The Vanguard Captain's Aide (3)
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Cao Cao had been acting on her own initiative, evading the watchful eyes of the Grand General's office, but Yuan Shao had known about it for a long time. She had turned a blind eye to it. The Grand General's office already had a firm grip on the Han dynasty's power. No matter how independently Cao Cao acted, it was impossible for her to overturn the established order.
"Lee Seong-hwi?"
Before investigating the scheme Cao Cao was plotting with her relatives, Yuan Shao looked into the man she had taken as her aide.
Lee Seong-hwi. He had been a Gate Captain until recently. Vanguard Captain Cao Cao had gone so far as to bribe the Ten Attendants and the military bureau to bring this man on as her aide. Once Yuan Shao obtained that information, she began a thorough investigation into the officer named Lee Seong-hwi. She wanted to know why Cao Cao had put in so much effort to make him her aide.
"He is an officer known for his diligence and integrity. I've heard he receives good reviews even from the young men of Luoyang."
"Is that so? A most intriguing figure. How is it that I was unaware of such a man?"
Resting her chin on her hand, Yuan Shao tapped her cheek with her fingers, her expression lost in thought at her subordinate's report.
Lee Seong-hwi. An intriguing man. Diligent and upright. She liked that about him. One might call it an unremarkable virtue, but in an era teeming with petty climbers who advanced through bribes, a man praised for his diligence and integrity piqued her interest.
Mengde has a better eye for talent than I do. I must concede that point.
She let out a soft chuckle. It irked her that an intriguing talent had been snatched away by Cao Cao. She felt resentment at missing out on a capable man and falling a step behind her rival.
But that was all. Her own command already brimmed with talented generals. There was no need to obsess over a single talent taken by Cao Cao.
"Continue monitoring Mengde's movements."
"Understood."
The time was drawing near. The great undertaking was almost at hand. The moment the emperor passed, Prince Liu Bian would be named as the next successor. He would ascend the throne, and Grand General He Jin, his uncle, would seize all the Han dynasty's power. And after that...
The emperor, bedridden with a grave illness, was hastening toward his end. The occupant of the jade throne would soon change. Ambitious warlords began preparing for the time after the emperor's death.
Grand General He Jin, Mid-Army Captain Yuan Shao, Vanguard Captain Cao Cao, and Colonel of the Tiger Guards Yuan Shu—each with their own calculations—waited quietly like dragons in slumber for the moment to rise.
"The emperor's only thirty-four. He's still in his prime. Even with a serious illness, he can't die that soon."
Xiahou Dun spoke up. Lee Seong-hwi responded.
"The emperor ascended the throne at just thirteen. From then on, he's weathered the world's storms while indulging in wine and women. Having ruined his body and mind from such a young age in pursuit of pleasure, it's no wonder his lifespan has been cut short."
Lee Seong-hwi stated with conviction that the current emperor would soon perish, as if it were certain. Cao Cao nodded in agreement. Xiahou Dun shrugged and muttered, "If you say it that firmly."
"You're quite the catch. Hmm, I like that overflowing confidence of yours."
Xiahou Dun stared straight at Lee Seong-hwi, giving him a positive appraisal. His features were handsome enough. And he brimmed with confidence. In a world overflowing with petty men tossed about by the winds of fate, he was a rare breed. For Xiahou Dun, whose ideal was a bold, manly warrior, it was only natural to take an interest in him. Moreover, this man had Cao Cao's approval. Before her dishonest cousin could formally claim him, Xiahou Dun wanted a taste.
"If the emperor dies and Princess Liu Xie of Bohai succeeds him..., the Ten Attendants will be cornered."
Cao Cao said. Lee Seong-hwi nodded in affirmation.
"Yes. And cornered rats will bite the cat's throat."
The power struggle between the Ten Attendants and the Grand General. No one was unaware of the long-standing feud between the eunuchs and the martial faction. When the emperor passed, the conflict would reach its peak. The eunuchs, who had lost their protector against the fierce martial faction, would resort to extreme measures for survival and to protect their vested interests.
"Once the emperor dies and the Ten Attendants clash fiercely with the Grand General..., what should we do, Mr. Smartypants?"
Suddenly dubbed "Mr. Smartypants" by Xiahou Dun, Lee Seong-hwi shrugged.
"Nothing in particular. If a shrimp meddles in a whale fight, it'll just burst its side open."
"Haha! Can't argue with that."
Xiahou Dun burst into laughter at the cheerful analogy. It was an explanation even a fool could grasp. Two whales and one shrimp—that was the current plight of their minor force, soon to be known as Cao Cao's army after they raised troops.
"Then, should we simply observe from the sidelines?"
"Of course not."
Even a shrimp has its own ways. Though unable to take center stage, it would lay the groundwork from the wings for future opportunities.
"Prepare the troops in anticipation of the Ten Attendants and the Grand General's office making their move."
Lee Seong-hwi spoke to Cao Cao with a confident voice, as if he had a firm plan. Cao Cao accepted her trusted aide's proposal.
"Understood."
This is the power of love, Xiahou Dun muttered. Cao Cao's face flushed crimson in an instant.
"Kuh! Shut your mouth, Yuanyang."
"Fine, fine. I'll take my leave, so you two enjoy the mood."
Xiahou Dun rose from her seat. Left alone with Lee Seong-hwi, Cao Cao steadied her flushed cheeks with deep breaths. Her briefly reddened face calmed. Regaining her composure, she returned to her usual self. She couldn't show an unsightly side to her aide. Her cousin's words just now were merely a mischievous jest, and she wanted to prove her heart wasn't swayed by such things.
"Aide, do you truly intend to cooperate with me?"
"I am Mengde's aide, after all."
"It risks being misunderstood as plotting rebellion. If you seek advancement, it would be better to shelter under the Grand General's office."
Foreseeing the emperor's death and preparing for the aftermath carried a high risk of appearing treasonous. Despite that, Cao Cao felt doubt—and a twinge of fear—at Lee Seong-hwi's willing cooperation. Was she forcing him into this for her own ambitions? It was a thorny path that might pit them against the Ten Attendants' faction and the Grand General's forces. Cao Cao wasn't so cold-blooded as to push an innocent man down such a road.
"I will cooperate with you solely to protect Luoyang. As a mere Gate Captain, I am blind to grand justice and ideals..., but all I want is to safeguard Luoyang."
He would join hands for the sake of Luoyang and its people. Though he called himself blind to grand justice and ideals, Cao Cao believed Lee Seong-hwi possessed a shining sense of duty brighter than anyone's.
"Is Luoyang your hometown?"
Cao Cao asked. Lee Seong-hwi shook his head.
"No."
"Hmm. You truly are an enigma. I can't fathom your origins or your clan."
In the Han dynasty, where talents were recommended through the system, factors like regional ties, blood relations, and scholarly connections weighed heavily in appointments. Yet Cao Cao had chosen Lee Seong-hwi as her aide based solely on his personal qualities and abilities.
"It's merely meddlesome curiosity."
"No. I value even that about you."
"Thank you. As expected, Mengde is an excellent superior."
As Lee Seong-hwi bowed his head in sincere gratitude, Cao Cao smiled shyly in response.
Emperor Liu Hong lay on his sickbed, breathing raggedly as he raced toward his final moments. His life was nearly spent. At just thirty-four, he was about to meet his end.
"Ugh... hngh..."
The emperor uttered a pained groan. Perhaps he instinctively realized that if he departed like this, the Han dynasty would lose its vitality forever. But nothing was permitted. For a foolish ruler who had ruined the state indulging in debauchery with the eunuchs, for a tyrant who had sold offices and shattered the nation's foundations—what chance did he have?
"Father! Make way! I must go to Father!"
A beautiful princess with golden hair cascading to her waist shouted a fierce warning. Yet the guards blocking Jadede Palace did not step aside. Instead, they pressed her harder. Empress Dowager He, who controlled all the palace guards, thoroughly blocked the princess from entering, fearing the emperor might abdicate to Princess Liu Xie of Bohai.
"M-Mother... Aren't we all of imperial blood? Please allow her entry..."
Liu Bian, the emperor's son and elder brother to Princess Liu Xie of Bohai, tried to persuade his mother. He wanted to attend their father together. At her indecisive son's words, Empress Dowager He's eyes flashed sharply.
"Get a grip, Prince! The power struggle has long begun. To survive the vortex unscathed, you must act with resolve!"
The stern yet loving empress dowager, armed with ambition and affection to make her son emperor, bellowed. They had to steel their hearts. To survive amid the Ten Attendants, the Grand General's office, and ambitious provincial forces, they could not afford weakness.
"Brace yourself. The prince will soon inherit the throne."
Empress Dowager He said, biting her lip. The emperor did not love his son. Due to his dark, timid nature conflicting with court etiquette, he had delayed naming him crown prince for years. Without Grand General He Jin as his uncle, he never would have been enfeoffed. The successor the emperor truly favored was Liu Xie, Princess Liu Xie of Bohai.
Empress Dowager He was wary of that. Though the princess had lost her mother early and been sidelined from power struggles, upon hearing the Ten Attendants planned to enthrone Liu Xie to check the Grand General's office, she began openly suppressing her.
"B-But..."
"Prince! From now on, Princess Liu Xie of Bohai is your enemy! Your rival—do you understand?!"
Sharing the same blood and father, they could never coexist. Though Liu Bian was enfeoffed as crown prince, without a formal edict of abdication, his position remained precarious. Thus, Empress Dowager He had secretly summoned her son and his aides to Jadede Palace to discuss the emperor's death. To safely enthrone her son as the next emperor, they absolutely needed the Grand General's troops.
"Quickly summon the Grand General and his generals to Jadede Palace."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The palace maid hastened toward the Grand General's residence at the empress dowager's solemn command. And at the same time, guards bribed by the Ten Attendants headed to the residence of Mid Attendant Jian Shi (Geonseok).