Chapter 5: Cao Cao Falls into a Trap (2)
Cao Cao was momentarily suspicious, and at this early hour, Yang Biao appeared outside the imperial palace. He couldn't help but feel a tremble in his heart, wondering if he had been deceived by Guo's words, and if Emperor Xian had secretly met with Yang Biao, making yesterday's events just a ruse? But upon further thought, this seemed unlikely. Recalling the news that had spread through the palace yesterday, he caught sight of Yang Biao's swollen cheek and suddenly understood. He began to ponder how he might draw Yang Biao into his own camp, and with that, he urged his horse forward, riding towards Yang Biao.
Yang Biao was secretly anxious, and early this morning, his son Yang Xiu had left Xu Chang to recruit talents for Emperor Xian and gather troops. His task was to get close to Cao Cao, gain his trust, and provide information to Liu Xie. As soon as he received the news that Cao Cao would enter the palace to pay respects, he hurriedly rushed to the palace gate, designing a chance encounter. However, after waiting left and right, he didn't see any sign of Cao Cao. On this chilly autumn morning, Yang Biao let out a sneeze, but at this moment, he saw a white horse galloping over, which was exactly the Cao Cao he had been waiting for.
Cao Cao rode up to Yang Biao, dismounted and bowed with a smile: "General, the autumn air is chilly, please take care of your health!"
Yang Biao and Cao Cao had never gotten along, and everyone in the imperial court knew it. Yang Biao was a descendant of loyal and virtuous officials, with a reputation that spanned four generations and three high-ranking officials. As for Cao Cao, although he wielded significant military power and was a hero in his own right, if one looked at his family history, his father Cao Song was actually the adopted son of the eunuch Cao Teng, who was one of the Ten Constant Attendants with considerable power in his hands. Cao Cao had initially been appointed to office through the filial piety and integrity selection process, and subsequently enjoyed a smooth career path, thanks not only to his own abilities but also to the strong backing of Cao Teng. Therefore, it could be said that Cao Cao's connections with eunuchs ran deep. Since ancient times, loyal ministers had never gotten along with eunuchs; in those days, the Ten Constant Attendants had stirred up so much trouble in the imperial court that Yang Biao couldn't help but hate them, and by extension, he also hated Cao Cao. When Cao Cao greeted him, he turned his head away and refused to acknowledge him.
Cao Cao himself knew the reason, Yang Bi looked down on him. History says that Cao Cao loved talents, so there were many brave generals under his command. Some people say that Cao Cao was jealous of talents, taking Yang Xiu as an example. In fact, it's not true. Cao Cao just had a strong desire to conquer, what he couldn't get was the best. He wanted to win over Yang Bi because Yang Bi looked down on him, so he needed to conquer him. He thought this was the greatest success. So when Yang Bi was unreasonable to him, he didn't mind at all and smiled: "Lord Yang has been standing in front of the palace gate since early morning, is there something going on?"
