Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1444 The Incident at Qiaoling
"Zishang, are you alright? Is the Grand Tutor recovering from his illness soon?"

The few words on the letter were not the reason for Sima Zhao's pale face.

The letter also included a drawing of two horses feeding in the same manger.

This very painting made Sima Zhao break out in a cold sweat on a freezing day.

"Zishang, what are you doing?"

A voice came from behind. Sima Zhao subconsciously turned around and hid the letter behind his back. "No, nothing. It's just that an old friend sent me a letter."

"Oh." Gao Rou nodded, his mind preoccupied and oblivious to the tense expression on Sima Zhao's face.

In fact, he was probably even more nervous than Sima Zhao.

"Is Situ... leaving?"

Gao Rou nodded, looking somewhat absent-minded, and walked hurriedly, "There are still some things I need to take care of."

"Then I'll see Situ off."

Equally distracted, Sima Zhao saw Gao Rou off to her carriage outside the mansion, then immediately turned around and rushed back to see Sima Yi as quickly as possible.

"grown ups!"

Sima Zhao rushed to Sima Yi's bedside, only then realizing that his legs were weak.

Seeing Sima Zhao's expression, Sima Yi frowned in displeasure and scoffed softly:

"What's the panic? I'm not dead yet!"

Sima Zhao tremblingly took out the letter, handed it to Sima Yi, and said in a hoarse voice:
“Someone delivered this letter to the child.”

Although he didn't know the full details of his master's recent plans, he hadn't kept the conversation between his master and the old minister from him.

Sima Zhao was able to guess the gist of it from those conversations.

"What letter?"

Sima Yi took the letter with a puzzled look, asking questions as he did so. But what he saw shocked him so much that he almost threw it away.

He had been half-lying down, but suddenly sat bolt upright, full of energy. "Who gave it to you?!"

"No, I don't know..."

"How could you not know! If you didn't know, how did this letter end up in your hands?"

Sima Yi's expression turned somewhat ferocious, the letter in his hand trembling, whether from fear or anger, it was hard to tell.

"My lord, I really don't know. This was brought in by a servant. He said the person delivered this letter and then left."

What does the person look like?

They summoned the old servant and questioned him thoroughly, but still couldn't get a clear answer.

The person who came was very ordinary, the kind of person you wouldn't notice in a crowd.

After dismissing the old servant, Sima Zhao looked at his master, whose face was ashen and who sat motionless on the couch like a clay statue. He couldn't help but call out softly:
"grown ups?"

His voice trembled.

Sima Yi neither responded nor moved.

After a long silence, he gently shook his head, his face full of disbelief, "No, no..."

These three words were repeated more than ten times.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

"It couldn't have been leaked by someone," Sima Yi muttered to himself, "nor could it have been Cao Shuang who got the information."

Under immense tension, Sima Yi's mind raced faster than ever before:
Even her own son didn't know the details of her plan; at most, he only knew the general outline.

Moreover, there are only a handful of people who know what needs to be done.

If they were really going to leak information, they would only tell Cao Shuang.

If Cao Shuang had received the news, he would no longer have had the chance to sit on the couch.

So, who exactly is this person?
The thought that someone was secretly observing him and even knew what he was going to do next made Sima Yi break out in a cold sweat.

A small letter cast a shadow over Sima Yi's mind, a shadow even greater than that cast over Qiao County.

Even when he was attacked from both sides by Zhuge Liang and Feng Yong during the Battle of Guanzhong, he still lost his composure like this.

"Sir, what should we do?"

Sima Zhao asked again, repeating himself like a broken record.

"What should we do?" These words seemed to remind Sima Yi. He looked up. "This is a letter for you. Don't you really have any thoughts?"

Sima Zhao was so frightened that he trembled all over and was on the verge of tears.

"My child, my child truly doesn't know..."

You didn't know about the letter I sent you?

For a fleeting moment, Sima Yi had the urge to kick his own son to death.

This concerns the entire Sima clan, and you say you don't know anything about it?

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, leaned back on the tatami mat, and filtered through every detail one by one.

Sima Yi only opened his eyes abruptly when Sima Zhao thought his lord had fallen asleep:
"Ignore him!"

Sima Zhao thought he had misheard: "No, don't care?"

"The arrow is on the string, and we have no choice but to release it!" Sima Yi's eyes flashed with a blood-red madness. "I don't care what this person is thinking. As long as he doesn't tell Cao Shuang, this matter has to be done."

In fact, even if Cao Shuang already knew, this matter still had to be carried out—the only difference was when to take action.

Having planned things to this point, there's no turning back now.

Even if nothing is done afterward, as long as Cao Shuang finds out later, it will be no different from doing something.

Breaking faith with allies is secondary.

The key question is, if we stop here, who can guarantee that our allies won't betray us for various reasons and leak our secrets?
Perhaps for wealth, perhaps to save one's life...

All I can say is that the person who wrote the letter was extremely malicious and disgusting!
Sima Yi believed that if he stopped now, the person who wrote such disgusting letters to him might tell Cao Shuang.

"February will be here in three days. Tomorrow, find an opportunity to visit the estate outside the city, saying it's about spring planting..."

"Yes."

Even now, Sima Zhao's mind is still in turmoil. He tried to stand up, but found that his legs were numb.

Seeing his son in this state, Sima Yi sighed.

If only Ziyuan were still here...

In February of the thirteenth year of Yanxi, Cao Fang, the self-proclaimed emperor of Wei, was about to leave the city to go to Qiaoling to pay homage to his ancestors. Cao Shuang and his brothers, along with their confidants, all accompanied him.

Qiaoling is the cemetery of the Cao family.

Apart from Cao Cao and Cao Pi, all of Cao Cao's ancestors were buried here.

Originally, Qiaoling was not qualified to be called a mausoleum; it was only known as the former cemetery of the Cao family.

Cao Rui died not long after his eastern tour to Xuchang and was eventually buried in the cemetery in Qiao County, thus the old tomb was upgraded to an imperial mausoleum.

The area of ​​Qiao County spans both the north and south banks of the Guoshui River, but the main part is on the south bank. Qiaoling, on the other hand, was built on the high ground on the north bank of the Guoshui River for flood control and ritual purposes.

Therefore, Cao Fang needed to cross the river to travel north to pay homage to his ancestors.

At dusk on the second day, after learning that the emperor's procession had completely crossed the water, Sima Yi, who had been recuperating on his couch, suddenly jumped up!

He then gave the order to Sima Zhao, who had been waiting by his bedside:
"Light up!"

"Here!"

Sima Zhao's body was trembling, and even when he responded to Sima Yi's "Yes," his teeth were chattering.

But he still turned around and went out, personally hanging three green lanterns on the gate of the mansion.

To the outside world, they only said it was a prayer for the Grand Tutor's speedy recovery.

At three quarters past dusk, a beggar wandering nearby passed by the Grand Tutor's mansion. Seeing the lanterns hanging at the gate, someone silently turned around and walked away.

At the end of Hai hour (9-11 PM), the alleyway where the Grand Tutor's residence was located was filled with the barking of dogs.

Meanwhile, in the usually hidden cellars and alleys centered around the Grand Tutor's Mansion, crowds of people were bustling about.

Some of these cellars could even be connected to Qiao County's only armory and the emperor's temporary palace via the ceramic drainage system in Qiao County.

On the second day of the second lunar month, the dragon raises its head. There is not a single moonlight at night, and the entire Qiao County is shrouded in endless darkness.

At 9:00 PM, a fire broke out in the south of the city, and flames soared into the sky. All the soldiers on night patrol were dispatched by the patrol officer Hu Zhong to fight the fire.

At midnight, three thousand elite soldiers, led by Sima Zhao, surrounded the armory.

Situ Gao Rou, who was traveling with Sima Zhao, held up a forged imperial edict and shouted: "The Empress Dowager's decree is here. Open the armory, and those who disobey will be executed along with their entire clan!"

The armory was guarded by only two hundred men, and they were somewhat at a loss when faced with this sudden turn of events.

Then, before anyone could react, the armory door was suddenly opened from the inside.

It turned out that the armory commander was a relative of Empress Dowager Yu. Upon learning that it was an imperial edict from the Empress Dowager, he immediately responded without hesitation.

Three thousand elite soldiers rushed in, and after obtaining weapons, they immediately gathered at Sima Gate under the command of Sima Zhao, claiming that "Cao Shuang is plotting a rebellion and the Empress Dowager has ordered the city to be closed to quell the rebellion."

The other group, led by Sima Fu, Sima Yi's younger brother, surrounded the Empress Dowager's detached palace.

At this moment, the Empress Dowager, who was still fast asleep, was shaken awake:
"Queen Mother, Queen Mother!"

In her drowsy state, Empress Dowager Yu heard her attendants urgently saying that the Grand Chamberlain requested an audience.

"Grand Chamberlain?" Empress Dowager Yu was not yet fully awake. "Is it dawn?"

At this time, the Grand Chamberlain of the pseudo-Wei state was a cousin of Empress Dowager Yu.

The Grand Chamberlain was the head of the Empress's close attendants and one of the Nine Ministers. Although it sounded like a high position, it was actually similar to the Three Dukes, having a nominal title but no real power.

The Grand Chamberlain only had some influence within the Empress Dowager's palace; outside, she was completely ignored.

This was originally a gesture made by Cao Shuang to appease the Empress Dowager and the Yu clan of Hanoi, as well as to quell public opinion that he wanted the Empress Dowager to live separately.

Unexpectedly, this turned out to be a fatal flaw.

Led by the Grand Chamberlain, who had free access to the Empress Dowager's separate palace, Grand Commandant Jiang Ji bypassed the procedure of needing an eunuch to announce his arrival and entered the palace with a pre-prepared imperial edict to meet the Empress Dowager.

"Issue an imperial edict?"

Empress Dowager Yu glanced quickly at the edict that Jiang Ji had brought in, but her attention was more focused on the armored soldiers that Jiang Ji had brought in.

By this time, she was far from sleepy.

Even the most oblivious person would understand that things were not simple at this moment.

He looked at his cousin with a questioning gaze, but saw that his cousin was both nervous and excited:

"Cao Shuang's rebellious actions have long aroused resentment in the court and among the people. Now that the Grand Tutor intends to lead those with lofty ideals to quell the rebellion, what worries does the Empress Dowager still have?"

Upon hearing her cousin's words, Empress Dowager Yu calmed down.

Lady Yu was not one of those women who were sheltered in the inner chambers of the palace and had never seen the world.

When Cao Rui was still alive, she was banished to the cold palace for cursing that "the Cao family likes to install lowly people".

If it weren't for the sudden change in the political landscape, and Cao Rui's need for the Yu clan of Henan to restrain the Sima clan, protect the crown prince, and support the young emperor, she wouldn't have had the chance to turn things around and be released from the cold palace in Ye City.

At this moment, she realized that the clan must have already made a decision.

Or rather, they had already made a deal with the Sima family.

Her gaze fell once more on the gleaming weapons reflected in the candlelight around her, and then on the drafted imperial edict.

"Where is the Grand Tutor?"

As the instigator of this coup, Sima Yi could have allowed someone to deliver an imperial edict to him, hoping to use his name to challenge Cao Shuang.

So what does this change or constancy have to do with me?
"The Grand Tutor is waiting outside the palace for the Empress Dowager to summon him."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief and gave the order:

"Summon him in."

"By the Empress Dowager's decree, the Grand Tutor is hereby summoned for an audience!"

A short while later, Sima Yi, dressed in a white linen robe, entered, leaning on a cane. Upon reaching the Empress Dowager, he trembled as he leaned against a low table to perform the proper courtesies.

"Cough cough cough... Your subject Yi kowtows to the Empress Dowager!"

As he prostrated himself on the ground, his white hair fell loose, and his coughs and sobs mingled with his cries.

"This old minister should have spent his final days at Pingling (the tomb of Cao Rui), but alas, who would have thought he would see the light of day again... I beg Your Majesty's mercy!"

Empress Dowager Yu remained unmoved by Sima Taifu's appearance and simply asked:

"Why did the Grand Tutor order armored soldiers to surround the palace in the dead of night?"

Sima Yi looked up and answered respectfully:
"Your Majesty, General Cao Shuang has defiled the inner palace, secretly taking in the late emperor's concubines; he has usurped the ancestral temple and arbitrarily used palace dances."

“Deceiving the young age of the Holy Emperor, and disrespecting the lonely sons of the two palaces, he has made it difficult for the benevolent face of the Emperor to be close to the Emperor’s palace and to cherish the Emperor’s affection.”

"They disregard the imperial decree, indulge their own selfish desires, and cause the very foundations of the nation to fall into the clutches of wolves and tigers!"

"The late emperor entrusted the nation to his ministers; if we now sit idly by and watch treacherous villains destroy the country, how will we face Emperor Wu and Emperor Wen in the afterlife!"

"Though I may die ten thousand times, how dare I disturb the imperial carriage at night? But wolves and jackals block the road, and the state is in grave danger! I now humbly beseech the imperial carriage to order me to lead my elite troops to cleanse the palace and capture Shuang and others at the heavenly palace."

"Break out the wicked to appease the Nine Temples, rectify the moral order and secure the heavens, then the divine cauldron can be firmly established, and the sun and moon will shine again!"

"This..." Yu Tai hesitated for a moment:

"General Cao Shuang is not only the regent appointed by the late emperor, but also a member of the Cao clan. If we were to turn against each other, it would not be a blessing for the Great Wei."

With the detached palace surrounded, Lady Yu had no idea what was happening outside, let alone what the final outcome of the struggle between Sima Yi and Cao Shuang would be.

So she wanted to test the waters and also stall for time.

Unexpectedly, Sima Yi knew that the situation was urgent and that the longer he lingered here, the more dangerous the situation would become.

Then he looked at the Grand Chamberlain standing beside the Empress Dowager.

The Grand Chamberlain understood and said to the Empress Dowager:
"Your Majesty, you are mistaken! Who in the world does not know Cao Shuang's disloyal intentions? You have been forced to live in a separate palace; do you still not see Cao Shuang's ambitions?"

"If the Empress Dowager does not make a decision, then I will bid farewell from this day forward and go out to work with the Grand Tutor to settle important matters!"

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager was filled with resentment and glared at her cousin.

She was perfectly aware of the situation; she was merely feigning modesty in an attempt to extract more promises from Sima Yi and gain more benefits in the future.

Unexpectedly, her own family members were so foolish. Without their support, the Empress Dowager could only helplessly reply, "I do not know either; only the Grand Tutor can decide."

After speaking, he stamped the seal with his own jade seal.

Having received the Empress Dowager's permission, Grand Tutor Sima was overjoyed and tried to get up, but unexpectedly, due to his old age and frailty, he struggled twice but was unable to stand up. In the end, he had to lean on a table to get up.

Before the Grand Chamberlain could hand it over, he had already stepped forward and grabbed the imperial edict.

With this edict, he was no longer plotting a coup, but rather suppressing a rebellion!

The city gates of Qiao County were closed at night. Jiang Ji, carrying the imperial edict, went out of the palace to Sima Gate to meet with Sima Zhao and others.

While taking control of all the city gates, they also blocked all the pontoon bridges across the water.

Situ Gaorou, holding the imperial insignia, served as acting general, and Taipu Wang Guan served as acting commander of the central army, both in command of the remaining imperial guards within the city.

At the same time, a memorial was sent out overnight, reporting Cao Shuang's crimes:
"In the past, the late Emperor issued an edict ordering Your Majesty and the Prince of Qin to ascend the imperial throne, and also issued an edict ordering me to assist Your Majesty and to take the affairs of state into deep concern. I hereby submit this memorial, saying: Emperor Taizu and Emperor Gaozu also entrusted me with the affairs of state. Your Majesty has seen this and has no worries. If anything goes wrong, I will obey the imperial edict even at the cost of my life."

"The current General Shuang has betrayed his father's mandate, disrupted the national order, usurped power internally, and monopolized authority externally. He has destroyed all the camps, seized all the imperial guards, and placed his cronies in all the important official positions. He has replaced the palace guards with his own men. He is increasingly tyrannical and unrestrained."

"Furthermore, Zhang Dang, a eunuch, has been appointed as the chief supervisor to spy on the Emperor, sow discord between the two palaces, and harm his own family. The world is in turmoil, and people are filled with fear. How can Your Majesty remain in a precarious position for long!"

"This was not the original intention of the late emperor in ordering Your Majesty to ascend the imperial bed. Although I am old and frail, I dare not forget what I said! Grand Commandant Ji and others all believed that Shuang had a heart that disloyal to the emperor, and that it was inappropriate for the brothers to command troops and guard the palace. They petitioned the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager ordered that I carry out the petition as requested."

"Your subject hereby orders the Emperor and the Palace Attendant to dismiss Shuang, Xi, and Xun, and order them to return to their residences. They are not to linger or delay the Emperor's arrival. Anyone who lingers shall be dealt with according to military law!"

"I immediately exerted my strength to lead troops to garrison across the pontoon bridge, to observe any unusual situation!"

The memorial was sent overnight, and Cao Shuang was furious upon reading its contents:
"You old dog! How dare you do this!"

The wide sleeves of the sacrificial robe woven with gold thread swept over the sacrificial vessel filled with wine, and the sweet wine mixed with snow water soaked through the memorial, the ink stains turning into black blobs.

"How dare he, how dare he..."

Why did Sima Yi dare to do this?
The memorial made it very clear that the Grand Tutor had personally led troops to garrison at the head of the pontoon bridge.

The scouts sent out to investigate quickly returned with news that the pontoon bridge was indeed impassable.

Just as dawn broke, another piece of bad news arrived: a cavalry force had appeared in the north, flying the banner of the Hebei Army, and its commander was none other than Guo Huai.

Upon learning this, Cao Shuang's anger turned into fear and unease.

Whether it was Cao Shuang, or the Cao brothers Cao Xi, Cao Xun, Cao Yan, and even the "Three Dogs of Taichung" and their cronies, they were all adept at vying for power in the court and seeking personal gain.

But when it comes to leading troops in battle, none of them are truly capable.

With the southern route blocked and cavalry in the north, General Cao Shuang finally made a somewhat effective decision:

Cao Fang's carriage was left to rest north of the river. People were ordered to cut down trees to make deer antlers and build defensive fortifications. At the same time, the soldiers who originally guarded the tomb and the soldiers stationed in the surrounding area were conscripted to guard the tomb.

What happened next was much like history.

Sima Yi sent Xu Yun, the Chamberlain, and Chen Tai, the Minister, to persuade Cao Shuang, telling him that he should surrender and confess his crimes as soon as possible.

Then he sent Yin Damu, a palace guard trusted by Cao Shuang, to tell Cao Shuang that he was only being relieved of his official post.

Finally, Sima Yi stood at the head of the bridge and pointed to the water, swearing an oath:

"But when we cease hostilities and return to our homes, we will use our family wealth to support ourselves in our remaining years, ensuring that you do not lose your titles and riches. If you do not believe my words, I will grant your request! If Sima Yi's words go against my conscience, may my descendants be cut off!"

When Cao Shuang and his brothers and confidants saw Sima Yi swear an oath in public, and with veteran officials like Jiang Ji vouching for him, they all hesitated.

Only Huan Fan strongly advised against surrendering:

"This matter is obvious, so what use is your studying! With your family's current status, do you think you can still be poor and lowly?"

"Even a commoner hostage desires to live; you, accompanying the emperor, issue commands to the world, and who would dare disobey!"

Everyone was silent.

Upon seeing this, Huan Fan became extremely anxious:
“To the west of Qiao County is Xuchang, and to the south is Shouchun. Whether in the southwest or not, it is only a few days’ journey.”

"The General of Chariots and Cavalry (i.e., Wang Ling) and the General Who Guards the South (i.e., Guanqiu Jian) ​​are both loyal men. Xuchang and Yangzhou each have 100,000 elite troops, which is enough to resist Sima Yi."

Upon hearing this, Cao Shuang remained silent, sitting from the first night until dawn. Finally, he threw down his sword and sighed:
"Very well, I'll still be a wealthy old man!"

Seeing that Cao Shuang's mind was made up, Huan Fan burst into despair and cried out:

"Cao Zidan had a beautiful woman who gave birth to you brothers, you worthless calves! How could I have imagined that today your entire clan would be wiped out!"

After Cao Shuang and his brothers returned home, Sima Yi immediately dispatched soldiers to surround the Cao residence and guard it day and night; tall buildings were erected at the four corners of the residence, and people were sent upstairs to monitor the movements of Cao Shuang and his brothers.

On February 9th, the authorities reported that "Zhang Dang, a eunuch, privately gave favors to the talented people he had selected, which is suspected to be illicit."

Sima Yi then ordered Zhang Dang to be arrested and handed over to the Court of Justice for investigation.

Zhang confessed: "Shuang conspired with Minister He Yan, Deng Yang, Ding Mi, and Chief Secretary Li Sheng to rebel, and the plan was to be launched in the middle of the third month."

As a result, Shou Shuang, Xi, Xun, Yang, Mi, Sheng, and Huan Fan were all imprisoned.

At the same time, Cao Cao's adopted son, He Yan, was also involved in the investigation.

As Cao Shuang's confidant and one of the "Three Dogs of Taizhong," He Yan devoted himself to thoroughly investigating and eliminating Cao Shuang's cronies in order to obtain Sima Yi's pardon.

Unexpectedly, after reading the documents submitted by He Yan, Sima Yi said to He Yan, "A total of eight families were involved."

He Yanshu, Ding, Deng, and seven other surnames were mentioned, but Grand Tutor Sima shook his head: "That's not enough, there's still one surname missing."

Desperate and in dire straits, He Yan couldn't help but retort, "How can you call me Yan?"

Grand Tutor Sima smiled slightly: "Indeed."

He Yan ultimately couldn't escape it.

In the end, he and his brothers, along with Ding Deng and others, were exterminated along with their entire families.

Jiang Ji, unable to dissuade him, was so ashamed and angry that he vomited blood and died.

After the Qiaoling Incident, the river was stained crimson with blood for three days straight, and the people living by the river dared not eat the fish and shrimp in the water for ten years.

Someone far away in Luoyang, upon learning of the upheaval in Qiao County, slapped his thigh and laughed until tears streamed down his face:

"It's done!"