Blessings never arrive in pairs; misfortunes never come singly.
Wei's military affairs had been less than satisfactory, and a major political crisis had arisen as well. During the New Year holidays, rumors sprang up everywhere in Luoyang. Word spread through the city that Imperial Secretary Chen Qun, Vice Director of the Secretariat Du Ji, Grand Commandant Zhong Yao, Attendant Gentleman Xin Pi, and others had secretly colluded with Liu Bei in a plot to rebel against Wei.
Cao Pi had not believed it at first, but the rumors were like a serialized drama, their details fabricated with such reason and evidence that one could not help harboring doubts.
Several points in particular gave people pause. First, Chen Qun had once been recruited by Liu Bei, and the two had known each other for a long time. Even if Chen Qun truly betrayed Wei and defected to Han, it could be called a return to his former lord. Second, Du Ji represented the noble clans of Sanfu. Now that Liu Bei had established his capital in Chang'an and his military strength was at its peak, wanting to return to his homeland was only human nature. Third, Zhong Yao had been implicated in the Wei Feng case, so he bore a grudge and wished to defect to Liu Bei. Xin Pi, meanwhile, represented the Hebei noble clans. After Cao Cao unified the north, their interests had suffered severe losses, and they had been suppressed by the Henan clans in every regard. Their betrayal of Wei was meant to seek change.
The rumors had been spread by agents dispatched by Xu Shu. Ever since he had acquired the sharp weapon that was the Yangtze Daily, he had become adept at waging intelligence warfare. When Guan Yu and Cao Xiu called a halt to