Chapter 89: Dirty, but Cao the Traitor Is Dirtier

It was night.

A dark figure slipped through the darkness. Xu Chu, posted outside the tent, gave a soft exclamation.

After recognizing who it was, he did not bar the way, but resumed standing by the pillar, his sharp eyes like an eagle’s, scanning every shadow for anything suspicious.

“Father-in-law, I’m back.”

Half-asleep, Cao Cao felt a chill along his back and saw Chen Cong standing beside the couch like a ghost, the blanket in his hand.

In a flash, he sat bolt upright.

“What is it? Has something changed in the Liang camp?”

“No. I came to tell you I’m planning a trip to Luoyang.”

Cao Cao frowned. “You’re doing well enough in Dong Zhuo’s camp. Why go to Luoyang?”

Chen Cong tossed the blanket back to him. The night air was cold as water; he ought not to catch a chill.

Then he explained, “Father-in-law, do you still remember the agreement between Yuan Shu and me?”

Cao Cao thought for a moment.

It seemed he had heard of such a thing before. Ah yes—the Imperial Jade Seal!

He blurted out in alarm, “Have you lost your mind? You’d dare lay hands on that thing?”

“Didn’t you agree to it back then?”

“Fool! I thought you were boasting, speaking nonsense for sport. I never took it seriously! And Yuan Shu too—I thought he was only hearing it as a joke. Why on earth did you take it seriously?”

Chen Cong did not want to dwell on that subject.

If they dragged it out, they would spend the whole night arguing without reaching agreement.

“Just say it plainly. If I really bring back the Imperial Jade Seal, will Yuan Shu keep his word?”

“Of course he will.” Cao Cao answered without hesitation, as though even a moment’s delay would be an insult to the words, “Heaven has bestowed this mandate; long life and enduring glory.”

“Then that settles it. We each get what we need. This is a deal worth making!”

There are always people willing to do a profitable trade, and no one willing to do one at a loss. Why?

Because under heaven, all the bustling comes down to the pursuit of gain.

For a brief moment, even Cao Cao hesitated.

Two copper mines, one salt field, vast stretches of fertile land, and carts upon carts of fine jade and gold.

If it were only one of those, Cao Cao might have refused without a second thought. But stacked together, they were enough to make anyone’s heart pound.

Throughout all under heaven, only the Yuan clan had that kind of confidence.

Grinding his teeth, Cao Cao said harshly, “I’d like to hear how you intend to steal the seal back without anyone noticing.”

“Dong Zhuo is about to move the capital. Luoyang will be in chaos by then. I’ll ask my father-in-law for a token that lets me come and go from the imperial palace. If there’s a chance, I’ll take it. If there isn’t... I’ll create one and force my way through.”

Without Chen Cong telling him, Cao Cao had already guessed that Dong Zhuo was preparing to move the capital.

Otherwise, Dong Zhuo would never have abandoned Hulao Pass.

With Hulao lost, how could a lonely city like Luoyang, however wealthy, endure for long?

Now he was thinking about the feasibility of Chen Cong’s plan.

First, Dong Zhuo...

The possibility of Dong Zhuo killing Chen Cong was almost nil.

The only bloodline carrying the Dong surname had already been handed over to Chen Cong. Killing him now would be no different from taking off one’s trousers to fart.

Of course, that only held if Dong Bai did not go to Luoyang. Otherwise, it would only add variables.

As for whether Dong Zhuo would detain Chen Cong...

Perhaps he would, perhaps he would not.

By the same logic, if Dong Bai did not go to Luoyang, then he probably would not.

Li Ru should also be inclined toward Chen Cong; otherwise, he would never have stood by and watched Dong Zhuo and Chen Cong grow so close without saying a word.

If that was the case, then Dong Zhuo’s threat was basically removed.

But the true danger lay with the Jade Seal.

To steal a priceless imperial treasure for private ends—once it came to light, he would be an outright traitor deserving death at the hands of all.

Cao Cao pondered long and hard, yet still could not come up with a foolproof plan.

Just as he was about to refuse, he suddenly stopped.

Then his eyes widened. He slapped his forehead and laughed aloud.

He had been blinded by a single leaf and failed to see the mountain.

There was never any such thing as a perfect plan; it all depended on who was covering the lid.

The last people who dared make a sound over the loss of the Imperial Jade Seal were precisely the court in Luoyang—the emperor himself, and the loyalists who upheld the throne.

Whether Chen Cong was guilty of treason mattered?

As long as Chen Cong did not go out and proclaim to the world that he had stolen the seal, would the emperor dare admit that the Imperial Jade Seal had been lost?

In this age of chaos, with a young ruler and a doubtful realm, and with the seal gone besides, would that not suggest that Liu Xie was not the ruler Heaven had chosen?

Once Cao Cao understood this point, a plan quickly took shape in his mind.

“Zining, do this. On one hand, attach yourself to Dong Zhuo so you can move freely within the palace. On the other, secretly build a connection with Minister Wang Yun. Then repeat that you are willingly serving the traitor only in order to destroy him. But there is one point on which you must never yield: if you are to kill the traitor, it must be by decree of the Son of Heaven.

“After you get the edict, find a craftsman that very night and have him copy it exactly. For the seal shape, choose only a first-rate rough jade blank that is round and smooth. As long as the impression on the underside is about eighty percent alike, that will do. When you make your move, steal the seal and leave this blank behind. Then there will be no further worries.”

Chen Cong stared at him. “Isn’t that just passing Pan Feng off as Zhang Fei? That little emperor isn’t blind. How could he not tell real from fake?”

Cao Cao laughed. “When the false is true, the true is false. You only need to leave the rough blank behind so Liu Xie can use it for a few days in case word gets out. He will then secretly order someone to carve the blank into a seal and take the fake for the real.”

Chen Cong grinned. His father-in-law was truly loyal to the Han house, and for a little profit he had gone to extraordinary lengths.

Even such a vile trick could be conceived.

To think he had even managed to trick old Wang Yun twice—that was outrageous enough.

The key question was: could Wang Yun refuse?

Dong Zhuo was about to move the capital, and the coalition armies were already on the march toward Luoyang. If Chen Cong told Wang Yun at such a moment that he was willing to destroy the traitor, Wang Yun would have to leap into the pit even if he knew it was a trap.

“All right. Then I’ll go wring a little more benefit out of Yuan Shu afterward, so as not to waste the care you’ve spent planning this for him, Father-in-law.”

“Wait!”

Cao Cao stopped him and warned, “Do not bring Dong Bai on this trip. If nothing can be done, do not force it; if something can be done, adapt as the situation demands. Also, once you make your move, be sure to deal with every pair of watching eyes around you. Loose tongues spread word most easily.”

Chen Cong memorized each point. “Understood. You should sleep now, Father-in-law.”

Cao Cao could not sleep. He turned over and over again, but no matter what, sleep would not come.

...

When Chen Cong returned to the tent, the lamp inside was still burning.

Dong Bai was still waiting for him, dangling her pale green little feet as she swirled the water in the washbasin round and round, clearly in a good mood.

Seeing him return, she muttered, “Why did husband stay away so long?”

“Oh, I was talking with Father-in-law for a while.” Chen Cong paused, then said, “Little concubine—no, Ah Bai... do you want to go to Luoyang with me?”

Dong Bai’s eyes flashed with bright, clear light. But when she saw the struggle between his brows, the light in her gaze quickly dimmed again.

She lowered her head and shook it, pretending to be stubborn. “You’re going to see your sweetheart. I’m not going.”

Chen Cong, rarely gentle, sat beside the couch and took her soft hand in his.

In a low voice he said, “Once we have a child, you can return to your maiden home whenever you want.”

“Really?” Dong Bai’s eyes brightened again, shining with tears of light.

“What else? Do you think your grandfather would really let his great-grandson grow up without a father?”

“Hmph! Grandfather isn’t nearly as bad as you make him sound! Hurry up and wash your feet!”

Chen Cong laughed and kicked off his boots, splashing his feet carelessly in the basin a few times.

Then...

Peach blossoms drift all day upon the flowing water; where lies the opening of the cave beyond the clear stream?

And then...

The lotus-scented wind brings fragrance; bamboo dew falls with a crisp, ringing sound.