Chapter 190: Empty Box Regret, Fragrance Fades, Jade Perishes

Act Seven: Empty Box Regret, Fragrance Fades, Jade Perishes

In 212 AD, Cao Cao's southern campaign against Sun Quan ordered Xun Yu to overtax the army.

Upon reaching Shouchun, Cao Cao dispatched a messenger to deliver a food box.

Xun Yu opened it, and inside was completely empty.

He gazed at the empty box for a long while, then suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with bleakness and despair.

He understood—"One who consumes the Han's stipend has no stipend left to consume."

That night, Xun Yu ingested poison and ended his own life at fifty.

In the tableau, he adjusted his garments, faced toward the Han Emperor's location in Xudu, and calmly drank the poisoned wine.

Beyond the window, the endless lanterns of Cao Cao's southern campaign and the "Wei" banners stretched.

A wisp of loyal spirit, together with the Han court's final afterglow, dimly dissipated.

When the news reached the troops, Cao Cao fell silent for a long while, then ordered a lavish burial and bestowed the posthumous title "Jing".

Yet whether his heart harbored any remorse or pain has become an age‑old mystery.

Heavenly Screen summary: "Elegant and refined, bearing the bearing of a prime minister."

Yet whose prime‑ministerial bearing does it support? The Han? The Wei?

He is Cao Wei's Xiao He and Zhang Liang, yet he forever dances wearing the shackles of a Han minister.

With unrivaled stratagems, he forged the foundation that toppled the Han court; with his lifelong ideal, he offered a requiem to the dynasty on the verge of decay.

"Serving the Son of Heaven" marks the apex of his scheming and the genesis of his tragedy. For the lord to whom he pledged loyalty, he laid a road to the throne that he could not traverse, nor wished to traverse.

Wisdom can settle the world, virtue can command myriad peoples, integrity can inspire millennia. Xun Yu's death is not a personal tragedy but the final aria of an idealist of the age, the ultimate depiction of the late‑Han scholar's spiritual plight.

Historical Top Ten Strategists list, ninth spot—Xun Yu, tally complete!

Heavenly Dao grants a blessing: Shou Yuan, Year Twelve! One Healing Spirit Pill! (Can cure deep hidden maladies, fortify the primal source).

(Note: Xun Yu died in his prime, a great regret.)

Bestowing longevity and the Healing Spirit Pill both compensates for his brief life and subtly suggests "had his body been healthy, perhaps history would have unfolded differently."

The pill might cure his heart ailment (grief turning into disease), and also enable him to choose to heal others, aligning with his innate benevolence.

The blessed light pillar fell again, this time a vibrant teal glow infused with medicinal fragrance, racing toward the temporal node of the late Eastern Han.

Three Kingdoms realm, Xudu, Sikong Office.

Cao Cao, together with his civil and military retainers, watched the Heavenly Screen, and when he saw Xun Yu oppose the advancement of Wei Gong, receive the empty box, and finally ingest poison,

His expression grew exceedingly complex, shock, sudden clarity, remorse, sorrow… all intertwined.

He snapped his head toward the seat beside him, where a still graceful, composed middle‑aged scholar, now with a trace of worry in his brows, sat—indeed Xun Yu.

"Wen Ruo!"

Cao Cao was speechless, disregarding decorum, rose from his seat, hurried to Xun Yu's side, and seized his arm, his fingers turning white from the pressure.

"The Heavenly Screen said… I will actually…"

His throat tightened, and he could not go on.

The bestowal of the empty box—how utterly ruthless!

The praise of "my Zifang" still echoes in his ears—could he truly go that far?

Xun Yu also glimpsed his own fate, his face paling slightly, yet after a brief, intense fluctuation, his eyes gradually steadied, even revealing a faint, relieved wry smile.

So it is… so I and Lord Ming are destined to walk that road after all.

He gently freed himself from Cao Cao's grasp, straightened his garments, and prepared to bow.

"Wen Ruo, you must not!"

Cao Cao quickly steadied him, tears flickering in his eyes.

"Earlier I was foolish; here I swear to Heaven, I shall never betray Wen Ruo, never serve that idle Wei Gong. You and I, ruler and subject, shall, as in the beginning, uphold the Han court and bring peace to the world!"

His words came out hurriedly, even with a hint of panic.

He truly feared, fearing the loss of this pillar of the heavens, and fearing the icy future the Heavenly Screen foretold becoming reality.

At that moment, the teal blessing pillar granted by Heavenly Dao fell, merging into Xun Yu's body.

Xun Yu's whole body quivered, feeling a gentle yet overwhelming vitality surge through his limbs and bones; years of desk‑bound toil and suppressed anguish vanished, his spirit revived, as if ten years younger.

Simultaneously, a pill the size of a dragon's eye, suffused with a dense medicinal scent and radiant spirit light, materialized in his palm.

Xun Yu stared at the pill in his palm, then at Cao Cao's earnest, unclouded gaze, his oath freshly spoken.

Reflecting on the future the Heavenly Screen had shown versus this moment's divergent course, the heavy shackles of despair seemed to loosen a fraction.

He lingered in silence, then suddenly cupped both hands to raise the healing pill aloft, then slowly knelt, his voice clear and resolute:

"Lord! The Heavenly Screen warns; my lord is enlightened, suddenly awakened—this is a blessing for the world, a fortune for the Han! Yu, I bow in submission!"

"This pill is a gift from Heavenly Dao, perhaps of wondrous effect. Yu has heard my lord often suffers from the head wind, a pain unbearable."

"Yu offers this pill to my lord, wishing my lord to dispel chronic illness, his dragon body robust, so he may command us, restore the state, and soon bring peace to the people!"

He presented the pill to Cao Cao!

This scene, captured by the Heavenly Screen from a special perspective and magnified, was simultaneously shown before the eyes of the multiversal observers!

Cao Cao was stunned, gazing at the radiant pill in Xun Yu's hand, then at Xun Yu's clear, sincere, unclouded eyes; his tiger‑like eyes glistened with tears, this time genuinely shedding them.

"Wen Ruo… I…"

He trembled his hand, receiving the pill.

In the gaze of all, he swallowed the pill.

In an instant, Cao Cao felt a cool current surge to his crown.

The years‑long bone‑gnawing ulcer, the recurring excruciating head wind, seemed to melt away like ice.

Not only the headache disappeared, but the fatigue of years of campaigning and hidden injuries also seemed soothed, leaving him clear‑headed, vigorous, as if restored to his prime.

Hahaha! All right! It's all fixed!

Cao Cao looked up to the heavens and laughed heartily, his laughter ringing out. He grasped Xun Yu and lifted him, gripping his hand tightly.

Wen Ruo, having you is like a fish finding water! This pill may be fine, but it cannot compare to your singular sincerity toward me!

From now on, you and I shall be true allies, plotting great undertakings together, never betraying today's words, nor the generous gift of Heaven's Way!

Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu, Jia Xu and other strategists, as well as Xiahou Dun, Cao Ren and other generals, upon seeing this scene, were all moved.

Originally, the celestial veil's revelation of future suspicions and gaps seemed to arise, but under this frank exchange and Heaven's Way's blessing, they quietly healed, even becoming stronger.

The cohesion within Cao's camp reached a brand‑new height at this moment.

The celestial veil displayed the scene "Cao Cao takes the pill, his chronic illness heals, and the ruler‑subject animosity dissolves, deepening their bond," its impact far stronger than any lengthy sermon.

It showed the Ten Thousand Realms that the Heaven's Way ranking list not only tallies history and bestows rewards, but can also become an opportunity to alter history's course, mend regrets, and reshape the future!

Observers across the Ten Thousand Realms, especially ruler‑subject pairs in similar predicaments, upon seeing this, were all stirred, their thoughts racing.

On the Xianyang training ground, Ying Zheng drew a deep breath, his gaze toward Gu Shanhe blazing with unprecedented heat.

"National Teacher… this ranking list can actually reverse causality and mend regrets?"

The vague thought in his mind grew clearer—

Great Qin, his Great Qin—could it also, through this ranking list, gain even more unimaginable opportunities?

Li Si, Meng Yi and others felt their hearts stir even more.

The strategists' ranking list is only at ninth place, yet already shows such miraculous effect!

What splendor must the first eight possess?

What bounty must Heaven's Way's reward be?

Tension is at its peak, anticipation exploding!