Taiheiki

Chapter 360 Protection
Wei Cong's predicament was that he was not the emperor, but merely a powerful minister. While the emperor, after delegating power to the bureaucracy, had the support of ritual, law, religion, and customs, Wei Cong, after delegating power to the court bureaucracy, had no choice but to overturn the table. Therefore, he could only establish a private advisory group of officials, namely the Hegemonic Group. The legitimacy of the Hegemonic Group was based on the emergency situation of war, so if Wei Cong wanted to maintain power for a long time, the only way was to keep the country in an "abnormal" state. There was no other way.

"Why do I feel like my path is getting narrower and narrower?" Wei Cong put down his calligraphy brush, rubbed his sore wrist, and gave a wry smile.

"My lord, Cao Cao of Pei is requesting an audience!" Meng Gaogong appeared at the door, the cold glint of armor plating visible at his collar. He was the only person Wei Cong was permitted to wear armor, and the last line of defense against assassins. Wei Cong suddenly recalled some episodes about Cao Cao from the novel *Romance of the Three Kingdoms* he had read as a child. Could this old friend of his be planning to assassinate him?
"How does he look?" Wei Cong asked. "I mean, is there anything unusual about his expression?"

"Nothing seems amiss!" Meng Gaogong asked, "Does the lord intend to conduct a body search?"

"Well, have someone take a look!" Wei Cong hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "But you must be respectful and not neglect him, after all, he's an old acquaintance of mine!"

"My subordinate understands!"

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Watching the guards carefully search Cao Cao and take away his personal weapons, Meng Gaogong stepped aside and gestured for him to come: "The General is waiting in the back hall, please follow me!"

Cao Cao suppressed the humiliation in his heart, nodded, and followed behind Meng Gaogong. He couldn't be sure if this body search was a routine procedure for meeting Wei Cong or if it was specifically targeting him. But in any case, it reminded him that things were different now, and that man was no longer the unidentified refugee scholar he once was.

"Aman, if you were coming to Luoyang, why didn't you write a letter first? I could have come to the city to welcome you!" Wei Cong stood up and came out from behind the desk. This was the greatest breach of etiquette he could possibly offer at his current position. Cao Cao hurriedly bowed and said, "General, you are a pillar of the state, busy with countless affairs every day. How could I, a mere mortal, dare to waste your time!"

“We’re old friends, no need for such formalities! Come, sit down and let’s talk!” Wei Cong smiled and handed over an orange: “It’s been so many years, how are you doing at home?”

"Don't you know how my family is doing?" Cao Cao thought to himself, but dared not show it on his face. He took the orange and said with a bitter smile, "Brother Mengde, I've come here today because of my family. To be honest, my family has been wiped out!"

"The calamity of extermination, where does this come from?" Wei Cong asked.

"That's how it happened!" Cao Cao sighed and then recounted the entire story of how his cousin Cao Ren went out to become a bandit, got involved with Wu Jing, and was captured by the Xuzhou general's forces, which traced him back to the Cao family of Pei State. He concluded, "I know that Wu Jing was involved in the Lugu incident and deserves to die. But my clan is large; even if there are one or two unworthy individuals, surely it doesn't warrant the extermination of the entire clan?"

"Is that so?" Wei Cong looked surprised. "How come I didn't know? A few days ago, the Commandant of the Capital Region, Kuai Sheng, did report to me about the killing of Wu Jing, but he didn't mention that the traitor who was coerced was related to your family, Cao Cao. Oh? Right, he did mention that the bandit leader's surname was Cao, but I didn't think of it that way, after all, there are too many people with the surname Cao in the world. I didn't expect that he was your cousin."

“Cao Ren’s father and my father share the same grandfather, so they are quite close!” Cao Cao said with a wry smile, “Cao Ren had been on the run for over a year for murder and had lost all contact with his family. If it weren’t for this incident, no one would know whether he was dead or alive.”

"Hmm!" Wei Cong nodded. "If that's the case, then it is indeed a bit of a misunderstanding. Here's what we'll do: take my letter to the Sili Commandant's Office later and give it to Kuai Sheng. He's currently in charge of this matter, and although I'm a general, I can't overstep my authority!"

"Thank you, Brother Mengde!" Cao Cao was overjoyed upon hearing this, and disregarding his resentment, he knelt down and bowed. Wei Cong reached out to help him up, saying, "We are old friends, there's no need for such formalities. You must come to Luoyang often in the future, and don't treat me like a stranger!"

After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Cao Cao took the letter and bid farewell. Once outside the General's residence, he felt a layer of white sweat on his back. He wiped it away and, following Wei Cong's instructions, hurried to the Sili Commandant's residence, handing over the letter requesting an audience with Kuai Sheng. After about half a moment, someone came out and gave him a cold look: "Are you Cao Cao? Come with me, the Commandant wishes to see you!"

"That Kuai Sheng is utterly despicable! He's even more arrogant than Wei Cong!" Cao Cao cursed inwardly, following the clerk through two courtyards to the main hall. The clerk said, "I'll go in and announce your arrival! You wait here, don't go too far, I'll come out and call you!"

Cao Cao responded, and the minor official went to the hall. However, a long time passed, and as evening approached, no one came to call him. Many people passed by, pointing and whispering about Cao Cao's anxious wait, which only fueled his anger. Seeing that the last person waiting to enter the hall had left, and still no one had come to call him, Cao Cao flew into a rage. He grabbed a minor official who was about to close the door and shouted, "I've waited so long, why hasn't anyone come to call me?"

The minor official, however, remained unfazed and sneered, "You scoundrel, you're being unreasonable. If no one called you, it just means it's not your turn yet. You can wait patiently for your turn. If you don't get it today, try tomorrow, and if you still don't get it tomorrow, try the day after. What do you think this place is? The Sili Commandant's Office. Even the Three Dukes and Marquises have to remove their hats and bow here. Do you think you can act so arrogantly?"

"I brought the General's letter with me, how could that scoundrel Kuai Sheng not see me? It's clearly you villains who are causing trouble!" Cao Cao was still young and impetuous, his blood boiling. He had already drawn his sword and shouted, "Let me kill you villain first, and then I'll settle things with that scoundrel Kuai Sheng!"

The minor official drew Cao Cao's sword, immediately took two steps back, and shouted, "Help! Help! There's a thief drawing his sword and committing violence in the hall!"

Upon hearing the shout, Cao Cao immediately snapped out of his daze, realizing the danger, and quickly sheathed his sword. By this time, four or five guards wielding spears had surrounded him, asking all at once, "Where did this thug come from?"

"It's this shorty in the brocade robe who just said he brought a letter from the Great General and even said he wanted to reason with the Prefect!" "How arrogant! He actually dares to reason with our Prefect?" The guards were both angry and amused. They lowered their spears and shouted at Cao Cao, "You shorty, throw your sword on the ground, or else I'll make sure you're impaled in a blood gourd!"

Cao Cao knew this was not the place to reason, so he drew his sword and threw it on the ground, saying coldly, "I did bring the General's letter. Just pass on the message for me!"

"You have the General's letter, but I have the Empress Dowager's decree!" The head guard sneered, ordering his men to put away Cao Cao's sword, tie him up, and put him in a dark room under guard.

Cao Cao was in the dark room, initially cursing angrily, but no one paid him any attention. It was as if he were locked in a coffin, silent and still. The room had no windows, and Cao Cao had no idea how much time had passed, only knowing how the jailers brought him food and chamber pots. He pondered deeply in the dark room, wondering why Kuai Sheng was treating him this way. Wasn't he worried about angering Wei Cong? Or was this all a trap set by Wei Cong? But if that were the case, he could have easily captured him at the General's mansion; why go through all this trouble?
Cao Cao remained baffled, and four or five days passed in this daze, his mind in a state of flux, unsure of whether he was alive or dead. Suddenly, he heard the door open. Thinking it was someone coming to retrieve his chamber pot, he didn't bother to get up and continued lying on his straw bed. But then he heard someone shout, "The Prefect is here! You thief, get up!"

Cao Cao's body jolted, and he sat up abruptly. He saw a middle-aged man in a black official robe and wearing a Jinxian hat standing in front of the door, looking at him coldly. He vaguely recognized the man from when he was in Jingzhou, but time had passed and their statuses were now worlds apart.

"Commander Kuai, the General sent me with a letter. Why are you treating me like this?" Cao Cao asked, but his voice lacked confidence.

"Young Master Cao comes from a family with a long and distinguished learning background. Surely you know what the Commandant of the Capital Region does?" Kuai Sheng sneered. "Cao Ren colluded with the traitor Wu Jing and also linked up with the local powerful families of Pei State in Xuzhou, spreading the Taiping Rebellion. His intentions are despicable. Many members of your Cao family are implicated in this case. What a serious case this is! How could it be resolved with just a letter from the General!"

"What is this Taiping Nidao?" Cao Cao asked, somewhat bewildered.

"You may not know about the Way of Peace, but you must know about the Moth Rebellion, right? The heretical sect spread by the Great Teacher of Virtue is this sect, only it has changed its name to the Way of Peace. Young Master Cao, you can't be unaware of this, can you?"

"The Way of Peace?" Cao Cao was taken aback upon hearing this. He seemed to have indeed heard similar words before. Could it be that, as he said, Cao Ren had colluded with the remnants of the Moth Rebellion? If so, then they were doomed. Even if they had a hundred heads, they would still be chopped off.

"I have heard a little about it, but I've heard that this religion encourages people to do good, not that kind of evil religion!"

"Nonsense! Every sect claims to persuade people to do good, but whether that's true or not depends on their actions, not their words!" Kuai Sheng sneered. "According to the report from Xuzhou, the mastermind behind the Taiping Dao is Zhang Song, the leader of the Moth Rebels, and also the eldest disciple of the Great Teacher of Virtue. What we don't know now is how much your Cao family is involved. If you're deeply implicated, even the Great General can't save you!"

Hearing Kuai Sheng's words, Cao Cao's remaining confidence vanished completely. He and Wei Cong were indeed old acquaintances, but their social standing was now worlds apart; how much of their former friendship remained was anyone's guess. The chaos caused by the Moth Rebellion had nearly devastated the three provinces of Jing, Yang, and Xu, and Wei Cong had seized the opportunity to take over Jiaozhou, even marching into Luoyang and becoming a Grand General. The entire court was extremely wary of such folk religions; if his own family were truly involved, even if Wei Cong genuinely wanted to save him, it wouldn't be so easy.

"Commander Kuai, our Cao family has been receiving the Han's bounty for generations, and my grandfather served five generations. We have always been cautious and careful. If we truly knew that the Way of Peace was a heretical sect led by the leader of the Moth Rebels, we would have reported it to the authorities long ago. I beg Commander Kuai to investigate thoroughly!"

"Of course, this must be thoroughly investigated!" Kuai Sheng snorted coldly. "I won't hide it from you. The moment you arrived in Luoyang, the news of your arrival was sent to me. If it weren't for the favor we had with the General back then, you would have been captured by my men halfway there. How could I have allowed you to come to Luoyang!"

"Thank you, Commandant Kuai!" Cao Cao had just expressed his gratitude when he suddenly realized something was amiss and asked in surprise, "Are you saying that my clansmen in my hometown have already—"

"Indeed!" Kuai Sheng nodded. "Based on the existing intelligence, it can be basically confirmed that the Cao, Ding, and Song families of Pei State are heavily involved in this case. The reason we haven't taken them down yet is because we want to observe the situation and eliminate their associates. It's good that you came to Luoyang, Young Master Cao, so as to avoid any accidental harm and have trouble explaining to the General!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave. Kuai Sheng's meaning was clear: the Cao family was already inextricably linked to the Cao family, as were several other closely related families. For example, the Ding family had intermarried with the Cao family for generations; historically, Cao Cao's wife was from the Ding family. At best, he could only save one person's life, but what good would that do?

Kuai Sheng glanced at Cao Cao's slumped-to the ground and said to the clerk beside him, "Find a clean place for Young Master Cao, and make sure his daily meals are taken good care of!"

"Here!"

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While Cao Cao was under house arrest in the Sili Commandant's residence, the people of Luoyang received astonishing news. The remnants of the Moth Rebellion, which had started several years prior, had resurfaced and were now preaching and expanding their influence in the Huai and Si regions, attempting a comeback. Even more alarming, those involved included not only the destitute commoners but also scholar-official families from seven or eight surrounding commanderies centered around Pei State, including even the Cao family of Pei State, son of the former Grand Chamberlain, Marquis Cao Song of Feiting.

This terrifying news immediately caused a huge uproar in Luoyang. It should be noted that although the Cao family of Pei State did not hold a high position among the scholar-officials, their family leader had been at the center of the empire's power for decades, accumulating astonishing connections and wealth. Among Cao Cao's grandfather and uncles, six are recorded in historical texts as officials of the rank of two thousand shi (a unit of grain measure), and the number unrecorded in historical records is likely much greater. The fact that such a powerful and wealthy family was involved in the Taiping Dao (Way of Peace) is truly intriguing.

(End of this chapter)