The Wolves Raise Their Heads (3)
The forces of the Grand General, having safely enthroned the crown prince on the throne of the Ten Thousand Ages Emperor, had seized absolute power. The Ten Attendants faction had crumbled after the Geonseok Rebellion was quelled, effectively falling into ruin. Meanwhile, the pure-stream faction within the court harbored some dissatisfaction with a lowborn emperor ascending the throne but showed no outward signs, opting instead to observe the situation.
"We can say there is virtually no faction left capable of checking the Grand General's faction's dominance."
Lee Seong-hwi noted that with the new emperor's ascension, the era of the Grand General's office had dawned. Cao Cao nodded at his words.
"Having placed his nephew on the throne as the Ten Thousand Ages Emperor, it's no wonder He Jin's shoulders are swelling with arrogance."
Anger began to frost over her red eyes. He Jin, who had repeatedly slighted her because she was the granddaughter of an imperial eunuch family, had never been her true enemy—unlike the Ten Attendants—but she couldn't help feeling negative about such a loathsome figure now grasping the realm.
"But their dominance won't last long."
"Why is that?"
Cao Cao asked. The Grand General's faction, clutching all the realm's power—how could their run not endure? It was baffling enough to tilt one's head. She shot Lee Seong-hwi a look demanding a detailed explanation.
"Because of Empress Dowager He."
Empress Dowager He, who had seized the regency in place of her son on the throne. As the highest elder of the Han imperial house, she wielded the power to influence the court nobles through the emperor. Moreover, the Ten Attendants, stripped of their Gold Army command and power base, had fled into her shadow, volunteering as her allies.
"Though they share the same mother and are full siblings, power cannot be divided between two. With their shared goal of enthroning the crown prince achieved, it's inevitable they'll turn against each other, isn't it?"
They wouldn't draw blades on one another, but political opposition would breed certain discord. The Ten Attendants hiding in Empress Dowager He's shadow—those who had manipulated the regime like puppeteers—would seek to bend her to their will, meticulously stoking conflict to drag the He siblings to mutual destruction.
"But, Aide..."
"Yes, Lady Mengde."
"After being summoned by the eunuchs, what did you discuss with the emperor? I'm not doubting you, of course, but I'd like to know what was said."
Her red eyes stared openly. Though she claimed no suspicion, it was the look of a wife doubting her husband, demanding swift exoneration.
"I received his sincere thanks for saving his half-sister from the assassins."
"Is that all? Did he not offer you an official post?"
"He did propose one, but I firmly declined."
I am Lady Mengde's aide, so I cannot accept a position higher than hers. Lee Seong-hwi explained the reason for his refusal, pouring his true heart into it. Hearing this, Cao Cao flushed her pale cheeks red and fidgeted, at a loss.
"Ahem, ahem... I'm truly delighted to have such a loyal person as you by my side."
She was so genuinely pleased by Lee Seong-hwi's choice to remain at her side, even forgoing a high office, that she couldn't suppress a broad, carefree smile. Seeing her cross her arms and puff up proudly, Lee Seong-hwi chuckled softly and nodded.
"It was utterly outrageous for him to try poaching you from me... but now that it's known you have the emperor's trust, neither the empress dowager nor the Grand General will dare touch you lightly. Especially not now, so soon after his ascension."
Liu Bian was little more than a puppet stripped of real power by the He clan, but he still held the symbolic weight of being the Han emperor. They had no choice but to tread carefully. Yesterday, he might have been a beloved son or nephew; today, he was the legitimate inheritor of the throne.
"Still, the emperor's keen interest in you is suspicious. That boy, who's meekly stayed in the He clan's shadow like a dead rat, obeying every whim—why would he risk clashing with his own mother and uncle? Raised in the palace since childhood, he must grasp how the power dynamics work."
Liu Bian was weak-willed and naive, but not a complete fool like his father. So why risk his throne's legitimacy—the greatest threat being his politically rival half-sister—for mere sentiment? To Cao Cao, Liu Bian's actions were utterly incomprehensible, inexplicable oddities.
"Lady Mengde."
"What is it, Aide?"
Cao Cao lifted her head at Lee Seong-hwi's call, meeting his gaze. He then spoke.
"If He Jin were fated to die... what would you do?"
"That's quite sudden and out of nowhere."
Perplexed by the abrupt question, Cao Cao crossed her arms and pondered deeply. The idea of the Grand General—the realm's powerbroker—suddenly facing death was absurd nonsense, but she answered Lee Seong-hwi's query earnestly.
"If he perishes alongside the Ten Attendants, it would benefit us greatly. Of course, remnants like Benchu would rampage, but the collapse of central authority is something to welcome with open arms, wouldn't you say?"
The central power was overwhelmingly concentrated in He Jin's hands. With the Ten Attendants ousted after the Geonseok Rebellion, the court nobles were impotent mouthpieces. Who could replace him? No one. By talent and pedigree, Yuan Shao might lead, but the Grand General's generals were unlikely to back a Yuan girl from Yeongnam as his successor.
"If the Luoyang regime collapses... I would descend to Yanzhou with you and raise an army."
She stated flatly. If He Jin was fated to die, she'd be grateful if he met his end in the most ridiculous, foolish blunder.
"......"
Hearing Cao Cao's inner ambitions and desires laid bare, Lee Seong-hwi bowed his head with a complicated expression.
* * *
The bells began to toll. They signaled the hour and the curfew. As Xu Hour gave way to Hai Hour, the 定鐘 bells throughout Luoyang rang in unison, announcing the curfew to the city's people. True to that, as the bells pealed, the market folk hastened their steps homeward.
"Any issues?"
"None at all, Captain!"
His conversation with Cao Cao had dragged on longer than expected, so he left the Cao offices just as the bells began. Lee Seong-hwi oversaw the street-patrolling officers as he headed to the palace. It wasn't his duty night, but he wanted to briefly check the defenses at the Akseong Hall before returning home at dawn.
It's probably needless worry, but you never know.
With the emperor himself declaring his half-sister's safety paramount, the Grand General's faction wouldn't act rashly. Hadn't the last assassination failed? Besides, today was the emperor's coronation. Even the notoriously aggressive Grand General's men wouldn't strike now.
For Lady Mengde's rise to succeed, the central power must crumble, plunging Han deeper into chaos. And for that, He Jin—the head of that power—must die at the Ten Attendants' hands.
To usher in the era of warlords, the Ten Attendants' Rebellion was essential. That rebellion—where corrupt central power tore apart, devoured by a wolf from the west—was the worst catastrophe, the inner war that shattered the center and empowered regional warlords.
"Just move this, and we're good! Have mercy this once!"
"Fine, fine—just hurry home! Obey the curfew next time!"
Middle-aged merchants, who'd sold goods late into the market, appeared bundles in hand. The young guard, familiar with them, grumbled but magnanimously let them pass.
And Han's Imperial Guard Captain witnessed the scene.
"Argh!!"
"Ignore it. No need to make an example."
They weren't forcing the gate; mere curfew breakers. He had no desire to invoke the law's severity every time. Such violations happened nightly. If every offender were jailed, Luoyang's prisons would burst. Unless suspicious or shady-looking, they were often overlooked.
"Thank you, sir..."
Passing the relieved guard, Lee Seong-hwi heard a commotion shattering the late night's quiet hush en route to the palace.
"I'm just heading home with the散藥 I ordered from the apothecary!"
"Pay the toll, then. You'll pass safely."
"A toll at the gate? Preposterous!"
"Break curfew, pay the price."
A middle-aged woman raised her voice; the smirking officer countered her threats glibly. Approaching the uproar, Lee Seong-hwi spotted the torchlit squabble: a middle-aged maidservant and, behind her, a woman clutching a medicine packet, her face veiled in white gauze like a noble lady. Guessing as much, the officer demanded payment for passage, preying on their reluctance for inspection.
"Extorting bribes like this."
"Gah!!"
The officer, eyeing the noble lady's purse for profit, shrieked at Lee Seong-hwi's sudden query from behind.
"Gate Captain... no, Imperial Guard Captain, sir... It's not that—it's just a small tip for the guards patrolling the night streets... just a little..."
"Do I look like the kind of idiot who'd nod at that?"
A surge of justice fired up; Lee Seong-hwi handed the extortionist officer to the military supervisor. Afterward, he escorted the noble lady and her maid—who'd suffered due to the corrupt wretch—back to their estate. Curfew-breaking was wrong, but women wandering night streets alone was far riskier; he bore the brief trouble.
"I wish to repay the benefactor's grace."
"No need. Just doing my duty."
Her nightingale-sweet voice from behind the white veil stirred him; he shook his head.
"Please, come to the Wang household."
"...Wang household?"
"I am the adoptive daughter of Lord Father, who serves as Attendant Officer and Governor of Henan Commandery. He has a persistent cough, so I hurried to the apothecary."
Attendant Officer and Henan Governor. A Wang clan high official. I should know him. Pondering, Lee Seong-hwi glimpsed her veiled smile and stiffened, vaguely guessing her identity.