Can I Reach the Other Shore?

Only Ju Shou stayed behind.

After everyone else had left, Yuan Shao frowned and asked him, "Gongyu, what do you think of this matter?"

Ju Shou startled, then asked cautiously, "Which matter do you mean, my lord?"

He dared not presume what Yuan Shao meant and answer carelessly.

Yuan Shao sighed. "Offering the Zhen Clan's daughter to the Son of Heaven. Do you think it is appropriate? He is a lowborn wretch, after all."

It would have been one thing if he were the real Son of Heaven. The problem was that he was an impostor.

Letting a mere lowborn wretch marry a daughter of the Zhongshan Zhen Family would unleash the Zhen Clan's towering fury if the truth ever came to light.

The other great aristocratic families would also take issue with the Yuan Clan.

Ju Shou relaxed a little. After a moment's consideration, he replied, "There is no better solution at present. Besides... we have already brought him here to impersonate the Son of Heaven. What harm is there in adding this to the list?"

Ju Shou understood Yuan Shao's concerns.

But the consequences of their imperial impersonation being exposed were already beyond measure. What difference would one more Zhen Clan make?

All they could do now was grit their teeth and insist that the Son of Heaven was genuine. There was no other way.

"Understood."

Yuan Shao felt a dull ache between his brows.

Bringing this false Son of Heaven here had certainly yielded plenty of benefits, but now he felt as though he were riding a tiger he could not dismount, sinking ever deeper.

Everyone under heaven could call this Son of Heaven a fraud now. Everyone except him.

With that matter settled, Ju Shou hesitated before asking, "Are you not angry, my lord? The third young master's hand is clearly behind those rumors."

Although no one had said it outright, everyone knew perfectly well.

To see through any scheme, one only needed to look at who ultimately benefited. Besides, Yuan Shang's methods were neither particularly subtle nor clever. It was more of an open stratagem.

"What is there to be angry about?"

Yuan Shao answered with a question, then snorted. "If he can stop the marriage alliance, that is his ability. In an age of such fierce contention, failing to contend is the real sin."

"Xianyi is the one who truly disappointed me."

He had questioned Yuan Xi repeatedly, yet Yuan Xi had continued to endure it.

To him, that was a sign of weakness.

His second son was far too staid.

Ju Shou started to speak, then stopped. In the end, he said nothing, merely sighing inwardly before turning to withdraw.

Chapter 61: Boss Yuan Is a Great Philanthropist

Once the decision to offer the Zhen Clan's daughter to the Son of Heaven had been made, Yuan Shao swiftly spread the news and ordered his men to publicize it far and wide.

As the news spread, the previous rumors soon vanished without a trace, as though they had never existed.

Instead, people everywhere spoke of Yuan Shao's loyalty to his sovereign and country, and how he had painstakingly sought out a woman endowed with phoenix destiny to fill the Son of Heaven's harem.

Liu Xie only learned of this when Ju Shou came to inform him.

"You want me to marry that Zhen Mi?"

Liu Xie spoke in astonishment. Hadn't Yuan Shao's son been the one who was supposed to marry Zhen Mi? How had it become him instead?

"Not marry her as your wife, but take her as a consort."

Ju Shou corrected his choice of words. "Your Majesty's current identity is the Son of Heaven. Taking consorts into your harem is perfectly normal."

"Zhen Mi comes from a great family. She is a daughter of the Zhongshan Zhen Family, exceptionally beautiful, and has been prophesied to possess phoenix destiny. She is ideally suited to enter the Son of Heaven's harem."

"That is why my lord has already ordered the Zhen Clan to offer Zhen Mi."

In truth, Zhen Mi entering Liu Xie's harem had surprised Ju Shou as well. It was entirely beyond his expectations.

Without his identity as the Son of Heaven, a refugee would never have had a chance to approach a beauty like Zhen Mi. Even glimpsing her from afar would have been a rare blessing.

Yet now, through a strange twist of events, he would get to take the beauty into his arms.

Fate truly did make fools of people.

At that thought, Ju Shou could not help giving the visibly excited Liu Xie another look. He warned, "Once Zhen Mi enters the Imperial Palace, Your Majesty must take greater care."

"Do not let her discover your true identity."

That was the reason Ju Shou had made this special visit today.

He had come to remind Liu Xie to act cautiously.

After all, his identity as the Son of Heaven was a sham.

Liu Xie nodded repeatedly, his face wreathed in smiles. "Rest assured, my minister. I certainly will not give myself away... I wonder when this beauty will arrive?"

He could scarcely conceal the lust on his face.

Ju Shou frowned at the sight, but kept his disgust hidden. He merely said, "Within a month. I shall take my leave."

With that, he turned and left.

Only after Ju Shou disappeared from view did Liu Xie drop that revolting expression. He stroked his chin, deep in thought.

At that moment, he felt both delighted and worried.

Any man would have been delighted to welcome the legendary Luo River Goddess into his harem.

But with Zhen Mi in the palace, he would have to be more careful in everything he did. He could no longer act as freely as before.

He would also have to remain constantly on guard against his identity as a false Son of Heaven being exposed.

As for why the wonderful prospect of marrying Zhen Mi had fallen into his lap, Liu Xie had already guessed the reason. It had to be Guo Jia's handiwork.

Historically, Zhen Mi's first husband had been Yuan Xi, and events had originally been heading that way here as well. But then those rumors had suddenly sprung up, leading to Zhen Mi entering his harem instead.

He would never believe that Guo Jia had not been pulling the strings behind the scenes.

It was all far too coincidental.

Boss Yuan really is a great philanthropist.

Does this mean the Zhongshan Zhen Family is now tied to the same war chariot as me? Will the Zhen Clan become an ally?

As Liu Xie considered this, he looked forward to Guo Jia visiting the palace so they could discuss it in detail.

Zhongshan, Wuji County.

Yuan Shao immediately dispatched men to deliver the Son of Heaven's edict for taking a consort to the Zhen Clan's residence, ordering them to send Zhen Mi to Ye City within a month.

Naturally, this was also to prevent a long night from breeding more troublesome dreams.

The unexpected news shocked everyone in the Zhen Clan. Some rejoiced, while others worried.

At the Zhen Clan's residence.

Madam Zhang, the Zhen family's matriarch, summoned all her children except Zhen Mi to the main hall to discuss the Son of Heaven's order calling Zhen Mi into the palace.

"This is the imperial edict sent from Ye City."

Madam Zhang placed the silk bearing the edict on the table and sighed. Looking at her children gathered in the hall, she could not hide the worry on her face.

"What do you think we should do now?"

"Should we send Mi over?"

At this, Madam Zhang's seventh child, Zhen Rong, immediately replied, "Of course we should! What an honor it is to enter the Son of Heaven's harem!"

"Perhaps our little sister will even become a noble consort one day!"

Zhen Rong's young face brimmed with excitement and longing.

Sending a daughter into the Son of Heaven's harem was indeed an opportunity many aristocratic families could only dream of. Not only would it deepen their family's foundations, but their status would rise with the tide as well.

She was only two years older than Zhen Mi. To her, entering the palace was a wonderful thing, for the consorts there were among the most exalted women under heaven.

"Nonsense!"

But no sooner had Zhen Rong finished than her fourth sister, Zhen Jiang, scolded her. "The harem's waters run deep. Do you think it is so easy to survive there? Besides, our little sister has no guile at all. Sending her into the depths of the palace would be pushing her into a brazier!"

After that scolding, Zhen Rong's little face fell, and she said nothing more.

Zhen Jiang then turned to Madam Zhang. "Mother, can we avoid sending our little sister into the palace? She is too young. If there is no other way, let me go in her place."

Zhen Jiang had no ulterior motives.

She simply felt for her younger sister.

Before Madam Zhang could speak, her third child, Zhen Yao, shook his head. "The imperial edict has already been issued. There is no room to turn back, much less for you to go in our little sister's place. That would be the crime of deceiving the sovereign."

Zhen Jiang's expression immediately dimmed.

Seeing this, the fifth child, Zhen Tuo, comforted her. "You need not worry too much, fourth sister. Although the harem's waters run deep, I have heard that the present Son of Heaven's consorts are all with Cao Cao in Xu County. He has no consorts in his palace at Ye City."

"Once our little sister enters the palace, she will always be by the Son of Heaven's side. With her intelligence and beauty, she is sure to receive his boundless favor."

There was some sense in those words, but the worry remained on Zhen Jiang's face. She said softly, "But what if... the Son of Heaven in Ye City is not real?"

Everyone in the Zhen family changed expression.

Then they all fell silent.

More than the harem's treacherous depths, this was what worried them most.

Cao Cao claimed that the Son of Heaven was in Xu County, while Yuan Shao claimed that he was in Ye City. Truth and falsehood were impossible to distinguish. No one knew which side was genuine.

What if the one in Ye City was an impostor?

"Cough, cough, cough..."

A fit of coughing broke the hall's silence and drew everyone's gaze.

The person coughing was the Zhen family's second son-Zhen Yan.

He was also the current head of the Zhen family.