"When the Second Young Master left just now, the Grand General lost consciousness. The Third Young Master and all the Grand General's retainers are in the residence now!"
"As far as I know, you have a battalion of private troops stationed outside the city. Once night falls, you need only lead that battalion into the city and storm the Grand General's residence to catch them all in one net and slaughter every last one!"
Yuan Xi frowned. "Without Father's orders, troops outside the city cannot enter. How am I supposed to bring my private troops inside?"
Of the commanders guarding the city gates, three were Yuan Clan Relatives, and the fourth was Xu You, who had just spoken up for Yuan Shang.
All four were men Yuan Shao trusted. There was no possibility of them opening the gates without orders.
Jia Xu countered, "You are the Grand General's son, Second Young Master. If you summon troops into the city in his name, who would suspect anything?"
At those words, Yuan Xi began to waver.
Reading his expression, Jia Xu hurried to press his attack on Yuan Xi's psychological defenses.
"Stop making excuses for yourself, Second Young Master. It isn't that you have no way forward. You're simply still hesitating, looking ahead and glancing behind. But things have already reached this point. What is there left to hesitate over?"
"Do you realize that after today, you will lose everything? Even You Province, bitterly cold as it is, won't fall to you! You will spend your entire life as an idle wastrel! Is that truly what you want, Second Young Master?"
"The throne of power is cold by nature. If you want to sit upon it, you must be colder still!"
With his innermost thoughts laid utterly bare by Jia Xu, Yuan