Soon afterward, the emperor died and his young son ascended to the throne. Dong Zhou, one of the top generals of the realm, seized power as prime minister and ousted the ten eunuchs. Ruling Chine through the child emperor, he was just as corrupt as they had been.

Cao Cao Defines His Character
Many of the generals who had fought against the Yellow Scarves were angered at Dong Zhou's seizure of authority but felt powerless to do anything about it. One of them, Cao Cao, attempted to assassinate Dong Zhou with a jeweled knife. He failed and fled to his uncle's house. Cao Cao was so suspicious of everyone that when he mistakenly thought his uncle's family was going to turn him in, he killed them.