Chapter 121: The Nightmare of Three Horses Sharing a Trough

At Xiahou Hui’s suggestion, Xiahou Mao arranged for several men to approach Dunwu. By various means, they finally obtained more information about Wei Ba. Dunwu could not resist the petty favors offered by those men, and little by little he let slip Wei Ba’s “secrets,” until everything was eventually gathered before Xiahou Hui.

When she learned that Wei Ba was indeed, as she had predicted, a master of mathematics, Xiahou Hui was very satisfied, and so was Xiahou Mao. As more and more spies returned from Hanzhong with news about Wei Ba, his “true form” gradually revealed itself before them.

Although Hanzhong had now announced that Wei Ba was dead, judging from the various descriptions of his appearance, the Wei Ba in Chang’an ought to be the real one. Hanzhong’s announcement of his death was probably the result of a compromise between Zhuge Liang and Wei Yan. Neither of them wished to provoke a civil conflict between the military and the civil authorities.

Once they had learned the truth about Wei Ba, some of his great achievements also came under the notice of Xiahou Mao and the others. The accounts had been somewhat distorted in the retelling, but the essential outline remained clear. When Xiahou Mao learned what Wei Ba had accomplished in the Battle of Fangling, he was both delighted and troubled. He was delighted because Wei Ba was truly a rare treasure; troubled because he could not make use of him, even though Wei Ba possessed the gifts of a peerless general.

Xiahou Hui’s feelings, however, were rather more complicated. She now understood why Wei Ba had said from the very beginning that he did not wish to become her father’s enemy. Given Wei Ba’s ability as a commander, it was impossible for Xiahou Mao not to be tempted. What unsettled her even more was that the men defeated by Wei Ba were none other than her future father-in-law, Sima Yi, and her future husband, Sima Shi.

Unlike those who regarded Sima Yi as merely a scholar, Xiahou Hui knew his abilities well. As one of Emperor Wen’s Four Companions, Sima Yi had rendered outstanding service in helping Emperor Wen ascend the throne. He had never been a pure scholar.

For Wei Ba to achieve such results in his first battle, while facing Sima Yi, left Xiahou Hui astonished. Although she still could not determine the exact truth of what had happened, the outcome alone was enough to explain everything. A surprise attack that might originally have gone down in history as one of Sima Yi’s triumphs had ultimately become a joke. That was astonishing enough.

At the same time, it made her wary.

Yet her wariness had arisen for no apparent reason. Even she could not explain what lay behind it. She even suspected that her vigilance toward a homeless exile like Wei Ba sprang merely from jealousy—from jealousy that he was more outstanding than her future husband.

Xiahou Hui leafed through the information concerning Wei Ba, her dark brows drawing together slightly. She let out a silent sigh.

“What is it?” Princess Qinghe entered with raised brows and a cheerful expression. Seeing Xiahou Hui sigh, she immediately asked with concern.

Xiahou Hui gave a faint smile. “It is nothing. Princess, where have you been?”

“Hee-hee, nowhere in particular.” Princess Qinghe sat down beside Xiahou Hui and glanced at the documents on the table. She could not help laughing. “This Wei Ba really does have his uses. Setting everything else aside, ever since he arrived, your uncle has at least stopped fooling around with those seductive women and finally started doing something worthwhile.”

“Is that so?” Xiahou Hui covered her lips and laughed softly. “In my opinion, it was your arrival that made him mend his ways.”

“You impudent girl, are you teasing your elders too?” Princess Qinghe pretended to scold her. After a moment, she sighed regretfully. “What a pity his father is Wei Yan. Otherwise, he really could have become an excellent assistant to your uncle. As things stand, he can only be kept as a guest.”

Xiahou Hui asked in surprise, “What? You want him to command troops?”

“With such a fine military talent, would it not be a waste if he never led an army?” Princess Qinghe studied Xiahou Hui’s expression, then suddenly laughed. “I understand now. Yuanrong, you are jealous of him. He defeated the Cavalry General—and Sima Shi as well. You are jealous.”

“Princess, I am not.” Xiahou Hui’s face reddened. She turned away, pouting in an attempt to hide her embarrassment.

Princess Qinghe took Xiahou Hui’s hand and gently stroked it. Lowering her voice, she said, “Yuanrong, it is not that I dislike the father and son. There is a reason for this. To speak honestly, I am actually very much opposed to your marrying into the Sima family.”

Xiahou Hui’s heart stirred. “Why?”

Princess Qinghe’s smile faded, and her expression became solemn. “Do you know why His Majesty set all four regents aside?”

Xiahou Hui’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly felt tense. “Because of Sima Yi?”

Princess Qinghe nodded.

“Why?” Xiahou Hui asked again. Of the four regents, two were members of the Cao clan and two were ministers from outside the imperial family. According to the rules passed down by Emperor Wen, the two imperial kinsmen, Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, should have been watched most closely. Even among the outsiders, it should not have been Sima Yi—at the very least, it should not have been Sima Yi alone.

“When Emperor Wu was alive, he once had a dream.” Princess Qinghe instinctively lowered her voice. Although she knew there was no one nearby, she still reduced it to little more than a whisper. Leaning close to Xiahou Hui’s ear, she murmured a few sentences.

Xiahou Hui’s eyes widened. She instinctively retreated half a step and stared at Princess Qinghe in horror.

“Three horses sharing a trough? No… impossible.”

Princess Qinghe looked expressionlessly into her eyes. “Do you not believe me, or do you not believe Emperor Wu?”

“I…” Xiahou Hui was rendered speechless.

A chill swept through her heart. Matters that had puzzled her suddenly became clear.

Emperor Wen, Cao Pi, had succeeded in the struggle for the throne thanks to the Four Companions. Chen Qun, one of the four, came from a prominent family in Yingchuan and had always concerned himself with civil administration, never military affairs, so it was understandable that he did not command troops. Of the other three, Sima Yi had followed Emperor Wu on military campaigns from an early age. In strategic brilliance, only men such as Liu Ye and Jiang Ji could rival him. In Emperor Wen’s eyes, Sima Yi, who came from the Sima family of Wen County, was also the most highly regarded of them all. Yet after Emperor Wen ascended the throne, Wu Zhi and Zhu Shuo each commanded substantial forces, while Sima Yi could never lay his hands on military authority. If Xiahou Hui’s father, Xiahou Shang, had not suddenly fallen gravely ill and died, leaving no one else whom the court could trust, Sima Yi might have remained a civil minister forever.

Even so, before Emperor Wen’s death, Sima Yi had never personally led troops into battle. It was not until the present Emperor ascended the throne, when Wu took advantage of Wei’s mourning period to invade, that Sima Yi first appeared on the battlefield as a commander.

Xiahou Hui could understand the present Emperor’s actions, but she had always been puzzled by Emperor Wen’s arrangements. Only today did she learn that they had originated from a dream of Emperor Wu. The Cao family had always harbored an intense suspicion of the Sima family, far beyond what was ordinary.

Emperor Wen knew of this dream, and naturally the present Emperor knew as well. Even Princess Qinghe knew. But had her own father, Xiahou Shang, known? If he had, why would he have betrothed her to Sima Shi?

One terrifying thought after another surged through Xiahou Hui’s mind, raising enormous waves that left her trembling with cold.

“Princess, you… you are lying to me, aren’t you?” Xiahou Hui’s face had gone pale, and her voice trembled faintly.

Princess Qinghe let out a long sigh and patted her hand. “Silly child, would I dare use Emperor Wu as the subject of a joke?”

Xiahou Hui knew, of course, that Princess Qinghe would never go so far out of idle amusement. She simply did not want to believe her own ears. Her father, Xiahou Shang, had not betrothed her to Sima Shi merely to forge a family alliance. It was a silent move on the board, made for the stability of the Cao family and the empire—but the price was her happiness for the rest of her life.

She could not believe that the father who loved her so dearly would do such a thing. Yet she knew all too well that if he had been aware of Emperor Wu’s dream of the three horses sharing a trough, he would certainly have done so.

A part of her world suddenly collapsed, as though her father had abandoned her. She felt even more wretched than Wei Ba. Wei Ba had been driven into exile by others, but his father, Wei Yan, had not abandoned him. She, on the other hand, had been treated as a tool by the father who loved her and cast aside with a careless hand.

Seeing the anguish in Xiahou Hui’s eyes, Princess Qinghe immediately regretted having told her. She put an arm around Xiahou Hui’s shoulders and drew her into her embrace.

“My child, I know you cannot accept it. But what difference does it make? What woman in this world is any different? How many are able to marry the man they truly love? This world belongs to men. We women are merely pieces on their chessboard. How could we ever decide our own fates? Accept your lot. If you must cry, cry in my arms. Once you have finished, bury this matter in your heart. I know you are clever. You will know what must be done.”

Xiahou Hui could no longer hold back. Tears burst from her eyes as she threw herself into Princess Qinghe’s arms and began to sob, soon breaking into loud, unrestrained weeping.

…

In the front hall, Wei Ba and Xiahou Mao were speaking with animated expressions. Today they had been discussing the River Chart and the Luo Writing.

Daoist learning came from two branches. One was the study represented by the Five Thousand Words of Laozi and the Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor—the study of principles, or philosophy. The other was the learning of the School of Yin-Yang, such as the Book of Changes and various forms of numerology. The study of the Book of Changes in the Han era was also known as Image-and-Number Learning. Its main content consisted of two aspects: images, meaning the trigrams and hexagrams, and numbers, meaning numerology—the arrangement and combination of various numbers. The River Chart and the Luo Writing belonged to the latter category.

Xiahou Mao was not unfamiliar with these subjects, but Wei Ba had introduced ideas that were entirely new to him. Wei Ba had produced a grand River Chart containing no fewer than sixty-four numbers. It was far more complicated than the River Chart Xiahou Mao knew.

Naturally, Wei Ba was not merely discussing mathematics. He had incorporated the sixty-four hexagrams of the Book of Changes. Of course, with his own limited ability, he could never have accomplished such a thing. The chart had been personally devised by someone appointed by Chancellor Zhuge, though it was impossible to rule out the possibility that it also contained some of Zhuge’s own wisdom.

Wei Ba had talked Xiahou Mao dizzy. The latter was so delighted that he scratched at his ears and tugged at his hair, entirely lacking the dignity expected of the General Who Pacifies the West and Governor of Guanzhong. Unfortunately, with his level of understanding, he could not comprehend the chart, whose very appearance was enough to make one’s head spin.

“This… chart. Is it truly as miraculous as you claim?”

“Of course.” Wei Ba rubbed his palms together, feeling somewhat tense.

After more than a month of effort, he was finally about to send the first signal to those anxiously awaiting news from him. He absolutely could not allow Xiahou Mao to see through the ruse. Otherwise, nothing that followed would be possible. Even if he possessed the ability to reach the heavens, what good would it do if he were confined to the residence and unable to leave? Even if he managed to uncover the most secret intelligence, it would be useless.

The information had to be sent out—to the Chancellor. Only then would it have value.

These charts appeared to contain the sixty-four hexagrams of the Book of Changes, but in truth they were a cipher table concealing a message.

That, of course, had been Wei Ba’s own idea.

“General, this chart is extremely complicated and involves a great deal of deduction. My own understanding is shallow and my abilities limited. Even after exhausting myself, I have been unable to grasp all its secrets. If there are any men of learning around you who might be interested, perhaps you could invite a few trusted scholars to examine it together and see whether they can uncover some of the mysteries hidden within.”