Chapter 20: Destiny Lies with Me!

“Urgent dispatch! Imperial Edict—!”

The voice echoed from afar as a weary messenger sprinted into the Great Hall, panting heavily while raising the yellow silk scroll.

“Imperial Edict! General and Yangzhou Governor Yuan Shu, receive the decree!”

Everyone in the hall was taken aback.

An Imperial Edict? From where exactly did this edict come?

Or rather…which Emperor’s edict is it?

Yuan Shu glanced at the Imperial Decree held by the messenger and asked, “Where was this edict issued from? Jizhou or Xu County?”

The messenger caught his breath before replying, “General, it was issued from Jizhou.”

Jizhou? Yuan Shao?

Hearing the origin of the Imperial Decree, Yuan Shu furrowed his brow deeply, sensing an ominous undertone.

If the decree came from Yuan Shao, it couldn’t possibly be a genuine command from the Emperor; surely, Yuan Shao was impersonating the Emperor’s authority!

Having always been at odds with that younger brother, Yuan Shu knew receiving an Imperial Decree from him could only mean ill intent.

“Bring it here for me to see,” Yuan Shu said, intending to review the decree’s contents before deciding his response.

If it contained anything detrimental to him, he would simply refuse, citing uncertainty about the true Emperor’s identity.

Soon, the Imperial Decree was presented to Yuan Shu. As he carefully read through it, his expression rapidly shifted—from confusion to uncontrollable fury!

“That bastard! How dare he insult me!” Yuan Shu slammed his hand on the table, cursing vehemently.

The other advisors in the Great Hall were startled by his outburst.

Yan Xiang, puzzled, asked, “My lord, what does the Imperial Decree say? Why are you so enraged?”

Yuan Shu spat angrily, “That bastard is using the Emperor’s name falsely to appoint himself as both Great General and Grand Commandant while only granting me the title of Grand Marshal! He expects me to be subordinate to him!”

“I am the legitimate heir of the Yuan family, yet this lowborn son of a servant dares to rank above me?! This bastard has gone too far!”

As Yuan Shu continued speaking, his anger intensified. He snatched up the Imperial Decree once more and viciously threw it to the ground, as if crushing Yuan Shao’s head beneath his wrath.

Though disrespecting the Imperial Decree was a grave offense, the messenger dared not say anything, keeping his head bowed as if he hadn’t witnessed any of it.

Upon hearing this, Yan Xiang and other ministers also fell silent.

To be fair, being appointed Grand Marshal wasn’t undesirable at all; it was one of the Three Ducal Positions! By no means could it be considered inferior.

It should be noted that the Yuan family’s status as having “three dukes for four generations” secured their position atop the major aristocratic clans, second only to the imperial Liu lineage!

However, everyone was well aware of the deep-seated animosity between their lord, Yuan Shu, and Yuan Shao. Despite being half-brothers, they had always been at odds, each striving to outdo the other.

Naturally, learning about Yuan Shao’s appointments incited fury in Yuan Shu.

These were personal grievances between the two brothers, making it difficult for their subjects to comment openly.

Even after tossing aside the Imperial Decree, Yuan Shu remained seething with anger.

Throughout their upbringing, Yuan Shao consistently enjoyed favor from their elders, overshadowing him in every aspect. Despite being merely a younger son, Yuan Shao was viewed as the future leader of the Yuan clan!

During the campaign against Dong Zhuo, various feudal lords even chose Yuan Shao as their alliance leader instead of Yuan Shu!

Why?!

How did he fall short compared to that mere younger brother?

In what way was he inferior to that bastard son?

“Yuan Shao, oh Yuan Shao, now that you have the Emperor under your control, you can’t wait to flaunt your power before me?”

“Grand Marshal… Ha ha! What a grand title!” Yuan Shu sneered through gritted teeth, his fury turning into bitter laughter.

He cared little for such positions of honor; to him, accepting this role felt like an insult, akin to receiving charity!

If Yuan Shao were standing before him now, Yuan Shu would undoubtedly draw his sword and strike him down to vent his rage!

“My lord, please calm yourself,” Yang Hong advised soothingly. “This Imperial Decree is merely issued by Yuan Shao under the Emperor’s name. You need not heed it; simply ignore it.”

“Ignore it?” Yuan Shu’s voice rose sharply, brimming with anger. “That bastard is practically mocking me to my face! Who does he think he is?! Does he believe I require his charity?!”

“As the legitimate heir of the Yuan family, I now hold sway over Yangzhou, commanding immense wealth, millions of soldiers, and countless elite commanders. How dare he compare himself to me!”

“I am the true successor of the Yuan lineage! It is I who shall rule the world!” In his fury, Yuan Shu spoke recklessly without restraint.

Upon hearing these words, the faces of everyone in the Great Hall changed dramatically, each feeling cold sweat trickle down their backs.

Such remarks were outright treasonous!

Although the Great Han was weakened, its influence remained strong. Currently, all regional warlords claimed to uphold and support the Han Dynasty’s authority, none daring to openly reveal their ambitions.

Even Dong Zhuo, back in his time, refrained from declaring himself the ruler of the realm; instead, he controlled the Emperor as a mere puppet!

Yuan Shu’s statements unequivocally exposed his treacherous intentions.

In the Great Hall, two of Yuan Shu’s top generals, Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui, exchanged glances. Then, Zhang Xun abruptly stepped forward and rushed towards the messenger.

“Shhhk!”

With a flash of cold steel, before the messenger could react, Zhang Xun decapitated him with a single strike. Blood spurted high into the air, and the lifeless body crumpled to the ground.

The messenger’s head rolled away, shock still etched on the blood-soaked face, never comprehending why he met such a fate.

“W-What did you do that for?” Witnessing Zhang Xun’s sudden act of murder, Yuan Shu jumped in surprise, momentarily regaining some composure.

Covered in blood, Zhang Xun leaned on his sword, kneeling on one knee, and said, “This messenger falsely conveyed the Imperial Decree. In my moment of impulsiveness, I acted without thought. Please punish me, my lord!”

Immediately following, Yan Xiang also stood up and addressed Yuan Shu, “My lord, please remain calm. You lost your composure just now.”

Upon hearing this and witnessing the solemn expressions of his ministers within the Great Hall, Yuan Shu finally grasped why they appeared so concerned.

Yet instead of feeling remorseful, he expressed dissatisfaction, “So what if he heard it? What’s wrong with me proclaiming myself ruler over all under heaven? Do you not believe that to be true?”

“My lord…” Yan Xiang felt an immense headache coming on; such words must never be uttered aloud.

Yuan Shu scoffed coldly, “There is nothing to fear. The decline of the Han Dynasty is an indisputable fact; Heaven’s Mandate has left the Han!”

“Which regional warlord doesn’t harbor ambitions to replace the Han Dynasty as ruler of the realm? They yearn for it, nearly driven mad by their desires! But none dare speak those thoughts aloud!”

“But while they lack the courage, I do not!” A hint of madness flickered in Yuan Shu’s eyes. With a snicker, he scanned the crowd in the Great Hall and calmly declared, “Recently, I consulted a diviner. Guess what the result was?”

Everyone kept their heads bowed, too fearful to respond. Cold sweat drenched their backs.

Yuan Shu burst out laughing, “He said I possess a heavenly destiny, destined to become the Emperor! He proclaimed me the true ruler over all under heaven!”

“In the future, the Mandate of Heaven will be mine!”