Intrigue Within the Investigation
I had breakfast with my wives that morning. These days, we alternated between eating separately after receiving dishes from the main house’s matriarch or gathering together in the central hall. The reason Yuan Jing and Lu Ming particularly dreaded eating together in the central hall where Cao Cao was present was obvious.
“Today’s side dishes include bass. This is a specialty from the Yangtze River.”
The clear bass chowder they brought was an extravagant luxury here. After living in this place, I realized that every imaginable ingredient from across the continent seemed to flow straight into Cao Cao’s household, right in the middle of the inland region at the capital.
As we all picked up our chopsticks to eat, I brought up the unpleasant incident from yesterday.
“I’ve taken care of those scoundrels from yesterday.”
“Husband, I’m sorry. This was actually my fault.”
“Hm? Why would you say that, wife?”
When Cai Yan suddenly lowered her head in apology, Yuan Jing’s eyes trembled visibly.
“This humble wife has a long habit of going out alone, so Lady Yuan and Lady Lu thought the same and didn’t consider bringing escorts.”
“Is that so?”
“I only sent one servant from the household—the one from Shuchun—along with them, and that created this mess.”
While Cai Yan continued apologizing, Yuan Jing kept trembling and stealing glances at me. So that was it. Cai Yan must have originally mentioned escorts for outings to the market. But the immature Yuan Jing had probably insisted on going out with only her nanny. She had trauma about being guarded by armed men, after all.
“Since those ruffians have already been punished for their crimes, please calm yourselves.”
“Husband.”
“Yes?”
This time, Lu Ming called out to me while eating. With her eyes half-lidded, she made a gesture of swinging her chopsticks like a blade.
“I need a sword.”
“A sword?”
“After what happened yesterday, I realized it. Not some kitchen knife for chopping pumpkins, but a well-forged blade from the Chu region.”
The Chu region was famous for its advanced metallurgy; Chu steel was renowned for the swords and armor used by generals. Lu Ming was asking me to get her one of those blades. If she had carried a sword yesterday, those thugs would have died on the spot, which would have caused even more headaches.
“I’ll look into getting one, but not right away.”
“Why not?”
Since the topic had come up, I decided to inform all my wives.
“Listen carefully, all of you. From now on, whether going outside or conducting yourselves in general, you must be extremely cautious. My uncle has declared that he will begin a massive investigation by the Daerisi, starting with our own relatives.”
“Oh my?”
“Husband, what does that mean exactly?”
Yuan Jing and Lu Ming tilted their heads in confusion as they looked at each other, but Cai Yan nodded as if she understood the situation perfectly.
“Once everything settles down, I’ll find you a famous blade. But for now, please be patient.”
“Understood, husband.”
It was amusing to see how differently each of them addressed me—Cai Yan, Yuan Jing, and Lu Ming each had their own unique way.
After the meal, we gathered together to enter the palace, attend the imperial court session, and then handle our respective duties. While going about our various tasks, I noticed someone who had been absent lately.
“We haven’t seen Imperial Uncle Liu since he was appointed Left General, have we?”
“His health isn’t good, so he’s appointed a deputy to the Left General’s office and is said to be tending his garden at home,” Cao Ren explained when I asked about Liu Bei’s recent whereabouts. Even after rising to the position of Left General, Liu Bei was still acting like himself—keeping a low profile.
“By the way, Zayul, you’re quite capable. Gather fifty thousand soldiers from the city gates and send them to the Daerisi.”
“Fifty thousand? That’s neither too few nor too many.”
“Mm. I’m sending fifty thousand, and your uncle Cao Hong will send another fifty thousand.”
That would total one hundred and fifty thousand. The fact that they were all being sent to the Daerisi made it clear that Cao Cao was about to conduct a truly thorough purge.
“I’ve sent half the retainers from my household to my younger brother Zihua in Chuxian. We can’t afford to give them any excuses if the Daerisi investigation reaches us.”
If even Cao Ren was taking such precautions, it confirmed that Cao Cao was truly preparing for a major bloodletting. All of this seemed to have snowballed from my careless remark, “It’s convenient not having in-laws.” Or perhaps, as Guo Jia had suggested, it was all a buildup—Cao Cao’s real intention was to use the investigation of relatives and in-laws as a pretext to crush other court officials.
In that case, if only Uncle Cao Hong handled himself well, he might get through this. From what I heard yesterday, he seemed to be watching his step, so perhaps I could stop worrying?
After discussing the current situation with Cao Ren, I stopped by the house briefly before evening. That’s when I heard it.
“Have you lost your mind?! Now you’re even meddling with our own household? Do you hate me that much?!”
“Aish, who said anything about hating you? This is an official investigation into illicit wealth accumulation for the sake of the state!”
“Then why are you turning our household upside down?!”
The sharp voice of the matriarch carried all the way beyond the walls, along with the chaotic atmosphere inside the house. It seemed a major marital fight was breaking out in the main hall.
“Not again…”
Thud—
At that moment, someone grabbed me by the back of my neck. I turned to see Xiahou Dun shaking his head at me.
“Uncle Xiahou?”
“Come with me.”
Xiahou Dun dragged me away from the main hall, taking me to his own residence on the western side of the compound—opposite our house. Once inside, he had his wife prepare tea. Even then, the matriarch’s thunderous voice continued to echo over the wall.
“Is this truly how you intend to act? All this time I’ve nagged you about taking concubines, and now you’re trying to placate me with this?”
“Don’t make wild accusations!”
Then, suddenly, another woman’s sobbing voice rang out.
“Why are you doing this, wife? How could you come before me dressed in mourning clothes?”
“My lord! Chancellor! I beg you! Please spare my brother! This unworthy concubine implores you with tears!”
“Lady Bian’s mother?”
“Tsk tsk. After the eldest sister-in-law’s family, now he’s digging into the second sister-in-law’s household too? It seems Mengde is truly determined.”
Apparently, after the matriarch’s family, Cao Cao had now turned his attention to Lady Bian’s relatives as well. When the tea was served, Xiahou Dun explained everything to me.
“He announced a large-scale investigation into corruption among relatives, and the very first person he targeted was the younger brother of the eldest sister-in-law.”
“Uncle, isn’t Lady Bian’s younger sister the one married to Uncle Miaocai?”
The matriarch came from a renowned noble family in Yanzhou. She had one younger sister, who had married Xiahou Yuan, creating a double marital alliance between the Cao and Xiahou clans.
“An anonymous petition arrived at the Chancellor’s office from Yanzhou. It claimed that the noblewomen of Yanzhou had formed an association to share farmland and jewelry among themselves, and the scale was so large that it reeked of corruption.”
So it was a ladies’ gathering. And since it involved noble families, the scale must have been enormous—enough for someone to report it as corruption. I wondered who exactly had made the accusation.
“Mengde dispatched inspectors to Yanzhou and had the involved women detained at the Dongjun government office. That’s why the eldest sister-in-law is making such a fuss.”
“And Lady Bian’s…”
“The second sister-in-law has one younger brother. He holds the title of Marquis of Daoxiang, but it seems he’s been accepting bribes from local power brokers. Mengde has ordered him dragged here immediately and sent straight to the Daerisi.”
So not only the matriarch’s relatives, but Lady Bian’s family as well. Even Cao Zhen was caught up in this.
“Don’t tell me someone reported him too?”
“The one who gave the bribes reported first. He had requested a monopoly over a major merchant guild as a favor, but because of the Wei Trading Company, the official only took the bribes and did nothing.”
After listening to the story and finishing my tea, I stood up.
“Thank you for the tea, Uncle.”
“Wait, where are you going?”
“With the main hall in such chaos, how can I stand by? I need to go stop them.”
“Don’t bother. Even the Emperor himself couldn’t stop a fight between husband and wife.”
“If their voices carry beyond the walls like this, the people of the capital will gossip about our family!”
Since this whole situation had started because of something I said, I felt responsible for resolving it. I hurried toward the central hall to try to calm Cao Cao down.
“Fine! I’ll pack my things! I’ll go back to my hometown and live by weaving cloth, so enjoy your life here in the capital!”
“Ahem, wife. Do you think words can solve everything? Where exactly do you think you’re going?!”
The matriarch had finally said something she should never have uttered. Beside her, Lady Bian had loosened her hair and was prostrating herself, begging desperately. The moment I stepped in to intervene, my eyes met Cao Cao’s.
“Uncle.”
“Zayul, what are you doing here… Never mind!”
Cao Cao, his face deeply furrowed, called out to me and pointed toward the main gate.
“A horse I ordered will arrive at the eastern gate. It’s the red-maned stallion that Lu Bu used to ride. I intended to use it as a stud, so take it and put it in the stables.”
“Uncle, I’ll do that, but right now…”
“Just go!”
He was indirectly telling me not to get involved in the marital fight and to run an errand instead. I planned to deal with it after returning, but then I heard the matriarch’s voice behind me.
“Are you ashamed to show this to your grown sons? If even Zisuan from Henei were here, what would he say?!”
“Wife, that’s enough!”
Good grief. I’d better hurry back.
At the eastern gate, a large crowd was arriving. There were government soldiers and the Marquis of Wen who commanded them. When they saw me, they immediately saluted.
“Gate Colonel, you’ve arrived!”
“Is there someone here who brought a horse?”
“Ah, over there.”
The person who had brought the horse came running straight toward me.
“Brother, it’s me—Anmin.”
“Hm? Why are you acting as a groom…”
“Is Uncle at home? My father has been arrested in Chuxian on charges of extorting noble families’ property. I must beg Uncle to please save my father.”
“What?”
Not only my wife’s family, but now even his own younger brother was being charged with corruption? The situation was spiraling further out of control. It looked like I would have to handle this myself.
“Understood. For now, I’ll take him to see Uncle and explain the situation.”
“Brother, I know I was wrong in the past, but this time… please help me!”
Seeing him bow his head and plead so earnestly, I couldn’t bring myself to hate him. I would at least speak on his behalf.
As I led Lu Bu’s Red Hare toward Cao Cao’s residence, the marketplace was in an uproar.
“Let go of me! What crime have I committed?!”
“You thieving bastards! We’ve finally caught you! Did you think we wouldn’t know that you’ve been running gambling dens in the marketplace and rigging cricket fights to seize the people’s wealth?!”
They were soldiers from the Daerisi. The one they had captured was the man I had seen before—Huangfu Jing, a retainer of Uncle Cao Hong.
“Y-you bastards! Do you know who I am? With a single letter, I can have all of you beaten with the rod…”
Smack—
“Ugh!”
When Huangfu Jing and his subordinates continued to resist, the Daerisi officers beat them down. Leading them was Man Chong, the Magistrate of Xu County, who raised his command baton with a stern expression.
"Even if you have powerful backers, the moment you commit a crime, you will face the Daerisi's judgment!"
Even Cao Hong’s retainers were being arrested by Man Chong. This was getting out of hand. I needed to resolve this immediately. Mounting the Red Hare that should have been quietly delivered to Cao Cao’s stables, I galloped through the capital to take care of the matter.