Cao Cao does what Yuan Shao will not.

Cao Cao is at this time a relatively minor warlord, as the governor of Yan Province (covering present-day western Shandong and eastern Henan), with his headquarters at Xu (present-day Xuchang, Henan).

He sees the strategical advantage in having the emperor under his control and protection, and …

Cao Cao moves the capital to Xu to affirm his control over the central government, and while Yang Feng opposes him, he defeats Yang and is able to effect the move.

Cao Cao now begins to issue imperial edicts in Emperor Xian's name—including a harshly worded edict condemning Yuan Shao for taking over nearby provinces—even though it still bestows Yuan with the highly honorific post of commander of the armed forces as well as a march.

Cao Cao and Emperor Xian maintain a superficially cordial relationship, but this does not prevent two major confrontations involving Cao and other court officials.

Dong Cheng, as  Cao Cao faces a major military confrontation against Yuan Shao in 199, claims to have received a secret edict issued by Emperor Xian (hidden in a jeweled leather belt inside his robe) with a message to execute Cao Cao, and he enters into a conspiracy with people he trusts, including Liu Bei, Zhong Ji, and Wang Fu, to assassinate Cao.

Late in 199, Liu Bei starts a rebellion and waits for Dong Cheng to act in the capital.

The physician Ji Ben, while tending to the ill Dong Cheng, overhears Cheng speaking in his sleep of having Cao Cao assassinated.

After Dong awakens, Ji requests that he be allowed to participate in the plot.

Initially, Dong is hesitant, believing that Ji might betray him and his fellow conspirators to Cao Cao.

Such is his hatred of Cao Cao, Ji bites off his finger and signs an oath of allegiance in his own blood to prove his loyalty, winning Dong's trust.

Although Dong now has faith in Ji, many of his allies and comrades have recently been executed or chased away by Cao Cao, leaving him feeling the situation to be hopeless.

Ji, however, had been attending to Cao Cao's increasingly serious headaches for an extended period of time.

As Cao Cao's physician, Ji informs Dong that, upon Cao's next request for treatment, he will simply concoct a poisonous mixture which he will then add to Cao's regular medicinal potion.

Dong praises the physician as a hero.

However, one of Cheng's disgruntled young servants, bitter after being disciplined for conversing with a concubine, meets with Cao Cao, and informs him of his master's plot.

Cao Cao, unsure what to make of these allegations, wishes to test his physician's loyalty, feigning a headache and sending for Ji Ben.

As Ji prepares the remedy, Cao Cao makes an unusual request that his physician first test the mixture to ensure its quality, and that he will then swallow the remainder as per usual.

Ji, sensing that his ploy has been discovered, wrenches Cao Cao's head forward by the ear and attempts to force the deadly substance down his throat.

Cao Cao frantically pushes the poisonous mixture away from his face, where it falls to the floor and spills Cao's guards, who have been awaiting his signal, rush forth and seize Ji, who curses at Cao Cao's trap.

Ji Ben is then tightly bound and brought before Cao Cao once more.

Ji maintains a bold front, refusing to cower or display weakness in the face of his opponent.

Cao Cao offers to spare Ji's life, provided that he betray his coconspirators’ identities.

Ji sneers at this gesture.

Cao Cao, enraged at his would-be assassin's insubordination, orders his troops to beat Ji to within an inch of his life, in an attempt to loosen his tongue.

The guards then beat him for two entire watches, only ceasing when Cao Cao fears that the abuse will kill his prisoner.

It is said that Ji Ben's skin hung in tatters, his flesh was battered beyond repair, and that the blood from his wounds poured down the steps as if water, and yet, Ji refused to betray Dong and his allies.

Cao Cao, although infuriated, orders that the prisoner be allowed to rest somewhat before his next ordeal.

Already aware of Ji's fellow conspirator's names, having been divulged by Dong's servant, Cao Cao orders that a banquet be prepared and invites all involved to attend.

During the feast, Ji is once again brought out before all in attendance, and ordered to relinquish all knowledge of the assassination details.

Refusing to do so, Ji is once again severely beaten by Cao's troops while Dong's allies look on in fear.

After being beaten and revived with ice water several times, and only opening his mouth to further insult Cao Cao and his men, Cao grows tired of Ji.

No longer caring to gather solid evidence to implicate Dong's colleagues in the ploy, Cao has them all seized and imprisoned despite passionate denials by each of the men involved.

Cao Cao then confronts Dong Cheng at his residence, as Dong had claimed to be too ill to attend the banquet.

Cao Cao once again brings forth the broken figure of Ji Ben and orders that he once again be beaten.

However, Cao's troops explain that there was not a single part of Ping's body that can be beaten any further, so Cao orders that his men take a knife and cut off all of Ji's remaining nine fingers.

After this is done, Ji shouts "Still I have a mouth that can swallow a traitor and a tongue that can curse him."

Cao Cao then orders that Ji's tongue be cut out, and after this, Ji finally asks for mercy, requesting that Cao remove his bonds so that he may divulge the plot details.

Upon removing Ji's restraints, the physician rises to his feet, turning to face the Emperor's palace, and bowing down.

He then said "It is Heaven's will that thy servant has been unable to remove the evil."

With all the might left in his body, Ji smashes his head against the ground, killing himself.

Despite Ji's silence, the details of the plot and the pledge signed by each of the conspirators is discovered when Cao's troops ransacked Dong's residence.

Cao has all involved put to death, along with Dong’s family, daughter and others.

Dong's daughter, an imperial consort, is pregnant, and Emperor Xian personally tries to intercede for her, but Cao Cao has her executed anyway.

Liu Bei is later defeated by Cao Cao and forced to flee to Yuan Shao's territory.

Yuan Shao falls ill and dies in June 202, leaving two sons.

As he had designated the youngest son, Yuan Shang, as his successor, rather than the eldest, Yuan Tan, as tradition dictates, the two brothers fight each other, as they fight Cao.

Cao uses the internal conflict within the Yuan clan to his advantage and defeats the Yuans easily to assume effective rule over all of northern China.

He sends armies further out and expands his control across the Great Wall into present-day Korea, and southward to the Han River.

Cao is titled "Duke of Wei" in 213, given the nine bestowments, and given a fief of ten cities under his domain, known as Wei.

Empress Fu was apparently never happy about Cao's domination of the political scene.

When Emperor Xian's concubine Consort Dong, whose father Dong Cheng had been killed in a failed conspiracy against Cao, was forcibly executed by Cao in 200 against Emperor Xian's wishes, Empress Fu had become angry and fearful, and had written her father Fu Wan a letter accusing Cao of cruelty and implicitly asking him to start a new conspiracy.

Fu Wan was fearful and did not act on the letter, but Empress Fu's letter is discovered in 214.

Cao is extremely angry and forces Emperor Xian to have Empress Fu deposed.

Emperor Xian is hesitant, and Cao sends his forces into the palace to force the issue.

Empress Fu hides inside the walls, but is finally discovered and dragged out.

As she is led away, she cries out to Emperor Xian for him to save her life, but his only response is that he cannot even know what will happen to him.

She is killed, along with her two sons and family.

Emperor Xian is not, but his status as a puppet is by now fully exposed.

Cao claims Empress Fu had died suddenly and buries her with the ceremony of an empress.