Sima Shi

In Luoyang, the sky had yet to brighten.

A light rain had been falling without pause since the night before.

It continually washed over all of Luoyang.

Draped in his underclothes, Guo De sat by the window, listening to the patter of raindrops on the ground and gazing out at the gray sky.

"The day before yesterday, the heavens split into four, a comet appeared in the north, and Mars followed close behind... now rain has come to obscure the celestial signs. An ill omen indeed."

A cold wind laden with rain swept in, and Guo De could not help shivering.

These past days, Guo De had been deeply unsettled, always feeling that something momentous was about to happen.

Ever since Cao Fang had been deposed, Guo De had not enjoyed a single good night's sleep.

It was not that he was unswervingly loyal to Cao Fang. Rather, the Guo Family's power came from the emperor, and with the choice of emperor still unresolved, Guo De could not help feeling frightened, unable to eat or sleep in peace.

Perhaps he should have gone to Yuan City himself instead of sending his younger brother.

His brother could command troops, but he was ill-suited to taking part in the great affairs of the court.

By now, Guo De and the ministers had agreed on the momentous matter of having Cao Mao succeed the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor.

He had heard that Sima Yan had also been dispatched to Yuan City.

He wondered how things were going. Why had Jian still not written to him?

Guo De had no idea how long he had been sitting there. He only knew that he was getting hungry.

"Someone, attend me!"

Guo De suddenly called loudly toward the front door.

As one of Great Wei's foremost dignitaries, he had dedicated servants looking after him through all twelve double-hours of the day, always waiting outside his door.

But now there was no sound outside.

Guo De paused, then called again, "Someone, attend me!"

There was still no response from outside.

Guo De flew into a rage.

"Which mongrel is on duty at the door today?!"

He rose angrily, his voice even waking his sleeping wife.

Guo De strode to the doorway.

He flung the door open and pointed at the person outside.

"You negligent mongrel! What do I keep you for-"

Guo De swallowed the rest of his words halfway through.

A figure stood outside the door.

It was a tall, gaunt man.

Lightning flashed with a crash of thunder, revealing the man's face in flickering glimpses.

What a terrifying face it was!

Beneath his long robes, there seemed to be nothing left but a skeleton, with scarcely any flesh remaining on his body.

His gaze was vicious, fixed unblinkingly on Guo De. A black tumor grew beneath his left eye, forcing him to keep that eye narrowed and making him look all the more fearsome.

At that moment, Guo De felt a bone-piercing chill shoot up his back to the crown of his head, making his hair stand on end.

He felt as though he were suffocating; even breathing became difficult.

Around the man stood a group of soldiers clad in armor and bearing sharp weapons.

Beneath the thunder and lightning, they looked like evil spirits, their faces spattered with blood.

Looking at all this, Guo De was engulfed by immense terror. His body went limp, and he collapsed to the ground, trembling all over.

"Ah... ah..."

He had lost his voice.

"What happened?"

A woman's voice came from within. Frowning, Sima Yue emerged from the inner room. The moment she came out, she saw her husband collapsed on the ground in terror. Startled, she hurried over to help him up.

When she raised her head, she saw the man before her.

Unlike Guo De, however, Sima Yue showed not the slightest fear at the sight of him. There was even delight in her eyes.

"Father!"

"What brings you here? What happened?"

"Nothing is wrong."

The man's voice was low and resonant.

He walked past Guo De, went straight into the inner room, and sat down where Guo De had been sitting.

Sima Yue struggled to support Guo De, but could not lift him. She glared angrily at the armored soldiers outside.

"What are you standing there for?! Help me lift him!"

The soldiers simply stared straight ahead, motionless, as though they had not heard a word from the Grand General's beloved daughter.

Furious and indignant, Sima Yue turned to her father.

"Help him up," Sima Shi said.

Two soldiers entered, easily lifted Guo De, and brought him before Sima Shi. Perhaps the sight of his wife had helped him recover a little; Guo De could finally stand.

"My respects... Father-in-law!"

Guo De's voice trembled unmistakably.

"Yansun, I knew you to be upright and unassuming, respectful, modest, and obedient. That was why I married my daughter to you and cherished you as my own son. Why would you betray the Imperial Court?"

Sima Shi posed the question.

Guo De nearly collapsed to the ground again in fright. Trembling, he said, "Father-in-law! Why would you say such a thing? I have always followed your lead. How would I dare betray you?"

"Oh, you still know nothing about it? Show him."

Sima Shi addressed the soldier standing farther away.

Soon, a soldier stepped forward and held something out before Guo De.

It was a hand-a severed hand. Several fingers clutched a letter tightly, and the letter was covered in blood.

"Your household's mounted guard was very loyal. He refused to let go, so we had no choice but to resort to this. Do forgive us."

"This is a letter Guo Jian sent you. I have not read it yet. Read it aloud for me."

How could Guo De dare take the letter? His eyes were filled with despair. "Grand General! I am truly innocent!"

Sima Shi continued as though he had not heard:

"His Majesty sent someone to inform me that, if we wish him to ascend the throne, we must first exonerate Xiahou Xuan, Li Feng, and the others, restore their good names, and release everyone arrested because of them."

"He wishes to distinguish worthy ministers from their clans, so that more worthy men will dare to speak frankly and submit memorials."

"What a wise young Son of Heaven! Even Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gaozu, at his age, could not compare with His Majesty."

"This is a blessing for the realm. Your Guo Family certainly has a discerning eye."

At that moment, Guo De finally understood why the Grand General had suddenly appeared at his door. He felt the heavens spin and the earth turn beneath him.

Still, he was far more composed than Guo Jian, and immediately spoke in his own defense:

"Father-in-law! I swear to you that this has nothing to do with my family. The Noble Rural Duke acted entirely on his own, stubbornly following his own wishes. Xiahou Xuan and Li Feng deserved their punishment. They absolutely must not be exonerated!"

Sima Shi glared at him. "How dare you show His Majesty such disrespect?! Do you intend to defy an imperial decree?!"

"I..."

Guo De looked toward his wife beside him.

Sima Yue hurriedly said, "Father, my husband would never turn against you. That Son of Heaven acted on his own. It has nothing to do with my husband..."

"Yue..."

"We are discussing affairs of state. You need not say more."

After saying this, Sima Shi turned to Guo De.

"Get up, then. Come, sit here."

Guo De dared not disobey. His heart quaking with fear, he sat beside Sima Shi.

Sima Shi gave a long sigh. "De, over these years, I have shown your Guo Family great favor. The troops within the Palace have always been entrusted to your control. I have never interfered."

"In truth, there is one thing your family has never understood."

"I do not care in the slightest about this power within the imperial palace."

"How could a man of ambition be so shortsighted?"

"You are my son-in-law. You need do nothing at all to share in my family's wealth and honor."

"Since I agreed to enthrone the Noble Rural Duke as emperor, why would I go back on my word?"

"Why were you so impatient, so foolish? You became a blade in another's hand without even knowing it."

Sima Shi shook his head.

"Because of you alone, the Imperial Court will now be thrown into turmoil again. Some people have eyes only for their clan's interests, with no regard whatsoever for the state and its survival."

"Who was Xiahou Xuan? My children's own maternal uncle, my wife's elder brother, a paragon of virtue renowned throughout the realm."

"Even Zhao urged me not to kill Xiahou Xuan, lest it send tremors throughout the realm."

"But I had no choice but to kill him. If I allowed my own relatives to plot rebellion, would this realm not be doomed?"

Guo De seemed to have caught the implication. His face turned pale, and he said nothing.

Sima Shi gently took his hand. Sima Shi's hand was so cold that it pierced to the bone.

"Yansun, I know you love your wife dearly. And Yue has never forgotten her uncle... you sent your younger brother to Yuan City and incited His Majesty to submit a memorial, hoping to exonerate Xiahou Xuan. You are a very filial man, but conduct like this will cause misunderstandings. It will lead the worthy men of the realm to believe that His Majesty means to set himself against me."

"Your younger brother knows nothing of what lies behind this."

"As for Ping, I think he is young and intelligent. He will surely amount to great things. You need not worry."

"Can you understand me?"

Guo De's face was filled with despair. "Father-in-law, I know I was wrong."

"I incited His Majesty. I was the one who wished to exonerate Xiahou Xuan. All the fault lies with me. The others knew nothing. They are all innocent."

Only then did Sima Yue understand. She hurriedly knelt before Sima Shi, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Father! I beg you!"

"Father! Spare my husband!"

"For Ping's sake, Father!"

Sima Shi gave a long sigh, reached out, and stroked his daughter's tear-streaked face.

"Yue, you look... so much like your mother."