Exiled from the Capital! The Emperor’s Personal Coup Has Ended
The Emperor’s personal coup had come to an end. Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu, Wu Zilan, Chong Ji, and Wu Shi were all captured, and everyone connected to the plot was dragged off to the Daerisi for interrogation.
When Cao Cao’s household strode openly through the streets of Hudu, the fear in everyone’s eyes was unmistakable. From the moment they left the imperial palace until they reached home, Cao Cao had a word for each person he passed.
“General Zhang, I truly thank you for your help. It must have been exhausting coming all the way from Wancheng.”
“Not at all, Lord Chancellor. I set out the moment I received word.”
“Hmm. Now that I think about it, you didn’t come alone. You brought your entire family, didn’t you?”
“That is correct. Even if I remain in Wancheng, my aunt takes excellent care of everyone, so I entrust them all to you, Lord Chancellor.”
“Ah, in the chaos I nearly overlooked her, but she truly is a stunning beauty. Her appearance today was completely different from when I last visited Wancheng.”
So Cao Cao had finally met Lady Xu again. This time she had dressed with meticulous care and looked breathtaking, or so I had heard.
“I will look after your family well—your aunt included.”
“Th-thank you, Lord Chancellor!”
Even Zhang Xiu had now begun openly using Lady Xu to curry favor with Cao Cao.
Leaving him behind, Cao Cao next turned to Xu Shu.
“Yuanzhi, I hear your work in Yanzhou has been highly praised.”
“You flatter me, Lord Chancellor.”
“When I think about it, not only Ziyang but you as well are a benefactor who helped save our household. I fear I have treated you too poorly. I shall grant you a residence in Hudu and recommend you for the post of Gate Colonel. From now on, you may draw your salary in the capital.”
“Thank you, Lord Chancellor. In that case, may I bring my mother to Hudu as well?”
“Of course. Bring your entire family and settle comfortably in the capital.”
“Thank you, Lord Chancellor.”
In this timeline, Xu Shu had never met Liu Bei. He began as a wandering swordsman and entered Cao Cao’s service directly. Moreover, though he himself was unaware of it, he belonged to the Yingchuan faction. Now that he had returned to Hudu and received the rank of Gate Colonel, he would surely build close ties with Xun Yu, Xun You, Guo Jia, and the rest.
After Xu Shu, Cao Cao met Liu Ye.
“So you are Liu Ziyang, the one who came from Lujiang? I have heard much of your reputation.”
“Thank you, Lord Chancellor.”
“I am told that in your youth you were a righteous wandering hero, and as an adult you governed the entire administration of Lujiang with great skill. You and Xu Yuanzhi, whom I just spoke with, seem to be of the same mold.”
“To receive such high praise for a nameless junior from the southern party leaves me deeply moved.”
“Mmm~ Especially since Ziyang was recommended by Ziye. He told me you are a descendant of the Han imperial line, a member of the imperial family through Guangwu Emperor.”
“!?”
“Hahaha, after sending away my brother Xuande, a man with even thicker imperial blood has come to me. This is Heaven’s will—truly Heaven’s will!”
Cao Cao had once spoken of his own Mandate of Heaven. The throne above even those who bore the Liu surname of the Han imperial clan. He had considered it through Liu Bei, but after Liu Bei left and I recommended Liu Ye, Cao Cao had shown great interest. In this way, Liu Ye too had firmly caught Cao Cao’s eye.
Only then could Cao Cao finally enter his own residence with dignity. The grounds were already soaked with blood, and the walls were stained with it. Cao Ren and his soldiers had been waiting at the gate.
“Elder Brother, are you unharmed?”
“Zixiao, are you already recovered?”
“This is nothing.”
“You’ve worked hard. Truly, guarding our house must have been exhausting.”
Cao Cao comforted Cao Ren, then summoned the servants and pointed at the blood-soaked grounds.
“Clean it all up and burn incense to remove the stench.”
“Yes, my lord!”
When the gates opened and Cao Cao stepped inside, countless family members were waiting safely within.
“Father. This son has been waiting for you.”
“Father, I am relieved you are safe.”
“Hmm?”
The two boys waiting in the main courtyard were Cao Zhen and Cao Pi. They had already donned armor and swords—Heaven only knew when they had prepared them—and greeted their father in full martial array.
“Zihuan, Zidan. Why are you wearing armor and carrying swords?”
“Father, we personally fought the traitors who surrounded the house and saved everyone.”
“You two moved on your own?”
“Yes, Father.”
At that moment Cao Ang flinched upon seeing their weapons.
“Wait… those are the ones I use in battle. I stored them in the warehouse and locked them up.”
“They must have taken them without permission, or perhaps Uncle Zixiao opened the armory and they sneaked them out.”
Still, it was obvious that Cao Pi and Cao Zhen desperately wanted to earn merit and receive praise from Cao Cao, just like the rest of us.
“Ha, hahahahaha! These brats have done something bolder than I expected, eh? Hmm?”
Cao Cao laughed heartily as he stroked their heads and comforted them.
“I apologize, Father. I believed that if you and Eldest Brother were absent, it was the duty of the second son to protect the house.”
“Pi, have you already grown this much?”
Boasting to Cao Cao that he had fought the Emperor’s Tiger Army had clearly left a strong impression. Yes, it was about time for that boy too. Cao Pi had reached that age.
Cao Cao immediately gave the pair their first mission.
“Do you two wish to continue helping your father?”
“Yes, Father!”
“Then go at once to where the Grand Tutor is and assist Ziye with whatever he asks.”
“To Grandfather? Understood!”
Watching Cao Pi and Cao Zhen rush off in excitement, Cao Ang spoke with concern.
“This was a fight difficult to speak of openly, and the battle was no child’s play… yet they seem so happy.”
“That is what overflowing youthful vigor looks like.”
With that, Cao Cao headed to the inner quarters to check on his wives, concubines, and young children. Cao Ang went to his pregnant wife, while I returned to my own separate residence. There I embraced every one of my wives—including Cai Yan—and comforted them.
“I was so scared! No, it was even more terrifying than Lujiang!”
“The traitors outside kept shouting for us to surrender. I… I thought they were looking for me.”
“Sigh… I really thought something had happened to you, husband.”
“There, there. The women inside the house don’t need to know the details of state affairs. That’s enough. Since husband is safe, everything is fine.”
Cai Yan gently soothed Little Qiao, Yuan Jing, and Big Qiao until they calmed down. Then I approached Lu Ming, who had been standing apart, and pulled her into my arms. I heard that even she had drawn her sword during the chaos and fought several imperial guards.
“Husband.”
“You worked hard. You truly suffered more than the others. You’re not injured, are you?”
“Of course not.”
Yet even as she stayed in my embrace, Lu Ming quietly pointed toward the main hall.
“That little brat caused an accident.”
“Hmm?”
“Cao Cao… no, Uncle Mengde’s son.”
“Now, now, Ming. No matter what, you should call him your brother-in-law’s nephew.”
“That son, Cao Pi, got all excited and charged out with a sword on his own. Uncle Zixiao chased after him to clean up the mess, and the fight escalated.”
“…What?”
Ha, so Cao Pi, that bastard, caused trouble trying to earn merit on his own. Of course nothing would have happened to this house anyway. If I said that now, Cao Cao would probably laugh and say, “If he’s my son, he ought to have at least that much spirit,” and let it slide… but I was definitely going to beat that brat later.
After listening to Lu Ming’s story, I patted her gently once more.
That night, once everything had been roughly settled, Cao Cao called Cao Ang and me aside for a private drinking session. One other person had been brought to this gathering.
“Do you like the new clothes?”
“Hehehe, yes, my lord. I am truly, deeply grateful.”
“I also placed plenty of valuables in your home. I am a man who rewards and punishes strictly.”
“Aigoo, I am truly thankful.”
The old servant, dressed in fine silk, prostrated himself deeply. He had originally been Dong Cheng’s servant. To save his own life, he had stolen a secret letter from inside his master’s house and presented it to Cao Cao. With Dong Cheng’s clan already ruined, the servant had snatched the confidential document to save his own skin.
“So, is that what you brought?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Ziye. Read it for me.”
The servant handed the bamboo slip to me. I opened it and began to read. The contents were so shocking that my eyes widened at once.
“Ah… this is…”
“Is it merely the secret correspondence of powerless civil officials?”
“Uncle. This is far bigger than that. If this had succeeded…”
It was truly insane content.
“Then explain the contents yourself, Ziye.”
It appeared to have been written by the Emperor himself, and the Imperial Jade Seal stamped upon it made clear this was the grand strategy for the Emperor’s personal coup. The contents were as follows.
“The Imperial Father-in-law Dong Cheng used his daughter Dong Guiren to pass secret letters between himself and the Emperor. This document contains those treasonous details.”
“W-wait! Then that means His Majesty the Emperor…”
Just as Cao Ang asked in shock, the letter openly stated, “The mastermind behind this coup is the Emperor himself.”
Yet Cao Cao simply nodded and gestured for me to continue. So I deliberately avoided saying “the Emperor’s own heart” and instead framed it as Dong Cheng’s doing.
“It was… no, it was Dong Cheng who did this. His plan was for the General of Chariots and Cavalry, the Wei General, and the Central Colonel of the Tiger Army inside Hudu to join hands, gather the Guards Colonel and the Bear and Chariot Colonels, and lure the Grand Tutor and his family outside the city walls.”
“Mmm. But it failed, didn’t it? Continue reading—what came after?”
“The ones tasked with carrying out the mission from outside the court were… the Grand General of Hebei, Yuan Shao, the Left General Liu Bei, and one more unnamed person near Jingzhou and Yizhou…”
“It must be Liu Biao, Governor of Jingzhou, or perhaps the son of that Liu Yan fellow in Yizhou.”
“Yes. Those three would escort His Majesty the Emperor back to Luoyang, which you, Lord Chancellor, had restored, using their respective bases in Nanjun, Yejun, and Xiaopei. Then the three of them would combine their strength to revive the Han imperial house.”
“Uha, uhahahaha! So that’s how it was?”
“The Grand General’s estate would take military authority, the Left General would serve as Imperial Uncle and guard the Emperor, and the third party would handle public works, dividing the shares of the Three Ministers and Three Dukes among them.”
A triumvirate? Or should it be called separation of powers? It seemed the young Emperor had devised this system after suffering under the dictatorship of Dong Zhuo and Cao Cao.
Rather than concentrating power in one man like Cao Cao, it would be split among Liu Biao or Liu Zhang… yes, as Cao Cao said, Liu Biao was the most likely. The resulting power structure would be rather bizarre. Instead of the single-center system of He Jin, Dong Zhuo, or Cao Cao, Emperor Liu Xie would sit at the center, Yuan Shao would command the army, Liu Bei would guard the imperial family, and Liu Biao would manage public works—solidifying the Three Offices of Sima, Situ, and Sikong.
Of course, from their rear bases in Hebei, Jingzhou, and Xiaopei, they would politically revolve around a single Luoyang. I could roughly understand what that young Emperor had been thinking.
“That is what the document contained.”
“Ziye, do you know the political system of the late Emperor Han Lingdi?”
“I know a little.”
“What do you think the three axes were?”
“The first was the maternal relatives formed through imperial marriages, the second was the eunuchs who could directly convey the Son of Heaven’s will, and the third was the scholar-officials who formed one faction among the powerful local clans.”
“Correct. Among the maternal relatives, eunuchs, and scholar-officials, what ratio would you assign?”
“I believe the maternal relatives held three-tenths, the eunuchs three-tenths, and the scholar-officials four-tenths.”
“Wrong! Each of the three held two-tenths, while the Emperor held four-tenths of the power. He would then grant that share to whichever faction he favored most at the time!”
Ah, so the Emperor could always add his four-tenths to one side to create a six-tenths bloc against the opposing four-tenths. During the reigns of Emperors Huan and Ling, the Emperor’s four-tenths combined with the eunuch faction led by Cao Teng and others to form six-tenths, crushing the maternal relatives and scholar-officials. Whichever side held the majority, the imperial house would side with it.
“If the current Emperor was thinking along those lines… it wasn’t bad, but only half complete.”
Cao Cao laughed loudly and spoke to Dong Cheng’s servant.
“You have brought something quite remarkable. Even if it holds no practical value, it will serve perfectly as justification.”
“I-I am sorry, Lord Chancellor. Hehehe—”
The servant rubbed his palms together obsequiously. Honestly, if someone like this traitor existed in my own household, I would have dragged him out and executed him on the spot.
“You must leave Hudu at the first crow of the rooster tomorrow. I will give you a few coins, so can you keep your mouth shut for the rest of your life?”
“Of course, my lord. My lips are sealed tight. Hehehe—”
“Then be gone.”
“Yes, yes~”
It seemed he wouldn’t be killed. Well, from Cao Cao’s perspective, he had already captured everyone and was in an extremely relaxed mood.
Once the servant withdrew, Cao Cao emptied his wine cup and spoke to the two of us.
“Now everything is settled. Only you two remain.”
“…”
“…”
So this was the final matter concerning Dong Guiren.
“You pathetic fools. We could have crushed not only the entire Dong faction but everyone else. Why did you two step forward for that concubine?”
“Father, I believed it was far too cruel. Ziye must have thought the same and gone out as well.”
“Not right? Then are you saying your father is in the wrong?!”
“Th-that is not what I meant. It is only that if such a sight were shown in front of His Majesty the Emperor…”
“If Zihuan had been there instead of you, Zisu, he would have personally pulled the bowstring wrapped around Dong Guifei’s neck! Why is your heart so soft, Zisu?”
“Uncle! This happened because I acted on my own! The responsibility lies with me!”
“Indeed, and you are the same, Ziye!”
The funny thing was, although Cao Cao spoke harshly, both his eyes and mouth were smiling. It was obvious he was pleased inside but deliberately scolding us to tease us.
“I will gladly accept any punishment. It is better for the two of us to be scolded together.”
“That’s right. You must be punished. How infuriating. I shall exile both of you from Hudu. First, Zisu!”
“Yes, Father.”
“You are to return the position of Deputy to the Grand Tutor that you held while serving your grandfather, as well as the post of Palace Attendant!”
“…”
“Prepare your luggage with your wife. You will leave Hudu and take up the post of Prefect of Puyang and General Who Breaks the Enemy!”
Puyang was the land of Yanzhou right below the Yellow River—Cao Cao’s first base—and the foremost defensive line where all the powerful clans and military authority of Yanzhou were concentrated. Placing Cao Ang there and immediately granting him a general’s rank meant… the next target was indeed Yuan Shao.
“And Ziye! You are to relinquish your post as Gate Colonel. Because you are so infuriating, I will give it to someone else.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“Especially since you are even more infuriating, you will leave Hudu without any official post. Pack your luggage—wives and concubines included!”
“!?”
“Go stay at Mount Lushan. Do not even think of returning until I summon you!”
Wait… not only me, but taking all my wives and concubines to the Lushan hot springs near Chang’an… wasn’t that the place? In the Zhou dynasty it was called the Palace of Li, during the Qin it was Lishan Hot Springs, the Han Emperor Wu named it the Yi Palace, and in later times it would be known as Huaqing Pool—the greatest resort in the Central Plains, complete with hot springs and every luxury imaginable.
He was exiling me from Hudu, yet telling me to go there with all my women until he called for me?
So I asked one final question.
“Uncle, when you summon me again, will I receive the rank of Zhonglangjiang?”
“Look at this shameless fellow!”
Once again, Cao Cao raised his voice while his face was nothing but smiles.