Recaps

After Cao Mao matched Cheng Ji in sparring, Hua Biao warned him that the Imperial Secretariat planned to dismiss him and other palace officials. Cao Mao concealed his fury and resolved to use Emperor Wu’s armor to teach the ministers a lesson.

• Cao Mao fought Cheng Ji to a draw, celebrated his progress, and continued discussing martial arts with him over a meal.
• Hua Biao arrived and reported that the Imperial Secretariat had accused him, Duke Zheng, and palace officials of five charges and sought their dismissal.
• Zhang Hua warned that the ministers intended to replace the Attendants and palace officials, and urged Cao Mao to seek help from Sima Gan and Sima Zhao.
• Cao Mao rejected the plan to draw Sima Zhao into the conflict, reassured Hua Biao and Zhang Hua that he would remain composed, and decided to change how he dealt with the ministers.
• Cao Mao resolved to retrieve Emperor Wu’s armor from the Ancestral Temple and make the ministers understand that he would not submit to them.

Cao Mao prepared to counter the ministers who had moved against him, ordering his allies to gather and palace eunuchs to monitor events. The ministers’ fabricated charges against the emperor were revealed as part of a coordinated effort to seize power, and they pressed Cao Yu to join their plan.

• Cao Mao summoned his officers and allies, ordered Cheng Ji to fetch Yang Hu, and considered how to strip Sima Zhao of power without provoking a civil war.
• Cao Mao sent Old Eunuch Xu to have the palace eunuchs watch for trouble and report to him.
• Gao Dan blocked Cheng Ji and Yang Hu at Taiji Hall, claiming the ministers had dismissed them and accusing the emperor’s inner officials of misconduct.
• Sima Fu, Gao Rou, and Wang Xiang united in the Imperial Secretariat and issued charges against Cao Mao to restore power to the ministers.
• Wang Jing recognized that the ministers’ accusations could be used to depose Cao Mao, while Cao Yu trembled as Sima Fu asked for his opinion.

Cao Mao thwarted the ministers’ attempt to take control of the Imperial Palace, arresting Gao Dan and ordering loyal troops to secure the halls. He then confronted Xun Xu in Zhaoyang Hall, where Empress Dowager Guo urged him not to kill anyone.

• Gao Rou and the ministers planned to isolate Cao Mao, secure the Imperial Palace, and replace Sima Gan with Wang Guan in command of the Central Army.
• Gao Dan tried to stop Yang Hu from entering, but Cao Mao arrived, ordered Cheng Ji to seize Gao Dan, and appointed Man Changwu acting Palace Commandant.
• Cao Mao ordered Yang Hu to muster loyal troops, seal the palace gates, and promote trusted officers, while Cheng Ji was tasked with patrolling the palace.
• Cao Mao confronted Xun Xu outside Zhaoyang Hall, accused him of keeping watch on Empress Dowager Guo, and dragged him inside.
• Cao Mao drew his sword against Xun Xu, but Empress Dowager Guo pleaded with him not to kill anyone.

Cao Mao secured the palace and prepared to counter the ministers’ plot, while Zhang Hua warned Sima Gan that the Central Army was also at risk. Ma Long’s troops seized the camp and arrested Wang Guan, leaving the ministers’ attempt to take control in open conflict with the emperor’s loyalists.

• Cao Mao reassured Empress Dowager Guo, removed Gao Dan from office, and ordered Man Changwu appointed Palace Commandant.
• Cao Mao ordered the palace gates closed and barred anyone from leaving or approaching without permission.
• Zhang Hua warned Sima Gan that the ministers might replace him and urged him to have Ma Long secure the Central Army camp.
• Ma Long took control of the camp’s defenses and arrested Wang Guan and his attendants when they arrived.
• Wang Guan condemned Ma Long’s actions, and Ma Long answered that those who scorned His Majesty deserved punishment.

Cao Mao gathered court officials inside the Imperial Palace and declared that the Imperial Secretariat’s attempted dismissals and accusations were treasonous, ordering Gao Guang seized after he defended the ministers. As Sima Yan urged an immediate attack on the senior officials, Hua Biao warned that killing them could trigger rebellions across Great Wei, with Sima Zhao still outside the palace.

• Ma Long warned Sima Gan that Wang Guan had predicted the General of the Guards would bring about Great Wei’s fall, then arranged with Sima Xun to defend the Central Army’s camps.
• Wei Shu admitted Hua Biao, Zheng Xiaotong, Ruan Ji, Sima Yan, Pei Xiu, Wang Shen, Gao Guang, Zhong Hui, and other officials into the guarded Imperial Palace.
• Cao Mao told the assembled officials that the Imperial Secretariat’s plans to dismiss them and accuse him amounted to treason, and said Yang Hu, Wei Shu, and Man Changwu had secured the palace.
• Gao Guang defended the court ministers, but Sima Yan accused his family of rebellion, and Cao Mao ordered Gao Guang seized and sent to join his elder brother.
• Sima Yan urged Cao Mao to march against Gao Rou and Zheng Chong, while Hua Biao warned that executing the ministers could provoke widespread rebellions and leave Great Wei vulnerable to Jiang Wei and Wu.

Cao Mao contained the palace rebellion, weighed his advisers’ counsel, and assigned Sima Yan and Zheng Xiaotong roles in his response. Meanwhile, Zhong Yu welcomed the conflict between the emperor and the ministers, hoping either outcome would let the General of the Guards intervene.

• Wang Shen urged Cao Mao to summon the ministers, but Zheng Xiaotong accused him of trying to escape and warn the traitors, so Cao Mao had Wang Shen dragged away.
• Cao Mao questioned Pei Xiu, then consulted Zhong Hui, who advised him about the Central Army and said he would bring the ministers to court.
• Cao Mao appointed Sima Yan Military Adviser Zhonglang General and ordered him to secure the Grand General’s Residence with five hundred armored guards.
• Cao Mao sent Zheng Xiaotong to the Imperial Secretariat to report the palace unrest and summon the ministers to court.
• At Zhong Yu’s residence, Zhang Hua reported the situation, while Zhong Yu privately hoped the emperor and ministers would destroy each other and give the General of the Guards an excuse to march on Luoyang.

Zhang Hua misled Zhong Yu before deciding not to return to the palace, while Gao Rou, Sima Fu, and Wang Xiang finalized plans to divide court power and constrain the young emperor. Their scheme faltered when they learned that the imperial city was sealed and Palace Officials had entered it, leaving them scrambling to contain the crisis and hide it from the ministers.

• Zhang Hua pretended to be furious with Zhong Yu, then left without returning to the palace and hurried off with a new plan.
• Gao Rou, Sima Fu, and Wang Xiang agreed on court appointments, the new Zhongzheng System, and steps to weaken and confine the emperor.
• A messenger told Gao Rou that the imperial city's gates were shut, contact with Wang Guan was lost, and Palace Officials had entered the city.
• Gao Rou blamed Sima Zhao and Yang Hu, while Wang Xiang urged the others to reassure the emperor and prevent open conflict.
• Wang Xiang proposed concealing the crisis from the ministers, then falsely assured them the Palace Officials' refusal would be resolved by the next day.
• Wang Jing challenged Wang Xiang to identify which minister inside the imperial city was resisting the edict.

Zheng Xiaotong announced that the emperor had ordered the ministers to gather at Taiji Hall, then openly defended the emperor and condemned Gao Rou before being arrested. Zhong Hui arrived at the Central Army Camp with an imperial edict appointing Xiahou Xian General of the Guards, leaving Sima Gan to confront the sudden change in command.

• Zheng Xiaotong delivered the emperor’s edict, saying the rebels had confessed and ordering the ministers to go to Taiji Hall.
• Gao Rou accused the Palace Officials of seizing the emperor and ordered Zheng Xiaotong arrested, but Zheng declared that the emperor was safe and acting against traitors.
• Wang Xiang ordered Zheng Xiaotong taken away after the ministers fell silent, then urged them to remain united.
• Zhong Hui arrived at the Central Army Camp with an edict, scolded Sima Xun and Sima Gan, and said the emperor was about to clash with the ministers.
• Zhong Hui revealed that Wang Guan had been arrested for high treason and introduced Xiahou Xian as the newly appointed General of the Guards.

Zhong Hui persuaded Sima Gan to accept Xiahou Xian’s appointment as commander of the Central Army, then helped Xiahou Xian mobilize troops to seal off Luoyang and move against the ministers. Inside the Imperial Secretariat, the ministers remained divided over how to respond, while Wang Xiang urged them to seize the Central Army and enter the Imperial City.

• Zhong Hui used Sima Gan’s incomplete knowledge and his trusted aides’ advice to persuade him to accept Xiahou Xian’s appointment.
• Xiahou Xian took command of the Central Army and ordered troops to seal the capital and its surrounding checkpoints, while other battalions prepared to follow him into the city.
• Zhong Hui revealed that his elder brother had engineered the ministers’ move against the emperor and planned to exploit the conflict, while Zhong Hui intended to lead Sima Family generals against the ministers.
• The ministers argued over whom to contact and what to do until Xin Chang arrived, and Gao Rou ordered him to restore command and open the Imperial City gates.
• Wang Xiang urged the ministers to take control of the Central Army, enter the Imperial City, and purge the emperor’s supposed villains.

Xin Chang rushed to the Imperial City but was captured by Wei Shu and brought before Cao Mao. Cao Mao persuaded him to stay in Taiji Hall under the emperor’s protection, leaving Xin Chang trapped in the palace and unexpectedly tied to Cao Mao’s cause.

• Xin Chang ordered the Imperial City gates opened, but Wei Shu seized him and disarmed his guards.
• Cheng Ji escorted Xin Chang to Taiji Hall after Man Changwu obtained permission for him to enter.
• Xin Chang tried to convince Cao Mao that the ministers’ actions were a misunderstanding and warned that the Central Army might attack Luoyang.
• Cao Mao dismissed Xin Chang’s fears and explained that he planned to win over some officials while opposing others rather than launch a bloodbath.
• Cao Mao called Xin Chang family through his ties to Yang Hu and offered to keep him safe in the palace, but Xin Chang realized he could not safely leave.

Xiahou Xian’s Central Army seized Luoyang and surrounded the Imperial Secretariat, arresting Gao Rou and Wang Xiang while escorting the other ministers to the Imperial Palace. Zhong Hui’s stratagem had restored control of the court, and the ministers were left unaware of the emperor’s role as the procession reached the Imperial City gates.

• Xun Biao surrendered as Xiahou Xian’s Central Army took control of Luoyang’s gates and flooded the city with soldiers.
• Zhang Hua blocked Zhong Yu at his residence with armed men, explaining that he had already subdued Zhong Yu’s agents.
• Xiahou Xian surrounded the Imperial Secretariat, where Gao Rou and the ministers realized they had been outmaneuvered by the General of the Guards.
• Xiahou Xian ordered Gao Rou and Wang Xiang taken into custody and led the other ministers toward the Imperial Palace.
• Zhong Hui refused Xiahou Xian’s suggestion to kill the ministers, while Zheng Xiaotong and Ji Kang joined the procession.
• The ministers were escorted to the gates of the Imperial City as Zheng Chong worried that the ringleaders would blame him for their scheme.

Cao Mao arrived at Zhaoyang Hall in armor and on a war chariot while the ministers knelt outside, expecting them to see him as Sima Zhao’s instrument. Zhong Hui then arrested Sima Gan and the commandants, revealed his allegiance to Cao Mao, and Cao Mao confronted Gao Rou.

• Zhong Hui persuaded Sima Gan to summon the commandants and provisionally fill key court posts, while assigning him a secret task for the Sima Family.
• Xin Chang told the ministers that Cao Mao had declared them guilty and directed them to beg Empress Dowager Guo’s forgiveness.
• Cao Mao rode to Zhaoyang Hall in armor, with Yang Hu beside him, as the ministers knelt before the Empress Dowager.
• Zhong Hui ordered Xiaoxing to act, and Ma Long’s armored guards subdued Sima Gan and the commandants.
• Zhong Hui bowed to Cao Mao and declared that the villains had been brought to justice; Cao Mao pointed his sword at Gao Rou and accused him of holding his sovereign in contempt.

Cao Mao defeated the ministers’ conspiracy and sentenced its chief participants, then secured the court’s approval to govern Great Wei in person. Empress Dowager Guo formally proclaimed his rule, leaving Cao Mao in control of the imperial court.

• Cao Mao confronted the kneeling ministers, and Gao Rou confessed to his guilt after recognizing the emperor.
• Cao Mao dismissed Gao Rou and stripped him of his title, sentenced Sima Fu to the Kūn Punishment and exile, and removed Wang Xiang from office while pardoning Zheng Chong.
• Cao Mao declared that the remaining conspirators would be investigated and asked the ministers to support his personal rule.
• Zheng Chong, Wang Xiang, Cao Yu, and the assembled ministers agreed that Cao Mao should govern in person.
• Cao Mao brought Empress Dowager Guo before the ministers, and she proclaimed that he would govern Great Wei with their assistance.

Cao Mao reshaped the court after Gao Rou’s rebellion, appointing Chen Qian and Hua Biao to key posts and elevating Xun Yi within the Imperial Secretariat. The ministers, seeing opportunities in the vacancies, began openly supporting Cao Mao, while Wang Jing watched them with contempt.

• Cao Mao removed Zhong Yu as Minister of Justice and appointed Chen Qian to take his place.
• Chen Qian named Meng Kang and Wang Guan as accomplices in Gao Rou’s rebellion, and Cao Mao ordered both men arrested and punished.
• Cao Mao appointed Hua Biao Director of the Central Secretariat and tasked him with purging Meng Kang’s followers.
• Cao Mao offered Xun Yi the post of Left Deputy Director of the Secretariat, and Xun Yi eagerly accepted.
• The ministers praised Xun Yi and urged Cao Mao to arrest Gao Rou’s other followers, while Wang Jing silently despised their opportunism.

After Gao Rou's faction was defeated, Cao Mao assigned trusted officials to key posts and organized arrests and replacements across Luoyang and Sili. He then turned to deal with Sima Gan and the Sima Family.

• Cao Mao ended the court session and kept several officials behind while the other ministers departed.
• Cao Mao proposed Zhong Hui, Pei Xiu, and Wei Shu as ministers and Zheng Mao as Minister of Personnel, and Xun Yi approved.
• Cao Mao ordered Chen Qian to purge rebels from the Ministry of Justice and arrest Gao Rou's accomplices, while Zheng Mao assessed replacements for officials.
• Cao Mao asked Zheng Mao to recommend an aide for Hua Biao, and Zheng Mao named Wei Guan.
• Cao Mao ordered Wang Jing to investigate officials throughout Sili and arranged for Zheng Mao to recommend their replacements.
• Cao Mao concluded the court's affairs and set out with the ministers to deal with Sima Gan and the Sima Family.

Cao Mao defeated the ministers’ plot, secured control of Luoyang, and began arranging military and political support while trying to keep Sima Gan and Sima Zhao from becoming enemies. After everyone left him alone in the Western Hall, Cao Mao collapsed to the floor and wept.

• Cui Zan and the other ministers left the palace shaken by Cao Mao’s victory, while Cao Mao thanked Xiahou Xian, Ma Long, Jiao Bo, and Li Zhao for their support and rewarded Jiao Bo and Li Zhao with marquis titles.
• Cao Mao ordered Xiahou Xian to reorganize the Central Army, then released Sima Gan and assured him that he would not use him against Sima Zhao.
• Cao Mao brought Sima Gan and Sima Xun to Sima Yue, shared a meal with them, and left Sima Gan in her care while he returned to court business.
• Cao Mao and his advisers planned to seek support from the General Who Guards the East, Guanqiu Jian, and Zhuge Dan, while withholding news from Chen Tai to avoid harming the western army’s morale.
• After sending his advisers and attendants away, Cao Mao lay alone on the Western Hall floor and sobbed silently.

Zhong Hui took pride in helping Cao Mao seize control of the court, while Zhong Yu warned him that governing the realm would be harder than purging its officials. Zhong Hui then pressured Gao Rou into writing confessions that he could use against other ministers, while promising to spare Gao Rou’s grandson.

• Zhong Yu credited Hua Yi, Zhang Hua, and others for the court’s success, then warned Zhong Hui about the dangers of resisting the outer generals and governing without the ministers.
• Zhong Hui assured Zhong Yu that Cao Mao would spare him, but Zhong Yu told him to stop visiting and left him with a warning about the realm’s instability.
• Zhong Hui inspected the Court of the Commandant of Justice, where officials were being replaced and ministers were imprisoned amid Cao Mao’s purge.
• Zhong Hui offered to save Gao Rou’s grandson if Gao Rou named those involved in the rebellion, and Gao Rou agreed to write a confession.
• Zhong Hui directed Gao Rou to write the names of Xun Yi, Cui Zan, and Xin Chang, revealing that he intended to use the confessions to threaten the ministers.

Zhong Hui pressed Sima Fu to write his son a warning against defecting to Shu, while Xin Chang tried to regain Cao Mao’s favor with a jade gift. Cao Mao accepted the gift, appointed Xin Chang’s nephews to court positions, and asked Xin Chang to watch for hidden rebels; Cui Zan then arrived to seek an audience.

• Zhong Hui warned Sima Fu that Sima Wang might defect to Shu and persuaded him to write his son a letter.
• Xin Chang presented Cao Mao with a treasured jade carving and renewed his claim that they were family.
• Cao Mao accepted the jade and appointed Yang Jin to the Imperial Secretariat and Yang Xiu as a Yellow Gate attendant.
• Cao Mao asked Xin Chang to identify ministers who harbored disloyal intentions.
• Zhang Hua announced Cui Zan’s arrival, and Xin Chang left Taiji Hall as Cui Zan entered.

Cao Mao accepted Cui Zan’s allegiance and considered appointments for his ministers, then rewarded Zhong Hui with the office of Attendant after Zhong Hui brought confessions and letters that could help secure the court and pacify Yongliang. Zhong Hui urged Cao Mao to proceed cautiously against the great clans and regional generals.

• Cui Zan presented a list of Gao Rou’s confidants in the Central Secretariat and explained that the Cui clan’s losses had driven him to seek Cao Mao’s protection.
• Cao Mao accepted Cui Zan’s allegiance and considered appointing him Attendant while planning roles for Wang Jing, Guanqiu Jian, Zheng Xiaotong, and Zhong Hui.
• Zhong Hui presented confessions in Gao Rou’s handwriting and said he had obtained them by promising to protect Gao Rou’s grandson.
• Cao Mao rewarded Zhong Hui by appointing him Attendant and directing him to focus on the Imperial Secretariat.
• Zhong Hui presented Sima Fu’s letter to Sima Wang and proposed using it, with Xun Yi’s help, to pacify Yongliang and persuade Chen Tai to join Cao Mao.
• Zhong Hui delivered Sima Zhou’s family letter for Zhuge Dan and advised Cao Mao to avoid provoking the outer generals while acting cautiously against the great clans.

Mouqiu Dian, Wen Yang, and Liu Lu rode toward Luoyang with a thousand cavalrymen sent by Guanqiu Jian to support the emperor. They learned from Jiao Bo that Cao Mao had already reclaimed supreme authority, and Mouqiu Dian hurried on to offer his service against Sima Zhao.

• Mouqiu Dian led Wen Yang, Liu Lu, and a thousand cavalrymen through Yu Province while avoiding Zhuge Dan's forces.
• Mouqiu Dian recalled that Guanqiu Jian had sent him to Luoyang with prisoners and spoils, hoping to provide the emperor with troops of his own.
• Jiao Bo's Central Army stopped the cavalry on the road, but Jiao Bo recognized Mouqiu Dian and lowered the guards' crossbows.
• Jiao Bo told Mouqiu Dian, Wen Yang, and Liu Lu that Cao Mao had reclaimed supreme authority and was ruling personally.
• Mouqiu Dian resolved to reach Luoyang quickly and serve Cao Mao in eliminating Sima Zhao, while Jiao Bo sent escorts and messengers ahead.

Cao Mao welcomed Mouqiu Dian, Liu Lu, and Wen Yang to Luoyang and appointed Mouqiu Dian Imperial Censor to prevent ministers from uniting against him. He then considered how education could weaken the great clans’ monopoly on government, leaving that reform as a longer-term goal.

• Cao Mao eagerly greeted Mouqiu Dian, Liu Lu, and Wen Yang outside Luoyang, praising Wen Yang’s valor and welcoming the three into his service.
• Cao Mao brought the newcomers into Luoyang and told Mouqiu Dian that he had appointed Chen Qian Minister of Justice.
• Cao Mao asked Mouqiu Dian to become Imperial Censor and monitor officials, especially the Three Excellencies, the Nine Ministers, and the Three Offices, for signs of faction-building.
• Mouqiu Dian recognized the weight of the appointment as Cao Mao explained that ministers would likely unite again to force concessions.
• Cao Mao reflected that examinations alone could not break the great clans’ control of official posts and concluded that education had to expand first.

At a banquet, Wen Yang defeated Cheng Ji in a single blow, impressing Cao Mao and the court. Cao Mao appointed Wen Yang to command a newly reestablished Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and arranged for him to marry into the Imperial Clan, leaving Wen Yang eager to lead the elite force.

• Cao Mao appointed Mouqiu Dian Chief Imperial Censor and praised Wen Yang before challenging Cheng Ji to spar with him.
• Cheng Ji accepted Wen Yang’s challenge, but Wen Yang knocked him unconscious with one strike from a wooden club.
• Cao Mao appointed Wen Yang Commandant of the Tiger Cavalry and ordered him to form the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, beginning with three thousand men and horses.
• Zhang Hua objected that the command traditionally belonged to the Imperial Clan, then proposed that Wen Yang marry a woman of the clan.
• Cao Mao agreed to arrange Wen Yang’s marriage, and Wen Yang accepted the appointment, excited to command the cavalry.

Cao Mao reunited with Liu Lu and sent him to contact Guo in the mountains, while Sima Zhao learned that Luoyang had fallen under the Ministers’ control and prepared to seek a way to protect his family and avoid civil war. Du Yu volunteered to go to Luoyang to persuade the Ministers, leaving Sima Zhao to rally his allies and contact Guanqiu Jian.

• Cao Mao welcomed Liu Lu, heard how he had served him, and appointed him Yellow Gate Gentleman to remain at his side.
• Cao Mao explained that Guo could aid him from the mountains, and Liu Lu agreed to seek him out when Cao Mao was ready to send him.
• Du Yu warned Sima Zhao that the Ministers had likely subdued the Central Army and seized control of Luoyang because no reports had arrived.
• Sima Zhao considered leading troops back to Luoyang but realized He Zeng and Chen Ben might turn against him if the Ministers held the city.
• Du Yu urged Sima Zhao to contact Guanqiu Jian and other trusted commanders while he went to Luoyang to persuade the Three Excellencies to stop.

Cao Mao visited the Grand General’s Residence after defeating the Central Army and tried to secure the Sima family’s submission while reassuring Sima Yan of their friendship. He left Sima Yan in charge of the residence and promised to bring him along on the campaign against Shu, while Sima Yan remained uncertain about the emperor’s intentions.

• Cao Mao arrived at the Grand General’s Residence, greeted Sima Yan and Sima You, and brought the captured Central Army officers into the residence.
• Cao Mao met Wang Yuanji and offered terms for the Sima family, warning that he would destroy the family if the General of the Guards resisted.
• Cao Mao told Wang Yuanji that he wanted the Sima family’s former followers and her father to serve the court rather than die in civil war.
• Cao Mao told Sima Yan that he had once considered killing him but had come to regard him as his best friend and wanted him to become Marquis Wu.
• Cao Mao said he had appointed Sima Yan military adviser so he could take him on the campaign against Shu and entrust him with unifying the realm.
• Cao Mao left Sima Yan to guard the residence and his mother, reminding him to attend the East Hall Banquet in two days.

Cui Zan urged Cui Hong to attend the East Hall Banquet and understand the young emperor, while Xun Yi sought Cui Zan’s support in challenging the emperor’s appointments. Cui Zan refused to join him, and Xun Yi faced pressure from ministers through Feng Zhan.

• Cui Zan persuaded Cui Hong to attend the East Hall Banquet so he could understand the emperor’s intentions and remonstrate if needed.
• Xun Yi told Cui Zan that the emperor had appointed Mouqiu Dian Chief Imperial Censor and planned to reorganize the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, then argued that ministers should reclaim a role in appointments.
• Cui Zan feared Xun Yi’s criticism would provoke the emperor and advised him to leave appointments alone while Gao Rou remained imprisoned.
• Xun Yi left after Cui Zan declined to support him, then Feng Zhan arrived to ask about the appointments on behalf of the ministers.
• Xun Yi rebuked Feng Zhan for meddling in court affairs and said he would speak to the emperor himself.