Sima Zhao

Wang Su wanted to kill the emperor??

Gao Rou was utterly bewildered. Why had His Majesty said that to him?

Why would Wang Su want to kill Cao Mao?

And what did any of this have to do with me??

In truth, Wang Su's reputation had already suffered considerably of late. Because of the Guo Family, many believed that Wang Su was deliberately dragging things out, unwilling to let Cao Mao ascend the throne.

The claim that he wanted to replace the Guo Family had spread far and wide.

Gao Rou knew Wang Su's character very well.

Wang Su would never be so impatient.

Still less would he move against the emperor. He had been carefully cultivating his reputation all along. If anything happened to the emperor, he would be the first to suffer, his good name utterly ruined.

Was this young emperor trying to sow discord among the court officials and stir up a conflict between Wang Su and me?

A flicker of disdain crossed Gao Rou's eyes, and then he shook his head.

How childish. Well, of course. He was only a boy of thirteen or fourteen. Before, he had worthy men assisting him, which had allowed him to accomplish a few things. Now that he was alone, what could he possibly do?

Gao Rou gave the matter no further thought.

Meanwhile, inside the General Who Conquers the West's Residence, Sima Zhao was listening to Jia Chong's report with a broad smile.

Of all Sima Shi's trusted aides, Sima Zhao liked Jia Chong best.

There was no other reason for it: Jia Chong always loved to tell the truth.

Whenever Sima Shi's other trusted aides saw Sima Zhao, they were forever ordering him about, showing him little respect. Jia Chong was different. Every time they met, he showered Sima Zhao with praise and expressed his admiration.

At that moment, Jia Chong's aging face was likewise wreathed in a fawning smile.

As a scholar, he seemed entirely unconcerned by how shameful or beneath his dignity such behavior was.

"General, everything has been arranged. Once the emperor succeeds to the throne, we will discipline him strictly and appoint teachers to instruct him, so that he can devote himself to his studies..."

Jia Chong's words sounded pleasant, but their meaning was simple and direct.

They would place the emperor under house arrest in the name of studying, leaving him no opportunity to do anything else.

"We have already selected numerous palace attendants for him. They are all worthy men and will not allow the emperor to stray down the wrong path."

"In addition, we are discussing candidates for Attendant. We will not let treacherous villains approach His Majesty."

"It is just the Empress Dowager..."

Sima Zhao shook his head. "You need not worry about the Empress Dowager either. All she wants is for Cao Mao to ascend the throne. Once he does, she will no longer concern herself with what follows."

"That would be best."

Sima Zhao laughed. "Back in Yuan City, His Majesty mixed with petty scoundrels and spent his days committing misdeeds. Now that he has come to Luoyang, he must be properly disciplined. We cannot let him make any more grave mistakes. I will leave this matter to you. If His Majesty does anything wrong, come and inform me at once."

"Yes, sir!!"

Cao Mao had not even arrived yet, but the arrangements targeting him were already underway.

Sima Shi had made up his mind to lock Cao Mao away inside the imperial palace, just as he had been confined to that little room in Yuan City, turning him into a truly solitary sovereign.

Jia Chong departed, swearing repeatedly before he left that he would never allow His Majesty to cause trouble again.

No sooner had he gone than another person slipped into the residence.

The newcomer was Sima Yan.

The sight of this brat filled Sima Zhao with anger.

I sent you to keep an eye on Cao Mao's succession, and what did you do? You followed him everywhere, sightseeing and enjoying yourself!

He was about to lose his temper when Sima Yan cautiously asked, "Has Lord Jia left?"

"He has! What do you want?"

Sima Yan hastily pulled a letter from his sleeve, glanced warily around, and then thrust it into Sima Zhao's hand.

The gesture left Sima Zhao completely baffled.

What is this supposed to mean?? Are you making some clandestine rendezvous with me??

Sima Zhao opened the letter suspiciously and asked, "What is this?"

"A letter His Majesty asked me to give you. He said my uncle had handled matters poorly and wanted you to help him clear Xiahou Xuan's name..."

Sima Zhao had only just opened the letter when Sima Yan's words nearly made him drop it on the floor.

He looked down at the letter in disbelief. After hastily reading it through, his expression became exceedingly complicated.

Sima Yan had not lied. It really was a letter trying to recruit him.

In the letter, Cao Mao expressed his anguish over his Eldest Maternal Uncle's death, then his admiration for Xiahou Xuan and the others. Finally, he criticized Sima Zhao's elder brother for failing to clear Xiahou Xuan's name and voiced the hope that Sima Zhao would help him seek justice for Lord Xiahou.

"Has he gone mad??"

"That is what I said too!!"

"But he insisted that you were different from my uncle. He said everyone under heaven knew you were a worthy talent..."

"Bullshit!"

Sima Zhao cut his son off, gripping the letter as he sank into thought.

"What is this brat trying to do? Drive a wedge between brothers??"

"Father, I think he might genuinely believe it..."

"Hah. Do you think everyone under heaven is like you?"

Sima Zhao was, after all, a seasoned old hand. He would never believe that this emperor was some dull, innocent gentleman. The boy was certainly plotting something.

Was this strange letter a plea for mercy?

Did he want me to protect him?

While Sima Zhao racked his brains, Cao Mao was already lying down in the front hall of Black Tortoise Lodge, in the bedchamber where the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor had once rested.

He had intended to keep up appearances a little longer, refusing to sleep there and going to the Western Hall instead. But after some thought, he abandoned the idea.

Putting on a show for these people in the Imperial Court was sheer wasted effort.

No matter how filial, benevolent, or noble he was, it meant nothing unless he could offer them tangible benefits.

The Cao Mao of his first playthrough had reached the pinnacle in that regard, yet who had come forward to support him, their wise Son of Heaven?

Lying flat on the bed, Cao Mao nevertheless wore a smile.

What he had whispered in Gao Rou's ear had never been intended to provoke a conflict between Gao Rou and Wang Su.

There was no conflict between them in the first place.

His real target was the Guo Family.

Cao Mao kept a list in his mind. On it were people he needed to eliminate and people he needed to win over.

The Guo Family was one of the crucial parties he had to win over. Because of the matter involving Guo De, Cao Mao's relationship with their family was currently terrible, but he would find a way to mend it.

He intended to squeeze Wang Su's usefulness dry.

Wang Su had no quarrel with Gao Rou, but the Guo Family was deeply afraid of being replaced by him.

If there was no conflict, he would take the initiative and create one.

He did not ask that the Guo Family assist him wholeheartedly or help him fight the Sima Family. He only wanted them to remain close to him, providing a foundation for cooperation.

As for Jia Chong, he needed to sow as much discord as possible, sparing no effort. Ideally, he could use the issue of Sima You and Sima Yan to deal with him.

With Sima Fu, he had to remain constantly vigilant without becoming distant. If Sima Fu wanted to be a loyal subject of Great Wei, then Cao Mao would find a way to make him one.

There was no need to consider Zheng Chong for now.

Aside from these people, the most important thing was to establish contact with Guanqiu Jian as soon as possible.

After all, Guanqiu Jian was his guarantee of staying alive.

Sima Shi was not in Luoyang at present. This was an excellent opportunity.

If he made good use of it, he might well accomplish something significant.

And the most, most, most important thing was to keep making trouble out of nothing.

Cao Mao knew very well that Sima Shi concerned himself with every detail, great or small. His way of handling affairs resembled that of the Marquis Wu of Zhuge: he personally managed everything. Apart from his younger brother, no one seemed to enjoy his genuine trust. Even when he sent trusted aides to carry out a task, he had to watch over them from behind.

Under such circumstances, Cao Mao had to create enough work for Sima Shi. Even the letters reporting his daily words and conduct had to be plentiful-so plentiful that they brought on another bout of his eye disease!

Better still if he died of illness tomorrow!

Never mind whether these things are useful. Just do them. Sima Shi will be the one reading through everything in the end anyway.

As long as that bastard gets no peace.

Just then, a knock suddenly came from outside the door.

"Your Majesty?"

Hearing that familiar voice, Cao Mao sprang to his feet.

He ran all the way to the entrance and hurriedly opened the door.

"Anshi!"

Sima Yan stood outside, his long hair falling over his shoulders and a jade tray in his hands, looking at him anxiously.

When Cao Mao emerged, he hastily stepped aside, revealing another man behind him.

This man bore a strong resemblance to Sima Yan. Handsome and refined, with an imposing bearing and a smile on his face, he studied Cao Mao.

Cao Mao froze, though he had already guessed the man's identity.

"Are you the General Who Conquers the West?"

"This old subject, Sima Zhao, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

Sima Zhao made as if to bow. Cao Mao looked utterly alarmed and hurriedly caught him, preventing him from doing so.

"General!! At last, I have met you!"

At that moment, Cao Mao's eyes brimmed with hot tears, as though his great savior had finally arrived.