Taiheiki

Chapter 15: Uncovering the Mystery
"Very good!" Cai Buyi said with a smile, "Come here, quickly get the touhu and liubo!"

"No need!" Cao Cao waved his hand. "No need for these things, it's just a guessing game. Please ask the maids and servants to leave first, and just the four of us will stay in the hall!"

Cai Buyi gestured, and the maids filed out. Cao Cao smiled and said, "The riddle you'll be trying to solve later is quite related to this group of people, so I'll let those who are not involved leave first to save you trouble!"

"I see!" Cai Buyi suddenly became excited: "Please, Master Cao, please answer the riddle quickly!"

"Just now I said that the Emperor didn't really want to put the traitors to death. I'm sure you have some doubts in your mind. If that's the case, then why was the Emperor so enraged that he issued an edict to arrest the traitors? And why did he even cause the incident where Grand Marshal Li refused to sign it?"

Faced with Cao Cao's question, all three fell silent. In Eastern Han politics, the Three Dukes, as the highest officials in the Outer Court, had effectively been sidelined, with power concentrated in the Secretariat of the Inner Court. However, as the highest officials in the Outer Court, the Three Dukes theoretically still had the power to reject imperial edicts, meaning to refuse to co-sign them. This peculiar situation could only indicate one thing: an irreconcilable conflict had arisen between the Inner Court, the decision-making body, and the Outer Court, the executive body. The emperor was forced to bypass the Outer Court and directly use his personal eunuchs to enforce his will.

"Amao, what do you think?" Cao Cao turned his gaze to his good friend beside him.

"This..." Cai Mao showed an embarrassment: "I really don't know this, please let me go!"

"It's okay! There are only four of us in the hall today. Just treat it as a joke after drinking. Just say it!" Cao Cao said with a smile.

"Okay!" Cai Mao shook his head helplessly. "In my opinion, the emperor must have been deceived by the eunuchs, or because of their contributions in helping him destroy Liang, he believed their words. That's why the emperor was furious and issued an edict to arrest the culprits!"

"The emperor has been deceived!" Cao Cao nodded noncommittally and turned his gaze to Cai Buyi: "What do you think, Brother Buyi?"

"I've heard that this incident stemmed from the families of eunuchs Zhao Jin and Hou Lan, who were rampant in the prefectures. Upon learning of the impending amnesty, they seized the opportunity to kill. Local officials, however, were complicit in the plot and executed them according to the law. Zhao Jin and Hou Lan spoke to the emperor, who, enraged, executed the conspirators. It was then that Grand Marshal Chen Gong wrote a letter to defend them, leading to the subsequent events!"

"Hmm!" Cao Cao smiled. "So you and Ah Mao share similar views. You both think the emperor was deceived by the eunuchs, which is why he issued the decree to arrest the traitors. Okay, what do you think, Brother Wei?"

"Me?" Wei Cong hesitated, but didn't answer immediately. Instead, he asked, "Then the eunuchs Zhao Jin and Hou Lan must be quite wealthy, right?"

Cao Cao laughed. "Yes, those eunuchs are indeed wealthy, especially Hou Lan. He owns a great deal of land and property, and is well-known among the eunuchs!"

"Does this Hou Lan often offer gifts to the emperor?"

Cao Cao shuddered slightly, his eyes narrowing dangerously, like a predator about to hunt. He took a sip from his wine glass and nodded. "Indeed, two years ago, the imperial court was engaged in a war against the Qiang and Hu peoples, and the treasury was empty. We temporarily borrowed money from the eunuchs. Hou Lan presented the court with 5,000 pieces of silk, the highest gift among the eunuchs. However, this is a matter of the imperial court. How did you know this?"

"How did you know?" Wei Cong laughed. "It was just a blind guess. I didn't expect it to be so lucky!"

"A wild guess?"

"Yes!" Wei Cong laughed. "Just now, you two said that the emperor was deceived by the eunuchs, or that he was punishing the accomplices because of personal feelings. But this matter has reached the point where the Grand Marshal refused to co-sign. At this point, how could the emperor not know the inside story? The eunuchs are not monolithic. There must be many eunuchs willing to report the facts to the emperor. As for personal feelings, things have come to this point. No matter how big the personal feelings between Hou Lan and others with the emperor are, they can't hide it, right? Since it's neither of those things, it can only be profit. So I asked Hou Lan and others if they were wealthy. When Master Cao nodded, I felt 70% sure!"

The Cai Mao brothers exchanged glances, their gazes suddenly focused on Cao Cao. Although Wei Cong hadn't finished his words, his meaning was clear enough—the emperor ignored the opposition of the outer court officials and dealt so harshly with the party members not because he was deceived or had a personal affection for the eunuchs, but because he could obtain a large amount of money from them. The emperor's appointment of Wang Fu, a eunuch who was at odds with Hou Lan, to judge the case also explained it well. The emperor simply wanted to warn the local officials who were cracking down on the eunuchs who made money for him, not to actually kill them. So was Wei Cong right?

"Hey! When did my wine glass become empty?" Cao Cao frowned. "Brother Buyi, have your maid come up and refill the wine!"

"Oh, oh! Come, someone, pour wine for Mr. Cao!" Cai Buyi hurriedly shouted. What Mr. Cao meant was very clear - this dangerous conversation would end here tonight. In other words, Wei Cong had just guessed right.

For the rest of the evening, Wei Cong secretly congratulated himself on his status as an outsider. The emperor, eunuchs, clique members, and relatives of the emperor in Luoyang held no stake in his affairs. The infamous Party Persecution seemed to have taken place in another world. He leaned comfortably against the arms of a beautiful maid, sipping his glass of fine wine. The sweet aroma of mulberry wine filled his mouth, bringing a smug smile to his lips. All this was observed by Cao Cao, Cai Mao, and Cai Buyi, who found Wei Cong even more unfathomable.

By the time the banquet ended, it was already early evening. Wei Cong, already drunk, was escorted by his maid to a side courtyard to rest. Cao Cao, a distinguished guest from the capital, was personally escorted by Cai Buyi to a secluded residence separated from the residence by a single wall. While his maidservant waited on him, he soaked his feet for a while when he heard someone outside politely ask, "Has Master Cao retired?"

"Brother Buyi? Come in and talk!"

"I'm sorry to bother you so late at night, sir!" Cai Buyi bowed carefully to Cao Cao as a greeting.

"Forget it! There's no need for formalities between us here and now!" Cao Cao pulled his feet out of the wooden tub. The maid beside him hurried forward to wipe them dry, saying with a smile, "But if you don't come tonight, you don't have to come again in the future!"

Cai Buyi was stunned. He didn't expect Cao Cao to say that. After a moment, he smiled bitterly and said, "Why do you say that, sir?"

By this time, the maid had dried Cao Cao's feet. He stood up, rubbing his bare feet against the cattail mat. He walked over to Cai Buyi, who subconsciously bent slightly to avoid towering over him. Cao Cao patted him on the shoulder and asked, "Of all the surnames in Jingzhou, the Cai family is the most prominent. Although you share the surname Cai, you're probably just a branch of the family, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't be a vagrant in your twenties, not even a government official. Am I right?"

"You are right, sir!" Cai Buyi whispered.

"With your background, you'll only earn 600 shi in this lifetime! If you want to break this fate, you'll need a special opportunity, and once you encounter it, you must hold on to it tightly. If you're caught in two-way ambiguity, worried about gains and losses, then there's nothing more to say!" Cao Cao's words were full of meaning, and Cai Buyi could hear it. Without hesitation, he fell to the ground and said, "Meeting you is my good fortune. If you can use me in any way, I will serve you wholeheartedly!"

"Good, good!" Cao Cao smiled and helped Cai Buyi up from the ground. "I'm glad you're so thoughtful. Indeed, I'm stopping in Xinye this time because I do have something to do. If you can do it for me, even though being selected as a filial and honest official may be a bit difficult, being recruited by a government or provincial government shouldn't be a problem!"

"Thank you, Mr. Cao!"

Hearing Cao Cao's promise, Cai Buyi hurriedly knelt down again. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, there were many ways to enter the officialdom. The best path was to be recommended as a palace official, a position considered legitimate by the world. Children of top officials like Yuan Shao, Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao could be recommended almost as soon as they reached adulthood, as long as they didn't cause public outrage. The next closest option was to be directly recruited by the imperial court for outstanding and renowned talent. Recruitment was categorized by source: the emperor, a high-ranking official, or a prefecture or county. With Cao Teng's official position and connections, getting Cai Buyi a recommendation would have been difficult. However, if he only wanted a high-ranking official (an official with the power to establish a government office) or a prefecture or county-level recruitment, it would have been a matter of a letter.

This time, Cao Cao did not offer his hand to help him. Instead, he accepted Cai Buyi's two bows before helping him up. This was not because he was arrogant or rude. According to the Eastern Han Dynasty's concept, if Cao Cao wrote a letter recommending Cai Buyi for official position, he would be Cai Buyi's recommender. According to the political concept of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the relationship between Cao Cao and Cai Buyi would be a close one similar to that between a monarch and his subjects. In this relationship, Cai Buyi would be obligated to repay Cao Cao's kindness with his own wealth and life, not to mention accepting his kneeling bows.

"No doubt!"

"exist!"

"In Xinye, do you know a man named Cao Wujiu?"

"Cao Wujiu?" Cai Buyi's face turned a little ugly. "Are you talking about the merchant who lent money? He was just murdered!"

"Yes, that's the man! I'm here this time just for his business!" Cao Cao said coldly, "This man was previously affiliated with my family and is considered my cousin. To be honest, a large part of his capital came from the Forbidden City!"

"Ah! Such a thing!" Cai Buyi was shocked: "Forbidden City? Such a thing actually happened?"

"To be precise, it's the Empress Dowager's cosmetics money! My ancestor was the Grand Chamberlain, and serving the Empress Dowager and managing her private finances was the responsibility of every Grand Chamberlain. This Cao Wujiu wanted to unite with my ancestor, and he thought he was acting properly, so he took out five million yuan from the Empress Dowager's cosmetics money and gave it to him, agreeing to pay him two and a half cents in interest annually, payable at the end of the year. If you want to withdraw the principal, you must notify me three months in advance. Everything was fine last year and the year before, but a few months ago I heard he was dead! It would be fine if he died, but the Empress Dowager's money can't be lost, so he asked me to handle this matter!"

The more Cai Buyi listened, the more horrified he became. He had never imagined that Cao Wujiu, the loan shark who had cost his entire family their lives, could actually be linked to the Luoyang Imperial Palace. This was truly terrifying. No wonder Cao Cao had just promised to grant him a position in the imperial court after the matter was resolved. The problem was that Zhao Yannian had killed Cao Wujiu's entire family, and no one knew where their wealth had gone. The five million yuan was now unaccounted for. Who could he ask for it?

"What's wrong? Is this a difficult matter?" asked Cao Cao.

"Hmm!" Cai Buyi said with a wry smile, "Cao Wujiu is already dead. This is a mess!"

"I know that!" Cao Cao laughed and said, "If he can lend money, doesn't he have some family wealth? I'm not blackmailing him. Here is the proof of borrowing 5 million yuan. Take this, and you will get the money back." When Cao Cao said this, he took out a piece of sheepskin from his sleeve.

Cai Buyi took the sheepskin and saw that it was a promissory note, which clearly listed the amount of money borrowed, the borrower, the term, and the interest. However, the lender column was blank, and it was noted at the back that whoever held this scroll could get the loan back.

"The Empress didn't want anyone to know she lent money to Cao Wujiu. It would be bad for her reputation, so the lender column is blank!" Cao Cao laughed and said, "Cao Wujiu must have sons and daughters, right? They must understand the principle that a son pays a father's debts, right?"

"No, Cao Wujiu's children are also dead!"

"What? He's dead too? How is that possible? He must have grandsons and granddaughters, right?" Cao Cao became anxious when he heard that.

"He's dead too. Back then, Cao Wujiu had lent money to someone and offended him badly. That person picked Cao Wujiu's wife's birthday and came to kill everyone in the family when they were all gathered together. He even set fire to the house and burned everything to ashes!"

"What—" Cao Cao said in astonishment. After a long pause, he smiled bitterly and said, "The murderer was indeed ruthless, but even if Cao Wujiu's house was set on fire, there must have been some private property left behind, right?"

"They did leave behind some land, half of which went to the clan, and half was taken back by the county!" Cai Buyi added without waiting for Cao Cao to speak, "But that little land is far from worth five million yuan."

"What?" Cao Cao was anxious when he heard this. "It must have been someone who embezzled money. I will see the county magistrate tomorrow and have him pursued strictly!"

"Master, have you forgotten what Cao Wujiu did for a living? He was a moneylender. If he had money, why would he just hide it at home? He must have lent it out for profit! But now Cao Wujiu is dead, and the loan documents were probably burned. Both of them are gone, how can we get the money back?"

"That's right, but then we won't get back the five million." Cao Cao's face showed anxiety for the first time. He gritted his teeth and said, "Buyi, think about it carefully. Is there any way to get back some of the money Cao Wujiu lent out? It doesn't have to be much, just five million will be enough. Forget the interest this year!"

Cai Buyi had to rack his brains as this matter concerned his own future, but he had no idea no matter how hard he thought. Finally, he said helplessly, "Sir, I really can't think of any solution right now. Why don't I go to the county government office tomorrow to inquire and see if there are any other clues!"

"Forget it!" Cao Cao shook his head helplessly and asked casually, "By the way, do you have any idea about the origins of Wei Cong today?"

(End of this chapter)