sincerity and reveal his true feelings in his writing.

"My elder brother's last words, alas!" Yuan Tao sighed softly and handed the petition urging him to ascend the throne to Chunyu Qiong. Some things, whether true or false, and what kind of feelings are being expressed, can be clearly seen. Just like this petition urging him to ascend the throne, at least the person who wrote it was sincere.

"My elder brother ultimately succumbed to the allure of this prosperous era." Yuan Tao sighed softly. He had come to understand the other party's true intentions. It wasn't just about securing a way out for the Yuan family; it was also a genuine endorsement of Liu Bei. This explained why Yuan Da had said he didn't want to die at this time, as it would cause trouble for Chen Zichuan!
That is, I really hope that the major clans will stop causing trouble and follow Liu Bei and Chen Xi, move forward along their path of justice, and create an even more magnificent and prosperous era!
"My second brother and I won't go. You and that person from the Xun family should go. If we go, we might say something unpleasant. After all, sometimes we can't control our decades-old habits. In times like these, it's better to say less and make fewer mistakes." Yuan Tao sighed slightly as he looked at the article his eldest brother had left behind to protect their family before his death. He knew what he should do now.

Putting everything else aside, it might be better for him and Yuan Sui to stay far away in Chang'an and show their submission to Liu Bei. After all, those two old folks have experienced too much, and sometimes they might inadvertently reveal a certain kind of demeanor that makes people uncomfortable.

Therefore, it's best not to put others in a difficult position; just leave it to Xun Chen and Chunyu Qiong to handle.

After all, Xun Chen was the chief strategist of the Yuan family, and Chunyu Qiong, well, does the Yuan family really have any veteran generals with more seniority than Chunyu Qiong now? No, in fact, if we really talk about seniority, there aren't many veteran generals in the entire Han Dynasty with more seniority than Chunyu Qiong.

“We will definitely handle this matter well,” Chunyu Qiong said, taking a deep breath.

"Don't say too much, go now. In this kind of situation, even if the person shows up and doesn't say anything, it's still a statement. As for the petition to urge him to ascend the throne, that's where my elder brother's hard work is. Even if the Prince of Jin can't see him, it's still a result if the Marquis of Chen can." Yuan Tao nudged Chunyu Qiong, signaling him not to delay. At this point, Jiangdong had already fired the first shot and stormed into Zhaoyang Palace. The Yuan family could be a little late, but they couldn't be too late. That was the rule.

Chunyu Qiong practically flew back with the petition urging Xun Chen to ascend the throne. When he returned, Xun Chen had already changed into very formal clothes, and even incense and other offerings had been prepared.

"Did you bring the things?" Xun Chen asked solemnly upon seeing Chunyu Qiong appear.

“The Yuan family’s main branch is prepared. It’s not a backup from the Taichang branch, but a complete set that the main branch prepared itself and has been revised for several years.” Chunyu Qiong quickly handed Xun Chen the framed, slightly yellowed, and jet-black petition to ascend the throne.

Xun Chen took it, and while directing Chunyu Qiong to change into formal robes, he quickly opened the petition to urge Yuan to ascend the throne and began to read it. After all, Xun Chen came from the Xun family and was a top figure in Confucianism. He had his own judgment on this kind of political writing. In particular, Chunyu Qiong said that this was something the Yuan family had prepared long ago. Xun Chen's mindset became a little calmer when he read it.

"Very good, let's use this one." Xun Chen looked at the slightly yellowed paper and the obviously black text with a slightly dark red background. After reading it through, he felt much more at ease.

To be fair, the writing is mediocre; the language and content don't quite reach the highest level of the time, nor does it possess the expressive power of gilded words. However, the emotions are genuine, which is exactly what Xun Chen wanted. At this point, playing for real is much safer than having a completely fake story that gets caught.

"This is the last version revised by Old Master Yuan before his death. It was completed during the Situ case. The ink is not only ink, but also a labor of love," Chunyu Qiong said very seriously.

Xun Chen's pupils suddenly contracted. As a powerful person who could analyze the other party's thoughts, Xun Chen understood Yuan Da's thoughts in his final moments almost instantly. When the other party realized that he did not have much time left, he still used his heart and soul to write this letter urging him to ascend the throne. Perhaps it was true that when a person is about to die, his words are good.

“Old Master Yuan.” Xun Chen sighed softly. Now that he thought about it, the reason why he could read the sincere emotions in the simple and unadorned words of this letter of urging Liu Bei to ascend the throne was probably because Yuan Da finally recognized the will of Heaven and the times. He also put aside his family’s pride of four generations of high-ranking officials and entered the era as an ordinary old man to implore Liu Bei to ascend the throne!
Of course, even if he recognized the times and destiny, put aside his pride as a member of a family that had held high office for four generations, and truly viewed the era from the perspective of an ordinary person, the fact that he did not have someone present this letter of urging him to ascend the throne as a will after his death shows that after writing it, Yuan Da ultimately stood on the side of the aristocratic family, the Yuan family that had held high office for four generations.

After all, understanding and agreeing with something doesn't necessarily mean you can put aside your own interests to support it.

"I've changed. Shall we set off now?" After changing his clothes, Chunyu Qiong came out of the inner hall and asked Xun Chen, who had a complicated expression, with some curiosity.

"Of course, not a second can be wasted," Xun Chen said with a smile, putting the petition for the emperor's ascension into his sleeve, and then leading Chunyu Qiong straight toward Weiyang Palace.

With the chief strategist and the most senior general of the Yuan family also heading to Weiyang Palace, the pressure instantly shifted to Cao Ang's forces and the Kunwu Kingdom.

"What should we do?" Kou Feng looked at the intelligence report that Huangfu Song had clearly forwarded, and then looked at his wife's grandfather with a chill running down his spine. "The Sun family and the Yuan family are obviously prepared. I know that my father did prepare this, but right now, I didn't bring it with me!"

Kou Jun had indeed prepared a letter urging him to ascend the throne, and compared to others, Kou Jun's conditions were quite favorable. Kou Jun's mother was the Grand Princess of Yiyang, and if this matter were to be passed on to the Liu clan, the Grand Princess of Yiyang would have to pay her respects. Therefore, as soon as the document of enfeoffment was actually issued to the Kou family in Chang'an, Kou Jun began to sing praises.

Of course, this was mainly at the request of the Grand Princess of Yiyang. As Emperor Huan's sister, she had no relation to Emperor Ling's lineage. During the regency of Emperor Ling's daughter, the Grand Princess of Yiyang had already experienced this. After her son received the decree of enfeoffment, she immediately had a letter of recommendation prepared. After all, a princess's reign is not long-lasting. I am a princess myself, how could I not know this?

So the Kou family really does have this thing.

“This matter is easy. You go and find your grandmother, and then I will go with you.” Huangfu Song said calmly. As a fence-sitter, he could choose not to prepare a letter of urging him to ascend the throne, but he would be disrespectful if he did not drink this wine. So after thinking it over, Huangfu Song decided that he could go with his grandson-in-law.

"Grandmother?" Kou Feng seemed to be thinking, then got up, bowed, and hurried to find his grandmother. At this time, the Grand Princess of Yiyang also received the news. When Kou Feng arrived, she had already finished writing the petition to urge him to ascend the throne in running script.

After all, this thing of the Kou family was originally initiated by the Grand Princess of Yiyang, so the finished product was also handled by the Grand Princess of Yiyang. Now it's just a matter of recalling the original text and then rewriting it from memory. It's a bit tiring for an elderly person, but it's not a big deal.

Just think of that petition to ascend the throne in Jiangdong. Kong Rong had a draft, and he could produce it in no time. Although there are some differences here, we are confident in our ability to do so.

After all, the Grand Princess of Yiyang was a true member of the family who wanted Liu Bei to ascend the throne. Of course, her main concern was that when Emperor Huan died, she, as the Grand Princess, didn't even get the chance to become regent. Why should Liu Tong get it? Didn't she understand the jealousy of women? She had to persuade him to ascend the throne!

"You've come, grandson." After writing, the Grand Princess of Yiyang looked up at Kou Feng, who was standing there waiting. "Take this with you. Would you like me to come with you?"

"Thank you, Grandmother. General Huangfu said he will go with me." Kou Feng quickly put away the written petition to persuade the emperor to ascend the throne, bowed to the Grand Princess of Yiyang, and indicated that Huangfu Song was watching over him, so there was no need to worry.

"Very well, I am just a woman and it is indeed not suitable for me to be in this kind of situation. I am at ease with you going with General Huangfu. When you get there, do not say too much. Old Man Huangfu will answer for you." Princess Yiyang was also relieved to hear this. Huangfu Song was indeed a reliable in-law.

"Then I will now accompany General Huangfu into the palace," Kou Feng said calmly with a bow.

"I'll first pay my respects to the Regent Grand Princess as her cousin, and then go to Zhaoyang Palace." The Regent Grand Princess Yiyang pondered for a moment, feeling that such matters should be handled with caution. Even if Liu Tong was indeed about to fall from power, all proper etiquette should still be observed. As for her jealousy, damn it, I'm just jealous of Liu Tong becoming the Regent Grand Princess, so what? Jealousy doesn't change the fact that we're relatives!
Lying in bed