Chapter Summaries

Cao Mao planned how to win allies and frustrate the Sima family while Sima Zhao tried to understand the emperor’s recruiting letter. The chapter ended with Cao Mao greeting Sima Zhao as a long-awaited savior.

• Gao Rou dismissed Cao Mao’s warning about Wang Su as an attempt to stir conflict between court officials.
• Jia Chong told Sima Zhao that they would confine Cao Mao to the palace under the pretext of educating him.
• Sima Yan delivered Cao Mao’s letter asking Sima Zhao to help clear Xiahou Xuan’s name, leaving Sima Zhao suspicious of the emperor’s motives.
• Cao Mao considered how to win over the Guo Family, divide Jia Chong from the Simas, approach Sima Fu, and contact Guanqiu Jian while keeping Sima Shi occupied.
• Sima Yan brought Sima Zhao to meet Cao Mao, who welcomed the general with tears and called him his long-awaited savior.

Cao Mao played on Sima Zhao’s sympathy while entering Luoyang, then confronted Empress Dowager Guo over his uncle’s death and claimed the Guo Family’s reputation had been honored. The Empress Dowager’s anger eased enough for her to hear him out, leaving Cao Mao with an opening to influence her.

• Cao Mao told Sima Zhao a tale of fear and isolation, and Sima Zhao pretended to sympathize while privately dismissing him as harmless.
• Sima Zhao assured Cao Mao that he would be safe in Luoyang and promised that Xiahou Xuan’s name could be cleared later.
• Wang Su escorted Cao Mao into Luoyang, where Cao Mao walked with the officials to pay his respects to Empress Dowager Guo.
• Cao Mao told Empress Dowager Guo that his maternal uncle had died for the cause of clearing Xiahou Xuan’s name and offered to repay the debt with his life.
• Cao Mao urged Empress Dowager Guo to question the Minister over the Masses and her uncle about the events in Yuan City, and she told him to rise.

Cao Mao was enthroned as emperor of Great Wei and used his first public decrees to lavish titles and territory on the Sima Family and court officials. His unexpected enfeoffment of Sima Fu as Duke of Jin left the court stunned and set the stage for further rewards.

• Cao Mao planned to win over the Guo Family by drawing Gao Rou into his scheme and using Sima Wang’s appointment to weaken the Sima Family’s hold over the palace guards.
• Empress Dowager Guo instructed Cao Mao to behave properly, then sent him to the front hall for the enthronement ceremony.
• Cao Mao was crowned emperor, issued an amnesty, changed the era name to Zhengyuan, and decreed cuts to palace and government spending.
• Cao Mao interrupted the ceremony to praise the Sima Family and enfeoff Sima Fu as Duke of Jin with eight commanderies.
• Sima Fu tearfully asked Cao Mao to rescind the grant, but Cao Mao promised titles and rewards for the Grand General, his family, and the other ministers.

At Cao Mao’s enthronement, he tried to grant extraordinary titles and privileges to the Sima Family, unsettling Sima Fu and the ministers. As Sima Zhao and Du Yu considered the consequences, Gao Rou warned Empress Dowager Guo to keep her family quiet, but Guo Jian insisted they resist Jia Chong’s growing control.

• Cao Mao offered titles to the Sima Family, then granted Sima Fu the Yellow Axe and other privileges after Sima Fu objected.
• Cao Mao ordered rewards for the ministers who helped secure his enthronement, and the ceremony ended hastily.
• Sima Zhao asked Du Yu what Cao Mao intended, and Du Yu explained how the offer could divide the ministers and pressure the Sima Family.
• Empress Dowager Guo summoned Gao Rou, who warned her to restrain her clansmen and stay out of Cao Mao’s affairs.
• Guo Jian urged Empress Dowager Guo not to accept Gao Rou’s advice and protested Jia Chong’s replacement of his men.

Cao Mao deliberately kept his eunuch attendants busy recording his rambling conversations, frustrating Jia Chong’s surveillance efforts. At Zhaoyang Hall, he apologized to Guo Jian for causing his eldest maternal uncle’s death and asked to be punished.

• Cao Mao explored the Western Hall, learned the names of his attendants and guards, and took note of Yellow Gate attendant Jiao Bo and deputy guard Li Zhao.
• Cao Mao talked late into the night, forcing the eunuchs to record his comments and plans for Jia Chong.
• Jia Chong read the stacks of transcripts and ordered the attendants to keep watching Cao Mao, while warning them that their families would share the consequences of failure.
• Cao Mao resumed talking the next morning, then set out to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager at Zhaoyang Hall.
• Cao Mao met Guo Jian, called him Uncle, apologized for causing his eldest maternal uncle’s death, and asked Guo Jian to punish him.

Cao Mao persuaded Empress Dowager Guo and the Guo family that Wang Su had tried to frame them and urged them to counter Sima Wang’s influence in the Palace. After leaving Zhaoyang Hall, he gave oranges to Jiao Bo and the four replacement palace attendants, who had been placed to watch him.

• Cao Mao accused Wang Su of plotting to kill him and implicate the Guo Family, and Guo Jian became convinced by his account.
• Guo Li arrived as General Xuande, and Cao Mao warned the Guo family that Sima Wang and the Grand General threatened their influence in the Palace.
• Cao Mao proposed making Sima Wang leave and discussed how to handle the Minister over the Masses and Jia Chong; Guo Li agreed to let him try without directly helping.
• After Cao Mao left, Empress Dowager Guo and Guo Li decided to let him act while Guo Jian showed him some warmth but offered no assistance.
• Cao Mao returned to the Western Hall, gave oranges to Jiao Bo and the four replacement attendants, and Jiao Bo found the orange sweet but felt sour at heart.

Cao Mao used his first days in the palace to win over its attendants with warmth and familiarity, while repeatedly summoning Sima Zhao and Jia Chong. Jia Chong warned that Cao Mao’s restless behavior needed to be curbed, but Sima Zhao was preoccupied with the political dispute over rewarding officials, and Cao Mao remained free to roam the palace.

• Cao Mao learned the names of palace attendants and guards, treated them warmly, and invited his eunuchs to share meals with him.
• Cao Mao paid his respects to the Empress Dowager and sent Zhao Cheng and Jiao Bo to summon Sima Zhao and Jia Chong again.
• Jia Chong told Sima Zhao that Cao Mao’s wandering and constant conversations were creating trouble and urged him to appoint the emperor a teacher.
• Sima Zhao explained that officials were demanding rewards for Cao Mao’s accession, but the Sima family could not freely grant the noble titles they wanted.
• Jia Chong recognized that Cao Mao’s promised rewards had encouraged officials to seek personal gain, leaving Sima Zhao to resist their demands.

Sima Zhao and Jia Chong discussed keeping Cao Mao from building support in the imperial court, but Sima Zhao was shocked to learn that Cao Mao had grown close to Sima Yan and Sima Wang. In the Western Hall, Cao Mao welcomed the two men’s company while Sima Wang grew alarmed at their intimacy.

• Jia Chong warned Sima Zhao that Zheng Chong’s influence among young scholars could help Cao Mao win their support, so Sima Zhao chose Wang Xiang as the emperor’s teacher instead.
• Jia Chong cautioned Sima Zhao that Cao Mao was gaining the loyalty of palace eunuchs and guards, but Sima Zhao dismissed the danger.
• Jia Chong revealed that Cao Mao had become close to Attendant Cavalry officers Sima Yan and Sima Wang, and Sima Zhao reacted with murderous intent.
• Cao Mao sat with Sima Yan and Sima Wang in the Western Hall, held their hands, and said their presence eased his distress.
• Sima Wang watched Cao Mao affectionately stroke Sima Yan’s hair and decided he needed to leave.

Cao Mao questioned Sima Yan and Sima Wang about court affairs, learned that Yang Zong served Sima Zhao and Guo Ze had become a county magistrate, and cultivated his connection with Sima Yan. Sima Fu warned Sima Wang to keep his distance from the emperor, but said he could not yet resign his Palace Guards post.

• Cao Mao asked Sima Wang why Sima Zhao opposed rewarding ministers, and Sima Wang explained the need for merit and the strain titles would put on the treasury.
• Sima Yan complained that his father had ordered him to study under Pei Xiu, and Cao Mao recognized Pei Xiu’s reported powder-taking behavior.
• Sima Yan told Cao Mao that Yang Zong served as Sima Zhao’s Military Adviser and that Guo Ze had become a county magistrate.
• After drinking with Cao Mao, Sima Yan left with Sima Wang, who hurried to report the meeting to his father, Sima Fu.
• Sima Fu urged Sima Wang to avoid Cao Mao but told him not to resign, since the Guo Family might reclaim his Palace Guards post.

Zhuge Dan arrived at the Chancellor's Residence and discussed the Wu rebellion and Guanqiu Jian with Sima Shi, hoping to gain power while preserving his own position. Sima Shi then authorized Deng Ai to reform local officials and strengthen agriculture, but a worsening coughing fit and letters from Luoyang left his condition and the court’s troubles unresolved.

• Zhuge Dan arrived at the Chancellor's Residence and entered alone to meet Sima Shi and Deng Ai.
• Zhuge Dan assured Sima Shi that he would help defeat the rebels, while privately hoping to inherit Guanqiu Jian's power and survive Sima Shi.
• Sima Shi and Zhuge Dan discussed the Central Plains and agreed on several points as Deng Ai silently observed them.
• Sima Shi told Deng Ai to dismiss negligent officials and approved his plans to reward grain storage, encourage agriculture, and reduce taxes.
• Sima Shi suffered a violent coughing fit and said that more letters were arriving from Luoyang.

Sima Shi endured worsening eye pain while managing the pressure to take the throne and secretly securing Zhuge Dan’s cooperation. In the palace, Cao Mao inferred where Sima Shi and Zhuge Dan had met, then unsettled Sima Yan by asking whether he or Sima You would inherit power.

• Sima Shi dismissed Deng Ai, endured his eye pain without taking Five-Stone Powder, and read Jia Chong’s report about Cao Mao and the palace.
• Sima Shi rejected Jia Chong’s call to move against Cao Mao immediately, choosing to wait until Guanqiu Jian’s threat was contained.
• Sima Yan visited Cao Mao and told him that Zhuge Jing was leaving for Yu Province after Zhuge Dan summoned him.
• Cao Mao deduced that Sima Shi and Zhuge Dan had met in the Liang Kingdom and concluded that Zhuge Dan’s cooperation against Guanqiu Jian had been planned.
• Cao Mao asked Sima Yan whether he expected to become Grand General or General Who Conquers the West, then raised the question of whether Sima Yan or Sima You would inherit power.

Cao Mao used a visit to the Empress Dowager to pass a dangerous message to Guanqiu Jian through Jiao Bo, after learning Zhuge Dan had aligned with Sima Shi. He gained a loyal ally inside the palace and continued pressuring Sima Wang to resign.

• Cao Mao warned Sima Yan to keep his distance from Jia Chong, then realized he had no direct way to alert Guanqiu Jian that Zhuge Dan was cooperating with Sima Shi.
• Cao Mao wrote a secret message on the floor asking Jiao Bo to inform Mouqiu Dian, who could warn Guanqiu Jian and spread a rumor that Zhuge Dan had betrayed him.
• Jiao Bo returned Cao Mao’s jade pendant and silently confirmed that he would carry out the request, giving Cao Mao a trusted ally inside the palace.
• Cao Mao presented the Classic of Filial Piety to the Empress Dowager and raised the subject of Sima Wang, whose reluctance to visit him pleased her.

Jiao Bo risked a humiliating disguise to deliver Cao Mao’s message to Mouqiu Dian, who promised to spread the news and aid the emperor despite Sima Shi’s surveillance. The chapter left Mouqiu Dian and Liu Lu resolved to support Cao Mao and assured him that allies and resources remained in Luoyang.

• Yin Damu watched Jiao Bo leave Taiji Hall and privately regretted helping Sima Yi, while vowing to wait for Guanqiu Jian’s chance to take revenge.
• Jiao Bo prepared to contact Mouqiu Dian, surveyed the heavy surveillance around his residence, and sneaked inside concealed in a night-soil bucket.
• Mouqiu Dian welcomed Jiao Bo, and Jiao Bo relayed Cao Mao’s message despite Liu Lu’s initial suspicion.
• Mouqiu Dian promised to spread the news publicly and told Jiao Bo that his father had stationed men in Luoyang.
• Liu Lu asked Jiao Bo to tell Cao Mao that he remained ready to help, and Jiao Bo left encouraged by their resolve.

Cao Mao welcomed the newly appointed Ruan Ji with wine, and the two exchanged poems that voiced grief and indignation. Jia Chong later read the record of their meeting and feared Cao Mao was becoming too close to the influential scholar.

• Ruan Ji arrived at court as a Regular Attendant Cavalry official, ignored Zhao Cheng’s demand that he announce himself, and revealed his fondness for wine.
• Cao Mao recognized Ruan Ji, invited him to drink, and teased him about showing his approval and composing poetry.
• Cao Mao recited lines about war, prompting Ruan Ji to answer with a poem of longing and grief.
• Cao Mao recited “Sparrows in an Empty City,” and Ruan Ji repeated its verses before officials stopped the two from drinking further.
• Cao Mao drunkenly claimed that Jia Chong would marry his daughter to him and had told him about the Liang Kingdom.
• Li Sheng and Zhou Sheng recorded the day’s events, and Jia Chong read the poems and worried that Ruan Ji’s bond with Cao Mao would cause trouble.

Jia Chong panicked after reading Cao Mao’s remarks exposing secret events in Liang Kingdom, then faced Sima Zhao’s fury over rumors that Sima Shi was meeting Zhuge Dan. Jia Chong blamed Wang and suggested he had helped Cao Mao learn the secret, leaving Sima Zhao alarmed and reconsidering the source of the leak.

• Jia Chong read Cao Mao’s drunken remarks about Liang Kingdom and feared the Grand General would suspect him of leaking the secret.
• Cheng Ji summoned Jia Chong to Sima Zhao’s residence, where Sima Zhao demanded to know where Sima Shi was and why rumors about Zhuge Dan had spread through Luoyang.
• Jia Chong denied leaking the information and offered to take all the blame, prompting Sima Zhao to reassure him and ask what he knew.
• Jia Chong accused Grand Minister of Ceremonies Wang of behaving suspiciously and pointed to his possible role in Cao Mao’s rise, the Xiahou Xuan affair, and the assassination attempt.
• Jia Chong recalled that Sima Shi had told him and Wang he could not yet return from Yuan City, leaving Sima Zhao to consider how Wang might have learned about the secret.

Sima Zhao considered Jia Chong’s accusation against Wang Su and rejected Xun Xu’s suggestion to clear Xiahou Xuan’s name, then flew into a rage over Emperor Cao Mao’s poem, “Sparrows in an Empty City.” Cao Mao, who had secretly helped spread the rumors, summoned Jia Chong to discuss something important.

• Jia Chong blamed Wang Su for the rumors, but Sima Zhao doubted Jia Chong’s honesty and worried that Zhuge Dan and Guanqiu Jian would become more cautious.
• Xun Xu urged Sima Zhao to submit a memorial clearing Xiahou Xuan’s name, but Sima Zhao recognized the political motive and offered no commitment.
• Xun Xu told Sima Zhao that Ruan Ji had shared Cao Mao’s poem, “Sparrows in an Empty City,” prompting Sima Zhao to demand Ruan Ji’s arrest before restraining himself.
• Cao Mao woke and, after asking Li Sheng how long he had slept, ordered Zhao Cheng to summon Jia Chong for an important discussion.

Jia Chong struggled to protect himself after Cao Mao learned of the secret concerning Zhuge Dan, then met with the emperor to negotiate. Cao Mao secured Jia Chong’s public assurance that the palace eunuchs would stop sending him memorized documents, though he knew the surveillance might continue.

• Jia Chong returned home, comforted his infant son Li Min, and began writing an account of the day’s events.
• Lady Guo killed the wet nurse and accused Jia Chong of seducing her, leaving him overwhelmed and unable to resume writing.
• Jia Chong accepted Cao Mao’s summons and confronted him, demanding to know why the emperor was endangering him.
• Cao Mao persuaded Jia Chong that Lord Wang, the Grand Minister of Ceremonies, had leaked the secret about Zhuge Dan.
• Jia Chong pledged loyalty and offered to let Cao Mao choose palace eunuchs, but Cao Mao insisted on keeping the current attendants.
• At the palace doorway, Cao Mao asked whether the eunuchs would still send Jia Chong memorized documents; Jia Chong said they would not, and Cao Mao let him leave.

Cao Mao used Jia Chong’s surveillance order to turn the palace attendants’ fear into loyalty, then met secretly with Jiao Bo and learned that allies outside the palace were spreading news of Zhuge Dan’s dealings with Sima Shi. Jiao Bo recruited Li Zhao to their cause, and Li Zhao agreed that he would risk death for the realm’s great righteousness.

• Cao Mao privately confronted Li Sheng about spying for Jia Chong, forgave him, and told him to keep protecting his family while continuing to follow Jia Chong’s orders.
• Cao Mao met Jiao Bo, heard that Mouqiu Dian and Liu Lu supported him and that rumors about Zhuge Dan and Sima Shi were spreading through the city, and asked Jiao Bo to find trustworthy palace allies.
• Jiao Bo recommended Li Zhao, and Cao Mao accepted his judgment and sent him to recruit the Imperial Guard leader.
• Jiao Bo approached Li Zhao after Li Zhao had been demoted for resisting Jia Chong, and explained that he had cooperated only to stay alive and serve Cao Mao.
• Jiao Bo asked Li Zhao to join the effort against the realm’s traitors, and Li Zhao declared he would risk death for the great righteousness of the realm.

Jia Chong forced the palace eunuchs and Yellow Gate officials to keep spying on the emperor, then had Zhou Sheng beaten to death for refusing. As they left his residence, Zhao Cheng resolved to resign and escape the palace, while Jiao Bo was left shaken by the bloodshed.

• Jia Chong told Li Sheng and the others to pretend to obey the emperor while continuing to report his words and actions to him.
• Zhou Sheng refused to help Jia Chong spy on the emperor, and Jia Chong ordered guards to beat him to death.
• Jia Chong threatened the remaining eunuchs, paid them, and ordered them to keep spying and tell no one what had happened.
• Zhao Cheng told Jiao Bo that he wanted to resign and leave the imperial palace, then hurried away.
• Jiao Bo remained behind, troubled by the bloodstains left at Jia Chong's residence.

Sima Shi and Zhong Hui discussed the court’s demands for rewards and whether to reform noble ranks, but Sima Shi refused to act hastily. After Sima Shi received a letter reporting rumors that Zhuge Dan had betrayed Xiahou Xuan and conspired with him, his eye growth ruptured and he ordered an immediate return to Luoyang.

• Sima Shi told Zhong Hui that the ministers at court were demanding benefits, and Zhong Hui advised reforming noble ranks to win their support.
• Sima Shi rejected the proposal to move quickly and instead decided to suppress the court’s demands by another means.
• Zhong Hui urged Sima Shi to treat his worsening eye condition, but an envoy arrived with a letter from Sima Zhao.
• Sima Zhao’s letter reported that people in Luoyang were spreading claims that Zhuge Dan had betrayed Xiahou Xuan and conspired with Sima Shi.
• Sima Shi’s eye growth ruptured, and he ordered men to stop Zhuge Jing and a carriage to take him back to Luoyang immediately.