Lye Water in the Cooked Rice
Cao Cao was thoroughly drunk. Lady Bian and Lady Huan rushed over to support him.
“My lord, you’re truly intoxicated. On a cold day like this, you’ll catch a chill and twist your mouth. Let’s get you inside at once.”
“Eugh… who is this? Lady Zheng?”
He was so far gone that he failed to recognize Lady Huan, mistaking her for Lady Zheng. Lady Huan had only recently emerged from seclusion to prepare for her son Cao Chong’s third birthday.
“Chancellor, you’ve had far too much. Allow me to escort you.”
“Ah, yes. Lady Bian! I need to speak with Pi and Zhang today. If not now, when else will I get the chance to talk with those boys…?”
“Yes, yes, of course. First, let us see you safely to your chambers.”
The two ladies managed to half-carry the drunken Cao Cao and deliver him to his quarters. Just as I was wondering whether I should speak with them today, a familiar voice rang out.
“Zayul! Zayul! Where are you?”
“Here, Uncle. I’m right here.”
Cao Cao had called for me. While the ladies were supporting him, I stepped forward to take his weight. In his drunken state, he suddenly threw an arm around my neck and pulled me close.
“Listen… after today’s drinking, tomorrow… tomorrow we must prepare the rewards and promotions properly!”
“Yes, Uncle. I understand.”
Even while half-drunk, he kept talking about the court rewards scheduled for tomorrow. Between us, we finally managed to deliver him safely to his chambers, where Lady Bian waited with her arms linked, ready to receive him.
Afterward, I stepped out and headed for my own residence—though “my house” was really just the adjacent building connected by a single corridor.
“Ah, my lord.”
Cai Yan greeted me. Behind her, I caught a glimpse of silver hair. Lu Ming was peeking out from behind Cai Yan, watching me furtively.
“Why is she hiding behind you, my lady?”
“Lady Yuan retired early, exhausted from the journey. Lady Lu said she would wait until you returned… and here she is.”
Cai Yan tried to gently draw Lu Ming forward, but the silver-haired woman clung desperately to her back, only daring to glance at me from safety. I truly couldn’t understand her. After everything she had endured, had she become nothing more than a timid guest in her own home?
So I called out to her in a warmer tone.
“Come now, our third wife Lu Ming stayed awake too. Shall we all rest together?”
“…All of us?”
“Why not?”
“Forget it. I’m not some five- or six-year-old child.”
Lu Ming slipped out from behind Cai Yan and quietly returned to her own room. Cai Yan shrugged her shoulders, came over, and began helping me out of my outer robe, preparing to lead me to the main bedroom.
“My lord.”
“Hm?”
“Rather than calling them Second Wife and Third Wife, I believe ‘Lady of Huainan’ and ‘Lady of Xuzhou’ would sound more proper.”
Even now, with two concubines beneath her, Cai Yan was correcting the proper forms of address. Truly, no matter the era, where else would one find a wife like this? Cao Cao was right—I had been fortunate with women.
I pulled her into an embrace and we retired to the bedroom.
***
“My lord, here is the wash water and fresh clothes.”
“Mm, thank you.”
Cai Yan had already prepared warm water in the basin and laid out new inner garments to wear beneath my official robes. Amusingly, our speech patterns had shifted without us noticing. Cai Yan now used the most respectful honorifics and the haoche style, Yuan Jing spoke with the polite ~yo ending, and Lu Ming addressed me in casual banmal. I wondered if, in time, I would need to standardize everyone’s speech around the primary wife’s authority. That could wait.
After washing and dressing in a fresh jeogori, trousers, and my well-maintained official robes, I stepped out to find Cao Cao already in the main hall, with Xiahou Dun emerging from the neighboring annex. The three of us went outside together, where clan members and advisors had already gathered.
“Let’s go.”
Cao Cao led the entire group toward the imperial palace.
***
“For Chancellor Cao Cao, who suppressed the rebels of Xuzhou, I bestow three hundred catties of gold and the title of Marquis of Wuping.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is overwhelming.”
Recently, the court had been actively distributing noble titles to those who rendered meritorious service in order to bolster imperial authority. The Cao clan used titles such as Marquis of Duyang, Prince of Ye, and various other ranks to keep their subordinates in check. Cao Cao himself had previously held the title of Marquis of Feiting; now he became Marquis of Wuping.
Afterward, rewards were also granted to the generals who had surrendered from Lü Bu’s army. Eventually, my turn came.
“Military Colonel Cao Xiu, step forward.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
I finally entered the hall. The Emperor, who had grown somewhat since the days of our escape from Chang’an, regarded me with dignity. I bowed respectfully, and the solemn imperial edict followed.
“You played a vital role in the pacification of Xuzhou. Therefore, I relieve you of the post of Military Colonel and appoint you Gate Colonel.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is overwhelming.”
Gate Colonel—the officer responsible for guarding the twelve gates of the capital where the Son of Heaven resided, commanding troops to defend Xudu itself. The previous title of Military Colonel had been an irregular post, little more than a miscellaneous general’s rank. Gate Colonel, however, belonged to the prestigious ranks of the Western Garden Eight Colonels and the Five Colonels of Han. In modern terms, it was the difference between a colonel serving in military intelligence and one commanding an actual regiment.
After my promotion from Military Colonel to Gate Colonel, one matter still remained.
“Hear me, all of you.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The late Lü Bu was arrogant by nature. He openly coveted office and power, demanded the rank of General of the Four Directions, and was executed for his defiance. However, for the defense of the Han, the post of General of the Four Directions must remain filled. Therefore, I shall now appoint a successor to the vacant position of Left General.”
The Emperor expressed his determination to fill the empty Left General post among the Four Generals. I immediately thought of Guo Jia, and Cao Cao had indeed been thoroughly persuaded to delay granting the position to Liu Bei.
“Thus, I intend to appoint Imperial Uncle Liu Bei, a descendant of the imperial house and my own uncle by seniority, as Left General.”
Wait—what? This was an unexpected curveball. It was not Cao Cao, but Emperor Xian himself who proposed appointing Liu Bei as Left General. Cao Cao’s expression showed genuine surprise as he glanced at his own faction.
“Your Majesty, your servant Cheng Yu speaks. While we understand the need to fill the vacancy among the Four Generals, I believe the timing is premature.”
“Premature?”
“Indeed. Granting both the rank of General of the Four Directions and the authority of a Staff of Authority risks concentrating too much power in a single subject. The late Lü Bu coveted exactly that. Your Majesty must deliberate carefully.”
“Your Majesty, your servant Zhong Yao, Palace Attendant and Supervisor, also speaks. Although Imperial Uncle Liu has rendered great service to the realm while concurrently serving as Governor of Yuzhou, entrusting him with the military authority of Left General may prove excessive.”
Cheng Yu and Zhong Yao moved swiftly. Their timing was perfect. Cheng Yu was openly pro-Cao, so the other ministers would accept his words without question, but Zhong Yao had earned merit in the Xiliang campaign after escorting the Emperor. His opposition lent the appearance that even non-Cao officials were against the appointment.
“I agree.”
“I also believe the appointment of Left General should not be made at this moment.”
With the ministers openly pressuring him, the Emperor had no choice but to hesitate. This was their way of gaslighting the sovereign to prevent any attempt to create a counterweight to Cao Cao. If this succeeded, the possibility of Liu Bei becoming a future rival would be drastically reduced, and the Three Brothers might be forced to submit to Cao Cao’s dominance without resistance…
“Ohoho. It seems the ministers’ hearts are united as one?”
From his seat closest to the Emperor, the highest-ranking elder statesman and imperial advisor—Cao Cao’s father, Cao Song—slowly opened his mouth. After surviving the events in Xuzhou, Cao Song had been granted one of the Three Excellencies positions, higher than the Three Dukes, but it was an honorary post without real power. Even I had assumed he would simply live out his days in quiet retirement as an honored elder.
Yet…
“Your Majesty, though I may be incompetent, I still hold the position of imperial advisor.”
“Th-that is true. So you also oppose granting Imperial Uncle Liu the post of Left General?”
Everyone expected Cao Cao’s father to object.
“I shall follow Your Majesty’s will. If you truly believe Liu Xuande possesses the qualities of Left General, then appoint him.”
No—here was Cao Song pouring lye water into the already cooked rice! Cao Cao’s eyes widened in shock, and the faces of his ministers went slack with disbelief. The words “What is that old man doing?” were written plainly on every face.
The Emperor, naturally, seized the opportunity.
“Then, out of respect for the counsel of my advisor and one of the Three Excellencies, Grand Tutor Cao Song, I shall appoint Imperial Uncle Liu as Left General.”
“Your Majesty’s grace is overwhelming. Ohoho.”
Ah, Great-Uncle Cao Song!
***
Everyone filed out of the audience hall in stunned silence. Cao Song followed at a leisurely pace, supported by attendants.
“Ohoho, Aman. You must be busy now that you’ve taken Xuzhou.”
“Father, why did you do that?”
“Hm? Didn’t you always like that Xuande fellow? You said he was the younger brother whose ideals aligned most closely with yours.”
Cao Song spoke as though there were no problem at all. Everyone present understood exactly how much this had disrupted history.
“I do think that, but this is giving wings to a tiger. I intended to observe the situation longer before deciding.”
At that moment, Cao Song suddenly gripped Cao Cao’s shoulder.
“Aman, my proud son.”
“Yes, Father.”
“I know full well how much you’ve done for the realm all this time. You are the greatest talent among the Cao clan.”
“…”
“But do you intend to monopolize everything in court by yourself?”
“…!”
“Not just the court. The powerful clans in Qingzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, and Yangzhou are all watching. Do you plan to discard every regional power instead of winning them over? Will you crush them one by one with force, like Lü Bu or Yuan Shu?”
“That… is not my intention.”
I understood now. I had thought Cao Song had suddenly lost his mind, but he was calmly explaining the reasons and justifications for appointing Liu Bei as Left General.
“If Cao Cao’s faction blocks the Emperor’s will to appoint Imperial Uncle Liu as Left General, then every regional power outside Xudu will see it and turn their backs on Cao Cao.”
“Egu-gu-gu, it’s been a while since I did something useful. I’ll be going now.”
Cao Song departed, once again wearing his usual grandfatherly smile. Xun Yu quickly leaned in and whispered to Cao Cao.
“The Grand Tutor is correct.”
“Xun Yu?”
“My lord, do you know the story of Emperor Gaozu’s rewards ceremony?”
“You mean the story Zhang Liang told Emperor Gaozu during the rewards distribution—the tale of Yong Chi?”
The “Yong Chi anecdote” referred to the advice Zhang Liang gave Liu Bang after he defeated Xiang Yu and unified the realm. The ministers, each proud of their achievements, might grow ambitious or rebellious. Zhang Liang’s counsel was: “First enfeoff the man Your Majesty most dislikes.”
Upon hearing this, the Han ministers thought, “Even Yong Chi, whom His Majesty despises most, received a fief. Our own rewards will surely be safe,” and their loyalty increased. In other words, if Cao Cao, like Emperor Gaozu, treated his greatest rival with unexpected generosity first, the third-party powers who had been watching cautiously would recognize his magnanimity and draw closer to him.
“Uncle, I also thought, like Guo Fengxiao, that we should nurture a rival, but it seems we should follow the Grand Tutor’s words.”
“If even you say so, Zayul, then this matter must be allowed to pass.”
Thus Liu Bei became Left General, and Cao Cao’s father Cao Song had pulled off a major feat after a long time. One thing was certain: even though I possessed knowledge of the future, I had perhaps underestimated the importance these people placed on face and political maneuvering.