Chapter 31: A Family's Words

  Wang Can's face changed color as he listened to Cai Yong's words, and with a rustle, he stood up.

  Standing respectfully in front of Cai Yong, Wang Can looked at Cai Yong with a thousand thoughts turning over in his mind. Cai Yong had just been smiling, so why did he suddenly turn hostile?

  "Tea is here, sir!"

  At this time, the attendants in the mansion brought a well-brewed tea and placed it on a small table beside Wang Can. They then retreated respectfully. Seeing this, a gleam of light flashed through Wang Can's mind, and he suddenly felt enlightened. If Cai Yong was angry, he would not have allowed Wang Can to enter the Cai Mansion, nor would he have allowed the attendants to serve tea to Wang Can, nor would he have spoken to Wang Can in a gentle tone before changing his expression and questioning him. Cai Yong's actions must be motivated by a desire to test him.

  Wang Can suddenly understood what was going on, the dark clouds in his heart instantly dispersed, and a hint of calm smile still lingered on his face.

  Cai Yong saw this, hummed a sound, his face sank like water, and shouted: "Wang Wei first, isn't it true as I said, you came to the Cai Mansion to pull connections?"

  Cai Yong's words were tinged with a hint of dissatisfaction and a sharp tone.

  Wang Can was taken aback, but quickly regained his composure. If he didn't explain clearly, he feared that Cai Yong's impression of him would indeed be ruined. Wang Can cupped his hands and replied: "Mr. Cai, although I am just a humble scholar, I would never stoop to being a sycophant. A true man should rely on his own two hands to carve out his own destiny, rather than seeking wealth and glory through flattery."

  Cai Yong's face finally eased a bit, and he said, "Yes, that's how a man should be!"

  But Cai Yong's tone was still light and flat, with little emotion in it.

  Wang Cai let out a sigh of relief, and regardless of what happened, Cai Yong seemed to relax a bit. He continued: "When Mr. Cai was about to leave, he gave me an invitation letter, and I only knew that Mr. Cai was actually 'Flying White Unparalleled' Cai Bojie. And I also heard the news that Dong Zhuo forcibly recruited you back to the court for appointment, and then Dong Zhuo continuously promoted your official position, directly promoting you to be a Shiyushi, holding the position of Left Zhonglang General. I thought that since you had just been promoted, there must have been many guests visiting your mansion in the past few days, so you didn't come to visit me. If this has caused any discomfort for Mr. Cai, please forgive me."

  "Moreover, sir, you implied that Wang Can was trying to curry favor with the powerful after learning of your promotion and elevation to nobility, but in fact, your words are greatly mistaken. When Dong Zhuo summoned you back to the capital, he would certainly have rewarded you generously, and it is certain that you would have been promoted and elevated in rank; otherwise, Dong Zhuo would not have summoned you back to Luoyang. Wang Can had known about your affairs for a long time, and if he wanted to curry favor with you, he could have visited you when Dong Zhuo had not yet promoted you; if that were the case, Wang Can's impression in your eyes might be even better, why wait until now when you are idle to come visit? The principle of striking while the iron is hot, Wang Can still understands."

  Cai Yong stroked his long beard and hummed: "You passed."

  "Thank you, sir, for your understanding."

  Cai Yong nodded and said, "You might as well say it, why would Dong Zhuo summon me back to the court and reward me heavily?"

  Wang Can smiled and said, "Sir, you know the reason in your heart, yet you still come to test me. Dong Zhuo entered Luoyang, although he controlled the imperial court, relying on his Western Liang iron cavalry to intimidate the various lords, but his foundation was not yet solid, and many officials in the court were still opposed to him. Therefore, Dong Zhuo would promote famous scholars to win over public opinion, and you, sir, are a representative of the great Confucians of this generation, being used by Dong Zhuo as a treasure bought with a thousand pieces of gold. This is for the world to see, to let the world know that Dong Taishi is recruiting talents and not a foolish ruler."

  Cai Yong's eyes flashed with a hint of color, and he continued to ask: "You continue, I will listen carefully?"

  Wang Can said: "Actually, none of these were done by Dong Zhuo. The reason why Dong Zhuo was able to succeed is mainly due to his son-in-law Li Ru. When Dong Zhuo recruited scholars, it must have been Li Ru's suggestion. Otherwise, Dong Zhuo would not have recruited them. With Dong Zhuo's martial character, he looked down on the scholars of the world, but had no choice because scholars are the pillars of the country. Without their support, Dong Zhuo was unable to operate the court, so he adopted Li Ru's suggestion and recruited scholars to win over public opinion."

  Cai Yong said in surprise: "You still know Li Ru?"

  At this time, Cai Yong's face didn't have a hint of anger, but instead wore a smile, with a thread of expectation in his eyes.

  What Wang Can said, Cai Yong also knew, but this was established on the basis of Cai Yong's several ups and downs, having lived for more than half his life. If this matter had fallen to Wang Can, it would have been quite good to have such insight.

  Cai Yong initially met Wang Can and was delighted at first sight, which is why he had the idea of meeting Wang Can.

  As a result, Wang Can did not disappoint him and was indeed a great talent. Cai Yong's appreciation for Wang Can soared.

  Wang Can smiled slightly and said: "Sir, do you know where I live?"

  Cai Yong was taken aback, shaking his head: "I have never interacted with Wang Can before, how would I know where he lives?" Cai Yong's old face showed a hint of curiosity, not knowing what trick Wang Can was playing.

  Wang Can replied: "As a junior living in Hero Building, sir should know why I knew about Li Ru!"

  "Yingxiong Lou, this is indeed a place to gather information." Cai Yong's eyes flashed with surprise, and he immediately asked: "You say Li Ru should be the first to achieve merit, what makes you think so?"

  Wang Canshen rolled her eyes and thought to herself: This old man is really addicted to asking questions.

  However, Wang Can did not dare to say it out loud, but instead said calmly: "Speaking of Li Ru, if evaluated objectively, Li Ru is indeed a great talent and can be said to be flawless."

  At some unknown time, a middle-aged man wearing a green robe with a cold face and eyes that seemed to hold a sinister intent suddenly appeared at the entrance of the living room. The man stood at the door, took a step forward, but when he heard Wang Can mention Li Ru, he stopped moving again.

  Wang Can stood in the living room, unaware of the man, while Cai Yong's gaze swept past the man, pretending not to have seen him.

  "Li Ru, in relation to Dong Zhuo, had four merits. Firstly, he advised Dong Zhuo to advance on the capital and rescue the emperor. Although it was said that Dong Zhuo's advance on the capital was due to Yuan Shao's advice to He Jin to summon the vassals to advance on the capital, it was certainly Li Ru's merit that Dong Zhuo was able to be the first to advance on the capital and rescue the emperor. Without Li Ru, how could Dong Zhuo, with his own power, have dominated Luoyang and achieved his great undertaking? This is Li Ru's first great merit."

  Cai Yong nodded repeatedly, his eyes sweeping over the man outside the door, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

  Cai Yong asked again: "What is the second achievement?"

  Wang Can paced back and forth in the living room, his eyes catching sight of the person at the entrance of the hall, but he didn't notice. His mind was already completely absorbed in Li Ru's affairs. As for Li Ru, Wang Can could have this kind of comment also because in his previous life, he felt a sense of regret and pity for this dead man who had no clear cause of death and had not met a good master, which made him have a deeper understanding of Li Ru.

  "After some thought, Wang Can continued: 'This second achievement is that of using the Son of Heaven to control the vassals.'"

  "In the sixth year of Zhongping, Emperor Ling died in March, and his son Bian succeeded him. He Jin held power at that time. However, only a few months had passed when He Jin and the eunuchs had an internal conflict, both sides had disputes, causing chaos in Luoyang. Zhang Rang took control of the young emperor and escaped, but on the way, Zhang Rang died, while the young emperor and Prince Xie were encountered by Dong Zhuo. Dong Zhuo rescued the emperor, which was a great achievement, but it was not enough to make him stand firm in Luoyang, so he deposed the young emperor and established Prince Xie as Emperor Xian, holding the Son of Heaven to command the vassals, becoming the master of Luoyang."

  Wang Can's words were fervent, and his tone showed a certain degree of admiration for Li Ru.

  In fact, Li Ru was indeed a great talent, but he happened to encounter Dong Zhuo and did not show off his talents.

  Wang Can finished speaking the second merit, and the man standing at the entrance of the hall smiled slightly. However, a hint of unknown color flashed in his gloomy eyes, with an expectant gaze towards Wang Can, waiting for him to continue speaking.

  Wang Can smiled slightly and said: "The third merit is advising Dong Zhuo 'Yuan Shao should not be killed'."

  "Oh, why is that?" Cai Yong's face flashed a hint of strangeness. Release the tiger back to the mountain, Yuan Shao was dissatisfied with Dong Zhuo, but couldn't kill?

  Wang Can explained: "The four generations of the Yuan family have produced three senior officials, and their disciples and former officials are all over the world. Yuan Huan also regarded Yuan Shao as the successor of the Yuan family, so it can be said that the Yuan family is the representative of the scholars and gentlemen in the future. If we kill Yuan Shao, we will offend the Yuan family and lose the hearts of the scholars and gentlemen all over the world. Dong Zhuo wants to gather scholars and win people's favor, but it is absolutely impossible. There are countless people who have received favors from the Yuan family, even if Dong Zhuo has great power and can force scholars to serve as officials, those scholars will still pretend to obey while secretly disobeying, getting the person but not their heart, ultimately it's just a futile effort."

  Cai Yong nodded in agreement with Wang Can's words.

  At this time, the man standing at the door looked at Wang Can with a hint of familiarity.

  Wang Can continued: "The fourth great achievement is to promote famous scholars and win people's admiration. Although Mr. was forcibly recruited by Dong Zhuo, within three days, he was continuously promoted, no matter who it was, there would be a hint of gratitude in his heart. This point, I'm sure Mr. won't deny, will you? If Mr. is like this, then others who were also recruited by Dong Zhuo are the same, Li Ru is indeed formidable!"

  Cai Yong nodded slightly without denying it, but his gaze remained on the man at the door.

  The man walked in slowly and his eyes fell on Wang Can, asking: "What do you think Li Ru will do next?"

  Wang Can glanced at the man and said without hesitation: "Kill the Young Emperor, dominate the world!"

  PS: Announcement, tomorrow four updates, this week is ready for the second explosion, very powerful ah, ask for power ah~~~