After hearing this, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "You can say that."
"But to be more precise, I'm helping you."
Yuan Tan raised his eyebrows, "Why did my second brother say this? Isn't this matter beneficial to both of us?"
Yuan Xi said in a deep voice: "What I want, my eldest brother can't give it to me for the time being, but I have to stand in front and block the gun for him."
He understood that this was a critical moment for bargaining. If he could convince Yuan Tan, he could win more chips for himself.
Yuan Tan was indeed very interested and said: "Tell me and listen."
By that time, the wine in the jug had gone cold, but his heart began to feel a little hot.
Because in the past two years, Yuan Tan has discovered that his situation has become increasingly bad.
Father Yuan Shao is obviously favoring his third brother Yuan Shang, and it is really possible that he will abolish the eldest son and establish a younger one!
Yuan Xi said without hesitation: "The difficulty for the eldest brother is that he is already at a disadvantage in the confrontation with the third brother for the heir."
Yuan Tan was shocked and asked Yuan Xi to say it right again!
The second brother knew the situation in Yecheng very well, and someone was obviously tipping him off!
Second brother, this person is not simple!
Yuan Tan said in a deep voice: "The situation is unclear and the outcome is unknown. How can I be sure that I will lose?"
Yuan Xi smiled: "Father loves Mrs. Liu very much, right?"
Yuan Tan's face was grim: "The third brother is Mrs. Liu's biological son. He loves the house as much as the crow. The third brother is extremely loved."
Yuan Xi nodded: "Now the situation is actually very obvious. I am in Youzhou, the eldest brother is in Qingzhou, and the third brother has the Jizhou base camp. The eldest brother should be able to see that the defeat is obvious."
"If my guess is correct, in a few years when Youzhou and Qingzhou are pacified, you and I will be in charge of one state, guarding the border for my third brother and protecting Jizhou."
Yuan Tan punched the table hard: "He deserves it too!"
Yuan Xi added: "What eldest brother is most afraid of now is that the branch will be adopted and given to Yuan Ji!"
"You need a good excuse to abolish the eldest brother and establish a younger one. Giving the eldest brother to the late Yuan Ji as a stepson is the most upright and fair way, just like my father was adopted."
"It's just that my father became a legitimate son from a concubine, but my eldest brother became a legitimate son from the family head. It's a big loss."
Yuan Tan's face was gloomy. Yuan Xi had told him what was on his mind, and his counselors had also thought of this. However, this was an honest conspiracy, and everyone had no way to deal with it!
He said solemnly: "Do you have any idea?"
Yuan Xi nodded and said: "He's arsenic, I'm honey."
Yuan Tan was startled and suddenly realized something.
He burst out laughing: "That's it, that's it!"
"The second brother wants to get rid of his status as a concubine, so he can only start his own business."
"Although Anguo Tinghou is a Tinghou, he is still a third-class prince. For the second brother, he is indeed not low!"
As the highest rank in the Han system, it is divided into three levels: counties, townships and pavilions.
Marquis Wen of Lu Bu was the highest-ranking county marquis personally awarded by Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty after he killed Dong Zhuo.
Yuan Tan had a look on his face: "Second brother, isn't this what you want from me?"
Yuan Xi shook his head and said: "I don't have to. Anyway, although I am a concubine, I can live a good life in Youzhou alone."
"The problem now is that if I don't take away this position, it will definitely fall on my eldest brother."
"Brother, do you want it?"
Yuan Tan was speechless.
Think about it carefully, this is really the case!
However, Yuan Xi still concealed his true purpose.
Yuan Tan did not guess Yuan Xi's true intention, and it was impossible to guess it.
Yuan Tan said seductively: "That's true. I just don't understand one thing. Since I'm already at a disadvantage, why did the second brother come to help me instead of the third brother?"
Seeing his own historical direction through later generations, Yuan Xi shocked Yuan Tan and said, "I helped my third brother, but he won't give me anything in return."
"He will think that he deserves to be the head of the family, and naturally he will not be grateful to me."
"I gave my eldest brother timely help, and naturally the reward he gave me was much higher than that of my third brother."
Yuan Tan nodded and said: "Second brother is a cheerful person, it is true!"
"Let me tell you the truth. The third brother is responsible for the defense of Jizhou, including the transportation of military rations to Beixin City."
"The third brother knows about the second brother's dilemma, but the father may not know about it."
"Third brother thinks he can deal with both of us at the same time, so we can't just sit back and let him die!"
"If you can help me get the position of head of the family, I can give you anything!"
Yuan Xi thought to himself that his elder brother was either an honest person or a traitor who wrote bad checks.
But it doesn't matter, Yuan Tan has something to do with him now, he just needs to get enough benefits from this.
He smiled and said: "I guess Junliang's third brother is behind it, but I don't understand why he is targeting me like this."
Yuan Tan shook his head and said, "I don't know either."
Now that they understood that Yuan Shang was their common enemy, they immediately cut their fingers, drank blood wine, and made a promise.
Yuan Tan felt much relieved and said, "How is my second brother going to help me?"
Yuan Xidao: "My idea is very simple."
"I want to be famous."
"Whether it is prestige on the battlefield or popularity among the people, he must surpass my elder brother."
Yuan Tan was startled and felt a little wary.
When Yuan Xi saw him, he smiled and said, "I am a concubine. It is absolutely impossible for me to compete with my eldest brother for the position of head of the family."
"Only my reputation has skyrocketed and I have shown obvious hostility towards my third brother. The third brother, thinking of the past experience of his father's son turning into a bastard, will definitely try his best to kick me out of the Yuan family."
"The best way is to adopt me to the deceased Yuan Ji."
"At that time, the eldest brother will have a serious problem. If the third brother wants to deal with the eldest brother, he will have to find another way."
Yuan Tan heard this and shouted: "This is a wonderful plan!"
He was not a fool, so he immediately asked doubtfully: "My father was also adopted as a concubine. If you want to adopt him, wouldn't you pose a greater threat to your third brother?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "Brother is confused."
"At that time, my father was adopted and he was not the head of the family. Later, Yuan Wei and Yuan Ji were killed, so he got the chance."
"If third brother finds out that you and I are teaming up, the first thing he will do is kick me out first, and then deal with you with all his strength."
"Of course, for the third brother, I can't compete for the head of the family. If you can bribe me with a pavilion, I should be happy to see it happen."
When Yuan Tan thought about it carefully, it seemed that this was also the case!
He said: "How much time will it take, second brother, and what help do you need from me?"
Yuan Xi smiled and said: "It saves worries to talk to smart people like eldest brother."
Yuan Tan thought to each other, if you were not a concubine, I would really have to be wary of you.
Yuan Xi said bluntly: "Yangwang."
"If I do five points, you will give me ten points in front of your father."
"Only in this way will my third brother be afraid of me and get rid of me first by passing him on to a side branch."
"Otherwise, it will be the eldest brother's turn to be adopted."
Yuan Tan pondered: "Raising a wish is not a simple matter. It can take at least a few years, or at most decades. Is it still too late?
Yuan Xi said: "The matter of raising a hope is difficult to say and easy to say."
"If it's quick, it will only take a year and a half, or even a few months."
Yuan Tan was shocked: "Impossible!"
"Even if he is as strong as his father, it has taken him more than ten years to raise Wang. How can it be so easy!"
Yuan Xi smiled slightly: "Is my father's ally Cao Mengde going to attack Xuzhou again?"
"I heard that when he first attacked Xuzhou, he massacred several cities and killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people."
"This time his second attack on Xuzhou will be even more tragic."
"The Yuan family governs Jizhou with benevolence and righteousness. It is said that Cao Mengde's incident has also been criticized by the world."
"If I can prevent him from attacking Xuzhou, won't I be able to become famous among the nobles?"
After hearing this, Yuan Tan burst into laughter: "Second brother thinks things are too simple."
"The battle in Xuzhou is the key to my father letting Cao Mengde take the lead against Yuan Shu. How can you and I interfere?"
Yuan Xi sighed: "Brother, how do you compare to Cao Mengde?"
Yuan Tan looked solemn: "This man recruits many poor people and has ancestral connections. I am far beyond his reach."
Yuan Xi listened and said with a smile: "If the eldest brother becomes the lord of Jizhou in the future, Cao Cao's Yanzhou will be next to him. If he wants to capture Xuzhou and Yuzhou, how will the eldest brother suppress him in the future?"
Yuan Tan broke into a cold sweat after hearing this.
He said solemnly: "And father..."
Yuan Xi asked directly, "Cao Cao is ten years younger than his father. What if something happens?"
Yuan Tan was shocked. Of course he knew who Cao Cao was.
He is not even as good as his third brother. If he becomes the head of the family, how can he deal with Cao Cao?
Yuan Xi saw that the time was right and struck while the iron was hot: "My idea is to plunge Yanzhou and Xuzhou into chaos, so that Cao Cao can only have one state for the time being, and slow down his pace of becoming bigger and stronger."
Yuan Tan nodded, thinking that this is indeed a way, but it affects the situation of the world, can the second brother really do it?
Yuan Xi spoke up: "Then Cao Cao's father, Cao Song, may be in the hands of Tao Qian."
"Instead of me being Tao Qian, I should have captured Cao Song and other members of the Cao clan and used them to blackmail Cao Cao."
"It's a pity that Tao Qian may not understand what kind of person Cao Cao is."