Succession
“Your Majesty, the King of Wei. It is already late at night, what business brings you here…?”
“Silence.”
Cao Cao cut off the hesitant words Xu Zhi had tried to speak in one stroke, and took a step into the room after another.
Thump! Thump!
Cao Cao was of small stature and not particularly impressive in bearing, and with his age, his appearance was quite unremarkable.
Yet every time his small, unremarkable feet stepped on the floor, Xu Zhi and Zhu Shuo trembled like they had been stepped on by them, and retreated backward.
Cao Cao frowned and looked around the room.
By the time he had come this far, Cao Cao tried to deny the thoughts that had arisen in his mind. He had heard that Cao Pi had gone to Cao Zhi's residence with wine, and he had thought 'no way'.
He desperately hoped it wasn't true. How could a son do such a thing to his brother…?
Unexpectedly, in one corner of the room, Cao Zhi lay there as if dead, not knowing that his father had come.
At the moment he confirmed the reactions of the three people in front of him, he realized that the wind had scattered.
Immediately, a headache came, and dizziness followed. Cao Cao wrapped his hand around his forehead and gritted his teeth.
And he glared at the ones trembling behind Cao Pi.
Xu Zhi and Zhu Shuo. The ones who would receive the scraps behind their master's back but wouldn't step forward when in danger. Trivial things that were too insignificant to bother with.
“You two, take Cao Zhi to a quiet place at once and take care of him. If Cao Zhi is harmed in any way or even a little deviates from propriety, I will personally cut off your heads.”
“Yes, old! I apologize.”
“Then we will withdraw for now.”
The two supported Cao Zhi and ran out without looking back, their tails wagging. As they left, they thought: At this moment, they would cherish Cao Zhi's safety as much as their own lives.
And the father and son faced each other alone. Until Xu Zhi and Zhu Shuo took Cao Zhi out, Cao Zhi hadn't thought of waking up.
“What have you done now?”
“Father. I was sharing wine with Zhi. However, regrettably, Zhi liked wine too much, so I… with Cao Jie…”
“Wine. Did you not know that Zhi was leaving for the campaign tomorrow?”
“That was to encourage him as a brother before he set out…”
“Encourage? Are you calling this encouragement?”
“As Your Majesty also knows, Zhi likes wine so much…”
Cao Cao was dumbfounded. There was not even a hint of remorse.
“You are disregarding your father who is old, are you? Are you saying that you truly see me as an old man without eyes or ears!”
Only then did Cao Pi realize that his father had noticed everything and knelt. However, his attitude was not one of reflection.
“I want to become a military king who commands the world like my father! This was the choice I made for that!”
The headache and dizziness no longer troubled Cao Cao. What troubled him the most was his heart. It felt like it was being torn. No way. How could a son do such a thing to his brother…?
Cao Cao suppressed his heart that was about to burst and roared with all his might. If he didn't shout, his heart would really burst.
“Do you still have something to say! What good have you done to raise your voice like this! Even to a brother who received the same blood, to do such barbaric acts and still have words to say!”
However, Cao Pi, still kneeling, answered Cao Cao's roar firmly.
“Then what about Your Majesty?! Did Your Majesty truly wish for brotherly love between us brothers! As your son, I never had a moment of ease. Elder brother, what about it. I have never been recognized as the heir until now! Since childhood, I had to go to the battlefield with my father, and after my brother Yang died, I had to live in competition with my brothers! Have you ever thought about how much pressure I have lived under?!”
“It was to raise a capable heir. How could I entrust the country to an incompetent person after I built it? If you were to be the heir, wouldn't you test their abilities?”
“I have practiced martial arts and studied literature since childhood. However, no matter how much I tried, the praise and commendation went to my younger brothers. Have you ever treated me as the eldest son!”
While venting the accumulated emotions, Cao Pi raised the veins in his neck, and Cao Cao raised the veins in his eyes and shouted.
“Is it insufficient treatment? I gave you the position of General of the Household and entrusted you with the important Yecheng. Is that all? Not long ago, I even took you to Hanzhong to build military achievements.”
“Yes. Why did you send me away at that time and tell Zhi to take responsibility for the work? Do you know what people were gossiping about? Since I left for the campaign, Zhi is becoming the heir, they said.”
“You fool! At that time, the battle in Hanzhong was much more important than Yecheng. Don't you remember that I told you before I left!? ”
“Then, why did you bring Xiang? Didn't you bring him to compete with me? Xiang is better in martial arts and military talent than me, even though you know it!”
“Did I order you to bring the enemy's general's head! War is not just about fighting well, but also about building rapport with the soldiers. You could prove your abilities in many other ways. And if you lack ability, why not hone it more? Or do you have other abilities you can do! Why did you do such underhanded tricks!”
“Yes. I need to have other abilities. If I can't be the best in both literature and martial arts, I will choose to be a strategist instead. I used these tricks because I wanted to do what I am better at.”
He had talent in both literature and martial arts, but martial arts went to Cao Zhang and literature to Cao Zhi. He wanted praise and recognition, but it always went to his younger brothers. In compensation, he vented his frustration with these tricks.
Cao Cao also answered with a shout mixed with frustration.
“Are you calling this kind of behavior a strategy now! What I wanted was fair and just competition, not such dirty tricks!”
“Fair and just competition, you say? Did Your Majesty truly wish for fair and just competition? Didn't you come here in the middle of the night to monitor me? Wasn't that for fairness and justice!?”
“Silence! What good have you done to raise your voice! Look back at what you did in Hanzhong. You made Wang Chong a laughingstock in front of people. Is that all? Didn't you mock and envy Xiang! Are you telling me to just watch such behavior!”
Now Cao Pi wouldn't back down. Now it was more important to extract the words inside him than to be the heir.
“I will do anything to ascend to the throne. This is my ideal I have harbored since childhood. Isn't this an age that needs strategy and scheming rather than benevolence or virtue? I will ascend to the throne and protect it by eliminating enemies rather than giving out favors!”
Cao Cao found it hard to believe his son's words right in front of him. He didn't want to believe them.
Now his words were turning into screams beyond shouts. Or rather, he wanted to scream.
“Enemy! Did you say enemy now! Where in this world is there someone who calls his brother an enemy! If you sit on the throne, there will be no peace!”
“Since it has come to this, I have no intention of backing down. I will definitely take the throne by any means!”
“You still have that mouth alive!”
Cao Cao's hand rose as if to slap his cheek.
“Isn't that the chaos!”
Then, the hand that was about to slap Cao Pi's cheek right away stopped abruptly and just trembled. 'Chaos…'
“If it's chaos… then is it okay to do such things…?”
“If it's chaos, I can do even worse things, right?”
At that moment, a picture of how he had walked this path and stood here flashed in his mind.
He had also lived a life filled with strategy and scheming, and he had advanced by ruthlessly eliminating those who were obstacles.
From ordinary citizens to surrendered prisoners, regional celebrities.
Even childhood friends and royalty.
The path he had walked was already stained with blood, and the seat he sat on was also stained with blood.
Under the name of chaos…
‘It was none other than me who made you like this… I… ’
The conversation went on with a calmer but sadder tone than before.
“Even if it's chaos, did you have to do this to your brother…?”
“In that situation, it was unavoidable…”
“Then, if it were to the real enemy of our Wei country, not a brother, what would you do…?”
“I would do even more than that…”
“Yes…”
Cao Cao recalled Cao Zhi lying drunk, not knowing what was happening.
‘If it were a stable era, Zhi would be good, and as a king, he might suit him better. But now it's chaos. If someone falls for such schemes, it would be hard to hold a position in this chaotic era. Moreover, if it's found out that he was drunk before the campaign, the generals couldn't trust him. Besides, most ministers claim that the eldest should succeed. Xiang, needless to say. That boy is a general's material, not a king's.’
Cao Cao looked at Cao Pi kneeling in front of him, head bowed.
‘Is there no other way? Or maybe it should have been like this from the beginning. If I had decided earlier, this kind of thing wouldn't have happened today… It's all my fault… I mocked Yuan Shao and Liu Biao, but what was different from them.’
Cao Cao's hand slowly lowered. And he undid the Yitian Sword at his waist.
“Here, take it. Now it's yours.”
Cao Pi, who had been kneeling with his head down, clenching his teeth in preparation for a slap, was startled when a sword was offered in front of him, and slowly raised his head.
“Yes, I will make my decision here. I will pass the throne to you, Cao Pi. This decision will never change in the future. From now on, you are the crown prince of our Wei country.”
“…!”
It wasn't a dream. His father was clearly speaking right in front of him.
“Did you understand? When I die, you will succeed me. Take this country and become king.”
“Ah, father…”
He couldn't believe it. But he hadn't misheard. His father's voice was hoarse, but he was clearly speaking. He would pass the heir's position. The hesitant son accepted the Yitian Sword.
The crown prince of Wei was decided like this.
Crossing the swamp of misunderstanding and over the mountain of conflict.
It was a hand that had barely been grasped while shedding tears and blood among family, and also a hand that might be released at any time.
The heir appointment was decided in a plain place, not a brilliant grand battle.
Where brothers pulled each other with strategy, and brothers did unforgivable things to each other.
Where etiquette and manners were gone, only an unpleasant smell pricked the nose.
Where the father-son bond was severed and the brother bond was severed.
What was visible was only the flickering candlelight in one corner of the room, almost extinguished.
And the only thing reflecting that light dimly was the wine pooled on the floor.
“Father…”
However, Cao Pi could tell that it was sincere. Holding the Yitian Sword, he bowed his head and stared at it fixedly.
Cao Cao slowly turned his body. He no longer wanted to stay in such a place.
‘Why, why is the world still saying it's chaos…?’
Before leaving, Cao Cao slightly turned his head and looked at his son over his shoulder.
“I won't say any more long words, and I won't pit you against each other in competition. However, I must say this last thing. I hope you won't do anything that will harm brotherly love. This is the last request of this old man.”
Cao Cao, who had spoken softly, went out without hearing the answer.
***
Whoosh.
Cold wind brushed past his decrepit body. Every step, his bones ached.
The night air was cold, but it wasn't cold enough to feel chills. It was the evidence left by the passing years.
Although Cao Cao was already decrepit, in just a short time, his shoulders had slumped as if several years older, and his waist was more bent. His legs were as heavy as if tied with iron.
Why was his heart so frustrated even though the long-held worry had been resolved.
His body was shouting to lie down and sleep right away, but instead, he stopped walking and sat down on a nearby rock with a thud, looking up at the sky.
Contrary to his inner feelings, the yellow moon halo brightly illuminated the black sky.
‘If only Yang had lived, none of this would have happened. Why did he become blind to women…?’
Suddenly, his first son Cao Ang, who had left the world to save him, came to mind.
It was a long time ago.
In Wancheng, he had neglected his guard because of a woman and was ambushed by the enemy. At that time, his guard captain Zhuan Wei blocked the enemy at the entrance while his son Cao Ang helped him escape.
Father. Climb up quickly! Hurry and get out of here!
The face of the son who had given him his words was vivid. At that time, Cao Ang had given not only his words but also his life.
And his first wife, Zheng Shi, who was his principal wife. Although she was not his biological child, Cao Cao's first wife who had raised Cao Ang like her own.
How can you come back so nonchalantly after killing your son! Are you a person like that! Are you a father like that!
After Cao Ang died like that, she left Cao Cao. No matter how many times he went to apologize later, she wouldn't even look at Cao Cao's face.
‘Looking back, it was a life full of sins. Maybe I'm being punished now.’
So, for a long time, he looked at the sky, recalling Cao Ang who died in Wancheng, his nephew Cao Anmin, and the loyal minister Zhuan Wei, and his wife Zheng who had passed away recently and would never have the chance to see her face or apologize.
What would a king do when he sits on the throne? A life lacking qualifications as a father and husband.
“Huuu…”
Cao Cao lowered his face and gave a self-mocking smile. His appearance was that of a lonely old man, not a king ruling a great Wei country.
How long had it been like that.
“Your Highness! Where is His Majesty the King of Wei?!”
Xu Chu's cry came from somewhere, breaking his contemplation.
“Your Majesty! Please answer if you are there. I came to escort you! Your Highness~ Please…”
“Heh heh…”
Unexpectedly, a hearty laugh burst out. He was the bravest, not afraid of death, but his voice had a tremor. His big body clanging here and there as he searched for him was obvious.
‘That guy is a hero who would commit suicide if I were in danger. I should go back slowly.’
He had been afraid of the day breaking. Now that the day was breaking, he had to announce the cruel decision to the world.
His fear was slightly alleviated by his loyal and upright bodyguard.
Cao Cao, who had risen from his seat, turned his steps to his loyal and upright bodyguard.
***
The day had dawned.
In the short but long time between night and morning.
For some, it was a time when cruel decisions were passed,
and for others, it was a time when hope turned to despair.
Here, a man was running madly. His name was Yang Xiu.
“Young Master! Young Master! What happened? Why are you here?”
Yang Xiu, who had barely found Cao Zhi, faced his lord. Cao Zhi's face looked unbearably haggard.
“What, what happened?”
Cao Zhi weakly told the truth, and Yang Xiu couldn't believe the fact.