NOVPUBAt Zhong Yao’s residence in Chang’an, where he would normally be practicing calligraphy at this time of day, he was entertaining a youth of about seventeen or eighteen years old.
"What are your thoughts, Minister Zhong?" Yang Xiu, with his head lowered, idly toyed with his teacup, leaving Zhong Yao utterly confused about his motives.
"It’s hard to say, hard to say," Zhong Yao shook his head. He had always kept a low profile in Chang’an, and was an avid fan of Cai Yong. When Dong Zhuo ravaged the government, he was a minister. When Wang Yun was in power, he had no grip on him, allowing Zhong Yao to continue as a minister. When Li Que and Guo Si returned, Zhong Yao remained a minister.
In short, all changes in Chang’an seemed incapable of affecting Zhong Yao; he still ate and drank as usual, wrote, and studied Cai Yong’s calligraphy. Now, Yang Xiu, under the guise of saving the Emperor, was asking for his assistance. Zhong Yao was not so foolish, in his view, Yang Xiu was still too green.
"The time isn’t right, is it?" Yang Xiu smiled and said, showing no displeasure at being rejected, his demeanor still carefree, "Then, I ask Minister Zhong for your assistance, and when the time comes, I shall visit to pay my respects again."
Zhong Yao’s hand, which was stroking the teacup, paused involuntarily, and he glanced at Yang Xiu with some surprise. His thoughts raced, and he spoke slowly, "When the time comes, I also hope for assistance from Grand Commandant Yang."
"Then I thank Minister Zhong," Yang Xiu said with a smile, "I shall inform my father of this matter. Please consider thrice before acting in the future, Minister Zhong. The Yang Family is now weakened and exhausted; such matters can be done once but not again. I urge you to proceed with caution."
Zhong Yao’s eyes flickered uncertainly, wondering if Yang Xiu’s words were genuine. After a long while, he sighed deeply, "Dezu truly deserves his reputation for intelligence known throughout the world. The Yang Family shall not decline in this generation either."
Yang Xiu calmly accepted Zhong Yao’s praise, "Since Minister Zhong understands, I shall not linger. Li Guo are too wary of my Yang Family, I fear it will be difficult for us to communicate after this."
"Just this once will be enough; I think you, Yang Dezhu, are someone who plans carefully before acting and need no further contact. I believe when that opportunity arises, we will both seize it," Zhong Yao said lightly, laughing and turning the tables on Yang Xiu, regaining some ground.
"In that case, it’s settled," Yang Xiu said calmly, showing no irritation or dissatisfaction, pleased with Zhong Yao’s proposal.
Watching Yang Xiu’s carriage leave, Zhong Yao stood at the doorway with a slightly solemn expression. Could it be that he had underestimated the remaining power of this Aristocratic Clan of Three Dukes of Five Generations?
Sitting in the carriage, Yang Xiu closed his eyes and pondered everything that had happened today. He had deceived Zhong Yao; the Yang Family had already lost most of their foundation during the chaos of Dong Zhuo and the turmoil of Li Guo.
Even now, the Yang Family was beginning to blame each other internally. The direct lineage faction, which had proposed ascending the throne from above by politically overshadowing the Emperor, was now scattered. Many members of the Yang Family had already switched their allegiances to their in-law, Yuan Shu.
Compared to the Direct Lineage faction who angrily denounced Dong Zhuo, Li Que, and Guo Si as men who only understood martial force but not politics and completely disregarded the rules of the game with their thoughtless tirades, Yang Xiu treated the matter calmly, fully aware of the reality.
Had there been no real hope of controlling the Emperor back then, the Yang Family would not have fully supported the proposal. Alas, Dong Zhuo had no intention of playing politics and even went so far as to depose the Emperor and massacre the ministers, effectively destroying most of the Yang Family’s foundations in the officialdom. Afterwards, he heeded Li Ru’s advice to recall the Pure Stream Celebrities who had been ousted during the Party Proscription period, playing a balancing act that made Dong Zhuo not an emperor, yet more than an emperor.
Back then, the Yang Family and the Yuan Family had joined forces to expel all the Pure Stream Celebrities, led by the Xun, Chen, and Cui families among other noble clans, from the Imperial Court. With an unspoken understanding, the two parties decided that the Yang Family would control the Imperial Family from the top down, and the Yuan Family would usurp power from the bottom up.
Now, with things having turned out this way, and the Yuan Family flourishing on the outside—with Yuan Shu commanding the major part of Yuzhou, several regions north of the Yangtze, and Jingzhou, and Yuan Shao holding Jizhou and Bingzhou, pressing hard against Youzhou with strong forces—the suffocating pressure on the Yang Family, who were also an Aristocratic Clan of Four Generations Three Dukes, was unbearable. Why was their old Yang Family so unlucky?
Now the Yang Family had fully realized that if they couldn’t break out of Chang’an, none of their previous plans stood a chance of being implemented. Outside of Chang’an, whether it be Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, Cao Cao, or Liu Bei, all seemed bound by the rules of the game. After all, these men were noble, high-status individuals, not barbarians like Dong Zhuo, Li Que, or Guo Si!
For the Yang Family, it was not the severity of the rules that was terrifying, but the lack thereof, where others held the power of life and death and could eliminate you if they were dissatisfied. This feeling of being the meat on someone else’s cutting board was something that the proud Yang Family found intolerable!
At this point, the Yang Family had no choice but to make one last attempt—to leave Chang’an with the Little Emperor and take refuge in a Feudal Lord’s territory, and then, using the rules of the game, control the Little Emperor and gradually swallow up the other party’s power.
What Yang Xiu was doing now was to ensure Zhong Yao understood that the Yang Family still possessed strength, albeit not much, but enough to assist him. In doing so, he intended to take shelter in Zhong Yao’s trenches, ensuring that Zhong Yao would look after the Yang Family’s remaining power when necessary. Yang Xiu did not care who Zhong Yao was in contact with; what he valued was the chance Zhong Yao offered to escape Chang’an. In Yang Xiu’s view, just getting out of Chang’an with the Little Emperor would be like a trapped dragon taking to the sky!
As for Zhong Yao’s threatening words about not being in touch, Yang Xiu didn’t take them to heart, not because he underestimated Zhong Yao, but because he was confident in his own intelligence, which he believed was no less than anyone else’s. He was certain that Zhong Yao could not create any splash against him.
Yang Xiu was completely unaware that, due to the severe loss of the Yang Family’s strength, he could not know that Zhong Yao’s new ally was Cao Cao. But even if Yang Xiu had known Cao Cao was the next move, he would only have been relieved to escape the ordeal, rather than wonder if life would really be better with Cao Cao than in Chang’an.
The halo of being a Three Dukes of Four Generations had entranced Yang Xiu. It was an honor but also a shackle. Despite his intelligence that allowed him to uncover Zhong Yao’s schemes, to see the growing rifts between people like Li Que, and to guess what Zhong Yao wanted to do, he was still restrained by this halo, unable to consider what might be different after escaping Chang’an. The title of a Three Dukes of Four Generations was glorious, but without power, how many hungry wolves would be lurking.
After seeing Yang Xiu off, Zhong Yao shook his head and walked back. He didn’t believe that Cao Cao was any sort of benevolent soul, especially during these chaotic times when anyone who could carve out their own domain was not to be taken lightly.
[Dezu, your wisdom may indeed be remarkable, but your vision is too shortsighted. The long-standing glory of the Yang Family has caused you to overlook too much. The rise of great families always accompanies the fall of their predecessors. After leaving Chang’an, whether the Yang Family experiences a rebirth from fire or falls into decline will depend on your choices. Cao Mengde will give you opportunities, but he will certainly not tolerate mistakes time and again.] Comparing Cao Cao’s temperament with Yang Xiu’s intelligence, Zhong Yao couldn’t help but sigh. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
