Mythical Version of Three Kingdom

Chapter 647: Repaying a Foot with a Yard

Sun Ce's lips moved slightly, but no words came out. After a long silence, Yuan Shu sighed, "Bofu, you should think it over. I know you have great ambitions, but your foundation is too weak, and you don't have the power to suppress the local aristocracy. Whether you march south or north, you won't be able to subdue them."

This wasn't Yuan Shu possessing Guo Jia's wisdom, predicting that Sun Ce's approach of confronting the aristocracy head-on would lead to his downfall at their hands, but rather because Yuan Shu, coming from a powerful family himself, understood the strength of the aristocracy all too well.

This was also why Yuan Yao had said that his father's success was not a matter of luck but inevitability. It wasn't just due to Yuan Shu's own strength but also the suppression provided by the aristocracy backing him. This was why there were many uprisings in Yangzhou, but few openly rebelled against Yuan Shu.

Zhou Yu signaled with his eyes, but Sun Ce silently turned his head to look at Yuan Yao. "The Yuan family has been kind to me. As long as I, Sun Ce, am alive, the Yuan family will not fall. The path I must take is my own."

In truth, Sun Ce's words were already bordering on defiance, but at that moment, no one cared. Although Yuan Shu often acted rashly, his eyes weren't blind. Sun Ce had already come into his own, and Yuan Shu even had the feeling that Sun Ce might surpass him if he were to take his place.

"Brother Bofu, it seems we are not destined to be brothers in name. My father has his unreliable moments—please help me keep him in check," Yuan Yao said with a smile, his condition worsening despite the appearance of improvement, a sign of the fleeting strength before death. His grip on Sun Ce's hand tightened.

"I will do my best to keep him in check," Sun Ce nodded, promising.

"Father, I have something to say to you," Yuan Yao said slowly, withdrawing his hand from Sun Ce's grasp. The implication was clear. Sun Ce, looking pained, left with Zhou Yu.

"Father..." After Sun Ce left, Yuan Yao's spirit suddenly waned, his complexion turning ashen.

"My son..." Yuan Shu rasped, his voice hoarse."Father, I fear I won't survive the day," Yuan Yao said bitterly. "I have failed your expectations. You found the best tutors for me since I was a child, but your son is as useless as rotten wood, unable to be carved. I have neither Brother Bofu's martial prowess nor Brother Gongjin's wisdom. I can't carry the burden of the Yuan family..."

"If you can't carry it, then don't. The legacy I built was for you to enjoy. If you squander it and live a carefree life, that's fine too. I've always wanted to make Bofu and Gongjin my adopted sons to help you, but it seems fate has other plans." At this moment, Yuan Shu seemed to age visibly, tears streaming down his face.

"Father, I really wanted to acknowledge Brother Bofu as my elder brother. After I die, if you can, please make him your adopted son. If not, treat him as you would your legitimate son. He and you are alike—'If others respect me a foot, I shall return a yard.' You've always treated him well. The Yuan family will prosper." Yuan Yao's eyes slowly closed.

These words drained nearly all of Yuan Yao's remaining strength. Being a scion of a noble family, the continuation of the family lineage was deeply ingrained in him. For this reason, he urged his doting father with his final breaths.

"I will. I will treat him as a legitimate son. I will..." Yuan Shu sobbed, the grief of losing his son overwhelming him.

"Thank you, Father..." A faint smile appeared on Yuan Yao's ashen face. "After I die, don't hold a grand funeral. Father, if you want your son to be remembered, distribute the surplus grain to the common people each year on this day. That will be remembered more than any grand funeral..."

"I will. I will," Yuan Shu wept, tears flowing freely.

At that moment, Yuan Shu agreed to everything Yuan Yao asked, unaware of the changes in his son's expression. After giving his final instructions, Yuan Yao's lingering attachment faded, and he closed his eyes, never to wake again.

"Yao'er!" Yuan Shu cried out in anguish, collapsing to the ground. Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, Ji Ling, and Yuan Shu's wife, Madam Feng, immediately burst in, working together to revive Yuan Shu. Eventually, they managed to bring him back to consciousness.

"Yao'er..." The moment Yuan Shu awoke, he broke into sobs, his demeanor that of a grieving father, utterly devoid of any lordly bearing.

"My lord, please compose yourself. We must arrange the young master's funeral and inform the northern Yuan family to adopt a son to inherit your lineage," Ji Ling, one of Yuan Shu's loyal followers, spoke up, knowing what needed to be done.

"Prepare the funeral. He will be buried with the rites of the Nine Ministers. Open the granaries and distribute the grain. Inform Yuzhou, Yangzhou, and Jingzhou that all under my command are to open the granaries and distribute the grain. Anyone who withholds will have their clan exterminated by my hand!" Yuan Shu's eyes were swollen, his voice hoarse and filled with sorrow.

"Understood!" Ji Ling, a die-hard loyalist of Yuan Shu, did not question why the funeral was not being held with the rites of a noble lord. He simply obeyed and left to carry out the orders.

"From now on, every year on this day, distribute any surplus grain to the people," Yuan Shu said, glancing at Yuan Yao's body as tears continued to flow.

"Uncle, please restrain your grief. I'm sure Yao would not want to see you like this," Sun Ce said, doing his best to remain calm. Having experienced the pain of losing his own father and bearing the responsibility of his family's survival, he had matured greatly.

"Cao Cao! I will never forgive you!" Yuan Shu roared towards the heavens in fury.

Yuan Shu's expression was filled with despair. After a long pause, he grabbed Sun Ce's shoulders and broke down in tears, no longer possessing the demeanor of a lord but simply a father who had lost his son.

"Bofu, Bofu, the Yuan family depends on you now..." Yuan Shu wept uncontrollably. He had lost all will to vie for supremacy. With his son gone, everything was over.

"I will. I will..." Sun Ce nodded solemnly. In that moment, the weight on his shoulders grew even heavier. Besides carrying the burden of the Sun family, he now carried the Yuan family as well—a weight so heavy it nearly crushed him, but he willingly bore it.

Sun Ce silently resolved to shoulder this responsibility.

In the spring of 194 AD, Yuan Shu's only son passed away. To ensure his son would be remembered, Yuan Shu began the tradition of opening the granaries and distributing grain each year on the anniversary of his death—a tradition that continued into Sun Ce's era and beyond.

Some aristocrats may have mocked Yuan Shu for doting on his son excessively, but they failed to realize that Yuan Shu's actions gave the common people under his rule a glimmer of hope for survival. And that tiny bit of gratitude would be enough to provide a lifeline when the Yuan family faced its demise.

After Yuan Yao's death, Yuan Shu did not formally adopt Sun Ce, but he treated him with the honors due to a legitimate son, granting him full authority. Zhou Yu was also personally recommended by Yuan Shu and was bestowed the title of General of the Building Bravery, while others like Gu Yong and Liao Li, who had been sidelined, were reinstated with honors. Sun Ce, feeling deeply indebted, resolved never to neglect the Yuan family.