Whoever Touches Little Xinye (4)
Publicly, the Emperor of Han was a man, and it was well-known that he was married. Of course he was male. If the ruler of a nation remained a bachelor without marrying, how could the kingdom's discipline not slacken?
"It's because the Emperor hasn't married that the country's in this mess!"
"He's got no virtue since he doesn't even have a wife!"
"Why should I get married if the Emperor himself won't?"
If the Emperor didn't marry and produce heirs, the realm could plunge into chaos. And so, the Emperor took a wife. Not a man in drag, but a real woman. She was a lady called Dong Gu-in, of the Dong clan. Her name was Dong Baek. And who was she? None other than the daughter of the current Emperor's father-in-law and State Uncle Dong Seung.
"Hoo..."
Dong Seung gazed up at the night sky, lost in melancholy. As the Emperor's in-law and one of the few who knew his secret, he had labored tirelessly to shield the Emperor from Li Jue and Guo Si. To that end, he had married off his own daughter to him. Even knowing the Emperor's body brimmed with yin energy rather than yang, even knowing he was sending his daughter to wed a woman, he had forged the marital bond. Thanks to this, the Emperor was safe from the daughters and nieces Li Jue and Guo Si kept pushing on him.
In a way, Dong Seung had made the first move. But unlike the others, he had genuinely aided the Emperor. He had even rescued him from the clutches of those two demons and fled Chang'an together. Yet now, with Cao Cao sheltering the Son of Heaven and becoming the new court's master, Dong Seung no longer had the power to let the Emperor stand tall.
But when someone else handled what he couldn't with such effortless skill, jealousy and envy were bound to stir.
"...The Prime Minister, huh."
Especially if that someone was a woman he loathed the sight of. Dong Seung ground his teeth repeatedly as he filled and emptied his cup alone. If Cao Cao had been before him, he might have torn her apart.
"A eunuch's adopted daughter climbing to Prime Minister? Hah, is this because the nation's sovereign is a woman?"
Cock-a-doodle-doo.
As dawn broke, a rooster crowed. Listening to it, Dong Seung sighed in lament.
"They say if a hen crows, the house falls to ruin. Old sayings never miss the mark!"
Dong Seung lamented, unheard by anyone. Having dismissed all his attendants and drowned his solitude in drink until dawn, pouring out endless complaints for hours on end, his household now avoided him whenever he took to the garden alone with his bottle. The secret known only to Dong Seung and Dong Gu-in had yet to reach any ears, but someday it would come to light.
"The union of yin and yang is the natural way, yet two yins have met—what am I to do?"
No matter how they tried between the current Emperor and Dong Gu-in, no heirs would come. To resolve it, Dong Gu-in would need to bear a child—but that meant the imperial bloodline would end. To continue the line, consider the opposite? Could they hide the Emperor from the court for months?
The Emperor was a woman. To those who knew the truth, it was a massive shock and vulnerability. Cao Cao had cunningly exploited it to rise high. The Emperor was a woman. As another woman, she personally handled the inconveniences and won the Emperor's favor. Now she wielded unchecked power in Heodo.
"The Prime Minister's seat must look like a joke to her. Heh heh."
Dong Seung cackled as he chugged straight from the bottle.
"A vulgar upstart with nothing but money becoming a nation's Prime Minister! Haha, she thinks it's her world. Meddling in state affairs as she pleases. Huh? Damn it, stuffing her cronies everywhere..."
Crash.
Dong Seung hurled the empty cup downward. Shattering against the railing, the fragments sank slowly into the water below.
"...I saved the Emperor, yet he favors Cao Cao instead. Of course... because they're both women...?"
Dong Seung gripped his bottle tighter.
"Hah. Really. The arm always bends inward, huh? Heh heh heh. If I'd known I'd be snubbed like this... Hoo. Why doesn't he recognize my sincerity? I'm different!"
His shout twisted into a pale expression.
"...Has she figured it out?"
Dong Seung bit his nails in anxiety.
"No. How, after I washed away my past? Just because she's Dong kin, she wouldn't try to eliminate me, right? Teaming up with Cao Cao for revenge on Dong Zhuo... she wouldn't betray me like that. No, if she has any conscience."
Dong Seung paced, muttering to himself.
"Right. I married my daughter to her, knowing she can't bear heirs— she owes me! That's the way of the world!"
He slumped against the railing.
"Damn it..."
Tinkle-tinkle.
A bell rang from afar. The servants he had sent away, wanting to drink alone, were rushing back to find their master.
"What is it?!"
"A guest has arrived, sir."
"At this hour?"
A strange feeling stirred in Dong Seung, but deep in his cups, he waved it off and agreed to receive the visitor.
"Tell them my words might be rough from the drink—beg their pardon!"
"I'm listening, State Uncle Dong."
"...And who might you be?"
The man appearing behind the servant cupped his hands with a sly smile.
"I am Zhen Feng."
"Zhen Feng...?"
"Currently serving Lord Yuan Shao in his army."
"...!!"
Chills ran down Dong Seung's spine.
"How did you get all the way here...? Why would Yuan Shao's man seek me...?"
"No desire to oust Cao Cao?"
"......I see. Come this way first."
Dong Seung arranged a private spot for Zhen Feng. As the sun rose stronger, his mind cleared.
"Yuan Shao's forces contacting me—to drive out Cao Cao?"
"Precisely, to kill Cao Cao."
Kill Cao Cao. At those electrifying words, Dong Seung perked up his ears.
"Speak."
"State Uncle, forget everything else—just do this one thing."
Whisper whisper.
Zhen Feng relayed the scheme without reserve. Dong Seung pondered long before speaking.
"...You know what happens if I tell Cao Cao."
"You're not the type to step up so boldly, are you, State Uncle?"
"......."
This man's words grated. But they rang true, leaving Dong Seung speechless.
Dong Seung wouldn't betray to Cao Cao. He'd either take it to the grave or join in to kill her. Just one concern lingered.
"...Forge the Emperor's edict and distribute it secretly? Isn't that too dangerous?"
Forge the Emperor's edict! Even if the imperial authority had waned, faking the Emperor's command could cost one's head—even Cao Cao's.
"That's why it's an edict. No proper seal, just the Emperor's handwriting as proof. And once that's gone, no one can tell who wrote it."
"...Then like-minded folk will emerge one by one. We've suffered plenty from Cao Cao. However."
Dong Seung's worry was singular.
"Will His Majesty grant it?"
"Haha, why worry about that?"
"...What?"
"If no one can tell who wrote it, does it matter who did?"
"Are you saying... forge the edict?"
"Forge? State Uncle, think. If this succeeds and Cao Cao falls and dies, what then?"
Zhen Feng whispered so only Dong Seung could hear.
"If those in the know quietly take it to their graves, even a lie becomes truth."
"......."
"Governor!"
"Yes, Father!"
Liu Biao scooped up his son himself. The boy, who took strongly after his wife Lady Cai, was precious enough to cherish like the apple of his eye.
"What did you learn today?"
"I memorized the entire Thousand Character Classic!"
"Oho, really? What brilliant talent! Even I was ten before I mastered it. To grasp it so soon—you'll be a great man. Haha!"
Liu Biao stroked his son Liu Zong's head and greeted his wife.
"My lady, no illnesses with Zong-er?"
"None. Who would care for our son more than me? Of course it's me."
"Haha, true. You'd have told me if he was ill. Son, grow up strong and unharmed."
"Yes, Governor!"
"...But calling me 'Governor' all the time feels a bit off."
At Liu Biao's words, Liu Zong paled.
"Why not call your father 'Father'?"
"Th-that's..."
"I told him to."
Lady Cai took Liu Zong down. He hid behind her skirts as she lifted her chin calmly.
"He's no ordinary child—not just Cai blood, but son of Jingzhou's Governor Liu Jing Sheng. How could he casually call his father 'Father'? From youth, calling by title teaches him we're public figures."
"Still..."
"Or what?"
Lady Cai bared her teeth with a growl.
"You wouldn't raise our Zong-er as a commoner instead of official, would you? Not pass the succession to the young master...?"
"N-no! That's not a talk for before the boy."
"Hah, you're too much. Now that I've borne a son and my position's secure, the Cai are a done deal? Even with Xinye—our kin there in droves, yet no reinforcements? No, they're your subjects first, Governor. Surely..."
Lady Cai whispered low.
"You don't think Xinye's people aren't your subjects, do you...?"
"Absurd! That's my land! My people!"
"Then why sit idle?"
"......Understood. I'll have Liu Fan stop at Xinye first."
Convinced by Lady Cai, Liu Biao redirected the troops originally bound for Jiangxia as reinforcements to Xinye. By then, the bandits had already closed in on Xinye Castle.