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But Cai Mao refused him admittance and said, “Your father sent you to guard Jiangxia. Such a very responsible post should by no means have been quitted without orders. Suppose it was attacked, what might not happen? If your father sees you, he will be very angry, and it will make him worse. That would be most undutiful, and you should return to your command at once.”

Liu Qi stood out for some time, but admittance was denied him in spite of his tears. So he returned to his post. Meanwhile Liu Biao rapidly grew worse. He anxiously looked for his son, but Liu Qi came not. Suddenly Liu Biao uttered piercing shrieks and then passed away.

When the Yuans were lords of the north,

And Liu Biao held the bank of the river,

It seemed, so strong were they both,

That they would endure forever.

But the family affairs troubled their states,

And, meddling, confusion made;

It was mournful indeed to see

How quickly the houses decayed.

So Imperial Protector Liu Biao died. Then the widow and her partisans took counsel together and forged a testament conferring the lordship of Jingzhou on the second son Liu Zong before they published the news of the death.

The wrongful heir was then fourteen years of age. But he was a cunning boy, so he assembled the officials and said, “My father has passed away and my elder brother is at Jiangxia. More than that, our uncle is at Xinye. You have made me lord, but if my brother and uncle come here with an army to punish me for usurping the lordship, what explanation can I offer?”

At first no one replied. Then Adviser Li Gui rose and said, “You speak well. Now hasten to send letters of mourning to your brother and ask him to come and take his inheritance. Also call upon Liu Bei to come and assist in the administration. Then shall we be safe against our enemies — Cao Cao on the north and Sun Quan on the south. I consider this the most excellent plan.”

But Cai Mao replied harshly, “Who are you to speak thus wildly and oppose the testament of our late lord?”

Li Gui began to abuse him, saying, “You and your party have fabricated this testament, setting aside the rightful heir. Now the whole region is in the hands of the Cai family; and if our dead lord knew your doings, he would slay you!”

Cai Mao ordered the lictors to take Li Gui away to execution. He was hurried out, but his tongue ceased not.

So the younger son was placed in his father's seat, and the Cai clan shared among them the whole military authority of the region. The defense of Jingzhou was confided to Liu Xian and Deng Yi, while Lady Cai and her son took up their residence in Xiangyang so as to be out of the reach of the rightful heir and his uncle. They interred the remains of the late Imperial Protector on the east of Xiangyang, near the bank of the Han River. No notice of the death was sent to Liu Qi, the son, or to Liu Bei, his uncle.

Liu Zong arrived at Xiangyang, but, before he had had time to recover from the fatigue of the journey, the startling news of the approach of Cao Cao's great army came in. He summoned Kuai Yue and Cai Mao and others to ask counsel.

One of the secretaries, Fu Xuan, offered his advice, saying, “Not only are we threatened by a great army from the north, but the elder son, who is the real heir, at Jiangxia, and his uncle at Xinye, are to be reckoned with. These two have not been notified of the death, and they will resent that. We shall be in sad case if they also march against us. But if you will adopt my suggestion, then our people will be as steady as Taishan Mountains and our young lord's position and rank will be assured.”

“What is your plan?” asked the young lord.

“To offer the whole region to Cao Cao, who will treat our young master most liberally.”

“What advice!” said Liu Zong angrily. “Am I to yield my heritage to another before I have even fairly succeeded to it?”

“The advice is good,” said Kuai Yue. “Opportunism is a policy, and possibilities need consideration. In the name of government, Cao Cao is fighting against his neighbors. If our lord opposes him, he will be termed contumacious. Beside, any misfortune on our borders before our young lord is well established will react upon the internal administration, and our people will be panic-stricken at the mere news of the approach of a hostile army. How could we then offer any resistance?”

Liu Zong replied, “It is not that I disagree with you, but I should be a laughing stock to the whole world were I to abandon my heritage without an effort.”

He was interrupted by a speaker who said, “If their advice is good, why not follow it?”

They turned toward the speaker who was a certain Wang Can of Shanyang, a lean, cadaverous individual much below the middle height of a man.