HLCOB C45

Chapter 45

Cao Song had been in good spirits lately.

The eldest son who had vexed him from the moment he was born until now—Cao Cao—had finally come to his senses. With the ability of this once unreliable son proving remarkable, Cao Song’s own power had risen sky-high without limit.

‘Why didn’t this wretched boy use that fine mind properly from the very start!’

Of course, troubling rumors surfaced from time to time.

—They say Assistant Commander Cao is quarreling with Gentleman-in-Attendance Lin in front of His Majesty.

—It’s said he claimed he fell for Gentleman Lin first, insisting he be given another chance.

Because this damn son stubbornly insisted on receiving his appointment through Lin Jaheon, foul rumors had spread.

‘…Well, it’s only the gossip of maids, nothing more. Hmph.’

Though Cao Song knew his son had developed a strange fixation on Jaheon, he forced himself to deny it.

At least Cao Cao was diligently working for the glory of the family. What was more, he was rapidly seizing control of the military within the palace. Thanks to this, Cao Song’s own influence in court swelled day by day. From records of which officials entered and left the palace to details of their stipends, he had eyes on everything.

‘Heh-heh.’

It rivaled even the power the Ten Eunuchs once wielded.

‘I thought I would only become one of the Three Excellencies upon my deathbed…!’

Twenty years of frustration raising his son now bore fruit. After becoming the adopted son of a eunuch to enter office, enduring and bowing his head while waiting for the right time, the road before Cao Song finally seemed paved with flowers.

‘Now, if only we replace Consort Ha with another concubine…’

Then, as Cao Cao promised, even the next reign’s power would be clasped firmly in the Cao clan’s hands. Cao Song was smiling to himself with satisfaction when—

“…My lord! My lord!”

“…?”

A servant called out to him in a panic.

‘Don’t tell me…!’

At the sound, remembering past nightmares, Cao Song leapt up in a fit.

“W-what is it? Has Aman gone and made trouble again?!”

Cao Song knew better than anyone where Cao Cao’s obsessive attention lay these days. Grabbing the servant by the shoulders, he shouted like a madman,

“Has that wretch barged into Gentleman Lin’s house again? Or has Aman gone so far as to force himself upon him…?!”

“…No, sir. No, it is not that…”

Startled by Cao Song’s outburst, the servant stammered incoherently.

“Then what is it?!”

Fearing his son had brought scandal upon them again, Cao Song roared. At last the servant, stiff with fear, answered:

“Now, in the marketplace, there are spreading rumors about Yuan Gonglu!”

“…Yuan Gonglu? What rumors? Could it be about him being nominated as Captain of Cavalry?”

Indeed, that post was too lofty for Yuan Shu, who had not yet even come of age. But Cao Cao already held power equal to the Commandant of the Central Army. Only at the level of Captain of Cavalry could Yuan Shu possibly check him.

“Is that the rumor you made me leap for? I already had preparations against that….”

Cao Song had well foreseen that the Yuan clan of Runan might elevate Yuan Shu to that office. He was about to dismiss it lightly, when—

“No, sir, that is not it. The rumor is that Yuan Gonglu wept and cried before Lord Yuan begging to be made Captain of Cavalry.”

“…What?”

At this unexpected news, Cao Song was struck speechless.

“They say he called Gentleman Lin a catamite, said the great son of the Cao family was nothing but a eunuch’s grandson, and cried that if they were raised to office before coming of age, why should he not be too…”

This, at bottom, was ruinous not only to Yuan Shu, but to the entire Yuan clan of Runan.

‘Has the Yuan clan gone mad at last?’

That they would attempt to promote a child not for political reason but simply from indulging his tantrums—Cao Song could not believe it. If the Yuan had been so foolish as to coddle their children thus, they would never have survived under the Ten Eunuchs’ dominance.

At that instant, Cao Song came sharply to his senses.

‘Of course. That cannot be true…!’

Thinking it over, it was not even a poor judgment to raise Yuan Shu to the cavalry post now.

“So mockery is spreading among the people. And even among the court ministers, whispers are turning ugly. However great the Yuan clan, this nomination will not…”

But whether Yuan Shu had indeed bawled for office or not was irrelevant. It was family business within the Yuan household—the business of one of Luoyang’s noble clans. But how could such private affairs have spread so widely among the common streets?

Clearly, someone had deliberately sown the tale.

Then who stood to gain from Yuan Shu disgraced and denied office?

‘…It’s me, isn’t it?’

Yes, it was none other than Cao Song himself.

It looked as though he was the one who had struck first. But no—Cao Song had not spread any such rumor. Of course, his son could easily have done it, but his son’s mind was consumed solely with how to subjugate Lin Jaheon.

So whoever spread this rumor had a clear intent.

Cao Song’s face drained white.

“Call Aman immediately!”

The aim was to set the Caos against the Yuans, to drive a wedge between their clans. It was already widely known in Luoyang that the Yuan matriarch doted upon Yuan Shu. Once he was attacked, reconciliation would be impossible.

“Summon Aman at once, you hear me? This instant!”

Cao Song’s bellow echoed like thunder.

Since Jaheon’s arrival in Luoyang, Wang Yun would often invite him to meals.

Their conversations most often revolved around current affairs. The two, bound more by contract than kinship, took care never to overstep one another’s lines.

“I hear you have purchased a residence.”

Except on days such as this.

“……”

At the question, Jaheon paused, chopsticks in hand, and looked toward Wang Yun. Facing the older man’s increasingly cantankerous expression since his arrival in Luoyang, Jaheon replied evenly,

“Yes. I have purchased one.”

“Are you aware of the rumors spreading through the marketplace?”

“What rumors?”

“About the third young master of the Yuan clan.”

At Wang Yun’s words, Jaheon smiled faintly.

‘As expected, he has been investigating me.’

Clearly, Wang Yun still had not cast aside suspicion of him. Even after adopting him as his foster son, his mind remained unsettled.

‘Why else invite me so frequently to dine…’

Thinking a moment, Jaheon answered straightforwardly,

“Yes. I know of them.”

“…?”

“Because I was the one who spread them.”

Wang Yun’s brows twitched at that. The discussion was not proceeding in the way he desired.

“What were you thinking, to do such a thing?”

“Thinking? Nothing much. Only to prevent Yuan Gonglu from being raised as Captain of Cavalry.”

“And if he fails to obtain it, the Caos will seize full control of the military. Do you understand what that means?”

At the mention of power, Wang Yun’s voice turned sharp with anger.

“They say you are fostering ties with the Minister of Finance. Do you mean to ally with him?”

But Jaheon burst into laughter at this.

“…Ha! But instead, was it not you, foster father, who allied with Cao Mengde?”

Was it not Wang Yun himself who prevented Jaheon’s faction from growing by joining hands with Cao Cao? Even threatening him with Choseon as leverage? At the memory, Jaheon’s teeth ground in suppressed rage.

“And now you would lay the blame upon me? Truly, foster father, I am disappointed.”

His luminous eyes, so mesmerizing they could enslave hearts, met Wang Yun’s without flinching.

The room fell into silence.

“……”

“……”

At last, it was Jaheon who broke the suffocating stillness.

“Foster father. If Yuan Gonglu’s elevation to the Captaincy is forestalled, it will drive enmity between the Yuan clan and ours.”

“You mean to say this rumor was meant to sow discord?”

“Yes. That is correct. The Yuan matriarch will never abide the sight of a eunuch’s grandson—above her own precious grandson.”

At that, Wang Yun snorted.

“…And do you truly think street rumors can block the rise of a scion from such a noble family?”

Unaware that Jaheon had allied with Zhang Yang, Wang Yun’s words made Jaheon sneer.

“Street rumors, you dismiss them?”

In such moments, the disgust surged within him.

“Do you think a few baseborn whispers can truly change the world?”

For without the memories of his modern self, had he consigned Choseon to them, he could clearly see just how these damn ancients would have debased her.

So Jaheon answered with scorn,

“They may not change the world. But they can reap results.”

“…?”

“The beggars wander every corner of Luoyang, do they not?”

It was a rationale even pragmatic Wang Yun could scarcely deny.

“So that is why you bought a residence bordering the slums.”

“And will you admit so openly now to shadowing me?”

“Given what we are, can we pretend we are merely an ordinary foster father and adopted son?”

At Wang Yun’s barely veiled admission, Jaheon chuckled softly.

“True enough. And so, is it not natural that I would prefer to live apart?”

“You sound as though confessing that treacherous thoughts have taken root.”

“Perhaps. Yet were I to betray you, would I not have refused to place your chosen men into the government?”

In fact, Jaheon had left all appointments save for that of Imperial Tutor, the mentor of the royal heir, entirely in Wang Yun’s hands. Nearly half of the new occupants of major posts in the court were his men.

“……”

Thus Wang Yun could not refute him. After all, save for a single instance, Jaheon had always brought him precisely the results he desired.

As though he were truly devoted.

Wang Yun stayed silent.

“…Foster father.”

Jaheon broke that silence.

His entrancing voice filled the quiet room.

“It matters not whether you trust me.”

At that, Wang Yun lifted his gaze.

“……”

Before him now was Jaheon, grown taller and handsomer, more radiant than ever since their coming to Luoyang. His beauty itself testified to his astonishing rise, despite his low origins. To one like him, even the position of Three Excellencies—or higher—could be within reach.

“And yet, as I have always said, I will not betray you.”

Thus did Jaheon, of such value, pledge himself to Wang Yun.

“If, of course, what you seek is nothing more than the power of the Han court.”

As though he could see through Wang Yun’s desire for power itself.