Guo Jia was discussing with He Yong about not repeating what Qiao Yan said, comparing it to a desperate move like a cornered dog jumping over a wall.

Whether to speak or not, handling figures like Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia himself, Qiao Yan, despite his sarcastic humor, was indeed a significant figure.

After hearing Guo Jia’s words about the cautious selection of hidden candidates to prevent the Emperor from changing his mind or interfering discontentedly with the aristocrats.

He Yong looked at him suspiciously and asked, “How can Marquis Le Ping be so sure that the Emperor will go this way?”

What surprised He Yong more was how quickly Guo Jia, whom he had only recently sent off to Luoyang, became Marquis Le Ping’s advocate.

Despite the short time, he knew Guo Jia well enough not to think he was being manipulated.

Though much older, he knew Guo Jia was no Xun Yu in terms of talent, but he acknowledged Guo Jia’s abilities and integrity.

Clearly, Marquis Le Ping had real power and dared to use people.

Such groundbreaking news would normally not be entrusted to someone known for less than two months,

But He Yong admitted that if true, Guo Jia, seemingly unconnected to Marquis Le Ping, was indeed the ideal messenger.

Guo Jia responded, “Because Marquis Le Ping appeared alone today, what she saw is what she obtained. Since the beginning of the Guanghe era until now, Marquis Le Ping has risen amidst chaos without error. Others see her rise and popularity—is it merely luck?”

With He Yong’s insight, such thoughts were unthinkable.

At just fourteen, Qiao Yan had achieved her current status, which He Yong believed surpassed her peers, even those like Yuan brothers who relied on He Jin.

Thus, her message via Guo Jia was crucial.

After seeing off Guo Jia, He Yong immediately sought Yuan Shao.

Qiao Yan’s understanding of people’s relationships was accurate.

Yuan Shao’s eldest son, Yuan Ji, was already leveraging political capital from the Nine Ministers’ positions, while his brother Yuan Shu pursued military promotions recklessly.

Yuan Shao, aspiring to be a leader among literati, aside from his unsuccessful attempt to secure Bingzhou, pursued his established goals meticulously.

There was nothing to fault, so He Yong truly admired this heroic figure.

He faithfully relayed Qiao Yan’s message to Yuan Shao, who quickly suppressed any annoyance stemming from its source and pondered the intelligence provided by Qiao Yan.

Could Liu Hong select the planned Eight Army of the Western Garden in a more covert manner? Very likely!

While Lingling Guan Hu had only made himself General of the Pintian, Yuyang Zhang Ju had effectively proclaimed himself emperor.

Ma Teng, Han Sui, and other bandits from the Western Liang had extended their reach into the Three Frontiers.

The current occupant of the throne must cherish and value his authority, even feeling it was insufficient.

In Yuan Shao’s view, although Liu Hong still seemed to rely on General He Jin, he displayed occasional vacillation despite this apparent favoritism, maintaining the position of the eunuchs.

Traditionally, having a palace relative control the military was commonplace in Eastern Han, like Deng Zhiang, brother of Empress He Xi, or Liang Ji, brother of Emperor Shun and Empress Huan.

Perhaps because Emperor Huan’s last empress, Lady Dou, intended to purge the eunuchs and angered the emperor, leading to her father Dou Wu being killed by Liu Hong, the emperor’s thoughts on He Jin were more about caution than trust.

In such a scenario, using a different name to select the emperor’s private army could both satisfy the public and avoid interference from others.

So, when Qiao Yan chose to inform them of this news after learning about it, was it possible? Definitely!

Though this woman embarrassed Yuan Wei in court and forced Zhang Yi to withdraw from Bingzhou, she never threatened the fundamental interests of the Yuan clan.

Yuan Wei’s demotion from his high position was ultimately a normal rotation, not a significant setback.

As she said, there are no permanent enemies in this world, only alliances forged by short-term interests.

The aristocracy wanted greater autonomy to prevent a recurrence of past political purges, while Qiao Yan aimed to prevent chaos in Le Ping from affecting Bingzhou.

With these intersecting interests at this moment, forming a mutually beneficial alliance was entirely possible.

After considering this, Yuan Shao turned to He Yong and asked, “Brother Qiu, how do you view this news?”

“It’s a trial that won’t hurt to try, but perhaps it’s bad news for Prime Minister Ben Chu,” He Yong replied.

Though it might be labeled as bad news

There was little displeasure on Yuan Shao’s face.

He knew well what He Yong meant by “bad news.”

Following Qiao Yan’s advice would mean they could only support from behind the scenes in this selection, not openly securing a position for the Yuan family among the Eight Army of the Western Garden as originally planned.

However, considering the bigger picture, it seemed acceptable.

Moreover, there was no harm in trying.

If the Emperor changed his mind and didn’t want to act on Qiao Yan’s insights, they wouldn’t lose much.

They just needed to heed Qiao Yan’s warning not to cross any lines and arouse suspicion from Liu Hong.

Thus, Yuan Shao asked a second question: “In your opinion, does this matter need to be reported to the Grand General?”

The position of Prefect in the Eight Army of the Western Garden wasn’t something their Yuan family could easily swallow.

If they did, despite their widespread influence, they couldn’t avoid exposing themselves and becoming targets.

However, if they disclosed too much, it could complicate matters in managing this delicate situation.

Internally, Yuan Shao couldn’t help but think that Qiao Yan seemed to be trying to mend fences with the Yuan family by handing over crucial intelligence, but at the same time, she had thrown them a hot potato.

After thinking for a moment, He Yong replied, “Not yet. Let’s wait for the formal selection process to unfold first. Then, keep an eye on someone—Jian Shuo.”

“If this person joins the selection, Marquis Le Ping’s words will undoubtedly hold true, and then there will be sufficient reason to inform the Grand General.”

Directly revealing it now based on Qiao Yan’s information might lead Prime Minister Ben Chu to doubt its authenticity, potentially delaying important decisions.

But what if a eunuch appeared with seemingly playful intentions or to verify something?

Combined with the news about the private army selection, things would become subtly complicated.

“You’re right, Brother Qiu,” Yuan Shao nodded in agreement. “However, by doing this, not only can we resolve the conflict between Qiao Ye Shu and our Yuan family, but if we can further control the situation, we’ll owe her a favor.”

“What harm could that do?” He Yong countered.

Indeed, it wouldn’t do any harm.

Qiao Yan had already proven with her actions in Le Ping that her relationship with the eunuch Bai Lan was solely for leveraging his skills, not aligning with the eunuch’s power.

In essence, Qiao Yan was an extreme pragmatist and a doer.

Judging by her decisive move to betray Liu Hong, as long as the benefits for her, Le Ping, and Bingzhou were sufficient, she could indeed be swayed.

Such a talented youth, both in literary and martial arts, focused solely on advancing themselves and seeking power, could still be an excellent ally despite their clear ambitions.

Yuan Shao chuckled loudly, “Exactly, there’s no harm in this. We’ll settle the score later. Besides, if the promotion of General of the North really happens, Cao Mengde, idle at home, won’t be able to sit still. We can have him entertain his niece to settle his debts.”

While Cao Cao’s stance was complicated due to his grandfather’s issues, his relationship with Yuan Shao was genuine.

Since their relationships were already complex, why not switch roles for repayment?

Now, what mattered most to Yuan Shao was choosing who would represent the Yuan family’s interests in this matter when he couldn’t participate himself.

Chunyu Qiong… perhaps too obvious.

Yuan Shao pondered consulting elders in his clan, while Qiao Yan began her studies under Lu Zhi, primarily to handle her tasks, yet the beginning chapters selected by Lu Zhi still surprised her a bit.

Lu Zhi chose passages from the “Book of Documents: Shangshu” specifically from the section “Shuo Ming.” Here, “Shuo” refers to Fu Shuo, a wise minister who assisted King Wu Ding’s revival.

The three anecdotes in “Shuo Ming” record the harmonious relationship between King Wu Ding and Fu Shuo, detailing how the king’s dreams of wisdom and his acceptance of Fu Shuo’s advice, including their dialogues.

On the surface, Lu Zhi’s selection appears to follow Liu Hong’s instructions.

This expresses his expectation for Liu Hong to emulate ancient sage-kings and allows Qiao Yan to study how a “normal” courtier advises a monarch.

Reflecting on Lu Zhi’s submission of the Eight Strategic Policies after the solar eclipse of Guanghe Year 1, especially his sharp advice such as pardoning political opponents and advising against hoarding private wealth, which Liu Hong ignored, shows Lu Zhi’s awareness of the potential scenarios from “Shuo Ming.”

This action is somewhat ironic.

However, this doesn’t concern Qiao Yan, his innocent student.

She carefully copied one of the passages, presenting it neatly to the guards Liu Hong sent to inspect the progress of her studies.

Liu Hong unfolded the silk deliberately chosen to present to the monarch, and saw written on it:

“People should seek wisdom widely, Especially when undertaking tasks. Learning from ancient teachings yields results. Ignoring historical lessons leads to perpetual failure. Superficial words are not worth hearing.”

Translated and combined with Qiao Yan’s intentions:

“Your Majesty is right. People should read extensively, especially ancient texts, to learn from the wisdom of past sages. Actions should be guided by these teachings, not impulsively.”

“Now that I realize my own lack of knowledge and reckless behavior, today the Prefect of the Imperial Archives showed me this passage, which deeply moved me. Therefore, I copied it and presented it to Your Majesty.”

Liu Hong was almost amused by her actions.

If she truly considered herself ignorant, who wrote those previous apology letters and essays on feudal governance?

If she truly regretted her actions, why didn’t she add her own thoughts to the copied text?

However, following ancient wisdom in actions—whose ancient?—showed she had her own thoughts.

Nevertheless, this appeared acceptable on the surface.

Liu Hong shook his head and set it aside for now.

Yet, as he deliberated over the appointment of the militia’s captain, he was puzzled by the candidates. He casually asked, “Whom did she meet upon her arrival in the capital?”

Anticipating this question, Zhang Rang replied, “From yesterday until she finished writing this book, Marquis Le Ping stayed at Minister Lu’s residence. Just now, she mentioned wanting to visit her grandfather’s former residence. Minister Lu thought it appropriate and let her go. She didn’t encounter anyone on the way and is now at the residence in Yanxi.”

“Yanxi…”

Three years had passed.

Enough to make Liu Hong forget the scene when he visited Qiao Xuan at that time.

As his health deteriorated, he increasingly avoided recalling those scenes near death.

Considering Qiao Yan’s status, choosing to visit her grandfather’s former residence at this time was indeed reasonable.

Liu Hong waved his hand, declining to inquire further.

And Qiao Yan had already pushed open the gate of this small courtyard.

Before she left Luoyang, because her grandfather’s old servant refused to accompany her to Leping and only wanted to take care of this place for the old master, Qiao Yan left him a sum of money.

That’s why, when she arrived now, it seemed as if time hadn’t passed at all.

There was no dust covering everything, no scene of fallen leaves filling the courtyard.

Perhaps it was because the old servant didn’t have to look after the master anymore and didn’t have much else to do, so he used all his energy on cleaning and sweeping.

Even the roof tiles of the hall, inscribed with the words “Eternal Prosperity,” seemed to be wiped clean every now and then, maintaining an unusually clean state.

Especially in the vegetable garden in the inner courtyard, there were still traces of what had been planted that year, now freshly tilled.

Qiao Yan couldn’t help but sigh.

The courtyard remained the same, only Duke Qiao Xuan was missing.

She walked again to the outer courtyard and saw the most robust and deeply rooted crooked-neck tree, still leaning against the neighboring courtyard wall.

But now, with the arrival of winter, this tree, not being of the evergreen kind, had shed its leaves rapidly, making the courtyard appear even colder.

Just as she was pondering whether this counted as “the place remains, but people change,” she suddenly noticed a head poking out from the wall, just as it had the last time she visited, looking at her.

The little girl who was only four or five years old back then was now eight years old.

But looking at her face, she seemed unchanged.

Before Qiao Yan could say anything, the girl waved at her and asked softly, “Big sister, I’ve just harvested some mustard greens planted in your garden. Would you like to taste them together today?”