Sima Shi

Biodata

Background / History

Rise to Power

In his youth, Sima Shi was a handsome, learned, and outgoing aristocrat. Together with Xiahou Xuan and He Yan, he was known as one of the Three Worthies of Luoyang. His uncle Sima Fu sheltered him from his father’s strict discipline and sometimes gave him a place to stay after drinking with his friends. Sima Fu later remembers this cheerful young man as almost unrecognizable in the ruthless political leader he became 182.

Sima Shi secretly assembled three thousand death-sworn warriors who supported Sima Yi’s coup against Cao Shuang. During the Gaoping Mausoleum Incident, he also stationed troops at Sima Gate alongside Sima Fu and helped take control of the capital 6 14 40.

After inheriting his father’s undertaking, Sima Shi consolidated his authority through purges, intimidation, and control of imperial succession. He personally orchestrated the rebellion case involving Xiahou Xuan and used its outcome to demonstrate his power to the court. Xiahou Xuan was his wife’s elder brother, but Sima Shi executed him despite Sima Zhao’s appeals for mercy 24 25 26.

His dealings with the Cao imperial clan also included concessions. He abolished restrictions on princes, reduced the frequency of their fief transfers, and encouraged younger Sima family members to befriend them, seeking the imperial clan’s support 8.

The Succession Crisis

Following Cao Fang’s deposition, Sima Shi initially authorized an enthronement for the fifth day of the tenth month. His acceptance of Cao Mao followed a Guo family proposal to place a Sima woman in the position of empress. He subsequently supported Cao Mao’s adoption as the late emperor’s heir, conveying his decision through Zhong Hui 13 20.

Cao Mao’s demand to exonerate Xiahou Xuan, Li Feng, and the others challenged the authority established through those executions. Sima Shi confronted his son-in-law Guo De with a severed hand holding Guo Jian’s bloodstained letter and forced him to accept responsibility for encouraging the demand. Sima Yue’s pleas did not save her husband: Yang Zong later reported that Sima Shi had compelled Guo De to kill himself 26 32.

Guo De’s death silenced the ministers’ petitions. Sima Shi then rejected Sima Zhao’s proposal to enthrone the Prince of Pengcheng, explaining that this candidate had only been leverage to force concessions from the Guo family. He instead selected Cao Huan and planned for Cao Mao to “die of illness” after the new emperor’s accession 33.

Guanqiu Jian’s unexpected endorsement of Cao Mao disrupted this plan. With powerful provincial commanders still beyond reliable control, Sima Shi judged that his family could not withstand military opposition from several directions and redirected his attention toward Guanqiu Jian 33.

Confrontation at Yuan City

Sima Shi personally visited Cao Mao’s residence with armored guards and Jia Chong. In their private meeting, he revealed knowledge of Cao Mao’s allies and maneuvering, while threatening the people Cao Mao had protected. Cao Mao recognized the pressure and presented himself as frightened and submissive 35 36.

Rather than immediately kill Cao Mao, Sima Shi decided to make him a fully legitimate emperor. He intended to use the emperor’s authority to summon Guanqiu Jian to Luoyang with an appointment among the Three Excellencies, separating the commander from his troops in Huainan. He ordered Jia Chong to escort Cao Mao to the capital and arrange a prompt enthronement 36.

Sima Shi also gave Jia Chong advance permission to kill Cao Mao if his own condition became grave. After Cao Mao’s departure, arrangements were made to isolate and monitor the emperor within the palace 36 38 41.

Provincial Affairs

By Chapter 50, Sima Shi was negotiating with Zhuge Dan over the Wu rebellion and Guanqiu Jian. He recognized Zhuge Dan’s desire for self-preservation and considered giving him part of Guanqiu Jian’s authority if Guanqiu Jian were defeated. Unlike Guanqiu Jian, Zhuge Dan did not strike him as a serious threat 50.

In the same meeting, Sima Shi authorized Deng Ai to dismiss negligent officials and approved measures to reward grain storage, encourage agriculture, and reduce taxes. A violent coughing fit interrupted his work while further letters continued to arrive from Luoyang 50.

His broader preparations for a campaign against Guanqiu Jian depended on securing the other military regions. He intended to wait for Guo Huai’s death, place trusted men over the northwestern armies, win Zhuge Dan’s support, and secure the neutrality of Wang Chang and Shi Bao. Guo Huai’s continued survival and rumors damaging Zhuge Dan’s association with him obstructed these arrangements 89.

Sima Shi also suspected that Guo Huai might be feigning illness in order to attack him during an eastern campaign. Only after the Guo family failed to protest the killing of one of its sons did he begin to accept that Guo Huai’s condition was genuine 154.

Return to Luoyang and the Palace Leak

While still away from Luoyang, Sima Shi discussed the court’s demands for rewards with Zhong Hui. Zhong Hui proposed reforming noble ranks to secure ministerial support, but Sima Shi refused to proceed hastily and decided to suppress the demands by another means 60.

A letter from Sima Zhao then reported rumors that Zhuge Dan had betrayed Xiahou Xuan and conspired with Sima Shi. During this crisis, the growth at Sima Shi’s left eye ruptured and blood ran down his face. Ignoring Zhong Hui’s wish to summon a physician first, he ordered men to stop Zhuge Jing and demanded an immediate carriage journey back to Luoyang 60.

On returning to the palace, Sima Shi investigated the disclosure of his plans by questioning eunuchs and Yellow Gate attendants individually. Cao Mao accused Jia Chong of having revealed the information and advised him about titles at his enthronement. Sima Shi subsequently ordered Jia Chong detained for the Minister of Justice rather than immediately executed 69 70.

Despite the accusations, Sima Shi doubted that Jia Chong possessed the nerve to mastermind the affair. He identified Cao Mao as the likely culprit and rejected Zhong Hui’s assumption that a thirteen-year-old could not have arranged the leak. His renewed intervention also stripped away the strength Cao Mao had recently gathered within the palace 70 74.

Conflict over Aristocratic Privilege

Lu Yu’s proposal to make highly ranked family background the principal basis for official recruitment brought Sima Shi into conflict with the great clans. He recognized that the measure would exclude talented men from humble families and endanger Great Wei. Under mounting pressure from palace affairs, rebellions, provincial commanders, and ministerial demands, he also began openly questioning whether Sima Zhao could manage the situation after his death 104.

Sima Shi ordered Fu Gu to investigate abuses in Henan and instructed Sima Zhao to send Du Yu against the Ping County rebellion. He also directed Xun Xu to request restoration of the Central Regular Attendant post and ordered that Guanqiu Jian be summoned as Minister over the Masses 104.

Although Lu Yu and Sima Shi temporarily understood that neither would move against the other while preparations against Guanqiu Jian continued, other ministers pressed for immediate concessions. Their differing aims and timing made the opposition difficult for Sima Shi to fully decipher 172.

When the confrontation became open, Sima Shi challenged Gao Rou over alleged bribes from Guanqiu Jian and rebuked the ministers for seeking the Empress Dowager’s intervention. Sima Fu obtained a delay until an imperial envoy returned, but the ministers left increasingly united against the Sima family. Afterward, Sima Shi rejected Sima Zhao’s demand for mass arrests or executions, then coughed blood and asked for help reaching his carriage 176.

Sima Yue’s Entry into the Palace

Following surgery, Sima Shi claimed to have recovered and resumed working through a room crowded with documents. In private, however, he continued to suffer severe eye pain. He concealed this condition from Sima Zhao while encouraging him to handle political affairs independently 125.

To counter the Empress Dowager’s growing influence, Sima Shi selected his widowed youngest daughter, Sima Yue, to enter Cao Mao’s palace. She had withdrawn from him after Guo De’s death, but he considered her especially controllable because of her devotion to her son Ping. By retaining the child, the family could threaten her if she transferred her loyalty to Cao Mao 125.

Before her departure, Sima Shi personally instructed her in the palace role she was to perform, including its administrative details. He reminded her that Ping was staying with him and Sima You, and explicitly told her that the decision to send her to the palace was his, not Sima Zhao’s. She subsequently entered the palace and formally met Cao Mao and the Empress Dowager 138.

Final Political Maneuvers

Despite his failing health, Sima Shi continued to intervene personally. He killed Sima Ban by drawing Sima Zhao’s sword and thrusting it through Ban’s throat. He also advanced his move against Guanqiu Jian sooner than the ministers had expected 150 164.

When Zheng Mao stopped offering advice and refused to propose a campaign strategy, Sima Shi inferred that he had some undisclosed source of confidence. Rather than immediately punish him, he ordered Sima Zhao to monitor his contacts and predicted that a major development at court was imminent 164.

As his condition worsened, Sima Shi accused Sima Fu of having obstructed surveillance of Lu Yu and the other ministers. Their confrontation ended with Sima Fu leaving the residence, followed by three other Sima clansmen. Lu Yu later interpreted this separation as a deliberate fallback that would allow Sima Fu to cooperate with the opposing clans and preserve the family even if Sima Shi fell 182 190.

Cao Mao eventually visited the gravely ill Sima Shi with conspicuous ceremony. Sima Shi immediately recognized that the public visit was intended to make the ministers believe they were forming an alliance and thereby intensify their attacks. He nevertheless maintained that his conflict with the ministers already could end only with one side’s destruction 194.

Sima Shi proposed appointing Wang Xiang Director of the Secretariat to divide the opposition. Cao Mao warned that Wang Xiang might instead yield the post to Sima Zhao, reuniting the great clans against the family. Sima Shi then offered Cao Mao an alliance against the clans, but Cao Mao refused because he still feared him. Instead, the emperor asked to be treated as a son and entrusted with the undertaking after Sima Shi’s death 194 195.

After the visit, Sima Shi explained that Cao Mao wanted to bring the Sima family under imperial control. He urged Sima Zhao to endure, warning that he was no match for the ministers. He initially emphasized retaining the Imperial Secretariat even if the Grand General’s position could not be held, and advised outward obedience to Cao Mao while keeping Sima Yan close to the emperor 196.

Death and Final Instructions

As the ministers moved to divide his authority, Sima Shi gave Sima Zhao detailed instructions for preserving the family. He directed him to accept the Grand General’s office after twice refusing it, maintain uncompromising public opposition to Sima Fu and the Imperial Secretariat, and devote himself outwardly to assisting Cao Mao 212.

He urged Sima Zhao to cultivate talented men from humble and commoner backgrounds, gradually sever ties with the great clans, preserve his reputation, and restrain his temper. He exempted Zhong Hui, Chen Qian, and Zheng Mao from the proposed break with aristocratic associates 212.

His arrangements distinguished between Sima Yan and Sima You. Yan was to remain ignorant of the family’s schemes and wholeheartedly assist Cao Mao as the emperor’s “Zhuge Liang.” You was to be raised by Sima Zhao without attachment to the emperor or ministers, informed of the family’s original plans and failures, and eventually sent to the provinces for experience. Sima Shi hoped that You would revive the family’s bid for power when circumstances became favorable 212.

Sima Shi believed Cao Mao’s disregard for ritual and law would eventually produce a grave political mistake. He regretted having too little time to finish his arrangements and blamed himself, rather than Sima Zhao, for failing to fulfill their father’s wishes 212.

In his final moments, Sima Shi called Sima Yan to his bedside, gave him a piece of malt candy of the kind he had enjoyed as a child, and thanked him for willow bark he had previously provided. With a faint smile, he said that the pain had finally stopped and died. Physicians confirmed his death, and Sima Zhao sent Sima Yan to announce it 212 213.

The news spread rapidly through Luoyang. Some officials hurried to mourn, while Gao Rou welcomed the development and went to the palace. Cao Mao and Wang Xiang initially remained suspicious that the death might be a deception or conceal an untriggered contingency 213.

Posthumous Counterstroke and Legacy

After his death, widespread rebellions revealed the outline of a final attack on the great clans. Cao Mao concluded that Sima Shi had arranged for death-sworn warriors and cooperating provincial generals to strike the clans’ estates and local foundations under cover of unrest. Zhong Hui’s subsequent discussion with the emperor reinforced the connection between the upheaval and the campaign against aristocratic power 219.

The attacks burned fields, killed clansmen, and devastated powerful families, especially in Hebei. Cao Mao regarded this as Sima Shi’s final assistance against the ministers: the losses weakened their local bases and encouraged renewed competition over the ruined families’ remaining political inheritance. The unrest also harmed innocent people, troubling the emperor despite its strategic benefits 219 222.

Sima Shi’s personnel network outlasted him. Cao Mao later praised the unusually capable officials he had placed across the provinces and military regions, including men suitable for future campaigns against Shu and Wu. The emperor deliberately absorbed these former subordinates, often using Sima Zhao’s name and his own connection as Sima Shi’s son-in-law to reassure them 337 462.

This appropriation of his administrative legacy also improved Sima Shi’s posthumous reputation, at times giving him the appearance of a loyal and worthy minister. Cao Mao rejected that interpretation, distinguishing his considerable ability from his conduct. Once imperial control was secure, he moved to rehabilitate Xiahou Xuan and the other condemned officials, denounced Sima Shi’s overreach and excessive punishments, and forced Sima Zhao to seal a memorial concerning the reckoning 461 462.

Historical Outcome Recalled by Cao Mao

Cao Mao’s knowledge of the original historical course places Sima Shi’s death after the suppression of Guanqiu Jian’s Huainan rebellion. He recalls Sima Shi’s eye bursting out during the campaign, his silent endurance of the pain, and his death on the return journey. These recollections describe the original historical course, not the events of the current storyline, in which Sima Shi dies in his residence 6 14 50 97 212 213.

Later recollections identify Wen Yang’s night attack as the shock that caused the historical Sima Shi’s eye to burst after tumor surgery. Cao Mao also recalls speculation that postoperative inflammation contributed to his death. In the current course, Guanqiu Jian restrains his preparations for rebellion, while Sima Shi’s condition deteriorates amid the prolonged political struggle 80 97 130.

Appearance

• Handsome profile: Despite his illness, Cao Mao recognizes the appearance of a good-looking aristocratic nobleman 35.
• Left-eye growth: A black tumor beneath his left eye forces it partly closed and disfigures his face 26 35.
• Intimidating gaze: His stare frightens Guo De into collapse and places Cao Mao under intense pressure during their first meeting 26 35.
• Voice: Low and resonant 26.
• Poor health: His eye pain becomes unbearable, and physicians advise surgery. He repeatedly postpones treatment to settle political affairs; by Chapter 50, he also suffers violent coughing 36 50.
• Ruptured growth: In Chapter 60, blood runs from his left eye after the growth ruptures, making his appearance still more ferocious 60.
• Postoperative deterioration: Surgery removes the tumor’s pain but leaves him with agonizing pain in the left eye. He conceals his suffering in front of Sima Zhao, then collapses after his brother leaves 125.
• Terminal condition: His complexion becomes unnaturally pale, he coughs blood, and he eventually becomes bedridden and dependent on attendants 171 176 201.
• Family resemblance: Sima Yue is the daughter who most resembles him. Her thin, sickly appearance on entering the palace reminds Cao Mao so strongly of Sima Shi that he finds it disturbing 127 138.

Personality

Sima Shi is cold, decisive, and calculating. Yang Zong describes him as a keen judge of men who excels at patience and winning supporters, while Cao Mao considers him a superb executor capable of sleeping soundly on the eve of a coup. Unlike Sima Zhao, he makes little effort to soften his manner with friendliness 6 27 50.

His ruthlessness is governed by political advantage rather than indiscriminate bloodshed. He recognizes the limits imposed by aristocratic interests and provincial armies, and he postpones Cao Mao’s death when the emperor becomes useful. He treats clan alliances as transactions that can survive even the killing of a relative if sufficient benefits follow 25 33 36.

Sima Shi often regards opponents with contempt, dismissing Cao Mao as an insignificant fledgling and Zhuge Dan as a manageable watchdog. He nevertheless personally supervises affairs large and small, trusting his younger brother more deeply than his other subordinates 33 41 50.

His patience does not mean a lack of suspicion. He repeatedly suppresses the desire to kill Cao Mao while Guanqiu Jian remains a danger, and he judges the intentions of other commanders with considerable distrust. He suspects Guo Huai of feigning illness and eventually revises his early dismissal of Cao Mao enough to identify him as the likely organizer of the palace leak 51 70 154.

His commitment to the family’s ambitions extends to coercing his own children. The decision to use Ping as leverage over Sima Yue demonstrates that he is willing to subordinate her grief and wishes to political necessity. Sima Fu ultimately sees him as a political machine embodying the family’s hunger for power, stripped of the warmth he possessed in youth 125 182.

He conceals debilitating pain to sustain Sima Zhao’s confidence and continues working despite his condition. Nevertheless, repeated crises leave him exhausted and anxious about the future. His final instructions combine strategic calculation with personal regret, and his last exchange with Sima Yan briefly reveals affection beneath his habitual severity 104 125 196 212.

Abilities & Skills

Political Strategy

• Uses succession candidates as bargaining tools, including the Prince of Pengcheng to pressure the Guo family into sharing palace authority 33.
• Turns Cao Mao’s legitimacy into a proposed means of removing Guanqiu Jian from his military base 36.
• Protects Sima Zhao’s reputation by taking responsibility for coercion and killings himself, preparing his brother to complete the family’s planned seizure of the throne 28 33.
• Plans to counter the Empress Dowager’s influence through Sima Yue’s position in the palace, using her son as leverage to ensure compliance 125 138.
• Recognizes Cao Mao’s conspicuous visit as an attempt to intensify the conflict between the Sima family and the ministers rather than a sincere approach for an alliance 194.
• Proposes splitting the ministerial opposition by appointing Wang Xiang Director of the Secretariat 194.
• Leaves a multigenerational strategy combining Sima Zhao’s outward submission, Sima Yan’s service to the emperor, and Sima You’s preparation to revive the family’s ambitions 212.

Intelligence and Coercion

• Obtains information about Cao Mao’s contacts, Yang Zong’s involvement, and efforts to mobilize the great clans 35.
• Counters Cao Mao’s exploitation of unequal information by leaving him uncertain about Guo De’s death and the situation at court 32.
• Uses threats against allies and dependents to restrain Cao Mao without immediately executing him 36.
• Personally interrogates palace attendants while investigating the disclosure of his plans 69.
• Questions the apparent case against Jia Chong and identifies Cao Mao as a plausible mastermind despite the emperor’s age 70.
• Infers hidden political backing from Zheng Mao’s refusal to advise him and orders surveillance of his contacts rather than immediate punishment 164.

Administration and Recruitment

• Controls practical government through his concurrent position as Director of the Secretariat; Lu Yu handles affairs in his stead 28.
• Recognizes talented men across factional divisions, including Du Yu despite his family’s pro-Wei position 13.
• Supports Deng Ai’s agricultural and administrative reforms and recommends him to Sima Zhao as capable of major responsibilities 50.
• Recognizes the danger of excluding talented men from humble families under Lu Yu’s proposed recruitment system 104.
• Values Shi Bao’s abilities despite Sima Yi’s reservations about his conduct, while warning Sima Zhao that he requires discipline 356.
• Builds an extensive network of capable provincial and military officials that Cao Mao later regards as one of his most valuable legacies 337.
• Advises Sima Zhao to promote men from impoverished and commoner backgrounds and rebuild the family’s reputation through practical assistance and good deeds 212.

Military Organization

• Secretly raises three thousand death-sworn warriors for the Sima family’s rise to power 6 14.
• Holds nominal authority over both the Central Army and Outer Army as Grand General 33.
• Recognizes that nominal command does not guarantee provincial obedience, particularly from Guanqiu Jian and other powerful military governors 33.
• Prepares to isolate Guanqiu Jian by securing other regional commanders before committing to an eastern campaign 89.
• Maintains military influence through trusted senior and middle-ranking commanders, relatives, and allies, although the Sima family never achieves complete control of the army 106.
• Leaves a posthumous counterstroke that Cao Mao attributes to coordination between death-sworn warriors and provincial generals against the great clans’ local power bases 219 222.

Relationships

• Sima Yi — Father and predecessor. Sima Shi’s secret warriors supported his coup, and Sima Shi later inherited his political undertaking. At the end of his life, he blames himself for failing to fulfill his father’s dying wish 6 25 212.
• Sima Zhao — Younger brother and acknowledged political successor. Their cooperation divides intimidation from conciliation; Sima Shi intends Zhao to complete the family’s final move toward the throne. Although he trusts him more than his other subordinates, he worries about Zhao’s impulsiveness, susceptibility to influence, and ability to withstand the ministers. His final instructions emphasize endurance, outward service to Cao Mao, and preservation of the family 27 28 34 60 104 196 212.
• Sima You — Adopted son, born as Sima Zhao’s second son by his principal wife. The adoption continues Sima Shi’s family line but does not displace Zhao as political successor. In his final plan, Sima Shi identifies You as the future bearer of the family’s original ambitions and orders that he be educated separately from the emperor’s influence 22 34 212.
• Sima Yan — Nephew. Yan is deeply afraid of him, and Sima Shi shows disappointment at his trembling behavior in Yuan City. Sima Shi later directs that Yan remain outside the family’s schemes and assist Cao Mao wholeheartedly. Before dying, he gives Yan malt candy and thanks him for providing willow bark 35 212.
• Sima Yue — Youngest daughter and Guo De’s wife, later sent into Cao Mao’s palace. She greets him affectionately and begs him to spare her husband; he responds by remarking on her resemblance to her mother. After Guo De’s death, she withdraws from him, but he coerces her into a palace role through her attachment to Ping. She shows little grief at his death and appears somewhat relieved 26 125 138 462.
• Guo De — Son-in-law whose forced confession and suicide end the court campaign to clear Xiahou Xuan’s name 26 32 33.
• Ping — Grandson through Sima Yue and Guo De. Sima Shi reassures Guo De about the child’s future before his death, then later uses control over Ping to secure Sima Yue’s obedience 26 125 138.
• Xiahou Hui — Deceased wife and Sima Yue’s mother. Sima Fu associates the period after her sudden death with Sima Shi’s increasing loss of warmth, although he does not identify a definite turning point 127 182.
• Yang Huiyu — Current wife during his final illness. She treats Sima Yue kindly and promises to care for Ping when Yue enters the palace 138.
• Xiahou Xuan — Wife’s elder brother and his children’s maternal uncle. Sima Shi executes him despite their kinship. They had previously associated as two of the Three Worthies of Luoyang; Cao Mao later moves to rehabilitate Xiahou Xuan and condemn Sima Shi’s treatment of him 26 182 461 462.
• Sima Fu — Uncle who cared for him in childhood and sheltered him as a young man. Their final political rupture separates Sima Fu from his nephew’s faction. Lu Yu interprets the split as a fallback for preserving the Sima family, while Sima Fu subsequently joins the aristocratic opposition against Sima Shi 182 190 211.
• Cao Mao — Political adversary and eventual emperor under his control, later also his son-in-law through Sima Yue. Sima Shi alternates between planning his death and exploiting his imperial legitimacy. Near the end, he offers an alliance against the great clans, but Cao Mao refuses and instead seeks to inherit his personnel and political legacy. Cao Mao later distinguishes Sima Shi’s ability from his conduct and publicly pursues his abuses 33 35 36 138 194 195 462.
• Guanqiu Jian — Provincial commander regarded as an immediate military threat. His support protects Cao Mao from Sima Shi’s planned elimination. Removing or defeating him remains Sima Shi’s central military priority during his final illness 33 36 51 151.
• Zhuge Dan — Provincial commander whom Sima Shi initially hopes to win over with a share of Guanqiu Jian’s authority. Rumors that Zhuge Dan betrayed Xiahou Xuan and conspired with Sima Shi damage this approach 50 60 89.
• Zhong Hui — Highly favored adviser who regards Sima Shi as the patron who recognized his worth. His access is unusually informal: he enters Sima Shi’s study without the restraint expected even of Sima Zhao. Sima Shi entrusts him with arrangements during his final illness, and Zhong Hui remains involved in the aftermath of the posthumous attack on the great clans 20 33 194 219.
• Jia Chong — Trusted subordinate entrusted with Cao Mao’s escort, enthronement, and conditional execution. When accused of leaking Sima Shi’s plans, he is detained, although Sima Shi doubts that he is the true mastermind 36 70.
• Du Yu — Talented official to whom Sima Shi promises his younger sister in marriage after meeting him. Sima Shi later orders that he be sent to suppress the Ping County rebellion; the marriage connection is subsequently confirmed 13 104 728.
• Lu Yu — Administrator who handles Secretariat affairs in Sima Shi’s stead, but later presses policies favoring the great clans. Their temporary accommodation gives way to open competition over court authority 28 104 172 194.
• Gao Rou — Senior minister and principal opponent during Sima Shi’s final struggle with the court. Sima Shi repeatedly intimidates him, but Gao Rou eventually confronts him alongside the other ministers and welcomes the news of his death 126 176 213.

Notable Quotes

“Families deal with one another through mutual interests.” 33

“Deceit and trickery cannot serve as a foundation... A yellow-beaked fledgling is hardly worth mentioning.” 33

“However, Gonglü, if one day I become gravely ill, you need not wait for my command. You may kill Cao Mao outright.” 36

“Let us join forces. If our two families cooperate, the great families will be no match for us.” 194

“You must never lose your temper again or act willfully. Before doing anything, think about how I would handle it.” 212

“I am the incompetent one. I failed to fulfill Father’s dying wish. I failed to accomplish the Sima Family’s great enterprise.” 212

“At last, it does not hurt anymore.” 212

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