Chapter Summaries

Cao Mao learned that Wang Xiang planned to rally the ministers and challenge him, so he prepared countermeasures while warning Zhong Hui to stay alert. Meanwhile, Wang Su insisted on returning to Luoyang to confront Wang Xiang and pursue a place among the Three Excellencies.

• Wang Xiang argued that ministers from great clans should govern, but Cao Mao rejected his policies as harmful and heard that Wang Xiang intended to act against the court factions.
• Cao Mao told Zhang Hua to warn Lord Zhong that Wang Xiang might target him, explaining that Wang Xiang wanted to settle the court's chaos and win the ministers' support.
• Cao Mao told Zhang Hua that he had prepared countermeasures when he gave Wang Xiang the means to become Grand Minister of Ceremonies.
• Wang Kai tried to stop Wang Su from returning to Luoyang, but Wang Su insisted that he would expose Wang Xiang's alleged theft of his scholarship.
• Wang Su declared that returning to Luoyang could help him rise among the Three Excellencies and claimed the General of the Guards would not oppose him.

Wang Xiang tried to take charge of the delayed court affairs after arranging for Xiahou Xian to be sent home, but Zhong Yu accused him of conspiring with the Outer Generals and benefiting from the rebellions. The meeting ended without a decision, and Wang Xiang confronted Zhong Yu afterward, who insisted he had only told the truth.

• Wang Xiang had Xiahou Xian escorted from the Imperial Secretariat to rest, and Cao Yu approved the decision.
• Wang Xiang offered to handle the remaining court affairs and said he had found a solution to the Imperial Academy matter.
• Zhong Yu accused Wang Xiang of arranging the rebellions with the Outer Generals and seeking to secure their loyalty through promotions.
• Wang Xiang denied the charges, but Zheng Chong postponed the decision and ended the meeting.
• Wang Xiang caught up with Zhong Yu afterward and called his accusations lies, but Zhong Yu replied that he never lied.

Sima Zhao reassured He Zeng that he would shield him from blame for the Hebei rebellion while encouraging him to watch the region and leave court politics to others. He Zun warned his father about changes at court, but He Zeng dismissed his concerns and feared his sons would endanger the family by reaching beyond their abilities.

• Sima Zhao questioned He Zeng and Chen Ben about the rebellion, then privately assured He Zeng that he would protect him from blame and promised to investigate Chen Ben’s actions.
• He Zeng pledged his support to Sima Zhao, complained about Chen Ben, and left after Sima Zhao instructed him to keep watch over Hebei.
• He Zun told He Zeng that court officials were struggling for power and that the Zhongzheng System was to be reformed.
• He Zeng accused He Zun of being used as a persuader and ordered him to focus on restoring his reputation instead of court affairs.
• He Zun regretted that his father had ruined the family’s chance to rise, while He Zeng privately called him a fool and worried that both his sons would bring trouble to the clan.

Du Yu advised Sima Zhao to recruit Lu Yu, consolidate control of the Central Army, and prepare for a Shu invasion, while urging cooperation with Cao Mao. Cao Mao and Zhong Hui instead chose to let Sima Zhao and the ministers weaken each other as they pursued control of the Sima family’s power.

• Du Yu told Sima Zhao to win over Lu Yu and the Hebei clans by offering Lu Yu’s family important posts, and Sima Zhao agreed to summon him.
• Du Yu urged Sima Zhao to reorganize the Central Army under his control and prepare Deng Ai to reinforce Yongliang against Jiang Wei; Sima Zhao approved both plans.
• Du Yu argued that Sima Zhao should cooperate with Cao Mao, but Sima Zhao angrily rejected the idea before agreeing to contact the emperor after returning to Yanzhou.
• Cao Mao praised Zhong Hui for damaging Wang Xiang’s standing, but Zhong Hui explained that Zhong Yu had devised the scheme and proposed letting Wang Xiang and Sima Zhao clash.
• Zhong Hui told Cao Mao to remain patient and secretly manage Imperial Clan affairs while Wang Xiang stirred up trouble, then condemned Cao Yu’s weakness; Cao Mao vowed to make Cao Yu stand firm.

Cao Mao persuaded Empress Dowager Guo to approve spring sacrifices that would establish him as the heir of the Emperor of the Filial and Enlightened Ancestor, while revealing his goal of taking control of the Imperial Secretariat. During his lesson, he reassured Wang Xiang that Zhong Shiji supported him and won Wang Xiang’s support for the sacrifices.

• Cao Mao told Empress Dowager Guo that the ministers were replacing palace attendants and might separate them, then urged her to hold the sacrifices in spring.
• Cao Mao declared that his goal for the year was to take control of the Imperial Secretariat and command the realm, and Empress Dowager Guo agreed to the sacrifices.
• Cao Mao waited at the East Hall for Wang Xiang and grew wary when his teacher showed no sign of anger after a setback at the Imperial Secretariat.
• Cao Mao told Wang Xiang that Zhong Shiji supported him and that Zhong Yu had provoked conflict between them.
• Wang Xiang dismissed Cao Mao’s concerns and promised to help arrange the sacrifices, while Cao Mao offered to assist him with Minister of Justice Zhong.

Cao Mao tried to weaken Wang Xiang’s support by drawing Chen Qian and Zheng Mao away from him, then met Wang Jing and asked for his help against the ministers. Wang Jing urged patience, and Cao Mao agreed to listen to him.

• Cao Mao offered Chen Qian the post of General Who Pacifies the West, and Chen Qian agreed while promising to handle opposition from the ministers.
• Cao Mao warned Zheng Mao that Wang Su would soon return to Luoyang and advised him to avoid court struggles and focus on the classics.
• Cao Mao summoned Wang Jing, who came to meet him despite his ties to Wang Xiang.
• Cao Mao said he wanted to campaign against the ministers, but Wang Jing warned that acting rashly could bring disaster.
• Cao Mao accepted Wang Jing’s advice and said he would listen to him.

Cao Mao heard Wang Jing’s warning that the court’s ministers planned to isolate him and weaken the General of the Guards, and resolved to discuss an alliance with the general. Meanwhile, factional clashes at the Imperial Academy spread through Luoyang, leaving Zhong Yu to arrest two prominent students and blame his younger brother for the trouble.

• Cao Mao asked Wang Jing how to respond to the ministers, and Wang Jing warned that they intended to confine the emperor and undermine the General of the Guards.
• Cao Mao agreed to discuss the danger with the General of the Guards when he returned, though he feared the ministers would not let him live until he could rule independently.
• Ritualist and Xuanxue students at the Imperial Academy traded insults over elders, morality, and ritual before their argument turned into a brawl.
• Zhong Yu questioned both factions and ordered their leaders, He Shao and Pei Kai, arrested despite their influential family connections.
• Zhong Yu privately cursed his younger brother for causing the unrest.

Pei Kai and He Shao were arrested after a brawl, but Pei Kai was quickly released while He Shao was rescued by Sima Yan. Sima Yan brought He Shao to meet Cao Mao, who appointed him a Yellow Gate Gentleman, leaving He Shao realizing he had been maneuvered into serving at court.

• In the Ministry of Justice prison, Pei Kai challenged He Shao to think for himself and said He Shao was only a weapon for his enemies.
• Pei Xiu secured Pei Kai's release and warned him that his fight had damaged their uncle's position and his own prospects.
• Sima Yan arrived to free He Shao, then took him to the Imperial Palace to meet a friend.
• Cao Mao greeted He Shao warmly and led him into Taiji Hall, while He Shao recognized the danger of his unusual status as the General Who Conquers the North's son.
• Sima Yan revealed that he had recommended He Shao for a Yellow Gate Gentleman post, and Cao Mao said He Shao could serve by his side and enjoy drinking and poetry.

Cao Mao urged Sima Yan to strengthen himself quickly, warning that the great clans’ influence was nearing the point of no return. Wang Xiang realized his allies were slipping away to Cao Mao, agreed to arrange the emperor’s grand sacrifice, and sought an alliance with Sima Fu.

• Cao Mao asked Sima Yan about his family and the scholars’ attacks on the emperor, then advised him to keep improving himself because the great clans’ harm had reached the blood vessels.
• Wang Xiang waited in vain for most of his allies to attend his meeting and learned that Cao Mao had drawn them into his confidence.
• Wang Guan remarked that taking over Duke Lu’s legacy was difficult, while Wang Xiang wondered how Cao Mao had so quickly weakened his faction.
• Wang Xiang told Wang Guan he would arrange the grand sacrificial ceremony, despite expecting opposition from the ministers.
• Wang Xiang decided to seek Sima Fu’s support, visited his residence, and was warmly welcomed after scholars stopped cursing to pay their respects.

Sima Fu warned Wang Xiang that the emperor might use a second Gaoping Mausoleum Incident to eliminate his opponents, and the two agreed to unite against him. In Zhi County, Wang Yuan abandoned an attack on the fortified city and planned to raid a wealthy, poorly defended estate for grain.

• Sima Fu privately told Wang Xiang that the emperor’s allies and control of the palace could let him trap the ministers at Gaoping and seize power.
• Wang Xiang rejected Sima Fu’s attempt to weaken his following but agreed to join forces against the emperor.
• Sima Fu and Wang Xiang secretly devised plans to bring the young emperor to failure.
• Wang Yuan and his men found Zhi County heavily guarded and decided not to attack its gates.
• Wang Yuan ordered his men to find a wealthy family with weak defenses and raid it for grain before returning to the mountains.

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.