Don't Touch My Sister, You Bastards!
Sister! The Yuan family—the greatest noble house in the current Han Dynasty, holders of the Four Generations of Three Dukes. Their wealth, influence, and power were second to none. Even the Ten Attendants, who currently clutched the emperor and toyed with the Han court, or the faction of General-in-Chief He Jin who opposed them, couldn't lay a careless hand on us.
Yet even in a family like ours, there was one persistent headache. And that headache was the painfully thin number of legitimate heirs. My father, the current head of the Yuan clan, hadn't been the eldest son, but after his older brothers all died young, the family ended up in his hands. As a result, the direct bloodline was dangerously sparse. That was why I, Yuan Shu, had been raised like a precious jewel.
I'd grown up healthier than anyone expected... but life is unpredictable. So my father summoned the child he'd conceived during a fleeting moment of indiscretion. Naturally, he treated her as nothing more than a replaceable battery. He had zero intention of giving any real status to that low-born concubine's daughter—that illegitimate child carrying slave blood. The only one he had expectations for was me, Yuan Shu. After all, I was bold, charismatic, and had the talent to lead others.
'Hehe, our family has built its prestige through four generations of Three Dukes... but it's about time we produced some results in martial matters too!'
At least toward me, he poured his heart into things. Toward his low-born illegitimate child, he didn't. So the treatment of the girl he'd brought in was inevitably trash. That was why she was getting beaten like this right now... and why, of all people, I had to be the one who stumbled upon the scene.
"Hey, what the hell are you bastards doing? Huh? Don't you know this is right next to my quarters? Well?!"
"What?! Who... urk...!! Y-Young Master Yuan Shu...!!"
"W-We greet the Young Master...!!"
These guys were branch family members who'd been dragged here to solidify the main family's authority and foster loyalty. In short, they were my underlings.
"Have you all lost your damn minds? Causing trouble inside my mansion? Looks like your heads have gotten pretty thick. What, you think you can rebel against me?"
Even though I knew I was Yuan Shu, I never lived like some model son of a prestigious clan. Despite being the legitimate heir of the greatest noble house in the country, I poured my energy into martial arts rather than scholarly pursuits. I loved swaggering around and throwing my weight. In a word, I'd grown up exactly like a classic noble scoundrel!
With a nasty temper, real strength to back it up, the dignity befitting my exceptional bloodline, and enough power that I'd beaten my martial arts instructors black and blue as a kid, I was basically the little tyrant of this area. No one could touch me. Especially not these branch family members who came here as hostages and served as servants—they didn't dare show any spirit in front of me.
This was also why my father didn't complain even though I wasn't exactly walking the path he'd hoped for. Oh, and there was also the memory of me personally taking my two fists and teaching those branch family bastards proper manners through a thorough beating.
"N-No, Young Master...! How could we possibly dare...!!"
"T-This is just... hehe, something we thought the Young Master would enjoy..."
Even while acting pathetically, they stopped what they were doing, bowed, and approached me. They knew my rotten personality was one thing, but the difference in bloodline, status, and the simple fact that I was overwhelmingly strong meant that defying me would only end in disaster. So they obeyed without resistance.
"So what exactly were you doing? And who's that girl? I don't recognize her face."
"Ah, it seems you haven't heard yet! This bitch is the lowly spawn born when a slave wench forgot her place and dared to covet noble blood! I heard she was recently brought into the main family."
Now that I looked, although her clothes were poorly maintained, the fabric itself was fairly high quality. It was unbalanced as hell with the way they were treating her, but that alone told me everything about how badly she was being treated.
"Although the family elders took her in, how could the blood of a lowly spawn disappear? She's nothing but a stain on the great Yuan clan's honor!"
"That's why we were simply giving her a proper education...!"
I listened to their words and fell into brief thought.
A concubine-born child brought into the Yuan family? And she's a member of the main family like me... Hmm... I've heard this somewhere before... Ah!
The memory finally clicked. The woman collapsed there was none other than my half-sister—Yuan Shao. The one destined to become the warlord who would swallow Hebei and build a massive faction. Yuan Shao, courtesy name Benchu. The colossal figure who, before her defeat at Cao Cao's hands, had constructed the greatest power in the Central Plains. Of course, she would ultimately be nothing more than a loser of the era... but the fact that she was a capable person remained unchanged.
Ah, since she's a woman, I guess she's not my brother. She's my sister. My older sister.
She's a famous person, huh? I heard she suffered because of her status, but damn, it looks like she suffered even more than I thought.
My eyes sparkled as I looked at her. And I made up my mind to help.
"Hey. Hand over that club you're holding."
"Hehe, the Young Master wishes to punish her himself?! Here it is...!"
"Punish? Yeah, I suppose I should. Since there's a sinner here."
"We'll get to witness the Young Master's skill...!"
At that moment, I grabbed the club and immediately swung it—not at Yuan Shao, but at the servant standing beside her.
CRACK!
"Aaaagh!! Y-Young Master...! Why are you doing this...!!"
"Why? Why, you ask?! Have you branch family worms completely lost your minds?! You dare raise your hands against my sibling who carries Father's blood?! You've gone way beyond insane!!"
One strike and the sturdy man collapsed. The people around us froze. But if I got swept up in the atmosphere, I wouldn't be a scoundrel! A scoundrel doesn't get swept up in the mood—he's the one who leads it, whether it's a shitty atmosphere or a good one!
"And! You pathetic vermin!! You don't even know whether this is a place you should be crawling around in!!!"
WHACK! WHACK! CRUNCH!
Anyway, I was honest with my emotions, and there was no reason to hide them right now, so I went absolutely wild. In the middle of this suddenly flipped situation, Yuan Shao—who had been lying there flinching in pain, unable to even speak as the branch family beat her—watched with a strange gleam in her eyes.
Whether she did or not, I kept pounding the guy I'd knocked down like my eyes had rolled back in my head.
Sure, it started with the judgment that helping her would be a good way to recruit talent! But...
"The Yuan family's!! Order!! Has completely!! Fallen to the ground!! You bastards who don't even know your place!!!"
THUD! THUD! SMACK! THWACK! CRUNCH! CRACK! GRIND! CRACK! SMACK!
...Well, as you can see, giving them a thorough beating and some etiquette education had become the higher priority. Killing two birds with one stone and enjoying the feeling of my fists while I was at it!
"Ack! Ack! Urgh! Uuurgh! Y-Young Master...!! I-I'm sorry...!! U-Urk!!"
"Looks like you think the main family is a joke! Whether she's concubine-born or whatever, you dare lay your hands on the main family's bloodline?! At this rate you'll be coming after me next! Huh?!"
The sight of a bloodied man writhing on the ground and a sturdy-built youth gripping a club dripping with blood was more than enough to terrify these hothouse flowers. Besides, getting beaten that badly would break the spirit of just about anyone. How many people can stay calm in the face of pain?
"N-No, Young Master...!!"
"H-How could we possibly harbor such impure intentions...!! It's a misunderstanding!!"
"Misunderstanding my ass. Seems like proper etiquette and the attitude you ought to have aren't in your thick skulls, so I'll carve the lesson directly into your bones! All of you, heads on the ground!!"
"Hiiik...!!"
"Y-Yes...!!"
After making the remaining bastards press their foreheads to the ground, I beat their asses so hard the club literally shattered, leaving only fragments scattered across the floor. Only then did I stop and toss away the handle.
"Take that collapsed bastard and get lost! Clean up every last piece of debris too! If your attitude is crooked next time, it won't end with just this!"
"Y-Yes! Of course!!"
"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you!!"
"I-I will never forget this lesson...! Uuuugh!!"
Despite the pain, they bowed clumsily and hurriedly dragged the fallen man away.
"Tsk, pathetic fools."
Only then did I click my tongue and relax my expression before approaching Yuan Shao, who was still lying there.
"Sister, are you okay?"
"T-Thank you for helping me, but... calling me Sister is too much, Young Master... I am merely a slave's daughter..."
"Hahaha! Who cares about that?! You received Father's blood and were born before me, so of course you're my sister! Your name is Yuan Shao, right? I'd heard about you, but I never thought I'd meet you like this!"
Having vented my anger through the beating, my head had cooled down. I smiled brightly at Yuan Shao to build the connection I'd originally intended. It wasn't even an act—having come from the modern era, status differences meant nothing to me when dealing with capable people. I could treat her without any pretense.
"B-But Young Master...!"
"Shut it!! First, let's drop the formal speech and that 'Young Master' nonsense, Sister!! If you're truly my sister, you should be bold enough to tell the whole world to screw off! Hahahaha!!"
"N-No, even so, I am merely a concubine's daughter carrying lowly blood..."
"Aish! You don't understand that such things don't matter! Sister, the dragon's blood that flows through our Yuan family cannot be made lowly no matter what anyone does!"
"...!!"
Yuan Shao's eyes widened as if shocked by my words. Perhaps because she had shown signs of her intelligence from a young age, she realized I was speaking from the heart.
"Come on! Get up already! Chest out with confidence! Relax your expression!! That's how my sister should be!"
From the perspective of someone who was originally a modern person, this whole status system was completely foreign to me. I could use it if I wanted to, but there was no need right now! So if I could avoid becoming enemies with a talented person like Yuan Shao and instead bring her to my side? I could do something like this as much as needed. What was the value of a few words and actions anyway?
...Though I still didn't understand why someone who was supposed to be a man had suddenly become a woman... but whatever! This world was already half fantasy beyond the Romance of the Three Kingdoms! It wouldn't be strange if the Yellow Turbans were running around using real magic.
"Now! Proudly call your little brother! Go on, try saying 'Yuan Shu'!!"
"B-But still...!"
"Obviously drop the formal speech and talk casually!"
"T-That...!!"
"We'll be here until dawn at this rate, Sister!"
"Ah, um... Y-Yuan Shu...?"
I couldn't help laughing at the way she carefully tested the words.
"Hahaha! That's it, Sister! Now you finally sound like my sister!"
I brushed the dust off Yuan Shao and took her hand, leading her.
"Come on! Follow me! I'll make you into someone who looks like my sister no matter who sees you!!"
"U-Uwah?!"
From that day on, the siblings Yuan Shu and Yuan Shao began to build their bond, starting a relationship that disregarded status... and just like that, time flowed on once again.