"You are Yuan Shao?"

Not long after Yuan Feng left, Wang Yue arrived at the small courtyard with two Imperial Guards and several maids.

"I am indeed the one. May I ask who you gentlemen are?"

Yuan Shao looked at Wang Yue and the others who had suddenly appeared in front of the door with some confusion.

"By order of the Emperor, Yuan Shao receives the edict!"

Wang Yue took out a scroll of imperial edict and held it high in his hand.

"This humble servant, Yuan Shao, is acting on imperial orders!"

"I have heard that Yuan Yuan's eldest son, Yuan Benchu, is humble and polite, and possesses exceptional talent. He is a rare and outstanding individual, and I am very pleased with him. Therefore, I have specially summoned him to serve as a member of the Imperial Guard!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!"

Yuan Shao respectfully extended both hands to receive the imperial edict. Although he was excited, he did not lose his composure in any way.

Wang Yue looked at the young man with great admiration, patted him on the shoulder and said, "You are very good. His Majesty has seen your recent actions. Seize the opportunity and do not disappoint the Emperor and your mother's expectations of you!"

"You mean? His Majesty knows me?" Yuan Shao asked, somewhat surprised.

Wang Yue smiled and said, "Everyone knows that you left the Yuan family behind your mother's back."

"So that's how it is!"

The Yuan family was one of the few prominent clans, so it was not surprising that the emperor knew about the commotion he had caused. However, Yuan Shao was still deeply moved to know that the emperor had been paying attention to him.

"Is your mother here? His Majesty has another edict for your mother."

As he spoke, Wang Yue took another imperial edict from the hand of the Imperial Guard behind him.

"Inside the house, please follow me."

Yuan Shao then led Wang Yue to the door, while he went inside to invite Wang Shi out.

Yuan Shao's mother was frail and often ill, and even with Yuan Shao's support, she still walked with great difficulty.

"By order of the Emperor, the Wang family shall receive the imperial edict!"

"This concubine, Lady Wang, is acting on imperial orders!"

After saying this, Yuan Shao's mother bent down to kneel.

Wang Yue hurriedly stepped forward to offer a gesture of support, saying, "His Majesty has decreed that the betrothed must not kneel!"

Lady Wang shook her head. "I will remember Your Majesty's great kindness, but propriety must not be disregarded. If you set a precedent for me, I fear it will damage Your Majesty's dignity!"

Having said that, he insisted that Yuan Shao help him kneel down on the ground.

As expected, like mother, like son. Wang Yue stopped insisting and began to read the imperial edict:

"Madam Wang, mother of Yuan, is gentle and virtuous, and has taught her son well, serving as a model for the world. Therefore, Madam Wang is hereby granted the title of Lady of Good Virtue, and is given three maids and two hundred thousand coins as a reward!"

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your divine grace!"

Yuan Shao's mother was also moved to tears at this moment.

Seeing that the mother and son's impoverished life was finally improving, Wang Yue couldn't help but feel happy for them. He waved his hand, and three maids helped Yuan Shao's mother into the house.

"Benchu, do you know why His Majesty established the Imperial Guard?"

Hearing Wang Yue's question, he asked with a puzzled look, "I heard it's for training officers, and also because His Majesty needs the support of some of his own people?"

"What you said is only one aspect. The Emperor has lofty ambitions, and he needs a group of talented young people who can keep up with him. Your abilities have just been recognized by His Majesty!"

"Can you keep up with His Majesty's pace?"

Yuan Shao pondered the meaning of those words and quickly realized that what the emperor needed might be more than just loyalty.

"Please convey to Your Majesty that I will follow closely behind you and will never fall behind anyone." Yuan Shao's eyes grew even more determined.

Wang Yue stepped forward and patted Yuan Shao on the shoulder, saying with a smile, "You should tell His Majesty these things yourself in the future. The Imperial Guard will officially begin recruiting students in a few days. Spend some time with your mother during this period!"

"yes!"

next day

In the Chongde Hall, civil and military officials had gathered early in the morning. The hall was slightly noisy, and most of the matters discussed were related to the "public opinion" (a form of political discourse).

"His Majesty has arrived!"

With Zhang Rang's shout, the hall immediately fell silent.

After the emperor and his subject exchanged greetings, Liu Hong handed Zhang Huan's letter to Zhang Rang.

"Let all of you hear this!"

"promise!"

Zhang Rang respectfully accepted the letter and began to read it aloud:

"Your Majesty has ordered me to go north to defend the borders. On my way through the northern lands, what I have seen and heard, and the evil deeds of the barbarians, have filled me with grief and anger. Therefore, I write this letter to inform Your Majesty of the suffering in the northern borders."

"In the villages I passed through, few survivors remained. Countless people perished, including the elderly, children, and women. Some were even pregnant, their bellies ripped open, their unborn babies abandoned nearby. Houses and villages were reduced to scorched earth, a scene of utter hell."

Then came Zhang Huan's record of the destroyed villages and the number of people who died, totaling nearly 40,000 people who suffered a brutal fate.

"How dare this lowly thief offend the might of the Great Han Dynasty?"

"Do you think our Han people are without anyone to rely on?"

The officials in the court were not only shocked by the brutality of the Xiongnu, but also furious because of their provocation.

“Those Xiongnu traitors, those mere barbarians, how dare they offend our Great Han and commit such heinous acts! Your Majesty, I beseech you to send troops to punish them!”

An elderly official, around sixty years old, stood up with a flushed face. Although he was a civil official, his face was full of murderous intent.

"Your Majesty, please send troops to punish him and uphold the might of our Han Dynasty!"

Subsequently, Chen Fan, Hu Guang, Dou Wu, Li Ying, and others also spoke out, and for a time the entire court was in an uproar. Almost everyone put aside their differences and prejudices, and united in their hatred of the enemy, demanding that troops be sent to punish the Xiongnu.

For a moment, the entire court assembly became filled with murderous intent.

Seeing that the emotions of his ministers had been stirred up, Liu Hong also stood up and said loudly, "The Xiongnu traitors have invaded our borders and killed our people. Their blood debts are countless and their crimes are too numerous to count. If we do not punish them, I will be ashamed to be the Son of Heaven!"

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