Seeing Through the Heroine of Chaos
In the turbulent age, Cao A-man—better known as Cao Cao—had long been a master at concealing her true intentions. Everyone said she had a crafty viper coiled in her bosom, but no one knew what that serpent was truly thinking. No one could accurately guess Cao Cao's inner thoughts. Even those who grasped a rough sense of them could never glimpse the genuine heart beneath. That was how she managed to realize several grand ambitions. By hiding her true feelings behind a mask, she could fully unfold her will. No one knew Cao Cao's true inner heart.
Yet...
"Lady Cao Cao weighed Xuzhou against the realm itself?"
The man before her had pierced it exactly. A stranger she'd never met before, a man known only by rumor, had delved inside her as if he'd been there and seen it all.
"Yes. Xuzhou could hardly become good land, could it? You only brought it up to test me—to see if I truly have an eye for property."
"......Fascinating. The perspective that Xuzhou's ruler will be Lady Cao Cao is intriguing enough, but predicting that Xuzhou itself will fall in the future? Quite amusing. Truly."
She'd been about to leave, but curiosity had taken hold.
"Why shouldn't I buy land in Xuzhou?"
"You could buy it. In a hundred years, it'll be worth the price."
"A hundred years."
"Right now, or for the next decade at least, Xuzhou's value will keep plummeting. If it's land to pass to your descendants a century from now, buy it. Otherwise, wait longer. Though, of course, the buying is your choice, miss."
The man offered advice without forcing a decision. It was a petty way to dodge responsibility, but he had no reason to bear the consequences of Cao A-man's choices.
"That said, if you're buying, I'd suggest waiting a bit more. Jo Maengdeok will trample Xuzhou once again."
"...Once again?"
Again. She'd been seen through.
Anyone might think it, but to grasp it so precisely was another matter entirely.
"Yes. Once more. And this time, she'll shatter the entire land of Xuzhou. Crush it so thoroughly it can never rise again."
Once could happen. Twice might too. But three times?
"Why?"
"She needs to solidify her base before Yuan Shao fully eliminates Gong Sun-chan."
Four times. With every exchange, it felt like another layer of her shell was peeling away. Cao A-man could feel sweat trickling from her clenched fist.
"...What a truly fascinating perspective. Lady Cao Cao is allied with Yuan Shao. Or rather, one could say she's practically under his wing."
"I never said Jo Maengdeok would oppose Yuan Shao."
Cao A-man's words caught in her throat for a moment.
"Yet you seem to assume Jo Maengdeok will clash with him. Solidifying a base doesn't necessarily mean picking a fight."
"......."
The man gazed at Cao A-man impassively as he sipped his tea. She moistened her parched throat with her own cup.
"But it seems Master Jo Ja-yo has already reached a conclusion about Jo Maengdeok's path. That he'll stand in opposition to Yuan Shao."
"...To be frank, I'm one of Lady Cao Cao's people. More precisely, from the Cao clan."
A little more. To learn more, she needed to subtly draw out the truth. Even if the man showed faint displeasure at the mention of Xuzhou, Cao A-man revealed her background.
"Lady Cao Cao has been close with Yuan Ben-cho since youth. Even before the Luoyang Eight Scholars, they shared ideals. How could she possibly clash with him?"
"If she planned to act alongside Yuan Shao, she wouldn't have built her forces so grandly."
"What if she simply wants to stand shoulder-to-shoulder as an ally?"
"Then I'd like to think people are purely good-hearted. But applause comes from two hands meeting—though this clapping sound can happen even when one side is just slapping the other's cheek."
The man lightly tapped his own cheek with his hand.
"Even if Cao Cao built her forces amiably for Yuan Shao's sake, what if he demands her submission? What if he tells her to fold into his command?"
"Isn't that already the situation?"
"An alliance is different from a lord-vassal bond."
"......."
Cao A-man was no fool. She understood better than anyone what the man's words implied. Just as he had pierced Cao Cao's heart, she had pierced Yuan Shao's. Yuan Shao was the type to force her head into the dirt at his feet if she didn't bow.
"...Very well. Suppose his intent is not to break with Yuan Ben-cho just yet. What does that have to do with Xuzhou?"
"Jo Maengdeok wants to take Xuzhou slowly."
"...Slowly?"
"Yes. To keep Yuan Shao's eyes fixed northward, unable to turn south. If he crosses the Yellow River right away, who gets hit first? Cao Cao's forces. Gong Sun-chan is standing against him now, but even he's starting to look shaky. Anxiety is inevitable."
"Yuan Ben-cho could attack Cao Cao? Hmm...."
Spot on. Cao A-man had always worried about Yuan Shao. She fretted that as Cao Cao's power grew, he might decide to crush her before Gong Sun-chan. Chenliu had been subdued less than two years ago, and receiving the title of Governor of Yan Province from Yuan Shao hinted at who held the upper hand.
"From Yuan Shao's view, Cao Cao steadily expanding bases like Chenliu and Puyang, growing her sphere of influence— she could become a thorn. So she's timing her push against Tao Qian just right, coordinating it. When Yuan Shao marches to eliminate Gong Sun-chan personally, that's when she'll fully seize Xuzhou."
"......Isn't it for her mother's vengeance?"
"If that's seven parts, then other factors make up the remaining three."
A smile crept onto Cao A-man's lips unbidden. She'd tried not to, but it slipped out anyway.
"Fine. Then where do you recommend? Ji Province, where Yuan Shao is?"
"Well... If I had the money, I'd buy up the ruins around Luoyang."
"What?"
"Even rotten, it's still mackerel. Luoyang's land is too valuable to just lie abandoned. The original owners might cause headaches later, but it'll pay off. Once an age of great peace arrives."
The man's expression didn't change as he asked.
"There's the path of ruthless profit-grabbing, or one that yields a third less but earns people's respect. The choice is yours, Miss Cao A-man."
He dispensed his wisdom with utter calm.
"Luoyang..."
He laid out several paths for her. Methods all too familiar to Cao A-man. As she listened, she mulled them over, chewing on the thoughts again and again.
"Why tell me all this?"
"Why? Because..."
The man gestured outside.
"Fengxiao introduced you."
"......I see. Seems I've made some fine friends."
Cao A-man rose from her seat. Any more talk, and the final layer might peel away—she felt a chill at the thought.
"By the way, Master Geum, have you ever thought of entering service? You could easily claim a post."
"I'd just become a corrupt, bribe-ridden official. Heh, kidding. I prefer living freely with nature as my companion. And..."
For the first time.
Kim Taeyang smiled warmly.
"I want to raise a couple of cats and live leisurely."
"Raising stray cats is the kind of thing royals do. What do you think, Fengxiao?"
"......Who are you?"
"It's Maengdeok. Were you planning to drop the honorifics if it was A-man?"
"Yes."
Guo Jia shot Cao Cao—Cao A-man—a glance laced with faint contempt.
"You nearly fell for it. Using your childhood name as an alias."
"If you'd recognized my style name, you'd have spotted my identity ages ago. But you seemed clueless. Heh heh."
Cao Cao chuckled as she urged her horse onward. Even leaving Kim Taeyang's estate, her steps lingered reluctantly.
"What a shame, such a shame. For a guy like that, I'd love to keep him by my side just chatting. Yeah, that's it. I'd take responsibility, so he could just speak freely."
"...Well, he is that kind of person. But who knows? Put him in the game with a real seat at the table, and he might charge ahead more than anyone."
"You think? If so, that's a relief."
A smile lingered on Cao Cao's lips.
"Cute guy. Fengxiao, hear that? He called me 'miss.'"
"...Yes, must be nice. Hearing 'miss' from a man your age."
"Of course it is. Sigh, Fengxiao."
Cao Cao's face turned serious.
"Hey, ever thought about marriage?"
"Scary miss."
She looked like she could devour a crowd of people. And those eyes had definitely seen a killing or two.
"Get tangled with a woman like that, and your life's done for."
Dangerous types were best avoided.
"Definitely a Cao. Just like Cao Cao. Anyone'd think she was her daughter."
How old was Cao Cao this year? Yuan Shao already had three sons coming of age, helping with his affairs, so Cao Cao could easily have kids too.
"...Fengxiao didn't introduce her as a successor, did he?"
If so, I'd be pierced through the nose. He prayed fervently toward the woman who might be Cao Cao's hidden daughter.
"Don't turn into a crazy bitch like your mom."
Spring. Cao Cao launched her second invasion of Xuzhou.
"Crazy bitch."