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Guo Jia didn't attend the Xun family's initial lecture. It was said that he thought the content of the first lecture was usually too simple and not worth listening to. He planned to show up the next day when Xun Shuang would deliver the main lecture...
The thinner middle-aged man, Guo Lan, seemed to know Guo Jia quite well, and this was what he told Fei Qian.
Fei Qian felt a bit disheartened. Since he couldn't meet Guo Jia today, he would have to wait until tomorrow. While half-heartedly engaging with the three Guo family members, his mind began to wander...
Who else in Yingchuan could he meet?
The Xun family was out of the question. They were too prestigious and influential to approach...
The Chen family? Chen Qun was said to be the next family head. Could he be persuaded to leave? That seemed like a tall order...
The Zhong family? As far as Fei Qian knew, the family head, Zhong Yao, was already serving as a Palace Attendant. Trying to recruit him? Hah...
Han Fu of the Han family was currently the Governor of Ji Province, effectively a regional warlord. Many members of the Han family had already moved to Ji Province, and not many were left in Yingchuan. Besides, they didn't seem particularly notable...
Who else was there?
The Guo family members here didn't seem impressive, and Fei Qian didn't know much about the others...
The Du, Zhao, and Xin families were all the same—they had members serving in the imperial court. Most importantly, Fei Qian wasn't familiar with them...
The only other person he vaguely remembered was someone named Xu Shu? Or was it Shan Fu? But at this time, it seemed like the guy was on the run after committing murder...
Forget it. It looked like he would just have to wait until tomorrow to meet the so-called gambler and drunkard, Guo Jia...
Just as Fei Qian was about to excuse himself and leave, the thinner middle-aged man, Guo Lan, asked him, "Ziyuan, do you know Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, the Governor of Bohai?"
Fei Qian nodded. Yes, he knew him—though Yuan Shao might not know him...
The three Guo family members immediately perked up. Guo Lan's voice grew louder with excitement as he pressed, "You know Yuan Benchu? That's fantastic! Could you tell us what he's like?"
Before Fei Qian could respond, someone nearby chimed in, "Who knows Yuan Benchu?" The speaker approached and cupped his hands in greeting to the group.
Guo Lan gestured toward Fei Qian and introduced him, "This is Fei Qian, Fei Ziyuan, from Heluo. He's a disciple of Cai Yong, the Imperial Attendant, and has ties to Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu..."
Wait, I only said I knew him. How did it turn into having ties? Fei Qian thought to himself, but it was too awkward to clarify now, especially since he had indeed said he knew Yuan Shao...
The newcomer looked at Fei Qian with surprise and bowed respectfully. "So you're a disciple of Imperial Attendant Cai! My apologies for not recognizing you earlier. I am Xin Pi, Xin Zuozhi. Pleased to meet you."
After exchanging greetings with Xin Pi, Fei Qian was promptly urged to talk about Yuan Shao.
Alright, fine. He might as well share what he knew. After all, he had heard some things about Yuan Shao from his teacher, Cai Yong, and there were also rumors circulating in the streets of Luoyang...
"...At that time, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, declared, 'Is Dong Zhuo the only strong man in the world?' Then he hung his official seal on the eastern gate of Luoyang and left the city!" Fei Qian recounted the story with flair, blending what he had heard into a vivid and dramatic tale of Yuan Shao rejecting Dong Zhuo's offer and resigning from his post.
"What a man, Yuan Benchu! Truly a model for the world!" Fei Qian suddenly heard someone behind him clapping and praising, startling him.
When had so many people gathered around?
Fei Qian looked around in surprise. Unnoticed by him, a crowd had formed around them—when had they arrived, and why were they so quiet that he hadn't noticed?
"A model for the world!"
"Well said! Truly a model for the world!" The crowd nodded and echoed the sentiment.
What's going on?
Fei Qian felt a bit uneasy. Had he said something he shouldn't have? It seemed like he had inadvertently boosted Yuan Shao's reputation and prestige.
This was...
Fei Qian suddenly realized that this was still during Xun Yu's initial lecture. Was it appropriate for him to have gone off-topic and talked about Yuan Benchu?
Quickly seizing the moment while the crowd was distracted discussing Yuan Shao, Fei Qian quietly pulled Zao Zhi aside, excused himself from the random greetings of those around him, and slipped away...
On the high podium, Xun Yu suddenly heard the commotion below and sent a servant to investigate. Upon hearing the report, he chuckled. Had Yuan Benchu's story reached here too? It was said that Yuan Shao was at odds with his family. Perhaps this was an opportunity to meet him in person?
Back in his room, Fei Qian still felt uneasy. How had he ended up becoming a promoter of Yuan Shao's fame?
I just wanted to see if there were any opportunities to recruit someone...
Sigh, the reputation of the Yuan family is no joke. The prestige accumulated over four generations of high-ranking officials runs deep.
As Fei Qian pondered and sighed, he realized from the crowd's reaction that Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, with his status as the eldest son of the Yuan family, his wealth, prestige, and territory, was like a giant magnet...
If it were him, and he didn't know the course of the Three Kingdoms, he might have been drawn to Yuan Shao too. And when Yuan Shao rose to become the leader of the coalition against Dong Zhuo, his aura of authority would be overwhelming...
What should he do?
Could his careless remarks have inadvertently strengthened Yuan Shao's influence?
Fei Qian felt like slapping himself. Why did he have to open his big mouth?
But then again, it seemed that as soon as he mentioned Yuan Shao, people gathered around. This suggested that they already had a favorable impression or curiosity about Yuan Shao.
To be honest, if it were something or someone he wasn't interested in, no matter how eloquently others spoke, he would probably just listen casually. Only when it was something he cared about would he pay close attention and seek out more information...
Thinking about it, Fei Qian couldn't help but sigh. Most of these people had likely already leaned toward Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu. The reason they were willing to listen to Fei Qian was simply to confirm what they already believed...
The Yuan family, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, truly stood at the forefront of the times...
Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu, was also young, around the same age as the group of young men earlier. In modern terms, he would be an idol-level figure. Think about how people in the future would go crazy over someone like Wang Er, the son of some tycoon, buying a table or an Apple product. Wasn't that similar to what just happened?
This so-called model for the world...
Fei Qian noticed that Zao Zhi was sitting with his head down, not saying anything about Yuan Shao, so he asked curiously, "Brother Zijing, you seem down. Is something bothering you?"
To his surprise, Zao Zhi, with his head in his hands, groaned, "I also want to meet the model for the world, Yuan Benchu... But... I sneaked out this time. If I were to go all the way to Ji Province, my father would probably beat me to death if he found out..."
Fei Qian rolled his eyes at Zao Zhi's words—honestly, not just your father, even I feel like hitting you...
*****
A/N: It's like when a woman in the future asks how a piece of clothing looks. She's not asking if it's good or bad; she's telling you to go swipe the card... If she weren't interested, she wouldn't ask... Yuan Shao at this time was truly the idol of many young scholar-officials... No one could compare... Many people were drawn to their sacred idol, only to get closer and realize that even idols pick their noses and fart...