Recaps

As rebellion spread through Henan and Hebei, Cao Mao worked to win Empress Dowager Guo and the ministers to his side while Sima Zhao struggled to contain unrest and protect the Sima Family’s power. The arc ended with Sima Shi gravely ill and confronting Gao Rou as Gao Guang prepared to join Guanqiu Jian in Huainan.

• Sima Zhao sent forces against the Heyin rebels, but Sima Ban’s troops massacred civilians while Yin Damu tried to spare them, and unrest spread across the regions.
• Fu Gu arrested Sima Ban, ordered stolen property returned, and tasked Yin Damu with suppressing bandits and restoring order.
• Cao Mao warned Empress Dowager Guo that the Sima Family threatened her, then urged her to rally ministers and challenge Sima Zhao’s influence.
• Wang Xiang agreed to support Empress Dowager Guo, and she removed Guo Li, Guo Zhi, and Guo Jian from her presence after Guo Li demanded she obey the Grand General.
• Cao Mao helped Sima Yan stage a snowbound protest that won him public acclaim, then warned him that ministers wanted a weak successor and urged him to understand the people’s hardships.
• Gao Rou defied Sima Zhao’s demand that he step aside, while Du Yu proposed offering Guanqiu Jian a high post in exchange for surrendering command of the Huainan Army.
• Guanqiu Jian met Zhuge Dan, who refused to join him against Sima Shi, and Sima Zhao later instructed Guo Li to reconcile with Empress Dowager Guo and report her intentions.
• Sima Shi proposed making his widowed daughter Sima Yue empress, then collapsed in pain as his left eye bled, and Gao Rou and Gao Guang arrived home to find armed guards and Sima Shi waiting.

Cao Mao built alliances and prepared to weaken Sima Shi while waiting for the ailing regent to die, but the Sima brothers moved to contain his influence and unrest grew beyond the court. The stretch ended with Sima Shi ordering the execution of officials who had slaughtered commoners and despairing over the state of Great Wei.

• Sima Shi threatened Gao Rou’s family to secure his compliance, while Sima Zhao pursued a marriage between Cao Mao and Sima Yue despite Du Yu’s objections.
• Cao Mao used Empress Dowager Guo’s distrust of the Guo Family to advance his plans, then learned that Sima Yue was to become his bride and discovered Sima Shi was keeping her son Zhen Ping close.
• Cao Mao warned Guo Jian to feign illness, rejected Gao Guang’s offer to rebel as a possible trap, and began recruiting ministers and scholars to support his cause.
• Wang Xiang persuaded Chen Qian to join Cao Mao’s alliance, while Cao Mao sought Yang Hu’s appointment and used a scholarly banquet to draw Luoyang’s worthies into his orbit.
• Cao Mao debated the Classics with scholars, secretly asked Ji Kang to face death with him for the realm, and accelerated his preparations while refusing to touch Sima Yue.
• Yang Hu accepted the Empress Dowager’s summons to command the Palace Guards, and Cao Mao promoted Wang Xiang and Ma Long as part of his effort to restore the Cao Family’s power.
• Cao Mao proposed consolidating interpretations of the Classics, prompting Sima Zhao to consider killing him before Zhong Hui persuaded him to take charge of the project instead.
• Ruan Ji discovered Ji Kang and Lü An were involved in Cao Mao’s undertaking, but Ji Kang refused to withdraw and asked Ruan Ji to preserve Guangling San.
• Wang Yuan recruited Qi Lai’s followers for Guo Ze’s rebels as Yin Damu prepared to return to Luoyang and campaign against them.
• Sima Zhao moved to punish officials who had slaughtered commoners, but Sima Shi killed Sima Ban and ordered the rest executed, then condemned Sima Zhao for letting powerful clans abuse the people.

Cao Mao built support for reform and secretly prepared Guanqiu Jian to withstand Sima Shi, while Shu Han launched a northern expedition. The arc ended with Wang Xiang challenging Sima Zhao at court, as the weakened Sima Shi arrived in the hall.

• Cao Mao used the East Hall Banquet to raise Wang Xiang’s standing, recruit allies, and send secret instructions to Guanqiu Jian through Jiao Bo and Liu Lu.
• Sima Shi ordered Sima Yan to command the Central Rampart Camp, while Sima Yan grew closer to Cao Mao and Yang Hu accepted a post at court.
• Wang Xiang secured appointment as Grand Minister of Ceremonies, and Cao Mao persuaded Empress Dowager Guo to support reforms and summon princes of the Imperial Clan.
• Jiang Wei persuaded Liu Shan to authorize a northern expedition, and Xiahou Ba joined the campaign despite Zhang Yi’s objections.
• Liu Lu delivered Cao Mao’s letter to Guanqiu Jian, who rejected Sima Shi’s offer, prepared Huainan’s defenses, and urged Hua Biao to join the resistance.
• Sima Shi grew suspicious of Chen Qian and Zheng Mao, while Wang Xiang agreed to move forward with Cao Mao’s reform plan.
• Wang Xiang and Lu Yu proposed reforming the Zhongzheng System at court, but Sima Zhao rejected the proposal and threatened the ministers.
• Meng Kang, Lu Zhi, Gao Rou, and other ministers stood with Wang Xiang against Sima Zhao, until Sima Shi entered the hall.

As Sima Shi’s illness weakened the Sima Family’s hold on the court, Cao Mao maneuvered among the Empress Dowager, the great families, and Sima Zhao to build his own authority. The arc ended with Hua Biao pledging his support to Cao Mao, who continued preparing to take control of the Central Army and Sima Shi’s power base.

• Sima Shi fell gravely ill as Lu Yu and the ministers sought Empress Dowager Guo’s intervention, and she began reshaping court appointments while Cao Mao secured Zhang Hua and Wei Shu for his service.
• After recovering, Sima Shi ordered martial law in Luoyang and entrusted Sima Zhao with affairs, while Zhong Hui warned Cao Mao about the danger of the court’s policies and offered him his service.
• Cao Mao turned the rivalries between Gao Rou, Lu Yu, and the Sima Family to his advantage, won the Empress Dowager’s confidence, and began seeking control of the Central Army.
• Cao Mao visited Sima Shi and rejected his offer of an alliance, instead asking him to entrust the Sima Family’s power to the emperor, and he also brought Sima Yue’s son Ping into the palace.
• Cao Mao arranged to reorganize the Central Army under commanders loyal to the Empress Dowager and selected Ma Long as the military expert who could help him take control.
• Lu Yu and Sima Fu agreed to work against Gao Rou while concealing their separate ambitions, and Cao Mao recruited Zhong Hui to help him inherit Sima Shi’s power base.
• Hua Biao arrived in Luoyang, declared his loyalty to Cao Mao, and reported that Guanqiu Jian had refused a summons to court while pledging support for the emperor.