Chapter 4 One Year Period

  At a critical moment, Yuan Fang decided to stop pretending to be weak and took advantage of Yuan Xi's underestimation, winning with one move.

  Yuan Fang was very clear that as his illegitimate son, if he didn't stir up some noise and attract people's attention, he would never be able to stand out.

  Now, with so many people present, including Tian Feng, a high-ranking official of the Yuan family, they were all shocked by Yuan's side, which was exactly what he wanted.

  Silence is golden, but one cry can shock the world!

  The moment he defeated Yuan Xi, Yuan Fang let out a mouthful of foul air from his heart, an indescribable feeling of relief, but he didn't show it on his face, remaining calm and composed as usual.

  Yuan Xi stood there in a daze, his face filled with shock and incredulity.

  He couldn't believe it, the guy who had been crippled for over twenty years suddenly got better in an instant.

  He couldn't accept that the lowly, despicable brother who had been bullied by him for over twenty years could defeat him in one move in front of his father, Zhen Yi, and so many Yuan family attendants.

  Humiliation, the greatest humiliation, Yuan Xi had never suffered such a great humiliation from birth to now.

  Infuriated, Yuan Xi's anger clouded his mind. He suddenly turned around and took advantage of Yuan Fang's momentary distraction to launch a surprise attack, stabbing at him with his sword.

  The distance between them was suddenly shortened, and a sharp long sword stabbed directly at Yuan Fang's back.

  "Look out!" cried the maid, dressed as a man, in a shrill voice.

  Yuan Fang'er heard a sudden sound of breaking air behind him and hastily turned his head back, only to see Yuan Xi's sword tip already reaching him.

  The sneak attack happened too suddenly, and the two were too close. When Yuan Fang turned around, the sword tip was already stabbing at his chest. He didn't even have time to dodge, let alone draw his sword to block it.

  The sharp blade was about to pierce Yuan Fang's chest.

  A hair's breadth; a narrow margin

  Yuan Fang instinctively raised his hand, and his five fingers grasped the incoming sword blade without hesitation.

  Pfft!

  The sword tip stopped just short of Yuan Fang's chest, his hand grasping the blade tightly, making it impossible to advance even a fraction further.

  Blood had already begun to seep out of Yuan Fang's palm in thin streams.

  "How dare you launch a sneak attack, looking for death!"

  Yuan Fang's anger was uncontrollable, and with a loud shout, his right hand swung out with a long sword, slashing straight at Yuan Xi's neck.

  Yuan Xi's face, originally filled with rage, suddenly contorted in terror as he desperately tried to wrestle back his long sword to defend himself, but Yuan Fang held it tightly, and no matter what, he couldn't retrieve it.

  Yuan Xi was so frightened by the sight of the sword flashing towards him that he let out a loud "ah" and shrieked.

  That sword, however, stopped just inches away.

  In an instant, Yuan Fang suppressed his murderous intention.

  If he kills Yuan Xi today, he can indeed vent his anger for the time being, but he will also bear the crime of killing his brother. Yuan Shao will surely execute him in a fit of rage.

  A small concession may ruin a great plan.

  "Spare your dog life..."

  Yuan Fang snorted and kicked Yuan Xi in the abdomen with one foot.

  With a dull thud, Yuan Xi was kicked flying three steps away, letting out a pained "ahh" as he clutched his stomach and fell to the ground, looking utterly disheveled.

  Everything happened too quickly, and by the time everyone reacted, Yuan Xi, who had failed in his sneak attack, was already kicked out.

  The hall was in an uproar once again.

  No one expected that the dignified Yuan Xi, after losing in a fair fight, would actually become enraged and resort to sneak attacks, which is truly unbecoming and a double loss.

  Everyone looked at Yuan Xi lying on the ground and couldn't help but shake their heads, with many secretly criticizing his sneak attack.

  Even Yuan Shao furrowed his brow and showed a look of discontent, clearly dissatisfied with what Yuan Xi had done.

  "Unexpectedly, the third young master is so unable to bear losing, it's really a loss of the Yu family's dignity. On the other hand, the second young master dared to catch the sword with his hands, and his bravery was truly extraordinary. Even though he was ambushed, he only kicked the third young master to the ground and didn't take advantage of him. This temperament is even more uncommon..."

  Tian Feng slightly stroked his mustache, a look of admiration on his face, and looked at Yuan Fang with even more respect.

  For a time, the officials in the hall reduced their contempt for Yuan Fang and looked at him with some other gaze.

  Xiao Cha was already heartbroken, and she hastily tore off the hem of her skirt to rush over and bandage Yuan Fang's wound. Her eyes were already brimming with tears, and she was on the verge of crying out in anguish.

  "I'm fine, just a minor injury."

  Yuan Fang comforted in a soft voice, but raised his head and looked towards the upper end of the table, nodding to the woman dressed as a man who was serving them, thanking her for her timely warning.

  That servant also nodded slightly, with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

  At this time, Yuan Xi was panting and got up from the ground, facing the accusing gaze of the crowd, feeling both ashamed and embarrassed, and for a moment did not know what to do.

  "Fang Er, it turns out your leg has recovered."

  Yuan Shao, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke up, his tone hinting at resentment. He did not blame Yuan Xi for launching a surprise attack, but seemed to be reproaching Yuan Fang for intentionally concealing the fact that he had recovered from his illness.

  Yuan Fang calmly said, "Two months after you left home, I went to the Taihang Mountains to find a divine doctor and gave you a dose of good medicine. You just took it not long ago, didn't expect it to take effect so quickly."

  Anyone with eyes can see that Yuan Fang is intentionally hiding, just to give Yuan Xi an unexpected surprise. However, Yuan Fang's excuse is also flawless, making it impossible for Yuan Shao to find any flaws.

  Everyone's eyes were on Yuan Shao, looking at their lord and wondering what decision he would make.

  Now that the martial arts contest is over and the outcome has been decided, according to the prior agreement, Yuan's side should form an alliance with Zhen's family through marriage.

  Yuan Shao hesitated and did not speak, unable to make a decision for half a day.

  Yuan Fang was well aware that in Yuan Shao's heart, he still favored Yuan Xi and wanted him to marry the Miss Zhen.

  Yuan Fang turned to face Yuan Shao and said loudly, "A great man has no worries about not having a wife. Since Father thinks so highly of Xian Yi, and Xian Yi wants to be the son-in-law of the Zhen family, I'll yield to him."

  As soon as Yuan Fang's words came out, the hall was in an uproar again.

  If Yuan had yielded voluntarily in the previous trial, people would have ridiculed him for being weak and incompetent, and not daring to compete with Yuan Xi.

  Now Yuan Fang has won the sword fight, his martial arts and demeanor have surpassed Yuan Xi. At this moment, letting go is not weakness, but rather shows his broad-mindedness and magnanimity.

  More people looked at Yuan Fang with a new attitude.

  "Really didn't expect that the second young master would have such magnanimity, impressive, truly impressive......" Tian Feng stroked his beard in admiration, and his appreciation for Yuan Fang grew even more.

  At this time, behind Zhen Yi's back, the female servant dressed as a man had an expression of surprise on her face, and her eyebrows were quietly furrowed.

  Yuan Shao can no longer show favoritism to Yuan Xi, for if he still insists on choosing Yuan Xi, would it not be equivalent to openly admitting in front of everyone that he is biased towards Yuan Xi and handles matters unfairly?

  Yuan Shao's eyebrows furrowed, and he said in a deep voice: "Marriage is a major event, parents are in charge, how can it be up to you to decide whether to let go or not? This matter is not for you to decide."

  Yuan Fang did not say much more, but stood quietly and waited to see how Yuan Shao would end things.

  After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Shao turned his gaze to someone below the steps: "Gongzi Guo, in your opinion, what should I choose?"

  Yuan Fang turned his head and saw two whiskers growing on Guo Tu's face beside Tian Feng.

  "Guo Tu is a member of the Yuan Tan and Yuan Xi brothers' faction. When Yuan Shao inquired with Guo Tu, he obviously still wanted to choose Yuan Xi, but wanted Guo Tu to devise strategies for him, shifting the responsibility for his own bias. Hmph, Yuan Shao, is this your magnanimity?"

  Yuan Fang guessed Yuan Shao's intention at a glance.

  Guo Tu rolled his eyes and coughed a few times, saying: "Master's actions have always been fair and just. In my humble opinion, the 'literary and martial arts' that Master Zhen mentioned should not only refer to martial arts skills but also include strategic thinking. Master should test the two young masters' strategic thinking as well."

  " Military strategy?" Yuan Shao's expression gradually improved.

  Guo Tu said slowly: "I know that the lord is thinking of dividing his troops to attack Ping and Qing states, and then attacking Gongsun Zan. Why not send two princes to lead the army to attack the two states separately, set a time limit of one year, see who has more abundant war results, whose military strategy will be better, and then choose who will come to marry the Qianjin of the Zhen family? Wouldn't this achieve two goals at once?"

  "What a cunning Guo Tu..."

  Yuan Fang immediately saw through Guo Tu's trick.

  Yuan Xi and Yuan Tan, the two brothers, had many supporters in the Yuan Shao group. When Yuan Xi went out to fight, he naturally needed soldiers, generals, and money.

  Yuan Fang's "main force" had been hiding in the mansion for over 20 years, without a single supporter outside, and yet he led his troops into battle, the difficulties can be imagined.

  Needless to say, in Guo Tu's view, the one who lost must be Yuan Fang.

  Yuan Shao nodded slightly, agreeing: "Gong Ze's proposal is indeed the most fair. Fang Er, I will order you to attack Qingzhou, and Xi Er, you will go and attack Pingzhou. Within a year, whoever has the more abundant war spoils, that person will be chosen by me."

  Yuan Shao did not give others a chance to speak and immediately adopted Guo Tu's proposal.

  "Qingzhou is Gongsun Zan's territory, and Pingzhou is where the Black Mountain bandits are based. Clearly Qingzhou is harder to crack, yet you want me to attack Qingzhou? Yuan Shao, you're really something."

  Yuan Fang sneered inwardly, pondered for a moment, then raised his head to face Yuan Shao and said calmly: "Since father has made this decision, what can I say? Within a year, I will surely take down Qingzhou."

  Yuan Fang agreed extremely quickly. To outsiders, this seemed like Yuan Shao's favoritism, but to Yuan Fang, it was a rare opportunity.

  Only by seizing this opportunity can Yuan Fang leave the Yuen manor, a place of right and wrong, and pull out a team to have a chance to kill his own territory.

  Even if the opponent is a strong player like Gongsun Zan, with very slim chances of winning, Yuan's side will never give up.

  Because this is his only chance to change his fate.

  ————

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