Chapter 40 The Imperial Edict in the Belt (Part 4) Such sins deserve to leave me childless for life…

When Guo Jia returned to Xuchang, he was met with two pieces of news that struck him like a bolt from the blue, making him feel as if the sky were falling.

He dragged Cheng Yu into the council hall of the Minister of Works' mansion, disregarding all etiquette, and questioned Cao Cao: "How could you, my lord, allow Liu Bei to escape?!"

Cao Cao was taken aback by his imposing question, and didn't even realize his own position. Instead, he explained with some confusion, "How is this considered fleeing? Didn't you say before that we couldn't kill him? Now that he's leading troops to quell the rebellion, what's wrong with that?"

Guo Jia was so angry he couldn't speak. He flung his sleeve and grabbed Cheng Yu, who could only add, "Not killing him is fine, it's a way to attract heroes from all over the world. But you shouldn't have let him lead the troops out of the city. Once he went, it was like a dragon entering the sea, leaving no room for maneuver."

"No... I can't stop... I've been bestowing official titles and marriages upon him..." Cao Cao frowned, recalling his boastful words to him in his moment of pride, "The only heroes in the world are you and I," and suddenly felt quite guilty.

Lu Hong's voice rang out from outside the hall: "Reporting to the Minister of Works! There is news from within Wu Shuo's residence!"

Cao Cao beckoned, and his attendants summoned Lu Hong into the hall.

Lu Hong strode forward and presented a scroll of bamboo slips with both hands: "The spies in Wu's mansion have discovered that Dong Cheng and others are plotting with Liu Bei. They are waiting for Liu Bei to raise an army in response, but they do not know what they are planning in the city or where the original plot was."

Cao Cao was shocked when he read the bamboo slips. His head started to throb, and he raised his hand to cover his forehead. The bamboo slips fell to the ground, and a "whoosh" sound came out of his mouth.

Seeing his appearance, Guo Jia couldn't help but soften his heart and toned down his imposing manner.

Just then, a eunuch entered carrying medicine and knelt before him in a soft voice, saying, "Minister, it's time to take your medicine."

Cao Cao waved his hand impatiently, signaling for it to be brought over.

"My lord, please wait!"

Guo Jia's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly spoke up, snatching the medicine bowl without any mercy.

Cao Cao knew he was always unruly, but he had never overstepped the bounds like this before. Even Cheng Yu and Xun Yu, who were standing next to him, widened their eyes in surprise.

Guo Jia ignored them, bringing the medicine bowl to his nose to sniff it carefully. His brows furrowed, he sniffed it several times, and then he sternly questioned the kneeling eunuch: "This medicine is not the prescription Hua Shi often gives, it tastes wrong! Tell me, where did it come from?!"

The eunuch was so terrified by Guo Jia that he trembled uncontrollably, his face deathly pale, and he stammered, "Reporting to...Reporting to the Grand Master...Today, today is Physician Ji's...Physician Ji's prescription...He said it's a new...new prescription that he and Physician Hua researched..."

"A new prescription?" Guo Jia pressed closer. "Ji Ping? He's not a member of the Sikong Mansion. When did he have the right to tamper with Hua Shi's prescription?"

Before he finished speaking, he grabbed the eunuch by the collar, ignored his struggles and cries, pried open his mouth, and forced the bowl of dark medicine down his throat.

"What you're plotting within the city... what you're plotting, I'm afraid, is precisely what Your Excellency commands!"

"Ugh...cough cough cough...vomit..." The eunuch choked, tears streaming down his face, coughing and gagging desperately, spilling the medicine all over his face and body, looking utterly disheveled.

"Fengxiao! Stop!" Hua Tuo rushed over and stormed into the council hall.

Guo Jia slammed the empty bowl to the ground, then looked at Hua Tuo kneeling down and repeatedly bowing, saying, "Master Sikong! Master Fengxiao! This medicine is indeed non-toxic!"

He picked up the empty bowl with trembling hands. "This prescription...this prescription is indeed the result of discussions between Physician Ji and myself...all the ingredients used are for promoting blood circulation, clearing the meridians, calming the liver, and extinguishing internal heat..."

Guo Jia sneered and snatched the bowl. "Why did you hide this from me, Master? This medicine contains the pungent 'Heartbreak Vine,' a highly poisonous herb. Back then, when you saved my life by using poison against poison, you still needed 'Azure Flower' to mitigate its potency. Today, I only smell its potent attack on the poison, but not a trace of its mitigating effect!"

Hua Tuo's body trembled, and his face instantly turned ashen.

At the medical clinic, he knew that Guo Jia was much more sensitive to medicine than Deng Jie, and had a better memory. However, he dared not operate on him. He used his own strengths to help Deng Jie learn a lot of medicine. He never expected that these old medicines would be remembered by him to this day.

His lips trembled as he explained, “That…that was the person who dispensed the medicine…negligently and mistakenly placed it…I discovered it this morning, removed the wrongly placed Poria cocos, and severely punished him…this medicine is truly…truly harmless.”

"Removed?" Guo Jia sneered. "I wonder if it was removed, or if the medicine was intercepted by Master and replaced at the last minute?"

Hua Tuo, having his secret exposed, dared not speak further.

"My lord!" Guo Jia turned around and bowed to Cao Cao and his entourage. Cao Cao nodded in agreement, then strode out of the council hall, called to his attendants, and headed towards the medicine preparation room.

Sure enough, he returned with a lump of black dregs wrapped in coarse cloth and threw it in front of Hua Tuo. Hua Tuo could no longer defend himself.

"Yuanhua, I trusted you so much in vain..." Cao Cao said angrily, rubbing his increasingly aching forehead.

Hua Tuo kept his eyes closed and refused to speak, but Guo Jia cupped his hands and said, "My lord, you are wise. This matter could not have been done by Master Hua. My master... could not have made such a clumsy mark." As he said this, he gave Hua Tuo a cold glance.

Xun Yu and Cheng Yu, who were standing to the side, were somewhat convinced that Guo Jia's words were partly protective of his own, and at the same time, they were giving Cao Cao a way to save Hua Tuo, since Cao Cao's headaches and Cao Chong's illnesses were still entirely dependent on Hua Tuo's treatment.

"Then... in your opinion?"

"Didn't the eunuch say that this is Physician Ji's prescription...?"

Hua Tuo straightened up and grabbed Guo Jia's clothes urgently, saying, "Fengxiao, Jijiu... don't jump to conclusions! From his prescription to dispensing the medicine, to decocting it, and finally delivering it to Sikong, who knows how many people it has passed through..."

Guo Jia was already resentful because of Liu Bei's affair, and now, because Deng Jie was still in the palace, a surge of resentment welled up in his heart. He grabbed Hua Tuo's old hand, bent down, and said resentfully, "Master, you only think about exonerating outsiders. Have you ever thought about Shuo Yi being imprisoned in the palace? Why don't you think about your own disciple?!"

Hua Tuo closed his eyes in self-reproach, then slumped down, exhausted.

Guo Jia picked up the bamboo slip and quickly glanced through it. "I'm afraid the name of Ji Ping is still missing from this slip."

He quickly closed the book, raised his hand in a gesture of respect, and said, "My lord, I humbly request that you immediately lead men to arrest Ji Ping, Dong Cheng, and their traitorous gang!"

"Approved! Lu Hong!" Cao Cao no longer hesitated, throwing out the list of names that Guo Jia had given him earlier. "With my order, command the elite troops of the Imperial Guard to surround the residences of Ji Ping, Dong Cheng, Zhong Ji, Wu Zilan, and others! Arrest all of them, imprison them, and interrogate them severely!"

“But that conspiracy was originally…” Lu Hong hesitated, after all, the intelligence he brought could only be considered reconnaissance and could not be taken seriously.

"Hmph, they were probably prepared all along..." Guo Jia's mind flashed back to the inner room where Deng Jie had been at the Dong residence that day, "They calculated that we wouldn't dare to enter the palace to search!"

Xun Yu was shocked. "Fengxiao! You don't mean to trespass into the inner palace, do you?!"

Cao Cao waved his hand and tossed an item to Guo Jia, saying, "Fengxiao, you take my imperial insignia and lead a troop of personal guards to the palace with Lu Hong. The evidence you find will be irrefutable! Seize Dong Cheng's daughter as well! Her unborn child... is also a source of trouble and should be dealt with!"

"Yes, sir!" Lu Hong received the order and rose to leave.

"My lord!" Xun Yu could no longer remain calm and stepped forward to stop Guo Jia, who was about to leave. "Consort Dong is, after all, an imperial concubine, and she is six months pregnant. Such...such unauthorized intrusion into the inner palace would not only damage the reputation of you and the court, but also disturb His Majesty's presence! Perhaps...perhaps Consort Dong's matter should be postponed until she gives birth..."

“Wenruo!” Guo Jia grabbed Xun Yu’s hand and turned around abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. “Did they not consider dignity when they imprisoned an innocent woman in the palace?”

You clearly went to the palace to see her, yet you left her there. Did you ever consider her one of our people? Did you just let them use her to control me, to make the Duke suspicious of me, to watch them divide me, or to let Jia die in that deep palace?!

They were so bold because they knew we wouldn't dare go to the inner palace. Now they've openly assassinated our lord, and you're still talking to us about 'decency'?!

Xun Yu had never seen Guo Jia so distraught. Cao Cao's anger was also not appeased. He knew that any further explanation would be futile, so he sighed deeply, let go of Guo Jia's hand, and let him leave.

Inside Consort Dong's residence, Deng Jie's specially made calming incense was burning. At that moment, she was massaging the temples of the frightened and uneasy consort.

Thinking of Deng Jie's warning a few days ago, Consort Dong felt uneasy. She tugged at Deng Jie's sleeve and closed her eyes tightly.

"Madam... I've been feeling uneasy all day; my heart keeps pounding..."

"Please rest assured, Your Highness. Getting angry can harm the fetus. His Majesty is still outside..." Although she herself didn't know why she felt strangely restless today, she suppressed her breath, hoping to calm Consort Dong down as much as possible. "Let me massage the top of your head for Your Highness..."

"Bang!"

Led by Lu Hong, the fierce armored soldiers swarmed in and quickly entered various parts of the hall. The cold clanging of iron armor, the harsh shouts, and the screams of eunuchs and palace maids instantly filled the hall.

Lady Dong was so frightened that she got up and hid in Deng Jie's arms. The door to the inner room was also ruthlessly broken open, and five or six armored soldiers began to search as if they were in an empty room. They ransacked the room, and the sounds of objects colliding and breaking were incessant.

"You! Who are you! What are you doing here! This is the residence of a noble lady, who is pregnant with a prince, how dare you..."

"Say yes." His voice sounded from outside the door, a familiar voice, but with an unfamiliar tone.

Deng Jie looked up and saw Guo Jia exuding a murderous aura, his eyes colder than she had ever seen before.

"Fengxiao...you...what are you doing..." She couldn't help but tighten her grip, trying to pull Consort Dong even closer into her arms, her voice trembling instinctively, "I really stayed here willingly...Mr. Wenruo came the day before yesterday...I...I told Ayu Huai Niang and the others to tell you to wait for me..."

"It's none of your business!" Guo Jia's gaze passed over her and stared intently at the terrified Consort Dong in her arms. "Dong Cheng, Ji Ping, and others colluded with foreign vassals and plotted to assassinate Your Excellency. Their crimes deserve to be punished, and their entire families will not escape."

"You, you mustn't make false accusations! Such charges require evidence!" Deng Jie dared not look at Guo Jia again, and tightly hugged Consort Dong, shouting.

"Evidence!" Just then, a soldier pulled a blood-stained black belt from a hidden compartment in Consort Dong's dressing case. Turning it over, he found a piece of plain silk sewn inside. "Chancellor, Commander Lu! The evidence is here!"

Lu Hong took the belt, unfolded it, and his expression changed drastically. He then strode forward and held the belt high with both hands. "Reporting to the Grand Master and the Lady, we have found a 'secret edict in a belt'! It bears the signatures and fingerprints of five people: General of Chariots and Cavalry Dong Cheng, Imperial Physician Ji Ping, Colonel of the Changshui Army Zhong Ji, General of Zhaoxin Wu Zilan, and Consultant Wu Shuo, as well as the signature of General of the Left Liu Bei! This is irrefutable evidence of treason!"

The emperor stumbled in, his face deathly pale and his body trembling. He pointed at the blood-stained letter in Lu Hong's hand, his eyes filled with despair and fear. "You...you can't! That's...that's..."

He wanted to say it was "my decree," but what could he change? He might even be executed along with his brother, just like Dong Zhuo had done to his brother... He wanted to say it was "forgery" or "framing," but there was no room for argument.

Under the cold gazes of Guo Jia and Lu Hong, and surrounded by those menacing armored soldiers, all his courage vanished. He staggered to Guo Jia's feet, pleading, "Grand Master Guo! I wish to ensure the safety of your wife. Please, Grand Master, have mercy and spare my life!"

The emperor's cries were filled with humility, "Please...for the sake of...for the sake of the child in her womb, the blood of the royal family...spare her life...even if...even if it means letting her give birth to the child first..."

As he spoke, tears streamed down his face, and his forehead slammed heavily against the cold floor tiles. The dull thud made Deng Jie's heart ache. Compared to her kneeling that day, the emperor's slam was far more devastating.

Deng Jie dared not let go, and knelt down with Consort Dong in her arms. Consort Dong also kowtowed to the ground, pleading, "Fengxiao...Chancellor...Even if Consort Dong is guilty, what has her unborn child done? I...I am willing to stake my life on it, to stay here and never leave her side, to take care of Consort Dong until she gives birth, and only after the prince is born, Consort Dong...I...I am willing to share the same guilt and punishment..."

Guo Jia looked at his wife kneeling before him, pleading for the man who imprisoned her, addressing him as "Chancellor" and "Your Majesty" repeatedly, and felt a pain as if a thousand arrows were piercing his heart.

Even with a turbulent mind, he had no other choice.

“Cut the weeds and eliminate the roots… Your orders are as firm as a mountain. Even if we were born, we would still die… A short pain is worse than a long one; it would be cleaner to end it now.”

He spoke these words calmly, both to others and to convince himself.

“Guo Fengxiao!” Deng Jie looked up in disbelief, tears blurring the image of Guo Jia in her eyes.

Her heart sank. Was this strange man still the husband who had been with her through thick and thin, who had joked with her in the backyard, and who had slept in her arms with her countless nights?

"Take him down!" Lu Hong gave the order sensibly. Two armored soldiers immediately stepped forward and roughly tried to drag Deng Jie away and pull Dong Guiren away.

"Wait!" Deng Jie used her body to separate Consort Dong's body from the armored soldiers' hands, and roared with tears streaming down her face, "I'm going to die either way... I only have one request..."

The armored soldier turned around and saw Guo Jia raise his hand, then stopped attacking.

"Please let me... personally feed her the anesthetic... so that the noble lady... may suffer less..."

She cautiously looked up at Guo Jia, and the eye contact between them only intensified their pain.

Guo Jia's slight nod in acquiescence relieved Deng Jie.

Trembling, she took out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, poured out some white powder, and then took a lacquer cup filled with water from the table.

Consort Dong was so frightened by the scene that she collapsed to her knees, sobbing and whimpering, "No... Your Majesty, save me... Your Majesty..."

The terrified emperor could only stare blankly at Deng Jie's actions, his mouth agape.

Large tears rolled down Dong Guiren's face as Deng Jie forced himself to comfort her, "Guiren... Guiren, please listen... drink it... and the pain will subside..."

But she couldn't suppress her trembling voice. She dissolved the medicine powder in water and held Consort Dong's chin to help her swallow it.

"Close your eyes...it will be over soon..." After feeding her the medicine, she held Consort Dong in her arms, gently rocking her as if she were holding a child, and whispered to herself.

When the person in her arms had lost all strength, she finally choked out, "It's my fault for being so incompetent, unable to protect you... This sin deserves to leave me childless for life..."

These words were like a double-edged sword, piercing the hearts of both she and her husband. One closed her eyes in silence, while the other wept bitterly.

After a moment of silence, a patch of bright red slowly seeped from Consort Dong's silk skirt.

Looking at the bloodstains, Deng Jie felt utterly hopeless. She raised her head, her tears dried, and her voice became calmer as she said to Guo Jia, "Give me another chance... at least... let her leave cleanly."

Guo Jia's Adam's apple bobbed, and he nodded with difficulty.

"Such filth is not fit for Your Majesty to see. Take Your Majesty away." Seeing that Guo Jia had given his consent, Lu Hong signaled the armored soldiers to take the emperor away, and then he also left the inner chamber.

Guo Jia lifted his foot, intending to help her carry Consort Dong to the bed, but Deng Jie raised his hand to stop him: "The Grand Master cannot bear the sight of blood... Such filth... the Grand Master should not even look at it..."

When Deng Jiexin became Hua Tuo's apprentice, Hua Tuo led his disciples to learn how to use a knife, and Guo Jia insisted on coming along to watch.

The sight of the bloody flesh ripped open by the dagger with a "crack" made Guo Jia feel nauseous, and he rushed out of the hut to vomit.

At that moment, Chen Xuan followed her out with a smile, comforting her, "It's normal, it's normal, we've all been through this... I told you not to look, but you insisted. Junior sister, on the other hand... you really have some talent, being so calm."

As Guo Jia recalled these past events, his heart couldn't help but clench, but his departure was not because of the bloodstains on the ground, but because of Deng Jie's distant gaze.

Before closing the door, he watched as Deng Jie resolutely picked up Consort Dong and gently placed her on the couch.

After an unknown amount of time, Deng Jie gently opened the lattice door, and a stench of blood rushed out.

She stumbled out of the inner room, tripping over the threshold. Guo Jia rushed forward to catch her, but was pushed away.

She calmly addressed the crowd, saying, "The esteemed person... lost too much blood... and has passed away..."

Everyone looked into the inner room, which was brightly lit. Candles were lit from the bedside to the table, bookshelves, and all the way to the door, and the flames flickered with the air currents.

Two white sheets, one large and one small, were covering the bed, silently.

Guo Jiaqiang suppressed his surging emotions and stomach discomfort, and waved for Lu Hong to take his men to handle the situation.

They entered and left in haste, the armored soldiers handling the situation with utmost speed, and then led the emperor out of the hall.

Lu Hong bowed and withdrew, leaving only Guo Jia and Deng Jie behind.

Deng Jie watched the crowd disperse in silence, his mental energy completely depleted, and collapsed to the ground.

Guo Jia knelt before her, ignoring the bloodstains covering her body, and reached out to embrace her, "Say hello..."

"Smack!"

Deng Jie abruptly slapped his hand away, his empty eyes finally focusing on his face, devoid of anger and accusation. He merely opened his mouth, then shook his head.