"Brother, your plan to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight was truly excellent!"
"When you spoke up in the Imperial Secretariat to rebuke Wang Xiang, I knew what you had in mind."
"It was a wonderful idea. If you hadn't deliberately indulged the ministers while holding the Sima Family's forces in check, how could I have had such a fine opportunity?"
"Hahaha, brother, your move was Lead the Pack to Watch Tigers Fight, while mine was Drive the Wolves to Swallow the Tiger, then Tame Wolves into Dogs."
Inside the Zhong Residence, Zhong Yu sat stiff-faced in the seat of honor. Zhong Hui sat before him, waving both hands as he excitedly described how he felt.
"Brother, how was my move? How did it compare with yours?"
Looking at his smug younger brother, Zhong Yu did not get angry. He nodded. "Not bad, but the credit wasn't yours alone."
"The foremost credit belongs to Hua Biao's son, Hua Yi. After Lu Yu ran into trouble, he refused to submit to the ministers and kept watch over affairs at court. He reacted quickly, realizing the ministers were about to act, and had his father escape through the back door to bring word to the Imperial Palace."
"If he hadn't informed the emperor in advance, by the time the emperor realized what was happening, even if he dared to tear away all pretense, it would only have ended in a standoff."
"Next comes Zhang Hua. Unless I'm mistaken, the idea of releasing Xiahou Xian to command the Central Army was something he plotted with you."
"He went with you to see Xiahou Xian, then found Jiao Bo, armed a band of wanderers, and blocked my residence, preventing my orders from reaching the Central Army."
"He deserves the second share