Now, after Mu Shun left the palace gates, he quietly made his way to the residence of Imperial Father-in-Law Fu Wan and presented the letter.
When Fu Wan saw that the letter was written in his own daughter's hand, he frowned and said:
"Though we have this plan, why rush? Cao Cao has many trusted aides at his side right now. We cannot move rashly."
"I have heard that Liu Zhengdong has recently marched against Hanzhong. Cao Cao will surely wish to leave for afar; that will be the time to act!"
Seeing this, Mu Shun thought that since he had already come, he could hardly return and tell Liu Xie that the matter could not be done.
"If that is so, Imperial Father-in-Law, you might as well write a reply to His Majesty first and seek a secret edict, so that we may proceed."
Hearing this, Fu Wan thought that Liu Xie would surely be wary without a letter. He simply wrote one and handed it to Mu Shun.
After receiving the letter, Mu Shun hid it within his topknot, bade farewell, and returned to the palace.
At this time, the palace defenses were entirely under Cao Hong's command. Upon hearing of this, he reported the matter to Cao Cao.
The moment Cao Cao heard of the letter, he knew that the little Emperor was plotting in secret again. He immediately sent men into the palace to seize Mu Shun and interrogate him under torture.
Mu Shun was given a fierce beating, yet refused to confess even unto death. Cao Cao then had Fu Wan's residence surrounded.
They seized his old friend and searched thoroughly, but found nothing. Only then did they let the matter rest.
Ever since Dong Cheng's failure last time, Fu Wan had learned his lesson.