Chapter 16: Yun Chang Comes to Visit

Cao Cao had nothing to hide from Guan Yu, so Guan Yu was well aware that Cao Cao was about to engage in a great battle with Yuan Shao—a conflict destined to surpass any that had erupted since the Han Dynasty’s decline. Such monumental clashes were rare, and the outcome was certain to reshape the current balance of power.

Guan Yu had no desire to be part of this, but at this point, the choice was no longer his. If he refused the appointment as a deputy general, it was likely that Cao Cao’s patience with him would run out. In truth, their relationship was one of mutual need: Cao Cao wanted Guan Yu’s participation in the campaign against Yuan Shao, and Guan Yu sought to earn the unwavering trust of the two ladies in his care.

However, upon seeing the two ladies, Guan Yu was struck by a problem he had previously overlooked. Since he had to accompany Cao Cao to war, Lady Gan and Lady Mi could not follow him to the battlefield. The confrontation between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao would be massive—so much so that not even Guan Yu could predict the outcome. Should Cao Cao fall, Guan Yu, caught deep in the fray, could find himself in dire straits.

Thus, the question of how to arrange for the two ladies’ safety became a source of considerable anxiety for him. Entrusting them to Cao Cao was out of the question. Only through great effort had he secured a separate residence for them in Xuchang; if he placed them entirely in Cao Cao’s hands, the man could easily use them to bind Guan Yu to his chariot of war, creating yet another predicament with no easy escape.

Returning to the outer residence, Guan Yu frowned deeply. He knew that the day of Cao Cao’s departure was near, and that Cao Cao would not warn him in advance. When the time came and Cao Cao summoned him, he would have no choice but to follow.

Suddenly, inspiration struck him. He recalled the look Liu Xie had given him at court after he had been granted his title—a gaze that seemed to carry implications beyond what the emperor had previously declared. Guan Yu knew that Liu Xie, in Xuchang, possessed little more than an empty title. Yet, once Cao Cao marched out with all his forces, the city would be left nearly defenseless. Guan Yu realized that, after all, Liu Bei was Liu Xie’s imperial uncle, and the only connection the two ladies had in Xuchang was the emperor himself.

With this in mind, Guan Yu seized brush and ink, but after writing only a few words, he tossed the paper into the oil lamp and watched it burn. That very night, he donned his official robes and strode out, heading straight for Liu Xie’s temporary palace.

Guan Yu had not been gone even the time it took to burn a stick of incense before word reached the Ministry of Works.

“Minister, after exchanging a few words with Liu Bei’s two ladies tonight, Guan Yu changed into his official garb and went to the emperor’s palace. My men are following him. Shall we intercept him? After all, he is only a deputy general, and his ties to Liu Bei…”

The informant did not finish his sentence, aware that Cao Cao disliked subordinates who showed off their cleverness—unless, perhaps, they were as sharp as Guo Jia.

“Let him be. Xuchang is my domain; apart from the imperial palace, there’s no one else for him to entrust Liu Bei’s ladies to.”

At these words, the spy immediately understood and left.

Listening to the fading footsteps outside, Cao Cao, who had been reclining leisurely as if everything was under control, suddenly opened his eyes wide, as though a startling realization had struck him.

“Go! Prepare the carriage! To the emperor’s palace!”

The guards outside had no idea why Cao Cao, so relaxed a moment before, was now in such a rush. They readied the carriage at once, but instead of marching openly to the palace as before, Cao Cao had them stop nearby and ordered his men to watch the palace from the shadows.

Meanwhile, cold moonlight bathed the palace. Though its size was impressive, its interiors were crude, and there were few maids or eunuchs. At night, anyone wandering the halls alone would feel chilled to the bone.

Liu Xie naturally had no wish to roam about under such conditions. He had already retired with Empress Fu beneath the covers; in the chill of early spring, with no heating in this era, they could only rely on each other’s warmth.

“Your Majesty, Deputy General Guan Yu waits outside, requesting an audience over urgent matters,” a maid’s voice called out.

Liu Xie was momentarily stunned. Guan Yu, alone at such a late hour, had come to visit a powerless emperor like himself? What could possess him? Shouldn’t he have gone to Cao Cao first with any matter of importance?

Thoughts whirled through his mind, but he could not unravel the mystery.

“A mere deputy general cannot see me simply at will. Tell him the emperor and empress have retired. If he has business, let him address it to the Minister of Works.”

The maid nodded. This was indeed the proper imperial response; had Liu Xie granted the audience so readily, it might have suggested some secret understanding between himself and Guan Yu—a suspicion the ever-watchful palace staff knew to avoid.

Once the maid’s footsteps faded away, Liu Xie’s expression grew serious. Why did Guan Yu seek him out? If he wished to establish contact, how should it be done? Though he had little hope of winning Guan Yu over immediately, it did not mean his mind was free of ambition.

As Liu Xie mulled this over in frustration, the maid’s voice returned.

“Your Majesty, the deputy general says it was the Minister of Works who instructed him to seek Your Majesty, and that the matter is urgent. What is Your Majesty’s pleasure?”

Liu Xie knew that to the palace attendants, Cao Cao was the true master of Xuchang. If Cao Cao wanted Guan Yu to have an audience at midnight, or even to have the attendants storm in and kick him awake, they would obey without question.

“Very well. Let him wait in the side hall.”

Hearing the emperor’s impatient voice, the maid pursed her lips and swayed off to deliver the message.

Guan Yu waited in the side hall for the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn before footsteps sounded outside.

“If the Minister of Works has sent the deputy general to see me, it must be urgent military business. All of you, wait outside the hall, and do not permit any suspicious persons to enter.”

Once the maids and eunuchs had hurried off, Liu Xie finally entered the side hall himself. He knew full well that Guan Yu’s visit was not by Cao Cao’s command—Cao Cao would never be so foolish.