The most powerful force

When Guo De arrived at the Grand General's residence, a refined, plainly dressed middle-aged man came out to welcome him with a broad smile.

The man was tall and handsome, with a short beard and bright eyes. His smile was particularly warm.

Yet the sight of him sent a chill through Guo De, who hurriedly bowed in greeting.

He was none other than Sima Zhao, Great Wei's General Who Conquers the West and Marquis of Xincheng Township.

"How could I trouble you to come out and welcome me, General...?"

Sima Zhao helped Guo De up and said cheerfully, "When I rose early this morning, I heard birds singing. A wise man in the household said a virtuous guest would arrive. Who else could he have meant but you?"

Guo De immediately relaxed considerably, no longer as guarded as before.

Sima Zhao warmly took his hand and led him toward the inner courtyard.

"You're family. There's no need to stand on ceremony. From now on, just call me Uncle!"

Guo De was pulled along all the way into the study, where Sima Zhao had him sit beside him.

Then he told a petty clerk, "Go tell Yan to come pay his respects to his elder brother!"

Guo De hastily tried to stop him.

"General, there's no need..."

"Never mind that! It's only proper!"

Sima Zhao held Guo De in place. Before long, a young man entered with a miserable expression.

The young man closely resembled Sima Zhao in both build and appearance, except that his hair was unusually long, longer than most people's, and his arms were likewise long enough to reach past his knees.

Yes, this young man was Sima Yan. His appearance often reminded people of a certain departed figure who had once lived far away in western Shu...

Sima Yan entered the Inner Chamber and reluctantly bowed to Guo De.

Sima Zhao instantly flew into a rage. "What have I always taught you?! How can you be so disrespectful toward a worthy man, and a close relative at that?!"

Sima Yan shuddered and hastily bowed again, begging Guo De's forgiveness.

Guo De hurried to intercede. Only then did Sima Zhao's anger subside, and he sent his son away.

Sima Zhao heaved a long sigh. "That whelp really is good for nothing... Please don't hold it against him. I've been so busy with affairs of state these past years that I've neglected his education."

"Everyone in Luoyang knows of Anshi's good reputation. You've taught him well; there's truly no need for such modesty."

The two exchanged courtesies for a little longer.

Only then did Guo De come to the point.

"May I ask whether my father-in-law is here?"

"Oh, he's still busy. Whatever it is, you can tell me."

"It concerns the new sovereign."

Sima Zhao laughed. "Wang Su sent a letter, so I know roughly what happened. The Noble Rural Duke is indeed unsuitable to inherit the throne. I think we should choose someone else. As for the Noble Rural Duke, let him remain peacefully in Yuan City as its Duke of the Village!"

Guo De rose in alarm. Looking at the smiling Sima Zhao before him, he sat back down.

"General, the Noble Rural Duke is humble and yielding, with the bearing of Emperor Wen. That is a virtue. The more he refuses, the more it shows he is suited to inherit the throne. How can we replace him?"

"Oh, but I hear he has a long record of misdeeds and is hardly a worthy man."

Guo De grew wary. That was not what Guo Ze's letter had said. Was the Sima Family truly preparing to interfere in palace affairs?

He hastily said, "The Noble Rural Duke's reputation for benevolence and love for the people has spread through the Imperial Court. All the ministers say his humility makes him fit to be emperor. Besides, the emperor is still young. Even if he has committed some misdeeds locally, once he returns to the imperial palace, with loyal, worthy men like the Grand General there, naturally there will be nothing to worry about."

Sima Zhao shook his head. "You needn't worry about my elder brother. He has no interest in handling such trifling matters."

Guo De's face twitched. Deposing and enthroning emperors counted as a trifling matter?

Sima Zhao continued, "I'm not saying we should make Cao Ju emperor. We can choose another suitable candidate from the Imperial Clan. It doesn't have to be the Noble Rural Duke. What do you think?"

Guo De said gravely, "General, the enthronement of the Son of Heaven is a matter for the Imperial Court to decide, not something on which I may speak."

Sima Zhao fell silent for a moment. Was the Guo Family determined to enthrone Cao Mao?

Was Cao Mao really so much to your Guo Family's taste?

He tapped the wooden desk before him lightly with his fingers.

"Lord Guo... are you asking my elder brother to go to Yuan City in person and kneel to welcome the new emperor?"

Sima Zhao's voice grew low, his eyes narrowing with a trace of murderous intent. Guo De felt a chill rise up his back, making his hair stand on end.

"General, the Empress Dowager said: you were originally a man of middling ability, without any particular talents, but by marrying a worthy wife, you came to understand many principles. The present Son of Heaven is young and may have committed some wicked deeds, but if a virtuous wife is betrothed to him as his Empress, she will surely help him mend his ways."

"The Empress Dowager believes that all the virtuous women under heaven come from the Sima Clan."

"If you believe the Duke of the Village lacks the virtue to govern the realm, you can naturally choose a worthy daughter of your family to marry the emperor and let her guide him patiently..."

Sima Zhao looked taken aback. The chill in his expression vanished at once, replaced by his earlier gentle smile.

"I see... Please wait a moment. I'll be right back."

Sima Zhao left. Guo De knew perfectly well that he must have gone to consult Guo De's father-in-law.

Guo De did not have to wait long. A short while later, Sima Zhao returned, looking slightly awkward.

He sat down before Guo De and cleared his throat.

"The Grand General has already issued an order on this matter."

Guo De hurriedly lowered his head to receive it.

"The Grand General orders: on the Fifth Day of the Tenth Month, the emperor shall ascend the throne."

Guo De finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Sure enough, once his family made a concession and agreed to clear a place for the Sima Family in the rear palace, the Sima Family was willing to accept.

"Thank you, Grand General! Thank you, General Who Conquers the West!"

Sima Zhao helped him up with a smile. "We're all family. There's no need for this. Hurry and make the preparations!"

"Yes, sir!"

Sima Zhao watched Guo De leave with a broad smile. After Guo De had gone, a slender young scholar stepped out from the side and stood beside Sima Zhao, likewise gazing in the direction Guo De had taken.

The young scholar was tall and thin, with fair skin and delicate features.

"General... something is wrong."

"Oh? Yuan Kai... what's wrong?"

Sima Zhao looked at his trusted aide: Du Yu, a Gentleman of the Secretariat of Great Wei, grandson of the Cao Wei minister Du Ji and son of Du Shu.

Although Du Yu had grown up in an official's household, he was no idle wastrel. From childhood, he had read widely and diligently written works of his own, mastering knowledge in almost every field.

His father, Du Shu, had been at odds with Sima Yi and deeply disliked ministers who monopolized power. After the Gaoping Mausoleum Incident, he had been banished, leaving Du Yu unable to enter official service as well.

Three years earlier, Sima Zhao had discovered this young man. Astonished by his talent, he had quickly promoted him, made him a trusted aide, and recommended him to his elder brother.

After speaking with him, Sima Shi had promised his younger sister to him on the spot, completely disregarding his family's pro-Wei stance.

Du Yu said earnestly, "Guo De was extremely frightened today, as though he feared you would go back on your word. He was particularly wary of you and anxious to make the Duke of the Village emperor, even to the point of insisting that it could be no one else."

"I believe someone must be goading them and sowing discord."

"You could send someone to investigate whether anyone has recently contacted the Guo Family."

Stroking his beard, Sima Zhao said with a smile, "It's no matter. So what if we enthrone Cao Mao? Our family loses nothing, and we gain an Empress's position, allowing us to enter the imperial palace with full legitimacy..."

"General, you mustn't be careless."

"Very well, very well. We'll do as you say, Yuan Kai, and send someone to investigate!"

Guo De hurried back to the imperial palace and went to see the Empress Dowager. Not long afterward, Guo Jian, the General Who Guards and Protects, led more than twenty riders out of the palace and then out of Luoyang, galloping toward Yuan City.

Meanwhile, Yuan City had returned to its former calm.

It was as though nothing had happened.

"Lord Cao, look! These are all the good deeds I've done lately!"

"Ever since your instruction, I've bitterly repented my former wrongs, devoted myself to goodness, and performed many acts of benevolence. I've donated almost my entire fortune!"

A man placed an account statement before Cao Mao, speaking with an air of righteous conviction.

Cao Mao glanced over it. "Your silk business has a near monopoly over half of Ji Province. This little sum could hardly bankrupt you, could it?"

The man smiled awkwardly and hurriedly said, "The business is large, but the profits are small. You have no idea how difficult it is to make a living these days..."

How could Cao Mao not know? Merchants were in a truly wretched position at present.

War, the collapse of the monetary system, annexation by powerful local magnates-many factors had sent the economy of the Late Han into a catastrophic collapse. Later, Cao Pi had stabilized the economy of the north, and merchants had resurfaced. Unfortunately, that had not lasted long.

After compromising with the great aristocratic families, Cao Wei began revising its institutions. The salt and iron monopoly, for instance, restricted those trades to official operators and forbade private enterprise.

As for liquor, Cao Rui later abolished the prohibition edict and permitted drinking, while also stipulating that only official operators could conduct the trade.

This so-called official operation differed from the Imperial Court's management during the Western Han. It could be understood as operation by the great aristocratic families.

And those great families behaved less and less like human beings. Taking over the court's monopolies was not enough; there were even cases of them openly leading men to rob and murder merchants and seize their goods.

At such times, they refused to utter a word of that bullshit about not competing with the people for profit.

Besides paying all manner of taxes to the Imperial Court, merchants now also had to present gifts to the powerful clans in every region. Usually, a cut was taken directly from their profits, amounting to protection money, or perhaps a toll.

They also faced the constant risk of being plundered by local magnates or swallowed up by aristocratic families.

The merchants' status sank even lower. Scholar-officials called them unbearably foul, beneath even the lowest commoners.

This was one reason they had responded so swiftly to Cao Mao: they, too, needed protection.

Moreover, Cao Mao could generate even greater profits for them.

After receiving Cao Mao's hint, the merchants of Yuan City had all sprung into action, sparing no expense to "build his reputation."

Cao Mao had already enjoyed immense prestige among the Hebei Wanderers. Now, Hebei's "lowborn rabble and vagabonds" had also heard of this benevolent and virtuous lord.

These ants, scorned by the great aristocratic families, were precisely the force Cao Mao most wanted to gain.