Qin Qingtong’s Betrayal [Three Kingdoms]

Qin Qingtong is a fictional character in Romance of the Three Kingdoms and does not appear in other historical records.

In Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Qin Qingtong was a servant in Dong Cheng’s household. He overheard Dong Cheng and other intriguers discussing a secret plan possibly against Cao Cao.

He went straight to Cao’s residence, offering valuable information. Questioned in a side room, the man said, “Wang Zifu, Wu Zilan, Chong Ji, Wu Shi, and Ma Teng held a secret talk with my master—I am sure there is a plot against you— and my master brought out a roll of silk with something written on it. And yesterday Ji Ping bit off his fingertip to seal an oath. That much I saw myself.”

— Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Chapter 23

Suspecting that Qin Qingtong was having an affair with his concubine, Yunying, Dong Cheng intended to execute him. However, at the plea of Dong Cheng’s wife, the punishment was reduced to forty strokes on the back and imprisonment. Resentful of this, Qin Qingtong broke his chains at night, climbed over the wall, and went straight to Cao Cao’s residence, where he secretly reported Dong Cheng’s conspiracy. Qin Qingtong’s betrayal directly led to Cao Cao’s brutal purge of Dong Cheng and his accomplices, resulting in the execution of over 700 people. This crackdown eliminated dissidents within the court, strengthened Cao Cao’s power, and accelerated the decline of the Han Dynasty.

Today, we will analyze the reasons for the failure of this plot from Dong Cheng’s perspective and the lessons that can be learned from it.

Dong Cheng, the father-in-law of Emperor Xian and General of Chariots and Cavalry, was discontent with Cao Cao’s authoritarian control over the emperor. He received a secret “Girdle Edict” from the emperor, tasking him with rallying loyalists to assassinate Cao Cao. By this time, Dong Cheng had already secretly contacted officials such as Liu Bei, Ma Teng, Zhong Ji, and Wu Zilan, forming a covert anti-Cao coalition. However, before the plan could be carried out, Liu Bei seized the opportunity to flee to Xuzhou, and Ma Teng returned to Xiliang. The assassination plot was ultimately foiled due to an internal private conflict as mentioned at the beginning of this post.

Dong Cheng’s critical mistakes can be summarized into three main points:

• Major Lapses in Secrecy: A matter as grave as the plot to assassinate Cao Cao, which involved the lives of Dong Cheng and his co-conspirators, was fully overheard by a household servant.
• Succumbing to His Wife’s Pleas: Dong Cheng heeded his wife’s advice and spared Qin Qingtong’s life, reflecting a lack of resolve. In such high-stakes situations, decisiveness is crucial—either eliminate the threat entirely or refrain from action.
• Failure to Investigate Qin Qingtong’s Disappearance: After Qin Qingtong escaped, Dong Cheng did not pursue him or consider the potential risks of information leakage.

This was not the first time Dong Cheng made such errors. Earlier, when he secretly contacted Liu Bei, his carelessness and lack of attention to detail were already evident. For more details, refer to the article Dong Cheng’s Midnight Visit and Liu Bei’s Test.

As an ancient Chinese saying goes, “Success depends on secrecy, failure comes from leakage.” Often, to accomplish a critical task—especially one as sensitive as an assassination—the fewer people who know, the better. The priority should not be seeking advice or guidance but concealing one’s motives. Dong Cheng’s efforts to lobby numerous officials easily exposed his plans. While he believed his scheme was “watertight,” even his servants and concubines were aware of his secret discussions with other intriguers. How could such a poorly guarded conspiracy ever succeed?