One evening of the full moon festival, when the physician was just taking his leave, Dong Cheng kept him, and the two men had supper together. They eat talking for some time, and Dong Cheng by and by dropped off to sleep dressed as he was.
Presently Wang Zifu and the others were announced. As they were coming in, Wang Zifu cried, “Our business is settled!”
“I should be glad to hear how,” said Dong Cheng.
“Liu Biao has joined Yuan Shao, and five hundred thousand troops in fifty legions are on their way here by different routes. More than this, Ma Teng and Han Sui are coming from the northwest with seven hundred thousand Xiliang troops. Cao Cao has moved every soldier outside Xuchang to meet the combined armies. There is a great banquet in the Palace tonight; and if we get together our young men and servants, we can muster more than a thousand, and we can surround the Palace, while Cao Cao is at the banquet, and finish him off. We must not miss this.”
Dong Cheng was more than delighted. He called his servants and armed them, put on his own armor and mounted his horse. The conspirators met, as they had arranged, just at the inner gate of the Prime Minister's palace. It was the first watch. The small army marched straight in, Dong Cheng leading with his treasured sword drawn. His intended victim was at table in one of the private rooms. Dong Cheng rushed in, crying,
“Cao Cao, you rebel, stay!” and dashed at Cao Cao who fell at the first blow.
And just then he woke up and found it was all a dream, but his mouth was still full of curses.
“Do you really wish to destroy Cao Cao?” said Ji Ping, going forward to his half awakened patient.
This brought Dong Cheng to his senses. He stopped, terror stricken, and made no reply.
“Do not be frightened, O Uncle,” said the doctor. “Although I am a physician, I am also a man, and I never forget my emperor. You have seemed sad for many days, but I have never ventured to ask the reason. Now you have shown it in your dream, and I know your real feelings. If I can be of any use, I will help. Nothing can daunt me.”
Dong Cheng covered his face and wept.
“I fear you may not be true to me,” cried he.
Ji Ping at once bit off a finger as a pledge of his faith. And then his host and patient brought forth the decree he had received in the girdle. “I am afraid our schemes will come to nought,” said Dong Cheng. “Liu Bei and Ma Teng are gone, and there is nothing we can do. That was the real reason I fell ill.”
“It is not worth troubling you gentlemen with; for Cao Cao's life lies in these hands of mine,” said Ji Ping.
“How can that be?”
“Because he is often ill with deep-seated pain in his head. When this comes on, he sends for me. When next he calls me, I only have to give him one dose and he will certainly die. We do not want any weapons.”
“If only you could do it! You would be the savior of the dynasty; it depends upon you.”
Then Ji Ping went away leaving his late patient a happy man. Dong Cheng strolled into the garden and there he saw one of his servants, Quin Quington, whispering with one of the concubines, Yun Ying, in a dark corner. This annoyed him, and he called his attendants to seize them. He would have put them to death but for the intervention of his wife. At her request he spared their lives, but both were beaten forty canes, and the lad was thrown into a dungeon. Sulky at this treatment, Quin Quington broke out of the cell in the night, climbed over the wall, and went straight to Cao Cao's palace, where he betrayed the conspiracy.
Cao Cao at once had him taken into a secret chamber and questioned him. Quin Quington gave the names of the conspirators, saying, “Wang Zifu, Wu Zilan, Chong Ji, Wu Shi, Ma Teng, and my master have been meeting secretly. My master has a roll of white silk, with writing on it, but I do not know what it means. Yesterday, Ji Ping bit off one of his fingers as a pledge of fidelity. I saw that.”
Quin Quington was kept in a secret part of the palace, while his late master, Dong Cheng, only knowing that he had run away, took no special means to find him.
Soon after this Cao Cao feigned a headache and sent for Ji Ping as usual.
“The rebel is done for,” thought Ji Ping, and he made a secret package of poison which he took with him to the palace of the Prime Minister. He found Cao Cao in bed. The patient bade the doctor prepare a potion for him.
“One draught will cure this disease,” said Ji Ping.
He bade them bring him a pot, and he prepared the potion in the room. When it had simmered for some time and was half finished, the poison was added, and soon after the physician presented the draught. Cao Cao, knowing it was poisoned, made excuses and would not swallow it.
“You should take it hot,” said the doctor. “Then there will be a gentle perspiration, and you will be better.”
