The Fierce Beast (2)
He Jin learned of a perilous scheme from his longtime retainer, Division Captain O Gwang, one that called for eliminating Bohai Wang Liu Xie before she could become the seed of disaster. Unable to decide on the spot, he crossed into Gadeok Hall, home to his sister—the empress of Han.
It wasn't a matter he could settle alone; he needed her counsel.
"What brings you here? The crown prince is due to arrive at the palace any moment now."
The crown prince had planned to stop by Gadeok Hall from the East Palace, yet here was her brother barging in without warning. Empress Dowager He made no effort to hide her irritation. Once as close as blood could bind them before she entered the palace, their sibling bond had frayed as their interests in wealth and power diverged.
"For the grand undertaking of House He, we must set great events in motion."
"Great events? At a time like this?"
Empress Dowager He feigned surprise at her brother's grave expression as he spoke of raising arms.
He Jin nodded. "It's precisely because of the times that we must act. Should His Majesty awaken, he'll surely name Bohai Wang as the new heir. The Ten Attendants will back her to the hilt, just as Jian Shi tried to depose the crown prince and enthrone her."
"That can never happen! Do you know what I did to that vixen Wang Yong...?"
It was utterly unacceptable. Empress Dowager He raised her voice, insisting her own son could never yield the throne to the daughter of Consort Wang, who had vied for the emperor's favor.
"That's why we'll deploy seasoned assassins for a ruthless strike. Even if His Majesty wakes, the succession will stand unchanged."
"Of course we must eliminate her."
Empress Dowager He nodded without hesitation upon hearing O Gwang's proposal from her brother. It was the cold resolve of a woman who gripped the Han imperial house in her fist. She accepted the reckless plan to unleash trained killers on a little princess without a qualm.
"The problem lies in the risks. Deploying assassins inside the palace for regicide endangers us too. I trust O Gwang to handle it flawlessly, but if anything goes awry... everything we've built could crumble."
Unlike his sister, who embraced the plan outright, He Jin still wavered. He fidgeted in his seat, unrest plain on his face, his decision unmade.
"Why hesitate? As you said, the emperor might spring from his sickbed tomorrow! If he sets that woman's daughter on the throne instead of our side, it's all for naught!"
He Jin swallowed hard at his sister's venomous outburst and nodded. She was right. Hadn't O Gwang said the same?
The Court Physician's word means nothing. We trusted that quack, and look where it's gotten us.
The Court Physician, tending the emperor's illness, had foretold death within three days. Yet that prophecy failed. Three days passed—no, six—and the emperor still clung to life with labored breaths. He Jin no longer trusted the physician's reports. Neither the assurances of no recovery nor the calls to prepare his heart held weight. Casting aside the predictions of imminent demise, He Jin fully embraced the peril: the emperor might recover and name Bohai Wang his heir.
"You're right... For House He's dominion, for Crown Prince Liu Bian's eternal reign, it must be done."
He Jin spoke with steely resolve etched on his face. Victory's peak loomed. One more step—that was all. Why falter now? He'd crushed countless foes to seize wealth and power. He'd broken with the Ten Attendants, who once backed their rise lavishly, to claim his current station. No hesitation. No quibbling over methods. Survive at all costs and emerge the final victor. That was the brutal lesson the siblings—empress and Grand General of Han—had learned in the empire's savage politics.
If the emperor changes heirs as Ji says, it's all ashes. I won't watch our painstaking tower topple over a moment's doubt. Not this tower we've built...! For our house's century-long plan, for our proud crown prince! I'll soil these hands without regret!!
What was there to hesitate over? When his nephew ascended, boundless glory awaited. He must unleash O Gwang's swift assassins, claim Bohai Wang Liu Xie's life, and uproot the threat. No peril to House He's world could be spared.
Upon hearing that her aide Lee Seong-hwi had frequent contact with the caged little princess, Cao Cao dispatched Cao Hong to investigate. The reports rang true. Whether out of pity for the girl suffering House He's vicious scorn and torment, he'd not only delivered her letter to the eunuch at the Hall of Revered Virtue but also shared outside news with her from time to time.
"What were you thinking, showing kindness to Consort Wang's spawn? If the Grand General or empress finds out! You'd be cast out by House He for sure!!"
Cao Hong's voice sharpened to a point. House He, masters of court and military, stood at the pinnacle of Han power. Empress Dowager He ruled the palace; Grand General He Jin commanded the armies. To them, Bohai Wang Liu Xie was a thorn in the eye. And wasn't the empress the true killer of the girl's mother? Rumors swirled through the palace that once Crown Prince Liu Bian ascended and she became empress dowager, she'd poison Liu Xie too.
"Just think of it as handing candy to a kid. No need to overthink it."
"The empress murdered Consort Wang outright for the emperor's favor alone! That venomous witch won't spare Bohai Wang—or anyone tied to her!"
Cao Hong clawed at her hair, heaving a sigh thick with lament. She couldn't fathom why he'd approached Liu Xie, but if it stemmed from even a shred of pity, he needed reining in now. His fate mattered little, but as her cousin's aide, any blowback on Cao Cao demanded swift intervention. She raised her voice accordingly.
"Yuanyang."
"Yeah."
Xiahou Dun looked up at Cao Cao's call.
"Fetch the aide at once."
"Got it."
Xiahou Dun rose. Cao Cao glanced at her retreating back, then asked Cao Hong to step out briefly. With a quick bow to her cousin, Cao Hong complied.
"Am I, Cao Mengde, truly jealous of an eight-year-old girl? Laughable. The aide's care for Bohai Wang is but a trifling kindness born of pity."
Cao Cao sighed deeply. From the plump lips of that beauty flowed jealousy and envy. She didn't know what sparked Lee Seong-hwi's ties to Bohai Wang Liu Xie among the palace guards, but it irked her. Lee Seong-hwi was hers—Cao Mengde's man. He belonged to no one else, would be given to none. Not even to the emperor's daughter, not even to some eight-year-old chit. He was hers. The one she'd chosen first, discovered first.
"That little brat dares..."
To covet what was mine? Filth of a rotting Han court. The displeasure differed from what she felt toward Yuan Shao. Hostility burned toward Yuan Shao for trying to steal him away; toward Liu Xie, who wagged her tail pitifully to drag him into danger's mire, Cao Cao harbored murderous spite.
"Stealing what's mine."
Cao Cao slammed her palms on the desk, eyes blazing as she lifted her head.
As the hour of Shen yielded to You, before departing the palace, Lee Seong-hwi slipped into Akseong Hall for a brief chat with Liu Xie. He knew he shouldn't grow close to the little princess. Yet every evening, he couldn't steel his heart against the sight of her lingering by the gates, waiting. He became her conversation partner.
"Where are you headed?"
Heading home past Akseong Hall's gates, Lee Seong-hwi spotted soldiers from the Grand General's headquarters. He halted them. They were clearly the guard detail around the hall—why were they suddenly withdrawing?
"We march to the West Palace on Division Captain's orders."
"West Palace? Why?"
"To clear rubble from the halls collapsed in the recent Xiyuan unrest."
The Grand General's forces had pulled guards from palace duty to clear fire-gutted ruins. The sooner the unsightly mess vanished, the better. Insisting the charred wreckage couldn't stand, they'd even mobilized off-duty reserves kept on standby for emergencies.
This late in the evening?
Sunset neared. Soon darkness would blanket the world. Why push debris clearance into the deepening night when daylight sufficed? Even with torches mimicking day, it felt off.
If manpower's needed, conscript laborers or levy the commons. Why pull palace guards—the capital's elite—from their posts?
Eyeing the withdrawing troops, Lee Seong-hwi sensed something amiss. Too brazen. Crude and slipshod. The intent screamed obvious to anyone who paused to think.
"Hey, Lee Seong-hwi."
As he turned back to gaze at Akseong Hall's pavilions beyond the walls, a familiar voice rang out. A woman with red hair cascading to her waist grinned and waved. Gold Army Captain Xiahou Dun.
Evidently not here on official business, she wore her usual attire.
"Mengde's pissed as hell right now. Heard you've been cozying up to the princess in Akseong Hall?"
Xiahou Dun chuckled, jabbing his ribs with an elbow and tossing a teasing jab.
"You know how brutal the palace mood is these days. Falling afoul of the empress and Grand General in this powder keg? Suicide. Mengde orders you to cool it and come back."
"Mengde's command?"
"Yep. She's so worried about you, she can't sleep. Her orders."
Playful, laced with jest. Yet unmistakably Vanguard Captain Cao Cao's decree. Shun Bohai Wang Liu Xie. No meddling with the princess under the empress and Grand General's boot. Lee Seong-hwi, who knew Cao Cao's heart best, grasped her true intent from Xiahou Dun's words.
"......"
He pondered silently, lips pressed tight. Then he spoke to her again.
"Lady Yuanyang, I have a request."
"Just call me Yuanyang... So, what's the ask? As long as it's not a confession. I seriously can't handle Mengde. Don't wanna get killed by her."
"Of course not."
"Hey, I'm a woman too! Kicking me to the curb without mercy!"
Xiahou Dun grimaced in mock offense, but Lee Seong-hwi ignored it. His gaze dropped to the sword at her waist.
Qinggang Sword. He stared intently at the famed blade of the Cao clan, its subtle gleam reflecting from the torches lighting palace and halls, lost in deep thought.