What Was He Planning?

Cao Mao and Guo Ze sat before Guo Jian, with two burly armored soldiers watching each of them from behind.

Guo Jian had lost every trace of his earlier arrogance. He looked at the two madmen before him with lingering fear.

His thoughts now were much the same as those of Wang Su and Hua Biao.

You little brat, how can you be so good at stirring up trouble?

The Empress Dowager had ordered him, in his capacity as General Who Guards and Protects, to escort the emperor to Luoyang. Her purpose had been perfectly clear.

Guo Jian had never imagined this could become so complicated. If Cao Mao objected again, he would simply drag him back under guard. But he had never expected that bastard Guo Ze to teach the emperor to behave like this.

Within the clan, everyone played a different role.

Guo De was the heir, Guo Jian was the clan's enforcer, and Guo Ze had assumed the duties of a scholar of classical studies.

The great clans of the Great Han all passed down classical studies as their family legacy. Thus, while Guo Ze was still young, the clan had decided that this clever, book-loving child should follow that path.

The clan had invited a Great Confucian to teach him, hoping he could make a name for himself. If a Great Confucian emerged from their ranks, the entire clan would benefit.

From the very beginning, Guo Ze had been groomed to become a scholar of classical studies, a Doctor of Classical Studies.

And judging by the results now, the great clans' methods of nurturing talent were excellent indeed!

The good news was that they had successfully raised an upright Confucian scholar. The bad news was that they had made him far too upright.

Of everyone in the clan, Guo Jian disliked Guo Ze the most.

He thought the fellow had simply lost his mind.

Looking at him now, he had not been wrong!

Guo Jian was so furious that he kept tugging at his beard. He no longer dared force the two of them to go to Luoyang. If they tried to kill themselves again on the road, the trouble would be even greater.

He paced back and forth for a long time before sitting down before them again.

"Mao... just listen to me. Become emperor, all right?"

"Stop being so pigheaded. Your becoming emperor can only benefit the Empress Dowager. It cannot harm her!"

Cao Mao said stubbornly, "Uncle, I know you're deliberately deceiving me for my own good! I will never do anything that harms the Guo Family!"

"I'm not deceiving you! This was a compromise between both sides! Sima Shi wanted to enthrone Cao Ju solely to gain power within the palace!"

"If he succeeds, the Empress Dowager will no longer be the Empress Dowager, and we'll have to get out of the palace along with her. That is our bottom line!"

"Do you understand?!"

"Uncle! Why deceive me with such words? Say no more. Uncle, thank you for your love. I cannot repay it in this life; I can only repay you in the next!"

"I..."

Guo Jian nearly leaped to his feet.

"You two fools! The Empress Dowager has already decided to enthrone you! Do you understand? My elder brother even went to see Sima Shi because of you and thoroughly offended him. If you refuse to go now, will Sima Shi spare our family?!"

"Stop worrying about causing a rift. There's already a rift! You must become emperor! Then find a way to make amends!"

Cao Mao looked at him thoughtfully. "Is that so...?"

"Yes! That's exactly how it is!"

Cao Mao pondered for a moment before saying, "Very well. Since the breach can no longer be healed, I won't refuse."

Guo Jian was overjoyed. "Good! Good! You should have agreed long ago!"

"Unfortunately, I have no particular talents. Because the King of Qi lacked virtue, people have already accused the Empress Dowager of failing in her duty to instruct him. If I make a mistake, won't I tarnish her name?"

"No, no, how could you make a mistake? You're a great sage! You're greater than Yao and Shun! Come, let's go find Wang Su!"

"Uncle, please don't be hasty."

Cao Mao said earnestly, "There is something you don't know, Uncle. I wrote a letter to the Empress Dowager and intended to have Wang Su take it back for me, so she could know what was truly in my heart. But when I went to see him, he claimed illness and refused to meet me. He paid me no attention at all and merely sent Hua Biao out to fob me off."

"Oh? That happened?"

"Look, this is the letter."

Cao Mao took the letter from inside his robe and declared solemnly:

"Although the Sima Family looks down on our Guo Family now, we cannot demean ourselves!"

"If we go to him again, he'll think our Guo Family is afraid of him."

Guo Jian nodded. "You're right. Then we should have him come here?"

"Yes! We must wait for him to come!"

"We must make him come and invite us. What does his Wang Clan amount to? His father was the first to build their fortune, while our Guo Family has passed down its legacy for centuries. Must we still dance to his tune?"

"Someone like him can become one of the Nine Ministers, yet a member of our Guo Family cannot? My eldest uncle is also connected to the Sima Family by marriage. Why should we fear him?"

"You're absolutely right!"

Guo Jian said smugly, "In terms of heritage, his family falls far short of ours!"

"Uncle, Sima Shi said the enthronement would be on the fifth. There are still more than twenty days left, so there's no need to worry! You rarely get the chance to travel here. Let me take you sightseeing over the next few days and fulfill my duties as your host!"

"Once Wang Su comes to invite me in person, we'll agree!"

"Good!"

Guo Jian agreed readily.

His elder brother's instructions had long since been tossed to the back of his mind.

Cao Mao gave Guo Jian the best room in the residence and invited him to drink that evening. Guo Jian was in excellent spirits and grew increasingly fond of this nephew he barely knew.

He may be a little stubborn, one-track-minded, and fond of stirring up trouble, but this child truly feels close to the Guo Family. Yes, very good!

While they gathered merrily to eat meat and drink wine, Wang Su, who was also staying in Yuan City, could neither eat nor sleep in peace.

Why haven't they come yet?

Guo Jian is already here!

Shouldn't he hurry over here with them?

Where exactly did things go wrong?

When he learned that Guo Jian had come in person, Wang Su had assumed the matter was settled and there was no longer any need to worry.

He had even confidently ordered everyone to prepare to depart for Luoyang.

Yet he had waited until now without seeing a single soul.

The confidence on Wang Su's face gradually faded.

He sat blankly in the inner room, questioning his attendants from time to time, only to receive the same negative answer.

Wang Su was utterly bewildered.

What is this supposed to mean?

You're the ones enthroning an emperor. You're the ones anxious for him to ascend the throne. What is going on now?

"Go and invite Zheng Mao here!"

Soon, Zheng Mao was seated before Wang Su. Wang Su did not conceal his concerns from him and asked directly, "Master Zheng, Guo Jian has arrived in Yuan City, yet he remains at the Ducal Residence and hasn't come to see me. What do you think is the reason?"

"Could something have changed in Luoyang?"

Wang Su's meaning was simple. He wanted to know whether the Guo Family were now his opponents or his allies.

Zheng Mao replied calmly, "Lord Wang, there is really no need for you to worry. The Guo Family should be the ones worrying now. We merely came under orders to receive the Son of Heaven. If the Son of Heaven refuses to ascend the throne, that is no fault of ours."

Wang Su fell silent for a moment, then said quietly, "From what I've seen, His Majesty is no ordinary person. I only fear we might earn a bad name."

Zheng Mao shook his head. "Certainly not. The Grand General appears bold and decisive, but in truth his thoughts are meticulous. He can endure what ordinary men cannot. You need not worry. Since the Guo Family is in no hurry and the Grand General has not pressed us, we need only wait."

"Mm..."

"Let us wait for now. If they still make no move, we'll go one last time. If he still refuses, we can return."

"Yes."

After leaving Wang Su, Zheng Mao went straight to Hua Biao's room.

Zheng Mao knocked lightly on the door. The moment Hua Biao opened it, he walked straight inside.

"What brings you here? Are we setting off?"

"Nothing has been settled yet. Elder brother, what did you discuss with His Majesty today?"

As he spoke, Zheng Mao sat down without standing on ceremony.

Zheng Mao had lost his father as a child and followed his uncle Zheng Hun to Jiangdong to escape the turmoil, taking refuge with Hua Xin. Hua Xin had cared for Zheng Mao as his own son.

In private, Zheng Mao also addressed Hua Biao as elder brother.

Hua Biao said impatiently, "We only discussed a few things about my father. Nothing else."

"But as we spoke, I found His Majesty exceedingly wise and virtuous, willing to draw close to worthy men and keep petty men at a distance. The Empress Dowager is right to want him enthroned."

Zheng Mao frowned and said quietly, "Elder brother... I believe the present Son of Heaven has Emperor Wu's talents, Emperor Wen's strategic mind, and Emperor Ming's breadth of spirit. Given time, he will surely become a Great Ruler of his age."

Hua Biao froze. "You think so highly of him? Just because he yielded modestly?"

"Elder brother, none of that matters. The point is that you should not become too entangled with him."

"Back in Luoyang, I urged you not to come. Helping enthrone an emperor can sometimes be a meritorious deed, but it can also be a calamity. If His Majesty causes trouble, who can protect you?"

Hua Biao's face instantly turned pale, and even his voice trembled.

"What do you mean?"

"Elder brother, if the emperor were mediocre, you could simply claim the merit of helping enthrone him. But if he causes trouble, you will not escape punishment."

"I think that once we return to Luoyang, you had best plead illness, resign your office, and stay at home. Wait until circumstances change before entering service again... otherwise, a great disaster may descend upon you."

Hua Biao was drenched in sweat, his expression growing still more uneasy.

"Why didn't you say so sooner...?"

"I advised you before, but you would not listen."

"At the time, I never imagined the Guo Family would enthrone someone like this."

"A man like him is a treasured sword within its sheath. Ordinarily, you cannot see its keen edge, but once drawn, it will surely taste blood."

"Moreover, his actions over the past few days have been very strange. I believe he must be plotting something."

"Then should we go tell Lord Wang right now?!"

Zheng Mao remained silent for a long time before answering, "Duke Xuanwen showed me the kindness of recognizing my worth. I can repay that kindness only by working diligently and faithfully fulfilling my duties. I dare not covet any other rewards."

"Besides, we do not know what the Duke of the Village intends to do. These are merely guesses. Saying more would serve no purpose."

"All right, all right. I'll listen to you... but what exactly is this Noble Rural Duke planning?"