Uncle!

"Put them down! All of you, put them down!"

"You dare treat me with such disrespect?!"

"Who dares disrespect the Duke of the Village!"

Two groups faced off inside the residence, shouting at each other in utter chaos.

One group consisted of Cao Mao's retainers, who had all drawn their swords and leveled them at the intruders before them.

There were more than twenty intruders, all fully armed. Their armor looked even finer than that of the horsemen Wang Su had brought, and they stood tall and imposing in formation.

At their head stood a lavishly dressed man.

He was somewhat older than Guo Ze, with a fair complexion, phoenix eyes, and fine eyebrows. He made no attempt to hide his arrogance, holding his head high as he regarded the Wanderers with undisguised contempt.

Their audacity in drawing swords on him had infuriated him even more.

Guo Ze stood between them, repeatedly urging both sides to put away their weapons.

When Cao Mao entered, Guo Ze finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hurriedly pushed past the armored soldiers before him and strode to Cao Mao's side.

"My lord, this is my elder clansman Guo Jian, the Marquis of Xidu. He serves as General Who Guards and Protects and has come on the empress dowager's orders to escort you to Luoyang..."

Cao Mao's eyes lit up, and delight surged through him.

He looked at the haughty man, his eyes gleaming. An unexpected windfall, too?

Cao Mao had expected the Guo Family to be eager to enthrone him, but he had never imagined they would come straight to Yuan City-and that the man they sent would be Guo Jian!

Guo Ze had told him about the internal affairs of the Guo Family.

The person who truly held sway within the Guo Family was not Empress Dowager Guo, but her younger cousin Guo De. Guo De was everything the eldest son of a great clan ought to be, thinking only of his clan's interests and knowing when to advance and when to retreat.

Yet the one most doted on by the elders was the second son, Guo Jian.

Great clans often raised their sons this way, pouring all their resources into cultivating the eldest while indulging the second.

Thus, the two had utterly opposite temperaments. Guo De was cautious and understood what to keep and what to relinquish. Guo Jian, meanwhile, was far more unruly than his elder brother: hot-tempered, reckless, and arrogant from being spoiled.

Guo Jian sized up the handsome youth before him and nodded. "You do have something of the bearing of a Son of Heaven."

He walked up to Cao Mao and said in a commanding tone, "You, come with me to see Wang Su now. Then we'll go to Luoyang."

His tone immediately enraged the Wanderers. Their eyes widened, and they looked ready to pounce at any moment.

Cao Mao, however, was even more delighted.

Excellent. You're exactly the sort of man I need!

At present, Cao Mao's most powerful weapon was a gap in information. The information gap between Yuan City and Luoyang was his only advantage.

Cao Mao turned to the Wanderers and said sternly, "How can you be so disrespectful to my elder?! Go rest in another hall for now! I'll come see you later!"

Now that Cao Mao had spoken, the Wanderers dared not refuse. They turned and left.

Cao Mao abruptly bent low in a bow to Guo Jian. "Uncle!!"

"Huh??"

Guo Jian froze and glanced around him before realizing Cao Mao was addressing him.

"What did you call me??"

"Uncle, there is something you may not know. When my father was alive, Emperor Xiaoming, the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor, doted on him, caring for him even more than for his own children. My father often instructed me to treat the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor just as I treated him!"

"The Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor is no longer with us, but the empress dowager is. The Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor was like a father to me, and the empress dowager is my mother. As her honored younger brother, you are naturally my uncle!"

The corner of Guo Ze's mouth twitched.

The Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor had been dead long before his lord was born. How could Prince Ding possibly have given him such instructions??

Wasn't this telling barefaced lies with his eyes wide open?

Guo Jian had yet to catch up either. While he was still dazed, Cao Mao warmly took his hand.

"Uncle, my family received such affection from the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor, yet we never had the chance to repay him. I wished to pay my respects to the empress dowager, but because of that immoral, benighted ruler, the King of Qi, I could only remain in Yuan City, bowing toward her from afar and wishing her well."

"To see you today truly fills my heart with excitement."

Guo Jian felt his thoughts growing muddled. He nodded instinctively. "Ah... yes, nephew, Duke of the Village, Your Maj..."

"We can discuss all that later. First, we can go pay our respects to Wang Su..."

"Uncle, you so rarely visit. Why rush off to see some outsider? Someone, go to the Gao Family Restaurant and bring me the finest food and wine in the city! I shall entertain my uncle myself!"

Cao Mao warmly drew Guo Jian into the Inner Chamber.

The two sat facing each other, with Guo Ze seated beside Cao Mao.

Cao Mao asked again, "Is the empress dowager still in good health? And my Eldest Maternal Uncle? Is he well?"

Guo Jian passively exchanged a few pleasantries.

"All these years, I've been unable to see my closest relatives. It's all that King of Qi's fault!"

Cao Fang was not the empress dowager's son, but Cao Rui's adopted son. He was not close to the Guo Family, and there was even some friction between them because the Guo Family controlled the palace guards.

Thus, Guo Jian thoroughly agreed with Cao Mao's words.

But Cao Mao continued, "Once the Prince of Pengcheng ascends the throne, perhaps things will be different."

Only then did Guo Jian remember the purpose of his visit.

He said gravely, "Mao, I came here to have you ascend the throne as emperor. This is the empress dowager's wish. You cannot defy it."

Cao Mao's face filled with emotion.

"The empress dowager has shown me such affection that I can never repay her. I lost my birth mother when I was born, and all these years I have regarded the empress dowager as my mother. How could I now dare bring harm upon her for my own sake?"

"I heard that the Grand General wished to enthrone the Prince of Pengcheng, and that the empress dowager has been locked in an argument with him on my behalf."

"With the empress dowager showing me such affection, how could I do anything detrimental to her for my own benefit?!"

"That is absolutely not something a filial son could do!"

Cao Mao was utterly resolute.

Guo Jian pressed his lips together, then looked at Guo Ze beside him.

Guo Ze nodded. "My lord's words are very sound. Although I, too, hope His Majesty will ascend the throne, this would indeed violate the principles of filial piety."

"I..."

Guo Jian steadied himself, forced out a smile, and looked at Cao Mao.

"Mao, you're worrying too much. Since the Grand General agreed to enthrone you as emperor, that means he recognizes your virtue as well. There won't be any discord..."

Cao Mao frowned and rose angrily to his feet.

"Have you not noticed?"

"If the Grand General truly respected our Guo Family, why was there not a single close relative of mine among those sent to receive me?"

"Who is Wang Su? Who is Zheng Mao? And who is Hua Biao?"

"If you had been the one to come to Yuan City, Uncle, would I still have resisted?"

"Besides, when enthroning an emperor, the Three Excellencies ought to come to receive him with sacrificial cattle. Yet all they sent was a man concurrently serving as Grand Minister of Ceremonies, a temporary Privy Treasurer, and a dozen or so horsemen. Is this how much importance the Grand General attaches to the emperor supported by our Guo Family?!"

"Our Guo Family is a great clan of Xiping, descended from Guo Ting, the Marquis of Aling in the early Han! Loyal and virtuous for generations, we are not necessarily inferior to the Sima clan. Why should we be treated with such contempt?"

"When Wang Su's horseman came to my residence, he did not even salute the Director of Guidance! He knew full well that the Director of Guidance was a member of the Guo Family, yet he dared bypass him and peer straight into the residence. It was precisely his disrespect toward the Guo Family that made me realize the Grand General was not sincere about enthroning me!"

"How can our Guo Family suffer such humiliation?!"

Cao Mao's face was flushed red with fury.

Hearing this, Guo Jian immediately frowned as well and turned to Guo Ze. "Did this happen?"

Guo Ze nodded. "It did."

Guo Jian flew into a rage. "Even a Cavalry Slave dares treat our Guo Family this way?!"

"Exactly, Uncle! If I ascend the throne as emperor, who knows what further harm the Grand General will inflict upon our Guo Family? That is why I cannot agree!"

Guo Jian was angry now, too, but he also understood his family's strength. Helplessly, he said:

"We cannot refuse. My elder brother brought Sima Shi's orders: an emperor must ascend the throne on the fifth day of the tenth month. He did not specify who would ascend, but since he has spoken, someone must take the throne that day..."

"You are one of us. Your becoming emperor would benefit us all. If that scoundrel, the Prince of Pengcheng, ascends the throne, we will lose all our power..."

"Besides, Sima Shi is ruthless. If you keep refusing, I fear he will have you killed."

Guo Jian no longer concealed anything. Goaded by Cao Mao's repeated references to "our Guo Family," he not only called Sima Shi directly by name but even divulged inside information to Cao Mao.

Cao Mao flew into a rage. He sprang to his feet and looked at Guo Ze beside him.

"Lord Guo! Can a man who wishes to fulfill his filial duty fear death?"

Guo Ze rose as well. "He cannot!"

"Sima Shi wants to use us against the empress dowager! How can we go on living only to bring harm upon her?!"

"Uncle! Please take my corpse back and bury it beside Luoyang, so that I may look upon the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor and the empress dowager!!"

As he spoke, Cao Mao swiftly drew his sword.

Guo Jian felt a chill shoot straight to the crown of his head. Realizing what Cao Mao intended, he lunged forward and pinned Cao Mao beneath him.

"Uncle!! Do not stop me!!"

"You've gone mad!! Ze! Guo Ze! Come help me!!"

Guo Jian looked toward Guo Ze, only to see a face set with determination. "My lord! I shall go on ahead!"

Seeing him draw his sword as well, Guo Jian cried out and hurriedly lunged again, grappling with Guo Ze.

Cao Mao broke free of his restraint and reached once more for the sword on the floor.

"Uncle! I shall go on ahead!!"

Guo Jian was on the verge of tears. He threw back his head and roared in anguish, "Someone, come!!"

"Help!!"