Chapter 3: Selling His Own Father-in-law

Upon hearing these words, Cao Cao's expression froze slightly. What did this mean? Was he being forbidden to go? These were words Liu Xie had never dared utter in all these years!

“I wonder… what matter is it that Your Majesty wishes me to handle?” By now, Cao Cao’s tone had grown noticeably colder.

“This affair,” the emperor replied, “does in fact concern me a little, but it relates far more to you, Lord Chancellor. Last night, General Wang Zifu came to my palace and sought to verify something with me. He claimed I had once written a blood-sealed edict and hidden it in a sash for General of Chariots and Cavalry, instructing him to find a way to kill you. However, I seem to recall nothing of the sort. So, before all my ministers, I ask you to help me remember.”

Such words were like a thunderbolt cast into the heart of court. In that instant, nearly every face stiffened—Cao Cao, Dong Cheng, and the bewildered Wang Zifu alike.

Wang Zifu stared at Liu Xie in utter disbelief, then at Dong Cheng.

Dong Cheng, for his part, stared incredulously at Wang Zifu, then, his gaze trembling, looked toward Cao Cao.

Cao Cao glanced blankly from Liu Xie to Wang Zifu, then to Dong Cheng. Seeing they all wore the same expression, he finally cast a questioning look at Guo Jia.

Guo Jia, however, looked at no one. From the moment Liu Xie uttered those words, his brow had knotted deeply, his gaze fixed on his own toes, unblinking.

Cao Cao understood at once that Guo Jia was turning the matter over in his mind. Before Guo Jia spoke, he dared not act rashly.

To sum up, this matter was simple enough.

The emperor’s father-in-law, Dong Cheng, had forged an imperial edict in Liu Xie’s name—a blood-sealed order hidden in a sash—hoping to deceive Wang Zifu, who held some military power, into joining a scheme to kill Cao Cao. But Wang Zifu was an honest fellow. In Liu Xie’s presence, he let slip the plan, exposing Dong Cheng’s plot.

And Liu Xie, this forthright eighteen-year-old emperor, went so far as to sell out his own father-in-law in broad daylight, stripping him bare of any defense.

“Your Majesty! Lord Chancellor! I could never commit such a deed! Wang Zifu, how dare you utter such nonsense before the emperor and Lord Chancellor? I have no feud with Lord Chancellor—I was the one who brought him to Your Majesty’s side! Why would I wish him harm?”

The air hung frozen for the time it takes half an incense stick to burn before Dong Cheng suddenly realized he was the most endangered party in the room. Springing forth from among the ministers, he wept and wailed like a wronged child, tears streaming down his face.

In all of this, the most lost was Wang Zifu.

This matter concerning him was, in fact, entirely genuine. Dong Cheng had indeed approached him, even producing the blood-written order in Liu Xie’s handwriting and the sash that concealed it—nothing could be more real.

Moreover, when Wang Zifu expressed that his own forces were no match for Cao Cao, Dong Cheng assured him that Wu Zilan, Liu Bei, and others were already his confidants, urging him to set aside his worries and simply follow along.

Thus, Wang Zifu, half-trusting, half-doubting, joined the conspiracy, believing that for the sake of the emperor, rooting out traitors was at least a righteous cause.

Yet, in his simplicity, Wang Zifu never imagined that the so-called blood-sealed edict was nothing but a fabrication by Dong Cheng to deceive them all. They each regarded Dong Cheng as a fine elder brother, but Dong Cheng had hardly acted as one should.

“Your Majesty…”

Wang Zifu knew he could no longer play the innocent, for the matter was undeniably real.

He was no fool. Now that the emperor had brought this matter to light before both Dong Cheng and Cao Cao, using his own name, Wang Zifu realized that even if Dong Cheng was beyond saving, he himself might yet escape.

But as he opened his mouth, he found himself utterly at a loss for words.

“General, there’s no need to say more—you told me all that was necessary last night. What you have done is commendable! I shall treat it as though you did not participate in this affair. Lord Chancellor, what do you think?”

Before Wang Zifu could even decide what to say, the court’s shifting momentum left his wits reeling. By the time he recovered, the matter had already landed squarely at Cao Cao’s feet.

To Cao Cao, Liu Xie’s behavior today seemed just a touch out of the ordinary. Still, it was not entirely unexpected that he should bring up this matter.

After all, Cao Cao had yet to deal with his greatest northern rivals, the Yuan brothers, who still commanded vast armies. The emperor was a banner he could not afford to offend, so he had always treated Liu Xie with a degree of respect and believed their relationship was quite solid.

As for Dong Cheng, Cao Cao knew exactly what kind of man he was—a mere bandit chief at heart, now having married off his daughter to Liu Xie. It was said that during the emperor’s escort, Dong Cheng had even plundered the empress’s belongings and killed palace maids. With Liu Xie, a young, hot-blooded emperor, how could such a man not provoke his ire?

So, regarding the so-called blood-sealed edict, Cao Cao was almost certain it was Dong Cheng’s doing.

When Dong Cheng had brought him before the emperor, it was only to use him as a weapon. Now that the weapon was beyond his control, Dong Cheng wished to kill him, seize back military power, and dominate the emperor—exactly the sort of mindless act a bandit like Dong Cheng would attempt.

Deal with Dong Cheng—today! Otherwise, how could he rest easy before marching on Guandu?

Cao Cao had nearly made up his mind on the spot, but just as he was about to speak, Guo Jia softly cleared his throat and gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head.

Guo Jia was Cao Cao’s most trusted strategist. Cheng Yu was growing old, and Cao Cao viewed the thirty-year-old Guo Jia as the one to entrust with his legacy for decades to come. Guo Jia’s cunning had time and again proven invaluable, so his opinion was one Cao Cao always heeded.

“Your Majesty,” Cao Cao finally said, “I have campaigned east and west for the Han, yet still bandits and traitors run rampant. Perhaps the General of Chariots and Cavalry is displeased with my service to the dynasty and wishes to rid himself of me. But Your Majesty’s understanding of my difficulties fills me with gratitude. As for this matter, since General Wang reported it to Your Majesty, I leave its handling to you.”

The moment these words left Cao Cao’s lips, Liu Xie’s heart tightened.