Sword of Power (2)
Cao Cao had sent Xiahou Dun to summon Lee Seong-hwi, but he never came. Why hadn't he? When his superior, who adored him endlessly, had called for him.
The black-haired woman gazed endlessly at the flickering flame on the verge of dying out, her forlorn eyes staring into the void like a wife abandoned by her husband, pouting in neglect.
Could he possibly have his heart set on another woman? No, impossible. Even after he became my aide, I had people secretly watching his every move. Aside from that vulgar little girl Bohai Wang, who loves fawning over men, there couldn't have been anyone else he approached.
She was barely eight years old. Moreover, under the scrutiny and surveillance of the Empress and the Grand General, her life hung by a thread—like a fly that could be swatted dead at any moment without raising an eyebrow.
That was why Cao Cao paid Liu Xie no mind. If even the Emperor wandering in limbo were to die, she'd just become an orphan scorned by all, losing every protector and doomed to perish at the hands of her enemies. Nothing more than that.
"Sister! Sister!! Big trouble!!"
Clatter-clatter. A shadow approached from beyond the paper screen door. A hurried voice called out, followed by the sound of running footsteps. Cao Cao's gaze turned toward the door.
"Aack!"
Thud-splat—a noisy crash, and the shadow beyond the door toppled downward. Clearly, she'd slipped on the slick wooden floor. If she'd been wearing socks, the risk of falling would have been even higher.
"C-Can I come in?"
Cao Hong's voice rang out. Cao Cao granted her permission to enter. The door slid open, revealing Cao Hong rubbing her forehead, which had smacked against the wall. She'd probably slid on the floor and banged right into it.
"Sorry, it was a bit slippery."
Cao Hong was indeed wearing socks. Seeing her, Cao Cao confirmed her guess had been spot on.
"What is it, Jiam?"
Cao Cao asked. Cao Hong jumped in surprise, then shouted in a frantic voice.
"The palace is in an uproar right now! We might need to head there immediately?!"
"Has the emergency decree been issued?"
"No, not yet... but it feels like the Grand General's office is about to summon all the commanders. If what I heard from the palace maids is true."
Cao Cao gestured for her to spill the details. Cao Hong nodded and opened her mouth.
"Assassins broke into the Eoseong Hall where Bohai Wang Liu Xie resides! They say the whole place is a sea of blood now?!"
"The Empress's doing. Or perhaps the Grand General's."
Or maybe both had schemed it together. The assassins had struck in the dead of predawn. Hearing that Eoseong Hall had been attacked, Cao Cao concluded it was undoubtedly the He clan's work. It was too blatant—obvious to anyone who gave it a moment's thought.
"If the He clan steeled themselves to unleash assassins, Bohai Wang must be dead. The guards at Eoseong Hall are Gold Army troops under the Grand General's command, aren't they?"
"No, Bohai Wang is safe."
"...What?"
If the Grand General's office had drawn their blades with murderous intent, an eight-year-old imperial princess's life would surely have been forfeit. Cao Cao's assumption was met with Cao Hong shaking her head.
At the news that Bohai Wang had survived, Cao Cao's eyes fixed on her.
"How?"
If they were assassins dispatched by the Grand General's office, the little princess's life should have ended swiftly under cold steel. Cao Cao stared at Cao Hong, demanding an answer. Hesitating, Cao Hong stammered, "W-Well..."
Under the pressure of Cao Cao's crimson eyes urging her to reveal the truth of what happened at Eoseong Hall, she began recounting in detail what she'd heard from the palace maids.
Over thirty assassins had all been slain by a single military officer. The news spread like wildfire through the palace.
It was the kind of epic tale that might appear in a hero's legend or an exaggerated folktale, piercing the veil of dawn and sending shockwaves through Luoyang and the surrounding areas.
"They say Eoseong Hall is a sea of blood."
"To slaughter thirty assassins single-handedly... It's like the Dragon Claw warrior has returned to life."
The officers bustled about. An emergency decree had gone out upon news that Eoseong Hall, where Bohai Wang Liu Xie resided, had been attacked by assassins. Some of them had fled, it was said. The hastily assembled Gold Army troops began combing the palace like hounds.
Even before the rooster's first crow in this early dawn, the palace teemed with officers mobilized for the search.
"Is it true you took down all the assassins yourself?"
"Yes, it is."
In the dim predawn hours, as every soldier involved in the search hurried about their duties, Lee Seong-hwi—who had butchered every assassin who struck Eoseong Hall—arrived at the Grand General's office. There, under the watchful eyes of Grand General He Jin, the Han dynasty's supreme power broker, and his subordinate generals, he gave a detailed report of the events.
So it's true he handled all thirty assassins. Shattered their spines with his bare arms, they say...
He Jin, seated in the center seat, rested his chin on his hand and glared fiercely at Lee Seong-hwi. An unbelievable monster. How could one man, alone, dispatch thirty seasoned elites?
The one who had trained those assassins was none other than his own retainer, Wu Guang. Under Wu Guang, they were swift, merciless killers, each worth a hundred men. Yet those swift, merciless killers had all met gruesome ends, reduced to cold corpses.
"Ahem! For protecting Bohai Wang from those brazen bandits, a reward is surely in order."
"Indeed. Who knew our Grand General's office harbored such a brave general. It's the Grand General's great fortune to have placed talents so wisely everywhere."
The subordinate generals, oblivious that He Jin himself had approved the assassination of Bohai Wang, praised Lee Seong-hwi's feat while flattering their superior.
Under their honeyed words, He Jin forced a bitter smile and nodded.
"Quite so."
Though he felt deep unease toward Lee Seong-hwi, he hid it well. Relaxing his stiff expression into a smile, he promised the hero a promotion and rewards for his great deed.
He wanted nothing more than to tear apart the wretch who had foiled the He clan's grand scheme to solidify the crown prince's position by killing Bohai Wang—but he had no means to do so now.
Those tattletale palace maids are calling that bastard the Dragon Claw?
As if it were absurd, He Jin scoffed inwardly. Dragon Claw? Comparing him to Chu's fierce general? Ridiculous. Why not say the Hegemon King himself had returned? He bristled at the palace maids' foolish chatter, praising the very man who had ruined his plans. The rumors irked him.
"Grand General!"
As the questioning—or interrogation—continued, the doors parted, revealing a young boy. He looked extremely youthful, perhaps in his mid-to-late teens at most. He wore robes embroidered with golden thread, proclaiming his noble status.
"Crown Prince, Your Highness!"
At the boy's appearance, He Jin and every general in the room rose and bowed. They recoiled in shock at the crown prince's unannounced visit to the Grand General's office, where the Han military's top brass gathered.
And small wonder—the mild-mannered, frail crown prince rarely set foot in this den of rough-faced generals.
"Uncle, I rushed here the moment I heard someone saved Xie!"
Crown Prince Liu Bian scanned the assembled figures with an excited voice. His eyes lit up as he spotted Lee Seong-hwi, intuitively recognizing the officer who had saved Bohai Wang, and he beamed with joy.
"Ahem."
He Jin cleared his throat awkwardly, indirectly showing his discomfort at the crown prince's delight. Unaware of his uncle's smoldering resentment, the prince—whose kind, gentle nature belied his origin from his shrewd, cunning half-sister's womb—showed pure fondness toward Lee Seong-hwi for rescuing her.
Your Highness! That man saved Bohai Wang Liu Xie—the biggest threat to your path, the one who endangers your position most!
He Jin longed to voice his frustration at the crown prince's affection, but he couldn't. With the prince overjoyed and the generals praising Lee Seong-hwi's merit, voicing dissent now would be tantamount to admitting he had sent the assassins himself.
Thus, swallowing his ire, He Jin played the doting uncle and addressed the crown prince.
"Welcome, Crown Prince, Your Highness. Without any notice..."
"I hurried here upon hearing that the officer who saved my sister from those villains was at the Grand General's office. As her brother, it's only natural to thank her savior, isn't it?"
A military officer of exceptional prowess had protected Bohai Wang and the palace maids from over thirty assassins. Hearing this, Liu Bian had come to express his gratitude and behold this mighty hero.
"I am truly grateful for saving Xie. In my name, I shall grant whatever you desire—speak freely."
The crown prince, soon to ascend as emperor and become the Han's supreme sovereign, made this bold offer right before the culprit who had sent the assassins: anything for the man who had slain them all.