My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Cao Pi's face turned ashen in an instant, he was terrified, as if struck by a bolt from the blue.

At the same time, the officials in the court were all terrified by this sudden turn of events, their faces turning ashen and their expressions filled with shock.

In recent years, Cao Cao's mental state has deteriorated significantly due to repeated defeats in battles and numerous major shocks. This is a fact that everyone in the court is well aware of.

Normally, everyone is careful to avoid touching Cao Cao's sensitive nerves.

However, the current situation has exceeded everyone's expectations.

No one expected that Cao Cao would go to such extremes, venting his anger and irrationally blaming Cao Pi simply because of Sima Yi's mistake.

They even wanted to kill Crown Prince Cao Pi in the imperial court, in front of all the officials!

This crazy act naturally shocked everyone present.

"Father, please calm down! Father, please calm down!"

Cao Pi was so frightened that his liver and gallbladder were about to burst.

He quickly released his hands from Cao Cao's thighs, his buttocks burning as he shrank back repeatedly, pleading with a sob in his voice.

Xu Chu was greatly alarmed upon seeing this.

Cao Cao has lost his mind at this moment, and if he is not stopped in time, it will surely lead to disaster.

So he rushed forward, ran to Cao Cao's side, and hurriedly grabbed Cao Cao's arm, trying to stop him from killing his son.

Seeing this, Yang Fu and the other ministers knew the situation was serious, and they rushed forward to surround Cao Cao.

Some grabbed Cao Cao's sleeves from the side, while others hugged him from behind, all shouting in unison:
"Your Majesty, no!"

With everyone working together, they temporarily stopped Cao Cao.

"Your Majesty, our army has suffered repeated defeats recently, and the situation is critical. This is indeed due to the dereliction of duty by Sima Shizhong."

"But His Highness the Crown Prince is diligent and responsible, and wholeheartedly devoted to the country. He is truly innocent!"

Yang Fu knelt before Cao Cao, his forehead pressed to the ground, earnestly explaining the pros and cons involved.

"The nation is in dire straits, and the morale of the people and the army is already low, like birds startled by the mere twang of a bow. If Your Majesty were to execute His Highness the Crown Prince, it would undoubtedly be adding insult to injury!"

"Your Majesty, please prioritize the well-being of the nation and remain calm. Do not let momentary anger lead you to do something you will regret!"

The officials all knelt down and pleaded for Cao Pi's life.

Cao Cao was only angry for a moment and did not really intend to kill Cao Pi.

The ministers' advice at this moment gave him a way out.

So he gave a cold snort and gradually stopped what he was doing.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, Cao Cao threw his sword to the ground.

He let out a long sigh, his anger subsiding considerably. Like a deflated balloon, he slumped onto the dragon throne, looking utterly exhausted.

When the ministers saw that Cao Cao had finally calmed down, they all felt relieved.

They exchanged relieved glances, large beads of sweat sliding down their cheeks, but neither of them bothered to wipe them away.

Cao Pi also let out a long breath, still kneeling on the ground, but his body was still trembling uncontrollably. He lowered his head, not daring to look at Cao Cao, and did not dare to breathe, for fear of angering Cao Cao again.

"Where is Sima Yi? Where is that traitor Sima Yi?"

Cao Cao sat on the dragon throne, his chest heaving violently, and roared loudly.

"Back in Weikou, he made a solemn pledge, vowing that he could defeat Zhang Fei, or he would commit suicide to atone for his sins!"

"Where is he? Why hasn't he come to apologize to me?"

Cao Cao grew angrier and angrier as he spoke, his voice growing louder and louder, as if he wanted to overturn the entire court.

The killing intent in his eyes burned fiercely once more.

He spared his own son, but his anger towards Sima Yi remained undiminished, and he had no intention of easily forgiving this minister who had greatly disappointed him. However, upon carefully surveying the assembled officials, he could not find Sima Yi.

Cao Cao frowned.

Could it be that Sima Yi, knowing his crimes were unforgivable, was ashamed to come to see him and had already committed suicide at the mouth of the Wei River?
"Zhongkang, find out for me whether Sima Yi is alive or dead, and where he is."

"I want to see him alive or his body dead!"

Cao Cao suddenly waved his hand and shouted sternly.

Xu Chu dared not delay, hurriedly accepted the order, turned around and quickly walked out of the court, sending the Tiger Guards to capture Sima Yi.

Half an hour later, the Tiger Guard rushed back, bringing a series of messages that enraged Cao Cao.

It turned out that, after questioning the soldiers who had retreated from Weikou, they learned that Sima Yi had not retreated westward with the army back to Chang'an, but had instead taken advantage of the chaos to head south.

The Tiger Guards rushed to the Sima Mansion in Chang'an to check, only to find that the mansion was deserted.

According to the servants who had not yet left, it was Wang Ji who rushed back to the mansion first and brought Sima Jin and Sima Zhao out of Chang'an. As for where they went, the servants had no idea.

"What is Sima Yi trying to do? Could it be that he intends to betray our Great Wei and join that big-eared scoundrel Liu Bei?"

Cao Cao could easily deduce such suspicion from various anomalies, and thus flew into a rage once again.

This roar startled Cao Pi, causing his body to tremble uncontrollably.

He kept his head down, not daring to utter a sound.

"Your Majesty, I believe that Sima Yi did not go to join Liu Bei, but most likely went south to Hanzhong to join Zhang Lu."

Just as everyone was terrified and at a loss, Jia Xu slowly spoke, guessing Sima Yi's whereabouts.

Cao Cao was startled, his gaze shooting towards Jia Xu like a sharp sword.

Jia Xu slowly stepped out of his seat, silently walked into the court, bowed slightly, and then said:
"Your Majesty, Liu Bei once exterminated the entire Sima family and has an irreconcilable hatred for Sima Yi. There is absolutely no way that Sima Yi would go to his enemy."

"He knew that he had made a pledge to the army, and that he would be held responsible for the defeat. Even if he escaped back to Chang'an, he would certainly not escape death."

"So for him, the only option to save his life was to go south to Hanzhong and seek refuge with Zhang Lu."

"Therefore, I suspect that Sima Yi had already planned his escape route, sending Wang Ji ahead of time to fetch his family, and then heading south through the Ziwu Valley to Hanzhong, heading straight for Nanzheng!"

The truth came out.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's eyes blazed with fury, his teeth clenched as if they were about to burst, his lungs felt like they were about to explode, his chest heaved violently, and his hands gripped the armrests of the dragon throne so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

He never expected that Sima Yi would be so shameless as to betray the Great Wei and choose to defect to Zhang Lu in order to save his own life!
How could he not be angry, how could he not be heartbroken?

"Sima Yi, you ungrateful and shameless scoundrel! I should have killed you long ago when I was at Weikou! I should have killed you!"

Cao Cao overturned the dragon table, scattering the memorials, writing brushes, ink, and other items all over the ground.

The ministers dared not utter a sound, all lowering their heads and trembling slightly, fearing that Cao Cao's anger would spread to them.

The imperial court was deathly silent, save for Cao Cao's furious roars.

Cao Pi shivered, feeling cold from head to toe.

Just then, another Tiger Guard rushed into the hall, holding up a letter. He claimed it was a handwritten letter that Sima Yi had sent back to Chang'an with his trusted confidant before leaving Weikou, intending to deliver it to Cao Cao.

"That disloyal and treacherous villain dares to leave a letter for me? What else does he have to say? Is he trying to justify his treasonous acts?"

Cao Cao was furious, his eyes burning with rage. He snatched the letter and made as if to tear it up.

Just before the letter was about to break, he suddenly stopped.

His hand paused in mid-air for a moment, a hint of hesitation and curiosity flashing in his eyes.

What exactly did Sima Yi write in his letter?
Could it be that he has some hidden secret?
After hesitating for a moment, Cao Cao opened the letter, wanting to see how Sima Yi would defend his treasonous act.

Cao Cao opened the letter, glanced at it a few times, and suddenly his eyes lit up. (End of Chapter)