[7] Cao Pi made his sister Princess of Qinghe (in Gangling)[6] and appointed Xiahou Mao as General Who Stabilises the West (安西將軍), putting him in charge of military affairs in the Guanzhong region, with his headquarters at Chang'an (present-day Xi'an, Shaanxi) left vacant by the death of kinsman Xiahou Yuan.
Cao Rui ordered an investigation as to who wrote the memorial and when truth came out, he released Xiahou Mao and restored him as a Master of Writing.
[12] Some time later in Cao Rui's reign, Xiahou Mao was appointed as General Who Guards the East (鎮東將軍).
When he was assigned to defend the Wei-Shu border, he was not well respected by his colleagues, who assumed that Xiahou Mao would be unable to fulfil his role.
He managed to resist a siege for ten days until Zhuge Liang arrived and directed his efforts towards Tianshui Commandery.
In fact, he had no such intention, instead telling Yang Ling what had taken place, and the two of them and Xiahou Mao attempted to lure the Shu army into the city and destroy them.
Both Cui Liang and Yang Ling were slain by Zhang Bao and Guan Xing respectively, and Xiahou Mao was captured.
Xiahou Mao fled with a few hundred loyalists and sought refuge with the Qiang tribes, and, staying true to his words, never returned.