That night, Yuan Shu slept very soundly.
It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky the next day that he finally rubbed his eyes and woke up.
He thought to himself, "I usually don't have the habit of sleeping in, but yesterday I was too excited about getting Moonlit Azure, so I stayed up too late."
"Shi A!"
After being attended to by Zhang Cheng for his morning wash, Yuan Shu called out to Shi A, who was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard.
Hearing Yuan Shu's call, Shi A quickly sheathed his sword and entered Yuan Shu's room, asking,
"My lord, what are your orders?"
Yuan Shu stretched lazily and said,
"Prepare the horses. Today, we're going to the Wang family to visit my uncle."
Shi A cupped his fists and replied, "Understood, young master. I'll make the arrangements right away."
Half an hour later, four fine horses set out from Yuan Manor.
Leading the group was Yuan Shu's Moonlit Azure. Since he had already gifted his flashy carriage to little Cai Wenji,
and hadn't bought a new one yet, he decided to just ride a horse for the next few days to experience a different feeling.
The other three riders were Shi A and two traveling warriors under his command.
Yuan Shu had assessed their combat abilities before—both had a strength rating above 80, making them top-tier among the warriors.
With these three protecting him, Yuan Shu's safety in Luoyang was guaranteed.
The Wang family was already a prestigious clan in Luoyang, and their residence was near the city center, not far from Yuan Manor.
After about fifteen minutes of riding, Yuan Shu and his group arrived at the Wang family estate.
"Young master, you've arrived."
Just as the four reached the gate, the steward hurried out to greet them.
Madam Wang had previously brought Yuan Shu back to her maiden home, so the Wang family's servants all recognized him.
Yuan Shu politely said to the steward,
"I have some matters to discuss with my uncle today. Please inform him of my visit."
In the past, Yuan Shu had always been arrogant towards these servants, looking at them with disdain.
The steward had never seen Yuan Shu speak to him so courteously before and was somewhat flattered. He quickly replied,
"You're too kind, young master. I'll inform the master immediately."
Not long after, the steward returned from inside the estate and said to Yuan Shu,
"Young master, the master invites you in. He's waiting for you in the main hall."
Yuan Shu nodded and said,
"Much appreciated. Shi A, reward him."
Shi A immediately handed the steward a thousand coins.
Yuan Shu had already agreed with Shi A beforehand—whenever he said "reward," without specifying an amount, it would always be a thousand coins.
"Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!" The steward bowed deeply, overjoyed.
Yuan Shu was quite pleased with the result.
Since his mother had told him to maintain a good relationship with his uncle Wang Yun, he needed to start with the small things.
For example, by winning over the Wang family's steward.
Yuan Shu refused to believe that in this world, there was anyone who couldn't be won over by money—no, by his charm.
He said to the steward, "No need for formalities, just take good care of our horses."
"Rest assured, young master! I will take excellent care of these fine horses!" the steward replied obsequiously.
That thousand coins were well spent—he saw immediate results.
Yuan Shu then entered the Wang family estate and made his way to the main hall.
There, he saw a middle-aged man dressed in a dark green robe sitting in the master's seat, sipping tea.
The man had a refined and scholarly appearance, with facial features somewhat similar to Yuan Shu's mother, Madam Wang.
Yuan Shu knew—this was his uncle, Wang Yun.
His predecessor had a stubborn and arrogant personality, which led to a poor relationship with Wang Yun.
In the mind of the previous Yuan Shu, aside from the emperor, the Yuan family, which had held high-ranking positions for four generations, was the most powerful.
As a result, he looked down on everyone, missing out on countless valuable allies.
Thinking of this, Yuan Shu secretly shook his head, inwardly calling him a fool.
However, after careful thought, he couldn't entirely blame him—after all, someone with such abysmally low stats in all six attributes was lucky just to have survived.
Yuan Shu stepped forward and respectfully saluted Wang Yun, saying:
"Nephew Yuan Shu greets Uncle."
Wang Yun was quite surprised to see Yuan Shu initiate a salute.
Yuan Shu had visited the Wang family before, but each time he came, he had an insufferable attitude.
It was as if he believed that Wang Yun had to rely on his sister to curry favor with the Yuan family.
Because of this, Wang Yun never really liked this nephew.
The Yuan family might be powerful, but the Wang family was not weak either. More importantly, Wang Yun had attained his position through his own abilities, never relying on the Yuan family for anything.
For a mere junior to treat him with such disdain—was that really necessary?
However, Yuan Shu's attitude was now completely different, so Wang Yun responded warmly:
"Gonglu, please rise. It has been some time since we last met, and you seem even more spirited."
Yuan Shu thought to himself, Indeed, people don't hit a smiling face. It seems Wang Yun is not that difficult to deal with.
He decided to check Wang Yun's attributes and quietly commanded the system:
"System, show me Wang Yun's attributes."
The system promptly responded:
"Ding! Querying Wang Yun's attributes… Query successful!"
Character Name: Wang Yun (Note 1)
Attributes:
Strength: 43 Leadership: 72 Intelligence: 83 Politics: 84 Charisma: 74 Luck: 60
Skills:
Chain Strategy: When Wang Yun executes interlinked strategies, each successful step increases his intelligence by 3 points, up to four times. Upright Governance: When acting without personal bias, Wang Yun's political ability increases by 5 points. Support Han: Wang Yun is determined to serve the Han dynasty. When executing chain strategies for the Han, his intelligence increases by 3 points, and the success rate of his strategies doubles.
After reviewing Wang Yun's attributes, Yuan Shu thought, His stats may seem only above average, but once he fully utilizes his chain strategies, his intelligence increases significantly.
Especially when aiding the Han dynasty, his peak intelligence reaches a terrifying 98.
No wonder he could manipulate Dong Zhuo and Lü Bu so effortlessly, leaving even the cunning strategist Li Ru helpless against him.
Yuan Shu had now thoroughly analyzed Wang Yun but kept his thoughts hidden.
He smiled and said to Wang Yun:
"Uncle, I have brought you a treasure as a gift."
Hearing that Yuan Shu had brought him a treasure, Wang Yun became very curious.
This nephew's attitude has changed so drastically… Could it be that he wants something from me?
Wang Yun initially wanted to refuse the gift—accepting it would mean owing a favor.
However, after reconsidering, he remembered that Yuan Shu was, after all, his sister's son.
If he outright rejected the gift, wouldn't that disappoint his sister?
Thinking of Madam Wang, Wang Yun smiled kindly and said:
"Gonglu, that's very thoughtful of you, remembering your uncle even when you have treasures.
If you need anything, just tell me. We are family; there is no need for formality."
Yuan Shu shook his head and said:
"Uncle, I truly don't need anything this time. I really do have a treasure for you, and it's something I know you'll be very interested in."
With that, he took the prepared package and placed it before Wang Yun, smiling as he said:
"Uncle, can you guess what's inside?"
[Author's Note]:
Note 1: Wang Yun was from the Taiyuan Wang clan, a prestigious family in Shanxi. His family had held important government positions for generations and had significant influence in the region.
Wang Yun was skilled in both civil and military affairs. At just 19 years old, he was recommended for an official post and later served in various positions, including Imperial Censor, Grand Coachman, and Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, eventually reaching the position of Grand Minister.
His most famous achievement was orchestrating the chain strategy that eliminated Dong Zhuo.