Yuan Feng had three sons: Yuan Ji, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu.
Among them, only Yuan Shu was born to Lady Wang.
Yuan Ji and Yuan Shao, being older than Yuan Shu, were both quite capable and held important positions in the court.
Yuan Shu, however, was an idle heir who spent his days loafing around Luoyang, nearly becoming a local menace.
When Yuan Feng scolded Yuan Shu, he often mentioned how accomplished his two elder brothers were, which made Lady Wang displeased.
Was her son Shu truly inferior to Yuan Shao, the son of a concubine?
Today, upon hearing that Yuan Shu wanted money to start a business, Lady Wang was surprised. Although commerce was considered a lowly trade, it was certainly better than his usual idleness.
Lady Wang, delighted, asked Yuan Shu, "Shu'er, is this really what you're thinking?"
Yuan Shu nodded and said, "Mother, I just want to prove to Father that my abilities are no worse than my brothers'!"
Hearing this, Lady Wang nodded repeatedly, her eyes moist with emotion.
It wasn't easy. Despite Yuan Shu's previous mischief, she had endured it because he was her flesh and blood.
Now, at last, this child had come to his senses and wanted to prove himself to his father.
Lady Wang said to Yuan Shu, "Shu'er, it's good that you have this thought. Mother supports you. I'll provide the money!"
As the daughter of a wealthy family, Lady Wang brought a dowry of tens of millions of coins, thousands of acres of farmland, and countless shops when she married into the Yuan family.
Giving Yuan Shu 500,000 coins was nothing to her.
As long as her son had the ambition, it was worth it, even if he squandered all the money.
Yuan Shu exclaimed in surprise, "Mother, are you really willing to give me money?"
He hadn't expected the money to come so easily. Half a million coins, just like that—his mother was truly amazing.
Lady Wang, half-laughing, scolded, "You're my only son. Isn't my money all yours anyway?
I'm not afraid of you spending it, only that you'll take it and do nothing worthwhile, angering your father in the end.
Go and find my head maid, Madam Wang, to withdraw the money."
Madam Wang, the head maid who followed Lady Wang to the Yuan household, had been with her since childhood and was like a sister to her.
The fact that Lady Wang bestowed her own surname upon her was proof of their close bond.
Yuan Shu nodded repeatedly, got out of bed, and held Lady Wang's hand, saying, "Thank you, Mother. You're the best!"
Lady Wang, somewhat worried, said, "Child, you've been unconscious for so long. You need to rest more."
But Yuan Shu, eager to act, barely heard her advice.
He had to hurry and spend the money—if he didn't squander it by nightfall, wouldn't he lose attribute points?
Following Lady Wang's instructions, Yuan Shu found Madam Wang, and 500,000 coins were promptly handed over to him.
However, while the money was now in hand, how should he spend it?
In his past life, squandering 100,000 yuan would've been effortless for Yuan Shu.
A night at the bar with luxury packages or in-app purchases for a game would've sufficed.
But in the late Eastern Han dynasty, figuring out how to squander this much money left Yuan Shu stumped.
After a brief contemplation, he quickly came up with an idea.
Though he didn't yet understand how to squander properly, others surely did.
The former Yuan Shu had been an expert in this, and his friends must've been equally adept.
Who had he been drinking with before passing out?
The maid had made it clear: Yuan Shao and Cao Cao.
These two undoubtedly knew how to squander wealth.
In truth, Yuan Shao and Cao Cao weren't particularly fond of Yuan Shu.
The two were genuine friends, and they kept Yuan Shu around only because he was wealthy and gullible.
He was so arrogant that a bit of flattery would have him throwing money left and right.
With a fool and a walking moneybag like Yuan Shu, why wouldn't Cao Cao and Yuan Shao indulge him?
Now, the question was whether to squander money with Yuan Shao or Cao Cao.
After thinking it over, Yuan Shu decided to seek out Cao Cao.
Yuan Shao, being his rival, might spread word of his escapades to his father Yuan Feng, leading to a scolding.
Better to look for Cao Ah-man instead!
"Yuan An?" Yuan Shu called out.
Yuan An, Yuan Shu's steward, was responsible for attending to him. Loyal and efficient, he was favored by the former Yuan Shu.
Unfortunately, Yuan Shu checked his stats and found none above 70.
This man wasn't much of a talent; otherwise, the recruitment task would've been automatically completed.
Hearing Yuan Shu's call, Yuan An hurried over obsequiously, asking, "Young Master, did you call for me?"
Yuan Shu nodded and said, "I have some business to attend to with Cao Cao. Take me to him."
Yuan An, puzzled, replied, "Young Master, you usually meet with Master Cao during his free time.
Right now, he's busy with official matters. Are you sure you want to visit him now?"
Yuan Shu was a bit confused and asked:
"Cao Cao, what official position does he hold now?"
Yuan Shu himself was not yet twenty, and Cao Cao shouldn't be much older than him.
Did this guy start holding an official position so early?
Yuan An silently thought, Master, are you joking with me, or do you really not know?
When Cao Cao was appointed, you even sent a congratulatory gift and brought me along to deliver it.
Could it be that you've really forgotten what Cao Cao does?
Did one round of drinking truly dull my master's wits?
Though Yuan An thought this way in his heart, he showed no sign of it outwardly.
Instead, he patiently explained to Yuan Shu:
"Master, Young Master Cao is currently the Captain of the Northern District of Luoyang, overseeing the security of the northern area of the city.
He's likely patrolling his jurisdiction now.
If we want to find him, we'll need to go to the northern district."
Yuan Shu nodded and said, "Alright, then let's go to the northern district to find him. Lead the way."
Yuan An had no choice but to respond, "Yes, Master."
However, he found the situation rather strange. Usually, it was that black-faced Young Master Cao who would proactively come to find his master to hang out.
His master would typically act indifferent and aloof.
Why was he so keen on finding Cao Cao today?
Suddenly, a possibility struck him: could it be that his master was harshly drunk by Cao Cao and wanted to go seek revenge?
At the thought, he couldn't help but feel a little scared.
Cao Cao was the Captain of the Northern District, a military position, skilled in archery and horseback riding.
Could the two of them gain any advantage in such a confrontation?
He cautiously suggested to Yuan Shu: "Master, should we bring more people with us?"
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu frowned: "I'm going to see Cao Mengde. Why bring anyone else? We won't!"
Two people going together already made them conspicuous enough. Bringing along more servants would only risk news of his actions reaching Yuan Feng's ears.
Yuan An had managed to thrive under the previous master's leadership, supposedly because of his wit.
But now, why did he seem so out of touch with reality?