Assassination!

"Duke of the Village!"

Zheng Mao bowed to Cao Mao, bending very low.

"Duke of the Village..."

Sima Yan stood behind Zheng Mao, his face full of wariness, and bowed to Cao Mao.

When Cao Mao opened the door and saw the two of them, a smile immediately spread across his face.

"Anshi!"

"You've come to see me!"

Sima Yan shuddered all over. Before he could speak, Cao Mao had seized his hand again.

"I've been thinking of you every day lately."

"I tried several times to visit you, but Lord Wang refused to let me in. It's been days since we last met. Have you been well?"

"I've been well..."

Zheng Mao looked at the two of them in astonishment. When had they become so close?

Zheng Mao had come to visit Cao Mao on Wang Su's orders.

In truth, he was there to sound him out, to see just what this Lord Cao intended to do and what he was thinking.

Just as he was about to leave, however, Wang Su had called Sima Yan out and told him to accompany Zheng Mao.

According to Wang Su, Sima Yan was to learn more from Zheng Mao about how to handle matters.

But Zheng Mao knew perfectly well what he really had in mind.

It left Zheng Mao rather disheartened.

Compared with the Marquis Cheng of Lanling, this son of his clearly failed to live up to his reputation. His actions were too transparent; he had grasped none of his father's essence.

But Zheng Mao said nothing. He accepted the suggestion and brought Sima Yan to Cao Mao's Residence.

Zheng Mao asked, "Why did you come to open the door yourself, Lord Cao?"

Cao Mao shook his head and said helplessly, "The servants all feared being implicated and fled overnight. Even my Supervising Envoy ran away. In this great residence, only Lord Guo and I remain."

"Please come in."

He led the two of them into the empty residence.

Fallen leaves still littered the ground, and all sorts of odds and ends lay scattered about. In just a few days, the residence had taken on a desolate air. Even Sima Yan found it hard to bear.

"I heard you once took in many people and saved their lives. Is this how they repay you?!"

Cao Mao gave a long sigh. "It doesn't matter. Everyone has their own aspirations. Why force them?"

Cao Mao led them into an inner room and sat down with them. He was about to fetch them some food himself, but Zheng Mao hurriedly declined.

"Please don't trouble yourself, Lord Cao... I only came to visit you. There's no need for such ceremony."

"It's no trouble. At the very least, I should ask Lord Guo to prepare some tea."

Cao Mao went out briefly, then soon returned and sat down opposite them.

"To think that, now everyone else avoids me, you are still willing to visit. Only today have I learned who the true gentlemen are."

Cao Mao looked at them with deep emotion, his gaze settling on Sima Yan once more.

"Anshi, your visit was unexpected, so I really can't entertain you properly today. I'll prepare some good food. When you come next time, I certainly won't let this happen again..."

Sima Yan fell silent for a moment. "Your hospitality last time already overwhelmed me, Duke of the Village. Next time, I should be the one to entertain you."

Zheng Mao cleared his throat, drawing Cao Mao's attention back to himself.

"Lord Cao, do you know why those people all left?"

"Of course I do. I want to clear Lord Xiahou's name. They all feared being implicated, so they fled."

"Since you know that, why do you still insist on clearing Lord Xiahou's name?"

"You never even knew him."

Cao Mao immediately declared with righteous conviction, "When I was younger, my Director of Guidance often used Lord Xiahou's deeds to admonish me... urging me to follow his example."

"Though I never knew him, I have admired him for a long time."

"Lord Xiahou was certainly no traitor. I heard that, when the Grand General was about to execute him, even the General Who Conquers the West pleaded for his life, believing he had merely been implicated."

"Even if I'm young and ignorant, could the General Who Conquers the West be ignorant too?"

At these words, Sima Yan was utterly bewildered. He turned curiously to Zheng Mao beside him. "Did my father really plead for Lord Xiahou?"

Zheng Mao was momentarily lost for words.

He could hardly say the two brothers had been putting on an act...

"Yes, that did happen."

Understanding dawned on Sima Yan. "So that's why."

Cao Mao continued, "Besides, I have no particular talents. If a minister can be arbitrarily punished merely for placing mistaken trust in his sovereign, how could I dare become emperor?"

"If one day a worthy minister were implicated because of me, what would I do then?"

"The one who truly plotted rebellion was Zhang Ji! The one who truly lacked virtue was the King of Qi!"

"Everyone feared criticizing the King of Qi because of his status, so they punished Lord Xiahou instead. Is that acceptable?!"

"The King of Qi brought disaster upon the state and suffering upon the people! His status may be exalted, but I dare speak plainly!"

Cao Mao spoke faster and faster, growing impassioned. He rose, pointed at Sima Yan, and said, "The Imperial Court today has the Grand General and the General Who Conquers the West."

"These two men devote themselves wholly to the state and labor diligently in its governance. Their virtuous reputations are known to all!"

"If I inherit the throne, they will be the ones assisting me. If one day a worthy minister like the Grand General were implicated because of me, how could my conscience bear it?"

"Anshi! Will you join me in submitting a memorial to clear Lord Xiahou's name?!"

Sima Yan's blood surged as he listened. He sprang to his feet and was about to agree when Zheng Mao, beside him, pulled him back down.

"Ahem. Master Sima, you mustn't act rashly..."

Sima Yan looked thoroughly displeased. "My father pleaded for Lord Xiahou too. Why can't I?"

"Well... it would be best to ask Lord Wang first."

Seeing the other man invoke his grandfather, Sima Yan immediately shut his mouth, but his dissatisfaction was practically written across his face.

Zheng Mao turned back to the difficult young man before him.

Zheng Mao had been clever since childhood and made a name for himself at an early age. Yet he admitted that, at the same age, he could never have matched the youth before him.

Every sentence was a pit, just waiting for him and Sima Yan to jump in!

No matter whom these answers were presented to, there would be nothing to fault. Not a single drop could leak through.

Why had the Guo Family chosen such a youth to become emperor?

Could they truly intend to uphold the imperial house of Wei?

Were they the truly loyal subjects of Great Wei?

Guo Ze came in with tea, poured some for each of them, then went out.

Zheng Mao was about to speak when he heard something whistle through the air.

An arrow suddenly pierced the paper window and embedded itself in a nearby bookshelf.

Zheng Mao was startled by the sudden turn of events. At that instant, Cao Mao lunged forward and pinned Sima Yan beneath him.

Another arrow shot through the window. Zheng Mao hurriedly bent down as well and lay flat on the floor.

Then Guo Ze's furious roar came from outside the door.

"Who goes there, you scoundrels?!"

The mounted guards stationed at the entrance apparently heard the commotion too and rushed inside.

Chaos erupted outside. Zheng Mao had no idea what had happened. He simply lay on the floor, not daring to rise rashly.

Pinned beneath Cao Mao, Sima Yan's eyes were filled with terror.

Once the noise outside subsided, Cao Mao hurriedly stood, drew the sword at his waist, and rushed out.

Sima Yan followed close behind.

As the two rushed outside, they ran straight into Guo Ze and the mounted guards.

"What happened?!"

"Assassins slipped into the residence to kill you. Fortunately, I spotted them in time. After these guards charged in, they fled toward the rear hall!"

"Men have already gone after them! Are you unharmed?"

Guo Ze hurriedly looked Cao Mao over.

Cao Mao shook his head. "They missed. We're all unharmed... Who were these villains? How dare they come to assassinate me?"

"Well..."

Guo Ze fell silent and said nothing.

Shocked and furious, Sima Yan shouted at the guards, "After them! All of you, after them! Don't let those villains escape!"

Zheng Mao straightened his robes and cap, then slowly emerged.

Someone actually wanted to kill His Majesty?

He did not think the Grand General was trying to kill His Majesty.

To put it bluntly, the Grand General had absolutely no need for such methods. Assassination? That would be underestimating him far too much.

But apart from the Grand General, who else would want His Majesty dead?

Suddenly, Zheng Mao drew in a sharp breath.

If his expectations were correct, the matter of clearing Lord Xiahou's name had already stirred a boiling uproar in the Imperial Court.

And if the man who proposed it suddenly died, could the Grand General still keep the matter suppressed?

The criticism at court would likely drown them outright.

A terrifying suspicion took shape in Zheng Mao's mind.

Cao Mao, however, took his hand. "Master Zheng, if you hadn't been here today, I fear I would have died here... Sorry for the trouble, but please send someone to the County Office immediately and seal off the county town, so the villains cannot escape!"

"Very well!"

Meanwhile, several masked men, panting for breath, hid inside a private home. Once they saw that their pursuers had failed to catch up, they pulled the black cloths from their faces and began changing clothes.

"That was too close, far too close..."

"I almost hit Lord Cao. My hands were shaking as I drew the bow..."

"Why did Lord Cao have us try to assassinate him?"

"Stop talking! Destroy these things and hide according to the original plan!"

"Yes, sir!"