Yuan Shao, the father of Fanghua in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 1414 Conditions
Yuan Xi finally suppressed his extremely absurd and dark thoughts, got up and left, leaving Xiahou standing there at a loss.

She looked at Yuan Xi's departing back, her fingernails inside her sleeves digging into her palms, but in the end she didn't have the courage to speak.

She was confused just now, and only realized something was wrong after she opened her mouth. She was afraid that if the other party really nodded, she would not be able to live with shame after doing such a thing.

So she was relieved when Yuan Xi left, but why did the other party keep her here?

Xiahou waited anxiously for an unknown amount of time before she heard footsteps outside again. Her heart tightened again, fearing that Yuan Xi would return and do something she dared not imagine. But then she realized that the footsteps were very chaotic, as if there was more than one person.

A tall and fat man came in mumbling, escorted by several guards. Xiahou Shi didn't recognize who he was at first. Her first reaction was that the Emperor of Jin had given her to someone else?
When she took a look at the man, she suddenly found that there was a very familiar outline between his eyebrows and eyes. She immediately said in disbelief: "Uncle, uncle?"

When Xiahou Yuan was brought here, he was completely confused. He thought to himself that he had not yet agreed to surrender, so why did the other party call him over?
Do you really think that you, a general of the State of Wei, are so weak in the knees?
I'm going to ignore you today, let's see what you can do to me!
As a result, when he entered the room, he saw a woman in mourning. He did not recognize her at first, until she spoke. Then he realized that the voice seemed familiar. He was stunned for a while before he subconsciously said, "Nephew, niece?"

Xiahou's eyes suddenly turned red. She took a few steps forward and said, "It is me."

"Uncle, I haven't seen you for more than ten years."

Xiahou Yuan suddenly seemed to have figured something out, and asked, "Why, you were also captured by the fierce tiger, and I am used to threaten you?"

"I'm going to fight the fierce tiger!"

Sun Li and the others behind him snorted coldly and put their hands on the scabbard. Seeing this, Xiahou Shi hurriedly explained: "Uncle has misunderstood. This is not the case. I just heard that my uncle died in battle, and I came to ask Your Majesty to return his bones."

"I just now realized that my uncle is still alive?"

Xiahou Yuan said awkwardly: "Don't mention it. He was captured after being defeated in the battle and has been imprisoned for several years."

He looked at Xiahou Shen's attire and asked, "Did your husband Zhang Fei really die in battle?"

Xiahou couldn't help crying, "Yes, he was assassinated when he attacked Wu, leaving only me and my daughter behind."

Xiahou Yuan murmured, "Xiaohu really didn't lie to me."

"Was the Wu Kingdom really destroyed?"

"I have been locked up for all these years and have no idea what is going on in the world. What is going on outside?"

Lady Xiahou wiped her tears, helped Xiahou Yuan sit down, and talked about the time when she married Zhang Fei, and the recent world affairs. Finally, she said: "I heard that my uncle died in the battle of Jingzhou. I have come to Shouchun for the past three years to beg Jin to return my uncle's bones. I didn't expect that my uncle is still alive. It is really a blessing from God."

Xiahou Yuan was silent for a long time before he sighed and said, "I really harmed you by marrying you to Zhang Fei."

"Uncle, I'm sorry."

Mrs. Xiahou shook her head. "It's not my uncle's fault. My late husband has been very good to me over the years. I can only say that God doesn't give me longevity. My life span is determined by heaven."

"In order to avenge my late husband, the King of Hannan led his entire army to attack the State of Wu, killing the mastermind and murderer who assassinated my late husband, thus avenging him."

"But the King of Hannan was also injured because of this, and soon died of his injuries. I know that this was all caused by my family, so I don't know how to face the king and his ministers in Hannan during these years. So in the past few years, I have come to Shouchun under the pretext of begging for my uncle's coffin."

"Now that I see my uncle is still alive, it is a blessing in disguise."

Xiahou Yuan knew his niece very well. She had never told him about the difficulties she had suffered, but Liu Bei's death in revenge for Zhang Fei brought the restoration of Han in southern Han to an abrupt end. His civil and military officials must have had some thoughts, so Xiahou's situation must have been quite embarrassing.

He said sullenly, "You will always be a member of the Xiahou family. If the Wei Kingdom becomes strong, I will send someone to take you back."

"But now the Wei Kingdom is in turmoil, and I am imprisoned. I really can't help you much."

Mrs. Xiahou wiped her tears and said, "Uncle, you must not say that. If you hadn't left the little food you had for me, I would have starved to death long ago."

"It's my fate to be like this now. Fortunately, I still have a daughter. I will do my best to raise her up."

Xiahou Yuan fell silent. After a long while, he slammed his palm on the table. "This fierce tiger is really good at calculating. He has calculated me!"

Xia Hou was confused for a moment and asked blankly, "What's going on?"

Xiahou Yuan said in a deep voice: "Don't worry about it. Just rest assured. I am still of some use to Xionghu. I will ask him to find a place for you to stay."

Xiahou said hurriedly: "Uncle, please don't do anything stupid for me. If His Majesty orders you to attack Wei, will you be able to do it?"

Xiahou Yuan said, "You don't need to think too much. I will never do such a thing."

"Xiong Hu's strength lies in his ability to control the degree very well. No wonder Ming Gong couldn't defeat him back then."

"I haven't seen you for more than ten years. I am very happy to see you. As for the future of Wei State, I can't control it."

"I am ready to agree to Xionghu's conditions. I am afraid we will have to part ways in a few days. Maybe for more than ten years, I may not even see my niece again."

"But before I leave, I will talk to Xionghu and ask someone to take care of you."

Xiahou was confused and didn't understand until she found out that Yuan Xi actually wanted Xiahou Yuan to explore the outer sea. Then she opened her eyes wide and said, "Uncle, this is a matter of life and death."

"In the past, Xu Fu sailed east, but there was no news. My uncle went to sea. This..." Xiahou Yuan sighed, "I have figured it out. The trend of Jin is unstoppable. If Wei is destroyed, the Xiahou family will definitely have a hard time. I have to do something for my clansmen, including you."

"Given the character of the fierce tiger, he will not tolerate Hannan's continued existence. You'd better prepare for some things."

After hearing this, Mrs. Xiahou had a complicated expression, and finally nodded and agreed.

Yuan Xi did not go back. He and Da Qiao took a boat and patrolled Shouchun for a whole night. They did not come back until the next day. He learned from Sun Li who came to greet him that Xiahou Yuan asked him to convey a message saying that he agreed to go on a long voyage as an envoy of Jin State and that he would have no relationship with Wei State from then on.

After hearing this, Yuan Xi said to Da Qiao, "He is a man who knows when to advance and when to retreat. To be honest, even if I destroy the State of Wei, I will not pursue the past affairs of the Xiahou family. Xiahou Yuan sees this very clearly."

"The matter of Shouchun is almost settled. I will go to Nanchang to discuss it with Hannan Kingdom later. Please work harder and help me look after Shouchun."

Da Qiao agreed, and the two of them rode back in a carriage, but they met Lady Xiahou who came to express her gratitude at the gate of the mansion.

Yuan Xi brought her to the central courtyard, and Xiahou knelt down and said, "Now that I know that Your Majesty has spared my uncle's life, I am truly grateful. I have no way to repay your great kindness."

Yuan Xi waved his hand and said, "You don't have to thank me. It's lucky that he survived the war between the two countries. Besides, there are many risks ahead. He may not be able to come back."

A trace of sadness appeared on Xiahou's face. "It's the best thing that my uncle is alive."

"My wish has been fulfilled. I will return to Hannan. This time I come to bid farewell to the king."

Yuan Xi couldn't help but teased, "I'm afraid your previous condition can't be fulfilled."

Xiahou's face flushed and she lowered her head quickly. Yuan Xi stopped when he saw that things were going well and said, "I'm going to go to Nanchang and have a good talk with the King of Hannan."

"The letter has already been sent. Whether he is willing or not, I will only wait in Nanchang for half a month. I can send my wife back along the way."

Xiahou's fingers trembled inside her sleeves, and she was about to refuse subconsciously, but she swallowed her words and nodded awkwardly.

Inside the Hannan Palace, Liu Chan turned the letter in his hand over and over again, and he trembled, "That fierce tiger wants to see me?"

"What does he want to do? Is he trying to harm me?"

At that time, Liu Chan was just a child less than ten years old. When he heard that the Jin Emperor was heading south and was going to see him, his first reaction was, "Does the other party want to attack Hannan?"
The attendant beside him said, "If Your Highness is really having a hard time deciding, why not summon the Prime Minister and the former Han Emperor, Duke Shanyang, to ask for advice?"

Another attendant said, "Your Majesty, is it necessary to listen to other people's opinions on this matter?"

"Especially Lord Shanyang, is he trustworthy?"

"A few days ago, the Prime Minister suggested that Your Highness proclaim himself emperor and establish the Later Han Dynasty. It seems that the Duke of Shanyang does not agree with it, right?"

"What can we get out of him by calling him here at this time?"

The two men argued, and Liu Chan was hesitant. Finally, he decided to summon Prime Minister Xu Shu to meet him first.

After Xu Shu arrived and heard the contents of the letter, he said decisively: "The intention of Jin State is unclear, Your Highness must not act rashly."

Liu Chan was even more frightened after hearing this, and asked, "Prime Minister, are you saying that the Emperor of Jin might be hostile to me?"

Xu Shu said, "People's minds are hard to predict. Besides, Jin has occupied most of the country. Hannan and Wei combined only occupy two counties."

"I guess the Jin Emperor is probably coming for Jiaozhou. If they take Jiaozhou, they will have ten of the Thirteen Provinces. It is only a matter of time before Hannan is annexed by them."

Liu Chan said, "I once asked the Duke of Shanyang about this matter, and he told me to let nature take its course. What does that mean?"

Xu Shu said in a deep voice: "If we let things take their own course, we will end up dead."

Liu Chan asked: "What should we do?"

Xu Shu pondered for a moment, "Duke Shanyang has a close relationship with the Emperor of Jin. Your Highness can send him as an envoy to meet the Emperor of Jin and get his opinion."

Liu Xie trusted Xu Shu very much, and immediately asked his close guards to write a letter to Liu Xie, the Duke of Shanyang, who was unemployed at home.

After Liu Xie received the imperial edict, he sighed to Fu Shou, "Trouble is coming again."

"I thought I would live a peaceful life in Hannan, but I didn't expect there would be undercurrents."

Fu Shou asked, "What exactly is Prime Minister Xu planning?"

"He was born in Yingchuan. I'm afraid he has been colluding with Cao Cao for a long time, right?"

Liu Xie shook his head and said, "It's unlikely, but he obviously has his own ideas."

"I guess, among those who are grateful to Lord Xuande for his kindness, he may be the most persistent one."

(End of this chapter)