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“Yes; I will give up the throne to the Prince, if haply I may be spared to live out the few years Heaven has assigned me,” wailed he.

“The Prince will always take care of Your Majesty,” said Jia Xu. “It would be as well to prepare the abdication manifesto quickly so as to preserve tranquillity.”

Such a hint could not be missed, and Chen Qun was directed to draft the document. As soon as it was finished, Hua Xin followed by a host of officers, took it off to the palace and presented it, with the Imperial Hereditary Seal, in the name of the Emperor. Very joyfully, Cao Pi read this writing:

“During the whole of my thirty-two years of reign the land has been in a state of turmoil, but the spirits of my

ancestors have preserved me in the midst of danger. Now from the signs of the heavens and the hearts of the people, I see that the virtue of the Hans is exhausted, and happy fortune has devolved upon the House of Wei, as may be seen from the success in war enjoyed by the late King Cao and the resplendent virtue of the present Prince, which answers to the times.

“By all noble principles the empire is no private possession, but a public trust. Wherefore the great King Yao, to his eternal glory, passed over his own son. How I admire this deed! Now in imitation thereof I have resolved to abdicate in favor of my Chief Minister, the Prince of Wei, who will not, I hope, disappoint my wishes.”

Cao Pi heard this and was going to accept it as final. But Sima Yi said no: “Although the declaration and the seal have been sent, yet decorum demands refusal at first so as to silence people's criticism.”

Then Wang Lang drafted a memorial modestly declining the proposal of succession on the ground of unfitness and asking that some other be sought. When this reached the Emperor, he was much perturbed and asked what was to be done next.

Replied Hua Xin, “When his father was offered a princedom, he declined thrice, but he finally accepted. Wherefore Your Majesty should renew the offer. The Prince will end by acceptance.”

There was no help for it, and so Huan Jie was bidden to draft another declaration of offer, which was sent by the hand of the Officer of the Dynastic Temple, Zhang Yin, together with the emblems and the seal.

This new declaration read thus:

“To the Prince of Wei. You have sent your modest refusal of our offer to abdicate. But I have long since seen that the

virtue of Han is passing, and I could only rely upon the late Prince, your father, who virtuously undertook the great task of removing the evil oppressors and purging the land. Now his son Cao Pi has succeeded. His perfect virtue is resplendent, his fame universal and his benevolence is wafted to all parts. The divine choice rests upon him.

“In the days of old, Yao the Great would abdicate, and did so in favor of Shun, who possessed merit after his twenty accomplishments; and the God-king Shun in the same manner handed the Throne to Yu after he had labored to control the floodwaters. The House of Han succeeded in the course of ages to the work of Yao and now passes on the sacred trust, to promote the repose of the Earth and manifest the command of Heaven.

“By the hand of the Minister Zhang Yin, this is sent with the emblems and the seal.”

Greatly rejoicing, Cao Pi received this. But he said to Jia Xu, “Although I have received two such declarations, yet I fear that I may not escape being branded as a usurper by posterity.”

“That is easily arranged,” replied Jia Xu. “Direct Zhang Yin to take the seal back again, and tell Hua Xin to cause the Emperor to set up a Terrace of Abdication and select an auspicious day for the ceremony. Then assemble all the officers at the terrace, and cause the Emperor to offer the seal with his own hands and surrender the empire to you. Thus can you dissipate all doubts and prevent any caviling.”

So the seal was once more rejected with a memorial to say so. Zhang Yin returned and the Emperor inquired of the courtiers how he was to understand this act.