Taiheiki

Chapter 17 Background
"Mine?" Wei Cong laughed: "How is that possible? I don't have any money in my pocket!"

"Meng De, for people like you and me, many things can be done without spending money!" Cao Cao pointed to the craftsmen around him: "If my guess is correct, these people should not have sold themselves to the Cai family. They are not slaves but good citizens. They just depend on the Cai family and are guests and servants! They depend on the Cai family simply because the Cai family can protect them. If there is a better choice-" Cao Cao stopped here. He looked at Wei Cong with a smile on his face.

"But as far as I know, this should be strictly prohibited by the court, right?" Wei Cong stopped.

"Haha!" Cao Cao laughed twice. "Yes, this is called forced labor for the poor, and it is indeed strictly prohibited by the court. But it depends on who is doing it. For people like me and you, Brother Meng De, this is actually nothing!"

Hearing Cao Cao address him as "Meng De," Wei Cong couldn't help but feel a strange sense of being replaced. However, he quickly brushed the feeling aside and said with a smile, "Why do you say that? If it's strictly forbidden by the court, then why do you say it's nothing to you and me?"

"Worldly affairs are like the clouds in the sky, ever-changing! But the laws of the court are like the earth beneath our feet, eternal and unchanging!" Cao Cao pointed to the sky, then to the ground below. "To govern the world today with the laws of the Emperors Wen and Jing, isn't that the height of foolishness? Perhaps this is why the world is so unruly?"

Wei Cong looked at the young man in front of him in surprise and asked carefully, "In your opinion, this law strictly prohibiting the 'forced labor of the poor' is no longer suitable for the current world?"

"That's right!" Cao Cao nodded. "But we shouldn't abolish it suddenly now!"

"Why?"

"The court can't stand it!" Cao Cao laughed. "If anyone can force the poor into slavery, then who will the court turn to for head taxes, tax levies, labor service, and military service?"

Wei Cong was taken aback for a moment, then quickly grasped Cao Cao's point. Since the law was no longer relevant, and yet the empire's survival depended on it, why not simply grant it a break only to himself, a member of the ruling class (he considered Wei Cong one of his own)? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? In a sense, Cao Cao's approach was perfectly sound. Even if the Eastern Han Empire ultimately collapsed, his family would have accumulated a vast wealth and population, amassing sufficient leverage in the post-imperial game of "Chicken Dinner." It was a sure win. However, since Cao Cao had offered such a sweet bait, if he didn't take it, he would be refusing to accept it. After all, as a time traveler who had never tasted a cent of Han salary, he wouldn't have any compunction about poaching from the empire.

"Aman, you have said so much, but you haven't told me how to do it?" Wei Cong said with a smile.

"This method is worthless!" Cao Cao pointed upward, then at the ground. "Either you have a powerful figure in the imperial court who is protecting you, or you have a powerful clan with hundreds or even thousands of elite soldiers in full armor and weapons under your command. Your Wu Fortress is stronger than the provincial capital, your family has enough grain to last for ten years, and you've married into powerful families for generations. The county governor and the prime minister will get a headache just by hearing your name. If you have any of these two qualities, you can do it without worrying about it. The local officials will definitely not dare to bother you!"

"Are you making fun of me, Man?" Wei Cong asked unhappily, "Look at me now. How does this match up with the two things you mentioned?"

"How could I possibly make fun of you, Meng De?" Cao Cao said with a smile, "You certainly don't have a strong clan right now, but the other one isn't difficult either!"

"Is there anyone in the court?"

"Yes, is Da Changqiu enough?"

"Grand Chamberlain?" Wei Cong was stunned. Isn't this Cao Cao's grandfather? "Aman, your grandfather?"

"That's right!" Cao Cao nodded. "It was my ancestor, but to be more precise, it was the current empress, Empress Dou! She lost five million in Xinye. If you can recover it, my ancestor can report it to the empress, and even a catastrophic disaster can be averted!"

"Empress Dou?" Wei Cong was stunned when he heard this: "Why do I remember that the Empress's surname wasn't Deng?"

"Meng De's news is outdated!" Cao Cao showed a sly smile. "A few months ago, Empress Deng angered the Emperor and was deposed and thrown into torture chambers. Not long after, she committed suicide. The Emperor originally wanted to make Concubine Tian his empress, but all the ministers submitted a petition arguing that the daughter of an aristocratic family should be the empress. Concubine Tian's background was ordinary, and she wasn't qualified to be a mother of the country. So, the Emperor made the daughter of Doctor Dou Wu his empress."

"Is the Dou Wu you are talking about one of the 'Three Lords'?" Wei Cong suddenly had an idea and asked cautiously.

"Yes, it's this one!" Cao Cao said with a smile.

Any ambitious young man of the late Eastern Han Dynasty might not have known who the Three Dukes were (after all, after the fall of the Liang dynasty, eunuchs reigned supreme, and six or seven out of ten Three Dukes had climbed to the top by flattering them, or perhaps even buying their place, making them few if any figures of high moral character and prestige). However, everyone knew the names of the "Three Lords," the "Eight Talents," the "Eight Gus," the "Eight Jis," and the "Eight Chefs." Wei Cong, accustomed to these names over the years, naturally had a deep impression. These were all men of high moral character, unwavering integrity, and immense charisma among the scholar-officials. Among them, the Three Lords (Dou Wu, Liu Shu, and Chen Fan) were not only of high moral character but also of exceptional status.

Among these three, Chen Fan was the Grand Marshal, one of the Three Dukes; Dou Wu was the great-great-grandson of Dou Rong, a founding hero of the Eastern Han Dynasty. The Dou family had been closely connected to the emperor for generations, and the Eastern Han Dynasty produced two empresses. Coming from such a prominent family, Dou Wu devoted himself to learning in his youth, excelling in the study of the classics. He refrained from officialdom, teaching hundreds of students in the vast wilderness, holding the dual identities of a great scholar and a relative of the emperor. Liu Shu, Marquis of Jie Du Ting, was a distant relative of the Eastern Han imperial family.
Among Dou Wu, Liu Shu and Chen Fan, Chen Fan, who had the lowest status and identity, was one of the Three Dukes. Dou Wu not only came from a family of relatives and nobles who had been married to the royal family for generations, but he was also a leader of scholars who was famous for his virtue and knowledge. Later, he became a general with the help of his daughter, and became the actual ruler of the empire after the death of Emperor Huan of Han.

It's easy to see that the period from Emperor Huan's final selection of an empress to the selection of his successor in his later years was a counterattack by the Eastern Han scholar-official group, one that achieved a phased victory. (After Empress Deng's death, the emperor attempted to enthrone Concubine Tian as empress, but was opposed by the outer court officials. Dou Wu's daughter became empress instead. After Emperor Huan's death, Dou Wu, with the help of his daughter, became the general in accordance with custom and took control of the inner court.) If it weren't for the failure of Dou Wu and Chen Fan's attempt to exterminate the eunuchs in the first year of Jianning, which led to the outbreak of the Second Party Persecution, the scholar-official group would have completely defeated the eunuch group 23 years earlier.

Although Wei Cong didn't know the turbulent events and brutal wars that would unfold within Luoyang City over the next few years, he was certain of one thing: before the Yellow Turban Rebellion, those who joined the clique and opposed the eunuchs had no good end. Dou Wu, despite his current prosperity, would eventually face his downfall. If he wanted to turn things around, he would have to wait until the Yellow Turban Rebellion, when the emperor was forced to release the clique and the literati seized control of the military. His best bet now was to protect himself and stay as far away from the center of power as possible.

Seeing Wei Cong's composure, a peculiar light flashed in Cao Cao's eyes. He had been adept at manipulating people's hearts and minds since he was young. He had spread the news that the Empress was Dou Wu's daughter not just for the five million yuan, but also for a deeper purpose. Although Wei Cong was evasive about his background, his daily behavior suggested he was part of a clique. Instead of tempting such a person with wealth and power, it was better to tell him that he was a fellow traveler. Cao Cao had just told a lie, intentional or not. The current Empress was indeed Dou Wu's daughter, but the five million yuan had been placed in Cao Teng's hands by the previous Empress and had nothing to do with Dou Wu. Of course, this lie would never be exposed unless Wei Cong personally questioned Empress Dou. But after Cao Cao finished speaking, Wei Cong remained noncommittal, which surprised Cao Cao.

"Did I misjudge his origins, or is this man too cunning to reveal himself?" Cao Cao pondered in his heart, but said, "Meng De, you have a subordinate named Zhao Yannian, right? The Cao Wujiu he killed was the source of the five million yuan. If you hand him over to me, my ancestors can mention you in front of the Queen!" "Zhao Yannian? So that's why!" Wei Cong breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Cao Cao opened his mouth, he would be able to agree. "Aman, you want to learn the whereabouts of the five million yuan from this person, right? This person has a stubborn and strong personality. If I hand him over to you, I'm afraid you won't get anything out of him, and it would be bad if we both get into trouble. Why don't you let me go and ask him together?"

"This..." Cao Cao was stunned when he heard this. Thinking of Zhao Yannian's extermination of an entire family, he felt that what Wei Cong said made sense, so he smiled and said, "Okay!"

Wei Cong called Zhao Yannian over, found a secluded place, and said directly, "Yannian, this Mr. Cao is from the capital. He has a few questions for you. You must answer truthfully!"

"Yes!" Zhao Yannian glanced at Cao Cao and nodded.

Cao Cao coughed and said, "When you wiped out Cao Wujiu's entire family, all their wealth disappeared. Is this true?"

"I didn't kill Cao Wujiu's entire family!" Zhao Yannian said in a deep voice.

"Oh? Then why did you write that in your county file?"

"I know of three or four women who gave birth to Cao Wujiu's children. How could I possibly have the ability to wipe out his entire family?" Zhao Yannian sneered. "Besides, when I wanted to leave Xinye and seek a living in the south, I was ambushed by assassins. Lord Wei knows about this. If I wiped out his entire family, would anyone still be willing to risk their lives and money to ambush me?"

Zhao Yannian's words dispelled Wei Cong's doubts. He had initially thought that the customs of the Han Dynasty were just so tough and upright. A loan shark was killed, and his clansmen contributed money and men to avenge him. Now it seemed that the mastermind behind the murder was not just the clansmen of the deceased.

"Yannian, did you take anything from Cao Wujiu's house?"

"Yes!" Zhao Yannian nodded. "When I first entered Cao's house with my sword, I took the waist bag and jade pendant from Cao Wujiu, intending to use them as travel expenses."

"Oh, where are these things now?" Cao Cao's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly.

"The waist pouch was taken away when I was captured. As for the jade pendant—" Zhao Yannian paused for a moment: "I hid it in a secret place in the mountains. Later, after I was pardoned by the county magistrate, I dug it out again!"

"So it's in your possession now?" Cao Cao asked anxiously, "Take it out!"

Zhao Yannian glanced at Cao Cao but said nothing. He turned his gaze to Wei Cong, obviously waiting for his order. Wei Cong nodded and said, "This jade pendant has an unknown origin. It may not be a good thing for you to have it. Take it and show it to Master Cao!"

Zhao Yannian nodded, stood up and left. After a moment, he returned and took out a green jade pendant. Cao Cao took it, looked through it, and said with a smile, "That's exactly it! I didn't expect to find it!"

"Oh? Is there anything strange about this jade pendant?" Wei Cong asked curiously.

"This jade pendant is the talisman of Cao Wujiu, look!" Cao Cao handed over the green jade pendant. There was a gap on the jade pendant, with dense patterns and the words "Seeing the talisman is like seeing the person" written on it.

"This jade pendant originally came in a pair, and the other piece is in someone else's hands. If you put the two pieces together, they'll fit perfectly!" Cao Cao laughed. "Most likely, Cao Wujiu hid a large sum of private wealth in someone else's hands, and used this pendant to withdraw it! This person knew he'd offended many people and held too many unknown secrets, so he left himself a way out. He didn't expect your subordinate's sword to be so swift, and he was killed before he could use it!"

"So, the people who ambushed you at the ferry might not be Cao Wujiu's men!" Wei Cong said to Zhao Yannian.

"What is that--?" Zhao Yannian was stunned when he heard that.

"That's a lot!" Cao Cao sneered, "Anyone who knew that Cao Wujiu left this money could be the one, such as the county magistrate or Cai Buzhi!"

"The county magistrate? Cai Buyi?" Zhao Yannian was stunned. "Why would they ambush me? Cai Youjiao is one thing, but the county magistrate wants to kill me. It's just a matter of a word. Why go to all that trouble?"

"Because Cao Wujiu's waist bag should have fallen into the hands of one of them!" Wei Cong explained, "And that waist bag most likely contains Cao Wujiu's escape route, but without this jade pendant, it can't be used. And the origin of the talisman is most likely with you, so it's safer to release you first and let you get the talisman, and then arrest you. So, it seems that the person who ambushed you at the ferry was most likely the county magistrate. After all, it was the county magistrate who pardoned you, not Cai Buyi!"

　As usual, I'm asking for tickets and tips. By the way, would the poems "Cold Food" and "Dongmen Xing" at the beginning of this book be difficult for readers to understand?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)