Mythical Three Kingdoms

Looking at Gongsun Zan’s indignant face, Sheni Pei found himself unable to say the words he had prepared.

”It’s just that simple, I don’t trust him.” After Gongsun Zan had spelled it all out, it seemed as though he had let go of a heavy weight, his expression returning to its usual calm as he just watched Sheni Pei.

”You really won’t reconsider?” Sheni Pei sighed as he spoke. He had thought of many possibilities before coming here, but none quite like the current one where everything had come to naught.

”I simply can’t trust Yuan Benchu. Just that simple. His valor and prowess always come out when facing opponents stronger than him, whether it was against the former Dong Zhuo, the once me, or now Xuande. His valor is only because his opponents are stronger than him,” Gongsun Zan said, scoffing.

Sheni Pei gave Gongsun Zan an unsatisfied look, such denigration of his lord, but considering previous events, Sheni Pei wasn’t inclined to explain further.

”Hmph, don’t think I can’t see through everything. You’re dissatisfied with my assessment of your lord,” Gongsun Zan said, sweeping a glance over Sheni Pei with a ”I see through all of you” expression.

”Hmph, the valor of my lord Yuan Benchu is not for you to see through,” Sheni Pei retorted irritably.

”Yuan Benchu is indeed valorous, and I haven’t been idle all this time either. I understand him well enough; Yuan Benchu shows audacity and is commendable for his valor in adversity, his prowess is unparalleled,” Gongsun Zan said with a slight shake of his head. Sheni Pei smiled, the critique he had been prepared to hear from Gongsun Zan turned out to be praise coming from the mouth of his enemy.

If there is any praise in this world that is most genuine, it surely comes from an enemy’s lips. Although such an assessment falls short of what Sheni Pei envisioned, what is valuable is that it is unadulterated by flattery or pandering, it’s nothing but a pure critique.

Before Sheni Pei could crack a smile, Gongsun Zan once again began his critique, ”Yuan Benchu possesses all the fine qualities for turning the tide in adversity, and in such times he makes all his ministers understand the meaning of ’lord.’ At such times, he can bear all responsibility and faults, open his heart to trust each minister, letting them all feel his ambition!”

This time Sheni Pei nodded repeatedly, feeling that Gongsun Zan’s words were commendable. Indeed, Yuan Shao was excellent, a model for the whole world.

Gongsun Zan ignored Sheni Pei’s nodding like a pecking chicken, his expression chilling as he began to speak, ”But this is only one side of Yuan Benchu. I won’t deny his ability to become the strongest of the feudal lords, but from the moment he reaches that peak, his demise and the extermination of his lineage are not far behind.”

”His valor, his prowess, his trust are like flowers in a mirror or the moon in the water, only meant for sharing hardship and not wealth. His suspicion is too heavy. His bravery in adversity is only because his ambition and audacity suppress his suspicion,” Gongsun Zan narrated in a cold tone.

”The moment he ascends to the top is also when all his flaws are exposed!” Gongsun Zan declared with the certainty of a prophet, ”Yuan Benchu will surely be defeated by his own suspicion!”

”Hmph, anyone can say such things, but my lord hasn’t shown any yet,” Sheni Pei said dissatisfiedly, refusing to listen to Gongsun Zan’s subsequent words.

Gongsun Zan sneered; these critiques weren’t his own but came from Xuu Zijiang, the overall judgement being just one sentence, ”In adversity he is a model for the world, in prosperity all will come to an end.”

The meaning is that Yuan Shao only has remarkable performances when facing adversity, but once he ascends to the top, everything he does is destined to fail.

This overall assessment was not written but rather came from Mount Tai. Initially, Gongsun Zan was uncertain about this evaluation, but as time passed and he reflected on his own thoughts, Gongsun Zan finally confirmed that what Xuu Zijiang said was indeed very accurate.

Of course, Sheni Pei was unaware of these matters. Had he known, he probably would have taken today’s critique to heart, then advised Yuan Shao in secret.

After all, Xuu Shao was extremely accurate in evaluating people; to say his words were golden was no overstatement. During the Monthly Critique, everyone seeking his judgment had mixed feelings—fond of his accuracy but resenting that he was even more precise with negative assessments!

Back when he was in Luoyang, even though Yuan Shao knew about Xuu Shao conducting the Monthly Critique, it wasn’t difficult for someone of his status to seek an assessment. However, considering his grand ambitions at the time, he feared that Xuu Shao might jinx him and scare away all the heroes he had befriended. After much hesitation, Yuan Shao chose to refrain.

After all, in Yuan Shao’s view, since Xuu Shao hailed from Yuzhou, in case Yuan Shu created some trouble and deliberately pushed for a negative review, it might very well ruin Yuan Shao’s life.

As for Cao Cao, he didn’t have such concerns. He just went ahead with a strike, in line with the rules; sure enough, he got himself a featured review, and as a result, Xuu Shao immediately packed up and left, unable to stay in Luoyang any longer.

Once Yuan Shao confirmed that Xuu Shao truly did not give arbitrary assessments due to external factors, he even personally sought out Xuu Shao. Unfortunately, by that time Xuu Shao refused to give any evaluations, having given up on the Monthly Critique. The cautious Yuan Shao, who cherished his reputation, hesitated for a long time but eventually gave up using martial force to pressure him, and needless to say, there was no overall assessment result.

In Xuu Shao’s view, Yuan Shao was rather strange; with nothing to his name, he was heroic and unyielding, never casually talking about giving up when in adversity, yet he seemed to become a completely different person when his spirits were high.

Honestly, when Yuan Shao came to seek an assessment, Xuu Shao was waiting for Yuan Shao to coerce him into it, and then gracefully step down and give Yuan Shao the evaluation he wanted.

Yet, meeting him in person did not match the reputation. Yuan Shao turned out to be all bark and no bite, completely lacking the heroism he had displayed at Zhou Clan’s tavern when he faced eunuch leader Zhang Rang head-on.

Nevertheless, Xuu Shao was somewhat relieved that he didn’t end up giving Yuan Shao an evaluation, or else he would have truly damaged his own reputation.

Also, due to this incident, Xuu Shao developed a strong interest in Yuan Shao; after all, it was nearly impossible for his discerning eyes to be mistaken. Yuan Shao was indeed a hero at that time, so Xuu Shao wondered how he had so quickly turned into a mere bear.

With this curiosity, Xuu Shao occasionally paid attention to Yuan Shao and eventually concluded that Yuan Shao was truly an oddity, completely split between two states.

One was his divine state when facing adversity, like scolding eunuchs furiously in Luoyang, openly defying Dong Zhuo in the imperial court, and desperately battling Gongsun at Jieqiao; the other was his swine-like attitude when times were good, such as falling out with his own father at the start of his campaign, leading the Eighteen Feudal Lords to their doom at Hulao Pass, and his initial encounters with Gongsun Zan upon taking over Jizhou—such performances, tsk tsk...

Yuan Benchu’s state was like someone slapped into enlightenment, retaliating until the other side was dead, feeling invincible, and then acting recklessly again until getting slapped once more. This cycle repeated until one day someone slapped him to death. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you are welcome to support it by voting for it on Qidian ) with recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)