In 189, Dong Zhou took advantage of the discord in the imperial court and seized power. He deposed Emperor Liu Bian and enthroned 9-year old Liu Xie as Emperor Xian of Han.
Dong Zhou's aggression aroused the displeasure of many ministers, but none of them dared to speak up. So, Cao Cao decided to get rid of Dong Zhou himself.
Cao Cao got close to Dong Zhou, gaining his trust over time. Then, one night, he saw opportunity to assassinate Dong Zhou. Unfortunately, Dong Zhou awoke just before Cao Cao could strike. When Dong Zhou demanded to know what Cao Cao was up to, Cao Cao lied and pretended to present the sword to him. By the time, Dong Zhou got suspicious, Cao Cao had managed to escape on his horse.
Enraged, Dong Zhou offered 1000 gold pieces for Cao Cao's head. Cao Cao was caught in Zhongmu county. Chen Gong, the magistrate, admired Cao Cao's loyalty and uprightness. So, he released Cao Cao and fled with him.
They ended up seeking shelter at Lu Boshe's house, a sworn brother of Cao Cao's father. Lu Boshe told the 2 men to stay in the house while he went over to the village to get some good wine for them.
After he had left, the 2 men heard the sound of sharpening of knives and some voices coming from the back of the house. Convinced that the family were plotting their murder and that Lu Boshe had tipped off the authorities, Cao Cao immediately dashed into the backyard and killed the entire household.
When the 2 men realised that they had misunderstood the situation and that the family had meant no harm toward them, they left hurriedly. They bumped into Lu Boshe, who was on his way back with the wine. Cao Cao killed him for fear that he would report them to the authorities if he had found out his entire family had been murdered. Upon witnessing this, Chen Gong realised that he had been wrong about Cao Cao and abandoned him as Cao Cao slept.
- Compiled from The Three Kingdoms
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